Younger Generationby Seanzilla115ChaptersCatch that fox!A very Quirky BirthdayTon o Hearts and Pounding Hooves dayDawn of a new StarNight under the StarsThe Alicorn's ApprenticeScoot Along, ScootalooDragon SitterDerpy DayA Screwy DayMusic to my earsGem of the NightHeart of Gold pt 2Neighpon SurpriseDiamond of a SolutionMagic of LoveMark of the NightPrelude to a ContestThe shy filly from another landHeart of Gold pt 1Catch that fox!It seemed like a normal day, Scootaloo and the rest of the CMC were at the clubhouse, waiting for Timid Swallow and Mischief. "...Where is she?" Scootaloo wondered as she looked out the window for Timid, "She was supposed to be here a few minutes ago." "Maybe she got caught up in something?" Sweetie Belle guessed. "I'm sure she'll be here soon," Applebloom assured. "Speaking of Timid; here she comes now," Scootaloo said as she saw Timid coming towards the clubhouse, panting a bit as Mischief rode in her backpack, "Hey Timid! Where were you?!" "G...Gomen, Scootaloo-san! I...I was helping F...Fluttershy-san out with something!" Timid explained, speaking a bit louder… well… loud in her tone of voice since she's almost quiet most of the time. "What exactly? Helping her watch some of the animals she watches over?" Applebloom asked as she poked her head out the window. "Ano...h...h...hai," Timid nodded, "S...some of them were really nice." "Except that Angel bunny," Mischief mumbled. "What was that?" Timid asked, hearing Mischief say that, as she prepared to use the 'Stare' on him. "N...nothing ma'am!" Mischief yelped a bit as he hopped out of the backpack while thinking, 'Tch! Angel Bunny...that little menace was anything but an angel!' "What's got Mischief upset?" Sweetie Belle asked, the unicorn filly popping her head out the other window. "I...I don't know. Demo...I...I think he and F...Fluttershy-san's pet bunny don't get along well," Timid answered. "..." Mischief was about to say something, pointing one finger up before he slowly curled it back up, the small dragon afraid of getting the 'Stare' from Timid. "I can definitely imagine that for some reason," Sweetie Belle replied, trying to hold back a giggle. "Agreed," Scootaloo snickered before an idea popped into her head, "...Girls...I think I know how we can get our Cutie Marks!" "Really? How?" the rest of the CMC asked. "Well...you can thank Timid for giving me the idea," the Pegasus filly grinned as she pointed at Timid. "Ano...I...I did?" Timid blinked. "Yea, you did. Specifically, we're going see if we can take care of one of the animals under Fluttershy's care!" Scootaloo declared. "Really?/WHAT?!" the rest of the CMC and Mischief gasped, the dragon yelling as thought's of taking care of… "him" filled his head. "Nuh uh! Absolutely no…" Mischief began before Timid gave him the 'stare', mainly for yelling like that, "...Shutting up." "So...we're all in agreement?" Scootaloo asked her fellow CMC. "As Big Mac would say: Eeyup," Applebloom nodded. "I'm in!" Sweetie Belle added. "M...Me too..." Timid nodded, the shy pegasus filly feeling a bit excited in taking care of one of Fluttershy's animals. "It's settled then. We're gonna take care of one of Fluttershy's animals starting today!" Scootaloo replied before she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom declared… "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Animal Caretakers!" the three declared, earnings confused looks from Timid and Mischief. "...Okay. I'll ask since Timid's a bit confused by what you just did. Just what was that about?" Mischief asked. "...Oh, it's just our little thing we do when we decide on something," Scootaloo answered. "...Uh huh…" Mischief slowly nodded as he went back into Timid's backpack, his appearance changing to have him wearing footy pajamas with a butt flap, "If anypony needs me, I'll be taking a nap." "A...ano…" Timid began. "Come on, Timid...you can do it to. After all, you're a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders now," Scootaloo smiled a bit at Timid. "...O...okay," Timid nodded before declaring quietly, "C...Cutie Mark Crusaders: Animal Caretakers! Y...Yay!" "..." "...T...Too loud?" Timid asked. "...Nevermind…we-we'll work on it later. So, let's just go," Scootaloo sighed. "Ano...I...I don't' know if F...Fluttershy-san is h-home, minna," Timid stuttered as the CMC stood in front of Fluttershy's home. "She has to be...unless she's out getting some food for the animals. But just to make su…" Scootaloo began until Applebloom tapped her on the shoulder before pointing at the window "Let's try checking the window a bit to see if she's home or not," Applebloom suggested. With a nod, Scootaloo jumped up to the window to see Fluttershy and Twilight, the violet Alicorn using her magic to help Fluttershy open what appeared to be a box, the shy pegasus letting out a soft squeal as she picked up whatever was in the box. "I see her… and she just picked something up from a box," Scootaloo stated, the pegasus filly trying her best to stay in the air with her tiny wings "What is she holding?" Sweetie Belle asked as she and the rest of the CMC looked up at their friend. "Don't know...maybe if I...woah!" Scootaloo yelped as she fell to the ground, her wings finally giving out, "...Darn." "Are you okay?" AppleBloom asked Scootaloo. "Yeah…" Scootaloo nodded before sighing as she looked at her wings, "If my wings held on longer, I could've seen what Fluttershy was holding." "Let me try something," AppleBloom replied, going off for a second before moving a small barrel under the window and jumping up to get a good look, and she saw Fluttershy and Twilight were still there, but now Fluttershy was holding a small bundle of fur… but she couldn't seem to make out what it was exactly. "See anything, Applebloom?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle asked in unison. "Ah think so…Ah can't make out what Fluttershy is holding," Applebloom replied, trying to get a good look at what the shy pegasus was holding, "Let's see… it looks like it's got some… red fur…I think…and...it has...w-woah!" she yelped when she began to lose her balance on the barrel before the Filly fell into the bushes just underneath one of the front windows. "Applebloom! Are you.." Sweetie Belle began. "H...Hello? Is anypony out there?" Fluttershy's voice asked from the other side of the door. "Uh oh...hide!" Scootaloo whispered as she and Sweetie Belle dove into the same bushes Applebloom fell in. "A...Ano…" Timid stuttered a bit as she was about to try and jump into the bushes as well, only to stop in her tracks as the door opened. "Oh, Timid. Is everything ok? I thought I heard something out here," Fluttershy replied when the mare saw the young filly near the bushes. "...A...Ano...I...I…" Timid began, the shy filly berating herself a bit since she was about to do something she would never do...lie, "I...I thought I dropped something on m-my way out." "...Do you need any help?" Fluttershy asked. "Uh...n...no! I...I can look for it myself," Timid replied with a stutter. "...Okaaay...actually Timid...can you help me with something since you're here?" Fluttershy asked. "A-ano… hai," Timid Swallow nodded. "Good. I need to head to the market real quick to pick up some food for the animal Princess Celestia asked me and Twilight to take care of for today," Fluttershy stated as mentioned Alicorn came out, holding a few bags to carry the needed food in, "Can you look after my place while we're gone?" "A...Ano...h...hai, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid nodded in response. "Arigatou, Timid-chan," Fluttershy smiled as she and Twilight took off, letting Timid enter Fluttershy's house, the rest of the CMC coming in only after the older mares flew off far enough. "You heard that right?" Applebloom asked her friends. "Yeah...that thing Fluttershy was holding was from the Princess!" Scootaloo said in a semi-excited voice, "If we take good care of it, we're bound to get our Cutie Marks!" "Yeah! But...what animal did she send?" Sweetie Belle asked out of curiosity. "...Don't' know," Scootaloo shrugged, "Do you have any...Timid?" she blinked when she noticed the shy Filly wasn't there anymore, "...Where'd she go?" "Ah think she went to look inside that…" Applebloom began. "KAWAII!" Timid's voice squealed from inside the box. "...Kawaii?" the rest of the CMC looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what that word means. "Cute! I found something very cute in here!" Timid answered, her voice sounding much louder than it would normally sound anyway. "...It can't be that cute...can it?" Scootaloo asked her friends. "I don't' know...I'll check it out first," Sweetie Belle suggested as she walked over to the box Timid was in before the Unicorn filly walked inside it. "...Anything Sweetie…" Scootaloo began before she and Applebloom heard Sweetie Belle let out a squeal of delight. "Oh my Celestia! She's SO CUTE!" Sweetie Belle's voice squealed from inside the box. "What is it, anyway?" Scootaloo asked, confused by that "This!" Sweetie Belle replied as she and Timid came out of the box before looking back at something in it, "Come on...don't be shy." A few moments of silence passed before what looked like a small muzzle poked out of the box, sniffing the air for a moment. After that, the own of the muzzle slowly crawled out of the box, revealing it was a small, fox kit with orange and white fur and...9 small tails? However, the CMC didn't notice the tails as they saw it's small, sapphire blue eyes looking at them cutely, almost as if she were observing them. "Awww! She's so CUTE!" Scootaloo and Applebloom smiled. "I know! She's like a little fluff ball you just want to hug!" Sweetie Belle squealed, the unicorn filly resisting the urge to glomp the small kit. "So… what is she, anyway?" Scootaloo asked. "Ah don't know...she looks like a fox. But ah don't think foxes are supposed to have nine tails," Applebloom noted, looking at the nine, swishing tails on the fox kit. "Oh… I see!" Timid Swallow gasped, seeing the tails and recognizing what the little kit was, "It's a Kitsune!" "A what?" Sweetie Belle asked as she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo looked at the shy pegasus. "A kitsune, a…a small fox that has more than one tail," Timid answered, "Th...They're creatures that are very hard to find in Neighpon." "Wow~," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle awed. "Cool…" Scootaloo awed as well, "...Does she have a name?" "A...Ano...I...I'm not sure. I...I couldn't help but gush over her to see," Timid admittedly nervously. "Maybe this paper I found inside the box might help," Sweetie Bell asked as she walked back inside the box before carrying out a piece of paper and placed it on a nearby table. "What does it say?" Applebloom asked. "...I can't make any of this out. It's written in Neighponese," Sweetie Belle replied with a small sigh before she gasped a bit, "Maybe Timid can read it!" Then, Sweetie Belle just handed the paper to Timid, who felt nervous being put on the spot like she was. "A...Ano…" Timid gulped a bit before taking a calm breath as she looked at the paper, "Ano...I...it's addressed to C...Celestia-Hime," she looked up at the confused CMC, "H...Hime means p...Princess." "Oh~" the three nodded before looking anxiously to hear what the rest of the note said. "Hai. L...Let's s...see here…" Timid began as she read the note, "C...Celestia-Hime...I...I need you to find this young one a h...home. You see...her family was...o...oh my…" "What? Her family was what?" Sweetie Belle asked before she and her friends saw a small tear escape from Timid's eye, "...Timid?" "H...Her family was k...killed by poachers," timid whispered? "Poachers!" Applebloom gasped. "You know what those are, Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked her friend. "Yes...Ah heard Poachers are really bad Ponies that go and capture rare and exotic animal so they can sell them. If they can't get a certain animal...th...they kill it," Applebloom explained, earning shocked looks from her two friends. "Oh my…" Sweetie Belle gasped, simply stunned by this revelation. "Poor little girl...she lost her family…" Scootaloo said sadly as she and the rest of the CMC sadly looked at the small, fox kit, who appeared to be sleeping at the moment. "...I'm glad Fluttershy's taking good care of her, though," Timid admitted, a small sad smile on the shy fillies face, "S...she'll take good care of Y..Yuki-chan." "Yeah…" Applebloom nodded before blinking, "...Yuki?" "Th...that's what I w...wanted to c...call her b..because the white parts of her fur remind me of snow," Timid explained, "A...And 'Yuki' means 'Snow.'" "Oh…" the CMC nodded again. "I like it," Sweetie Belle noted with a small smile. "Me too," Applebloom added. "...Well… I guess it fits," Scootaloo replied with a shrug, "So...let's…" "Hey keep it down. I'm trying to wake up here," Mischief's voice groaned as he poked his head out of Timid Swallow's backpack, wearing a nightcap in his footy pajamas with a butt flap as he held a cup of coffee, "What's with all the noise out here anyway?" "Misty…" Timid sighed before Mischief saw the young kit, causing the dragon to do a spit take. "FOX!-!-!-!-!-!-!" Mischief yelled as he jumped out of Timid's backpack and clinged to the Ceiling of Fluttershy's house like a scared cat. "What're you so scared of?" Scootaloo asked the frightened dragon. "KEEP THAT...THAT THING AWAY FROM ME! I HATE FOXES!" Mischief yelled, his butt flap opening, "Wait...is that thing from Neighpon by any chance?" "...Yea. Why?" "Because I hate hate HATE those kinds! Freaking troublemakers all of them!" Mischief yelled. "...Oh!" Timid realized where Mischief was going with that as she looked at her friends, "I...I think I know why M..Mischief's scared of Yuki. I...I heard Neighponese Fox Spirits are notorious tricksters and like to play pranks on anypony they see." "...Really?" Scootaloo asked, confused still. "H...Hai. O...One trick they like pulling on Ponies are turning into an exact clone of them and gets them into trouble." "And that's exactly WHY I hate them! Do you know how many times I got in trouble because of those furry devils?! A LOT!" Mischief snapped before he felt his grip on the ceiling starting to come loose, "...Oh blitznak." he then began to fall to the floor, but not before quickly turning around to land on his feet just as he was an inch from touching the floor. He then gave a look at the reader, "What? ...oh don't' look at me like that. Everypony knows Gods and Demi Gods of Chaos always…" "..." Yuki let out a small yawn as she woke up, stretching a bit as her tails swished a bit, one of which touching Mischief's back. "GIYAAH~! IT TOUCHED ME~!" Mischief yelled in a high-pitched voice as he rushed back into Timid's backpack, but not before placing a sign that said 'I'm not coming out until that furry devil leaves! ...unless there's candy involved.' "...Oookaaaay," Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit before she looked at her fellow CMC, "Why don't' we try and find something for Yuki to eat? And afterwards, we can play with her." "Sounds good to me. But...what do Kitsune's eat?" Applebloom asked. "Don't know...let's try pulling out some different food and see what works," Scootaloo suggested as she rushed for the kitchin. "Ano… wasn't Fluttershy-san and Twilight-san going to get some food for her?" Timid asked, causing Scootaloo to skid to a halt. "...You're right. I almost forgot, " Scootaloo chuckled sheepishly, "So... guess until they come back...we'll play with Yuki a bit." "Sounds good to me but...does Yuki want to play?" Applebloom asked, looking down at the fox kit. "I don't know. But it can't help but ask," Sweetie Bell suggested a she bent down to the small kit, "Yuki...do you want to play girl?" Yuki's ears rose up at that as her tails began to wag in a playful way. "We'll take that as a yes," Scootaloo said as she looked at her fellow CMC, "Girls...Hide and seek!" "R...right/hai," Applebloom and the others nodded as the four fillies ran around the house to find various spots to hide. After the CMC disappeared, Yuki sniffed the air a bit to look for them. She continued to sniff around the area before she began to sniff under the couch. Unfortunately, that caused her to sneeze as she skidded back a bit. When she looked up, she saw...herself? Both Yuki's looked at each other in confusion before sniffing each other, causing them to sneeze in unison as two more Yuki's popped up again. The four fox kits looked at each other in confusion before they sniffed the air, going to different parts of the house. One of the kits soon found Applebloom, quite easily. "Aww~! Ya found me, Yuki!" Applebloom giggled a bit, the filly hiding behind one of the curtains in the living room. "That's weird...she found me too," Sweetie Belle spoke, poking her head out from behind the couch with Yuki 2. "...What the?" Applebloom began in confusion, looking between the Yuki that found her and the Yuki that found Sweetie Belle, "What's going on?" "I don't know," Sweetie Belle shrugged until they saw another Yuki find Scootaloo, who was tryng to hide inside the box Yuki was in. "Aw man. You found..me?" Scootaloo blinked when she noticed three of Yuki, "...uh..what's going on?" "I don't know," the other two shrugged. "...Do you think it has something to do with what Mischief and Timid said?" Scootaloo asked before she notice a fourth Yuki sniffing the closet. Then, the little Kit started to paw at the closet door to try and get it open. "Y...you found me Y-Yuki...chan?" Timid blinked in confusion once she opened the door to see the 4 Yukis, "...U...Uh oh. I...I didn't think s-she could figure this out e-early." "What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "I...I heard once K...Kitsune kits get older, th...they learn how to do tricks l-like cloning itself," timid replied before two of the Yuki Clones sneezed, producing two more. "Um...what else can they learn to do?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, seeing one of the Yuki's looking at a group picture of Fluttershy and her friends. "Ano...th-they can...uh oh," Timid paled a bit, recalling what Mischief said about Neighponese foxes. "What?" Applebloom asked before she noticed the other Yuki's gathering around the other one, looking at the picture as well. "Th...they can turn into Anypony they see…" Timid gulped. "...That doesn't' include pictures...does…?" Scootaloo began before she noticed one of the Yuki's shaking her paw, suddenly turning it into a familiar pink hoof. The cloned kit then shook her entire body before she was now an exact copy of Pinkie Pie. Well… kinda exact copy as her Cutie Mark was replaced with the Kanji for 'Laughter'. "Whoa…" the CMC gawked. The other Fox kits looked at 'Pinkie' before looking at each other, almost like they were saying 'Let's try that too!'. With a sudden shake, the other 5 Kit clones turned into copies of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, each with the respective Kanji for 'Magic', 'Kindness', 'Loyalty', 'Honesty', and 'Generosity' as their Cutie Marks. "Uh… is this bad?" Applebloom nervously asked Timid Swallow. "H..hai," Timid nodded with a gulp, "M...Misty!" "What? I'm trying to watch my…" Mischief, who had popped his head out of Timid's backpack, snapped before he noticed the cloned 'Mane 6', "..." he then slowly brought a gong out and rung it. "What was that about?" Scootaloo asked the dragon in confusion. "That, my little fillies...is chaos about to befall on Ponyville," Mischief stated ominously, wearing a Chinese elder's outfit compete with thin whisker-like mustache and white hair done in a small top. "Uh oh," the CMC gulped. "Oh yeah...so you better get them back to normal or..." Mischief began before the 'Mane 6' opened the door and ran out, "...Too late." "Great… now what do we do?!" Sweetie Belle almost panicked. "I don't...uh oh," Scootaloo paled when she spotted the clones about to sneeze, which could only mean one thing. The 'Mane 6' sneezed, producing 6 more clones before said clones sneezed, producing more clones. "Oh great… it sounds like what happened with Pinkie before…" Applebloom recalled from what her sister told her. "Yeah...but this time, we're not just dealing with multiple Pinkies," Scootaloo added with a gulp. "Yea… instead it's multiples of everypony," Sweetie noted. "Speaking of…" Mischief began as he pulled out a horn and blew on it just as the clones began to leave, "They're off!" "We gotta do something and fast!" Applebloom gawked. "Let's split up and try to look for the original Yuki!" Scootaloo ordered. "Sp...Split up?" Timid repeated with a stutter. "It's the best chance to find them," Scootaloo answered. "R...Right," Timid nodded as Mischief stayed on her back, wearing a riding uniform for a hunt. "Onward! Onto...The Hunt!" Mischief declared in a British accent. And so, the four rushed out and ran off in four different directions, but not before Timid locked Fluttershy's house, just to be safe. "Spike, you still can't be mad about your little change," Twilight giggled as she recall Spike getting changed into a female. "I thought I told you not to bring that up, Twilight," Spike grumbled, the dragon having to accompany Twilight and Fluttershy at the market. "Ooh and Rarity had such fun using you as her model" Twilight teased, causing Spike to blush heavily. "..." Fluttershy giggled a bit before she felt the ground starting to rumble, "...Um...do you feel that?" "...A little, why?" Twilight asked. "..." Fluttershy was about to reply before she noticed a large herd heading their way..a large herd consisting of...herself and Twilight? "Wh...what the hay?!" Twilight gawked before she, Spike, and Fluttershy jumped out of the way as the herd of clones charged through the marketplace, starting to eat everything in site. "Hey! You need to afford th…" the Cherry Vendor (from Putting your Hoof Down) began before the two Fluttershy's eating his supply of Cherries growled at him, "...I mean..help yourselves out ladies!" "...they should be Flutterbats," Spike sweatdropped at the sight. "Yeah…" Twilight sweatdropped as well before shaking it off, "Wait a minute! What the hay is going on around here?!" "Deja vu…" Spike noted, remembering the time when multiple Pinkies were all over the place. "Y...Yuki!" a certain, shy filly called out as she ran into the area, her eyes widened as she watched the Twilight and FLuttershy clones wreck the market place, "Oh no...p-please dont' tell me she's…" "Timid?" Fluttershy spoke as she poked her head out from her and Twilight's hiding place, "Wh-what're you doing here? I...I thought…?" "N...no time, F...Fluttershy-san! I..I gotta find Y..Yuki-chan!" Timid replied. "Yuki?" Twiligth and Fluttershy blinked. "H...hai. Th...that a...animal c..Celestia-hime asked you to take care of...g...gomen!" Timid apologized as she ran off. "...the baby fox!" Twilight and Fluttershy gasped, realizing what Timid meant before they leapt from their hiding place to catch up with the shy filly. "Hey! W...wait up!" Spike yelled as he ran after them. "I...I heard of liking yourself a lot, but this is ridiculous!" Rarity gasped as she watched clones of herself wreck her home/tailor shop. She then quickly grabbed one dress that was about to get torn to shreds by one of the clones before another one grabbed the end of it, resulting in a tug-of-war, "L...Let go of my dress, you! I...I mean me! Y..You know what I mean! Oh...where's Pinkie when you need her?!" "Whee!" said pink party pony cheered as she and her clones played some games. "...I've should've known," Rarity sweatdropped before she fell to the floor when the clone biting on her dress tugged on it, causing the Unicorn to let go as she watched 'herself' chew the dress like crazy, "NO~! It took me days to make that dress!" "Oh come on Rarity! There's no need t-YEOWCH!" Pinkie yelped when one of her clones bit her tail, "Hey! That is NOT a chew toy!" "Doesn't this feel… familiar?" Rarity asked Pinkie. "Yeah...it's like what happened when I made all those clones with the Mirror Pool," Pinkie replied, trying to pull her tail away from her clone. "I know...but..something…" Rarity began before Sweetie Belle came in. "Yuki! Where are you girl?!" Sweetie Belle called out as she ran upstairs to look for the original. "...Who is this Yuki, Sweetie Belle's searching for?" Rarity pondered. "Probably this extremely cute fox kit with nine tails and could create clones and turn into copies of other ponies," Pinkie stated after she finally pulled her tail free, "Or it could be a Changeling. Whichever it is." "..." Rarity sighed at that as she got up and ran up stairs to figure out what her sister knows about this. "Ooh! Wait for me! I wanna come too!" Pinkie said as she ran, or rather jumped, after the Unicorn. Upstairs, Sweetie Belle searched in a panic for the kit or the ponies she disguised herself as. "Come on...where is she...where is she?!" Sweetie Belle said in a panicked tone before she saw the clone of her sister mess her bed up, "H...hey! Get off of there!" The Rarity clone giggled as she jumped off the bed and landed in the closet. "Get back here!" Sweetie shouted, trying to follow the clone, only for said clone to bury the unicorn filly in a pile of cloths. "Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, where are you?!" Rarity called out once she reached upstairs. "Oh… sis!" Sweetie gasped, poking her head out from underneath the clothes pile. "Sweetie Belle, what in Equestria is going on?! Why are there so many clones of me and Pinkie Pie?!" Rarity asked as mentioned Pink party pony jumped up the stairs and reached the top. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Sweetie answered. "Ooh! Ooh! Does it involve a small extremely cute baby fox with nine tails Fluttershy and Twilight were supposed to take care of but you and your friends were taking care of it for them while they were out with said baby fox having the ability to clone itself and turn into other Ponies?" Pinkie asked in one, long breath. "...Pinkie...I doubt that…" Rarity began with a sweatdrop. "Actually...that's what happening kinda," Sweetie Belle replied. "Wow, really?!" Pinkie gasped. "Yeah...she kinda got out. So me and my friends have to find her before something bad happens," Sweetie Belle stated. "So… where exactly are these… foxes… impersonating us?" Rarity asked her sister. "Well...most of the clones Yuki turned into are in here…" Sweetie Belle replied as she watched the clones tear the place apart, "Though...I can't tell which one's the real one." "...Why don't we try gathering all the clones up? That way, it would be easier to find the original," Pinkie suggested. "It won't be easy," Sweetie Belle pointed out, "By now, there's probably a TON of clones of you guys and the others around Ponyville." "...Then we just have to get them all in the same spot!" Pinkie said as she zoomed out the room before coming back in, wearing a...cat costume?, "Just call me Pinkie cat! Or Kitty Pie. Which ever works." "...Pinkie. I don't think that'll…" Rarity began before all the clones stopped what they were doing and spotted Pinkie, or rather...Pinkie cat. "..." the clones began to growl. "See? it's working. Now if you'll excuse me…" Pinkie said before she let out a cat-like screech as she zoomed out of their, the clones barking and yipping like dogs. "...That was… weird…" Sweetie Belle admitted. "Agreed. ...Let's pretend that never happened," Rarity stated. "Pretend what never happened?" "Exactly." "Hey! Put that cloud back where...Hey! That cloud was supposed to be for today's rain and...HEY! That's my special napping spot!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to stop clones of herself from messing up the clouds over Ponyville, "Sheesh! Just what's going on here?!" "Grr…!" two clones growled as they played tug-of-war with one cloud. "Hey! You put that cloud down right now!" RD growled in annoyance as she charged at the two clones, who immediately let go of the cloud, letting the Rainbow-maned Pegasus charge right through as she crashed into the river below, "..." she poked her head out, sitting out what water she got in her mouth, "Okay...now I'm really getting…!" "Yuki! Where are you?!" Scootaloo yelled as she ran across the bridge of the riven RD was in, the small Pegasus filly stopping when she noticed her idol in said river, "Rainbow Dash? Why are you in the river?" "Some fillies acting like knock-offs of me kept messing up the clouds," Dash groaned. "Uh...yeah. Fillies," Scootaloo chuckled nervously. "...You know something about this, don't you?" Dash responded, somehow recognizing the tone in Scootaloo's voice. "Well…" Scootaloo began. "YOO HOO~! OH, DASHIE CLONES~!" All the Rainbow Dash clones stopped what they were doing to see Pinkie Pie, still wearing the cat suit, waving at them. "Come and get me!" Pinkie giggled as she bounced away, the Pinkie and Rarity clones still chasing after her before the RD clone gave chase as well. "...What just happened?" the original Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion with Scootaloo "Uh… talk later, let's follow those clones!" Scootaloo responded as she galloped after Pinkie and the clones, still confusing Dash. "..." RD just stood there in confusion before she noticed Sweetie Belle and Rarity run up, "Please tell me you know what's going on?" "Something happened with a fox Fluttershy had me and the rest of the CMC watch while keeping an eye on her house, and now it's turned into multiple clones and copied the forms of you, Rarity, Pinkie, AJ, Fluttershy, and Twilight," Sweetie Belle answered. "I see...and those clones that were chasing after Pinkie...was that fox you were talking about?" Rainbow asked. "Yep," Sweetie nodded. "I see...well...what're we standing around for?" Rainbow began as she climbed out of the river, shook herself dry, and took off into the air, "Let's go round us up some foxes! Or...ponies? ...y...you know what I mean," she then took of in the direction Pinkie and the clones left in, leaving a wet Rarity and Sweetie Belle, making Rarity in particular groan as the two Unicorns gave chase. "Yuki! Yuki! Where are ya, girl?!" Applebloom yelled as she looked for the fox kit at her family's farm, only to see a dozen clones of her sister messing the place up with the original and Big Mac trying to round them up, "Oh boy…" "Come on! Get away from there!" Applejack tried to shoo her clones away from the barn before one jumped off her head and away, "...just what in tarnation is goin' on here?!" "Nope!" Big Mac frowned as he tried to push one clone of his sister away,only for one to poke him from behind with a stick, "Nope!," he tried to get the one behind him, only for the first one to hit him with her tail, irritating him further, "Nope!" "This is gonna be more trouble than I thought," Applebloom gulped until… "AJ CLONES~!" they heard before noticing it was Pinkie, saying that in a sing-song tone of sorts. "What in the hay is Pinkie…?" Applejack began. "Come and get me~!" the pink, party pony giggled in the sing-song tone as she jumped away, the clones of RD, Pinkie, and Rarity chasing after her before the AJ clones joined the herd of said clones. "...Big Mac… ya'll have any idea what just happened?" Applejack blinked in confusion. "Nope." Big Mac answered bluntly. "It's a bit tricky to explain," Applebloom spoke, causing the two to look at her as she walked up to them. "What do you mean?" AJ asked her little sister. "...Well…" Applebloom began. "Hey!" a certain, rainbow-maned Pegasus spoke as she flew in, "Did anypony happen to see a bunch of foxes that looked like me, Rarity, and Pinkie with said clones chasing after Pinkie Pie in a Cat Costume?" "Uh...they went that way," AJ pointed towards the exit of her farm before blinking in confusion, "Wait...foxes? How…?" "Long story," Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom responded in unison, the former two just having arrived with Rarity. "...Nevermind. Let's just go after Pinkie and help her out," AJ sighed. "Right," the others nodded, rushing after Pinkie. "Ooh...which one's the real one?!" Twilight groaned as she, Timid, Fluttershy, and Spike tried to figure out which of the clones was the original Yuki. "Ano...I...I don't know," Timid admitted, "I...It's kinda hard to tell." "I'll say…" Spike sighed a bit before he pulled his tail away just as a Fluttershy clone was about to bite it, "Hey! I'm not a chew toy!" "Arf!" the clone barked a bit before giving Spike a lick as she ran off. "Hey!" Spike responded, groaning from the random lick, "Gross…" "U...um..." Fluttershy stuttered, blushing as two clones of herself rubbed against her, like a young kitten would with it's mom. "Ugh! There's gotta be someway we can tell which…" Twilight began until… "YOO-HOO~!" "Huh?" the ponies and young dragon gawked as they saw Pinkie in her cat suit skipping by. "...Was that Pinkie Pie just…?" Twilight began. "Look out!" Spike yelped as he pushed the Mares and filly out of the way just as a large herd of clones, now consisting of the Twilight and Fluttershy clones, gave chase to Pinkie Cat. "What was that about?" Twilight asked in confusion. "I...don't know," Spike replied in equal confusion. "Um...I-I may have an idea… let's follow them," Fluttershy replied, actually taking the lead after the clones with Timid following her. "R...right," Twilight nodded as she and Spike ran after them. "...Just where's Pinkie Pie? She should've been here by now," Rainbow Dash stated, a bit of worry and boredom in her voice as she, AJ, Rarity, and the CMC-minus Timid, waited for the cat-dressed, pink party pony in the middle of town. "Ah don't know, Dash," AJ shrugged until they heard a faint squealing meow they recognized as Pinkie, "...Nevermind. There…" "GANGWAY!-!-!-!-!" Pinkie screamed as she zoomed past them before heading into a nearby building. "WHOA!" everypony else gasped as they rushed away from the horde of pony-clones that came charging in, looking for the 'cat'. "I didn't think there was this many clones now!" Applebloom gawked. "They must've sneezed while chasing Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo guessed. "...what does sneezing have to do with all these…?" RD began until… "Hey!" a certain, violet Alicorn called out as she, Spike, Fluttershy, and Timid came rushing into the area, "Did you …." she gawked when she noticed all the clones, "See… uh… nevermind." "Twilight! Thank goodness you're here," Rarity sighed in relief as she and the others ran up to the other group, "Can you make a barrier to keep all these clones in one place?" "I'll try!" Twilight responded, activating a glow from her horn before a barrier enclosed all the clones within a small area, some of them whining a bit as they tried to get out. "Okay…any ideas on how to decrease the numbers and return them to normal?" Scootaloo asked, "Because it's going to be hard trying to find Yuki in all that mess." "A..Ano…" Timid tried to speak. "Maybe there's a spell that can help with this?" Sweetie figured. "I'm not sure about that," Rarity admitted. "Ano..I..I…" "Maybe we can jam them together until they become one?" Pinkie asked, poking her head out from a window on the house she hid in. "Ah don't think it works like that, Pinkie," AJ sweatdropped. "Ano...I…" "You want to say something, Timid?" Fluttershy asked, looking at he shy filly. "Ano...I...I have an idea, F..Fluttershy-san," Timid spoke a tiny bit louder. "You do?!" the other ponies gasped, scaring Timid Swallow for a second before Fluttershy comforted her. "It's okay. You can tell us," Fluttershy told her. "A...Ano..I..I could try and g...get the real one out...I...I j-just need T-Twilight-san to l...let me in the...d...dome," Timid explained with a stutter. "Are you nuts?!" RD gasped. "...A-Actually… I think it might work," Fluttershy replied. "Fluttershy. She's just a filly. What if something happened to her if I let her in there?" Twilight asked in worry. "But she knows more about this creature most ponies don't seeing the clones' original form is one from Neighpon," Fluttershy replied, a bit louder than usual so Twilight could hear her. "Just trust me." "...Okay," Twilight sighed in defeat as she looked over at Timid, "If anything happens, I'm pulling you out of there, okay?" "O...Okay," Timid nodded With that, Twilight opened a hole in the barrier only enough for Timid to squeeze through. "Ano...Y...Yuki! H...here girl!" Timid tried to call out to the original, only to be ignored as the clones continued to try and get out of the dome, "A...Ano...Y...yuki-chan! I...It's me! C...Can you just...kya!" she yelped when one pony clone moved past her and tried to escape. "Timid! That's it...I'm..." Twilight began before Fluttershy stopped her. "Wait! ...Let her handle this, Twilight," Fluttershy told Twilight. "...O...okay," Twilgiht nodded as she watched Timid try to get the real Yuki to come out. "A...ano...Y...Yuki-chan! P...please come out…" Timid tried again, but failed since none of the clones were paying any attention to her. Finally having enough, she gained a serious look on her face, "Minna...STOOOOP!-!-!-!-!-!-!" she yelled really loud, her voice surprisingly echoing all across town, but it was surprisingly enough to get the clones to stop and look at Timid, "Yuki-chan! You come here right now, young lady!" Most of the pony clones moved away, revealing a lone clone of Fluttershy, who had a nervous/semi-scared look on her face. "You have caused a LOT of trouble today!" Timid yelled, giving the clone the 'stare' as she approached her, "You're going to dispel all these clones and return to normal at once, or else you'll get nothing for dinner later...got it?!" "..." the 'Fluttershy' clone tried to give Timid a cute, whimpering look, only for it to fail as Timid still gave her the stare. She then gave a small whimper as she turned back to normal Yuki while the clones disappeared. Seeing this from his hiding place, Mischief sighed with relief that Yuki was back to just one kit. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Timid asked the small kit. Yuki just whimpered at first before huddling close to Timid as she yawned a bit. "Good girl," Timid smiled a bit, "Now let's get you home. You must be tired from everything that has happened today." Yuki simply nodded in response as the kit followed Timid Swallow back to Fluttershy's house, leaving a gawking Mane 6, Spike, and the CMC. "...W...wow...Timid...sure can scream," Scootaloo noted slowly. "...Yeah," Sweetie Belle and Applebloom nodded in agreement, along with the gawking Mane 6 and Spike. "...What?!" Mischief yelled, his ears ringing, "I can't' hear you!" "...Literally deafening," Scootaloo noted. "There we go...a nice pillow for you to sleep on," Timid smiled as she placed a pillow, which she brought from home real quick, on the floor of Fluttershy's. Yuki sniffed it a bit before her tails started to wag as she jumped on the pillow, moving on it a bit before she yawned and curled up into a ball. "Nighty-night," Timid whispered to the young kit, giving her a soft kiss on the head as she helped put a blanket on her. Fluttershy gave a small smile, the shy Pegasus Mare watching nearby. 'Timid was really brave when she tried to get the real Yuki to come out...and the way she cares for her is really sweet,' Fluttershy thought before an idea popped into her head. She then approached Timid once Yuki was fast asleep, "Timid...may I ask you something." "Ano...H...hai, Fluttershy-san," Timid replied quietly, not wanting to wake Yuki up, before they walked into another room. "S...So…w-what did you…want to talk about?" "...How much do you care for Yuki?" Fluttershy asked the shy filly. "A-Ano...I-I care for her… a lot," Timid answered with a small smile. "I see… How would you like to take her home then?" Fluttershy asked, causing Timid to look at her in surprise. "R….really?" Timid asked hopefully. "...Since you care for her so much… you may," Fluttershy answered before Timid gave her a hug. "A...arigatou, F...Fluttershy-san!" Timid cheered quietly, still not wanting to wake Yuki up. "Doitashimashite," Fluttershy smiled, saying "You're welcome" in Neighponese. "I...I promise I'll take good care of her, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid said, still hugging the shy, Pegasus Mare. "I know you will," Fluttershy smiled. "Oh great…Now I'm going to have to live with that furry devil?" Mischief, who was watching and hearing everything from a nearby corner, groaned, "Can things get any...YEOWCH!" he yelped when something stepped, or rather stomped, on his tail. He then quickly turned to see a glaring Angel bunny, "...you." He would've started causing more trouble… if it weren't for the two ponies nearby giving him "the Stare." "...They're giving me 'it'...aren't they?" Mischief gulped, earning a nod from Angel, "...Okay then...let's see if I can take it this time. Okay you two...there's something…!" he began as he turned towards the two normally shy Pegasi, only to turn to stone the moment he looked at them, "...dang...it." Seeing Mischief's pose when he literally turned to stone and fall to ground made Timid and Fluttershy giggle slightly, but it wasn't enough to wake Yuki. "See….you...next...time...folks," Mischief said to the reader in a stiff tone. Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly Review if ya can. A very Quirky BirthdayOne day, a young filly was bouncing in the fields and forests outside Ponyville. The Filly's fur was a dark green color while her mane and tail were colored blue, said tail and mane being almost as poofy as a certain Pink Party Pony's. Her eyes were a rose color with a hint of joy and excitement in them as she hopped out of the forest and saw Ponyville. "Ooh~! This place looks fun, fun, fun!" the filly giggled excitedly as she bounced down towards town, "I wonder if anypony is as fun here." Meanwhile, just near the exit of Ponyville, the CMC were in the middle of cleaning up some debris… much to Scootaloo's dismay. "Celestia this is boring!" the Pegasus filly groaned, "Why do we have to clean this up?" "Don't you remember? You had suggested we'd help clean the mess caused by Yuki and we'd get our Cutie Marks," Applebloom reminded her. "...Oh yeah. But I didn't think it was going to be boring," Scootaloo sighed before she turned to see Mischief lounging on a nearby bench, "And why aren't you helping?" "Simple. I'm supervising," Mischief answered, snapping his fingers to make a Strawberry Chocolate smoothie appear before the little dragon grabbed it and took a sip, "Besides, you girls are doing okay...ish." "What do ya mean? We've been working our flanks off as hard as we could," Applebloom responded. "Well for one…" Mischief began as he pointed to a nearby statue...or what was supposed to be a statue, "I don't think statues are supposed to look like a messed up Jigsaw puzzle." The CMC just groaned as Sweetie Belle walked over and started to get to work before… "Hi!" "Kya!" Sweetie Belle yelped in surprise as she jumped into the air a bit before she landed the other way and noticed who had spooked her. "Now what?" Scootaloo and Mischief groaned. "Hi there! My name's Quirky! And I just arrived here!" the dark green filly from before giggled as she introduced herself, bouncing around the place a bit, "This place looks like a lotta fun, fun, fun! Do you know any places that have really fun games and toys?! Oooh! I love the games where you toss a ring and win a prize!" "..." the CMC and Mischief were quite silent…until Scootaloo whispered something to Sweetie Belle. "Does she remind you of somepony?" "Kinda...but I can't put my…" Sweetie Belle began. "Don't know. Don't care," Mischief said nonchalantly as he took another sip of his drink...or what he thought was his drink. "Silly! My tail's not something to drink!" Quirky giggled, causing Mischief to back away and spit some hair out since he was actually drinking Quirky's tail. "H...how'd you do that?! And what did you do to my drink?!" "Your drink?" Quirky blinked before she put one of her front hooves into her mane and… pulled out Mischief's drink, "You mean this?" "...Yep, that's a lot like Pinkie," Scootaloo whispered. "Yeah/I was just thinking the same thing/Ano...h...hai," Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Timid nodded in agreement quietly. "Pinkie? Who's Pinkie?" Quirky asked as she zoomed over to Scootaloo and got real close to her face, "Is she somepony really fun to play with? Please tell me! Oh please please please please please!" "Uh… well… if you like parties… then yea," Scootaloo answered, "And she's technically called… Pinkie Pie." "...D...Did you just say...Pinkie Pie?" Quirky asked as she backed away from Scootaloo a bit. "...Yea. That's right," Scootaloo replied before she and her friends covered their ears as Quirky let out a huge, ear piercing squeal of joy. "OMC OMC OMC OMC! I've always wanted to meet her! I heard her parties are the most funnest fun fun FUN things in the world!" Quirky squealed as she bounced around before...grabbing the reader, "Can you believe it folks?! The Pinkie Pie is here in Ponyville and I'm going to actually meet her!" "...What's with her?" Sweetie Belle asked the others. "Um… I-I don't know," Timid Swallow shrugged before she, her friends, and Mischief were grabbed by Quirky, the dark green filly giving them a very hard hug. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you! You don't know how happy happy happy you've made me!" Quirky squealed as she dropped the CMC and Mischief before bouncing away, "Hope we see each other again! Bye bye!" "...What the heck just happened?!" Mischief demanded in confusion before looking at the reader, "I'm supposed to be the Comic Relief here! Not her!" "...Funny, Pinkie would say you're in Spike's role; yet you enjoy it, he doesn't," Scootaloo noticed. "Yeah! But I'm supposed to be the only one here to break the fourth wall! Not her!" Mischief snapped before he donned an army helmet, "Of course you realize, this means war!" "N...nani?" Timid blinked before she and the CMC yelped when Mischief dashed off in a red blur to catch up with Quirky, creating a dust cloud in the process, making them all cough in the process. "Sh...should we go after him?" Sweetie Belle coughed. "...Yea… I think we should," Scootaloo agreed, "I mean, everypony's just finished cleaning up the mess Yuki caused. Plus, who knows what kind of trouble Mischief will do?" "It's…it's probably not good," Timid sighed. "Right…so let's go and find Mischief fast," Applebloom stated as she and the rest of the CMC left go find Mischief. At about the same time, Quirky was bouncing all over Ponyville trying to find Pinkie… wherever the pony was. Unknown to her, Mischief was slowly following her, the dragon wearing a replica of Elmer J. Fudd's outfit, complete with a...is that a shotgun? "Shh...Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting 4th-wall bweaking fiwwy's," Mischief whispered to the reader as she resumed following Quirky, the dragon doing an imitation of Elmer Fudd's trademark laugh. "Where could she be?" Quirky wondered before she came to a stop, looking at a nearby barrel, "Maybe she's in there?" she then jumped into the barrel to see if her idol was inside. "Ah ha!" Mischief grinned as he ran to the barrel and held the shotgun against the whole of it, "Now I gotcha, ya scewy Pony," he pushed the barrel of the shotgun into the hole before yelping when he saw an exact copy of his gun poking him in the rear from a nearby shrub that was behind him. He then pulled the gun out before putting it back in to see the barrel sticking out of the shrub again, "...Hmm...so that's how ya want to play, eh?" he smirked before he tied a red ribbon to the barrel before putting it back into the hole, and when he felt the gun barrel touch his rear, he turned and saw the ribbon on it was white with red spots, "Ah ha!" he then pulled the trigger, causing the gun to shoot him in the rear. Confused, Mischief pulled the gun out of the hole to see the white, polka dotted ribbon the the barrel of his gun, "...clever filly." "Stupid dragon," Quirky's voice giggled. "Eh?" Mischief blinked as he turned to see the dark green filly starting him in the face. "BOO!" Quirky shouted when the dragon looked at her. "GYAAA!" Mischief screamed as he jumped into the air...right into a flower planter. "Meep meep!" Quirky giggled as she dashed away in a dark green blur. "...Oi vey… all these Looney Tunes references…" Mischief sighed before looking at the screen, "Come up with some new materials guys! And no Tom and Jerry stuff either! While it is funny, I don't want to end up being chased by a huge bulldog or worse!" "Then maybe you'd rather go with this?" Quirky's voice responded as Mischief looked up and was suddenly squashed by an anvil. "...Hate you…" Mischief growled. "Bye bye!" Quirky giggled as she dashed off again. "...Revenge." Pinkie was humming a small tune, the pink party pony happily hopping along until her tail began to twitch like crazy. "...My Pinkie Senses are tingling...I sense another," Pinkie said ominously, "...I go!" with that she used her tail to swing away. "Man...where is she? I really want to meet her...and I feel like I just missed her," Quirky whined a bit, the dark green filly just arriving in the area. It was then she noticed Mischief spying on her, the dragon wielding a large hammer before the filly looked at the screen, "I tawt I tat a idiot dwagon?" She then looked back at Mischief before looking back at the screen, "I did! I did taw a idiot dwagon!" That she did, she heard in her head before snickering. "Oh no...I don't think he's that stupid to fall for it," Quirky giggle to herself, confusing Mischief. '...the heck is she talking to? And what did she mean I'm not that...oh no. I'm not going to walk into that old trick,' Mischief thought before… "Hey. What's going on?" "Nothing. I'm spying on this filly that's trying to take my job as the funny one and the 4th-wall breaker of the group," Mischief replied to whoever he was speaking too. "I see…" "Yeah. She'll never see me co…" Mischief began before he slowly turned to see Pinkie staring at him. "Hi!" "GYAAAA!" Mischief screamed as he jumped into the air, crashing into another flower planter. "Tee hee! Mischief is so funny sometimes," Pinkie giggled before she looked at Quirky looking around. "PINKIE?!" Quirky gasped, somehow having heard Pinkie's voice as she looked around the area like crazy, "Wh...where are you?!" 'O...M...C!-!-!-! I...I'm actually about to meet my idol!' "Patience Young one. Yet to decide if you are worthy, I have." "Huh?" Quirky slowly turned to see Pinkie standing behind her, "...P …P …P …P…" "You have my permission to fangasm into a coma," Pinkie Pie nodded. "..." Quirky gave a blissful sigh as she fainted...but not before rocketing into the air and squealing in pure excitement as she landed and hopped around Pinkie like crazy, "OMC OMC OMC OMC OMC! You're the Pinkie Pie! I'm actually standing in front of the Pinkie Pie! Oh man my friends are… oh wait. I don't have any friends. But still! EEEEEE! I'm actually in front of Pinkie Pie!" "Wow!" Pinkie gawked before turning to the screen, "And some of you ponies out there thought I was hyper." "Oh, I wish!" Quirky said, over hearing what Pinkie said as she poked out from the pink party pony's mane. "How'd you get there?" "I jumped in," Quirky replied as she jumped out, "Anyway...can we do a party?! I've always wanted to do a party with you! So can we do one?! Oh please please please please please please PLEASE!" "...Alright, you're lucky my party friend is back in town," Pinkie smiled. "EEEEEE! I can't wa-your friend?" Quirky blinked. "I call him Weird Al," she smiled, "But his name is Cheese Sandwich." "Ch….ch…..CHEESE SANDWICH?! You mean the Cheese Sandwich?!" Quirky gasped, earning a nod from Pinkie, "..." "Almost got it…" one of the royal guards in Canterlot said, almost finished putting the last card on top of his house of cards before… "EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!" "Ahhh!" the guard yelped at the sudden squeal, his house of cards falling down in the process, "My House of Cards!" "My TV!" Luna's voice roared. "My leg!" a random Pony shouted off-screen. "Wow…" Pinkie blinked as Quirky hopped around excitedly, repeating 'OMC' over and over again. "Pinkie! What in Equestria was that?!" the pink party pony turned to see Twilight and the other members of the Mane 6 walk towards her. "Just hanging out with...my...my..daughter?" she giggled. "Your… daughter?" Twilight blinked. "Yep." She smiled. "Wait wait wait a second...you have a daughter?!" Rainbow Dash gawked. "Unlike you girls, I am a lady in more ways than one," she smirked as she motioned to Quirky, who had finally calmed down..a bit, "Everypony...meet my daughter Quirky." "..." Quirky fainted with a huge grin on her face, the dark green filly thinking, 'O...M...C!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-! P...Pinkie Pie is calling me her daughter!' "Is she okay?" Twilight asked. "Why wouldn't she be?" Pinkie asked, talking as fancy and sophisticated as Rarity. "...Hello! She passed out when you called her your daughter! ...And why're you sounding like Rarity?" Rainbow Dash responded. "Because she's Awesome!" she shouted, now sounding like Rainbow Dash. "Okay… now that's just creepy," Dash admitted. "Eeyep," she said, sounding like Big Mac. "Oh fer the love of Pete," Applejack face-hoofed. "Now excuse me Cousin, but me and mah daughter have somethin' t' do," Pinkie (now sounding like AJ) smirked, even wearing her hat. "What the?!" AJ gawked before she felt her hat was missing from her head, "Hey!" she snapped as she swiped her hat back from Pinkie, "Don't...touch...the hat." "Ahhh...oh well," Pinkie (in her normal voice) shrugged as she picked up the fainted Quirky and placed the dark-green filly on her back, "See you girls later! I'm going throw a HUGE party today for Quirky. After all...it is her birthday today." 'OMC OMC OMC OMC! She knew it was my birthday too!' Quirky squealed in her head. And so, Pinkie brought Quirky back to the bakery. "Now, daughter, where shall we begin?" Pinkie smiled. "Party?" Quirky asked, the dark-green filly immediately waking up. "Cool. So what kind of party do you want? A super duper party? Or a really super duper party?" Pinkie asked. "Hmm...oh! how about...a super-duper-ultra-hyper-mega-GIANT party!" Quirky declared. "A...A super...duper…" Pinkie gawked before she ran to a nearby window and yelled out, "CHEESE! GET EVERYTHING YOU CAN GET! WE'RE ABOUT TO PULL A SUPER-DUPER-ULTRA-HYPER-MEGA-GIANT PARTY!" As if on cue... "On a wrecking ball!" Cheese shouted as he smashed into the bakery on a wrecking ball, or what was assumed to be a wrecking ball as it opened up to reveal tons upon TONS of party supplies. "It...It's...Ch..ch…" Quirky whispered before she prepared to squeal again, only to shut her mouth shut, 'OMC OMC OMC! It's really him!...OMC! Both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich in the same room!' "Hey Pinkie is this….our little girl!?" Cheese Sandwich gasped. "..." Quirky quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed a large paper bag, and squealed loudly into it before closing it and gave it to a pigeon that was on an open window sill, "Give this to a stupid, miniature red dragon." The bird just nodded, took the bag, and flew off. "There..now I can faint," Quirky said as she fainted, a very huge smile on her face. "Freaking dark green pony," Mischief mumbled as he brushed off all dirt that he had got on him , "I swear I'm going to get back at her for this." "There you are, Mischief!" "Hmm?" Mischief turned to see the CMC approach him, "Ugh...just what I needed." "...What happened to you?" Scootaloo asked after seeing Mischief's condition. "That freaking dark green filly happened, along with that pink pony called Pinkie Pie," Mischief mumbled. "What'd you say?" Applebloom asked. "I said that freaking green filly did this! Ooh...I swear the next time I see here, I'm going to turn her into a…" Mischief began before a piece of paper hit him in the face, "...Seriously guys...this old gag?" Soon enough a pie was thrown at his face in response. "...Ugh," Mischief groaned as he shook the pie off and took the paper off his face and handed it over to Sweetie Belle, "I don't care what it says, so here." "...'To Everypony who reads this...you are invited to the hugest, most awesome, most spectacular birthday ever. Hosted by none other than Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich,'" Sweetie Belle read. "A birthday? For who?" "Me!" a voice shouted. "Oh no…" Mischief groaned as Quirky ran in before she jumped up and landed right on top of his head. "Hi guys! How's it going?!" Quirky greeted the CMC. "It's your birthday?" Applebloom gawked. "Eeyup yup yup!" Quirky nodded as she jumped off Mischief'ss head, "My Birthday's going to be one of THE Hugest birthdays in Equestria! And the best part...both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich are going to host it! OMC this is going to be the Best! Birthday! EVER!" "Makes me wonder if she'll grow up to be a party pony like them," Timid whispered. "Yeah...makes me wonder how her parents handle all that energy she gives out," Scootaloo whispered, Quirky overhearing this. "My...parents?" Quirky whispered, her mane deflating a bit. "...Quirky? Are...you okay?" Sweetie belle asked, the Unicorn filly noticing Quirky's change of nature. "Y...yeah!" Quirky shook a bit to make her mane poofy again, "I was just thinking what Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have planned for my birthday party." "Oh… ok…but you looked really..." "Oh-look-at-the-time-gotta-go-bye!" Quirky said quickly as she zoomed out of there. "..." the CMC remained silent. "...You noticed it too, didn't you?" Sweetie Belle asked her friends. "Yeah...Quirky looked really sad when I mentioned her parents...though I don't understand how she heard me," Scootaloo noted. "It's probably like Pinkie with our sisters at times," Applebloom figured. "M...maybe. O...Or it could be s...something else," Timid said with a stutter. "...We'll have to find that out for ourselves," Scootaloo figured, "Also..since we kinda upset her back there, why don't we chip in and buy her a present?" "Sounds like a plan but...what do we buy her? We don't know anything about Quirky aside from how she acts," Applebloom stated. "Well, sh-she acts similar to Pinkie-san, and looks up to her as her idol…m-maybe we can get her something related to Pinkie Pie?" Timid figured. "Oh," the others responded, feeling a bit like idiots for a second before they all walked off to find a good gift for Quirky. "So...it's that little green fillies birthday eh?" Mischief noted before a grin grew on his face..a rather tricky one too as he tapped his fingers like Mr. Burns, "Excellent." "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Quirky smiled as she watched everything get set up for her party. "Okay. Just a Li~ttle bit more to the right," Pinkie said to some Pegasi that were moving a large banner that said 'Happy Birthday Quirky!' before they set it down, "Perfect!" she smiled before Cheese Sandwich came in. "No to the left!" "...You're right! To the left!" "Ugh!" the two Pegasi carrying the banner groaned as they picked it up and moved it..for the 20th time today. "No up up!" Quirky added. The two Pegasi's eyes began to twitch as they did so. "No no..." The three hyper ponies started till the banner was thrown in their faces. "We quit!" the two Pegasi yelled as they left, finally having enough of the three. "Aww~! Party poopers," Quirky and Pinkie groaned. "...I know the solution to this...Family Party Cannon!" Cheese Sandwich declared, making the two ponies gasp, especially Quirky as she began to squeal in excitment. "O..M..C! I'm actually going to see the Party Cannons in action!" the dark-green filly squealed. "Here," Pinkie said, giving Quirky a filly-sized version of her Party Cannon. "Is...Is this my…my own Party cannon?!" Quirky gasped. "Early birthday present." "...I...I only have three words to say….FAMILY PARTY CANNON!" Quirky yelled in excitement. "...A great disturbance in the party force, I sense," Mischief shuddered, suddenly wearing a white Japanese-style robe-like shirt, a pair of black pants, and a brown cloak with his scales green. "...I don't even want to know," Scootaloo sweatdropped as she and the rest of the CMC looked for a gift to buy Quirky. "Oh you will in 5...4...3...2...1…" Mischief counted down before a very loud blast was heard. "...Well, that was loud!" Scootaloo noted, covering her ears before she and the CMC were covered upon tons upon TONS of streamers and balloons. "...Ha!" Mischief laughed before he was hit in the face with a pie..again, "...Oh come on! I was just laughing at…" he got hit with another pie that came out of nowhere, and hit him in the face again, "Seriously, KNOCK IT OFF!" Then, four more pies came in and came flying towards the CMC, who had poked their heads out of the streamer and balloon pile. "Duck!" Applebloom yelped as she and her friends went back into the pile, letting the pies hit Mischief in the face. "...I swear if I get hit with one more pie...I'm going to lose it!" Mischief snapped before taking a taste of the pie that hit him, "...And they're not even coconut cream pie!" "Th-then w-what's that pie at your feet, Misty?" Timid asked, pointing to something at Mischief's feet. "..." Mischief bent down before using his finger to pick off a small dollop of cream that was on the pie before tasting it, "...Now this is a coconut…" he paused when he felt his mouth starting to burn...like crazy, "SPICY CREAM PIE?!" he yelled as he breathed a bit of fire into the air. He quickly looked around to see if he could find anything to douse his burning mouth and saw what he assumed was a jug of milk. He then quickly ran over to the jug and drank all it's contents in one gulp, "Ahh...now that…" he then started to feel an even more burning sensations as his entire body turned a bright red, steam starting to blow out of his 'ears' as he breathed fire into the air once more, "WATER~!" he screamed, practically dashing right out of Ponyville just to get a drink, not trusting what the Party ponies could've done to trick him. "Wow...today is not Mischief's day, isn't it?" Sweetie Belle noted as she and her friends giggled a bit after seeing what happened to the dragon. "Yea… I can vouch for that," Timid replied, using a deadpan tone. "I SWEAR I'M GOING TO GET BACK AT THOSE THREE IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Mischief's voiced yelled before the sound of a pie hitting him in he face was heard off-screen, "OH COME ON! ENOUGH WITH THE PIES ALREADY!" "...So what now?" Applebloom asked. "Um...resume looking for a gift for Quirky?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yea, let's stick with that," Scootaloo agreed. "Ano...h...hai," Timid added as the CMC resumed their search for Quirky's Birthday gift. "But seriously, where do we look?" Applebloom asked. "I don't know...there has to be a shop around here that'll have the perfect gift for Quirky," Scootaloo said before noticing one stare, "Maybe that one." "Um...Scootaloo? That's a hardware store," Sweetie Belle said in a dead-pan tone. "Hmm?" Scootaloo blinked before noticing the sign on top of the store's doorway, showing it was a hardware store, "...Oh. Heh heh..I guess you're right." "This is harder than ah thought…" Applebloom sighed. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle agreed before an idea popped into her head, "Ooh ooh! Why don't we make her a gift?! One that'll fit her just perfectly!" "...That could actually work," Scootaloo agreed. "We could borrow some of the tools at mah Family's farm," Applebloom suggested before tapping her chin in thought, "Of course...we'd have to ask mah sis or brother to help, if they're not busy that is." "Good point," the others nodded. "Ooh~! This is going to be the best birthday ever!" Quirky squealed as she walked around town a bit, not wanting to disturb Pinkie or Cheese since they were working on something big, "I wonder what Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have planned for the finale?! Ooh~! MY whole body is quivering with excitement!" When she wasn't looking, Quirky accidently bumped into two fillies..two, certain, very spoiled fillies. "Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to be a silly-billy," Quirky giggled before... "Why don't you watch where you're going, idiot?!" Diamond Tiara snapped. "I...I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..." Quirky began. "Save it. You owe me something more than a measly apology," Diamond Tiara frowned before Silver Spoon tapped her shoulder, "What?" "Look at her flank," Silver Spoon whispered as she pointed at Quirky's flank, seeing it was absent of a Cutie Mark. "Ooh...I should've figured a Blank Flank wouldn't pay attention to where she was going," Diamond Tiara scoffed. "...What's a Blank Flank?" Quirky tilted her head in confusion, making both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gawk before recovering. "You mean you don't know?" Diamond Tiara questioned, "A Blank Flank is a pony with no Cutie Mark. And you don't seem to have a Cutie Mark yourself." "...You're saying that like it's a bad thing," Quirky blinked. "You don't get it, do you, you green idiot? Being a Blank Flank is the same thing as being poor," Diamond Tiara added as a smirk grew on her face, "Which reminds me..you're going to have to pay for bumping into me." "But...I don't have any money," Quirky replied, pulling out a small change purse from her mane before opening it, revealing it was empty as two, small moths flew out of it. "I see…" Diamond Tiara noted before Silver Spoon poked her shoulder, causing her to turn to her 'friend' as she looked at a nearby banner, "...So it's your birthday today...isn't it?" "Yep yep yep!" she nodded. "...I'll take that," Diamond Tiara stated. "...Silly. You can't take somepony's birthday," Quirky giggled a bit before Diamond Tiara pressed her hoof against the dark-green filly's nose. "Well guess what? I'm about to. So to make up for bumping into me, you're going to give me your birthday party or else," Diamond Tiara stated. "...Or else what?" "Or else I'll have one of my daddy's lawyers sue your parents for everything you have," Diamond Tiara smirked with Silver Spoon adding her own smirk. "...But…" Quirky began as her mane began to deflate, 'I don't have any...not anymore...' "Well...what's it going to be?" Quirky wasn't sure what to do, and in response, her mane and tail somehow straightened out and Quirky on the verge of crying. "O….okay. Y...You win. I...I'll give you my birthday party as an apology," the dark-green filly sniffled. "That's better," Diamond Tiara smiled before Quirky ran off crying. "Where'd she go? I wanted to give Quirky a small sample of the ice cream I made," Pinkie wondered, looking for the dark-green filly before she finally noticed her, "Oh! There you are Quir…" she couldn't finish as Quirky ran past her, "Is she okay? What's the rush?" She then followed after her before she was running right besides Quirky, "Quirky, what's wrong?" "I...I changed my mind! I don't want a party anymore!" Quirky yelled as she tried to run farther away from Pinkie. "...What? No one turns down a party unless something's really wrong," Pinkie muttered as she caught up with Quirky again, "Why don't you want a party? Isn't it your birthday Quir…" "IT'S NOT MY BIRTHDAY!" Quirky yelled as she ran far away from Pinkie, the saddened dark-green filly thinking sadly, 'Not anymore...' "Quirky…" Pinkie whispered, feeling concerned for her. "I hope Quirky likes the gift we made for her," Sweetie Belle said as she and the rest of the CMC carried a wrapped up item to their clubhouse. "I know so," Scootaloo nodded as she turned to Applebloom, "It was nice of your brother to help us out with it." "It sure was," Applebloom agreed, until they saw a streak of green run past them, "What in tarnation!?" "Ano...I...I don't know! D..demo...it...it sounded like Q...Quirky-san," Timid noted. "It did? How could you tell?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I...I heard her when that blur went by. And...it sounded like sh-she was c-crying," Timid replied. "Wonder why?" Applebloom pondered, but Scootaloo seemed to have an idea of why. "...Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," the orange, Pegasus filly growled. "..." Timid began to whimper at the mentioned of those two bullies. "...Oh, sorry Timid. In any case, maybe we should talk to her," Scootaloo suggested. "Yeah...and I think she was heading to where our clubhouse is," Sweetie Belle added. "Then let's go!" Scootaloo responded before they all ran off towards the clubhouse. "I...it's not fair…" Quirky sobbed, the dark-green filly crying against the tree the CMC's clubhouse was on, "Why...why do my birthdays always have to be like this…?" "Quirky? You okay?" she heard some voices ask as Quirky looked up, tears still in her eyes, before seeing the CMC. "G...Go away," Quirky shooed them off, "I...I don't want to see anypony right now." "Easy Quirky, we're just here to help," Scootaloo told Quirky, "What happened?" "I...I don't want to talk about it," Quirky sobbed. "But Quirky…" Sweetie Belle began. "I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Quirky snapped before covering her mouth, "...I...I'm so sorry. I...I didn't mean to yell at you like that." "...Look, whatever it was, we can understand it's tough, but we just want to help. Did anypony say something to make you like this?" Applebloom asked in concern. "...I...I ran into these two, really mean fillies," Quirky replied, trying to wipe some of the tears from her eyes, "I….I tried to apologize...but they didn't accept it...and the only way they would…" she held back a sob as she wiped the tears from her eyes again, "Is if I give them my birthday party." "Sounds like that brat Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon alright," Scootaloo growled. "But to stoop this low?! C'mon!" "Yeah! I can't believe they would do something like this!" Sweetie Belle added, the Unicorn filly as mad as Scootaloo was right now. "I...It's okay. I...I'm used to not having anything good happen on my birthday," Quirky said sadly. "Wh-What're you talking about, Quirky-san?" Timid asked. "N...nothing. It's just...every year on my birthday, something bad always happens," Quirky replied before sighing sadly, "It's also the reason why nopony wants to be friends with me. You know what everypony in the last town I lived in called me? B...Bad Luck Quirky." "Seriously? C'mon, you seem like a fun filly to hang out with," Scootaloo admitted. "I'm not! Every year on my birthday, I always cause an accident! Like last year, I accidently broke the town's water fountain by slipping on a pebble! A Luna darn pebble!" Quirky yelled, the tears coming back in full force, "I...I think I should leave before something else happens…" she sobbed as she prepared to leave...but not before the CMC stepped right in front of her. "Not a chance, Quirky. We'll help you out no matter what it takes. Those accidents are just that, accidents. Do you or do you not want to have a good birthday?" "...I...I really do. But…" Quirky paused as she sniffled a bit, "I don't see how that's possible now since my birthday party was taken away by those two fillies." "Silly filly, no pony can take another pony's birthday party away from them when it isn't even their birthday to begin with," Applebloom pointed out. "Yeah. We're going to help you out Quirky. After all, we're your friends," Sweetie Belle added, causing Quirky's eyes to widen. "Y...you really want to be friends with me...somepony who's prong to have accidents on her birthday?" Quirky whispered. "Ano...h...hai, Quirky-s...Quirky-chan," Timid smiled. "We sure are, Quirky," Applebloom nodded with a smile. "Yeah. You're really fun filly to be around," Scootaloo added. "Yeah..there's no way you can't be unlucky," Sweetie Belle added. "..." Quirky whimpered a tiny bit, tears of joy flowing from her eyes before a large smile grew on her face, her mane and tail poofing back up as the dark-green filly grabbed the CMC in one big hug, "O...M...C! This is the happiest day of my entire life! I...I actually have some friends! Ooh~! I can already imagine all the fun fun FUN we're going to have together!" "Okay, we get the picture," Scootaloo giggled as Quirky let her and the rest of the CMC go, "But first, let's get some help and talk things out with Diamond Tiara about 'stealing' your party." "I believe I can help out with that," a voice spoke as the trunk of a nearby tree opened up like a door, revealing Mischief in a formal black suit with a British accent, "Greetings, my little fillies." "How'd you get in there?" Applebloom asked. "Top secret info," Mischief replied as he closed the 'door' on the tree, "Anyway...I happened to hear your green friend's predicament...and I'd like to help." "After everything you had to go through?" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "Hey...I may have hated her for all that crud she pulled on me...but I hate those two, spoiled fillies even more..." Mischief said before a rather tricky grin grew on his face, "And I got just the idea on how to get back at those two. But it will require a few things." "What... are they?" Timid asked. "Some Whoopie Cushions, catapults, milk, hot sauce, and pies. Lots and lots of coconut cream pies," he answered. "Something like these?" Quirky asked, somehow pulling a lot of the items from her mane. "...Ooh this is going to be good," Mischief smirked, tapping his fingers like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. (later that night) "You sure this'll work?" Sweetie whispered to the young dragon as he wore a spy suit. "Ooh trust me, my young Unicorn friend. By the time they sit down, those two aren't going to be showing themselves in public for weeks," Mischief grinned, hiding behind a tree with the CMC as everypony in town gathered in front of a large stage. "Let's hope it works," Scootaloo whispered as the five fillies and young dragon ducked behind a bush just as Pinkie and Cheese appeared on stage. "...There's Pinkie and Cheese," Applebloom noted, keeping her eyes open for the two spoiled fillies. "And if I guess right, those two meanies who're trying to steal my birthday are in the crowd," Quirky added. "You see them, Misty?" Timid asked. "Yeah. They're in the middle of the crowd. Also, plans start in five..four..three..two..one.." Mischief counted down. "Everypony! Put your hooves together and prepare to welcome the birthday girl!" Pinkie declared, causing the crowd to cheer. "That's right! Everypony say happy birthday to…" Cheese Sandwich began before one of the stagehands handed him a piece of paper, "...Diamond Tiara?" "That's ri-wait what?" Pinkie blinked when the spotlight shined down on the mentioned, spoiled filly, "Something's not right, I don't remember her birthday being today." "Thank you everypony! You've been most gratful!" Diamond Tiara said with a grin as she and Silver Spoon walked up to the stage. "What the hay is goin' on? Ah thought it was supposed to be that Quirky Girl's birthday?" Applejack whispered to Twilight. "Yea, it should've been; Pinkie's been talking to me all day about this new filly, and yet… this feels way too off," Twilight agreed. "When's this plan of your kick in, Mischief?" Scootaloo whispered to the dragon in the bushes. "Cue the chairs...now," Mischief said as a pair of decorated chairs appeared on the stage, one labeled 'Birthday girl sits here.' "Thank thank once again everypony for celebrating my birthday!" Diamond Tiara said to the crowd. "Yeah...you should feel honored being in her presence," Silver Spoon added. "That's right. Especially to all you Blank Flanks out…" Diamond Tiara began as she and Silver Spoon at down, causing a rather loud...ahem, fart noise to fill the air, "..." Somehow, this made some members of the crowd start to snicker and giggle. "Wh...what's going on?! Why're they laughing?!" Diamond Tiara demanded before glaring at Silver Spoon, "You made that noise just now, didn't you?!" "What?! No way! You must have!" Silver Spoon snapped back at her 'friend'. "They sure don't act like friends now," Applebloom whispered, those hiding in the bush holding back their laughter. "So what happens next, Mischief?" Scootaloo asked, loving this plan. "Cue one of them storming off right about..." Mischief paused before Silver Spoon got off her chair, "Now." "I don't need this! You can handle this all by your...kya!" Silver Spoon yelped as she tripped over an invisible trip wire, causing a few floorboards to open up as a few, miniature catapults fired some pies at the two, spoiled fillies. "GAAAH! My Mane!" Diamond Tiara screamed as the pies hit her in the face. And this got more crowd members laughing, even Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich found it hard to hold back their laughter. "St...Stop! Stop laughing at me!" Diamond Tiara yelled as she got off her chair and was about to run off...but not before tripping on a pie that was suddenly there and fell face first into another, "Grr...I HATE COCONUT CREAM…" she paused when she felt a very hot, burning sensation in her mouth, "Sp...Sp...SPICY~!" This soon got everypony laughing. "D..Don't just stand there! Get me something to drink!" Diamond tiara snapped at Silver Spoon, only to see her 'friend' screaming as well since the pies she got hit with were also spicy, "...Celestia you're useless!" And with that, the two fillies just galloped off and out of there, but not before heading to a nearby snack table and grabbed two jugs full of milk, the two drinking all it's contents in seconds. "Ahh...fina…" Diamond tiara began before she and Silver Spoon felt the inside of their mouths burn even more, their bodies turning a bright red as steam blew out of their ears. This time they just screamed, breathing fire into the air before getting the heck outta there. "Perfect," Scootaloo smirked, "Okay, it almost looked like it's your cue, Quirky." "She left the moment those two, spoiled fillies ran out of there," Mischief stated, pointing to a dust cloud in the shape of Quirky. "Where'd she go?" Applebloom asked. Mischief jerked his thumb to the stage, causing the four to turn and see Quirky jumping out from behind the curtains. "Hello~ Ponyville! The birthday filly has arrived!" Quirky declared as a explosion of streamers and balloons happened behind her. "What kept ya, silly billy. Somepony claimed it was the birthday of some other filly," Pinkie responded as Quirky bounced over to Pinkie and Cheese. "Oh it was a small mistake. But for now…" Quirky began as she took a huge, deep breath before declaring, "FAMILY PARTY CANNON TIME!" With that, the three ponies pulled out their Party Cannons and fired them off in unison into the air, getting a huge cheer from the crowd as the fireworks that were in the Party Cannons blew up in the night sky before it spelled out 'Happy Birthday Quirky! May you have the best, most spectacular birthday ever!'. "Thanks Pinkie, Cheese," Quirky smiled. "You're welcome Quirky...now...LET"S PARTY!" Pinkie declared, wearing a cheer from Cheese and Quirky, especially Quirky. And so, the festivities began as the CMC came out of hiding. "Well...looks like Quirky has gotten the birthday she always wanted," Sweetie Belle smiled, seeing the dark-green filly dancing on stage with her idols. "Yep. And you know what? I'm happy for her," Scootaloo smiled before pondering out loud, "I wonder if she'd like to…" "Hold it. Before you say what I think you're going to say...she wanted me to give you this," Mischief spoke as she pulled a letter from his Hammer space and gave it to the CMC, "Now…" he snapped his fingers, causing a disco-suit to appear on him, "If you ladies will excuse me, it's time for me to get funky~! WHOO!" he whooped as he dived into the crowd to join in on the fun. "A note? I… I wonder what it says," Timid pondered out loud. "Let's see," Scootaloo said as she began to read the note, 'Hey guys. Mischief told me about your group while we were setting the trap up. So if I may ask...can I join you?! Oh please please please please please please please please?!'..and there's more pleases on the other side." "Well… it's clear she wants to join, and… it helps her that we want her to join our group," Sweetie Belle noted. "Yeah. Girls...after this party's over, we're going to officially welcome Quirky to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But for now..let's join the party!" Scootaloo declared. "YEAH!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle cheered (Timid doing her cheer rather quietly) before they all galloped over to join the fun. From there on, it was declared that it was truly the best party ever, especially to one filly by the name of Quirky since not only did she have the best birthday ever, but she finally got something she always wanted...friends. "Thank you everypony! And see you all next time!" Quirky waved to the reader, "And I hope you can't wait to see...oops! Heh heh...I almost spoiled it...but still, good bye everypony! And see you all next time!" Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review if ya can. Ton o Hearts and Pounding Hooves dayIt had been a week since Quirky's birthday, the dark-green filly having lived with Pinkie since then. To Quirky, it was the best thing in the world, because not only does she really enjoy being called Pinkie's 'daughter' at times, but also looks up to Pinkie like a big sister, the pink-party pony having taught her a few party trick now and then. Mischief though...he's kinda formed a friendship/rivalry with Quirky with the two usually getting into some strange, yet funny antics with Quirky winning most of the time, much to the dragon's annoyance. Now then, we cut to present day, with Ponyville being covered in various heart themed decorations. Reason why is because tomorrow is Hearts and Hooves day, a day where Mares and Stallions alike share gifts with their Special Somepony. However, three certain young fillies remembered what happened on that day last year when they made a love potion to pair their teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, with Big Macintosh. The results...weren't that pretty. Anyway, lets now cut to the CMC, who were helping Timid's brother set the last of the decorations in his house. "How's this?" Scootaloo asked as she help set a banner of sorts up. "Almost...just a little bit up, Scootaloo," Silver Hawk instructed her as the orange Pegasus filly raised the banner up a bit, "Perfect. Right there's good." "Good. I don't think I could raise higher anyway," Scootaloo panted as she carefully got off the ladder she was on, since her wings weren't developed enough to fly that high. "Finished!" Sweetie Belle spoke as she and Apple Bloom presented a few paper hearts to Silver Hawk, "What do you think? Are they okay, Mr. Silver Hawk?" "They look great you two," Silver Hawk nodded. "Thanks," Sweetie Belle smiled before before calling into the next room, "Timid, Quirky! Are you both done yet with your part of...?!" "Eeyup yup yup!" Quirky informed instantly as she zoomed in, Timid slowly walking in behind her, "Everything is okey dokey lokey!" "A...ano...Q...Quirky-chan?" Timid tapped her hoof on Quirky's shoulder, getting the dark-green filly's attention, "Y...you have some leftover glitter in your mane." "Really?" Quirky asked before checking her mane in a mirror. "Whoops! Silly me. I'll be right back!" she smiled before prancing off to wash the glitter out of her mane before coming back in, her mane now glitter free, "There we go!" "Thank you again for helping me out with the decorating," Silver Hawk thanked the fillies. "Anything to help a family of a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader," Scootaloo smiled. Silver Hawk chuckled a bit as he prepared to head for the kitchen before asking, "You girls want anything to drink before you leave?" "No thanks, Mr. Silver Hawk. We got some drinks back at the clubhouse we can share," Sweetie Belle replied. "Okay then," Silver Hawk nodded before looking at Timid, "Remember to come home safely, Timid." "H...Hai, Onii-chan," Timid nodded as she and the original three CMC members left. "WAIT FOR ME~" Quirky shouted, zooming after them in a green blur. "Heh Heh...kids," Silver Hawk chuckled as he left into the kitchen. "Your brother is really, really, really nice, Timid," Quirky noted, the dark-green filly having caught up with the her friends before she asked, "Does he have a Special Somepony by any chance?" "Um… well… not that I know of," Timid answered. "I see...OH! If he doesn't, maybe we can hook him up with Somepony! Oh can we do that?! Can we? Can we? Can…?" Quirky began rapidly before Scootaloo pressed her hoof against the dark-green filly's mouth to shut her up. "Quirky, we tried something like that last year with another pony… didn't go so good," Scootaloo told her, taking her hoof off Quirky's mouth. "Why? What happened?" Quirky asked, tilting her head slightly. "A...Ano...I...I'd like to know as well," Timid added, the shy Pegasus fills curious as well. "We-uh… tried to hook up mah big brother Big Mac with our teacher… things got way too out of hoof," Applebloom answered. "We made a Love Potion to pair them up but...turns out the potion we made was a Love Poison that made them talk to each other and give each other very cheesy and mushy baby names," Scootaloo added before shuddering a bit, recalling how mushy some of those names were. "I see…" Quirky noted before she began to ponder something ,"Hmm…" When she thought of something, her tail pointed straight up, "I got it! I know how we can hook Timid's brother up!" "How?" the rest of the CMC asked. "Well…" Quirky began before she zoomed off and came back with a black board, showing a few chalk drawings, "First we take pictures of Timid's brother, and it has to be a good picture too. Then we make some cookies to go with the pics, then we distribute all the pictures and cookies to all the Mares in Ponyville, and BAM! Silver Hawk will have so many mares after him, he'll eventually find his Special Somepony!" "...Uh…" Scootaloo gawked, not sure if that was such a good idea, "You sure that'll work, Quirky?" "Oh it will! And the best part...no Love Potion involved or anything," Quirky replied as she pushed the chalkboard off-screen, the board randomly hitting a cat off-screen making it screech in pain. "...girls?" Scootaloo looked at Applebloom, Timid, and Sweetie Belle. "Hmm...let's try it! I don't see any problems with it," Sweetie Belle responded. "If it'll help Timid's brother find his Special Somepony...then I guess I'm in as well," Applebloom added. "...Uh well… if you think it'll work… okay…" Timid gulped, feeling more nervous than before. "...well...I guess it's unanimous...let's try it, Quirky," Scootaloo said, making the dark-green filly squeal in delight. "Then let's get STARTED!" she squealed before her tail began to twitch, "...I sense something coming this way...something stupid and has an affinity for candy." It was then Mischief, wearing a loin cloth came flying in on a vine, carrying a coconut cream pie while doing a Tarzan's trademark yell. Quirky response to that? She simply stepped to the side, making Mischief miss her. "Nuts!" "Mischief! Look out for that tree!" the original three CMC and Timid yelled, Timid's yell being a bit more quiet. "Huh? What tr…" Mischief began before he crashed into the side of Twilight's home, leaving an imprint in the shape of him on the other side. "That tree," Scootaloo answered while the others just winced. "..." Mischief didn't say anything as he pulled out a sign that said 'Really Authors? A freaking George of the Jungle gag?' before he slid off the side of the tree/home. "...Okaaaaay." Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit before looking at Quirky, "Me, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom will get the pictures of Silver Hawk. You and Timid go and make the cookies." "Okey dokey lokey!" Quirky saluted before grinning, "And Like I said, there won't be any Love Potion involved!" she then grabbed Timid, surprising the shy pegasus filly before zooming off the SugarCube Corner. "...She's, um… very excited about this, isn't she?" Applebloom asked her friends with a small sweatdrop. "Yeah...L...let's just go and get a picture of Silver Hawk," Scootaloo responded. "Right," Sweetie Belle nodded. And with that, the three Fillies left to get a camera so they could get a picture of Silver Hawk. but not before...the scene paused? What? "So…" Mischief's voice spoke as the young dragon poked his head in, "What's this I hear about a 'Love Potion'?" (KKD):What's going on here? Why go to such lengths, Mischief? "I'm curious. So tell me..what's this 'Love Potion' Quirky and her friends mentioned?" Mischief asked the authors...again? (KKD):That's none of your business. "...Fine. Since neither of you won't tell me...I'll just have use the next best thing," Mischief said as he pulled his arm off screen and pulled out a scripts for the MLP: FIM Episode, Hearts and Hooves Day, "This bad boy right here! Now let's see...ooh! Now I'm interested in this more and..." (KKD)Gimme that! *a human hand snags the script* It's best if you just get back to work. Quirky? "I'm on it!" the filly squealed, grabbing Mischief and dragging him off. (KKD):And could someone somehow erase Mischief's memory of the script? (SZ):...KKD? You're talking about the Son of Discord here, remember? (KKD):Oh yea… right... "Hey, you guys want pie?" Quirky asked the authors. (KKD):Just hurry it up so we can actually continue with the chapter. (SZ):Yeah...the fourth wall has already been pretty much broken at this points anyway. *Throws pies at the two.* "And now I go!" Quirky laughed, leaving and repairing the fourth wall. (SZ):...let's just resume.*pulls out a remote and makes the scene un-pause itself* The scene resumed with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom returning to Timid's place. "Okay. You remember what to do, right?" Scootaloo asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, earning a nod from the two, "Good. The moment Timid's brother comes out, I'll take the picture," She then jumped into the bush underneath the front window of Timid's house, "Okay, go." The other two just nodded as they walked up and knocked on the door. "Yes? Who is it?" Silver Hawk's voice asked from the other side of the door. "It's Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. We need to ask you something, Mr. Silver Hawk," Sweetie Belle replied. "Okay, I'll be right there," Silver Hawk responded before the front door opened to reveal the Pegasus, "What do you two need?" "Well...can you look over there. I think I saw something coming this way," Sweetie Belle said as she pointed in the opposite direction. "..Okay," Silver Hawk nodded as he moved his head a bit forward to try and get a good look, "...Um, I don't see anything, Sweetie Belle." "Try looking a bit harder. Maybe you'll see it better," The Unicorn filly stated. "...Okay," Silver Hawk replied as he moved forward a bit more, his right hoof lifting a bit with his wings unintentionally opening a bit, "...I still don't…" "Now!" Applebloom yelled quietly to Scootaloo in the bushes, making sure Silver Hawk wouldn't hear, and without him knowing it, Scootaloo managed to take a good picture of Silver Hawk. "Huh? What was that?" Silver Hawked blinked, not noticing Scootaloo rushing out of the bush. "Oh, it was nothing," Sweetie Belle answered as Silver Hawk couldn't find anything or anyone in the bush. "You sure?" Because I swore I…" "Oh-look-at-the-time-we-gotta-go-bye!" the two fillies said quickly as they rushed out of there, leaving a confused Silver Hawk. "...Well that was weird." "Okay...we got the picture. Now we just need the cookies and to make copies of the picture, and we'll be set," Scootaloo stated as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom headed for Sugarcube Corner. "Think she's got the cookies ready?" Applebloom asked. "Don't know. Let's check," Sweetie Belle replied as the three fillies entered the store through the back door, leading to the kitchen. "Quirky! We got the-woah!" Scootaloo yelped as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom ducked, allowing some batter to fly right over them. "What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Sorry!" Quirky's voice spoke, causing the three to look up and see Quirky stirring up some...cupcake batter?, "I kinda got crazy with the stirring. Oh, and I changed my mind on the cookies. We'll do cupcakes with the pictures instead!" "Uh… why'd you change your mind?" Applebloom asked. "Well… Cookies are good, but Cupcakes are WAY better! I mean, who can say 'no' to cupcakes?! Nopony, that's who!" Quirky stated before smiling, making a 'Squee' sound in the process. "Right…" the others nodded. "Hey, where's Timid?" Scootaloo asked. "Ano...r...right here," Timid spoke, causing the three to turn and see the shy pegasus filly stirring another bowl of cupcake batter. "Oh… okay. You were hiding very well," Scootaloo admitted. "She's as pink as Pinkie Pie's coat or Fluttershy's mane, what would you expect?" Applebloom responded. "True…" Scootaloo nodded before she turned back to Quirky, "By the way, we got the picture of Silver Hawk. And I think it's a good one too." "Sweet! Lemme see!" Quirky smiled. Scootaloo pulled out the picture from her backpack and showed it to Quirky. "Ooooh! Nice! You captured him perfectly!" Quirky smirked as she and Timid got off the stools they were using so they could reach the bowls the batter was in, "Let's head into the next room. I got a Photocopier in there so we can make multiple pictures!" "Nice," Scootaloo noted. With that, the 5 fillies left the room to get the photos copied real quick, unaware that certain, mischievous dragon was sneaking in, wearing a ninja outfit. "...Shhh…" Mischief shushed the readers before sneaking over to the bowls. Once he made sure the coast was clear, he pulled out a bottle full of what appeared to be a rose-colored liquid before pouring the contents into the bowls, "Nin nin…" he whispered before poofing out of there. "Did you girls hear something?" Sweetie Belle's voice asked off-screen. "I dunno," Scootaloo shrugged. "Nope. Didn't hear a thing," Applebloom added. "Ano..n...no," Timid stuttered. "Nope nope nope. Didn't hear anypony or anything," Quirky added, "Anyway...do you girls have things under control in here?" "I think so," Scootaloo replied. "Good. You finished things up in here while I go and put the cupcakes in the oven!" Quirky stated with a small squeal. With that, the dark-green filly came prancing back into the kitchen, pulling out a few trays to put the cupcake batter in. "Okay...let's..Hmm?" Quirky blinked before sniffing the batter a bit, "Strange..I don't remember adding strawberries to it...oh well," she shrugged as she poured the batter into the trays, and carefully put them into the oven, "There we go. Now we play the waiting game." With that finished, Quirky pranced back into the next room, unaware that the cupcakes gave off a faint, rose-colored glow for a sec. "There we go. That should be enough," Sweetie Belle noted as the CMC looked at a few trays of cupcakes with a stacked pile of Silver Hawk Pictures next to the trays. "Great. Hope this'll work," Applebloom smiled. "Of course it will! All we have to do is go to a different part of town and distribute the pics and cupcakes to any mares we see! Simple as that!" Quirky smiled, making that 'Squee' sound again. "Ok then," Timid nodded. With that, each of the CMC took the trays of pics and cupcakes before heading out the door and went in different directions, making sure not to drop anything. 'Why do I get the feeling something's off?' Timid pondered. Up in the skies above, Mischief was watching them, the dragon holding a large bowl of kettle corn. "Ooh hoo~! This is going to be good!" Mischief snickered as he took a bite of his kettle corn...but not before looking at the reader, "...Oh don't you give me that look. I've been wanting to have some fun ever since I got here..not that my weekly matches with Quirky aren't fun...this is the kind of fun I really wanted. Oh, and authors? Mind giving us a line cut already?" (KKD):Huh? Oh… uh… *whispers* Sean? Help? I can't work your tech for your stories like you can. (SZ):Fine...but you better stop breaking the fourth wall, Mischief!l "Nevah!" Mischief declared. (SZ):Ugh…*whispers to KKD*next time this happens, I'll let you have full access to the tech for my stories, Aibou...*gets a nod from KKD before snapping his fingers* "Ano...c...cupcakes anypony?" Timid spoke softly, trying to get anypony's attention since she was at the park, "...Q...Quirky-chan never told us how much the cupcakes were...s...so I hope this works…" she then took a deep inhale before shouting, "FREE CUPCAKES AND PHOTOS TO ANY MARE WHO WANTS ONE!" "...Wow…I almost forgot she could be so loud," Scootaloo noted, the Orange Pegasus Filly sitting next to her before a whole crowd of mares swarmed around the two, "And I can't believe that worked." "I'll take one!" a Pegasus mare said. "Me too!" a Unicorn Mare added. "Me Three!" an Earth Pony Mare added as well. "A...Ano...O...One at a time…" Timid tried to say before whispering to Scootaloo, "Sc...Scootaloo-chan. Help." "I'll try," Scootaloo nodded as she did her best to help distribute the cupcakes, "Man...Quirky had the right idea about the cupcakes" "Ano...hai," Timid nodded as she helped distribute the cupcakes until there was two left, along with two pics of Silver Hawk, "Ano...w...we're down to two." "That was fast," Scootaloo noted before she spotted a certain violet Alicorn and Rainbow-maned Pegasus, "And I think I just spotted our last two customers. Hey! Rainbow Dash! Twilight!" This got the attention of the two ponies. "Oh! Scootaloo, Timid!" Twilight smiled as she lowered with Rainbow Dash. "What's up you two?" Dash smiled. "Well...we're distributing these cupcakes and pictures of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk in hopes of finding him a Special Somepony," Scootaloo replied. "Aw… that's sweet of you. But you aren't gonna use the Love Poison at all like you had with Cherilee and Big Macintosh last year, right?" Twilight replied. "Nope. This has nothing to do with Love Potions or Love Poisons," Scootaloo reassured the Violet Alicorn. "...Just checking, that's all," she replied. "...why don't we help them out, Twilight?" Rainbow whispered to her friend, "It'll help cheer them up a bit. Plus, I'm kinda curious on what Timid's brother look like since we've never seen him before." "Hmm…" Twilight began to ponder a bit, "Okay. I guess it wouldn't hurt." "Thanks," Scootaloo smiled as Dash and Twilight took the last two cupcakes and pictures. "No prob," Dash nodded as she and Twilight flew off. "Well...that's all of the cupcakes and pics we had," Scootaloo noted before she turned to Timid, "Want to check on the others and see how they're doing? "...O...Okay," Timid nodded. With that, the two Pegasus fillies left, carrying the empty trays. "One...two...three...wow. We only got three left," Sweetie Belle noted after Applebloom served the 4th to last cupcake and picture to a Pegasus mare. "Make that two," Applebloom replied as she served the 3rd to last cupcake and picture to a Unicorn mare. "Cool. Hmm..who'd take our last…" Sweetie Belle began. "Sweetie Belle? Is that you?" "Hmm?" Sweetie Belle blinked when she noticed her sister and Applejack approach her and Applebloom, "Sis?" "What are you doing out here, you two?" Applejack asked the two fillies. "We're giving away cupcakes and pictures of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk to help find a Special Somepony for him," Applebloom responded, "Would you two mind helping us out?" "...I don't see why not ta," Applejack answered. "Sure. I'd be happy to help with such a sweet cause," Rarity smiled as she and Applejack took the last two cupcakes and pictures. "Thanks sis," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle smiled. "No problem," AJ and Rarity nodded as they left. "Well...that turned out pretty..." Applebloom began before she felt a shiver go down her spine. "What's wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah...Ah don't know why, but Ah feel like somethin' bad is going to happen tomorrow morning," Applebloom replied. "You sure?" Sweetie Belle asked, the Unicorn filly starting to get nervous after Applebloom said that. "...It could be just a feelin' though," Applebloom replied, slightly shrugging that off, "L...Let's just go and check up on Quirky and see how she's doin'" "Right," Sweetie Belle nodded as they walked off, carrying the trays that had the cupcakes and pictures on it. "Thank you. Come again!" Quirky said a she gave her third to last cupcake away to a Unicorn mare, "Ooh~! I can't believe somepony from Canterlot bought one of my cupcakes!" she then let out gasp, "Maybe she works for the Princess or something! OMC that would be so cool!" "Hey Quirky," she heard somepony call as she saw her friends walk in. "Hi girls! How'd things go with you?" Quirky asked her friends. "We managed to give every cupcake and picture we had to almost every mare in Ponyville," Scootaloo answered. "Really?" Quirky gasped a bit, earning a nod from her friends, "OMC that's cool! Once I give away my last two cupcakes and pictures, everything will be se.." "Did somepony say 'Cupcakes?!'" a certain pink party pony gasped as she ran up to the Quirky in a pink blur. "I sure did, Pinkie!" Quirky smiled, "If you get one now, you'll get a picture of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk." "OOH~! I'll take one Quirky!" Pinkie said as she took a cupcake and picture and skipped away… before coming straight back, "And if it's okay, can I take one for Fluttershy as well? I don't want her to feel left out." "Sure, why not?" Quirky smiled as Pinkie took a second cupcake and picture before skipping off again, "And with that, we just sold all our cupcakes!" "That's good to hear," Applebloom sighed with relief. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle added as she noticed the sun beginning to set, "And it's almost night time too." "We'd better go home, then. I'll see you ponies tomorrow," Scootaloo replied as the CMC split off to head home for the night. (later that night) "Everypony appears to be sleeping..." Pinkie noted quietly, seeing the Cakes and Quirky fast asleep. She then silently snuck downstairs and into the kitchen before she opened the fridge showing the cupcake and (strangely) picture she got from Quirky today, "Hello delicious…" she smacked her lips before picking the cupcake up and ate it in one bite, "Mmm! Taste like strawber…" she couldn't finish as her eyes began to glow a rose color before she collapsed on the floor a bit. After a moment of silence, she slowly got up and looked up, the pink party pony starting to gain a lovestruck look on her face as she looked at Silver Wing's picture, "Silver~..." At the same time, AJ, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were acting just like Pinkie was after they took a bite of their cupcakes and looked lovestruck at Silver Hawk's picture. "Silver~" all four Mares purred in a split screenshot. (the next morning) "Good morning, Timid," Silver Hawk greeted his little sister, who had just came downstairs from her room. "Ohaiyo… Onii-chan," Timid greeted her older brother, "A...And H-Happy Hearts and Hooves Day." "You too," Silver Hawk smiled, "Do you want anything from breakfast before you meet your friends." "H...Ha…" Timid began before somepony began to knock on the front door. "I wonder who that could be?" Silver Hawk pondered as he walked to the front window to see who was outside, and he found Rainbow Dash, "Uh..Timid? Did you expect any company today?" "Ano...n...no. Wh..why?" "Because I think Somepony's outside the door. Can you see what she wants?" Silver Hawk asked his little sister. "O..Okay," Timid nodded before she walked over to the front door and opened it, "Oh! O...Ohaiyo, R...Rainbow Dash-san." "Hey Timid. Quick question...do you know where your bro is?" the Rainbow-maned Pegasus asked as she poked her head inside. "H-Hai," Timid answered, "O...Onii-chan?" "Yes sis?" Silver Hawk asked before looking at Rainbow Dash, "Um...can I help you?" "So...you're Silver Hawk eh?" Rainbow Dash asked, checking out Timid's brother, "Well...you look hunkier than your picture, I'll tell ya that much." "H..Hunky? Me?" Silver Hawk blinked, a small blush on his face before he was tackled by Rainbow Dash, "Oof!" "R...Rainbow Dash? Ar...Are you okay?" Timid asked. "Oh I'm okay Timid...in fact.." Rainbow Dash paused as she looked at Silver Hawk lovingly, her eyes glowing a rose color, "I'm more than okay~" "Wh...why're you staring at me like that?" Silver Hawk gulped a bit, his blush increasing. "Why? Because I love you, Hawkey Wakey," Rainbow Dash smiled lovingly. "H...Hawkey Wakey?!" Silver Hawk managed to squeak out, his face now heavily blushing before he was engulfed in light blue energy, "Wh...what the?!" he gasped before he was suddenly dragged away from Rainbow Dash. "Huh?!" Rainbow Dash gawked before she turned and glared at a certain, white unicorn, "Rarity! Let go of my Hawkey Wakey right now!" "Not a chance you ruffian! My Darling Silver is only meant for me," Rarity insisted, her eyes also glowing the same rose color as Dash's. "N...nani?!" Silver Hawk gawked in Neighponese before Rarity dragged him out, Rainbow Dash chasing after her. "..A...Ano...wh-what just happened?" Timid blinked in confusion before she saw a panting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at her doorstep. "Timid! Something happened!" Scootaloo panted. "Wh...why? What's wrong?!" Timid asked. "The mares we gave the cupcakes to… most of them have been acting weird," Scootaloo answered. "Yeah. When I woke up this morning, I noticed my sister acting really lovey dovey to a picture of your brother," Sweetie Belle added, "Speaking of my sister, did you see her by any chance?" "H...Hai. Sh...she just ran out with my Onii-chan with Rainbow-Dash-san chasing after them," Timid replied. "Uh oh…" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle paled before… "Let go of my Darling Silver this instant!" "No way! He's my Hawkey Wakey!" "Y'all are both wrong! He's mah Silver Stud!" "...That sounded like Applejack," Sweetie Belle noted as Applebloom ran up. "Y...Ya' 'll might want to see this," Applebloom panted as the young fillies rushed out to see that Applejack(her eyes rose-colored as well) had joined in what could be described as a tug of war between herself, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, with Silver Hawk as the rope. "He's mine!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tugged Silver Hawk. "No! He's mine!" Rarity growled, pulling Silver Hawk as well. "He's mine!" AJ growled before managing to pulled Silver Hawk away from the two, "Y'all just hurt mah Silver Stud with the way y'all are treatin' him!" "How we're treating him?! You were also pulling on him yourself!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she snatched Silver Hawk away from AJ, "Are you alright, my Hawkey Wakey?" "Uh...don't I get a say in...woah!" Silver Hawk yelped when Rarity pulled him away with her magic. "Honestly! What would my Darling Silver want with a country mare and a tomboy…" Rarity began with a scoff before looking at Silver Hawk lovingly, "When he could have a lady like me~?" "Can't I get a chance to...YIPE!" Silver Hawk yelped again, this time being pulled aside by Applejack. "Just because Ah'm not fancy and frue frue like you, I can…" AJ began before Silver Hawk was pulled away from her, the Pegasus engulfed in violet energy. "Oh no...now what?" Silver Hawk gulped when he noticed Twilight was the one holding him via her magic. "Oh thank Celestia...Twilight's here…" Applebloom sighed in relief before Sweetie Belle tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh...you may want to take another look, Applebloom," the Unicorn Filly stated. "Huh?" Applebloom blinked before she noticed Twilight's eyes...were glowing the same rose-color as well, "...Uh oh." "Let him go. Only a true princess would give this stallion the respect he deserves," Twilight told the other ponies as she used her magic to yank Silver Hawk away from AJ, "Are you okay, my Silver Knight?" "S...Silver Knight?" Silver Hawk gulped, the blush increasing more, 'Oh man..I feel like I'm in one of those Harem Manga my old friend in Neighpon used to read.' "Oi vey," the CMC sighed. "Yoink!" a certain Pink Party filly popped out from off-screen and grabbed Silver Hawk, freeing him from Twilight's gasp, "Don't worry, my Silly Silver. I'll protect you from those big ol' meanies!" "Uh… why's everypony suddenly all over me?!" Silver Hawk randomly asked before he was pulled into another tug of war between Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and AJ. "He's my Silver Knight! Let go!" "No! He's my Silly Silver!" "No way! He's my Hawkey Wakey!" "Ya'll are wrong! He's mah Silver Stud!" "Wrong! He's my Darling Silver!" "...I think this is getting out of hand." Mischief gulped as he flew off to get the one pony to stop this, "...nah! This is too good to watch!" he grinned as he flew back to his seat, munching on his kettle corn. "Misty? What're you talking about?" Timid's voice asked him, making the dragon almost choke on his kettle corn. "Uh….n...nothing! Forget I said anything!" Mischief yelped as he prepared to rush out of there, only to crash into Quirky, "...Crud." "You did something to my cupcakes...didn't you?" Quirky frowned at the Dragon as the CMC surrounded him, and Timid in particular gave him "The Stare." "...N...NO! I'll never tell!" Mischief yelled, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see 'The Stare.' However...he could still feel it as he shouted while wearing a tattered loincloth and his voice gravelly, "GAAAAAH! IT BUUUUURNS! IT BURNS US!" "Tell what you did to to Quirky's Cupcakes right now, or else," Scootaloo frowned as Timid increased 'The Stare.' "Okay okay! I'll tell you! Just tell her to stop!" Mischief (his voice back to normal) yelled, Timid easing up 'the stare' as the son of Discord sighed before explaining, "I...may have slipped in some love potion into the cupcake batter while you guys were in the next room." "YOU DID WHAT?!" the CMC yelled, Timid being louder than usual. "How did you get that Love Potion, which is actually love poison, and what were you thinking?!" Scootaloo snapped. "Uh...I bought it from this Show Pony calling herself great and powerful, and I did it as a prank!... Which is pretty funny if you ask me!" Mischief chuckled a bit before freezing up with Timid gave him 'The Stare' again, making him nervous once again. "Reverse it...now!" Applebloom demanded. "Uh...funny thing about that actually.." Mischief chuckled nervously, "I...can't. I slipped some of my magic into the potion to make it more powerful...but it's kinda irreversible until 48 hours pass...or if you manage to get an Alicorn to help. Which looks pretty much useless right now seeing the only Alicorn in town is affected by it." "If you hadn't put it in the batter, none of this would've happened in the FIRST PLACE!" Quirky snapped. "Well what do you want me to do?! Go find another Alicorn and say 'Oh hey! I'm the Son of Discord, and I may have caused a total apocalypse in Ponyville as a prank!' Yeah! REALLY Smart plan there!" Mischief snapped. "Great… now what're we supposed to do?" Applebloom groaned. "...Hide Silver Hawk until this blows over?" Sweetie Belle suggested. "Not sure; somepony is bound to find him at some point," Scootaloo pointed out. "...Ah got an idea!" Applebloom spoke, causing her friend to look at her, "Why don't we ask Zecora for help? But before we do that, we'll have Silver Hawk hide at Fluttershy's place while Twilight the others are following a decoy." "How do you know she hasn't eaten one of those tainted cupcakes yet?" Scootaloo responded. "We didn't see her yesterday," Sweetie Belle stated with Applebloom nodding. "I didn't see anypony by the name of Zecora," Quirky added. "A...Ano...I...I didn't notice anypony by that name either when we were giving out cupcakes, S...Scootaloo," Timid said. "Oh, she's a zebra who lives outside Ponyville… I believe it was somewhere in Everfree Forest," Scootaloo answered. "Ah know where it is," Applebloom spoke before pondering, "But we need to find a decoy to distract Twilight and the others." "...Y...Yuki-chan!" Timid called out, making the small kitsune rush out of her home and stop before the shy filly, "C...can you transform into Onii-chan and keep Twilight-san and her friends busy for a while? I...I'll give you your favorite food for dinner tonight." Yuki's tails wagged excitedly at that before she turned into an exact copy of Silver Hawk. She/he then let out a loud whistling noise, catching the attention of Twilight and the others. The mares suddenly got googly-eyed as they dashed after the clone Silver Hawk, who flew away to keep them away from the real Silver Hawk. "Huh? Nee-chan? What's going on here?" Silver Hawk asked after catching his breath, his ice blue mane all messed up. "I...I'll explain on the way. F...follow me and Scootaloo-chan to Fluttershy-san's house p...please, Onii-chan," Timid said to her brother. "...Wait. You mean that pale-yellow Pegasus Mare that helped bring you home a few weeks ago?" Silver Hawk asked. "H-hai," Timid nodded. "O...Okay. Lead the way, Nee-chan," Silver Hawk nodded as he, Scootaloo and Timid Swallow rushed out of there. "Let's hurry to Zecora's before Twilight and the others realize the Silver they're following is a fake," Applebloom stated to her friends. "Right!" the rest of the CMC nodded as they galloped, or in Quirky's case bounded, off to the zebra's house. Fluttershy was busy humming a small tune while feeding some of her birds some food. She was about to go feed Angel next before she heard a knocking on her front door. "Hmm? Who could that be?" the shy Pegasus pondered as she flew over to her front door and opened it, "Y...yes? Can I...?" she couldn't finish as a snow-white blur zoomed past her, "...eh?" "Sorry to intrude, Fluttershy-san, but a lot of the mares were going crazy over me this morning," the voice of the blur panted as she turned to see Silver Hawk, the Pegasus hiding behind her couch while shaking a bit, "S...so until it blows over, m...me and Timid are going to be staying with you." "...o...okay. I..I don't m-mind," Fluttershy replied, a heavy blush forming on her face as she tried to use her wings to hide it, 'O...oh my! I...I didn't think I'd see him again! A...and now he's s-staying in my home?! O...oh my! Oh my!' "A...ano..h...hello, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid spoke, causing Fluttershy to yelp in surprise, which made Timid yelp in surprise as well. "Sorry to intrude, but could you keep an eye on Silver Hawk for us? There's something bad happening, and we need to find Zecora to help us solve the problem," Scootaloo replied as she walked in. "...O...okay. B...but what is the problem exactly?" Fluttershy asked out of curiosity. "Thanks," Scootaloo smiled before explaining the situation, "Mischief decided to play a prank by putting some Love Potion into the cupcakes Quirky made yesterday and...long story short. Every Mare in town wants Timid's brother." "Oh my…" Fluttershy gasped quietly. "Yeah...so until Applebloom and the others find Zecora, you'll have to hide Silver Hawk here until everything's settled," Scootaloo stated. "Oh… uh… okay," Fluttershy nodded. "Okay. Timid, I'll go check Yuki real quick and see how she's doing," Scootaloo told her shy filly friend. "O...okay. B…be careful, Scootaloo-chan," Timid nodded. "I will," Scootaloo told her before rushing outside. "Um...I...um...I think I'll go and head for the kitchen and get us something to drink," Fluttershy said as she left for said room, the Shy Pegasus using her wings to try and hide her blush from Silver Hawk. "...Please tell me she didn't eat one of those cupcakes as well, Nee-chan?" Silver asked Timid quietly, the Snow-white Pegasus hoping Fluttershy won't act like Twilight and the others. "I don't think so. If she did, she would've been all over you by now," Timid answered. "I...I see…" Silver nodded slowly in response while thinking, 'I really hope she didn't otherwise I'd have 6 Mares after my fl...wait. Did Scootaloo mention every mare in town ate those cupcakes?...oh horsefeathers.' Meanwhile, with Applebloom, Quirky, and Sweetie Belle... "Man...I've forgotten how scary this place can be…" Applebloom gulped a bit as the three fillies walked through the Everfree Forest to find Zecora's home. "So what's Zecora's place look like?" Quirky asked out of curiosity before speaking in a spooky-ish tone, "Is it really mysterious and scary~? Like a witch's house?" "Well…" Sweetie Belle started before whispering to Applebloom, "Mind helping me out here? You've been there more times than me and Scootaloo have." "Sure," Applebloom nodded before turning to the green filly to explain. "It's really just an ol' hut built into a tree." "I see...and what's Zecora like?" Quirky asked again. "She's a zebra, a black horse with gray and white stripes, and has what looks like a sun mark on her flank," Applebloom answered. "I see...is that her place?" Quirky said as she pointed towards an old hut. "Yep, that's it," Applebloom nodded as she ran up to the door and knocked, but got no answer. "Look, there's a note on the door," Sweetie Belle noticed. "Hmm?" Applebloom blinked before she noticed a note on the door before reading it, "'Ah apologize to anypony who wanted to see me, but Ah am away for the holiday. Zecora'...that's not good." "How're we gonna get help to fix this mess now?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yeah. There's no way we can find an Alicorn in time, especially one with powers over ponies hearts," Quirky added, making her friends gawk at her, "...What? Do I have something on my nose?" "...We need Spike!" the two fillies yelled as they ran back to Ponyville. "Hey wait! What did I say?!" Quirky yelled as she ran after them. "Holy…" Scootaloo gawked when she saw how trashed Ponyville was, multiple decorations littering the ground, "Don't tell me Twilight and the others caused this mu-woah!" she yelped when a familiar, purple scaled claw pulled her into a nearby bush, "Hey! What's the...Spike?" "Keep it down, will ya? Everypony's gone crazy looking for Timid's brother," Spike said in a quiet tone before he felt the ground rumble, "...and here they come now!" "Huh?" Scootaloo blinked when she poked her head out of the bush, the Pegasus filly gawking when she saw Y-Silver Hawk(Yuki as Silver Hawk) running away from a herd of lovestruck Mares, Twilight and her friends included in said herd before ducking back in, "Man, it's gotten crazier than I thought." "Yeah. And...wait. Where are your friends?" Spike asked before frowning a bit, "You fillies wouldn't happen to…" "It was Mischief's fault. Not ours," Scootaloo replied in defense. "...I should've figured it was him," Spike mumbled. "Any ideas in how to stop this? Most of my friends are out looking for Zecora right now, and Timid's keeping an eye on the real Silver Hawk with Fluttershy," Scootaloo whispered asked. "I don't know. Usually Twilight would know what to do...but she's currently chasing after that Silver Hawk look-alike," Spiked sighed before… "Hey! This isn't my Silly Silver!" Pinkie's voice yelled off-screen. "Uh oh…" Scootaloo paled. They peeked out the bush and saw that Y-Silver Hawk had reverted back to being Yuki, the smal kit completely exhausted to keep up her disguise. "Wait...if we've been chasing a fake...then the real one is out there somewhere, waiting for me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she prepared to rush off, but not before AJ pulled her back. "Nuh uh! He's mine!" AJ yelled as she prepared to leave, only for Rarity to push her aside. "No! He's my darling!" Rarity insisted as the Mares all began to bicker over who Silver Hawk belongs too. Seeing the chance, Yuki quietly crawled away from teh bickering cloud, which soon evolved into a fight cloud as she snuck over to Scootaloo and Spike.. "...Mischief is in BIG Trouble once this is all over," Scootaloo stated quietly to Spike. "Agreed," Spike nodded before he noticed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Quirky run up to him and Scootaloo. "Oh, there you are. What's up? Did you get Zecora?" Scootaloo asked. "Sadly no. She's gone for the holiday," Applebloom sighed sadly. "Yeah. And…" Quirky began before she noticed all the Mare fighting one another with one another, "...Wow. I knew things were bad, but I didn't think it was this bad!" Quirky gawked. "Yea… it's only gotten this bad after poor Yuki got exhausted from using a disguise," Scootaloo sighed, the small kitsune whining and panting a bit in exhaustion. "Poor thing…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah…" Quirky nodded before she noticed something, "...uh girls? They're all gone." "Huh?!" the rest of the CMC gawked before looking and seeing all the Mares were gone, leaving behind series of hoof prints and some hair. "...isn't Fluttershy's place in that direction?" Spike spoke. "...Yea… oh no…" Scootaloo gulped. "Timid!" the CMC gasped as they dashed out of their, hopping to get to FLuttershy's house in time before the lovestruck Mares do. "H-hey! Wait up!" Spike yelled as he ran after them before he stopped, "Hold on...I think I got a better idea…" he then ran back over to his and Twilight's home, grabbed a spare pieces of paper, wrote something down on them, and breathed green fire on them, turning the papers into ashes before the flames and smoke floated to Celestia's castle with a second set of ashes heading for the Crystal empire, "I hope they get them in time." "...Ano..do you need any help there, Fluttershy-san?" Silver Hawk asked as Fluttershy was a bit busy feeding her animals. "N...no thank you. I'm good," Fluttershy replied as she laid some food down for Angel, who turned his head away from the food, "Come on Angel...Please eat the food I made for you?" Angel shook his head no in response. "Is he okay?" Timid asked. "Y...yes. He's just being a bit picky right now," Fluttershy replied before asking Angel again, "Please eat the food I made? I made it just the way you…" she couldn't finish as Angel threw the food in her face. "Harsh," Silver Hawk noted, "...Let me try something," he suggested as he walked over and looked at Angel bunny, "Look here. Your owner made that food just for you. The least you could do is try a bite." Angel just glared in response. "...Fine. I didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice," Silver Hawk frowned a bit before shouting as he pointed to the left, "Holy Celestia! Is that a giant Carrot Cake outside?!" Angel's eyes widened at that as he quickly turned to see the 'cake' Silver Hawk mentioned, only for the snow-white Pegasus to use one of his wings to tickle the bunny while he wasn't looking. Angel began to snicker before laughing a bit, allowing Silver Hawk to move a bit of food into his mouth. "Gotcha," Silver Hawk grinned as he moved his wing away from Angel bunny. Angel Bunny just chewed and finished the food in his mouth before acting a bit disgusted. "Sorry. But you had left me with no choice," Silver Hawk stated before he moved over to Fluttershy, "Daijoubu, Fluttershy-san?" "...Y-Yea… I'm fine," Fluttershy nodded as she moved some of the food away from her face. "Hold on. You have a bit on your nose," Silver Hawk said as he used his wing to clean the leftover food off Fluttershy's nose, making the Pegasus Mare blush. "A….arigatou," Fluttershy stuttered in Neighponese. "You're welcome," Silver Hawk smiled back. "U...Um..I..I need to get something from the fridge! Be right back!" Fluttershy yelped as she rushed for the kitchen, trying to hide her blush with her wings. "...Is she okay?" silver Hawk asked Timid. "Ano...I think so. What do you.." Timid began before she noticed Angel Bunny was missing, "...Angel bunny?" 'Ano..Wh...where'd he go?' Meanwhile, in the kitchen... Fluttershy was browsing through the fridge and found the cupcake Pinkie gave her, but for some reason Silver Hawk's picture was there, too. "...Funny. I don't remember putting these in here…" FLuttershy noted before looking at Silver's picture with a blush, 'B...but, S...Silver Hawk l..looks really han..n-no! C...calm down Fluttershy...y...you dont' want a repeat of what happened to you when you were a filly...' She then snapped out of her train of thought when she noticed Angel bunny take the cupcake and was about to eat it, "N...No Angel! Y...you're not supposed to eat that." Angel just sent her a frown in response before resumed to eat the cupcake. "I...I said n-woah!" FLuttershy yelped, the Pegasus mare tripping when she was about to walk over to Angel to take the cupcake. This resulted in the following; Fluttershy fell face first into the cupcake, the Pegasus Mare accidentally swallowing a bite, and...well...you get the rest folks… especially since Silver Hawk's picture was right before her again. "Fluttershy-san? Is everything okay in here?" Silver Hawk asked in concern, the snow-white pegasus poking his head in when he heard the noise. Fluttershy just struggled up before looking at Silver Hawk, her eyes glowing a rose color as Timid peeked in and pieced together what happened based on what was left. "...U...uh oh," Timid paled. "What?" Silver Hawk asked Timid before he noticed Fluttershy look at him, some of her mane brushing over her left eye, "...F...Fluttershy-san?" "...S-Silver~…" Fluttershy replied, looking lovingly at the male pegasus. "...Uh oh," Silver Hawk gulped before Fluttershy tackled him, "Oomph!" "...F-Fluttershy-san?" Timid asked. "Yes Timid?" Fluttershy spoke, the normally shy Pegasus not looking away from Silver. "...A-Are you okay?" "I am..I just want to be with your brother is all," FLuttershy responded as she nuzzled against Silver Hawks chest, making the snow-white Pegasus blush. "...Uh… I… I don't know what to say…" Silver Hawk admitted with a gulp. "Hmm...maybe a date just between us, my Silver-sama~?" Flutttershy purred, making Silver Hawk blush even more. "S-s-s-s-sama?!" Silver Hawk squeaked out, 'It's official...my life has just become a harem manga!' "Oh… my…" Timid gasped before loud knocking was heard from the front door, startling the filly, "Oh no…" "Whoever it is, go away! I'm with Silver-sama!" Fluttershy yelled before the front door was torn down, allowing Rainbow Dash to fly in. "Hands off my Hawkey-wawkey!" the Rainbow-maned Pegasus growled as she snatched Silver Hawk from Fluttershy. "HEY!" Fluttershy snapped, as she tried to take Silver Hawk back from Rainbow Dash, "Let Silver-Sama go now!" "He's not yours!" the other mares snapped at her as they barged in and began to fight over Silver. "Oh no…" Timid gulped as the rest of the CMC and Spike rushed in. "...Fluttershy ate her cupcake too, didn't she?" Applebloom asked Timid. "H...hai. Demo...it...it was on accident really when she tried to st-stop Angel from eating it," Timid stuttered in response, "W...were you able to get Z...Zecora-san, A...Applebloom-chan?" "No, she wasn't home," Applebloom sighed, "Ah don't know what we're goin' to do." "Don't worry," Spike spoke catching the CMC's attention, "Help should be arriving right about…" he paused before a bright light shined outside, "Now." "Oh no...now what?" Silver Hawk groaned, the snow-white Pegasus currently in the middle of a 6-way tug of war between the Mane 6. "What's that?" Timid asked. "The Princess…" Spike replied as Celestia walked into the house, a frown on her face. "P...Princess?" Twilight blinked when she and all the mares noticed her, "Wh...what're you doing here?...Are you here to bless my and Silver's wedding?" "W..wedding?!" Silver Hawk squeaked, his face a beet red. "I'm afraid not, Twilight. I came because of a message I received from Spike saying you and a lot of ponies here were under the influence of Love Poisoning," Celestia sighed as she used her magic to pull Silver Hawk, "I'm going to talk to the one you're currently infatuated with. When I come back...I'll dispel the love poison." "Oh thank you.." Silver Hawk sighed in relief as Celestia carried him outside. "...A..ano...q..quick question, m...minna-san," Timid spoke, catching the CMC's attention, "A...Are Celestia-Hime's eyes supposed to be a r-rose color." "..No. Why'd you...uh oh," Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo paled before looking at Quirky. "Quirky...how'd the princess get one of those cupcakes?" Scootaloo asked the dark-green filly. "Don't know. I gave to somepony who was visiting from Canterlot and...oh sugar honey iced tea," Quirky paled when she was where this was going. "You don't think that…" Sweetie Belle began until… "H...Hime-sama! Wh...why're you...oh no. Not you too?!" Silver Hawk's voice yelped outside. "Oh don't worry Prince Silver, I won't bite," Celestia giggled off-screen. "P...Prince?!" Silver Hawk squeaked off-screen. "...Wait a minute...Celestia's going to hog my Silly Silver all to herself!" Pinkie yelled as she and the other Mares ran outside. "...So much for that letter to the Princess," Scootaloo sighed to Spike. "Don't worry. I sent a letter to Princess Cadance as a back-up," Spike reassured them. "Who?" Timid and Quirky asked. "She's Twilight's sister-in-law, and the princess of the Crystal Empire," Spike explained. "Oooh~" the two fillies nodded when suddenly… "Hello? Is...Anypony home?" the mentioned Alicorn's spoke from the back door. "Wow...that was faster than I expected," Spike noted as he ran over to the back door and opened it, "Thank goodness, you're here Cadence." "I got your letter, Spike. What's the meaning of all this love poisoning?" Cadence asked. "Well...I think it's best if they explain it," Spike said as he pointed over at the CMC. "Okay… it's kinda hard to explain, but we'll do our best," Scootaloo sighed before she and the CMC explained the situation. "...I see...can you tell me where Twilight and the others are right now?" Cadence asked the CMC. "W...Well…" Timid began. "Get your hands off him, you tomboy!" "No way! He's mine!" "You're wrong! He's my prince!" "Correction, princess! He's my knight!" "...Nevermind. I think I know where..." Cadence sweatdropped a bit. "Yea… and it's clear the love poisoning got to them, big time. And sadly… Celestia's got it, too," Spike sighed. "...Don't worry. I got this. Also, it can't be that..." Cadence began as she walked outside, only to see all the mares of Ponyville, the Mane 6, and Celestia fighting over Silver Hawk, "...I stand corrected." "S...seriously! Don't I get a-woah! A say in this?!" Silver Hawk yelled as he kept getting snatched by different mares, who were too occupied on keeping him for themselves. "Oh don't worry, Silver-sama.." Fluttershy (who was currently holding Silver Hawk) said as she carried him over the crowd, her face inches away from his, "You'll have all the time in the world to say something… during our honeymoon~" "H...Honeymoon?!" Silver Hawk squeaked as Fluttershy began to bring her lips closer to his, "S...Somepony, Tatsukete!" "...I think I've seen enough," Cadence sighed before her horn glowed, the Alicorn firing a magic blast at all the lovestruck mares, snapping them back normal as their eyes changed back to their normal color. "...Huh?" the mares gawked before chatting with each other, trying to figure out what was going on. Fluttershy however… "...S….S…..Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy blinked. "Uh...h...hi?" "..." Fluttershy didn't say anything as her entire face turned a beet red, seeing how close her lips were to Silver's as she began to faint mid-air, Silver having caught her in time. "F...Fluttershy-san?! D...Daijoubu?" Silver Hawk asked in concern. "...H… H...hai," she nodded, while trying to hide her still heavy blush. "...G...Good to know," Silver Hawk noted as he carried her down. "Um...can Somepony please tell me what the hay just happened?" Rainbow Dash spoke since she, Twilight, AJ, Rarity, Pinkie, and Celestia were the only ones there since the other mares left for home. "...I'm… not sure," Rarity admitted. "All Ah remember was taking a bite out of that cupcake Applebloom gave me," AJ added in equal confusion. "Strange..that happened with me too," Twilight noted. "And me three!" Pinkie added. "That happened with me as well," Celestia stated before she and the Mane 6 turned to the CMC, "Would you young ones mind telling us what happened?" "Well… here goes," Scootaloo gulped before explaining everything that happened. "...I should've known Mischief would be involved," Twilight sighed. "Speaking of Mischief..where is that little troublemaker?!" Rainbow Dash growled, the rainbow maned-Pegasus really ticked off at the moment. "Found him!" Pinkie and Quirky responded, pulling said baby dragon out of a barrel he was hiding in. "...Uh...hi?" Mischief waved nervously at everypony. "Mischief...of all the things you've done, this is by far the worst!" Scootaloo snapped. "Well what do ya expect?! I get bored from time to time when I'm not going up against Quirky!" Mischief snapped back before Celestia sent a glare at him, "...You're going to send me to the moon now, aren't you?" "...Actually… I have another idea," Celestia figured as she turned to Rarity, "I'm sure you have one too..right?" "..Actually…" Rarity began as a grin grew on her face, "I have just the one." "..." Mischief gulped when he saw the grins on the Mare and fillies faces. "...Hate you all," Mischief frowned, the dragon wearing a kiddie sized sailor outfit as the mares took photos of him in multiple costumes. "Ooh! Ooh! Make him wear this next!" Pinkie giggled as she held out a kiddie-sized clown suit, complete with hat. Rarity nodded as Mischief was soon out of the sailor costume, and looking even more silly in the clown suit, making Rainbow Dash and Spike laugh at Mischief's misfortune. "Ho ho, and ha ha, KKD," Mischief muttered so… I could… hear? Oh no, not again… (SZ):...you have permission to use my tech, KKD. (KKD):Okay then, let's see here. *begins to work the tech, and then…* "...Really guys? REALLY?!" Mischief snapped, the dragon now wearing a embarrassing baby outfit, complete with rattle and pacifier. This even made the other ponies laugh, even if they didn't know who was the cause of it. "Try another button and see what happened, KKD," Pinkie and Quirky asked said author. (KKD):Okay, here we go. *Presses a second button, and Mischief was suddenly twisted up like a pretzel.* "...This is embarrassing enough…" Mischief groaned before he noticed his voice was now high-pitched, "...Is that my voice? Ack! Is that my voice?!" "Ooh! Turn him into a kitty next!" Pinkie said to the authors, making her friends look at her and Quirky in confusion. Of course..they shrugged it off as they continued to take embarrassing pics of Mischief. "Oh no! Don't you da…" Mischief began before he was suddenly a kitten, "...Dang it." (KKD):I could do this all day. (SZ):Me too… but let's get this over with. The Fourth Wall can't take much more of this, Aibou. "No! Wait! Don't leave me with..!" Mischief began before the screen went black, "...I hate you." Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review if ya can. Dawn of a new StarTwo weeks have passed since the incident on Hearts and Hooves day, and many of the Mares (including the CMC) wanted to forget about it because of the effects of the Love Poison. At the moment, it's been a quiet day, and Twilight was busy finishing renting books out to the ponies of Ponyville for the day. Even though she was a Princess now, she's still the owner of Ponyville's library. "Okay...that should be everything," the violet Alicorn noted as she placed a few books inside a pair of traveling bags and handed them to a frog appeared to mostly be cyan with some specks of a dark blue and some white fluff around the neck, and a silver Unicorn pony with some blue highlights in his orange mane, green-blue eyes, and a white spiral Cutie Mark, "Is there anything else I'm missing, or is that it?" "Hm… let's see…" the frog muttered to himself, looking over the books they had, both of which are on hypnosis. The pony also looked over before looking over to Twilight. "Nope. We got what we needed Twilight. Alright Ricky, let's get going." The frog nodded as they both left the library, the Unicorn holding a receipt showing the return date for the books before he used his magic to place it in his traveling bag. "Hope to see you again," Twilight said to those leaving as she turned to Spike, "Did you finish checking what books are on hold?" "Eeyup. One Earth Pony placed a hold on a book for classic music, a couple Pegasus Ponies placed a hold on a book about weather patterns, and..oh jeez. That one Unicorn, Lyra I think her name was, asked for a book on...hyoo-manes I think, again," Spike listed. "I see… thank Spikes," Twilight replied before she heard a knocking on her front door, "Huh, the library's set to close, why would anypony be coming here at this time? …Unless it's my friends..." "I'll check and see who it is," Spike offered as he walked over to the front door and opened it, "Sorry. But we're abo…" he paused before gawking a bit. He rubbed his eyes once to make sure he wasn't seeing things. In front of him was a filly. An Alicorn Filly to be precise. Her fur and wings were a light violet color while her mane and tail(both of which were currently wet and dirty) were a soft, evening red with a orange highlight in it. Her eyes were a dark-shade of yellow. She also appeared to be lost and tired. "...Twilight…" Spike called out to the violet Alicorn, "You might want to come here and see this." "What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked as she came to the door and gasped upon seeing the young filly and how she looked so similar to herself. "Help…" the filly weakly begged, trembling a tiny bit before her legs gave out, causing her to fall to the ground before Spike caught her. "Whoa! ...She seems exhausted… but where'd she come from, and why's she so tired?" Spike wondered as he struggled to keep her up, seeing this Alicorn filly was a bit bigger than most fillies in Ponyville. "I don't know...but she needs help. Spike, you go help carry her upstairs while I start the bath up for her," Twilight said to the dragon. "R...right," Spike nodded as he struggled to carry the Alicorn filly upstairs, Twilight helping him so he wouldn't drop her by accident. Later, Twilight laid the young filly in her bed so that she could rest up and hopefully restore her energy. "Who is she?" Spike asked, breaking the silence. "I don't know…" Twilight responded before her eyes widened when she noticed something, "Spike...she doesn't have a Cutie Mark." "She doesn't?" Spike gawked before looking at the filly's flanks and indeed noticing it was bare of any mark, "You're right. But...why? If she's an Alicorn, shouldn't she have her Cutie Mark already?" "Good question," Twilight noted before yawning as she looked out the window to see the night sky, "But it's too late to ask the princess for help." "So what're we gonna do now?" Spike asked. "We'll have to wait til the morning to let the princess know about this… but until then, we'll sleep in here to check on this filly's condition." "Right," Spike nodded before yawning, "I'm getting tired anyway." "Right…" Twilight nodded as she slowly got on her bed and gently laid next to the filly so she could keep a closer eye on her, "Good night Spike." "Good night, Twilight," Spike yawned. (The next morning) Twilight yawned as she began to wake up, the morning sun shining on her through her window. she slowly turned her head to see if the filly was still asleep...only...the filly was no longer there, causing the violet Alicorn's eyes to widen. "S...Spike! She's gone!" Twilight gasped, waking Spike up with a yelp, before he bonked his head into the ceiling. "Ouch… Who's gone, Twilight?" the dragon mumbled as he rubbed his head. "That filly we found last night. She's gone!" Twilight replied in a semi-panicked tone, causing Spike's eyes to widen. "What?! Where'd she go?!" Spike gawked. "I don't know! H...help me search for her!" Twilight said as she began to look around the room, hoping to find the Alicorn filly. Spike then began to search through all the other corners Twilight missed for the filly as well. He then ran down stairs before poking his head back up. "Uh...Twilight?" the young dragon spoke, catching the Alicorn's attention, "I found her." "Where?" Twilight asked, rushing over to Spike's location. The moment she reached downstairs, her eyes widened to see the Alicorn filly fully awake and reading one of her books, a medium sized pile right next to the filly. "Oh… phew!" "Yeah…" Spike sighed in relief as well, catching the filly's attention as she looked over at the two. "Good morning," the filly greeted before she turned back to her book. "Morning… You know, I never did learn what your name was," Twilight replied, walking up to the young filly. "...Dawn Star...that's all I can remember," the filly replied, closing the book she was reading before using her magic to take another book from the pile next to her. "Is that why you're reading all these books?" Twilight asked. "Dawn Star… that's a nice name," Spike added. "Yes...the only things I can recall is my name...and that I like books...a lot," Dawn Star replied, the Alicorn filly not turning away from the book she was reading. "Man… she reminds me of somepony…" Twilight said to herself. "Gee… you think?" Spike muttered to himself. "Okay...that's book number 14…" Dawn Star muttered to herself as she closed the book she was reading , used her magic to pull another one from the pile, and began to read it. "You read 14 books? How long have you been awake to read all this?" Twilight asked. "An hour ago," Dawn Star replied, causing both Twilight and Spike to gawk. "Wow… I don't think I've ever met anypony who's been able to read that many books that quickly," Twilight gawked. "I have," Spike muttered. "Who?" Twilight and Dawn asked in unison. "Twilight, she's almost just like you," Spike sighed, taking out a mirror from the hammerspace, and putting it in front of the two. The two Alicorns glanced at each-other, and then at the mirror again, blinking a bit. "Wait a minute," Spike began as he pondered something, "You two are very similar… Applebloom's like her sister Applejack, Sweetie Belle's similar to Rarity, Scootaloo has a lot in common with Rainbow Dash, Timid can be easily compared to Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie and Quirky are almost identical in personalities…" "...You're right," Twilight's eyes widened as she began to put two and two together. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Spike asked. "I am…" Twilight nodded as she and Spike looked at Dawn Star. "...What?" the Alicorn filly blinked in confusion. "Come with us," Twilight told Dawn Star as she and Spike led her towards the door. "You're not… kicking me out, are you?" Dawn Star asked. "Of course not. We're just going to have you make some new friends," Twilight answered. "...Friends?" Dawn Star repeated. "Yea. Follow us," Spike insisted as he kinda started pushing Dawn out of the library, but couldn't as the Alicorn Filly made it almost impossible to move her. "But...I'm not done reading my books," Dawn Star grunted as she stood her ground. "Wow… almost like looking in some sort of odd mirror…" Spike muttered. "You can bring some of the books with you, as long as you bring them back, okay?" Twilight responded. "...okay," Dawn Star nodded as she used her magic to pull a few books from the pile she had before opening one up to read it, kinda making Spike plop to the ground before they left. Meanwhile, with the CMC… "...Bored," Scootaloo yawned as the CMC were in their Clubhouse, not doing anything. "Yep… so bored," Quirky added. "B-b-b-b-boooooored~" Mischief sang in a bored tone, tossing a ball on the wall and catching it. "There has to be something we could do…" Sweetie Belle pondered. "Like what?" Applebloom asked, boredom evident in her voice. "...Darn. I thought I had something," Sweetie Belle sighed. "...A...Ano...m...minna," Timid spoke, catching the other fillies' attention, "I...I see T...Twilight-san heading this way." "Really?!" the other fillies gasped as they rushed to the window to see Twilight coming with Spike and somepony else. "Who's the filly with her?" Quirky asked. "A unicorn, no…wait...is that filly….?" Applebloom began. "An Alicorn?!" Sweetie Belle gasped. "...Ooh! An Alicorn?!" Quirky gasped. "W...wow," Timid noted in her shy, quiet tone of voice. "Ah'm lookin' right at her, but I don't believe," Applebloom gawked. "Neither can I…" Scootaloo added before pondering, "Why do you suppose Twilight is bringing her here?" "No idea," Quirky shrugged. "She's like Twilight's counter..." Sweetie Belle started. "Part…" the original three CMC gasped. "What?!" Quirky asked. "What's with the gasp?" "Obviously they're think if they recruit that Alicorn filly, you're little group will be like a miniature version of Twilight and her friends," Mischief replied, the 'dragon' still bouncing the ball on the wall and catching it. "Makes sense," some of the CMC said. "But do y...you th-th-think she'll j...join?" Timid asked. "Maybe. But it wouldn't hurt to try," Scootaloo replied before grinning, "If she did. It'll be so cool! I mean, we'll have a Alicorn in the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" "YAY!" Quirky cheered. "Y...yay," Timid cheered quietly. "Let's go say hi," Sweetie Belle suggested as the CMC rushed down to open the door to the clubhouse to see Spike, Twilight, and the new filly. "Good. Here they come," Twilight noted, the violet Alicorn noticing the CMC approach her as she turned towards Dawn Star, who was still reading, "Dawn Star...we have company." "...I'm sorry, what?" the Alicorn filly blinked as she looked up from her book on Pegasi. "We have company, look," Twilight repeated pointing to the CMC approaching. "...I see," Dawn Star noted as she turned back to her book, only for a slightly irritated Twilight to take it, "Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" "It's not a good idea to read all the time, and this is coming from somepony who loves to read," Twilight informed, causing Dawn Star to merely sigh as the CMC approached them "Hi girls." "Hi Twilight/H-Hello Hime-sama," Scootaloo and Timid Swallow greeted, the fillies bowing to her until Quirky looked up and saw Dawn Star. "Who's this filly, Princess Twilight?" Quirky asked. "Everypony, I'd like to introduce to you to Dawn Star. Dawn Star, say h...oh come on!" Twilight groaned when she saw Dawn Star read another book. "What?" Dawn Star asked before Twilight took the books away from her, "HEY!" "I'm trying to introduce you to (hopefully) your new friends, and you're being a bit rude," Twilight scolded the Alicorn filly. "Ano... she's shy?" Timid asked. "Not really… she's a bit too into books it seems… and strangely enough… I know how that feels," Twilight sighed. "I see...and you…?" Scootaloo began before Quirky zoomed past her and got close to Dawn Star. "Hi there! My name's Quirky! Nice to meet you Dawn Star! Ooh I can't wait to see what kind of fun we'll have together! Like maybe we'll make cupcakes, or visit a festival, or go swimming, or...or…!" "Okay Quirky, we get the picture," Scootaloo responded as she approached Dawn Star while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle moved the over-excited Quirky away a bit, "Sorry about her. She's a bit energetic at times." "Energetic? She seemed to be, if I got the term right, on a permanent sugar rush," Dawn Star pointed out. "Right… anyway, My name's Scootaloo. and you've already met Quirky," the orange pegasus filly giggled a bit. "A...ano...I...I'm…" Timid mumbled shyly. "...I'm sorry. I couldn't hear that," Dawn Star said to the shy filly. "Ano...I'm ...mid," Timid said a bit louder. "Still didn't catch that," Dawn Star stated again. "..." Timid gave of a squeaky, shy whimper as she hid behind Scootaloo. "Wow… Deja vu," Twilight noted. "Yeah…" Spike added as they watched the fillies interact with each other. "Ah'm Applebloom," applebloom introduced herself next before motioning to Sweetie Belle, "And this is Sweetie Belle." "Hi!" the Unicorn filly smiled. "Your other friend was still too quiet for me to hear," Dawn Star noticed. "Well...her name's Timid Swallow and...well...she's really shy," Scootaloo pointed out. "I see," Dawn Star noted. as she turned towards Twilight, "Are we done here? I'd like to get back to my books." "Oh boy…" Spike sighed. "We need a plan," Twilight whispered to him before an idea popped into her head, "And I think I got one," she then turned to Dawn Star, "Tell me Dawn Star, from all the books you've read, I'm sure you've heard of Princess Celestia and Luna, right?" "Y...yes! I know all about them! Like how they ruled Equestria together and created Harmony across the land, having the power to raise the sun and moon every day, defeated the evil spirit of Chaos, Discord and the dark king Sombra, and…" Dawn Star explained in a sort-a fangirlish way before Twilight raised her hoof, quieting the Alicorn filly. "You know your facts… well, what if I told you you can learn more than you can from books by learning how to make friends?" "...Really? How?" Dawn Star asked, having calmed down. "Simple. If you stay here and become friends with Scootaloo and her friends known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Twilight answered. "...that what now?" Dawn Star blinked. "They're this group who's goal is to get their Cutie Marks as a team," Twilight explained. "Really?" "Plus, you can discover the greatest kind of magic if you do," Twilight added. "The greatest kind of magic?" Dawn Star questioned. "Yes...but you'll have to figure what it is yourself," Twilight stated. Dawn Star nodded, and then gave a light bow before Twilight, the violet Alicorn giving a small nod as she and Spike began to leave the area. "You think it'll really work?" Spike whispered to Twilight. "I really used to wonder what friendship could be, until they all shared it's magic with me," Twilight replied with a small smile. "...I'll just take that as a yes," Spike sighed as the two left. "This could be great," Sweetie Belle smiled. Dawn Star then walked over to the group, and smiled a bit while thinking, 'So… I'll find the greatest kind of magic if I hang out with them… wonder what it is?' "Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Dawn Star!" Scootaloo smiled. "Th...thanks. So...what's first on our agenda?" Dawn Star asked. "Well we usually try and figure out what we can do to help somepony and hopefully earn our Cutie Marks," Sweetie Belle explained before sighing, "But we don't know what to do today…" "I see…" Dawn sighed before her stomach began to growl, "..." "There could be something else we can do…" Scootaloo pondered. "Maybe something to help satisfy your hunger," Quirky giggled, hearing Dawn's stomach growl. "Uh...y...yeah. I...really didn't eat breakfast this morning since I was busy reading books," Dawn Star sheepishly replied, "Is there anyplace in town for us to get something to eat?" "What about Sugarcube Corner?" Quirky suggested, "They should still have some muffins available." "Muffins? Are they any good?" Dawn asked, curious. "Eeyup. This one Pegasus comes in everyday to get some before she heads out to work," Quirky nodded before pondering, "I think her name was...Ditzy or Derpy Hooves." "Derpy Hooves," Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom replied in unison. "Yeah. That's the one!" Quirky stated as she smiled a bit, making that' Squee' noise again. "Anyway, let's go, maybe we can introduce you to the owners and Pinkie Pie," Sweetie Belle suggested as the six walked to Sugarcube Corner. "...Okay," Dawn Star nodded before she felt something crawl around in her bag," Huh? Who's…?" The fillies looked over as Dawn opened her bag and saw… "Mischief?!" the rest of the CMC gasped. "HI~" the miniature dragon waved as he jumped out of Dawn's bag and grew back to normal size, "You ladies weren't trying to leave without me...were you?" "W...wh...what the? W...who are you?!" Dawn Star asked, the Alicorn filly surprised by Mischief's sudden appearance. "A little mascot of ours, Mischief here is a baby dragon friend who showed up with Timid here," Apple Bloom explained. "I...I see. B...but how did he get in my bag?! And why was he so small?!" Dawn Star demanded. "Oh. That's easy...I'm the son of Discord," Mischief replied nonchalantly as he made a chocolate milkshake appear out of thin-air and began to...drink the glass? "...Yea… he's kinda confusing at times," Scootaloo sighed. "..." "..Dawn Star? Are you okay?" Applebloom asked the currently shaking filly. "I...If he's really DIscord's son...THEN WHY HAVEN'T THE PRINCESS' DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!" Dawn Star screamed in a panicked tone. "SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM FOR THE MOST PART!" Scootaloo responded before calming down, "And besides, he's in our care for now." "Yeah...unless Timid uses…" Mischief paused before shuddering as he shrunk back down to small size and entered Timid's backpack, "'The Stare' on me." "...'The Stare'?" Dawn Star repeated, the Alicorn filly having calmed down. "It's a skill Timid and another pony, Fluttershy, can use to get animals to do what they want, and it's very good for convincing Mischief to behave," Scootaloo explained. "I see…" Dawn Star noted before her stomach growled again, "...Um...can we head over to this Sugarcube Corner place now? I'm still hungry." "Right," the others nodded as the CMC trotted to Sugarcube Corner, with the exception of Quirky who was hopping all the way. "Thank you, come again!" Pinkie waved to the two ponies leaving Sugarcube Corner. "Hiya Pinkie~!" Quirky's voice called out as the CMC arrived at Sugarcube Corner. "Oh! Hiya Quirky~!" Pinkie waved to the Dark-Green filly before she noticed Dawn Star, "...who's this?" "Oh, this is Dawn Star, a new Alicorn Pony Twilight found last night," Quirky answered, making Pinkie gasp as she dashed out of the room. "...What's with…?" Dawn Star began before the room was filled with streamers and balloons. "SURPRISE~!" Pinkie declared as she rushed in, holding a banner saying 'Welcome to Ponyville: Dawn Star!'. "..." Dawn Star blinked in confusion. "She's a party pony," Scootaloo explained to the confused Alicorn filly. "Ahh…" Dawn Star nodded before Pinkie got close to her face. "You must be really excited about living on Ponyville, aren't you?!" the party pony asked excitedly before she heard Dawn's stomach growl, "...you're hungry, aren't you?" "Yea, I'm hungry, but as for living in Ponyville… I don't know what to say about it," Dawn Star admitted before Pinkie zoomed out of the room and came back in, pushing a cart full of muffins. "What do you want to eat? We got Blueberry muffins, banana nut muffins, chocolate chip muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, strawberry muffins, lemon supri...whooops! heh heh...that one's off limits," Pinkie chuckled sheepishly as she moved the muffins away from the tray. "Why's that?" Dawn Star asked. "You don't want to know," Pinkie, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle replied, shivering a bit when they recalled what happened the last time Sugarcube Corner ran out of Lemon Surprise Muffins. "...Okay…" "Well, just give her any of the other muffins then, it looks like she can't decide right now," Quirky suggested to Pinkie. "Okey Dokey Lokey!" Pinkie nodded as she placed a plate with one Blueberry muffin and one banana nut muffin on a table before moving Dawn Star onto said table, "Enjoy!" A bit curious, Dawn sniffed the muffins before picking one up with her magic. "...Are they good?" Dawn Star asked the party pony out of curiosity. "Are they good?" Pinkie scoffed as if Dawn was kidding. "Are they good?" Quirky added in the same tone. "...Are they?" Dawn Star asked again. "Yea, try it!" Pinkie smiled. Dawn Star sniffed the muffin again and examined it a bit, making sure there wasn't nothing wrong with it. She then slowly took a bite of the blueberry muffin she was holding. After chewing a little bit, a large smile seemed to spread across her face. "Well?" Pinkie asked. "...Delicious!" Dawn Star cheered as she took another bite of the muffin, happily chewing. "YAY!" Pinkie and Quirky cheered. "I knew you'd enjoy it!" Quirky smiled. "Thank you," Dawn smiled, unknowingly doing so with her mouth still full of muffin before she swallowed it, "Is there any more?" "Yeah. Let me go check the back and see if there are any fresh ones!" Pinkie replied as she headed towards the kitchen to check. "Okay," Dawn nodded as she took another bite of her muffin. "Glad you're enjoying yourself, Dawn Star," Sweetie Belle smiled. "Yeah. Maybe after you're done, we can…" Applebloom began before somepony bumped into her, "Oops. Sorry. Ah didn't mean t…" she paused when she noticed the filly that bumped into her were none other than…*groans* Diamond Tiara, "Oh… it's you. Where's Silver Spoon?" "...I don't know who you're talking about, Blank Flank," Diamond Tiara snorted. "You two usually hang out with each other, don't you?" Sweetie Belle noted, referring to Silver Spoon. "Yeah well...after that incident at what was supposed to be my party, we decided to not talk to each other for a while," Diamond Tiara frowned, recalling what happened to her and her 'friend' at said party. "I see...why're you here, anyway?" Scootaloo asked with a frown. "Nothing you Blank Flanks would care abou-" Diamond Tiara started before she noticed Dawn Star and the fact that she had a lack of a Cutie Mark. "Well, what do we have here? An Alicorn Blank Flank? That's rare." "...Excuse me?" Dawn Star blinked, the Alicorn filly pausing from eating her muffin to look at Diamond Tiara. "Look at your flank. You don't have a Cutie Mark, and you're supposed to be an Alicorn. And aren't Alicorns supposed to be born with their Cutie Marks?" Tiara pointed out. "...May I ask who you are to judge me?" Dawn Star inquired, making Diamond Tiara gasp in how Dawn Star countered that. "Alicorns are all princess', even if we do not have castles. It's never a matter of Cutie Marks," she added as her presence suddenly had a majestic feel and frightening aura as well, "So Miss...Diamond Tiara was it? How dare you, how dare you insult your princess?!" "Uh...Uh…" Diamond Tiara gulped the spoiled filly shaking a bit in fear. "Show me some respect!" Dawn Star practically roared at Tiara, making the other CMC members gulp as well. "Wow... we finally have someone cool in our group," Mischief commented from his spot in Timid's backpack. "Yeah...and she can be really scary," Quirky gulped, the dark-green filly having heard what Mischief said. "No kidding," Scootaloo agreed as the other fillies nodded while Diamond Tiara was scared stiff. "So unless you want thee to turn thou into a lesser being, leave!" Dawn Star yelled, her voice slightly distorted in that last part. "..." Diamond tiara gulped as she ran out of there, screaming just as the aura surrounding Dawn Star disappeared. "...What just happened?" the Alicorn filly blinked before she noticed the semi-scared/gawking CMC, "Um...are you girls okay?" "...Y...Yea… it's just…" Scootaloo started, not sure what to say. "You just scared that big meanie, DIamond Tiara off!" Quirky yelled before covering her mouth. "...I did?" Dawn Star blinked in confusion. "Well…" the rest of the CMC started before they were suddenly quiet. "Well what?" "You...don't remember it happening...do you?" Applebloom asked. "No. The only thing I remember before blacking out was when that filly called you all Blank Flanks, whatever that is," Dawn Star replied. "It's not a good thing, either…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah...uh, Dawn Star? Can you excuse us for a moment?" Scootaloo asked the Alicorn filly before motioning the rest of the CMC to move outside. "Um...sure. I'm still eating breakfast anyway," Dawn Star nodded as she resumed eating her muffins. And so, the rest of the CMC made it outside where Dawn Star couldn't hear them. "...What's up, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked. "...I think we should tell Twilight about what just happened to Dawn Star back there," Scootaloo whispered, just to make sure Dawn Star wouldn't hear her. "Should we? What would she say?" Sweetie Belle responded. "I don't know...and I'm kinda worried. What if that other side of Dawn Star we saw eventually turned into something like Nightmare Moon?" "Well if she keeps scaring that meanie Diamond Tiara into the next few chapters, I say let her!" Quirky smiled. "This is serious, Quirky...from what we can tell, Dawn Star doesn't remember anything," Scootaloo stated. "Remember what exactly?" a voice asked, scaring the CMC as they quickly turned to see Dawn Star standing behind them, "...Plotting against me? When I sent that naive flank running? I thought you'd be grateful. Well...art thou?" "Uh…" "ART THOU?!" Dawn Star yelled, her voice distorted before her eyes widened when she saw how scared Timid and the others look, "...W...What did I just…?" "...W...We dunno," Scootaloo responded as Timid was whimpering in fear. "...T...Timid. I...I don't know what I did, but I apologize for…" Dawn Star began as she walked over to try and calm Timid own, only for the shy filly to back away, "..." she then looked and backed away from them all before her horn shined and she vanished. "Dawn Star, wait!" Scootaloo tried to call out to the Alicorn filly. "...Well...you blew it b…" Mischief began. "Not now, Mischief!" the CMC, including surprisingly Timid, snapped at the dragon, not wanting to deal with him at the moment. "Okay okay! Sheesh, you don't have to bite my head off," Mischief mumbled. "...So… what do we do now?" Quirky asked in worry. "...We go to Princess Twilight," Sweetie Belle sighed, "Hopefully she'll know what to do." "...They hate me," Dawn Star whimpered as she sat in a dark clearing within the Everfree Forest, tears dripping from her eyes, "I didn't mean to scare them...I don't even remember doing it…" "Just like before. They don't appreciate you," a voice spoke, startling the Alicorn filly. "W...who said that?!" Dawn Star gasped as she looked around for the source of the voice. "Look in the puddle right next to you," It instructed as Dawn Star did so and saw what looked like Nightmare Moon. "N...no way. Y...You're Nightmare Moon," Dawn Star gasped, recalling the book she read on the evil Mare of the Moon, "But...I thought you were…" "You misunderstand….I'm not Nightmare Moon. I'm not even a nightmare, I'm….you. The real you, the you that was before our...accident," 'Nightmare Moon' replied. "A...accident?" Dawn Star repeated. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. See, we had a kingdom. But it's been taken and as a result, we lost something important." "W...what? What did we lose exactly?" Dawn Star couldn't help but ask. "I'll share that with you another time. In the meantime, return to Sister Twilight. We did not end up in her care by accident," 'Nightmare Moon' stated, causing Dawn Star's eyes to widen. "S...sister?" Dawn Star repeated as 'Nightmare Moon's image faded from the puddle, "W...wait! Don't go! I want to learn more about my memory!" "Earn that right," was all she heard before the presence completely vanished. "...Earn that right…" Dawn Star repeated to herself, 'Wh...what did she mean by that exactly? Furthermore...just who am I reall...' "Dawn Star! Where are you?!" the Alicorn filly's ears perked up when she heard the familiar voices of the CMC and Twilight. "Oh no. It's them," she whimpered as she ran into the bushes to hide just as Twilight and the CMC came into the clearing. "I can't believe this," Twilight frowned as she looked at the CMC, "Why did you have to act so scared of her?" "It wasn't our fault she acted so scary all of a sudden," Quirky defended. "Did she ever once intentionally direct this scary persona at you all or to try and assist you?" Twilight asked. "...Well...she did kinda defended us when Diamond tiara was calling us Blank Flanks again. But...when she changed into that other persona...she scared us," Sweetie Belle stated. 'I knew it...they are scared of...' Dawn Star began sadly with a thought. "And that's why we're worried about her," Applebloom added, making the Alicorn filly's eyes widened in shock from her hiding space. 'They're….worried about me?' Dawn Star thought. "Of course we are, silly!" a voice giggled behind her, causing Dawn Star to turn her had to see Quirky staring right at her, "Hi." "KYA!" Dawn Star yelped as she jumped out of the bushes, "Where'd you come from?!" "Hmm… hard to say you mean my homeland? My house in Ponyville, or which member of Team Toku Sonic thought me up?" Quirky asked, causing the Alicorn filly to look at her strangely. "Wait..what? No! I mean how did you appear behind me!" Dawn Star slightly demanded. "Oh. I saw your horn slightly stick out of the bush you were hiding in, so I hopped in and wanted to surprise you," Quirky replied as she gave a small smile, making that' squee' noise again. Dawn Star sweatdropped at that before... "Quirky found Dawn Star!" Mischief shouted as he took on the shape of a siren, startling Dawn Star just as Twilight and the other fillies turned to see the Alicorn filly. "Dawn Star! What do you think you're doing out here?" Twilight asked as she gave Dawn Star a frown. "...I...I was hiding," Dawn Star replied sadly, causing Twilight to raise an eyebrow "Why?" Twilight asked. "I...I'm sure Applebloom and her friends told you what happened back at Sugarcube Corner, right?" Dawn Star asked. "Yes." Twilight nodded. "Well...it's just...before I came here...I..never had any friends...much less anypony to take care of me...You see, sometimes I black out...and when I recover...everypony looks at me in fear...and I don't even remember doing anything," Dawn Star replied with a sad sigh, "No matter where I went, it was the same thing...the only time I've ever truly felt happy was when I read books the library usually throws out…" "...So that's why you wouldn't look away from the books until I forced them off you," Twilight realized. "Yes...I didn't want to make any friends because...well...you already know why…" Dawn Star sighed as she got up, "I'll get whatever things I have at your place Twilight. After that, I'm leaving Ponyville." "...No." Twilight told her quickly as she moved in front of the filly. "Yes. I..don't want to end up scaring, or worse, hurt anypony," Dawn Star said sadly, looking down with her mane covering her teary eyes. "You do know only a princess can decide if another one should be banished from their castle, and my home is my castle and thus...you're confined to your quarters," "But...I don't have one…" Dawn Star sighed. "...You do now," Twilight stated, causing Dawn Star to look up at her with wide, yet still teary eyes, "Now come along...and we can discuss the rest of your punishment later. But for now..." she paused as she gave a small smile to Dawn Star, "Let's go and get your room set up." "...O...Okay," Dawn Star nodded before she turned to the CMC, "I...I'm sorry I scared you back there...and I understand you don't want to be friends with me anymore." "...What're you talkin' about? Of course we want to be friends with you," Applebloom smiled. "...R...Really?" Dawn Star asked, earning nods from the CMC, "But I...I scared you all so ba…" "We know you did, but you did a good thing with how you scared Diamond Tiara off," Scootaloo pointed out. "Yeah! You scared that meanie really good!" Quirky added with a small smile. "Yeah. Plus, it's really cool to be friends with an Alicorn!" Sweetie Belle added. "A...ano...I...I know...you didn't mean...to scare me D...Dawn-chan...s...so I forgive you," Timid added with a small smile of her own. "So...I...I really am...your friend?" Dawn Star asked, small tears forming in her eyes. "Of course!" Scootaloo nodded. Dawn Star didn't know how to react...her eyes started to tear up really quick as she tried her best to hold back a sob. But...she couldn't hold it any longer as she hugged all five fillies, tears flowing from her eyes as she cried. Inside her body, her heart was beating really fast, showing that Dawn Star was happy...happy to find her first, actual friends. (the next day) The five current members of the CMC were anxiously waiting for Dawn Star to arrive. "Oooh! I'm soooo excited!" Quirky smiled. "I know! I can't wait for Dawn Star to get here!" Sweetie Belle added with an excited squeal. "Not only will we have six members, but we even have an Alicorn as a friend!" Scootaloo added in excitement as well. "H...hai. Y-yay!" Timid added with a quiet cheer. "Speaking of whom, I can see her coming right now!" Applebloom responded, looking out the window. "And cue them gathering at the window in three...two...one…" Mischief counted down as the other four fillies gathered at the window to see Dawn Star approaching them. "Hi girls. Sorry I'm late, I guess I let my reading get the better of me last night and I ended up sleeping in," Dawn Star apologized. "It's okay Dawn Star. Now hurry and come up. We can't start your initiation without you!" Applebloom smile as she and the other Fillies pulled their heads back in. "Okay!" Dawn Star nodded as she used her wings to fly up to the doorway and used her magic to open the door and fly inside, "So this is where you meet, huh? Interesting." "Thanks. So...are you ready?" Scootaloo asked the Alicorn filly. "Yes, I'm ready," she nodded. "Cool. So Dawn Star, do you agree and swear to dedicate yourself to the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Scootaloo asked. "I do," Dawn Star nodded. "And do you swear to be one of us until the time arrives when you achieve your own Cutie Mark?" "I do." "Alright then...we, Scootaloo…" "Applebloom…" "Sweetie Belle…" "T….Timid Swallow…" "And Quirky…" "Welcome, Dawn Star, to...the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the five fillies declared in unison, Timid being a bit louder than her normal tone. "...Thank you so much," Dawn Star thanked, glad to be a part of the group. "It's no problem, Dawn Star. We're not only excited that you're a part of our group…" Scootaloo began with a smile. "But we're glad you're our friend as well," Applebloom added. Dawn Star just smiled at that as the five fillies there gave her a big hug. "Oi vey," Mischief whispered to himself before stating to the audience in a Brooklyn accent, "Any more of 'dis goily stuff and I might jest puke." The six fillies looked at Mischief in confusion, not sure how to react to what he just did. "Ooookay…?" Applebloom responded, breaking the silence. "...So… what do we do now?" Dawn Star asked, hoping to change the subject after the awkward silence. "Well...I did notice somepony needing help with some gardening this morning…" Quirky suggested, "Maybe if we help her out, we'll get our Cutie Marks!" "That sounds pretty promising," Applebloom noted. "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added. "Shall we go for it, then?" Dawn Star asked. "Sure. but first…" Scootaloo began before whispering something into Dawn Star's ear. "...Do we have to?" the Alicorn Filly asked the orange, pegasus filly in a bit of confusion. "As Applebloom's big brother would say, eeyup," Scootaloo nodded. "...Okay," Dawn Star replied with a small smile. "Ugh...cue them shouting in three...two...one…" Mischief counted down as he put in a pair of ear plugs to mute it out. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Gardening Helpers!" the six fillies declared as they rushed out of the clubhouse. "Finally," Mischief sighed with relief before rapidly setting up a hammock in the room before laying in it, wearing a tropical shirt and holding a glass of fruit punch, "Ahh...finally. A day to myself..and the best part...no pranks from Quirky...and no…" he began until he saw two ropes drop down in front of him, a sign saying 'pull the right one, and you win a prize. He attempts to reach out for the left one before he gained a small grin, "Oh...no. I'm not falling for that old trick. It's always the left one that gets ya...so this time...I'll go for the right!" he then pulled the right rope, causing a barrage of coconut cream pies to hit him, one with a note reading 'Gotcha Mischief' with a small image of Quirky on the bottom left corner, "...Darn you Quirky!" he then looked at the readers, "Well...good bye or whatever…" and then he began to walk away just as the screen goes blank, mumbling about revenge on a certain dark green filly before the sound of a pie hitting his face filled the air, Oh come on! Seriously?!" Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review if ya can Night under the Stars"Alright. I call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order," Scootaloo stated as the CMC were inside their clubhouse, "Now...roll call. Applebloom?" "Right here!" Applebloom responded. "Sweetie Belle?" "Present!" said filly raised her hoof. "Timid Swallow?" "A...Ano..r...right here," the shy pegasus filly raised her hoof shyly. "Quirky?" "Here here here!" Quirky smiled while bouncing. "Dawn Star?" "..." "...Uh...Dawn Star?" Applebloom whispered to the Alicorn, who was busy reading a book at the moment. "Huh? Oh! Uh...present!" Dawn Star replied as she put her book down. "Little slow due to that book of yours, I see," Scootaloo sighed. "Sorry. It's one of the books Twilight let me borrow last night," Dawn Star apologized. "..." Scoots just sighed again before looking at Dawn in the eye, "If you're gonna hang out with us, please do your best to lay off the books." "...Okay…" Dawn Star nodded before bringing her book back out, "Right after I read these next few pages." The CMC facefaulted at that. "...Ugh. Let me…" Mischief sighed as he snapped his fingers, making Dawn Star's book poof back to where it belongs, which was Twilight's Library. "Hey! I wasn't done reading that!" Dawn Star snapped. "Girl...you keep reading those books of yours and you'll turn into a bookworm," Mischief stated before poofing over to her and whispered into her ear, "And who knows? Maybe you'll meet...oops! Heh heh...almost spoiled it," he chuckled to himself before shrinking and poofing into Timid's backpack. "...Who was he trying to say?" Dawn wondered, confused. "Don't know..." Applebloom shrugged. "Ok… so… what do we do now?" Dawn Star asked. "Don't know...There has to be someway we can earn our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo replied before she looked at the others, "Does anypony have any ideas?" "Hmm...what if we...no no...we tried that a few weeks ago...what if...no no...we'd need a ladder for that…" Quirky mumbled to herself before an idea popped into her head, "I got it!" "What is it?!" the others asked in unison. "Well...shoot I lost it," Quirky sighed. "Man...this is hard…" Scootaloo noted. "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "...we need a mini-vacation," Sweetie Belle suggested, "And I know just the place too!" "Really?" "Yeah. I heard there's this one place not to far from Ponyville that looks absolutely beautiful at night," Sweetie Belle replied. "That sounds nice," Timid answered. "Yeah. If I guess right, we'll be there and be back in Ponyville before the weekend's over," Sweetie Belle added. "Nice. Of course...we'll need someone to look after us," Scootaloo stated. "Yeah...Like mah sister and her friends," Applebloom added. "A...ano...I...I can ask Onii-chan if h...he'd like to come along," Timid spoke up. "Oh oh! I can grab some snacks for the trip! Like cookies, cupcakes, chips, apples, candy, and...!" Quirky began excitedly before Scootaloo placed a hoof on her mouth to quiet the Dark-Green filly. "We get it Quirky…" Scootaloo chuckled a bit as she took her hoof off of Quirky's mouth, "Get what snacks you want, and we'll meet up outside Ponyville." "Okay/h...hai," the rest of the CMC nodded as they let the club house. (later that day) "Okay...that should be everything," Twilight noted as she checked everything off the list of things needed for the trip, "All we have to do is wait for Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy. Once they get here, we'll be set for the trip." "Cool," Silver Hawk nodded as he carried a few backpacks, "This trip sounds like it might be fun." "Let's hope so...by the way...s...sorry for the way we acted when we were under the effects of the Love Poison," Twilight apologized with a small, sheepish chuckle. "Oh. Uh...i...it's fine," Silver Hawk replied, a small blush on her face when he recalled what happened on Hearts and Hooves day. "You sure Sugahcube? We uh...kinda got out of hand there," Applejack admitted. "Yea, I'm sure," Silver Hawk nodded. "...Very well...anyway…" Rarity began. "Oooh~! This is going to be fun fun fun!" Pinkie cheered as she hopped around excitedly with Quirky. "I know! We'll stay up all night telling stories, making smores, sleeping under the stars, this'll be the best...trip ever~!" Quirky squealed. "Y...Yes, dears... This trip will be fun...unless something were to happen," Rarity stated, mumbling that last part to herself. "DON'T SAY IT!" Quirky responded, somehow hearing that. "...Okaaaaaay," Rarity sweatdropped a bit before she noticed three certain Pegasi walk over to the group, "Oh...here comes Rainbow Dash now." "Hey everypony! Sorry I'm late," Dash replied as she motioned to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy had to finish packing a few extra things before we headed out." "S..Sorry everypony. I...I just wanted to…" Fluttershy began before she noticed Silver Hawk, "...S...S...Silver Hawk?" she stuttered, a heavy blush beginning to form on her face. "Oh… uh… hi Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk replied with a blush just as Scootaloo caught up. "H...hey guys. I'm ready to…" Scootaloo began before Fluttershy zoomed past her and hid behind Rainbow Dash, the shy mare trying to hide her heavily blushing face, "...go? Uh...is Fluttershy alright?" "Ugh...No. Ever since that incident with the Love Poison, Fluttershy's been acting even more shy than usual," Rainbow Dash replied. "I see…" Scootaloo noted with a sweat drop. "..M...maybe I should go," Silver Hawk spoke, using his wings to try and hide his blush as he began to leave. "W…wait!" Fluttershy spoke as she peeked her head out a bit from behind Rainbow Dash, "Y...you don't have to l...leave.." "You sure?" "Y….yes," Fluttershy nodded as he left her hiding place. "..O...okay," Silver Hawk answered, both he and Fluttershy trying their best to get rid of their heavy blush. "...well...this...kinda became awkward," RD noted with a sweatdrop before she turned to Twilight, "So uh...are we heading out now?" "Well, from what Sweetie Belle told me, we're headed to Star Tree Glade," Twilight replied as she used her magic to pick up her backpack, "So...without further delays, let's head out." And so they began their trek out of Ponyville to the place in question. During their walk there, both Fluttershy and Silver Hawk tried their best to not look at one another without blushing heavily. Of course...some of the others in the group noticed this a bit and looked either confused or (in Rarity's case) give out a small, quiet awe. "How cute," Rarity whispered. "What?" Applejack asked, having heard what Rarity said since she was walking right next to her. "Oh nothing," Rarity giggled a bit as she moved a bit further, leaving a confused Applejack. "Ooookaaay…" (a bit later) "Are we there yet, Twilight?" Pinkie asked the Violet Alicorn. "Pinkie, you and Quirky been asking ever since we left Ponyville, and I'll say it again, no we're not there yet," Twilight groaned. "Oh..okay!" Pinkie giggled a bit as she walked away from her friend and walked next to Fluttershy, who was still blushing, "Hi Fluttershy!" "Eep!" the shy mare yelped before looking at Pinkie, " O-oh. H...hi Pinkie." "Sorry for spooking you, Fluttershy." "I...It's okay, Pinkie," Fluttershy responded. "...Fluttershy? Can I ask you something?" Pinkie asked the shy Pegasus Mare. "Uh… well… okay." "Well...ever since we've let Ponyville, you've been acting really, and I mean REALLLLLLLY shy around Silver Hawk. So I have to ask...do you...like-like him?" Pinkie asked, making Fluttershy blush so hard, her entire body was a beet red. "W….w….what?" Fluttershy managed to squeak out. "Well you see…" Pinkie started before Rarity, who had overheard what she said, rushed over and placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth. "Pinkie, darling, please don't rush her, okay?" Rarity responded, earning a nod from Pinkie. "Th...thank you, Rarity," Fluttershy whispered as her blush began to die down. "No problem, dear," Rarity nodded before whispering to Fluttershy, "And don't worry. You're secret's safe with me." "...O…okay," Fluttershy nodded as they continued walking. "So have you been to this Star Tree Glade Sweetie spoke of?" Scootaloo asked Rarity. "No...but I did hear of a really romantic rumor about the fruit that grows there. They say that if two ponies that truly care for one another share a bite of the fruit...their hearts will be connected…forever," Rarity explained before giving off a small, romantic sigh. Both Silver Hawk and Fluttershy, both Pegasi overhearing the explanation, froze up at that, the heavy blush returning even more for Fluttershy. "You ok, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, earning no response from the shy Pegasus Mare. "O...Onii-chan? D...Daijoubu?" Timid asked, waving a hoof over her brother's face to see if she could get a response from him. "Huh?" Silver Hawk responded in one second as he recovered from his temporary frozen state, "D...did you say something, Timid?" "...You… ano...f...froze up there w...when Rarity-san w...was t-talking about th...that fruit," Timid replied with a stutter. "What fruit?" Silver Hawk blinked in confusion. "...ano…n-nevermind." "...okaaay," Silver Hawk blinked a bit before looking up at the sky, which was beginning to darken, "It's almost night time, so why don't we try and find a spot to rest?" "Good thinking," Twilight agreed as she spotted a clearing not too far from their location, "Let's rest there." With that, the group headed for the clearing and prepared to settle in for the night. "I was hoping we'd arrive at the Star Tree Glade tonight," Sweetie Belle sighed as she and the rest of the CMC tried to set up their tent. "Sorry about that, Sweetie," Rarity apologized as she decided to help out. "I...It's okay, sis. Maybe we can find it again next week," Sweetie Belle replied with a small, sad smile, 'I was really hoping to see that place before the weekend was over.' "...Tell you what. After everypony is done setting their tents up, we'll make something to snack on before heading for bed. How's that sound?" Rarity asked her little sister, hoping to cheer the filly up a bit. "...Okay," Sweetie Belle nodded, still feeling a bit down. "...I really am sorry we couldn't find it tonight, Sweetie Belle. In truth…" Rarity began as she finished helping the CMC set up their tent, "I was hoping to see the Star Tree Glade myself." This made Sweetie Belle smile a bit...before her and Rarity's stomachs began to growl, making both Unicorn's blush in embarrassment. "...W...why don't we take a break?" Rarity asked her sister. "Good idea," Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yea," the others agreed. (Later) "..." Dawn Star blinked a bit as she and the others were sitting around a campfire, the Alicorn filly staring at the food before her, "...Twilight?" "Yes Dawn Star?" Twilight responded as she turned her head to look at the filly. "What's this?" Dawn Star asked, pointing at the food before her, "I know we cooked those Marshmallows, but why is it mushed between some chocolate and two graham crackers?" "...It's called a S'more, Dawn Star," Twilight replied. "S'more?" Dawn Star questioned, not sure what Twilight meant. "Don't worry, I was as confused/curious as you were when I first made them," Twilight told the Alicorn filly. "...I...is it good?" Dawn Star asked curiously. "It sure is," Twilight nodded, taking a bite of her S'more. Dawn Star looked unsure about eating the combination of foods before her, but she just picked it up with her magic and brought it to her mouth. She was about to take a bite before… "Hey!" "Kya!" Dawn Star yelped as she fell onto her back, causing her S'more to land on her face. "Dawn Star, can you...uh...oopsey," Quirky blinked when she noticed Dawn Star giving her an irritated look, her face covered in what used to be her S'more, "Heh heh...sorry." Dawn was about to growl when she started licking the S'more off her face, and was surprised by the taste. "...Tasty," the Alicorn filly admitted. "See, I told you," Twilight giggled before she noticed Fluttershy not eating her S'more, "...Fluttershy?" "Uh… y-yes?" Futtershy asked, the shy mare snapping out of her trance. "Are...you okay? You haven't eaten your S'more yet," Twilight stated. "S...sorry. I...was thinking a...about something," Fluttershy answered, a small blush on her face as she took a small bite of her S'more. "About what?" "...N...Nothing!" Fluttershy squeaked out as she used her wings to hide her blushing face. "Oh, sorry." Twilight apologized. "I...It's okay…" Fluttershy replied, still using her wings to hide her face, "W...why don't we d-do something else?" "Like what?" Dawn Star asked. "Ooh! I know I know! How about a…" Quirky began when she pulled a flashlight out of nowhere and shined under her face and aid in a spook tone, "A Scaaaaaaary story~? Because it's not a camping trip with one~" This suddenly got Fluttershy and Timid Swallow shaking nervously. "...Uh...why don't we try something else?" Silver Hawk suggested, seeing how scared his little sister and Fluttershy were acting, "I mean...we could still try and tell stories. Just...no scary ones. Okay?" "...Fair enough," Quirky sighed as she put her flashlight away. "Maybe next time," Pinkie Pie assured. "Yeah…" Quirky sighed before she cheered back up, "So...who wants to go first?" "If you don't mind, I have a story to tell; it's about Star Tree Glade, and there's actually an interesting story behind it," Rarity answered, getting everypony's attention. "We're listenin'," AJ said. "Okay then. Years ago, back when Ponyville was still being built, there were two ponies that loved each other very much. But...back then, there were some Pegasi and Unicorns that were still bitter towards one another, so the two lovers, which happened to be a Pegasi and Unicorn, met up in a special spot every night to see each other. That spot just happened to be Star Tree Glade. These two ponies dubbed it this because not only of how beautiful it looks at night, but also due to some star shaped leaves and fruit some of the trees have. Also, if anyone wasn't paying attention to what I said earlier when we were walking, there's something really interesting about the fruits that grow in the Star Tree Glade. They say that if two Ponies share one of those fruits, their hearts will be connected forever." "Connected?" RD raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wh...what do you mean by that?" Timid Swallow asked. "Well...what I mean is...even if the two who share the fruit were separated from each other, or if something happened to either of them, they'll always be together in eachother's hearts," Rarity explained. "Aww~" some of the other ponies smiles, thinking how sweet of a story that sounded. "I know...oh! And one last thing. They say every 30 moons, you can see the spirits of the two lovers, still sharing their love for one another," Rarity added before giving off a small, romantic sigh. "Sounds sweet," Sweetie admitted. "Y...yeah. I...it is," Fluttershy added with a stutter, the shy Mare looking a bit at Silver Hawk before turning away with a heavy blush on her face. "Are you okay, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked as she looked at the shy Mare. "Y...yes! L...let's just hear another st...story, o..okay?" Fluttershy responded, hoping to change the conversation. "Um… okay…" Twilight nodded, "So, who's got another story?" "I think I got one," RD spoke. "...It wouldn't happen to involve Daring Do, would it?" "Uh...no?" "Just checking." "Right. Hmm…" Rainbow Dash began to ponder a bit, trying to think of a good story to tell until she thought of the perfect one, "Anypony here ever heard of FireFly?" "...No. I believe we haven't," Twilight admitted with everypony else nodding in agreement. "Well...if you thought I was fast, think again. FireFly was the fastest Pegasus who ever lived. They say she could go so fast, she could blow away an entire hurricane!" "Wow!" Scootaloo gawked. "That's SOOOOO cool!" Pinkie Pie awed. "Heck yeah it was!" Rainbow Dash grinned as she gazed up at the sky, "Nopony knows where she is now...but they say if you see a light-blue and pinkish fireball-like streak across the sky, it's probably her." "Really?!" Quirky asked in awe. "Really really. In fact…" RD began with a small smile, the rainbow-maned pegasus still looking up at the night sky, "Someday...I hope to meet her..." "So COOL!" Scootaloo squealed in excitement, the Pegasus filly already imagining her idol/big-sister figure racing against FireFly. "Okay okay...settle down, Scootaloo," Twilight giggled a bit as she turned back to the other ponies, "So..anypony else want to tell a story, or is that it?" Later As Pinkie was ready to tell another story, Timid yawned and looked like she would fall asleep any second. "...Why don't we end things off? It's getting pretty late after all," Silver Hawk suggested. "But we're not…" Scootaloo began before she began to yawn. "C'mon, you six, Silver Hawk's right; it is getting late," AJ stated as she helped Applebloom over to the CMC's tent. "Yeah...we'll see you in the morning," Rainbow Dash added as she picked up the tired Scootaloo and carried her over to the tent as well. "Yes, quite right," Rarity added as she did the same with Sweetie Belle. "Yeah…" Pinkied added, the pink, party pony doing the same with Quirky. "Sleep tight now," Twilight smiled as she did the same with Dawn Star, but as Fluttershy was about to do it with Timid Swallow, Silver Hawk walked over too and accidentally bumped into her. "Oops! G...gomen, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk apologized, a small blush on his face. "I...it's okay," Fluttershy stuttered, a small blush on her face as well own before both of them decided to take Timid Swallow over together, "...G...Gomen…" "Hmm?" Silver Hawk blinked as he turned his head towards her, "About what?" "A...about...w-what happened o...o-on Hearts and Hooves day," Fluttershy said, her blush increasing. "...O...oh! It...it was nothing. You couldn't help it," Silver Hawk replied, his blush increasing a bit as well. "...I...I guess…" Fluttershy stuttered a bit as she and Silver Hawk arrived at the CMC's tent, "I...I'll t-tuck T..timid in i...if that's okay." "S...sure," Silver Hawk nodded as he watched Fluttershy carry a tired Timid inside, 'I can see why Timid likes to visit her everyday...she's really nice and caring. N..not to mention, sh...she's really pr...ack! N..no! c..calm down, Silver Hawk. Sh..she's just a friend...a really...really...really kind friend.' He just continued to watch before seeing Fluttershy gave a slight hug too Timid before the shy mare gently placed Timid in her sleeping bag. "Good night, Timid," Fluttershy whispered even more quietly than usual. "G...good night…" Timid replied in a sleepy tone as she fell asleep. It wasn't much longer until Fluttershy and Silver Hawk walked back out of the CMC's tent. "Th...thanks for tucking T...Timid in, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk spoke, breaking the silence between the two. "Oh… i...it… was nothing," Fluttershy responded with a blush. "Y...yeah…" Silver Hawk nodded with a blush, "Uh...d...do you w...want t...to look at the stars a b...bit more before w...we head for bed?" "G...Good idea," Fluttershy answered as she and Silver Hawk sat down and looked up at the night sky, "...It…It looks very… nice out." "Y...yeah. I...It does," Silver Hawk nodded, 'Come on..try and say something else...' "S...so...T...Timid's starting to t...take a sh...shining to you, F...Fluttershy-san." "Really? Oh… my…" "Y...yeah. I...I think she sees you l...like a big sister.." Silver Hawk added, "A...and I can see why. y...you're really kind and sweet." "..." Fluttershy only smiled, a blush increasing across her face as she unconciously moved a bit closer to him, "A...A...Arigatou…" "...You're welcome…" Silver Hawk smiled back in response, a blush increasing across his face as well. They just remained silent, looking up at what starry sky was visible from the ground. It was then both Fluttershy and Silver Hawk's left front hooves unconsciously touch each other, causing the two to snap out of their little daze and move their hooves back a bit. "G...gomen," both pegasi apologized as they looked away from one another, the blush on their faces increasing more. They just sheepishly looked at each other until Silver decided to return to his tent until something caught his eye. "...Nani?" the Snow-white Pegasus blinked as he walked over to a nearby tree and looked up, seeing a star-shaped fruit hanging from it, 'A Star shaped fruit? Why...wait. Rarity-san said these grow in the Star Tree Glade. So..does that mean…?'' "I...is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked as she walked over to him before she noticed the fruit as well. "A… a star-shaped fruit? Does… does that mean…?" "Yeah...I think this place is actually…" Silver Hawk began before he noticed the clouds covering the night sky began to move away, revealing the full moon as it shined down on the Mane 6 and CMC's camping site, and somehow, the light was enough to wake everypony up. "What's going on?" Scootaloo yawned as she and the rest of the CMC poked their heads out of the tent. "I don't know...but it...got...bright.." Sweetie Belle replied slowly before she noticed the trees beginning to sparkle a bit, almost like they had miniature stars shining on them. "Oh my… can it be…?!" "It...it is!" Rarity gasped as she walked out of her tent, "T...Twilight! W...we found it! This..this is the Star Tree Glade!" "Really?" Twilight asked as she and the other mares came out and were all impressed by what they saw. "Wow...pretty," Pinkie Pie awed. "Ah'll say..." Applejack added. "Awesome…" Rainbow Dash added. "Ugh...what's going on out here?" Mischief's voice began as he poked out of the CMC's tent, a sleeping cap on his head, "Can't a dragon get...some...woah." It was obvious everypony was amazed by the sight of the Star Tree Glade. "S...sugoi…" Silver Hawk awed with Fluttershy, both pegasi unaware that they were standing close to each other, and they didn't even notice the one star fruit drop near them. "H...hai…" Fluttershy agreed before she saw something in the corner of her eye. She then tapped Silver Hawk on the shoulder, catching his attention as she pointed forward. Silver Hawk looked at the direction she was pointing at and saw two, transparent ponies staring at one another lovingly before they lovingly nuzzled against each other. "...Suge…" he gasped, recognizing it was the couple Rarity spoke of in her story. "..." Fluttershy was about to say something before smiling a bit, seeing how the others were too busy gazing at the trees, not noticing the couple, 'No...I don't want to ruin this moment...' she then looked a bit at Silver Hawk, who was watching the couple with a small smile, 'E...Especially s...since I h...have him to share it with.' Then, Silver Hawk turned to see the star fruit that had fallen onto the ground. He then picked it up and looked at it a bit before looking over at Fluttershy, a blush forming on his face, knowing the story behind the fruit. "...F...Fluttershy-san?" Silver Hawk spoke quietly. "Y...yes?" Fluttershy replied as she turned to face him...but not before blushing when she saw the fruit Silver hawk was holding, "Wh...where did you…?" "I...it must've fallen down the tree while we were looking at the trees," Silver Hawk replied. "I… I see…" "...y...you w...want to...t...try it?" Silver Hawk asked, the blush on his face increasing. "EH?! R-Really?" Fluttershy gasped quietly, her face blushing like mad. "Y...yeah...y...you know. T...to see if that part of Rarity-san's st...story is true," Silver Hawk replied, his blush increasing. "Uh… okay…" Fluttershy blushed as Silver Hawk broke the fruit into two pieces. and handed the shy mare the other half. "W...well….h-here goes nothing," Silver Hawk stuttered. Fluttershy nodded before both took a bite of the fruit. "...A...anything?" Silver Hawk asked. "...N...no. I...I don't f..feel anything," Fluttershy replied with a small, stutter. "Maybe it's not immediate." "M...maybe…" Fluttershy shrugged. "Y...yeah…" Silver Hawk nodded before he and Fluttershy gazed back over at the couple, who began to disappear, "W...well...t...tonight turned out to be…" "A...Amazing?" Fluttershy asked. "Y...yeah...that," Silver Hawk noted. "That was great!" Sweetie smiled. "Yeah...I don't think I'll never forget this night...ever," Dawn Star added. "Not by a long shot," Scootaloo agreed. "Yeah...too bad we don't have a camera..." Quirky sighed a bit. "Yea…" Applebloom sighed as well. "H...hai…" Timid added. "Well, as beautiful as this is, we should get to bed now," Twilight figured. "Yea…" Dawn agreed yawning. "Hey Fluttershy. Ya comin'..." Rainbow Dash began before Rarity shushed her. "Keep it down for now, Dash," Rarity replied. "Oh right..sorry," Rainbow Dash apologized as she flew over to her tent. Rarity just smiled as the other mares walked to the tent, leaving Fluttershy and Silver Hawk sitting in the moonlight. "...It's a lovely night out…" Silver Hawk admitted. "Yeah...it really is," Fluttershy agreed.. "...m...maybe we can d...do this again again sometime?" Silver Hawk asked, a small blush on his face." "H...Hai… maybe…" Fluttershy agreed with an equally small blush before she began to yawn, "...I...I guess I'll s...see you in the morning." "Hai… g'night, Fluttershy-san…" Silver Hawk replied as he walked over to his tent. "G...good night...S...Silver Hawk-k...kun," Fluttershy smiled, saying that last part quietly as she walked back over to her tent as well. (the next day) The group woke up to see the Glade looked great during the day, yet admittedly not as wonderful as it was at night. "Well, that was a fun trip, but I think it's time we head home now," Twilight noted as she used her magic to place her supplies back in her backpack. "Agreed. After all, Sweetie Belle and her friends have school tomorrow," Rarity stated. "Good point," Scootaloo agreed as she and the rest of the CMC were also packing up. "Yeah. I hope we can have another camping trip soon," Sweetie Belle said. "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "H...hai. I...I'd like to s-see the trees sparkle like last night again. D...demo...w...we need to head home," Timid added with a stutter. "Me too, that was just so gorgeous! Like remember when we saw the two ponies in love with each other in the moonlight?" Quirky smiled. "Yeah. That...wait," Scootaloo blinked as she and the rest of the CMC looked at the dark-green filly in confusion, "We didn't see them last night, Quirky." "You didn't?" Quirky tilted her head in confusion. "No." "...Oh. It must've just been me, Timid's brother, and Fluttershy who saw them then," Quirky shrugged as she finished packing her stuff. "Eh?" Silver Hawk gawked as he and Fluttershy overheard what Quirky said. "Y...You saw them, too?" Fluttershy asked as she and Silver looked at the Dark-Green filly. "Yep," she nodded, "I noticed them while everypony else was looking at the trees and stars last night." "Huh…d...did you happen to see anything else last night?" Silver Hawk asked, a small blush on his and Fluttershy's face as they recalled what happened last night. "...No. What else happened?" Quirky asked, tilting her head cutely in confusion. "N...nothing. J...just asking," Silver Hawk chuckled nervously a bit before letting out a mental sigh of relief with Fluttershy doing the same. "..." Quirky just blinked at that before shrugging, "Ok…" This allowed Fluttershy and Silver Hawk smiled as they resumed packing their things. "Okay… I see we're all packed, let's get going," Twilight spoke as the group began to leave. And it actually didn't take the group long to return to Ponyville, most of the group returning to their homes once they got back, which was lucky since it was almsot night time once again. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other tomorrow," Scootaloo figured with the rest of the CMC as they wanted to meet up before returning home. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, guys," Dawn Star said as she followed Twilight home. "Same here…" Sweetie Belle added as she did the same, following her sister. "Bye everypony. See you all at school tomorrow!" Quirky waved as she left with Pinkie. "Goodbye. Hope to see ya tomorrow," Applebloom added as she left with her sister as well. "Ano… s-sayonara," Timid added before leaving with her brother before said, snow-white pegasus turned his head to Fluttershy. "A...ano...B...bye, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk said, a small blush on his face as he and Timid resumed walking home. "B...bye," Fluttershy nodded, a small blush on her face as well before she returned to her home in the woods. "Ready to head home?" Rainbow Dash asked Scootaloo. "Yep," she nodded before Scootaloo hopped onto Dash's back and Dash flew her home. (a bit later) Later, Scootaloo and Dash were brought back to the filly's home. "Well, here we are," Dash smiled as Scoots hopped off. "Thanks for the ride home," Scootaloo thanked her idol/big-sister figure. "No prob, Squirt," Rainbow Dash nodded before seeing Scootaloo trying to reach for the doorknob, a key in the young filly's mouth, "...Need some help there?" "No no...I got it...I almost got…" Scootaloo began before her wings gave out, causing her to fall to the ground, "...yes." Rainbow just nodded as she took the key, unlocked the door and opened it for Scootaloo. "There you go, Scoots," Dash told her, "Now hurry inside before your parents get home." "..." "...What's wrong?" RD asked when she saw the saddened look on the filly's face. "N...nothing. G...good night," was all Scootaloo said as she closed the door. "...Weird…" RD blinked before she began to ponder, 'Why did she look like that when I mentioned her parents? In fact...I don't think I've ever seen her parents before...' Dash just sighed, not sure what else to do before she began to leave, but not before taking one last look at Scootaloo's home, a concerned look on her face. And so she just flew off towards her home with the same concerned look. She then began to leave before she noticed a note on the ground. "Hmm? What's this?" the rainbow-maned Pegasus blinked before she bent down and looked at the note, "...'Please...take care of...my baby?' What pony would leave this here, and who's it for?" Unaware to her, a cloaked figure was watching nearby from the bushes before the figure looked at Scootaloo's home, a look of regret in her eyes as she began to walk away. Author's Note You like? Read, like, and review if ya possibly can. Also, before anyone ask, the first few chapters of this takes place before teh season 4 finale, and..well, the 'Firefly' thing here is a bit different than the one Twilight explained about in the episode 'Testing Testing 1 2 3' The Alicorn's Apprentice"Finally… I thought today would never end," Scootaloo yawned a bit after school had ended for the day, she and her friends walking along the streets of Ponyville. "Why? I thought today's lesson was informative," Dawn Star spoke. "Yeah...but today's lesson wasn't that exciting to tell you the truth," The orange Pegasus filly stated. "What do you mean?" "...Well..." Scootaloo began before a stray poster hit her in the face, "Hey, what the?!" "What's that?" Dawn Star asked. "I don't know...but can somepony get this thing off me?!" Scootaloo grunted as she tried to get the poster off her face. "Here," Dawn Star replied, using her magic to get the poster off Scootaloo's face. "Thanks, Dawn Star," Scootaloo nodded as she began to look at what was on the poster. "What does it say?" Quirky asked as she poked her head over Scootaloo's shoulder to get a better look. "'In two days, prepare to see the rebirth of Equestria's greatest and most powerful Unicorn ever, The Great and Powerful Trixie,'" Scootaloo read before blinking a bit, "...Hold on. is that the name of that Unicorn that tried to show Twilight up?" "Yea… I think so…" Sweetie Belle nodded. "Who's this Trixie, exactly?" Dawn Star asked. "Yea/Y-Yea," Quirky and Timid added. "Oh… that's right, you three weren't around when that happened," Applebloom remembered. "W...when what h-happened?" Timid asked. "It's a long story…" Scootaloo sighed before she looked at Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, "We need to tell Twilight about this." "Yeah," the two fillies nodded as they and Scootaloo left for Twilight's place. "Wait? What exactly happened with this 'Trixie' character?!" Quirky yelled as she, Dawn Star, and Timid followed after them. Unbeknownst to the CMC, there was a particular unicorn pony walking around; her coat was a brilliant shade of azure, her mane being a pale cornflower blue, while her eyes, which sparked with determination as she looked at herself in a small mirror, were a dark grayish violet. Her Cutie Mark showed a wisp of magic leading up to a magic wand with a star-shaped tip. "They may have laughed at Trixie before...they may have 'forgiven' her last time...but soon I 'The Great and Powerful Tr~ixie will soon be reborn and show everypony that Trixie is the greatest unicorn in all off Eque-kya!" the Unicorn yelped as the CMC accidently bumped into her, causing the azure unicorn to stumble into a small puddle of water. "Sorry ma'am. We weren't…." Applebloom began before she noticed who she and her friends bumped into, "...uh oh." "What?" Dawn Star and Quirky asked, confused. "Grr...why don't you brats watch where you're go…!" Trixie paused, about to snap at who bumped into her before she saw the six fillies staring at her, "..." "I… Is that…?" Dawn Star started. "Yeah...that's Trixie," Sweetie Belle replied. "Oh?" Trixie blinked a bit for grinning as she got up, "So you've heard of The Great and Powerful Tr~ixie then?" "...Uh… well… a little…" "I see...then you must know that Trixie is the greatest, most powerful Unicorn who ever lived!" Trixie declared dramatically as she used her magic to make the area behind her explode in magical energy for dramatic effect. Quirky couldn't help but sweatdrop at this. "No need for such theatrics…" she muttered. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle agreed with a small sweatdrop, "And to tell you the truth...Twilight's a much better magic user than you. And she doesn't have to show it off." "...Twilight?" Trixie repeated as her grin turned into a frown, "As in…'Twilight Sparkle'?" "Yea, that's right," Applebloom nodded before she and Sweetie Belle gulped at the glare Trixie was giving them. "Don't...ever...mention her name around Trixie! She has humiliated Trixie...twice! And Trixie will never forgive her for that!" the azure unicorn snapped. "...Uh… you might as well make it three if I'm guessing this correctly," Dawn Star figured before the rest of the CMC tried to shush her. "Three? What do you mean 'three?'" Trixie demanded with a frown, the unicorn not noticing Dawn Star was an Alicorn. "Forget what she said. Now if you'll excuse us… we gotta go," Scootaloo replied. "Yeah. We uh...have to meet Somepony," Sweetie Belle added as the CMC began to walk away from Trixie. "...You still haven't answered Trixie's question," the azure unicorn frowned at them. "We'll answer that later!" Scootaloo shouted back as the CMC ran for it. "Get back here and answer Trixie's question!" Trixie yelled as she gave chase. "Is that everything Spike?" Twilight asked. "Yep, that's pretty much everything," Spike confirmed after he placed the last book back on the shelf. "Cool. Thanks Spike," Twilight smiled at him before she heard Somepony knocking on the door...really fast, "Hm? Who could that be?" "Either somepony panicking and needs some help…" Spike began before shivering a bit ,"Or Pinkie Pie on another sugar frenzy." "TWILIGHT! LET US IN!" they heard five fillies scream. "I'm guessing it's the former," Twilight figured, opening the door quickly to let the fillies, who turned out to be the CMC, inside, before shutting the door, "What's going on?" "No time! Hide us!" Scootaloo yelped as she, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Quirky, and Timid ran into the closet to hide. "...Uh...you wouldn't happen to know, do you?" Twilight asked Dawn Star, who was almost as confused as Twilight was. "Well...we were running from this azure unicorn who really doesn't like you," Dawn Star answered, "If I remember right...I think her name was Trixie." "Ugh…not her again. Hasn't she come here enough?" Twilight groaned, 'I thought she'd learn her lesson after what happened last time she was in Ponyville.' "...You've met her before?" Quirky asked as she poked her head out from the closet. "Yea, it's a long story, though," Twilight replied before she heard somepony slamming on the front door. "That's her!" Scootaloo gasped, pulling Quirky back into the closet and closing it tightly. "Hold on...it could be anypo…" Twilight began. "Whoever lives in here, let the Great and Angry Trixie in this instant!" "Nevermind…" Twilight mumbled before she began to use her magic to open the door. However, before she could do that, the door was forced open by an angered Trixie. "Finally! Now tell Trixie where those six fillies are this instant or I'll…!" she started before realizing who partially opened the door for her. She then went slack-jawed once she saw Twilight's wings, "...Sp...Sp..Sparkle?!" "What? You acted like you never seen an alicorn before, Trixie," Twilight responded, spreading her wings. "Wha...bu...h...how did…" Trixie gawked before smacking herself out of her shocked state, "How are you an Alicorn?!...You cast a spell on yourself...didn't you?!" "Nope." "...You're lying! There's no way those wings are real!" Trixie growled as she glared at Twilight. "If you don't believe me, touch them and see for yourself," Twilight insisted, trotting over. "...Fine. Trixie will humble you with your request, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie snorted as she lifted one of her hoofs up to touch one of Twilight's wings. The moment her hoof touched Twilight's wing, Trixie went slack-jawed once again, seeing as it was real..and not something made by magic. "See?" "...Wh...how did...how?! How are you an Alicorn?!" Trixie demanded. "My training and studies under the princess." "...Princess?" Trixie repeated before she had a feeling who Twilight was talking about, "As in...Princess Celestia?" "That's right," Twilight confirmed with a nod. "...Impossible. Th...there's no way the princess would...would...Trixie demands you tell her how you're the princess' student this instant!" Trixie demanded as she glared at Twilight. "The princess just selected me when I was a little filly," Twilight explained, though she noticed Trixie was still frowning at her, "...It's going to take more to convince you...won't it?" "No...but since Trixie's not doing anything at the moment, she'll humble you by listening," Trixie answered. "Okay…" Twilight sighed before further explaining how she became an alicorn along with why Princess Celestia did what she did. "...I see...and what of Princess Luna? Does she have an apprentice by any chance?" Trixie asked. "...Not that I know of… but after what she went through, I don't think she would be too willing to take on an apprentice right away," Twilight answered. "...So you're basically saying...is that Luna doesn't have an apprentice." "Yes...but I'm trying to warn you that…" Twilight began. "Enough. Trixie has heard all she needs to hear from you,Twilight Sparkle," Trixie grinned as she turned around and began to leave, "Technically, Trixie was going to perform a show, but after hearing this, Trixie is off to Canterlot to ask Luna if I can become her assistant!" "No! Trixie, wait...and she's gone," Twilight sighed when she saw the Unicorn was too far away to listen...not that it would help since she was in her own, little world right now. "...Is she gone?" Scootaloo asked from the closet. "...She is," Twilight answered, and with that, the CMC exited the closet feeling greatly relieved. "What the heck was going on out here?" Dawn Star asked. "Nothing...except Trixie's going into get in trouble if we don't stop her," Twilight explained as she turned to Spike, "I want you to look after the place until I get back, okay? And if you see Applejack and the others wondering where Applebloom and her friends went, tell them they're with me." "You got it, Twilight," he nodded. And with that, Twilight led the CMC out of the library. "But… why are we going to help her, especially after what she did to you?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I remember… but I don't want her to do anything she'll regret," Twilight answered. "Huh?" Applebloom gawked in confusion. "Just trust me," Twilight informed. "...Okay…" Applebloom replied. "But how do we catch up to her?" Sweetie Belle asked, "She's probably at the Train Station by now." "Yea, and none of us are fast enough to catch up with her," Scootaloo added. "Hmm...well...I could try a teleportation spell...but I don't how much energy it'll take since the Train Station is a bit far from here," Twilight noted, "Still, we need to hurry and catch up with Trixie, and it's our only option so far." "We're ready then, Princess," Dawn Star replied, stepping forward, surprising the rest of the CMC. "Y….you sure th-that's a good idea, Dawn Star-san?" Timid asked with a stutter. "Like Twilight said, it's our only option, not to mention we don't want to suffer the wrath of another Princess. ...So come over here," Dawn Star stated. "Uh… r-right!" Scootaloo nodded, taking the initiative. "I'm ready too," Sweetie Belle added. "Same here," Applebloom nodded as the original CMC joined their friend. "As Pinkie would say, 'Okie-dokie-lokie!'" Quirky smiled, hopping over, leaving Timid Swallow apart from the others. "What about you, Timid?" Scootaloo asked. "...A..ano...I...I'm k...kinda…" Timid stuttered. "...Timid. It'll be alright..trust me," Twilight said to the shy filly with a reassuring smile. "...o...Okay, T..Twilight-san," Timid nodded as she shyly walked over and joined the others. "Okay then. Get close together now," Twilight instructed. "Okay, Twilight," Applebloom nodded as she and the rest of the CMC gathered closely around Twilight. "Okay, here goes…" Twilight replied as she closed her eyes to focus as her magic aura appeared around her horn. Once she gathered enough magic, she used it to teleport herself and the CMC out of the area. =At the Train Station= Trixie was waiting on the platform, looking at her ticket to Canterlot as her train came up. "Finally...Trixie didn't know how long she had to wait…" the azure unicorn mumbled to herself as she walked up to one of the passenger cars and walked inside. "Your ticket ma'am?" a stallion in a conductor's outfit asked Trixie when she got up to the passenger car's entrance. "Of course," Trixie nodded as she used her magic to levitate her ticket out of her traveling bag. "Thank you," the conductor nodded as he took the ticket. Trixie just nodded in response as she left to go find her seat. Outside the train, Twilight and the CMC suddenly appeared, the Alicorn panting a bit. "Where is she?" Scootaloo asked. "Uh… I think we're too late," Quirky spoke, the dark-green filly pointing to the train as it prepared to leave. "Shoot!" Scootaloo groaned. "Wait, stop!" Twilight yelled as she used what energy she had to run up to one of the conductor, who was about to walk back in the train. "Do you have a ticket, ma'am?" the conductor asked.. "N...no. But I need to…" Twilight began. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you on without a ticket," the conductor stated as he prepared to walk back inside until he noticed Twilight's wings, making his eyes widen a bit, "...Y...You wouldn't happen to be Princess Twilight Sparkle..are you?" "I am…" Twilight nodded as the CMC ran up to her. "...M...my apologies princess. I didn't recognize you for a moment there," the conductor apologized as he moved out of the way, "P...please, come in. Same goes for the young group with you." "...Thank you," Twilight nodded as she and the CMC walked aboard the train. And just in time to as the train left the station. "That was a close one," Sweetie Belle sighed with relief. "Yeah...if it wasn't for Twilight's princess status, we wouldn't have gotten onboard," Applebloom added. "Yea. But the only question left… is where is Trixie?" "I don't know...but keep an eye out for her," Twilight said as she was about to step forward, only to stumble a bit. "You okay, Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked in concern. "I am...just...exhausted is all," Twilight panted a bit. "Just relax, Twilight. We'll go find Trixie, you just wait here and get some rest," Dawn Star replied. "Okay...be careful," Twilight nodded as she took a nearby seat and rested. "Okay girls. Let's get going and try to find Trixie. Scootaloo, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle. You know what she looks like better than the rest of us, so you lead the way, and if anypony spots her before the rest of us, let us know. Are we clear?" Dawn Star replied/asked. "Got it," the original 3 CMC nodded. "Quirky, Timid, stay with me. We'll follow Scootaloo-tachi. Okay?" Dawn told the other two fillies. "Okay/H..hai," Quirky and Timid nodded. "Okay girls. Let's move," Scootaloo responded as the six fillies started their search. The search went on for a while with them having no such luck. They thought they found Trixie in one of the cars, but it was a mistake as the unicorn mare they found had a white mane with a blue highlight in it. "Um...can I help you with something?" the mare asked them, as the CMC accidentally messed up her mane. "...Oops. Heh heh...Sorry," Dawn Star apologized as the CMC got of the mare, "We thought you were somepony else." "Umm… okay…?" the mare replied, a bit confused, "Well… do carry on with your business, but try not to do that to me again, please?" "Okay," Scootaloo nodded as the CMC was about to leave. "Wait...I have one more piece of advice for you," the mare spoke, catching the CMC's attention, "Be sure to brush your teeth after every meal and before you head for bed, okay?" "Okay," they nodded as they left. "Ugh...at this rate, we're never going to find Trixie," Applebloom sighed. "We've gotta find her. We just gotta!" Sweetie Belle responded, a slight squeak popping up in her voice. "Sweetie Belle's right. We can't give…" Dawn Star began until… "Ugh...how long is this blasted train going to take?!" the voice of a certain, azure unicorn groaned nearby. "Nevermind, she's close," Dawn Star sweatdropped a bit before she and the CMC hid behind one of the empty seats and slightly poked their heads up, seeing Trixie sitting not too far away. "There she is…" Scootaloo whispered. "Yeah...but I wonder...why is she heading for Canterlot anyway?" Dawn Star wondered quietly. "Maybe she's going to ask one of the princess' to make her their apprentice and teach her how to be an Alicorn," Quirky guessed, making her friends look at her strangely, "...What?" "How'd you know that?" Applebloom asked. "...Just a hunch…" Quirky answered, making her friend face fault. "Uh… okay…" Dawn Star Sweatdropped before she and the CMC noticed Trixie beginning to turn her head, "Hide!" she whispered as the CMC quickly ducked their heads behind the seat. "Strange...Trixie could've sworn she heard those six fillies from before...nevermind. Trixie must've been hearing things," Trixie shrugged a bit before looking out the window, a small grin growing on her face, "Besides...once I ask Princess Luna to make me her apprentice, not only will I truly be Equestria's most powerful Unicorn...but possibly become an Alicorn, one that's greater than both the princess' and Twilight Sparkle combined." "...I knew it…" Quirky whispered. "Y….you w-were r...right, Quirky-chan," Timid spoke quietly to her friend before turning to Dawn Star, "Sh...should w...we tell T...Twilight-san a...about this?" "Yes...but we need something to distract Trixie so she doesn't see us," Dawn Star whispered. "Yea, but what?" Scootaloo asked in a whisper. "Hmm...maybe…" Sweetie Belle began quietly. "Ugh...can't a dragon/Demi-god of chaos get any sleep around here?" a voice yawned as Mischief, who was the size of a bottle cap, poked his head out of Timid's mane, the currently miniature dragon wearing a sleeping cap. "Shhh…" the CMC shushed Mischief. "What? What did I..." Mischief began before being shushed again, "...oh, don't you shush me like…" "Quiet, Mischief. We're trying to think of how to dis...tract...Trixie…" Scootaloo said slowly before she let out a quiet gasp, her wings fluttering a bit in excitement, "I got it!" "Who's there?!" Trixie demanded as Scootaloo spoke louder than she intended to. "Oops…" Scootaloo quickly shut her mouth. "...Tch! Trixie must've been hearing things again…" Trixie scoffed as she turned back to the window. "...Okay, who's the unicorn that's referring to herself in Third-person?" Mischief asked when he caught a small glimpse of her. "Trixie. And I think we have a way to distract her," Scootaloo whispered to Mischief. "Really? Who?" Quirky asked. "Him," Scootaloo grinned as she pointed to Mischief. "...Orange pegasus filly say what now?" the small dragon blinked in confusion. "Just go with it," Scootaloo whispered before whispering her plan into Mischief's ear. "...Throw in a bag of candy, and you got yourself a deal," Mischief grinned, 'Besides..it's been a while since I've had some fun...not to mention the authors hardly gave me some screen time last chapter.' "...Uh… s-should we really? Remember what happened before?" Timid whispered. "Don't worry. It's only until we get back to Twilight," Scootaloo whispered to the shy filly. "...O… ok…" "Okay then…" Scootaloo nodded as she looked back at Mischief, "Okay Mischief..go." "You got it," Mischief grinned as he poofed out of Timid's hair. "There it is…" Trixie grinned as she saw Canterlot come into view, "Won't be long now until…" "Surprise!" she heard a voice say as something landed on her head. "Huh?! Who said that?!" Trixie demanded as she used her magic to get whoever was on her head off, and then she saw… "Yo," Mischief chuckled. "...Who are you? You remind Trixie of that small dragon assistant of Sparkle's," Trixie said with a small frown. "Wrong ballpark, Ms. Speaking-in-third-person," Mischief chuckled, "Tell me...have you ever heard of Discord, the God of Chaos?" "...Please. That's just an old story to keep fillies and foals in line," Trixie scoffed before she felt something was missing from her head. "Oh yea?" Mischief chuckled as he held a certain something up that should belong on Trixie's forehead, the small dragon also wearing her cloak and hat, "Then I guess you won't be needing these anymore." "What the?!" Trixie gasped as she touched the top of her head, seeing her horn wasn't there anymore. She then glared at Mischief, "Give those back to Trixie this instant!" "As soon as you stop referring to yourself in third-person, Ms. Lulamoon," he answered with a grin, making Trixie gawk at him before growling. "Don't...call...Trixie that!" the azure unicorn growled. "Then you shouldn't have written your last name inside the brim of your hat," Mischief quipped before he poofed off Trixie's head and ran off, "Later, Ms. Lulamoon!" "Get back here!" Trixie yelled as she gave chase after the little dragon, not even noticing the CMC. "That was close," Scootaloo sighed with relief. "Yeah...that's two times we were lucky today," Quirky grinned, making a small 'squee' sound. "We can't risk the third then. C'mon, we have to get moving," Dawn Star responded. "Yeah/H...hai," the other five fillies nodded as they ran back to the car where Twilight was. "I hope they're doing okay…" Twilight whispered to herself in a bit of worry before she noticed the CMC run up to her, "There you are. Did you find Trixie?" "Yea, we did, and we're using Mischief to distract her," Dawn answered. "I see...did you find anything else out?" "She wants to try and become Luna's apprentice," Scootaloo answered. "That I already know...but did you hear her say anything else?" "...Well...if I remember right...she wanted to become an Alicorn as well," Quirky replied, causing Twilight's eyes to widen a bit. "You've GOT to be kidding me!" Twilight groaned as she face-hoofed, 'As if her ego wasn't big enough already...' "Um...J-Just why i-is she like th-that?" Timid asked. "To tell you the truth...I wish I knew myself," Twilight sighed, not sure why Trixie had such a big ego. "Sounds to me like she's jealous of you," a voice noted before Mischief poked his head out of her mane, wearing a miniature Sherlock Holmes outfit complete with bubble-blowing pipe. "Weren't you keeping Trixie busy?" Scootaloo asked. "I still am," Mischief chuckled, "Cue the cutscene!" "Don't follow me~!" Mischief called as he ran into a cart on the train filled with doors on the sides. "Come back here!" Trixie growled as Mischief ran into one of the room and closed the door. Trixie opened the door and saw no one. Behind her, Mischief opened the door there and hit her with a water balloon. She growled as she turned to see Mischief closing the door. She ran over to it and opened it...only to back away from the head of a roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex before it went back into the room and closed the door. On the far-left door, Mischief was laughing as he leaned against the open door. Trixie attempted her magic, only for Mischief to run into the room and closed the door. She ran into it before running out as a mare in a towel and a washcap chased her, hitting the unicorn with a scrubbing brush. Quirky giggled as the others raised a brow in confusion. "Anyways, I'd say that she was probably raised to think that being the best was the only thing," Mischief shrugged, "Could be she has a hatred of stallions, branching out into a mental condition that spells 'Stallions = Perverts,' babied constantly by her single father, making her think she was the top of it all where she comes from, and hates being proven otherwise." he chuckled, "She could also be considered a 'gorilla' by others, perhaps ones with an aqua-based curse that switch them between Stallions and Mares." "..." the CMC and Twilight blinked at that. "Either that, or she needs to make a poo," Mischief continued, wearing a purple hat trimmed with magenta that strangely made him look like a purple 'pleasantly plump' bear/cat/rabbit thing. That last part made the CMC(minus a giggling Quirky) and Twilight face fault. Mischief, back to normal, chuckled in glee at their confused expressions. He loved moments like these. "Heh heh...stuff like this never get's old," the currently miniature dragon chuckled to himself before saying aloud, "Okay. I shall now attempt to prevent her from proceeding!" "How so?" Scootaloo asked. "I'm gonna put on a big boot and boot her out of the train," Mischief smirked before pulling out a boot the size of Twilight from behind his back, "See?" "...Mischief. We just needed you to distract Trixie, not hurt her," Dawn Star stated with a small frown. "Aw~! No fun," Mischief pouted, "Ah well." he shifted into a lit lightbulb and back, "Got it! We lure her into the caboose and remove it from the train! That'll stop her in her tracks!" he chuckled, "See what I did? We're on a train and I just said…" he saw no one laughing, "Oh you all stink." "Even if we did go with that Mischief...it's too late," Twilight as the train came to a stop, "We're already in Canterlot." "...Maybe we can make her forget everything?" Mischief suggested, "Go all black suit, black, shades, the works!" "..." "...Really? Nopony got that reference? Ugh…" Mischief sighed, "And I was all set of disguising myself as a giant cockroach alien disguised in the skin of a guy I killed too." =a bit later= "Grr...when Trixie sees that stupid dragon again...she's going to turn him into a newt," Trixie growled as she left the Canterlot Train Station. "Oh come now," Trixie's eye twitched, "A newt? That's so cliche. Why not something like a starfish or a sponge who lives in the pineapple under the sea. Maybe a squid that plays clarinet?" "...First off; Trixie's going to ignore what you say...and second…" Trixie began as she used her magic to take Mischief off her back and threw him into a nearby trash can, "Get off me!" "Hey! There's a raccoon in here! I'm gonna name you 'Charlie' and take you home and love you and bathe you and-GAH!-You bit me! That's it! The liver gets pulled out!" Mischief shouted in the trash can and he proceeded to start fighting inside the trash can. "Fool…" Trixie mumbled a bit as she resumed walking, 'Can't let something like that stupid dragon get in my way...not when Trixie's so close to asking Princess Luna to become her apprentice.' "Actually, I was born with the Arcana for the Chariot," Trixie's eyes widened as she saw Mischief, perfectly fine, standing before her in a toga made from raccoon skin, "...How." "How...how did…UGH! Enough!" Trixie snapped as she glared at Mischief, "Why won't you leave the Great and Powerful Trixie alone already?!" "Because I am Mo Ron and I have a very important message for you," Mischief informed in a dummy voice, "...Sleeping Spell." "Huh? Sleeping Sp...oh ho...nice try, but Trixie's not going to fall for that one," the azure unicorn stated as she walked away from Mischief, "Now if you'll excuse Trixie, she's got a date with destiny!" "...Cue her triggering the trap I made in 3...2...1…" Mischief counted down before grinning as he heard Trixie scream off-screen, "Gotcha…" he proceeded to put on a black turtleneck sweater and a lab coat while adopting a small slouching state before turning to see Trixie trapped in a fly-paper trap big enough to catch a unicorn, "Ah, Trixie the Unicorn, so unexpected. And by 'unexpected,' I mean 'Completely expected!' Now, watch as we prevent you from ever going into the castle!" "...Really? You think 'this' is going to stop Trixie?" Trixie scoffed before using her magic to turn the trap into a pile of leaves, "It's going to take more than a stupid fly trap to stop the Great and Powerful Tr~i…" she collapsed, fast asleep. "Finally!" Mischief sighed in annoyance as he looked up at Twilight, "About time you pulled that one off." "...I'm not paying you," Twilight frowned. "Hey! We had a bet!" Mischief pouted before shouting in a bit of an accent, "Curse you, Twilight the Alicorn!" Twilight rolled her eyes a bit at that before she turned to a nearby bush, "Okay girls, you can come out now." "Right/h...hai," the voices of the CMC replied as said six fillies came out of the bush. "May I draw on her face?" Mischief asked as he held up a permanent marker. "No." "Ugh...you guys are no fun," Mischief groaned as he turned to Scootaloo, "I held up my end of the deal, now pay up." "Rats," Scootaloo frowned as she gave him a bag of candy. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Mischief began with a grin as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a puff of smoke. "...Um...Wh-What do w-we do with her?" Timid asked as she pointed at the sleeping Trixie. "She's a determined Mare," Twilight noted with a sigh, "I'm not sure what we can do to get her to stop trying to be Princess Luna's apprentice." "Why does she think Princess Luna wants one?" Applebloom pondered. "Maybe it's what Mischief said," Sweetie Belle noted, "The 'babied while growing up' thing, not the 'take a poo' thing." "...Actually...that first one does sound plausible," Dawn Star noted. "Huh?" Scootaloo pondered as the filly Alicorn pulled out a book titled 'Psychology.' "Let's see...it should be..ah. Here it is," Dawn Star noted once she found the page she needed, "Let's see now...Oh my." "What?" "She does have a few signs of babying, such as her apparent ego," Dawn noted, "But it seems to also stem from a superiority complex and, at the best guess I have, she could have the motive of becoming the top Alicorn if what we can assume about her goals of being Princess Luna's apprentice are involving the goal of becoming an Alicorn." "O...oh my...r...Really?" Timid asked with a stutter. "It could be a superiority complex or an inferiority complex, judging by her reaction to you being an Alicorn," Dawn spoke to Twilight. "I see…" Twilight noted before she heard the sleeping Trixie mumbling something in her sleep. "Hm? What'd she say?" Applebloom pondered. "Oatmeal, maybe?" Quirky shrugged. "I...I'll show you Sparkle…" Trixie mumbled in her sleep, "I...I'll show everypony…" "Yep. It's probably an inferiority complex," Dawn noted as she looked in the book, "That can leave to severe mental insta...insta…" she blushed as she kept trying to pronounce the word. "Instability?" Twilight offered. "Oh! That's it! Instability!" Dawn beamed, "Thank you." Twilight nodded a bit in response as she turned back to the still sleeping Trixie, the azure Unicorn still mumbling in her sleep. "...Oh no," Scootaloo's eyes widened as she saw the look Twilight had on her face, "I know that look. Rainbow Dash always said that when you get that look, something she didn't like would happen." "Eh? like what?" Quirky couldn't help but ask. "Just let me handle it, kay girls?" Twilight asked the six fillies before using her magic to levitate Trixie and began to walk back to the train station. "...Okay," the CMC nodded as they began to follow Twilight. "What do you think Twilight is going to do to her?" Quirky whispered to her friends. "Ah'm not sure," Applebloom quietly replied. "Neither do I," Dawn Star quietly shrugged. Trixie groaned as she started to awake. The floor felt soft for some reason. It was then her eyes widened as she sat up, the blankets she had been under falling ahead. That dragon knocked her out! Looking around, she noticed that she was back in that library in Ponyville. "...Why is Trixie back here?!" the azure unicorn demanded, 'When I find that dragon...I'm going to destroy him!' "If you're thinking about punishing Mischief, there's a list for it," a familiar voice joked, making Trixie turn to glare at Twilight as she walked down the stairs. "...You better tell Trixie this instant as to why she's back here, Sparkle," Trixie growled at the Alicorn. "Luna isn't looking for an apprentice right now. She's spent almost a thousand years on the moon, so she's trying to learn everything that's happened since then," Twilight informed, "She also said it in a press conference when she first came back from her time on the moon when Ponies began to ask about it." Trixie continued to glare at her in response. Feeling it would be like this, Twilight walked up to her and gave the Unicorn an old newspaper that featured the article in question. Trixie examined the newspaper as her eyes began to slowly widen. "Methinks she's understanding," Trixie and Twilight slowly looked up to see Mischief drinking tea on the ceiling, "Hi." "You!" Trixie growled as she glared at Mischief, "Get down here this instant so Trixie can get back at you!" "Hey, quick question; what's gravity?" Mischief asked before the tea he was drinking fell out of the cup and nearly hit Trixie had it not been for a magic barrier Twilight casted, "Aw~! Why'd you do that?" "We're trying to get her to agree to something, not scare her off," Twilight frowned, "Don't make me get Timid or Fluttershy." "...Mischief be good," the 'dragon' squeaked as he was instantly beside Twilight. "Good," Twilight nodded as she turned her attention back to Trixie, "Now then, as for you, Trixie, I think I have a way for you to be an Alicorn's apprentice." "Really?!" Trixie gasped. "Yes. I've talked with Princess Celestia and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and we've managed to come to an agreement on who you'll be placed under as an apprentice." "Oh thank you Twi…" Trixie started till she realized there were only four princess. Luna wasn't taking one, Celestia was too busy and Cadenza was married and handled the Crystal Empire, so that only left…"...oh...oh...oh no," Trixie paled as she realized who'd be her teacher. "How do you think I feel?" Twilight asked as she floated a scroll over to her, "But Princess Celestia already made it an official decree for me and I do not want to get on her bad side," she shivered, "I'm still unsure if she can or can't send me back to Magic Kindergarten." Trixie suppressed her own shudder. No Unicorn likes to remember Magic Kindergarten for various reasons. "...But and forgive me for this...I respect you but I hate you at the same time; we're rivals!" Trixie snapped remind Twilight of their...one sided rivalry. "Isn't it just one-sided? I mean, on your end?" Mischief asked. "Mischief!" "Shutting up." "Trixie, when I look at you, I do not see a rival," Twilight informed, "When I look at you, I do not see somepony who will hold grudges. What I do see, though…" she wrapped a hoof around Trixie, "...is someone I'd like to have as a friend and to teach. You have a lot of potential, Trixie, that was made obvious when I saw you the first time we met. You actually created a lightning cloud, something only Pegasi can do." "...You're just flattering the great and powerful Trixie," she scoffed. "Oh, no I'm not. I told Celestia about that and she agreed on that type of magic being used by a Unicorn is completely unheard of," Twilight informed, "To do that as just a Unicorn, not as a Pegasus or an Alicorn, is something nopony's been able to do in the whole history of magic." "That and she needs an extra set of eyes around here in case the girls do something crazy and it involves the library," Mischief smirked, "Remember the Pudding Accident?" "Mischief, I swear to Faust that if you bring that up…" Twilight began. "Boom! All over this place was nothing but vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry pudding!" Mischief beamed, "And that reminds me, were you able to get that butterscotch pudding out of your manebrush?" suddenly Trixie and Twilight blasted Mischief putting him in a block of ice, "...shut...ting...up...now." Twilight giggled, "See? And we have some common ground; we both dislike Mischief." "...That we do, Sparkle," Trixie admitted with a small giggle before realizing something, "Wait...how are your friends going to react to this? I mean, they still haven't forgiven Trixie when she was under the effects of the Alicorn Amulet." "...I have a way to get them to agree," Twilight informed before Mischief managed to break the ice around his lips. "You're gonna sic me on them to get them to agree, aren't you?" Mischief asked. "Not Pinkie Pie. She already left to prepare 'Congrats on becoming a teacher for somepony' party mixed with a 'Congrats on becoming an Alicorn Apprentice' party," Twilight noted, "Plus, Pinkie Pie doesn't hold grudges so long as you say you're sorry...and keep your Pinkie Promises." "...Well good thing I haven't made any yet...speaking of 'promises' though, excuse me." Mischief smiled before vanishing. "...Pinkie...Promise?" Trixie asked Twilight, the Unicorn unfamiliar with the phrase. "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight recited and did the motions, making Trixie raise a brow, "...I'm completely serious on it. She was in a mirror, for crying out loud, a mirror. How she did that, I will never understand." "I...I see…" Trixie noted with a small sweatdrop. =a little bit later= "...Um...Pinkie?" "Yes, Dashie?" "...What's with all the decorations?" Rainbow Dash asked as she, Rarity, Fluttershy, AJ, and the CMC were at Sugar Cube Corner, the place decorated with various banners that said 'Congrats on becoming a teacher for somepony' and 'Congrats on becoming an Alicorn's apprentice.' "Oh, Twilight finally got an apprentice!" Pinkie Pie beamed, "Though, you all have to Pinkie Promise not to get upset over who she picked." "...No promises," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Please~?" Pinkie begged, giving off a cute, begging look complete with puppy-dogs eyes and quivering lip. "...Fine," Rainbow Dash sighed a bit as she recited, "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye." "The rest of you, too," Pinkie informed with her cute look still on, accompanied by the CMC. "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; Stick a cupcake in my eye," Rarity, Fluttershy, and AJ recited. "There we go!" Pinkie beamed a bit before she heard somepony knock on the door, "Ooh~! That must be them now!" "...Twenty bits says somepony breaks it," Sweetie Bell whispered to Scootaloo. "You're on," Scootaloo whispered back. "I'll bet 50 bits, and a week supply of candy that all four of them overreact to who Twilight chose as her apprentice," a voice smirked, causing both fillies to see Mischief standing between them, "Yo." "Surprise!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she opened the door. "Hey girls," Twilight greeted as she walked in. "Hey Twi...light..." Rainbow Dash slowly replied before she, AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy gawked when they saw Trixie walk in behind Twilight. "...Um...hi?" Trixie greeted awkwardly. "...Excuse us, please. Won't be but a minute," Rarity informed before she pulled AppleJack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash out. "...They're taking it better than I thought!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "...Um...you sure about that?" Scootaloo asked as she looked out the window, seeing RD, AJ, Fluttershy, and Rarity huddled up and whispering something to each other, most likely about Trixie. "...I knew it. Not one moment Trixie enters, and she already caused tension in the room," Trixie sighed a bit. "Well, they can't get upset. They Pinkie Promised," Pinkie Pie informed with a smile. "IS TWILIGHT NUTS!?" Rainbow Dash's voice shouted, loud enough that Luna could hear it from the moon if she were on it at the moment. "...I knew I should've made it a specific Pinkie Promise," Pinkie Pie frowned. "Let me talk to them," Twilight advised before she walked out and put a silence spell dome over the five, "Okay, girls, what's wrong?" "You made Trixie of all ponies your student?! You idiot!" Rainbow Dash barked before sticking a cupcake in her eye. "Pinkie Pie isn't counting you girls getting upset while outside Sugarcube Corner as breaking the Pinkie Promise," Twilight informed as she tried to avoid cracking a little smile at Rainbow Dash. "...I'm counting it. Still Trixie of all ponies? Ahhhh!" RD roared before sticking another cupcake in her other eye. "...Gah! I'm BLINNNNDDDDD!" Twilight rolled her eyes before summoning a bit of magic to clean Rainbow's eyes, "Look, Rainbow, I chose her because I think I can help her with her problems." "How?! Don't you recall what happened the last time she was here?!" Rainbow Dash demanded. "Of course I do," Twilight replied, "But still, we did recover an ancient artifact thanks to it." "Darling, couldn't you simply reconsider?" Rarity asked. "Even if I wanted to do that, which I do not, Celestia has already made it official," Twilight informed. "...Y'all aren't thinkin' that if'n y'all refuse, she'll put y'all back in Magic Kindergarten?" "...I neither confirm nor deny the accusation." "...Magic Kindergarten it is then," they all, minus Fluttershy, sweatdropped taking it as a yes. "Um, Twilight, I'm really sorry for asking, but just why did you pick her?" "For one, she can create lightning clouds, a magic that only Pegasi can use," Twilight informed, making Rainbow Dash look at her with wide eyes as she recalled the first time Trixie had shown up, "Another...I don't want to see a Pony go down a deep spiral knowing that I could have been able to help prevent it." "...Fine. But I'm going to keep an eye on her in case she does anything funny," Rainbow Dash stated. "Twi', make sure y'all are careful 'round her, ya hear me?" "I'll do my best, Applejack," Twilight nodded, "But in truth, I was hoping you could all help me with some lessons." she glanced through the window to see Pinkie Pie and Trixie laughing with the CMC, "And I see Pinkie's trying her best to open Trixie up to being a friend." "...That's typical Pinkie." Applejack and Rarity groaned. "You expect us to help you with her?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Listen Twi. You're a good flying buddy and a good princess, but I don't want to help with anything involving Trixie." "Please, Rainbow Dash? I don't know any Pony who is more loyal than you that could give her lessons in them," Twilight informed. "...Welllll I know somepony...though she's not a pony, persay." Rainbow Dash said, "And she's harder to crack than me." "...It wouldn't happen to be your 'old friend' Gilda...would it?" Twilight asked. "Yep," Rainbow Dash nodded before noticing Fluttershy shivering, "...On second thought, I take it back. No Gilda." Twilight rolled her eyes, "Look, Rainbow, I'll be patient. I just hope that you'll be able to help me teach her some lessons in being loyal to others sometime sooner or later." "Um...Twilight?" the Alicorn turned to her other Pegasus friend, "If...If you need a lesson, I...I'd...um…" "Fluttershy, I'd appreciate any offer." "...Maybe some help with tending to the animals where I live?" "That's perfect, Fluttershy," Twilight nodded. " R...really?" Fluttershy asked, earning a nod from the violet Alicorn, "Th...thank you." "...If it means straightening her out, Ah think ah might have some chores for her to do when she's not busy," AJ suggested. "Thank you, but nothing that is intentionally humiliating. She already has issues, I don't want more to be added." "Got it," AJ nodded. "Hmm...well, I do have some new dresses I've been meaning to try out. Perhaps I can get Trixie to help me with that," Rarity spoke. "...Rainbow Dash, don't you dare laugh!" Twilight frowned as she saw Rainbow trying to hold her laughter back poorly, "...Rarity, I think Rainbow will love to help you when that happens." Rainbow Dash froze up after hearing that last part. She glared at Applejack, who didn't dare look at her in case she fell over in laughter. "So...that only leaves you Rainbow Dash. So..will you help us out with Trixie?" "...Well...since it's four against one, I might as well. Plus…" Rainbow Dash paused as she grinned a bit, "I'm sure I can find something for Trixie to do." "Rainbow Dash, I swear if it's meant to embarrass Trixie in any way, shape, or form to the public eye, you will not like what I'll do to you in terms of payback," Twilight informed, giving Rainbow Dash an even look, "Two words; frilly dresses." "...G...got it," Rainbow Dash gulped after hearing that last part, "No trying to embarrass Trixie publicly." "Good," Twilight beamed, "Now let's go and try to get along with Trixie." "And I said 'Oatmeal?! Are you crazy?'" Pinkie zinged, earning another round of laughter. "Oh...oh Sweet Celestia! T...Trixie has to admit, th...that's a good one!" Trixie laughed. "If you think that's funny, I got another one that'll leave you in tears!" Pinkie beamed before she noticed Twilight and the others walk back in, "Hey, everypony! Did everything go okay outside?" "Yes," Twilight nodded as she turned her attention to RD, AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy, "Girls? Isn't there something you want to say to Trixie? "..." the four mares glanced at each other before AJ sighed. "If'n y'all want somethin' done right, ya have ta do it yerself," AJ muttered before walking up to Trixie, "We may not like what y'all did th' last time, but ah'm willin' ta fergive and ferget. But y'all have ta earn that. Agreed?" "...Of course," Trixie nodded in response. Rainbow Dash was in her face a second later, "I'm keeping an eye on you. So if you try anything, I'll buck you so hard you'll never even remember how to walk." "D...duly noted," Trixie chuckled nervously before Applejack pulled Rainbow away by her tail. "So long as you do not attempt to mess with my figure in any way, shape, or form, I will be pleasant around you," Rarity informed, "Aside from that, I do hope you enjoy your time here in Ponyville." "Right," Trixie nodded. "U...Um...I...I h-hope we c...can g...get along, T-Trixie," Fluttershy spoke with a stutter. Trixie merely nodded. She didn't really have much interaction with her, so she wasn't sure what would set her off. Regardless of what was happening, the CMC looked happy that Trixie was on the road to becoming friends with her new mentor and her friends. "I think this whole thing went pretty well," Dawn figured. "Eeyup! I think this is the beginning of a lot more adventures for us!" Quirky beamed. "E...wait. Adventures?" Applebloom blinked as she and the other 4 members of the CMC looked at Quirky strangely. "Oh nothing...just a hunch," Quirky replied with a toothy grin, making a 'Squee' sound. '...Okay seriously...who's making that noise?!' Mischief demanded mentally as he looked for the source of that 'squee' sound, 'How come everytime a character on this show smiles or something, that 'squee' noise fills the air?! Ugh...' "...Okay…" Scootaloo simply nodded with a small sweatdrop before she and the CMC turned their attention back to Mane 6 and Trixie, "Dawn Star's right. This whole thing went pretty well." "...And we were able to help make this happen," Sweetie Belle added, a squeak occurring in her voice as she said that. "Yeah. Ah mean, if we hadn't bumped into Trixie, none of this would've been possible," Applebloom added. "...I guess it was a good thing, then," Dawn Star noted. "H...Hai," Timid agreed with a small nod. "Well Cutie Mark Crusaders… I'd say this was a job well-done," Dawn Star smiled. "Eeyup. So now…" Scootaloo began. "Let's party!" Quirky squealed as she zoomed over to join the party. "...Yea," Scootaloo nodded as the others joined in and partied away. But just before the screen was about to go black, Mischief poked his head in, "Seriously! Somepony tell me where that dang 'squee' noise is coming from! I demand you...wait…" he grunted when the circle began to shrink on him, "You haven't...answered...my...question!" he yelled before the circle closed, "...Dang it." Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Scoot Along, Scootaloo"Come on, come on," Scootaloo mumbled impatiently as she and the CMC waited outside the post office, "Open already." "Scootaloo...they won't open for another two or three minutes," Dawn Star pointed out. "..." Mischief just watched at the CMC did their regular routine today he seemed to be oddly...silent. However, Timid Swallow seemed to notice this. "Ano…y-you okay, Misty?" she asked. "...Yeah," he nodded pulling out a book and started to read it. "Read today's paper. Seems your school having a parents day thing in a few days." "Really?" Applebloom asked, making Scootaloo stop when she heard the word 'parent' "Yep must be happy right your mommies and daddies get to see what you all do in school, yippee." he scowled before noticing Scootaloo, "And what's with you? Step on a thumbtack or something?" "..." the orange filly didn't reply as she looked at the ground, her mane shadowing her eyes. 'Well….seems i have a kindred spirit.,' Mischief smirked a bit evilly. "This will be a good day maybe." he said to himself. "...Uh… Scootaloo?" Dawn Star asked, a bit concerned for the orange pegasus. "I...I have to go okay," she said as she run off in a hurry, completely forgotten why the group was there in the first place. "Scootaloo, wai…!" Sweetie Belle began before Dawn Star stopped her just as she was about to give chase. "I don't know what's wrong with her...but I think she needs to be alone right now," the Alicorn filly told her friend. "Hmmm." Quirky pondered. "S...something on your mind, Q...Quirky?" Timid asked, noticing the look Quirky had on her face. "Yeah. I gotta help with my adoption papers; Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie agreed to officially be my adoptive parents!" she smiled. "Huh?!" the other 4 fillies gawked. "Eeyup! and I'm so~ excited!" Quirky squealed as she hopped around before stopping, "Though...maybe I shouldn't be happy when Scootaloo's acting down…" "Don't bother, let the little handicap be miserable," Mischief chuckled. "Misty!" Timid snapped, staring at him, "Don't insult Scootaloo!" "Ahh! No! Not the 'stare!" Anything but that!" Mischief yelled as he changed into a turtle and hid in his shell, "...Gah! I can still feel her stare on me!" "Will you promise not to say what you just say about Scootaloo?" Timid responded. "I promise! I promise! Just plea~~~~se stop that stare!" Mischief whined in his shell. "Better," Timid nodded, looking away from Mischief. "Shouldn't we check on Scootaloo, though?" Sweetie asked, concerned for their friend. "I don't know...I think we should...but at the same time, I think we should leave her alone...but seeing how she looked when Mischief…" "I said I was sorry, okay?!" Mischief's voice echoed in his shell. "Brought up that thing about parents...day…" Dawn Star finished, her eyes starting to widen a bit, "Hold on…" she then looked over at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, "Have either of you ever seen her parents before?" "...Now that you mention it… no," Applebloom answered. "Did you, Sweetie Belle?" "No. I haven't seen her parents before either," Sweetie Belle shook her head in response. "...Has anypony seen her parents?" Dawn asked, wondering if they knew anypony in Ponyville who met Scootaloo's parents. "...Maybe Twilight and the others might know," Applebloom suggested. "Then let's go check with them," Dawn suggested. "Right." (Later) "What? Scootaloo's parents?" Twilight blinked before thinking, "Come to think of it… I haven't met her parents," She then looked over at her friends, "What about you girls?" "No. But...I was kinda wondering the same thing after I helped take her when we got back from that camping trip," RD stated. "Never met them mahself, either," Applejack added. "Neither have I," Rarity added. "M...me neither," Fluttershy added. "Oh! I..no wait..I'm thinking of somepony else...sorry," Pinkie added with an apology. "...Odd… has anypony seen them?" Dawn asked. "Not to my knowledge," Twilight admitted. "...I see..." Dawn sighed, "Thanks anyway, Twilight." "You're welcome," Twilight nodded as the CMC left. "So now what?" Quirky asked. "Ah don't know...maybe we should head to Scootaloo's home and see if her parents are home or not," Applebloom offered. "Maybe...it wouldn't hurt to try," Dawn Star noted, "Let's go." "Stupid parents day…" Scootaloo mumbled as she walked the streets of Ponyville, ignoring most of the ponies that were passing by. She always hated that day because of one thing...she never even knew her parents. She was lucky to get a place and get some food to eat thanks to neighbors that lived next door to her. She was trying to get her mind off of parents day when… "Well...well...if it isn't one of the Blank Flanks," a certain, mocking voice spoke. "...Oh great...her again," Scootaloo mumbled as she looked up to see Diamond Tiara's sneering face, "What do you want this time?" "Oh nothing..just wanted to tell you that Parents day is coming up," Diamond TIara reminded in her cruel, mocking tone. "Thanks...now leave me alone," Scootaloo said as she began to walk away from the spoiled filly. "What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve, Blank Flank?" "I just said, leave me alone!" "Why? Is it the fact that not only you're a Blank Flank Pegasus who can't fly...but you're also a or…" Diamond Tiara began cruelly before she was shoved to the ground by an angry Scootaloo. "Finish that sentence...I dare you," the orange, pegasus filly growled, sending a glare at the spoiled filly. "Or what, orpha...?" Diamond Tiara began before Scootaloo hit her in the face with one of her front hooves, shocking the spoiled filly, "Y...you hit me…" "I warned you not to finish that sentence…" Scootaloo growled, making Diamond Tiara a bit nervous, not as scared as how Dawn Star reacted to defend her friends, but she was still pretty scared. "Scootaloo!" The orange, pegasus filly looked up to see her friends running towards her. "Girls?" she gawked as she got off of Diamond Tiara, "Wh...what're you doing here?" "We were heading to your place when we saw you hit Diamond Tiara," Dawn Star answered. "Yeah! What possessed you to do that?!" Sweetie Belle asked. "...She said something she shouldn't have," Scootaloo answered. "What do you mean by that?" Applebloom asked, "It couldn't have been that old 'Blank Flank' comment; she uses that all the time." "...No." "...She didn't make fun of your handicap, did she?" Sweetie Belle asked, sending a glare at Diamond Tiara. "No. Just...please leave me alone!" Scootaloo snapped as she began to run away, only for Quirky to step in front of her, "Out of my way, Quirky!" "Not until you tell us what's been going on, Scoots," Quirky replied, and to prove it, everytime Scootaloo tried to get around her, Quirky just zoomed back right in front of the pegasus. "Well what if I don't want to?" Scootaloo frowned at her friend. "Ugh...you're all insane.." Diamond Tiara grumbled as she got up and glared at Scootaloo, "And you! You better hope my daddy doesn't hear about this, orphan!" That last part right there made Scootaloo growl in pure anger as she was about to attack the spoiled filly, only for Applebloom and Quirky to hold her back. "Let me go! Let me at that spoiled brat!" the angry pegasus roared, wanting to tear Diamond Tiara to shreds. "Not until you chill out! This is gonna get out of control!" Applebloom responded. "Yeah! You're going to cause a scene!" Quirky added. "I don't care! Let me at her!" "...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star spoke. "What, Bla..." the spoiled filly began before she noticed the dark glare Dawn Star was giving her. "STUFF IT! Just tell us what you meant by calling Scootaloo what you did to tick her off this much," Dawn Star demanded. "...Fine. I got one of my daddy's lawyers to get all the info I needed on her. And it happens I came across something juicy..turns out she doesn't have any parents at all. Which means, she's a flightless, orphan blank flank!" Diamond Tiara answered with a smirk. "Dawn, Ah don't think that was a smart move making her say all that at once," Applebloom responded as she and Quirky were suddenly having more trouble holding Scootaloo back. "Agreed...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star began as she glared at the spoiled filly, a dark aura starting to engulf the alicorn filly, "Unless you want us to have Scootaloo give you what you deserve...I suggest you better leave...now." "Or wh…" "NOW!" Dawn Star snapped, her voice distorted. "EEEK! Okay, OKAY! I'm going!" Diamond Tiara responded, galloping away in fear. "...Good," Dawn Star said as the dark aura surrounding her disappeared. "Why'd you let her go?! I wanted to tear her to shreds!" Scootaloo growled. "Scootaloo...you're letting your anger cloud your mind," Dawn Star said, trying to calm her friend down, "Don't let what Diamond Tiara said get to you." Scootaloo just growled in response to that before seeing some of the other looks she got from the rest of the CMC. "Um… i-is it true, Scootaloo? Are you really a… an… o-orphan?" Timid asked, trying not to sound harsh, and yet hearing it from a friend didn't make Scootaloo enraged… she somehow kept it under better control at that moment than she did previously. "...Yes," Scootaloo admitted with a sigh, "I'm an orphan." "What happened to your parents?" Quirky asked. "Don't know...I've never met them before…" the pegasus replied. "Oh… you mean… they died before you could remember?" Dawn gawked. "I don't know if they're even alive, okay?!" Scootaloo snapped before taking a deep breath, "Look...just..leave me alone, okay?" "...I understand… okay," Dawn Star nodded as she and the rest of the CMC walked away. Scootaloo let out a sigh before she felt a raindrop on her muzzle. She then looked up to see that it was beginning to rain. "Guess I forgot the Weather Pegasi scheduled this storm… I'd better go home…" she sighed, walking off. It didn't take long for her to reach home as she managed to open the door and walk inside. "Man…" she groaned, walking towards the bathroom. When she got inside, she grabbed a towel and began to dry her currently wet mane. She then looked up and faced her reflection in the mirror, thinking on how she reacted earlier. Why did she act like that? She knows how much of a bully Diamond tiara is, but when she brought up the fact she was an orphan….something just snapped inside her. She wasn't even sure why she reacted that way… it just… came out, "...I need to get out of here…" she mumbled. If she acted like the way she did again around her friends, she...wouldn't forgive herself. With these thoughts in her mind, Scootaloo wrote a small note, gathered some supplies, and left her house via scooter. The young Pegasus filly didn't care if she was getting wet, all she cared about at the moment was leaving. (Later) "So this is Scoots' place?" Quirky asked Applebloom as the rest of the CMC arrived. "Uh huh. Let's just hope Scootaloo's feeling better," Applebloom said in a worried tone as she got ready to knock on the door before she noticed something hanging from it, "Huh?" "What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah think it's a note. But..." Applebloom began as she tried to reach it, "It's too far up for me to get." "Here, climb on my back," Dawn offered, seeing she was the tallest of the CMC. "Thanks," Applebloom nodded as she climbed up Dawn Star's back and grabbed the note with her mouth. "What's it say?" Quirky asked once Applebloom placed the note down on Dawn's neck yto get a better look. "Ah'm about to find out," Applebloom replied as she began to read what the note said before her eyes widened, "Oh mah...Sc...Scootaloo's run away !" "WHAT?!" the other fillies gasped, Dawn almost forgetting Applebloom was still on her back, but when she felt the earth pony slip, she tried to keep her on with her own wings. "Ah'm not lying! She's really run away!" Applebloom said as Dawn Star used her magic to pick the note up and began to read it. "Let's see… 'Hey girls, I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to you all, but I just couldn't take it anymore. After what happened with Diamond Tiara, I didn't want you to worry about me. So, I'm going as far away from Ponyville as I possibly can… and please don't try to follow me. And please, don't tell Rainbow Dash or anypony else, I don't want to have them worry about me. Your friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader; Scootaloo,'" Dawn Star read, and wow was everypony stunned by this news. "O...oh my..." Timid gasped quietly. "Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo?!" Quirky panicked. "I...I don't know. I...I wish I knew," Dawn Dtar sighed sadly, "I would suggest we'd get Twilight or Rainbow Dash for help, but Scootaloo doesn't want them to know." "Know about what?" they heard somepony ask. The CMC froze up when they heard that as they slowly looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying above them before the cyan Pegasus landed. "R-Rainbow Dash?!" Dawn gasped. "...What're you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I was stopping by to check up on Scootaloo. What're you five doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked before she noticed the note, "And what's that?" "...uh...what's what?" Applebloom said nervously as she took the note from Dawn Star and hid it behind her back. "C'mon, I saw something, you silly fillies. Hand it over," Dash responded. "We don't know what you're t-hey!" Applebloom yelped when she felt somepony grab the note from her. "You mean this?" a certain, azure unicorn asked, holding the note with her magic, "And before you ask, Trixie was just leaving Sparkle's place and was about to help Rainbow cr-I mean Dash with something when I noticed her looking at you five." "Yea, we get it, now hand us back the note please, Trixie," Sweetie responded, but the azure unicorn kept it away from Sweetie, even with the young unicorn using her budding magic, but also was able to read the whole note. "...Well...it seems the one known as Scootaloo has run away," Trixie noted after reading the note. "WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash gawked as she grabbed the note and began to read it, her eyes widened in shock once she finished, "...What…?" Rainbow Dash was just left dumbfounded after reading the note, heck, she plopped to the ground after reading it. "Why...why would she do this?" The cyan Pegasus whispered. "...Should we tell her, girls?" Dawn sighed, not sure what to do. "We got no choice now that she knows," Sweetie Belle replied as she looked at the dumbfounded Rainbow Dash, "We...we think we know why she ran away." "Then why would she?" Trixie asked before Dash got into Sweetie Belle's face, anxiety and great concern obvious on the mare's face. "TELL US!" she begged. "W... Well... It happened when that spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara, was making of Scootaloo. She...she said something that made her snap," Sweetie Belle explained. "What exactly did she say?" Trixie asked. "... She...called her an orphan," Sweetie Belle answered. "An orphan?" Trixie and Dash gawked in unison. "Yeah...and it turned out to be true..." Applebloom sadly spoke. "We...we didn't kn-know it hurt her that much," Timid added. Dash just looked stunned by this, "So… being called an orphan put her over the edge?" "The Great yet Confused Trixie wonders why she'd act like this today of all days; when Trixie last checked, she was just fine," Trixie noted. "She was...until..." Dawn Star began as her eyes widened, "Until she heard that parents day was going to happen in a few days " "...Could it be possible that she was jealous of the other ponies bringing their parents to school when she's an orphan?" Dash guessed. "That must be it..." Dawn noted. "So what do we do about that with this knowledge?" Trixie pondered. "...Trixie," Dash spoke, causing the azure unicorn to look at her, "I want you to get Twilight and have her gather a search party." "Trixie will do it, even if she doesn't like being ordered around so much," Trixie sighed, galloping off to the library again. "What can we do?" Quirky asked. "... You five should head to your homes," the cyan Pegasus answered. "What?! But we want to help! Scootaloo's our friend, so..." Applebloom began. "It's starting to get dark, and believe me, most of the creatures that come out at night won't hesitate to eat you," Rainbow Dash stayed in a serious tone, pointing to the evening sky. "Need Ah remind you that Ah go to the Everfree Forest now and then to meet Zecora? Ah'm kinda familiar with the creatures there," Applebloom responded. "...fine," Dash sighed before stating in a serious tone, "But I want you to stay close to Twilight and the others, okay?" "Yes ma'am," the CMC nodded. "But...what about you?" Sweetie Belle asked as the cyan Pegasus turned around . "I'm going on ahead to find Scootaloo," was all Rainbow Dash said as she took off into the sky and headed towards the forest outside Ponyville. "...Good luck," Applebloom sighed as she led the CMC back to Twilight's place to meet up with the search party. Meanwhile, Scootaloo yawned a bit as she started to get tired. "I better stop and rest for a bit," the Pegasus filly said to herself as she stopped underneath a tree. She then reached into her bag, pulled out an apple, sat down against the tree, and began to eat. If she was going to try and get to the next town, she'll need all the energy she can get. "I sure have gone pretty far, though…but...no. I gotta stop thinking like that." She simply finished her apple and then decided to take a bit of a nap. However, just as she was about to shut her eyes, a growling sound was heard, causing her eyes to shoot open. "What the?!" she gasped, looking around to find the source of the noise. The growling sound echoed through the area again, causing the Pegasus filly to gulp. She then paled when she saw a set of glowing, yellow eyes stare at her in hunger. "...T... Timberwolves..." Scootaloo gulped, backing up slowly so as not to alarm them. However, just as she took another step back, she stepped on a fallen branch, breaking one of the twigs on it, "...uh oh." With that, these huge wolves jumped out, forcing Scootaloo to gallop away as fast as she could. The scared Pegasus filly didn't notice she had left her stuff behind due to how scared she was at the moment. She didn't even care if she did at that moment, either, she just ran as fast as her legs could carry her, yet the Timberwolves were picking up speed very quickly. She immediately made a quick turn, causing the Timberwolves to crash into a tree. Using the confusion to her advantage, she ran into a hollow tree stump, grabbing a fallen branch to cover the hole."Phew… that was too close," she whispered to herself, trying to catch her breath. She then froze when she heard the sound of a Timberwolf's growl, causing the filly to break out into a cold sweat, but she tried to slow her breath so the wolf wouldn't find her. She slowly moved her head to a small opening in the cover she made and paled, seeing more Timberwolves sniffing around the area. Meanwhile, the Mane 6, Trixie, and the rest of the CMC were wandering around trying to find Scootaloo when they happened upon her stuff. Applebloom was about to run over and check before her sister stopped her. "Stay here ," Applejack ordered as she walked over to where Scootaloo's stuff is. She examined the area a bit before she noticed what looked like claw marks on the tree, "... Not good." "What is it? Or rather what was it?" Applebloom asked, concerned. "...There's Timberwolves in the area ," Applejack answered. "T...T...Timberwolves?!" Trixie paled as she ran behind Twilight. "...What're Timberwolves?" Quirky asked, not having heard of those. "I think I read something about them in the library," Dawn spoke, "They're wooden, wolf-like creatures that travel in packs, hunting for whatever food they can find." "Sounds like most animals. What's bad about that?" Quirky asked. "...they're omnivores, meaning..." Dawn began. "They eat both plants and meat," Twilight gasped. "Oh no! They could've gotten Scoots!" Quirky gasped as well as she began to panic. "Let's hope they didn't," Applejack stated as she looked at the ground, seeing a few imprints of paws and hooves in the grass, "It appears Scootaloo saw them, then… after accidentally breaking a twig, she started running away from them in… that direction," she answered, pointing down where the trail led to. "I see..." Twilight noted as she looked up at the night sky, 'Rainbow Dash...you better hurry up and get to Scootaloo before those Timberwolves do.' At that moment, Rainbow Dash was flying around, trying to locate Scootaloo. She thought with the altitude she could better spot them, but the darkness of night didn't help much. "Scootaloo...where are you?" The cyan Pegasus mumbled to herself before she barely saw something run in the a small clearing not too far from her, "What the?...was that her?" Her curiosity getting the better of her, Rainbow Dash flew to the small clearing below and began to search it. She looked around for a bit before she heard the sound of leaves rustling, making the cyan Pegasus turn and see a set of bushes shake. Cautiously, she slowly approached the bushes. Once she was in front of them, Rainbow Dash moved some of the leaves a bit before... "Agh! Please don't eat me! I don't taste like chicken!" A voice screamed from the bush. "Whoa! WHOA! Chill out!" Dash responded. "...R...Rainbow Dash?" The voice asked as Scootaloo poked her head slowly out of the bush. "SCOOTS!" Dash gasped before rushing in to hug the filly, "Oh thanks Celestia!" "Wh...what the hay are you doing here?!" Scootaloo asked as she pushed her idol/big- sister figure away. "Looking for you! Why'd you run off, you had me worried sick!" Dash started, but as Scoots was about to start to talk, Dash held her hoof up, "Wait. Don't tell me, I know. Diamond Tiara pushed you over the edge when it came to your situation about your parents, right?" Scootaloo's eyes widened when she heard that, "Y...yes. But... How did...?" "Your friends told me," the cyan Pegasus answered. "...Wh… why?" Scootaloo gawked, "I thought I told every pony not to worry about me when I left that note?!" "C'mon kid, you know we care about you too much to not worry about you," Dash informed. "..." "Now come on Scoots. Let's get you..." "No." Scootaloo spoke. "Huh?" "I said 'no!' I don't want to go back!" The Pegasus filly snapped. "Why not?!" "Because I don't want to deal with that stupid parents day, that's why!" "...Uh… if it's okay Scoots… I could go… as, uh… your mom," Dash offered. "...it wouldn't 't be the same," Scootaloo frowned as she turned away. "Scootaloo, come..." Rainbow Dash began, trying to offer her hoof to the filly before it was batted away. "No! Every year, I'm the only one in class that doesn't have a parent when that stupid day comes by! Heck, when it comes to any family member, I don't have Anypony!" Scootaloo snapped, "Applebloom has her sister, brother and grandma, Sweetie Belle has her sister and parents, Timid has her brother, even Quirky and Dawn have some pony! Me? I got nopony! It's not fair!" Rainbow Dash was just stunned by this; she had never seen Scootaloo this emotional before, and while the young filly snapped in anger, tears of sorrow also fell from her eyes. "It's just not fair...I wanted the one thing every pony in my class had...a mom and dad... " Scootaloo sobbed, her voice starting to sound shaky before growling, "But that stupid, spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara always rubbed in the fact my parents never came! And when she found out I don't have any...I...I..." Before she could say anything else, Scootaloo fell apart and started crying in front of Dash. Dash was still stunned after hearing all that, tears starting to form in her eyes as well. Whenever she saw Scootaloo, she always seemed so happy and energetic. But now...seeing her like this… "Scoots, I… I don't know what to say…" Dash whispered. "...Then please do me the kindness of leaving me alone..." Scootaloo replied as she began to walk away, the tears still dripping from her eyes. "...I wish I could, but…" "...but what?" Scootaloo asked, stopping half-way to hear what Dash had to say. "...I can't. After hearing about your situation… I can't risk seeing you all by yourself; I admit… I see you sometimes like a little sister…" Dash started, kinda surprising Scootaloo. "...really?" "Yea… I'm serious," Dash nodded, "And you didn't mishear me, I do indeed consider you what Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are to Rarity and Applejack, ...a sister. I never had any siblings to begin with, so I admit… I felt alone for much of my life, too. My attitude, and me getting cool… it was just so I could get attention and get some friends… but it wasn't the same. Twilight and the others helped me out, true, but it's not the same as having a sister or a brother." "..." Scootaloo stayed silent as she listened to Rainbow Dash. "So… with you trying to run away… I… I just couldn't take it. I can't stand losing you, Scoots," Rainbow Dash cried out, tears starting to fall from her own eyes, "So please...don't leave..." "...Dash… I…" Scootaloo gawked, at a loss of words. She then began to tear up once more, her voice starting to crack a bit as she choked back a few sobs. The two ponies just looked at each other, their eyes filled with tears that stained the fur on their faces. They only sat there before hugging each other, Scootaloo letting out the cries first as she sobbed in Rainbow Dash's chest. "Dash… I'm… I'm sorry!" Scootaloo cried out between sobs, "I...I shouldn't have run away!" "Don't worry about it now, Scoots. Just… try and relax… I'm here," Dash replied, trying to control her own cries as she held the crying filly , "You're big sis is here now ..." Scootaloo just smiled in the midst of her crying. "Come on...let's get you back home," rainbow Dash whispered. "Yeah...home. ," Scootaloo nodded tiredly, the filly completely exhausted. Dash only nodded before they both looked out and saw the coast was clear. "Ok… follow me, Scoots," Dash instructed going out first. "O...*yawns*kay," Scootaloo yawned. "Oh right, it's late, isn't it?" Scootaloo have a tired nod on response, the filly having a hard time staying awake. "Ok… change of plans, let's wait here until the others find us." "Okay..." Scootaloo nodded before yawning once more. And so, the two just settled down and tried to fall asleep, Scootaloo immediately falling a sleeping due to her being completely tired after today's events. "...Rest little sis… you'll need it," Dash smiled, using one of her wings as a blanket for the tired filly before falling asleep next to her. (A bit later) "SCOOTALOO!" Quirky shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Pinkie shouted as well as the CMC, Trixie, and the Mane 6-minus RD, continued to look. "Will you two please be quiet?!" Trixie snapped before yawning, "Trixie's getting really tired." "Sorry, but we can't stop," Pinkie responded. "Not until we find Scootaloo," Quirky added. "Exactly." "Ugh..." Trixie groaned before yawning. "...Wait," Rarity spoke, "I think I see something up ahead." "Really?! What?" Sweetie asked her sister. "I don't know...but it's not too far from here," Rarity answered. "...Ah see it too," AJ spoke, squinting her eyes a bit as she look forward, "And good news, it's not Timberwolves." "Well what is it?" Applebloom asked. "...Ah think it's Rainbow Dash and...ah think she found Scootaloo." As if on cue, Sweetie and Applebloom just darted ahead to see if she was right. "Hey wait up!" Quirky called out as she, Timid, and Dawn Star ran after the two fillies. "Girls! Oh not this again," Twilight sighed as the Mane 5 followed the CMC, Trixie following, just struggling to stay awake. "Hold up! The great and tired Trixie can barely catch up with..." The azure unicorn paused as she yawned , "You!" "Well try and keep up!" Quirky yelled. "Unless you don't want to become an alicorn," Twilight teased, making Trixie awake enough to step on the gas… so to speak. "On second thought, Trixie has enough energy to keep going!" Trixie yelled as she caught up with the group. "Good, then let's keep moving," Twilight urged, the group rushing over to where they thought they saw Dash and Scootaloo. "Applebloom, ah thought ah ..." AJ began once she and the rest of the mares caught up with the CMC. "Shh! Look," Applebloom hushed her sister as she pointed forward. Everypony peeked over and indeed saw Dash and Scootaloo, both sleeping inside a hollowed out log, with Dash's wing over Scootaloo. "...HEY Da..." Pinkie began before Trixie used her magic to shut the pink pony's mouth shut. "Shh! They're asleep. So zip it," Trixie whispered. "Mmmm!" Pinkie groaned. "They look kinda cute together, though," Dawn Star admitted. "H...hai," Timid nodded in agreement, "Demo...Wh-why're they in a h-hollow log?" "Most likely to hide from any Timberwolves in the area," AJ answered quietly. "Guess they were pretty tired to stay here instead of leaving as soon as possible," Applebloom figured. "Probably..." Sweetie Belle nodded before she began to yawn . "Well… we'd better join them and get some shut-eye too," Twilight guessed. "But..." Trixie began before taking a quick look around and whispering to Twilight, "What about those Timberwolves Applejack mentioned? Because Trixie doesn't..." "We'll be fine as long as we stay as quiet as possible," Twilight informed before looking over at Pinkie Pie, "Right, Pinkie?" Pinkie just nodded rapidly in response not that she could speak since Trixie's magic sealed her mouth shut. "...I'll set a barrier spell just in case," Trixie said as she unsealed Pinkie's mouth and created a barrier big enough to fit the group. "How long will you be able to hold this up, though?" AJ curiously asked. "Barrier spells are mere child's play for Trixie, so it'll last until the morning, " the azure unicorn replied. "Okay. Everypony in the log," Twilight replied as the ponies got into the log and decided to get comfortable before falling asleep , "Goodnight, everypony..." (The next morning) "..." Scootaloo yawned as she began to wake up. She was about to get up before she noticed somepony's wing covering her, and seeing it was Dash as she was sleeping next to her. Scootaloo smiled, remembering what Dash told her the night before. But then, she noticed the rest of the Mane 6, the CMC, and even Trixie were there around her. "Girls..." The young Pegasus filly whispered before she noticed some of the group beginning to wake up. The first to wake up were AppleBloom and Sweetie Belle. "Mornin'" Applebloom yawned as she and Sweetie Belle got up. "Morning," Sweetie Belle yawned in response before… "Applebloom… Sweetie…" Scootaloo whispered, getting their attention. "Scootaloo!" Both fillies whispered loudly as they ran over to their friend and hugged her. "..." Scootaloo didn't know what to say about this, but she just smiled, hugging them back. "We're so glad you're okay," Sweetie Belle whispered. "Yeah," Applebloom added. "...Thanks…" Scootaloo smiled as the three released the hug, "By the way...I'm...sorry for how I acted yesterday." "It's okay… just… don't try something like that again, ok?" "Yeah...I don't want to worry Anypony else like that ever again..." Scootaloo stated as she looked over at the sleeping Rainbow Dash, "Especially my big sis..." "Your big sis?" the other two awake fillies gawked. "Yeah..." Scootaloo nodded with a small smile. Both Applebloom and Sweetie looked at each other in confusion, wondering what exactly happened between her and Rainbow Dash last night. "...Don't worry… I'll explain later… as soon as the others wake up and we're back home in Ponyville," Scootaloo promised her friends. "Okay," the two other fillies nodded as some of the others began to wake up as well. "Mmm...not the best resting spot in the world, but I slept pretty well last night," Rarity yawned. "Trixie...agrees," the azure unicorn nodded, and when Dash woke up, she smiled at Scootaloo. "Good morning sis," the cyan mare replied to the orange filly. "Morning big sis," Scootaloo smiled back, confusing most of the ponies there. "...Dashie? Why did Scootaloo call you her big sis?" Pinkie was the first to ask, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Yea… yea she did, Pinkie… because… we are sisters, right Scoots?" Dash smiled, hugging Scootaloo with her wing. "Yeah...we are," Scootaloo smiled back. With that, the two pegasi explained their situation to the other mares in the log. "Wow…" Twilight gawked after hearing the tale. "That...was just...so..." Fluttershy began. "So… touching… Rarity admitted, wiping some tears from her eyes. "Trixie...agre..." Trixie began before the sounds of Pinkie and Quirky crying filled the air, "...Are they always this emotional?" She whispered to Twilight. "Yes," the violet Alicorn whispered back. "...Okay everypony, I think it's time we go home," Dash suggested. "Yeah...home," Scootaloo nodded before remembering something, "Wait? What about my...?" "Your stuff?" Applejack asked, taking out what Scootaloo left behind, "Ah knew it was a good idea to go back for this thing." "Whoa! ...Where'd you find this?!" Scootaloo gawked. "We found it while we were lookin' for ya," AJ answered as she handed Scootaloo her stuff, "We also found yer hoof prints, along with some slash marks caused by some Timberwolves on the tree we found yer stuff on." "Oh… wow…th... Thanks." "Okay, now let's go home," Dash replied before actually offering Scootaloo a ride on her back. "R...really?" Scootaloo gasped, earning a nod from her mentor/big sis. "Eeyup. So-woah!" Dash yelped a bit when Scootaloo jumped onto her back. "Sorry, I just got a little too excited, sis," Scootaloo replied. "Aw, don't worry about it. Hang on, Scoots," Dash smiled before taking off and yelling to her friends, "See you all back in Ponyville!" "...Well, I guess we gotta take the long way back… again," Twilight sighed, earning a groan from Trixie. "Trixie is getting tired of this…" Trixie groaned. (Later, back in Ponyville) "That...was...awesome!" Scootaloo excitedly yelled as she and Rainbow Dash arrived at her place. "Well, glad you enjoyed the ride, lil' sis," Dash smiled as Scootaloo hopped off her back, "Uh...you sure you'll be alright here?" "Yeah...I've been okay living by myself," Scootaloo nodded, a small sad smile on her face as she was about to head to the door, only to be stopped by Dash's wing, "Huh?" "Just so you know, you're more than welcome to hang out with me at my place if you want," Dash told her before giving the Pegasus filly a small grin, "In fact, just for today, how about hangin' with your big sis, a.k.a; the coolest Pegasus in all of Ponyville?" "...Aw yea! I'd be more than happy to hang out with you, big sis!" Scootaloo smiled widely, hugging the cyan pegasus. "...Glad to hear, lil sis," Dash smiled, "Climb aboard." As if on cue, Scootaloo jumped on with joy. "Oh! But before we go..." Scootaloo began as she jumped off, rushed inside her home to drop her stuff off, rushed back outside, and jumped back on Dash's back, "'Kay! I'm ready, big sis!" "Alright, hang on!" Dash smirked before they took off, Scootaloo screaming excitedly as they flew through the air. "This is so awesome!" The Pegasus filly yelled before she noticed a certain spoiled filly down below, a grin starting to grow on her face, "...Hey sis?" "Yeah," Dash asked before Scootaloo whispered something into her ear, "...well ... Normally I don't prank fillies except on Nightmare Night, but considering what she did yesterday, I'll make an exception for my little sis." "Alright! Let's rock," Scootaloo smirked as they flew into a nearby cloud. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara just walked around, confident as ever. She then stopped for a moment to yawn a bit, the spoiled filly unaware she was underneath the cloud Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're hiding in. Then, without warning... BOOM! "KYAAA!" Diamond screamed suddenly, galloping away from the cloud out of fear, making Dash and Scootaloo snickering inside the cloud. She then, not paying attention since she was scared, ran into a trash can, causing all it's contents to spill on her. Inside the cloud, both Pegasi were having a hard time trying to control their laughter. "...Okay… who's laughing?!" Diamond demanded as the Pegasi were now laughing loud enough for her to hear, "When I find you, I-woah!" She yelped when she slipped on a stray banana peel, making her slip and fall into a mud puddle, "...daddy~!" She whined as she ran away, upset that her tail, and mane, we're completely ruined. At this point, both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're laughing like crazy. "Good one, sis!" Scootaloo laughed. "Thanks! I try my best!" Dash laughed. Later, Dash was simply flying around with Scootaloo on her back. "What should we do next, sis?" Scootaloo asked. "Well… I noticed you have been getting stronger in your wings, maybe I can start helping you learn how to fly," Dash figured. "...y...you really mean it?!" Scootaloo gasped. "Absolutely!" Dash nodded, "You don't seriously think you can only use your scooter your whole life for getting around, do you?" "...thank you!" Scootaloo grinned as she hugged Rainbow Dash's neck, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" "Heh… no problem," Dash smiled as she lowered the two down to the ground so they could start. Nearby, watching from a set of bushes, the cloaked figure from two chapters ago was watching the two, a small smile forming on her face as she walked away. Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Also, if you're wondering about the cloaked figure, that'll be explained in a later chapter. Dragon Sitter"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Spike? I'm going to be at the Crystal Empire all day," Twilight told her assistant as she packed some stuff up for the trip. "Yea Twilight; I'll be fine," Spike nodded as he was in the middle of reading one of the books out of boredom. "Thank you Spike," Twilight smiled as she looked up the stairs, "Dawn Star, are you finished packing?!" "Just about!" Dawn Star called out before rushing downstair, carrying a rather large suitcase. "Woah...what'd you pack in there, books?" Spike gawked a bit. "Yea, books, plus a few other assorted things to help with Twilight," Dawn nodded. "...R...right," Spike sweatdropped a bit before he heard a knocking at the front door. "That must be them now," Twilight noted as she walked over to the door and used her magic to open it, soon seeing Timid in the doorway, the shy filly holding her backpack. "Ano...h...hi, T-Twilight-san," the shy filly greeted with a stutter. "Hi Timid. Ready to go?" Twilight asked as Dawn walked to the door, struggling to keep her suitcase up. "Hi...Timid...ready to go?" Dawn Star asked, using her back to hold the suitcase up. "I just asked her that, Dawn," Twilight told the filly. "Oh...sorry," Dawn chuckled sheepishly. "...Ano...I am d-demo...I...I need to ask S-Spike-san a f-f-favor," Timid said, catching Spike's attention. "Me?" Spike blinked. "Hai. A...Ano...I...I was wonder if maybe you can w...watch Yuki and M...Mischief while I'm gone?" The shy filly asked, "Ano...if...if that's okay with you that is." "Sure. I usually watch over Twilight's pet, owlowiscious, anyway" Spike nodded. "Th...thank you S..." Timid began before Mischief busted out if Timid's backpack, dressed up in a tropical shirt. "Woohoo! Hello vaca..." He began before blinking in confusion, "...hey...this isn't the beach." "No… no it isn't," Spike sighed, setting his book down before walking over to what could be considered his recolor, "You're staying with me until Timid comes back. And I don't want any funny business outta you, okay?" "Wait...you're baby-sitting moi?!" Mischief gawked. "Yea, wise-dragon. What about it?" Spike responded, looking seriously at Mischief. "...Fine..." Mischief shrugged before thinking, 'Of course, the moment Timid and others are gone, I'm going to have some fun with this guy...' "Okay, I guess we'll be off for now. Thanks again, Spike," Twilight replied as she left with Dawn and Timid. "No problem, Twilight! Have a safe trip!" Spike called out to her as he began to turn towards Mischief, "Okay, now let's..." He blinked when he noticed Mischief missing, "...uh oh...where'd he...?" "YO! Up here, shorty!" he heard Mischief shout as Spike looked up to see Mischief walking on the ceiling, a grin on his face. "What're you doing up there?! GET DOWN HERE, MISCHIEF!" Spike shouted. "You ain't da boss o' me, baby d!" Mischief taunted in a brooklyn accent as he made a pitcher of ice water appear in his hand and poured it on Spike. "HEY!" Spike shouted, moving to try and avoid the water. "Drat...almost got the Bugga," Mischief frowned, now having an Australian accent. "Will you get down here already?! Don't make me get the owl. Or worse… Yuki…" Spike growled. "...Buzzkill," Mischief frowned as he jumped off the ceiling and landed on his feet like a cat, "There. Ya happy, captain buzzkill?" "Yes, but no need to call me that. I know you're older, but Timid put me in charge, and that's what I'm gonna be!" "Right...wait, didn't she also put you in charge if that tricky kitsune, Yuki as well?" Mischief asked, making Spike's eyes widen. "Oh shoot, you're right! I gotta check up on her!" The purple Dragon yelled, running off to find the kitsune, but Mischief just snickered as Spike ran off. "Sucka...now...time for some real fun," he grinned as he slipped on a pair of black sunglasses. Meanwhile, Spike found the young Kitsune in Twilight's room. "Yuki? What're you doing here. C'mon out now," the dragon told the little fox. Yuki let out a small bark, her tails wagging a bit as she ran under the bed, thinking Spike was playing a game with her. "Oh, okay… I think we can play a game real quick," Spike figured, playing along until he heard something rumbling downstairs, "What the...?" He then covered his ears as loud music boomed throughout the house/library, "What's Mischief up to?!" "Mischief! Just what're you...huh?!" Spike gawked as he came downstairs and saw a large party going on, seeing there were many ponies and loud music. "WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?!" "WHOO! PARTY!" Mischief whooped as he jumped up from the middle of the crowd before diving back in. "MISCHIEF!" Spike growled, almost making it sound like a roar. "Mmm yes?" Mischief asked as he popped up next to Spike, wearing shades and a black and white party suit. "What's with all THIS?!" Spike demanded, referring to the party. "Oh that? I just wanted to liven things up a bit, tha-oh oh! I love this song!" Mischief grinned as he looked at the DJ, "Yo DJ Pon3, crank it up!" With that, the music was cranked even louder, forcing Spike to cover his ears… wherever they were on his noggin. "Whoo! Isn't this great?!" Mischief whooped, "Though the only thing we need is...oh I know! A Bass cannon!" "A Bass what now?" Spike blinked/paled, having a bad feeling about that. "I got it!" Mischief smirked, holding up a huge cannon over his shoulders that was blue, green, and grey. "...No Mischief don't..!" Spike tried to stop him. "Too late," Mischief smirked, pulling the trigger, and firing a huge cyan blast into the air, blasting through the cieling. "Whoo! Now that was awesome!" The DJ, a Unicorn with white fur, a brilliant blue mane, and black glasses with purple lenses whooped. "Now this is one ROCKIN' PAR-TAY!" Mischief added as he dive bombed into the crowd. "Oh no you don't!" Spike yelled as he chased after him, only to get caught by the crowd. "Drat… how the heck am I supposed to get in there and stop this?" "Oh it's never going to stop..." Mischief grinned as his head popped out next to Spike, "Oh, and one more thing...PARTY WAVE!" "Party wha...?" Spike blinked before he was carried along the crowd of ponies until he was eventually tossed outside. "HEY! NOT COOL!" Spike shouted when suddenly, Yuki landed on top his head. "Enjoy your bore fest outside!" Mischief laughed as he closed the window shut and locked the door. "Hey!" Spike yelled as he pounded on the window, "Mischief you better let me in this instant!" "NOT A CHANCE, BUCKO!" Mischief shouted. "...'Bucko?' ...Really?" Spike blinked before shaking his head a bit, "Ugh...how am I going to get back inside? Twilight' going to kill me if she sees her house like this..." Yuki let out a small whimper as she touched Spike's leg. "Not now Yuki, I'm trying to think," Spike ignored the young kit as he pondered on how to get inside. However, Yuki was still nudging Spike's leg, trying to get his attention. "Seriously Yuki, I'm trying to think here," Spike ignored her again, still pondering. If she could, Yuki's eye would've twitched in annoyance. So, she finally moved back a distance, and then transformed into Big McIntosh before running towards the door, surprising Spike. "Wait! What're you...?!" Spike began before Y-Big Mac crashed the door down. "Well, that's one way of getting in," Spike noted as he followed Y-Big Mac inside before gawking, noticing the inside was way different now. So different, it didn't even resemble a library anymore. "WHAT THE HAY?! This ain't the library!" "Nope," Y-Big Mac agreed. "Not anymore it's not!" Mischief grinned as he suddenly appeared in front if them, "I just turned a boring as dirt library into party central!" "...Twilight's gonna be really mad about this," Spike pointed out. "So? Not like she can banish me to the moon or anything," Mischief smirked before handing the dragon a glass of punch, "Now stop worrying and have some fun for a change!" "...Ugh… now I know I how Twilight feels sometimes," Spike groaned. "Oh? Then that makes you..." Mischief began as he snapped his fingers, making a funhouse mirror appear in front of Spike, his reflection looking like a male version of Twilight, "Twilight Jr.! Oh oh, or better yet...Dusk Shine! Ha ha! On a Cross and Arrow reference!" "Oh, you gotta be kidding," Spike groaned as he moved the mirror aside, "Mischief, seriously...stop the party this instant!" "Aw come on Buddy! Live a little!" Mischief laughed as he wrapped his arm around Spike. Spike just growled as Y-Big Mac bucked Mischief into the wall. "...The hay man?!" Mischief growled as he poked his head out if the Mischief-shaped hole in the wall, causing Y-Big Mac to snicker a bit. "Mischief, that has gone far enough! You're going to end this party, and turn the library back to normal now!" Spike yelled. "...Fine. Since you're being captain buzzkill again…" Mischief growled as he snapped his fingers, and everything was back to normal, letting Y-Big Mac revert to being Yuki. "Aw lame..." the DJ groaned as everypony left, making Mischief, Spike, and Yuki belong the only ones left in the library. "Sorry DJ! Maybe next time!" Mischief shouted back before Spike shut the door, slamming it into Mischief's face, which made it as flat as a pancake, "...ow." "You! Upstair! Now!" Spike ordered with a growl. "Fine," Mischief groaned, blowing into his thumb first to restore his head to normal as he stomped upstairs mumbling, "Rassa frattin no good party killer..." "You are going to sit here for the rest of the day until Timid and the others come back," Spike scolded Mischief as said red dragon was sitting on Twilight's bed, arms crossed and a grouchy look on his face. Mischief just muttered in annoyance as to how he hated Spike then and there. "...I'll bring ya something to eat...hopefully that'll make you feel better and cool off," Spike sighed as he walked downstairs. "Stupid Spike...ruining my party like that..." Mischief muttered as he looked around, trying to find something fun to do while he waited, "All I see is junk, junk, and more...hello? What have we here?" He blinked as he saw something poking out of Spike's bed. He walked over to it and pulled out what was poking out, "...Power Ponies? Heh...sounds like a rip off of those Super Sentai books Timid likes to read." He opened the comic and began reading it's contents before he got an idea...an awful idea...Mischief got a wonderful...awful...idea. "I know just...what...to do," Mischief chuckled darkly, a evil Cheshire Cat smile on his face. "First… what the heck was with the Dr. Seuss style rhyming? That's out of place. And second… I'm gonna get rid of this grin before my face cramps." "I hope Mischief enjoys this," Spike said as he carried up some snacks for the red dragon. He then knocked on the bedroom door once he reached the top of the stairs, "Mischief, I'm coming...in?" He blinked when he saw an eerie light coming out from the bottom of the door, "Huh?" He then knocked on the door again, "Mischief, what's going on in there?" However, Mischief didn't answer, forcing Spike to open the door. "Seriously Mischief, if your...!" Spike began before he saw something of his in Mischief's hands...er, claws, "Wh..what're you doing with my comic book?!" "You really gotta enjoy this more. I'm really loving this Mane-iac character. In fact..." Mischief began as he slowly turned his head towards Spike, a grin on his face, "Maybe I should bring her here to meet everypony." "...N...no Mischief! That's a terrible...!" Spike began. "Terrible idea? Well, we won't know until we find out," Mischief smirked, reaching into the comic and began pulling something, or rather somepony out. "Mischief, seriously! Stop before...!" "Too late," Mischief grinned as he pulled somepony out if the comic book...somepony that made Spike pale and gulp in fear. From the book came long tentacle-like mane strands, soon followed by a violet head with green eyes, and in a purple suit with yellow trim and black boots. "Welcome to the real world, Mane-iac. So l-ACK!" Mischief wheezed when one if the tentacle-like mane strands grabbed him. "The… 'real world' you say?" the Mane-Iac smirked. "I told you this was bad, Mischief!" Spike responded before Mane-iac grabbed him too, "...uh oh." "Tell me...does this 'real world' have Power Ponies by any chance?" The Mane-iac asked with a maniacal grin on her face. "Uh… well…" Spike responded, trying to defend himself. "No, of course not," Mischief nodded. "Mischief!" "What?! She asked a legitimate questi-ack!" Mischief wheezed again when Mane-iac squeezed him like a rubber duck...which strangely enough, he made the squeak sound of one as well. "Well then… I must thank you for bringing me here," the Mane-Iac smirked, "So I think I'll make you two my personal minions!" She laughed maniacly. "...I think I done goofed on this one..." Mischief gulped. "Gee...ya think?" Spike frowned at him. Next thing the two know, Spike and Mischief were thrown out of the library with Yuki as the Mane-Iac jumped out laughing. "Greetings ponies of the 'real world!' It is I, The Mane-Iac! And I'm here to make you all have a bad hair day!" the villain laughed maniacally, though the ponies of Ponyville just looked at her in confusion. "Is she okay?" one mare asked. "I don't know," another mare replied. "Maybe somepony's filming a movie?" A Pegasus stallion asked. "...Fine. I guess I'll have to convince you all then," Mane-iac smirked darkly as she used her tentacle like hair to grab a nearby cart and tossed it at one if the houses. This made everyone in Ponyville yell in fear as they ran away from the crazed villain. The villainess laughed manically again, leaving Spike and Mischief to just watch. "You see where doing stuff like this gets you?!" Spike snapped. "Yeah...I really messed up...big time," Mischief gulped. "Yeah, I know! Ugh...this is almost as bad as that time with that bookworm!" Spike groaned, making Mischief look at him in confusion, "...Long story." "R...right...how long did you say Twilight and the others will be gone?" Mischief asked him. "They'd be gone the whole day,"Spike sighed. "...Then we're totally screwed then," Mischief gulped until... "Ugh! Can't Trixie have her day off in peace?! Bad enough I had to stay to make sure nothing happened," a certain, azure Unicorn groaned from a nearby bush. "...Trixie?" Spike blinked. "Spike… what is going on here?!" She demanded as she poked her head out the bush, "I was resting in my home one moment and the next somepony picks it up and throws it...with me in it!" "...uh..." Spike began. "Gahahahaha!" Mane-iac laughed as she continued causing chaos. "Grr...whoever's laughing like a hyena, stop...!" Trixie began as she quickly turned her head to see Mane-Iac, "...hold on...that's the Mane-Iac!" "Yeah and...hold on," Spike blinked as he looked at the azure unicorn, "How do you know about her?" "...I read Power Ponies once," Trixie answered before muttering, "And wrote a fan made story once..." "...N...Nevermind. We need to figure out how to get Mane-iac back into the comic book," Spike said as the trio ducked under a thrown piece of debris. "But how? If Trixie remembers correctly, the only ones strong enough to defeat the Mane-Iac are the Power Ponies," the Azure Unicorn stated. "Yea, and they don't even exist he-... wait… Mischief! I got an idea! You were able to bring the Mane-Iac to our world with your powers, right? Well, do the same with the Power Ponies!" Spike responded. "...That would be a good idea...if I didn't have enough magic to only bring one more Pony Out if a comic," Mischief stated before grinning, "But I do know someponny who could possibly help us." "Who? ...Wait, you don't mean…?" "Oh I mean..." Mischief nodded. "Gahahahahahaha! Nopony can stop me now!" Mane-iac laughed insanely as she continued her rampage, "Perhaps once I'm done with this little measly town..." She looked at Canterlot in the distance, "That kingdom there is next!" "NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" she heard a voice roar. "Huh?! Who said that?!" Mane-Iac demanded as she searched for the source of the voice. She then turned to see Spike, Mischief, and even Trixie standing in the open. "Oh...it's you two...and some wizard wannabe," Mane-Iac scoffed, ticking Trixie off at that wizard wannabe comment, "I don't have time for you three." "Oh I think you should...in fact..you haven't meet our friend yet," Mischief grinned as he turned to Spike, "Right Spike?" "Oh yea," Spike nodded. "...What friend? I only see you three, so...?" Mane-iac began. "Look behind you," Spike replied. Mane-Iac raised an eyebrow in confusion as hedge began to turn her head to see who Spike was referring to, "...Who are you?" The pony in question was a pegasus stallion, who wore some metallic armor, and a red cape on top of a coat of blue fur and a flowing yellow mane under a silver winged-helmet. "Mane-Iac, allow us to introduce to you, Storm Hammer!" Spike shouted proudly. "So...you are the demon these young ones have told me about," Storm Hammer stated with a frown. "D...Demon? Well...my hair is demonically wild," Mane-Iac chuckled before a crash of thunder caught her attention. "That is demonic enough for me to handle," Storm Hammer growled as he held a large hammer with his tail, lightning crackling around it, "Thou shall not harm any more ponies in this world as long as I am around! HAVE AT YOU!" "Oh this'll be...!" Mane-iac began before a strike from Storm Hammer's...well, hammer sent her flying through a destroyed home, "...fine! If you want a dance...then let's dance!" "Ooh..." Mane-Iac groaned as she laid defeated on the ground, her mane and body blackened as electricity crackled off her. "That should take care of you, you foul winch!" Storm Hammer responded. "So..." A voice began as Mane-iac weakly looked up at a grinning Spike and Mischief. "Still want this world for yourself?" Mischief grinned. "...N...no!" Mane-iac yelled as she looked at the two dragons, "Please, send me back to my world! I'd rather deal with the Power Ponies than him again!" "Well, you heard her Mischief… send her back," Spike smirked, handing Mischief his comic book. "With pleasure," Mischief grinned as he snapped his finger, causing Mane-Iac to float up and go right back into the comic. "And never come back," Spike smirked as Mischief fell to his knees. "Whoo...that takes a lot out of me...just have barely enough to send ol' Storm Hammer back to his world," Mischief panted. "Tis a good idea. My allies will wonder about my disappearance if they see me missing," Storm Hammer nodded. "Well, thanks for coming to aide us, Storm Hammer," Spike thanked. "You are welcome. Perhaps one day, I shall come visit your realm again," Storm Hammer stated. "Perhaps," Spike nodded as Mischief held up the comic Storm Hammer came from. "Okay Storm, back in you go," he replied as the comic glowed. Storm Hammer just nodded before flying right back in. "And with that...another crisis averted...hoo boy," Mischief panted as he fell to the ground on his side, "I need a nap." "I'll help you back to the library, Mischief. You deserved that nap," Spike told his fellow dragon, helping him back with Yuki skipping alongside them. "Hold it!" Trixie yelled, catching their attention as she motioned to the wreckage, "What about the damage caused by Mane-Iac?!" "Oh… right…" Spike gulped. "Spike, we're home!" Twilight called out as she and Dawn Star walked into the library, followed by Timid. "Hi Twilight," Spike waved as he was petting Yuki. "Ano...did everything g-go okay?" Timid asked him. "Yea. Everything was just fine," Spike assured, "Mischief is sleeping upstairs, and I've been down here playing with Yuki." "Did anything in particular happen?" Twilight asked. "No," Spike quickly answered. "Oh really?" Twilight asked. "Really. Nothing happened," Spike quickly answered once more. "...Okay then," Twilight nodded as she walked up the stairs with Dawn Star. 'Phew. Thought she found out about what happened,' Spike gave a mental sigh of relief. "SPIKE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ROOM?!" Twilight called out. "...crud," Spike gulped. "Kya! My room! Spike!" Dawn Star yelled. "...double crud," Spike gulped. Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Also, whoever can notice teh references in this chapter, wins a free cake. Derpy DayOne day in Ponyville, all the fillies and colts were bringing in friends and family for Career Day, and for the CMC, they each brought a member of the Mane 6. And right now, it was Sweetie Belle's turn. "And that what my sister does for a living. It's not all glamour, but she does put all her effort into it because it's something she loves to do," Sweetie Belle finished up, bringing on a cheer from the crowd (minus Diamond & Silver), and with that, Rarity and Sweetie Belle took their bows before returning to where they'd be sitting. "That was very nice, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee smiled as she began to look at the class, "Alright, who'd like to go next?" She then saw one filly raise her hoof up, "Yes Dinky?" "If it's okay, I'd like my mom and me to go next teacher," the filly, which was a unicorn with light lavender fur, a blonde mane and tail, as well as amber yellow eyes, said. "Of course, dear. Everypony, please welcome up Dinky Doo and her mother, Derpy Hooves," Cheerilee replied as Ditzy stood up and walked up front along with a gray pegasus mare with similar mane and eyes (except the eyes themselves were like her name: Derpy), and her Cutie Mark was a bunch of bubbles. The children cheered for Dinky and her mom, but the adults… well they seemed…uneased for some reason. "Why're the adults acting so odd?" Dawn Star whispered to Scootaloo. "I don't know..." Scootaloo whispered before frowning a bit when she saw Diamond Tiara snickering a bit, "But whatever it is, Diamond Tiara finds it funny..." Dawn Star gave a slight nod in response, frowning as well at the bully before both fillies stayed quiet. "Hi everypony, I-whoops!" The grey Pegasus began as she accidentally hit a ruler on the chalkboard, sending said item flying into a window and breaking it, "...Oops. Sorry...I just don't know what went wrong..." This caused some of the adults to groan while some of the foals tried to hold back their laughter. "It's fine, dear. Please continue," Cheerilee insisted. "...Okay," Derpy nodded as she began to talk about her job as a mail carrier. However, after a few minutes, most of the audience were more intrigued by Derpy's eyes, or trying to hold back groans and laughter over what she ended up doing. Dawn Star felt a bit uneased by how the adults were acting around Dinky's mom. And it didn't help that at the end, no one gave an applause for Derpy unlike some of the other parents in the room received, making Dinky sigh as her mom tripped over something in the middle of the room again. "Is everything okay, Dawn Star?" Twilight asked after she and the Alicorn filly returned to their home after school was over. "...I don't know, Twilight. I guess I was still thinking about something that happened at school," Dawn sighed. "...Would you like to talk about it?" Twilight asked as she sat down next to her. "...It's about Dinky's mom," Dawn answered as she looked up at Twilight, "Why were most of the adults so nervous around her?" "Oh… you mean Derpy? Well she… she's been known to be a bit… accident-prone," Twilight answered. "...You mean like how she accidentally knocked that ruler into the window?" Dawn Star asked. "...Yea… something like that," Twilight nodded. "...I see...Still, I don't understand why the other adults were so nervous around her? It was just an accident. It's not like she was going to hurt anypony," Dawn Star said. "Thing is, Dawn…that's not the first time she's caused an accident. In fact, sometimes it got even worse than that. For instance, during my first Winter Wrap-Up here, she accidentally went North to go get the Southern birds." "I...I see..." "And there were other cases like that, but I think Rainbow Dash could better explain what she did. But since she made those goofs, she's… not exactly the best in most cases. That's why she's a mail mare; it's one of the few things she doesn't goof up." "R...right. Um...Twilight? Is it okay if I go see my friends?" "Of course, Dawn," Twilight nodded. "Thanks," Dawn nodded as she got up and left the home/library. She soon arrived at the CMC clubhouse, meeting up with the rest of her friends. "Hi Dawn Star...is everything okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, being the first one to see the look on Dawn's face. "...It's about what happened in school with Dinky's mom," Dawn answered. "Really?" Scootaloo asked, earning a nod from the Alicorn filly, "...Strange. We were just about to talk about her." "Really?" "Yeah," Quirky added, "I don't why the adults were nervous when she tripped in class and accidentally knocked that ruler into the window. I thought that was funny, and not the bad, mean kind of funny." "She didn't even mean to do it either. She said so herself," Sweetie Belle added. "Yeah...but Diamond Tiara found that funny. She was snickering the entire time Dinky's mom was talking," Applebloom frowned. "Why do I have a feeling I know why she was snickering?" Dawn randomly asked. "Ano...I...I don't know..." Timid replied with a stutter while Mischief rested nearby, reading the local newspaper. "...That was rhetorical, Timid. I do have an idea in what she was snickering about." "You do?" Quirky asked. "She would've insulted Dinky about how her mom acted as well as call her a blank flank." "Ahh..." The rest of the CMC nodded before frowning, knowing how big of a bully Diamond Tiara is. "...Yea… sorry for saying that," Dawn apologized. "It's alright. But...since you brought it up, I think we should check up on Dinky and make sure Diamond Tiara isn't messing with her," Scootaloo suggested. "Sounds like a good plan," Applebloom nodded. "H...hai," Timid nodded as she turned towards Mischief, "Ano...M-Misty? C...can you look after the c-clubhouse while we're gone?" "Yeah sure whatever," Mischief said nonchalantly, not looking up from his newspaper. With that, the CMC walked out of the clubhouse and prepared to go meet up with Dinky. After they left, Mischief...popped his head out the window? Wait...then who... "In case you're wondering, this happens to be..." Mischief began as he poked the other mischief, popping him like a balloon, "A dummy I created so I can get rest...and now I'm curious about what this Dinky's mom...well, since I technically promised to watch this place..." He paused as he pulled out a balloon and blew into it, creating another Mischief, "You watch this place until I return, got it?" "Whatever," the Mischief double shrugged as he sat down and began to read the paper. "Good boy. Now then..." Mischief began as he jumped up on the windowsill and grabbed a rope...which was somehow tied to the branch of a nearby tree, "Yoinks, and away!" He declared as he swung on the rope… before crashing right into the tree the rope was tied too, "...Yoinks, and away…" He continued to slur this and ram into tree after tree with each swing before landing on the ground, twitching a bit. Then, he stood up, obviously infuriated. "Why… you…" he growled before zooming off, and coming back with an axe, chopping away at the trees below where he hit them. After taking down the last tree, Mischief was back at the windowsill, holding a rope, "Now then. Yoinks, and away!" He yelled as he swung down, making it past every tree this time around, and he smirked as he looked back when somehow, he slammed right into a large boulder, creating a Mischief shaped dent in it, "...Why me?" Meanwhile, the CMC were looking around town for the young unicorn filly. "Any luck spotting Dinky?" Dawn Star asked her fellow CMC. "Nope," Quirky responded, shaking her head rapidly. "N...no," Timid stuttered. "So far, no," Applebloom added with a sigh. "Me neither," Sweetie Belle sighed as well. "No...but we better hurry and find Dinky before..." Scootaloo started until they bumped into the filly in question. "Whoops! Sorry, I… didn't see you there," Dinky apologized. "It's oka..." Scootaloo began before realizing who she bumped into. "...What?" The unicorn filly blinked, "Do I...have something on my face?" "No, it's just that… you're the filly we were looking for," Dawn answered. "Really? You were looking for me?" Dinky blinked before frowning, "You're not going to make fun of my mom, are you? Because the last few ponies who asked me that just came to make fun of my mom." "No, of course not, Dinky. There's no way we'd make fun of her," Scootaloo insisted. "Yeah. In fact, we wanted to make sure Diamond Tiara wasn't bullying you," Sweetie Belle added. "Really? 'Cause most ponies would make fun of me or mommy," Dinky sighed, looking away from the CMC. "...We're not those kind of ponies, Dinky," Dawn Star spoke as she walked up to the unicorn filly, "I promise you we won't make fun of you, or your mom." "...Do you promise?" Dinky asked, just to make sure they weren't lying or not. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," the six all Pinkie Promised. "..." Dinky just blinked in confusion at that before recalling something about a 'Pinkie Promise', "...Okay. I'll trust you six then..." "Thank you, Dinky. We just want to help you and be your friends," Dawn replied. Dinky was about to respond before her stomach began to growl, making her blush in embarrassment a bit. "Yea, we're kinda hungry too," Scoots admitted with a giggle. "Ooh ooh! Why don't we head to the Cakes bakery?! They should be placing some fresh cookies out!" Quirky suggested. "...Actually, my mom should be home right now making muffins," Dinky spoke, "In fact, my place isn't too far from here." "Really?" Dawn blinked before her nose caught the smell of muffins baking, "I think I can smell them from here." "Yeah. If you want, you can come in and have a few. My mom always likes to make a lot of muffins when she cooks," Dinky said with a small giggle. "She must really like her muffins," Sweetie Belle giggled. "And yes, we'd love to join you, Dinky," Dawn smiled. "Cool. Let's hurry then before the muffins get cold then," Dinky smiled as she and the CMC left, the CMC following the unicorn filly and the scent of freshly baked muffins. Back in a comfy little house, Derpy was just pulling out the next tray of muffins she made when she heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" The grey Pegasus replied after placing the tray down on the counter and walked over to the front door, "Who is it?" "It's me, mommy! And I brought some new friends from school!" Dinky's voice called out. "...That's nice to hear!" Derpy smiled as she opened the door, "Come in! I just pulled the last muffin tray out of the oven. Hope you all like blueberry...or banana nut, or strawberry." "You really do like muffins, don't you?" Dawn asked as she, Dinky, and the rest of the CMC walked in, the Alicorn filly noticing the miniature pyramid of muffins on the table. "Oh yes! I absolutely love muffins! Especially..." Derpy paused as she drooled a little, "Lemon Muffin surprise..." "That's one she never let's me have," Dinky whispered. "Why?" Scootaloo asked, earning a shrug from Dinky in response. "Come on, have a seat," Derpy insisted as the fillies sat down. "R...right," Dawn Star nodded as Derpy placed a few muffins in front of the CMC. "Try them. They're really fresh," Derpy insisted as Dinky ate her muffins. The other fillies just shrugged as Dawn took a strawberry muffin first and took a bite before her eyes widened and her tail stood up. "...Is it...?" Applebloom began. "It's...it's..." Dawn began before she was crying tears of joy, "Absolutely delicious!" "Huh?" The rest of the CMC blinked as Dawn Star began to eat her muffins. "I knew you'd like my muffins," Derpy smiled. The other CMC members looked at each other before they each took one of their muffins and took a bite before their eyes widened and their tails stood up. "U...umai!" Timid gasped, her tone a bit louder than her usual one. "So… GOOD!" Scootaloo smiled. "Good?! It's down right tasty~!" Quirky practically sang as she held her cheeks, which were filled with two whole muffins. "How'd you fit two whole muffins in your mouth at the same time?!" Dinky gawked at what the dark green filly did as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just enjoyed their muffins in silence. "It's Quirky being...well, Quirky," Scootaloo replied as she resumed eating her muffin. "...Okay…?" Dinky blinked, not sure how to respond to that. "Just relax, Dinky," Derpy insisted, eating a blueberry muffin. "...R...Right, mommy," Dinky nodded as she resumed eating her muffin. "That was delicious," Dawn smiled after they finished. "Yeah. It..." Quirky began before she let out a very large burp, "...Excuse me." "You got some really interesting friends, Dinky," Derpy giggled. "...Actually, I only just met them today," Dinky admitted. "Really? I just assumed they were your friends because they were with you," Derpy blinked. "Well… they were looking for me, but I don't know why," Dinky admitted. "...Okay," Derpy nodded before gasping when she noticed the time, "Oh no, I'm supposed to help deliver something in a few minutes!" She then looked at Dinky, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to work again. I'll see you when I get home, Dinky." "...Okay mommy," Dinky sighed a bit as her mother hugged her. "I'll be home as soon as I can...I promise," Derpy whispered to her daughter as she released the hug and left out the door. Dinky just nodded before sighing. "What's wrong, Dinky?" Quirky asked. "Nothing...it's just...mommy works so hard just so we can have a place to stay..." Dinky replied with a sigh. "Really? Why is that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "...Well, with all the accidents my mom accidentally causes, she has a lot of money to pay off...so she has to take multiple shifts just to pay them off, and pay the bills," Dinky replied. "Oh… sorry I asked," Sweetie Bell responded. "It's okay..." Dinky said as she turned to a small portrait of her and Derpy, "Mommy's always there to take care of me...I remember the day she adopted me...or rather, found me." "Huh? You mean you're not Derpy's birth daughter?" Quirky asked. "No...it happened a few years back..." "Oops! Sorry.." Derpy apologized, having crashed into someone's garden. "It's okay...just don't let it happen again..." The owner of the garden sighed. "Okay," Derpy nodded as she began to walk away. Just when she was walking around the area leading to outside the town, she heard crying nearby. Curious by who was making it, she walked into an alley to find an even younger Dinky, sitting cold and alone, crying so much she made a puddle underneath her. "...Hello?" Derpy said, startling the younger filly as she backed away in fear, "...There's no need to be afraid. I won't hurt you." "..." The young Dinky just whimpered a bit as she moved forward a bit. "Where are your parents? They must be worried sick about you," Derpy said to the filly in concern. "...They… they left me… I have no mommy or daddy!" Dinky cried out, trying to run away, but she tripped, falling to her face. Derpy eyes widened when she heard that. 'Why would Anypony abandon a filly? Why?' Were her thoughts. She then slowly approached Dinky, who tried to get up before wincing, seeing as she sprained her leg when she tripped. "P...please...stay away..." Dinky begged before she felt something wrap around her. "I'm not here to hurt you," Derpy assured, her wing around the young unicorn, "What's your name?" "...I...don't have a name..." Dinky whimpered a bit, tears still in her eyes. "Well… let's see… you look dinky in size, even for a filly…" Derpy noticed before she got an idea, "Would you be okay if I call you Dinky Doo?" "...y...yes," Dinky nodded a bit, kinda liking the name, smiling a bit before hugging Derpy. Derpy gave a soft smile as she held the young filly, whispering to her, "Don't worry...I promise nothing bad will ever happen to you...ever." "...Do...you promise?" Dinky asked hopefully, tears threatening to pour from her eyes once more. "I promise," Derpy nodded. Dinky began to sob as she cried into Derpy's chest, staining her fur with tears of joy as Derpy held her close. "Ever since that day, mommy's been taking really good care of me," Dinky said, still looking at the portrait of her and Derpy, both of which looked as happy as could be. "Aw… that's sweet," Sweete Belle smiled while Quirky sobbed a bit. "Yeah...it was," Quirky nodded as she blew her nose into a tissue she pulled out from her hammerspace. "Sorry if we pulled up any bad memories," Applebloom apologized. "No no...it's okay. Though..." Dinky began as she looked out the window, "I sometimes worry about mommy." "Are you worried she won't be able to keep her job?" Scootaloo asked. "...Yeah...this is the only job she has where she won't accidentally cause trouble," Dinky nodded. "Wow… I heard of a parent concerned for their child, but this is the first time I heard somepony this concerned for their mother, and at such a young age, too. I really admire you, Dinky," Dawn told her. "...Thanks," Dinky smiled a bit. "..." Quirky was about to say something before she noticed another picture, this one showing a male Earth Pony with light brown fur and a hour glass for a Cutie Mark, "...Who's this?" "That? Oh, that's Dr. Hooves, a friend of Mommy's," Dinky answered, "I met him once, and he's really nice." "Really? Wow." "Yeah...I'm actually hoping one day, he'd be my daddy. Because when mommy's around him, she's really happy," Dinky added. "Really really happy?" Quirky asked. "...um...yes?" Dinky nodded, earning an excited squeal from Quirky. "Again, that's Quirky being Quirky," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "R...right..." Dinky nodded. "Is there anything we can do to help?" "...no no...I think I held up enough of your time," Dinky said before giving them a small smile, "Thanks for hanging out with me while mom's out at work." "You're welcome," the CMC nodded. "Oh oh! I just thought of something!" Quirky gasped as she looked over at Dinky, "How would you like to become a Cutie Mark Crusader?!" "...um...thanks, but no thanks," Dinky replied, making Quirky's hair droop a bit. "Aw~ why?" Quirky asked. "...Well," Dinky sighed, not quite sure how to respond, drawing circles on the ground with her hoof, "I appreciate the offer but...well..." "...well what?" "...I just don't want Diamond Tiara to bully me more than she already has…" "...oh...I see..." Quirky sighed. "Sorry," Dinky said with a sigh. "...It's okay. You don't have to join now if you don't want to," Dawn told Dinky, "Just know that if you need help… we'll be willing to give it to you as best as we can." "...Thank you," Dinky smiled. "Okay...let's try this again..." Mischief muttered, the dragon still wanting to follow the CMC while his clone looked after the clubhouse, "Yoinks, and a...oh no. I'm not doing that again! Instead..." He grinned, now attached to a large slingshot, "I'll send myself flying there!" With a grin, he waited to be flung, however, he forgot he had the thing locked into the ground so he could get himself set up. "Alright...here we go!" Mischief declared as he unlocked the sling, and he was sent flying through the air. However, he was flying so high and fast he passed over the CMC, "...Nuts…" he then paled when he saw where he was going to crash, "...oh...n..." He couldn't finish as he was slammed against the left side of a mountain before sliding down slowly until he was back on the ground, face first into the dirt, "...Ow…" "Was that Mischief just now?" Scootaloo blinked, having barely seen the blur that passed over them not to long ago. "I dunno," most of the others shrugged. "Maybe it was; he probably just flung himself from a giant slingshot into a mountain… maybe," Quirky smiled, making a 'squee' sound. "...Okay…" Scootaloo replied, a bit confused before shrugging, 'Remember Scoots, it's just Quirky being Quirky.' Dawn Star wasn't paying attention as she thought back to Dinky and her mom Derpy. She heard of parents concerned for their foals, but not the other way around… then again, those two were in the most interesting of situations... "...Dawn?" Applebloom spoke, getting the Alicorn filly's attention, "Ya'll okay?" "...yeah. Just thinking about something is all." "Thinking about what?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Nothing..." "Ano...y-you sure?" Timid asked. "Positive." "...okay. If ya'll are sure," Applebloom said before suggesting, "Why don't we just head back to the clubhouse for a while until we need to head home?" "Sounds like a plan. Let's go," Scootaloo nodded. "Mischief! We're...back?" Scootaloo blinked when she saw the dragon, who's face was flatter than a pancake while his arms and legs were in cast, "...uh...wha...?" "Don't ask…" Mischief groaned, "And…don't you… say a word." "...uh...sure..." Scootaloo and most of the CMC nodded with sweatdrops. "Don't worry Mischief! We won't tell Anypony!" Quirky stated as she wrapped her left front leg around him, unintentionally touching his castes arm. "..." "Al...most..." The same guard from Quirky's debut chapter slowly said as he was about to put the finishing touch on his card pyramid before... "YEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWCCCCCHHH!" "...Oh come on!" The guard exclaimed as the scream caused his pyramid to collapse...and most of the windows in Canterlot. "Oopsie… sorry Misty," Quirky apologized while the other fillies were trying to regain their hearing. "What?! What did she say?!" Sweetie Belle asked. "What?!" Scootaloo asked, looking at the unicorn filly, "What did you say?!" "'What the hay?' Nopony said that!" Applebloom responded. "Huh?! Wh...there it is..." Scootaloo sighed in relief once their hearing was back. "Was Mischief really that loud?" Quirky asked, the bubbly filly being the only one unaffected by Mischief's really loud scream of pain. "...Do I even wanna know how you were unaffected by that scream?" Scootaloo asked. "Nope!" Quirky smiled, making a 'squee' noise again. "...Let me guess...nopony heard that, right?!" Mischief exclaimed, having been the only one to hear that 'squee' noise. "Ano...h...heard what?" Timid blinked in confusion with the others. "Ugh… forget it…" Mischief sighed before looking at the reader, "That's all folks." Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review if ya can. A Screwy DayThe morning sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres, the sunlight shining through Applebloom's bedroom window a bit, waking the filly up. Applebloom yawned as she got off her bed and stretched a bit...unaware that things looked a bit shorter to her. She then walked out if her room to head downstairs for breakfast. As she was turning the corner, she walked past her older sister, Applejack. "Mornin'," the two siblings yawned as they walked past each other...until stopping with wide eyes. "What in tarnation?!" Applejack gawked before turning around to look at Applebloom, her body being… much larger than before, "A...Applebloom?!" "...A...Applejack?!" Applebloom gawked, seeing her older sister much shorter than her normal size. In fact...she was a filly! "What's going on here?!" "That's what AH jus' said!" Applejack shouted at her younger sister who was now a full-grown mare. "...This must be a dream or somethin'," Applebloom quickly said as she lifted her hoof up to her face and tugged it a little, "Ow!...okay...it's not a dream." "Don't tell me this is a curse!" Applejack responded, jumping up and down. "Ah hope not..." Applebloom gulped before realizing something, "...You think our friends are...?" "KYAAAA!" The sound of 5 mares and 5 fillies screaming filled the air. "...Ah think that answers your question," Applejack said. "How did this happen?!" Rainbow Dash snapped, the cyan Pegasus (along with the rest of the mane 6) were fillies while Scootaloo and the CMC were mares, "Did somebody put Poison Joke on us in our sleep?!" "I'd think we'd know if it was Poison Joke, Dash," Twilight pointed out, "Still...it doesn't make sense." "Yea… and it feels weird being like this again," Pinkie added, blowing away some of her mane when it got in her eyes. "Twilight dear, please tell me there's a re..." Rarity began before Applebloom and Applejack came in through the entrance to the library/home/castle. "...Oh no...you girls too?" Dawn Star asked. "It's a curse, I tells ya!" AJ shouted. "You said the same thing when we were effected by the Poison Joke," Twilight pointed out. "That was different! This might be an actual curse!" Fluttershy whimpered at that as she hid behind a shaking Timid, who was hiding behind Scootaloo. "Take it easy, will ya? You're scaring Fluttershy and Timid here," Scoots pointed out. "...Sorry about that," AJ apologized, "Just...freaked out right now..." "It's alright Applejack. But...even if it really is a curse, who would do it to us?" Twilight pondered before giving RD a stern look, "And don't blame Trixie, Dash. She couldn't have done this to us." "Aww…" Dash whined. "...Uh… Timid? Please tell me that Mischief's not sick," Sweetie Belle responded, worried the sick dragon may have had something to do with it. "N...no...I...I don't think so..." Timid replied with a stutter. "...Just to make sure...Mischief! We got some rock candy for ya!" Scootaloo shouted before Twilight hushed her. "Shh...Spike's still asleep...we.." Twilight began before Mischief appeared via a puff of smoke. "Where?! Where the tasty?! It's mine mine mine mine!" The small dragon shouted greedily, like a certain black duck, "...eh? Where..." He began before noticing the conditions of the mane 6 and CMC, "...PFFFFFTTT! Hahahaha!" "This isn't funny mischief!" Quirky snapped, her voice sounding a bit lower than usual "You're right...it's hilarious!" Mischief laughed as he fell to the floor, "Oh! Oh my sides!" "Ha ha ha! This is serious, Mischief!" Twilight snapped, "Now tell us, did you have anything to do with this?" "...Ahem," Mischief cleared his throat as he got up, "As much as I like a good prank...no. I didn't have anything to do with this." "Seriously?" Applebloom gawked with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously...whoever did this too you...kudos to him or her," Mischief chuckled a bit. "...ugh...if it's not Mischief...then there's only one creature that might've done this to us as a joke," Twilight sighed. "...Discord?" "Discord." "Nah! I doubt Pops would've had anything to do with this. He may have the power, but after what happened with the centaur, I doubt he'd want to do this to you girls, even as a prank," Mischief shrugged off, having met his father a week before Tirek's attack. "Should we check with Discord just in case?" Rarity asked. "Didn't I just say he wouldn't do that? I thought you girls thought of him as a friend now," Mischief pointed out. "...You're right but...we don't know who else could've done this." "...True. I mean, the only ones who could do this kind of thing are me, pops, and..." Mischief began before his eyes widened in realization, "...oh crud." "What? What is it now?" Scootaloo groaned. "W...who are you talking about, Misty?" Timid asked, peeking out from behind Scootaloo. "...Well," Mischief began as he took a deep breath, "And don't freak out about this but...Discord...has a daughter." The mares and fillies (age swapped) remained in complete silence for a short time before... "Um...I'm sorry dear but...did you just say Discord had a daughter?" Rarity asked, just to make sure Mischief wasn't joking or anything. "I did...and that's the honest truth." "...EH?!" all 12 ponies gasped in unison. "Don't tell me she's like you or you old man," Scootaloo groaned. "Oh no, not even close. In fact, ...dare I say it, ...she's even worse than Pops and me combined, having little to no inhibitions with pranks, and she's a bit..." Mischief began as his head shifted into a cuckoo clock before shifting back to normal, "If ya catch my drift." "We get what you mean," Pinkie and Quirky responded in unison. "...Please tell me you know what she looks like," Dawn Star asked. "I do...but why tell ya when I can show you?!" Mischief declared as he gained an artist outfit before pulling out a canvas and a few buckets of paint from his hammerspace. He then threw all the cans of paint of the canvas, the paint forming into a picture of a pink pony with swirly purple and pink eyes that were derped like Derpy's, a curly purple and white mane and tail, along with a yellow and green propeller cap, and her Cutie Mark being both a screw and a baseball. "Quite the artist, aren't ya?" Sweetie noted. "Eh. I dabble," Mischief shrugged. "...Hold on..." Twilight began as she eyes the picture closely, "I think I've seen her before..." "You have? Where?!" the Mane 6 fillies asked quickly of her. "Well...recall when Discord first got out of his stone prison?" "...Yeah...what about it?" "Well...while you guys were still...Discorded..." "Trademark," Mischief added. "I. barely noticed her flying by...I thought she was a regular pony that went insane..." "Well obviously not. She showed herself in that situation because of the excess amount of Chaos at the time. Plus...she's a real daddy's girl." "Wait...really?" "Eeyup. Whenever pops was around, she'd drop what she was doing so she could hang out with him." "Man, that must be tough on ya," AJ noted. "Oh don't get me started, cowgirl." "...Ahem. At any case, we need to find...uh..." "Screwball." "Thanks. Screwball before..." Twilight began before a bright flash of light occurred outside, "...That can't be good." Everyone in the room suddenly rushed to the window, quickly seeing almost everyone in Ponyville...turned into cats. "What just...?" "Kitties!" Pinkie and Quirky squealed as they dashed out in a pink and dark green blur. "...Sheesh," Mischief groaned, facepalming himself as he and the other ponies walked outside to see what else happened. "...Oh...my..." Fluttershy whispered, seeing almost all the buildings covered in dark pink and purple polka dots while the flowers were replaced with peppermints. "This is almost as messed up as the chocolate rain and the cotton candy clouds," Dash noted as they suddenly heard Pinkie and Quirky singing something about chocolate rain while hugging some of the pony-turned-kitties. "...We need to find her...fast," Twilight stated, "Let's split up so we can cover more ground… and can somepony grab Quirky and Pinkie?" "We're on it," the Apple siblings spoke as they walked off and dragged the two bubbly ponies off, the latter dropping the 'cats' in the process. "Aww~!" the two ponies whined in unison. "Any sign of her yet?" RD asked as she, Scootaloo, Flutteshy, and a Timid looked on the East side of Ponyville. "Ano...n...no, R..Rainbow-San," Timid shook her head. "N...no luck from me either," Fluttershy added. "Sorry bi...I mean, sis..but no," Scootaloo replied. "Darn...well keep looking. It can't be hard finding a crazy looking pony in all thi-hey!" RD exclaimed as she was deluged by a stream of...strawberry milk, "...okay! Who did that?!" They heard a giggling up above them and looked up to make sure. "...That's her!" Scootaloo gasped as the saw the exact same pony Mischief described laying on top of a pink cloud. "Hi!" she waved, her hoof going even faster than Pinkie's or AJ's, but when she stopped, she looked like she literally had 10 hooves on the same leg, "You want to play?" "What? N-no! We want you to change us back to our normal ages!" RD snapped as she moved her soaked mane out of her eyes, allowing her to glare at the crazed pony. "Hmm...no! I'm having too much fun~! Plus...daddy will really like it!" Screwball beamed as she hopped away...in the air. "And I thought Pinkie was wacko," RD responded as she and Scootaloo gave chase. Fluttershy and Timid were about to follow the two before they heard a soft, meow. "Dash?" Fluttershy asked as they looked over and then saw a small cat with Snow White fur looking at the two shy ponies...or to be specific, Fluttershy, "Opal?" "...Ano...I don't think th...that's o..." Timid began before... "Shy! Timid! Hurry up!" RD yelled offscreen. "Oh' a...sorry!" Fluttershy yelled(in her tone) as she picked the cat up before she and Timid ran off to catch up with RD and Scootaloo. "What took you so long?" RD demanded to know. "S...sorry...w...we found this cat lying around and..." Fluttershy began before a large explosion occurred nearby, followed by the sounds of AJ and Pinkie screaming. "What the hay?" Scootaloo gawked, turning to see both AJ and Pinkie land near them. "Pinkie! AJ! Are..." Rd began before seeing what happened to her friends, the mare turned filly trying her best to hold her laughter back. "...Don't...laugh," AJ frowned as she was dressed as a clown while Pinkie was dressed as a goth. "I feel silly, and not in the normal silly I'm used to," Pinkie sighed. "...Where's Applebloom and Quir..." Scootaloo began as the former mentioned pony came walking up to the group...with Quirky glued to her back and their tails tied together with Applebloom's ribbon, "...ky?" "Don't asked," Applebloom groaned, "Just...don't." "Uh… okay…" Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit. "Let's hope Twilight and the others are having better luck," RD stated. Meanwhile, with Twilight's group consisting of herself, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Dawn Star,ed high and low for Screwball on the other side of town. Unfortunately, they had no luck finding the crazed mare so far. "How're we supposed to find a pink mare with a screw and baseball Cutie Mark with how Ponyville looks now?" Rarity groaned. "I don't know...but we better hurry. Who knows what else Screwball is capable off," Twilight stated, a bit worried. "Yea," Dawn Star nodded when suddenly, they saw a stampede of… Chocolate cows run by? "...What the hay?!" Sweetie Belle gawked before she and Rarity were engulfed in pink smoke. "Rarity! Sweetie be..." Dawn Star began as the smoke died down, "..." "...What? Do we have something on our faces?" Rarity asked, wondering why the two Alicorns were looking at her and Sweetie Belle like that. "...Rarity...Sweetie Belle...whatever you do...don't look in a mirror," Twilight warned the two slowly. "Why? What's wrong?" Rarity asked, in a bit of a panic now as she searched for a mirror. "Is something wrong with us?!" Sweetie Belle added, panicking as well. "Um… well… you see…" Twilight began before both unicorns screamed when they saw their reflections in a nearby window. "Oh my…" Rarity gasped as her and Sweetie Belle's manes and tails were gone, "We're...we're..." "Bald!" Sweetie Belle screamed before she and her sister began to cry hysterically. "Oh geez… do they act like this all the time when something happens that affects their vanity?" Dawn groaned. "Uh...y..." Twilight began before the sound of laughing caught her attention, making her and Dawn turn to their left to see a laughing mare that exactly matchd Mischief's description. "Oh that's too funny! I wish daddy was here to see this!" The mare laughed, seemingly floating in the air. "Wait… you wouldn't happen to be Screwball, would you?" Twilight asked, hoping to make sure she found the right mare. "Yeppers! I'm daddy's favorite child!" "Bull roar!" Mischief shouted offscreen. "Was that my stupid brother again?" the mare responded, "He was always an idiot growing up." "I heard that!" Mischief shouted offscreen again. "You!" Rarity shouted as she and Sweetie Belle glared at the crazed mare. "Give us our mane and tails back this instant!" Sweetie Belle demanded. "Oh… you mean these?" Screwball asked, holding up the items in question. "Yes! Give those back now!" "...okay," Screwball shrugged as both Sweetie Belle and Rarity's manes and tails reappeared on them...only...it was in reverse, as in Sweetie's were on Rarity and Rarity's were on Sweetie. "What the?!" Sweetie Belle gasped with a squeak in her voice, making Screwball giggle. "You didn't say which mane and tail belonged to who!" The crazed mare giggled as she spun the propeller on her hat and flew off. "Grr! Get back here and switch our manes and tails back!" Rarity snapped as she and Sweetie Belle gave chase. "Oh geez…" Dawn Star groaned, facehoofing herself. "I know..." Twilight added as they followed after the two. "Ugh...this is pointless," Mischief mumbled as he stood in the center of town, "They're never going to catch her. I should know...every time I tried getting back at her when we were growing up, boom! I'm hit with a barrage of balloons filled with strawberry milk! I hate strawberry milk! ...I always preferred pop using chocolate milk." It was then a light bulb (literally) popped up above his head, "That's it...I know how I can catch her." With that, Mischief opened a zipper in midair before poking his head in. "Hey pops! You better come here quick! Someone's claiming you're not the funniest guy in the show!" "What?! Well I never!" A voice shouted as a 'flower' sprouted up nearby before forming into a Draconequus, a creature with a gray pony's head, the long body of an Asian dragon, and bits and pieces of other animals including the neck hair of a mule, horns of an antelope and a bulgy horn of a unicorn, the body of a griffon with one bird arm and one lion arm, a bat's wing and a bluebird's wing, a normal dragon's tail, a deer's leg and a lizard's leg, "I'm one of the reasons the show was put on the..." He began before noticing the condition of Ponyville, "...son." "Yeah pops?" "...who...or what did this?" "Screwball," Mischief groaned. "...oh dear..." "Yeah...and you don't want know what she did to Twilight and her friends..." "I suppose it's that time again, isn't it?" Discord sighed, "Okay son, this won't be easy. So gather me up some strawberry desserts, and meet me in front of Town Hall in exactly… 10 minutes." "On it, sir!" Mischief saluted as he dashed off to gather as many strawberry desserts as possible. Meanwhile, with RD's group, they had just arrived in front of Town hall, panting. "Alright..where is she?" Scootaloo panted a bit, "She couldn't have gone anywhere..." "M...maybe she's..." Timid began until the group noticed Twilight, Dawn, and a very livid Rarity and Sweetie Belle approaching them. "Good gravy girl! What happened to you and Sweetie Belle?" Applejack asked her unicorn friend. "That crazed pony is what happened! She had the nerve...no! The gall to make me and my sweet little sister bald!" Rarity snapped. "And after that, she put our manes and tails back...on the wrong pony!" Sweetie Belle added. "And that was NOT! FUNNY!" Rarity growled. "Hey, has anypony seen Pinkie?" "Right here!" Pinkie shouted, the mare hiding in a barrel with holes in the bottom to let her move, "And before you ask...don't. What she did to me wasn't funny!" "Why? W..." "That Screwball pony dressed me up as a clown while she dressed Pinkie Pie as a goth...or whatever ya'll call them," AJ explained. "Which again, was not funny!" Pinkie added. "If only that crazy pony can be stopped. She's crazier than than I am when I'm on a sugar rush!" Quirky responded. "...Why is Quirky glued to Applebloom's back?" Dawn couldn't help but ask. "...Ya'll don't want to know," the you...er, currently older apple sibling stated. "...I have one last question..." Dawn star said as she pointed to the cat on Fluttershy's front legs, "Why is Fluttershy holding a cat?" "U...um...I found him sitting n..." The shy mare turned filly began until all 12 ponies heard a familiar giggle. "It's that screwy pony again!" Pinkie gasped, poking her head slightly out if the barrel. "But where is she?!" Rainbow Dash pondered as the mares and fillies looked around for the source if the giggling. "Over here~!" The 12 ponies quickly turned to the left before paling a bit, seeing Screwball standing near a catapult filled with balloons filled with strawberry milk. "Uh oh," the ponies gasped as Screwball giggled. "Milk balloon attack!" Screwball shouted as she released the catapult, bombarding the 12 ponies with the milk-filled balloons, "Oh this is just too funny~!" "No it's not!" Pinkie and Quirky snapped...and that's actually saying something. They like water balloons as much as the next pony...but balloons filled with milk (or in this case strawberry milk) was a step too far. "Uh oh… did I upset the fun-loving party-ponies?" Screwball giggled before she caught wind of a particular smell as her mouth drooled, "Strawberry tarts...strudels...strawberry short cake~!" Following the scent, she zoomed off behind the Town Hall. The 12 ponies looked back there to see Discord and Mischief, the young dragon holding a fan to send the scent of the strawberry desserts Screwball's way, the pony in question smiling wider than ever before. "Daddy...are those...?" "Your favorite desserts? Yes...yes they are," Discord nodded before stopping Screwball in her tracks, "Uhpupup! You may have them on one condition...change everypony to normal and change everything back to the way it was before...okay?" "Aw~ but Daddy…" Screwball whined. "No buts this time, little lady. These ponies are my friends now, and we should treat them as friends. I thought we talked about this with Mischief last week. And you really need to control these pranks. If you don't listen to this, you won't get any of these desserts ever again. Understand, Screwball?" Discord scolded, making Screwball whimper before gulping. "...Oh, okay, fine," she sighed, changing her right hoof into a hand with fingers before snapping them, causing everything and everypony to revert to normal. "Finally...it feels good to..." Rainbow Dash began with a sigh of relief until the cat that was in Fluttershy's front legs poofed into a cloud of smoke, which was followed by the sound of Fluttershy yelping. When the smoke died down, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes before a heavy blush appeared on her face...seeing the cat was actually Timid's brother, Silver hawk, said Pegasus being unconscious at the moment. "..." Fluttershy had no words to say before fainting, her eyes replaced with swirls and her entire face a bright red. "...Didn't see that one coming," AJ and RD admitted in unison. "Y...yeah," Twilight nodded as Pinkie and Quirky slightly tapped the unconscious ponies a bit. "Wow...they're knocked out," Pinkie noted. "Yeah like a light," Quirky added. "They'll be fine, being another species for so long before drastically changing takes a lot out of ya," Screwball informed before turning back to her dad and the desserts, "Now may I eat my favorite desserts Daddy? Pwetty Pwease?!" "Yes you may...if you promise me you'll do your best to behave, okay?" "...Oh...okay. I promise daddy." "Good girl," Discord smiled as he patted his daughter on the head a bit, "Now...enjoy." "Whoo hoo!" Screwball cheered as she dived into the table and began to scarf down the desserts. "And the family's back together," Mischief sighed, "Never expected this to happen right here in Ponyville, though." "True. This town does seen to have an effect on us, son," Discord nodded in agreement. "Next thing you know, Mom'll be back and we'll be living somewhat peacefully," Screwball teasingly said, licking the strawberry pie filling off her lips. "Yeah..." Discord nodded before turning to the Mane 6 (minus the unconscious Fluttershy) and CMC, "I deeply apologize for what my daughter did. She can be a bit...hyper at times when it comes to pranks." "We can see that," Rarity replied, just happy her mane and tail are back where they belong. "We'll forgive her, Discord. She's welcome to stay here in Ponyville, as long as you can help keep her under control," Twilight replied. "Oh I will. In fact, Mischief will help as well," Discord stated, making Mischief nearly choke on his rock candy. "Wait what?!" The young dragon exclaimed until Discord whispered something into his ear, "...Fine..." He then shivered a bit, "But only because I'm scared of that Stare of Timid and Fluttershy's...and when Ma brings out the tuna fish." "Huh? Why would ya be scared of a...?" Applebloom began. "Don't ask..." Discord and Mischief gulped. "They sound silly when it happens though," Screwball pointed out with a giggle, "Their voices get really high whenever mommy..." "Screwball, sweetie? If you stop right there, I'll give you a giant strawberry smoothie," Discord bribed. "Shutting up, Daddy," Screwball replied before Discord snapped, making a 15 inch tall strawberry smoothie appear, "...and cannonball!" She yelled as she dove into the smoothie and began to drink it's contents. "How do you do that?" Twilight asked, seeing Screwball's body was now compressed to fit inside the smoothie glass, but she just smiled. "Mention any dessert with strawberries in it, and she's as tame as a newborn kitten," Discord answered, "Not to mention as elastic as bubblegum" "That, and, like I mentioned before, is a real daddy's girl," Mischief added as Discord helped pull Screwball out of the glass, and moved her around, proving her to actually be as elastic as bubblegum. "Not to mention the more strawberry treats I eat, the more stretchy I can get," Screwball giggled as her dad stretched her out more, making the 10 ponies sweatdrop. "R...right," Rainbow Dash spoke. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back home. I don't want to miss my show after all," Discord stated after changing Screwball back to her normal (if you could call it that) self, before she continued eating what other strawberry desserts were there, "I'll be back later to check on you, Screwball, okay dear?" "Bobay baddy (Okay Daddy)!" Screwball replied with a full mouth before Discord disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Okay… now what're we going to do?" Applejack asked, "In fact, where is Screwball goin to live exactly?" "Hmm...well...there is that house that's up for rent just a few blocks down from Sugarcube corner," Pinkie suggested. "That takes care of one thing, but she's so hyper, who's gonna watch over her?" AJ pointed out. "That would be me. While Timid can still watch me, I have to warp over to wherever sis here is and watch her, keeping her from getting into trouble," Mischief sighed seeing his sister's face was flat due to slamming her face into a pie tin. "...I guess that takes care of both those problems..but that leaves only one thing," Scootaloo spoke as she pointed to the still unconscious Silver Hawk and Fluttershy, the latter still blushing heavily, "Who's going to help carry them home?" "Well…I can take Fluttershy home," Rainbow Dash offered, "I did it a couple of times when we were still in school." "Okay… Ah guess Ah can help take Silver Hawk home. Pinkie, Quirky, when Screwball's done, you mind taking her over to her new home?" AJ asked the two, bubbly ponies. "Sure/no prob," Pinkie and Quirky nodded while giving a small smile, making a 'squee' sound. "There's that squee again! Why does that always happen when one of you ponies smiles like that?!" Mischief asked, a bit annoyed. "...Mischief. Again, we don't know what you're talking about," Twilight blinked in confusion, recalling last week when Mischief asked the same question. "But..! Ugh...why do I bother..." Mischief facepalmed as he looked at the viewer, "Shows over folks… good night." He then grabbed the upper part of the screen before scrolling it down. Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. Also, this chapter takes place a few weeks after the events of the season 4 finale. Music to my earsAt the CMC's clubhouse, the 6 young fillies were busy playing a few instruments...a bit badly at that too since Mischief had some plugs in his ears, which didn't help any. "For crying out loud! Find an instrument you're good at already! From what I'm hearing, it sounds like somepony's torturing a cat while chewing on aluminum foil!" the dragon yelled, curled up into a ball as he covered his ears. "What's his problem?" Scootaloo asked, holding a bass-guitar that was her size. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like music," Quirky shrugged, twirling a trombone. "Hey! I like music! And what you were playing was not music!" Mischief snapped before turning into a turtle and going into his shell, shutting metal doors in every opening. "...Some ponies just don't appreciate good taste," Sweetie Belle shrugged, holding a pair of drumsticks as she stood behind a pair of drums. "Hmm…" Dawn Star pondered a bit, holding a guitar in her hoofs. "I..Is something wrong, Dawn-chan?" Timid asked as she move back a bit from a miniature piano. "You know..maybe he does have a point," the Alicorn filly said as she put the instrument down, "We've been playing for hours, and haven't found the right instruments that fit us." "Okay… well… how will we know which instruments fit us?" Applebloom asked as she put down a tambourine. "I do…" Dawn Star began before the 6 fillies' stomachs began to growl, "...Maybe we'll find out once we grab a bite to eat." "Sounds like a good idea, Sugarcube corner sound good?" Scootaloo suggested as she and the rest of the CMC put their instruments down. "I'm all set to go!" Quirky squealed in excitement, "Execute transition!" "Huh? What tra…" Scootaloo began. 'How does she do that?!' Scootaloo gawked as she and her friends were walking down the street, heading towards Sugarcube corner. "Here we are~!" Quirky smiled in a sing-song voice. "Neat. I hope there's a special going on. Because I'm really hun..huh?" Dawn Star began as she noticed somepony missing, "...Where's Sweetie Belle?" "What're ya'll talkin' about? she's ri..huh?" Applebloom blinked when she noticed that Sweetie Belle really wasn't there, "..She was right here a second ago." "That's weird…" Scootaloo noted, "Where'd she go?" "A..ano...I..I think I saw her st..stop at that corner we passed a few m-minutes ago," Timid spoke with a stutter, "I..It looked like she saw something she really liked." "Which corner?" Applebloom asked the shy filly. "Ano...r...right there," Timid replied as she pointed to a corner behind them. "..Ugh, I'll get her," Scootaloo sighed a bit as she headed back the otehrway before turning the corner, seeing Sweetie Belle staring at something, "There you are. What's teh hold up, Sweetie Belle? i thought you were…" Sweetie belle wasn't paying attention to the pegasus filly as she looked at the poster before her, stars in her eyes. "..Uh..Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo blinked as she waved a hoof in front of the unicorn filly's face, "You alright?" "Sh...she's coming here…" Sweetie Belle whispered, making Scootaloo blink. The pegasus filly then turned to see what Sweetie Belle was looking at. It was a poster of a shaded Mare with a long mane, and she was playing a cello as musical notes surrounded her. "...Who…" "Octavia..sh..she's coming here," Sweetie Belle whispered, her voice starting to rise in excitment. "..Who the hay is Octavia?" Scootaloo blinked, making Sweetie Belle freeze up before looking at her. "One of the greatest cellists of our time, and she's coming here to Ponyville!" Sweeite Belle exclaimed before looking back at the picture, "I really hope to meet her! I really do!" "..Uh..no offense Sweetie Belle, but I don't really care for that boring stuff," Scootaloo said, making Sweetie Belle freeze up once more. "..Excuse me?" "What? I heard that music before, and frankly, it's boring," Scootaloo replied, "Besides, I perfer to listen to the music of DJ- Pon3 when I can." "What?! ...How can you enjoy that kind of music?! It's so..so...loud!" Sweetie Belle snapped as she quickly turned to glare at Scootaloo, her voice sounding squeaky near the end. "Oh yeah! That's not how you acted when we performed our theme song during the talent show last year!" Scootaloo argued as she and Sweetie Belle butted heads. "That's because it wasn't loud! Then again, I tried to mute out your voice, because it was really scratchy, like your music!" "Well at least my music doesn't make ponies fall asleep!" "You take that back!" "Um…" a voice spoke as Dawn Star and the other CMC members poked their heads out from the corner, "Is everything alright?" "Scootaloo is insulting my taste in music!" Sweetie responded. "You're doing the same thing!" Scootaloo snapped before turning to Dawn Star, "Dawn, tell me what's better. DJ-PON3's music, or that boring music made by Octavia?!" "Her music is not boring!" Sweetie Belle snapped as the two butted heads once more, lightning crackling from between their eyes. "..Um..I don't know who either of those two are," Dawn Star sweatdropped. "...Did you two forget that she still has a case of amnesia?" Quirky and Applebloom reminded in unison. "JYNX!" Quirky giggled, "You owe me some cupcakes, Applebloom!" "A...ano...I don't think th-they heard you," Timid noted as she saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still glaring at each other. "Girls! Just chill out for now, okay?!" Applebloom shouted, getting between the two, who were still glaring at each other. "Not until she admits her music is boring!" Scootaloo snapped. "It is not boring! And You better admit your music is too loud and annoying!" Sweetie Belle argued. "Oh yeah?! Since we're on the subject of annoying, I can't stand it when your voice goes squeaky when you talk!" "At least I don't spend my entire life idoling one single Pegasus!" "Hey! You leave my sister out of this!" "ENOUGH!" Dawn Star yelled as she used her magic to hold the two back before they could attack each other, "Honestly, you're both acting like spoiled brats." "She started it!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shouted. "I don't care who started it! Just..please stop fighting, okay?!" "Not until she takes back what she said!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo yelled, pointing at each other. "Oh geez… we're never gonna get to eat at this point," Quirky whined. "H..hai.." Timid whimpered, her stomach rumbling. "Girls! Please stop! For Luna's sake, yer upsettin' Timid and Quirky!" Applebloom yelled at the two, managing to get the two fillies to shut up. "...On second thought..I think I'll hang out with my big sister instead. I don't want to hang out with miss boring squeaky here," Scootaloo scoffed. "Well I guess we finally agree on something. I'm going home as well," Sweetie Belle scoffed as well as she and Scootaloo went their separate ways. "...I thought Scootaloo didn't have a big sister," Quirky pointed out. "A..ano..Sh..she sees R-rainbow-san as a b-big sister, r..remember?" Timid reminded the dark-green filly. "...oh yeah! I forgot!" Quirky realized before giggling a bit as she bonked her head playfully, "Silly me." Timid could only sweatdrop at that. "...Ano… are we… going to eat, still?" Timid asked the remaining three fillies. "..I guess so…" Dawn sighed as the remaining fillies there walked back towards Sugarcube corner. "Stupid Sweetie Belle...calling my music annoying...she's annoying…" Scootaloo mumbled as she walked down the street. She was so busy muttering to herself that she didn't notice a certain mare in front of her, causing the filly to bump into her. "Ow! Hey! Wa...Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash blinked when she noticed the filly before helping her up, "You alright there? You really need to be careful when.." 'I'm fine…" Scootaloo replied, the frown still on her face. "...That look on your face says otherwise," Rainbow dash pointed out as she sat next to her 'little sister', "Mind talking to me about it?" "...Well…" Scootaloo began, not sure how to answer, "Me and Sweetie Belle got into a fight on music...she said my music was loud and annoying. Well she's wrong! DJ PON3's music isn't…!" "Wait wait..DJ PON3? You mean Vinyl Scratch, right?" "Yeah! Th..wait…" Scootaloo began as she looked up at her 'big sister', "How do you know her real name?" "Oh, well… I met her before and...well..i was going to…" "Yo Dash! What's the hold up?!" a voice spoke, catching Scootaloo's attention as she looked over Rainbow Dash's shoulder before her eyes widened. The pony in question was a white unicorn mare with a musical note for a Cutie Mark, a vibrant blue mane, and red eyes that were currently covered by a pair of black framed and purple lensed glasses. "V..V...V...V..." Scootaloo repeated, her form trembling in excitement. "I've been waitin' for ya so we can…" the mare began before noticing Scootaloo stare at her, "...Who's the kid?" "V...V..V..V..V…" "Well..remember that filly I mentioned that's my biggest fan, and I've kinda took her in as my little sis?" Rainbow Dash asked the white mare. "..Oh! You mean the one that also likes my music, right?" "Yep," Dash nodded as Scootaloo's smile grew really wide, her wings flapping really fast in excitment. "VINYL SCRATCH!" Scootaloo cheered as she flew high into the air before landing back down slowly, not noticing she was flying a bit, "Oh Celestia, this is the coolest day of my life!" "Um…" Vinyl began before whispering to Rainbow Dash, "Is she alright?" "It's alright. She tends to get a bit excited from time to time…" the cyan pegasus replied. "I see…." Vinyl noted before grinning a bit, "Still, nice to meet one of my fans." "And it is an HONOR to meet you, Vinyl!" Scootaloo grinned, "You aer one of the coolest ponies alive! Well..almost as cool as my 'big sis', but still awesome!" Vinyl couldn't help but chuckle at the filly's excitement. She's seen plenty of fans who acted nearly the same way before, so it wasn't new to her. Scootaloo was about to ask her something before her stomach began to rumble. "..Uh..Oops. I forgot I was hungry.."the pegasus filly chuckled in embarrassment. "C'mon. I'll get you something to eat," Dash told her. "Mind if I join ya?" Vinyl asked, holding a hoof over her stomach, "I can go for a quick bite." "Of course!" Scootaloo smiled excitedly. "Stupid Scootaloo...Octavia's music isn't boring…" Sweetie Belle grumbled as she walked into her and Rarity's home, "Rarity! I'm home!" "Welcome back, Sweetie Belle. Sorry I didn't say this sooner, but we have a guest," Rarity answered. "I don't care. I'm going to my room," Sweetie Belle frowned as she was about to head upstairs until her sister stepped in front of her. "Are you sure? I'm sure you'll love our guest," Rarity said to her little sister. "I said I don't ca-" "What if I told you she was Octavia?" "...D...did you just say...'Octavia'?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping she heard her sister right. "I did…" Rarity nodded before turning her head and calling into the next room, "Octavia, do you mind coming in here? My little sister would like to meet you." "Coming Rarity!" another voice responded as Sweetie Belle looked to see a grayish brown mare with a black mane, pink eyes, and a G clef Cutie Mark walk into the room. "...I..I'm not dreaming..aren't I?" Sweetie Belle asked her sister slowly. "Nope. It's really her," Rarity replied before looking at Octavia, "Apologies, but my little sister absolutely loves your music." "That's good to hear. It's hard to find younger minds who appreciate the classics," Octavia replied. 'Indeed. Youth these days would rather listen to that horrid music called 'rap'. Honestly, such language at times in those things," Rarity stated with a small huff. "Agreed,' Octavia nodded before looking at Sweetie Belle, "I am glad you appreciate classic music, young one." "Oh! Um..th..thank you, miss Octavia," Sweetie Belle stuttered, acting a bit like Timid at the moment. "There's no need to be shy, dear," Octavia smiled a bit, "I'm as normal as any other pony out there." "Y..ye…"Sweetie Belle began before her stomach rumbled, making her blush in embarresment, "..." "Don't worry, you two. I was just about to prepare lunch anyway," Rarity told them. "Actually, why don't I treat us to lunch?" Octavia offered, "It's the least I could do, especially for one of my fans." "..Well…" rarity began before she felt Sweetie Belle hug her leg, making her look down. "Please~?" Sweetie Belle begged, giving off the cutest face she could make. "Well…" Rarity began again as she turned to Octavia, "If you're sure dear...alright." "Excellent. I know the perfect place to go," Octavia nodded before giggling a bit, "To tell you the truth, I haven't been there since I was a filly. But the food they served there was absolutely delicious." "Yay!" Sweetie Belle smiled before they left the house. "..Is somethin' wrong, Dawn?" Applebloom asked the alicorn filly, who seemed to distracted to eat the cupcakes before her. "...I just can't help but feel like…" Dawn began before the front door to Sugarcube corner opened. "Hey! There's Scootaloo right now with Rainbow dash and…" Quirky began before she spotted a mare she didn't recognize, "...wait..who's she? I..feel like I've seen her somewhere." "No way… is that DJ PON-3?" Applebloom gawked. "Y..you know her, A..Applebloom-chan?" Timid asked. 'Yeah. Ah've heard a few of her songs with Scootaloo from time to time," the southern filly replied, "They're good, but Ah prefer listening to a bit of country from time to time." "I..i see…" Timid noted. "Man…" Vinyl began as she looked at her surroundings, "Being here sure brings back some memories from my childhood. Heh..it's also where I met Pinkie pie, and that mare can really party." "Yep. She's now the official Party Planner here in Ponyville, too," Dash added. 'Nice," Vinyl grinned before smelling the air, "Mmm~ Oh man, I missed the smell of those awesome cupcakes." "Yeah? Well maybe.." Rainbow Dash began before the front door opened once more. "Sugarcube corner? This is the place you mentioned?" Rarity blinked as she, Sweetie belle, and Octavia walked in. "Of course. This place was one of my favorite places to eat when I was a filly, especiialy with my old friend, V…" Octavia began. "Tavi? is that you?" Vinyl blinked, catching Octavia's attention. "Vinyl?" Octavia gawked, seeing the unicorn before her. "Aw snap! Tavi! long time no see!" Vinyl grinned as she walked over to the mare, "How've you been?" "I've been just fine, Vinyl. And how have you been?" Octavia asked. "Been doing good. Pretty good I might add," Vinyl replied. Sweetie Belle was abit confused as to how Octavia, her favorite musician, knew DJ PON3. However, that didn't last long as she noticed a certain pegasus filly, who spotted her as well. "YOU?!" both fillies snapped before glaring at eachother as they butted heads, "What're you doin here?! What am I do..stop that! Stop copying me! No! You stop copying me!" "Uh… are they okay?" Vinyl asked, confused. "I'm..not quite sure…" Octavia admitted as Rarity and Rainbow dash pulled their sisters away from each other before they could hit each other. "Would you two mind explaining what's going on?" Rarity demanded with a scolding frown. "I just saw a poster of Octavia coming to town today, then Scootaloo called Octavia's music boring, and..." Sweetie Belle started. "It is boring! You started it when you called Vinyl's music loud and annoying!" Scootaloo argued. "No, you did!" Sweetie snapped. "Oh dear… it sounds like us as fillies all over again," Octavia sighed. "Too true," Vinyl nodded before she and Octavia looked at the two, arguing fillies, "Okay you two, enough. There's no need to fight." "How do you know?! She insulted your music!" Sweetie and Scootaloo shouted in unison towards Octavia and Vinyl respectively. "While that is true, you shouldn't let a thing like that get between your friendship," Octavia stated to the two fillies, calming them down a bit. "We learned that the hard way," Vinyl added, "But we were able to mend that friendship, and while we don't see each other as much as we used to, we still value each other's friendship." "Agreed. So always treasure your friendship, and never let such petty things destroy it," Octavia finished with a small smile. "Oh…" the two fillies gawked before looking at each other apologetically. "Sweetie Belle...i'm...sorry for calling your favorite music boring…" Scootaloo apologized first. "Yea… and I'm… sorry… for calling yours loud and annoying," Sweetie apologized shortly after. "Yeah...so..we still friends?" Scootaloo asked hopefully. "Friends," Sweetie nodded as they shook hooves. Dawn Star let out a sigh of relief as she and the other CMC members watched nearby, the Alicorn filly happy to see their two friends making up. "Good to see you making up," Dawn smiled. "Yeah," Applebloom agreed. "H..hai.." Timid added. "Yippee!" Quirky smiled as Pinkie came down. "Hiya Vinyl! Hiya Tavi!" Pinkie waved. "Yo, Pinkie!" Vinyl waved. "You two just in time! The cupcakes are hot and ready to eat!" Pinkie beamed. "Perfect. Just how I like them," Octavia smiled as she, Vinyl, Dash, Rarity, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle joined the others. "They sure changed their mood rather quickly," Dash noted to Rarity. "Yeah. And I'm relieved," Dash noted as she took a bite of her cupcake, "Besides, getting in a argument about music is stupid...even though Scoots was right." "Yes wel-...excuse me?" Rarity paused as she looked at the cyan pegasus. "Kidding," Dash smiled with a laugh, "I had ya for second there, Rarity." "...Oh… ha ha… you sure did, Rainbow Dash," Rarity rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go eat already." "Yeah..now we can finally eat." "Ahh...de-licious," Quirky sighed in content as she laid back, her stomach bloated from all the cupcakes she ate. "...I'm..not sure how to react after what I just saw," Octavia gawked after she and Vinyl watched Quirky eat an entire tray of Cupcakes in one go. "She's a lot more like Pinkie than expected," Dash noted. "A...agreed," Rarity slowly agreed. "...Never knew a filly could eat so many cupcakes without getting a tummyache," Vinyl added, poking Quirky's bloated tummy a bit, "Still, mad props to her for doing that." "Oh thank...YOU!" Quirky belched loudly, blowing everypony's manes back, "...excuse me." "...Well… that's another thing with my mane I need to take care of," Rarity sighed. "Same here," Octavia agreed before she heard Vinyl snickering, "...What's so funny, Vinyl?" "I..I'm sorry Tavi but...you..you look so..so…" Vinyl began before she collapsed on the floor, laughing hysterically. "...What? How do I look?" "...Uh...miss Octavia? Whatever you do...don't look in a mirror," Dawn Star warned. 'Eh? Why? Is it that…" Octavia began before seeing her reflection in the window, "...KYAAA!" "...DAAAAAHAHAHAHA! Y..YOU JUST SAID 'KYA'!" Vinyl laughed loudly. "It isn't funny, Vinyl Scratch!" "It's hilarious!" "No it isn't!" Octavia snapped as she slammed her hoof on the table, unintentionally sending a cupcake flying into Vinyl's face, "...oh dear…" "Oh boy…" Dash gulped. "..." Vinyl remained silent before laughing a bit, "Okay, Tavi. You got me back for laughing at your mane. But..." she grinned as she began to use her magic to levitate a few cupcakes. "V..Vinyl?" Octavia slowly asked. "Of course you realize…" "..No. Don't you dare. Don't you even dare…" Octavia frowned, seeing where this was going. "This. Means. War!" Vinyl whooped as she pelted Octavia, along with the CMC, Dash, and Rarity, in cupcakes. "...That's it…" Octavia began as she wiped some cupcake off her face, "It..is..on, Vinyl Scratch!" "Uh oh," Vinyl gulped before flipping the table over and heading behind it just as Octavia grabbed a nearby pie and threw it at her, "Now Tavi, let's be reasonable!" 'The time for being reasonable is over, Vinyl Scratch! Now have at you!" Octavia snapped before grabbing some pies and tossed them at the white unicorn. "Now this is fun!" Pinkie giggled before getting hit with a stray pie, "..." "Oh no…" Rarity and Dash paled, knowing the grin that was slowly growing on Pinkie's face. "FOOD FIGHT!" Eventually, everypony left Sugarcube Corner, all having a friendly laugh while covered in cupcakes and pies. "Oh man..that. Was...Wicked!" Vinyl scratch laughed as she walked next to Octavia, "You nearly had me with that large barrage of cupcakes Tavi!" "Yes well...I kinda snapped a bit when you got my mane dirty with that chocolate cream pie…" Octavia admitted with a small chuckle. "You mean you aren't mad at each other anymore?" Scootaloo asked. "Kid..when we were fillies, me and Tavi got into fights like that from time to time..most of which were kinda started by me when I pranked Tavi a few times," Vinyl chuckled. "Yes...I remember that one you pulled on me, where you put hot sauce in my sandwich and I had to cool my mouth down with a pie since there was no water or milk available," Octavia stated. "Yea… that was a classic," Vinyl laughed, placing a hoof over Octavia. "Quite. But despite that, we're still best friends," Octavia smiled. "Oh yeah," Vinyl agreed, "We sure are." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo couldn't help but smile at that before looking at each other, still feeling a bit stupid for arguing with each other like that earlier today. "Now that we're full, we can finally get back to choosing our instruments!" Quirky beamed before looking at herself and the others, "...As soon as we clean ourselves off." "Maybe we can help you out," Octavia suggested, having overheard what she said. "Yea," Vinyl agreed, "We don't mind helping out the possible next generation of musicians." "Do you mean it?!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gawked in unison. "Eeyup/indeed," Vinyl and Octavia nodded. "...Sweetie Belle?" "Yeah Scootaloo?" "..I think I'm going to faint now…" "Ahh...me too…" "3… 2… 1…" Quirky counted, and with that, both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo collapsed on the ground, huge, excited grins on their faces, "And...there they go." "..Um...why don't we try tomorrow?" Octavia suggested. "Yeah. Things… kinda got hectic today," Vinyl added. "Sounds fair to me," Dawn shrugged, "We need to clean ourselves off anyway." "H...hai…" Timid nodded as Rainbow Dash and Rarity picked up the still unconscious Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "We'll meet up tomorrow then," Applebloom nodded, "Granted Ah can finish mah chores in time." "We can wait for you, Applebloom," Dawn reassured her. "Okay. Thanks," Applebloom smiled. The next day, Octavia and Vinyl arrived at the CMC clubhouse, the six fillies already having all the instruments ready while Mischief stood inside, covering his ears. "Alright young ones, let us see you play," Octavia said as she and Vinyl sat down. With that, Quirky started with a set of drums, followed up by Sweetie playing the mini piano, Applebloom with the trumpet, Timid with the ocarina, Scootaloo with the bass guitar, and Dawn with the regular guitar. "St...stop stop!" Vinyl yelled as she and Octavia held their ears. "Well? Was it good?" Quirky asked. "...Well…" Vinyl began as she nudged Octavia a bit, "You tell her, Tavi." "Well… you're… okay, but… what if we switched you girls around? Try out a different instrument," Octavia answered before looking at Timid Swallow, "Timid dear, why don't you try and pick up that tambourine over there?" "O...okay, Octavia-san," Timid nodded as she put the ocarina down and picked up the instrument Octavia mentioned. "Scootaloo, why don't you give Applebloom your instrument, and Dawn, give your instrument to Scootaloo," Octavia said, Scootaloo giving her bass guitar to Applebloom, and Dawn giving her guitar to Scootaloo, "Next…Sweetie belle, let Dawn Star play the piano. And Quirky…" "Yeah?" said filly spoke. "...You're fine with your instrument," Octavia replied as she looked at Vinyl, "Right." "Yeah. You were doing pretty good before the others...well… n-nevermind. You're pretty good on the drums kid," Vinyl stated. "Thanks!" Quirky beamed, making a 'squee' noise when she smiled. "Okay, let's try this again," Vinyl told the fillies until… "Wait!" Sweetie Belle spoke, catching the older mare's attention, "I don't have anything to play now!" "Oh...uh… sorry dear...hmm…" Octavia began to ponder a bit before an idea popped into her head, "Can you sing, dear?" 'Huh? Uh...yeah but…" Sweetie Began before blushing a bit in embarrassment, "I'm not sure I'm good enough… I only sing when I'm in the shower." "You sure about that Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo spoke, "I thought you were pretty good during Hearts and Hooves day last year when we were trying to find a special Somepony for Ms. Cheerilee." "R-Really?" Sweetie Belle blushed. "Yeah," Scootaloo nodded. "Ah agree. You can sing pretty good, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom added. "Really?! I wanna hear! I wanna hear!" Quirky smiled excitedly. "Ano… I… I'd like to hear too," Timid added with a small, shy smile. "I think it's unanimous at this point," Dawn noted. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but blush at the compliments she was given by her friends. "Well… we're waiting, dear," Octavia said, waiting for Sweetie Belle. "Uh… o-okay… can you girls please play something?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Sure…" Dawn nodded as she looked at the others, who got ready as well, "Okay… one… two… three…go." Thus, Quirky started on the drums, and the other fillies picked up their instruments, playing rather well and softly, and Sweetie Belle took a few deep breaths before she began to sing. "Tale as old as time… true as it can be…" "..." Mischief slowly raised his hands down as he began to listen to the melody. "Barely even friends… then somebody bends… unexpectedly…" Octavia and Vinyl slowly listened in as they watched. "Just a little change…" Sweetie continued to sing as the other fillie managed to play beautifully, and somehow sound like a full orchestra. '...d..dang..' Mischief thoughts as he listened to the calm, beautiful melody. "Small to say the least… both a little scared… neither one prepared… Beauty and the Beast." "P..please...stop right there.." Octavia said, holding back a few tears as the CMC did so, "Sweetie Belle..dear?" "Wh-What's wrong, Octavia… was I singing badly?" Sweetie Belle asked. "N...no..that...that was beautiful…" Octavia smiled, wiping a few tears away from her face. "Beautiful? No Tavi...that was...was...excuse me…" Vinyl said as she turned her head, using her magic to lift her glasses as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Vinyl, are you crying?" Octavia realized. "N...no. Just..have something in my eye is all," Vinyl denied as she put her glasses back on. "If you say so…" Octavia smiled a bit as she turned back towards Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie dear, you have a ton of potential...potential i haven't seen in somepony so young." "R..really? Y...you think I'm that good?" Sweetie Belle asked, a blush on her face. "Indeed. In fact…" Octavia began as she walked over to the unicorn filly, "There's an upcoming competition in Canterlot in a few months." "Wait...you mean that one competition where some judges decide which filly is the best singer?" Vinyl asked, making sure she heard her friend right. "Indeed," Octavia nodded as she turned back towards Sweetie Belle, "And I think young Sweetie Belle here can win it. That is… if she'd like to enter of course." "Y-You mean it?!" Sweetie Belle gawked, hoping she heard right. "Yes. Like i said, you have potential young one, and I don't want that to go to waste," Octavia stated, "I just need your sister's permission, and I can go and sign you up for it." Sweetie Belle didn't know how to react… Octavia, one of her idols, was not only praising her singing, but wanted to enter her in a competition in Canterlot as well. "Well? Are you going to do it, Sweetie Belle?" Dawn Star asked the unicorn filly. "Uh… well…" Sweetie Belle began nervously, "Well… yea…if you think I'm that good..." "..If you're still unsure dear, I won't rush you," Octavia said to the young filly as she got back up and walked back to Vinyl, looking back at Sweetie Belle over her shoulder, "I'll be in Ponyville for a few weeks, so when you've decided, come and let me know, okay?" "Oh… okay," Sweetie Belle nodded. "Good," Octavia nodded as she turned back to Vinyl, "Come on Vinyl, let's head back to your place." "Alright," Vinyl nodded as the two mares left, leaving the CMC by themselves. "Can you believe it?!" Quirky squealed as she pulled Sweetie Belle into a hug,"You just got complemented and recommended by your favorite musician, Sweetie Belle! Isn't that awesome?!" "Can't...breathe…" Sweetie Belle wheezed from how tight the hug was. "Huh? Oh! Heh heh... Oopsie," Quirky chuckled as she let the unicorn filly go, letting her catch her breath. "That's… better…" Sweetie Belle panted, catching her breath, "Y...y..yeah. It is kinda cool but…" "..What's wrong?" Applebloom asked. "A..are you okay, S..Sweetie Belle?" Timid asked, noticing the nervous look on Sweetie Belle's face. "...Well… I'm glad that Octavia praised my singing and wants to sign me up for a competition in Canterlot but...well…" Sweetie Belle began as she nervously rubbed her left front leg, "What if I mess up? I… I don't want to let her down…" "Relax, Sweetie. I'm sure you'll do great," Dawn Star reassured her friend, "I'm sure your sister would say the same thing if she heard you singing just now." "She's right," Applebloom nodded. "Yeah...in fact, if you do enter that competition, I bet you'll sweep them all away," Scootaloo added. "Exactly!" Quirky agreed. "H… hai… I… I'm sure you'll do really well, S..Sweetie-chan," Timid added with a smile. "..." "Like Octavia said, she'll be in town for a few weeks, so you'll have enough time to decide," Dawn Star said to her friend. "...You're right…" Sweetie Belle spoke as she looked up, "I still have enough time to decide." "Exactly. And who knows? Maybe you'll get your Cutie Mark during that competition as well," Dawn Star added. "...Yeah… maybe I might…" Sweetie Belle began to smile, not feeling so nervous, "Thanks girls, for cheering me up." "No problem. it's what friends do after all," Dawn Star smiled. "That's right," Quirky nodded before remembering something, "Oh! And I got just the way to help cheer you up more! Sugarcube Corner is currently making a fresh batch of carrot cupcakes with that delicious frosting we like! if we hurry now, we can get some just as they're taking them out of the oven!" "Oh yea! Let's hurry," Sweetie smiled before she and her friends left, hurrying to Sugarcube Corner to get those cupcakes. Inside the clubhouse, Mischief was quietly sobbing hysterically (which was kind of an odd combination) as he laid against the wall, blowing into a piece of tissue. "That singing… so beautiful… U...uwaaaaaggghhh!" Mischief cried before looking at the screen before turning back and hiding his face, "J...just end it already, okay?!" With that, the scene ended on Mischief with an iris out. Author's Note You like? Comment/review if ya possibly can. Also, apologies if the last few Author notes were a bit confusing. I was..half awake when I was writing them. Also, don't ask how the CMC playing their instruments made it sound like a full ochestra cause...well..MLP logic or something...still, I hope ya enjoyed the chapter Gem of the NightOver at the school, it seemed like a nice day, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders simply waiting for class to start. They had heard a new student was going to join the class today, and they were a bit excited about it. "I wonder what this new kid's gonna be like?" Scootaloo wondered. "Let's hope shes not like Diamond Tiara," Applebloom hoped, also slightly hoping said spoiled filly was sick today. But this was simply hopeful thinking, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trotted on in. "Well well, if it isn't the Blank Flanks. What're you six up to?" Tiara asked in her usual manner. "That's none of your business," Scootaloo frowned "Hey, did you know we're getting a new student today?" Silver Spoon asked Diamond Tiara. "I hope it's not another Blank Flank. I mean, seriously, it's like they're bugs or something, they keep on multiplying!" Diamond tiara laughed, making most of the CMC (minus Timid who slid down her seat to hide) glare at the spoiled filly. Scootaloo grimaced at that, and watched as Ms. Cherrlie was at the door, waiting around for the new student to walk in. "Good morning class." "Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee," the students greeted. "As you all know, we'll be getting a new student today," she informed her class as she turned to the door. After a few seconds, in walked a young pegasus filly, with her body being black, her mane and tail being violet and her eyes being a brilliant shade of blue, "Class, I'd like to introduce you all to Amethyst." The filly in question, looked fairly nervous as she gave a small wave, "Uh… hi…g...glad to meet you all." "So Amethyst, if you'd like, may you please tell the class where you're from?" Cheerilee asked. "...Canterlot," was her response, making most of the class gasp a bit in surprise, "I...I come from Canterlot." "Wow. And Ah thought Timid being from out of Equestria was cool," Applebloom giggled, making Timid whimper a bit, "Oops...sorry Timid…" "I...it's okay," the shy filly stuttered a bit. "Doesn't she remind you of her a bit?" Diamond whispered to Silver Spoon, gesturing to Timid Swallow. "Yeah..she kinda does," Silver Spoon whispered back before noticing the grin growing on her 'friend's' face, "..We're going to mess with her, aren't we?' "No… but I do have a better idea. but first, we need to see if she has her Cutie Mark," the spoiled filly whispered. '...Uh oh...if that meanie is grinning, it's never good,' Quirky thought, managing to see the grin on Diamond Tiara's face. During recess, Amethyst walked around, nervous, kinda like Timid would at times. Then, however, as she was walking along… (BAM!) "OMPH!" she grunted as somepony accidentally knocked her to the ground, and she got nervous. "Oh… no no no! I'm so so so sorry!" "It's okay," the filly she accidentally bumped into (which happened to be Scootaloo) replied as she got up and offered her hoof to her, "Need some help?" "Uh… t-t-thanks…" Amethyst replied, being helped up by Scootaloo, "I..I'm sorry for bumping into you." "It's cool. I'm Scootaloo," she introduced herself with a small smile, "I was just about to meet my friends real quick before we head back to class. Want to come meet them?" "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Orphan Flightless Blank Flank talking to the new kid," Diamond Tiara's voice chuckled, making Scootaloo frown. "...What do you want, Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo asked, not looking at the spoiled filly as she walked over to the two. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to talk to the new kid," she informed, using her tail to move Amethyst over. "So… let me tell you about some… special rules, new kid. Rule 1, all new ponies have gotta show their Cutie Mark. if they have one..." "A C-Cutie Mark? W-Well… um…" Amethyst stuttered, shying away from Diamond when Silver Spoon appeared behind her and knocked Amethyst down, showing that she did not have a Cutie Mark, 'Oh no...' "Oh look Diamond Tiara. She doesn't have a Cutie Mark," Silver Spoon said, pointing at the downed Amethyst, "You know what that means?" "Blank Flank, blank flank!" Diamond tiara laughed cruelly. This made Amethyst whimper, until Scootaloo stood in front of her defensively. "Leave her alone! She's new here, and you two are making it bad for her," the pegasus filly frowned at the spoiled fillies. But they all watched as Amethyst began to cry, rushing back to the classroom, "...You're unbelievable, you know that?" That night, Amethyst looked out her window and out to the stars, simply trying hard not to cry. "Why...why does nopony like me?" she whispered to herself, trying to wipe the still forming tears away from her eyes, "Everywhere I go, it's the same. Somepony hates me because I don't have my Cutie Mark…" She let her tears drip down for a moment, when she trotted out to get some water, and saw some ponies were working on painting the hallway, and it was during this, Amethyst got an idea. The next day, the CMC arrived at Sugarcube Corner to see something Quirky wanted to show them, and to discuss something about Amethyst. "Well, we're here Quirky. What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Scootaloo asked the dark green filly. "...I think I know," Dawn Star spoke, "It's about that new student, Amethyst. Right?" "Yeppers. After what meanie Diamond and Silver did yesterday, I got just the thing to cheer Amethyst up," Quirky nodded before pulling in something covered in a huge tarp, and she moved it to show a small chocolate cake, with frosting reading "Welcome to our school Amethyst", "Cake! Everypony loves cake after all, so this'll cheer Amethyst right up!" "Did someone say cake?! I heard cake!" Mischief's voice spoke as he poofed in, wearing a bib while holding a fork and knife before noticing the cake, "...CAKE!" "No Mischief," Timid scolded as she began to use The Stare on him, making Mischief stop in his tracks, "This cake is for our new student," "Oh… Ruby, was it?" "Amethyst," Timid corrected. "I would sure like some nice cakes" a random pony said, no one noticing Amethyst peeking in from the front door. "Okay… here I go," she muttered, as she trotted on in. "You sure she'll like it?" Applebloom asked. "What flavor is it?" Sweetie Belle added in curiosity. "Chocolate," Quirky answered. "I love chocolate cakes," Amethyst giggled, as she joined the six members of the Crusaders where they were sitting. "Say, aren't you Emerald?" Mischief asked. "Amethyst," Dawn Star corrected him. "Ahh...pleasure to meet ya, Sapphire," Mischief greeted, making the CMC and Amethyst sweatdrop a bit, the former who only now just realized what Mischief was. "A…d... dragon?" she asked nervously. "Yea… Is… there something wrong with that?" Dawn asked. "Oh… n-no… just asking." Amethyst responded, trying to calm down a bit. "...If my current form bothers you, I could turn into something else," Mischief offered as he changed into kitty, "Nya." "Aww… a kitty," Amethyst giggled before hearing the door open. "...Oh great, those meanies are here," Quirky frowned a bit when she saw Diamond Tiara and her 'friend' Silver Spoon walk in. "What're you doing here, Blank Flanks?" Diamond asked. "I...Isn't this a public place?" Timid Swallow asked. "Is it? …" Amethyst wondered before turning to the two school bullies, and with a bit of a smirk, showed them her flank, which now had a violet amethyst Cutie Mark. "Oh? you got your Cutie Mark already?" Diamond Tiara asked, a bit surprised. "Sure did," Amethyst smiled, "So… I'm no… y'know…" "...Wait...ho-woah!" Dawn Star yelped when the two bullies pushed her and Timid out of the way so they could sit next to Amethyst. "You know, you should, like, totally hang out with us," Silver Spoon smiled. "Yea. All of our names are gemstone names," Diamond Tiara added, "So what do ya say? Want to join us instead?" "Well…I..I'm not sure...I mean...y...you two were mean to me yesterday," Amethyst stated. "True, but that was before you got your Cutie mark," Silver Spoon added. 'Is that all they think makes a pony?' Dawn Star thought, frowning at the two bullies as she and Timid got up. "Uh… well…," Amethyst stuttered, not sure how to respond. "We'll let you hang out at my family's pool and you can order any food you want while we're here" Diamond offered. "Uh… well… sure, I'll hang out with you guys," Amethyst replied after pondering for a few moments. "Alrighty, let's get away from these Blank Flanks. They spread like wildfire," Diamond Tiara informed as she and Silver Spoon walked away, Amethyst following them.. "Hey… did any of you notice Amethyst's Cutie Mark looked a little… uneven?" Scootaloo asked. "You're probably just imagining things, Chickenwings. Ol' Diamond and Silver stole Gold from us," Mischief commented. "Huh?" Quirky blinked before she noticed the cake was gone, "..Ahh! those meanies ate the cake I made for Amethyst!" "Right… Diamond and Silver did it…" Mischief added, quickly licking some chocolate away from his face before anypony could notice. "I'm gonna go and see Twilight and ask her something," Scootaloo informed, slipping out from the seat and heading off. "I'll come with you," Dawn spoke as she followed her friend. "A pony with an uneven Cutie Mark?" Twilight blinked, confused as she went through her books. "There's this new filly in our class, Amethyst, and-" Scootaloo began, when Spike ran down the stairs. "Amethysts?! Where?! Where are the amethysts?!" Spike asked, drooling a bit. "Sorry Spike, it's the name of one of our classmates," Dawn Star informed, making the dragon slump. "Darn…" Spike sighed as he headed back upstairs. "She has a Cutie Mark… and it looks rather… uneven." "Uneven how?' Twilight asked. "The tips on the amethyst gems on her Cutie Mark don't match up. And I thought Cutie Marks were supposed to look just like each-other on a single pony's flank," Dawn Star informed. "I see…" Twilight noted, looking through all of the books she had on Cutie Marks as quick as she could, "There's nothing in any of these books about uneven Cutie Marks." 'You sure?" "I'm positive," Twilight replied. "Why don't we just ask her?" Dawn responded. "We can't get close to her now that she's hanging out with Diamond and Silver-" Scootaloo responded, when suddenly Spike tripped down the stairs, and when he landed, he looked like he was drenched in his drool. "WHERE?! Where are the diamonds and silver?!" "Again..we weren't talking about gems related stuff, Spike," Dawn stated to him, "Plus, silver is a type of metal. Not a type of gem." "Dang it," Spike sighed. "Are you enjoying yourself, Amethyst?" Diamond tiara asked the filly as they and Silver Spoon hanged out at her family's private pool. "Sure am," Amethyst responded, simply resting under the shade of an umbrella. "Why don't you dip into the pool?" Silver Spoon asked, as she and Diamond were in the water. "Uh… no thanks. I'm fine," Amethyst assured, relaxing. "Alrighty," Diamond Tiara shrugged. Back at the library the next day, Rainbow Dash trotted in through the front door. "Hi girls. I was just here to return a book," Dash replied, with a book under her wing. "Rainbow Dash… you've been to a lot of places… have you ever seen a pony with an uneven Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked. "Uneven Cutie Mark?" Dash gawked, a bit confused before thinking, "Well…there was this one pegasus claiming to have two Cutie marks, but she ended up being called a liar when it started raining and made her second Cutie mark vanished." "Wait… so… uneven Cutie Marks… are fake?" "Yep. That filly painted her second Cutie Mark on," Dash confirmed. "Umm… Ms. Dash… we need a favor… can you make it rain on someone?" Dawn Star requested. "No can do. Sides, we're due for rain in about an hour anyway." "Darn..thanks anyway Rainbow Dash," Dawn Star smiled when Scootaloo gasped. "Wait a minute! Wasn't Amethyst hanging out with Diamond and Silver? If they find out she has a fake Cutie Mark right in front of them…" Scootaloo began to realize. "...They'll no doubt mock her to no end," Dawn Star gasped before she looked at Twilight, "Sorry, but we gotta go!" "Huh?" Twilight blinked as Dawn Star and Scootaloo rushed out in a hurry. "...Am I missing something?" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but ask. "...Whatever it is, it went over my head, too," Twilight admitted. "...Should we follow them?" "...I guess. Let's get going," Twilight shrugged as she and Dash walked towards the door before accidentally getting stuck in the doorway a bit when they tried leaving at the same time, "...s...sorry." "I-It's okay," Dash replied, backing up so Twi could leave first, the alicorn and pegasus blushing a bit as they left to follow the two fillies, 'Wait..why am I blushing, especially around Twilight?...n..nevermind..it's probably nothing.' "Wonder where they are now?" Dawn Star pondered as she and Scootaloo looked around for Amethyst and the two bullies. "There they are!" Scootaloo pointed out, seeing said fillies not too far away from their current position, "Amethyst!" "Hmm?" the pegasus filly blinked as she turned to see Dawn Star and Scootaloo run towards her. "Aw great..it's two of the Blank Flanks," diamond tiara rolled her eyes in a bit of annoyance before giving a scowl towards them, "What do you two want?" Before any response could be given, a raincloud rolled over them, and a few spots around Ponyville, and then it began to rain and pour, with Amethyst panicking. "What's wrong, Amethyst?" Silver asked, confused by her panicking. "N..nothing!" Amethyst yelped as she tried to use her wings to hide her 'Cutie Mark', 'oh no oh no oh no..oh Celestia and Luna no! Please not now!' "I've never seen anypony act this panicky over a little rain before," Diamond noted before frowning at Amethyst, "You're hiding something, aren't you?" "What's happening?" Dash wondered, hiding from above a cloud with Twilight. "I don't know..but if anything happens, we'll step in," Twilight told her friend. "N-No. I'm not hiding anything," Amethyst insisted, backing away from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She then tripped on something, and it showed them what she didn't want them to see: her Cutie Mark was only painted on, which was obvious now as the paint was dripping off due to the rain, "Oh...Oh horsefeathers…" "Wait a minute...you were faking it!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making Amethyst flinch. "Uh oh," Scootaloo and Dawn gulped. "I..i'm sorry! I..I just wanted some friends and.." Amethyst began. "Shut up! Ugh! I can't believe we hung out with a stupid Blank flank!" Diamond Tiara snapped before looking at her 'friend', "Right?!" "Yea! Blank Flank," Silver Spoon added, as they both began to chant "Blank Flank" over and over again, and then Amethyst started to tear up, before flat out crying, curling up into a ball. "...I've had enough of this," Twilight frowned, about to leave her hiding spot until. "That's...it!" Dawn Star snapped as she glared at Diamond Tiara and stomped over to her, having finally had enough of her attitude "You are nothing but a bully who gets a kick out of tormenting others! Ms. Cheerilee teaches us to be kind to one another, not talk nasty to ponies who don't have their Cutie Marks yet! In fact, I bet your 'friend' Silver Spoon is scared to hang out with you because you threaten ponies by having your father 'sue' their parents and get them kicked out of their home!" "Uh…" Scootaloo gawked at Dawn's sudden change in attitude while Diamond and Silver were scared, but Scootaloo then noticed something, Amethyst was running off, crying, "Amethyst, wait!" "...You're lucky this time," Dawn frowned at the spoiled filly as she and Scootaloo chased after Amethyst, leaving Diamond and Silver alone. "...Sh...she had to be lying...no way are you scared of me, right Silver Spoon?" Diamond Tiara asked her 'friend'." "..." "Right?" Diamond asked again in a stern tone. "R...right! She's wrong," Silver Spoon nodded slowly. "..I thought so," Diamond Tiara smirked as she began to leave, Silver Spoon slowly following behind her. Meanwhile, Amethyst was curled up on the ground, crying as she hid underneath a tree to stay out of the rain, but when she saw Scootaloo and Dawn Star trying to catch up with her, Amethyst simply continued to run, but unfortunately, she was running right in the direction of the Everfree Forest before she ended up tripping right in front of the entrance, covering her in mud. "Why… why do I have to be all alone…" Amethyst whimpered as she got up and resumed running, not caring where she was running to. "Rainbow Dash, she ran into the Everfree Forest!" Scootaloo shouted, knowing full well that Rainbow Dash and Twilight were following them. "Not good...the Everfree forest is dangerous when it's raining," Rainbow dash paled a bit. "...Why's that?" Dawn Star asked. "The Everfree Forest is said to be the most dangerous place in Equestria, having a lot of dangerous creatures here from Timberwolves to…" Twilight began until a loud roar filled the air, making Twilight and Rainbow dash pale more ,"..Dragons." "D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DRAGONS?!" "Yes...we need to hurry and find her," Twilight stated as she looked at the two fillies, "You two head back to my place. Me and Rainbow Dash will find her." "Right," the two fillies gulped, knowing how dangerous full grown dragons are. "...Mom… Dad… I miss you so much…" Amethyst whimpered, cowering behind a tree deep in the forest. However, she froze up when she heard a loud roar. "Oh please Luna no..no…" Amethyst gulped as she looked up, paling when she saw a large, aqua-marine scaled dragon flying overhead, "D… d... dragon…" She cowered even more, huddling close to the tree, hoping the dragon wouldn't see her. 'S..Somepony...p..please...help me...help...me...' she thought in pure fear, her body shaking before freezing up when the dragon landed near her position. She started to back up a bit, before crying out in fear. "HELP! SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HELP ME!" Amethyst screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing throughout the forest, not only catching the dragon's attention, but also the two flying ponies above. Then in came Rainbow Dash and Twilight, who knocked the dragon away from Amethyst. The dragon shook it's head, getting rid of it's small headache as it began to fly away, upset that it couldn't eat at the moment. "You okay?" Twilight asked. "...Princess Twilight…" Amethyst gawked. "Help… please… I'm horrified of dragons…" "Why?" Years ago, Amethyst who was just a little bit older then an infant, was being carried through a forest similar to the Everfree, and it was raining at the moment. "Come on, we need to get out of here," Amethyst's mom, a black pegasus with teal eyes, a blue mane, and a map with an 'X' on it, for a Cutie Mark, told another pegasus, a white stallion with a purple mane, red eyes, and a Cutie Mark with a design of a treasure chest. "We managed to get the Dragon's Amethyst… so now we need to get out of this stupid forest." "I know Luka," the stallion informed until a large black dragon landed before the two, baring its teeth as it was hungry for pony meat. The two pegasi tried to fly away, but the dragon slashed at their wings, causing them to plummet down, with Luka just barely able to keep their daughter from being hurt, while the stallion caught the Dragon's Amethyst which was a large amethyst that looked like a dragon's scale. It wasn't long, though, before the dragon was able to catch up with the two injured pegasi. Having barely any strength left, the male pegasus looked at Luka before looking down at the filly she was carrying. "...I'll distract it..you get our daughter to a safe place," he told Luka, trying his best to hold back his tears, knowing this'll be the last he'll see them. "Marvelous… don't be insane! You'll die, and we'll lose the Dragon's Amethyst!" Luka responded. "I'd rather die and lose the gem, then let you and our baby girl die!" the stallion, Marvelous, responded. "...Amethyst… that sounds… lovely… I know what to name our daughter… Amethyst," "..Marvelous…" Luka whispered, holding her tears back as Marvelous galloped away from them, getting the dragons attention as it gave chase, allowing the mare to get away, despite her injuries. Marvelous stayed, trying to hold it off, despite his injuries, however, he was hit by a heavy tail smack, which caused some bones in his chest to shatter, and blood began to drip from injures. "Have… a happy life… Amethyst…" Marvelous muttered with his final breath, a small dying smile on his face. Over with Luka, her stamina was almost completely spent as she collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. 'I...I'm almost to Canterlot...m..maybe the princess...' she couldn't finish her thought as the sound of the dragon's roar filled the air once more, 'No… not now...' She looked down to her daughter, and the Dragon's Amethyst, having only enough energy to carry one to safety. And so, wanting to make sure her daughter stayed safe, she dropped the Dragon's Amethyst, and carried her daughter the rest of the way, using what stamina and strength she had left, She had just barely managed to get to the town's gates, when the dragon attacked her. "Gaah!" Luka cried out, the dragon's talon having crushed her lower half as it looked at her with a hungry gaze, "S...Somepony please…." she hugged her daughter tight as the dragon began to open its mouth, "Help…" As she hugged her daughter, who was crying louder than ever, a blast of magic was sent out, attacking the dragon, getting it off of Luka, but this is the last that Amethyst could remember clearly. "Both my parents died to a dragon… they're so scary…" Amethyst whimpered, her entire body shaking as she unintentionally hugged Twilight tight. "Don't worry… things will be okay…" Twilight tried to assure, when the dragon came back and smacked Dash into Twilight, causing them to fly into a nearby tree, both were injured, but still alive. "PRINCESS!" Amethyst shouted in fear. She then reached for something, a bell attached to a blue string, and the bell had a crescent moon on it. she then shook the bell, and it's ringing echoed out, 'Please… get here in time princess...' After a few seconds, the dragon had gotten closer to the poor filly when it was pelted by magical bolts, and to most everypony's surprise, Princess Luna showed up. "Princess… Luna…" Twilight gasped weakly, trying her best to stay awake.. Princess Luna glanced over to them, and did a small healing spell on her and Dash, before turning her attention back to the dragon. "How DARE you?! Thoust DARE to try and harm MY pupil?! She has gone through enough trouble with thy kind in the past, but now ye would dare to scar her more?!" The Dragon gave a growl in response as it glared at the moon princess/goddess. She then fired of a powerful energy blast at the dragon, forcing it back away even further. "I willst say this only once. Leave my pupil alone, and thoust shall not suffer no more of thy wrath!" Luna shouted again. The dragon gave a low growl as it turned around and began to fly away. "Princess…" Amethyst whispered just as Luna turned her gaze to the filly. "Amethyst," Luna responded, flying down quickly to the young pegasus' side, "Are you alright? You are unhurt?" "Y… yes…" "Thank goodness," Luna smiled, holding the young filly close as Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew over. "Princess Luna… how do you know her?" "She's… my mommy," Amethyst responded, making both Dash and Twilight gawk. "But, you just told us both your parents are dead!" Dash informed. "Adoptive mother," Princess Luna informed. "...Oh…" the two mares nodded. "Aye… you see… two years ago, after you and your friends freed me from the control of Nightmare Moon… I tried to relearn everything that has been going on over the years… months after…" Luna paused as she looked down at Amethyst, who lost consciousness as she was completely exhausted now, "I had found her and her mother, who was beneath a dragon's talons. I had managed to push the dragon back… but… I was too late to save her mother… with her last words… she told me something." "What was that?" Twilight asked. "'Please… look after my daughter…' those were her last words," Luna informed, small tears forming in her eyes, "I wish I was able to save her… as I feel unfit to have her as a daughter… but…" she then looked at the sleeping filly, "I simply could not leaveth this poor filly all alone…" "Wow…" Twilight smiled. "Are you sure she's not your child by blood? You two actually look alike," Dash commented. "I sometimes get that when I'm near her, yes," Luna replied, "But...sadly, I do not have anypony special…" 'Not since...Silent Night...' "You said… she's your pupil?" Twilight asked, a bit confused still. "...While I care for her as a daughter… I decided to take her in as my pupil… just as my sister took you in… Princess Twilight," Luna explained, seeing Amethyst was too tired to stay awake and listen to that part of the conversation. "But please… do not telleth her this…" "...Don't worry..I won't," Twilight replied with a small, reassuring smile. Luna just smiled in response, giving her sister's pupil a small pat. "Rainbow Dash has a point, she does look a lot like you… but… have you told her about her parent's passing?" "She remembers it as clearth as day…I have not ever toldeth her," Luna informed, "Haveth you received my note?" "...What note?" Twilight inquired. "...I'm starting to get worried," Dawn noted as she and the rest of the CMC met up and were waiting inside the library part of Twilight's castle, Mischief resting nearby...while floating on the air. Soon, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, and the still asleep Amethyst arrived. "Princess Luna!" all of the Crusaders gawked. "And Crystal!" Mischief added. "Amethyst!" the Crusaders corrected. "That's what I said! Emerald!" "Her name is...ugh..I give up," Dawn Star sighed. "Is Amethyst alright?! We've been soooooooooooo worried about her!" Quirky responded. "My pupil is simply asleep," Princess Luna assured. "Your… pupil?!" Dawn Star gawked. "It's a long story. I'll explain later," Luna informed, before she glanced over to Mischief, "He is… the son of Discord, correctth?" "Thou are correct, princess moonbutt," Mischief grinned, making Luna frown a bit in annoyance. "...I can see a bit of his father in him," the moon princess grumbled a bit, "Please… try and keep him away from my pupil… she is terrified of dragons," "She said she wasn't," Scootaloo informed. "Twas all a bluff. Her… parents were killed by dragons… so she hasth an innate fear of the beasts, so… don't look like a dragon around her…" Luna told Mischief, before turning to Twilight, "And be sure to tell thy assistant to be careful when she's in the room." "Got it," Twilight nodded. "Hey Twilight!" Spike called as he entered the room, "I'm glad I found you. You got a message from Princess…" he paused when he saw the Moon Princess in the room, "..Luna…" "She told me… why did you forget to give it to me?" "...I dunno," Spike shrugged. Twilight simply rolled her eyes and used her magic to levitate the letter into the air. "'Dear Princess Twilight, I have a request for you. I have sendeth my daughter/pupil, Amethyst, to Ponyville, to study with you. Seeing how she has no friends there, I wish for you to mentor her, and possibly live with you and young Dawn Star so thoust can teacheth her the magic of friendship. I hope you can make her a great mentor to her princess. Signed: Luna, the Princess of the Night.' So… now I have my hooves full with more than one apprentice…" "But we can help you," Scootaloo assured. "Thanks girls… but," Twilight began. "Excuseth me but...what did thou mean by having thy hooves full?" Luna asked. "...Didn't Celestia tell you that I have Trixie as my apprentice?" Twilight asked back. '..I hate it when sister forgets to tell me these things,' Luna thought with a small frown, "...I knoweth it may be a hassle…but…I must insist. Will you please be her mentor, too?" "...Sure," Twilight smiled, as Luna moved Amethyst into her hooves. "She's so precious… don't worry Princess Luna, I won't let you down with this task." "I thank thee Princess Twilight," Luna nodded with a smile of her own, looking at her sleeping daughter, "I know you'll do a good job teaching her." "Ugh...finally, Trixie's home!" Trixie groaned as she walked over to the entrance of Twilight's home/castle/library, "That is the last time Trixie tries and do an audition at Applewood." Thus, Trixie opened the door, and while she half-expected Dawn Star to be there, she was confused when she saw a black pegasus filly (Amethyst) helping the young alicorn put away the books. "So Dawn Star… we're friends, right?" Amethyst inquired. "Yes we are, Amethyst," the Alicorn filly reassured her with a smile, "So, if Diamond Tiara tries anything, don't worry. Me and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders will keep you safe from her." "...Thank you… thank you so… so much…" Amethyst smiled, a few tears starting to form in her eyes, as she hugged her friend. "...The Great and slightly confused Trixie demands to know who this pegasus is!" Trixie shouted, getting Dawn Star's attention. "Oh… this is Princess Luna's pupil and adoptive daughter Amethyst," Dawn explained. "...I see…" Trixie noted slowly as she walked past the fillies, "If anypony needs Trixie, she'll be in her room…" "...I..Is she alright?" Amethyst couldn't help but ask once Trixie left for her room upstairs. "...it's hard to tell sometimes," Dawn Star informed before Mischief poofed in, taking on the appearance of an owl. "You'll no doubt find out in 5...4...3...2...1…" Mischief began before a loud, muffled scream was heard from Trixie's room, "There it is." "Do I even want to know how that owl is talking…?" Amethyst asked Dawn Star. "Trust me...you don't," Dawn sighed a bit. Later, at Sugarcube Corner, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were all having ice cream, provided by Pinkie Pie of course...especially considering the bowl the ice cream came in was huge. "Is there cotton candy or chocolate? Those are my favorite flavors," Amethyst spoke. "Yep. Just look right here," Pinkie smiled, pointing to a small pile of chocolate ice cream in the bowl alongside some cotton candy flavored ice cream, "Gotta be prepared for all tastes, after all." "Thank you," Amethyst smiled until... "Oh look. If it ain't the Blanks Flanks plus one," a certain spoiled filly spoke as the CMC turned to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (who appeared to be pondering about something) entered. "Oh geez… not now, Diamond," Scootaloo groaned. "Yeah. You caused a lot of trouble yesterday," Sweetie Belle added with a frown. "Can you please leave us alone? I want to enjoy my ice cream…" Amethyst told them. "You mean, you all leave us alone, so we can enjoy OUR ice cream!" Diamond Tiara chuckled, pushing the seven out of their seat. "Are you serious?" Applebloom frowned as she glared at the spoiled filly, "After everything ya'll did yesterday, you still torment us?!" "Of course. You're nothing but Blank Flanks after all, Right Silver Spoon?" "..." "Right?" "Huh? Oh yeah...right," Silver Spoon nodded until... "Okay, that's it!" Dawn snapped, using her magic to fling the two spoiled fillies right out the door. "...Dawn?" Amethyst asked. "Those two just annoy me…especially Diamond Tiara," Dawn sighed as the seven got back into their seat, "I'm sorry you had to see that, Amethyst." "It's okay…" Amethyst assured. "So… Diamond Tiara told me you six are a group, what's the purpose of the group?" "Oh… ano… well..." Timid began shyly, "W… we… we go out and t-try to get our Cutie Marks, A… Amethyst-chan." "Really? Uh… can I join you girls?" "...Ah don't see why not," Applebloom replied with a smile. "Yeah. We could use more members," Sweetie Belle added, her voice squeaky a bit at the beginning. "Thank you… thank you so much!" Amethyst smiled, pulling her new found friends into a hug. "You're welcome, Amethyst," Scootaloo replied. "Yeah. We're…" Quirky began before gasping loudly, "You know what this calls for?!" "W… what?" Amethyst blinked. "A party!" "Did somepony say a party?" Pinkie asked, immediately in the room after hearing the dark green filly utter the word 'party'. "Yep. That'd be me. It's time for a new member induction patry!" "Yipee!" Pinkie beamed. "Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Scootaloo smiled. "I'm happy to join," Amethyst responded happily. And for the rest of the day, the CMC and their new friend Amethyst celebrated the party Quirky and Pinkie threw in the filly's name, Amethyst really enjoying herself as she happy. Happy she had some real friends to celebrate with. Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya possibly can. Also, the new filly shown here, Amethyst, belongs to Pikatwig, who at this point helped write this, and the chapters that'll soon come after. Heart of Gold pt 2After Dash and Scootaloo's party, the young filly was in her bedroom with Dash sitting by the door as a guard. "Come on D… er, mom. you don't have to stand guard like that," Scootaloo groaned before Rainbow Dash gave her an even glare. "Sorry Scoots, but you're still in big trouble," The rainbow-maned Pegasus stated. "...I don't like being stared at…" Scootaloo whimpered, hiding under her pillow. "...Sorry," Rainbow apologized as she turned around, "Look, I like to be as reckless as much as the next mare, but since you're my daughter now, I have to start being responsible, which is why you're grounded for what you did yesterday." "But…." "No buts… you're going to be staying here for another two hours kid, so, I'm not moving from this spot," Dash told Scootaloo. "...ugh… fine," Scootaloo sighed in defeat. "But… you won't be staring at me… right?" "I promise I won't." Scootaloo then came out from under her pillow and simply remained on her bed. "...You know I wouldn't have made that choice without feeling like I… lost you forever. That dumb prank just went so far out of hoof… I just felt like I was all alone… I thought I heard my parents' voices saying 'come join us dear'..." Scootaloo told Dash. "..Scoots…" Rainbow Dash began as she walked over and hugged the filly, "I promise you I won't leave you… even if anything changes, I'll always care for you." "Thank you…" 'Hmm...what to do...what to do?' Mischief mentally pondered, taking the form of a fish as he spied on Fluttershy taking care of her animals. "There you go, Ms. fox," Fluttershy smiled as she finished wrapping up a female fox' left leg, "Be sure to be careful next time when you go out to get some food. You don't want to break your leg again after all." The fox smiled before walking off, Fluttershy simply giggled before seeing a hawk flying through the sky. "...Silver Hawk-kun…" the shy pegasus whispered to herself, a blush forming on her face. Ever since that night she and Timid's brother shared that special fruit, Silver Hawk was always on her mind. She liked it whenever he brought timid to visit. She really liked both of them seeing timid like a little sister and Silver...she was afraid to admit it but.... "I...I wish I could spend time with him…even for just one day…" "Wish?" a voice spoke before Mischief appeared before her, the dragon wearing a turban and his face painted a light neon green, "Did you say wish?" "Who are you?" "I am a wish granter, my dear… so, what is your wish?" "M...my wish…" Fluttershy gawked. "I wish… that I could spend time with my crush, Silver Hawk. In a way, I wouldn't act so shy, and he wouldn't know it was me…" Mischief gave a small chuckle, before taking out the gold dust he used on Rainbow, Twilight and Scootaloo earlier. "You're wish…" he began before blowing the dust onto her, making her cough a bit, "Shall be granted my dear." Fluttershy continued to cough a bit, not noticing her body beginning to change as she begun to shrink a bit. Mischief watched with a mischievous grin as he watched the shy pegasus transform in front of him. It was a bit of a rainy day, with Timid and her brother looking at the night sky. "Mou…I heard today's rain was going to be harsh, but I didn't think it was going to be like this," Silver Hawk noted before thunder rumbled outside, making Timid yelp as she ran behind her brother. "That was scary..." Timid whimpered before she heard something outside. She then peeked from behind her brother and saw something moving around outside in the rain. "...what is it, Ti..." Silver Hawk began before Timid Swallow ran outside, "Ahh! Matte, Timid!" he yelped as he ran after his little sister. Timid ignored the rain as she looked around before she spotted a small yellow kitty with a bit of her head fur a pale rose, the cat shivering a bit as she hid underneath a box. "Aww…K-kawaii…" Timid giggled before motioning for the cat to move closer to her, "It's okay kitty. I won't hurt you." The cat stared at Timid for a few moments before it slowly began to move towards her. It was about to touch timid until… "Oi, Timid!" Silver Hawk's voice shouted, startling the cat as it hid under timid just as said filly's brother came, "What were you thinking running off like that?" "G… gomen onii-chan… d… demo…" timid began as she moved a bit, revealing the cat she found, "I..I found this kitty..sh..she looks like she's cold and scared." The cat smiled at Timid and her brother before it slowly walked towards Silver Hawk and affectionately rubbed against his leg, purring a bit. "I..it looks like she likes you, Onii-chan," Timid noted with a soft smile before the sound of thunder filled the air once more, scaring Timid and the cat before they ran under Silver Hawk for safety. "Come on… bring the cat in," Silver Hawk sighed before giving the cat a small smile, "We don't want you or her to catch a cold after all." "D..Don't' worry Peach-chan..w..we'll get you dried off," Timid said to the cat as she and her brother helped it inside. "..Peach?" Silver Hawk repeated as he looked at his little sister. "I always liked the name. Plus…" Timid began as she looked at the small bit of pale rose pink in the cat's head fur, "That pink part r..reminds me of peaches." "I see…" Silver Hawk noted, "Okay… Peach it is." The cat gave a small meow as she began to affectionately rub against Timid and Silver, purring. "..A..ano..I'll go get a towel to help dry Peach-chan off," Timid offered as she ran up stairs to get one. "Guess that leaves you and me… little Peach-chan," Silver hawk chuckled a bit before Peach shot up and gave him a small lick on the cheek, "H-hey, cut it out. I like you too, Peach-chan." "Can we keep Peach? Please Onii-chan?" Timid begged as Peach rested on the couch nearby, laying on one of the couch cushions. "I don't know Timid… she probably belongs to someone," Silver Hawk said "I...I already checked…N-nopony seems to know about her," Timid replied. "I see…" "Pwease Onii-chan?" Timid begged, giving an irresistible sad eye look. "...Okay...But like Yuki, she's your responsibility," Silver Hawk told his little sister, "Okay?" "YES!" Timid giggled happily as she hugged her older brother, "Arigatou, Onii-chan!" "This little neko seems to like us," Silver Hawk admitted as the cat walked over and curled up by him, "Especially me with how affectionate she is around me." "Hai," Timid smiled a bit before gasping a bit, "Oh! I should introduce Yuki-chan to her!" Silver Hawk couldn't help but smile a bit as Timid ran up to her room to get the small kit. He knew timid liked animals, especially when she went up to visit the vet her grandmother worked at back in Neighpon. =the next morning= "Ano… g..good morning minna,' Timid greeted her friends as they were at the clubhouse as usual. "Morning Timid," Sweetie belle greeted before she noticed something move in Timid Swallow's bag, "...Did you bring Yuki today?" "N… no… I wanted to introduce you to m-my new pet,' Timid replied as she opened the bag up, letting Peach poke her head out, "M… minna, m-meet Peach an..." "Kitty!" Quirky beamed as she was immediately in front of Peach, "Aww~! She's just soooooooo cute!" "And I thought all cats were like Opal," Sweetie admitted. "Eh? What do you mean?" Dawn Star couldn't help but ask. "My sister's cat is kinda...lazy and a bit stuck up," Sweetie informed before Dawn Star began to sneeze ,"..are you okay?" "I'm fine. I…" Dawn began before she sneezed again. "Ya allergic' to cats?" Applebloom asked. "I..I do-achoo!-think so!" Dawn Star sneezed before she began to sneeze repeatedly, making her unconsciously teleport all over the clubhouse. "O..oh my," Timid gasped as she and the others watched Dawn sneeze up a storm, "G..gomen, Dawn-chan! I..I didn't know!" "I didn't either…" Dawn replied with a stuffy nose, her eyes red from the allergy," Timid..I thi..thi..thi…" "Uh oh.." Scootaloo paled a bit. "ACHOO!" Dawn Sneezed, making a small explosion inside the clubhouse as it lifted off the tree for a second. "S...sorry girls…" Dawn Apologized, everypony completely covered in soot. "No…*cough*... problem," Quirky wheezed, coughing up a bit of smoke. "...I...I'll get Peach outta here," Timid assured as she put Peach back in her bag," Y..you should go home and r-rest, Dawn-chan." "Good-sniff!-idea," Dawn sniffled. "Just be careful and not sneeze on any of us," Quirky said, making the other sweatdrop a bit, "..what?" "Quirky...you can't catch a cold from someone who has allergies," Amethyst stated to the dark green filly. "You can't?" Quirky blinked, making Amethyst face hoof. Thus, Timid headed home and up to her room, leaving Peach on the couch. The cat couldn't help but give a sad meow, feeling she ruined today for Timid as she laid down on the couch. She was about to go to sleep before her ears perked up, hearing somepony walk into the room. "Oi, Timid! Was that you?" Silver Hawk called as he walked in from the kitchen, "...Huh…I guess she decided to come home early." Peach just mowed happily at the sight of Silver Hawk before going over and cuddling up by him. "...Heh heh…Glad to see you to, Peach-chan," Silver Hawk smiled a bit as he saw the cat rub against his leg. He then began to sit down on the couch before Peach was back on it and laid next to him, rubbing her head against his body, "..You're a really sweet girl, aren't you?" Peach just meowed happily. "Peach-chan…I hope you don't feel bad about what happened, because there's something I want to do with you up in my room," Timid giggled as she poked her head in from upstairs. "...She'll join you in a bit, Timid," Silver Hawk replied as she looked down at the cat, "I think she wants to lay with me for a bit." "...O… okay, Onii-chan" Timid nodded as she went back upstairs. Peach gave a small meow as she rubbed her head against Silver's body once more, purring. "...You really are a sweet girl… kinda like somepony I know…" Silver Hawk noted, making Peach's ear perk up, "Peach-chan? Can you keep a secret?" Peach gave a nod and smiled a tiny bit. "...Wel…" Silver Hawk began as a blush formed on his muzzle, "Th… there's somepony I really like… somepony who's really sweet… kind and helpful… Timid really likes her too. In fact, Timid sees her like a big sister of sorts… a… also..." he paused as the blush on his muzzle increased, "Sh… she's really pretty…" Peach stayed quiet as she listened to him, fairly interested. "...I get this feeling that she's also from Neighpon," Silver Hawk added, catching Peach's attention more, "She's… really kind and caring… and somepony I hope would be my very special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day…" He then sighed a bit, "Too bad it turned into that whole fiasco that it did." Peach's ears dropped a bit, somehow feeling sad about what he sad. "But...I hope next time is better...because...I…" Silver Hawk paused as he blushed once more, "I can't get her out of my mind ever since that night we shared that special fruit together…her mane…those eyes…her voice... I… I guess what Kaa-san says is true… there really is love at first sight…" "...Meow?" Peach's blinked as she looked up at him. "Yea… b… because I… I love her...demo…" he paused before sighing sadly a bit, "I..I don't think she feels the same way I do about her… F..Fluttershy-san..." Peach's ears perked way up as a sudden blush formed on her face. "Don't tell anyone I said that… now, why don't you go up and play with Timid?" Silver Hawk told Peach. Peach didn't reply as she quickly got off the couch and ran upstairs, Silver not noticing the blush on the cat's face. "Glad to have you in here Peach-chan," Timid giggled as Peach walked inside the shy filly's room, "There's something I always wanted to do with a pet, but Yuki doesn't let me do it with her." Peach's tilted her head in confusion a bit, wondering what Timid Swallow meant by that. The filly trotted over and wore a small outfit akin to one of the heroines that Peach saw on her mangas. It resembled a Japanese Schoolgirl outfit, but was different. It was mostly colored white with the skirt blue, and the ribbon on the front a bright red with what looked like a locket in the middle. "I've always wanted to dress up a pet in this outfit… my favorite super hero manga, Mahou Senshi Sailor Moon!" Timid giggled when from nearby, Yuki hid under the bed, "I wanna dress you up in it Peach-chan." "..Meow?" "Don't worry Peach-chan. You'll like it," Timid giggled. Peach gave a small smile before Timid trotted over and got to work putting Peach into a Sailor Chibi-Moon suit. "There! Now we can fight together as Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon!" Timid beamed. Whenever she does this, she can't help but feel giggly, almost as much as Quirky. Peach couldn't help but smile happily at Timid. "That was fun," Timid giggled as she put her outfit away, the sun beginning to set outside, "Oh… oh my… I didn't realize how late it was." Peach then trotted off to see Silver Hawk before smiling when she stopped in front of his room. She saw him resting on the bed, obviously resting for a bit. Her tail wagged a bit as she walked inside and hopped onto the bed. She then curled up next to him, her head laying next to his. Timid also fell asleep, but cuddling by Yuki as the small fox kit slept. Peach gave one last look at Silver Hawk as her eyes began to close. The next morning, Rarity was seen heading to Fluttershy's cabin, carrying a cat cage with her magic. "Fluttershy? Are you home dear?" Rarity called as she knocked on the front door, "I'm here for Opal's…" she then inched towards the door and whispered so the cat wouldn't hear her, "Check up." She then opened up the door and saw several animals running amok. "Oh..oh dear...this ca-wahahaaaha!" Rarity screamed as she ducked under a tossed cooking pot, "Alright, who threw that?!" Angel then bounced over, panting like crazy. "Angel… what in Equestria is going on? Where's Fluttershy?" Rarity asked the rabbit. Angel looked around before trying to signal something. Unfortunatly, Rarity couldn't understand what he was trying to say, making the rabbit facepalm. Back over at Timid's house, she had a small little tea party thing set up, with herself, Yuki, Peach and some stuffed animals set up. "M… more tea, Peach-chan?" Timid asked the cat, who simply meowed in response as she 'poured' the 'tea' into the empty cup, "Th-there you go, Peach-chan." "Man… you're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Silver Hawk asked, walking in. "Yea… I've asked the other Crusaders to join me… but they always say no…" "Well, maybe they're busy with their own things," Silver Hawk replied. "M… maybe…" Timid stuttered before she saw Peach's ear perk up, "P… Peach-chan? I..is something wrong?" Peach didn't' reply as she quickly shot out of the room past Silver. "P..Peach-chan!" Timid gasped as she ran after the cat. "Timid! Matte!" Silver yelled as he chased after them,catching up to see Timid looking frantically around the area. "Peach-chan! Peach-chan, where are you?!' Timid called out for the cat, worry in her voice. "Don't worry… we'll find her," Silver tried to assure his little sister, "I'm sure she's okay, Timid." "...I… I hope so…" Timid replied, still worried. Peach continued to ran as she was going through the forest, running towards Fluttershy's home as… she began to change and grow in size? "Peach! Peach! Peach-chan, where are you?!" Silver Hawk shouted, as Timid began to cry sadly, "Mou, where is she?" "P..Peach-chan…" Timid quietly sobbed as she had her head lowered to the ground, tears dripping from her eyes. "Oh… another prank gone too far…" a voice whispered so quietly, neither could hear as Mischeif was taking the form of an owl, "Dang it… how am I going to fix this?" "Peach-chan… come back! I miss you!" Timid shouted out, tearfully, "Please! Come back!" '...I think I have an idea...' Mischief thought as he quietly poofed out of there and reappeared where Peach was, the cat still transforming and changing in size, "...looks like the dust is wearing off." After a few more seconds, Peach's transformation was finished as she had changed into...Fluttershy?! "...I hope Timid's okay…" Fluttershy whispered, worry evident in her voice, "But things must be hectic back home… m-maybe if I hurry, I can h-ow!" "Sorry!" an 'owl' apologized as he flew into the tree's, carrying a lock of Fluttershy's mane. "...huh? D...Did that owl just talk?" Fluttershy blinked before shaking her confusion off, "N… nevermind… I need to hurry, and fast." "Ahh! Put that down this instant!" Rarity yelped as she ducked under a thrown chair, seeing Fluttershy's house completely in chaos "What's going on?" Fluttershy asked, as she hurried on inside. "Flutteshy! Oh thank Celestia and Luna you're here!" Rarity sighed in relief as she looked at the shy mare, "I came for Opal's check up, and I see your animals completely wrecking your home!" "I… I see…" Fluttershy noted before she looked around and began to use the Stare on all of the animals in the area., making them freeze in place, "Stop right now! I've been gone for two days, I find my home a complete mess! You're going to set things back to the way they were and apologize for scaring my friend Rarity, understand?!" All of the animals nodded and quickly got to work cleaning the house up. =A bit later= "Peach… I miss you…" Timid whimpered as she and Silver continued to look, nearing Fluttershy's cottage, "You don't think she went into the Everfree Forest, do you Onii-chan?" "I hope not… but don't worry Timid. I promise we'll find her," Silver Hawk reassured her, also worried. They began to walk down with Timid rushing over to Fluttershy's door, banging on it as fast as she could. "Fluttershy-san! T-tatsukete!" the shy filly yelled, panic in her voice as the door opened. "Timid! is.." Fluttershy began before Timid buried herself into her chest, her form shaking as she sobbed, "..Are you okay?" "N… no… I… I can't find Peach-chan…" "She's a new cat we have," Silver Hawk informed, going over to Fluttershy and his sister. "She ran off…" "I'm so worried…I... I didn't do anything bad… o..onegai…" Timid begged as she cried into Fluttershy's chest, "Tell me you saw her…P...Please..." "...Timid-chan…" Fluttershy whispered. "Please…" Timid whimpered. "...Timid-chan..I..." Fluttershy began before a meow was heard, one Timid recognized. "..P..Peach-chan?" Timid said hopefully as she slowly turned to see a familiar cat standing in the grass nearby, licking herself a bit, "..Peach-chan!" The cat's ears perked up as she turned her head to see Timid running towards her. "Peach-chan! You're okay!" Timid gasped as she hugged the cat, "I've was so worried something bad happened to you! I..I'm really glad you're okay, Peach-chan!" The cat meowed in response as she rubbed her head against Timid's. "...Fluttershy… for some odd reason… you seem like Peach-chan… I'm not sure why…" Silver Hawk noted before he blushed a bit, "B..but regardless...a..arigatou…" "...C...Can I tell you two something…?" Fluttershy asked. "Um… I made this wish and…" "Wish? Wha…" Rarity began before she figured out where Fluttershy was going with this, recalling what happened the day before yesterday, "...Fluttershy?" "Y..yes Rarity?" Fluttershy asked before Rarity whispered something into her ear, "..E..eh?!" "..Is..something wrong?" Silver Hawk couldn't help but ask. "..Um...ano…" Fluttershy stuttered, blushing heavier than a tomato as she recalled Silver Hawk's confession from when she was a cat, "...N...nothing's wrong...I..I'm just glad you and T-Timid-chan found your c...cat." "...Fluttershy… I think there's something Silver should know," Rarity informed. "...I uh… a-a-ano…" Fluttershy stuttered. "I'm right here for you darling," Rarity assured. "...O-okay...S...Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy spoke, getting said pegasus' attention, "Ano… th-there's something I...I want to s-say to you…" "Hmm? What is it?" "Ano… I… I… I…" Fluttershy began with a heavy blush, "I….I...I…" "Go on dear…" Rarity urged her. "I… I…" Fluttershy couldn't finish as she lost consciousness, her entire head a beet red and her eyes replaced with swirls. Angel then rushed over and got some water, before dumping it on Fluttershy, making her get back up. "Kya!" the shy mare screamed before blushing once more, her face and lips inches away from Silver Hawk's, "..." "Go on Fluttershy…" Rarity smiled, "You can do it dear…" "...A-ano…" Fluttershy squeaked, her form trembling as she was really nervous. "..U-um… I think I'll take Timid and Peach-chan home!" Silver Hawk said quickly as he picked his little sister up and ran off, a heavy blush on his face as well, "Bye Fluttershy-san! Rarity-san!" "...I blew it… I feel like such a dummy!" Fluttershy whimpered, falling backwards when suddenly she landed on Rarity's fainting couch, "..huh?" "Now don't beat yourself up like that dear," Rarity spoke as she sat next to the shy pegasus, "You'll get him next time." "O...Okay… but you'll be there for me? You know a lot more about romance then I do…" Fluttershy admitted. "That is true," Rarity replied, "I'll even give you some advice to help you out." "R-really?" "Yes dear. I can tell you deeply care for him," Rarity smiled, "Plus… there are some times where… I kinda see you like a little sister. I've never known why to be perfectly honest." "I… I see..." "Also…" Rarity began as she whispered into Fluttershy's ear, "When a stallion blushes like your dear Silver Hawk did, that means they're a little too shy to make the first move…" "...O...okay," Fluttershy nodded. "And always remember this darling. You're a great mare, who anypony would be lucky to be with," Rarity smiled, making Fluttershy blush a bit, "In fact, I'm a bit surprised nopony has asked you out yet." "...I could say the same for you," Fluttershy giggled, making Rarity giggle a bit. "Peach-chan… I was so worried…" Timid whimpered, hugging Peach as they and Silver Hawk were back in their home, "I'm so glad you're safe." "Me too," Silver Hawk smiled as Peach gave a small meow. "C… come on Peach-chan. L… let's head back to our room. Yuki-chan must be worried too," Timid replied as she put the cat down and walked up the stairs, "C..come on, Peach-chan!" "Peach… she seemed so much like Fluttershy… I have no idea why…" Silver Hawk noted as peach followed Timid up the stairs. He then spotted a few butterflies flying by the window, "...Mou...I missed my chance. But…" 'Maybe someday...I can tell her how I feel...Fluttershy-chan...' 'Phew..barely dodged a bullet there,' Mischief mentally sighed in relief as he rested on the window sill, watching Timid have fun with Peach as they laid on the bed, 'But...everything turned out better than last time...no attempted suicides, and Timid has a new pet...which I made by mixing a bit of Fluttershy's mane with the few remaining gold dust I had.' "You know P...Peach-chan… I can't help but wonder what F-Fluttershy-san wanted to say to onii-chan," Timid Swallow pondered a bit, "Maybe something… connecting you two?" 'Oh no… please don't find out please dont' find out please don't find out!' Mischief mentally panicked. "Oh! I think I know. She wanted to give you to me as a surprise… but you must've slipped out…" Timid figured, making Mischief give a mental sigh of relief, "Th..that was really nice of her...C..can I tell you something, Peach-chan?" "...Meow?" the cat tilted her head cutely, looking at her owner. "I...I secretly hope o-onii-chan and Fluttershy-san get together. I… I really like her and h-hope she becomes my Onee-chan s-someday," Timid admitted. Peach smiled happily, before curling up by Timid, who soon fell asleep as she began to dream. Dreaming her big brother and Fluttershy were together, before her dreams drifted elsewhere... Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya can. Neighpon Surprise"Onii-chan… w...why am I blindfolded?" Timid pondered as her older brother lead her somewhere. "It's a surprise, Timid," Silver Hawk replied. "O...okay…" Timid replied before she heard what sounded like a door opening, "W..where are we, Onii-chan?" "You'll see," was all Silver Hawk replied before whispering to somepony in the dark room, "Is everything ready?" "Yep. Everything's ready." "Good," Silver nodded before looking at his little sister, "You ready, Timid?" "F..for what, Onii-chan?" Timid pondered. "Take off the blindfold." Timid nodded as she slowly took the blindfold off her eyes, slowly opening them to see… "Surprise!" She gawked to see a party that reminded Timid Swallow of her home country, Neighpon. "Happy birthday, Timid!" "M..minna…" Timid whispered a bit before feeling her brother's hoof around her neck. "This is all for you, Timid-chan. Happy birthday," Silver smiled as he moved his hoof off her, "Hope you like it." "...I love it, the one thing that can make it better… is if Okaa-san and Otou-san were here.. and if I had a Nee-chan," Timid smiled before gaining a bit of a sad smile. "..is something wrong, Timid?" "Onii-chan...I miss Okaa-san and Otou-san…" Timid replied, sighing sadly. "Who is she talking about?" Amethyst inquired. "Her mom and dad most likely," Dawn Star replied. "Ahh..." Amethyst noted before sighing mentally, 'I know how she feels...' After a while, Timid had opened up all her gifts, played a ton of games and they were ready for the cake. "Ohh boy ohh boy ohh boy!" Quirky giggled excitedly, "I wonder what kind of cake Timid'll get?! Chocolate? Vanilla?...Strawberry?" Pinkie then rolled in a large raspberry cake. "...Whoo! Raspberry!" Quirky cheered as she was about to leap up before Scootaloo stopped her. "Clam down. It's Timid's party, not yours," the orange pegasus filly told the excitable filly. "Sorry..I just get so excited when I'm at a party!" Quirky declared as Pinkie placed the cake on the table. "Make a wish." '...I can think of no better wish then to have Okaa-san and Otou-san to celebreate my birthday, even if they're late...' Timid thought, as she blew out her candles. "Whatd you wish for, Timid?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Th...that would be telling, S..Sweetie-chan. O..otherwise, my wish won't come true," Timid replied with a small stutter. "...Onii-chan…i-if Fluttershy-san became my Onee-chan…wh..what would okaa-san and otou-san think?" Timid asked her brother once they got home, Silver immediately blushing a bit at the question. "...I'm...I'm not sure but..wh-why'd you ask such a q..question, Timid-chan?" Silver asked, shaking the blush off a bit. "We haven't… talked with them for a long time," "Well, you know they're busy with their jobs, Timid-chan." "I...I know...demo…" Timid began with a sad sigh, "I..I really want to see them again. W..we haven't seen them since we l-left after...i… 'it' happened." "I know…" Silver Hawk replied with a sigh, "..l..let's head for bed, Timid." "O..okay...good night, Onii-chan," Timid said as she walked up the stairs to her room, leaving Silver to ponder to himself in the living room. 'Mou… what am I gonna do? Timid really wants to see our parents, but… I'm not sure how,' Silver Hawk mentally pondered with a sigh, '..Maybe...' "Hey Timid, what's your home like anyhow?" Applebloom inquired as she and the rest of the CMC sat in their clubhouse the next day. "Oh! A-ano… it's really nice… d-demo… I..." Timid began before sighing a bit, "I… I want to forget my old school there." Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo gave each other looks of worry, knowing what she meant as they remembered what Timid's brother told them the day they first met them. "I've always wanted to see what Neighpon is like," Amethyst admitted. "Same here. I heard they got some tasty food up there, like..um…"Quirky began to ponder before pouting a bit, "Oh shoot. I forgot the name." "Ramen?" "That's the one! I heard there's a place in Neighpon that makes a very tasty veggie ramen!" Quirky beamed, drooling a bit. "R...right…" Dawn sweatdropped a bit. "I've always wanted to see the Neighpon comic books," Scootaloo admitted. "Manga," Timid corrected. "Yeah, those." "What about you, Mischief?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked at the son of Discord, who was taking the form of a rabbit as he sat in the corner, munching on a carrot made of rock candy, "Do you miss anything from Neighpon?" "Meh...give or take," Mischief shrugged as he took a bite of his 'carrot'. A knock then came from the door, it was a fairly meek knock, almost kinda like Timid's when she knocks on the door. "I..I'll get it, minna," Timid offered as she stood up and walked towards the door, opening it to show it was Fluttershy. "Hi Timid. Um… some mail meant for you came to me by mistake," Fluttershy said as she pulled some letters from her saddlebag and handed them to Timid. "O..okay.." Timid nodded as she looked through the mail a bit before spotting one written in Neighponese, "N..nani?" "What is it, Timid?" Sweetie Belle asked. "It's….it's from my parents!" Timid gasped as she dropped the other letters and opened the one from her parents, "Eh...eh?!" "What? What is it?" Fluttershy couldn't help but ask. "Th...they're inviting me and Onii-chan back for my birthday! And… they said I can bring any guest I want!" "R..rea…?" Amethyst began before Quirky jumped in front of her excitedly. "Ohh ohh! Pick me! I want to come to Neighpon!" the dark green filly said in excitement. "Wait… I covered up an 's' on guest. So I can bring all of you! This is as sugoi as Kisaragi achieving Cosmic States!" "..Who to th' what now?" Applebloom blinked. "Its something from a manga she liked reading back in Neighpon," Mischief replied, munching on his 'carrot' still. "So… my mom told me it's fine to go, but she has to come with me," Scootaloo informed as Rainbow Dash sat next to her. "And the same for mah sister," Applebloom added, Applejack sitting right next to her. "T...Too bad the others couldn't come," Timid sighed a bit. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" Amethyst shouted as she rushed over with a little bag, "Twilight said it was okay if I went. Plus, somepony else wants to come." "Eh? Wh…?" Rainbow Dash began before seeing Fluttershy approach, carrying a small bag as well, "..Fluttershy? Why do you want to come?" "Oh. Um..w..well… I was… actually born in Neighpon," the shy Pegasus Mare replied, making her friends blink in surprise. "Y'er from Neighpon, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked. "Hai," she nodded, "I lived there for a while before... some things happened, and I came to Cloudsdale." "I see…" Rainbow Dash noted before noticing Fluttershy look at SilverHawk, the shy Mare beginning to blush a bit. "Um..uh...i-if it's okay with you, c..can I come?" Fluttershy asked shyly. "..Ano..s..sure. I don't see any problem with it," Silver hawk replied, blushing a bit as well. "Alright, come on, let's get to our boat!" Timid cheered rather enthusiastically, ushering them to the boat to take them to the part of Neighpon where her family lived, Osaka. "Timid's really excited about this," Scootaloo noted as the boat got ready to depart. "Why wouldn't she be? She hasn't seen her ma and pa in a long while," Applebloom replied. "Well… truth be told, out of us four, none of us have seen our birth parents in a long time," Amethyst noted. "..." "S...sorry…" Amethyst apologized, noticing the sad looks on her two friends' faces, "I..I didn't mean to say that," "But it's true ya know," Applebloom noted, "But let's not be so sad, and enjoy the trip." "You are all going to love my home! I have so much I wanna show you!" Timid beamed, the normally shy filly acting almost as excited as Quirky at the moment. It was a few hours later, and they arrived at Osaka, Timid being incredibly happy while those that were from Equestria awed at the sights before them. "Wow," almost everyone gawked. "You mean 'sugoi'," Timid corrected. "It's nice to be home," Silver Hawk spoke with a small smile before looking at Fluttershy, "I..I'm sure you feel the same way, h..hai, Fluttershy-san?" "Yea… I-I was born here in Osaka, a..and now I'm back here. M..my place of birth," Fluttershy replied. A few hours after they had docked, the group soon arrived at a hotel, with Timid, Silver Hawk and Fluttershy (to a degree), had been doing most of the talking, mostly talking in Neighponese. "...So, will we get to meet your parents?" Scootaloo asked. "Hai, Scoot-chan," Timid giggled, "But first, I want to show you and everypony else everything Neighpon has to offer." "I'll join up with you all later… I uh… have something to do," Fluttershy informed as she left. "...Can I go with you?" Silver offered. "No…it's of… personal matters," Fluttershy replied, blushing a bit before she resumed flying off. "Why are we in a book store?" Dash asked as the group stopped in front of a book store, "I can picture Twilight dragging me through a bookstore back home, but..." "It's so I can show you my favorite mangas!" Timid giggled, leading them inside, as she jumped up to the person at the register. "Ah, Timid-chan, it's been a long time," the cashier smiled, speaking in Neghiponese. "I... it has," Timid nodded, replying in her language, "Ano… i-is there any new mangas in?" "Hai," the cashier smiled, taking out a big pile of books, with the sides reading "Sailor Moon", "Warrior Rider" and "Super Sentai", "They just came in today, ordered by your parents." "Kyaa~!" Timid beamed excitedly, leaving all but her brother confused. "Her favorite mangas by Naoto Takeuchi," Silver Hawk informed. "Sailor Moon… Warrior Rider… Super Sentai," Timid giggled, "All of them are my favorites!" "Really? Are they as… hmm?" Dash blinked as she eyed a 'Super Sentai' manga on top of the pile of books, "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger?" "The newest Super Sentai book, the 35th team! They're really Sugei, Rainbow-san!" "Because they're all written by the same writer, Naoto Takeuchi, there's been a rumor of a crossover between the three stories." "...That would be a dream come true," Timid giggled. "So, what are these books all about?" "Yeah. 'Cause Ah can't make a lick of what they're sayin'," Applejack added, reading the front covers of the books a bit. "Okay… Sailor Moon is the oldest in the series. It was written by a pony who had the freedom to write whatever she wanted for a new book, this story's predecessor, Sailor V. I've never read it… but then, it was so popular, the much more popular Sailor Moon was created. Next came the Super Sentai, a spin on the team concept, starting with the series, Himitsu Sentai Goranger," Timid explained, "And finally, came the Warrior Rider series, starting with Warrior Rider Den-O." "Den-O?" Scootaloo repeated. "He's a time traveler who rides a magic train that travels through time," Timid explained before giggling a bit, "I like the Taros-tachi. They can be so funny sometimes." "How come Ah've never seen any of these back home?" Applebloom asked. "The princess of Neighpon and Princess Celestia… aren't exactly good friends…" Silver Hawk informed. "Huh? Why?" Amethyst asked. "I'll tell you another day… but just know, it lead to some trouble between the two nations before Princess Luna was banished to the moon." "My mom was banished to the moon?!" Amethyst exclaimed with wide eyes. "I'm gonna… go and see if I can find Fluttershy so she can help explain…" Silver Hawk panicked, before he ran out the door, "J..Jaa ne!" "That...was awkward," AJ admitted. "Agreed," Rainbow Dash added. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had arrived at a small graveyard, with the sign reading "Osaka War Memorial Graveyard" on it in Neighponese. She walked in, as she looked around for a bit before finding two tombstones, with the names of "Cloud Shield" and "Gentle Breeze" on them. "Otou-san… Okaa-san… I miss you…" Fluttershy whimpered, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "Flutter-chan?" Silver Hawk's voice asked, surprising her a bit as she turned to see him standing behind her, "Is..everything okay?" "...H-hai… demo… wh-what're you doing here, S-Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy asked. "I came looking for you. What are you doing here?" Silver Hawk inquired. "You… remember the war between Neighpon and Equestria? Well… you know how Osaka was one of the biggest attacked cities?" Fluttershy asked, earning a nod from Silver before the shy mare began to tear up once more, " My...my parents were among the countless casualties." Silver Hawk's eye's widened at that. "I...I was visiting one of my grandparents further in the country when it happened. I...I…" Fluttershy paused as the tears in her eyes stained the fur on her muzzle, "I never got to say good bye to them one last time…" "So… the war made one of the most innocent ponies I've ever met lose her mom and dad?" Silver Hawk whispered, shocked to hear this. "H-hai… I-I miss them so much…" Fluttershy sobbed quietly, the tears falling from her face like raindrops, "A-and… the worst part is… when I met you and Timid…" "Nani?" Silver Hawk gasped a bit, "Wh… why?" "It just reminded me how much I missed my parents… it's nothing against you two… but… but… it's not fair! Atashi wa… atashi wa..." Fluttershy sobbed before she grabbed Silver Hawk into a hug and began to cry into his shoulder, crying her heart out. "Shh… it's okay…" Silver comforted as he let her cry on his shoulder. He felt really sad, seeing her like this. It was worse when he found out she never got to see her parents one last time before the attack on Osaka. "Ya know, despite not understanding any of th' words here, this place is actually nice," Applejack commented as she and Applebloom looked around the city. "Yeah..ah agree a…" Applebloom began before she spotted something on the ground, "Sis… is that a peach?" "Hmm?" Applejack blinked as she moved closer to the object on the ground and examined it a bit, "It is. Must be a peach farm around here somewhere." They looked and saw a peach farm nearby, with a sign reading "Hikari Family Peach Farm" in Neighponese. "..Y'all think anyone's home?" Applebloom asked. "Maybe. Guess we just have t' look and see," Applejack shrugged as they walked into the farm, looking around a bit, "And if Ah may say, whoever lives here, sure knows how to treat their trees." Soon, they saw a pegasus pony doing something similar to Applejack's bucking, quickly catching the peaches and putting it in a container, this pony had azure colored fur with a raven haired mane with violet highlights in it, teal eyes and on his flanks was a pair of peaches, most likely representing his Cutie Mark. "Wow, he's pretty skilled," Applebloom gawked, while Applejack watched this pony do his job with a rather impressed look on her face. "Yeah. He kinda is," Applejack noted. "Ahh...okay. That's another basket down," the pegasus stated as he placed said basket down, "Now, onto the next one. After that and the next two, I can catch a quick break." With that, he moved onto the next tree, carefully bucking it to let some peaches fall into the basket he was carrying. Applejack was impressed with his skills before approaching a tree as she bucked it to try and help, a dead branch came falling out, about to hit Applejack when the pegasus quickly swooped in to save her, bucking the branch mid-air so it wouldn't hit her or Applebloom. "You okay, miss?" the pegasus asked as he landed. "Uh… y-yeah. Sorry about that' pardner. Ah was just tryin' to help is all," Applejack replied sheepishly. "It's okay. I…" the pegasus began before he got a good look at Applejack's face, "..." "...Y'all alright, pardner?" Applejack asked, noticing the look the stallion was giving her. "Oh… yea. I'm good." "Hey sis, where'd your hat go?" Applebloom asked. "What?!" Applejack gasped as she touched the top of her head, only to feel nothing but her mane, "ahh! Mah hat!" "It's just up in that tree," the stallion informed as he flew up and got it out before lying back down and offering it back to her, a small, unnoticeable blush on the stallions face, "h..here you go, miss." "Phew… thanks," Applejack sighed in relief as she took her hat back and placed it back on her head, blushing slightly herself, "Ah'm Applejack, and this is my sister, Applebloom," "O-Ore wa, Kota, Hikari Kota," "Ah thought your last name was Hikari," Applebloom responded, blinking a bit in confusion. "It is. In Neighpon, you say your last name first," Kota informed. "Ahh...Ah see," Applejack noted. "Yeah." "So, what are you two doing here, if you mind me asking?" Kota asked them. "We were looking around a bit while we waited for our friends to finish what they were doin' before we meet them at the hotel," Applebloom replied. "Alright," Kota nodded as he saw the trio of apples on Applejack, "Hey… are you the Apple Sisters from Ponyville?" "Why yes we are," Applejack nodded, "Why'd y'all ask?" "Well, you're famous for your apple farming skills," he informed, "You also make some of the best Zap Apple Jam I've ever had." "Well, y'all can thank our granny fer that. It takes skill and timin' when it comes to Zap Apples," Applejack replied. Kota smiled, as he looked at the peaches, "You know… Osaka had been ravaged, but my family had allowed us to recolonize this part of it for our peach farm, and it's something to be proud of." "What happened between Neighpon and Equestria anyhow? I tried asking Timid and her brother, but nothin'," Applebloom spoke as Kota gained a solemn look on his face. "Well… I can explain it, but it's better if I told your entire group of friends." "..Uh...ok." "Thank you for coming, minna," Kota smiled, being invited to the hotel room, "The tale of how the two countries went to a war… is something that is sad.. and long, but has also taken many lives," "Well, go ahead," Dash shrugged. "Very well… it was some years ago…back when the moon Princess, Luna was still sealed in the moon. The Princess of Neighpon, Rising Sun, and Celestia, used to be good friends, but… something happened that turned them against each other. It started as a few arguments, but a year later… war happened. Osaka had suffered the most… our land was ruined… crops were burned… families were torn apart… and lives were ruined." "...I… I uh…" Fluttershy tried to speak, "I… ano…" "...It damaged our relationship with Equestria for years, but during the Grand Galloping Gala after Luna was set free from the moon, she made a peace treaty, allowing Trade routes and help between Neighpon and Equestria." "Wow…" Dash and Applejack gawked. "We weren't affected by this," Timid informed, "Because I-I was st-" "I lost my parents because of it!" Fluttershy blurted out quickly, making her friends look at her in shock and surprise. "What?" Dash asked confused. "...I lost my Okaa-san and Otou-san when that war happened…" Fluttershy whimpered, tears forming in her eyes once more. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Applejack asked. "Because of the war… ponies from Neighpon were frowned upon… and some ponies here in Neighpon would act nasty towards anypony that have anything to do with Equestria, or heard about it." 'That possibly explains one thing with some of the teachers at Timid's old schools,' Silver Hawk thought with a frown. "And… the worst part is…" Fluttershy started as she started to cry once more, "I...I never got to say goodbye…" "Fluttershy… I-I never knew..." Rainbow Dash said, shocked and saddened to hear this. "I didn't want anypony to know where I'm from… because I was scare of being bullied worse than not being able to fly very well," Fluttershy whimpered, her voice shakey. "We'd never bully ya. You're our friend Fluttershy," Applejack assured. "Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed as she wrapped her arm around Fluttershy, "Even if you're from Neighpon or not, you'll always be our friend." "And you got me and Onii-chan, so it's like you have family over back in Ponyville," Timid smiled. "Yea…" Silver Hawk smiled, making Fluttershy blush and smile. "Minna… arigato," she said, as Silver Hawk began to feel his heart race, "Okaa-san… Otou-san…" Fluttershy whispered, looking at the night sky as she stood on the balcony. "I'm sure they're smiling down on you up in heaven," a voice stated, making her turn to see Silver Hawk walking onto the balcony. "Oh… konichiwa, Silver-kun," Fluttershy giggled, blushing a bit. "Konichiwa, Flutter-chan," Silver Hawk chuckled a bit as he stood next to her, looking up at the night sky, "..Tonight sure is beautiful, isn't it?" "Hai. And… now that you know where I'm from, I don't have to hide some of my native language," Fluttershy replied, still blushing. "...Fluttershy… how come you never said you were a victim of family loss during that mess?" "...It… it was too painful for me… I… I never want to relive wh-what happened…" Fluttershy replied with a sad sigh. "I see...it's okay now, Fluttershy. You have friends to help cheer you up..to comfort you..to be there for you," Silver Hawk replied with a kind smile. "Th… thank you, S-Silver-kun," Fluttershy blushed, both she and Silver Hawk unconsciously moving their faces close to each, "S-silver-kun?" "H-hai, Flutter-chan?" Silver Hawk asked, their faces almost inches away from each other. "Th-there's something I wanted to say to you f-for some time now…" the shy mare replied, the blush on her face increasing as her and Silver's faces were inches away, "I… I-I…" Just then, a knock was heard at the door. "Hello?" a female voice asked from the other side of the door. 'Mou! S...so close!' Fluttershy mentally groaned/whimpered. "H-hold on. I-I'll get it," Timid offered from inside the hotel room as she opened the door, "..kyaa~!" "Nani?!" Silver gasped as he and Fluttershy ran back into the hotel room before seeing Timid hugging two Pegasus ponies at the door. The mare (the one Timid was hugging) has a soft white coat, almost like freshly fallen snow, while her mane was a soft pink with a yellow highlight in it. Her Cutie Mark was a small cloud with snow falling from it. The stallion had deep, ice-blue fur, and a light yellow mane, slicked back a bit. His Cutie Mark was a quill with a paper by it. "O-okaa-san. Otou-san," Silver gasped a bit. "So these are your parents?" Fluttershy asked. "H-hai," Silver nodded. "I missed you… I missed you so, so much," Timid said tearfully as she hugged her mom, who returned the hug. "I missed you too, my little swallow," Timid and Silver's mom replied with a kind smile. "Uh… k...konichiwa," Fluttershy waved with a smile. "Oh? You must be Fluttershy. Our dear Timid-chan writes about you and her friends all the time," Timid and Silver's dad replied. "H-hai, sir," Fluttershy nodded. "So, did you get our birthday gift to you from Yuusuke-san at the bookstore?" Timid's mom asked. "Hai, Okaa-san," Timid giggled, "Thank you so much!" "You're welcome, my little swallow," Timid's mom smiled. "It's very nice to meet you two…" Fluttershy smiled while bowing a bit. "Thank you dear," Timid's mom nodded, "Boku wa Gentle Snow." "And I'm Feather Scroll," Timid's dad introduced, "it's a pleasure to meet our son's marefriend." "Th-tha… m-marefriend?!" Fluttershy squeaked, her face blushing bright with Silver Hawk's. "T-tou-san!" Silver yelped in embarrassment. "So, what do you two do?" Dash asked the following morning. "Well, I've helped make snow for our lovely home region," "And I'm a writer, I've written some books, and I always told my kids to read everyday," "Cool," Dash smiled. "So you must be Rainbow Dash. Timid told us that you recently adopted young Scootaloo?" Gentle Snow asked. "Yes ma'am," Rainbow Dash nodded before wrapping her arm around Scootaloo, "And I don't regret it at all. She was like a little sister to me before, but I decided to adopt her as my daughter." "I see… that's nice to hear," Gentle Snow smiled. "You know… your mom's name… it's similar to mine," Fluttershy whispered to Timid. "Oh r-really?" "Mine was Gentle Breeze. Yours is Gentle Snow," Fluttershy replied, a small sad smile on her face. "Don't cry…" Timid told Fluttershy before she gave the mare a hug, making Fluttershy smile. 'Timid-chan… you're such a sweet filly. Maybe… one day...' Fluttershy began with a thought as she returned the hug, 'I can be your big sister.' "So Fluttershy, you're from Osaka? How come we've never seen you around here before? Did your parents move to Ponyville?" Gentle Snow inquired, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts. "...N-no… I-I was the only who moved there. M-my parents are…" Fluttershy began, small tears forming in her eyes. "...Oh oh…oh my. I'm so sorry dear," Gentle Snow apologized as she joined the hug. "It's okay… you didn't know," Fluttershy assured. "She's a great pony, you really picked a good one to be your marefriend," Feather Scroll told his son, who blushed brightly once more. "T-tou-san. She's not my marefriend," Silver whispered. "Sure she ain't," Feather Scroll chuckled, "I was like you when I was your age son." Silver Hawk just sighed, as Timid gave a wordless look for them to join the hug, "...sh-shall we?" "Hai," Feather Scroll nodded before he and Silver Hawk joined in the hug, the latter and Fluttershy blushing a bit. "We're going to miss you both," Gentle Snow sighed sadly, hugging her daughter later that day. Their weekend in Neighpon was over and they needed to head back for Ponyville. "M-Me too, Okaa-san," Timid sobbed a bit, "I... I really wish you can come with us." "We'd love to, my little swallow. But we can't," Gentle Snow answered her child as she and Timid separated the hug, "We still have our jobs here." "Perhaps maybe one day…" Feather Scroll began as he ruffled his daughter's mane a bit, "We'll join you, Timid-chan." "I-I hope so, Otou-san," Timid replied with a sad smile. "But don't forget, we're always with you," Gentle Snow smiled, pointing at Timid's heart and her head. "Hai," she nodded as she ran to the boat. "Well… I guess until next time, mom… dad," Silver replied as he looked at them. "Hai. Oh, and son?" Gentle Snow began with a small smile, "We approve." "Eh?" Silver Hawk blinked. "Of Fluttershy-chan," Gentle Snow clarified, making Silver Hawk blush once more. "Who knows, maybe next time we see you, you'll be a tou-san." "M-mom!" Silver Hawk yelped, his voice almost sounding squeaky from how embarrassed he was at the moment. "She and Timid get along great. Flutter-chan will make a great daughter someday," Feather Scroll added with a small chuckle. Silver Hawk knew there was no more point talking as he simply headed for the boat. "Hey Applejack. What were you doing with that Kota guy? We were waitin' for ya," Applebloom asked her sister a bit later. "Nothin' we were just talkin' is all," Applejack replied. "If ya'll say so," Applebloom shrugged. "Heh, looks like somepony has a crush," Dash smirked teasingly. "...A-ah have no idea what yer talkin' about," Applejack replied, lowering her hat to hide the blush that was forming on her face. "A peach farmer from Neighpon and an apple farmer from Equestria, sounds kinda cute," Applebloom admitted, "But if ya do like him, don't worry about me gettin' in the way or anythin'. Me and the other Crusaders learned the hard way not to meddle with anypony's love life." "S-seriously! Ah have no idea what yer talkin' about!" Applejack yelled, turning her back to hide her blush further, "And do Ah even want to know why you know not to meddle with anypony else's love life?" "...Uh… no reasons," Applebloom quickly replied in a semi-nervous tone. "So how was everypony's weekend?" Cheerilee asked that following Monday. "Uh… may I… share what I did?" Timid asked, raising her hoof. "You may, dear," Cheerilee nodded. "A-Arigatou, Cheerilee-sensei," Timid replied as she stood up and began to walk to the front of the class, wearing something most of the class didn't recognize. "Hey look! That blank flank's wearing a bathrobe!" Diamond Tiara mocked, trying to get a laugh out of most of the class. "...F-for your information. I-it's a Kimono, Diamond-baka," Timid frowned at her, shocking the spoiled filly as the shy pegasus walked towards the front, "On Friday… it was my birthday. And on the Saturday following, me, Rainbow Dash-san, Fluttershy-san, Scootaloo-chan, Amethyst-chan, Applebloom-chan, Applejack-san, and my Onii-chan went to Neighpon, th-the place I was born. We all went to Osaka specifically… and we meet up with my Okaa-san and Otou-san…and they gave me a big birthday present!" Amethyst and Scootaloo moved a small wagon up to the front, with all of Timid's new mangas she got back in Neighpon. "What are those? Comics?" one student asked. "N-no, er… sorta. These are called mangas, Neighponese comics," Timid continued, "And these are my favorite books, Sailor Moon, Warrior Rider and Super Sentai, all written by Naoto Takeuchi." "They all look really interesting," Cheerilee admitted, as she took one copy of a Sailor Moon book, and began to read it like how most ponies in Equestria would read a book, "Though… it's kinda…" "Ano… C-cheerilee-sensei?" Timis spoke, catching her teacher's attention, "Y-you read it the other way." "My mistake…" she apologized, handing the book back to her, "So… tell us about these books a little bit," "Okay. Sailor Moon is a sequel to a hard to find manga called Sailor V, the writer being given a chance to write anything she wanted, that being Sailor V, which was so popular, Sailor Moon came to be. It's about a mare named Usagi becoming a heroine called Sailor Moon, and-" Timid began to explain, holding up a copy of Sailor Moon for the class to see. "Ugh! What is she wearing?! Looks like something one of my dad's maids wore for Nightmare Night!" Diamond Tiara gagged. "It's… called a Sailor Suit… and-" Timid tried to explain "Sailor suit? It looks nothing like a sai…" Diamond Tiara began before most of the class, even Silver Spoon, shushed her. "Thanks… anyway… Sailor Moon became so popular, another spin off was made, called Super Sentai. This one is a bit more of a different concept, starting with teams of five, the first being called Goranger, followed by Maskman, Jetman, Zyuranger, Timeranger, Gaoranger, Abaranger, Goseiger, and currently, Gokaiger just to name a few," Timid continued, showing a copy of each team, "Finally, after another hit, came Warrior Rider, starting with Den-O, then came W, OOO, Fourze, Wizard and currently, Gaim...j..just to name a few again." "They all sound really interesting so far," Cheerilee admitted before pondering, "Though if i may ask, how come these books have never been brought over here?" "Ano… I don't know…" Timid admitted before the school bell rang. "Well, have a good evening everypony," Cheerilee smiled as the pony's began to walk out, with Diamond Tiara going over to Timid, annoyed. "You stupid blank flank! You took up the entire day talking about your stupid books!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making Timid flinch as she moved back a bit, "Who cares about some freaks in spandex and stupid costumes! No matter how you look at them, they're all losers who-!" "Shut up!" Dawn Star snapped as she stood in front of Timid, "You have no right to make fun of the stuff Timid likes!" "So?! I don't care what her stupid parents got her!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making most of the class who was still in, gasp. "I can get that stupid publisher to stop writing and-" "Don't. You. Dare. Threaten. My. Favorite writer!" Timid exclaimed as she moved from behind Dawn and glared at the bully, "You're only saying that because she created something very popular! So don't you dare make fun of my favorite publisher you… you… you-!" "...Woah! You might wanna stop," Amethyst said, getting between Diamond Tiara and the two Crusaders, "Because… you've been arguing right in front of the teacher…" Timid's and Diamond's eyes widened at that before slowly turning to see a frowning Cheerilee staring at them. "G-g-gomen nassai, sensei!" Timid quickly apologized as she bowed, "I-I didn't mean to yell like that in front of you!" "...Timid… can you come back with your brother later?" Cheerilee asked. "And… can the rest of the Crusaders come back later as well?" "...Okay," they all nodded. Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya can. Also three things. 1; The part with Timid and the store owner speakign in Neighponese is in italics. 2; Again, this, and the next few chapters will be sorta focused a bit on some of the mane 6. 3; To those who dislike Diamond tiara..you're going to enjoy the next chapter. Diamond of a Solution"Timid… are you okay?" Scootaloo asked as it was 4:12, about seven or so minutes after class ended. "..." "Come on Timid. Tell us what's wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked. "..C-Cheerilee-sensei wants to see us after class," Timid replied. "What?!" Quirky gasped, "Why?!" "Take a quick guess," Dawn Star said with a frown. "...Diamond Tiara?" all of the other Crusaders guessed. "Correct," Amethyst nodded, frowning as well. "And she wanted whoever is in charge of us to come too…" Timid whimpered nervously. "Why?! We didn't do anything wrong!" "I-I know demo…" Timid began before paling, seeing Silver Hawk, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all arrived, with Timid ducking her head down nervously. "Uh… h-hi mom," Scootaloo waved nervously. "Hey… uh… is everything alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, seeing the nervous look on her adopted daughter's face. "I… really don't know," Scootaloo admitted. "Are you sure? Because Timid looks really scared right now," Twilight noted, making the CMC freeze up. "...Sorry Timid, but we need to tell them," Dawn Star sighed as she walked up to the violet alicorn, "Twilight, our teacher wants to see Timid and the rest of us later today. And… well… she wants are parent, sibling, or guardian to come with us." "Nani? Why?" Silver Hawk asked with semi-wide eyes. "A-an-ano…" Timid whimpered as she hid behind Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, the shy filly shaking nervously. "Because Diamond Tiara called Timid's birthday gift stupid, leading to Dawn Star coming to her defense, and they argued right in front of our teacher," Quirky informed. "I see…" Twilight noted, a small frown forming on her face. "Thank you for coming," Cheerilee said a bit later as the Crusaders along with ponies who acted as family or legal guardians arrived. "So… what's going on?" Pinkie asked. "Well… the Crusaders aren't in any trouble, I just had to ask them… if they've been being bullied. But whenever I talked with students about it before, I had to bring someone else in to help them calm down. But no matter what I try, they're still too scared to say who's bullying them," Cheerilee explained before sighing a bit, "Which leads me to my question… Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Timid Swallow, Quirky, Dawn Star, Amethyst…" she paused as she turned towards the CMC, "Is Diamond Tiara bullying you?" "...Yes," Scootaloo sighed, "We didn't want to tell anypony before, and wanted to try and pull through it. But lately… she's being more and more of a…" "Big fat, mean bully of a jerky filly," Quirky added with a frown, "She stole my birthday for 'compensation' when I accidently bumped into her they day I came to Ponyville." "She's been bullying all of us because we don't have our Cutie Marks," Applebloom informed, "That's why Ah tried askin' mah sister and friends for a way to get it faster." "...So, she's been bullying you for a while now?" Cheerilee asked, frowning a bit. "Yea," the original three Crusaders nodded. "She blackmailed us if we didn't continue making rumors about everypony," Sweetie Belle stated. "She convinced mah cousin, Babs Seed to bully us and take our clubhouse," Applebloom added, making Applejack look at her in surprise, "It's true." "She… she…" Scootaloo paused before sighing sadly, "She made fun of me not being able to fly… and the fact I was an orphan." "I se- Hold on...What do you mean by rumors?" Cheerilee asked, a little unsure. "Remember that newspaper we worked on for a little while?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yes. But I don't..." Cheerilee began before seeing where the unicorn filly was going with this, "You mean to say…she forced you to make those nasty rumors?" "Wait. So you were being blackmailed into making all those false facts about us?" Rarity asked, fairly surprised. "Eeyep," Applebloom nodded, "We didn't want all that to happen… but she said she would do something worse to us if we told anypony about what was really happenin'." "...What did she say?" Cheerilee asked in a serious tone. "Well…" the original three Crusaders began, as they all began to remember. (-Flashback-) "I can't believe this… everypony in town hates us now because of those rumors we made up," Sweetie Belle sighed sadly. "Yeah… mah sis is really upset at me right now," Applebloom added. "And Rainbow Dash doesn't even want anything to do with me," Scootaloo sighed, her mane completely wet when Rainbow Dash forced a raincloud to get the filly wet, "...girls. I think we need to stop this and tell Ms. Cheerilee what's going on." "Are you sure…?" Applebloom asked nervously. "I'm serious. Rainbow Dash and the others hates us now because of those rumors Diamond Tiara had us post in the paper. So we need to tell the teacher…" Scootaloo began. "Tell her what?" a voice asked, making the CMC turn to see Diamond Tiara glaring at them. "...About what you're doing to us," Scootaloo stated bravely, "We quit, and there's nothing you can do to stop us from telling Ms. Cheerilee on you." "...No you aren't," she responded. "We don't care if you post those pictures, we're going to tell on you." "Again, no you aren't. Not unless you want your 'sister's to have a home," Diamond Tiara threatened, making the CMC look at her with scared, wide eyes, "I can convince my daddy they and their friends threatened to use the Elements of Harmony to banish me to the moon, making him not only take their homes away, but having them placed under arrest. They'll be in jail for so long, not even the princess can get them out." The three Crusaders all looked on at the filly in horror, as they all backed away, putting their reporting hats back on. (End Flashback) "She… said that…?" Twilight and Cheerilee asked with wide eyes, earning nods from the original three members of the CMC. "Now Ah definitely see why y'all don't like her," Applejack frowned. "Indeed. What a nasty little filly," Rarity added. "Hai," Silver and Fluttershy agreed, frowning as well. "...We've always been scared she was going to keep using that threat… so we've kept quiet about her bullying for all this time…" Scootaloo said in fear before hugging Rainbow Dash, "I-I didn't want her to take you and your friends away, mom." Everypony looked at the first three Crusaders in shock, including the new four Crusaders. To think they held this secret for so long, shocked them. "I… see," Cheerilee noted. "Ah didn't want to lose the family farm…a-Ah didn't want to lose mah big sister," Applebloom added, shivering a bit as tears formed in her eyes. "I didn't want Rarity to be taken away and lose her job. It… it wouldn't be fair," Sweetie Belle added. "...You three have sure gone through a lot, keeping that a secret for so long…" Twilight responded. "We know," Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo nodded sadly, looking down. "I wouldn't be that brave…" Timid sighed as she cried. "Neither would I," Amethyst added. "Yeah… I'd try to tell you to cheer up, but… I'm too shocked and saddened after hearing all that," Quirky sighed, her mane deflating a bit. "Cutie Mark Crusaders… please, just promise me this. If you're ever bullied again, you'll tell someone, okay?" Cheerilee asked. "Y… yes, Ms. Cheerilee." Applebloom nodded. "Yes/h-hai /Cheerilee-sensei," the rest of the CMC added. "Good, thank you all for coming," Cheerilee smiled, "You may leave now" "Scootaloo… I'm proud that you opened up," Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thanks mom. I-I was scared to tell anypony that, but… I'm kinda glad I did now," Scootaloo replied, sighing a bit in relief. Dash pulled her adopted daughter into a hug, smiling at her. "Good morning, class," Cheerilee greeted her students the next day, "Today, I have an announcement for you all." "What is it?" Dawn Star asked. "It has come to my attention that bullying in schools has started to get out of hand. Therefore, I'm establishing an anti-bullying rule," Cheerilee replied as she motioned to the chalk board, showing the word 'bully' crossed out, "If anypony here is found bullying someone, they will be suspended from school." "So? That doesn't sound bad," Diamond Tiara scoffed a bit before flinching at the disapproving glare Cheerilee was giving her. "One more thing… if anypony is being bullied, come see me immediately. Okay?" Cheerilee asked her class. "Okay," the class smiled. "Finally, we can play recess without worry now," Sweetie Belle sighed in relief before kicking a ball over to Quirky, "Heads up!" "I got it!" Quirky beamed as she bopped the ball with her head, "Coming your way, Amethyst!" Amethyst took off a little bit into the air, managing to balance the ball, "Got it. Dawn Star, comin' your way!" "Got it!" Dawn Star nodded as she took off into the air a bit and flew after the ball just as Amethyst hit it towards her, however she missed the ball and it landed a little bit away from Diamond Tiara, who had a venomous glaring look on her face. "Hello… Blank Flanks," the spoiled filly said, saying 'Blank flanks' like it was a poison. "Ugh… what now Diamond Tiara? We're trying to have fun here," Dawn Star sighed as she flew down to the ground. "You know what! Ms. Cheerilee talked with my daddy yesterday, and guess what?! He grounded me for three months! I can't do anything except go to school now thanks to you blank flanks!" Diamond Tiara snapped. "...To be fair, you brought that on yourself for bullying us," Dawn Star stated with a frown of her own. "You Crusaders are going to regret this, terribly!" "...I'm suddenly kinda scared," Timid whispered to Dawn Star. "I am too, Timid. Hopefully it's an empty threat since she can't do anything now, "Dawn Star reassured. "Hai… that bully has been exposed as the nasty filly she really is," Amethyst added. Diamond Tiara walked off, before turning to the Crusaders with a scowl, before she just walked off. 'I swear I'll get back at those blank flanks...I swear it,' the spoiled filly thought as she walked away. Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. Also, this is a kinda continuation of last chapter. Magic of LoveIt started as a normal day in the Ponyville Castle, with Twilight working on some spell with Trixie helping her out a bit. "Hmm… let's see…" the violet Alicorn pondered a bit as she was looking through a book to help her with the spell,"Perhaps maybe, this'll work." "Hmm?" Trixie blinked a bit as she looked over Twilight's shoulder a bit, "...I wouldn't try it like that. Not unless you want to end up turning everyone in Ponyville into cats." "...How did you get so smart with magic anyhow?" Twilight asked jokingly. "Hpmh. None of your business," Trixie scoffed a bit, not wanting to tell, "A magician never reveals their secrets after all." "It was a joke Trixie," Twilight informed, giggling a bit. "R-right… by the way, if Trixie may ask, why are you working on this spell anyhow?" the azure unicorn asked, a tiny bit curious. "Favor from my sister-in-law," Twilight informed. "A favor?" Trixie blinked. "She asked my help with the spell." Trixie gave a small eye roll as she trotted over to sit down, tired from working for so long. "...Trixie'll ask one last time before she takes a nap. What're you going to use this spell on exactly?" "I… don't know yet… I'm not even sure what this will do. Like a certain potion Rainbow Dash took from me, which caused her to almost destroy Ponyville." Trixie just blinked in confusion at that before yawning a bit as she began to take her nap. "Hi Twilight," Amethyst waved as she trotted in with a box of peaches. "Hello, Amethyst," Twilight greeted the filly, "Is everything okay?" "Yea. I got you the peaches you wanted," Amethyst informed as she put the box by Twilight, before sitting down, looking a little lonely, "Before you ask… I just miss my mommy." "...I see…I'm sorry to..." Twiight began "It's okay...but...it's just been a while since I've seen her….I'm going to read a book. If you need me, I'll just be over there," Amethyst informed, pointing to a small beanbag chair with her name on it. "Okay then," Twilight nodded as Amethyst trotted over to her seat and sat down on it, grabbing one of the books next to it. The alicorn just smiled at Luna's adoptive daughter for a moment before looking at the peaches and starting to work them into a potion that was going along with the spell. "Okay… just a little more, and..." Twilight began. "Hey Twi." "Gahh!" Twilight yelped as she accidentally sent a blast on magic off. She then quickly turned to see Rainbow Dash flying behind her, "R-Rainbow Dash! What're you…?!" "I came to borrow one of your Daring Doo books," the cyan pegasus shrugged. "...I see… look Dash," Twilight began, unknown the magic blast she released going into the potion she was making, "I thought we talked about this. Next time you want to ask for something, use the door like everypony else." "...windows tend to be a bit more convenient… sorry Twi," Dash shrugged, making the alicorn facehoof. "Ugh… it's okay. Sorry Dash… but I'm kinda busy making something at the moment," Twilight stated, not noticing the potion acting strange. "...Uh ...Twilight?" Dash spoke. "Not now Dash. Look… my Daring Doo books are on the top shelf to your left and..." Twilight began. "Twilight." "Again, not now Dash. Once you get your book, sit down and wait until I..." "Twilight!" "What?!" Twilight snapped a bit before seeing Rainbow Dash point behind her. She turned around to see the potion had started to act up, the vial it was in bouncing around a bit, "...Duck!" "Oh crud!" Rainbow Dash yelped as she, Amethyst, and Twilight ducked down in time as the vial exploded, the potion that was in it bouncing around the room until it hit a mirror. After a few moments, a four way beam shot off, two of them flying out the window and the other two hitting Twilight and Rainbow Dash. "Aunt Twilight? Auntie Twilight?" Amethyst said with worry, seeing Dash and Twilight on the ground. "Since… when did you call her 'auntie'?" Dawn Star asked, walking in. "...I call her that…" Amethyst replied, "Sometimes," "...Amethyst? Dawn Star… are you two okay?" Twilight asked, starting to stir. "We are Twilight. But… are you okay?" Dawn Star asked. "Peachy," Twilight groaned, rubbing her eyes, "What happened?" "You and Rainbow Dash got hit by that potion when it reflected off the mirror," Amethyst answered, "You two've been out for a few hours." "Oh really? Well… is Dash okay?" Twilight asked with a bit of worry. "Ugh… somepony mention my name?" Rainbow Dash groaned as she began to regain consciousness. "Yea… I was worried about you," Twilight informed. "It's okay Twi..." Dash grinned weakly a bit as she managed to stand up, "It'll take more than that to knock me down." "You're something special, y'know Rainbow Dash," Twilight giggled. "That I am, Twi," Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit. "...Does something seem… off to you?" Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst. "No… at least… I don't think so," Amethyst replied with a whisper, "Why? What's wrong?" "Not sure…" Dawn Star shrugged before tapping her chin in thought, "But...this almost seems...rather familiar." "Huh? Ho..?" Amethyst began. "So, what do ya want to do now, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked the violet Alicorn once she helped her up. "Not sure… but if I'm with you, I don't mind," Twilight smiled, a blush on her face. "Same here," Rainbow dash smiled back, blushing as well. "...Okay, this is starting to feel familiar," Dawn Star noted quietly, watching both Twilight and Rainbow Dash stare at eachother, almost lovingly. "I'll go and get a bell," Amethyst informed, walking off. "Huh? W….Mischief," Dawn frowned. "Ugh...I...am bored!" Mischief yawned, taking the form of a dog as he rested in the middle of town, "There's nothing to do...I w…" "Mischief!" Dawn Star's voice snapped, making the 'dog' turn to see the Alicorn filly stomping towards him. "..Uh..hi?" Mischief greeted, a bit confused by the glare he was getting, "...Okay, I'll bite. What's wrong?" "You did that dust thing again! stop it!" "..I have no idea what you're talking a…" Mischief began before Dawn was pressing her face against his, the Alicorn filly still glaring at him. "Don't lie! Twilight and Rainbow Dash are acting like they did when you put that dust on them!" Dawn Star snapped, "Now stop it!" "It's not him. I used the bell, it didn't work," Amethyst informed. "See? I'm telling the truth… for once," Mischief replied, mumbling that last part a bit. "..If it's not you…." Dawn Star paused as she moved back from him, "Then who?" "Don't know. My pop and sis are still out on Vacation," Mischief shrugged. "...What if… it was that spell Aunt Twilight was working on?" Amethyst theorized. "...You think so?" Dawn Star asked. "I know so..I saw the spell hit both her and Rainbow Dash," Amethyst nodded before blinking, "Wait...there were two more beams that came form the mirror and went out the window." "Where do you think the other two went…?" Dawn Star wondered as she noticed Silver Hawk and Fluttershy. "You sure you're alright, Fluttershy-chan?" Silver asked in concern as the two pegasi walked by. "Ano… I-I am," Fluttershy blushed, smiling a bit as she nuzzled her head against Silver Hawk's, "I'm just glad you're okay, SIlver-kun." "...uh… okay?" Amethyst and Dawn Star said in confusion, as the other Crusaders all rushed over to them. "Did ya'll just see…?" Applebloom began. "Timid's brother and Fluttershy walking by, almost lovingly? Yes," Dawn replied, "It's happening to Twilight and Rainbow Dash too." "What?! Again?!" Scootaloo gawked, "but h…?" "Alright, where is it?!" Quirky shouted as she shook Mischief, "Where's the love potion infected cupcakes?!" "I-i-i-i-i-i-i haaaaaaaave no idea w-w-w-w-w-what y-y-y-y-y-y-our talking about!" Mischief yelled, his voice shaky, like he was in an earthquake of sorts. "We can testify for him." Amethyst informed,causing Quirky to stop as she turned to face her, "Twilight was making a potion and it ended up bouncing around the place before it split into 4 separate beams, two of which hit Twilight and Rainbow Dash." "And I'm gonna guess Fluttershy and Timid's brother got hit with the other two," Scootaloo figured. "Well, we gottha fix 'em! Stat!" Applebloom frantically ahouted a bit. "Yeah! We don't want a repeat of what happened with Big Mac and Ms. Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, making Amethyst blink. "Eh? What…?" Amethyst began. "No time, so we'll give you the short version. We wanted to pair Ms. Cheerilee with Applebloom's brother, we used a love potion on them, which made them act all lovey dovey with each other. We found out the love potion was a love poison, and we had to separate Big Mac and Cheerilee until it wore off," Scootaloo stated quickly. "...Now I get why you said we're never going to try for matchmaking Cutie Marks," Dawn Star sweatdropped. "Exactly. Now we need to hurry before Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Timid's brother start talking lovey dovey to each other!" "My lovely Rainbow…" Twilight giggled as Dash and her were walking along the streets of ponyville, staring at each other lovingly… though what was a bit weird was they had hearts in their eyes. "My smart little princess," Dash smiled. "R-Rainbow! Twilight!" Fluttershy's voice called out, catching the two's attention as they saw the shy pegasus and Silver hawk walk towards them. "Hey Fluttershy. Nice to see you here," Twilight greeted. "H-hai," Fluttershy nodded before she nuzzled against Silver, who rested his head on hers a bit, "Especially if I'm with my Silver-kun." "...Timid… we need to do somethin', now!" Applebloom whispered to Timid as they were in disguise, watching the four. "H-Hai. D-demo… I-I don't know what to do!" Timid whimpered. "Well think fast before they…!" Applebloom began before she noticed the three pegasi and Alicorn were gone, "..leave." "A love potion/spell?! Nice thinking Princess Cadance…" Dawn Star groaned as she was trying to put together some of the notes Twilight had written, along with info passed on from Twlight's sister-in-law, "Ugh… any luck, Amethyst? Sweetie Belle?" "No. Nothing, "Sweetie Belle shook her head as she and Amethyst looked through various spell books Twilight had. "We looked through everything, and we can't find a way to fix this," Amethyst added before seeing something, "Wait! I think I found something!" "Does it tell us how to reverse it?" "Hang on…" Amethyst responded, reading over it as fast as she could. "Okay, it says that this spell was something started by…Star-Swirl the Bearded, whoever that is. The spell was created to help heal wounded hearts, but it only works for those who have true feelings for each other." "...And?" Dawn Star urged her to continue. "Uh… well…" Amethyst responded, as she looked at the paper with her eyes squinted for a moment, "If this spell is used by mistake, the only way to reverse it is to… to…" "...To what?" Sweetie asked. "I-I don't know. I can't make out the last part," Amethyst replied, trying her best to read the last part of the sentence, "I'm sorry! I'm dyslexic!" "Dys… what now?" Sweetie blinked. "Dyslexics. It means she can't read as well as other ponies," Dawn Star explained before she looked at Amethyst, "It's alright Amethyst… but now, we need to find another way to reverse the spell/potion." "...uh… I'm looking at some of the notes from Auntie's sister-in-law… and it mentions something about… 'wearing off' and… 'water'... I think?" "You sure?" Dawn Star asked hopefully. "Th-that's all I can make out," Amethyst replied, sighing a bit, "Sorry." "...It's alright. At least we have a possible answer," Dawn Star stated before looking at Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie, you go and find Scootaloo and Quirky. Amethyst and I will get Applebloom and Timid." "Alright," Sweetie nodded, as she rushed off. "Before we do anything else… why didn't you say you're dyslexic?" "...I-I didn't want anypony to find out," Amethyst sighed. "We'll talk more about this later, okay?" "Alrighty." The CMC were getting a water trap ready, in they had to do it fast before those infected by the love spell/potion would arrive. "Any sign of them, Mischief?!" Scootaloo asked the son of discord, who was taking the form of a eagle. "Nope. Not ye… oh hold on! I think I see them!" Mischief shouted, making the CMC freeze up, "Oh…no wait…it was just a few flies." That of course made the CMC facefault. "So… what does dyslexia do? Is it contagious?" Quirky asked Dawn Star. "No…" Dawn replied, "It only means that Amethyst has trouble reading compaired to us." "Quiet! I think I see them!" Mischief informed, as they all got into position, "Oh wait… it's just Vinyl Scratch and Octavia talking to a pair of ponies." "Darn it, Mischief! Stop leading us on like that!" Scootaloo barked. "Uh… minna… I see them," Timid informed, sure enough, it really was the four ponies affected by the spell/potion. "...hide!" Scootaloo whispered as the fillies went back into their hiding places. "Have I told you how beautiful you are, Fluttershy-tenshi?" Silver Hawk smiled, making the shy mare blush and giggle a bit. "Keep calling me that… I really like it, my Silver-kun," Fluttershy giggled. 'Ugh… I see what Scootaloo meant now,' Mischief gagged mentally as he watched the four interact. "So Twil, what did you think of our time together?" Dash asked. "Perfect, as always, Bowy" Twilight smiled as she nuzzled against the cyan pegasus. "Okay… they're almost in position," Dawn Star whispered. "Steady… steady…" Quirky slowly said as the four slowly approached the area the CMC set the trap at. "Ohh! I just got an idea!" Fluttershy gasped a bit, "Rainbow, Twilight? Maybe we can go to that new restaurant tonight for a double date!" "Sweet. I like that plan," Rainbow grinned before wrapping a hoof around Twilight, "Especially if I can go with my princess here." "Oh you," Twilight giggled. "Now," Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst, as she tried to turn the wheel, but it wouldn't budge, "What the?" she then tried to turn it again, earning the same result, "...oh don't tell me…" "...Oh for pity's sake," Mischief rolled his eyes before he flew down and manually knocked the bucket down, soaking the three pegasi and Alicorn. "Gah! What the hay?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before turning to the shivering Twilight, "You okay, Twi?" "Yea," Twilight nodded. "Oh… I was turning it the wrong way. Dang dyslexia," Amethyst sighed, loud enough for the four soaking ponies to hear her. "What the… Amethyst? Is that you?" Twilight asked, making the filly freeze up. "Uh oh… busted," she gulped. "You're dyslexic?" Twilight asked "Yea… but that's not what's important right now. Auntie-Twilight, you, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Timid's brother got hit with a love potion/spell you've been trying to work on. It only affected you four because you… have feelings for one another." "Uh duh. Of course we do," Rainbow Dash stated. "Huh?!" Amethyst gawked, 'Oh mother no… don't tell me they're still infected with the love potion/spell!' "We're all friends," Rainbow Dash added, making the filly facefault. "Yes. But listen Amethyst, you don't' go around splashing other ponies with ice cold water," Twilight informed before mumbling to herself, "Pinkie did that to me last week for some ice bucket challenge." "No… that was the only way to fix you all. And uh… what I mentioned by feelings… the spell only worked if… romantic feelings already existed," Amethyst clarified as she stood back up. "...Wait… so we were…" Silver Hawk began in realization. "Under a spell created by Star-Swirl the Bearded, the spell being meant to heal broken hearts," Twilight gasped "You were all acting all lovey-dovey…" Amethyst added, "Like what happened with Applebloom's brother and ms. Cheerilee." "...w….w...we d-didn't k...k…k…" Fluttershy began before she fainted, her entire face a beet red. "Kiss? No," Timid informed, as Mischief reached for a bucket, dumping the water onto Fluttershy, waking the shy mare up. "I-I see…" Silver Hawk noted, the stallion blushing heavily. "Uh… did me and Twi… say anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, a bit nervous at the moment, "Anything… mushy or girly?" "No...at least, I don't think so." "Good. Because… well Twilight… there's something I need to say," Dash informed, "but… not here." "...o-okay," Twilight nodded, having a feeling she knew what Dash wanted to talk about. "Okay… are we alone?" Rainbow Dash asked as she and Twilight stood within the main room of Twilight's castle. "Yea," Twilight nodded. "Good," Rainbow Dash nodded before she took a deep breath, "Twilight… th-there's something I've been meaning to say to ya." "...What is it?" Twilight asked nervously. "At first… I thought you were one of those typical eggheads. But… as time went by, you became one of my best friends. You helped me a lot. You put up with me ego sometimes. Y-you knocked me to my senses when I was corrupted by Discord when he was still evil… you forgave me, even after how cold me and the others were when you were trying to prove Chrysalis posed as Cadence during the wedding… and… and…" Rainbow Dash paused before pulling her mane a bit, "Ugh! I'm not good at these kinds of things!" Twilight blinked for a moment, moving closer to Dash, "With… what things?" "Confessing my feelings for ya!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before shutting her mouth, blushing heavily. This in turn made Twilight blush heavily as well. "...I love you, okay? I've never really liked stallions… ever," Dash continued, "Th-they just remind me of those two jerks that picked on me and Fluttershy when we were fillies. And when Mischief did what he did to us on Hearts and Hooves Day, I honestly felt sick to my stomach when we snapped out of it." Twilight still stood there, frozen on the spot as her face still had a heavy blush. "So… now you know the truth..." Dash sighed a bit before she smiled at the violet Alicorn, "I love you." "Well… I have something to say as well Rainbow," Twilight informed, clearing her throat a bit as she calmed down a little, the blush still on her face, "A-as time went on, you became one of my best friends too. But..." she paused, turning her head a bit away as her blush increased, "I've also started to gain some feeling for you as time went by." "Really? Well… I kinda knew due to the whole mess that occurred today," Dash shrugged. "So… yea. Rainbow… I love you too," Twilight smiled, walking towards her. "Though… you sure we can make this work? I mean, there are some ponies that look down on… well, Mares who like mares." "True, but I don't care…" Twilight stated as she nuzzled her head against Rainbow Dash's, "As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy." "Well, can we… uh… kiss then?" Dash asked nervously, rubbing the back of her head a bit, "To tell ya the truth, I've… never kissed anypony before." "...Neither have I… but… I-I guess that'll change," Twilight admitted with a blush as she moved back a bit, her face inches away from Rainbow Dash's. They just blushed as they slowly closed the gap between each other, their lips touching each other. After a few moments, they separated the kiss as they looked each other in the eye. "Heh… guess that makes it official," Rainbow said with a small chuckle. "Yea… I guess it does," Twilight smiled a bit. "Fluttershy… please come out, I want to talk to you," Silver Hawk called out, knocking on the door of Fluttershy's cottage. No response came, making the Neighponese pegasus sigh. "Fluttershy-chan.. l-listen. I-I don't know if you can still hear me d-demo…I-I have a question to ask you," Silver Hawk stated. Fluttershy meekly opened up the door as she looked at Silver's eyes. "Wh-what is it, S-Silver-san?" Fluttershy squeaked, blushing heavily. "...I-if you're n-not doing anything t-tomorrow… d-do…" Silver hawk paused, the heavy blush still on his face as he took a deep breath and quickly asked, "Do you want to go on a date?!" This in turn made Fluttershy's face blush heavier. "...I-if you don't want to... I-I understand," Silver Hawk sighed a bit as he began to walk away. "Matte!" she called out quickly, making him stop in his tracks, "...a date… sounds… lovely…" "Really?" "Uh… I… h-h-have… s-s-s-something… to… say," Fluttershy stuttered before pulling her head back into the door to hide her heavily blushing face, "B-but I'll tell you w-when we're on our date tomorrow!" "...o-okay. t-till tomorrow then, F-Fluttershy-chan," Silver Hawk replied as he began to walk away once more. Inside her home, Fluttershy was panting, her heart nearly ready to pop out of her chest. "M-my-my first date…" the shy mare whispered to herself. =The next day= "So he asked you out, darling?" Rarity asked later, helping Fluttershy get ready for her date. "Y-yes. I-I'm so nervous," Fluttershy admitted, "M-my heart feels like it's about to burst any moment. I-I've never been on a date before, Rarity. I-I don't even know wh-what to do on a date." "Just be yourself," Rarity replied with a soft smile, "You'll do just fine, dear." "..Y-you really think so?" "You're one of the greatest mares in Ponyville, you'll do just dandy." Fluttershy was waiting by her door, dressed up in her attire from the Grand Galloping Gala. Though she was still a bit nervous, scared of screwing up the date, her very first date. Before she could think or say anything, a knock on the door caught her attention. "Fluttershy-chan? It's me, Silver," the voice of Timid's brother called out from the other side of the door, "Are...are you ready?" "..G-give me a minute!" Fluttershy yelped as she quickly looked at her reflection in a nearby mirror, 'O-okay Fluttershy. You can do this. J-just be yourself.' She walked over to open the door,seeing Silver Hawk dressed in a light blue vest. "H..hi Flu…" Silver Hawk paused, blushing when he noticed how Fluttershy looked, 'W..wow...she's...she's...beautiful...' he then looked down at the vest he was wearing, 'Mou...I should've come better prepared.' "Y-y-you look n-nice, Silver-san," Fluttershy noted, blushing. "Thanks… Fluttershy-tenshi…" he responded with a blush, making her blush heavily in return. "A-ano… sh-shall we go?" Fluttershy managed to squeak out. "S...sure." "Bowy… you didn't have to do this," Twilight blushed, as they arrived at a fancy restaurant. "Hey. We're a couple now, so I figured I'd take ya to some place fancy for our first date," the cyan pegasus replied. "Twilight? Rainbow?" Fluttershy gawked, as she and Silver Hawk arrived. "Huh? Fluttershy? What're you doing here?" Twilight blinked. "Uh… well… I..." Fluttershy began with a stutter, the shy mare still blushing from earlier. "...Hold on, Twi. I'll be right back," Rainbow Dash spoke as she moved Fluttershy with her, "I need to talk with Fluttershy about something." "...okay," Twilight replied, a bit confused as she and Silver watched the two turned the corner. "Wh-what is it, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked, wondering what the cyan pegasus wanted to talk to her about. "What're you and Timid's brother doing here? ...You two aren't still under the effects of that spell, are you?" Rainbow dash asked in suspicion. "N-no!" Fluttershy shook her head quickly. "Huh? Then wha…" Rainbow Dash began before she grinned a bit, "You two are on a date, aren't you?" "Uh… well, I… a-ano…" Fluttershy stuttered. "Relax. I'm here on a date with Twilight," Dash informed, making the shy mare blink a bit in surprise. "R-really?" "Yeah," Rainbow nodded before blushing a bit, rubbing the back of her head, "I… confessed to her yesterday and stuff… turns out, she really liked me in return." "Suge…" Fluttershy awed. "So… this will be a double date?" Dash asked before whispering to Fluttershy, "Cause to tell ya the truth… I... don't know what to do on a date, especially at a fancy place like this." "...N-neither do I. D-demo…" Fluttershy began as she calmed down a little, "R-Rarity gave me some advice not too long ago." "So, let's enjoy our night then?" "H-hai. L-let's just b-be ourselves...th-that's what Rarity told me at least," Fluttershy replied with a small stutter. "Okay!" After a while, the four were enjoying their double date with Silver Hawk looking at Fluttershy a bit later, the two sitting at their table as the sun began to set outside. "I… I uh… h-h-have… s-s-s-some-e-th-thing… to tell you," Silver Hawk began, blushing up a storm. "What is it, Silver?" Fluttershy asked, blushing as well. "I've uh… I mean to say…w-well…" Silver hawk stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. "W-well what?" Fluttershy urged him to continue. "I… l-l-l-o-o-ove… you," Silver Hawk admitted, making her blush even more. "..I-I know…" Fluttershy replied, making him blink a bit in surprise, "R-remember Peach, Timid's pet kitty?" "Yeah… wh-what about her?" Silver Hawk asked. "...I made a wish to spend time with you two…w-without you knowing. I turned into Peach… and she became real somehow," Fluttershy informed before turning her head away, small tears forming in her eyes, "I-I'm sorry." After a moment of silence, Silver moved her head towards him before he smiled softly at her. "There's no need to be sorry..." Silver whispered before he pressed his lips against Fluttershy's. Fluttershy gave a mental gasp as he eyes widened and a heavy blush formed on her face, 'M-my-my first kiss.' She soon melted into the passion of the kiss and enjoyed it before they separated with Fluttershy blushing. "If we're a couple… can I ask you something? Can you… call me… 'Fluttershy-tenshi' from now on?" "...Of course," Silver Hawk smiled as he pressed his head against hers, "Because that's what you are to me. A tenshi…" Fluttershy smiled back at that, small tears of joy in her eyes as she nuzzled her head against Silver's. "Hey Timid, I've got a surprise for you," Silver Hawk informed as he had arrived back to his home. "H-hai, onii-chan?" Timid asked, resting in the living room with Yuki and Peach. "W-well… m-me and Fluttershy-chan… I mean… Fluttershy-tenshi… w-we're dating now," Silver Hawk replied with Fluttershy walking in, making Timid drop one of her mangas with wide eyes. "Y-you mean it?" "Hai," they nodded, as Timid just got really giddy. "KYAAA!" Timid beamed in joy before she shot over to Fluttershy and hugged one of her front legs before calming down a bit, "G-gomen demo… c-can I ask you something, F-Fluttershy-san?" she nodded. "Sure Timid," she smiled. "W-well… since you're dating my onii-chan… c-can I… c-call you… Onee-chan?" Timid asked shyly. "I would love that. I've always seen you like a little sister," Fluttershy admitted, giving a soft smile as Timid hugged her once more, teh shy mare returning the hug. Silver Hawk gave a soft smile as he watched teh two hug before deciding to join in. Even though his dad wouldn't leave him alone about it, he'd have to make a reminder to send his mom and dad a letter about this new chapter in his life. "Mischief, can you believe it?! Onii-chan is dating Fluttershy-chan!" Timid beamed with joy, jumping on her bed like she had a sugar rush. "Eh? You sure they're not acting all weird again?" "No! Onii-chan told me himself he and Fluttershy-chan are dating! Kya! I have an onee-chan now!" Timid exclaimed with joy. "Keep that dumb sound up, and you'll shatter glass…" Mischief groaned, annoyed as he stuffed a pair of corks into his ear-holes, "And my eardrums too." Timid just ignored him as she jumped around on her bed some more, "Wait til I write to Okaa-san and Otou-san about this!" Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. also, happy early Valentines day/ Hearts and Hooves day, everyone, Mark of the NightIt started out as a normal day in Ponyville as the CMC arrived at the train station. "Are ya sure ya can't stay fer Nightmare Night, Amethyst?" Applebloom asked. "Yeah… this would be the first one you'd spend with us," Quirky added, "well..this also technically my, Dawn, and Timid's first nightmare Night in Ponyville, but still…" "I really would like to… but… Mom's given me an invite back home… and I really want to spend a holiday about her… with my Mom," Amethyst responded as she wheeled a small suitcase onto the train bound for Canterlot. "...Okay… just be careful on the way there, Amethyst," Dawn stated. "I will, I promise," Amethyst smiled, "See you all later." "J-jaa ne, Amethyst-chan," Timid waved a bit, her stutter almost not there. Amethyst gave a wave as Twilight signaled the private train to Canterlot was good to go. Thus, the train began on it's way to Canterlot, the CMC waving to Amethyst as she waved to them from out the window. "I hope she'll be okay," Quirky sighed, "She's gonna be missing a lot of fun stuff…" "I'm sure she'll be back by tomorrow," Scootaloo reassured. After a little while, the train had stopped, and much to the surprise of Amethyst, Princess Luna was there at the train station, waiting for her. "M-mom!" Amethyst gasped in a mix of surprise and happiness as she ran out of the train before hugging the Princess. "So this is that pegasus filly that calls you her mom?" A guard asked Princess Luna. "Indeed it is,"the princess/goddess of the moon nodded in response. "I missed you so much…" Amethyst said, tears dripping down. "I missed you too, dear Amethyst," Luna smiled, "I hope things have been well for you during your studies with Twilight?" "They have, she's been taking it nice and slow due to my dyslexia," Amethyst responded. "I see..I am glad to hear that," Luna smiled a bit, "Anything else you want to talk about?" "Well… can we talk more back at the castle? Maybe after I settle down a bit?" Amethyst asked as she moved back a bit, separating the hug. "Sounds like a plan," Luna smiled, as Amethyst walked alongside the princess of the night, seeing that Canterlot was decorated for Nightmare Night. It wasn't long before the duo arrived back at the castle and were walking within the halls before stopping before a set of doors, Luna using her magic to open them and reveal her bedroom, Amethyst smiling and going over to the part of the room she used to have when she was little. "So… why is it that you changed from a… cyan like color to what you are now? You never told me that," Amethyst admitted. "Moving on from the past of Nightmare Moon," Luna answered with a small sigh. "Oh… I see. S-Sorry," Amethyst apologized. "You did not know, it was only natural you'd be curious to ask," Luna admitted, "You are still young after all." Amethyst gave a small nod in response as she took out a piece of paper, showing a drawing that she had made, which was of them, with a label 'My Mommy and Me,'. "I worked really hard… do you like it?" Amethyst asked. "...I love it," Luna smiled, hugging Amethyst, "You are simply a very nice filly..." "...Th...thanks mom," Amethyst smiled as she returned the hug. The night sky shone as the ponies of Ponyville celebrated Nightmare Night, a night dedicated to the princess of the night itself. "So, Amethyst left for Canterlot?" Dash asked Twilight, hiding behind a wall to hide her costume. "Yea," Twilight nodded, as she walked out wearing a costume similar to one she saw in one of Timid's books when Dawn borrowed one at the time. The costume was primarily red, and it was themed after a pirate of sorts with the red coat, gold accents, and a symbol of a key and two cutlasses in the style of the Jolly Roger skull & crossbones, but it was heavy in the black accenting. "Don't know why, but this seems so… familiar, and feels so… right. So… what are you going dressed as?" Twilight asked. "My favorite princess," Dash smiled as she stepped out, her coat dyed a shade of lavender identical to Twilight's her mane also styled and colored like Twi's, the only added thing was a fake unicorn horn coming out of her mane, "Tada!" Twilight saw this, blinking a bit before she gave a slight giggled. "...What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising her eyebrow a little. "Nothing. Just… kinda funny to see you look like me," Twilight giggled a bit. "Y-Yea, well… the best inspiration came from the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria," Dash admitted. Twilight blushed a bit at that as she walked over to Rainbow Dash and nuzzled against her a bit, making Dash blush in response. "Thanks for the compliment…" Twilight whispered to her marefriend before walking back a bit, "So… are the girls ready?" "Not sure yet…" Rainbow dash answered as she looked up the stairs, "Scootaloo, Dawn! Are you two ready yet?!" "Almost!" Scootaloo replied from upstairs, and it wasn't much longer before the young filly rushed down, dressed as Rainbow Dash, her coat dyed cyan along with a painted Cutie Mark, and her mane and tail were like Dash's normal rainbow mane. "I guess cosplay runs in their family," Dawn Star joked as she walked down, wearing..nothing? "..uh..Dawn? Where's your costume?" Scootaloo blinked. "Costume?" Dawn blinked, "...I..wasn't aware I needed one." "What th...it's Nightmare Night! You have to wear a costume!" "...Oh," Dawn Star realized as Scootaloo dragged her back upstairs. "I've got my costume ready Mom… you wanna see it?" Amethyst asked from inside the room. "Of course, dear," Luna noded in response as the doors opened, revealing Amethyst dressed as her, having painted her coat to match Luna's, Cutie Mark and all. She had a fake horn, and even her mane and tail matched Luna's in color, but it didn't have the same flowing effect. "How do I look?" "..You look lovely, dear," Luna smiled a bit. "Thank you. I put a lot of time and effort into making this costume," Amethyst giggled. Luna gave a small nod, still smiling a bit before she and Amethyst heard the door open, making them turn to see a familiar sun Princess/Goddess walking in. "Hello Luna. And… wow, isn't this something else. Managed to clone yourself for your special night?" Celestia teased, giggling a bit. "..." "I was joking a little, Luna," Celestia giggled a bit, something rare for Luna to see from her sister these days, "It really is good to see you again Amethyst," "Likewise," Amethyst smiled, "I'm really happy to be back here...even if it's only for a little while." "Indeed. Oh, if I may ask Amethyst, how is Twilight doing?" Celestia asked out of curiousty. "She's doing just fine. She hooked up with Rainbow Dash recently, and I don't think I've ever seen her so happy," Amethyst informed. Hearing the news of Twilight falling in love, especially with another mare, took Celestia back for a moment, blinking a bit in surprise. "Wait...you mean Twilight...and her friend Rainbow Dash...are together?" Luna asked, a bit surprised to hear this as well. "Yes. Why… is that a bad thing?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "Uh… no, but… tis… simply unexpected is all," Luna responded. "Uh...yes… it certainly is," Celestia agreed. "Well… they're happy, and shouldn't that be what matters most?" "...O-of course, dear," Luna nodded, as Amethyst smiled. "So… candy time?" she asked, taking out a bucket she brought with her. "Indeed it is, Amethyst," Luna confirmed, "Let us go out and collect as much candy as you can." "Yay!" Amethyst cheered a bit before thinking, 'I wonder how everypony else is doing?' Back over in Ponyville, Twilight and Dash were guiding the CMC all around to get candy, with Quirky actually wheeling a wagon so they could carry their haul. "And I thought Pinkie was obsessed with getting candy," Dash admitted. "Ooh~! I made a haul!" Quirky beamed, the energetic filly wearing a cute bunny costume. "Ah think your costume's neat," Applebloom smiled, dressed as a wad of cotton candy. "You don't think my costume is scary, ne?" Timid asked, as she was dressed as a bat-pony. "Yipe!" Dash yelped running behind Twilight. "Uh… well… it looks… well… it reminded us of what happened with Fluttershy sometime ago," Twi answered. "Eh? Wh...what happened to Onee-chan?" "...Well...Let's just say she turned into what you're dressed as now," Twilight replied, making Timid blink in more confusion, "...A batpony. Except she turned into some kind of Vampire Fruitpony or something we called… Flutterbat." "...e-eh?!" Timid gasped after hearing that, "Well… my first choice was a kitty… but Onee-chan's wearing that." "She is? Last time I saw her, she was petrified to come out here on Nightmare Night," Twilight pointed out. "Well, Onii-san is with her," "That explains that," Dash noted, coming out, "Ever since Fluttershy and your brother have been going out, she hasn't' been as… well, shy as before." "Well, I'm glad to have such a nice Onee-chan now…" Timid giggled. Back over in Canterlot, Amethyst was having some trouble carrying her bucket of candy around since it had filled up over the night,. She tried to stay up, only to trip as the heavy bucket kept dragging her back to the ground. "Need some help?" Princess Luna asked, walking over to Amethyst. "Yes, please," Amethyst nodded as her bucket was soon engulfed in a veil of magic energy before it lifted into the air a bit, "Thanks, mom." Ponies began to notice Princess Luna walking with her 'daughter' and were amazed by the young filly's costume. Though some began to whisper, a bit afraid that a second Nightmare Moon might soon come. Luna overheard that and frowned a bit. Even though mostly everypony had forgiven her, there were a select few that still feared her other self… her darker self. "Mom… I'm glad to be back here with you. But… I've really grown to like Ponyville… my friends are really nice, and… I'll admit, Princess Twilight isn't the only one I've hung out and learned a bit from. I've also learned from the pony who used the Element of Generosity… I'm drawing a blank on her name…" "You mean Rarity, dear?" Luna checked, with Amethyst nodding. "Yea, that's who. She's really nice, and I've become great friends with her sister," Amethyst replied. "Yea… that's nice," Luna smiled, "Rarity is a great pony… but… something once happened to her… not unlike myself becoming Nightmare Moon," "I didn't know that," Amethyst admitted. "Not many ponies do," Luna admitted. -Back in Ponyville- "So… Rarity was once corrupted like Princess Luna was?!" Dawn Star gawked. "It's a long story… but it did happen," Twilight responded. "Okay… I guess," Dawn shrugged, as Quirky screamed. "Somepony stole my wagon!" Quirky shouted, before crying hysterically, "All that candy, gone to waste~!" "Where was the last place you saw it?" Dawn Star asked. "Uh… right before we passed by Diamond Tiara's hou- oh," Quirky started, before quickly realizing what happened. "Wait… you don't mean that…stupid… prissy bully stole our candy?!" Dawn Star started, getting angry. "I'm not that selfish," Diamond Tiara stated, she and Silver Spoon pushing the wagon forward to them, "Your wagon got stuck on some sort of rock, and you left it behind. So, I thought I should come and return it." "..." "What? I'm trying to be nice here for once!" Diamond Tiara frowned. "It's true," Silver Spoon confirmed. "Well… thank you," Dawn Star smiled, as she got the wagon back on Quirky. "....You have a good night now," Diamond Tiara told them as they left, the spoiled filly mentally thinking, 'Stupid blankflanks.'. "...Hard to believe she's so nice for doing that," Quirky admitted before shrugging, "But hey, I'm not one to complain. I got my candy moolah back!" "...Y...yeah…" Scootaloo chuckled a bit before looking at Sweetie Belle, who was dressed as a piece of candy. "So… back to getting candy?" Dawn Star asked. "Yea/Hai," the others nodded. "You want some?" Amethyst asked her mom later, having put all of the candy on a table to snack on. "Isn't that sweet? Thank you, Amethyst," Luna smiled a bit as she took a few pieces, "Did you have a good time tonight?" "I sure did," Amethyst smiled. "Glad," Luna smiled. "You know… I really miss you. But… can I ask you something?" "Certainly," "No matter what my Cutie Mark is… no matter what I do with my life… you'll always be my mommy, right?" Amethyst asked. "Of course I will, Amethyst," Luna smiled as she hugged her daughter, "And no matter what, you'll be my daughter…" "I love you, mommy," Amethyst said, teary-eyed, as she hugged her mom. "I love you, too," Luna replied, hugging Amethyst back. "Get some rest, I have something to do…" Luna told Amethyst, tucking her into a bed. "Okay… goodnight," Amethyst smiled, falling asleep. "Goodnight," Luna smiled, giving Amethyst a kiss goodnight, before walking out, seeing her sister was there. "...Yhat question Amethyst asked you, a certain somepony asked me that very same question," Celestia sighed. "...Your former apprentice, Sunset Shimmer...correct?" Luna asked. "Indeed," Celestia sighed, "I wish… I could see her once again… to mend what was broken between us…" "Do not worry sister dearest, I am certain that thou willst see her once again," Luna assured, making Celetia smile. "I hope so…" "Will I see you again one day soon Mom?" Amethyst asked, very close to crying as she was put on the train back to Ponyville. "Rest assured, child, we will see each other once more," Luna promised. "..ok.." "And I'm sure your friends miss you, dear. So return to them." Amethyst nodded, as Princess Luna then handed her something, a picture of them going around getting candy the night before. "Whenever thou misses me… just look here, and remember the night of fun." The young filly smiled before hugging Princess Luna. "See you soon," Amethyst waved, as the train began to head for Ponyville. "See you soon… my daughter," Luna whispered as she watched the train leave. -Later that day- "So, how was it at Canterlot?" Applebloom asked, as Amethyst had soon returned home. "It was great, but not as great as Ponyville, because here, I get to be with my very best friends," Amethyst smiled. "We really missed ya, so what do ya wanna do now?" Applebloom asked, as Amethyst looked over to the Carousel Boutique. "Actually… I wanna… go and spend a little time there," Amethyst informed, "If… that's okay." "...It's no problem," Dawn Star nodded. "Let's go," Sweetie smiled as they headed over to Rarity's home/store. "Hi Rarity," Amethyst smiled. "Oh, Amethyst. So good to see you again, darling. How was your trip to Canterlot?" Rarity smiled upon seeing the young filly. "It was pleasant. I had a wonderful time with my mom," Amethyst replied with a small smile. "That's good to hear." "I was wondering…if I could spend some time here…" Amethyst admitted, looking around at the designs. "...Of course darling. You're free to come here whenever you wish," Rarity replied. "Thanks," Amethyst smiled, as the CMC all simply looked around. "So… what did you dress as for Nightmare Night?" Scootaloo asked as Amethyst showed the picture of the costume she had made. "I… made it myself," Amethyst admitted, showing the picture to the rest of the CMC and Rarity. "...Gracious… you've made this by yourself?" Rarity asked as she looked at the picture. "I… I did…" "...impressive…" Rarity noted, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd looked like a miniature version of your mother, Amethyst." "Th-thanks," Amethyst smiled with a light blush of embarrassment, "It was honestly my first time making an outfit… I'm surprised I did so well myself, and… it was fun to do it." "I see…" Rarity noted as she continued to look at the picture, "I'm surprised you've managed to make something like this on your first try, darling." "Thanks…" Amethyst blushed. "Can you make our Nightmare Night costumes next year?" Scootaloo asked. "You did such an amazing job, I bet you could make us look like anything we wanted!" Quirky added. "You guys…" Amethyst blushed a bit more. "I-I bet I would look so cute in something you made," Timid smiled. "I'd like to see what kind of costume you can make for me, Amethyst," Dawn Star added. "Ah bet everypony would love whatever costumes you could make," Applebloom added. "Yeah. In fact, you're just as amazing as Rarity is," Sweetie Belle added. Hearing this made Rarity think for a moment, realizing that Amethyst had a lot of untapped potential in her. "Amethyst, darling, why don't you let me teach you as an apprentice? I can show you the true art of fashion designing," Rarity offered the young filly. Amethyst felt like her heart was about to soar at this chance, she really knew she had fun making her own costume, but to learn from one of the best designers. "I'd love to learn from one of the best designers in all of Equestria. So… I'll accept your offer Rarity," Amethyst giggled with joy. "Excellent! Oh you won't regret this, darling!" Rarity smiled, with Amethyst giggling in joy, simply very excited about this, when suddenly, a bright flash came from nowhere, making all of the Crusaders gasp in shock and amazement, as well as Rarity. "No… way…" Applebloom gasped. "Amethyst… take a look at this mirror for me please," Rarity told Amethyst, putting a mirror up by Amethyst. "I'm confused…" "Turn around…" Scootaloo told her. Amethyst turned around, but turned away from the mirror. "She meant… turn around and look at the mirror," Dawn Star stated. "Oh…" Amethyst blinked a bit as she did so before, gasping, seeing that there was something on her flank: it was her Cutie Mark, which was an amethyst jewel with a thread going through a small ribbon that went around it, "M-my… my Cutie Mark…" "Congratulations Amethyst… you're the first Cutie Mark Crusader who's gotten their Cutie Mark," Scootaloo told Amethyst. "..." "Whats' wrong? Aren't you happy? You finally got your Cutie Mark!" Sweetie Belle smiled reminded. "Am… I not a Cutie Mark Crusader anymore?" Amethyst asked nervously, "Because… I may not have told you this before… but… did you know… you're all my very best friends?" "We know…" "But… can we... really be friends anymore? I mean… I have my Cutie Mark… but… I'm no longer a Cutie Mark Crusader…" "We never said getting a Cutie Mark would no longer make you a Crusader, you're always a Cutie Mark Crusader," Applebloom assured, "Ah used to worry that… if Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got there's… Ah would be alone. So… Ah made a rule saying that you leave the Crusaders only if ya'll wanna." "..." "You never leave your friends behind. If being friends with Twilight and the others has taught me anything, even if you change, you're still friends til the end," Rarity assured her new apprentice. "She's right, Amethyst," Sweetie Belle spoke up, "Even if you have your Cutie Mark and we don't, you'll always be our best friend, no matter what." "Thank you," Amethyst told them, tears forming in her eyes, "And Rarity… thank you so much for giving me a chance to be your apprentice, if not for this… I don't think I would be here…" "It's no problem dear," Rarity smiled. Back in Canterlot, Princess Luna was smiling, simply because she received a message from her daughter. She opened it up and read it to herself. "'Dear Mom. Today is a very special day for me… I finally got my Cutie Mark! Miss Rarity saw the picture you gave me, and she liked my costume! So much, she made me her apprentice! I hope you're proud of me, because I'm going to be a designer. Enclosed with this message is a picture of my Cutie Mark. Hope you like it... Love you forever. Your little filly always… Amethyst'" Luna read as she pulled out the photo, showing Amethyst proudly showing off her Cutie Mark. The Princess of the Night smiled at her daughter, and felt a tear drip down from her eye. "She's growing up… but… she will always be my little filly," Luna said to herself, proud of Amethyst. Author's Note first; happy..err, really early/really late Halloween/Nightmare Night. second; you like? Comment/review if ya can. And third; Treats for anyone who guesses what costume Twilight's wearing. Prelude to a ContestOne morning, the sun shone through Sweetie Belle's window, the unicorn filly yawning as she began to awake. After a few moments, she got off of her bed and looked in the mirror in her room. "Well… another day...hopefully the day," the filly said to herself as she looked at a calendar with a few of the days marked off except two. Today was one of her last chance to tell her sister about the upcoming singing competition in Canterlot… she really hoped her sister would pay attention to her this time. She really wanted to enter that contest and make her idol proud. Crossing off today's date on the calendar, Sweetie Belle decided to get cleaned up, mentally preparing herself for today. =a bit later= "Ok… you can do this… just tell her about it, and hope to Celestia she'll let me enter," Sweetie Belle said to herself, the Unicorn filly halfway down the stairs.. After breathing a bit to calm down, Sweetie walked down the rest of the way to see her sister, who was currently busy making something. "Morning Rarity… um, I was…" "Morning Sweetie Belle," Rarity greeted, not turning to face the filly as she was focused on the object she was creating. "Morning sis… um… I-I wanted to ask you something. Can I...?" "Yes yes. You can play with your friends today. Now move along. I'm a bit busy at the moment," Rarity waved her off, making Sweetie Belle frown a little. "But… that's not what I wanted to ask you. I was going to ask..." "Can it wait until later, Sweetie Belle? I need all my attention on this," Rarity interrupted once more, not noticing Sweetie Belle's eye twitch a bit. "... Fine… I'll try again later," Sweetie Belle sighed angrily as she walked out the front door. Later, at the clubhouse, the CMC were busy talking about how they'll get their Cutie Marks today… well… most of the CMC as Amethyst was sick at home, and Sweetie Belle was silent, still a bit angry after her failed attempt to talk to her sister this morning. "A-ano(um)…d-daijoubu(Are you okay), S-Sweetie-chan?" Timid asked, noticing how silent her Unicorn friend was at the moment, "Y-You've been quiet s-since you've arrived." "Oh… it's nothing, Timid… it's just… ugh! I tried to talk to Rarity about the competition that's going to happen in Canterlot soon, but she ignored me… again!" "...I'm… I'm sure it wasn't that bad… right?" Dawn asked. "...Ahem. 'Oh Sweetie Belle, can you please play with your friends today? I'm busy.' 'Oh Sweetie Belle, can you ask me later? I'm busy.' 'Oh Sweetie Belle? Can you make breakfast yourself?! I'm busy!' Busy, busy, busy! That's all she's been lately! BUSY!" Sweetie Belle snapped, her voice squeaking near the end. "Whoa… sorry. I… I was just asking," Dawn said, slightly nervous at how Sweetie Belle acted just now. "No… I'm sorry Dawn Star… it's just… ugh! Rarity's been getting on my nerves!" Sweetie Belle snapped once more, "No matter how many times I try to ask her, she's always busy!-!" "Hey! Sweetie, calm down! Get a grip!" Scootaloo responded, trying to calm the Unicorn filly down. "...Sorry… I'm just so… grrr!" Sweetie Belle growled, irritated as she banged her head against the wall once "I'm just so angry!" "Okay, we get it, but no need to chip your horn in the process." "Yea..uh..maybe a walk might do y'all some good?" Applebloom suggested. "...Yea… I guess so," Sweetie sighed, walking out of the clubhouse. "...D-do you thi-think she'll be ok?" Timid asked. "She just needs to cool down for now, Timid. This is a sorta touchy thing for her," Scootaloo said to the shy filly. "...How so?" Quirky finally spoke up, tilting her head a bit "She and her sister get into arguments… a lot. And I mean a lot. Sometimes, they yell at each other so loud, you can heard it throughout Ponyville." "No kiddin'," Applebloom agreed. "I… I see…" Dawn noted, sweatdropping a bit. "Yea. So let her cool off for now," Scootaloo insisted. "...O-ok. I-if you say so, Sc-Scootaloo-chan," timid nodded slightly, the shy filly still a bit worried about her unicorn friend. Outside, Sweetie Belle walked around Sweet Apple Acres for a while, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. She didn't mean to snap at her friends like that, but...well, normally she and her sister would get mad at one another over a few things, but being ignored for quite some time (especially since she tried to ask her sister about the competition), it got her blood boiling. "Stupid sister. I just want to ask her one thing, and she keeps pushing me away for… whatever's she's working on!" Sweetie mumbled, completely fixated on this thought, "Ugh! I wish she'd just stop for a moment so I could tell her!" "Well well… troubles at home I see," a voice spoke, making Sweetie Belle turn to see Mischief, the son of Discord resting on a cart while munching on an apple, "Yo." "What do you want, Mischief?" Sweetie groaned. "Oh nothing much. I overheard your plight and…well, let's say we're kindred spirits when it comes to siblings," Mischief shrugged, gulping down the core of the apple he was eating as he reappeared next to the unicorn filly. "Oh yea, that's right… I remember now," Sweetie sighed, recalling Mischief's sister the last time she was in town. "Yea...heh. You're lucky you weren't there when me and my sister did a little thing we like to call Food Battle, which tends to get a bit out of hand at times," Mischief added with a slight chuckle, "But anyways… back to the point. I'd like to help you out." "Really? ...Um… you aren't gonna do anything crazy like switch my sister's brain with Opal's, right?" "Sweetie Belle honey. Have I ever done that kind of stuff before?" Mischief asked innocently, earning a blank look from Sweetie Belle, "...Don't answer that. So... what do ya want me to do to help you?" After a bit of thinking, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and looked back at Mischief. "If you can, find some way to pull Rarity back from whatever's she's working on. Just… nothing over the top, ok?" "Really? Something simple? I can make her mane a really barfy green, turn her into a literal marshmallow, make her voice REALLY deep, or.." "Just try something that won't end up making everyone in Ponyville dead. Probably something like startle her or something. Maybe with a crab" "...A…crab?" "Yeah. I don't know why, but my sister really doesn't like crabs," Sweetie Belle stated, tapping her chin a bit in thought. "...Well…okay. If you say so," Mischief sighed before poofing out of there, "Just be ready when your sister comes running out." '...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' Sweetie Belle thought. Back at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity was still busy working on… well, whatever she was working on. She had been working on it for weeks, and she didn't want anypony to see it. But...deep down, she was feeling guilty on ignoring her little sister, brushing her off to the side just so she could work on her little project. "...No worries. Once this is ready, she'll just lo-" the Unicorn began before someone began knocking on the door, "Hmm? Now who could that be?" With that, she walked to the door of her store and opened it to reveal… a box? "...What in Equestria?" Rarity blinked as she bent down to see if there was any tag on it, only to find there wasn't one, "...This is rather odd. hmm...though I can't help but wonder what is inside. ...Couldn't hurt to take a look." And so, she opened the package before it expelled a pink smog, causing her to close her eyes and cough. When the smog died down, she slowly opened her eyes to see something before her… something rather tall..and it caused her to pale significantly. "...Ok...No noise so far..." the very same guard from a few chapters ago whispered as he quietly tried to finish his now giant house of cards, "Just have to slowly..place...this…" "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "...THAT'S IT! I'm taking my vacation early!" the guard snapped, his card house (and most of the windows in Canterlot) having collapsed once more. "What the heck was that?!" Dawn winced as she and the rest of the CMC had their ears covered. "I don't know! It sounded like a cat chewing on ice while scratching a chalkboard with tin-foil!" Quirky exclaimed, making the others look at her in confusion, "...What?" "...Did you accidentally drink coffee this morning, Quirky?" Dawn asked, sweatdropping a bit. "I don't drink coffee." This made the others simply look at each other, sweatdropping again. "...Well, it might've actually been Sweetie Belle's sister screaming her lungs out over something scary. That, or it could've been my first op…" Quirky began before Sweetie Belle came into the clubhouse, panting a bit. "Pl...please tell me you heard that, right?" Sweetie Belle panted, simply earning nods from the other members of the CMC, "I see...Well, if there's anypony I know who could scream like that, it's my.." "A….ano...ano...m...m...minna(everyone)?" timid spoke up, the shy filly looking out the window, "C...come look at this." The fillies looked out the window to see a...giant crab attacking Ponyville?! Wait what?! "I...Is that a...giant crab?!" Dawn gawked, "Th...that should be impossible! Crabs don't grow that big!" The Crusaders blinked for a moment, before realizing who had done it, with Dawn Star levitating up cards that read, '3', '2', '1'. "Mischief…" they all sighed. "Someone mention my name?" Mischief's voice spoke as he appeared in a puff of smoke, wearing a straw hat and hawaiian shirt, "It better be good. I was just…" "I told you not to go over the top, Mischief!" Sweetie Belle snapped at the dragon. "Say what now?" "Look outside!" Mischief just peeked out the window and saw the crab chasing Rarity. "...That's not over the top," he defended. "That's not...THAT'S WAY OVER THE TOP!" Sweetie Belle yelled, her voice sounding really squeaky near the end, Mischief shrinking and looking like he'd be the size of a mouse. "...So...sorry doesn't cut it this time? "...Ugh. I'm going to go and stop this…" Sweetie Belle sighed, as she hopped out and managed to actually tackle the crab into some water, causing it to shrink back to normal size. "Uh… how'd she do that?!" Mischief gawked, wondering how a filly her size would manage to tackle a giant crab. "Oh. She's been practicing teleporting spells with Twilight," Dawn Star informed. "...That really doesn't answer my…" "Then it's magic, silly!" Quirky spoke, making a smile that made a 'Squee' sound. 'Guh! There's that dang 'Squee' again! How….ugh...' Mischief sighed, feeling a headache coming, "I...I need to lay down or something. This is giving me a headache." Back with Sweetie Belle, the unicorn filly was panting heavily, the teleportation spell having taken a lot out of her after managing to tackle that crab. She was about to fall to the ground if Rarity hadn't caught her in time. "R...Rarity?" she muttered. "Sweetie, darling! Are you ok?!" Rarity asked in concern. "Y-yes… just really… tired." "Good… but, I do have one question.." Rarity began as a frown appeared on her face, "What were you thinking taking on that… that… monstrosity by yourself!?" "I… I…I wanted..to fix the problem… I had Mischief creat-" "Wait...Mischief was the o-wait a second. You convinced him to sic that thing on me?!" "Long story… I had to… tell you something… but you were… so… busy…" Sweetie Belle informed. "...That is true… and I am dreadfully sorry for that. But… there was a reason I was so busy working on it," Rarity informed her little sister, "But… after you've rested up in your room once we return, I'll show you." "...O-Okay…" Sweetie nodded as the exhaustion caught up with her, the unicorn filly falling asleep as her sister began to carry her home. "Wait! What about the crab?!" Quirky shouted from the clubhouse. "Got it covered," Mischief spoke as he snapped his fingers, teleporting the crab back to where ever he got it, "There. Happy?" "Very," Quirky giggled. Later, back at Rarity and Sweetie's place, the latter had finally woken up as she bagen to walk down stairs, only to see her sister at work...but this time, it looked like she was nearly done. "...Well… what're you doing, anyway, sis?" Sweetie asked, finally about know what been keeping her sister so busy. "Hmm?" Rarity blinked as she looked over at Sweetie Belle, "Good… you're awake. Now… as for why I was busy… well, I had bumped into Octavia the other day, and we had a small chat. While we were talking, she mentioned you and the contest that was going to happen in Canterlot in a few weeks." "Yea… about that… I… I actually want to join that contest," Sweetie Belle spoke, a bit shy about it, "-Miss Octavia heard me singing before, and she was the one that… well… suggested that I'd join it… but… I was nervous at first… and wanted to see if… well… if you'd let me join it." "...Why Sweetie Belle…Why of course you may participate in it. In fact…" Rarity began as she used her magic on the tarp covering her secret project, "What do you think I've been working on?" Sweetie Belle blinked at that before Rarity used her magic to remove the tarp, revealing some sort of dress about Sweetie's size, which was colored a light pink and purple with a few diamonds on the skirt on the dress. On the front was a small necklace with a small, gold music note on it. "...Wow. D-did you really make this for me?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking at the dress with awe. "Yes…Well, me and Amethyst before the poor dear got sick. But the fact still stands that this dress Sweetie Belle was made for you to wear in the contest," Rarity said with a soft smile, Sweetie Belle smiling in response before she tackled her sister into a hug. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" the unicorn filly squealed in a mix of excitement and joy, making Rarity smile and return the hug. "You're welcome dear. Just promise me one thing… make me proud." "...I will!" Sweetie smiled, shrugging her sister tighter before her eyes widened, "Wait! I need to tell Ms. Octavia you gave me your-!" "No need, Sweetie Belle," they heard as the two unicorns turned to see the Earth Pony standing by the door, "I've overheard everything." "Ms. Octavia?! Wh-why're you still here?!" "I was coming to say goodbye before I headed out to the train station tomorrow, but it appears I'll be leaving sooner than expected," Octavia explained. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, darling," Rarity spoke. "No no. It is ok. I just needed to know what Sweetie Belle's answer was before I go," Octavia said as she began to turn towards Sweetie Belle, "And I believe she's already given her answer." "I did? I-I-I mean…I was talking with my sister to see if she would let me go, and… well… ooh~! Yes yes yes! I want to join so bad now!" "Well then, I'll go on and inform the judges," Octavia informed. "This is so~ exciting~!" Sweetie Belle squealed in joy, "Ooh! I better go practice! Excuse me!" she quickly said as she bolted up to her room. "...Aw, Sweetie… she's so happy right now," Rarity smiled, looking over at the stairs before turning back towards Octavia, "I cannot thank you enough for giving my little sister this chance, Octavia." "No problem. Your sister truly has some talent. Who knows? She might even get something more when she performs then a trophy." "Hopefully..." Rarity nodded in agreement, giggling a little. "Well, I'll be seeing you soon, Rarity. Oh, and just saying, I hope you and your apprentice go far," Octavia bid as she took her leave. "...Thank you, Octavia," Rarity nodded with a soft smile. "Where is it?! Where is it?!" Sweetie Belle screamed as she began to look around her room for something, the unicorn filly stopping before her dresser and opened it before pulling out a set of papers, "Here it is!" She was really excited. The morning may have been a bit bad, but now she was feeling like she was on top of the world. Not only is she going to be in the contest, but her sister and Amethyst made her a dress just for the occasion. However… there was still open problem… she had to find the perfect song to sing in said contest, which means she'll have a lot of practicing to do. She was thankful she had a small list of song lyrics she wrote when she had the chance. The shy filly from another landIt seemed like an ordinary day at school for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, sitting through another class period. "Sweetie Belle, did ya hear?" Applebloom whispered to her friend as she looked around, "There's a new filly coming." "Really? ...Well… now that you mention it, I think I heard of somepony arriving from a place called… Neighpon… I think," Sweetie Belle answered. "Neigh wha?" Scootaloo asked. "Not sure, some place overseas or something like that," Sweetie Belle answered. "Do you think she'll be nice?" Applebloom pondered. "Nicer than Diamond Tiara hopefully," Scootaloo yawned, "Sorry. I was out practicing with Rainbow Dash. She was showing me some tricks." "It's alright. Just don't let the teacher see you fall asleep," Sweetie Belle said before ms. Cheerilee walked in. "Good morning class," Ms. Cheerilee greeted her class. "Good Morning Ms. Cheerilee," they all greeted politely. "I have some good news. Today, we're receiving a new student… one that just moved to Ponyville from a very far away place," Ms. Cheerilee stated with a smile before one of the students raised their hoof up, "Yes?". "Where exactly is this pony from?" the young filly asked. "Good question. You see… she's from a place called Neighpon," Ms. Cheerilee replied as she moved the class globe and pointed to said land. "Wow. That's very far away," the filly admitted. "Yes it is. Now Everypony..give a warm welcome to our newest student,Timid Swallow," Ms. Cheerilee said as she motioned to the door, only to get silence in response, "..Timid Swallow?" She walked over to the door and whispered, "That's your cue dear." "...Ano...Ano….I'm sorry C...Cheerilee-san demo..I..I'm afraid.." a voice squeaked. "... It's okay dear… nopony's going to hurt you," Ms. Ceerilee reassured the filly from the other side of the door. "...I can't." the voice squeaked. "...What if I helped you inside? Will that be okay, dear?" "...A...Ano...h...hai," the voice squeaked in response. "...Ju…jus...just let me talk to my friend real quick. He's shy." she added. "It's okay. Take your time," Ms. Cheerilee nodded. At that her voice could be heard talking to someone quietly, and her response from the person was a series of random sounds and noises. "The hay is going on out there?" Applebloom quietly asked her friends. "O...okay. w..We're r-ready," the new filly said as the door was slowly opened. The filly that walked in shyly had soft, pale pink fur while her mane and tail was a pale yellow color. The front of her mane drooping over the shy filly's left eye. Her eyes were also a soft Cyan color. Weird enough her backpack seem to be...moving? "I-I'm…T-Timid… S-Swallow," the little filly muttered shyly. "Now then..I want everypony to behave and show Timid Swallow around the school during lunch time, and I don't want anypony to act nasty towards her…" Ms. Cheerilee stated to her class before gazing at two, certain spoiled fillies, "That goes for you two as well Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon." The fillies in question just silently pouted at that. "Hey… doesn't she remind you of somepony?" Scootaloo whispered to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Now that you mention it… she kinda reminds me of Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle noted. "Ahh… just like you remind me of Rarity at times," Applebloom realized. "And how you remind me of your sister at times," Sweetie Belle replied, "And how Scootaloo reminds us of Rainbow Dash at times." "Yeah…" Scootaloo nodded before an idea popped into her head "...Brain blast." "Huh?" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at their friend. "Meet me behind the school during lunch. I just got a wicked idea for our club," the young Pegasus smirked. "...Excuse me, but d...does...anypony have c-candy?" Timid asked nervously as she was heading for her seat. "Oh, yea," Sweetie Belle nodded, pulling some from her bag. at that something fast and shadowy shot out and swipe the candy...then it moved around and swipe candy from the others ponies. "What the?" "Misty come back!" Timid shouted as the shadow went back into her backpack. "Who?" Applebloom gawked. "...My...umm...umm...imaginary friend," she gulped. "Then who took the candy I offered you?" Sweetie Belle asked as the backpack...burped? "...You got a pet hiding in there?" Scootaloo noticed, almost making Timid gasp. "...Umm...ano...Misty help," she whispered as the school bell rang, "Oh! it's... t-time to s...start c-class then." With that, Timid Swallow quickly headed to her seat at the back of the class, confusing the CMC. '..What's she hiding?' Diamond Tiara pondered as she watched the whole thing happen from her seat. "Okay...what did ya want to talk to us about, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked as the CMC stood behind the school while everypony else was eating lunch. "...I think we should recruit Timid Swallow into the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Scootaloo replied. "You really think we should?" Applebloom asked. "Yeah. I mean think about it. I'm like a mini-Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle's like a mini Rarity, and you're like a mini version of your sis, Applebloom," Scootaloo replied. "...True…" Applebloom noted, "But… do you think Timid Swallow will accept our offer? I mean, if we approached her and suddenly asked her to join us, she'll probably freak out or faint." "Not if we convince her backpack to say yes," Scootaloo smirked, "I think she's a bit attached to it." "Uh… Okay…" Applebloom responded, a bit nervous. "There's a chance she right there." Sweetie Bell said pointing out the window to Timid Swallow talking to her backpack. "Sweet. Let's…" Scootaloo began before she noticed two certain fillies walking towards Timid Swallow, "..Uh oh." "Misty. You're going to get fat," Timid said, nuzzling her backpack. "Look Diamond Tiara. She hugs her backpack like it's a toy!" Silver Spoon laughed tauntingly, startling Timid Swallow as she quickly turn to face them. "Ano...c...can I h...help you?" the shy filly asked, "Did Misty steal your candy?" "...First off: We don't even know who this...'Misty' is. And second; No. We're here to tell you a few rules here," Diamond tiara stated. "Rules? D...demo, I thought we learned all the rules already?" she said confused and looking at her backpack, "Didn't we Misty?" Then her backpack… shrugged? "Misty, you told me you were taking notes." she frowned. "I was, but I didn't think that… oops," the backpack whispered before shutting up. "Look. She even throws her voice around to make it look like she's having a conversation," Diamond Tiara whispered. "Yeah..wierdo," Silver Spoon whispered back. "Oh great, them again," Scootaloo groaned as she and her friends spied on the three. "Anyway..back to the rules. The special rules," Diamond Tiara said, "Number 1: All new Fillies must show their Cutie Marks..if they have one." "A..Ano...w..well…" Timid Swallow fidgeted. "Do you have one, or not?" Silver Spoon demanded. "Ano..I...I..I don't have one," Timid replied. "Ooh… did you hear that Diamond Tiara?" Silver Spoon looked at said filly. "I sure did...She's a Blank flank!" Diamond Tiara laughed mockingly. "B..b...Blank Flank?" Timid Swallow's eyes widen, tears starting to form in her eyes, 'N...no. N..Not again.' "Leave her alone, Diamond!" a voice shouted as the two spoiled fillies turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Oh great..more Blank Flanks," Diamond Tiara frowned, "What're you three doing here? Can't you see we're showing the new filly how things work here?" "All you're doing is bullying her, so knock it off already!" Scootaloo told her, making Timid gasp at how Scootaloo was willing to stand up to Diamond Tiara. "Or else what? Ms. Cheerilee isn't here at the moment, so you can't do anything!" Diamond Tiara said in a mocking tone as she and Silver Spoon left, "So unless you don't want to get in trouble...I suggest you drop it, Blank Flanks!" "..." Scootaloo and her friends frowned as they watched the two leave. They then turned to the shaking filly. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked her. "..." Timid just backed away, tears dripping from her eyes. "It's okay. We're not here to hurt you," Applebloom reassured the shy filly. "..." Timid just squeaked in response as she covered her face. "That name Diamond Tiara calls us must've brought up some bad memories for her," Sweetie Belle said in worry. "Really?" Scootaloo asked before turning to Timid, "Listen to me, not to that Diamond Tiara. We're here to help. We want to be your friends." "..h...How do I k...know y..you're n...not trying t..to t..trick me a..and b..bully me l...later?" Timid asked with a stutter, the shy filly moving one of her front legs to look at the CMC, "If you do...Misty won't be happy." "We promise you… we won't do anything to harm you…" Sweetie Belle gave a small smile to the shy filly. "...Y...You promise?" "We promise," they nodded. "...O….o...okay," Timid Swallow answered with a stutter as she lowered her front legs away from her face, "A..Ano..wh..who are y..you?" "I'm Scootaloo, and these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom," Scootaloo answered. "And we're…" Sweetie Belle began. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the CMC declared. "...Ano...C...Cutie M..Mark Crusaders?" Timid swallow repeated in a bit of confusion, "A...ano...w...what's a C...Cutie Mark Crusader, S...Scootaloo-san?" "We may not have our Cutie Marks yet, but we're friends, and we'll do what we can to earn our marks," Scootaloo answered. "R...really?" Timid asked. "Of course," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle confirmed. "I...I see. A..Ano...i...is there m...m-more of you o...or is it j-just you three?" Timid asked, the shy filly having calmed down a bit after Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying her. "As of now… it's just the three of of," Scootaloo sighed, "But that's why we're here. We want to be your friends, and to help you earn your Cutie Mark, too." "R..Really?" Timid asked hopefully, earning nods from the CMC, "D...demo...wh...what about...?" "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Don't worry about them. We'll make sure they don't bully you, Timid," Applebloom reassured the shy filly. "...y...You promise?" Timid asked. "We promise," all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders smiled. "...A...Ano..w..well…" Timid Swallow began before the school bell rang, "OH! G...gomen demo...c...class is a...about to resume!" With that, Timid Swallow grabbed her backpack and quickly headed inside the school. "...You think that worked, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I hope so," Scootaloo replied before looking at two, certain spoiled fillies that were entering the school, "We just got to make sure Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon don't do anything to hurt her." "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle added. After school, the trio of friends were about to head off to their clubhouse when… "Wait… you think we should help Timid home?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Hmm...good idea, Sweetie Belle. We don't want to leave her alone, especially if she runs into Diamond Tiara," Applebloom nodded. "Good point, let's go help her," Scootaloo agreed as the three walked back to see Timid nuzzling her backpack again. "Misty-kun...y...you need to be more c...careful. Y...you nearly got caught," Timid slightly scolded the back back, earning a shrug from it, "Hmm? Were' being watched?" she turned to see the CMC walk towards her, "O...Oh! H...hi minna-san. C...can I h...help you with s-something?" "We were just going to offer to walk you back to your home," Scootaloo answered. "...ano...o...okay. I...I don't w-want to m-make Onii-chan w..worry?" Timid replied. "..Onii-chan?" the CMC replied. "Ano...I...it means 'B..Big brother' In N..Neighponese," Timid replied as she put her backpack back on. "And by the way, what did you call us when you saw us?" Applebloom added out of curiosity. "A...Ano...E...Everypony. M...minna means 'Everypony' in Neighponese, A...Applebloom-san," Timid replied. "Oh, okay. You'll have to teach us more sometime… just so we don't get too confused," Applebloom nodded. "O...Okay," Timid Swallow replied. With that, the four fillies began to leave, unaware that two certain spoiled fillies were spying on them. "Darn...I was hoping we would mess with that new filly some more," Diamond Tiara frowned. "Yeah...and that's going to be impossible as long as she's with those Blank Flanks," Silver Spoon added. "Yeah…" Diamond Tiara noted as she looked at Timid's backpack, causing the spoiled filly to gain an idea, "And I just thought of something to pull her away from them." "A...Ano...w...we're here," Timid said as she and the CMC stopped at her place. Timid's house was a bit different from the other houses in Ponyville. It had a bit of an Eastern theme to it with some writing on the door, one that Scootaloo and her friends didn't recognize. But to Timid Swallow, it meant 'home' in Neighponese. "...Nice place," Scootaloo commented. "A...Arigatou, S...Scootaloo-san," Timid replied as she knocked on the door and spoke a little loudly, "O...Onii-chan! I...I'm home." With that, a male Pegasus pony with snow-white fur and an ice-blue mane and tail opened the door. His eyes were a soft emerald color while his Cutie Mark was that of a hawk with silver wings. "Oh! Timid Swallow. Welcome home," the older Pegasus smiled at the shy filly before he noticed the CMC, "...Who're they, Timid?" "Oh… a-ano… they're… my new friends," Timid answered, introducing the CMC. "I see…" Timid's brother noted before he looked at the CMC with a smile, "Hi there. My name is Silver Hawk. May I know your names, please?" "I'm Scootaloo." "Name's Applebloom." "And my name is Sweetie Belle." "I see...greetings then Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle," Silver Hawk nodded, "Would you three care to come inside real quick? I'm sure you three must be thirsty or hungry." "Thank you," they trio nodded. "By the way, where are your parents?" Sweetie Belle asked. "..." Timid couldn't reply as she gave a sad sigh. "Let me," Silver Hawk said to his little sister before he looked at the CMC, "You see..me and Timid are the only ones living here at the moment. Our Kaa-san and Tou-san, which is Mom and Dad in Neighponese, are back in our homeland of Neighpon." "Oh…so…it's just you two here, then?" Scootaloo asked. "Yeah...come in and I'll explain everything," Silver Hawk said as he walked inside. "Okay," they nodded as the CMC joined Timid and her brother. "Timid...why don't you head to your room so you can drop off any schoolwork you have?" Silver Hawk asked his little sister. "O...okay, Onii-chan," Timid nodded as she headed for her room while Silver Hawk and the CMC walked into the living room. "You have wonderful home, Silver Hawk," Sweetie Belle admitted. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle. I try to keep it nice and clean for when Timid Swallow comes home," Silver Hawk smiled. "But… this style… is it traditional for you in Neighpon?" "It is...and it helps remind Timid Swallow of home," Silver Hawk replied once he and the CMC were in the living room, "Now then...before I begin my explanation about my and Timid's parents, what do you three want to eat? I just picked up some fresh fruit from the market this morning." "I'll take some grapes if you have any," Sweetie Belle spoke. "I'll take a banana," Scootaloo added. "I guess Ah'll take an apple," Applebloom added. "Sure thing," Silver hawk nodded as he headed for the kitchen. "...Timid's brother is really nice," Applebloom noted once Silver Hawk left the room. "He sure is," Sweetie Belle agreed before an idea popped into her head, "Do you think he has a Special Somepony?" "Don't know...but let's not try and do something like that again," Applebloom said, recalling what happened when they tried pairing their teacher with Big Macintosh. "Yea… that was a bad idea," Scootaloo sighed. "Agreed," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement before they saw Silver Hawk walk back in. "Here you go," Silver Hawk replied, bringing them the fruits they requested, "Dig in girls." "Thanks," the CMC nodded as they took the fruit they wanted and began eating. "So… about your parents…?" Scootaloo started. "...Oh right. I apologize, Scootaloo," Silver Hawk said as he sat down, "You see...my and Timid's mom and dad are very important CEO's back in Neighpon. They hardly have time for me or Timid...in fact, the only time I've ever seen them together was when Timid was born." "...Oh… I see." "Yeah...mom and dad suggested that me and Timid move to Ponyville..but there's another reason for that," Silver Hawk began with a sigh, "You see...the fillies back at Timid's old school were very mean to her...they always bullied her non-stop and called her Blank Flank. The bullying...it was starting to get out of hand. Everytime I saw Timid come home, she always had a black eye or a few bruises or cuts on her with tears flowing from her eyes. I...I couldn't stand to see my sister suffer like that." "...did you try talking to the teachers?" Applebloom asked out of curiosity. "I did...but that didn't help…" Silver Hawk replied with a sad sigh, "Let me tell you something about teachers...there are good ones...and bad ones...and Timid's School was full of bad ones that receive bribes from the parents of the fillies that bullied Timid." "That's just cruel," Sweetie Belle noted. "I know...I was glad I pulled Timid out of there when I did...because those fillies that were bullying her..they were about to do something no pony should ever go through at such a young age," Silver Hawk sighed sadly, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I don't even wanna know what that was," Applebloom gulped. "Trust me Applebloom...you don't even want to know," Silver Hawk said as he turned to a picture of him and Timid Swallow, only...Timid didn't seem so shy in that picture, "Timid was put into the hospital for a week. And once our parents found out...well, they were furious. Once Timid was better, Tou-san and Kaa-san gave us some money so we could move here to Ponyville and put Timid into a better school...one where she could finally make some friends." "...Honestly… we're the only ones she has so far…she's been subject to bullying again by two spoiled fillies," Scootaloo sighed. "...I see...Applebloom. Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle...I want you to promise me something…" Silver Hawk stated as looked at the three fillies, tears flowing from his eyes, "I...I want you to protect Timid and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I...I.." he choked back a few more tears, "I don't think I can bare to see her go through 'that' again…please...promise me." "...We promise," the three nodded. "Guess that's why Timid likes to talk to her backpack," Scootaloo guessed out loud, she and her friends missing Silver Hawk pale at that. "I thought we left him with mom and dad," he muttered under his breath. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, snapping Silver Hawk out of his small scare as he shook his head a bit. "Y...yes. Just...thinking about something," Silver Hawk replied. Meanwhile upstairs, Timid was stuffing all kinds of food into her backpack. "You were very bad today, Misty," Timid frowned at a figure hiding in the shadows, "If Onii-chan finds out you followed us here, he's going to send you away." "Not if I turn him into a ant and squash him," the figure snickered before Timid Swallow gave the figure a disapproving frown, "...Fine. I won't...but can I at least turn those two fillies that bullied you today into frogs? Or, better yet, newts?" "No." "Oh come on! They're asking for it!" The figure whined, "Everyone knows bullying you is my job anyway. I remember back home, I taught your teachers and classmates that lesson." "...what did you do, Misty?" Timid frowned. "...Nothing. Forget you heard me say that," the figure replied as it quickly ran back into Timid's backpack. "Plus, are you sure those Blank Flanks aren't pulling your leg?" "..." Timid began to whine. "S...Sorry! I forgot that word's a no-no to you!" the figure yelped, "Please forgive me, Timid-kaa san!" he whimpered in a baby like voice. "...Okay. I forgive you, Misty," Timid smiled. "Really?" "If you promise to behave tomorrow. Okay?" "As long as we don't see those two fillies tomorrow, I'll be silent as stone. But if we do and they upset you, then I'm not responsible for my next course of action. Not even your wicked and mesmerising "Stare" will stop me!" "...Okay," Timid sighed as she laid down on her bed. "...Are you sure you can trust those three fillies that saved your flank today? they could be trying to trick you, ya know," the figure in the shy filly's backpack stated. "...N...No they aren't. I...I feel like I can trust them," Timid replied as she looked up at the ceiling. "...Okay. But if they try anything funny, I'm turning them into newts. Now...good night," the figure in Timid's backpack said before snoozing sounds were heard from said item. "O...okay. I think…" Timid Swallow began before yawning, "I'll take a quick nap before I do my homework…" she then looked out her window to see the CMC starting to leave, 'I...I really hope I'll s-see them again tomorrow.' (the next day) "I hope Timid won't mind if we pick her up," Scootaloo smiled as she and the others headed for their possible new friend's house. "Of course she won't; She'll be happy to see us," Sweetie Belle smiled. "Yeah. Plus, you remember what we promised her big brother, right?" Applebloom asked. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded at that before the CMC gained sad expressions. After finding out about Timid Swallow's past, they've learned the world can be a cruel, heartless place, and that there are ponies out there that are almost as bad, possibly even worse, than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.. "...KYAHHHHHH!" Timid's scream filled the air. "That sounded like Timid!" Scootaloo gasped as the CMC ran towards the source of the noise. Meanwhile, at the center of town, Timid was panting like crazy as she looked everywhere. "Where is it? Where is it?!" Timid whimpered, "P...please tell me I didn't leave it at home." "Looking for something?" a voice asked as Silver Spoon walked up to Timid. "..." Timid whimpered as she backed away from the bully. "I've seen your backpack and I saw who took it as well," Silver Spoon told her. "Wh..who?" "The Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's who," Diamond Tiara spoke. "Wh...what?" Timid's eyes widened at that. "It's true. Go to their clubhouse and see for yourself," Silver Spoon added. "A...ano...I...I don't know where it is…" Timid replied in a shaking voice. "Oh...well nevermind then," Diamond Tiara said before giving a smirk, "I guess that also makes you an idiot...Blank Flank." "B...B...Blank Flank?" Timid eyes started to water as she started hyperventilating. "Aw...look at the baby. She can't take being called Blank Flank!" Diamond Tiara laughed cruelly. "Yeah! What a loser!" Silver Spoon added with a cruel grin. "Blank Flank! Blank Flank! Blank Flank!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed cruelly at Timid Swallow "...M...m…..MISTY!" Timid cried loudly, making the two bullies back away in surprise before they shook it off. "...You really think we're scared of your 'Imaginary friend'?" Diamond Tiara scoffed, "Only loser fillies like you believe in kiddy stuff like that!" "W...w...w...why're you s...so m-mean?" Timid asked in a quivering voice, tears dripping from her eyes. "Because we have Cutie Marks, and you don't!" Diamond Tiara replied with a cruel grin before she and Silver Spoon resumed laughing. Timid couldn't take it anymore. The cruel memories of the bullies from her old school started flooding back into her head. She couldn't take it anymore as she ran away, running into the Everfree forest. "And don't come back until you actually get a Cutie Mark! Oh wait..you can't!" Diamond Tiara laughed cruelly before she noticed the CMC running up to her and Silver Spoon, "Oh great...you three again." "Where's Timid Swallow?" Scootaloo demanded. "I don't know who you're talking about," Diamond Tiara denied. "...you did something to her, didn't you?" Applebloom frowned. "Maybe...maybe not. But she did deserve it for being a…" Silver Spoon began. "Don't you even say it," Sweetie Belle growled a bit "Say what? 'Blank Flank?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed. "Why...you no good…!" Scootaloo began. However, before she could finish her sentence, sudden earthquakes were felt as everypony started to run away in a panic. "Huh? What's going on?" Applebloom pondered. "Run for your lives! Dragon!" an adult pony shouted as the footsteps got louder and closer...and then a shadow covered the CMC, the bullies, and even the entire town. "..." the CMC just looked up as their jaws dropped to the ground...literally. "Huh? What're you looking…?" Diamond Tiara demanded before a gawking Silver Spoon tapped her shoulder before pointing up. The spoiled filly then looked up before she paled. "BRRRINNNNG MEEEE DIAMMMMONDDD TIARAAAAA!-!-!-!" "...That's her!" The CMC quickly pointed at Diamond Tiara before dashing out of there, leaving the two, scared bullies. "I TOLD HER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, AND NOW YOU AND PONYVILLE ARE GOING DOWN TIARA! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!-!-!-!" the figure roared as it lowered it's head to the shaking fillies. "Uh...Uh…..Uh…" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon hugged each other in absolute fear. The dragon-like figure didn't move at all while giving them a blank look until finally stating in a monotonous tone, "...Boo." "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed their lungs out as they bolted out of there, screaming like crazy. "...PFFFFFFT!" the giant figured snickered before he began to laugh aloud as he shrunk in size, "Oh man! That never gets old!" "...Huh?" the CMC blinked as they popped up from a nearby bush to see who was laughing. It looked like Spike...but he was a different color. His scales were a dark red color while his spines were a bright blue. His eyes were both different colors, his left being a bright purple while the right eye was a dark green. "I...I wish I had something to record that!" the small dragon laughed like crazy, "Oh wait...I do!" he smirked as he took out his own left eye and squeezed it as it played the scenario over again like a movie. "Is that...Spike?" Sweetie Belle blinked as the CMC spied on the laughing dragon. "It can't be. His scales are a different color," Applebloom said. "Hah, little brats all of them!" he laughed before stuffing his eye back in and poofing into thin air. "Huh? Where did he…" Sweetie Bell started till something wrap around her neck. "So what are we looking at?" a voice asked her. "We're looking at…" Sweetie Belle began before she slowly turned her head to see the small dragon grinning at her. "Hi~!" the dragon smirked. "KYA!" Sweetie Belle, along with Scootaloo and Applebloom yelped as they jumped out of the bush. "Ohhh~ baby! Do I love me a screamer!" the dragon laughed right next to them. "W...who are you?! A..and stop doing that!" Sweetie Belle yelled before she yelped in surprise when the dragon poked her on the nose. "Name is Mischief and I am….the son of Discord!" he told them, making a neon sign appear above him with a picture of Discord in it, "Hail to the dragon king, baby!" "...D...DISCORD HAS A SON?!" The CMC gawked. "Ahh yes...let's see how to explain this...when a mommy Discord loves a daddy Discord very very VERY VERRRRY much they get, ahem...busy in the night," he explained. "...W...We don't want to know!" the CMC blushed. "Wait...maybe he knows where Timid Swallow is," Applebloom said to her friends. "Ain't telling you girls nothing and there's no way or no one who can convince me otherwise." he smirked...however the CMC looked at one another and smirked. "Gahhh! Get it away!" Mischief screamed as the Mane 6 had him captured and Fluttershy used...the "Stare" on him, the young dragon adapting a Captain Kirk like voice "So...much..Disapproval! Must..try..and get away before..these ponies...kill me with cuteness!" "Your father would be so ashamed young man," Fluttershy said, intensifying the "Stare," "Now tell your Auntie Fluttershy what she needs to know." "No! I don't…" Mischief began before Fluttershy intensified the 'Stare', "...Okay okay! She went into that forest over there!" "The Everfree forest?" Fluttershy asked looking at him closely. "...The Everwhat now?" Mischief blinked in confusion. "Didn't your father teach you anything?" Twilight asked. "Why should he? I haven't seen him in three thousand millennia," Mischief said before snapping at Flutteshy, "And stop it with the eyes!" "Can you find Timid, no matter where she is?" Fluttershy asked. "Yes I can. But I can't teleport her here or anything like that! Now please stop with those eyes~!" Mischief whined. "If I do, you'll lead us and the CMC to Timid so we can all help her, right? Because you're a good boy." she said blinking. "Y...Yes. I...I'm a good boy," Mischief nodded before gaining a boy scout uniform, "Scout's honor ma'am!" "...Wimp." Spike uttered under his breath. "..." Mischief sent a small glare at Spike, 'I am SO going to turn him into a gecko later.' "Ohhh, a gecko!" Pinkie asked Mischief. "Can you turn me into Pinkie Pie? I wanna be a real Pinkie Pie!" "..." Mischief slowly looked at the reader while holding up a picture of a screw and a baseball. "What'cha got there?" Pinkie asked. "Nothing," Mischief said as he made the sign dissapear. "This is Discord's kid right? How can we trust him?" Rainbow Dash asked, eying Mischief suspiciously, "Let's just turn him into stone like we did his pop and leave him to rot!" "I agree with Rainbow Dash," Rarity agreed. "I do not trust this nasty imitation of my adorable Spikey-wikey one bit." "...Guys. Did you forget that we had to give the Elements of Harmony back to the Tree of Harmony?" Twilight reminded her friends. "...Oh yeah/I nearly forgot about that," Rainbow Dash and Rarity recalled. "But maybe we can still do that. We just need cement!" Pinkie smiled, pulling out a bag of quick drying cement from her Hammer Space, "Added with a bit of magic and friendship!" "Pinkie...as much as I don't trust him myself...we still need him to find Timid," Twilight stated to the pink party pony. "Fine...I'll tell one of my other selves to do it later," Pinkie said, writing down a note. "...Ooookaaaay," Mischief blinked a bit in confusion before shaking it off, as he suddenly vanished and reappeared on Rarity's back, "Weren't we going to go and look for Timid, cause it's almost dinner time and she needs to make my favorite…" he suddenly donned a parka and a whip, "Now mush!" he shouted, "..." he frowned as his outfit dispelled itself, "...no wait...that's not right…" he pondered for another moment before a cowboy getup appeared on him, "Giddy up!" he shouted as he spanked Rarity flank, making her yelp and run. "After that unicorn!" Pinkie yelled as the rest of the Mane 6 and the CMC ran into the Everfree forest. "High Ho Silver away!" Mischief laughed, waving his ten-gallon hat in the air. "...Revenge…" Rarity growled quietly to herself. "Timid! Where are you?!" Scootaloo yelled as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom looked for the shy filly. "She's not in this bush," Applebloom sighed. "She's not behind one of these trees," Sweetie Belle added. "Hey, maybe you should be asking me, where she be." Mischief said, still riding Rarity, "Though after the way you treated me...I'm possibly going…" Fluttershy immediately gave him the stare. "Ahh! Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" Mischief yelped, "Sheeshe! Even when separated from the other group, you won't let up!" he growled. "She's going to be found with alot, and I mean alot of animals talking to them. Despite how ugly, mean and scary they are!" "Just please tell us where she is!" Scootaloo asked, the small, orange Pegasus filly having almost about enough of Mischief's...well, mischief. "...Idiot, look!" he snapped, pointing to a pair of bushes nearby, "She's over those bushes over there!" The CMc, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked at eachother before nodding a bit as they looked over the bushes Mischief pointed at. Once they did, they saw a herd of manticore, chimera and a lot scary and mean animals and in the center was Timid...talking to them? "And...and then...then they called me a Blank Flank." Timid cried as the animals growled in anger. "Woah...she really is talking to those animals…" Scootaloo gawked a bit. "Yeah...just like Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle added. "L...Like me? Really?" Fluttershy asked, "I seen those animals before, they are really good listeners once given a chance." "Huh...go figure," Mischief smirked a bit as he layed on Rarity's back, drinking a berry smoothie, "...Something's missing from this smoothie...I know!" he snapped his fingers, adding a chocolate bar into the smoothie before he took a drink from it, "Much better." he then snapped his fingers again as ice cream appeared before Timid. "Eh? I...Ice c-cream? Ano...w...where did…?" Timid began before she realized who made it appear, "...Misty? Misty, you came!" "Of course," Michief grinned as he poofed off Rarity's back, much to the unicorn's relief, and appeared before Timid Swallow, "I couldn't leave you. Besides…" he looked at the fourth wall, "...this story would be short if we never found you." "..." Timid just giggled a bit at Mischief's randomness. "...Just one thing really quick…" she smiled before doing...the "stare!" "What did I hear about a giant dragon terrorizing Miss Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?!" "GAAH! I'm sorry! They asked for it after they bullied you!" Mischief yelped before getting on his knees, "Just please! Stop giving me that look! I already got it more than once today!" he began to bow as he turned into a worm, "I am a lowly worm to thee, lady Timid!" "And what did you do to my old school and my old teachers and bullies!" "I turned them into farm animals~!" he cried in shame, changing back into his dragon form, "They're still working their butts off at the new farm that used to be the schoo!" "Change them, along with the school, back...now!" Timid ordered, intensifying the 'stare'. "Okay okay! Sheesh...try and have fun once in a while…" Mischief mumbled as he snapped his fingers. A cow mooed and a few pigs oinked before they all changed into different ponies as the farm changed into a large school. "...What just happened?" one of the teachers blinked in confusion. "...There. I did it!" he snapped. "Did you?!" she and, for some reason Fluttershy also doing her stare, demanded. "Graaaahhhh! One's bad enough! But two?!" Mischief screamed, "Stop the madness! Stop the MADDDNESSSSS!" he screamed running and hopping on Rarity, donning the Lone Ranger's outfit, "Get me out of here, Silver!" "My name is not Sil-KYA!" Rarity yelped when Mischief smacked her flank again, causing her to run out of there with Mischief facing backwards on her. "High Ho Silver away!" "...Sis." Sweetie Belle sweatdropped. "Um...th-thank you for watching over Timid. I...I really appreciate it," Fluttershy said to the herd of animals. "...Grrr." they growled smiling as they left, one of the Manticores waving good bye to Timid. "G...Good bye minna-san! And th...thank you again for l-listening to me!" Timid waved good bye to the animals. "...you speak Neighponese?" Fluttershy gasped. "Ano...h...hai," Timid Swallow nodded. Fluttershy just squealed as she started speaking in perfect and complete Nieghponese. "...Kyyaaa!" Timid Swallow screamed in delight as she started speaking her native language as well. "...What're they saying?" Sweetie Belle asked her fellow CMC. "Ah don't know. We don't speak Neighponese, remember?" Applebloom reminded her friend. "Oh...we really got to have Timid teach us," Sweetie Belle said. "Eeyup," Scootaloo nodded before wondering, "Where'd Mischief go?" "Hiyaaahhh!" Mischief roared, dressed as the Lone Ranger still with Rarity as his loyal horse. The two would go down in legend as the Lone Dragon and his Silver unicorn. (the next day) "Wow! This news stuff is great," Pinkie Pie said as she read the newspaper, "The Lone Dragon and his trusty steed steal millions of jewelry and not get caught once!" "Doesn't the pony in this pic look…" Twilight started till Rarity, battered, bruised and dirty kicked down the door. "Never...again," Rarity said in a very irritated tone, carrying carts and carts of jewels, which were actually rock candy. "..." Rainbow Dash began to snicker. "One word, and I'll make you wear a dress so girly, you'll lose your credit as coolest pony in Equestria," Rarity frowned. "...Shutting up," Rainbow Dash gulped. "So, where's your Lone Dragon?" Applejack chuckled. "Whoohoo!" Mischief whooped, dressed as a woman while waving a tissue at them, as he rose up from the rock candy pile before diving back down, the outfit vanishing. "...Nevermind," Applejack sweatdropped. "I want some! WHEEEE!" Pinkie Pie shouted, diving in as well. "...Revenge," Rarity swore once again. "Dive dive dive!" Mischief declared as he and Pinkie, acting like ships of sorts, went deeper into the rock candy 'pool,' leaving only their tails sticking up, "Up periscopes!" "...Oi vey," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes until she noticed how quiet Fluttershy was...well...even more so as she was staring out the window, "You okay, Fluttershy?" "..." Fluttershy just looked out the window, a blush on her face before speaking in Neighponese. "...A...are you...blushing?" Rainbow Dash blinked when she noticed Fluttershy's blush. "N...No!" Fluttershy tried to hide the blush with her wings. "...You met Somepony, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash grinned. "...W...Well..." Fluttershy stuttered, recalling last night. (cue flashback) "Th...thank you again, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid Swallow said as she and Fluttershy walked towards her home. "It was no problem, Timid," Fluttershy responded before speaking in Neighponese a bit. "Oh…" Timid began before replying in Neighponese until the two reached the front of Timid's house, "Ano...w...we're here." "Good. Now. Let's hope your…" Fluttershy began before the front door opened. "Timid!" Silver Hawk gasped as he hugged Timid, "Oh, thank Celestia you're safe! I overheard what happened today, and I thought something bad happened to you!" "Ano...i...it's okay, Onii-chan. M...my friends, along with F...Fluttershy-san and her friends, f...found me in the Everfree f-forest. I...I was talking with some of the animals there before they found me." "I see…" Silver Hawk noted before he turned to Fluttershy, "Miss. I cannot tell you how grateful I….miss?" "Um...Um.." Fluttershy stuttered, a heavy blush on her face, 'O...Oh my! I...I know Timid told me s...she had a brother but...but...o-oh my!' "Miss? Are you okay?" Silver Hawk asked the stuttering,pale-yellow Pegasus in concern. "Um...s...sorry! Bye!" Fluttershy said quickly as she zoomed out of there. "..." Silver Hawk and Timid Swallow blinked in unison. (end Flashback) "I...It's nothing really Rainbow Dash. J...just recalling a story I read," Fluttershy replied as he turned back to the window. "...Okaaay," Rainbow Dash blinked. "And do you Timid Swallow agree and swear to dedicate yourself to the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Scootaloo asked as the CMC, along with Timid Swallow, stood inside their clubhouse. "Ano...H...Hai," Timid nodded. "Do swear to be one of us until the time arrives where you achieve your own Cutie Mark?" "Ano...I...I swear." "Alright then...we Scootaloo…" "...Applebloom..." "...And Sweetie Belle…" "Welcome Timid Swallow to….the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" all three declared in unison. "A...Aritgatou, M...Minna-san," Timid smiled a bit, some tears starting to fall from her eyes. "I'm so proud!" Mischief cried (and looked) like a baby sitting back on the mountain of jewels he had…"acquired." during his 'vacation' with Rarity, "My little girl is growing up! Next she'll get a Cutie Mark and then she'll start thinking about boys…" he then changed back, "...boys I'll humiliate and eat before letting them touch her mind you." "OH! I just got an idea!" Scootaloo gasped before pointing as Mischief, "We should make him our mascot!" "...Pegasus filly say what now?" Mischief blinked in confusion, "I'm no one's mascot...I'm a star, idol and a Celestia-damn rockstar...but nopony, and I mean NOPONY makes the son of Discord a…" (Later…) "Ahhhh!" he screamed as he was hit again by the Stare, "Okay! Okay! I'll be your mascot! Just PLEASE stop giving me that stare~! It's Evil! EVILLLLL~!" "What did I tell you about swearing?" she growled as Mischief was wearing priest robes while holding a holy cross to try to make the Stare go away. "Just stop in the name of Luna and Celestia! I command you, evil one, to stop!" Mischief cried. "...Alright I'll wash my mouth and be your mascot." he sighed in defeat. "And you didn't do anything else naughty right?" she asked. "Well…" "Ahhhhh!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed, both the size of...bugs? and running from a giant (to them) frog. "AHHH come on!" Applejack groaned, seeing a swarm of vampire fruit bats eating and drinking her product. "Whoooaaa!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she flew away from a living lighting bolt. "Ahh Celestia...I'm beautiful!" Rarity gasped as she was a crystal pony again. "Cool!" Pinkie Pie gawked as she was...a pink pie? "Spike, have you…?" Twilight started before she was looking and gawking at a female figure, "...Sp..sp...Spike!?" "Not. One. Word," Spike scowled. "Why are you so tall?" Twilight asked. "...I said 'not. one. word," Spike frowned as she put her claws on her hips before noticing what she just did, "Gah!" "...What can I say, readers? When I debut...I debut." Mischief snickered, "Oh? 'What did I do to Fluttershy' you ask? ...well..." "RARRHHH!" a monster roared as Fluttershy-or rather Flutterbat-merged with her Saddle Rager persona attacked Ponyville. "Nah. I kid, I kid," Mischief laughed before whimpering while his holy clothing appeared once more, "If that happened and she got cured, I'd be Stare-ed...™...into oblivion." "Who's he talking to?" Sweetie Belle whispered to Timid. "...Ano...I...I don't know," Timid admitted. "Chance!" Mischief yelled, jumping out the window as he looked at the reader, "See you all in the sequel!" Author's Note Hope ya enjoyed the first chapter minna. For those who haven't seen it on Fanfiction, the story was made by me, KKD Silver, GammaTron, Overnerd03(for the first few chapters, same with GT), and Pikatwig(the last one having helped with most of the later chapters). So if you all like this story, be sure to leave a review if ya can. Heart of Gold pt 1It was a normal day, with the Crusaders all coated in paint, Scootaloo in red, Sweetie Belle in blue, Applebloom in yellow, Timid in orange, Quirky in a mix of pink and purple, Dawn in green and Amethyst in white. "Eheh… sorry girls. I… thought we could get our Cutie Marks in painting," Quirky chuckled sheepishly. "Th...this paint is starting to itch…" Timid informed, trying to scratch her back a bit before Dawn star used her magic to levitate a stick and scratch the shy filly's back, "A..arigatou, Dawn-chan." "Remind me how we all got covered in paint…" Sweetie Belle inquired. "No time! I got to go and see Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran off as fast as her legs could carry her, "See ya girls later!" "...Is Rainbow Dash her sister?" Amethyst inquired. "No… but Scootaloo looks up to her like a big sister," Dawn Star replied as the six all sighed about the paint, "Though I wish she would've waited until we got this paint off." "Yeah. Ah'd even take a quick rain sho…" Applebloom began before all 6 fillies were deluged in water, the paint completely being washed away. "Wh..what was that?!" Sweetie Belle gawked, moving some of her wet mane away from her face. "That would be my doing," a voice chuckled, making the six fillies look up to see Mischief resting on a tree branch, the dragon taking the form of a raccoon as he held a huge bucket, "Hello ladies." "Mischief… a rather fitting name that thine annoyance contains," Amethyst said in a way similar to how Princess Luna would speak. "Thank you," Mischief grinned as he poofed off the branch and reappeared before the wet fillies, "So where's your orange pegasus friend? Went to hang out with that 'big sis' of hers?" The group gave a nod, with Amethyst simply giving a small nod, giving him a frown as she was still annoyed by what Mischief did. "Hey… be lucky I didn't pour ice water on you. Did that with Sweetie Belle's sister last week, and let me tell ya, that unicorn has a set of lungs on her," Mischief stated, cleaning his ear a bit before he teleported away from the group, leaving the fillies all confused for a minute. "...Does he always do stuff like that?" Amethyst asked her fellow fillies. "You have no ahdea, Amethyst. He once caused such a mess, we had to get Princess Cadence involved," Applebloom informed. "Really?" "H… Hai…" Timid nodded in response. 'Hmm..let's see..what to do to these two?' Mischief pondered, hiding inside a cloud as he watched Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo (the pegasus filly completely paint free) interact with each other. "Tag, you're it!" Scootaloo laughed as she tapped Rainbow Dash's left side before she began to run..but Rainbow Dash was already in front of the pegasus filly before lightly tapping her on her nose. "Tag. You're it," Rainbow Dash grinned. 'Tag? Lame… ugh… what to do… what to do… what to do?' Mischief pondered mentally before an idea popped into his head, but he continued to follow the two pegasi so he could set his idea in motion. "Ya doin' alright, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked the panting filly, "We can stop if ya want." "Yea…" Scootaloo nodded, trying to catch her breath, before the two noticed that the sun was setting, "It's getting late… I should head back home." Dash gave a nod, before they noticed a shooting star pass by, "Oh, squirt, shooting star! Make a wish!" The two both closed their eyes and looked up to the sky. 'I wish I could always hang with my friend...especially Twilight,' Rainbow Dash thought as she looked at the night sky. 'I wish Rainbow Dash was really my big sister,' Scootaloo mentally wished. From a distance, Mischief was reading something, whatever he had allowing him to know what the two were wishing. 'Hmm… Rainbow Dash wants to hang with her friend, especially Twilight, and Scootaloo wants RD to really be her big sis… oh this is going to be good,' the son of Discord thought with a grin before doing something to make the shooting star disappear. "Huh? Where'd the star go?" Scootaloo blinked. "I guess it's gone. I really hope your dream will come true," Dash smiled. "Same here," Scootaloo responded, as they both walked to Scootaloo's home. 'If only...' the two mentally sighed, knowing their wishes were almost impossible to be reality… as far as they knew. The next morning, Scootaloo yawned as she began to wake up, the pegasus filly rubbing her eyes as she got off of her bed. She had a small bit of a gold dust around her eyes, but rubbed it off. "I hope Dash isn't busy today…" the pegasus filly yawned a bit as she walked over to a nearby mirror, seeing she had quite the bed head. She sighed annoyed before trying to get her mane under control, but it fell over her eyes, when this occured, her eyes turned into a magenta and gold spiral, but they turned back to normal, with a bit of a gold hue being in her eyes, "..That was odd…" she then began to leave her room before heading downstairs to the kitchen. But before she could open the fridge, she heard somepony knocking on her front door, "Huh?" Scootaloo headed to the door, but in her mind, she was wondering why she was where she was at the moment before she was at the front door. "...Uh...yes? Who is it?" "Hey sis! There ya are," Dash's voice said happily behind the door, making Scootaloo blink a bit. "Huh? Dash? Wh-woah!" Scootaloo began as she managed to open the front door a bit before she was suddenly scooped up into a hug by Rainbow Dash, "...Uh ...Sis? What're you doing up this early?" "I was looking for you," Dash informed as she put the filly down, "I figured we could hang out for the rest of the day. You know, as sisters should." "Yea!" Scootaloo beamed before her stomach rumbled, "But I haven't eaten anything…" "No worries. We can stop by Sugar Cube Corner for breakfast," Rainbow Dash replied. "..Sweet!" Scootaloo beamed, really excited to hang with her big sister. From nearby, Mischeif was watching with a smirk on his face. 'Part one...complete. Once those two reach the library, part two can begin,' the son of Discord thought as he poofed out of the area once more. "Morning Dawn Star, Amethyst," Twilight greeted the two filly's as she walked downstairs from her room, "Did you both sleep well last night?" "We did a…" Dawn Star began before she felt something different about Twilight, "...Twilight? Are… you okay?" "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "Well…it's just…you look a bit… different today," Dawn noted, seeing a small hue of gold in Twilight's eyes. "...Really? I haven't noticed," Twilight blinked. "She's right… something's off," Amethyst added, walking down, as they were joined by Spike and Trixie, "M…morning Spike, M… miss Trixie." "Morning/ Mor..*yawns*ing…" Spike and Trixie greeted, the latter yawning as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Does something look… off about Twilight?" Dawn inquired. "Huh? What're you talking about? She looks normal to me," Spike replied. "Something… just looks… off," Amethyst added. "...Trixie doesn't even know what you're talking about," Trixie replied. "...Something's weird here," Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst. "You're right… wonder what's up?" Amethyst whispered back. "I don't know..but…" Dawn began. "By the way Twilight, are you still going to meet up with Rainbow Dash?" Spike asked the violet Alicorn. "Of course. I promised I hang out with her and her little sister today after all," Twilight replied, making both Dawn Star and Amethyst blink in confusion and surprise, neither noticing a tiny bit of a blush on Twilight's muzzle. "...'little sister'?" they both said in confusion. "Ugh… honestly Sparkle. Ever since you and Rainbow Dash started going out, you've been inseparable," Trixie groaned a bit. "Well of course. She's my Marefriend after all," Twilight spoke up, making both Dawn Star and Amethyst gawk. 'M...Marefriend?!' both fillies mentally yelled in shock and surprise. "Thoust think we may beth dreaming…" Amethyst told Dawn Star, before they exchanged a glance and bumped heads, "Nope… thisth real." "I don't understand what's going on… since… wait…" Dawn began, "Remember what Mischief was doing yesterday?" "Y… yeah… he went to… go…" Amethyst began before her eyes widened, "..You don't think…" "We need to find Timid… and fast," Dawn Star said, before a knock came from the front door. "Hey Twi! We're here!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out from the other side of the front door, "Ya ready yet?" "Ready?" Amethyst and Dawn Star muttered. "In a minute Dash! I just need to do something!" Twilight replied before looking at Dawn and Amethyst, "You two be careful and have a good day today, okay?" "Okay," Dawn Star nodded. "You're not gonna be gone all day, are you?" Amethyst inquired. "Of course she is Amethyst. She did promise them afterall," Spike stated to the filly as Twilight headed to the front door, opening it up to see Dash and Scootaloo. "Hiya Bowy," Twilight giggled. "Good to see ya Twil," Dash responded. '...Bowy? Twil?' Amethyst and Dawn Star thought with raised eyebrows. "So where are we going first?" Twilight asked the rainbow maned pegasus. "We're heading to Sugar Cube Corner to get something for breakfast. And after that, we'll go wherever," Rainbow Dash replied. "Who knows… maybe one day I'll have TWO big sisters," Scootaloo giggled. "One day Scootaloo… One day," Twilight smiled gently at the filly. "Okay, is everypony here?" Dawn Star asked as the rest of the CMC (minus Scootaloo) were at their clubhouse. "Yea. Our main order of business is Twilight and Rainbow Dash," Amethyst informed. "Are we gonna get Cutie Marks in Match-Making?" Quirky asked. "NO!" two of the original three Crusaders shouted, "WE ARE NEVER DOING THAT!" "Eep! Sorry sorry!" Quirky yelped. "Why?" Dawn Star inquired. "You don't wanna know. Trust me," Applebloom told them. "..Uh...okay…" Dawn Star sweatdropped a bit before clearing her throat, "Anyways, I'm sure you all started to notice something strange happening today, right?" "Ano… how so?" Timid inquired. "W… well for one… R… Rainbow Dash and T… Twilight are apparently going out," Amethyst answered, making the other fillies look at her in surprise, "I'm serious… me and Dawn Star saw it ourselves." "Hoo boy… when did they get together? While we were sleeping?" Quirky wondered. "Me and Pinkie should throw them a party!" "...I'm not sure actually but… well… yesterday, when me and Amethyst came home, Twilight was just fine. But today… she's suddenly marefriends with Rainbow Dash," Dawn Star replied. "...Now that I think about… Rarity has been acting strange this morning as well," Sweetie Belle spoke. "How so?" Dawn Star asked. "...Well… she seemed to be acting… greedy… she had some gems, and she was keeping them locked up in her room," Sweetie Belle answered. "...Come ta think of it..mah sister did start acting strangely this morning as well…" Applebloom spoke, "Fer one..we had oranges instead of apples, and… she seemed to be actin' like Rarity." "Again…?" Sweetie Belle sighed annoyed. "Ooh ohh! Pinkie was acting strange too!" Quirky spoke, "When I asked her what we were going to do today, she replied… 'we're going to watch paint dry...on rocks.'" "..." "I'm honest here. She really did say that to me," Quirky stated. "Timid, anything about Fluttershy or your brother?" Amethyst asked. "Nope… both are fine. I...I hope..." Timid answered, saying that last part in worry. They all exchanged a glance, starting to think a little bit. "Let's scope this out," Dawn Star told them. "...Okay… this is kinda…odd to see…" Applebloom noted as she and the rest of the CCM walked through Ponyville, seeing some of the resident ponies acting weird. Some of which were especially weird as they had encountered Vinyl and Octavia a few blokes down, the two having… somehow switched personalities. "I know, but we gotta find out who caused all this," Dawn Star replied. "There seems like there's a lot of chaos…" Amethyst noted. "Chaos… Discord wouldn't do this since he's still on a small trip with his daughter, Screwball… so that leaves…" Dawn Star began. "..Mischief," they all figured out. "Ooh! He's so going to get it when we find him!" Quirky yelled, "Well, when Timid finds him that is." "True but...the only question is…" Amethyst began as she looked around a bit, "Where can we find thy little annoyance?" Dawn Star looked around before seeing Sugar Cube Corner, both Twilight and Dash simply looking at each-other with a romantic look in their eyes as they sat at a table outside while Scootaloo looked at the two nearby with a small smile on her face. "...They look kinda cute… almost like a tiny family," Timid admitted. "Yeah...It's really cute," Quirky added. "I know, but focus girls. We need to find Mischief," Dawn Star stated. They looked around before seeing somepony walking by, Applebloom immediately recognizing it as her sister. "Oh mah stars, this heat today is almost a bit unbearable," Applejack groaned a bit dramatically, her hair styled into one similar to Rarity's. "...You weren't kidding when you said your sister was acting like Rarity," Sweetie Belle sweatdropped. "Ah know…" Applebloom sighed until… "Ooh this is just too good," a familiar voice chuckled nearby. The CMC all looked up to see a smiling cloud, said cloud chuckling as a familiar tail stuck out the end. "...Mischief," Dawn Star frowned before she flew up a bit into the air and used a bit of her magic to send a small magic bolt at the cloud, hitting the spot the tail was sticking out. "Ow!" the 'cloud' yelped as it suddenly vanished before Mischief popped up in front of Dawn Star, the Son of Discord taking the form of a Tanuki, " What the hay was that for?!" "Hoo boy…" the other fillies sighed while Dawn Star gave Mischief an even glare. "You're in a lot of trouble, Mischief," the Alicorn filly stated. "..I have no idea what you're talking about." "Liar!" Quirky yelled off screen. "What were you thinking, you baka?!" Timid demanded. "Again, I hav-oh lord no!" Mischief yelped when Timid began to give him the Stare, "No! No not the Stare! I can't take those disapproving eyes!" "What. Were. You. THINKING?!" Timid demanded. "I… I was bored okay! You try finding something fun to do while your pops is out in vacation with your sister!" Mischief yelled. "...I can get some of these changes, with Applejack acting like Rarity, which BTW, I kinda like," Amethyst began, "Rarity acting greedy, Pinkie being boring… but where in Equestria did you come up with Twilight and Dash being a pair?" "...Uh… They… had secret feelings for eachother?" Mischief replied, but getting no response, "...okay okay! I… may have overheard what Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were wishing for last night, So uh… I decided to give it to them and… well… I may have edited Rainbow's wish a tiny bit." "How so?" Dawn Star inquired. "...Well for one...she wanted to be with her friend forever...especially Twilight Sparkle...but..I kinda changed it to have her be with Twilight as a couple…." Mischief answered. "Hoo boy…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "How did you do this? Your magic is powerful, but not that powerful," Timid demanded to know. "...uh….that's classified," Mischief quickly replied as he began to hightail it out of there...or was..would if Quicky wasn't standing on his tail, making him comically run in place, "...not funny." "Tell us now Mischief, or you won't be seeing any rock candy for a month," Timid warned. "No! please! Don't take my precious away!" "Tell us how you did this!" Timid and Dawn Star demanded. "OKAY! I borrowed some weird gold dust from Trixie's old wagon! It makes pony's act like their wish had finally came true!" Mischief yelled comically, "There, I told you! So please don't take my rock candy away!" "Fix them. Now. Or else you will never ever, ever, ever, ever…ano...h-how many times have I said 'ever'?" Timid started. "Four times," Amethyst informed. "EVER, see rock candy again!" Timid threatened Mischief, increasing the power of her Stare. "Five evers… that's serious…" Quirky noted. "...uh...okay okay! I can't dispel it, but i can tell you how to get rid of it! Just..splash some water in their faces, and they'll go back to normal!" Mischief informed, but Timid kept her stare going. "OKAY! ...you need to ring a bell by them!" They gave a nod before Dawn Star teleported in a small bell and handed it to Amethyst before the adopted daughter of Luna began parading around Ponyville with it, causing those who were under the effects of the gold dust to snap out of it. "...Uh...Tavi?" Vinyl began as she and Octavia lost the gold hue in their eyes, "Why're you wearing my shades?" "I'm… not sure… and why are you wearing my collar…" Octavia added. "...I..don't know…" Vinyl responded nervously, before they swapped their items around. "...let us never speak of this again," Octavia stated, setting her collar back in place. "Speak of what again?" Vinyl replied, putting her glasses back on. "Exactly." Near Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to gaze at eachother lovingly as Scootaloo was watching still, eating some carrot cupcakes. "You're so lovely Twil…" Dash giggled. "Thank you Bowy," Twilight giggled, "Now kiss me." "You got it, hot stuff," Dash grinned before turning to Scootaloo, "You may want to turn away, Scoots." Scootaloo turned around as Amethyst began to parade around with the bell. "Huh? What's Ameth…" the orange pegasus filly began before her eyes glowed for a sec, returning to normal, "...Twilight… Dash…" "Rainbow… what's going on?" Twilight asked. "...I got a better question," Rainbow Dash began, her face inches away from Twilight's, "Why does it look like we're about to kiss?" "I...don't know…" Twilight responded before they heard the sound of dishes breaking. Suddenly, Scootaloo began to tear up, before she ran out of Sugar Cube Corner. "Scoots, wait!" Rainbow dash yelled as she ran after the filly, Twilight following behind her. "Rainbow… I love you… and I could only dream of us being sisters…" Scootaloo said tearfully, getting on top of the bridges edge, glancing down at the water, "And… I don't deserve to keep going on… I can't fly… I don't have a Cutie Mark… and I don't have any family…" She began to lean forward to fall in when suddenly, she felt someone grab her and pull her back. "Scootaloo! What are you doing?" Twilight asked, being the one to be holding Scootaloo's tail with her magic. "Leave me alone! you took Rainbow Dash away from me!" Scootaloo snapped, "I have nopony now, so I'm doing everypony a favor and disappear!" "By jumping over the bridge?!" "Yes! Nopony would miss me anyway! The only one I cared most about was Rainbow Dash! She…" Scootaloo paused as she began to tear up once more, "She's the best pony in the world… Sh… she sees me like a little sister… I.. I was so happy when she said that to me…" "Scootaloo..I…" "No! Shut up! It's your fault to begin with! You took her away from me! You… you took my big sister away!" Scootaloo yelled, tears of anger and sadness flowing from her eyes as she glared at Twilight. "...she took me away from you?" Rainbow Dash's voice asked as she flew over, "Why do you think Twilight was taking me away?" "Y… you two were about to… to…" "...To kiss?" Twilight finished, both her and Rainbow Dash still blushing at the memory. "You two keep your love! I don't want to live anymore without a family who really loves me!" Scootaloo shouted, the tears still flowing from her eyes. "...You're wrong Scoots…" Rainbow dash spoke as she pulled out a folded piece of paper from her bag, "I was gonna surprise you with this on your birthday next week… but I think you deserve it now…" "...wh… what is it?" Scootaloo asked, rubbing some of the tears away from her eyes. "...Twi? Let her down so she can see it," Rainbow Dash said, earning a nod from the Alicorn as she levitated Scootaloo to the floor of the bridge, "Open it." Scootaloo stayed silent as she took the piece of paper before opening it. She then began to read it's contents before her eyes began to slowly widen. "Th… these are… adoption papers..." the pegasus filly whispered, "But… why…?" "Twilight helped me fill them out last week," Rainbow Dash explained, "I figured since we see each other as sisters… well… why not make it official?" "...Y… you mean… you mean…" Scootaloo began, tears forming in her eyes once more. "Yes Scootaloo," Twilight spoke, "It means you and Rainbow Dash are family… you're really are sisters now." Scootaloo didn't' know how to respond, her form shaking as the tears poured from her eyes once more. "Uh hang on a second…" Twilight informed, before levitating the papers to check over what sort of family the two were, "...It really does check out…" "What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked Twilight. "Well… It says here you and Rainbow can be sisters or… be mother and daughter," Twilight stated. "Huh?" Dash blinked as she looked over Twilight shoulder, "...she's right." "SCOOTS!" they all heard Sweetie Belle and Applebloom shout as they arrived on Scootaloo's scooter, being moved forward by Amethyst, Dawn Star, and Timid with Quirky riding on teh back. "Girls…" Scootaloo whispered as her fellow CMC members ran towards her. "What were you doing out here?" Applebloom asked. "Well… I was uh…" Scootaloo began. "She was about to leave but we stopped her in time," Twilight replied, not wanting to tell Scootaloo's friends about her attempted suicide. "...leave… again?" Dawn Star sighed. "Again?" Amethyst asked. "We'll explain later," Applebloom told her. "...what's that paper Scootaloo's holding?" Quirky asked, pointing to the adoption papers Scootaloo was holding. "...I'm going to be related to Rainbow Dash now… but… one question remains. Should I be her sister… or her daughter?" Scootaloo told them. "So you may have two mothers!" Quirky giggled. "..." "...What? I got something on my face?" Quirky blinked at the looks they were giving her. "Oh…" Dash soon realized, "That spell or whatever it was made us all lovey-dovey," "Yea…" Twilight nodded, "Me and Rainbow Dash don't' like each other in that way, right Dash?" "Y… yeah," Rainbow Dash laughed a bit nervously and sheepishly, "Me and Twilight are friend, but not those kinds of friends." '...are we?' both Dash and Twilight thought in unison, blushes appearing on their muzzles. "Okay, we're here," Dash said as she and Scootaloo were at her house, the stars shining outside the window as it was night. "Can I open my eyes now, Dash?" Scootaloo asked Dash. "Eeyup," Rainbow Dash nodded. Scootaloo opened up her eyes, before gasping with a big smile. The room she was looking at was a fairly large bedroom with some of the stuff from her old place, her scooter laying against a dresser. In the middle of the room was a medium sized bed with a nightstand next to it, a lamp right on it. "Like it?" Rainbow dash asked before Scootaloo hugged her. "...I love it!" Scootaloo giggled happily. "So… are we sisters or mother and daughter? I really am not sure…" "Hmm… while I like the idea of us being sibs..." Rainbow Dash began as a soft smile formed on her face, "I think I'll have us be mother and daughter." "...I love you… so, so much… mommy!" Scootaloo smiled happily as she buried her face into Rainbow Dash's chest, tears of joy dripping from her eyes. "..I love ya too, Scoots…" Rainbow smiled as she returned the hug "Surpri~se!" Quirky and Pinkie declared as they happily greeted Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, the two pegasi walking in to see Sugar Cube Corner was decorated to the brim. "Congrats on making Scootaloo your daughter, Dashie!" Pinkie beamed. "Congrats on being Dashie's daughter, Scootie!" Quirky added. "Thanks Pinkie/Quirky," the two pegasi smiled as both Pinkie and Quirky placed party hats on the two. "So… mom, do you think one day, I'll get my Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked. "Yea… but as your mom, after this party… you're grounded," "What?! Why?" Dash then leaned in forward and whispered loudly, "For your attempt at suicide!" "N… nani?!" Timid gasped, having overheard that, "M… Misty-chan!" "Yes?" Mischief's voice asked as he appeared from the punch bowl… until he started sweating nervously when Timid began to give him the Stare. "I didn't do anything! Why are you doing that?!" "Because of what you did yesterday!" Timid scolded him, "Scootaloo-chan nearly d… ki… you know what yesterday, all because of your prank!" "..In my defense, I…" Mischief began, before Timid increased her Stare. "No! I want you to promise me you won't pull something like this ever again!" Timid almost shouted, as her voice turned rather serious, almost dark sounding, "Do I make myself clear?!" "...I promise," Mischief whimpered, taking the form of a shaking dog with his tail between his legs, "I won't pull that ever again." "...okay," Timid replied as she eased up on the Stare, "But if I hear you doing it again, you're going to be in bigger trouble." Timid the walked off, while Mischief sighed. "Well my mood is dead… ugh, what am I going to do now?" the son of Discord sighed, before he began to think, 'Good thing I had my fingers crossed… now who to prank next?' He looked around for a moment, before setting his eyes on the trio of pink butterflies that made up Fluttershy's Cutie Mark… Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya possibly can. Also, first two parter in this story.
Catch that fox!It seemed like a normal day, Scootaloo and the rest of the CMC were at the clubhouse, waiting for Timid Swallow and Mischief. "...Where is she?" Scootaloo wondered as she looked out the window for Timid, "She was supposed to be here a few minutes ago." "Maybe she got caught up in something?" Sweetie Belle guessed. "I'm sure she'll be here soon," Applebloom assured. "Speaking of Timid; here she comes now," Scootaloo said as she saw Timid coming towards the clubhouse, panting a bit as Mischief rode in her backpack, "Hey Timid! Where were you?!" "G...Gomen, Scootaloo-san! I...I was helping F...Fluttershy-san out with something!" Timid explained, speaking a bit louder… well… loud in her tone of voice since she's almost quiet most of the time. "What exactly? Helping her watch some of the animals she watches over?" Applebloom asked as she poked her head out the window. "Ano...h...h...hai," Timid nodded, "S...some of them were really nice." "Except that Angel bunny," Mischief mumbled. "What was that?" Timid asked, hearing Mischief say that, as she prepared to use the 'Stare' on him. "N...nothing ma'am!" Mischief yelped a bit as he hopped out of the backpack while thinking, 'Tch! Angel Bunny...that little menace was anything but an angel!' "What's got Mischief upset?" Sweetie Belle asked, the unicorn filly popping her head out the other window. "I...I don't know. Demo...I...I think he and F...Fluttershy-san's pet bunny don't get along well," Timid answered. "..." Mischief was about to say something, pointing one finger up before he slowly curled it back up, the small dragon afraid of getting the 'Stare' from Timid. "I can definitely imagine that for some reason," Sweetie Belle replied, trying to hold back a giggle. "Agreed," Scootaloo snickered before an idea popped into her head, "...Girls...I think I know how we can get our Cutie Marks!" "Really? How?" the rest of the CMC asked. "Well...you can thank Timid for giving me the idea," the Pegasus filly grinned as she pointed at Timid. "Ano...I...I did?" Timid blinked. "Yea, you did. Specifically, we're going see if we can take care of one of the animals under Fluttershy's care!" Scootaloo declared. "Really?/WHAT?!" the rest of the CMC and Mischief gasped, the dragon yelling as thought's of taking care of… "him" filled his head. "Nuh uh! Absolutely no…" Mischief began before Timid gave him the 'stare', mainly for yelling like that, "...Shutting up." "So...we're all in agreement?" Scootaloo asked her fellow CMC. "As Big Mac would say: Eeyup," Applebloom nodded. "I'm in!" Sweetie Belle added. "M...Me too..." Timid nodded, the shy pegasus filly feeling a bit excited in taking care of one of Fluttershy's animals. "It's settled then. We're gonna take care of one of Fluttershy's animals starting today!" Scootaloo replied before she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom declared… "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Animal Caretakers!" the three declared, earnings confused looks from Timid and Mischief. "...Okay. I'll ask since Timid's a bit confused by what you just did. Just what was that about?" Mischief asked. "...Oh, it's just our little thing we do when we decide on something," Scootaloo answered. "...Uh huh…" Mischief slowly nodded as he went back into Timid's backpack, his appearance changing to have him wearing footy pajamas with a butt flap, "If anypony needs me, I'll be taking a nap." "A...ano…" Timid began. "Come on, Timid...you can do it to. After all, you're a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders now," Scootaloo smiled a bit at Timid. "...O...okay," Timid nodded before declaring quietly, "C...Cutie Mark Crusaders: Animal Caretakers! Y...Yay!" "..." "...T...Too loud?" Timid asked. "...Nevermind…we-we'll work on it later. So, let's just go," Scootaloo sighed. "Ano...I...I don't' know if F...Fluttershy-san is h-home, minna," Timid stuttered as the CMC stood in front of Fluttershy's home. "She has to be...unless she's out getting some food for the animals. But just to make su…" Scootaloo began until Applebloom tapped her on the shoulder before pointing at the window "Let's try checking the window a bit to see if she's home or not," Applebloom suggested. With a nod, Scootaloo jumped up to the window to see Fluttershy and Twilight, the violet Alicorn using her magic to help Fluttershy open what appeared to be a box, the shy pegasus letting out a soft squeal as she picked up whatever was in the box. "I see her… and she just picked something up from a box," Scootaloo stated, the pegasus filly trying her best to stay in the air with her tiny wings "What is she holding?" Sweetie Belle asked as she and the rest of the CMC looked up at their friend. "Don't know...maybe if I...woah!" Scootaloo yelped as she fell to the ground, her wings finally giving out, "...Darn." "Are you okay?" AppleBloom asked Scootaloo. "Yeah…" Scootaloo nodded before sighing as she looked at her wings, "If my wings held on longer, I could've seen what Fluttershy was holding." "Let me try something," AppleBloom replied, going off for a second before moving a small barrel under the window and jumping up to get a good look, and she saw Fluttershy and Twilight were still there, but now Fluttershy was holding a small bundle of fur… but she couldn't seem to make out what it was exactly. "See anything, Applebloom?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle asked in unison. "Ah think so…Ah can't make out what Fluttershy is holding," Applebloom replied, trying to get a good look at what the shy pegasus was holding, "Let's see… it looks like it's got some… red fur…I think…and...it has...w-woah!" she yelped when she began to lose her balance on the barrel before the Filly fell into the bushes just underneath one of the front windows. "Applebloom! Are you.." Sweetie Belle began. "H...Hello? Is anypony out there?" Fluttershy's voice asked from the other side of the door. "Uh oh...hide!" Scootaloo whispered as she and Sweetie Belle dove into the same bushes Applebloom fell in. "A...Ano…" Timid stuttered a bit as she was about to try and jump into the bushes as well, only to stop in her tracks as the door opened. "Oh, Timid. Is everything ok? I thought I heard something out here," Fluttershy replied when the mare saw the young filly near the bushes. "...A...Ano...I...I…" Timid began, the shy filly berating herself a bit since she was about to do something she would never do...lie, "I...I thought I dropped something on m-my way out." "...Do you need any help?" Fluttershy asked. "Uh...n...no! I...I can look for it myself," Timid replied with a stutter. "...Okaaay...actually Timid...can you help me with something since you're here?" Fluttershy asked. "A-ano… hai," Timid Swallow nodded. "Good. I need to head to the market real quick to pick up some food for the animal Princess Celestia asked me and Twilight to take care of for today," Fluttershy stated as mentioned Alicorn came out, holding a few bags to carry the needed food in, "Can you look after my place while we're gone?" "A...Ano...h...hai, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid nodded in response. "Arigatou, Timid-chan," Fluttershy smiled as she and Twilight took off, letting Timid enter Fluttershy's house, the rest of the CMC coming in only after the older mares flew off far enough. "You heard that right?" Applebloom asked her friends. "Yeah...that thing Fluttershy was holding was from the Princess!" Scootaloo said in a semi-excited voice, "If we take good care of it, we're bound to get our Cutie Marks!" "Yeah! But...what animal did she send?" Sweetie Belle asked out of curiosity. "...Don't' know," Scootaloo shrugged, "Do you have any...Timid?" she blinked when she noticed the shy Filly wasn't there anymore, "...Where'd she go?" "Ah think she went to look inside that…" Applebloom began. "KAWAII!" Timid's voice squealed from inside the box. "...Kawaii?" the rest of the CMC looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what that word means. "Cute! I found something very cute in here!" Timid answered, her voice sounding much louder than it would normally sound anyway. "...It can't be that cute...can it?" Scootaloo asked her friends. "I don't' know...I'll check it out first," Sweetie Belle suggested as she walked over to the box Timid was in before the Unicorn filly walked inside it. "...Anything Sweetie…" Scootaloo began before she and Applebloom heard Sweetie Belle let out a squeal of delight. "Oh my Celestia! She's SO CUTE!" Sweetie Belle's voice squealed from inside the box. "What is it, anyway?" Scootaloo asked, confused by that "This!" Sweetie Belle replied as she and Timid came out of the box before looking back at something in it, "Come on...don't be shy." A few moments of silence passed before what looked like a small muzzle poked out of the box, sniffing the air for a moment. After that, the own of the muzzle slowly crawled out of the box, revealing it was a small, fox kit with orange and white fur and...9 small tails? However, the CMC didn't notice the tails as they saw it's small, sapphire blue eyes looking at them cutely, almost as if she were observing them. "Awww! She's so CUTE!" Scootaloo and Applebloom smiled. "I know! She's like a little fluff ball you just want to hug!" Sweetie Belle squealed, the unicorn filly resisting the urge to glomp the small kit. "So… what is she, anyway?" Scootaloo asked. "Ah don't know...she looks like a fox. But ah don't think foxes are supposed to have nine tails," Applebloom noted, looking at the nine, swishing tails on the fox kit. "Oh… I see!" Timid Swallow gasped, seeing the tails and recognizing what the little kit was, "It's a Kitsune!" "A what?" Sweetie Belle asked as she, Applebloom, and Scootaloo looked at the shy pegasus. "A kitsune, a…a small fox that has more than one tail," Timid answered, "Th...They're creatures that are very hard to find in Neighpon." "Wow~," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle awed. "Cool…" Scootaloo awed as well, "...Does she have a name?" "A...Ano...I...I'm not sure. I...I couldn't help but gush over her to see," Timid admittedly nervously. "Maybe this paper I found inside the box might help," Sweetie Bell asked as she walked back inside the box before carrying out a piece of paper and placed it on a nearby table. "What does it say?" Applebloom asked. "...I can't make any of this out. It's written in Neighponese," Sweetie Belle replied with a small sigh before she gasped a bit, "Maybe Timid can read it!" Then, Sweetie Belle just handed the paper to Timid, who felt nervous being put on the spot like she was. "A...Ano…" Timid gulped a bit before taking a calm breath as she looked at the paper, "Ano...I...it's addressed to C...Celestia-Hime," she looked up at the confused CMC, "H...Hime means p...Princess." "Oh~" the three nodded before looking anxiously to hear what the rest of the note said. "Hai. L...Let's s...see here…" Timid began as she read the note, "C...Celestia-Hime...I...I need you to find this young one a h...home. You see...her family was...o...oh my…" "What? Her family was what?" Sweetie Belle asked before she and her friends saw a small tear escape from Timid's eye, "...Timid?" "H...Her family was k...killed by poachers," timid whispered? "Poachers!" Applebloom gasped. "You know what those are, Applebloom?" Scootaloo asked her friend. "Yes...Ah heard Poachers are really bad Ponies that go and capture rare and exotic animal so they can sell them. If they can't get a certain animal...th...they kill it," Applebloom explained, earning shocked looks from her two friends. "Oh my…" Sweetie Belle gasped, simply stunned by this revelation. "Poor little girl...she lost her family…" Scootaloo said sadly as she and the rest of the CMC sadly looked at the small, fox kit, who appeared to be sleeping at the moment. "...I'm glad Fluttershy's taking good care of her, though," Timid admitted, a small sad smile on the shy fillies face, "S...she'll take good care of Y..Yuki-chan." "Yeah…" Applebloom nodded before blinking, "...Yuki?" "Th...that's what I w...wanted to c...call her b..because the white parts of her fur remind me of snow," Timid explained, "A...And 'Yuki' means 'Snow.'" "Oh…" the CMC nodded again. "I like it," Sweetie Belle noted with a small smile. "Me too," Applebloom added. "...Well… I guess it fits," Scootaloo replied with a shrug, "So...let's…" "Hey keep it down. I'm trying to wake up here," Mischief's voice groaned as he poked his head out of Timid Swallow's backpack, wearing a nightcap in his footy pajamas with a butt flap as he held a cup of coffee, "What's with all the noise out here anyway?" "Misty…" Timid sighed before Mischief saw the young kit, causing the dragon to do a spit take. "FOX!-!-!-!-!-!-!" Mischief yelled as he jumped out of Timid's backpack and clinged to the Ceiling of Fluttershy's house like a scared cat. "What're you so scared of?" Scootaloo asked the frightened dragon. "KEEP THAT...THAT THING AWAY FROM ME! I HATE FOXES!" Mischief yelled, his butt flap opening, "Wait...is that thing from Neighpon by any chance?" "...Yea. Why?" "Because I hate hate HATE those kinds! Freaking troublemakers all of them!" Mischief yelled. "...Oh!" Timid realized where Mischief was going with that as she looked at her friends, "I...I think I know why M..Mischief's scared of Yuki. I...I heard Neighponese Fox Spirits are notorious tricksters and like to play pranks on anypony they see." "...Really?" Scootaloo asked, confused still. "H...Hai. O...One trick they like pulling on Ponies are turning into an exact clone of them and gets them into trouble." "And that's exactly WHY I hate them! Do you know how many times I got in trouble because of those furry devils?! A LOT!" Mischief snapped before he felt his grip on the ceiling starting to come loose, "...Oh blitznak." he then began to fall to the floor, but not before quickly turning around to land on his feet just as he was an inch from touching the floor. He then gave a look at the reader, "What? ...oh don't' look at me like that. Everypony knows Gods and Demi Gods of Chaos always…" "..." Yuki let out a small yawn as she woke up, stretching a bit as her tails swished a bit, one of which touching Mischief's back. "GIYAAH~! IT TOUCHED ME~!" Mischief yelled in a high-pitched voice as he rushed back into Timid's backpack, but not before placing a sign that said 'I'm not coming out until that furry devil leaves! ...unless there's candy involved.' "...Oookaaaay," Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit before she looked at her fellow CMC, "Why don't' we try and find something for Yuki to eat? And afterwards, we can play with her." "Sounds good to me. But...what do Kitsune's eat?" Applebloom asked. "Don't know...let's try pulling out some different food and see what works," Scootaloo suggested as she rushed for the kitchin. "Ano… wasn't Fluttershy-san and Twilight-san going to get some food for her?" Timid asked, causing Scootaloo to skid to a halt. "...You're right. I almost forgot, " Scootaloo chuckled sheepishly, "So... guess until they come back...we'll play with Yuki a bit." "Sounds good to me but...does Yuki want to play?" Applebloom asked, looking down at the fox kit. "I don't know. But it can't help but ask," Sweetie Bell suggested a she bent down to the small kit, "Yuki...do you want to play girl?" Yuki's ears rose up at that as her tails began to wag in a playful way. "We'll take that as a yes," Scootaloo said as she looked at her fellow CMC, "Girls...Hide and seek!" "R...right/hai," Applebloom and the others nodded as the four fillies ran around the house to find various spots to hide. After the CMC disappeared, Yuki sniffed the air a bit to look for them. She continued to sniff around the area before she began to sniff under the couch. Unfortunately, that caused her to sneeze as she skidded back a bit. When she looked up, she saw...herself? Both Yuki's looked at each other in confusion before sniffing each other, causing them to sneeze in unison as two more Yuki's popped up again. The four fox kits looked at each other in confusion before they sniffed the air, going to different parts of the house. One of the kits soon found Applebloom, quite easily. "Aww~! Ya found me, Yuki!" Applebloom giggled a bit, the filly hiding behind one of the curtains in the living room. "That's weird...she found me too," Sweetie Belle spoke, poking her head out from behind the couch with Yuki 2. "...What the?" Applebloom began in confusion, looking between the Yuki that found her and the Yuki that found Sweetie Belle, "What's going on?" "I don't know," Sweetie Belle shrugged until they saw another Yuki find Scootaloo, who was tryng to hide inside the box Yuki was in. "Aw man. You found..me?" Scootaloo blinked when she noticed three of Yuki, "...uh..what's going on?" "I don't know," the other two shrugged. "...Do you think it has something to do with what Mischief and Timid said?" Scootaloo asked before she notice a fourth Yuki sniffing the closet. Then, the little Kit started to paw at the closet door to try and get it open. "Y...you found me Y-Yuki...chan?" Timid blinked in confusion once she opened the door to see the 4 Yukis, "...U...Uh oh. I...I didn't think s-she could figure this out e-early." "What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked, confused. "I...I heard once K...Kitsune kits get older, th...they learn how to do tricks l-like cloning itself," timid replied before two of the Yuki Clones sneezed, producing two more. "Um...what else can they learn to do?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, seeing one of the Yuki's looking at a group picture of Fluttershy and her friends. "Ano...th-they can...uh oh," Timid paled a bit, recalling what Mischief said about Neighponese foxes. "What?" Applebloom asked before she noticed the other Yuki's gathering around the other one, looking at the picture as well. "Th...they can turn into Anypony they see…" Timid gulped. "...That doesn't' include pictures...does…?" Scootaloo began before she noticed one of the Yuki's shaking her paw, suddenly turning it into a familiar pink hoof. The cloned kit then shook her entire body before she was now an exact copy of Pinkie Pie. Well… kinda exact copy as her Cutie Mark was replaced with the Kanji for 'Laughter'. "Whoa…" the CMC gawked. The other Fox kits looked at 'Pinkie' before looking at each other, almost like they were saying 'Let's try that too!'. With a sudden shake, the other 5 Kit clones turned into copies of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, each with the respective Kanji for 'Magic', 'Kindness', 'Loyalty', 'Honesty', and 'Generosity' as their Cutie Marks. "Uh… is this bad?" Applebloom nervously asked Timid Swallow. "H..hai," Timid nodded with a gulp, "M...Misty!" "What? I'm trying to watch my…" Mischief, who had popped his head out of Timid's backpack, snapped before he noticed the cloned 'Mane 6', "..." he then slowly brought a gong out and rung it. "What was that about?" Scootaloo asked the dragon in confusion. "That, my little fillies...is chaos about to befall on Ponyville," Mischief stated ominously, wearing a Chinese elder's outfit compete with thin whisker-like mustache and white hair done in a small top. "Uh oh," the CMC gulped. "Oh yeah...so you better get them back to normal or..." Mischief began before the 'Mane 6' opened the door and ran out, "...Too late." "Great… now what do we do?!" Sweetie Belle almost panicked. "I don't...uh oh," Scootaloo paled when she spotted the clones about to sneeze, which could only mean one thing. The 'Mane 6' sneezed, producing 6 more clones before said clones sneezed, producing more clones. "Oh great… it sounds like what happened with Pinkie before…" Applebloom recalled from what her sister told her. "Yeah...but this time, we're not just dealing with multiple Pinkies," Scootaloo added with a gulp. "Yea… instead it's multiples of everypony," Sweetie noted. "Speaking of…" Mischief began as he pulled out a horn and blew on it just as the clones began to leave, "They're off!" "We gotta do something and fast!" Applebloom gawked. "Let's split up and try to look for the original Yuki!" Scootaloo ordered. "Sp...Split up?" Timid repeated with a stutter. "It's the best chance to find them," Scootaloo answered. "R...Right," Timid nodded as Mischief stayed on her back, wearing a riding uniform for a hunt. "Onward! Onto...The Hunt!" Mischief declared in a British accent. And so, the four rushed out and ran off in four different directions, but not before Timid locked Fluttershy's house, just to be safe. "Spike, you still can't be mad about your little change," Twilight giggled as she recall Spike getting changed into a female. "I thought I told you not to bring that up, Twilight," Spike grumbled, the dragon having to accompany Twilight and Fluttershy at the market. "Ooh and Rarity had such fun using you as her model" Twilight teased, causing Spike to blush heavily. "..." Fluttershy giggled a bit before she felt the ground starting to rumble, "...Um...do you feel that?" "...A little, why?" Twilight asked. "..." Fluttershy was about to reply before she noticed a large herd heading their way..a large herd consisting of...herself and Twilight? "Wh...what the hay?!" Twilight gawked before she, Spike, and Fluttershy jumped out of the way as the herd of clones charged through the marketplace, starting to eat everything in site. "Hey! You need to afford th…" the Cherry Vendor (from Putting your Hoof Down) began before the two Fluttershy's eating his supply of Cherries growled at him, "...I mean..help yourselves out ladies!" "...they should be Flutterbats," Spike sweatdropped at the sight. "Yeah…" Twilight sweatdropped as well before shaking it off, "Wait a minute! What the hay is going on around here?!" "Deja vu…" Spike noted, remembering the time when multiple Pinkies were all over the place. "Y...Yuki!" a certain, shy filly called out as she ran into the area, her eyes widened as she watched the Twilight and FLuttershy clones wreck the market place, "Oh no...p-please dont' tell me she's…" "Timid?" Fluttershy spoke as she poked her head out from her and Twilight's hiding place, "Wh-what're you doing here? I...I thought…?" "N...no time, F...Fluttershy-san! I..I gotta find Y..Yuki-chan!" Timid replied. "Yuki?" Twiligth and Fluttershy blinked. "H...hai. Th...that a...animal c..Celestia-hime asked you to take care of...g...gomen!" Timid apologized as she ran off. "...the baby fox!" Twilight and Fluttershy gasped, realizing what Timid meant before they leapt from their hiding place to catch up with the shy filly. "Hey! W...wait up!" Spike yelled as he ran after them. "I...I heard of liking yourself a lot, but this is ridiculous!" Rarity gasped as she watched clones of herself wreck her home/tailor shop. She then quickly grabbed one dress that was about to get torn to shreds by one of the clones before another one grabbed the end of it, resulting in a tug-of-war, "L...Let go of my dress, you! I...I mean me! Y..You know what I mean! Oh...where's Pinkie when you need her?!" "Whee!" said pink party pony cheered as she and her clones played some games. "...I've should've known," Rarity sweatdropped before she fell to the floor when the clone biting on her dress tugged on it, causing the Unicorn to let go as she watched 'herself' chew the dress like crazy, "NO~! It took me days to make that dress!" "Oh come on Rarity! There's no need t-YEOWCH!" Pinkie yelped when one of her clones bit her tail, "Hey! That is NOT a chew toy!" "Doesn't this feel… familiar?" Rarity asked Pinkie. "Yeah...it's like what happened when I made all those clones with the Mirror Pool," Pinkie replied, trying to pull her tail away from her clone. "I know...but..something…" Rarity began before Sweetie Belle came in. "Yuki! Where are you girl?!" Sweetie Belle called out as she ran upstairs to look for the original. "...Who is this Yuki, Sweetie Belle's searching for?" Rarity pondered. "Probably this extremely cute fox kit with nine tails and could create clones and turn into copies of other ponies," Pinkie stated after she finally pulled her tail free, "Or it could be a Changeling. Whichever it is." "..." Rarity sighed at that as she got up and ran up stairs to figure out what her sister knows about this. "Ooh! Wait for me! I wanna come too!" Pinkie said as she ran, or rather jumped, after the Unicorn. Upstairs, Sweetie Belle searched in a panic for the kit or the ponies she disguised herself as. "Come on...where is she...where is she?!" Sweetie Belle said in a panicked tone before she saw the clone of her sister mess her bed up, "H...hey! Get off of there!" The Rarity clone giggled as she jumped off the bed and landed in the closet. "Get back here!" Sweetie shouted, trying to follow the clone, only for said clone to bury the unicorn filly in a pile of cloths. "Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, where are you?!" Rarity called out once she reached upstairs. "Oh… sis!" Sweetie gasped, poking her head out from underneath the clothes pile. "Sweetie Belle, what in Equestria is going on?! Why are there so many clones of me and Pinkie Pie?!" Rarity asked as mentioned Pink party pony jumped up the stairs and reached the top. "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Sweetie answered. "Ooh! Ooh! Does it involve a small extremely cute baby fox with nine tails Fluttershy and Twilight were supposed to take care of but you and your friends were taking care of it for them while they were out with said baby fox having the ability to clone itself and turn into other Ponies?" Pinkie asked in one, long breath. "...Pinkie...I doubt that…" Rarity began with a sweatdrop. "Actually...that's what happening kinda," Sweetie Belle replied. "Wow, really?!" Pinkie gasped. "Yeah...she kinda got out. So me and my friends have to find her before something bad happens," Sweetie Belle stated. "So… where exactly are these… foxes… impersonating us?" Rarity asked her sister. "Well...most of the clones Yuki turned into are in here…" Sweetie Belle replied as she watched the clones tear the place apart, "Though...I can't tell which one's the real one." "...Why don't we try gathering all the clones up? That way, it would be easier to find the original," Pinkie suggested. "It won't be easy," Sweetie Belle pointed out, "By now, there's probably a TON of clones of you guys and the others around Ponyville." "...Then we just have to get them all in the same spot!" Pinkie said as she zoomed out the room before coming back in, wearing a...cat costume?, "Just call me Pinkie cat! Or Kitty Pie. Which ever works." "...Pinkie. I don't think that'll…" Rarity began before all the clones stopped what they were doing and spotted Pinkie, or rather...Pinkie cat. "..." the clones began to growl. "See? it's working. Now if you'll excuse me…" Pinkie said before she let out a cat-like screech as she zoomed out of their, the clones barking and yipping like dogs. "...That was… weird…" Sweetie Belle admitted. "Agreed. ...Let's pretend that never happened," Rarity stated. "Pretend what never happened?" "Exactly." "Hey! Put that cloud back where...Hey! That cloud was supposed to be for today's rain and...HEY! That's my special napping spot!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tried to stop clones of herself from messing up the clouds over Ponyville, "Sheesh! Just what's going on here?!" "Grr…!" two clones growled as they played tug-of-war with one cloud. "Hey! You put that cloud down right now!" RD growled in annoyance as she charged at the two clones, who immediately let go of the cloud, letting the Rainbow-maned Pegasus charge right through as she crashed into the river below, "..." she poked her head out, sitting out what water she got in her mouth, "Okay...now I'm really getting…!" "Yuki! Where are you?!" Scootaloo yelled as she ran across the bridge of the riven RD was in, the small Pegasus filly stopping when she noticed her idol in said river, "Rainbow Dash? Why are you in the river?" "Some fillies acting like knock-offs of me kept messing up the clouds," Dash groaned. "Uh...yeah. Fillies," Scootaloo chuckled nervously. "...You know something about this, don't you?" Dash responded, somehow recognizing the tone in Scootaloo's voice. "Well…" Scootaloo began. "YOO HOO~! OH, DASHIE CLONES~!" All the Rainbow Dash clones stopped what they were doing to see Pinkie Pie, still wearing the cat suit, waving at them. "Come and get me!" Pinkie giggled as she bounced away, the Pinkie and Rarity clones still chasing after her before the RD clone gave chase as well. "...What just happened?" the original Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion with Scootaloo "Uh… talk later, let's follow those clones!" Scootaloo responded as she galloped after Pinkie and the clones, still confusing Dash. "..." RD just stood there in confusion before she noticed Sweetie Belle and Rarity run up, "Please tell me you know what's going on?" "Something happened with a fox Fluttershy had me and the rest of the CMC watch while keeping an eye on her house, and now it's turned into multiple clones and copied the forms of you, Rarity, Pinkie, AJ, Fluttershy, and Twilight," Sweetie Belle answered. "I see...and those clones that were chasing after Pinkie...was that fox you were talking about?" Rainbow asked. "Yep," Sweetie nodded. "I see...well...what're we standing around for?" Rainbow began as she climbed out of the river, shook herself dry, and took off into the air, "Let's go round us up some foxes! Or...ponies? ...y...you know what I mean," she then took of in the direction Pinkie and the clones left in, leaving a wet Rarity and Sweetie Belle, making Rarity in particular groan as the two Unicorns gave chase. "Yuki! Yuki! Where are ya, girl?!" Applebloom yelled as she looked for the fox kit at her family's farm, only to see a dozen clones of her sister messing the place up with the original and Big Mac trying to round them up, "Oh boy…" "Come on! Get away from there!" Applejack tried to shoo her clones away from the barn before one jumped off her head and away, "...just what in tarnation is goin' on here?!" "Nope!" Big Mac frowned as he tried to push one clone of his sister away,only for one to poke him from behind with a stick, "Nope!," he tried to get the one behind him, only for the first one to hit him with her tail, irritating him further, "Nope!" "This is gonna be more trouble than I thought," Applebloom gulped until… "AJ CLONES~!" they heard before noticing it was Pinkie, saying that in a sing-song tone of sorts. "What in the hay is Pinkie…?" Applejack began. "Come and get me~!" the pink, party pony giggled in the sing-song tone as she jumped away, the clones of RD, Pinkie, and Rarity chasing after her before the AJ clones joined the herd of said clones. "...Big Mac… ya'll have any idea what just happened?" Applejack blinked in confusion. "Nope." Big Mac answered bluntly. "It's a bit tricky to explain," Applebloom spoke, causing the two to look at her as she walked up to them. "What do you mean?" AJ asked her little sister. "...Well…" Applebloom began. "Hey!" a certain, rainbow-maned Pegasus spoke as she flew in, "Did anypony happen to see a bunch of foxes that looked like me, Rarity, and Pinkie with said clones chasing after Pinkie Pie in a Cat Costume?" "Uh...they went that way," AJ pointed towards the exit of her farm before blinking in confusion, "Wait...foxes? How…?" "Long story," Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom responded in unison, the former two just having arrived with Rarity. "...Nevermind. Let's just go after Pinkie and help her out," AJ sighed. "Right," the others nodded, rushing after Pinkie. "Ooh...which one's the real one?!" Twilight groaned as she, Timid, Fluttershy, and Spike tried to figure out which of the clones was the original Yuki. "Ano...I...I don't know," Timid admitted, "I...It's kinda hard to tell." "I'll say…" Spike sighed a bit before he pulled his tail away just as a Fluttershy clone was about to bite it, "Hey! I'm not a chew toy!" "Arf!" the clone barked a bit before giving Spike a lick as she ran off. "Hey!" Spike responded, groaning from the random lick, "Gross…" "U...um..." Fluttershy stuttered, blushing as two clones of herself rubbed against her, like a young kitten would with it's mom. "Ugh! There's gotta be someway we can tell which…" Twilight began until… "YOO-HOO~!" "Huh?" the ponies and young dragon gawked as they saw Pinkie in her cat suit skipping by. "...Was that Pinkie Pie just…?" Twilight began. "Look out!" Spike yelped as he pushed the Mares and filly out of the way just as a large herd of clones, now consisting of the Twilight and Fluttershy clones, gave chase to Pinkie Cat. "What was that about?" Twilight asked in confusion. "I...don't know," Spike replied in equal confusion. "Um...I-I may have an idea… let's follow them," Fluttershy replied, actually taking the lead after the clones with Timid following her. "R...right," Twilight nodded as she and Spike ran after them. "...Just where's Pinkie Pie? She should've been here by now," Rainbow Dash stated, a bit of worry and boredom in her voice as she, AJ, Rarity, and the CMC-minus Timid, waited for the cat-dressed, pink party pony in the middle of town. "Ah don't know, Dash," AJ shrugged until they heard a faint squealing meow they recognized as Pinkie, "...Nevermind. There…" "GANGWAY!-!-!-!-!" Pinkie screamed as she zoomed past them before heading into a nearby building. "WHOA!" everypony else gasped as they rushed away from the horde of pony-clones that came charging in, looking for the 'cat'. "I didn't think there was this many clones now!" Applebloom gawked. "They must've sneezed while chasing Pinkie Pie," Scootaloo guessed. "...what does sneezing have to do with all these…?" RD began until… "Hey!" a certain, violet Alicorn called out as she, Spike, Fluttershy, and Timid came rushing into the area, "Did you …." she gawked when she noticed all the clones, "See… uh… nevermind." "Twilight! Thank goodness you're here," Rarity sighed in relief as she and the others ran up to the other group, "Can you make a barrier to keep all these clones in one place?" "I'll try!" Twilight responded, activating a glow from her horn before a barrier enclosed all the clones within a small area, some of them whining a bit as they tried to get out. "Okay…any ideas on how to decrease the numbers and return them to normal?" Scootaloo asked, "Because it's going to be hard trying to find Yuki in all that mess." "A..Ano…" Timid tried to speak. "Maybe there's a spell that can help with this?" Sweetie figured. "I'm not sure about that," Rarity admitted. "Ano..I..I…" "Maybe we can jam them together until they become one?" Pinkie asked, poking her head out from a window on the house she hid in. "Ah don't think it works like that, Pinkie," AJ sweatdropped. "Ano...I…" "You want to say something, Timid?" Fluttershy asked, looking at he shy filly. "Ano...I...I have an idea, F..Fluttershy-san," Timid spoke a tiny bit louder. "You do?!" the other ponies gasped, scaring Timid Swallow for a second before Fluttershy comforted her. "It's okay. You can tell us," Fluttershy told her. "A...Ano..I..I could try and g...get the real one out...I...I j-just need T-Twilight-san to l...let me in the...d...dome," Timid explained with a stutter. "Are you nuts?!" RD gasped. "...A-Actually… I think it might work," Fluttershy replied. "Fluttershy. She's just a filly. What if something happened to her if I let her in there?" Twilight asked in worry. "But she knows more about this creature most ponies don't seeing the clones' original form is one from Neighpon," Fluttershy replied, a bit louder than usual so Twilight could hear her. "Just trust me." "...Okay," Twilight sighed in defeat as she looked over at Timid, "If anything happens, I'm pulling you out of there, okay?" "O...Okay," Timid nodded With that, Twilight opened a hole in the barrier only enough for Timid to squeeze through. "Ano...Y...Yuki! H...here girl!" Timid tried to call out to the original, only to be ignored as the clones continued to try and get out of the dome, "A...Ano...Y...yuki-chan! I...It's me! C...Can you just...kya!" she yelped when one pony clone moved past her and tried to escape. "Timid! That's it...I'm..." Twilight began before Fluttershy stopped her. "Wait! ...Let her handle this, Twilight," Fluttershy told Twilight. "...O...okay," Twilgiht nodded as she watched Timid try to get the real Yuki to come out. "A...ano...Y...Yuki-chan! P...please come out…" Timid tried again, but failed since none of the clones were paying any attention to her. Finally having enough, she gained a serious look on her face, "Minna...STOOOOP!-!-!-!-!-!-!" she yelled really loud, her voice surprisingly echoing all across town, but it was surprisingly enough to get the clones to stop and look at Timid, "Yuki-chan! You come here right now, young lady!" Most of the pony clones moved away, revealing a lone clone of Fluttershy, who had a nervous/semi-scared look on her face. "You have caused a LOT of trouble today!" Timid yelled, giving the clone the 'stare' as she approached her, "You're going to dispel all these clones and return to normal at once, or else you'll get nothing for dinner later...got it?!" "..." the 'Fluttershy' clone tried to give Timid a cute, whimpering look, only for it to fail as Timid still gave her the stare. She then gave a small whimper as she turned back to normal Yuki while the clones disappeared. Seeing this from his hiding place, Mischief sighed with relief that Yuki was back to just one kit. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Timid asked the small kit. Yuki just whimpered at first before huddling close to Timid as she yawned a bit. "Good girl," Timid smiled a bit, "Now let's get you home. You must be tired from everything that has happened today." Yuki simply nodded in response as the kit followed Timid Swallow back to Fluttershy's house, leaving a gawking Mane 6, Spike, and the CMC. "...W...wow...Timid...sure can scream," Scootaloo noted slowly. "...Yeah," Sweetie Belle and Applebloom nodded in agreement, along with the gawking Mane 6 and Spike. "...What?!" Mischief yelled, his ears ringing, "I can't' hear you!" "...Literally deafening," Scootaloo noted. "There we go...a nice pillow for you to sleep on," Timid smiled as she placed a pillow, which she brought from home real quick, on the floor of Fluttershy's. Yuki sniffed it a bit before her tails started to wag as she jumped on the pillow, moving on it a bit before she yawned and curled up into a ball. "Nighty-night," Timid whispered to the young kit, giving her a soft kiss on the head as she helped put a blanket on her. Fluttershy gave a small smile, the shy Pegasus Mare watching nearby. 'Timid was really brave when she tried to get the real Yuki to come out...and the way she cares for her is really sweet,' Fluttershy thought before an idea popped into her head. She then approached Timid once Yuki was fast asleep, "Timid...may I ask you something." "Ano...H...hai, Fluttershy-san," Timid replied quietly, not wanting to wake Yuki up, before they walked into another room. "S...So…w-what did you…want to talk about?" "...How much do you care for Yuki?" Fluttershy asked the shy filly. "A-Ano...I-I care for her… a lot," Timid answered with a small smile. "I see… How would you like to take her home then?" Fluttershy asked, causing Timid to look at her in surprise. "R….really?" Timid asked hopefully. "...Since you care for her so much… you may," Fluttershy answered before Timid gave her a hug. "A...arigatou, F...Fluttershy-san!" Timid cheered quietly, still not wanting to wake Yuki up. "Doitashimashite," Fluttershy smiled, saying "You're welcome" in Neighponese. "I...I promise I'll take good care of her, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid said, still hugging the shy, Pegasus Mare. "I know you will," Fluttershy smiled. "Oh great…Now I'm going to have to live with that furry devil?" Mischief, who was watching and hearing everything from a nearby corner, groaned, "Can things get any...YEOWCH!" he yelped when something stepped, or rather stomped, on his tail. He then quickly turned to see a glaring Angel bunny, "...you." He would've started causing more trouble… if it weren't for the two ponies nearby giving him "the Stare." "...They're giving me 'it'...aren't they?" Mischief gulped, earning a nod from Angel, "...Okay then...let's see if I can take it this time. Okay you two...there's something…!" he began as he turned towards the two normally shy Pegasi, only to turn to stone the moment he looked at them, "...dang...it." Seeing Mischief's pose when he literally turned to stone and fall to ground made Timid and Fluttershy giggle slightly, but it wasn't enough to wake Yuki. "See….you...next...time...folks," Mischief said to the reader in a stiff tone. Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly Review if ya can.
A very Quirky BirthdayOne day, a young filly was bouncing in the fields and forests outside Ponyville. The Filly's fur was a dark green color while her mane and tail were colored blue, said tail and mane being almost as poofy as a certain Pink Party Pony's. Her eyes were a rose color with a hint of joy and excitement in them as she hopped out of the forest and saw Ponyville. "Ooh~! This place looks fun, fun, fun!" the filly giggled excitedly as she bounced down towards town, "I wonder if anypony is as fun here." Meanwhile, just near the exit of Ponyville, the CMC were in the middle of cleaning up some debris… much to Scootaloo's dismay. "Celestia this is boring!" the Pegasus filly groaned, "Why do we have to clean this up?" "Don't you remember? You had suggested we'd help clean the mess caused by Yuki and we'd get our Cutie Marks," Applebloom reminded her. "...Oh yeah. But I didn't think it was going to be boring," Scootaloo sighed before she turned to see Mischief lounging on a nearby bench, "And why aren't you helping?" "Simple. I'm supervising," Mischief answered, snapping his fingers to make a Strawberry Chocolate smoothie appear before the little dragon grabbed it and took a sip, "Besides, you girls are doing okay...ish." "What do ya mean? We've been working our flanks off as hard as we could," Applebloom responded. "Well for one…" Mischief began as he pointed to a nearby statue...or what was supposed to be a statue, "I don't think statues are supposed to look like a messed up Jigsaw puzzle." The CMC just groaned as Sweetie Belle walked over and started to get to work before… "Hi!" "Kya!" Sweetie Belle yelped in surprise as she jumped into the air a bit before she landed the other way and noticed who had spooked her. "Now what?" Scootaloo and Mischief groaned. "Hi there! My name's Quirky! And I just arrived here!" the dark green filly from before giggled as she introduced herself, bouncing around the place a bit, "This place looks like a lotta fun, fun, fun! Do you know any places that have really fun games and toys?! Oooh! I love the games where you toss a ring and win a prize!" "..." the CMC and Mischief were quite silent…until Scootaloo whispered something to Sweetie Belle. "Does she remind you of somepony?" "Kinda...but I can't put my…" Sweetie Belle began. "Don't know. Don't care," Mischief said nonchalantly as he took another sip of his drink...or what he thought was his drink. "Silly! My tail's not something to drink!" Quirky giggled, causing Mischief to back away and spit some hair out since he was actually drinking Quirky's tail. "H...how'd you do that?! And what did you do to my drink?!" "Your drink?" Quirky blinked before she put one of her front hooves into her mane and… pulled out Mischief's drink, "You mean this?" "...Yep, that's a lot like Pinkie," Scootaloo whispered. "Yeah/I was just thinking the same thing/Ano...h...hai," Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Timid nodded in agreement quietly. "Pinkie? Who's Pinkie?" Quirky asked as she zoomed over to Scootaloo and got real close to her face, "Is she somepony really fun to play with? Please tell me! Oh please please please please please!" "Uh… well… if you like parties… then yea," Scootaloo answered, "And she's technically called… Pinkie Pie." "...D...Did you just say...Pinkie Pie?" Quirky asked as she backed away from Scootaloo a bit. "...Yea. That's right," Scootaloo replied before she and her friends covered their ears as Quirky let out a huge, ear piercing squeal of joy. "OMC OMC OMC OMC! I've always wanted to meet her! I heard her parties are the most funnest fun fun FUN things in the world!" Quirky squealed as she bounced around before...grabbing the reader, "Can you believe it folks?! The Pinkie Pie is here in Ponyville and I'm going to actually meet her!" "...What's with her?" Sweetie Belle asked the others. "Um… I-I don't know," Timid Swallow shrugged before she, her friends, and Mischief were grabbed by Quirky, the dark green filly giving them a very hard hug. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you! You don't know how happy happy happy you've made me!" Quirky squealed as she dropped the CMC and Mischief before bouncing away, "Hope we see each other again! Bye bye!" "...What the heck just happened?!" Mischief demanded in confusion before looking at the reader, "I'm supposed to be the Comic Relief here! Not her!" "...Funny, Pinkie would say you're in Spike's role; yet you enjoy it, he doesn't," Scootaloo noticed. "Yeah! But I'm supposed to be the only one here to break the fourth wall! Not her!" Mischief snapped before he donned an army helmet, "Of course you realize, this means war!" "N...nani?" Timid blinked before she and the CMC yelped when Mischief dashed off in a red blur to catch up with Quirky, creating a dust cloud in the process, making them all cough in the process. "Sh...should we go after him?" Sweetie Belle coughed. "...Yea… I think we should," Scootaloo agreed, "I mean, everypony's just finished cleaning up the mess Yuki caused. Plus, who knows what kind of trouble Mischief will do?" "It's…it's probably not good," Timid sighed. "Right…so let's go and find Mischief fast," Applebloom stated as she and the rest of the CMC left go find Mischief. At about the same time, Quirky was bouncing all over Ponyville trying to find Pinkie… wherever the pony was. Unknown to her, Mischief was slowly following her, the dragon wearing a replica of Elmer J. Fudd's outfit, complete with a...is that a shotgun? "Shh...Be vewy vewy quiet. I'm hunting 4th-wall bweaking fiwwy's," Mischief whispered to the reader as she resumed following Quirky, the dragon doing an imitation of Elmer Fudd's trademark laugh. "Where could she be?" Quirky wondered before she came to a stop, looking at a nearby barrel, "Maybe she's in there?" she then jumped into the barrel to see if her idol was inside. "Ah ha!" Mischief grinned as he ran to the barrel and held the shotgun against the whole of it, "Now I gotcha, ya scewy Pony," he pushed the barrel of the shotgun into the hole before yelping when he saw an exact copy of his gun poking him in the rear from a nearby shrub that was behind him. He then pulled the gun out before putting it back in to see the barrel sticking out of the shrub again, "...Hmm...so that's how ya want to play, eh?" he smirked before he tied a red ribbon to the barrel before putting it back into the hole, and when he felt the gun barrel touch his rear, he turned and saw the ribbon on it was white with red spots, "Ah ha!" he then pulled the trigger, causing the gun to shoot him in the rear. Confused, Mischief pulled the gun out of the hole to see the white, polka dotted ribbon the the barrel of his gun, "...clever filly." "Stupid dragon," Quirky's voice giggled. "Eh?" Mischief blinked as he turned to see the dark green filly starting him in the face. "BOO!" Quirky shouted when the dragon looked at her. "GYAAA!" Mischief screamed as he jumped into the air...right into a flower planter. "Meep meep!" Quirky giggled as she dashed away in a dark green blur. "...Oi vey… all these Looney Tunes references…" Mischief sighed before looking at the screen, "Come up with some new materials guys! And no Tom and Jerry stuff either! While it is funny, I don't want to end up being chased by a huge bulldog or worse!" "Then maybe you'd rather go with this?" Quirky's voice responded as Mischief looked up and was suddenly squashed by an anvil. "...Hate you…" Mischief growled. "Bye bye!" Quirky giggled as she dashed off again. "...Revenge." Pinkie was humming a small tune, the pink party pony happily hopping along until her tail began to twitch like crazy. "...My Pinkie Senses are tingling...I sense another," Pinkie said ominously, "...I go!" with that she used her tail to swing away. "Man...where is she? I really want to meet her...and I feel like I just missed her," Quirky whined a bit, the dark green filly just arriving in the area. It was then she noticed Mischief spying on her, the dragon wielding a large hammer before the filly looked at the screen, "I tawt I tat a idiot dwagon?" She then looked back at Mischief before looking back at the screen, "I did! I did taw a idiot dwagon!" That she did, she heard in her head before snickering. "Oh no...I don't think he's that stupid to fall for it," Quirky giggle to herself, confusing Mischief. '...the heck is she talking to? And what did she mean I'm not that...oh no. I'm not going to walk into that old trick,' Mischief thought before… "Hey. What's going on?" "Nothing. I'm spying on this filly that's trying to take my job as the funny one and the 4th-wall breaker of the group," Mischief replied to whoever he was speaking too. "I see…" "Yeah. She'll never see me co…" Mischief began before he slowly turned to see Pinkie staring at him. "Hi!" "GYAAAA!" Mischief screamed as he jumped into the air, crashing into another flower planter. "Tee hee! Mischief is so funny sometimes," Pinkie giggled before she looked at Quirky looking around. "PINKIE?!" Quirky gasped, somehow having heard Pinkie's voice as she looked around the area like crazy, "Wh...where are you?!" 'O...M...C!-!-!-! I...I'm actually about to meet my idol!' "Patience Young one. Yet to decide if you are worthy, I have." "Huh?" Quirky slowly turned to see Pinkie standing behind her, "...P …P …P …P…" "You have my permission to fangasm into a coma," Pinkie Pie nodded. "..." Quirky gave a blissful sigh as she fainted...but not before rocketing into the air and squealing in pure excitement as she landed and hopped around Pinkie like crazy, "OMC OMC OMC OMC OMC! You're the Pinkie Pie! I'm actually standing in front of the Pinkie Pie! Oh man my friends are… oh wait. I don't have any friends. But still! EEEEEE! I'm actually in front of Pinkie Pie!" "Wow!" Pinkie gawked before turning to the screen, "And some of you ponies out there thought I was hyper." "Oh, I wish!" Quirky said, over hearing what Pinkie said as she poked out from the pink party pony's mane. "How'd you get there?" "I jumped in," Quirky replied as she jumped out, "Anyway...can we do a party?! I've always wanted to do a party with you! So can we do one?! Oh please please please please please please PLEASE!" "...Alright, you're lucky my party friend is back in town," Pinkie smiled. "EEEEEE! I can't wa-your friend?" Quirky blinked. "I call him Weird Al," she smiled, "But his name is Cheese Sandwich." "Ch….ch…..CHEESE SANDWICH?! You mean the Cheese Sandwich?!" Quirky gasped, earning a nod from Pinkie, "..." "Almost got it…" one of the royal guards in Canterlot said, almost finished putting the last card on top of his house of cards before… "EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!" "Ahhh!" the guard yelped at the sudden squeal, his house of cards falling down in the process, "My House of Cards!" "My TV!" Luna's voice roared. "My leg!" a random Pony shouted off-screen. "Wow…" Pinkie blinked as Quirky hopped around excitedly, repeating 'OMC' over and over again. "Pinkie! What in Equestria was that?!" the pink party pony turned to see Twilight and the other members of the Mane 6 walk towards her. "Just hanging out with...my...my..daughter?" she giggled. "Your… daughter?" Twilight blinked. "Yep." She smiled. "Wait wait wait a second...you have a daughter?!" Rainbow Dash gawked. "Unlike you girls, I am a lady in more ways than one," she smirked as she motioned to Quirky, who had finally calmed down..a bit, "Everypony...meet my daughter Quirky." "..." Quirky fainted with a huge grin on her face, the dark green filly thinking, 'O...M...C!-!-!-!-!-!-!-!-! P...Pinkie Pie is calling me her daughter!' "Is she okay?" Twilight asked. "Why wouldn't she be?" Pinkie asked, talking as fancy and sophisticated as Rarity. "...Hello! She passed out when you called her your daughter! ...And why're you sounding like Rarity?" Rainbow Dash responded. "Because she's Awesome!" she shouted, now sounding like Rainbow Dash. "Okay… now that's just creepy," Dash admitted. "Eeyep," she said, sounding like Big Mac. "Oh fer the love of Pete," Applejack face-hoofed. "Now excuse me Cousin, but me and mah daughter have somethin' t' do," Pinkie (now sounding like AJ) smirked, even wearing her hat. "What the?!" AJ gawked before she felt her hat was missing from her head, "Hey!" she snapped as she swiped her hat back from Pinkie, "Don't...touch...the hat." "Ahhh...oh well," Pinkie (in her normal voice) shrugged as she picked up the fainted Quirky and placed the dark-green filly on her back, "See you girls later! I'm going throw a HUGE party today for Quirky. After all...it is her birthday today." 'OMC OMC OMC OMC! She knew it was my birthday too!' Quirky squealed in her head. And so, Pinkie brought Quirky back to the bakery. "Now, daughter, where shall we begin?" Pinkie smiled. "Party?" Quirky asked, the dark-green filly immediately waking up. "Cool. So what kind of party do you want? A super duper party? Or a really super duper party?" Pinkie asked. "Hmm...oh! how about...a super-duper-ultra-hyper-mega-GIANT party!" Quirky declared. "A...A super...duper…" Pinkie gawked before she ran to a nearby window and yelled out, "CHEESE! GET EVERYTHING YOU CAN GET! WE'RE ABOUT TO PULL A SUPER-DUPER-ULTRA-HYPER-MEGA-GIANT PARTY!" As if on cue... "On a wrecking ball!" Cheese shouted as he smashed into the bakery on a wrecking ball, or what was assumed to be a wrecking ball as it opened up to reveal tons upon TONS of party supplies. "It...It's...Ch..ch…" Quirky whispered before she prepared to squeal again, only to shut her mouth shut, 'OMC OMC OMC! It's really him!...OMC! Both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich in the same room!' "Hey Pinkie is this….our little girl!?" Cheese Sandwich gasped. "..." Quirky quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed a large paper bag, and squealed loudly into it before closing it and gave it to a pigeon that was on an open window sill, "Give this to a stupid, miniature red dragon." The bird just nodded, took the bag, and flew off. "There..now I can faint," Quirky said as she fainted, a very huge smile on her face. "Freaking dark green pony," Mischief mumbled as he brushed off all dirt that he had got on him , "I swear I'm going to get back at her for this." "There you are, Mischief!" "Hmm?" Mischief turned to see the CMC approach him, "Ugh...just what I needed." "...What happened to you?" Scootaloo asked after seeing Mischief's condition. "That freaking dark green filly happened, along with that pink pony called Pinkie Pie," Mischief mumbled. "What'd you say?" Applebloom asked. "I said that freaking green filly did this! Ooh...I swear the next time I see here, I'm going to turn her into a…" Mischief began before a piece of paper hit him in the face, "...Seriously guys...this old gag?" Soon enough a pie was thrown at his face in response. "...Ugh," Mischief groaned as he shook the pie off and took the paper off his face and handed it over to Sweetie Belle, "I don't care what it says, so here." "...'To Everypony who reads this...you are invited to the hugest, most awesome, most spectacular birthday ever. Hosted by none other than Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich,'" Sweetie Belle read. "A birthday? For who?" "Me!" a voice shouted. "Oh no…" Mischief groaned as Quirky ran in before she jumped up and landed right on top of his head. "Hi guys! How's it going?!" Quirky greeted the CMC. "It's your birthday?" Applebloom gawked. "Eeyup yup yup!" Quirky nodded as she jumped off Mischief'ss head, "My Birthday's going to be one of THE Hugest birthdays in Equestria! And the best part...both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich are going to host it! OMC this is going to be the Best! Birthday! EVER!" "Makes me wonder if she'll grow up to be a party pony like them," Timid whispered. "Yeah...makes me wonder how her parents handle all that energy she gives out," Scootaloo whispered, Quirky overhearing this. "My...parents?" Quirky whispered, her mane deflating a bit. "...Quirky? Are...you okay?" Sweetie belle asked, the Unicorn filly noticing Quirky's change of nature. "Y...yeah!" Quirky shook a bit to make her mane poofy again, "I was just thinking what Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have planned for my birthday party." "Oh… ok…but you looked really..." "Oh-look-at-the-time-gotta-go-bye!" Quirky said quickly as she zoomed out of there. "..." the CMC remained silent. "...You noticed it too, didn't you?" Sweetie Belle asked her friends. "Yeah...Quirky looked really sad when I mentioned her parents...though I don't understand how she heard me," Scootaloo noted. "It's probably like Pinkie with our sisters at times," Applebloom figured. "M...maybe. O...Or it could be s...something else," Timid said with a stutter. "...We'll have to find that out for ourselves," Scootaloo figured, "Also..since we kinda upset her back there, why don't we chip in and buy her a present?" "Sounds like a plan but...what do we buy her? We don't know anything about Quirky aside from how she acts," Applebloom stated. "Well, sh-she acts similar to Pinkie-san, and looks up to her as her idol…m-maybe we can get her something related to Pinkie Pie?" Timid figured. "Oh," the others responded, feeling a bit like idiots for a second before they all walked off to find a good gift for Quirky. "So...it's that little green fillies birthday eh?" Mischief noted before a grin grew on his face..a rather tricky one too as he tapped his fingers like Mr. Burns, "Excellent." "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Quirky smiled as she watched everything get set up for her party. "Okay. Just a Li~ttle bit more to the right," Pinkie said to some Pegasi that were moving a large banner that said 'Happy Birthday Quirky!' before they set it down, "Perfect!" she smiled before Cheese Sandwich came in. "No to the left!" "...You're right! To the left!" "Ugh!" the two Pegasi carrying the banner groaned as they picked it up and moved it..for the 20th time today. "No up up!" Quirky added. The two Pegasi's eyes began to twitch as they did so. "No no..." The three hyper ponies started till the banner was thrown in their faces. "We quit!" the two Pegasi yelled as they left, finally having enough of the three. "Aww~! Party poopers," Quirky and Pinkie groaned. "...I know the solution to this...Family Party Cannon!" Cheese Sandwich declared, making the two ponies gasp, especially Quirky as she began to squeal in excitment. "O..M..C! I'm actually going to see the Party Cannons in action!" the dark-green filly squealed. "Here," Pinkie said, giving Quirky a filly-sized version of her Party Cannon. "Is...Is this my…my own Party cannon?!" Quirky gasped. "Early birthday present." "...I...I only have three words to say….FAMILY PARTY CANNON!" Quirky yelled in excitement. "...A great disturbance in the party force, I sense," Mischief shuddered, suddenly wearing a white Japanese-style robe-like shirt, a pair of black pants, and a brown cloak with his scales green. "...I don't even want to know," Scootaloo sweatdropped as she and the rest of the CMC looked for a gift to buy Quirky. "Oh you will in 5...4...3...2...1…" Mischief counted down before a very loud blast was heard. "...Well, that was loud!" Scootaloo noted, covering her ears before she and the CMC were covered upon tons upon TONS of streamers and balloons. "...Ha!" Mischief laughed before he was hit in the face with a pie..again, "...Oh come on! I was just laughing at…" he got hit with another pie that came out of nowhere, and hit him in the face again, "Seriously, KNOCK IT OFF!" Then, four more pies came in and came flying towards the CMC, who had poked their heads out of the streamer and balloon pile. "Duck!" Applebloom yelped as she and her friends went back into the pile, letting the pies hit Mischief in the face. "...I swear if I get hit with one more pie...I'm going to lose it!" Mischief snapped before taking a taste of the pie that hit him, "...And they're not even coconut cream pie!" "Th-then w-what's that pie at your feet, Misty?" Timid asked, pointing to something at Mischief's feet. "..." Mischief bent down before using his finger to pick off a small dollop of cream that was on the pie before tasting it, "...Now this is a coconut…" he paused when he felt his mouth starting to burn...like crazy, "SPICY CREAM PIE?!" he yelled as he breathed a bit of fire into the air. He quickly looked around to see if he could find anything to douse his burning mouth and saw what he assumed was a jug of milk. He then quickly ran over to the jug and drank all it's contents in one gulp, "Ahh...now that…" he then started to feel an even more burning sensations as his entire body turned a bright red, steam starting to blow out of his 'ears' as he breathed fire into the air once more, "WATER~!" he screamed, practically dashing right out of Ponyville just to get a drink, not trusting what the Party ponies could've done to trick him. "Wow...today is not Mischief's day, isn't it?" Sweetie Belle noted as she and her friends giggled a bit after seeing what happened to the dragon. "Yea… I can vouch for that," Timid replied, using a deadpan tone. "I SWEAR I'M GOING TO GET BACK AT THOSE THREE IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!" Mischief's voiced yelled before the sound of a pie hitting him in he face was heard off-screen, "OH COME ON! ENOUGH WITH THE PIES ALREADY!" "...So what now?" Applebloom asked. "Um...resume looking for a gift for Quirky?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yea, let's stick with that," Scootaloo agreed. "Ano...h...hai," Timid added as the CMC resumed their search for Quirky's Birthday gift. "But seriously, where do we look?" Applebloom asked. "I don't know...there has to be a shop around here that'll have the perfect gift for Quirky," Scootaloo said before noticing one stare, "Maybe that one." "Um...Scootaloo? That's a hardware store," Sweetie Belle said in a dead-pan tone. "Hmm?" Scootaloo blinked before noticing the sign on top of the store's doorway, showing it was a hardware store, "...Oh. Heh heh..I guess you're right." "This is harder than ah thought…" Applebloom sighed. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle agreed before an idea popped into her head, "Ooh ooh! Why don't we make her a gift?! One that'll fit her just perfectly!" "...That could actually work," Scootaloo agreed. "We could borrow some of the tools at mah Family's farm," Applebloom suggested before tapping her chin in thought, "Of course...we'd have to ask mah sis or brother to help, if they're not busy that is." "Good point," the others nodded. "Ooh~! This is going to be the best birthday ever!" Quirky squealed as she walked around town a bit, not wanting to disturb Pinkie or Cheese since they were working on something big, "I wonder what Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have planned for the finale?! Ooh~! MY whole body is quivering with excitement!" When she wasn't looking, Quirky accidently bumped into two fillies..two, certain, very spoiled fillies. "Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to be a silly-billy," Quirky giggled before... "Why don't you watch where you're going, idiot?!" Diamond Tiara snapped. "I...I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..." Quirky began. "Save it. You owe me something more than a measly apology," Diamond Tiara frowned before Silver Spoon tapped her shoulder, "What?" "Look at her flank," Silver Spoon whispered as she pointed at Quirky's flank, seeing it was absent of a Cutie Mark. "Ooh...I should've figured a Blank Flank wouldn't pay attention to where she was going," Diamond Tiara scoffed. "...What's a Blank Flank?" Quirky tilted her head in confusion, making both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gawk before recovering. "You mean you don't know?" Diamond Tiara questioned, "A Blank Flank is a pony with no Cutie Mark. And you don't seem to have a Cutie Mark yourself." "...You're saying that like it's a bad thing," Quirky blinked. "You don't get it, do you, you green idiot? Being a Blank Flank is the same thing as being poor," Diamond Tiara added as a smirk grew on her face, "Which reminds me..you're going to have to pay for bumping into me." "But...I don't have any money," Quirky replied, pulling out a small change purse from her mane before opening it, revealing it was empty as two, small moths flew out of it. "I see…" Diamond Tiara noted before Silver Spoon poked her shoulder, causing her to turn to her 'friend' as she looked at a nearby banner, "...So it's your birthday today...isn't it?" "Yep yep yep!" she nodded. "...I'll take that," Diamond Tiara stated. "...Silly. You can't take somepony's birthday," Quirky giggled a bit before Diamond Tiara pressed her hoof against the dark-green filly's nose. "Well guess what? I'm about to. So to make up for bumping into me, you're going to give me your birthday party or else," Diamond Tiara stated. "...Or else what?" "Or else I'll have one of my daddy's lawyers sue your parents for everything you have," Diamond Tiara smirked with Silver Spoon adding her own smirk. "...But…" Quirky began as her mane began to deflate, 'I don't have any...not anymore...' "Well...what's it going to be?" Quirky wasn't sure what to do, and in response, her mane and tail somehow straightened out and Quirky on the verge of crying. "O….okay. Y...You win. I...I'll give you my birthday party as an apology," the dark-green filly sniffled. "That's better," Diamond Tiara smiled before Quirky ran off crying. "Where'd she go? I wanted to give Quirky a small sample of the ice cream I made," Pinkie wondered, looking for the dark-green filly before she finally noticed her, "Oh! There you are Quir…" she couldn't finish as Quirky ran past her, "Is she okay? What's the rush?" She then followed after her before she was running right besides Quirky, "Quirky, what's wrong?" "I...I changed my mind! I don't want a party anymore!" Quirky yelled as she tried to run farther away from Pinkie. "...What? No one turns down a party unless something's really wrong," Pinkie muttered as she caught up with Quirky again, "Why don't you want a party? Isn't it your birthday Quir…" "IT'S NOT MY BIRTHDAY!" Quirky yelled as she ran far away from Pinkie, the saddened dark-green filly thinking sadly, 'Not anymore...' "Quirky…" Pinkie whispered, feeling concerned for her. "I hope Quirky likes the gift we made for her," Sweetie Belle said as she and the rest of the CMC carried a wrapped up item to their clubhouse. "I know so," Scootaloo nodded as she turned to Applebloom, "It was nice of your brother to help us out with it." "It sure was," Applebloom agreed, until they saw a streak of green run past them, "What in tarnation!?" "Ano...I...I don't know! D..demo...it...it sounded like Q...Quirky-san," Timid noted. "It did? How could you tell?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I...I heard her when that blur went by. And...it sounded like sh-she was c-crying," Timid replied. "Wonder why?" Applebloom pondered, but Scootaloo seemed to have an idea of why. "...Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," the orange, Pegasus filly growled. "..." Timid began to whimper at the mentioned of those two bullies. "...Oh, sorry Timid. In any case, maybe we should talk to her," Scootaloo suggested. "Yeah...and I think she was heading to where our clubhouse is," Sweetie Belle added. "Then let's go!" Scootaloo responded before they all ran off towards the clubhouse. "I...it's not fair…" Quirky sobbed, the dark-green filly crying against the tree the CMC's clubhouse was on, "Why...why do my birthdays always have to be like this…?" "Quirky? You okay?" she heard some voices ask as Quirky looked up, tears still in her eyes, before seeing the CMC. "G...Go away," Quirky shooed them off, "I...I don't want to see anypony right now." "Easy Quirky, we're just here to help," Scootaloo told Quirky, "What happened?" "I...I don't want to talk about it," Quirky sobbed. "But Quirky…" Sweetie Belle began. "I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!" Quirky snapped before covering her mouth, "...I...I'm so sorry. I...I didn't mean to yell at you like that." "...Look, whatever it was, we can understand it's tough, but we just want to help. Did anypony say something to make you like this?" Applebloom asked in concern. "...I...I ran into these two, really mean fillies," Quirky replied, trying to wipe some of the tears from her eyes, "I….I tried to apologize...but they didn't accept it...and the only way they would…" she held back a sob as she wiped the tears from her eyes again, "Is if I give them my birthday party." "Sounds like that brat Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon alright," Scootaloo growled. "But to stoop this low?! C'mon!" "Yeah! I can't believe they would do something like this!" Sweetie Belle added, the Unicorn filly as mad as Scootaloo was right now. "I...It's okay. I...I'm used to not having anything good happen on my birthday," Quirky said sadly. "Wh-What're you talking about, Quirky-san?" Timid asked. "N...nothing. It's just...every year on my birthday, something bad always happens," Quirky replied before sighing sadly, "It's also the reason why nopony wants to be friends with me. You know what everypony in the last town I lived in called me? B...Bad Luck Quirky." "Seriously? C'mon, you seem like a fun filly to hang out with," Scootaloo admitted. "I'm not! Every year on my birthday, I always cause an accident! Like last year, I accidently broke the town's water fountain by slipping on a pebble! A Luna darn pebble!" Quirky yelled, the tears coming back in full force, "I...I think I should leave before something else happens…" she sobbed as she prepared to leave...but not before the CMC stepped right in front of her. "Not a chance, Quirky. We'll help you out no matter what it takes. Those accidents are just that, accidents. Do you or do you not want to have a good birthday?" "...I...I really do. But…" Quirky paused as she sniffled a bit, "I don't see how that's possible now since my birthday party was taken away by those two fillies." "Silly filly, no pony can take another pony's birthday party away from them when it isn't even their birthday to begin with," Applebloom pointed out. "Yeah. We're going to help you out Quirky. After all, we're your friends," Sweetie Belle added, causing Quirky's eyes to widen. "Y...you really want to be friends with me...somepony who's prong to have accidents on her birthday?" Quirky whispered. "Ano...h...hai, Quirky-s...Quirky-chan," Timid smiled. "We sure are, Quirky," Applebloom nodded with a smile. "Yeah. You're really fun filly to be around," Scootaloo added. "Yeah..there's no way you can't be unlucky," Sweetie Belle added. "..." Quirky whimpered a tiny bit, tears of joy flowing from her eyes before a large smile grew on her face, her mane and tail poofing back up as the dark-green filly grabbed the CMC in one big hug, "O...M...C! This is the happiest day of my entire life! I...I actually have some friends! Ooh~! I can already imagine all the fun fun FUN we're going to have together!" "Okay, we get the picture," Scootaloo giggled as Quirky let her and the rest of the CMC go, "But first, let's get some help and talk things out with Diamond Tiara about 'stealing' your party." "I believe I can help out with that," a voice spoke as the trunk of a nearby tree opened up like a door, revealing Mischief in a formal black suit with a British accent, "Greetings, my little fillies." "How'd you get in there?" Applebloom asked. "Top secret info," Mischief replied as he closed the 'door' on the tree, "Anyway...I happened to hear your green friend's predicament...and I'd like to help." "After everything you had to go through?" Sweetie Belle pointed out. "Hey...I may have hated her for all that crud she pulled on me...but I hate those two, spoiled fillies even more..." Mischief said before a rather tricky grin grew on his face, "And I got just the idea on how to get back at those two. But it will require a few things." "What... are they?" Timid asked. "Some Whoopie Cushions, catapults, milk, hot sauce, and pies. Lots and lots of coconut cream pies," he answered. "Something like these?" Quirky asked, somehow pulling a lot of the items from her mane. "...Ooh this is going to be good," Mischief smirked, tapping his fingers like Mr. Burns from the Simpsons. (later that night) "You sure this'll work?" Sweetie whispered to the young dragon as he wore a spy suit. "Ooh trust me, my young Unicorn friend. By the time they sit down, those two aren't going to be showing themselves in public for weeks," Mischief grinned, hiding behind a tree with the CMC as everypony in town gathered in front of a large stage. "Let's hope it works," Scootaloo whispered as the five fillies and young dragon ducked behind a bush just as Pinkie and Cheese appeared on stage. "...There's Pinkie and Cheese," Applebloom noted, keeping her eyes open for the two spoiled fillies. "And if I guess right, those two meanies who're trying to steal my birthday are in the crowd," Quirky added. "You see them, Misty?" Timid asked. "Yeah. They're in the middle of the crowd. Also, plans start in five..four..three..two..one.." Mischief counted down. "Everypony! Put your hooves together and prepare to welcome the birthday girl!" Pinkie declared, causing the crowd to cheer. "That's right! Everypony say happy birthday to…" Cheese Sandwich began before one of the stagehands handed him a piece of paper, "...Diamond Tiara?" "That's ri-wait what?" Pinkie blinked when the spotlight shined down on the mentioned, spoiled filly, "Something's not right, I don't remember her birthday being today." "Thank you everypony! You've been most gratful!" Diamond Tiara said with a grin as she and Silver Spoon walked up to the stage. "What the hay is goin' on? Ah thought it was supposed to be that Quirky Girl's birthday?" Applejack whispered to Twilight. "Yea, it should've been; Pinkie's been talking to me all day about this new filly, and yet… this feels way too off," Twilight agreed. "When's this plan of your kick in, Mischief?" Scootaloo whispered to the dragon in the bushes. "Cue the chairs...now," Mischief said as a pair of decorated chairs appeared on the stage, one labeled 'Birthday girl sits here.' "Thank thank once again everypony for celebrating my birthday!" Diamond Tiara said to the crowd. "Yeah...you should feel honored being in her presence," Silver Spoon added. "That's right. Especially to all you Blank Flanks out…" Diamond Tiara began as she and Silver Spoon at down, causing a rather loud...ahem, fart noise to fill the air, "..." Somehow, this made some members of the crowd start to snicker and giggle. "Wh...what's going on?! Why're they laughing?!" Diamond Tiara demanded before glaring at Silver Spoon, "You made that noise just now, didn't you?!" "What?! No way! You must have!" Silver Spoon snapped back at her 'friend'. "They sure don't act like friends now," Applebloom whispered, those hiding in the bush holding back their laughter. "So what happens next, Mischief?" Scootaloo asked, loving this plan. "Cue one of them storming off right about..." Mischief paused before Silver Spoon got off her chair, "Now." "I don't need this! You can handle this all by your...kya!" Silver Spoon yelped as she tripped over an invisible trip wire, causing a few floorboards to open up as a few, miniature catapults fired some pies at the two, spoiled fillies. "GAAAH! My Mane!" Diamond Tiara screamed as the pies hit her in the face. And this got more crowd members laughing, even Pinkie and Cheese Sandwich found it hard to hold back their laughter. "St...Stop! Stop laughing at me!" Diamond Tiara yelled as she got off her chair and was about to run off...but not before tripping on a pie that was suddenly there and fell face first into another, "Grr...I HATE COCONUT CREAM…" she paused when she felt a very hot, burning sensation in her mouth, "Sp...Sp...SPICY~!" This soon got everypony laughing. "D..Don't just stand there! Get me something to drink!" Diamond tiara snapped at Silver Spoon, only to see her 'friend' screaming as well since the pies she got hit with were also spicy, "...Celestia you're useless!" And with that, the two fillies just galloped off and out of there, but not before heading to a nearby snack table and grabbed two jugs full of milk, the two drinking all it's contents in seconds. "Ahh...fina…" Diamond tiara began before she and Silver Spoon felt the inside of their mouths burn even more, their bodies turning a bright red as steam blew out of their ears. This time they just screamed, breathing fire into the air before getting the heck outta there. "Perfect," Scootaloo smirked, "Okay, it almost looked like it's your cue, Quirky." "She left the moment those two, spoiled fillies ran out of there," Mischief stated, pointing to a dust cloud in the shape of Quirky. "Where'd she go?" Applebloom asked. Mischief jerked his thumb to the stage, causing the four to turn and see Quirky jumping out from behind the curtains. "Hello~ Ponyville! The birthday filly has arrived!" Quirky declared as a explosion of streamers and balloons happened behind her. "What kept ya, silly billy. Somepony claimed it was the birthday of some other filly," Pinkie responded as Quirky bounced over to Pinkie and Cheese. "Oh it was a small mistake. But for now…" Quirky began as she took a huge, deep breath before declaring, "FAMILY PARTY CANNON TIME!" With that, the three ponies pulled out their Party Cannons and fired them off in unison into the air, getting a huge cheer from the crowd as the fireworks that were in the Party Cannons blew up in the night sky before it spelled out 'Happy Birthday Quirky! May you have the best, most spectacular birthday ever!'. "Thanks Pinkie, Cheese," Quirky smiled. "You're welcome Quirky...now...LET"S PARTY!" Pinkie declared, wearing a cheer from Cheese and Quirky, especially Quirky. And so, the festivities began as the CMC came out of hiding. "Well...looks like Quirky has gotten the birthday she always wanted," Sweetie Belle smiled, seeing the dark-green filly dancing on stage with her idols. "Yep. And you know what? I'm happy for her," Scootaloo smiled before pondering out loud, "I wonder if she'd like to…" "Hold it. Before you say what I think you're going to say...she wanted me to give you this," Mischief spoke as she pulled a letter from his Hammer space and gave it to the CMC, "Now…" he snapped his fingers, causing a disco-suit to appear on him, "If you ladies will excuse me, it's time for me to get funky~! WHOO!" he whooped as he dived into the crowd to join in on the fun. "A note? I… I wonder what it says," Timid pondered out loud. "Let's see," Scootaloo said as she began to read the note, 'Hey guys. Mischief told me about your group while we were setting the trap up. So if I may ask...can I join you?! Oh please please please please please please please please?!'..and there's more pleases on the other side." "Well… it's clear she wants to join, and… it helps her that we want her to join our group," Sweetie Belle noted. "Yeah. Girls...after this party's over, we're going to officially welcome Quirky to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. But for now..let's join the party!" Scootaloo declared. "YEAH!" Applebloom and Sweetie Belle cheered (Timid doing her cheer rather quietly) before they all galloped over to join the fun. From there on, it was declared that it was truly the best party ever, especially to one filly by the name of Quirky since not only did she have the best birthday ever, but she finally got something she always wanted...friends. "Thank you everypony! And see you all next time!" Quirky waved to the reader, "And I hope you can't wait to see...oops! Heh heh...I almost spoiled it...but still, good bye everypony! And see you all next time!" Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review if ya can.
Ton o Hearts and Pounding Hooves dayIt had been a week since Quirky's birthday, the dark-green filly having lived with Pinkie since then. To Quirky, it was the best thing in the world, because not only does she really enjoy being called Pinkie's 'daughter' at times, but also looks up to Pinkie like a big sister, the pink-party pony having taught her a few party trick now and then. Mischief though...he's kinda formed a friendship/rivalry with Quirky with the two usually getting into some strange, yet funny antics with Quirky winning most of the time, much to the dragon's annoyance. Now then, we cut to present day, with Ponyville being covered in various heart themed decorations. Reason why is because tomorrow is Hearts and Hooves day, a day where Mares and Stallions alike share gifts with their Special Somepony. However, three certain young fillies remembered what happened on that day last year when they made a love potion to pair their teacher, Ms. Cheerilee, with Big Macintosh. The results...weren't that pretty. Anyway, lets now cut to the CMC, who were helping Timid's brother set the last of the decorations in his house. "How's this?" Scootaloo asked as she help set a banner of sorts up. "Almost...just a little bit up, Scootaloo," Silver Hawk instructed her as the orange Pegasus filly raised the banner up a bit, "Perfect. Right there's good." "Good. I don't think I could raise higher anyway," Scootaloo panted as she carefully got off the ladder she was on, since her wings weren't developed enough to fly that high. "Finished!" Sweetie Belle spoke as she and Apple Bloom presented a few paper hearts to Silver Hawk, "What do you think? Are they okay, Mr. Silver Hawk?" "They look great you two," Silver Hawk nodded. "Thanks," Sweetie Belle smiled before before calling into the next room, "Timid, Quirky! Are you both done yet with your part of...?!" "Eeyup yup yup!" Quirky informed instantly as she zoomed in, Timid slowly walking in behind her, "Everything is okey dokey lokey!" "A...ano...Q...Quirky-chan?" Timid tapped her hoof on Quirky's shoulder, getting the dark-green filly's attention, "Y...you have some leftover glitter in your mane." "Really?" Quirky asked before checking her mane in a mirror. "Whoops! Silly me. I'll be right back!" she smiled before prancing off to wash the glitter out of her mane before coming back in, her mane now glitter free, "There we go!" "Thank you again for helping me out with the decorating," Silver Hawk thanked the fillies. "Anything to help a family of a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader," Scootaloo smiled. Silver Hawk chuckled a bit as he prepared to head for the kitchen before asking, "You girls want anything to drink before you leave?" "No thanks, Mr. Silver Hawk. We got some drinks back at the clubhouse we can share," Sweetie Belle replied. "Okay then," Silver Hawk nodded before looking at Timid, "Remember to come home safely, Timid." "H...Hai, Onii-chan," Timid nodded as she and the original three CMC members left. "WAIT FOR ME~" Quirky shouted, zooming after them in a green blur. "Heh Heh...kids," Silver Hawk chuckled as he left into the kitchen. "Your brother is really, really, really nice, Timid," Quirky noted, the dark-green filly having caught up with the her friends before she asked, "Does he have a Special Somepony by any chance?" "Um… well… not that I know of," Timid answered. "I see...OH! If he doesn't, maybe we can hook him up with Somepony! Oh can we do that?! Can we? Can we? Can…?" Quirky began rapidly before Scootaloo pressed her hoof against the dark-green filly's mouth to shut her up. "Quirky, we tried something like that last year with another pony… didn't go so good," Scootaloo told her, taking her hoof off Quirky's mouth. "Why? What happened?" Quirky asked, tilting her head slightly. "A...Ano...I...I'd like to know as well," Timid added, the shy Pegasus fills curious as well. "We-uh… tried to hook up mah big brother Big Mac with our teacher… things got way too out of hoof," Applebloom answered. "We made a Love Potion to pair them up but...turns out the potion we made was a Love Poison that made them talk to each other and give each other very cheesy and mushy baby names," Scootaloo added before shuddering a bit, recalling how mushy some of those names were. "I see…" Quirky noted before she began to ponder something ,"Hmm…" When she thought of something, her tail pointed straight up, "I got it! I know how we can hook Timid's brother up!" "How?" the rest of the CMC asked. "Well…" Quirky began before she zoomed off and came back with a black board, showing a few chalk drawings, "First we take pictures of Timid's brother, and it has to be a good picture too. Then we make some cookies to go with the pics, then we distribute all the pictures and cookies to all the Mares in Ponyville, and BAM! Silver Hawk will have so many mares after him, he'll eventually find his Special Somepony!" "...Uh…" Scootaloo gawked, not sure if that was such a good idea, "You sure that'll work, Quirky?" "Oh it will! And the best part...no Love Potion involved or anything," Quirky replied as she pushed the chalkboard off-screen, the board randomly hitting a cat off-screen making it screech in pain. "...girls?" Scootaloo looked at Applebloom, Timid, and Sweetie Belle. "Hmm...let's try it! I don't see any problems with it," Sweetie Belle responded. "If it'll help Timid's brother find his Special Somepony...then I guess I'm in as well," Applebloom added. "...Uh well… if you think it'll work… okay…" Timid gulped, feeling more nervous than before. "...well...I guess it's unanimous...let's try it, Quirky," Scootaloo said, making the dark-green filly squeal in delight. "Then let's get STARTED!" she squealed before her tail began to twitch, "...I sense something coming this way...something stupid and has an affinity for candy." It was then Mischief, wearing a loin cloth came flying in on a vine, carrying a coconut cream pie while doing a Tarzan's trademark yell. Quirky response to that? She simply stepped to the side, making Mischief miss her. "Nuts!" "Mischief! Look out for that tree!" the original three CMC and Timid yelled, Timid's yell being a bit more quiet. "Huh? What tr…" Mischief began before he crashed into the side of Twilight's home, leaving an imprint in the shape of him on the other side. "That tree," Scootaloo answered while the others just winced. "..." Mischief didn't say anything as he pulled out a sign that said 'Really Authors? A freaking George of the Jungle gag?' before he slid off the side of the tree/home. "...Okaaaaay." Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit before looking at Quirky, "Me, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom will get the pictures of Silver Hawk. You and Timid go and make the cookies." "Okey dokey lokey!" Quirky saluted before grinning, "And Like I said, there won't be any Love Potion involved!" she then grabbed Timid, surprising the shy pegasus filly before zooming off the SugarCube Corner. "...She's, um… very excited about this, isn't she?" Applebloom asked her friends with a small sweatdrop. "Yeah...L...let's just go and get a picture of Silver Hawk," Scootaloo responded. "Right," Sweetie Belle nodded. And with that, the three Fillies left to get a camera so they could get a picture of Silver Hawk. but not before...the scene paused? What? "So…" Mischief's voice spoke as the young dragon poked his head in, "What's this I hear about a 'Love Potion'?" (KKD):What's going on here? Why go to such lengths, Mischief? "I'm curious. So tell me..what's this 'Love Potion' Quirky and her friends mentioned?" Mischief asked the authors...again? (KKD):That's none of your business. "...Fine. Since neither of you won't tell me...I'll just have use the next best thing," Mischief said as he pulled his arm off screen and pulled out a scripts for the MLP: FIM Episode, Hearts and Hooves Day, "This bad boy right here! Now let's see...ooh! Now I'm interested in this more and..." (KKD)Gimme that! *a human hand snags the script* It's best if you just get back to work. Quirky? "I'm on it!" the filly squealed, grabbing Mischief and dragging him off. (KKD):And could someone somehow erase Mischief's memory of the script? (SZ):...KKD? You're talking about the Son of Discord here, remember? (KKD):Oh yea… right... "Hey, you guys want pie?" Quirky asked the authors. (KKD):Just hurry it up so we can actually continue with the chapter. (SZ):Yeah...the fourth wall has already been pretty much broken at this points anyway. *Throws pies at the two.* "And now I go!" Quirky laughed, leaving and repairing the fourth wall. (SZ):...let's just resume.*pulls out a remote and makes the scene un-pause itself* The scene resumed with Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom returning to Timid's place. "Okay. You remember what to do, right?" Scootaloo asked Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, earning a nod from the two, "Good. The moment Timid's brother comes out, I'll take the picture," She then jumped into the bush underneath the front window of Timid's house, "Okay, go." The other two just nodded as they walked up and knocked on the door. "Yes? Who is it?" Silver Hawk's voice asked from the other side of the door. "It's Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. We need to ask you something, Mr. Silver Hawk," Sweetie Belle replied. "Okay, I'll be right there," Silver Hawk responded before the front door opened to reveal the Pegasus, "What do you two need?" "Well...can you look over there. I think I saw something coming this way," Sweetie Belle said as she pointed in the opposite direction. "..Okay," Silver Hawk nodded as he moved his head a bit forward to try and get a good look, "...Um, I don't see anything, Sweetie Belle." "Try looking a bit harder. Maybe you'll see it better," The Unicorn filly stated. "...Okay," Silver Hawk replied as he moved forward a bit more, his right hoof lifting a bit with his wings unintentionally opening a bit, "...I still don't…" "Now!" Applebloom yelled quietly to Scootaloo in the bushes, making sure Silver Hawk wouldn't hear, and without him knowing it, Scootaloo managed to take a good picture of Silver Hawk. "Huh? What was that?" Silver Hawked blinked, not noticing Scootaloo rushing out of the bush. "Oh, it was nothing," Sweetie Belle answered as Silver Hawk couldn't find anything or anyone in the bush. "You sure?" Because I swore I…" "Oh-look-at-the-time-we-gotta-go-bye!" the two fillies said quickly as they rushed out of there, leaving a confused Silver Hawk. "...Well that was weird." "Okay...we got the picture. Now we just need the cookies and to make copies of the picture, and we'll be set," Scootaloo stated as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom headed for Sugarcube Corner. "Think she's got the cookies ready?" Applebloom asked. "Don't know. Let's check," Sweetie Belle replied as the three fillies entered the store through the back door, leading to the kitchen. "Quirky! We got the-woah!" Scootaloo yelped as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom ducked, allowing some batter to fly right over them. "What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Sorry!" Quirky's voice spoke, causing the three to look up and see Quirky stirring up some...cupcake batter?, "I kinda got crazy with the stirring. Oh, and I changed my mind on the cookies. We'll do cupcakes with the pictures instead!" "Uh… why'd you change your mind?" Applebloom asked. "Well… Cookies are good, but Cupcakes are WAY better! I mean, who can say 'no' to cupcakes?! Nopony, that's who!" Quirky stated before smiling, making a 'Squee' sound in the process. "Right…" the others nodded. "Hey, where's Timid?" Scootaloo asked. "Ano...r...right here," Timid spoke, causing the three to turn and see the shy pegasus filly stirring another bowl of cupcake batter. "Oh… okay. You were hiding very well," Scootaloo admitted. "She's as pink as Pinkie Pie's coat or Fluttershy's mane, what would you expect?" Applebloom responded. "True…" Scootaloo nodded before she turned back to Quirky, "By the way, we got the picture of Silver Hawk. And I think it's a good one too." "Sweet! Lemme see!" Quirky smiled. Scootaloo pulled out the picture from her backpack and showed it to Quirky. "Ooooh! Nice! You captured him perfectly!" Quirky smirked as she and Timid got off the stools they were using so they could reach the bowls the batter was in, "Let's head into the next room. I got a Photocopier in there so we can make multiple pictures!" "Nice," Scootaloo noted. With that, the 5 fillies left the room to get the photos copied real quick, unaware that certain, mischievous dragon was sneaking in, wearing a ninja outfit. "...Shhh…" Mischief shushed the readers before sneaking over to the bowls. Once he made sure the coast was clear, he pulled out a bottle full of what appeared to be a rose-colored liquid before pouring the contents into the bowls, "Nin nin…" he whispered before poofing out of there. "Did you girls hear something?" Sweetie Belle's voice asked off-screen. "I dunno," Scootaloo shrugged. "Nope. Didn't hear a thing," Applebloom added. "Ano..n...no," Timid stuttered. "Nope nope nope. Didn't hear anypony or anything," Quirky added, "Anyway...do you girls have things under control in here?" "I think so," Scootaloo replied. "Good. You finished things up in here while I go and put the cupcakes in the oven!" Quirky stated with a small squeal. With that, the dark-green filly came prancing back into the kitchen, pulling out a few trays to put the cupcake batter in. "Okay...let's..Hmm?" Quirky blinked before sniffing the batter a bit, "Strange..I don't remember adding strawberries to it...oh well," she shrugged as she poured the batter into the trays, and carefully put them into the oven, "There we go. Now we play the waiting game." With that finished, Quirky pranced back into the next room, unaware that the cupcakes gave off a faint, rose-colored glow for a sec. "There we go. That should be enough," Sweetie Belle noted as the CMC looked at a few trays of cupcakes with a stacked pile of Silver Hawk Pictures next to the trays. "Great. Hope this'll work," Applebloom smiled. "Of course it will! All we have to do is go to a different part of town and distribute the pics and cupcakes to any mares we see! Simple as that!" Quirky smiled, making that 'Squee' sound again. "Ok then," Timid nodded. With that, each of the CMC took the trays of pics and cupcakes before heading out the door and went in different directions, making sure not to drop anything. 'Why do I get the feeling something's off?' Timid pondered. Up in the skies above, Mischief was watching them, the dragon holding a large bowl of kettle corn. "Ooh hoo~! This is going to be good!" Mischief snickered as he took a bite of his kettle corn...but not before looking at the reader, "...Oh don't you give me that look. I've been wanting to have some fun ever since I got here..not that my weekly matches with Quirky aren't fun...this is the kind of fun I really wanted. Oh, and authors? Mind giving us a line cut already?" (KKD):Huh? Oh… uh… *whispers* Sean? Help? I can't work your tech for your stories like you can. (SZ):Fine...but you better stop breaking the fourth wall, Mischief!l "Nevah!" Mischief declared. (SZ):Ugh…*whispers to KKD*next time this happens, I'll let you have full access to the tech for my stories, Aibou...*gets a nod from KKD before snapping his fingers* "Ano...c...cupcakes anypony?" Timid spoke softly, trying to get anypony's attention since she was at the park, "...Q...Quirky-chan never told us how much the cupcakes were...s...so I hope this works…" she then took a deep inhale before shouting, "FREE CUPCAKES AND PHOTOS TO ANY MARE WHO WANTS ONE!" "...Wow…I almost forgot she could be so loud," Scootaloo noted, the Orange Pegasus Filly sitting next to her before a whole crowd of mares swarmed around the two, "And I can't believe that worked." "I'll take one!" a Pegasus mare said. "Me too!" a Unicorn Mare added. "Me Three!" an Earth Pony Mare added as well. "A...Ano...O...One at a time…" Timid tried to say before whispering to Scootaloo, "Sc...Scootaloo-chan. Help." "I'll try," Scootaloo nodded as she did her best to help distribute the cupcakes, "Man...Quirky had the right idea about the cupcakes" "Ano...hai," Timid nodded as she helped distribute the cupcakes until there was two left, along with two pics of Silver Hawk, "Ano...w...we're down to two." "That was fast," Scootaloo noted before she spotted a certain violet Alicorn and Rainbow-maned Pegasus, "And I think I just spotted our last two customers. Hey! Rainbow Dash! Twilight!" This got the attention of the two ponies. "Oh! Scootaloo, Timid!" Twilight smiled as she lowered with Rainbow Dash. "What's up you two?" Dash smiled. "Well...we're distributing these cupcakes and pictures of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk in hopes of finding him a Special Somepony," Scootaloo replied. "Aw… that's sweet of you. But you aren't gonna use the Love Poison at all like you had with Cherilee and Big Macintosh last year, right?" Twilight replied. "Nope. This has nothing to do with Love Potions or Love Poisons," Scootaloo reassured the Violet Alicorn. "...Just checking, that's all," she replied. "...why don't we help them out, Twilight?" Rainbow whispered to her friend, "It'll help cheer them up a bit. Plus, I'm kinda curious on what Timid's brother look like since we've never seen him before." "Hmm…" Twilight began to ponder a bit, "Okay. I guess it wouldn't hurt." "Thanks," Scootaloo smiled as Dash and Twilight took the last two cupcakes and pictures. "No prob," Dash nodded as she and Twilight flew off. "Well...that's all of the cupcakes and pics we had," Scootaloo noted before she turned to Timid, "Want to check on the others and see how they're doing? "...O...Okay," Timid nodded. With that, the two Pegasus fillies left, carrying the empty trays. "One...two...three...wow. We only got three left," Sweetie Belle noted after Applebloom served the 4th to last cupcake and picture to a Pegasus mare. "Make that two," Applebloom replied as she served the 3rd to last cupcake and picture to a Unicorn mare. "Cool. Hmm..who'd take our last…" Sweetie Belle began. "Sweetie Belle? Is that you?" "Hmm?" Sweetie Belle blinked when she noticed her sister and Applejack approach her and Applebloom, "Sis?" "What are you doing out here, you two?" Applejack asked the two fillies. "We're giving away cupcakes and pictures of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk to help find a Special Somepony for him," Applebloom responded, "Would you two mind helping us out?" "...I don't see why not ta," Applejack answered. "Sure. I'd be happy to help with such a sweet cause," Rarity smiled as she and Applejack took the last two cupcakes and pictures. "Thanks sis," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle smiled. "No problem," AJ and Rarity nodded as they left. "Well...that turned out pretty..." Applebloom began before she felt a shiver go down her spine. "What's wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah...Ah don't know why, but Ah feel like somethin' bad is going to happen tomorrow morning," Applebloom replied. "You sure?" Sweetie Belle asked, the Unicorn filly starting to get nervous after Applebloom said that. "...It could be just a feelin' though," Applebloom replied, slightly shrugging that off, "L...Let's just go and check up on Quirky and see how she's doin'" "Right," Sweetie Belle nodded as they walked off, carrying the trays that had the cupcakes and pictures on it. "Thank you. Come again!" Quirky said a she gave her third to last cupcake away to a Unicorn mare, "Ooh~! I can't believe somepony from Canterlot bought one of my cupcakes!" she then let out gasp, "Maybe she works for the Princess or something! OMC that would be so cool!" "Hey Quirky," she heard somepony call as she saw her friends walk in. "Hi girls! How'd things go with you?" Quirky asked her friends. "We managed to give every cupcake and picture we had to almost every mare in Ponyville," Scootaloo answered. "Really?" Quirky gasped a bit, earning a nod from her friends, "OMC that's cool! Once I give away my last two cupcakes and pictures, everything will be se.." "Did somepony say 'Cupcakes?!'" a certain pink party pony gasped as she ran up to the Quirky in a pink blur. "I sure did, Pinkie!" Quirky smiled, "If you get one now, you'll get a picture of Timid's brother, Silver Hawk." "OOH~! I'll take one Quirky!" Pinkie said as she took a cupcake and picture and skipped away… before coming straight back, "And if it's okay, can I take one for Fluttershy as well? I don't want her to feel left out." "Sure, why not?" Quirky smiled as Pinkie took a second cupcake and picture before skipping off again, "And with that, we just sold all our cupcakes!" "That's good to hear," Applebloom sighed with relief. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle added as she noticed the sun beginning to set, "And it's almost night time too." "We'd better go home, then. I'll see you ponies tomorrow," Scootaloo replied as the CMC split off to head home for the night. (later that night) "Everypony appears to be sleeping..." Pinkie noted quietly, seeing the Cakes and Quirky fast asleep. She then silently snuck downstairs and into the kitchen before she opened the fridge showing the cupcake and (strangely) picture she got from Quirky today, "Hello delicious…" she smacked her lips before picking the cupcake up and ate it in one bite, "Mmm! Taste like strawber…" she couldn't finish as her eyes began to glow a rose color before she collapsed on the floor a bit. After a moment of silence, she slowly got up and looked up, the pink party pony starting to gain a lovestruck look on her face as she looked at Silver Wing's picture, "Silver~..." At the same time, AJ, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were acting just like Pinkie was after they took a bite of their cupcakes and looked lovestruck at Silver Hawk's picture. "Silver~" all four Mares purred in a split screenshot. (the next morning) "Good morning, Timid," Silver Hawk greeted his little sister, who had just came downstairs from her room. "Ohaiyo… Onii-chan," Timid greeted her older brother, "A...And H-Happy Hearts and Hooves Day." "You too," Silver Hawk smiled, "Do you want anything from breakfast before you meet your friends." "H...Ha…" Timid began before somepony began to knock on the front door. "I wonder who that could be?" Silver Hawk pondered as he walked to the front window to see who was outside, and he found Rainbow Dash, "Uh..Timid? Did you expect any company today?" "Ano...n...no. Wh..why?" "Because I think Somepony's outside the door. Can you see what she wants?" Silver Hawk asked his little sister. "O..Okay," Timid nodded before she walked over to the front door and opened it, "Oh! O...Ohaiyo, R...Rainbow Dash-san." "Hey Timid. Quick question...do you know where your bro is?" the Rainbow-maned Pegasus asked as she poked her head inside. "H-Hai," Timid answered, "O...Onii-chan?" "Yes sis?" Silver Hawk asked before looking at Rainbow Dash, "Um...can I help you?" "So...you're Silver Hawk eh?" Rainbow Dash asked, checking out Timid's brother, "Well...you look hunkier than your picture, I'll tell ya that much." "H..Hunky? Me?" Silver Hawk blinked, a small blush on his face before he was tackled by Rainbow Dash, "Oof!" "R...Rainbow Dash? Ar...Are you okay?" Timid asked. "Oh I'm okay Timid...in fact.." Rainbow Dash paused as she looked at Silver Hawk lovingly, her eyes glowing a rose color, "I'm more than okay~" "Wh...why're you staring at me like that?" Silver Hawk gulped a bit, his blush increasing. "Why? Because I love you, Hawkey Wakey," Rainbow Dash smiled lovingly. "H...Hawkey Wakey?!" Silver Hawk managed to squeak out, his face now heavily blushing before he was engulfed in light blue energy, "Wh...what the?!" he gasped before he was suddenly dragged away from Rainbow Dash. "Huh?!" Rainbow Dash gawked before she turned and glared at a certain, white unicorn, "Rarity! Let go of my Hawkey Wakey right now!" "Not a chance you ruffian! My Darling Silver is only meant for me," Rarity insisted, her eyes also glowing the same rose color as Dash's. "N...nani?!" Silver Hawk gawked in Neighponese before Rarity dragged him out, Rainbow Dash chasing after her. "..A...Ano...wh-what just happened?" Timid blinked in confusion before she saw a panting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo at her doorstep. "Timid! Something happened!" Scootaloo panted. "Wh...why? What's wrong?!" Timid asked. "The mares we gave the cupcakes to… most of them have been acting weird," Scootaloo answered. "Yeah. When I woke up this morning, I noticed my sister acting really lovey dovey to a picture of your brother," Sweetie Belle added, "Speaking of my sister, did you see her by any chance?" "H...Hai. Sh...she just ran out with my Onii-chan with Rainbow-Dash-san chasing after them," Timid replied. "Uh oh…" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle paled before… "Let go of my Darling Silver this instant!" "No way! He's my Hawkey Wakey!" "Y'all are both wrong! He's mah Silver Stud!" "...That sounded like Applejack," Sweetie Belle noted as Applebloom ran up. "Y...Ya' 'll might want to see this," Applebloom panted as the young fillies rushed out to see that Applejack(her eyes rose-colored as well) had joined in what could be described as a tug of war between herself, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, with Silver Hawk as the rope. "He's mine!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she tugged Silver Hawk. "No! He's mine!" Rarity growled, pulling Silver Hawk as well. "He's mine!" AJ growled before managing to pulled Silver Hawk away from the two, "Y'all just hurt mah Silver Stud with the way y'all are treatin' him!" "How we're treating him?! You were also pulling on him yourself!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she snatched Silver Hawk away from AJ, "Are you alright, my Hawkey Wakey?" "Uh...don't I get a say in...woah!" Silver Hawk yelped when Rarity pulled him away with her magic. "Honestly! What would my Darling Silver want with a country mare and a tomboy…" Rarity began with a scoff before looking at Silver Hawk lovingly, "When he could have a lady like me~?" "Can't I get a chance to...YIPE!" Silver Hawk yelped again, this time being pulled aside by Applejack. "Just because Ah'm not fancy and frue frue like you, I can…" AJ began before Silver Hawk was pulled away from her, the Pegasus engulfed in violet energy. "Oh no...now what?" Silver Hawk gulped when he noticed Twilight was the one holding him via her magic. "Oh thank Celestia...Twilight's here…" Applebloom sighed in relief before Sweetie Belle tapped her on the shoulder. "Uh...you may want to take another look, Applebloom," the Unicorn Filly stated. "Huh?" Applebloom blinked before she noticed Twilight's eyes...were glowing the same rose-color as well, "...Uh oh." "Let him go. Only a true princess would give this stallion the respect he deserves," Twilight told the other ponies as she used her magic to yank Silver Hawk away from AJ, "Are you okay, my Silver Knight?" "S...Silver Knight?" Silver Hawk gulped, the blush increasing more, 'Oh man..I feel like I'm in one of those Harem Manga my old friend in Neighpon used to read.' "Oi vey," the CMC sighed. "Yoink!" a certain Pink Party filly popped out from off-screen and grabbed Silver Hawk, freeing him from Twilight's gasp, "Don't worry, my Silly Silver. I'll protect you from those big ol' meanies!" "Uh… why's everypony suddenly all over me?!" Silver Hawk randomly asked before he was pulled into another tug of war between Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and AJ. "He's my Silver Knight! Let go!" "No! He's my Silly Silver!" "No way! He's my Hawkey Wakey!" "Ya'll are wrong! He's mah Silver Stud!" "Wrong! He's my Darling Silver!" "...I think this is getting out of hand." Mischief gulped as he flew off to get the one pony to stop this, "...nah! This is too good to watch!" he grinned as he flew back to his seat, munching on his kettle corn. "Misty? What're you talking about?" Timid's voice asked him, making the dragon almost choke on his kettle corn. "Uh….n...nothing! Forget I said anything!" Mischief yelped as he prepared to rush out of there, only to crash into Quirky, "...Crud." "You did something to my cupcakes...didn't you?" Quirky frowned at the Dragon as the CMC surrounded him, and Timid in particular gave him "The Stare." "...N...NO! I'll never tell!" Mischief yelled, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see 'The Stare.' However...he could still feel it as he shouted while wearing a tattered loincloth and his voice gravelly, "GAAAAAH! IT BUUUUURNS! IT BURNS US!" "Tell what you did to to Quirky's Cupcakes right now, or else," Scootaloo frowned as Timid increased 'The Stare.' "Okay okay! I'll tell you! Just tell her to stop!" Mischief (his voice back to normal) yelled, Timid easing up 'the stare' as the son of Discord sighed before explaining, "I...may have slipped in some love potion into the cupcake batter while you guys were in the next room." "YOU DID WHAT?!" the CMC yelled, Timid being louder than usual. "How did you get that Love Potion, which is actually love poison, and what were you thinking?!" Scootaloo snapped. "Uh...I bought it from this Show Pony calling herself great and powerful, and I did it as a prank!... Which is pretty funny if you ask me!" Mischief chuckled a bit before freezing up with Timid gave him 'The Stare' again, making him nervous once again. "Reverse it...now!" Applebloom demanded. "Uh...funny thing about that actually.." Mischief chuckled nervously, "I...can't. I slipped some of my magic into the potion to make it more powerful...but it's kinda irreversible until 48 hours pass...or if you manage to get an Alicorn to help. Which looks pretty much useless right now seeing the only Alicorn in town is affected by it." "If you hadn't put it in the batter, none of this would've happened in the FIRST PLACE!" Quirky snapped. "Well what do you want me to do?! Go find another Alicorn and say 'Oh hey! I'm the Son of Discord, and I may have caused a total apocalypse in Ponyville as a prank!' Yeah! REALLY Smart plan there!" Mischief snapped. "Great… now what're we supposed to do?" Applebloom groaned. "...Hide Silver Hawk until this blows over?" Sweetie Belle suggested. "Not sure; somepony is bound to find him at some point," Scootaloo pointed out. "...Ah got an idea!" Applebloom spoke, causing her friend to look at her, "Why don't we ask Zecora for help? But before we do that, we'll have Silver Hawk hide at Fluttershy's place while Twilight the others are following a decoy." "How do you know she hasn't eaten one of those tainted cupcakes yet?" Scootaloo responded. "We didn't see her yesterday," Sweetie Belle stated with Applebloom nodding. "I didn't see anypony by the name of Zecora," Quirky added. "A...Ano...I...I didn't notice anypony by that name either when we were giving out cupcakes, S...Scootaloo," Timid said. "Oh, she's a zebra who lives outside Ponyville… I believe it was somewhere in Everfree Forest," Scootaloo answered. "Ah know where it is," Applebloom spoke before pondering, "But we need to find a decoy to distract Twilight and the others." "...Y...Yuki-chan!" Timid called out, making the small kitsune rush out of her home and stop before the shy filly, "C...can you transform into Onii-chan and keep Twilight-san and her friends busy for a while? I...I'll give you your favorite food for dinner tonight." Yuki's tails wagged excitedly at that before she turned into an exact copy of Silver Hawk. She/he then let out a loud whistling noise, catching the attention of Twilight and the others. The mares suddenly got googly-eyed as they dashed after the clone Silver Hawk, who flew away to keep them away from the real Silver Hawk. "Huh? Nee-chan? What's going on here?" Silver Hawk asked after catching his breath, his ice blue mane all messed up. "I...I'll explain on the way. F...follow me and Scootaloo-chan to Fluttershy-san's house p...please, Onii-chan," Timid said to her brother. "...Wait. You mean that pale-yellow Pegasus Mare that helped bring you home a few weeks ago?" Silver Hawk asked. "H-hai," Timid nodded. "O...Okay. Lead the way, Nee-chan," Silver Hawk nodded as he, Scootaloo and Timid Swallow rushed out of there. "Let's hurry to Zecora's before Twilight and the others realize the Silver they're following is a fake," Applebloom stated to her friends. "Right!" the rest of the CMC nodded as they galloped, or in Quirky's case bounded, off to the zebra's house. Fluttershy was busy humming a small tune while feeding some of her birds some food. She was about to go feed Angel next before she heard a knocking on her front door. "Hmm? Who could that be?" the shy Pegasus pondered as she flew over to her front door and opened it, "Y...yes? Can I...?" she couldn't finish as a snow-white blur zoomed past her, "...eh?" "Sorry to intrude, Fluttershy-san, but a lot of the mares were going crazy over me this morning," the voice of the blur panted as she turned to see Silver Hawk, the Pegasus hiding behind her couch while shaking a bit, "S...so until it blows over, m...me and Timid are going to be staying with you." "...o...okay. I..I don't m-mind," Fluttershy replied, a heavy blush forming on her face as she tried to use her wings to hide it, 'O...oh my! I...I didn't think I'd see him again! A...and now he's s-staying in my home?! O...oh my! Oh my!' "A...ano..h...hello, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid spoke, causing Fluttershy to yelp in surprise, which made Timid yelp in surprise as well. "Sorry to intrude, but could you keep an eye on Silver Hawk for us? There's something bad happening, and we need to find Zecora to help us solve the problem," Scootaloo replied as she walked in. "...O...okay. B...but what is the problem exactly?" Fluttershy asked out of curiosity. "Thanks," Scootaloo smiled before explaining the situation, "Mischief decided to play a prank by putting some Love Potion into the cupcakes Quirky made yesterday and...long story short. Every Mare in town wants Timid's brother." "Oh my…" Fluttershy gasped quietly. "Yeah...so until Applebloom and the others find Zecora, you'll have to hide Silver Hawk here until everything's settled," Scootaloo stated. "Oh… uh… okay," Fluttershy nodded. "Okay. Timid, I'll go check Yuki real quick and see how she's doing," Scootaloo told her shy filly friend. "O...okay. B…be careful, Scootaloo-chan," Timid nodded. "I will," Scootaloo told her before rushing outside. "Um...I...um...I think I'll go and head for the kitchen and get us something to drink," Fluttershy said as she left for said room, the Shy Pegasus using her wings to try and hide her blush from Silver Hawk. "...Please tell me she didn't eat one of those cupcakes as well, Nee-chan?" Silver asked Timid quietly, the Snow-white Pegasus hoping Fluttershy won't act like Twilight and the others. "I don't think so. If she did, she would've been all over you by now," Timid answered. "I...I see…" Silver nodded slowly in response while thinking, 'I really hope she didn't otherwise I'd have 6 Mares after my fl...wait. Did Scootaloo mention every mare in town ate those cupcakes?...oh horsefeathers.' Meanwhile, with Applebloom, Quirky, and Sweetie Belle... "Man...I've forgotten how scary this place can be…" Applebloom gulped a bit as the three fillies walked through the Everfree Forest to find Zecora's home. "So what's Zecora's place look like?" Quirky asked out of curiosity before speaking in a spooky-ish tone, "Is it really mysterious and scary~? Like a witch's house?" "Well…" Sweetie Belle started before whispering to Applebloom, "Mind helping me out here? You've been there more times than me and Scootaloo have." "Sure," Applebloom nodded before turning to the green filly to explain. "It's really just an ol' hut built into a tree." "I see...and what's Zecora like?" Quirky asked again. "She's a zebra, a black horse with gray and white stripes, and has what looks like a sun mark on her flank," Applebloom answered. "I see...is that her place?" Quirky said as she pointed towards an old hut. "Yep, that's it," Applebloom nodded as she ran up to the door and knocked, but got no answer. "Look, there's a note on the door," Sweetie Belle noticed. "Hmm?" Applebloom blinked before she noticed a note on the door before reading it, "'Ah apologize to anypony who wanted to see me, but Ah am away for the holiday. Zecora'...that's not good." "How're we gonna get help to fix this mess now?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yeah. There's no way we can find an Alicorn in time, especially one with powers over ponies hearts," Quirky added, making her friends gawk at her, "...What? Do I have something on my nose?" "...We need Spike!" the two fillies yelled as they ran back to Ponyville. "Hey wait! What did I say?!" Quirky yelled as she ran after them. "Holy…" Scootaloo gawked when she saw how trashed Ponyville was, multiple decorations littering the ground, "Don't tell me Twilight and the others caused this mu-woah!" she yelped when a familiar, purple scaled claw pulled her into a nearby bush, "Hey! What's the...Spike?" "Keep it down, will ya? Everypony's gone crazy looking for Timid's brother," Spike said in a quiet tone before he felt the ground rumble, "...and here they come now!" "Huh?" Scootaloo blinked when she poked her head out of the bush, the Pegasus filly gawking when she saw Y-Silver Hawk(Yuki as Silver Hawk) running away from a herd of lovestruck Mares, Twilight and her friends included in said herd before ducking back in, "Man, it's gotten crazier than I thought." "Yeah. And...wait. Where are your friends?" Spike asked before frowning a bit, "You fillies wouldn't happen to…" "It was Mischief's fault. Not ours," Scootaloo replied in defense. "...I should've figured it was him," Spike mumbled. "Any ideas in how to stop this? Most of my friends are out looking for Zecora right now, and Timid's keeping an eye on the real Silver Hawk with Fluttershy," Scootaloo whispered asked. "I don't know. Usually Twilight would know what to do...but she's currently chasing after that Silver Hawk look-alike," Spiked sighed before… "Hey! This isn't my Silly Silver!" Pinkie's voice yelled off-screen. "Uh oh…" Scootaloo paled. They peeked out the bush and saw that Y-Silver Hawk had reverted back to being Yuki, the smal kit completely exhausted to keep up her disguise. "Wait...if we've been chasing a fake...then the real one is out there somewhere, waiting for me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she prepared to rush off, but not before AJ pulled her back. "Nuh uh! He's mine!" AJ yelled as she prepared to leave, only for Rarity to push her aside. "No! He's my darling!" Rarity insisted as the Mares all began to bicker over who Silver Hawk belongs too. Seeing the chance, Yuki quietly crawled away from teh bickering cloud, which soon evolved into a fight cloud as she snuck over to Scootaloo and Spike.. "...Mischief is in BIG Trouble once this is all over," Scootaloo stated quietly to Spike. "Agreed," Spike nodded before he noticed Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Quirky run up to him and Scootaloo. "Oh, there you are. What's up? Did you get Zecora?" Scootaloo asked. "Sadly no. She's gone for the holiday," Applebloom sighed sadly. "Yeah. And…" Quirky began before she noticed all the Mare fighting one another with one another, "...Wow. I knew things were bad, but I didn't think it was this bad!" Quirky gawked. "Yea… it's only gotten this bad after poor Yuki got exhausted from using a disguise," Scootaloo sighed, the small kitsune whining and panting a bit in exhaustion. "Poor thing…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah…" Quirky nodded before she noticed something, "...uh girls? They're all gone." "Huh?!" the rest of the CMC gawked before looking and seeing all the Mares were gone, leaving behind series of hoof prints and some hair. "...isn't Fluttershy's place in that direction?" Spike spoke. "...Yea… oh no…" Scootaloo gulped. "Timid!" the CMC gasped as they dashed out of their, hopping to get to FLuttershy's house in time before the lovestruck Mares do. "H-hey! Wait up!" Spike yelled as he ran after them before he stopped, "Hold on...I think I got a better idea…" he then ran back over to his and Twilight's home, grabbed a spare pieces of paper, wrote something down on them, and breathed green fire on them, turning the papers into ashes before the flames and smoke floated to Celestia's castle with a second set of ashes heading for the Crystal empire, "I hope they get them in time." "...Ano..do you need any help there, Fluttershy-san?" Silver Hawk asked as Fluttershy was a bit busy feeding her animals. "N...no thank you. I'm good," Fluttershy replied as she laid some food down for Angel, who turned his head away from the food, "Come on Angel...Please eat the food I made for you?" Angel shook his head no in response. "Is he okay?" Timid asked. "Y...yes. He's just being a bit picky right now," Fluttershy replied before asking Angel again, "Please eat the food I made? I made it just the way you…" she couldn't finish as Angel threw the food in her face. "Harsh," Silver Hawk noted, "...Let me try something," he suggested as he walked over and looked at Angel bunny, "Look here. Your owner made that food just for you. The least you could do is try a bite." Angel just glared in response. "...Fine. I didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice," Silver Hawk frowned a bit before shouting as he pointed to the left, "Holy Celestia! Is that a giant Carrot Cake outside?!" Angel's eyes widened at that as he quickly turned to see the 'cake' Silver Hawk mentioned, only for the snow-white Pegasus to use one of his wings to tickle the bunny while he wasn't looking. Angel began to snicker before laughing a bit, allowing Silver Hawk to move a bit of food into his mouth. "Gotcha," Silver Hawk grinned as he moved his wing away from Angel bunny. Angel Bunny just chewed and finished the food in his mouth before acting a bit disgusted. "Sorry. But you had left me with no choice," Silver Hawk stated before he moved over to Fluttershy, "Daijoubu, Fluttershy-san?" "...Y-Yea… I'm fine," Fluttershy nodded as she moved some of the food away from her face. "Hold on. You have a bit on your nose," Silver Hawk said as he used his wing to clean the leftover food off Fluttershy's nose, making the Pegasus Mare blush. "A….arigatou," Fluttershy stuttered in Neighponese. "You're welcome," Silver Hawk smiled back. "U...Um..I..I need to get something from the fridge! Be right back!" Fluttershy yelped as she rushed for the kitchen, trying to hide her blush with her wings. "...Is she okay?" silver Hawk asked Timid. "Ano...I think so. What do you.." Timid began before she noticed Angel Bunny was missing, "...Angel bunny?" 'Ano..Wh...where'd he go?' Meanwhile, in the kitchen... Fluttershy was browsing through the fridge and found the cupcake Pinkie gave her, but for some reason Silver Hawk's picture was there, too. "...Funny. I don't remember putting these in here…" FLuttershy noted before looking at Silver's picture with a blush, 'B...but, S...Silver Hawk l..looks really han..n-no! C...calm down Fluttershy...y...you dont' want a repeat of what happened to you when you were a filly...' She then snapped out of her train of thought when she noticed Angel bunny take the cupcake and was about to eat it, "N...No Angel! Y...you're not supposed to eat that." Angel just sent her a frown in response before resumed to eat the cupcake. "I...I said n-woah!" FLuttershy yelped, the Pegasus mare tripping when she was about to walk over to Angel to take the cupcake. This resulted in the following; Fluttershy fell face first into the cupcake, the Pegasus Mare accidentally swallowing a bite, and...well...you get the rest folks… especially since Silver Hawk's picture was right before her again. "Fluttershy-san? Is everything okay in here?" Silver Hawk asked in concern, the snow-white pegasus poking his head in when he heard the noise. Fluttershy just struggled up before looking at Silver Hawk, her eyes glowing a rose color as Timid peeked in and pieced together what happened based on what was left. "...U...uh oh," Timid paled. "What?" Silver Hawk asked Timid before he noticed Fluttershy look at him, some of her mane brushing over her left eye, "...F...Fluttershy-san?" "...S-Silver~…" Fluttershy replied, looking lovingly at the male pegasus. "...Uh oh," Silver Hawk gulped before Fluttershy tackled him, "Oomph!" "...F-Fluttershy-san?" Timid asked. "Yes Timid?" Fluttershy spoke, the normally shy Pegasus not looking away from Silver. "...A-Are you okay?" "I am..I just want to be with your brother is all," FLuttershy responded as she nuzzled against Silver Hawks chest, making the snow-white Pegasus blush. "...Uh… I… I don't know what to say…" Silver Hawk admitted with a gulp. "Hmm...maybe a date just between us, my Silver-sama~?" Flutttershy purred, making Silver Hawk blush even more. "S-s-s-s-sama?!" Silver Hawk squeaked out, 'It's official...my life has just become a harem manga!' "Oh… my…" Timid gasped before loud knocking was heard from the front door, startling the filly, "Oh no…" "Whoever it is, go away! I'm with Silver-sama!" Fluttershy yelled before the front door was torn down, allowing Rainbow Dash to fly in. "Hands off my Hawkey-wawkey!" the Rainbow-maned Pegasus growled as she snatched Silver Hawk from Fluttershy. "HEY!" Fluttershy snapped, as she tried to take Silver Hawk back from Rainbow Dash, "Let Silver-Sama go now!" "He's not yours!" the other mares snapped at her as they barged in and began to fight over Silver. "Oh no…" Timid gulped as the rest of the CMC and Spike rushed in. "...Fluttershy ate her cupcake too, didn't she?" Applebloom asked Timid. "H...hai. Demo...it...it was on accident really when she tried to st-stop Angel from eating it," Timid stuttered in response, "W...were you able to get Z...Zecora-san, A...Applebloom-chan?" "No, she wasn't home," Applebloom sighed, "Ah don't know what we're goin' to do." "Don't worry," Spike spoke catching the CMC's attention, "Help should be arriving right about…" he paused before a bright light shined outside, "Now." "Oh no...now what?" Silver Hawk groaned, the snow-white Pegasus currently in the middle of a 6-way tug of war between the Mane 6. "What's that?" Timid asked. "The Princess…" Spike replied as Celestia walked into the house, a frown on her face. "P...Princess?" Twilight blinked when she and all the mares noticed her, "Wh...what're you doing here?...Are you here to bless my and Silver's wedding?" "W..wedding?!" Silver Hawk squeaked, his face a beet red. "I'm afraid not, Twilight. I came because of a message I received from Spike saying you and a lot of ponies here were under the influence of Love Poisoning," Celestia sighed as she used her magic to pull Silver Hawk, "I'm going to talk to the one you're currently infatuated with. When I come back...I'll dispel the love poison." "Oh thank you.." Silver Hawk sighed in relief as Celestia carried him outside. "...A..ano...q..quick question, m...minna-san," Timid spoke, catching the CMC's attention, "A...Are Celestia-Hime's eyes supposed to be a r-rose color." "..No. Why'd you...uh oh," Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo paled before looking at Quirky. "Quirky...how'd the princess get one of those cupcakes?" Scootaloo asked the dark-green filly. "Don't know. I gave to somepony who was visiting from Canterlot and...oh sugar honey iced tea," Quirky paled when she was where this was going. "You don't think that…" Sweetie Belle began until… "H...Hime-sama! Wh...why're you...oh no. Not you too?!" Silver Hawk's voice yelped outside. "Oh don't worry Prince Silver, I won't bite," Celestia giggled off-screen. "P...Prince?!" Silver Hawk squeaked off-screen. "...Wait a minute...Celestia's going to hog my Silly Silver all to herself!" Pinkie yelled as she and the other Mares ran outside. "...So much for that letter to the Princess," Scootaloo sighed to Spike. "Don't worry. I sent a letter to Princess Cadance as a back-up," Spike reassured them. "Who?" Timid and Quirky asked. "She's Twilight's sister-in-law, and the princess of the Crystal Empire," Spike explained. "Oooh~" the two fillies nodded when suddenly… "Hello? Is...Anypony home?" the mentioned Alicorn's spoke from the back door. "Wow...that was faster than I expected," Spike noted as he ran over to the back door and opened it, "Thank goodness, you're here Cadence." "I got your letter, Spike. What's the meaning of all this love poisoning?" Cadence asked. "Well...I think it's best if they explain it," Spike said as he pointed over at the CMC. "Okay… it's kinda hard to explain, but we'll do our best," Scootaloo sighed before she and the CMC explained the situation. "...I see...can you tell me where Twilight and the others are right now?" Cadence asked the CMC. "W...Well…" Timid began. "Get your hands off him, you tomboy!" "No way! He's mine!" "You're wrong! He's my prince!" "Correction, princess! He's my knight!" "...Nevermind. I think I know where..." Cadence sweatdropped a bit. "Yea… and it's clear the love poisoning got to them, big time. And sadly… Celestia's got it, too," Spike sighed. "...Don't worry. I got this. Also, it can't be that..." Cadence began as she walked outside, only to see all the mares of Ponyville, the Mane 6, and Celestia fighting over Silver Hawk, "...I stand corrected." "S...seriously! Don't I get a-woah! A say in this?!" Silver Hawk yelled as he kept getting snatched by different mares, who were too occupied on keeping him for themselves. "Oh don't worry, Silver-sama.." Fluttershy (who was currently holding Silver Hawk) said as she carried him over the crowd, her face inches away from his, "You'll have all the time in the world to say something… during our honeymoon~" "H...Honeymoon?!" Silver Hawk squeaked as Fluttershy began to bring her lips closer to his, "S...Somepony, Tatsukete!" "...I think I've seen enough," Cadence sighed before her horn glowed, the Alicorn firing a magic blast at all the lovestruck mares, snapping them back normal as their eyes changed back to their normal color. "...Huh?" the mares gawked before chatting with each other, trying to figure out what was going on. Fluttershy however… "...S….S…..Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy blinked. "Uh...h...hi?" "..." Fluttershy didn't say anything as her entire face turned a beet red, seeing how close her lips were to Silver's as she began to faint mid-air, Silver having caught her in time. "F...Fluttershy-san?! D...Daijoubu?" Silver Hawk asked in concern. "...H… H...hai," she nodded, while trying to hide her still heavy blush. "...G...Good to know," Silver Hawk noted as he carried her down. "Um...can Somepony please tell me what the hay just happened?" Rainbow Dash spoke since she, Twilight, AJ, Rarity, Pinkie, and Celestia were the only ones there since the other mares left for home. "...I'm… not sure," Rarity admitted. "All Ah remember was taking a bite out of that cupcake Applebloom gave me," AJ added in equal confusion. "Strange..that happened with me too," Twilight noted. "And me three!" Pinkie added. "That happened with me as well," Celestia stated before she and the Mane 6 turned to the CMC, "Would you young ones mind telling us what happened?" "Well… here goes," Scootaloo gulped before explaining everything that happened. "...I should've known Mischief would be involved," Twilight sighed. "Speaking of Mischief..where is that little troublemaker?!" Rainbow Dash growled, the rainbow maned-Pegasus really ticked off at the moment. "Found him!" Pinkie and Quirky responded, pulling said baby dragon out of a barrel he was hiding in. "...Uh...hi?" Mischief waved nervously at everypony. "Mischief...of all the things you've done, this is by far the worst!" Scootaloo snapped. "Well what do ya expect?! I get bored from time to time when I'm not going up against Quirky!" Mischief snapped back before Celestia sent a glare at him, "...You're going to send me to the moon now, aren't you?" "...Actually… I have another idea," Celestia figured as she turned to Rarity, "I'm sure you have one too..right?" "..Actually…" Rarity began as a grin grew on her face, "I have just the one." "..." Mischief gulped when he saw the grins on the Mare and fillies faces. "...Hate you all," Mischief frowned, the dragon wearing a kiddie sized sailor outfit as the mares took photos of him in multiple costumes. "Ooh! Ooh! Make him wear this next!" Pinkie giggled as she held out a kiddie-sized clown suit, complete with hat. Rarity nodded as Mischief was soon out of the sailor costume, and looking even more silly in the clown suit, making Rainbow Dash and Spike laugh at Mischief's misfortune. "Ho ho, and ha ha, KKD," Mischief muttered so… I could… hear? Oh no, not again… (SZ):...you have permission to use my tech, KKD. (KKD):Okay then, let's see here. *begins to work the tech, and then…* "...Really guys? REALLY?!" Mischief snapped, the dragon now wearing a embarrassing baby outfit, complete with rattle and pacifier. This even made the other ponies laugh, even if they didn't know who was the cause of it. "Try another button and see what happened, KKD," Pinkie and Quirky asked said author. (KKD):Okay, here we go. *Presses a second button, and Mischief was suddenly twisted up like a pretzel.* "...This is embarrassing enough…" Mischief groaned before he noticed his voice was now high-pitched, "...Is that my voice? Ack! Is that my voice?!" "Ooh! Turn him into a kitty next!" Pinkie said to the authors, making her friends look at her and Quirky in confusion. Of course..they shrugged it off as they continued to take embarrassing pics of Mischief. "Oh no! Don't you da…" Mischief began before he was suddenly a kitten, "...Dang it." (KKD):I could do this all day. (SZ):Me too… but let's get this over with. The Fourth Wall can't take much more of this, Aibou. "No! Wait! Don't leave me with..!" Mischief began before the screen went black, "...I hate you." Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review if ya can.
Dawn of a new StarTwo weeks have passed since the incident on Hearts and Hooves day, and many of the Mares (including the CMC) wanted to forget about it because of the effects of the Love Poison. At the moment, it's been a quiet day, and Twilight was busy finishing renting books out to the ponies of Ponyville for the day. Even though she was a Princess now, she's still the owner of Ponyville's library. "Okay...that should be everything," the violet Alicorn noted as she placed a few books inside a pair of traveling bags and handed them to a frog appeared to mostly be cyan with some specks of a dark blue and some white fluff around the neck, and a silver Unicorn pony with some blue highlights in his orange mane, green-blue eyes, and a white spiral Cutie Mark, "Is there anything else I'm missing, or is that it?" "Hm… let's see…" the frog muttered to himself, looking over the books they had, both of which are on hypnosis. The pony also looked over before looking over to Twilight. "Nope. We got what we needed Twilight. Alright Ricky, let's get going." The frog nodded as they both left the library, the Unicorn holding a receipt showing the return date for the books before he used his magic to place it in his traveling bag. "Hope to see you again," Twilight said to those leaving as she turned to Spike, "Did you finish checking what books are on hold?" "Eeyup. One Earth Pony placed a hold on a book for classic music, a couple Pegasus Ponies placed a hold on a book about weather patterns, and..oh jeez. That one Unicorn, Lyra I think her name was, asked for a book on...hyoo-manes I think, again," Spike listed. "I see… thank Spikes," Twilight replied before she heard a knocking on her front door, "Huh, the library's set to close, why would anypony be coming here at this time? …Unless it's my friends..." "I'll check and see who it is," Spike offered as he walked over to the front door and opened it, "Sorry. But we're abo…" he paused before gawking a bit. He rubbed his eyes once to make sure he wasn't seeing things. In front of him was a filly. An Alicorn Filly to be precise. Her fur and wings were a light violet color while her mane and tail(both of which were currently wet and dirty) were a soft, evening red with a orange highlight in it. Her eyes were a dark-shade of yellow. She also appeared to be lost and tired. "...Twilight…" Spike called out to the violet Alicorn, "You might want to come here and see this." "What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked as she came to the door and gasped upon seeing the young filly and how she looked so similar to herself. "Help…" the filly weakly begged, trembling a tiny bit before her legs gave out, causing her to fall to the ground before Spike caught her. "Whoa! ...She seems exhausted… but where'd she come from, and why's she so tired?" Spike wondered as he struggled to keep her up, seeing this Alicorn filly was a bit bigger than most fillies in Ponyville. "I don't know...but she needs help. Spike, you go help carry her upstairs while I start the bath up for her," Twilight said to the dragon. "R...right," Spike nodded as he struggled to carry the Alicorn filly upstairs, Twilight helping him so he wouldn't drop her by accident. Later, Twilight laid the young filly in her bed so that she could rest up and hopefully restore her energy. "Who is she?" Spike asked, breaking the silence. "I don't know…" Twilight responded before her eyes widened when she noticed something, "Spike...she doesn't have a Cutie Mark." "She doesn't?" Spike gawked before looking at the filly's flanks and indeed noticing it was bare of any mark, "You're right. But...why? If she's an Alicorn, shouldn't she have her Cutie Mark already?" "Good question," Twilight noted before yawning as she looked out the window to see the night sky, "But it's too late to ask the princess for help." "So what're we gonna do now?" Spike asked. "We'll have to wait til the morning to let the princess know about this… but until then, we'll sleep in here to check on this filly's condition." "Right," Spike nodded before yawning, "I'm getting tired anyway." "Right…" Twilight nodded as she slowly got on her bed and gently laid next to the filly so she could keep a closer eye on her, "Good night Spike." "Good night, Twilight," Spike yawned. (The next morning) Twilight yawned as she began to wake up, the morning sun shining on her through her window. she slowly turned her head to see if the filly was still asleep...only...the filly was no longer there, causing the violet Alicorn's eyes to widen. "S...Spike! She's gone!" Twilight gasped, waking Spike up with a yelp, before he bonked his head into the ceiling. "Ouch… Who's gone, Twilight?" the dragon mumbled as he rubbed his head. "That filly we found last night. She's gone!" Twilight replied in a semi-panicked tone, causing Spike's eyes to widen. "What?! Where'd she go?!" Spike gawked. "I don't know! H...help me search for her!" Twilight said as she began to look around the room, hoping to find the Alicorn filly. Spike then began to search through all the other corners Twilight missed for the filly as well. He then ran down stairs before poking his head back up. "Uh...Twilight?" the young dragon spoke, catching the Alicorn's attention, "I found her." "Where?" Twilight asked, rushing over to Spike's location. The moment she reached downstairs, her eyes widened to see the Alicorn filly fully awake and reading one of her books, a medium sized pile right next to the filly. "Oh… phew!" "Yeah…" Spike sighed in relief as well, catching the filly's attention as she looked over at the two. "Good morning," the filly greeted before she turned back to her book. "Morning… You know, I never did learn what your name was," Twilight replied, walking up to the young filly. "...Dawn Star...that's all I can remember," the filly replied, closing the book she was reading before using her magic to take another book from the pile next to her. "Is that why you're reading all these books?" Twilight asked. "Dawn Star… that's a nice name," Spike added. "Yes...the only things I can recall is my name...and that I like books...a lot," Dawn Star replied, the Alicorn filly not turning away from the book she was reading. "Man… she reminds me of somepony…" Twilight said to herself. "Gee… you think?" Spike muttered to himself. "Okay...that's book number 14…" Dawn Star muttered to herself as she closed the book she was reading , used her magic to pull another one from the pile, and began to read it. "You read 14 books? How long have you been awake to read all this?" Twilight asked. "An hour ago," Dawn Star replied, causing both Twilight and Spike to gawk. "Wow… I don't think I've ever met anypony who's been able to read that many books that quickly," Twilight gawked. "I have," Spike muttered. "Who?" Twilight and Dawn asked in unison. "Twilight, she's almost just like you," Spike sighed, taking out a mirror from the hammerspace, and putting it in front of the two. The two Alicorns glanced at each-other, and then at the mirror again, blinking a bit. "Wait a minute," Spike began as he pondered something, "You two are very similar… Applebloom's like her sister Applejack, Sweetie Belle's similar to Rarity, Scootaloo has a lot in common with Rainbow Dash, Timid can be easily compared to Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie and Quirky are almost identical in personalities…" "...You're right," Twilight's eyes widened as she began to put two and two together. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Spike asked. "I am…" Twilight nodded as she and Spike looked at Dawn Star. "...What?" the Alicorn filly blinked in confusion. "Come with us," Twilight told Dawn Star as she and Spike led her towards the door. "You're not… kicking me out, are you?" Dawn Star asked. "Of course not. We're just going to have you make some new friends," Twilight answered. "...Friends?" Dawn Star repeated. "Yea. Follow us," Spike insisted as he kinda started pushing Dawn out of the library, but couldn't as the Alicorn Filly made it almost impossible to move her. "But...I'm not done reading my books," Dawn Star grunted as she stood her ground. "Wow… almost like looking in some sort of odd mirror…" Spike muttered. "You can bring some of the books with you, as long as you bring them back, okay?" Twilight responded. "...okay," Dawn Star nodded as she used her magic to pull a few books from the pile she had before opening one up to read it, kinda making Spike plop to the ground before they left. Meanwhile, with the CMC… "...Bored," Scootaloo yawned as the CMC were in their Clubhouse, not doing anything. "Yep… so bored," Quirky added. "B-b-b-b-boooooored~" Mischief sang in a bored tone, tossing a ball on the wall and catching it. "There has to be something we could do…" Sweetie Belle pondered. "Like what?" Applebloom asked, boredom evident in her voice. "...Darn. I thought I had something," Sweetie Belle sighed. "...A...Ano...m...minna," Timid spoke, catching the other fillies' attention, "I...I see T...Twilight-san heading this way." "Really?!" the other fillies gasped as they rushed to the window to see Twilight coming with Spike and somepony else. "Who's the filly with her?" Quirky asked. "A unicorn, no…wait...is that filly….?" Applebloom began. "An Alicorn?!" Sweetie Belle gasped. "...Ooh! An Alicorn?!" Quirky gasped. "W...wow," Timid noted in her shy, quiet tone of voice. "Ah'm lookin' right at her, but I don't believe," Applebloom gawked. "Neither can I…" Scootaloo added before pondering, "Why do you suppose Twilight is bringing her here?" "No idea," Quirky shrugged. "She's like Twilight's counter..." Sweetie Belle started. "Part…" the original three CMC gasped. "What?!" Quirky asked. "What's with the gasp?" "Obviously they're think if they recruit that Alicorn filly, you're little group will be like a miniature version of Twilight and her friends," Mischief replied, the 'dragon' still bouncing the ball on the wall and catching it. "Makes sense," some of the CMC said. "But do y...you th-th-think she'll j...join?" Timid asked. "Maybe. But it wouldn't hurt to try," Scootaloo replied before grinning, "If she did. It'll be so cool! I mean, we'll have a Alicorn in the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" "YAY!" Quirky cheered. "Y...yay," Timid cheered quietly. "Let's go say hi," Sweetie Belle suggested as the CMC rushed down to open the door to the clubhouse to see Spike, Twilight, and the new filly. "Good. Here they come," Twilight noted, the violet Alicorn noticing the CMC approach her as she turned towards Dawn Star, who was still reading, "Dawn Star...we have company." "...I'm sorry, what?" the Alicorn filly blinked as she looked up from her book on Pegasi. "We have company, look," Twilight repeated pointing to the CMC approaching. "...I see," Dawn Star noted as she turned back to her book, only for a slightly irritated Twilight to take it, "Hey! I wasn't finished with that!" "It's not a good idea to read all the time, and this is coming from somepony who loves to read," Twilight informed, causing Dawn Star to merely sigh as the CMC approached them "Hi girls." "Hi Twilight/H-Hello Hime-sama," Scootaloo and Timid Swallow greeted, the fillies bowing to her until Quirky looked up and saw Dawn Star. "Who's this filly, Princess Twilight?" Quirky asked. "Everypony, I'd like to introduce to you to Dawn Star. Dawn Star, say h...oh come on!" Twilight groaned when she saw Dawn Star read another book. "What?" Dawn Star asked before Twilight took the books away from her, "HEY!" "I'm trying to introduce you to (hopefully) your new friends, and you're being a bit rude," Twilight scolded the Alicorn filly. "Ano... she's shy?" Timid asked. "Not really… she's a bit too into books it seems… and strangely enough… I know how that feels," Twilight sighed. "I see...and you…?" Scootaloo began before Quirky zoomed past her and got close to Dawn Star. "Hi there! My name's Quirky! Nice to meet you Dawn Star! Ooh I can't wait to see what kind of fun we'll have together! Like maybe we'll make cupcakes, or visit a festival, or go swimming, or...or…!" "Okay Quirky, we get the picture," Scootaloo responded as she approached Dawn Star while Applebloom and Sweetie Belle moved the over-excited Quirky away a bit, "Sorry about her. She's a bit energetic at times." "Energetic? She seemed to be, if I got the term right, on a permanent sugar rush," Dawn Star pointed out. "Right… anyway, My name's Scootaloo. and you've already met Quirky," the orange pegasus filly giggled a bit. "A...ano...I...I'm…" Timid mumbled shyly. "...I'm sorry. I couldn't hear that," Dawn Star said to the shy filly. "Ano...I'm ...mid," Timid said a bit louder. "Still didn't catch that," Dawn Star stated again. "..." Timid gave of a squeaky, shy whimper as she hid behind Scootaloo. "Wow… Deja vu," Twilight noted. "Yeah…" Spike added as they watched the fillies interact with each other. "Ah'm Applebloom," applebloom introduced herself next before motioning to Sweetie Belle, "And this is Sweetie Belle." "Hi!" the Unicorn filly smiled. "Your other friend was still too quiet for me to hear," Dawn Star noticed. "Well...her name's Timid Swallow and...well...she's really shy," Scootaloo pointed out. "I see," Dawn Star noted. as she turned towards Twilight, "Are we done here? I'd like to get back to my books." "Oh boy…" Spike sighed. "We need a plan," Twilight whispered to him before an idea popped into her head, "And I think I got one," she then turned to Dawn Star, "Tell me Dawn Star, from all the books you've read, I'm sure you've heard of Princess Celestia and Luna, right?" "Y...yes! I know all about them! Like how they ruled Equestria together and created Harmony across the land, having the power to raise the sun and moon every day, defeated the evil spirit of Chaos, Discord and the dark king Sombra, and…" Dawn Star explained in a sort-a fangirlish way before Twilight raised her hoof, quieting the Alicorn filly. "You know your facts… well, what if I told you you can learn more than you can from books by learning how to make friends?" "...Really? How?" Dawn Star asked, having calmed down. "Simple. If you stay here and become friends with Scootaloo and her friends known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Twilight answered. "...that what now?" Dawn Star blinked. "They're this group who's goal is to get their Cutie Marks as a team," Twilight explained. "Really?" "Plus, you can discover the greatest kind of magic if you do," Twilight added. "The greatest kind of magic?" Dawn Star questioned. "Yes...but you'll have to figure what it is yourself," Twilight stated. Dawn Star nodded, and then gave a light bow before Twilight, the violet Alicorn giving a small nod as she and Spike began to leave the area. "You think it'll really work?" Spike whispered to Twilight. "I really used to wonder what friendship could be, until they all shared it's magic with me," Twilight replied with a small smile. "...I'll just take that as a yes," Spike sighed as the two left. "This could be great," Sweetie Belle smiled. Dawn Star then walked over to the group, and smiled a bit while thinking, 'So… I'll find the greatest kind of magic if I hang out with them… wonder what it is?' "Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Dawn Star!" Scootaloo smiled. "Th...thanks. So...what's first on our agenda?" Dawn Star asked. "Well we usually try and figure out what we can do to help somepony and hopefully earn our Cutie Marks," Sweetie Belle explained before sighing, "But we don't know what to do today…" "I see…" Dawn sighed before her stomach began to growl, "..." "There could be something else we can do…" Scootaloo pondered. "Maybe something to help satisfy your hunger," Quirky giggled, hearing Dawn's stomach growl. "Uh...y...yeah. I...really didn't eat breakfast this morning since I was busy reading books," Dawn Star sheepishly replied, "Is there anyplace in town for us to get something to eat?" "What about Sugarcube Corner?" Quirky suggested, "They should still have some muffins available." "Muffins? Are they any good?" Dawn asked, curious. "Eeyup. This one Pegasus comes in everyday to get some before she heads out to work," Quirky nodded before pondering, "I think her name was...Ditzy or Derpy Hooves." "Derpy Hooves," Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom replied in unison. "Yeah. That's the one!" Quirky stated as she smiled a bit, making that' Squee' noise again. "Anyway, let's go, maybe we can introduce you to the owners and Pinkie Pie," Sweetie Belle suggested as the six walked to Sugarcube Corner. "...Okay," Dawn Star nodded before she felt something crawl around in her bag," Huh? Who's…?" The fillies looked over as Dawn opened her bag and saw… "Mischief?!" the rest of the CMC gasped. "HI~" the miniature dragon waved as he jumped out of Dawn's bag and grew back to normal size, "You ladies weren't trying to leave without me...were you?" "W...wh...what the? W...who are you?!" Dawn Star asked, the Alicorn filly surprised by Mischief's sudden appearance. "A little mascot of ours, Mischief here is a baby dragon friend who showed up with Timid here," Apple Bloom explained. "I...I see. B...but how did he get in my bag?! And why was he so small?!" Dawn Star demanded. "Oh. That's easy...I'm the son of Discord," Mischief replied nonchalantly as he made a chocolate milkshake appear out of thin-air and began to...drink the glass? "...Yea… he's kinda confusing at times," Scootaloo sighed. "..." "..Dawn Star? Are you okay?" Applebloom asked the currently shaking filly. "I...If he's really DIscord's son...THEN WHY HAVEN'T THE PRINCESS' DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THIS?!" Dawn Star screamed in a panicked tone. "SHE DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HIM FOR THE MOST PART!" Scootaloo responded before calming down, "And besides, he's in our care for now." "Yeah...unless Timid uses…" Mischief paused before shuddering as he shrunk back down to small size and entered Timid's backpack, "'The Stare' on me." "...'The Stare'?" Dawn Star repeated, the Alicorn filly having calmed down. "It's a skill Timid and another pony, Fluttershy, can use to get animals to do what they want, and it's very good for convincing Mischief to behave," Scootaloo explained. "I see…" Dawn Star noted before her stomach growled again, "...Um...can we head over to this Sugarcube Corner place now? I'm still hungry." "Right," the others nodded as the CMC trotted to Sugarcube Corner, with the exception of Quirky who was hopping all the way. "Thank you, come again!" Pinkie waved to the two ponies leaving Sugarcube Corner. "Hiya Pinkie~!" Quirky's voice called out as the CMC arrived at Sugarcube Corner. "Oh! Hiya Quirky~!" Pinkie waved to the Dark-Green filly before she noticed Dawn Star, "...who's this?" "Oh, this is Dawn Star, a new Alicorn Pony Twilight found last night," Quirky answered, making Pinkie gasp as she dashed out of the room. "...What's with…?" Dawn Star began before the room was filled with streamers and balloons. "SURPRISE~!" Pinkie declared as she rushed in, holding a banner saying 'Welcome to Ponyville: Dawn Star!'. "..." Dawn Star blinked in confusion. "She's a party pony," Scootaloo explained to the confused Alicorn filly. "Ahh…" Dawn Star nodded before Pinkie got close to her face. "You must be really excited about living on Ponyville, aren't you?!" the party pony asked excitedly before she heard Dawn's stomach growl, "...you're hungry, aren't you?" "Yea, I'm hungry, but as for living in Ponyville… I don't know what to say about it," Dawn Star admitted before Pinkie zoomed out of the room and came back in, pushing a cart full of muffins. "What do you want to eat? We got Blueberry muffins, banana nut muffins, chocolate chip muffins, lemon poppy seed muffins, strawberry muffins, lemon supri...whooops! heh heh...that one's off limits," Pinkie chuckled sheepishly as she moved the muffins away from the tray. "Why's that?" Dawn Star asked. "You don't want to know," Pinkie, Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle replied, shivering a bit when they recalled what happened the last time Sugarcube Corner ran out of Lemon Surprise Muffins. "...Okay…" "Well, just give her any of the other muffins then, it looks like she can't decide right now," Quirky suggested to Pinkie. "Okey Dokey Lokey!" Pinkie nodded as she placed a plate with one Blueberry muffin and one banana nut muffin on a table before moving Dawn Star onto said table, "Enjoy!" A bit curious, Dawn sniffed the muffins before picking one up with her magic. "...Are they good?" Dawn Star asked the party pony out of curiosity. "Are they good?" Pinkie scoffed as if Dawn was kidding. "Are they good?" Quirky added in the same tone. "...Are they?" Dawn Star asked again. "Yea, try it!" Pinkie smiled. Dawn Star sniffed the muffin again and examined it a bit, making sure there wasn't nothing wrong with it. She then slowly took a bite of the blueberry muffin she was holding. After chewing a little bit, a large smile seemed to spread across her face. "Well?" Pinkie asked. "...Delicious!" Dawn Star cheered as she took another bite of the muffin, happily chewing. "YAY!" Pinkie and Quirky cheered. "I knew you'd enjoy it!" Quirky smiled. "Thank you," Dawn smiled, unknowingly doing so with her mouth still full of muffin before she swallowed it, "Is there any more?" "Yeah. Let me go check the back and see if there are any fresh ones!" Pinkie replied as she headed towards the kitchen to check. "Okay," Dawn nodded as she took another bite of her muffin. "Glad you're enjoying yourself, Dawn Star," Sweetie Belle smiled. "Yeah. Maybe after you're done, we can…" Applebloom began before somepony bumped into her, "Oops. Sorry. Ah didn't mean t…" she paused when she noticed the filly that bumped into her were none other than…*groans* Diamond Tiara, "Oh… it's you. Where's Silver Spoon?" "...I don't know who you're talking about, Blank Flank," Diamond Tiara snorted. "You two usually hang out with each other, don't you?" Sweetie Belle noted, referring to Silver Spoon. "Yeah well...after that incident at what was supposed to be my party, we decided to not talk to each other for a while," Diamond Tiara frowned, recalling what happened to her and her 'friend' at said party. "I see...why're you here, anyway?" Scootaloo asked with a frown. "Nothing you Blank Flanks would care abou-" Diamond Tiara started before she noticed Dawn Star and the fact that she had a lack of a Cutie Mark. "Well, what do we have here? An Alicorn Blank Flank? That's rare." "...Excuse me?" Dawn Star blinked, the Alicorn filly pausing from eating her muffin to look at Diamond Tiara. "Look at your flank. You don't have a Cutie Mark, and you're supposed to be an Alicorn. And aren't Alicorns supposed to be born with their Cutie Marks?" Tiara pointed out. "...May I ask who you are to judge me?" Dawn Star inquired, making Diamond Tiara gasp in how Dawn Star countered that. "Alicorns are all princess', even if we do not have castles. It's never a matter of Cutie Marks," she added as her presence suddenly had a majestic feel and frightening aura as well, "So Miss...Diamond Tiara was it? How dare you, how dare you insult your princess?!" "Uh...Uh…" Diamond Tiara gulped the spoiled filly shaking a bit in fear. "Show me some respect!" Dawn Star practically roared at Tiara, making the other CMC members gulp as well. "Wow... we finally have someone cool in our group," Mischief commented from his spot in Timid's backpack. "Yeah...and she can be really scary," Quirky gulped, the dark-green filly having heard what Mischief said. "No kidding," Scootaloo agreed as the other fillies nodded while Diamond Tiara was scared stiff. "So unless you want thee to turn thou into a lesser being, leave!" Dawn Star yelled, her voice slightly distorted in that last part. "..." Diamond tiara gulped as she ran out of there, screaming just as the aura surrounding Dawn Star disappeared. "...What just happened?" the Alicorn filly blinked before she noticed the semi-scared/gawking CMC, "Um...are you girls okay?" "...Y...Yea… it's just…" Scootaloo started, not sure what to say. "You just scared that big meanie, DIamond Tiara off!" Quirky yelled before covering her mouth. "...I did?" Dawn Star blinked in confusion. "Well…" the rest of the CMC started before they were suddenly quiet. "Well what?" "You...don't remember it happening...do you?" Applebloom asked. "No. The only thing I remember before blacking out was when that filly called you all Blank Flanks, whatever that is," Dawn Star replied. "It's not a good thing, either…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "Yeah...uh, Dawn Star? Can you excuse us for a moment?" Scootaloo asked the Alicorn filly before motioning the rest of the CMC to move outside. "Um...sure. I'm still eating breakfast anyway," Dawn Star nodded as she resumed eating her muffins. And so, the rest of the CMC made it outside where Dawn Star couldn't hear them. "...What's up, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked. "...I think we should tell Twilight about what just happened to Dawn Star back there," Scootaloo whispered, just to make sure Dawn Star wouldn't hear her. "Should we? What would she say?" Sweetie Belle responded. "I don't know...and I'm kinda worried. What if that other side of Dawn Star we saw eventually turned into something like Nightmare Moon?" "Well if she keeps scaring that meanie Diamond Tiara into the next few chapters, I say let her!" Quirky smiled. "This is serious, Quirky...from what we can tell, Dawn Star doesn't remember anything," Scootaloo stated. "Remember what exactly?" a voice asked, scaring the CMC as they quickly turned to see Dawn Star standing behind them, "...Plotting against me? When I sent that naive flank running? I thought you'd be grateful. Well...art thou?" "Uh…" "ART THOU?!" Dawn Star yelled, her voice distorted before her eyes widened when she saw how scared Timid and the others look, "...W...What did I just…?" "...W...We dunno," Scootaloo responded as Timid was whimpering in fear. "...T...Timid. I...I don't know what I did, but I apologize for…" Dawn Star began as she walked over to try and calm Timid own, only for the shy filly to back away, "..." she then looked and backed away from them all before her horn shined and she vanished. "Dawn Star, wait!" Scootaloo tried to call out to the Alicorn filly. "...Well...you blew it b…" Mischief began. "Not now, Mischief!" the CMC, including surprisingly Timid, snapped at the dragon, not wanting to deal with him at the moment. "Okay okay! Sheesh, you don't have to bite my head off," Mischief mumbled. "...So… what do we do now?" Quirky asked in worry. "...We go to Princess Twilight," Sweetie Belle sighed, "Hopefully she'll know what to do." "...They hate me," Dawn Star whimpered as she sat in a dark clearing within the Everfree Forest, tears dripping from her eyes, "I didn't mean to scare them...I don't even remember doing it…" "Just like before. They don't appreciate you," a voice spoke, startling the Alicorn filly. "W...who said that?!" Dawn Star gasped as she looked around for the source of the voice. "Look in the puddle right next to you," It instructed as Dawn Star did so and saw what looked like Nightmare Moon. "N...no way. Y...You're Nightmare Moon," Dawn Star gasped, recalling the book she read on the evil Mare of the Moon, "But...I thought you were…" "You misunderstand….I'm not Nightmare Moon. I'm not even a nightmare, I'm….you. The real you, the you that was before our...accident," 'Nightmare Moon' replied. "A...accident?" Dawn Star repeated. "I'm not surprised you don't remember. See, we had a kingdom. But it's been taken and as a result, we lost something important." "W...what? What did we lose exactly?" Dawn Star couldn't help but ask. "I'll share that with you another time. In the meantime, return to Sister Twilight. We did not end up in her care by accident," 'Nightmare Moon' stated, causing Dawn Star's eyes to widen. "S...sister?" Dawn Star repeated as 'Nightmare Moon's image faded from the puddle, "W...wait! Don't go! I want to learn more about my memory!" "Earn that right," was all she heard before the presence completely vanished. "...Earn that right…" Dawn Star repeated to herself, 'Wh...what did she mean by that exactly? Furthermore...just who am I reall...' "Dawn Star! Where are you?!" the Alicorn filly's ears perked up when she heard the familiar voices of the CMC and Twilight. "Oh no. It's them," she whimpered as she ran into the bushes to hide just as Twilight and the CMC came into the clearing. "I can't believe this," Twilight frowned as she looked at the CMC, "Why did you have to act so scared of her?" "It wasn't our fault she acted so scary all of a sudden," Quirky defended. "Did she ever once intentionally direct this scary persona at you all or to try and assist you?" Twilight asked. "...Well...she did kinda defended us when Diamond tiara was calling us Blank Flanks again. But...when she changed into that other persona...she scared us," Sweetie Belle stated. 'I knew it...they are scared of...' Dawn Star began sadly with a thought. "And that's why we're worried about her," Applebloom added, making the Alicorn filly's eyes widened in shock from her hiding space. 'They're….worried about me?' Dawn Star thought. "Of course we are, silly!" a voice giggled behind her, causing Dawn Star to turn her had to see Quirky staring right at her, "Hi." "KYA!" Dawn Star yelped as she jumped out of the bushes, "Where'd you come from?!" "Hmm… hard to say you mean my homeland? My house in Ponyville, or which member of Team Toku Sonic thought me up?" Quirky asked, causing the Alicorn filly to look at her strangely. "Wait..what? No! I mean how did you appear behind me!" Dawn Star slightly demanded. "Oh. I saw your horn slightly stick out of the bush you were hiding in, so I hopped in and wanted to surprise you," Quirky replied as she gave a small smile, making that' squee' noise again. Dawn Star sweatdropped at that before... "Quirky found Dawn Star!" Mischief shouted as he took on the shape of a siren, startling Dawn Star just as Twilight and the other fillies turned to see the Alicorn filly. "Dawn Star! What do you think you're doing out here?" Twilight asked as she gave Dawn Star a frown. "...I...I was hiding," Dawn Star replied sadly, causing Twilight to raise an eyebrow "Why?" Twilight asked. "I...I'm sure Applebloom and her friends told you what happened back at Sugarcube Corner, right?" Dawn Star asked. "Yes." Twilight nodded. "Well...it's just...before I came here...I..never had any friends...much less anypony to take care of me...You see, sometimes I black out...and when I recover...everypony looks at me in fear...and I don't even remember doing anything," Dawn Star replied with a sad sigh, "No matter where I went, it was the same thing...the only time I've ever truly felt happy was when I read books the library usually throws out…" "...So that's why you wouldn't look away from the books until I forced them off you," Twilight realized. "Yes...I didn't want to make any friends because...well...you already know why…" Dawn Star sighed as she got up, "I'll get whatever things I have at your place Twilight. After that, I'm leaving Ponyville." "...No." Twilight told her quickly as she moved in front of the filly. "Yes. I..don't want to end up scaring, or worse, hurt anypony," Dawn Star said sadly, looking down with her mane covering her teary eyes. "You do know only a princess can decide if another one should be banished from their castle, and my home is my castle and thus...you're confined to your quarters," "But...I don't have one…" Dawn Star sighed. "...You do now," Twilight stated, causing Dawn Star to look up at her with wide, yet still teary eyes, "Now come along...and we can discuss the rest of your punishment later. But for now..." she paused as she gave a small smile to Dawn Star, "Let's go and get your room set up." "...O...Okay," Dawn Star nodded before she turned to the CMC, "I...I'm sorry I scared you back there...and I understand you don't want to be friends with me anymore." "...What're you talkin' about? Of course we want to be friends with you," Applebloom smiled. "...R...Really?" Dawn Star asked, earning nods from the CMC, "But I...I scared you all so ba…" "We know you did, but you did a good thing with how you scared Diamond Tiara off," Scootaloo pointed out. "Yeah! You scared that meanie really good!" Quirky added with a small smile. "Yeah. Plus, it's really cool to be friends with an Alicorn!" Sweetie Belle added. "A...ano...I...I know...you didn't mean...to scare me D...Dawn-chan...s...so I forgive you," Timid added with a small smile of her own. "So...I...I really am...your friend?" Dawn Star asked, small tears forming in her eyes. "Of course!" Scootaloo nodded. Dawn Star didn't know how to react...her eyes started to tear up really quick as she tried her best to hold back a sob. But...she couldn't hold it any longer as she hugged all five fillies, tears flowing from her eyes as she cried. Inside her body, her heart was beating really fast, showing that Dawn Star was happy...happy to find her first, actual friends. (the next day) The five current members of the CMC were anxiously waiting for Dawn Star to arrive. "Oooh! I'm soooo excited!" Quirky smiled. "I know! I can't wait for Dawn Star to get here!" Sweetie Belle added with an excited squeal. "Not only will we have six members, but we even have an Alicorn as a friend!" Scootaloo added in excitement as well. "H...hai. Y-yay!" Timid added with a quiet cheer. "Speaking of whom, I can see her coming right now!" Applebloom responded, looking out the window. "And cue them gathering at the window in three...two...one…" Mischief counted down as the other four fillies gathered at the window to see Dawn Star approaching them. "Hi girls. Sorry I'm late, I guess I let my reading get the better of me last night and I ended up sleeping in," Dawn Star apologized. "It's okay Dawn Star. Now hurry and come up. We can't start your initiation without you!" Applebloom smile as she and the other Fillies pulled their heads back in. "Okay!" Dawn Star nodded as she used her wings to fly up to the doorway and used her magic to open the door and fly inside, "So this is where you meet, huh? Interesting." "Thanks. So...are you ready?" Scootaloo asked the Alicorn filly. "Yes, I'm ready," she nodded. "Cool. So Dawn Star, do you agree and swear to dedicate yourself to the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Scootaloo asked. "I do," Dawn Star nodded. "And do you swear to be one of us until the time arrives when you achieve your own Cutie Mark?" "I do." "Alright then...we, Scootaloo…" "Applebloom…" "Sweetie Belle…" "T….Timid Swallow…" "And Quirky…" "Welcome, Dawn Star, to...the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the five fillies declared in unison, Timid being a bit louder than her normal tone. "...Thank you so much," Dawn Star thanked, glad to be a part of the group. "It's no problem, Dawn Star. We're not only excited that you're a part of our group…" Scootaloo began with a smile. "But we're glad you're our friend as well," Applebloom added. Dawn Star just smiled at that as the five fillies there gave her a big hug. "Oi vey," Mischief whispered to himself before stating to the audience in a Brooklyn accent, "Any more of 'dis goily stuff and I might jest puke." The six fillies looked at Mischief in confusion, not sure how to react to what he just did. "Ooookay…?" Applebloom responded, breaking the silence. "...So… what do we do now?" Dawn Star asked, hoping to change the subject after the awkward silence. "Well...I did notice somepony needing help with some gardening this morning…" Quirky suggested, "Maybe if we help her out, we'll get our Cutie Marks!" "That sounds pretty promising," Applebloom noted. "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle added. "Shall we go for it, then?" Dawn Star asked. "Sure. but first…" Scootaloo began before whispering something into Dawn Star's ear. "...Do we have to?" the Alicorn Filly asked the orange, pegasus filly in a bit of confusion. "As Applebloom's big brother would say, eeyup," Scootaloo nodded. "...Okay," Dawn Star replied with a small smile. "Ugh...cue them shouting in three...two...one…" Mischief counted down as he put in a pair of ear plugs to mute it out. "Cutie Mark Crusaders: Gardening Helpers!" the six fillies declared as they rushed out of the clubhouse. "Finally," Mischief sighed with relief before rapidly setting up a hammock in the room before laying in it, wearing a tropical shirt and holding a glass of fruit punch, "Ahh...finally. A day to myself..and the best part...no pranks from Quirky...and no…" he began until he saw two ropes drop down in front of him, a sign saying 'pull the right one, and you win a prize. He attempts to reach out for the left one before he gained a small grin, "Oh...no. I'm not falling for that old trick. It's always the left one that gets ya...so this time...I'll go for the right!" he then pulled the right rope, causing a barrage of coconut cream pies to hit him, one with a note reading 'Gotcha Mischief' with a small image of Quirky on the bottom left corner, "...Darn you Quirky!" he then looked at the readers, "Well...good bye or whatever…" and then he began to walk away just as the screen goes blank, mumbling about revenge on a certain dark green filly before the sound of a pie hitting his face filled the air, Oh come on! Seriously?!" Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review if ya can
Night under the Stars"Alright. I call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to order," Scootaloo stated as the CMC were inside their clubhouse, "Now...roll call. Applebloom?" "Right here!" Applebloom responded. "Sweetie Belle?" "Present!" said filly raised her hoof. "Timid Swallow?" "A...Ano..r...right here," the shy pegasus filly raised her hoof shyly. "Quirky?" "Here here here!" Quirky smiled while bouncing. "Dawn Star?" "..." "...Uh...Dawn Star?" Applebloom whispered to the Alicorn, who was busy reading a book at the moment. "Huh? Oh! Uh...present!" Dawn Star replied as she put her book down. "Little slow due to that book of yours, I see," Scootaloo sighed. "Sorry. It's one of the books Twilight let me borrow last night," Dawn Star apologized. "..." Scoots just sighed again before looking at Dawn in the eye, "If you're gonna hang out with us, please do your best to lay off the books." "...Okay…" Dawn Star nodded before bringing her book back out, "Right after I read these next few pages." The CMC facefaulted at that. "...Ugh. Let me…" Mischief sighed as he snapped his fingers, making Dawn Star's book poof back to where it belongs, which was Twilight's Library. "Hey! I wasn't done reading that!" Dawn Star snapped. "Girl...you keep reading those books of yours and you'll turn into a bookworm," Mischief stated before poofing over to her and whispered into her ear, "And who knows? Maybe you'll meet...oops! Heh heh...almost spoiled it," he chuckled to himself before shrinking and poofing into Timid's backpack. "...Who was he trying to say?" Dawn wondered, confused. "Don't know..." Applebloom shrugged. "Ok… so… what do we do now?" Dawn Star asked. "Don't know...There has to be someway we can earn our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo replied before she looked at the others, "Does anypony have any ideas?" "Hmm...what if we...no no...we tried that a few weeks ago...what if...no no...we'd need a ladder for that…" Quirky mumbled to herself before an idea popped into her head, "I got it!" "What is it?!" the others asked in unison. "Well...shoot I lost it," Quirky sighed. "Man...this is hard…" Scootaloo noted. "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "...we need a mini-vacation," Sweetie Belle suggested, "And I know just the place too!" "Really?" "Yeah. I heard there's this one place not to far from Ponyville that looks absolutely beautiful at night," Sweetie Belle replied. "That sounds nice," Timid answered. "Yeah. If I guess right, we'll be there and be back in Ponyville before the weekend's over," Sweetie Belle added. "Nice. Of course...we'll need someone to look after us," Scootaloo stated. "Yeah...Like mah sister and her friends," Applebloom added. "A...ano...I...I can ask Onii-chan if h...he'd like to come along," Timid spoke up. "Oh oh! I can grab some snacks for the trip! Like cookies, cupcakes, chips, apples, candy, and...!" Quirky began excitedly before Scootaloo placed a hoof on her mouth to quiet the Dark-Green filly. "We get it Quirky…" Scootaloo chuckled a bit as she took her hoof off of Quirky's mouth, "Get what snacks you want, and we'll meet up outside Ponyville." "Okay/h...hai," the rest of the CMC nodded as they let the club house. (later that day) "Okay...that should be everything," Twilight noted as she checked everything off the list of things needed for the trip, "All we have to do is wait for Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Fluttershy. Once they get here, we'll be set for the trip." "Cool," Silver Hawk nodded as he carried a few backpacks, "This trip sounds like it might be fun." "Let's hope so...by the way...s...sorry for the way we acted when we were under the effects of the Love Poison," Twilight apologized with a small, sheepish chuckle. "Oh. Uh...i...it's fine," Silver Hawk replied, a small blush on her face when he recalled what happened on Hearts and Hooves day. "You sure Sugahcube? We uh...kinda got out of hand there," Applejack admitted. "Yea, I'm sure," Silver Hawk nodded. "...Very well...anyway…" Rarity began. "Oooh~! This is going to be fun fun fun!" Pinkie cheered as she hopped around excitedly with Quirky. "I know! We'll stay up all night telling stories, making smores, sleeping under the stars, this'll be the best...trip ever~!" Quirky squealed. "Y...Yes, dears... This trip will be fun...unless something were to happen," Rarity stated, mumbling that last part to herself. "DON'T SAY IT!" Quirky responded, somehow hearing that. "...Okaaaaaay," Rarity sweatdropped a bit before she noticed three certain Pegasi walk over to the group, "Oh...here comes Rainbow Dash now." "Hey everypony! Sorry I'm late," Dash replied as she motioned to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy had to finish packing a few extra things before we headed out." "S..Sorry everypony. I...I just wanted to…" Fluttershy began before she noticed Silver Hawk, "...S...S...Silver Hawk?" she stuttered, a heavy blush beginning to form on her face. "Oh… uh… hi Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk replied with a blush just as Scootaloo caught up. "H...hey guys. I'm ready to…" Scootaloo began before Fluttershy zoomed past her and hid behind Rainbow Dash, the shy mare trying to hide her heavily blushing face, "...go? Uh...is Fluttershy alright?" "Ugh...No. Ever since that incident with the Love Poison, Fluttershy's been acting even more shy than usual," Rainbow Dash replied. "I see…" Scootaloo noted with a sweat drop. "..M...maybe I should go," Silver Hawk spoke, using his wings to try and hide his blush as he began to leave. "W…wait!" Fluttershy spoke as she peeked her head out a bit from behind Rainbow Dash, "Y...you don't have to l...leave.." "You sure?" "Y….yes," Fluttershy nodded as he left her hiding place. "..O...okay," Silver Hawk answered, both he and Fluttershy trying their best to get rid of their heavy blush. "...well...this...kinda became awkward," RD noted with a sweatdrop before she turned to Twilight, "So uh...are we heading out now?" "Well, from what Sweetie Belle told me, we're headed to Star Tree Glade," Twilight replied as she used her magic to pick up her backpack, "So...without further delays, let's head out." And so they began their trek out of Ponyville to the place in question. During their walk there, both Fluttershy and Silver Hawk tried their best to not look at one another without blushing heavily. Of course...some of the others in the group noticed this a bit and looked either confused or (in Rarity's case) give out a small, quiet awe. "How cute," Rarity whispered. "What?" Applejack asked, having heard what Rarity said since she was walking right next to her. "Oh nothing," Rarity giggled a bit as she moved a bit further, leaving a confused Applejack. "Ooookaaay…" (a bit later) "Are we there yet, Twilight?" Pinkie asked the Violet Alicorn. "Pinkie, you and Quirky been asking ever since we left Ponyville, and I'll say it again, no we're not there yet," Twilight groaned. "Oh..okay!" Pinkie giggled a bit as she walked away from her friend and walked next to Fluttershy, who was still blushing, "Hi Fluttershy!" "Eep!" the shy mare yelped before looking at Pinkie, " O-oh. H...hi Pinkie." "Sorry for spooking you, Fluttershy." "I...It's okay, Pinkie," Fluttershy responded. "...Fluttershy? Can I ask you something?" Pinkie asked the shy Pegasus Mare. "Uh… well… okay." "Well...ever since we've let Ponyville, you've been acting really, and I mean REALLLLLLLY shy around Silver Hawk. So I have to ask...do you...like-like him?" Pinkie asked, making Fluttershy blush so hard, her entire body was a beet red. "W….w….what?" Fluttershy managed to squeak out. "Well you see…" Pinkie started before Rarity, who had overheard what she said, rushed over and placed her hoof over Pinkie's mouth. "Pinkie, darling, please don't rush her, okay?" Rarity responded, earning a nod from Pinkie. "Th...thank you, Rarity," Fluttershy whispered as her blush began to die down. "No problem, dear," Rarity nodded before whispering to Fluttershy, "And don't worry. You're secret's safe with me." "...O…okay," Fluttershy nodded as they continued walking. "So have you been to this Star Tree Glade Sweetie spoke of?" Scootaloo asked Rarity. "No...but I did hear of a really romantic rumor about the fruit that grows there. They say that if two ponies that truly care for one another share a bite of the fruit...their hearts will be connected…forever," Rarity explained before giving off a small, romantic sigh. Both Silver Hawk and Fluttershy, both Pegasi overhearing the explanation, froze up at that, the heavy blush returning even more for Fluttershy. "You ok, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked, earning no response from the shy Pegasus Mare. "O...Onii-chan? D...Daijoubu?" Timid asked, waving a hoof over her brother's face to see if she could get a response from him. "Huh?" Silver Hawk responded in one second as he recovered from his temporary frozen state, "D...did you say something, Timid?" "...You… ano...f...froze up there w...when Rarity-san w...was t-talking about th...that fruit," Timid replied with a stutter. "What fruit?" Silver Hawk blinked in confusion. "...ano…n-nevermind." "...okaaay," Silver Hawk blinked a bit before looking up at the sky, which was beginning to darken, "It's almost night time, so why don't we try and find a spot to rest?" "Good thinking," Twilight agreed as she spotted a clearing not too far from their location, "Let's rest there." With that, the group headed for the clearing and prepared to settle in for the night. "I was hoping we'd arrive at the Star Tree Glade tonight," Sweetie Belle sighed as she and the rest of the CMC tried to set up their tent. "Sorry about that, Sweetie," Rarity apologized as she decided to help out. "I...It's okay, sis. Maybe we can find it again next week," Sweetie Belle replied with a small, sad smile, 'I was really hoping to see that place before the weekend was over.' "...Tell you what. After everypony is done setting their tents up, we'll make something to snack on before heading for bed. How's that sound?" Rarity asked her little sister, hoping to cheer the filly up a bit. "...Okay," Sweetie Belle nodded, still feeling a bit down. "...I really am sorry we couldn't find it tonight, Sweetie Belle. In truth…" Rarity began as she finished helping the CMC set up their tent, "I was hoping to see the Star Tree Glade myself." This made Sweetie Belle smile a bit...before her and Rarity's stomachs began to growl, making both Unicorn's blush in embarrassment. "...W...why don't we take a break?" Rarity asked her sister. "Good idea," Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yea," the others agreed. (Later) "..." Dawn Star blinked a bit as she and the others were sitting around a campfire, the Alicorn filly staring at the food before her, "...Twilight?" "Yes Dawn Star?" Twilight responded as she turned her head to look at the filly. "What's this?" Dawn Star asked, pointing at the food before her, "I know we cooked those Marshmallows, but why is it mushed between some chocolate and two graham crackers?" "...It's called a S'more, Dawn Star," Twilight replied. "S'more?" Dawn Star questioned, not sure what Twilight meant. "Don't worry, I was as confused/curious as you were when I first made them," Twilight told the Alicorn filly. "...I...is it good?" Dawn Star asked curiously. "It sure is," Twilight nodded, taking a bite of her S'more. Dawn Star looked unsure about eating the combination of foods before her, but she just picked it up with her magic and brought it to her mouth. She was about to take a bite before… "Hey!" "Kya!" Dawn Star yelped as she fell onto her back, causing her S'more to land on her face. "Dawn Star, can you...uh...oopsey," Quirky blinked when she noticed Dawn Star giving her an irritated look, her face covered in what used to be her S'more, "Heh heh...sorry." Dawn was about to growl when she started licking the S'more off her face, and was surprised by the taste. "...Tasty," the Alicorn filly admitted. "See, I told you," Twilight giggled before she noticed Fluttershy not eating her S'more, "...Fluttershy?" "Uh… y-yes?" Futtershy asked, the shy mare snapping out of her trance. "Are...you okay? You haven't eaten your S'more yet," Twilight stated. "S...sorry. I...was thinking a...about something," Fluttershy answered, a small blush on her face as she took a small bite of her S'more. "About what?" "...N...Nothing!" Fluttershy squeaked out as she used her wings to hide her blushing face. "Oh, sorry." Twilight apologized. "I...It's okay…" Fluttershy replied, still using her wings to hide her face, "W...why don't we d-do something else?" "Like what?" Dawn Star asked. "Ooh! I know I know! How about a…" Quirky began when she pulled a flashlight out of nowhere and shined under her face and aid in a spook tone, "A Scaaaaaaary story~? Because it's not a camping trip with one~" This suddenly got Fluttershy and Timid Swallow shaking nervously. "...Uh...why don't we try something else?" Silver Hawk suggested, seeing how scared his little sister and Fluttershy were acting, "I mean...we could still try and tell stories. Just...no scary ones. Okay?" "...Fair enough," Quirky sighed as she put her flashlight away. "Maybe next time," Pinkie Pie assured. "Yeah…" Quirky sighed before she cheered back up, "So...who wants to go first?" "If you don't mind, I have a story to tell; it's about Star Tree Glade, and there's actually an interesting story behind it," Rarity answered, getting everypony's attention. "We're listenin'," AJ said. "Okay then. Years ago, back when Ponyville was still being built, there were two ponies that loved each other very much. But...back then, there were some Pegasi and Unicorns that were still bitter towards one another, so the two lovers, which happened to be a Pegasi and Unicorn, met up in a special spot every night to see each other. That spot just happened to be Star Tree Glade. These two ponies dubbed it this because not only of how beautiful it looks at night, but also due to some star shaped leaves and fruit some of the trees have. Also, if anyone wasn't paying attention to what I said earlier when we were walking, there's something really interesting about the fruits that grow in the Star Tree Glade. They say that if two Ponies share one of those fruits, their hearts will be connected forever." "Connected?" RD raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wh...what do you mean by that?" Timid Swallow asked. "Well...what I mean is...even if the two who share the fruit were separated from each other, or if something happened to either of them, they'll always be together in eachother's hearts," Rarity explained. "Aww~" some of the other ponies smiles, thinking how sweet of a story that sounded. "I know...oh! And one last thing. They say every 30 moons, you can see the spirits of the two lovers, still sharing their love for one another," Rarity added before giving off a small, romantic sigh. "Sounds sweet," Sweetie admitted. "Y...yeah. I...it is," Fluttershy added with a stutter, the shy Mare looking a bit at Silver Hawk before turning away with a heavy blush on her face. "Are you okay, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked as she looked at the shy Mare. "Y...yes! L...let's just hear another st...story, o..okay?" Fluttershy responded, hoping to change the conversation. "Um… okay…" Twilight nodded, "So, who's got another story?" "I think I got one," RD spoke. "...It wouldn't happen to involve Daring Do, would it?" "Uh...no?" "Just checking." "Right. Hmm…" Rainbow Dash began to ponder a bit, trying to think of a good story to tell until she thought of the perfect one, "Anypony here ever heard of FireFly?" "...No. I believe we haven't," Twilight admitted with everypony else nodding in agreement. "Well...if you thought I was fast, think again. FireFly was the fastest Pegasus who ever lived. They say she could go so fast, she could blow away an entire hurricane!" "Wow!" Scootaloo gawked. "That's SOOOOO cool!" Pinkie Pie awed. "Heck yeah it was!" Rainbow Dash grinned as she gazed up at the sky, "Nopony knows where she is now...but they say if you see a light-blue and pinkish fireball-like streak across the sky, it's probably her." "Really?!" Quirky asked in awe. "Really really. In fact…" RD began with a small smile, the rainbow-maned pegasus still looking up at the night sky, "Someday...I hope to meet her..." "So COOL!" Scootaloo squealed in excitement, the Pegasus filly already imagining her idol/big-sister figure racing against FireFly. "Okay okay...settle down, Scootaloo," Twilight giggled a bit as she turned back to the other ponies, "So..anypony else want to tell a story, or is that it?" Later As Pinkie was ready to tell another story, Timid yawned and looked like she would fall asleep any second. "...Why don't we end things off? It's getting pretty late after all," Silver Hawk suggested. "But we're not…" Scootaloo began before she began to yawn. "C'mon, you six, Silver Hawk's right; it is getting late," AJ stated as she helped Applebloom over to the CMC's tent. "Yeah...we'll see you in the morning," Rainbow Dash added as she picked up the tired Scootaloo and carried her over to the tent as well. "Yes, quite right," Rarity added as she did the same with Sweetie Belle. "Yeah…" Pinkied added, the pink, party pony doing the same with Quirky. "Sleep tight now," Twilight smiled as she did the same with Dawn Star, but as Fluttershy was about to do it with Timid Swallow, Silver Hawk walked over too and accidentally bumped into her. "Oops! G...gomen, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk apologized, a small blush on his face. "I...it's okay," Fluttershy stuttered, a small blush on her face as well own before both of them decided to take Timid Swallow over together, "...G...Gomen…" "Hmm?" Silver Hawk blinked as he turned his head towards her, "About what?" "A...about...w-what happened o...o-on Hearts and Hooves day," Fluttershy said, her blush increasing. "...O...oh! It...it was nothing. You couldn't help it," Silver Hawk replied, his blush increasing a bit as well. "...I...I guess…" Fluttershy stuttered a bit as she and Silver Hawk arrived at the CMC's tent, "I...I'll t-tuck T..timid in i...if that's okay." "S...sure," Silver Hawk nodded as he watched Fluttershy carry a tired Timid inside, 'I can see why Timid likes to visit her everyday...she's really nice and caring. N..not to mention, sh...she's really pr...ack! N..no! c..calm down, Silver Hawk. Sh..she's just a friend...a really...really...really kind friend.' He just continued to watch before seeing Fluttershy gave a slight hug too Timid before the shy mare gently placed Timid in her sleeping bag. "Good night, Timid," Fluttershy whispered even more quietly than usual. "G...good night…" Timid replied in a sleepy tone as she fell asleep. It wasn't much longer until Fluttershy and Silver Hawk walked back out of the CMC's tent. "Th...thanks for tucking T...Timid in, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk spoke, breaking the silence between the two. "Oh… i...it… was nothing," Fluttershy responded with a blush. "Y...yeah…" Silver Hawk nodded with a blush, "Uh...d...do you w...want t...to look at the stars a b...bit more before w...we head for bed?" "G...Good idea," Fluttershy answered as she and Silver Hawk sat down and looked up at the night sky, "...It…It looks very… nice out." "Y...yeah. I...It does," Silver Hawk nodded, 'Come on..try and say something else...' "S...so...T...Timid's starting to t...take a sh...shining to you, F...Fluttershy-san." "Really? Oh… my…" "Y...yeah. I...I think she sees you l...like a big sister.." Silver Hawk added, "A...and I can see why. y...you're really kind and sweet." "..." Fluttershy only smiled, a blush increasing across her face as she unconciously moved a bit closer to him, "A...A...Arigatou…" "...You're welcome…" Silver Hawk smiled back in response, a blush increasing across his face as well. They just remained silent, looking up at what starry sky was visible from the ground. It was then both Fluttershy and Silver Hawk's left front hooves unconsciously touch each other, causing the two to snap out of their little daze and move their hooves back a bit. "G...gomen," both pegasi apologized as they looked away from one another, the blush on their faces increasing more. They just sheepishly looked at each other until Silver decided to return to his tent until something caught his eye. "...Nani?" the Snow-white Pegasus blinked as he walked over to a nearby tree and looked up, seeing a star-shaped fruit hanging from it, 'A Star shaped fruit? Why...wait. Rarity-san said these grow in the Star Tree Glade. So..does that mean…?'' "I...is everything okay?" Fluttershy asked as she walked over to him before she noticed the fruit as well. "A… a star-shaped fruit? Does… does that mean…?" "Yeah...I think this place is actually…" Silver Hawk began before he noticed the clouds covering the night sky began to move away, revealing the full moon as it shined down on the Mane 6 and CMC's camping site, and somehow, the light was enough to wake everypony up. "What's going on?" Scootaloo yawned as she and the rest of the CMC poked their heads out of the tent. "I don't know...but it...got...bright.." Sweetie Belle replied slowly before she noticed the trees beginning to sparkle a bit, almost like they had miniature stars shining on them. "Oh my… can it be…?!" "It...it is!" Rarity gasped as she walked out of her tent, "T...Twilight! W...we found it! This..this is the Star Tree Glade!" "Really?" Twilight asked as she and the other mares came out and were all impressed by what they saw. "Wow...pretty," Pinkie Pie awed. "Ah'll say..." Applejack added. "Awesome…" Rainbow Dash added. "Ugh...what's going on out here?" Mischief's voice began as he poked out of the CMC's tent, a sleeping cap on his head, "Can't a dragon get...some...woah." It was obvious everypony was amazed by the sight of the Star Tree Glade. "S...sugoi…" Silver Hawk awed with Fluttershy, both pegasi unaware that they were standing close to each other, and they didn't even notice the one star fruit drop near them. "H...hai…" Fluttershy agreed before she saw something in the corner of her eye. She then tapped Silver Hawk on the shoulder, catching his attention as she pointed forward. Silver Hawk looked at the direction she was pointing at and saw two, transparent ponies staring at one another lovingly before they lovingly nuzzled against each other. "...Suge…" he gasped, recognizing it was the couple Rarity spoke of in her story. "..." Fluttershy was about to say something before smiling a bit, seeing how the others were too busy gazing at the trees, not noticing the couple, 'No...I don't want to ruin this moment...' she then looked a bit at Silver Hawk, who was watching the couple with a small smile, 'E...Especially s...since I h...have him to share it with.' Then, Silver Hawk turned to see the star fruit that had fallen onto the ground. He then picked it up and looked at it a bit before looking over at Fluttershy, a blush forming on his face, knowing the story behind the fruit. "...F...Fluttershy-san?" Silver Hawk spoke quietly. "Y...yes?" Fluttershy replied as she turned to face him...but not before blushing when she saw the fruit Silver hawk was holding, "Wh...where did you…?" "I...it must've fallen down the tree while we were looking at the trees," Silver Hawk replied. "I… I see…" "...y...you w...want to...t...try it?" Silver Hawk asked, the blush on his face increasing. "EH?! R-Really?" Fluttershy gasped quietly, her face blushing like mad. "Y...yeah...y...you know. T...to see if that part of Rarity-san's st...story is true," Silver Hawk replied, his blush increasing. "Uh… okay…" Fluttershy blushed as Silver Hawk broke the fruit into two pieces. and handed the shy mare the other half. "W...well….h-here goes nothing," Silver Hawk stuttered. Fluttershy nodded before both took a bite of the fruit. "...A...anything?" Silver Hawk asked. "...N...no. I...I don't f..feel anything," Fluttershy replied with a small, stutter. "Maybe it's not immediate." "M...maybe…" Fluttershy shrugged. "Y...yeah…" Silver Hawk nodded before he and Fluttershy gazed back over at the couple, who began to disappear, "W...well...t...tonight turned out to be…" "A...Amazing?" Fluttershy asked. "Y...yeah...that," Silver Hawk noted. "That was great!" Sweetie smiled. "Yeah...I don't think I'll never forget this night...ever," Dawn Star added. "Not by a long shot," Scootaloo agreed. "Yeah...too bad we don't have a camera..." Quirky sighed a bit. "Yea…" Applebloom sighed as well. "H...hai…" Timid added. "Well, as beautiful as this is, we should get to bed now," Twilight figured. "Yea…" Dawn agreed yawning. "Hey Fluttershy. Ya comin'..." Rainbow Dash began before Rarity shushed her. "Keep it down for now, Dash," Rarity replied. "Oh right..sorry," Rainbow Dash apologized as she flew over to her tent. Rarity just smiled as the other mares walked to the tent, leaving Fluttershy and Silver Hawk sitting in the moonlight. "...It's a lovely night out…" Silver Hawk admitted. "Yeah...it really is," Fluttershy agreed.. "...m...maybe we can d...do this again again sometime?" Silver Hawk asked, a small blush on his face." "H...Hai… maybe…" Fluttershy agreed with an equally small blush before she began to yawn, "...I...I guess I'll s...see you in the morning." "Hai… g'night, Fluttershy-san…" Silver Hawk replied as he walked over to his tent. "G...good night...S...Silver Hawk-k...kun," Fluttershy smiled, saying that last part quietly as she walked back over to her tent as well. (the next day) The group woke up to see the Glade looked great during the day, yet admittedly not as wonderful as it was at night. "Well, that was a fun trip, but I think it's time we head home now," Twilight noted as she used her magic to place her supplies back in her backpack. "Agreed. After all, Sweetie Belle and her friends have school tomorrow," Rarity stated. "Good point," Scootaloo agreed as she and the rest of the CMC were also packing up. "Yeah. I hope we can have another camping trip soon," Sweetie Belle said. "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "H...hai. I...I'd like to s-see the trees sparkle like last night again. D...demo...w...we need to head home," Timid added with a stutter. "Me too, that was just so gorgeous! Like remember when we saw the two ponies in love with each other in the moonlight?" Quirky smiled. "Yeah. That...wait," Scootaloo blinked as she and the rest of the CMC looked at the dark-green filly in confusion, "We didn't see them last night, Quirky." "You didn't?" Quirky tilted her head in confusion. "No." "...Oh. It must've just been me, Timid's brother, and Fluttershy who saw them then," Quirky shrugged as she finished packing her stuff. "Eh?" Silver Hawk gawked as he and Fluttershy overheard what Quirky said. "Y...You saw them, too?" Fluttershy asked as she and Silver looked at the Dark-Green filly. "Yep," she nodded, "I noticed them while everypony else was looking at the trees and stars last night." "Huh…d...did you happen to see anything else last night?" Silver Hawk asked, a small blush on his and Fluttershy's face as they recalled what happened last night. "...No. What else happened?" Quirky asked, tilting her head cutely in confusion. "N...nothing. J...just asking," Silver Hawk chuckled nervously a bit before letting out a mental sigh of relief with Fluttershy doing the same. "..." Quirky just blinked at that before shrugging, "Ok…" This allowed Fluttershy and Silver Hawk smiled as they resumed packing their things. "Okay… I see we're all packed, let's get going," Twilight spoke as the group began to leave. And it actually didn't take the group long to return to Ponyville, most of the group returning to their homes once they got back, which was lucky since it was almsot night time once again. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing each other tomorrow," Scootaloo figured with the rest of the CMC as they wanted to meet up before returning home. "Yeah. See you tomorrow, guys," Dawn Star said as she followed Twilight home. "Same here…" Sweetie Belle added as she did the same, following her sister. "Bye everypony. See you all at school tomorrow!" Quirky waved as she left with Pinkie. "Goodbye. Hope to see ya tomorrow," Applebloom added as she left with her sister as well. "Ano… s-sayonara," Timid added before leaving with her brother before said, snow-white pegasus turned his head to Fluttershy. "A...ano...B...bye, Fluttershy-san," Silver Hawk said, a small blush on his face as he and Timid resumed walking home. "B...bye," Fluttershy nodded, a small blush on her face as well before she returned to her home in the woods. "Ready to head home?" Rainbow Dash asked Scootaloo. "Yep," she nodded before Scootaloo hopped onto Dash's back and Dash flew her home. (a bit later) Later, Scootaloo and Dash were brought back to the filly's home. "Well, here we are," Dash smiled as Scoots hopped off. "Thanks for the ride home," Scootaloo thanked her idol/big-sister figure. "No prob, Squirt," Rainbow Dash nodded before seeing Scootaloo trying to reach for the doorknob, a key in the young filly's mouth, "...Need some help there?" "No no...I got it...I almost got…" Scootaloo began before her wings gave out, causing her to fall to the ground, "...yes." Rainbow just nodded as she took the key, unlocked the door and opened it for Scootaloo. "There you go, Scoots," Dash told her, "Now hurry inside before your parents get home." "..." "...What's wrong?" RD asked when she saw the saddened look on the filly's face. "N...nothing. G...good night," was all Scootaloo said as she closed the door. "...Weird…" RD blinked before she began to ponder, 'Why did she look like that when I mentioned her parents? In fact...I don't think I've ever seen her parents before...' Dash just sighed, not sure what else to do before she began to leave, but not before taking one last look at Scootaloo's home, a concerned look on her face. And so she just flew off towards her home with the same concerned look. She then began to leave before she noticed a note on the ground. "Hmm? What's this?" the rainbow-maned Pegasus blinked before she bent down and looked at the note, "...'Please...take care of...my baby?' What pony would leave this here, and who's it for?" Unaware to her, a cloaked figure was watching nearby from the bushes before the figure looked at Scootaloo's home, a look of regret in her eyes as she began to walk away. Author's Note You like? Read, like, and review if ya possibly can. Also, before anyone ask, the first few chapters of this takes place before teh season 4 finale, and..well, the 'Firefly' thing here is a bit different than the one Twilight explained about in the episode 'Testing Testing 1 2 3'
The Alicorn's Apprentice"Finally… I thought today would never end," Scootaloo yawned a bit after school had ended for the day, she and her friends walking along the streets of Ponyville. "Why? I thought today's lesson was informative," Dawn Star spoke. "Yeah...but today's lesson wasn't that exciting to tell you the truth," The orange Pegasus filly stated. "What do you mean?" "...Well..." Scootaloo began before a stray poster hit her in the face, "Hey, what the?!" "What's that?" Dawn Star asked. "I don't know...but can somepony get this thing off me?!" Scootaloo grunted as she tried to get the poster off her face. "Here," Dawn Star replied, using her magic to get the poster off Scootaloo's face. "Thanks, Dawn Star," Scootaloo nodded as she began to look at what was on the poster. "What does it say?" Quirky asked as she poked her head over Scootaloo's shoulder to get a better look. "'In two days, prepare to see the rebirth of Equestria's greatest and most powerful Unicorn ever, The Great and Powerful Trixie,'" Scootaloo read before blinking a bit, "...Hold on. is that the name of that Unicorn that tried to show Twilight up?" "Yea… I think so…" Sweetie Belle nodded. "Who's this Trixie, exactly?" Dawn Star asked. "Yea/Y-Yea," Quirky and Timid added. "Oh… that's right, you three weren't around when that happened," Applebloom remembered. "W...when what h-happened?" Timid asked. "It's a long story…" Scootaloo sighed before she looked at Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, "We need to tell Twilight about this." "Yeah," the two fillies nodded as they and Scootaloo left for Twilight's place. "Wait? What exactly happened with this 'Trixie' character?!" Quirky yelled as she, Dawn Star, and Timid followed after them. Unbeknownst to the CMC, there was a particular unicorn pony walking around; her coat was a brilliant shade of azure, her mane being a pale cornflower blue, while her eyes, which sparked with determination as she looked at herself in a small mirror, were a dark grayish violet. Her Cutie Mark showed a wisp of magic leading up to a magic wand with a star-shaped tip. "They may have laughed at Trixie before...they may have 'forgiven' her last time...but soon I 'The Great and Powerful Tr~ixie will soon be reborn and show everypony that Trixie is the greatest unicorn in all off Eque-kya!" the Unicorn yelped as the CMC accidently bumped into her, causing the azure unicorn to stumble into a small puddle of water. "Sorry ma'am. We weren't…." Applebloom began before she noticed who she and her friends bumped into, "...uh oh." "What?" Dawn Star and Quirky asked, confused. "Grr...why don't you brats watch where you're go…!" Trixie paused, about to snap at who bumped into her before she saw the six fillies staring at her, "..." "I… Is that…?" Dawn Star started. "Yeah...that's Trixie," Sweetie Belle replied. "Oh?" Trixie blinked a bit for grinning as she got up, "So you've heard of The Great and Powerful Tr~ixie then?" "...Uh… well… a little…" "I see...then you must know that Trixie is the greatest, most powerful Unicorn who ever lived!" Trixie declared dramatically as she used her magic to make the area behind her explode in magical energy for dramatic effect. Quirky couldn't help but sweatdrop at this. "No need for such theatrics…" she muttered. "Yeah…" Sweetie Belle agreed with a small sweatdrop, "And to tell you the truth...Twilight's a much better magic user than you. And she doesn't have to show it off." "...Twilight?" Trixie repeated as her grin turned into a frown, "As in…'Twilight Sparkle'?" "Yea, that's right," Applebloom nodded before she and Sweetie Belle gulped at the glare Trixie was giving them. "Don't...ever...mention her name around Trixie! She has humiliated Trixie...twice! And Trixie will never forgive her for that!" the azure unicorn snapped. "...Uh… you might as well make it three if I'm guessing this correctly," Dawn Star figured before the rest of the CMC tried to shush her. "Three? What do you mean 'three?'" Trixie demanded with a frown, the unicorn not noticing Dawn Star was an Alicorn. "Forget what she said. Now if you'll excuse us… we gotta go," Scootaloo replied. "Yeah. We uh...have to meet Somepony," Sweetie Belle added as the CMC began to walk away from Trixie. "...You still haven't answered Trixie's question," the azure unicorn frowned at them. "We'll answer that later!" Scootaloo shouted back as the CMC ran for it. "Get back here and answer Trixie's question!" Trixie yelled as she gave chase. "Is that everything Spike?" Twilight asked. "Yep, that's pretty much everything," Spike confirmed after he placed the last book back on the shelf. "Cool. Thanks Spike," Twilight smiled at him before she heard Somepony knocking on the door...really fast, "Hm? Who could that be?" "Either somepony panicking and needs some help…" Spike began before shivering a bit ,"Or Pinkie Pie on another sugar frenzy." "TWILIGHT! LET US IN!" they heard five fillies scream. "I'm guessing it's the former," Twilight figured, opening the door quickly to let the fillies, who turned out to be the CMC, inside, before shutting the door, "What's going on?" "No time! Hide us!" Scootaloo yelped as she, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, Quirky, and Timid ran into the closet to hide. "...Uh...you wouldn't happen to know, do you?" Twilight asked Dawn Star, who was almost as confused as Twilight was. "Well...we were running from this azure unicorn who really doesn't like you," Dawn Star answered, "If I remember right...I think her name was Trixie." "Ugh…not her again. Hasn't she come here enough?" Twilight groaned, 'I thought she'd learn her lesson after what happened last time she was in Ponyville.' "...You've met her before?" Quirky asked as she poked her head out from the closet. "Yea, it's a long story, though," Twilight replied before she heard somepony slamming on the front door. "That's her!" Scootaloo gasped, pulling Quirky back into the closet and closing it tightly. "Hold on...it could be anypo…" Twilight began. "Whoever lives in here, let the Great and Angry Trixie in this instant!" "Nevermind…" Twilight mumbled before she began to use her magic to open the door. However, before she could do that, the door was forced open by an angered Trixie. "Finally! Now tell Trixie where those six fillies are this instant or I'll…!" she started before realizing who partially opened the door for her. She then went slack-jawed once she saw Twilight's wings, "...Sp...Sp..Sparkle?!" "What? You acted like you never seen an alicorn before, Trixie," Twilight responded, spreading her wings. "Wha...bu...h...how did…" Trixie gawked before smacking herself out of her shocked state, "How are you an Alicorn?!...You cast a spell on yourself...didn't you?!" "Nope." "...You're lying! There's no way those wings are real!" Trixie growled as she glared at Twilight. "If you don't believe me, touch them and see for yourself," Twilight insisted, trotting over. "...Fine. Trixie will humble you with your request, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie snorted as she lifted one of her hoofs up to touch one of Twilight's wings. The moment her hoof touched Twilight's wing, Trixie went slack-jawed once again, seeing as it was real..and not something made by magic. "See?" "...Wh...how did...how?! How are you an Alicorn?!" Trixie demanded. "My training and studies under the princess." "...Princess?" Trixie repeated before she had a feeling who Twilight was talking about, "As in...Princess Celestia?" "That's right," Twilight confirmed with a nod. "...Impossible. Th...there's no way the princess would...would...Trixie demands you tell her how you're the princess' student this instant!" Trixie demanded as she glared at Twilight. "The princess just selected me when I was a little filly," Twilight explained, though she noticed Trixie was still frowning at her, "...It's going to take more to convince you...won't it?" "No...but since Trixie's not doing anything at the moment, she'll humble you by listening," Trixie answered. "Okay…" Twilight sighed before further explaining how she became an alicorn along with why Princess Celestia did what she did. "...I see...and what of Princess Luna? Does she have an apprentice by any chance?" Trixie asked. "...Not that I know of… but after what she went through, I don't think she would be too willing to take on an apprentice right away," Twilight answered. "...So you're basically saying...is that Luna doesn't have an apprentice." "Yes...but I'm trying to warn you that…" Twilight began. "Enough. Trixie has heard all she needs to hear from you,Twilight Sparkle," Trixie grinned as she turned around and began to leave, "Technically, Trixie was going to perform a show, but after hearing this, Trixie is off to Canterlot to ask Luna if I can become her assistant!" "No! Trixie, wait...and she's gone," Twilight sighed when she saw the Unicorn was too far away to listen...not that it would help since she was in her own, little world right now. "...Is she gone?" Scootaloo asked from the closet. "...She is," Twilight answered, and with that, the CMC exited the closet feeling greatly relieved. "What the heck was going on out here?" Dawn Star asked. "Nothing...except Trixie's going into get in trouble if we don't stop her," Twilight explained as she turned to Spike, "I want you to look after the place until I get back, okay? And if you see Applejack and the others wondering where Applebloom and her friends went, tell them they're with me." "You got it, Twilight," he nodded. And with that, Twilight led the CMC out of the library. "But… why are we going to help her, especially after what she did to you?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I remember… but I don't want her to do anything she'll regret," Twilight answered. "Huh?" Applebloom gawked in confusion. "Just trust me," Twilight informed. "...Okay…" Applebloom replied. "But how do we catch up to her?" Sweetie Belle asked, "She's probably at the Train Station by now." "Yea, and none of us are fast enough to catch up with her," Scootaloo added. "Hmm...well...I could try a teleportation spell...but I don't how much energy it'll take since the Train Station is a bit far from here," Twilight noted, "Still, we need to hurry and catch up with Trixie, and it's our only option so far." "We're ready then, Princess," Dawn Star replied, stepping forward, surprising the rest of the CMC. "Y….you sure th-that's a good idea, Dawn Star-san?" Timid asked with a stutter. "Like Twilight said, it's our only option, not to mention we don't want to suffer the wrath of another Princess. ...So come over here," Dawn Star stated. "Uh… r-right!" Scootaloo nodded, taking the initiative. "I'm ready too," Sweetie Belle added. "Same here," Applebloom nodded as the original CMC joined their friend. "As Pinkie would say, 'Okie-dokie-lokie!'" Quirky smiled, hopping over, leaving Timid Swallow apart from the others. "What about you, Timid?" Scootaloo asked. "...A..ano...I...I'm k...kinda…" Timid stuttered. "...Timid. It'll be alright..trust me," Twilight said to the shy filly with a reassuring smile. "...o...Okay, T..Twilight-san," Timid nodded as she shyly walked over and joined the others. "Okay then. Get close together now," Twilight instructed. "Okay, Twilight," Applebloom nodded as she and the rest of the CMC gathered closely around Twilight. "Okay, here goes…" Twilight replied as she closed her eyes to focus as her magic aura appeared around her horn. Once she gathered enough magic, she used it to teleport herself and the CMC out of the area. =At the Train Station= Trixie was waiting on the platform, looking at her ticket to Canterlot as her train came up. "Finally...Trixie didn't know how long she had to wait…" the azure unicorn mumbled to herself as she walked up to one of the passenger cars and walked inside. "Your ticket ma'am?" a stallion in a conductor's outfit asked Trixie when she got up to the passenger car's entrance. "Of course," Trixie nodded as she used her magic to levitate her ticket out of her traveling bag. "Thank you," the conductor nodded as he took the ticket. Trixie just nodded in response as she left to go find her seat. Outside the train, Twilight and the CMC suddenly appeared, the Alicorn panting a bit. "Where is she?" Scootaloo asked. "Uh… I think we're too late," Quirky spoke, the dark-green filly pointing to the train as it prepared to leave. "Shoot!" Scootaloo groaned. "Wait, stop!" Twilight yelled as she used what energy she had to run up to one of the conductor, who was about to walk back in the train. "Do you have a ticket, ma'am?" the conductor asked.. "N...no. But I need to…" Twilight began. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you on without a ticket," the conductor stated as he prepared to walk back inside until he noticed Twilight's wings, making his eyes widen a bit, "...Y...You wouldn't happen to be Princess Twilight Sparkle..are you?" "I am…" Twilight nodded as the CMC ran up to her. "...M...my apologies princess. I didn't recognize you for a moment there," the conductor apologized as he moved out of the way, "P...please, come in. Same goes for the young group with you." "...Thank you," Twilight nodded as she and the CMC walked aboard the train. And just in time to as the train left the station. "That was a close one," Sweetie Belle sighed with relief. "Yeah...if it wasn't for Twilight's princess status, we wouldn't have gotten onboard," Applebloom added. "Yea. But the only question left… is where is Trixie?" "I don't know...but keep an eye out for her," Twilight said as she was about to step forward, only to stumble a bit. "You okay, Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked in concern. "I am...just...exhausted is all," Twilight panted a bit. "Just relax, Twilight. We'll go find Trixie, you just wait here and get some rest," Dawn Star replied. "Okay...be careful," Twilight nodded as she took a nearby seat and rested. "Okay girls. Let's get going and try to find Trixie. Scootaloo, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle. You know what she looks like better than the rest of us, so you lead the way, and if anypony spots her before the rest of us, let us know. Are we clear?" Dawn Star replied/asked. "Got it," the original 3 CMC nodded. "Quirky, Timid, stay with me. We'll follow Scootaloo-tachi. Okay?" Dawn told the other two fillies. "Okay/H..hai," Quirky and Timid nodded. "Okay girls. Let's move," Scootaloo responded as the six fillies started their search. The search went on for a while with them having no such luck. They thought they found Trixie in one of the cars, but it was a mistake as the unicorn mare they found had a white mane with a blue highlight in it. "Um...can I help you with something?" the mare asked them, as the CMC accidentally messed up her mane. "...Oops. Heh heh...Sorry," Dawn Star apologized as the CMC got of the mare, "We thought you were somepony else." "Umm… okay…?" the mare replied, a bit confused, "Well… do carry on with your business, but try not to do that to me again, please?" "Okay," Scootaloo nodded as the CMC was about to leave. "Wait...I have one more piece of advice for you," the mare spoke, catching the CMC's attention, "Be sure to brush your teeth after every meal and before you head for bed, okay?" "Okay," they nodded as they left. "Ugh...at this rate, we're never going to find Trixie," Applebloom sighed. "We've gotta find her. We just gotta!" Sweetie Belle responded, a slight squeak popping up in her voice. "Sweetie Belle's right. We can't give…" Dawn Star began until… "Ugh...how long is this blasted train going to take?!" the voice of a certain, azure unicorn groaned nearby. "Nevermind, she's close," Dawn Star sweatdropped a bit before she and the CMC hid behind one of the empty seats and slightly poked their heads up, seeing Trixie sitting not too far away. "There she is…" Scootaloo whispered. "Yeah...but I wonder...why is she heading for Canterlot anyway?" Dawn Star wondered quietly. "Maybe she's going to ask one of the princess' to make her their apprentice and teach her how to be an Alicorn," Quirky guessed, making her friends look at her strangely, "...What?" "How'd you know that?" Applebloom asked. "...Just a hunch…" Quirky answered, making her friend face fault. "Uh… okay…" Dawn Star Sweatdropped before she and the CMC noticed Trixie beginning to turn her head, "Hide!" she whispered as the CMC quickly ducked their heads behind the seat. "Strange...Trixie could've sworn she heard those six fillies from before...nevermind. Trixie must've been hearing things," Trixie shrugged a bit before looking out the window, a small grin growing on her face, "Besides...once I ask Princess Luna to make me her apprentice, not only will I truly be Equestria's most powerful Unicorn...but possibly become an Alicorn, one that's greater than both the princess' and Twilight Sparkle combined." "...I knew it…" Quirky whispered. "Y….you w-were r...right, Quirky-chan," Timid spoke quietly to her friend before turning to Dawn Star, "Sh...should w...we tell T...Twilight-san a...about this?" "Yes...but we need something to distract Trixie so she doesn't see us," Dawn Star whispered. "Yea, but what?" Scootaloo asked in a whisper. "Hmm...maybe…" Sweetie Belle began quietly. "Ugh...can't a dragon/Demi-god of chaos get any sleep around here?" a voice yawned as Mischief, who was the size of a bottle cap, poked his head out of Timid's mane, the currently miniature dragon wearing a sleeping cap. "Shhh…" the CMC shushed Mischief. "What? What did I..." Mischief began before being shushed again, "...oh, don't you shush me like…" "Quiet, Mischief. We're trying to think of how to dis...tract...Trixie…" Scootaloo said slowly before she let out a quiet gasp, her wings fluttering a bit in excitement, "I got it!" "Who's there?!" Trixie demanded as Scootaloo spoke louder than she intended to. "Oops…" Scootaloo quickly shut her mouth. "...Tch! Trixie must've been hearing things again…" Trixie scoffed as she turned back to the window. "...Okay, who's the unicorn that's referring to herself in Third-person?" Mischief asked when he caught a small glimpse of her. "Trixie. And I think we have a way to distract her," Scootaloo whispered to Mischief. "Really? Who?" Quirky asked. "Him," Scootaloo grinned as she pointed to Mischief. "...Orange pegasus filly say what now?" the small dragon blinked in confusion. "Just go with it," Scootaloo whispered before whispering her plan into Mischief's ear. "...Throw in a bag of candy, and you got yourself a deal," Mischief grinned, 'Besides..it's been a while since I've had some fun...not to mention the authors hardly gave me some screen time last chapter.' "...Uh… s-should we really? Remember what happened before?" Timid whispered. "Don't worry. It's only until we get back to Twilight," Scootaloo whispered to the shy filly. "...O… ok…" "Okay then…" Scootaloo nodded as she looked back at Mischief, "Okay Mischief..go." "You got it," Mischief grinned as he poofed out of Timid's hair. "There it is…" Trixie grinned as she saw Canterlot come into view, "Won't be long now until…" "Surprise!" she heard a voice say as something landed on her head. "Huh?! Who said that?!" Trixie demanded as she used her magic to get whoever was on her head off, and then she saw… "Yo," Mischief chuckled. "...Who are you? You remind Trixie of that small dragon assistant of Sparkle's," Trixie said with a small frown. "Wrong ballpark, Ms. Speaking-in-third-person," Mischief chuckled, "Tell me...have you ever heard of Discord, the God of Chaos?" "...Please. That's just an old story to keep fillies and foals in line," Trixie scoffed before she felt something was missing from her head. "Oh yea?" Mischief chuckled as he held a certain something up that should belong on Trixie's forehead, the small dragon also wearing her cloak and hat, "Then I guess you won't be needing these anymore." "What the?!" Trixie gasped as she touched the top of her head, seeing her horn wasn't there anymore. She then glared at Mischief, "Give those back to Trixie this instant!" "As soon as you stop referring to yourself in third-person, Ms. Lulamoon," he answered with a grin, making Trixie gawk at him before growling. "Don't...call...Trixie that!" the azure unicorn growled. "Then you shouldn't have written your last name inside the brim of your hat," Mischief quipped before he poofed off Trixie's head and ran off, "Later, Ms. Lulamoon!" "Get back here!" Trixie yelled as she gave chase after the little dragon, not even noticing the CMC. "That was close," Scootaloo sighed with relief. "Yeah...that's two times we were lucky today," Quirky grinned, making a small 'squee' sound. "We can't risk the third then. C'mon, we have to get moving," Dawn Star responded. "Yeah/H...hai," the other five fillies nodded as they ran back to the car where Twilight was. "I hope they're doing okay…" Twilight whispered to herself in a bit of worry before she noticed the CMC run up to her, "There you are. Did you find Trixie?" "Yea, we did, and we're using Mischief to distract her," Dawn answered. "I see...did you find anything else out?" "She wants to try and become Luna's apprentice," Scootaloo answered. "That I already know...but did you hear her say anything else?" "...Well...if I remember right...she wanted to become an Alicorn as well," Quirky replied, causing Twilight's eyes to widen a bit. "You've GOT to be kidding me!" Twilight groaned as she face-hoofed, 'As if her ego wasn't big enough already...' "Um...J-Just why i-is she like th-that?" Timid asked. "To tell you the truth...I wish I knew myself," Twilight sighed, not sure why Trixie had such a big ego. "Sounds to me like she's jealous of you," a voice noted before Mischief poked his head out of her mane, wearing a miniature Sherlock Holmes outfit complete with bubble-blowing pipe. "Weren't you keeping Trixie busy?" Scootaloo asked. "I still am," Mischief chuckled, "Cue the cutscene!" "Don't follow me~!" Mischief called as he ran into a cart on the train filled with doors on the sides. "Come back here!" Trixie growled as Mischief ran into one of the room and closed the door. Trixie opened the door and saw no one. Behind her, Mischief opened the door there and hit her with a water balloon. She growled as she turned to see Mischief closing the door. She ran over to it and opened it...only to back away from the head of a roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex before it went back into the room and closed the door. On the far-left door, Mischief was laughing as he leaned against the open door. Trixie attempted her magic, only for Mischief to run into the room and closed the door. She ran into it before running out as a mare in a towel and a washcap chased her, hitting the unicorn with a scrubbing brush. Quirky giggled as the others raised a brow in confusion. "Anyways, I'd say that she was probably raised to think that being the best was the only thing," Mischief shrugged, "Could be she has a hatred of stallions, branching out into a mental condition that spells 'Stallions = Perverts,' babied constantly by her single father, making her think she was the top of it all where she comes from, and hates being proven otherwise." he chuckled, "She could also be considered a 'gorilla' by others, perhaps ones with an aqua-based curse that switch them between Stallions and Mares." "..." the CMC and Twilight blinked at that. "Either that, or she needs to make a poo," Mischief continued, wearing a purple hat trimmed with magenta that strangely made him look like a purple 'pleasantly plump' bear/cat/rabbit thing. That last part made the CMC(minus a giggling Quirky) and Twilight face fault. Mischief, back to normal, chuckled in glee at their confused expressions. He loved moments like these. "Heh heh...stuff like this never get's old," the currently miniature dragon chuckled to himself before saying aloud, "Okay. I shall now attempt to prevent her from proceeding!" "How so?" Scootaloo asked. "I'm gonna put on a big boot and boot her out of the train," Mischief smirked before pulling out a boot the size of Twilight from behind his back, "See?" "...Mischief. We just needed you to distract Trixie, not hurt her," Dawn Star stated with a small frown. "Aw~! No fun," Mischief pouted, "Ah well." he shifted into a lit lightbulb and back, "Got it! We lure her into the caboose and remove it from the train! That'll stop her in her tracks!" he chuckled, "See what I did? We're on a train and I just said…" he saw no one laughing, "Oh you all stink." "Even if we did go with that Mischief...it's too late," Twilight as the train came to a stop, "We're already in Canterlot." "...Maybe we can make her forget everything?" Mischief suggested, "Go all black suit, black, shades, the works!" "..." "...Really? Nopony got that reference? Ugh…" Mischief sighed, "And I was all set of disguising myself as a giant cockroach alien disguised in the skin of a guy I killed too." =a bit later= "Grr...when Trixie sees that stupid dragon again...she's going to turn him into a newt," Trixie growled as she left the Canterlot Train Station. "Oh come now," Trixie's eye twitched, "A newt? That's so cliche. Why not something like a starfish or a sponge who lives in the pineapple under the sea. Maybe a squid that plays clarinet?" "...First off; Trixie's going to ignore what you say...and second…" Trixie began as she used her magic to take Mischief off her back and threw him into a nearby trash can, "Get off me!" "Hey! There's a raccoon in here! I'm gonna name you 'Charlie' and take you home and love you and bathe you and-GAH!-You bit me! That's it! The liver gets pulled out!" Mischief shouted in the trash can and he proceeded to start fighting inside the trash can. "Fool…" Trixie mumbled a bit as she resumed walking, 'Can't let something like that stupid dragon get in my way...not when Trixie's so close to asking Princess Luna to become her apprentice.' "Actually, I was born with the Arcana for the Chariot," Trixie's eyes widened as she saw Mischief, perfectly fine, standing before her in a toga made from raccoon skin, "...How." "How...how did…UGH! Enough!" Trixie snapped as she glared at Mischief, "Why won't you leave the Great and Powerful Trixie alone already?!" "Because I am Mo Ron and I have a very important message for you," Mischief informed in a dummy voice, "...Sleeping Spell." "Huh? Sleeping Sp...oh ho...nice try, but Trixie's not going to fall for that one," the azure unicorn stated as she walked away from Mischief, "Now if you'll excuse Trixie, she's got a date with destiny!" "...Cue her triggering the trap I made in 3...2...1…" Mischief counted down before grinning as he heard Trixie scream off-screen, "Gotcha…" he proceeded to put on a black turtleneck sweater and a lab coat while adopting a small slouching state before turning to see Trixie trapped in a fly-paper trap big enough to catch a unicorn, "Ah, Trixie the Unicorn, so unexpected. And by 'unexpected,' I mean 'Completely expected!' Now, watch as we prevent you from ever going into the castle!" "...Really? You think 'this' is going to stop Trixie?" Trixie scoffed before using her magic to turn the trap into a pile of leaves, "It's going to take more than a stupid fly trap to stop the Great and Powerful Tr~i…" she collapsed, fast asleep. "Finally!" Mischief sighed in annoyance as he looked up at Twilight, "About time you pulled that one off." "...I'm not paying you," Twilight frowned. "Hey! We had a bet!" Mischief pouted before shouting in a bit of an accent, "Curse you, Twilight the Alicorn!" Twilight rolled her eyes a bit at that before she turned to a nearby bush, "Okay girls, you can come out now." "Right/h...hai," the voices of the CMC replied as said six fillies came out of the bush. "May I draw on her face?" Mischief asked as he held up a permanent marker. "No." "Ugh...you guys are no fun," Mischief groaned as he turned to Scootaloo, "I held up my end of the deal, now pay up." "Rats," Scootaloo frowned as she gave him a bag of candy. "Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Mischief began with a grin as he snapped his fingers, disappearing in a puff of smoke. "...Um...Wh-What do w-we do with her?" Timid asked as she pointed at the sleeping Trixie. "She's a determined Mare," Twilight noted with a sigh, "I'm not sure what we can do to get her to stop trying to be Princess Luna's apprentice." "Why does she think Princess Luna wants one?" Applebloom pondered. "Maybe it's what Mischief said," Sweetie Belle noted, "The 'babied while growing up' thing, not the 'take a poo' thing." "...Actually...that first one does sound plausible," Dawn Star noted. "Huh?" Scootaloo pondered as the filly Alicorn pulled out a book titled 'Psychology.' "Let's see...it should be..ah. Here it is," Dawn Star noted once she found the page she needed, "Let's see now...Oh my." "What?" "She does have a few signs of babying, such as her apparent ego," Dawn noted, "But it seems to also stem from a superiority complex and, at the best guess I have, she could have the motive of becoming the top Alicorn if what we can assume about her goals of being Princess Luna's apprentice are involving the goal of becoming an Alicorn." "O...oh my...r...Really?" Timid asked with a stutter. "It could be a superiority complex or an inferiority complex, judging by her reaction to you being an Alicorn," Dawn spoke to Twilight. "I see…" Twilight noted before she heard the sleeping Trixie mumbling something in her sleep. "Hm? What'd she say?" Applebloom pondered. "Oatmeal, maybe?" Quirky shrugged. "I...I'll show you Sparkle…" Trixie mumbled in her sleep, "I...I'll show everypony…" "Yep. It's probably an inferiority complex," Dawn noted as she looked in the book, "That can leave to severe mental insta...insta…" she blushed as she kept trying to pronounce the word. "Instability?" Twilight offered. "Oh! That's it! Instability!" Dawn beamed, "Thank you." Twilight nodded a bit in response as she turned back to the still sleeping Trixie, the azure Unicorn still mumbling in her sleep. "...Oh no," Scootaloo's eyes widened as she saw the look Twilight had on her face, "I know that look. Rainbow Dash always said that when you get that look, something she didn't like would happen." "Eh? like what?" Quirky couldn't help but ask. "Just let me handle it, kay girls?" Twilight asked the six fillies before using her magic to levitate Trixie and began to walk back to the train station. "...Okay," the CMC nodded as they began to follow Twilight. "What do you think Twilight is going to do to her?" Quirky whispered to her friends. "Ah'm not sure," Applebloom quietly replied. "Neither do I," Dawn Star quietly shrugged. Trixie groaned as she started to awake. The floor felt soft for some reason. It was then her eyes widened as she sat up, the blankets she had been under falling ahead. That dragon knocked her out! Looking around, she noticed that she was back in that library in Ponyville. "...Why is Trixie back here?!" the azure unicorn demanded, 'When I find that dragon...I'm going to destroy him!' "If you're thinking about punishing Mischief, there's a list for it," a familiar voice joked, making Trixie turn to glare at Twilight as she walked down the stairs. "...You better tell Trixie this instant as to why she's back here, Sparkle," Trixie growled at the Alicorn. "Luna isn't looking for an apprentice right now. She's spent almost a thousand years on the moon, so she's trying to learn everything that's happened since then," Twilight informed, "She also said it in a press conference when she first came back from her time on the moon when Ponies began to ask about it." Trixie continued to glare at her in response. Feeling it would be like this, Twilight walked up to her and gave the Unicorn an old newspaper that featured the article in question. Trixie examined the newspaper as her eyes began to slowly widen. "Methinks she's understanding," Trixie and Twilight slowly looked up to see Mischief drinking tea on the ceiling, "Hi." "You!" Trixie growled as she glared at Mischief, "Get down here this instant so Trixie can get back at you!" "Hey, quick question; what's gravity?" Mischief asked before the tea he was drinking fell out of the cup and nearly hit Trixie had it not been for a magic barrier Twilight casted, "Aw~! Why'd you do that?" "We're trying to get her to agree to something, not scare her off," Twilight frowned, "Don't make me get Timid or Fluttershy." "...Mischief be good," the 'dragon' squeaked as he was instantly beside Twilight. "Good," Twilight nodded as she turned her attention back to Trixie, "Now then, as for you, Trixie, I think I have a way for you to be an Alicorn's apprentice." "Really?!" Trixie gasped. "Yes. I've talked with Princess Celestia and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and we've managed to come to an agreement on who you'll be placed under as an apprentice." "Oh thank you Twi…" Trixie started till she realized there were only four princess. Luna wasn't taking one, Celestia was too busy and Cadenza was married and handled the Crystal Empire, so that only left…"...oh...oh...oh no," Trixie paled as she realized who'd be her teacher. "How do you think I feel?" Twilight asked as she floated a scroll over to her, "But Princess Celestia already made it an official decree for me and I do not want to get on her bad side," she shivered, "I'm still unsure if she can or can't send me back to Magic Kindergarten." Trixie suppressed her own shudder. No Unicorn likes to remember Magic Kindergarten for various reasons. "...But and forgive me for this...I respect you but I hate you at the same time; we're rivals!" Trixie snapped remind Twilight of their...one sided rivalry. "Isn't it just one-sided? I mean, on your end?" Mischief asked. "Mischief!" "Shutting up." "Trixie, when I look at you, I do not see a rival," Twilight informed, "When I look at you, I do not see somepony who will hold grudges. What I do see, though…" she wrapped a hoof around Trixie, "...is someone I'd like to have as a friend and to teach. You have a lot of potential, Trixie, that was made obvious when I saw you the first time we met. You actually created a lightning cloud, something only Pegasi can do." "...You're just flattering the great and powerful Trixie," she scoffed. "Oh, no I'm not. I told Celestia about that and she agreed on that type of magic being used by a Unicorn is completely unheard of," Twilight informed, "To do that as just a Unicorn, not as a Pegasus or an Alicorn, is something nopony's been able to do in the whole history of magic." "That and she needs an extra set of eyes around here in case the girls do something crazy and it involves the library," Mischief smirked, "Remember the Pudding Accident?" "Mischief, I swear to Faust that if you bring that up…" Twilight began. "Boom! All over this place was nothing but vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry pudding!" Mischief beamed, "And that reminds me, were you able to get that butterscotch pudding out of your manebrush?" suddenly Trixie and Twilight blasted Mischief putting him in a block of ice, "...shut...ting...up...now." Twilight giggled, "See? And we have some common ground; we both dislike Mischief." "...That we do, Sparkle," Trixie admitted with a small giggle before realizing something, "Wait...how are your friends going to react to this? I mean, they still haven't forgiven Trixie when she was under the effects of the Alicorn Amulet." "...I have a way to get them to agree," Twilight informed before Mischief managed to break the ice around his lips. "You're gonna sic me on them to get them to agree, aren't you?" Mischief asked. "Not Pinkie Pie. She already left to prepare 'Congrats on becoming a teacher for somepony' party mixed with a 'Congrats on becoming an Alicorn Apprentice' party," Twilight noted, "Plus, Pinkie Pie doesn't hold grudges so long as you say you're sorry...and keep your Pinkie Promises." "...Well good thing I haven't made any yet...speaking of 'promises' though, excuse me." Mischief smiled before vanishing. "...Pinkie...Promise?" Trixie asked Twilight, the Unicorn unfamiliar with the phrase. "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight recited and did the motions, making Trixie raise a brow, "...I'm completely serious on it. She was in a mirror, for crying out loud, a mirror. How she did that, I will never understand." "I...I see…" Trixie noted with a small sweatdrop. =a little bit later= "...Um...Pinkie?" "Yes, Dashie?" "...What's with all the decorations?" Rainbow Dash asked as she, Rarity, Fluttershy, AJ, and the CMC were at Sugar Cube Corner, the place decorated with various banners that said 'Congrats on becoming a teacher for somepony' and 'Congrats on becoming an Alicorn's apprentice.' "Oh, Twilight finally got an apprentice!" Pinkie Pie beamed, "Though, you all have to Pinkie Promise not to get upset over who she picked." "...No promises," Rainbow Dash sighed. "Please~?" Pinkie begged, giving off a cute, begging look complete with puppy-dogs eyes and quivering lip. "...Fine," Rainbow Dash sighed a bit as she recited, "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye." "The rest of you, too," Pinkie informed with her cute look still on, accompanied by the CMC. "Cross my Heart and hope to fly; Stick a cupcake in my eye," Rarity, Fluttershy, and AJ recited. "There we go!" Pinkie beamed a bit before she heard somepony knock on the door, "Ooh~! That must be them now!" "...Twenty bits says somepony breaks it," Sweetie Bell whispered to Scootaloo. "You're on," Scootaloo whispered back. "I'll bet 50 bits, and a week supply of candy that all four of them overreact to who Twilight chose as her apprentice," a voice smirked, causing both fillies to see Mischief standing between them, "Yo." "Surprise!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she opened the door. "Hey girls," Twilight greeted as she walked in. "Hey Twi...light..." Rainbow Dash slowly replied before she, AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy gawked when they saw Trixie walk in behind Twilight. "...Um...hi?" Trixie greeted awkwardly. "...Excuse us, please. Won't be but a minute," Rarity informed before she pulled AppleJack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash out. "...They're taking it better than I thought!" Pinkie Pie beamed. "...Um...you sure about that?" Scootaloo asked as she looked out the window, seeing RD, AJ, Fluttershy, and Rarity huddled up and whispering something to each other, most likely about Trixie. "...I knew it. Not one moment Trixie enters, and she already caused tension in the room," Trixie sighed a bit. "Well, they can't get upset. They Pinkie Promised," Pinkie Pie informed with a smile. "IS TWILIGHT NUTS!?" Rainbow Dash's voice shouted, loud enough that Luna could hear it from the moon if she were on it at the moment. "...I knew I should've made it a specific Pinkie Promise," Pinkie Pie frowned. "Let me talk to them," Twilight advised before she walked out and put a silence spell dome over the five, "Okay, girls, what's wrong?" "You made Trixie of all ponies your student?! You idiot!" Rainbow Dash barked before sticking a cupcake in her eye. "Pinkie Pie isn't counting you girls getting upset while outside Sugarcube Corner as breaking the Pinkie Promise," Twilight informed as she tried to avoid cracking a little smile at Rainbow Dash. "...I'm counting it. Still Trixie of all ponies? Ahhhh!" RD roared before sticking another cupcake in her other eye. "...Gah! I'm BLINNNNDDDDD!" Twilight rolled her eyes before summoning a bit of magic to clean Rainbow's eyes, "Look, Rainbow, I chose her because I think I can help her with her problems." "How?! Don't you recall what happened the last time she was here?!" Rainbow Dash demanded. "Of course I do," Twilight replied, "But still, we did recover an ancient artifact thanks to it." "Darling, couldn't you simply reconsider?" Rarity asked. "Even if I wanted to do that, which I do not, Celestia has already made it official," Twilight informed. "...Y'all aren't thinkin' that if'n y'all refuse, she'll put y'all back in Magic Kindergarten?" "...I neither confirm nor deny the accusation." "...Magic Kindergarten it is then," they all, minus Fluttershy, sweatdropped taking it as a yes. "Um, Twilight, I'm really sorry for asking, but just why did you pick her?" "For one, she can create lightning clouds, a magic that only Pegasi can use," Twilight informed, making Rainbow Dash look at her with wide eyes as she recalled the first time Trixie had shown up, "Another...I don't want to see a Pony go down a deep spiral knowing that I could have been able to help prevent it." "...Fine. But I'm going to keep an eye on her in case she does anything funny," Rainbow Dash stated. "Twi', make sure y'all are careful 'round her, ya hear me?" "I'll do my best, Applejack," Twilight nodded, "But in truth, I was hoping you could all help me with some lessons." she glanced through the window to see Pinkie Pie and Trixie laughing with the CMC, "And I see Pinkie's trying her best to open Trixie up to being a friend." "...That's typical Pinkie." Applejack and Rarity groaned. "You expect us to help you with her?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Listen Twi. You're a good flying buddy and a good princess, but I don't want to help with anything involving Trixie." "Please, Rainbow Dash? I don't know any Pony who is more loyal than you that could give her lessons in them," Twilight informed. "...Welllll I know somepony...though she's not a pony, persay." Rainbow Dash said, "And she's harder to crack than me." "...It wouldn't happen to be your 'old friend' Gilda...would it?" Twilight asked. "Yep," Rainbow Dash nodded before noticing Fluttershy shivering, "...On second thought, I take it back. No Gilda." Twilight rolled her eyes, "Look, Rainbow, I'll be patient. I just hope that you'll be able to help me teach her some lessons in being loyal to others sometime sooner or later." "Um...Twilight?" the Alicorn turned to her other Pegasus friend, "If...If you need a lesson, I...I'd...um…" "Fluttershy, I'd appreciate any offer." "...Maybe some help with tending to the animals where I live?" "That's perfect, Fluttershy," Twilight nodded. " R...really?" Fluttershy asked, earning a nod from the violet Alicorn, "Th...thank you." "...If it means straightening her out, Ah think ah might have some chores for her to do when she's not busy," AJ suggested. "Thank you, but nothing that is intentionally humiliating. She already has issues, I don't want more to be added." "Got it," AJ nodded. "Hmm...well, I do have some new dresses I've been meaning to try out. Perhaps I can get Trixie to help me with that," Rarity spoke. "...Rainbow Dash, don't you dare laugh!" Twilight frowned as she saw Rainbow trying to hold her laughter back poorly, "...Rarity, I think Rainbow will love to help you when that happens." Rainbow Dash froze up after hearing that last part. She glared at Applejack, who didn't dare look at her in case she fell over in laughter. "So...that only leaves you Rainbow Dash. So..will you help us out with Trixie?" "...Well...since it's four against one, I might as well. Plus…" Rainbow Dash paused as she grinned a bit, "I'm sure I can find something for Trixie to do." "Rainbow Dash, I swear if it's meant to embarrass Trixie in any way, shape, or form to the public eye, you will not like what I'll do to you in terms of payback," Twilight informed, giving Rainbow Dash an even look, "Two words; frilly dresses." "...G...got it," Rainbow Dash gulped after hearing that last part, "No trying to embarrass Trixie publicly." "Good," Twilight beamed, "Now let's go and try to get along with Trixie." "And I said 'Oatmeal?! Are you crazy?'" Pinkie zinged, earning another round of laughter. "Oh...oh Sweet Celestia! T...Trixie has to admit, th...that's a good one!" Trixie laughed. "If you think that's funny, I got another one that'll leave you in tears!" Pinkie beamed before she noticed Twilight and the others walk back in, "Hey, everypony! Did everything go okay outside?" "Yes," Twilight nodded as she turned her attention to RD, AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy, "Girls? Isn't there something you want to say to Trixie? "..." the four mares glanced at each other before AJ sighed. "If'n y'all want somethin' done right, ya have ta do it yerself," AJ muttered before walking up to Trixie, "We may not like what y'all did th' last time, but ah'm willin' ta fergive and ferget. But y'all have ta earn that. Agreed?" "...Of course," Trixie nodded in response. Rainbow Dash was in her face a second later, "I'm keeping an eye on you. So if you try anything, I'll buck you so hard you'll never even remember how to walk." "D...duly noted," Trixie chuckled nervously before Applejack pulled Rainbow away by her tail. "So long as you do not attempt to mess with my figure in any way, shape, or form, I will be pleasant around you," Rarity informed, "Aside from that, I do hope you enjoy your time here in Ponyville." "Right," Trixie nodded. "U...Um...I...I h-hope we c...can g...get along, T-Trixie," Fluttershy spoke with a stutter. Trixie merely nodded. She didn't really have much interaction with her, so she wasn't sure what would set her off. Regardless of what was happening, the CMC looked happy that Trixie was on the road to becoming friends with her new mentor and her friends. "I think this whole thing went pretty well," Dawn figured. "Eeyup! I think this is the beginning of a lot more adventures for us!" Quirky beamed. "E...wait. Adventures?" Applebloom blinked as she and the other 4 members of the CMC looked at Quirky strangely. "Oh nothing...just a hunch," Quirky replied with a toothy grin, making a 'Squee' sound. '...Okay seriously...who's making that noise?!' Mischief demanded mentally as he looked for the source of that 'squee' sound, 'How come everytime a character on this show smiles or something, that 'squee' noise fills the air?! Ugh...' "...Okay…" Scootaloo simply nodded with a small sweatdrop before she and the CMC turned their attention back to Mane 6 and Trixie, "Dawn Star's right. This whole thing went pretty well." "...And we were able to help make this happen," Sweetie Belle added, a squeak occurring in her voice as she said that. "Yeah. Ah mean, if we hadn't bumped into Trixie, none of this would've been possible," Applebloom added. "...I guess it was a good thing, then," Dawn Star noted. "H...Hai," Timid agreed with a small nod. "Well Cutie Mark Crusaders… I'd say this was a job well-done," Dawn Star smiled. "Eeyup. So now…" Scootaloo began. "Let's party!" Quirky squealed as she zoomed over to join the party. "...Yea," Scootaloo nodded as the others joined in and partied away. But just before the screen was about to go black, Mischief poked his head in, "Seriously! Somepony tell me where that dang 'squee' noise is coming from! I demand you...wait…" he grunted when the circle began to shrink on him, "You haven't...answered...my...question!" he yelled before the circle closed, "...Dang it." Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review/comment if ya can.
Scoot Along, Scootaloo"Come on, come on," Scootaloo mumbled impatiently as she and the CMC waited outside the post office, "Open already." "Scootaloo...they won't open for another two or three minutes," Dawn Star pointed out. "..." Mischief just watched at the CMC did their regular routine today he seemed to be oddly...silent. However, Timid Swallow seemed to notice this. "Ano…y-you okay, Misty?" she asked. "...Yeah," he nodded pulling out a book and started to read it. "Read today's paper. Seems your school having a parents day thing in a few days." "Really?" Applebloom asked, making Scootaloo stop when she heard the word 'parent' "Yep must be happy right your mommies and daddies get to see what you all do in school, yippee." he scowled before noticing Scootaloo, "And what's with you? Step on a thumbtack or something?" "..." the orange filly didn't reply as she looked at the ground, her mane shadowing her eyes. 'Well….seems i have a kindred spirit.,' Mischief smirked a bit evilly. "This will be a good day maybe." he said to himself. "...Uh… Scootaloo?" Dawn Star asked, a bit concerned for the orange pegasus. "I...I have to go okay," she said as she run off in a hurry, completely forgotten why the group was there in the first place. "Scootaloo, wai…!" Sweetie Belle began before Dawn Star stopped her just as she was about to give chase. "I don't know what's wrong with her...but I think she needs to be alone right now," the Alicorn filly told her friend. "Hmmm." Quirky pondered. "S...something on your mind, Q...Quirky?" Timid asked, noticing the look Quirky had on her face. "Yeah. I gotta help with my adoption papers; Cheese Sandwich and Pinkie Pie agreed to officially be my adoptive parents!" she smiled. "Huh?!" the other 4 fillies gawked. "Eeyup! and I'm so~ excited!" Quirky squealed as she hopped around before stopping, "Though...maybe I shouldn't be happy when Scootaloo's acting down…" "Don't bother, let the little handicap be miserable," Mischief chuckled. "Misty!" Timid snapped, staring at him, "Don't insult Scootaloo!" "Ahh! No! Not the 'stare!" Anything but that!" Mischief yelled as he changed into a turtle and hid in his shell, "...Gah! I can still feel her stare on me!" "Will you promise not to say what you just say about Scootaloo?" Timid responded. "I promise! I promise! Just plea~~~~se stop that stare!" Mischief whined in his shell. "Better," Timid nodded, looking away from Mischief. "Shouldn't we check on Scootaloo, though?" Sweetie asked, concerned for their friend. "I don't know...I think we should...but at the same time, I think we should leave her alone...but seeing how she looked when Mischief…" "I said I was sorry, okay?!" Mischief's voice echoed in his shell. "Brought up that thing about parents...day…" Dawn Star finished, her eyes starting to widen a bit, "Hold on…" she then looked over at Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, "Have either of you ever seen her parents before?" "...Now that you mention it… no," Applebloom answered. "Did you, Sweetie Belle?" "No. I haven't seen her parents before either," Sweetie Belle shook her head in response. "...Has anypony seen her parents?" Dawn asked, wondering if they knew anypony in Ponyville who met Scootaloo's parents. "...Maybe Twilight and the others might know," Applebloom suggested. "Then let's go check with them," Dawn suggested. "Right." (Later) "What? Scootaloo's parents?" Twilight blinked before thinking, "Come to think of it… I haven't met her parents," She then looked over at her friends, "What about you girls?" "No. But...I was kinda wondering the same thing after I helped take her when we got back from that camping trip," RD stated. "Never met them mahself, either," Applejack added. "Neither have I," Rarity added. "M...me neither," Fluttershy added. "Oh! I..no wait..I'm thinking of somepony else...sorry," Pinkie added with an apology. "...Odd… has anypony seen them?" Dawn asked. "Not to my knowledge," Twilight admitted. "...I see..." Dawn sighed, "Thanks anyway, Twilight." "You're welcome," Twilight nodded as the CMC left. "So now what?" Quirky asked. "Ah don't know...maybe we should head to Scootaloo's home and see if her parents are home or not," Applebloom offered. "Maybe...it wouldn't hurt to try," Dawn Star noted, "Let's go." "Stupid parents day…" Scootaloo mumbled as she walked the streets of Ponyville, ignoring most of the ponies that were passing by. She always hated that day because of one thing...she never even knew her parents. She was lucky to get a place and get some food to eat thanks to neighbors that lived next door to her. She was trying to get her mind off of parents day when… "Well...well...if it isn't one of the Blank Flanks," a certain, mocking voice spoke. "...Oh great...her again," Scootaloo mumbled as she looked up to see Diamond Tiara's sneering face, "What do you want this time?" "Oh nothing..just wanted to tell you that Parents day is coming up," Diamond TIara reminded in her cruel, mocking tone. "Thanks...now leave me alone," Scootaloo said as she began to walk away from the spoiled filly. "What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve, Blank Flank?" "I just said, leave me alone!" "Why? Is it the fact that not only you're a Blank Flank Pegasus who can't fly...but you're also a or…" Diamond Tiara began cruelly before she was shoved to the ground by an angry Scootaloo. "Finish that sentence...I dare you," the orange, pegasus filly growled, sending a glare at the spoiled filly. "Or what, orpha...?" Diamond Tiara began before Scootaloo hit her in the face with one of her front hooves, shocking the spoiled filly, "Y...you hit me…" "I warned you not to finish that sentence…" Scootaloo growled, making Diamond Tiara a bit nervous, not as scared as how Dawn Star reacted to defend her friends, but she was still pretty scared. "Scootaloo!" The orange, pegasus filly looked up to see her friends running towards her. "Girls?" she gawked as she got off of Diamond Tiara, "Wh...what're you doing here?" "We were heading to your place when we saw you hit Diamond Tiara," Dawn Star answered. "Yeah! What possessed you to do that?!" Sweetie Belle asked. "...She said something she shouldn't have," Scootaloo answered. "What do you mean by that?" Applebloom asked, "It couldn't have been that old 'Blank Flank' comment; she uses that all the time." "...No." "...She didn't make fun of your handicap, did she?" Sweetie Belle asked, sending a glare at Diamond Tiara. "No. Just...please leave me alone!" Scootaloo snapped as she began to run away, only for Quirky to step in front of her, "Out of my way, Quirky!" "Not until you tell us what's been going on, Scoots," Quirky replied, and to prove it, everytime Scootaloo tried to get around her, Quirky just zoomed back right in front of the pegasus. "Well what if I don't want to?" Scootaloo frowned at her friend. "Ugh...you're all insane.." Diamond Tiara grumbled as she got up and glared at Scootaloo, "And you! You better hope my daddy doesn't hear about this, orphan!" That last part right there made Scootaloo growl in pure anger as she was about to attack the spoiled filly, only for Applebloom and Quirky to hold her back. "Let me go! Let me at that spoiled brat!" the angry pegasus roared, wanting to tear Diamond Tiara to shreds. "Not until you chill out! This is gonna get out of control!" Applebloom responded. "Yeah! You're going to cause a scene!" Quirky added. "I don't care! Let me at her!" "...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star spoke. "What, Bla..." the spoiled filly began before she noticed the dark glare Dawn Star was giving her. "STUFF IT! Just tell us what you meant by calling Scootaloo what you did to tick her off this much," Dawn Star demanded. "...Fine. I got one of my daddy's lawyers to get all the info I needed on her. And it happens I came across something juicy..turns out she doesn't have any parents at all. Which means, she's a flightless, orphan blank flank!" Diamond Tiara answered with a smirk. "Dawn, Ah don't think that was a smart move making her say all that at once," Applebloom responded as she and Quirky were suddenly having more trouble holding Scootaloo back. "Agreed...Diamond Tiara…" Dawn Star began as she glared at the spoiled filly, a dark aura starting to engulf the alicorn filly, "Unless you want us to have Scootaloo give you what you deserve...I suggest you better leave...now." "Or wh…" "NOW!" Dawn Star snapped, her voice distorted. "EEEK! Okay, OKAY! I'm going!" Diamond Tiara responded, galloping away in fear. "...Good," Dawn Star said as the dark aura surrounding her disappeared. "Why'd you let her go?! I wanted to tear her to shreds!" Scootaloo growled. "Scootaloo...you're letting your anger cloud your mind," Dawn Star said, trying to calm her friend down, "Don't let what Diamond Tiara said get to you." Scootaloo just growled in response to that before seeing some of the other looks she got from the rest of the CMC. "Um… i-is it true, Scootaloo? Are you really a… an… o-orphan?" Timid asked, trying not to sound harsh, and yet hearing it from a friend didn't make Scootaloo enraged… she somehow kept it under better control at that moment than she did previously. "...Yes," Scootaloo admitted with a sigh, "I'm an orphan." "What happened to your parents?" Quirky asked. "Don't know...I've never met them before…" the pegasus replied. "Oh… you mean… they died before you could remember?" Dawn gawked. "I don't know if they're even alive, okay?!" Scootaloo snapped before taking a deep breath, "Look...just..leave me alone, okay?" "...I understand… okay," Dawn Star nodded as she and the rest of the CMC walked away. Scootaloo let out a sigh before she felt a raindrop on her muzzle. She then looked up to see that it was beginning to rain. "Guess I forgot the Weather Pegasi scheduled this storm… I'd better go home…" she sighed, walking off. It didn't take long for her to reach home as she managed to open the door and walk inside. "Man…" she groaned, walking towards the bathroom. When she got inside, she grabbed a towel and began to dry her currently wet mane. She then looked up and faced her reflection in the mirror, thinking on how she reacted earlier. Why did she act like that? She knows how much of a bully Diamond tiara is, but when she brought up the fact she was an orphan….something just snapped inside her. She wasn't even sure why she reacted that way… it just… came out, "...I need to get out of here…" she mumbled. If she acted like the way she did again around her friends, she...wouldn't forgive herself. With these thoughts in her mind, Scootaloo wrote a small note, gathered some supplies, and left her house via scooter. The young Pegasus filly didn't care if she was getting wet, all she cared about at the moment was leaving. (Later) "So this is Scoots' place?" Quirky asked Applebloom as the rest of the CMC arrived. "Uh huh. Let's just hope Scootaloo's feeling better," Applebloom said in a worried tone as she got ready to knock on the door before she noticed something hanging from it, "Huh?" "What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah think it's a note. But..." Applebloom began as she tried to reach it, "It's too far up for me to get." "Here, climb on my back," Dawn offered, seeing she was the tallest of the CMC. "Thanks," Applebloom nodded as she climbed up Dawn Star's back and grabbed the note with her mouth. "What's it say?" Quirky asked once Applebloom placed the note down on Dawn's neck yto get a better look. "Ah'm about to find out," Applebloom replied as she began to read what the note said before her eyes widened, "Oh mah...Sc...Scootaloo's run away !" "WHAT?!" the other fillies gasped, Dawn almost forgetting Applebloom was still on her back, but when she felt the earth pony slip, she tried to keep her on with her own wings. "Ah'm not lying! She's really run away!" Applebloom said as Dawn Star used her magic to pick the note up and began to read it. "Let's see… 'Hey girls, I'm sorry for not saying goodbye to you all, but I just couldn't take it anymore. After what happened with Diamond Tiara, I didn't want you to worry about me. So, I'm going as far away from Ponyville as I possibly can… and please don't try to follow me. And please, don't tell Rainbow Dash or anypony else, I don't want to have them worry about me. Your friend and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader; Scootaloo,'" Dawn Star read, and wow was everypony stunned by this news. "O...oh my..." Timid gasped quietly. "Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo? Whatdowedo?!" Quirky panicked. "I...I don't know. I...I wish I knew," Dawn Dtar sighed sadly, "I would suggest we'd get Twilight or Rainbow Dash for help, but Scootaloo doesn't want them to know." "Know about what?" they heard somepony ask. The CMC froze up when they heard that as they slowly looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying above them before the cyan Pegasus landed. "R-Rainbow Dash?!" Dawn gasped. "...What're you doing here?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I was stopping by to check up on Scootaloo. What're you five doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked before she noticed the note, "And what's that?" "...uh...what's what?" Applebloom said nervously as she took the note from Dawn Star and hid it behind her back. "C'mon, I saw something, you silly fillies. Hand it over," Dash responded. "We don't know what you're t-hey!" Applebloom yelped when she felt somepony grab the note from her. "You mean this?" a certain, azure unicorn asked, holding the note with her magic, "And before you ask, Trixie was just leaving Sparkle's place and was about to help Rainbow cr-I mean Dash with something when I noticed her looking at you five." "Yea, we get it, now hand us back the note please, Trixie," Sweetie responded, but the azure unicorn kept it away from Sweetie, even with the young unicorn using her budding magic, but also was able to read the whole note. "...Well...it seems the one known as Scootaloo has run away," Trixie noted after reading the note. "WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash gawked as she grabbed the note and began to read it, her eyes widened in shock once she finished, "...What…?" Rainbow Dash was just left dumbfounded after reading the note, heck, she plopped to the ground after reading it. "Why...why would she do this?" The cyan Pegasus whispered. "...Should we tell her, girls?" Dawn sighed, not sure what to do. "We got no choice now that she knows," Sweetie Belle replied as she looked at the dumbfounded Rainbow Dash, "We...we think we know why she ran away." "Then why would she?" Trixie asked before Dash got into Sweetie Belle's face, anxiety and great concern obvious on the mare's face. "TELL US!" she begged. "W... Well... It happened when that spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara, was making of Scootaloo. She...she said something that made her snap," Sweetie Belle explained. "What exactly did she say?" Trixie asked. "... She...called her an orphan," Sweetie Belle answered. "An orphan?" Trixie and Dash gawked in unison. "Yeah...and it turned out to be true..." Applebloom sadly spoke. "We...we didn't kn-know it hurt her that much," Timid added. Dash just looked stunned by this, "So… being called an orphan put her over the edge?" "The Great yet Confused Trixie wonders why she'd act like this today of all days; when Trixie last checked, she was just fine," Trixie noted. "She was...until..." Dawn Star began as her eyes widened, "Until she heard that parents day was going to happen in a few days " "...Could it be possible that she was jealous of the other ponies bringing their parents to school when she's an orphan?" Dash guessed. "That must be it..." Dawn noted. "So what do we do about that with this knowledge?" Trixie pondered. "...Trixie," Dash spoke, causing the azure unicorn to look at her, "I want you to get Twilight and have her gather a search party." "Trixie will do it, even if she doesn't like being ordered around so much," Trixie sighed, galloping off to the library again. "What can we do?" Quirky asked. "... You five should head to your homes," the cyan Pegasus answered. "What?! But we want to help! Scootaloo's our friend, so..." Applebloom began. "It's starting to get dark, and believe me, most of the creatures that come out at night won't hesitate to eat you," Rainbow Dash stayed in a serious tone, pointing to the evening sky. "Need Ah remind you that Ah go to the Everfree Forest now and then to meet Zecora? Ah'm kinda familiar with the creatures there," Applebloom responded. "...fine," Dash sighed before stating in a serious tone, "But I want you to stay close to Twilight and the others, okay?" "Yes ma'am," the CMC nodded. "But...what about you?" Sweetie Belle asked as the cyan Pegasus turned around . "I'm going on ahead to find Scootaloo," was all Rainbow Dash said as she took off into the sky and headed towards the forest outside Ponyville. "...Good luck," Applebloom sighed as she led the CMC back to Twilight's place to meet up with the search party. Meanwhile, Scootaloo yawned a bit as she started to get tired. "I better stop and rest for a bit," the Pegasus filly said to herself as she stopped underneath a tree. She then reached into her bag, pulled out an apple, sat down against the tree, and began to eat. If she was going to try and get to the next town, she'll need all the energy she can get. "I sure have gone pretty far, though…but...no. I gotta stop thinking like that." She simply finished her apple and then decided to take a bit of a nap. However, just as she was about to shut her eyes, a growling sound was heard, causing her eyes to shoot open. "What the?!" she gasped, looking around to find the source of the noise. The growling sound echoed through the area again, causing the Pegasus filly to gulp. She then paled when she saw a set of glowing, yellow eyes stare at her in hunger. "...T... Timberwolves..." Scootaloo gulped, backing up slowly so as not to alarm them. However, just as she took another step back, she stepped on a fallen branch, breaking one of the twigs on it, "...uh oh." With that, these huge wolves jumped out, forcing Scootaloo to gallop away as fast as she could. The scared Pegasus filly didn't notice she had left her stuff behind due to how scared she was at the moment. She didn't even care if she did at that moment, either, she just ran as fast as her legs could carry her, yet the Timberwolves were picking up speed very quickly. She immediately made a quick turn, causing the Timberwolves to crash into a tree. Using the confusion to her advantage, she ran into a hollow tree stump, grabbing a fallen branch to cover the hole."Phew… that was too close," she whispered to herself, trying to catch her breath. She then froze when she heard the sound of a Timberwolf's growl, causing the filly to break out into a cold sweat, but she tried to slow her breath so the wolf wouldn't find her. She slowly moved her head to a small opening in the cover she made and paled, seeing more Timberwolves sniffing around the area. Meanwhile, the Mane 6, Trixie, and the rest of the CMC were wandering around trying to find Scootaloo when they happened upon her stuff. Applebloom was about to run over and check before her sister stopped her. "Stay here ," Applejack ordered as she walked over to where Scootaloo's stuff is. She examined the area a bit before she noticed what looked like claw marks on the tree, "... Not good." "What is it? Or rather what was it?" Applebloom asked, concerned. "...There's Timberwolves in the area ," Applejack answered. "T...T...Timberwolves?!" Trixie paled as she ran behind Twilight. "...What're Timberwolves?" Quirky asked, not having heard of those. "I think I read something about them in the library," Dawn spoke, "They're wooden, wolf-like creatures that travel in packs, hunting for whatever food they can find." "Sounds like most animals. What's bad about that?" Quirky asked. "...they're omnivores, meaning..." Dawn began. "They eat both plants and meat," Twilight gasped. "Oh no! They could've gotten Scoots!" Quirky gasped as well as she began to panic. "Let's hope they didn't," Applejack stated as she looked at the ground, seeing a few imprints of paws and hooves in the grass, "It appears Scootaloo saw them, then… after accidentally breaking a twig, she started running away from them in… that direction," she answered, pointing down where the trail led to. "I see..." Twilight noted as she looked up at the night sky, 'Rainbow Dash...you better hurry up and get to Scootaloo before those Timberwolves do.' At that moment, Rainbow Dash was flying around, trying to locate Scootaloo. She thought with the altitude she could better spot them, but the darkness of night didn't help much. "Scootaloo...where are you?" The cyan Pegasus mumbled to herself before she barely saw something run in the a small clearing not too far from her, "What the?...was that her?" Her curiosity getting the better of her, Rainbow Dash flew to the small clearing below and began to search it. She looked around for a bit before she heard the sound of leaves rustling, making the cyan Pegasus turn and see a set of bushes shake. Cautiously, she slowly approached the bushes. Once she was in front of them, Rainbow Dash moved some of the leaves a bit before... "Agh! Please don't eat me! I don't taste like chicken!" A voice screamed from the bush. "Whoa! WHOA! Chill out!" Dash responded. "...R...Rainbow Dash?" The voice asked as Scootaloo poked her head slowly out of the bush. "SCOOTS!" Dash gasped before rushing in to hug the filly, "Oh thanks Celestia!" "Wh...what the hay are you doing here?!" Scootaloo asked as she pushed her idol/big- sister figure away. "Looking for you! Why'd you run off, you had me worried sick!" Dash started, but as Scoots was about to start to talk, Dash held her hoof up, "Wait. Don't tell me, I know. Diamond Tiara pushed you over the edge when it came to your situation about your parents, right?" Scootaloo's eyes widened when she heard that, "Y...yes. But... How did...?" "Your friends told me," the cyan Pegasus answered. "...Wh… why?" Scootaloo gawked, "I thought I told every pony not to worry about me when I left that note?!" "C'mon kid, you know we care about you too much to not worry about you," Dash informed. "..." "Now come on Scoots. Let's get you..." "No." Scootaloo spoke. "Huh?" "I said 'no!' I don't want to go back!" The Pegasus filly snapped. "Why not?!" "Because I don't want to deal with that stupid parents day, that's why!" "...Uh… if it's okay Scoots… I could go… as, uh… your mom," Dash offered. "...it wouldn't 't be the same," Scootaloo frowned as she turned away. "Scootaloo, come..." Rainbow Dash began, trying to offer her hoof to the filly before it was batted away. "No! Every year, I'm the only one in class that doesn't have a parent when that stupid day comes by! Heck, when it comes to any family member, I don't have Anypony!" Scootaloo snapped, "Applebloom has her sister, brother and grandma, Sweetie Belle has her sister and parents, Timid has her brother, even Quirky and Dawn have some pony! Me? I got nopony! It's not fair!" Rainbow Dash was just stunned by this; she had never seen Scootaloo this emotional before, and while the young filly snapped in anger, tears of sorrow also fell from her eyes. "It's just not fair...I wanted the one thing every pony in my class had...a mom and dad... " Scootaloo sobbed, her voice starting to sound shaky before growling, "But that stupid, spoiled filly, Diamond Tiara always rubbed in the fact my parents never came! And when she found out I don't have any...I...I..." Before she could say anything else, Scootaloo fell apart and started crying in front of Dash. Dash was still stunned after hearing all that, tears starting to form in her eyes as well. Whenever she saw Scootaloo, she always seemed so happy and energetic. But now...seeing her like this… "Scoots, I… I don't know what to say…" Dash whispered. "...Then please do me the kindness of leaving me alone..." Scootaloo replied as she began to walk away, the tears still dripping from her eyes. "...I wish I could, but…" "...but what?" Scootaloo asked, stopping half-way to hear what Dash had to say. "...I can't. After hearing about your situation… I can't risk seeing you all by yourself; I admit… I see you sometimes like a little sister…" Dash started, kinda surprising Scootaloo. "...really?" "Yea… I'm serious," Dash nodded, "And you didn't mishear me, I do indeed consider you what Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are to Rarity and Applejack, ...a sister. I never had any siblings to begin with, so I admit… I felt alone for much of my life, too. My attitude, and me getting cool… it was just so I could get attention and get some friends… but it wasn't the same. Twilight and the others helped me out, true, but it's not the same as having a sister or a brother." "..." Scootaloo stayed silent as she listened to Rainbow Dash. "So… with you trying to run away… I… I just couldn't take it. I can't stand losing you, Scoots," Rainbow Dash cried out, tears starting to fall from her own eyes, "So please...don't leave..." "...Dash… I…" Scootaloo gawked, at a loss of words. She then began to tear up once more, her voice starting to crack a bit as she choked back a few sobs. The two ponies just looked at each other, their eyes filled with tears that stained the fur on their faces. They only sat there before hugging each other, Scootaloo letting out the cries first as she sobbed in Rainbow Dash's chest. "Dash… I'm… I'm sorry!" Scootaloo cried out between sobs, "I...I shouldn't have run away!" "Don't worry about it now, Scoots. Just… try and relax… I'm here," Dash replied, trying to control her own cries as she held the crying filly , "You're big sis is here now ..." Scootaloo just smiled in the midst of her crying. "Come on...let's get you back home," rainbow Dash whispered. "Yeah...home. ," Scootaloo nodded tiredly, the filly completely exhausted. Dash only nodded before they both looked out and saw the coast was clear. "Ok… follow me, Scoots," Dash instructed going out first. "O...*yawns*kay," Scootaloo yawned. "Oh right, it's late, isn't it?" Scootaloo have a tired nod on response, the filly having a hard time staying awake. "Ok… change of plans, let's wait here until the others find us." "Okay..." Scootaloo nodded before yawning once more. And so, the two just settled down and tried to fall asleep, Scootaloo immediately falling a sleeping due to her being completely tired after today's events. "...Rest little sis… you'll need it," Dash smiled, using one of her wings as a blanket for the tired filly before falling asleep next to her. (A bit later) "SCOOTALOO!" Quirky shouted. "WHERE ARE YOU?!" Pinkie shouted as well as the CMC, Trixie, and the Mane 6-minus RD, continued to look. "Will you two please be quiet?!" Trixie snapped before yawning, "Trixie's getting really tired." "Sorry, but we can't stop," Pinkie responded. "Not until we find Scootaloo," Quirky added. "Exactly." "Ugh..." Trixie groaned before yawning. "...Wait," Rarity spoke, "I think I see something up ahead." "Really?! What?" Sweetie asked her sister. "I don't know...but it's not too far from here," Rarity answered. "...Ah see it too," AJ spoke, squinting her eyes a bit as she look forward, "And good news, it's not Timberwolves." "Well what is it?" Applebloom asked. "...Ah think it's Rainbow Dash and...ah think she found Scootaloo." As if on cue, Sweetie and Applebloom just darted ahead to see if she was right. "Hey wait up!" Quirky called out as she, Timid, and Dawn Star ran after the two fillies. "Girls! Oh not this again," Twilight sighed as the Mane 5 followed the CMC, Trixie following, just struggling to stay awake. "Hold up! The great and tired Trixie can barely catch up with..." The azure unicorn paused as she yawned , "You!" "Well try and keep up!" Quirky yelled. "Unless you don't want to become an alicorn," Twilight teased, making Trixie awake enough to step on the gas… so to speak. "On second thought, Trixie has enough energy to keep going!" Trixie yelled as she caught up with the group. "Good, then let's keep moving," Twilight urged, the group rushing over to where they thought they saw Dash and Scootaloo. "Applebloom, ah thought ah ..." AJ began once she and the rest of the mares caught up with the CMC. "Shh! Look," Applebloom hushed her sister as she pointed forward. Everypony peeked over and indeed saw Dash and Scootaloo, both sleeping inside a hollowed out log, with Dash's wing over Scootaloo. "...HEY Da..." Pinkie began before Trixie used her magic to shut the pink pony's mouth shut. "Shh! They're asleep. So zip it," Trixie whispered. "Mmmm!" Pinkie groaned. "They look kinda cute together, though," Dawn Star admitted. "H...hai," Timid nodded in agreement, "Demo...Wh-why're they in a h-hollow log?" "Most likely to hide from any Timberwolves in the area," AJ answered quietly. "Guess they were pretty tired to stay here instead of leaving as soon as possible," Applebloom figured. "Probably..." Sweetie Belle nodded before she began to yawn . "Well… we'd better join them and get some shut-eye too," Twilight guessed. "But..." Trixie began before taking a quick look around and whispering to Twilight, "What about those Timberwolves Applejack mentioned? Because Trixie doesn't..." "We'll be fine as long as we stay as quiet as possible," Twilight informed before looking over at Pinkie Pie, "Right, Pinkie?" Pinkie just nodded rapidly in response not that she could speak since Trixie's magic sealed her mouth shut. "...I'll set a barrier spell just in case," Trixie said as she unsealed Pinkie's mouth and created a barrier big enough to fit the group. "How long will you be able to hold this up, though?" AJ curiously asked. "Barrier spells are mere child's play for Trixie, so it'll last until the morning, " the azure unicorn replied. "Okay. Everypony in the log," Twilight replied as the ponies got into the log and decided to get comfortable before falling asleep , "Goodnight, everypony..." (The next morning) "..." Scootaloo yawned as she began to wake up. She was about to get up before she noticed somepony's wing covering her, and seeing it was Dash as she was sleeping next to her. Scootaloo smiled, remembering what Dash told her the night before. But then, she noticed the rest of the Mane 6, the CMC, and even Trixie were there around her. "Girls..." The young Pegasus filly whispered before she noticed some of the group beginning to wake up. The first to wake up were AppleBloom and Sweetie Belle. "Mornin'" Applebloom yawned as she and Sweetie Belle got up. "Morning," Sweetie Belle yawned in response before… "Applebloom… Sweetie…" Scootaloo whispered, getting their attention. "Scootaloo!" Both fillies whispered loudly as they ran over to their friend and hugged her. "..." Scootaloo didn't know what to say about this, but she just smiled, hugging them back. "We're so glad you're okay," Sweetie Belle whispered. "Yeah," Applebloom added. "...Thanks…" Scootaloo smiled as the three released the hug, "By the way...I'm...sorry for how I acted yesterday." "It's okay… just… don't try something like that again, ok?" "Yeah...I don't want to worry Anypony else like that ever again..." Scootaloo stated as she looked over at the sleeping Rainbow Dash, "Especially my big sis..." "Your big sis?" the other two awake fillies gawked. "Yeah..." Scootaloo nodded with a small smile. Both Applebloom and Sweetie looked at each other in confusion, wondering what exactly happened between her and Rainbow Dash last night. "...Don't worry… I'll explain later… as soon as the others wake up and we're back home in Ponyville," Scootaloo promised her friends. "Okay," the two other fillies nodded as some of the others began to wake up as well. "Mmm...not the best resting spot in the world, but I slept pretty well last night," Rarity yawned. "Trixie...agrees," the azure unicorn nodded, and when Dash woke up, she smiled at Scootaloo. "Good morning sis," the cyan mare replied to the orange filly. "Morning big sis," Scootaloo smiled back, confusing most of the ponies there. "...Dashie? Why did Scootaloo call you her big sis?" Pinkie was the first to ask, tilting her head slightly in confusion. "Yea… yea she did, Pinkie… because… we are sisters, right Scoots?" Dash smiled, hugging Scootaloo with her wing. "Yeah...we are," Scootaloo smiled back. With that, the two pegasi explained their situation to the other mares in the log. "Wow…" Twilight gawked after hearing the tale. "That...was just...so..." Fluttershy began. "So… touching… Rarity admitted, wiping some tears from her eyes. "Trixie...agre..." Trixie began before the sounds of Pinkie and Quirky crying filled the air, "...Are they always this emotional?" She whispered to Twilight. "Yes," the violet Alicorn whispered back. "...Okay everypony, I think it's time we go home," Dash suggested. "Yeah...home," Scootaloo nodded before remembering something, "Wait? What about my...?" "Your stuff?" Applejack asked, taking out what Scootaloo left behind, "Ah knew it was a good idea to go back for this thing." "Whoa! ...Where'd you find this?!" Scootaloo gawked. "We found it while we were lookin' for ya," AJ answered as she handed Scootaloo her stuff, "We also found yer hoof prints, along with some slash marks caused by some Timberwolves on the tree we found yer stuff on." "Oh… wow…th... Thanks." "Okay, now let's go home," Dash replied before actually offering Scootaloo a ride on her back. "R...really?" Scootaloo gasped, earning a nod from her mentor/big sis. "Eeyup. So-woah!" Dash yelped a bit when Scootaloo jumped onto her back. "Sorry, I just got a little too excited, sis," Scootaloo replied. "Aw, don't worry about it. Hang on, Scoots," Dash smiled before taking off and yelling to her friends, "See you all back in Ponyville!" "...Well, I guess we gotta take the long way back… again," Twilight sighed, earning a groan from Trixie. "Trixie is getting tired of this…" Trixie groaned. (Later, back in Ponyville) "That...was...awesome!" Scootaloo excitedly yelled as she and Rainbow Dash arrived at her place. "Well, glad you enjoyed the ride, lil' sis," Dash smiled as Scootaloo hopped off her back, "Uh...you sure you'll be alright here?" "Yeah...I've been okay living by myself," Scootaloo nodded, a small sad smile on her face as she was about to head to the door, only to be stopped by Dash's wing, "Huh?" "Just so you know, you're more than welcome to hang out with me at my place if you want," Dash told her before giving the Pegasus filly a small grin, "In fact, just for today, how about hangin' with your big sis, a.k.a; the coolest Pegasus in all of Ponyville?" "...Aw yea! I'd be more than happy to hang out with you, big sis!" Scootaloo smiled widely, hugging the cyan pegasus. "...Glad to hear, lil sis," Dash smiled, "Climb aboard." As if on cue, Scootaloo jumped on with joy. "Oh! But before we go..." Scootaloo began as she jumped off, rushed inside her home to drop her stuff off, rushed back outside, and jumped back on Dash's back, "'Kay! I'm ready, big sis!" "Alright, hang on!" Dash smirked before they took off, Scootaloo screaming excitedly as they flew through the air. "This is so awesome!" The Pegasus filly yelled before she noticed a certain spoiled filly down below, a grin starting to grow on her face, "...Hey sis?" "Yeah," Dash asked before Scootaloo whispered something into her ear, "...well ... Normally I don't prank fillies except on Nightmare Night, but considering what she did yesterday, I'll make an exception for my little sis." "Alright! Let's rock," Scootaloo smirked as they flew into a nearby cloud. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara just walked around, confident as ever. She then stopped for a moment to yawn a bit, the spoiled filly unaware she was underneath the cloud Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're hiding in. Then, without warning... BOOM! "KYAAA!" Diamond screamed suddenly, galloping away from the cloud out of fear, making Dash and Scootaloo snickering inside the cloud. She then, not paying attention since she was scared, ran into a trash can, causing all it's contents to spill on her. Inside the cloud, both Pegasi were having a hard time trying to control their laughter. "...Okay… who's laughing?!" Diamond demanded as the Pegasi were now laughing loud enough for her to hear, "When I find you, I-woah!" She yelped when she slipped on a stray banana peel, making her slip and fall into a mud puddle, "...daddy~!" She whined as she ran away, upset that her tail, and mane, we're completely ruined. At this point, both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo we're laughing like crazy. "Good one, sis!" Scootaloo laughed. "Thanks! I try my best!" Dash laughed. Later, Dash was simply flying around with Scootaloo on her back. "What should we do next, sis?" Scootaloo asked. "Well… I noticed you have been getting stronger in your wings, maybe I can start helping you learn how to fly," Dash figured. "...y...you really mean it?!" Scootaloo gasped. "Absolutely!" Dash nodded, "You don't seriously think you can only use your scooter your whole life for getting around, do you?" "...thank you!" Scootaloo grinned as she hugged Rainbow Dash's neck, "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" "Heh… no problem," Dash smiled as she lowered the two down to the ground so they could start. Nearby, watching from a set of bushes, the cloaked figure from two chapters ago was watching the two, a small smile forming on her face as she walked away. Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Also, if you're wondering about the cloaked figure, that'll be explained in a later chapter.
Dragon Sitter"Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself, Spike? I'm going to be at the Crystal Empire all day," Twilight told her assistant as she packed some stuff up for the trip. "Yea Twilight; I'll be fine," Spike nodded as he was in the middle of reading one of the books out of boredom. "Thank you Spike," Twilight smiled as she looked up the stairs, "Dawn Star, are you finished packing?!" "Just about!" Dawn Star called out before rushing downstair, carrying a rather large suitcase. "Woah...what'd you pack in there, books?" Spike gawked a bit. "Yea, books, plus a few other assorted things to help with Twilight," Dawn nodded. "...R...right," Spike sweatdropped a bit before he heard a knocking at the front door. "That must be them now," Twilight noted as she walked over to the door and used her magic to open it, soon seeing Timid in the doorway, the shy filly holding her backpack. "Ano...h...hi, T-Twilight-san," the shy filly greeted with a stutter. "Hi Timid. Ready to go?" Twilight asked as Dawn walked to the door, struggling to keep her suitcase up. "Hi...Timid...ready to go?" Dawn Star asked, using her back to hold the suitcase up. "I just asked her that, Dawn," Twilight told the filly. "Oh...sorry," Dawn chuckled sheepishly. "...Ano...I am d-demo...I...I need to ask S-Spike-san a f-f-favor," Timid said, catching Spike's attention. "Me?" Spike blinked. "Hai. A...Ano...I...I was wonder if maybe you can w...watch Yuki and M...Mischief while I'm gone?" The shy filly asked, "Ano...if...if that's okay with you that is." "Sure. I usually watch over Twilight's pet, owlowiscious, anyway" Spike nodded. "Th...thank you S..." Timid began before Mischief busted out if Timid's backpack, dressed up in a tropical shirt. "Woohoo! Hello vaca..." He began before blinking in confusion, "...hey...this isn't the beach." "No… no it isn't," Spike sighed, setting his book down before walking over to what could be considered his recolor, "You're staying with me until Timid comes back. And I don't want any funny business outta you, okay?" "Wait...you're baby-sitting moi?!" Mischief gawked. "Yea, wise-dragon. What about it?" Spike responded, looking seriously at Mischief. "...Fine..." Mischief shrugged before thinking, 'Of course, the moment Timid and others are gone, I'm going to have some fun with this guy...' "Okay, I guess we'll be off for now. Thanks again, Spike," Twilight replied as she left with Dawn and Timid. "No problem, Twilight! Have a safe trip!" Spike called out to her as he began to turn towards Mischief, "Okay, now let's..." He blinked when he noticed Mischief missing, "...uh oh...where'd he...?" "YO! Up here, shorty!" he heard Mischief shout as Spike looked up to see Mischief walking on the ceiling, a grin on his face. "What're you doing up there?! GET DOWN HERE, MISCHIEF!" Spike shouted. "You ain't da boss o' me, baby d!" Mischief taunted in a brooklyn accent as he made a pitcher of ice water appear in his hand and poured it on Spike. "HEY!" Spike shouted, moving to try and avoid the water. "Drat...almost got the Bugga," Mischief frowned, now having an Australian accent. "Will you get down here already?! Don't make me get the owl. Or worse… Yuki…" Spike growled. "...Buzzkill," Mischief frowned as he jumped off the ceiling and landed on his feet like a cat, "There. Ya happy, captain buzzkill?" "Yes, but no need to call me that. I know you're older, but Timid put me in charge, and that's what I'm gonna be!" "Right...wait, didn't she also put you in charge if that tricky kitsune, Yuki as well?" Mischief asked, making Spike's eyes widen. "Oh shoot, you're right! I gotta check up on her!" The purple Dragon yelled, running off to find the kitsune, but Mischief just snickered as Spike ran off. "Sucka...now...time for some real fun," he grinned as he slipped on a pair of black sunglasses. Meanwhile, Spike found the young Kitsune in Twilight's room. "Yuki? What're you doing here. C'mon out now," the dragon told the little fox. Yuki let out a small bark, her tails wagging a bit as she ran under the bed, thinking Spike was playing a game with her. "Oh, okay… I think we can play a game real quick," Spike figured, playing along until he heard something rumbling downstairs, "What the...?" He then covered his ears as loud music boomed throughout the house/library, "What's Mischief up to?!" "Mischief! Just what're you...huh?!" Spike gawked as he came downstairs and saw a large party going on, seeing there were many ponies and loud music. "WHAT'S THIS ALL ABOUT?!" "WHOO! PARTY!" Mischief whooped as he jumped up from the middle of the crowd before diving back in. "MISCHIEF!" Spike growled, almost making it sound like a roar. "Mmm yes?" Mischief asked as he popped up next to Spike, wearing shades and a black and white party suit. "What's with all THIS?!" Spike demanded, referring to the party. "Oh that? I just wanted to liven things up a bit, tha-oh oh! I love this song!" Mischief grinned as he looked at the DJ, "Yo DJ Pon3, crank it up!" With that, the music was cranked even louder, forcing Spike to cover his ears… wherever they were on his noggin. "Whoo! Isn't this great?!" Mischief whooped, "Though the only thing we need is...oh I know! A Bass cannon!" "A Bass what now?" Spike blinked/paled, having a bad feeling about that. "I got it!" Mischief smirked, holding up a huge cannon over his shoulders that was blue, green, and grey. "...No Mischief don't..!" Spike tried to stop him. "Too late," Mischief smirked, pulling the trigger, and firing a huge cyan blast into the air, blasting through the cieling. "Whoo! Now that was awesome!" The DJ, a Unicorn with white fur, a brilliant blue mane, and black glasses with purple lenses whooped. "Now this is one ROCKIN' PAR-TAY!" Mischief added as he dive bombed into the crowd. "Oh no you don't!" Spike yelled as he chased after him, only to get caught by the crowd. "Drat… how the heck am I supposed to get in there and stop this?" "Oh it's never going to stop..." Mischief grinned as his head popped out next to Spike, "Oh, and one more thing...PARTY WAVE!" "Party wha...?" Spike blinked before he was carried along the crowd of ponies until he was eventually tossed outside. "HEY! NOT COOL!" Spike shouted when suddenly, Yuki landed on top his head. "Enjoy your bore fest outside!" Mischief laughed as he closed the window shut and locked the door. "Hey!" Spike yelled as he pounded on the window, "Mischief you better let me in this instant!" "NOT A CHANCE, BUCKO!" Mischief shouted. "...'Bucko?' ...Really?" Spike blinked before shaking his head a bit, "Ugh...how am I going to get back inside? Twilight' going to kill me if she sees her house like this..." Yuki let out a small whimper as she touched Spike's leg. "Not now Yuki, I'm trying to think," Spike ignored the young kit as he pondered on how to get inside. However, Yuki was still nudging Spike's leg, trying to get his attention. "Seriously Yuki, I'm trying to think here," Spike ignored her again, still pondering. If she could, Yuki's eye would've twitched in annoyance. So, she finally moved back a distance, and then transformed into Big McIntosh before running towards the door, surprising Spike. "Wait! What're you...?!" Spike began before Y-Big Mac crashed the door down. "Well, that's one way of getting in," Spike noted as he followed Y-Big Mac inside before gawking, noticing the inside was way different now. So different, it didn't even resemble a library anymore. "WHAT THE HAY?! This ain't the library!" "Nope," Y-Big Mac agreed. "Not anymore it's not!" Mischief grinned as he suddenly appeared in front if them, "I just turned a boring as dirt library into party central!" "...Twilight's gonna be really mad about this," Spike pointed out. "So? Not like she can banish me to the moon or anything," Mischief smirked before handing the dragon a glass of punch, "Now stop worrying and have some fun for a change!" "...Ugh… now I know I how Twilight feels sometimes," Spike groaned. "Oh? Then that makes you..." Mischief began as he snapped his fingers, making a funhouse mirror appear in front of Spike, his reflection looking like a male version of Twilight, "Twilight Jr.! Oh oh, or better yet...Dusk Shine! Ha ha! On a Cross and Arrow reference!" "Oh, you gotta be kidding," Spike groaned as he moved the mirror aside, "Mischief, seriously...stop the party this instant!" "Aw come on Buddy! Live a little!" Mischief laughed as he wrapped his arm around Spike. Spike just growled as Y-Big Mac bucked Mischief into the wall. "...The hay man?!" Mischief growled as he poked his head out if the Mischief-shaped hole in the wall, causing Y-Big Mac to snicker a bit. "Mischief, that has gone far enough! You're going to end this party, and turn the library back to normal now!" Spike yelled. "...Fine. Since you're being captain buzzkill again…" Mischief growled as he snapped his fingers, and everything was back to normal, letting Y-Big Mac revert to being Yuki. "Aw lame..." the DJ groaned as everypony left, making Mischief, Spike, and Yuki belong the only ones left in the library. "Sorry DJ! Maybe next time!" Mischief shouted back before Spike shut the door, slamming it into Mischief's face, which made it as flat as a pancake, "...ow." "You! Upstair! Now!" Spike ordered with a growl. "Fine," Mischief groaned, blowing into his thumb first to restore his head to normal as he stomped upstairs mumbling, "Rassa frattin no good party killer..." "You are going to sit here for the rest of the day until Timid and the others come back," Spike scolded Mischief as said red dragon was sitting on Twilight's bed, arms crossed and a grouchy look on his face. Mischief just muttered in annoyance as to how he hated Spike then and there. "...I'll bring ya something to eat...hopefully that'll make you feel better and cool off," Spike sighed as he walked downstairs. "Stupid Spike...ruining my party like that..." Mischief muttered as he looked around, trying to find something fun to do while he waited, "All I see is junk, junk, and more...hello? What have we here?" He blinked as he saw something poking out of Spike's bed. He walked over to it and pulled out what was poking out, "...Power Ponies? Heh...sounds like a rip off of those Super Sentai books Timid likes to read." He opened the comic and began reading it's contents before he got an idea...an awful idea...Mischief got a wonderful...awful...idea. "I know just...what...to do," Mischief chuckled darkly, a evil Cheshire Cat smile on his face. "First… what the heck was with the Dr. Seuss style rhyming? That's out of place. And second… I'm gonna get rid of this grin before my face cramps." "I hope Mischief enjoys this," Spike said as he carried up some snacks for the red dragon. He then knocked on the bedroom door once he reached the top of the stairs, "Mischief, I'm coming...in?" He blinked when he saw an eerie light coming out from the bottom of the door, "Huh?" He then knocked on the door again, "Mischief, what's going on in there?" However, Mischief didn't answer, forcing Spike to open the door. "Seriously Mischief, if your...!" Spike began before he saw something of his in Mischief's hands...er, claws, "Wh..what're you doing with my comic book?!" "You really gotta enjoy this more. I'm really loving this Mane-iac character. In fact..." Mischief began as he slowly turned his head towards Spike, a grin on his face, "Maybe I should bring her here to meet everypony." "...N...no Mischief! That's a terrible...!" Spike began. "Terrible idea? Well, we won't know until we find out," Mischief smirked, reaching into the comic and began pulling something, or rather somepony out. "Mischief, seriously! Stop before...!" "Too late," Mischief grinned as he pulled somepony out if the comic book...somepony that made Spike pale and gulp in fear. From the book came long tentacle-like mane strands, soon followed by a violet head with green eyes, and in a purple suit with yellow trim and black boots. "Welcome to the real world, Mane-iac. So l-ACK!" Mischief wheezed when one if the tentacle-like mane strands grabbed him. "The… 'real world' you say?" the Mane-Iac smirked. "I told you this was bad, Mischief!" Spike responded before Mane-iac grabbed him too, "...uh oh." "Tell me...does this 'real world' have Power Ponies by any chance?" The Mane-iac asked with a maniacal grin on her face. "Uh… well…" Spike responded, trying to defend himself. "No, of course not," Mischief nodded. "Mischief!" "What?! She asked a legitimate questi-ack!" Mischief wheezed again when Mane-iac squeezed him like a rubber duck...which strangely enough, he made the squeak sound of one as well. "Well then… I must thank you for bringing me here," the Mane-Iac smirked, "So I think I'll make you two my personal minions!" She laughed maniacly. "...I think I done goofed on this one..." Mischief gulped. "Gee...ya think?" Spike frowned at him. Next thing the two know, Spike and Mischief were thrown out of the library with Yuki as the Mane-Iac jumped out laughing. "Greetings ponies of the 'real world!' It is I, The Mane-Iac! And I'm here to make you all have a bad hair day!" the villain laughed maniacally, though the ponies of Ponyville just looked at her in confusion. "Is she okay?" one mare asked. "I don't know," another mare replied. "Maybe somepony's filming a movie?" A Pegasus stallion asked. "...Fine. I guess I'll have to convince you all then," Mane-iac smirked darkly as she used her tentacle like hair to grab a nearby cart and tossed it at one if the houses. This made everyone in Ponyville yell in fear as they ran away from the crazed villain. The villainess laughed manically again, leaving Spike and Mischief to just watch. "You see where doing stuff like this gets you?!" Spike snapped. "Yeah...I really messed up...big time," Mischief gulped. "Yeah, I know! Ugh...this is almost as bad as that time with that bookworm!" Spike groaned, making Mischief look at him in confusion, "...Long story." "R...right...how long did you say Twilight and the others will be gone?" Mischief asked him. "They'd be gone the whole day,"Spike sighed. "...Then we're totally screwed then," Mischief gulped until... "Ugh! Can't Trixie have her day off in peace?! Bad enough I had to stay to make sure nothing happened," a certain, azure Unicorn groaned from a nearby bush. "...Trixie?" Spike blinked. "Spike… what is going on here?!" She demanded as she poked her head out the bush, "I was resting in my home one moment and the next somepony picks it up and throws it...with me in it!" "...uh..." Spike began. "Gahahahaha!" Mane-iac laughed as she continued causing chaos. "Grr...whoever's laughing like a hyena, stop...!" Trixie began as she quickly turned her head to see Mane-Iac, "...hold on...that's the Mane-Iac!" "Yeah and...hold on," Spike blinked as he looked at the azure unicorn, "How do you know about her?" "...I read Power Ponies once," Trixie answered before muttering, "And wrote a fan made story once..." "...N...Nevermind. We need to figure out how to get Mane-iac back into the comic book," Spike said as the trio ducked under a thrown piece of debris. "But how? If Trixie remembers correctly, the only ones strong enough to defeat the Mane-Iac are the Power Ponies," the Azure Unicorn stated. "Yea, and they don't even exist he-... wait… Mischief! I got an idea! You were able to bring the Mane-Iac to our world with your powers, right? Well, do the same with the Power Ponies!" Spike responded. "...That would be a good idea...if I didn't have enough magic to only bring one more Pony Out if a comic," Mischief stated before grinning, "But I do know someponny who could possibly help us." "Who? ...Wait, you don't mean…?" "Oh I mean..." Mischief nodded. "Gahahahahahaha! Nopony can stop me now!" Mane-iac laughed insanely as she continued her rampage, "Perhaps once I'm done with this little measly town..." She looked at Canterlot in the distance, "That kingdom there is next!" "NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" she heard a voice roar. "Huh?! Who said that?!" Mane-Iac demanded as she searched for the source of the voice. She then turned to see Spike, Mischief, and even Trixie standing in the open. "Oh...it's you two...and some wizard wannabe," Mane-Iac scoffed, ticking Trixie off at that wizard wannabe comment, "I don't have time for you three." "Oh I think you should...in fact..you haven't meet our friend yet," Mischief grinned as he turned to Spike, "Right Spike?" "Oh yea," Spike nodded. "...What friend? I only see you three, so...?" Mane-iac began. "Look behind you," Spike replied. Mane-Iac raised an eyebrow in confusion as hedge began to turn her head to see who Spike was referring to, "...Who are you?" The pony in question was a pegasus stallion, who wore some metallic armor, and a red cape on top of a coat of blue fur and a flowing yellow mane under a silver winged-helmet. "Mane-Iac, allow us to introduce to you, Storm Hammer!" Spike shouted proudly. "So...you are the demon these young ones have told me about," Storm Hammer stated with a frown. "D...Demon? Well...my hair is demonically wild," Mane-Iac chuckled before a crash of thunder caught her attention. "That is demonic enough for me to handle," Storm Hammer growled as he held a large hammer with his tail, lightning crackling around it, "Thou shall not harm any more ponies in this world as long as I am around! HAVE AT YOU!" "Oh this'll be...!" Mane-iac began before a strike from Storm Hammer's...well, hammer sent her flying through a destroyed home, "...fine! If you want a dance...then let's dance!" "Ooh..." Mane-Iac groaned as she laid defeated on the ground, her mane and body blackened as electricity crackled off her. "That should take care of you, you foul winch!" Storm Hammer responded. "So..." A voice began as Mane-iac weakly looked up at a grinning Spike and Mischief. "Still want this world for yourself?" Mischief grinned. "...N...no!" Mane-iac yelled as she looked at the two dragons, "Please, send me back to my world! I'd rather deal with the Power Ponies than him again!" "Well, you heard her Mischief… send her back," Spike smirked, handing Mischief his comic book. "With pleasure," Mischief grinned as he snapped his finger, causing Mane-Iac to float up and go right back into the comic. "And never come back," Spike smirked as Mischief fell to his knees. "Whoo...that takes a lot out of me...just have barely enough to send ol' Storm Hammer back to his world," Mischief panted. "Tis a good idea. My allies will wonder about my disappearance if they see me missing," Storm Hammer nodded. "Well, thanks for coming to aide us, Storm Hammer," Spike thanked. "You are welcome. Perhaps one day, I shall come visit your realm again," Storm Hammer stated. "Perhaps," Spike nodded as Mischief held up the comic Storm Hammer came from. "Okay Storm, back in you go," he replied as the comic glowed. Storm Hammer just nodded before flying right back in. "And with that...another crisis averted...hoo boy," Mischief panted as he fell to the ground on his side, "I need a nap." "I'll help you back to the library, Mischief. You deserved that nap," Spike told his fellow dragon, helping him back with Yuki skipping alongside them. "Hold it!" Trixie yelled, catching their attention as she motioned to the wreckage, "What about the damage caused by Mane-Iac?!" "Oh… right…" Spike gulped. "Spike, we're home!" Twilight called out as she and Dawn Star walked into the library, followed by Timid. "Hi Twilight," Spike waved as he was petting Yuki. "Ano...did everything g-go okay?" Timid asked him. "Yea. Everything was just fine," Spike assured, "Mischief is sleeping upstairs, and I've been down here playing with Yuki." "Did anything in particular happen?" Twilight asked. "No," Spike quickly answered. "Oh really?" Twilight asked. "Really. Nothing happened," Spike quickly answered once more. "...Okay then," Twilight nodded as she walked up the stairs with Dawn Star. 'Phew. Thought she found out about what happened,' Spike gave a mental sigh of relief. "SPIKE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY ROOM?!" Twilight called out. "...crud," Spike gulped. "Kya! My room! Spike!" Dawn Star yelled. "...double crud," Spike gulped. Author's Note You like? Read, like, and possibly review/comment if ya can. Also, whoever can notice teh references in this chapter, wins a free cake.
Derpy DayOne day in Ponyville, all the fillies and colts were bringing in friends and family for Career Day, and for the CMC, they each brought a member of the Mane 6. And right now, it was Sweetie Belle's turn. "And that what my sister does for a living. It's not all glamour, but she does put all her effort into it because it's something she loves to do," Sweetie Belle finished up, bringing on a cheer from the crowd (minus Diamond & Silver), and with that, Rarity and Sweetie Belle took their bows before returning to where they'd be sitting. "That was very nice, Sweetie Belle," Cheerilee smiled as she began to look at the class, "Alright, who'd like to go next?" She then saw one filly raise her hoof up, "Yes Dinky?" "If it's okay, I'd like my mom and me to go next teacher," the filly, which was a unicorn with light lavender fur, a blonde mane and tail, as well as amber yellow eyes, said. "Of course, dear. Everypony, please welcome up Dinky Doo and her mother, Derpy Hooves," Cheerilee replied as Ditzy stood up and walked up front along with a gray pegasus mare with similar mane and eyes (except the eyes themselves were like her name: Derpy), and her Cutie Mark was a bunch of bubbles. The children cheered for Dinky and her mom, but the adults… well they seemed…uneased for some reason. "Why're the adults acting so odd?" Dawn Star whispered to Scootaloo. "I don't know..." Scootaloo whispered before frowning a bit when she saw Diamond Tiara snickering a bit, "But whatever it is, Diamond Tiara finds it funny..." Dawn Star gave a slight nod in response, frowning as well at the bully before both fillies stayed quiet. "Hi everypony, I-whoops!" The grey Pegasus began as she accidentally hit a ruler on the chalkboard, sending said item flying into a window and breaking it, "...Oops. Sorry...I just don't know what went wrong..." This caused some of the adults to groan while some of the foals tried to hold back their laughter. "It's fine, dear. Please continue," Cheerilee insisted. "...Okay," Derpy nodded as she began to talk about her job as a mail carrier. However, after a few minutes, most of the audience were more intrigued by Derpy's eyes, or trying to hold back groans and laughter over what she ended up doing. Dawn Star felt a bit uneased by how the adults were acting around Dinky's mom. And it didn't help that at the end, no one gave an applause for Derpy unlike some of the other parents in the room received, making Dinky sigh as her mom tripped over something in the middle of the room again. "Is everything okay, Dawn Star?" Twilight asked after she and the Alicorn filly returned to their home after school was over. "...I don't know, Twilight. I guess I was still thinking about something that happened at school," Dawn sighed. "...Would you like to talk about it?" Twilight asked as she sat down next to her. "...It's about Dinky's mom," Dawn answered as she looked up at Twilight, "Why were most of the adults so nervous around her?" "Oh… you mean Derpy? Well she… she's been known to be a bit… accident-prone," Twilight answered. "...You mean like how she accidentally knocked that ruler into the window?" Dawn Star asked. "...Yea… something like that," Twilight nodded. "...I see...Still, I don't understand why the other adults were so nervous around her? It was just an accident. It's not like she was going to hurt anypony," Dawn Star said. "Thing is, Dawn…that's not the first time she's caused an accident. In fact, sometimes it got even worse than that. For instance, during my first Winter Wrap-Up here, she accidentally went North to go get the Southern birds." "I...I see..." "And there were other cases like that, but I think Rainbow Dash could better explain what she did. But since she made those goofs, she's… not exactly the best in most cases. That's why she's a mail mare; it's one of the few things she doesn't goof up." "R...right. Um...Twilight? Is it okay if I go see my friends?" "Of course, Dawn," Twilight nodded. "Thanks," Dawn nodded as she got up and left the home/library. She soon arrived at the CMC clubhouse, meeting up with the rest of her friends. "Hi Dawn Star...is everything okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, being the first one to see the look on Dawn's face. "...It's about what happened in school with Dinky's mom," Dawn answered. "Really?" Scootaloo asked, earning a nod from the Alicorn filly, "...Strange. We were just about to talk about her." "Really?" "Yeah," Quirky added, "I don't why the adults were nervous when she tripped in class and accidentally knocked that ruler into the window. I thought that was funny, and not the bad, mean kind of funny." "She didn't even mean to do it either. She said so herself," Sweetie Belle added. "Yeah...but Diamond Tiara found that funny. She was snickering the entire time Dinky's mom was talking," Applebloom frowned. "Why do I have a feeling I know why she was snickering?" Dawn randomly asked. "Ano...I...I don't know..." Timid replied with a stutter while Mischief rested nearby, reading the local newspaper. "...That was rhetorical, Timid. I do have an idea in what she was snickering about." "You do?" Quirky asked. "She would've insulted Dinky about how her mom acted as well as call her a blank flank." "Ahh..." The rest of the CMC nodded before frowning, knowing how big of a bully Diamond Tiara is. "...Yea… sorry for saying that," Dawn apologized. "It's alright. But...since you brought it up, I think we should check up on Dinky and make sure Diamond Tiara isn't messing with her," Scootaloo suggested. "Sounds like a good plan," Applebloom nodded. "H...hai," Timid nodded as she turned towards Mischief, "Ano...M-Misty? C...can you look after the c-clubhouse while we're gone?" "Yeah sure whatever," Mischief said nonchalantly, not looking up from his newspaper. With that, the CMC walked out of the clubhouse and prepared to go meet up with Dinky. After they left, Mischief...popped his head out the window? Wait...then who... "In case you're wondering, this happens to be..." Mischief began as he poked the other mischief, popping him like a balloon, "A dummy I created so I can get rest...and now I'm curious about what this Dinky's mom...well, since I technically promised to watch this place..." He paused as he pulled out a balloon and blew into it, creating another Mischief, "You watch this place until I return, got it?" "Whatever," the Mischief double shrugged as he sat down and began to read the paper. "Good boy. Now then..." Mischief began as he jumped up on the windowsill and grabbed a rope...which was somehow tied to the branch of a nearby tree, "Yoinks, and away!" He declared as he swung on the rope… before crashing right into the tree the rope was tied too, "...Yoinks, and away…" He continued to slur this and ram into tree after tree with each swing before landing on the ground, twitching a bit. Then, he stood up, obviously infuriated. "Why… you…" he growled before zooming off, and coming back with an axe, chopping away at the trees below where he hit them. After taking down the last tree, Mischief was back at the windowsill, holding a rope, "Now then. Yoinks, and away!" He yelled as he swung down, making it past every tree this time around, and he smirked as he looked back when somehow, he slammed right into a large boulder, creating a Mischief shaped dent in it, "...Why me?" Meanwhile, the CMC were looking around town for the young unicorn filly. "Any luck spotting Dinky?" Dawn Star asked her fellow CMC. "Nope," Quirky responded, shaking her head rapidly. "N...no," Timid stuttered. "So far, no," Applebloom added with a sigh. "Me neither," Sweetie Belle sighed as well. "No...but we better hurry and find Dinky before..." Scootaloo started until they bumped into the filly in question. "Whoops! Sorry, I… didn't see you there," Dinky apologized. "It's oka..." Scootaloo began before realizing who she bumped into. "...What?" The unicorn filly blinked, "Do I...have something on my face?" "No, it's just that… you're the filly we were looking for," Dawn answered. "Really? You were looking for me?" Dinky blinked before frowning, "You're not going to make fun of my mom, are you? Because the last few ponies who asked me that just came to make fun of my mom." "No, of course not, Dinky. There's no way we'd make fun of her," Scootaloo insisted. "Yeah. In fact, we wanted to make sure Diamond Tiara wasn't bullying you," Sweetie Belle added. "Really? 'Cause most ponies would make fun of me or mommy," Dinky sighed, looking away from the CMC. "...We're not those kind of ponies, Dinky," Dawn Star spoke as she walked up to the unicorn filly, "I promise you we won't make fun of you, or your mom." "...Do you promise?" Dinky asked, just to make sure they weren't lying or not. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," the six all Pinkie Promised. "..." Dinky just blinked in confusion at that before recalling something about a 'Pinkie Promise', "...Okay. I'll trust you six then..." "Thank you, Dinky. We just want to help you and be your friends," Dawn replied. Dinky was about to respond before her stomach began to growl, making her blush in embarrassment a bit. "Yea, we're kinda hungry too," Scoots admitted with a giggle. "Ooh ooh! Why don't we head to the Cakes bakery?! They should be placing some fresh cookies out!" Quirky suggested. "...Actually, my mom should be home right now making muffins," Dinky spoke, "In fact, my place isn't too far from here." "Really?" Dawn blinked before her nose caught the smell of muffins baking, "I think I can smell them from here." "Yeah. If you want, you can come in and have a few. My mom always likes to make a lot of muffins when she cooks," Dinky said with a small giggle. "She must really like her muffins," Sweetie Belle giggled. "And yes, we'd love to join you, Dinky," Dawn smiled. "Cool. Let's hurry then before the muffins get cold then," Dinky smiled as she and the CMC left, the CMC following the unicorn filly and the scent of freshly baked muffins. Back in a comfy little house, Derpy was just pulling out the next tray of muffins she made when she heard a knock on the door. "Coming!" The grey Pegasus replied after placing the tray down on the counter and walked over to the front door, "Who is it?" "It's me, mommy! And I brought some new friends from school!" Dinky's voice called out. "...That's nice to hear!" Derpy smiled as she opened the door, "Come in! I just pulled the last muffin tray out of the oven. Hope you all like blueberry...or banana nut, or strawberry." "You really do like muffins, don't you?" Dawn asked as she, Dinky, and the rest of the CMC walked in, the Alicorn filly noticing the miniature pyramid of muffins on the table. "Oh yes! I absolutely love muffins! Especially..." Derpy paused as she drooled a little, "Lemon Muffin surprise..." "That's one she never let's me have," Dinky whispered. "Why?" Scootaloo asked, earning a shrug from Dinky in response. "Come on, have a seat," Derpy insisted as the fillies sat down. "R...right," Dawn Star nodded as Derpy placed a few muffins in front of the CMC. "Try them. They're really fresh," Derpy insisted as Dinky ate her muffins. The other fillies just shrugged as Dawn took a strawberry muffin first and took a bite before her eyes widened and her tail stood up. "...Is it...?" Applebloom began. "It's...it's..." Dawn began before she was crying tears of joy, "Absolutely delicious!" "Huh?" The rest of the CMC blinked as Dawn Star began to eat her muffins. "I knew you'd like my muffins," Derpy smiled. The other CMC members looked at each other before they each took one of their muffins and took a bite before their eyes widened and their tails stood up. "U...umai!" Timid gasped, her tone a bit louder than her usual one. "So… GOOD!" Scootaloo smiled. "Good?! It's down right tasty~!" Quirky practically sang as she held her cheeks, which were filled with two whole muffins. "How'd you fit two whole muffins in your mouth at the same time?!" Dinky gawked at what the dark green filly did as Applebloom and Sweetie Belle just enjoyed their muffins in silence. "It's Quirky being...well, Quirky," Scootaloo replied as she resumed eating her muffin. "...Okay…?" Dinky blinked, not sure how to respond to that. "Just relax, Dinky," Derpy insisted, eating a blueberry muffin. "...R...Right, mommy," Dinky nodded as she resumed eating her muffin. "That was delicious," Dawn smiled after they finished. "Yeah. It..." Quirky began before she let out a very large burp, "...Excuse me." "You got some really interesting friends, Dinky," Derpy giggled. "...Actually, I only just met them today," Dinky admitted. "Really? I just assumed they were your friends because they were with you," Derpy blinked. "Well… they were looking for me, but I don't know why," Dinky admitted. "...Okay," Derpy nodded before gasping when she noticed the time, "Oh no, I'm supposed to help deliver something in a few minutes!" She then looked at Dinky, "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to work again. I'll see you when I get home, Dinky." "...Okay mommy," Dinky sighed a bit as her mother hugged her. "I'll be home as soon as I can...I promise," Derpy whispered to her daughter as she released the hug and left out the door. Dinky just nodded before sighing. "What's wrong, Dinky?" Quirky asked. "Nothing...it's just...mommy works so hard just so we can have a place to stay..." Dinky replied with a sigh. "Really? Why is that?" Sweetie Belle asked. "...Well, with all the accidents my mom accidentally causes, she has a lot of money to pay off...so she has to take multiple shifts just to pay them off, and pay the bills," Dinky replied. "Oh… sorry I asked," Sweetie Bell responded. "It's okay..." Dinky said as she turned to a small portrait of her and Derpy, "Mommy's always there to take care of me...I remember the day she adopted me...or rather, found me." "Huh? You mean you're not Derpy's birth daughter?" Quirky asked. "No...it happened a few years back..." "Oops! Sorry.." Derpy apologized, having crashed into someone's garden. "It's okay...just don't let it happen again..." The owner of the garden sighed. "Okay," Derpy nodded as she began to walk away. Just when she was walking around the area leading to outside the town, she heard crying nearby. Curious by who was making it, she walked into an alley to find an even younger Dinky, sitting cold and alone, crying so much she made a puddle underneath her. "...Hello?" Derpy said, startling the younger filly as she backed away in fear, "...There's no need to be afraid. I won't hurt you." "..." The young Dinky just whimpered a bit as she moved forward a bit. "Where are your parents? They must be worried sick about you," Derpy said to the filly in concern. "...They… they left me… I have no mommy or daddy!" Dinky cried out, trying to run away, but she tripped, falling to her face. Derpy eyes widened when she heard that. 'Why would Anypony abandon a filly? Why?' Were her thoughts. She then slowly approached Dinky, who tried to get up before wincing, seeing as she sprained her leg when she tripped. "P...please...stay away..." Dinky begged before she felt something wrap around her. "I'm not here to hurt you," Derpy assured, her wing around the young unicorn, "What's your name?" "...I...don't have a name..." Dinky whimpered a bit, tears still in her eyes. "Well… let's see… you look dinky in size, even for a filly…" Derpy noticed before she got an idea, "Would you be okay if I call you Dinky Doo?" "...y...yes," Dinky nodded a bit, kinda liking the name, smiling a bit before hugging Derpy. Derpy gave a soft smile as she held the young filly, whispering to her, "Don't worry...I promise nothing bad will ever happen to you...ever." "...Do...you promise?" Dinky asked hopefully, tears threatening to pour from her eyes once more. "I promise," Derpy nodded. Dinky began to sob as she cried into Derpy's chest, staining her fur with tears of joy as Derpy held her close. "Ever since that day, mommy's been taking really good care of me," Dinky said, still looking at the portrait of her and Derpy, both of which looked as happy as could be. "Aw… that's sweet," Sweete Belle smiled while Quirky sobbed a bit. "Yeah...it was," Quirky nodded as she blew her nose into a tissue she pulled out from her hammerspace. "Sorry if we pulled up any bad memories," Applebloom apologized. "No no...it's okay. Though..." Dinky began as she looked out the window, "I sometimes worry about mommy." "Are you worried she won't be able to keep her job?" Scootaloo asked. "...Yeah...this is the only job she has where she won't accidentally cause trouble," Dinky nodded. "Wow… I heard of a parent concerned for their child, but this is the first time I heard somepony this concerned for their mother, and at such a young age, too. I really admire you, Dinky," Dawn told her. "...Thanks," Dinky smiled a bit. "..." Quirky was about to say something before she noticed another picture, this one showing a male Earth Pony with light brown fur and a hour glass for a Cutie Mark, "...Who's this?" "That? Oh, that's Dr. Hooves, a friend of Mommy's," Dinky answered, "I met him once, and he's really nice." "Really? Wow." "Yeah...I'm actually hoping one day, he'd be my daddy. Because when mommy's around him, she's really happy," Dinky added. "Really really happy?" Quirky asked. "...um...yes?" Dinky nodded, earning an excited squeal from Quirky. "Again, that's Quirky being Quirky," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "R...right..." Dinky nodded. "Is there anything we can do to help?" "...no no...I think I held up enough of your time," Dinky said before giving them a small smile, "Thanks for hanging out with me while mom's out at work." "You're welcome," the CMC nodded. "Oh oh! I just thought of something!" Quirky gasped as she looked over at Dinky, "How would you like to become a Cutie Mark Crusader?!" "...um...thanks, but no thanks," Dinky replied, making Quirky's hair droop a bit. "Aw~ why?" Quirky asked. "...Well," Dinky sighed, not quite sure how to respond, drawing circles on the ground with her hoof, "I appreciate the offer but...well..." "...well what?" "...I just don't want Diamond Tiara to bully me more than she already has…" "...oh...I see..." Quirky sighed. "Sorry," Dinky said with a sigh. "...It's okay. You don't have to join now if you don't want to," Dawn told Dinky, "Just know that if you need help… we'll be willing to give it to you as best as we can." "...Thank you," Dinky smiled. "Okay...let's try this again..." Mischief muttered, the dragon still wanting to follow the CMC while his clone looked after the clubhouse, "Yoinks, and a...oh no. I'm not doing that again! Instead..." He grinned, now attached to a large slingshot, "I'll send myself flying there!" With a grin, he waited to be flung, however, he forgot he had the thing locked into the ground so he could get himself set up. "Alright...here we go!" Mischief declared as he unlocked the sling, and he was sent flying through the air. However, he was flying so high and fast he passed over the CMC, "...Nuts…" he then paled when he saw where he was going to crash, "...oh...n..." He couldn't finish as he was slammed against the left side of a mountain before sliding down slowly until he was back on the ground, face first into the dirt, "...Ow…" "Was that Mischief just now?" Scootaloo blinked, having barely seen the blur that passed over them not to long ago. "I dunno," most of the others shrugged. "Maybe it was; he probably just flung himself from a giant slingshot into a mountain… maybe," Quirky smiled, making a 'squee' sound. "...Okay…" Scootaloo replied, a bit confused before shrugging, 'Remember Scoots, it's just Quirky being Quirky.' Dawn Star wasn't paying attention as she thought back to Dinky and her mom Derpy. She heard of parents concerned for their foals, but not the other way around… then again, those two were in the most interesting of situations... "...Dawn?" Applebloom spoke, getting the Alicorn filly's attention, "Ya'll okay?" "...yeah. Just thinking about something is all." "Thinking about what?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Nothing..." "Ano...y-you sure?" Timid asked. "Positive." "...okay. If ya'll are sure," Applebloom said before suggesting, "Why don't we just head back to the clubhouse for a while until we need to head home?" "Sounds like a plan. Let's go," Scootaloo nodded. "Mischief! We're...back?" Scootaloo blinked when she saw the dragon, who's face was flatter than a pancake while his arms and legs were in cast, "...uh...wha...?" "Don't ask…" Mischief groaned, "And…don't you… say a word." "...uh...sure..." Scootaloo and most of the CMC nodded with sweatdrops. "Don't worry Mischief! We won't tell Anypony!" Quirky stated as she wrapped her left front leg around him, unintentionally touching his castes arm. "..." "Al...most..." The same guard from Quirky's debut chapter slowly said as he was about to put the finishing touch on his card pyramid before... "YEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWCCCCCHHH!" "...Oh come on!" The guard exclaimed as the scream caused his pyramid to collapse...and most of the windows in Canterlot. "Oopsie… sorry Misty," Quirky apologized while the other fillies were trying to regain their hearing. "What?! What did she say?!" Sweetie Belle asked. "What?!" Scootaloo asked, looking at the unicorn filly, "What did you say?!" "'What the hay?' Nopony said that!" Applebloom responded. "Huh?! Wh...there it is..." Scootaloo sighed in relief once their hearing was back. "Was Mischief really that loud?" Quirky asked, the bubbly filly being the only one unaffected by Mischief's really loud scream of pain. "...Do I even wanna know how you were unaffected by that scream?" Scootaloo asked. "Nope!" Quirky smiled, making a 'squee' noise again. "...Let me guess...nopony heard that, right?!" Mischief exclaimed, having been the only one to hear that 'squee' noise. "Ano...h...heard what?" Timid blinked in confusion with the others. "Ugh… forget it…" Mischief sighed before looking at the reader, "That's all folks." Author's Note You like? Read, Like, and possibly review if ya can.
A Screwy DayThe morning sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres, the sunlight shining through Applebloom's bedroom window a bit, waking the filly up. Applebloom yawned as she got off her bed and stretched a bit...unaware that things looked a bit shorter to her. She then walked out if her room to head downstairs for breakfast. As she was turning the corner, she walked past her older sister, Applejack. "Mornin'," the two siblings yawned as they walked past each other...until stopping with wide eyes. "What in tarnation?!" Applejack gawked before turning around to look at Applebloom, her body being… much larger than before, "A...Applebloom?!" "...A...Applejack?!" Applebloom gawked, seeing her older sister much shorter than her normal size. In fact...she was a filly! "What's going on here?!" "That's what AH jus' said!" Applejack shouted at her younger sister who was now a full-grown mare. "...This must be a dream or somethin'," Applebloom quickly said as she lifted her hoof up to her face and tugged it a little, "Ow!...okay...it's not a dream." "Don't tell me this is a curse!" Applejack responded, jumping up and down. "Ah hope not..." Applebloom gulped before realizing something, "...You think our friends are...?" "KYAAAA!" The sound of 5 mares and 5 fillies screaming filled the air. "...Ah think that answers your question," Applejack said. "How did this happen?!" Rainbow Dash snapped, the cyan Pegasus (along with the rest of the mane 6) were fillies while Scootaloo and the CMC were mares, "Did somebody put Poison Joke on us in our sleep?!" "I'd think we'd know if it was Poison Joke, Dash," Twilight pointed out, "Still...it doesn't make sense." "Yea… and it feels weird being like this again," Pinkie added, blowing away some of her mane when it got in her eyes. "Twilight dear, please tell me there's a re..." Rarity began before Applebloom and Applejack came in through the entrance to the library/home/castle. "...Oh no...you girls too?" Dawn Star asked. "It's a curse, I tells ya!" AJ shouted. "You said the same thing when we were effected by the Poison Joke," Twilight pointed out. "That was different! This might be an actual curse!" Fluttershy whimpered at that as she hid behind a shaking Timid, who was hiding behind Scootaloo. "Take it easy, will ya? You're scaring Fluttershy and Timid here," Scoots pointed out. "...Sorry about that," AJ apologized, "Just...freaked out right now..." "It's alright Applejack. But...even if it really is a curse, who would do it to us?" Twilight pondered before giving RD a stern look, "And don't blame Trixie, Dash. She couldn't have done this to us." "Aww…" Dash whined. "...Uh… Timid? Please tell me that Mischief's not sick," Sweetie Belle responded, worried the sick dragon may have had something to do with it. "N...no...I...I don't think so..." Timid replied with a stutter. "...Just to make sure...Mischief! We got some rock candy for ya!" Scootaloo shouted before Twilight hushed her. "Shh...Spike's still asleep...we.." Twilight began before Mischief appeared via a puff of smoke. "Where?! Where the tasty?! It's mine mine mine mine!" The small dragon shouted greedily, like a certain black duck, "...eh? Where..." He began before noticing the conditions of the mane 6 and CMC, "...PFFFFFTTT! Hahahaha!" "This isn't funny mischief!" Quirky snapped, her voice sounding a bit lower than usual "You're right...it's hilarious!" Mischief laughed as he fell to the floor, "Oh! Oh my sides!" "Ha ha ha! This is serious, Mischief!" Twilight snapped, "Now tell us, did you have anything to do with this?" "...Ahem," Mischief cleared his throat as he got up, "As much as I like a good prank...no. I didn't have anything to do with this." "Seriously?" Applebloom gawked with a raised eyebrow. "Seriously...whoever did this too you...kudos to him or her," Mischief chuckled a bit. "...ugh...if it's not Mischief...then there's only one creature that might've done this to us as a joke," Twilight sighed. "...Discord?" "Discord." "Nah! I doubt Pops would've had anything to do with this. He may have the power, but after what happened with the centaur, I doubt he'd want to do this to you girls, even as a prank," Mischief shrugged off, having met his father a week before Tirek's attack. "Should we check with Discord just in case?" Rarity asked. "Didn't I just say he wouldn't do that? I thought you girls thought of him as a friend now," Mischief pointed out. "...You're right but...we don't know who else could've done this." "...True. I mean, the only ones who could do this kind of thing are me, pops, and..." Mischief began before his eyes widened in realization, "...oh crud." "What? What is it now?" Scootaloo groaned. "W...who are you talking about, Misty?" Timid asked, peeking out from behind Scootaloo. "...Well," Mischief began as he took a deep breath, "And don't freak out about this but...Discord...has a daughter." The mares and fillies (age swapped) remained in complete silence for a short time before... "Um...I'm sorry dear but...did you just say Discord had a daughter?" Rarity asked, just to make sure Mischief wasn't joking or anything. "I did...and that's the honest truth." "...EH?!" all 12 ponies gasped in unison. "Don't tell me she's like you or you old man," Scootaloo groaned. "Oh no, not even close. In fact, ...dare I say it, ...she's even worse than Pops and me combined, having little to no inhibitions with pranks, and she's a bit..." Mischief began as his head shifted into a cuckoo clock before shifting back to normal, "If ya catch my drift." "We get what you mean," Pinkie and Quirky responded in unison. "...Please tell me you know what she looks like," Dawn Star asked. "I do...but why tell ya when I can show you?!" Mischief declared as he gained an artist outfit before pulling out a canvas and a few buckets of paint from his hammerspace. He then threw all the cans of paint of the canvas, the paint forming into a picture of a pink pony with swirly purple and pink eyes that were derped like Derpy's, a curly purple and white mane and tail, along with a yellow and green propeller cap, and her Cutie Mark being both a screw and a baseball. "Quite the artist, aren't ya?" Sweetie noted. "Eh. I dabble," Mischief shrugged. "...Hold on..." Twilight began as she eyes the picture closely, "I think I've seen her before..." "You have? Where?!" the Mane 6 fillies asked quickly of her. "Well...recall when Discord first got out of his stone prison?" "...Yeah...what about it?" "Well...while you guys were still...Discorded..." "Trademark," Mischief added. "I. barely noticed her flying by...I thought she was a regular pony that went insane..." "Well obviously not. She showed herself in that situation because of the excess amount of Chaos at the time. Plus...she's a real daddy's girl." "Wait...really?" "Eeyup. Whenever pops was around, she'd drop what she was doing so she could hang out with him." "Man, that must be tough on ya," AJ noted. "Oh don't get me started, cowgirl." "...Ahem. At any case, we need to find...uh..." "Screwball." "Thanks. Screwball before..." Twilight began before a bright flash of light occurred outside, "...That can't be good." Everyone in the room suddenly rushed to the window, quickly seeing almost everyone in Ponyville...turned into cats. "What just...?" "Kitties!" Pinkie and Quirky squealed as they dashed out in a pink and dark green blur. "...Sheesh," Mischief groaned, facepalming himself as he and the other ponies walked outside to see what else happened. "...Oh...my..." Fluttershy whispered, seeing almost all the buildings covered in dark pink and purple polka dots while the flowers were replaced with peppermints. "This is almost as messed up as the chocolate rain and the cotton candy clouds," Dash noted as they suddenly heard Pinkie and Quirky singing something about chocolate rain while hugging some of the pony-turned-kitties. "...We need to find her...fast," Twilight stated, "Let's split up so we can cover more ground… and can somepony grab Quirky and Pinkie?" "We're on it," the Apple siblings spoke as they walked off and dragged the two bubbly ponies off, the latter dropping the 'cats' in the process. "Aww~!" the two ponies whined in unison. "Any sign of her yet?" RD asked as she, Scootaloo, Flutteshy, and a Timid looked on the East side of Ponyville. "Ano...n...no, R..Rainbow-San," Timid shook her head. "N...no luck from me either," Fluttershy added. "Sorry bi...I mean, sis..but no," Scootaloo replied. "Darn...well keep looking. It can't be hard finding a crazy looking pony in all thi-hey!" RD exclaimed as she was deluged by a stream of...strawberry milk, "...okay! Who did that?!" They heard a giggling up above them and looked up to make sure. "...That's her!" Scootaloo gasped as the saw the exact same pony Mischief described laying on top of a pink cloud. "Hi!" she waved, her hoof going even faster than Pinkie's or AJ's, but when she stopped, she looked like she literally had 10 hooves on the same leg, "You want to play?" "What? N-no! We want you to change us back to our normal ages!" RD snapped as she moved her soaked mane out of her eyes, allowing her to glare at the crazed pony. "Hmm...no! I'm having too much fun~! Plus...daddy will really like it!" Screwball beamed as she hopped away...in the air. "And I thought Pinkie was wacko," RD responded as she and Scootaloo gave chase. Fluttershy and Timid were about to follow the two before they heard a soft, meow. "Dash?" Fluttershy asked as they looked over and then saw a small cat with Snow White fur looking at the two shy ponies...or to be specific, Fluttershy, "Opal?" "...Ano...I don't think th...that's o..." Timid began before... "Shy! Timid! Hurry up!" RD yelled offscreen. "Oh' a...sorry!" Fluttershy yelled(in her tone) as she picked the cat up before she and Timid ran off to catch up with RD and Scootaloo. "What took you so long?" RD demanded to know. "S...sorry...w...we found this cat lying around and..." Fluttershy began before a large explosion occurred nearby, followed by the sounds of AJ and Pinkie screaming. "What the hay?" Scootaloo gawked, turning to see both AJ and Pinkie land near them. "Pinkie! AJ! Are..." Rd began before seeing what happened to her friends, the mare turned filly trying her best to hold her laughter back. "...Don't...laugh," AJ frowned as she was dressed as a clown while Pinkie was dressed as a goth. "I feel silly, and not in the normal silly I'm used to," Pinkie sighed. "...Where's Applebloom and Quir..." Scootaloo began as the former mentioned pony came walking up to the group...with Quirky glued to her back and their tails tied together with Applebloom's ribbon, "...ky?" "Don't asked," Applebloom groaned, "Just...don't." "Uh… okay…" Scootaloo sweatdropped a bit. "Let's hope Twilight and the others are having better luck," RD stated. Meanwhile, with Twilight's group consisting of herself, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Dawn Star,ed high and low for Screwball on the other side of town. Unfortunately, they had no luck finding the crazed mare so far. "How're we supposed to find a pink mare with a screw and baseball Cutie Mark with how Ponyville looks now?" Rarity groaned. "I don't know...but we better hurry. Who knows what else Screwball is capable off," Twilight stated, a bit worried. "Yea," Dawn Star nodded when suddenly, they saw a stampede of… Chocolate cows run by? "...What the hay?!" Sweetie Belle gawked before she and Rarity were engulfed in pink smoke. "Rarity! Sweetie be..." Dawn Star began as the smoke died down, "..." "...What? Do we have something on our faces?" Rarity asked, wondering why the two Alicorns were looking at her and Sweetie Belle like that. "...Rarity...Sweetie Belle...whatever you do...don't look in a mirror," Twilight warned the two slowly. "Why? What's wrong?" Rarity asked, in a bit of a panic now as she searched for a mirror. "Is something wrong with us?!" Sweetie Belle added, panicking as well. "Um… well… you see…" Twilight began before both unicorns screamed when they saw their reflections in a nearby window. "Oh my…" Rarity gasped as her and Sweetie Belle's manes and tails were gone, "We're...we're..." "Bald!" Sweetie Belle screamed before she and her sister began to cry hysterically. "Oh geez… do they act like this all the time when something happens that affects their vanity?" Dawn groaned. "Uh...y..." Twilight began before the sound of laughing caught her attention, making her and Dawn turn to their left to see a laughing mare that exactly matchd Mischief's description. "Oh that's too funny! I wish daddy was here to see this!" The mare laughed, seemingly floating in the air. "Wait… you wouldn't happen to be Screwball, would you?" Twilight asked, hoping to make sure she found the right mare. "Yeppers! I'm daddy's favorite child!" "Bull roar!" Mischief shouted offscreen. "Was that my stupid brother again?" the mare responded, "He was always an idiot growing up." "I heard that!" Mischief shouted offscreen again. "You!" Rarity shouted as she and Sweetie Belle glared at the crazed mare. "Give us our mane and tails back this instant!" Sweetie Belle demanded. "Oh… you mean these?" Screwball asked, holding up the items in question. "Yes! Give those back now!" "...okay," Screwball shrugged as both Sweetie Belle and Rarity's manes and tails reappeared on them...only...it was in reverse, as in Sweetie's were on Rarity and Rarity's were on Sweetie. "What the?!" Sweetie Belle gasped with a squeak in her voice, making Screwball giggle. "You didn't say which mane and tail belonged to who!" The crazed mare giggled as she spun the propeller on her hat and flew off. "Grr! Get back here and switch our manes and tails back!" Rarity snapped as she and Sweetie Belle gave chase. "Oh geez…" Dawn Star groaned, facehoofing herself. "I know..." Twilight added as they followed after the two. "Ugh...this is pointless," Mischief mumbled as he stood in the center of town, "They're never going to catch her. I should know...every time I tried getting back at her when we were growing up, boom! I'm hit with a barrage of balloons filled with strawberry milk! I hate strawberry milk! ...I always preferred pop using chocolate milk." It was then a light bulb (literally) popped up above his head, "That's it...I know how I can catch her." With that, Mischief opened a zipper in midair before poking his head in. "Hey pops! You better come here quick! Someone's claiming you're not the funniest guy in the show!" "What?! Well I never!" A voice shouted as a 'flower' sprouted up nearby before forming into a Draconequus, a creature with a gray pony's head, the long body of an Asian dragon, and bits and pieces of other animals including the neck hair of a mule, horns of an antelope and a bulgy horn of a unicorn, the body of a griffon with one bird arm and one lion arm, a bat's wing and a bluebird's wing, a normal dragon's tail, a deer's leg and a lizard's leg, "I'm one of the reasons the show was put on the..." He began before noticing the condition of Ponyville, "...son." "Yeah pops?" "...who...or what did this?" "Screwball," Mischief groaned. "...oh dear..." "Yeah...and you don't want know what she did to Twilight and her friends..." "I suppose it's that time again, isn't it?" Discord sighed, "Okay son, this won't be easy. So gather me up some strawberry desserts, and meet me in front of Town Hall in exactly… 10 minutes." "On it, sir!" Mischief saluted as he dashed off to gather as many strawberry desserts as possible. Meanwhile, with RD's group, they had just arrived in front of Town hall, panting. "Alright..where is she?" Scootaloo panted a bit, "She couldn't have gone anywhere..." "M...maybe she's..." Timid began until the group noticed Twilight, Dawn, and a very livid Rarity and Sweetie Belle approaching them. "Good gravy girl! What happened to you and Sweetie Belle?" Applejack asked her unicorn friend. "That crazed pony is what happened! She had the nerve...no! The gall to make me and my sweet little sister bald!" Rarity snapped. "And after that, she put our manes and tails back...on the wrong pony!" Sweetie Belle added. "And that was NOT! FUNNY!" Rarity growled. "Hey, has anypony seen Pinkie?" "Right here!" Pinkie shouted, the mare hiding in a barrel with holes in the bottom to let her move, "And before you ask...don't. What she did to me wasn't funny!" "Why? W..." "That Screwball pony dressed me up as a clown while she dressed Pinkie Pie as a goth...or whatever ya'll call them," AJ explained. "Which again, was not funny!" Pinkie added. "If only that crazy pony can be stopped. She's crazier than than I am when I'm on a sugar rush!" Quirky responded. "...Why is Quirky glued to Applebloom's back?" Dawn couldn't help but ask. "...Ya'll don't want to know," the you...er, currently older apple sibling stated. "...I have one last question..." Dawn star said as she pointed to the cat on Fluttershy's front legs, "Why is Fluttershy holding a cat?" "U...um...I found him sitting n..." The shy mare turned filly began until all 12 ponies heard a familiar giggle. "It's that screwy pony again!" Pinkie gasped, poking her head slightly out if the barrel. "But where is she?!" Rainbow Dash pondered as the mares and fillies looked around for the source if the giggling. "Over here~!" The 12 ponies quickly turned to the left before paling a bit, seeing Screwball standing near a catapult filled with balloons filled with strawberry milk. "Uh oh," the ponies gasped as Screwball giggled. "Milk balloon attack!" Screwball shouted as she released the catapult, bombarding the 12 ponies with the milk-filled balloons, "Oh this is just too funny~!" "No it's not!" Pinkie and Quirky snapped...and that's actually saying something. They like water balloons as much as the next pony...but balloons filled with milk (or in this case strawberry milk) was a step too far. "Uh oh… did I upset the fun-loving party-ponies?" Screwball giggled before she caught wind of a particular smell as her mouth drooled, "Strawberry tarts...strudels...strawberry short cake~!" Following the scent, she zoomed off behind the Town Hall. The 12 ponies looked back there to see Discord and Mischief, the young dragon holding a fan to send the scent of the strawberry desserts Screwball's way, the pony in question smiling wider than ever before. "Daddy...are those...?" "Your favorite desserts? Yes...yes they are," Discord nodded before stopping Screwball in her tracks, "Uhpupup! You may have them on one condition...change everypony to normal and change everything back to the way it was before...okay?" "Aw~ but Daddy…" Screwball whined. "No buts this time, little lady. These ponies are my friends now, and we should treat them as friends. I thought we talked about this with Mischief last week. And you really need to control these pranks. If you don't listen to this, you won't get any of these desserts ever again. Understand, Screwball?" Discord scolded, making Screwball whimper before gulping. "...Oh, okay, fine," she sighed, changing her right hoof into a hand with fingers before snapping them, causing everything and everypony to revert to normal. "Finally...it feels good to..." Rainbow Dash began with a sigh of relief until the cat that was in Fluttershy's front legs poofed into a cloud of smoke, which was followed by the sound of Fluttershy yelping. When the smoke died down, Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes before a heavy blush appeared on her face...seeing the cat was actually Timid's brother, Silver hawk, said Pegasus being unconscious at the moment. "..." Fluttershy had no words to say before fainting, her eyes replaced with swirls and her entire face a bright red. "...Didn't see that one coming," AJ and RD admitted in unison. "Y...yeah," Twilight nodded as Pinkie and Quirky slightly tapped the unconscious ponies a bit. "Wow...they're knocked out," Pinkie noted. "Yeah like a light," Quirky added. "They'll be fine, being another species for so long before drastically changing takes a lot out of ya," Screwball informed before turning back to her dad and the desserts, "Now may I eat my favorite desserts Daddy? Pwetty Pwease?!" "Yes you may...if you promise me you'll do your best to behave, okay?" "...Oh...okay. I promise daddy." "Good girl," Discord smiled as he patted his daughter on the head a bit, "Now...enjoy." "Whoo hoo!" Screwball cheered as she dived into the table and began to scarf down the desserts. "And the family's back together," Mischief sighed, "Never expected this to happen right here in Ponyville, though." "True. This town does seen to have an effect on us, son," Discord nodded in agreement. "Next thing you know, Mom'll be back and we'll be living somewhat peacefully," Screwball teasingly said, licking the strawberry pie filling off her lips. "Yeah..." Discord nodded before turning to the Mane 6 (minus the unconscious Fluttershy) and CMC, "I deeply apologize for what my daughter did. She can be a bit...hyper at times when it comes to pranks." "We can see that," Rarity replied, just happy her mane and tail are back where they belong. "We'll forgive her, Discord. She's welcome to stay here in Ponyville, as long as you can help keep her under control," Twilight replied. "Oh I will. In fact, Mischief will help as well," Discord stated, making Mischief nearly choke on his rock candy. "Wait what?!" The young dragon exclaimed until Discord whispered something into his ear, "...Fine..." He then shivered a bit, "But only because I'm scared of that Stare of Timid and Fluttershy's...and when Ma brings out the tuna fish." "Huh? Why would ya be scared of a...?" Applebloom began. "Don't ask..." Discord and Mischief gulped. "They sound silly when it happens though," Screwball pointed out with a giggle, "Their voices get really high whenever mommy..." "Screwball, sweetie? If you stop right there, I'll give you a giant strawberry smoothie," Discord bribed. "Shutting up, Daddy," Screwball replied before Discord snapped, making a 15 inch tall strawberry smoothie appear, "...and cannonball!" She yelled as she dove into the smoothie and began to drink it's contents. "How do you do that?" Twilight asked, seeing Screwball's body was now compressed to fit inside the smoothie glass, but she just smiled. "Mention any dessert with strawberries in it, and she's as tame as a newborn kitten," Discord answered, "Not to mention as elastic as bubblegum" "That, and, like I mentioned before, is a real daddy's girl," Mischief added as Discord helped pull Screwball out of the glass, and moved her around, proving her to actually be as elastic as bubblegum. "Not to mention the more strawberry treats I eat, the more stretchy I can get," Screwball giggled as her dad stretched her out more, making the 10 ponies sweatdrop. "R...right," Rainbow Dash spoke. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back home. I don't want to miss my show after all," Discord stated after changing Screwball back to her normal (if you could call it that) self, before she continued eating what other strawberry desserts were there, "I'll be back later to check on you, Screwball, okay dear?" "Bobay baddy (Okay Daddy)!" Screwball replied with a full mouth before Discord disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Okay… now what're we going to do?" Applejack asked, "In fact, where is Screwball goin to live exactly?" "Hmm...well...there is that house that's up for rent just a few blocks down from Sugarcube corner," Pinkie suggested. "That takes care of one thing, but she's so hyper, who's gonna watch over her?" AJ pointed out. "That would be me. While Timid can still watch me, I have to warp over to wherever sis here is and watch her, keeping her from getting into trouble," Mischief sighed seeing his sister's face was flat due to slamming her face into a pie tin. "...I guess that takes care of both those problems..but that leaves only one thing," Scootaloo spoke as she pointed to the still unconscious Silver Hawk and Fluttershy, the latter still blushing heavily, "Who's going to help carry them home?" "Well…I can take Fluttershy home," Rainbow Dash offered, "I did it a couple of times when we were still in school." "Okay… Ah guess Ah can help take Silver Hawk home. Pinkie, Quirky, when Screwball's done, you mind taking her over to her new home?" AJ asked the two, bubbly ponies. "Sure/no prob," Pinkie and Quirky nodded while giving a small smile, making a 'squee' sound. "There's that squee again! Why does that always happen when one of you ponies smiles like that?!" Mischief asked, a bit annoyed. "...Mischief. Again, we don't know what you're talking about," Twilight blinked in confusion, recalling last week when Mischief asked the same question. "But..! Ugh...why do I bother..." Mischief facepalmed as he looked at the viewer, "Shows over folks… good night." He then grabbed the upper part of the screen before scrolling it down. Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. Also, this chapter takes place a few weeks after the events of the season 4 finale.
Music to my earsAt the CMC's clubhouse, the 6 young fillies were busy playing a few instruments...a bit badly at that too since Mischief had some plugs in his ears, which didn't help any. "For crying out loud! Find an instrument you're good at already! From what I'm hearing, it sounds like somepony's torturing a cat while chewing on aluminum foil!" the dragon yelled, curled up into a ball as he covered his ears. "What's his problem?" Scootaloo asked, holding a bass-guitar that was her size. "I don't know. Maybe he doesn't like music," Quirky shrugged, twirling a trombone. "Hey! I like music! And what you were playing was not music!" Mischief snapped before turning into a turtle and going into his shell, shutting metal doors in every opening. "...Some ponies just don't appreciate good taste," Sweetie Belle shrugged, holding a pair of drumsticks as she stood behind a pair of drums. "Hmm…" Dawn Star pondered a bit, holding a guitar in her hoofs. "I..Is something wrong, Dawn-chan?" Timid asked as she move back a bit from a miniature piano. "You know..maybe he does have a point," the Alicorn filly said as she put the instrument down, "We've been playing for hours, and haven't found the right instruments that fit us." "Okay… well… how will we know which instruments fit us?" Applebloom asked as she put down a tambourine. "I do…" Dawn Star began before the 6 fillies' stomachs began to growl, "...Maybe we'll find out once we grab a bite to eat." "Sounds like a good idea, Sugarcube corner sound good?" Scootaloo suggested as she and the rest of the CMC put their instruments down. "I'm all set to go!" Quirky squealed in excitement, "Execute transition!" "Huh? What tra…" Scootaloo began. 'How does she do that?!' Scootaloo gawked as she and her friends were walking down the street, heading towards Sugarcube corner. "Here we are~!" Quirky smiled in a sing-song voice. "Neat. I hope there's a special going on. Because I'm really hun..huh?" Dawn Star began as she noticed somepony missing, "...Where's Sweetie Belle?" "What're ya'll talkin' about? she's ri..huh?" Applebloom blinked when she noticed that Sweetie Belle really wasn't there, "..She was right here a second ago." "That's weird…" Scootaloo noted, "Where'd she go?" "A..ano...I..I think I saw her st..stop at that corner we passed a few m-minutes ago," Timid spoke with a stutter, "I..It looked like she saw something she really liked." "Which corner?" Applebloom asked the shy filly. "Ano...r...right there," Timid replied as she pointed to a corner behind them. "..Ugh, I'll get her," Scootaloo sighed a bit as she headed back the otehrway before turning the corner, seeing Sweetie Belle staring at something, "There you are. What's teh hold up, Sweetie Belle? i thought you were…" Sweetie belle wasn't paying attention to the pegasus filly as she looked at the poster before her, stars in her eyes. "..Uh..Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo blinked as she waved a hoof in front of the unicorn filly's face, "You alright?" "Sh...she's coming here…" Sweetie Belle whispered, making Scootaloo blink. The pegasus filly then turned to see what Sweetie Belle was looking at. It was a poster of a shaded Mare with a long mane, and she was playing a cello as musical notes surrounded her. "...Who…" "Octavia..sh..she's coming here," Sweetie Belle whispered, her voice starting to rise in excitment. "..Who the hay is Octavia?" Scootaloo blinked, making Sweetie Belle freeze up before looking at her. "One of the greatest cellists of our time, and she's coming here to Ponyville!" Sweeite Belle exclaimed before looking back at the picture, "I really hope to meet her! I really do!" "..Uh..no offense Sweetie Belle, but I don't really care for that boring stuff," Scootaloo said, making Sweetie Belle freeze up once more. "..Excuse me?" "What? I heard that music before, and frankly, it's boring," Scootaloo replied, "Besides, I perfer to listen to the music of DJ- Pon3 when I can." "What?! ...How can you enjoy that kind of music?! It's so..so...loud!" Sweetie Belle snapped as she quickly turned to glare at Scootaloo, her voice sounding squeaky near the end. "Oh yeah! That's not how you acted when we performed our theme song during the talent show last year!" Scootaloo argued as she and Sweetie Belle butted heads. "That's because it wasn't loud! Then again, I tried to mute out your voice, because it was really scratchy, like your music!" "Well at least my music doesn't make ponies fall asleep!" "You take that back!" "Um…" a voice spoke as Dawn Star and the other CMC members poked their heads out from the corner, "Is everything alright?" "Scootaloo is insulting my taste in music!" Sweetie responded. "You're doing the same thing!" Scootaloo snapped before turning to Dawn Star, "Dawn, tell me what's better. DJ-PON3's music, or that boring music made by Octavia?!" "Her music is not boring!" Sweetie Belle snapped as the two butted heads once more, lightning crackling from between their eyes. "..Um..I don't know who either of those two are," Dawn Star sweatdropped. "...Did you two forget that she still has a case of amnesia?" Quirky and Applebloom reminded in unison. "JYNX!" Quirky giggled, "You owe me some cupcakes, Applebloom!" "A...ano...I don't think th-they heard you," Timid noted as she saw Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still glaring at each other. "Girls! Just chill out for now, okay?!" Applebloom shouted, getting between the two, who were still glaring at each other. "Not until she admits her music is boring!" Scootaloo snapped. "It is not boring! And You better admit your music is too loud and annoying!" Sweetie Belle argued. "Oh yeah?! Since we're on the subject of annoying, I can't stand it when your voice goes squeaky when you talk!" "At least I don't spend my entire life idoling one single Pegasus!" "Hey! You leave my sister out of this!" "ENOUGH!" Dawn Star yelled as she used her magic to hold the two back before they could attack each other, "Honestly, you're both acting like spoiled brats." "She started it!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo shouted. "I don't care who started it! Just..please stop fighting, okay?!" "Not until she takes back what she said!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo yelled, pointing at each other. "Oh geez… we're never gonna get to eat at this point," Quirky whined. "H..hai.." Timid whimpered, her stomach rumbling. "Girls! Please stop! For Luna's sake, yer upsettin' Timid and Quirky!" Applebloom yelled at the two, managing to get the two fillies to shut up. "...On second thought..I think I'll hang out with my big sister instead. I don't want to hang out with miss boring squeaky here," Scootaloo scoffed. "Well I guess we finally agree on something. I'm going home as well," Sweetie Belle scoffed as well as she and Scootaloo went their separate ways. "...I thought Scootaloo didn't have a big sister," Quirky pointed out. "A..ano..Sh..she sees R-rainbow-san as a b-big sister, r..remember?" Timid reminded the dark-green filly. "...oh yeah! I forgot!" Quirky realized before giggling a bit as she bonked her head playfully, "Silly me." Timid could only sweatdrop at that. "...Ano… are we… going to eat, still?" Timid asked the remaining three fillies. "..I guess so…" Dawn sighed as the remaining fillies there walked back towards Sugarcube corner. "Stupid Sweetie Belle...calling my music annoying...she's annoying…" Scootaloo mumbled as she walked down the street. She was so busy muttering to herself that she didn't notice a certain mare in front of her, causing the filly to bump into her. "Ow! Hey! Wa...Scootaloo?" Rainbow Dash blinked when she noticed the filly before helping her up, "You alright there? You really need to be careful when.." 'I'm fine…" Scootaloo replied, the frown still on her face. "...That look on your face says otherwise," Rainbow dash pointed out as she sat next to her 'little sister', "Mind talking to me about it?" "...Well…" Scootaloo began, not sure how to answer, "Me and Sweetie Belle got into a fight on music...she said my music was loud and annoying. Well she's wrong! DJ PON3's music isn't…!" "Wait wait..DJ PON3? You mean Vinyl Scratch, right?" "Yeah! Th..wait…" Scootaloo began as she looked up at her 'big sister', "How do you know her real name?" "Oh, well… I met her before and...well..i was going to…" "Yo Dash! What's the hold up?!" a voice spoke, catching Scootaloo's attention as she looked over Rainbow Dash's shoulder before her eyes widened. The pony in question was a white unicorn mare with a musical note for a Cutie Mark, a vibrant blue mane, and red eyes that were currently covered by a pair of black framed and purple lensed glasses. "V..V...V...V..." Scootaloo repeated, her form trembling in excitement. "I've been waitin' for ya so we can…" the mare began before noticing Scootaloo stare at her, "...Who's the kid?" "V...V..V..V..V…" "Well..remember that filly I mentioned that's my biggest fan, and I've kinda took her in as my little sis?" Rainbow Dash asked the white mare. "..Oh! You mean the one that also likes my music, right?" "Yep," Dash nodded as Scootaloo's smile grew really wide, her wings flapping really fast in excitment. "VINYL SCRATCH!" Scootaloo cheered as she flew high into the air before landing back down slowly, not noticing she was flying a bit, "Oh Celestia, this is the coolest day of my life!" "Um…" Vinyl began before whispering to Rainbow Dash, "Is she alright?" "It's alright. She tends to get a bit excited from time to time…" the cyan pegasus replied. "I see…." Vinyl noted before grinning a bit, "Still, nice to meet one of my fans." "And it is an HONOR to meet you, Vinyl!" Scootaloo grinned, "You aer one of the coolest ponies alive! Well..almost as cool as my 'big sis', but still awesome!" Vinyl couldn't help but chuckle at the filly's excitement. She's seen plenty of fans who acted nearly the same way before, so it wasn't new to her. Scootaloo was about to ask her something before her stomach began to rumble. "..Uh..Oops. I forgot I was hungry.."the pegasus filly chuckled in embarrassment. "C'mon. I'll get you something to eat," Dash told her. "Mind if I join ya?" Vinyl asked, holding a hoof over her stomach, "I can go for a quick bite." "Of course!" Scootaloo smiled excitedly. "Stupid Scootaloo...Octavia's music isn't boring…" Sweetie Belle grumbled as she walked into her and Rarity's home, "Rarity! I'm home!" "Welcome back, Sweetie Belle. Sorry I didn't say this sooner, but we have a guest," Rarity answered. "I don't care. I'm going to my room," Sweetie Belle frowned as she was about to head upstairs until her sister stepped in front of her. "Are you sure? I'm sure you'll love our guest," Rarity said to her little sister. "I said I don't ca-" "What if I told you she was Octavia?" "...D...did you just say...'Octavia'?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping she heard her sister right. "I did…" Rarity nodded before turning her head and calling into the next room, "Octavia, do you mind coming in here? My little sister would like to meet you." "Coming Rarity!" another voice responded as Sweetie Belle looked to see a grayish brown mare with a black mane, pink eyes, and a G clef Cutie Mark walk into the room. "...I..I'm not dreaming..aren't I?" Sweetie Belle asked her sister slowly. "Nope. It's really her," Rarity replied before looking at Octavia, "Apologies, but my little sister absolutely loves your music." "That's good to hear. It's hard to find younger minds who appreciate the classics," Octavia replied. 'Indeed. Youth these days would rather listen to that horrid music called 'rap'. Honestly, such language at times in those things," Rarity stated with a small huff. "Agreed,' Octavia nodded before looking at Sweetie Belle, "I am glad you appreciate classic music, young one." "Oh! Um..th..thank you, miss Octavia," Sweetie Belle stuttered, acting a bit like Timid at the moment. "There's no need to be shy, dear," Octavia smiled a bit, "I'm as normal as any other pony out there." "Y..ye…"Sweetie Belle began before her stomach rumbled, making her blush in embarresment, "..." "Don't worry, you two. I was just about to prepare lunch anyway," Rarity told them. "Actually, why don't I treat us to lunch?" Octavia offered, "It's the least I could do, especially for one of my fans." "..Well…" rarity began before she felt Sweetie Belle hug her leg, making her look down. "Please~?" Sweetie Belle begged, giving off the cutest face she could make. "Well…" Rarity began again as she turned to Octavia, "If you're sure dear...alright." "Excellent. I know the perfect place to go," Octavia nodded before giggling a bit, "To tell you the truth, I haven't been there since I was a filly. But the food they served there was absolutely delicious." "Yay!" Sweetie Belle smiled before they left the house. "..Is somethin' wrong, Dawn?" Applebloom asked the alicorn filly, who seemed to distracted to eat the cupcakes before her. "...I just can't help but feel like…" Dawn began before the front door to Sugarcube corner opened. "Hey! There's Scootaloo right now with Rainbow dash and…" Quirky began before she spotted a mare she didn't recognize, "...wait..who's she? I..feel like I've seen her somewhere." "No way… is that DJ PON-3?" Applebloom gawked. "Y..you know her, A..Applebloom-chan?" Timid asked. 'Yeah. Ah've heard a few of her songs with Scootaloo from time to time," the southern filly replied, "They're good, but Ah prefer listening to a bit of country from time to time." "I..i see…" Timid noted. "Man…" Vinyl began as she looked at her surroundings, "Being here sure brings back some memories from my childhood. Heh..it's also where I met Pinkie pie, and that mare can really party." "Yep. She's now the official Party Planner here in Ponyville, too," Dash added. 'Nice," Vinyl grinned before smelling the air, "Mmm~ Oh man, I missed the smell of those awesome cupcakes." "Yeah? Well maybe.." Rainbow Dash began before the front door opened once more. "Sugarcube corner? This is the place you mentioned?" Rarity blinked as she, Sweetie belle, and Octavia walked in. "Of course. This place was one of my favorite places to eat when I was a filly, especiialy with my old friend, V…" Octavia began. "Tavi? is that you?" Vinyl blinked, catching Octavia's attention. "Vinyl?" Octavia gawked, seeing the unicorn before her. "Aw snap! Tavi! long time no see!" Vinyl grinned as she walked over to the mare, "How've you been?" "I've been just fine, Vinyl. And how have you been?" Octavia asked. "Been doing good. Pretty good I might add," Vinyl replied. Sweetie Belle was abit confused as to how Octavia, her favorite musician, knew DJ PON3. However, that didn't last long as she noticed a certain pegasus filly, who spotted her as well. "YOU?!" both fillies snapped before glaring at eachother as they butted heads, "What're you doin here?! What am I do..stop that! Stop copying me! No! You stop copying me!" "Uh… are they okay?" Vinyl asked, confused. "I'm..not quite sure…" Octavia admitted as Rarity and Rainbow dash pulled their sisters away from each other before they could hit each other. "Would you two mind explaining what's going on?" Rarity demanded with a scolding frown. "I just saw a poster of Octavia coming to town today, then Scootaloo called Octavia's music boring, and..." Sweetie Belle started. "It is boring! You started it when you called Vinyl's music loud and annoying!" Scootaloo argued. "No, you did!" Sweetie snapped. "Oh dear… it sounds like us as fillies all over again," Octavia sighed. "Too true," Vinyl nodded before she and Octavia looked at the two, arguing fillies, "Okay you two, enough. There's no need to fight." "How do you know?! She insulted your music!" Sweetie and Scootaloo shouted in unison towards Octavia and Vinyl respectively. "While that is true, you shouldn't let a thing like that get between your friendship," Octavia stated to the two fillies, calming them down a bit. "We learned that the hard way," Vinyl added, "But we were able to mend that friendship, and while we don't see each other as much as we used to, we still value each other's friendship." "Agreed. So always treasure your friendship, and never let such petty things destroy it," Octavia finished with a small smile. "Oh…" the two fillies gawked before looking at each other apologetically. "Sweetie Belle...i'm...sorry for calling your favorite music boring…" Scootaloo apologized first. "Yea… and I'm… sorry… for calling yours loud and annoying," Sweetie apologized shortly after. "Yeah...so..we still friends?" Scootaloo asked hopefully. "Friends," Sweetie nodded as they shook hooves. Dawn Star let out a sigh of relief as she and the other CMC members watched nearby, the Alicorn filly happy to see their two friends making up. "Good to see you making up," Dawn smiled. "Yeah," Applebloom agreed. "H..hai.." Timid added. "Yippee!" Quirky smiled as Pinkie came down. "Hiya Vinyl! Hiya Tavi!" Pinkie waved. "Yo, Pinkie!" Vinyl waved. "You two just in time! The cupcakes are hot and ready to eat!" Pinkie beamed. "Perfect. Just how I like them," Octavia smiled as she, Vinyl, Dash, Rarity, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle joined the others. "They sure changed their mood rather quickly," Dash noted to Rarity. "Yeah. And I'm relieved," Dash noted as she took a bite of her cupcake, "Besides, getting in a argument about music is stupid...even though Scoots was right." "Yes wel-...excuse me?" Rarity paused as she looked at the cyan pegasus. "Kidding," Dash smiled with a laugh, "I had ya for second there, Rarity." "...Oh… ha ha… you sure did, Rainbow Dash," Rarity rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go eat already." "Yeah..now we can finally eat." "Ahh...de-licious," Quirky sighed in content as she laid back, her stomach bloated from all the cupcakes she ate. "...I'm..not sure how to react after what I just saw," Octavia gawked after she and Vinyl watched Quirky eat an entire tray of Cupcakes in one go. "She's a lot more like Pinkie than expected," Dash noted. "A...agreed," Rarity slowly agreed. "...Never knew a filly could eat so many cupcakes without getting a tummyache," Vinyl added, poking Quirky's bloated tummy a bit, "Still, mad props to her for doing that." "Oh thank...YOU!" Quirky belched loudly, blowing everypony's manes back, "...excuse me." "...Well… that's another thing with my mane I need to take care of," Rarity sighed. "Same here," Octavia agreed before she heard Vinyl snickering, "...What's so funny, Vinyl?" "I..I'm sorry Tavi but...you..you look so..so…" Vinyl began before she collapsed on the floor, laughing hysterically. "...What? How do I look?" "...Uh...miss Octavia? Whatever you do...don't look in a mirror," Dawn Star warned. 'Eh? Why? Is it that…" Octavia began before seeing her reflection in the window, "...KYAAA!" "...DAAAAAHAHAHAHA! Y..YOU JUST SAID 'KYA'!" Vinyl laughed loudly. "It isn't funny, Vinyl Scratch!" "It's hilarious!" "No it isn't!" Octavia snapped as she slammed her hoof on the table, unintentionally sending a cupcake flying into Vinyl's face, "...oh dear…" "Oh boy…" Dash gulped. "..." Vinyl remained silent before laughing a bit, "Okay, Tavi. You got me back for laughing at your mane. But..." she grinned as she began to use her magic to levitate a few cupcakes. "V..Vinyl?" Octavia slowly asked. "Of course you realize…" "..No. Don't you dare. Don't you even dare…" Octavia frowned, seeing where this was going. "This. Means. War!" Vinyl whooped as she pelted Octavia, along with the CMC, Dash, and Rarity, in cupcakes. "...That's it…" Octavia began as she wiped some cupcake off her face, "It..is..on, Vinyl Scratch!" "Uh oh," Vinyl gulped before flipping the table over and heading behind it just as Octavia grabbed a nearby pie and threw it at her, "Now Tavi, let's be reasonable!" 'The time for being reasonable is over, Vinyl Scratch! Now have at you!" Octavia snapped before grabbing some pies and tossed them at the white unicorn. "Now this is fun!" Pinkie giggled before getting hit with a stray pie, "..." "Oh no…" Rarity and Dash paled, knowing the grin that was slowly growing on Pinkie's face. "FOOD FIGHT!" Eventually, everypony left Sugarcube Corner, all having a friendly laugh while covered in cupcakes and pies. "Oh man..that. Was...Wicked!" Vinyl scratch laughed as she walked next to Octavia, "You nearly had me with that large barrage of cupcakes Tavi!" "Yes well...I kinda snapped a bit when you got my mane dirty with that chocolate cream pie…" Octavia admitted with a small chuckle. "You mean you aren't mad at each other anymore?" Scootaloo asked. "Kid..when we were fillies, me and Tavi got into fights like that from time to time..most of which were kinda started by me when I pranked Tavi a few times," Vinyl chuckled. "Yes...I remember that one you pulled on me, where you put hot sauce in my sandwich and I had to cool my mouth down with a pie since there was no water or milk available," Octavia stated. "Yea… that was a classic," Vinyl laughed, placing a hoof over Octavia. "Quite. But despite that, we're still best friends," Octavia smiled. "Oh yeah," Vinyl agreed, "We sure are." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo couldn't help but smile at that before looking at each other, still feeling a bit stupid for arguing with each other like that earlier today. "Now that we're full, we can finally get back to choosing our instruments!" Quirky beamed before looking at herself and the others, "...As soon as we clean ourselves off." "Maybe we can help you out," Octavia suggested, having overheard what she said. "Yea," Vinyl agreed, "We don't mind helping out the possible next generation of musicians." "Do you mean it?!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle gawked in unison. "Eeyup/indeed," Vinyl and Octavia nodded. "...Sweetie Belle?" "Yeah Scootaloo?" "..I think I'm going to faint now…" "Ahh...me too…" "3… 2… 1…" Quirky counted, and with that, both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo collapsed on the ground, huge, excited grins on their faces, "And...there they go." "..Um...why don't we try tomorrow?" Octavia suggested. "Yeah. Things… kinda got hectic today," Vinyl added. "Sounds fair to me," Dawn shrugged, "We need to clean ourselves off anyway." "H...hai…" Timid nodded as Rainbow Dash and Rarity picked up the still unconscious Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "We'll meet up tomorrow then," Applebloom nodded, "Granted Ah can finish mah chores in time." "We can wait for you, Applebloom," Dawn reassured her. "Okay. Thanks," Applebloom smiled. The next day, Octavia and Vinyl arrived at the CMC clubhouse, the six fillies already having all the instruments ready while Mischief stood inside, covering his ears. "Alright young ones, let us see you play," Octavia said as she and Vinyl sat down. With that, Quirky started with a set of drums, followed up by Sweetie playing the mini piano, Applebloom with the trumpet, Timid with the ocarina, Scootaloo with the bass guitar, and Dawn with the regular guitar. "St...stop stop!" Vinyl yelled as she and Octavia held their ears. "Well? Was it good?" Quirky asked. "...Well…" Vinyl began as she nudged Octavia a bit, "You tell her, Tavi." "Well… you're… okay, but… what if we switched you girls around? Try out a different instrument," Octavia answered before looking at Timid Swallow, "Timid dear, why don't you try and pick up that tambourine over there?" "O...okay, Octavia-san," Timid nodded as she put the ocarina down and picked up the instrument Octavia mentioned. "Scootaloo, why don't you give Applebloom your instrument, and Dawn, give your instrument to Scootaloo," Octavia said, Scootaloo giving her bass guitar to Applebloom, and Dawn giving her guitar to Scootaloo, "Next…Sweetie belle, let Dawn Star play the piano. And Quirky…" "Yeah?" said filly spoke. "...You're fine with your instrument," Octavia replied as she looked at Vinyl, "Right." "Yeah. You were doing pretty good before the others...well… n-nevermind. You're pretty good on the drums kid," Vinyl stated. "Thanks!" Quirky beamed, making a 'squee' noise when she smiled. "Okay, let's try this again," Vinyl told the fillies until… "Wait!" Sweetie Belle spoke, catching the older mare's attention, "I don't have anything to play now!" "Oh...uh… sorry dear...hmm…" Octavia began to ponder a bit before an idea popped into her head, "Can you sing, dear?" 'Huh? Uh...yeah but…" Sweetie Began before blushing a bit in embarrassment, "I'm not sure I'm good enough… I only sing when I'm in the shower." "You sure about that Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo spoke, "I thought you were pretty good during Hearts and Hooves day last year when we were trying to find a special Somepony for Ms. Cheerilee." "R-Really?" Sweetie Belle blushed. "Yeah," Scootaloo nodded. "Ah agree. You can sing pretty good, Sweetie Belle," Applebloom added. "Really?! I wanna hear! I wanna hear!" Quirky smiled excitedly. "Ano… I… I'd like to hear too," Timid added with a small, shy smile. "I think it's unanimous at this point," Dawn noted. Sweetie Belle couldn't help but blush at the compliments she was given by her friends. "Well… we're waiting, dear," Octavia said, waiting for Sweetie Belle. "Uh… o-okay… can you girls please play something?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Sure…" Dawn nodded as she looked at the others, who got ready as well, "Okay… one… two… three…go." Thus, Quirky started on the drums, and the other fillies picked up their instruments, playing rather well and softly, and Sweetie Belle took a few deep breaths before she began to sing. "Tale as old as time… true as it can be…" "..." Mischief slowly raised his hands down as he began to listen to the melody. "Barely even friends… then somebody bends… unexpectedly…" Octavia and Vinyl slowly listened in as they watched. "Just a little change…" Sweetie continued to sing as the other fillie managed to play beautifully, and somehow sound like a full orchestra. '...d..dang..' Mischief thoughts as he listened to the calm, beautiful melody. "Small to say the least… both a little scared… neither one prepared… Beauty and the Beast." "P..please...stop right there.." Octavia said, holding back a few tears as the CMC did so, "Sweetie Belle..dear?" "Wh-What's wrong, Octavia… was I singing badly?" Sweetie Belle asked. "N...no..that...that was beautiful…" Octavia smiled, wiping a few tears away from her face. "Beautiful? No Tavi...that was...was...excuse me…" Vinyl said as she turned her head, using her magic to lift her glasses as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "Vinyl, are you crying?" Octavia realized. "N...no. Just..have something in my eye is all," Vinyl denied as she put her glasses back on. "If you say so…" Octavia smiled a bit as she turned back towards Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie dear, you have a ton of potential...potential i haven't seen in somepony so young." "R..really? Y...you think I'm that good?" Sweetie Belle asked, a blush on her face. "Indeed. In fact…" Octavia began as she walked over to the unicorn filly, "There's an upcoming competition in Canterlot in a few months." "Wait...you mean that one competition where some judges decide which filly is the best singer?" Vinyl asked, making sure she heard her friend right. "Indeed," Octavia nodded as she turned back towards Sweetie Belle, "And I think young Sweetie Belle here can win it. That is… if she'd like to enter of course." "Y-You mean it?!" Sweetie Belle gawked, hoping she heard right. "Yes. Like i said, you have potential young one, and I don't want that to go to waste," Octavia stated, "I just need your sister's permission, and I can go and sign you up for it." Sweetie Belle didn't know how to react… Octavia, one of her idols, was not only praising her singing, but wanted to enter her in a competition in Canterlot as well. "Well? Are you going to do it, Sweetie Belle?" Dawn Star asked the unicorn filly. "Uh… well…" Sweetie Belle began nervously, "Well… yea…if you think I'm that good..." "..If you're still unsure dear, I won't rush you," Octavia said to the young filly as she got back up and walked back to Vinyl, looking back at Sweetie Belle over her shoulder, "I'll be in Ponyville for a few weeks, so when you've decided, come and let me know, okay?" "Oh… okay," Sweetie Belle nodded. "Good," Octavia nodded as she turned back to Vinyl, "Come on Vinyl, let's head back to your place." "Alright," Vinyl nodded as the two mares left, leaving the CMC by themselves. "Can you believe it?!" Quirky squealed as she pulled Sweetie Belle into a hug,"You just got complemented and recommended by your favorite musician, Sweetie Belle! Isn't that awesome?!" "Can't...breathe…" Sweetie Belle wheezed from how tight the hug was. "Huh? Oh! Heh heh... Oopsie," Quirky chuckled as she let the unicorn filly go, letting her catch her breath. "That's… better…" Sweetie Belle panted, catching her breath, "Y...y..yeah. It is kinda cool but…" "..What's wrong?" Applebloom asked. "A..are you okay, S..Sweetie Belle?" Timid asked, noticing the nervous look on Sweetie Belle's face. "...Well… I'm glad that Octavia praised my singing and wants to sign me up for a competition in Canterlot but...well…" Sweetie Belle began as she nervously rubbed her left front leg, "What if I mess up? I… I don't want to let her down…" "Relax, Sweetie. I'm sure you'll do great," Dawn Star reassured her friend, "I'm sure your sister would say the same thing if she heard you singing just now." "She's right," Applebloom nodded. "Yeah...in fact, if you do enter that competition, I bet you'll sweep them all away," Scootaloo added. "Exactly!" Quirky agreed. "H… hai… I… I'm sure you'll do really well, S..Sweetie-chan," Timid added with a smile. "..." "Like Octavia said, she'll be in town for a few weeks, so you'll have enough time to decide," Dawn Star said to her friend. "...You're right…" Sweetie Belle spoke as she looked up, "I still have enough time to decide." "Exactly. And who knows? Maybe you'll get your Cutie Mark during that competition as well," Dawn Star added. "...Yeah… maybe I might…" Sweetie Belle began to smile, not feeling so nervous, "Thanks girls, for cheering me up." "No problem. it's what friends do after all," Dawn Star smiled. "That's right," Quirky nodded before remembering something, "Oh! And I got just the way to help cheer you up more! Sugarcube Corner is currently making a fresh batch of carrot cupcakes with that delicious frosting we like! if we hurry now, we can get some just as they're taking them out of the oven!" "Oh yea! Let's hurry," Sweetie smiled before she and her friends left, hurrying to Sugarcube Corner to get those cupcakes. Inside the clubhouse, Mischief was quietly sobbing hysterically (which was kind of an odd combination) as he laid against the wall, blowing into a piece of tissue. "That singing… so beautiful… U...uwaaaaaggghhh!" Mischief cried before looking at the screen before turning back and hiding his face, "J...just end it already, okay?!" With that, the scene ended on Mischief with an iris out. Author's Note You like? Comment/review if ya possibly can. Also, apologies if the last few Author notes were a bit confusing. I was..half awake when I was writing them. Also, don't ask how the CMC playing their instruments made it sound like a full ochestra cause...well..MLP logic or something...still, I hope ya enjoyed the chapter
Gem of the NightOver at the school, it seemed like a nice day, with the Cutie Mark Crusaders simply waiting for class to start. They had heard a new student was going to join the class today, and they were a bit excited about it. "I wonder what this new kid's gonna be like?" Scootaloo wondered. "Let's hope shes not like Diamond Tiara," Applebloom hoped, also slightly hoping said spoiled filly was sick today. But this was simply hopeful thinking, as Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trotted on in. "Well well, if it isn't the Blank Flanks. What're you six up to?" Tiara asked in her usual manner. "That's none of your business," Scootaloo frowned "Hey, did you know we're getting a new student today?" Silver Spoon asked Diamond Tiara. "I hope it's not another Blank Flank. I mean, seriously, it's like they're bugs or something, they keep on multiplying!" Diamond tiara laughed, making most of the CMC (minus Timid who slid down her seat to hide) glare at the spoiled filly. Scootaloo grimaced at that, and watched as Ms. Cherrlie was at the door, waiting around for the new student to walk in. "Good morning class." "Good morning, Ms. Cheerilee," the students greeted. "As you all know, we'll be getting a new student today," she informed her class as she turned to the door. After a few seconds, in walked a young pegasus filly, with her body being black, her mane and tail being violet and her eyes being a brilliant shade of blue, "Class, I'd like to introduce you all to Amethyst." The filly in question, looked fairly nervous as she gave a small wave, "Uh… hi…g...glad to meet you all." "So Amethyst, if you'd like, may you please tell the class where you're from?" Cheerilee asked. "...Canterlot," was her response, making most of the class gasp a bit in surprise, "I...I come from Canterlot." "Wow. And Ah thought Timid being from out of Equestria was cool," Applebloom giggled, making Timid whimper a bit, "Oops...sorry Timid…" "I...it's okay," the shy filly stuttered a bit. "Doesn't she remind you of her a bit?" Diamond whispered to Silver Spoon, gesturing to Timid Swallow. "Yeah..she kinda does," Silver Spoon whispered back before noticing the grin growing on her 'friend's' face, "..We're going to mess with her, aren't we?' "No… but I do have a better idea. but first, we need to see if she has her Cutie Mark," the spoiled filly whispered. '...Uh oh...if that meanie is grinning, it's never good,' Quirky thought, managing to see the grin on Diamond Tiara's face. During recess, Amethyst walked around, nervous, kinda like Timid would at times. Then, however, as she was walking along… (BAM!) "OMPH!" she grunted as somepony accidentally knocked her to the ground, and she got nervous. "Oh… no no no! I'm so so so sorry!" "It's okay," the filly she accidentally bumped into (which happened to be Scootaloo) replied as she got up and offered her hoof to her, "Need some help?" "Uh… t-t-thanks…" Amethyst replied, being helped up by Scootaloo, "I..I'm sorry for bumping into you." "It's cool. I'm Scootaloo," she introduced herself with a small smile, "I was just about to meet my friends real quick before we head back to class. Want to come meet them?" "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Orphan Flightless Blank Flank talking to the new kid," Diamond Tiara's voice chuckled, making Scootaloo frown. "...What do you want, Diamond Tiara?" Scootaloo asked, not looking at the spoiled filly as she walked over to the two. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to talk to the new kid," she informed, using her tail to move Amethyst over. "So… let me tell you about some… special rules, new kid. Rule 1, all new ponies have gotta show their Cutie Mark. if they have one..." "A C-Cutie Mark? W-Well… um…" Amethyst stuttered, shying away from Diamond when Silver Spoon appeared behind her and knocked Amethyst down, showing that she did not have a Cutie Mark, 'Oh no...' "Oh look Diamond Tiara. She doesn't have a Cutie Mark," Silver Spoon said, pointing at the downed Amethyst, "You know what that means?" "Blank Flank, blank flank!" Diamond tiara laughed cruelly. This made Amethyst whimper, until Scootaloo stood in front of her defensively. "Leave her alone! She's new here, and you two are making it bad for her," the pegasus filly frowned at the spoiled fillies. But they all watched as Amethyst began to cry, rushing back to the classroom, "...You're unbelievable, you know that?" That night, Amethyst looked out her window and out to the stars, simply trying hard not to cry. "Why...why does nopony like me?" she whispered to herself, trying to wipe the still forming tears away from her eyes, "Everywhere I go, it's the same. Somepony hates me because I don't have my Cutie Mark…" She let her tears drip down for a moment, when she trotted out to get some water, and saw some ponies were working on painting the hallway, and it was during this, Amethyst got an idea. The next day, the CMC arrived at Sugarcube Corner to see something Quirky wanted to show them, and to discuss something about Amethyst. "Well, we're here Quirky. What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Scootaloo asked the dark green filly. "...I think I know," Dawn Star spoke, "It's about that new student, Amethyst. Right?" "Yeppers. After what meanie Diamond and Silver did yesterday, I got just the thing to cheer Amethyst up," Quirky nodded before pulling in something covered in a huge tarp, and she moved it to show a small chocolate cake, with frosting reading "Welcome to our school Amethyst", "Cake! Everypony loves cake after all, so this'll cheer Amethyst right up!" "Did someone say cake?! I heard cake!" Mischief's voice spoke as he poofed in, wearing a bib while holding a fork and knife before noticing the cake, "...CAKE!" "No Mischief," Timid scolded as she began to use The Stare on him, making Mischief stop in his tracks, "This cake is for our new student," "Oh… Ruby, was it?" "Amethyst," Timid corrected. "I would sure like some nice cakes" a random pony said, no one noticing Amethyst peeking in from the front door. "Okay… here I go," she muttered, as she trotted on in. "You sure she'll like it?" Applebloom asked. "What flavor is it?" Sweetie Belle added in curiosity. "Chocolate," Quirky answered. "I love chocolate cakes," Amethyst giggled, as she joined the six members of the Crusaders where they were sitting. "Say, aren't you Emerald?" Mischief asked. "Amethyst," Dawn Star corrected him. "Ahh...pleasure to meet ya, Sapphire," Mischief greeted, making the CMC and Amethyst sweatdrop a bit, the former who only now just realized what Mischief was. "A…d... dragon?" she asked nervously. "Yea… Is… there something wrong with that?" Dawn asked. "Oh… n-no… just asking." Amethyst responded, trying to calm down a bit. "...If my current form bothers you, I could turn into something else," Mischief offered as he changed into kitty, "Nya." "Aww… a kitty," Amethyst giggled before hearing the door open. "...Oh great, those meanies are here," Quirky frowned a bit when she saw Diamond Tiara and her 'friend' Silver Spoon walk in. "What're you doing here, Blank Flanks?" Diamond asked. "I...Isn't this a public place?" Timid Swallow asked. "Is it? …" Amethyst wondered before turning to the two school bullies, and with a bit of a smirk, showed them her flank, which now had a violet amethyst Cutie Mark. "Oh? you got your Cutie Mark already?" Diamond Tiara asked, a bit surprised. "Sure did," Amethyst smiled, "So… I'm no… y'know…" "...Wait...ho-woah!" Dawn Star yelped when the two bullies pushed her and Timid out of the way so they could sit next to Amethyst. "You know, you should, like, totally hang out with us," Silver Spoon smiled. "Yea. All of our names are gemstone names," Diamond Tiara added, "So what do ya say? Want to join us instead?" "Well…I..I'm not sure...I mean...y...you two were mean to me yesterday," Amethyst stated. "True, but that was before you got your Cutie mark," Silver Spoon added. 'Is that all they think makes a pony?' Dawn Star thought, frowning at the two bullies as she and Timid got up. "Uh… well…," Amethyst stuttered, not sure how to respond. "We'll let you hang out at my family's pool and you can order any food you want while we're here" Diamond offered. "Uh… well… sure, I'll hang out with you guys," Amethyst replied after pondering for a few moments. "Alrighty, let's get away from these Blank Flanks. They spread like wildfire," Diamond Tiara informed as she and Silver Spoon walked away, Amethyst following them.. "Hey… did any of you notice Amethyst's Cutie Mark looked a little… uneven?" Scootaloo asked. "You're probably just imagining things, Chickenwings. Ol' Diamond and Silver stole Gold from us," Mischief commented. "Huh?" Quirky blinked before she noticed the cake was gone, "..Ahh! those meanies ate the cake I made for Amethyst!" "Right… Diamond and Silver did it…" Mischief added, quickly licking some chocolate away from his face before anypony could notice. "I'm gonna go and see Twilight and ask her something," Scootaloo informed, slipping out from the seat and heading off. "I'll come with you," Dawn spoke as she followed her friend. "A pony with an uneven Cutie Mark?" Twilight blinked, confused as she went through her books. "There's this new filly in our class, Amethyst, and-" Scootaloo began, when Spike ran down the stairs. "Amethysts?! Where?! Where are the amethysts?!" Spike asked, drooling a bit. "Sorry Spike, it's the name of one of our classmates," Dawn Star informed, making the dragon slump. "Darn…" Spike sighed as he headed back upstairs. "She has a Cutie Mark… and it looks rather… uneven." "Uneven how?' Twilight asked. "The tips on the amethyst gems on her Cutie Mark don't match up. And I thought Cutie Marks were supposed to look just like each-other on a single pony's flank," Dawn Star informed. "I see…" Twilight noted, looking through all of the books she had on Cutie Marks as quick as she could, "There's nothing in any of these books about uneven Cutie Marks." 'You sure?" "I'm positive," Twilight replied. "Why don't we just ask her?" Dawn responded. "We can't get close to her now that she's hanging out with Diamond and Silver-" Scootaloo responded, when suddenly Spike tripped down the stairs, and when he landed, he looked like he was drenched in his drool. "WHERE?! Where are the diamonds and silver?!" "Again..we weren't talking about gems related stuff, Spike," Dawn stated to him, "Plus, silver is a type of metal. Not a type of gem." "Dang it," Spike sighed. "Are you enjoying yourself, Amethyst?" Diamond tiara asked the filly as they and Silver Spoon hanged out at her family's private pool. "Sure am," Amethyst responded, simply resting under the shade of an umbrella. "Why don't you dip into the pool?" Silver Spoon asked, as she and Diamond were in the water. "Uh… no thanks. I'm fine," Amethyst assured, relaxing. "Alrighty," Diamond Tiara shrugged. Back at the library the next day, Rainbow Dash trotted in through the front door. "Hi girls. I was just here to return a book," Dash replied, with a book under her wing. "Rainbow Dash… you've been to a lot of places… have you ever seen a pony with an uneven Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked. "Uneven Cutie Mark?" Dash gawked, a bit confused before thinking, "Well…there was this one pegasus claiming to have two Cutie marks, but she ended up being called a liar when it started raining and made her second Cutie mark vanished." "Wait… so… uneven Cutie Marks… are fake?" "Yep. That filly painted her second Cutie Mark on," Dash confirmed. "Umm… Ms. Dash… we need a favor… can you make it rain on someone?" Dawn Star requested. "No can do. Sides, we're due for rain in about an hour anyway." "Darn..thanks anyway Rainbow Dash," Dawn Star smiled when Scootaloo gasped. "Wait a minute! Wasn't Amethyst hanging out with Diamond and Silver? If they find out she has a fake Cutie Mark right in front of them…" Scootaloo began to realize. "...They'll no doubt mock her to no end," Dawn Star gasped before she looked at Twilight, "Sorry, but we gotta go!" "Huh?" Twilight blinked as Dawn Star and Scootaloo rushed out in a hurry. "...Am I missing something?" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but ask. "...Whatever it is, it went over my head, too," Twilight admitted. "...Should we follow them?" "...I guess. Let's get going," Twilight shrugged as she and Dash walked towards the door before accidentally getting stuck in the doorway a bit when they tried leaving at the same time, "...s...sorry." "I-It's okay," Dash replied, backing up so Twi could leave first, the alicorn and pegasus blushing a bit as they left to follow the two fillies, 'Wait..why am I blushing, especially around Twilight?...n..nevermind..it's probably nothing.' "Wonder where they are now?" Dawn Star pondered as she and Scootaloo looked around for Amethyst and the two bullies. "There they are!" Scootaloo pointed out, seeing said fillies not too far away from their current position, "Amethyst!" "Hmm?" the pegasus filly blinked as she turned to see Dawn Star and Scootaloo run towards her. "Aw great..it's two of the Blank Flanks," diamond tiara rolled her eyes in a bit of annoyance before giving a scowl towards them, "What do you two want?" Before any response could be given, a raincloud rolled over them, and a few spots around Ponyville, and then it began to rain and pour, with Amethyst panicking. "What's wrong, Amethyst?" Silver asked, confused by her panicking. "N..nothing!" Amethyst yelped as she tried to use her wings to hide her 'Cutie Mark', 'oh no oh no oh no..oh Celestia and Luna no! Please not now!' "I've never seen anypony act this panicky over a little rain before," Diamond noted before frowning at Amethyst, "You're hiding something, aren't you?" "What's happening?" Dash wondered, hiding from above a cloud with Twilight. "I don't know..but if anything happens, we'll step in," Twilight told her friend. "N-No. I'm not hiding anything," Amethyst insisted, backing away from Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She then tripped on something, and it showed them what she didn't want them to see: her Cutie Mark was only painted on, which was obvious now as the paint was dripping off due to the rain, "Oh...Oh horsefeathers…" "Wait a minute...you were faking it!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making Amethyst flinch. "Uh oh," Scootaloo and Dawn gulped. "I..i'm sorry! I..I just wanted some friends and.." Amethyst began. "Shut up! Ugh! I can't believe we hung out with a stupid Blank flank!" Diamond Tiara snapped before looking at her 'friend', "Right?!" "Yea! Blank Flank," Silver Spoon added, as they both began to chant "Blank Flank" over and over again, and then Amethyst started to tear up, before flat out crying, curling up into a ball. "...I've had enough of this," Twilight frowned, about to leave her hiding spot until. "That's...it!" Dawn Star snapped as she glared at Diamond Tiara and stomped over to her, having finally had enough of her attitude "You are nothing but a bully who gets a kick out of tormenting others! Ms. Cheerilee teaches us to be kind to one another, not talk nasty to ponies who don't have their Cutie Marks yet! In fact, I bet your 'friend' Silver Spoon is scared to hang out with you because you threaten ponies by having your father 'sue' their parents and get them kicked out of their home!" "Uh…" Scootaloo gawked at Dawn's sudden change in attitude while Diamond and Silver were scared, but Scootaloo then noticed something, Amethyst was running off, crying, "Amethyst, wait!" "...You're lucky this time," Dawn frowned at the spoiled filly as she and Scootaloo chased after Amethyst, leaving Diamond and Silver alone. "...Sh...she had to be lying...no way are you scared of me, right Silver Spoon?" Diamond Tiara asked her 'friend'." "..." "Right?" Diamond asked again in a stern tone. "R...right! She's wrong," Silver Spoon nodded slowly. "..I thought so," Diamond Tiara smirked as she began to leave, Silver Spoon slowly following behind her. Meanwhile, Amethyst was curled up on the ground, crying as she hid underneath a tree to stay out of the rain, but when she saw Scootaloo and Dawn Star trying to catch up with her, Amethyst simply continued to run, but unfortunately, she was running right in the direction of the Everfree Forest before she ended up tripping right in front of the entrance, covering her in mud. "Why… why do I have to be all alone…" Amethyst whimpered as she got up and resumed running, not caring where she was running to. "Rainbow Dash, she ran into the Everfree Forest!" Scootaloo shouted, knowing full well that Rainbow Dash and Twilight were following them. "Not good...the Everfree forest is dangerous when it's raining," Rainbow dash paled a bit. "...Why's that?" Dawn Star asked. "The Everfree Forest is said to be the most dangerous place in Equestria, having a lot of dangerous creatures here from Timberwolves to…" Twilight began until a loud roar filled the air, making Twilight and Rainbow dash pale more ,"..Dragons." "D-D-D-D-D-D-D-DRAGONS?!" "Yes...we need to hurry and find her," Twilight stated as she looked at the two fillies, "You two head back to my place. Me and Rainbow Dash will find her." "Right," the two fillies gulped, knowing how dangerous full grown dragons are. "...Mom… Dad… I miss you so much…" Amethyst whimpered, cowering behind a tree deep in the forest. However, she froze up when she heard a loud roar. "Oh please Luna no..no…" Amethyst gulped as she looked up, paling when she saw a large, aqua-marine scaled dragon flying overhead, "D… d... dragon…" She cowered even more, huddling close to the tree, hoping the dragon wouldn't see her. 'S..Somepony...p..please...help me...help...me...' she thought in pure fear, her body shaking before freezing up when the dragon landed near her position. She started to back up a bit, before crying out in fear. "HELP! SOMEPONY! ANYPONY! HELP ME!" Amethyst screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice echoing throughout the forest, not only catching the dragon's attention, but also the two flying ponies above. Then in came Rainbow Dash and Twilight, who knocked the dragon away from Amethyst. The dragon shook it's head, getting rid of it's small headache as it began to fly away, upset that it couldn't eat at the moment. "You okay?" Twilight asked. "...Princess Twilight…" Amethyst gawked. "Help… please… I'm horrified of dragons…" "Why?" Years ago, Amethyst who was just a little bit older then an infant, was being carried through a forest similar to the Everfree, and it was raining at the moment. "Come on, we need to get out of here," Amethyst's mom, a black pegasus with teal eyes, a blue mane, and a map with an 'X' on it, for a Cutie Mark, told another pegasus, a white stallion with a purple mane, red eyes, and a Cutie Mark with a design of a treasure chest. "We managed to get the Dragon's Amethyst… so now we need to get out of this stupid forest." "I know Luka," the stallion informed until a large black dragon landed before the two, baring its teeth as it was hungry for pony meat. The two pegasi tried to fly away, but the dragon slashed at their wings, causing them to plummet down, with Luka just barely able to keep their daughter from being hurt, while the stallion caught the Dragon's Amethyst which was a large amethyst that looked like a dragon's scale. It wasn't long, though, before the dragon was able to catch up with the two injured pegasi. Having barely any strength left, the male pegasus looked at Luka before looking down at the filly she was carrying. "...I'll distract it..you get our daughter to a safe place," he told Luka, trying his best to hold back his tears, knowing this'll be the last he'll see them. "Marvelous… don't be insane! You'll die, and we'll lose the Dragon's Amethyst!" Luka responded. "I'd rather die and lose the gem, then let you and our baby girl die!" the stallion, Marvelous, responded. "...Amethyst… that sounds… lovely… I know what to name our daughter… Amethyst," "..Marvelous…" Luka whispered, holding her tears back as Marvelous galloped away from them, getting the dragons attention as it gave chase, allowing the mare to get away, despite her injuries. Marvelous stayed, trying to hold it off, despite his injuries, however, he was hit by a heavy tail smack, which caused some bones in his chest to shatter, and blood began to drip from injures. "Have… a happy life… Amethyst…" Marvelous muttered with his final breath, a small dying smile on his face. Over with Luka, her stamina was almost completely spent as she collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. 'I...I'm almost to Canterlot...m..maybe the princess...' she couldn't finish her thought as the sound of the dragon's roar filled the air once more, 'No… not now...' She looked down to her daughter, and the Dragon's Amethyst, having only enough energy to carry one to safety. And so, wanting to make sure her daughter stayed safe, she dropped the Dragon's Amethyst, and carried her daughter the rest of the way, using what stamina and strength she had left, She had just barely managed to get to the town's gates, when the dragon attacked her. "Gaah!" Luka cried out, the dragon's talon having crushed her lower half as it looked at her with a hungry gaze, "S...Somepony please…." she hugged her daughter tight as the dragon began to open its mouth, "Help…" As she hugged her daughter, who was crying louder than ever, a blast of magic was sent out, attacking the dragon, getting it off of Luka, but this is the last that Amethyst could remember clearly. "Both my parents died to a dragon… they're so scary…" Amethyst whimpered, her entire body shaking as she unintentionally hugged Twilight tight. "Don't worry… things will be okay…" Twilight tried to assure, when the dragon came back and smacked Dash into Twilight, causing them to fly into a nearby tree, both were injured, but still alive. "PRINCESS!" Amethyst shouted in fear. She then reached for something, a bell attached to a blue string, and the bell had a crescent moon on it. she then shook the bell, and it's ringing echoed out, 'Please… get here in time princess...' After a few seconds, the dragon had gotten closer to the poor filly when it was pelted by magical bolts, and to most everypony's surprise, Princess Luna showed up. "Princess… Luna…" Twilight gasped weakly, trying her best to stay awake.. Princess Luna glanced over to them, and did a small healing spell on her and Dash, before turning her attention back to the dragon. "How DARE you?! Thoust DARE to try and harm MY pupil?! She has gone through enough trouble with thy kind in the past, but now ye would dare to scar her more?!" The Dragon gave a growl in response as it glared at the moon princess/goddess. She then fired of a powerful energy blast at the dragon, forcing it back away even further. "I willst say this only once. Leave my pupil alone, and thoust shall not suffer no more of thy wrath!" Luna shouted again. The dragon gave a low growl as it turned around and began to fly away. "Princess…" Amethyst whispered just as Luna turned her gaze to the filly. "Amethyst," Luna responded, flying down quickly to the young pegasus' side, "Are you alright? You are unhurt?" "Y… yes…" "Thank goodness," Luna smiled, holding the young filly close as Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew over. "Princess Luna… how do you know her?" "She's… my mommy," Amethyst responded, making both Dash and Twilight gawk. "But, you just told us both your parents are dead!" Dash informed. "Adoptive mother," Princess Luna informed. "...Oh…" the two mares nodded. "Aye… you see… two years ago, after you and your friends freed me from the control of Nightmare Moon… I tried to relearn everything that has been going on over the years… months after…" Luna paused as she looked down at Amethyst, who lost consciousness as she was completely exhausted now, "I had found her and her mother, who was beneath a dragon's talons. I had managed to push the dragon back… but… I was too late to save her mother… with her last words… she told me something." "What was that?" Twilight asked. "'Please… look after my daughter…' those were her last words," Luna informed, small tears forming in her eyes, "I wish I was able to save her… as I feel unfit to have her as a daughter… but…" she then looked at the sleeping filly, "I simply could not leaveth this poor filly all alone…" "Wow…" Twilight smiled. "Are you sure she's not your child by blood? You two actually look alike," Dash commented. "I sometimes get that when I'm near her, yes," Luna replied, "But...sadly, I do not have anypony special…" 'Not since...Silent Night...' "You said… she's your pupil?" Twilight asked, a bit confused still. "...While I care for her as a daughter… I decided to take her in as my pupil… just as my sister took you in… Princess Twilight," Luna explained, seeing Amethyst was too tired to stay awake and listen to that part of the conversation. "But please… do not telleth her this…" "...Don't worry..I won't," Twilight replied with a small, reassuring smile. Luna just smiled in response, giving her sister's pupil a small pat. "Rainbow Dash has a point, she does look a lot like you… but… have you told her about her parent's passing?" "She remembers it as clearth as day…I have not ever toldeth her," Luna informed, "Haveth you received my note?" "...What note?" Twilight inquired. "...I'm starting to get worried," Dawn noted as she and the rest of the CMC met up and were waiting inside the library part of Twilight's castle, Mischief resting nearby...while floating on the air. Soon, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna, and the still asleep Amethyst arrived. "Princess Luna!" all of the Crusaders gawked. "And Crystal!" Mischief added. "Amethyst!" the Crusaders corrected. "That's what I said! Emerald!" "Her name is...ugh..I give up," Dawn Star sighed. "Is Amethyst alright?! We've been soooooooooooo worried about her!" Quirky responded. "My pupil is simply asleep," Princess Luna assured. "Your… pupil?!" Dawn Star gawked. "It's a long story. I'll explain later," Luna informed, before she glanced over to Mischief, "He is… the son of Discord, correctth?" "Thou are correct, princess moonbutt," Mischief grinned, making Luna frown a bit in annoyance. "...I can see a bit of his father in him," the moon princess grumbled a bit, "Please… try and keep him away from my pupil… she is terrified of dragons," "She said she wasn't," Scootaloo informed. "Twas all a bluff. Her… parents were killed by dragons… so she hasth an innate fear of the beasts, so… don't look like a dragon around her…" Luna told Mischief, before turning to Twilight, "And be sure to tell thy assistant to be careful when she's in the room." "Got it," Twilight nodded. "Hey Twilight!" Spike called as he entered the room, "I'm glad I found you. You got a message from Princess…" he paused when he saw the Moon Princess in the room, "..Luna…" "She told me… why did you forget to give it to me?" "...I dunno," Spike shrugged. Twilight simply rolled her eyes and used her magic to levitate the letter into the air. "'Dear Princess Twilight, I have a request for you. I have sendeth my daughter/pupil, Amethyst, to Ponyville, to study with you. Seeing how she has no friends there, I wish for you to mentor her, and possibly live with you and young Dawn Star so thoust can teacheth her the magic of friendship. I hope you can make her a great mentor to her princess. Signed: Luna, the Princess of the Night.' So… now I have my hooves full with more than one apprentice…" "But we can help you," Scootaloo assured. "Thanks girls… but," Twilight began. "Excuseth me but...what did thou mean by having thy hooves full?" Luna asked. "...Didn't Celestia tell you that I have Trixie as my apprentice?" Twilight asked back. '..I hate it when sister forgets to tell me these things,' Luna thought with a small frown, "...I knoweth it may be a hassle…but…I must insist. Will you please be her mentor, too?" "...Sure," Twilight smiled, as Luna moved Amethyst into her hooves. "She's so precious… don't worry Princess Luna, I won't let you down with this task." "I thank thee Princess Twilight," Luna nodded with a smile of her own, looking at her sleeping daughter, "I know you'll do a good job teaching her." "Ugh...finally, Trixie's home!" Trixie groaned as she walked over to the entrance of Twilight's home/castle/library, "That is the last time Trixie tries and do an audition at Applewood." Thus, Trixie opened the door, and while she half-expected Dawn Star to be there, she was confused when she saw a black pegasus filly (Amethyst) helping the young alicorn put away the books. "So Dawn Star… we're friends, right?" Amethyst inquired. "Yes we are, Amethyst," the Alicorn filly reassured her with a smile, "So, if Diamond Tiara tries anything, don't worry. Me and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders will keep you safe from her." "...Thank you… thank you so… so much…" Amethyst smiled, a few tears starting to form in her eyes, as she hugged her friend. "...The Great and slightly confused Trixie demands to know who this pegasus is!" Trixie shouted, getting Dawn Star's attention. "Oh… this is Princess Luna's pupil and adoptive daughter Amethyst," Dawn explained. "...I see…" Trixie noted slowly as she walked past the fillies, "If anypony needs Trixie, she'll be in her room…" "...I..Is she alright?" Amethyst couldn't help but ask once Trixie left for her room upstairs. "...it's hard to tell sometimes," Dawn Star informed before Mischief poofed in, taking on the appearance of an owl. "You'll no doubt find out in 5...4...3...2...1…" Mischief began before a loud, muffled scream was heard from Trixie's room, "There it is." "Do I even want to know how that owl is talking…?" Amethyst asked Dawn Star. "Trust me...you don't," Dawn sighed a bit. Later, at Sugarcube Corner, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were all having ice cream, provided by Pinkie Pie of course...especially considering the bowl the ice cream came in was huge. "Is there cotton candy or chocolate? Those are my favorite flavors," Amethyst spoke. "Yep. Just look right here," Pinkie smiled, pointing to a small pile of chocolate ice cream in the bowl alongside some cotton candy flavored ice cream, "Gotta be prepared for all tastes, after all." "Thank you," Amethyst smiled until... "Oh look. If it ain't the Blanks Flanks plus one," a certain spoiled filly spoke as the CMC turned to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (who appeared to be pondering about something) entered. "Oh geez… not now, Diamond," Scootaloo groaned. "Yeah. You caused a lot of trouble yesterday," Sweetie Belle added with a frown. "Can you please leave us alone? I want to enjoy my ice cream…" Amethyst told them. "You mean, you all leave us alone, so we can enjoy OUR ice cream!" Diamond Tiara chuckled, pushing the seven out of their seat. "Are you serious?" Applebloom frowned as she glared at the spoiled filly, "After everything ya'll did yesterday, you still torment us?!" "Of course. You're nothing but Blank Flanks after all, Right Silver Spoon?" "..." "Right?" "Huh? Oh yeah...right," Silver Spoon nodded until... "Okay, that's it!" Dawn snapped, using her magic to fling the two spoiled fillies right out the door. "...Dawn?" Amethyst asked. "Those two just annoy me…especially Diamond Tiara," Dawn sighed as the seven got back into their seat, "I'm sorry you had to see that, Amethyst." "It's okay…" Amethyst assured. "So… Diamond Tiara told me you six are a group, what's the purpose of the group?" "Oh… ano… well..." Timid began shyly, "W… we… we go out and t-try to get our Cutie Marks, A… Amethyst-chan." "Really? Uh… can I join you girls?" "...Ah don't see why not," Applebloom replied with a smile. "Yeah. We could use more members," Sweetie Belle added, her voice squeaky a bit at the beginning. "Thank you… thank you so much!" Amethyst smiled, pulling her new found friends into a hug. "You're welcome, Amethyst," Scootaloo replied. "Yeah. We're…" Quirky began before gasping loudly, "You know what this calls for?!" "W… what?" Amethyst blinked. "A party!" "Did somepony say a party?" Pinkie asked, immediately in the room after hearing the dark green filly utter the word 'party'. "Yep. That'd be me. It's time for a new member induction patry!" "Yipee!" Pinkie beamed. "Welcome to the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Scootaloo smiled. "I'm happy to join," Amethyst responded happily. And for the rest of the day, the CMC and their new friend Amethyst celebrated the party Quirky and Pinkie threw in the filly's name, Amethyst really enjoying herself as she happy. Happy she had some real friends to celebrate with. Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya possibly can. Also, the new filly shown here, Amethyst, belongs to Pikatwig, who at this point helped write this, and the chapters that'll soon come after.
Heart of Gold pt 2After Dash and Scootaloo's party, the young filly was in her bedroom with Dash sitting by the door as a guard. "Come on D… er, mom. you don't have to stand guard like that," Scootaloo groaned before Rainbow Dash gave her an even glare. "Sorry Scoots, but you're still in big trouble," The rainbow-maned Pegasus stated. "...I don't like being stared at…" Scootaloo whimpered, hiding under her pillow. "...Sorry," Rainbow apologized as she turned around, "Look, I like to be as reckless as much as the next mare, but since you're my daughter now, I have to start being responsible, which is why you're grounded for what you did yesterday." "But…." "No buts… you're going to be staying here for another two hours kid, so, I'm not moving from this spot," Dash told Scootaloo. "...ugh… fine," Scootaloo sighed in defeat. "But… you won't be staring at me… right?" "I promise I won't." Scootaloo then came out from under her pillow and simply remained on her bed. "...You know I wouldn't have made that choice without feeling like I… lost you forever. That dumb prank just went so far out of hoof… I just felt like I was all alone… I thought I heard my parents' voices saying 'come join us dear'..." Scootaloo told Dash. "..Scoots…" Rainbow Dash began as she walked over and hugged the filly, "I promise you I won't leave you… even if anything changes, I'll always care for you." "Thank you…" 'Hmm...what to do...what to do?' Mischief mentally pondered, taking the form of a fish as he spied on Fluttershy taking care of her animals. "There you go, Ms. fox," Fluttershy smiled as she finished wrapping up a female fox' left leg, "Be sure to be careful next time when you go out to get some food. You don't want to break your leg again after all." The fox smiled before walking off, Fluttershy simply giggled before seeing a hawk flying through the sky. "...Silver Hawk-kun…" the shy pegasus whispered to herself, a blush forming on her face. Ever since that night she and Timid's brother shared that special fruit, Silver Hawk was always on her mind. She liked it whenever he brought timid to visit. She really liked both of them seeing timid like a little sister and Silver...she was afraid to admit it but.... "I...I wish I could spend time with him…even for just one day…" "Wish?" a voice spoke before Mischief appeared before her, the dragon wearing a turban and his face painted a light neon green, "Did you say wish?" "Who are you?" "I am a wish granter, my dear… so, what is your wish?" "M...my wish…" Fluttershy gawked. "I wish… that I could spend time with my crush, Silver Hawk. In a way, I wouldn't act so shy, and he wouldn't know it was me…" Mischief gave a small chuckle, before taking out the gold dust he used on Rainbow, Twilight and Scootaloo earlier. "You're wish…" he began before blowing the dust onto her, making her cough a bit, "Shall be granted my dear." Fluttershy continued to cough a bit, not noticing her body beginning to change as she begun to shrink a bit. Mischief watched with a mischievous grin as he watched the shy pegasus transform in front of him. It was a bit of a rainy day, with Timid and her brother looking at the night sky. "Mou…I heard today's rain was going to be harsh, but I didn't think it was going to be like this," Silver Hawk noted before thunder rumbled outside, making Timid yelp as she ran behind her brother. "That was scary..." Timid whimpered before she heard something outside. She then peeked from behind her brother and saw something moving around outside in the rain. "...what is it, Ti..." Silver Hawk began before Timid Swallow ran outside, "Ahh! Matte, Timid!" he yelped as he ran after his little sister. Timid ignored the rain as she looked around before she spotted a small yellow kitty with a bit of her head fur a pale rose, the cat shivering a bit as she hid underneath a box. "Aww…K-kawaii…" Timid giggled before motioning for the cat to move closer to her, "It's okay kitty. I won't hurt you." The cat stared at Timid for a few moments before it slowly began to move towards her. It was about to touch timid until… "Oi, Timid!" Silver Hawk's voice shouted, startling the cat as it hid under timid just as said filly's brother came, "What were you thinking running off like that?" "G… gomen onii-chan… d… demo…" timid began as she moved a bit, revealing the cat she found, "I..I found this kitty..sh..she looks like she's cold and scared." The cat smiled at Timid and her brother before it slowly walked towards Silver Hawk and affectionately rubbed against his leg, purring a bit. "I..it looks like she likes you, Onii-chan," Timid noted with a soft smile before the sound of thunder filled the air once more, scaring Timid and the cat before they ran under Silver Hawk for safety. "Come on… bring the cat in," Silver Hawk sighed before giving the cat a small smile, "We don't want you or her to catch a cold after all." "D..Don't' worry Peach-chan..w..we'll get you dried off," Timid said to the cat as she and her brother helped it inside. "..Peach?" Silver Hawk repeated as he looked at his little sister. "I always liked the name. Plus…" Timid began as she looked at the small bit of pale rose pink in the cat's head fur, "That pink part r..reminds me of peaches." "I see…" Silver Hawk noted, "Okay… Peach it is." The cat gave a small meow as she began to affectionately rub against Timid and Silver, purring. "..A..ano..I'll go get a towel to help dry Peach-chan off," Timid offered as she ran up stairs to get one. "Guess that leaves you and me… little Peach-chan," Silver hawk chuckled a bit before Peach shot up and gave him a small lick on the cheek, "H-hey, cut it out. I like you too, Peach-chan." "Can we keep Peach? Please Onii-chan?" Timid begged as Peach rested on the couch nearby, laying on one of the couch cushions. "I don't know Timid… she probably belongs to someone," Silver Hawk said "I...I already checked…N-nopony seems to know about her," Timid replied. "I see…" "Pwease Onii-chan?" Timid begged, giving an irresistible sad eye look. "...Okay...But like Yuki, she's your responsibility," Silver Hawk told his little sister, "Okay?" "YES!" Timid giggled happily as she hugged her older brother, "Arigatou, Onii-chan!" "This little neko seems to like us," Silver Hawk admitted as the cat walked over and curled up by him, "Especially me with how affectionate she is around me." "Hai," Timid smiled a bit before gasping a bit, "Oh! I should introduce Yuki-chan to her!" Silver Hawk couldn't help but smile a bit as Timid ran up to her room to get the small kit. He knew timid liked animals, especially when she went up to visit the vet her grandmother worked at back in Neighpon. =the next morning= "Ano… g..good morning minna,' Timid greeted her friends as they were at the clubhouse as usual. "Morning Timid," Sweetie belle greeted before she noticed something move in Timid Swallow's bag, "...Did you bring Yuki today?" "N… no… I wanted to introduce you to m-my new pet,' Timid replied as she opened the bag up, letting Peach poke her head out, "M… minna, m-meet Peach an..." "Kitty!" Quirky beamed as she was immediately in front of Peach, "Aww~! She's just soooooooo cute!" "And I thought all cats were like Opal," Sweetie admitted. "Eh? What do you mean?" Dawn Star couldn't help but ask. "My sister's cat is kinda...lazy and a bit stuck up," Sweetie informed before Dawn Star began to sneeze ,"..are you okay?" "I'm fine. I…" Dawn began before she sneezed again. "Ya allergic' to cats?" Applebloom asked. "I..I do-achoo!-think so!" Dawn Star sneezed before she began to sneeze repeatedly, making her unconsciously teleport all over the clubhouse. "O..oh my," Timid gasped as she and the others watched Dawn sneeze up a storm, "G..gomen, Dawn-chan! I..I didn't know!" "I didn't either…" Dawn replied with a stuffy nose, her eyes red from the allergy," Timid..I thi..thi..thi…" "Uh oh.." Scootaloo paled a bit. "ACHOO!" Dawn Sneezed, making a small explosion inside the clubhouse as it lifted off the tree for a second. "S...sorry girls…" Dawn Apologized, everypony completely covered in soot. "No…*cough*... problem," Quirky wheezed, coughing up a bit of smoke. "...I...I'll get Peach outta here," Timid assured as she put Peach back in her bag," Y..you should go home and r-rest, Dawn-chan." "Good-sniff!-idea," Dawn sniffled. "Just be careful and not sneeze on any of us," Quirky said, making the other sweatdrop a bit, "..what?" "Quirky...you can't catch a cold from someone who has allergies," Amethyst stated to the dark green filly. "You can't?" Quirky blinked, making Amethyst face hoof. Thus, Timid headed home and up to her room, leaving Peach on the couch. The cat couldn't help but give a sad meow, feeling she ruined today for Timid as she laid down on the couch. She was about to go to sleep before her ears perked up, hearing somepony walk into the room. "Oi, Timid! Was that you?" Silver Hawk called as he walked in from the kitchen, "...Huh…I guess she decided to come home early." Peach just mowed happily at the sight of Silver Hawk before going over and cuddling up by him. "...Heh heh…Glad to see you to, Peach-chan," Silver Hawk smiled a bit as he saw the cat rub against his leg. He then began to sit down on the couch before Peach was back on it and laid next to him, rubbing her head against his body, "..You're a really sweet girl, aren't you?" Peach just meowed happily. "Peach-chan…I hope you don't feel bad about what happened, because there's something I want to do with you up in my room," Timid giggled as she poked her head in from upstairs. "...She'll join you in a bit, Timid," Silver Hawk replied as she looked down at the cat, "I think she wants to lay with me for a bit." "...O… okay, Onii-chan" Timid nodded as she went back upstairs. Peach gave a small meow as she rubbed her head against Silver's body once more, purring. "...You really are a sweet girl… kinda like somepony I know…" Silver Hawk noted, making Peach's ear perk up, "Peach-chan? Can you keep a secret?" Peach gave a nod and smiled a tiny bit. "...Wel…" Silver Hawk began as a blush formed on his muzzle, "Th… there's somepony I really like… somepony who's really sweet… kind and helpful… Timid really likes her too. In fact, Timid sees her like a big sister of sorts… a… also..." he paused as the blush on his muzzle increased, "Sh… she's really pretty…" Peach stayed quiet as she listened to him, fairly interested. "...I get this feeling that she's also from Neighpon," Silver Hawk added, catching Peach's attention more, "She's… really kind and caring… and somepony I hope would be my very special somepony on Hearts and Hooves Day…" He then sighed a bit, "Too bad it turned into that whole fiasco that it did." Peach's ears dropped a bit, somehow feeling sad about what he sad. "But...I hope next time is better...because...I…" Silver Hawk paused as he blushed once more, "I can't get her out of my mind ever since that night we shared that special fruit together…her mane…those eyes…her voice... I… I guess what Kaa-san says is true… there really is love at first sight…" "...Meow?" Peach's blinked as she looked up at him. "Yea… b… because I… I love her...demo…" he paused before sighing sadly a bit, "I..I don't think she feels the same way I do about her… F..Fluttershy-san..." Peach's ears perked way up as a sudden blush formed on her face. "Don't tell anyone I said that… now, why don't you go up and play with Timid?" Silver Hawk told Peach. Peach didn't reply as she quickly got off the couch and ran upstairs, Silver not noticing the blush on the cat's face. "Glad to have you in here Peach-chan," Timid giggled as Peach walked inside the shy filly's room, "There's something I always wanted to do with a pet, but Yuki doesn't let me do it with her." Peach's tilted her head in confusion a bit, wondering what Timid Swallow meant by that. The filly trotted over and wore a small outfit akin to one of the heroines that Peach saw on her mangas. It resembled a Japanese Schoolgirl outfit, but was different. It was mostly colored white with the skirt blue, and the ribbon on the front a bright red with what looked like a locket in the middle. "I've always wanted to dress up a pet in this outfit… my favorite super hero manga, Mahou Senshi Sailor Moon!" Timid giggled when from nearby, Yuki hid under the bed, "I wanna dress you up in it Peach-chan." "..Meow?" "Don't worry Peach-chan. You'll like it," Timid giggled. Peach gave a small smile before Timid trotted over and got to work putting Peach into a Sailor Chibi-Moon suit. "There! Now we can fight together as Sailor Moon and Chibi-Moon!" Timid beamed. Whenever she does this, she can't help but feel giggly, almost as much as Quirky. Peach couldn't help but smile happily at Timid. "That was fun," Timid giggled as she put her outfit away, the sun beginning to set outside, "Oh… oh my… I didn't realize how late it was." Peach then trotted off to see Silver Hawk before smiling when she stopped in front of his room. She saw him resting on the bed, obviously resting for a bit. Her tail wagged a bit as she walked inside and hopped onto the bed. She then curled up next to him, her head laying next to his. Timid also fell asleep, but cuddling by Yuki as the small fox kit slept. Peach gave one last look at Silver Hawk as her eyes began to close. The next morning, Rarity was seen heading to Fluttershy's cabin, carrying a cat cage with her magic. "Fluttershy? Are you home dear?" Rarity called as she knocked on the front door, "I'm here for Opal's…" she then inched towards the door and whispered so the cat wouldn't hear her, "Check up." She then opened up the door and saw several animals running amok. "Oh..oh dear...this ca-wahahaaaha!" Rarity screamed as she ducked under a tossed cooking pot, "Alright, who threw that?!" Angel then bounced over, panting like crazy. "Angel… what in Equestria is going on? Where's Fluttershy?" Rarity asked the rabbit. Angel looked around before trying to signal something. Unfortunatly, Rarity couldn't understand what he was trying to say, making the rabbit facepalm. Back over at Timid's house, she had a small little tea party thing set up, with herself, Yuki, Peach and some stuffed animals set up. "M… more tea, Peach-chan?" Timid asked the cat, who simply meowed in response as she 'poured' the 'tea' into the empty cup, "Th-there you go, Peach-chan." "Man… you're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Silver Hawk asked, walking in. "Yea… I've asked the other Crusaders to join me… but they always say no…" "Well, maybe they're busy with their own things," Silver Hawk replied. "M… maybe…" Timid stuttered before she saw Peach's ear perk up, "P… Peach-chan? I..is something wrong?" Peach didn't' reply as she quickly shot out of the room past Silver. "P..Peach-chan!" Timid gasped as she ran after the cat. "Timid! Matte!" Silver yelled as he chased after them,catching up to see Timid looking frantically around the area. "Peach-chan! Peach-chan, where are you?!' Timid called out for the cat, worry in her voice. "Don't worry… we'll find her," Silver tried to assure his little sister, "I'm sure she's okay, Timid." "...I… I hope so…" Timid replied, still worried. Peach continued to ran as she was going through the forest, running towards Fluttershy's home as… she began to change and grow in size? "Peach! Peach! Peach-chan, where are you?!" Silver Hawk shouted, as Timid began to cry sadly, "Mou, where is she?" "P..Peach-chan…" Timid quietly sobbed as she had her head lowered to the ground, tears dripping from her eyes. "Oh… another prank gone too far…" a voice whispered so quietly, neither could hear as Mischeif was taking the form of an owl, "Dang it… how am I going to fix this?" "Peach-chan… come back! I miss you!" Timid shouted out, tearfully, "Please! Come back!" '...I think I have an idea...' Mischief thought as he quietly poofed out of there and reappeared where Peach was, the cat still transforming and changing in size, "...looks like the dust is wearing off." After a few more seconds, Peach's transformation was finished as she had changed into...Fluttershy?! "...I hope Timid's okay…" Fluttershy whispered, worry evident in her voice, "But things must be hectic back home… m-maybe if I hurry, I can h-ow!" "Sorry!" an 'owl' apologized as he flew into the tree's, carrying a lock of Fluttershy's mane. "...huh? D...Did that owl just talk?" Fluttershy blinked before shaking her confusion off, "N… nevermind… I need to hurry, and fast." "Ahh! Put that down this instant!" Rarity yelped as she ducked under a thrown chair, seeing Fluttershy's house completely in chaos "What's going on?" Fluttershy asked, as she hurried on inside. "Flutteshy! Oh thank Celestia and Luna you're here!" Rarity sighed in relief as she looked at the shy mare, "I came for Opal's check up, and I see your animals completely wrecking your home!" "I… I see…" Fluttershy noted before she looked around and began to use the Stare on all of the animals in the area., making them freeze in place, "Stop right now! I've been gone for two days, I find my home a complete mess! You're going to set things back to the way they were and apologize for scaring my friend Rarity, understand?!" All of the animals nodded and quickly got to work cleaning the house up. =A bit later= "Peach… I miss you…" Timid whimpered as she and Silver continued to look, nearing Fluttershy's cottage, "You don't think she went into the Everfree Forest, do you Onii-chan?" "I hope not… but don't worry Timid. I promise we'll find her," Silver Hawk reassured her, also worried. They began to walk down with Timid rushing over to Fluttershy's door, banging on it as fast as she could. "Fluttershy-san! T-tatsukete!" the shy filly yelled, panic in her voice as the door opened. "Timid! is.." Fluttershy began before Timid buried herself into her chest, her form shaking as she sobbed, "..Are you okay?" "N… no… I… I can't find Peach-chan…" "She's a new cat we have," Silver Hawk informed, going over to Fluttershy and his sister. "She ran off…" "I'm so worried…I... I didn't do anything bad… o..onegai…" Timid begged as she cried into Fluttershy's chest, "Tell me you saw her…P...Please..." "...Timid-chan…" Fluttershy whispered. "Please…" Timid whimpered. "...Timid-chan..I..." Fluttershy began before a meow was heard, one Timid recognized. "..P..Peach-chan?" Timid said hopefully as she slowly turned to see a familiar cat standing in the grass nearby, licking herself a bit, "..Peach-chan!" The cat's ears perked up as she turned her head to see Timid running towards her. "Peach-chan! You're okay!" Timid gasped as she hugged the cat, "I've was so worried something bad happened to you! I..I'm really glad you're okay, Peach-chan!" The cat meowed in response as she rubbed her head against Timid's. "...Fluttershy… for some odd reason… you seem like Peach-chan… I'm not sure why…" Silver Hawk noted before he blushed a bit, "B..but regardless...a..arigatou…" "...C...Can I tell you two something…?" Fluttershy asked. "Um… I made this wish and…" "Wish? Wha…" Rarity began before she figured out where Fluttershy was going with this, recalling what happened the day before yesterday, "...Fluttershy?" "Y..yes Rarity?" Fluttershy asked before Rarity whispered something into her ear, "..E..eh?!" "..Is..something wrong?" Silver Hawk couldn't help but ask. "..Um...ano…" Fluttershy stuttered, blushing heavier than a tomato as she recalled Silver Hawk's confession from when she was a cat, "...N...nothing's wrong...I..I'm just glad you and T-Timid-chan found your c...cat." "...Fluttershy… I think there's something Silver should know," Rarity informed. "...I uh… a-a-ano…" Fluttershy stuttered. "I'm right here for you darling," Rarity assured. "...O-okay...S...Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy spoke, getting said pegasus' attention, "Ano… th-there's something I...I want to s-say to you…" "Hmm? What is it?" "Ano… I… I… I…" Fluttershy began with a heavy blush, "I….I...I…" "Go on dear…" Rarity urged her. "I… I…" Fluttershy couldn't finish as she lost consciousness, her entire head a beet red and her eyes replaced with swirls. Angel then rushed over and got some water, before dumping it on Fluttershy, making her get back up. "Kya!" the shy mare screamed before blushing once more, her face and lips inches away from Silver Hawk's, "..." "Go on Fluttershy…" Rarity smiled, "You can do it dear…" "...A-ano…" Fluttershy squeaked, her form trembling as she was really nervous. "..U-um… I think I'll take Timid and Peach-chan home!" Silver Hawk said quickly as he picked his little sister up and ran off, a heavy blush on his face as well, "Bye Fluttershy-san! Rarity-san!" "...I blew it… I feel like such a dummy!" Fluttershy whimpered, falling backwards when suddenly she landed on Rarity's fainting couch, "..huh?" "Now don't beat yourself up like that dear," Rarity spoke as she sat next to the shy pegasus, "You'll get him next time." "O...Okay… but you'll be there for me? You know a lot more about romance then I do…" Fluttershy admitted. "That is true," Rarity replied, "I'll even give you some advice to help you out." "R-really?" "Yes dear. I can tell you deeply care for him," Rarity smiled, "Plus… there are some times where… I kinda see you like a little sister. I've never known why to be perfectly honest." "I… I see..." "Also…" Rarity began as she whispered into Fluttershy's ear, "When a stallion blushes like your dear Silver Hawk did, that means they're a little too shy to make the first move…" "...O...okay," Fluttershy nodded. "And always remember this darling. You're a great mare, who anypony would be lucky to be with," Rarity smiled, making Fluttershy blush a bit, "In fact, I'm a bit surprised nopony has asked you out yet." "...I could say the same for you," Fluttershy giggled, making Rarity giggle a bit. "Peach-chan… I was so worried…" Timid whimpered, hugging Peach as they and Silver Hawk were back in their home, "I'm so glad you're safe." "Me too," Silver Hawk smiled as Peach gave a small meow. "C… come on Peach-chan. L… let's head back to our room. Yuki-chan must be worried too," Timid replied as she put the cat down and walked up the stairs, "C..come on, Peach-chan!" "Peach… she seemed so much like Fluttershy… I have no idea why…" Silver Hawk noted as peach followed Timid up the stairs. He then spotted a few butterflies flying by the window, "...Mou...I missed my chance. But…" 'Maybe someday...I can tell her how I feel...Fluttershy-chan...' 'Phew..barely dodged a bullet there,' Mischief mentally sighed in relief as he rested on the window sill, watching Timid have fun with Peach as they laid on the bed, 'But...everything turned out better than last time...no attempted suicides, and Timid has a new pet...which I made by mixing a bit of Fluttershy's mane with the few remaining gold dust I had.' "You know P...Peach-chan… I can't help but wonder what F-Fluttershy-san wanted to say to onii-chan," Timid Swallow pondered a bit, "Maybe something… connecting you two?" 'Oh no… please don't find out please dont' find out please don't find out!' Mischief mentally panicked. "Oh! I think I know. She wanted to give you to me as a surprise… but you must've slipped out…" Timid figured, making Mischief give a mental sigh of relief, "Th..that was really nice of her...C..can I tell you something, Peach-chan?" "...Meow?" the cat tilted her head cutely, looking at her owner. "I...I secretly hope o-onii-chan and Fluttershy-san get together. I… I really like her and h-hope she becomes my Onee-chan s-someday," Timid admitted. Peach smiled happily, before curling up by Timid, who soon fell asleep as she began to dream. Dreaming her big brother and Fluttershy were together, before her dreams drifted elsewhere... Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya can.
Neighpon Surprise"Onii-chan… w...why am I blindfolded?" Timid pondered as her older brother lead her somewhere. "It's a surprise, Timid," Silver Hawk replied. "O...okay…" Timid replied before she heard what sounded like a door opening, "W..where are we, Onii-chan?" "You'll see," was all Silver Hawk replied before whispering to somepony in the dark room, "Is everything ready?" "Yep. Everything's ready." "Good," Silver nodded before looking at his little sister, "You ready, Timid?" "F..for what, Onii-chan?" Timid pondered. "Take off the blindfold." Timid nodded as she slowly took the blindfold off her eyes, slowly opening them to see… "Surprise!" She gawked to see a party that reminded Timid Swallow of her home country, Neighpon. "Happy birthday, Timid!" "M..minna…" Timid whispered a bit before feeling her brother's hoof around her neck. "This is all for you, Timid-chan. Happy birthday," Silver smiled as he moved his hoof off her, "Hope you like it." "...I love it, the one thing that can make it better… is if Okaa-san and Otou-san were here.. and if I had a Nee-chan," Timid smiled before gaining a bit of a sad smile. "..is something wrong, Timid?" "Onii-chan...I miss Okaa-san and Otou-san…" Timid replied, sighing sadly. "Who is she talking about?" Amethyst inquired. "Her mom and dad most likely," Dawn Star replied. "Ahh..." Amethyst noted before sighing mentally, 'I know how she feels...' After a while, Timid had opened up all her gifts, played a ton of games and they were ready for the cake. "Ohh boy ohh boy ohh boy!" Quirky giggled excitedly, "I wonder what kind of cake Timid'll get?! Chocolate? Vanilla?...Strawberry?" Pinkie then rolled in a large raspberry cake. "...Whoo! Raspberry!" Quirky cheered as she was about to leap up before Scootaloo stopped her. "Clam down. It's Timid's party, not yours," the orange pegasus filly told the excitable filly. "Sorry..I just get so excited when I'm at a party!" Quirky declared as Pinkie placed the cake on the table. "Make a wish." '...I can think of no better wish then to have Okaa-san and Otou-san to celebreate my birthday, even if they're late...' Timid thought, as she blew out her candles. "Whatd you wish for, Timid?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Th...that would be telling, S..Sweetie-chan. O..otherwise, my wish won't come true," Timid replied with a small stutter. "...Onii-chan…i-if Fluttershy-san became my Onee-chan…wh..what would okaa-san and otou-san think?" Timid asked her brother once they got home, Silver immediately blushing a bit at the question. "...I'm...I'm not sure but..wh-why'd you ask such a q..question, Timid-chan?" Silver asked, shaking the blush off a bit. "We haven't… talked with them for a long time," "Well, you know they're busy with their jobs, Timid-chan." "I...I know...demo…" Timid began with a sad sigh, "I..I really want to see them again. W..we haven't seen them since we l-left after...i… 'it' happened." "I know…" Silver Hawk replied with a sigh, "..l..let's head for bed, Timid." "O..okay...good night, Onii-chan," Timid said as she walked up the stairs to her room, leaving Silver to ponder to himself in the living room. 'Mou… what am I gonna do? Timid really wants to see our parents, but… I'm not sure how,' Silver Hawk mentally pondered with a sigh, '..Maybe...' "Hey Timid, what's your home like anyhow?" Applebloom inquired as she and the rest of the CMC sat in their clubhouse the next day. "Oh! A-ano… it's really nice… d-demo… I..." Timid began before sighing a bit, "I… I want to forget my old school there." Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo gave each other looks of worry, knowing what she meant as they remembered what Timid's brother told them the day they first met them. "I've always wanted to see what Neighpon is like," Amethyst admitted. "Same here. I heard they got some tasty food up there, like..um…"Quirky began to ponder before pouting a bit, "Oh shoot. I forgot the name." "Ramen?" "That's the one! I heard there's a place in Neighpon that makes a very tasty veggie ramen!" Quirky beamed, drooling a bit. "R...right…" Dawn sweatdropped a bit. "I've always wanted to see the Neighpon comic books," Scootaloo admitted. "Manga," Timid corrected. "Yeah, those." "What about you, Mischief?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked at the son of Discord, who was taking the form of a rabbit as he sat in the corner, munching on a carrot made of rock candy, "Do you miss anything from Neighpon?" "Meh...give or take," Mischief shrugged as he took a bite of his 'carrot'. A knock then came from the door, it was a fairly meek knock, almost kinda like Timid's when she knocks on the door. "I..I'll get it, minna," Timid offered as she stood up and walked towards the door, opening it to show it was Fluttershy. "Hi Timid. Um… some mail meant for you came to me by mistake," Fluttershy said as she pulled some letters from her saddlebag and handed them to Timid. "O..okay.." Timid nodded as she looked through the mail a bit before spotting one written in Neighponese, "N..nani?" "What is it, Timid?" Sweetie Belle asked. "It's….it's from my parents!" Timid gasped as she dropped the other letters and opened the one from her parents, "Eh...eh?!" "What? What is it?" Fluttershy couldn't help but ask. "Th...they're inviting me and Onii-chan back for my birthday! And… they said I can bring any guest I want!" "R..rea…?" Amethyst began before Quirky jumped in front of her excitedly. "Ohh ohh! Pick me! I want to come to Neighpon!" the dark green filly said in excitement. "Wait… I covered up an 's' on guest. So I can bring all of you! This is as sugoi as Kisaragi achieving Cosmic States!" "..Who to th' what now?" Applebloom blinked. "Its something from a manga she liked reading back in Neighpon," Mischief replied, munching on his 'carrot' still. "So… my mom told me it's fine to go, but she has to come with me," Scootaloo informed as Rainbow Dash sat next to her. "And the same for mah sister," Applebloom added, Applejack sitting right next to her. "T...Too bad the others couldn't come," Timid sighed a bit. "Wait! Wait! Wait!" Amethyst shouted as she rushed over with a little bag, "Twilight said it was okay if I went. Plus, somepony else wants to come." "Eh? Wh…?" Rainbow Dash began before seeing Fluttershy approach, carrying a small bag as well, "..Fluttershy? Why do you want to come?" "Oh. Um..w..well… I was… actually born in Neighpon," the shy Pegasus Mare replied, making her friends blink in surprise. "Y'er from Neighpon, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked. "Hai," she nodded, "I lived there for a while before... some things happened, and I came to Cloudsdale." "I see…" Rainbow Dash noted before noticing Fluttershy look at SilverHawk, the shy Mare beginning to blush a bit. "Um..uh...i-if it's okay with you, c..can I come?" Fluttershy asked shyly. "..Ano..s..sure. I don't see any problem with it," Silver hawk replied, blushing a bit as well. "Alright, come on, let's get to our boat!" Timid cheered rather enthusiastically, ushering them to the boat to take them to the part of Neighpon where her family lived, Osaka. "Timid's really excited about this," Scootaloo noted as the boat got ready to depart. "Why wouldn't she be? She hasn't seen her ma and pa in a long while," Applebloom replied. "Well… truth be told, out of us four, none of us have seen our birth parents in a long time," Amethyst noted. "..." "S...sorry…" Amethyst apologized, noticing the sad looks on her two friends' faces, "I..I didn't mean to say that," "But it's true ya know," Applebloom noted, "But let's not be so sad, and enjoy the trip." "You are all going to love my home! I have so much I wanna show you!" Timid beamed, the normally shy filly acting almost as excited as Quirky at the moment. It was a few hours later, and they arrived at Osaka, Timid being incredibly happy while those that were from Equestria awed at the sights before them. "Wow," almost everyone gawked. "You mean 'sugoi'," Timid corrected. "It's nice to be home," Silver Hawk spoke with a small smile before looking at Fluttershy, "I..I'm sure you feel the same way, h..hai, Fluttershy-san?" "Yea… I-I was born here in Osaka, a..and now I'm back here. M..my place of birth," Fluttershy replied. A few hours after they had docked, the group soon arrived at a hotel, with Timid, Silver Hawk and Fluttershy (to a degree), had been doing most of the talking, mostly talking in Neighponese. "...So, will we get to meet your parents?" Scootaloo asked. "Hai, Scoot-chan," Timid giggled, "But first, I want to show you and everypony else everything Neighpon has to offer." "I'll join up with you all later… I uh… have something to do," Fluttershy informed as she left. "...Can I go with you?" Silver offered. "No…it's of… personal matters," Fluttershy replied, blushing a bit before she resumed flying off. "Why are we in a book store?" Dash asked as the group stopped in front of a book store, "I can picture Twilight dragging me through a bookstore back home, but..." "It's so I can show you my favorite mangas!" Timid giggled, leading them inside, as she jumped up to the person at the register. "Ah, Timid-chan, it's been a long time," the cashier smiled, speaking in Neghiponese. "I... it has," Timid nodded, replying in her language, "Ano… i-is there any new mangas in?" "Hai," the cashier smiled, taking out a big pile of books, with the sides reading "Sailor Moon", "Warrior Rider" and "Super Sentai", "They just came in today, ordered by your parents." "Kyaa~!" Timid beamed excitedly, leaving all but her brother confused. "Her favorite mangas by Naoto Takeuchi," Silver Hawk informed. "Sailor Moon… Warrior Rider… Super Sentai," Timid giggled, "All of them are my favorites!" "Really? Are they as… hmm?" Dash blinked as she eyed a 'Super Sentai' manga on top of the pile of books, "Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger?" "The newest Super Sentai book, the 35th team! They're really Sugei, Rainbow-san!" "Because they're all written by the same writer, Naoto Takeuchi, there's been a rumor of a crossover between the three stories." "...That would be a dream come true," Timid giggled. "So, what are these books all about?" "Yeah. 'Cause Ah can't make a lick of what they're sayin'," Applejack added, reading the front covers of the books a bit. "Okay… Sailor Moon is the oldest in the series. It was written by a pony who had the freedom to write whatever she wanted for a new book, this story's predecessor, Sailor V. I've never read it… but then, it was so popular, the much more popular Sailor Moon was created. Next came the Super Sentai, a spin on the team concept, starting with the series, Himitsu Sentai Goranger," Timid explained, "And finally, came the Warrior Rider series, starting with Warrior Rider Den-O." "Den-O?" Scootaloo repeated. "He's a time traveler who rides a magic train that travels through time," Timid explained before giggling a bit, "I like the Taros-tachi. They can be so funny sometimes." "How come Ah've never seen any of these back home?" Applebloom asked. "The princess of Neighpon and Princess Celestia… aren't exactly good friends…" Silver Hawk informed. "Huh? Why?" Amethyst asked. "I'll tell you another day… but just know, it lead to some trouble between the two nations before Princess Luna was banished to the moon." "My mom was banished to the moon?!" Amethyst exclaimed with wide eyes. "I'm gonna… go and see if I can find Fluttershy so she can help explain…" Silver Hawk panicked, before he ran out the door, "J..Jaa ne!" "That...was awkward," AJ admitted. "Agreed," Rainbow Dash added. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had arrived at a small graveyard, with the sign reading "Osaka War Memorial Graveyard" on it in Neighponese. She walked in, as she looked around for a bit before finding two tombstones, with the names of "Cloud Shield" and "Gentle Breeze" on them. "Otou-san… Okaa-san… I miss you…" Fluttershy whimpered, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. "Flutter-chan?" Silver Hawk's voice asked, surprising her a bit as she turned to see him standing behind her, "Is..everything okay?" "...H-hai… demo… wh-what're you doing here, S-Silver Hawk?" Fluttershy asked. "I came looking for you. What are you doing here?" Silver Hawk inquired. "You… remember the war between Neighpon and Equestria? Well… you know how Osaka was one of the biggest attacked cities?" Fluttershy asked, earning a nod from Silver before the shy mare began to tear up once more, " My...my parents were among the countless casualties." Silver Hawk's eye's widened at that. "I...I was visiting one of my grandparents further in the country when it happened. I...I…" Fluttershy paused as the tears in her eyes stained the fur on her muzzle, "I never got to say good bye to them one last time…" "So… the war made one of the most innocent ponies I've ever met lose her mom and dad?" Silver Hawk whispered, shocked to hear this. "H-hai… I-I miss them so much…" Fluttershy sobbed quietly, the tears falling from her face like raindrops, "A-and… the worst part is… when I met you and Timid…" "Nani?" Silver Hawk gasped a bit, "Wh… why?" "It just reminded me how much I missed my parents… it's nothing against you two… but… but… it's not fair! Atashi wa… atashi wa..." Fluttershy sobbed before she grabbed Silver Hawk into a hug and began to cry into his shoulder, crying her heart out. "Shh… it's okay…" Silver comforted as he let her cry on his shoulder. He felt really sad, seeing her like this. It was worse when he found out she never got to see her parents one last time before the attack on Osaka. "Ya know, despite not understanding any of th' words here, this place is actually nice," Applejack commented as she and Applebloom looked around the city. "Yeah..ah agree a…" Applebloom began before she spotted something on the ground, "Sis… is that a peach?" "Hmm?" Applejack blinked as she moved closer to the object on the ground and examined it a bit, "It is. Must be a peach farm around here somewhere." They looked and saw a peach farm nearby, with a sign reading "Hikari Family Peach Farm" in Neighponese. "..Y'all think anyone's home?" Applebloom asked. "Maybe. Guess we just have t' look and see," Applejack shrugged as they walked into the farm, looking around a bit, "And if Ah may say, whoever lives here, sure knows how to treat their trees." Soon, they saw a pegasus pony doing something similar to Applejack's bucking, quickly catching the peaches and putting it in a container, this pony had azure colored fur with a raven haired mane with violet highlights in it, teal eyes and on his flanks was a pair of peaches, most likely representing his Cutie Mark. "Wow, he's pretty skilled," Applebloom gawked, while Applejack watched this pony do his job with a rather impressed look on her face. "Yeah. He kinda is," Applejack noted. "Ahh...okay. That's another basket down," the pegasus stated as he placed said basket down, "Now, onto the next one. After that and the next two, I can catch a quick break." With that, he moved onto the next tree, carefully bucking it to let some peaches fall into the basket he was carrying. Applejack was impressed with his skills before approaching a tree as she bucked it to try and help, a dead branch came falling out, about to hit Applejack when the pegasus quickly swooped in to save her, bucking the branch mid-air so it wouldn't hit her or Applebloom. "You okay, miss?" the pegasus asked as he landed. "Uh… y-yeah. Sorry about that' pardner. Ah was just tryin' to help is all," Applejack replied sheepishly. "It's okay. I…" the pegasus began before he got a good look at Applejack's face, "..." "...Y'all alright, pardner?" Applejack asked, noticing the look the stallion was giving her. "Oh… yea. I'm good." "Hey sis, where'd your hat go?" Applebloom asked. "What?!" Applejack gasped as she touched the top of her head, only to feel nothing but her mane, "ahh! Mah hat!" "It's just up in that tree," the stallion informed as he flew up and got it out before lying back down and offering it back to her, a small, unnoticeable blush on the stallions face, "h..here you go, miss." "Phew… thanks," Applejack sighed in relief as she took her hat back and placed it back on her head, blushing slightly herself, "Ah'm Applejack, and this is my sister, Applebloom," "O-Ore wa, Kota, Hikari Kota," "Ah thought your last name was Hikari," Applebloom responded, blinking a bit in confusion. "It is. In Neighpon, you say your last name first," Kota informed. "Ahh...Ah see," Applejack noted. "Yeah." "So, what are you two doing here, if you mind me asking?" Kota asked them. "We were looking around a bit while we waited for our friends to finish what they were doin' before we meet them at the hotel," Applebloom replied. "Alright," Kota nodded as he saw the trio of apples on Applejack, "Hey… are you the Apple Sisters from Ponyville?" "Why yes we are," Applejack nodded, "Why'd y'all ask?" "Well, you're famous for your apple farming skills," he informed, "You also make some of the best Zap Apple Jam I've ever had." "Well, y'all can thank our granny fer that. It takes skill and timin' when it comes to Zap Apples," Applejack replied. Kota smiled, as he looked at the peaches, "You know… Osaka had been ravaged, but my family had allowed us to recolonize this part of it for our peach farm, and it's something to be proud of." "What happened between Neighpon and Equestria anyhow? I tried asking Timid and her brother, but nothin'," Applebloom spoke as Kota gained a solemn look on his face. "Well… I can explain it, but it's better if I told your entire group of friends." "..Uh...ok." "Thank you for coming, minna," Kota smiled, being invited to the hotel room, "The tale of how the two countries went to a war… is something that is sad.. and long, but has also taken many lives," "Well, go ahead," Dash shrugged. "Very well… it was some years ago…back when the moon Princess, Luna was still sealed in the moon. The Princess of Neighpon, Rising Sun, and Celestia, used to be good friends, but… something happened that turned them against each other. It started as a few arguments, but a year later… war happened. Osaka had suffered the most… our land was ruined… crops were burned… families were torn apart… and lives were ruined." "...I… I uh…" Fluttershy tried to speak, "I… ano…" "...It damaged our relationship with Equestria for years, but during the Grand Galloping Gala after Luna was set free from the moon, she made a peace treaty, allowing Trade routes and help between Neighpon and Equestria." "Wow…" Dash and Applejack gawked. "We weren't affected by this," Timid informed, "Because I-I was st-" "I lost my parents because of it!" Fluttershy blurted out quickly, making her friends look at her in shock and surprise. "What?" Dash asked confused. "...I lost my Okaa-san and Otou-san when that war happened…" Fluttershy whimpered, tears forming in her eyes once more. "Why didn't you ever say anything?" Applejack asked. "Because of the war… ponies from Neighpon were frowned upon… and some ponies here in Neighpon would act nasty towards anypony that have anything to do with Equestria, or heard about it." 'That possibly explains one thing with some of the teachers at Timid's old schools,' Silver Hawk thought with a frown. "And… the worst part is…" Fluttershy started as she started to cry once more, "I...I never got to say goodbye…" "Fluttershy… I-I never knew..." Rainbow Dash said, shocked and saddened to hear this. "I didn't want anypony to know where I'm from… because I was scare of being bullied worse than not being able to fly very well," Fluttershy whimpered, her voice shakey. "We'd never bully ya. You're our friend Fluttershy," Applejack assured. "Yeah," Rainbow Dash agreed as she wrapped her arm around Fluttershy, "Even if you're from Neighpon or not, you'll always be our friend." "And you got me and Onii-chan, so it's like you have family over back in Ponyville," Timid smiled. "Yea…" Silver Hawk smiled, making Fluttershy blush and smile. "Minna… arigato," she said, as Silver Hawk began to feel his heart race, "Okaa-san… Otou-san…" Fluttershy whispered, looking at the night sky as she stood on the balcony. "I'm sure they're smiling down on you up in heaven," a voice stated, making her turn to see Silver Hawk walking onto the balcony. "Oh… konichiwa, Silver-kun," Fluttershy giggled, blushing a bit. "Konichiwa, Flutter-chan," Silver Hawk chuckled a bit as he stood next to her, looking up at the night sky, "..Tonight sure is beautiful, isn't it?" "Hai. And… now that you know where I'm from, I don't have to hide some of my native language," Fluttershy replied, still blushing. "...Fluttershy… how come you never said you were a victim of family loss during that mess?" "...It… it was too painful for me… I… I never want to relive wh-what happened…" Fluttershy replied with a sad sigh. "I see...it's okay now, Fluttershy. You have friends to help cheer you up..to comfort you..to be there for you," Silver Hawk replied with a kind smile. "Th… thank you, S-Silver-kun," Fluttershy blushed, both she and Silver Hawk unconsciously moving their faces close to each, "S-silver-kun?" "H-hai, Flutter-chan?" Silver Hawk asked, their faces almost inches away from each other. "Th-there's something I wanted to say to you f-for some time now…" the shy mare replied, the blush on her face increasing as her and Silver's faces were inches away, "I… I-I…" Just then, a knock was heard at the door. "Hello?" a female voice asked from the other side of the door. 'Mou! S...so close!' Fluttershy mentally groaned/whimpered. "H-hold on. I-I'll get it," Timid offered from inside the hotel room as she opened the door, "..kyaa~!" "Nani?!" Silver gasped as he and Fluttershy ran back into the hotel room before seeing Timid hugging two Pegasus ponies at the door. The mare (the one Timid was hugging) has a soft white coat, almost like freshly fallen snow, while her mane was a soft pink with a yellow highlight in it. Her Cutie Mark was a small cloud with snow falling from it. The stallion had deep, ice-blue fur, and a light yellow mane, slicked back a bit. His Cutie Mark was a quill with a paper by it. "O-okaa-san. Otou-san," Silver gasped a bit. "So these are your parents?" Fluttershy asked. "H-hai," Silver nodded. "I missed you… I missed you so, so much," Timid said tearfully as she hugged her mom, who returned the hug. "I missed you too, my little swallow," Timid and Silver's mom replied with a kind smile. "Uh… k...konichiwa," Fluttershy waved with a smile. "Oh? You must be Fluttershy. Our dear Timid-chan writes about you and her friends all the time," Timid and Silver's dad replied. "H-hai, sir," Fluttershy nodded. "So, did you get our birthday gift to you from Yuusuke-san at the bookstore?" Timid's mom asked. "Hai, Okaa-san," Timid giggled, "Thank you so much!" "You're welcome, my little swallow," Timid's mom smiled. "It's very nice to meet you two…" Fluttershy smiled while bowing a bit. "Thank you dear," Timid's mom nodded, "Boku wa Gentle Snow." "And I'm Feather Scroll," Timid's dad introduced, "it's a pleasure to meet our son's marefriend." "Th-tha… m-marefriend?!" Fluttershy squeaked, her face blushing bright with Silver Hawk's. "T-tou-san!" Silver yelped in embarrassment. "So, what do you two do?" Dash asked the following morning. "Well, I've helped make snow for our lovely home region," "And I'm a writer, I've written some books, and I always told my kids to read everyday," "Cool," Dash smiled. "So you must be Rainbow Dash. Timid told us that you recently adopted young Scootaloo?" Gentle Snow asked. "Yes ma'am," Rainbow Dash nodded before wrapping her arm around Scootaloo, "And I don't regret it at all. She was like a little sister to me before, but I decided to adopt her as my daughter." "I see… that's nice to hear," Gentle Snow smiled. "You know… your mom's name… it's similar to mine," Fluttershy whispered to Timid. "Oh r-really?" "Mine was Gentle Breeze. Yours is Gentle Snow," Fluttershy replied, a small sad smile on her face. "Don't cry…" Timid told Fluttershy before she gave the mare a hug, making Fluttershy smile. 'Timid-chan… you're such a sweet filly. Maybe… one day...' Fluttershy began with a thought as she returned the hug, 'I can be your big sister.' "So Fluttershy, you're from Osaka? How come we've never seen you around here before? Did your parents move to Ponyville?" Gentle Snow inquired, snapping Fluttershy out of her thoughts. "...N-no… I-I was the only who moved there. M-my parents are…" Fluttershy began, small tears forming in her eyes. "...Oh oh…oh my. I'm so sorry dear," Gentle Snow apologized as she joined the hug. "It's okay… you didn't know," Fluttershy assured. "She's a great pony, you really picked a good one to be your marefriend," Feather Scroll told his son, who blushed brightly once more. "T-tou-san. She's not my marefriend," Silver whispered. "Sure she ain't," Feather Scroll chuckled, "I was like you when I was your age son." Silver Hawk just sighed, as Timid gave a wordless look for them to join the hug, "...sh-shall we?" "Hai," Feather Scroll nodded before he and Silver Hawk joined in the hug, the latter and Fluttershy blushing a bit. "We're going to miss you both," Gentle Snow sighed sadly, hugging her daughter later that day. Their weekend in Neighpon was over and they needed to head back for Ponyville. "M-Me too, Okaa-san," Timid sobbed a bit, "I... I really wish you can come with us." "We'd love to, my little swallow. But we can't," Gentle Snow answered her child as she and Timid separated the hug, "We still have our jobs here." "Perhaps maybe one day…" Feather Scroll began as he ruffled his daughter's mane a bit, "We'll join you, Timid-chan." "I-I hope so, Otou-san," Timid replied with a sad smile. "But don't forget, we're always with you," Gentle Snow smiled, pointing at Timid's heart and her head. "Hai," she nodded as she ran to the boat. "Well… I guess until next time, mom… dad," Silver replied as he looked at them. "Hai. Oh, and son?" Gentle Snow began with a small smile, "We approve." "Eh?" Silver Hawk blinked. "Of Fluttershy-chan," Gentle Snow clarified, making Silver Hawk blush once more. "Who knows, maybe next time we see you, you'll be a tou-san." "M-mom!" Silver Hawk yelped, his voice almost sounding squeaky from how embarrassed he was at the moment. "She and Timid get along great. Flutter-chan will make a great daughter someday," Feather Scroll added with a small chuckle. Silver Hawk knew there was no more point talking as he simply headed for the boat. "Hey Applejack. What were you doing with that Kota guy? We were waitin' for ya," Applebloom asked her sister a bit later. "Nothin' we were just talkin' is all," Applejack replied. "If ya'll say so," Applebloom shrugged. "Heh, looks like somepony has a crush," Dash smirked teasingly. "...A-ah have no idea what yer talkin' about," Applejack replied, lowering her hat to hide the blush that was forming on her face. "A peach farmer from Neighpon and an apple farmer from Equestria, sounds kinda cute," Applebloom admitted, "But if ya do like him, don't worry about me gettin' in the way or anythin'. Me and the other Crusaders learned the hard way not to meddle with anypony's love life." "S-seriously! Ah have no idea what yer talkin' about!" Applejack yelled, turning her back to hide her blush further, "And do Ah even want to know why you know not to meddle with anypony else's love life?" "...Uh… no reasons," Applebloom quickly replied in a semi-nervous tone. "So how was everypony's weekend?" Cheerilee asked that following Monday. "Uh… may I… share what I did?" Timid asked, raising her hoof. "You may, dear," Cheerilee nodded. "A-Arigatou, Cheerilee-sensei," Timid replied as she stood up and began to walk to the front of the class, wearing something most of the class didn't recognize. "Hey look! That blank flank's wearing a bathrobe!" Diamond Tiara mocked, trying to get a laugh out of most of the class. "...F-for your information. I-it's a Kimono, Diamond-baka," Timid frowned at her, shocking the spoiled filly as the shy pegasus walked towards the front, "On Friday… it was my birthday. And on the Saturday following, me, Rainbow Dash-san, Fluttershy-san, Scootaloo-chan, Amethyst-chan, Applebloom-chan, Applejack-san, and my Onii-chan went to Neighpon, th-the place I was born. We all went to Osaka specifically… and we meet up with my Okaa-san and Otou-san…and they gave me a big birthday present!" Amethyst and Scootaloo moved a small wagon up to the front, with all of Timid's new mangas she got back in Neighpon. "What are those? Comics?" one student asked. "N-no, er… sorta. These are called mangas, Neighponese comics," Timid continued, "And these are my favorite books, Sailor Moon, Warrior Rider and Super Sentai, all written by Naoto Takeuchi." "They all look really interesting," Cheerilee admitted, as she took one copy of a Sailor Moon book, and began to read it like how most ponies in Equestria would read a book, "Though… it's kinda…" "Ano… C-cheerilee-sensei?" Timis spoke, catching her teacher's attention, "Y-you read it the other way." "My mistake…" she apologized, handing the book back to her, "So… tell us about these books a little bit," "Okay. Sailor Moon is a sequel to a hard to find manga called Sailor V, the writer being given a chance to write anything she wanted, that being Sailor V, which was so popular, Sailor Moon came to be. It's about a mare named Usagi becoming a heroine called Sailor Moon, and-" Timid began to explain, holding up a copy of Sailor Moon for the class to see. "Ugh! What is she wearing?! Looks like something one of my dad's maids wore for Nightmare Night!" Diamond Tiara gagged. "It's… called a Sailor Suit… and-" Timid tried to explain "Sailor suit? It looks nothing like a sai…" Diamond Tiara began before most of the class, even Silver Spoon, shushed her. "Thanks… anyway… Sailor Moon became so popular, another spin off was made, called Super Sentai. This one is a bit more of a different concept, starting with teams of five, the first being called Goranger, followed by Maskman, Jetman, Zyuranger, Timeranger, Gaoranger, Abaranger, Goseiger, and currently, Gokaiger just to name a few," Timid continued, showing a copy of each team, "Finally, after another hit, came Warrior Rider, starting with Den-O, then came W, OOO, Fourze, Wizard and currently, Gaim...j..just to name a few again." "They all sound really interesting so far," Cheerilee admitted before pondering, "Though if i may ask, how come these books have never been brought over here?" "Ano… I don't know…" Timid admitted before the school bell rang. "Well, have a good evening everypony," Cheerilee smiled as the pony's began to walk out, with Diamond Tiara going over to Timid, annoyed. "You stupid blank flank! You took up the entire day talking about your stupid books!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making Timid flinch as she moved back a bit, "Who cares about some freaks in spandex and stupid costumes! No matter how you look at them, they're all losers who-!" "Shut up!" Dawn Star snapped as she stood in front of Timid, "You have no right to make fun of the stuff Timid likes!" "So?! I don't care what her stupid parents got her!" Diamond Tiara snapped, making most of the class who was still in, gasp. "I can get that stupid publisher to stop writing and-" "Don't. You. Dare. Threaten. My. Favorite writer!" Timid exclaimed as she moved from behind Dawn and glared at the bully, "You're only saying that because she created something very popular! So don't you dare make fun of my favorite publisher you… you… you-!" "...Woah! You might wanna stop," Amethyst said, getting between Diamond Tiara and the two Crusaders, "Because… you've been arguing right in front of the teacher…" Timid's and Diamond's eyes widened at that before slowly turning to see a frowning Cheerilee staring at them. "G-g-gomen nassai, sensei!" Timid quickly apologized as she bowed, "I-I didn't mean to yell like that in front of you!" "...Timid… can you come back with your brother later?" Cheerilee asked. "And… can the rest of the Crusaders come back later as well?" "...Okay," they all nodded. Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya can. Also three things. 1; The part with Timid and the store owner speakign in Neighponese is in italics. 2; Again, this, and the next few chapters will be sorta focused a bit on some of the mane 6. 3; To those who dislike Diamond tiara..you're going to enjoy the next chapter.
Diamond of a Solution"Timid… are you okay?" Scootaloo asked as it was 4:12, about seven or so minutes after class ended. "..." "Come on Timid. Tell us what's wrong?" Sweetie Belle asked. "..C-Cheerilee-sensei wants to see us after class," Timid replied. "What?!" Quirky gasped, "Why?!" "Take a quick guess," Dawn Star said with a frown. "...Diamond Tiara?" all of the other Crusaders guessed. "Correct," Amethyst nodded, frowning as well. "And she wanted whoever is in charge of us to come too…" Timid whimpered nervously. "Why?! We didn't do anything wrong!" "I-I know demo…" Timid began before paling, seeing Silver Hawk, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight all arrived, with Timid ducking her head down nervously. "Uh… h-hi mom," Scootaloo waved nervously. "Hey… uh… is everything alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, seeing the nervous look on her adopted daughter's face. "I… really don't know," Scootaloo admitted. "Are you sure? Because Timid looks really scared right now," Twilight noted, making the CMC freeze up. "...Sorry Timid, but we need to tell them," Dawn Star sighed as she walked up to the violet alicorn, "Twilight, our teacher wants to see Timid and the rest of us later today. And… well… she wants are parent, sibling, or guardian to come with us." "Nani? Why?" Silver Hawk asked with semi-wide eyes. "A-an-ano…" Timid whimpered as she hid behind Sweetie Belle and Applebloom, the shy filly shaking nervously. "Because Diamond Tiara called Timid's birthday gift stupid, leading to Dawn Star coming to her defense, and they argued right in front of our teacher," Quirky informed. "I see…" Twilight noted, a small frown forming on her face. "Thank you for coming," Cheerilee said a bit later as the Crusaders along with ponies who acted as family or legal guardians arrived. "So… what's going on?" Pinkie asked. "Well… the Crusaders aren't in any trouble, I just had to ask them… if they've been being bullied. But whenever I talked with students about it before, I had to bring someone else in to help them calm down. But no matter what I try, they're still too scared to say who's bullying them," Cheerilee explained before sighing a bit, "Which leads me to my question… Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Timid Swallow, Quirky, Dawn Star, Amethyst…" she paused as she turned towards the CMC, "Is Diamond Tiara bullying you?" "...Yes," Scootaloo sighed, "We didn't want to tell anypony before, and wanted to try and pull through it. But lately… she's being more and more of a…" "Big fat, mean bully of a jerky filly," Quirky added with a frown, "She stole my birthday for 'compensation' when I accidently bumped into her they day I came to Ponyville." "She's been bullying all of us because we don't have our Cutie Marks," Applebloom informed, "That's why Ah tried askin' mah sister and friends for a way to get it faster." "...So, she's been bullying you for a while now?" Cheerilee asked, frowning a bit. "Yea," the original three Crusaders nodded. "She blackmailed us if we didn't continue making rumors about everypony," Sweetie Belle stated. "She convinced mah cousin, Babs Seed to bully us and take our clubhouse," Applebloom added, making Applejack look at her in surprise, "It's true." "She… she…" Scootaloo paused before sighing sadly, "She made fun of me not being able to fly… and the fact I was an orphan." "I se- Hold on...What do you mean by rumors?" Cheerilee asked, a little unsure. "Remember that newspaper we worked on for a little while?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yes. But I don't..." Cheerilee began before seeing where the unicorn filly was going with this, "You mean to say…she forced you to make those nasty rumors?" "Wait. So you were being blackmailed into making all those false facts about us?" Rarity asked, fairly surprised. "Eeyep," Applebloom nodded, "We didn't want all that to happen… but she said she would do something worse to us if we told anypony about what was really happenin'." "...What did she say?" Cheerilee asked in a serious tone. "Well…" the original three Crusaders began, as they all began to remember. (-Flashback-) "I can't believe this… everypony in town hates us now because of those rumors we made up," Sweetie Belle sighed sadly. "Yeah… mah sis is really upset at me right now," Applebloom added. "And Rainbow Dash doesn't even want anything to do with me," Scootaloo sighed, her mane completely wet when Rainbow Dash forced a raincloud to get the filly wet, "...girls. I think we need to stop this and tell Ms. Cheerilee what's going on." "Are you sure…?" Applebloom asked nervously. "I'm serious. Rainbow Dash and the others hates us now because of those rumors Diamond Tiara had us post in the paper. So we need to tell the teacher…" Scootaloo began. "Tell her what?" a voice asked, making the CMC turn to see Diamond Tiara glaring at them. "...About what you're doing to us," Scootaloo stated bravely, "We quit, and there's nothing you can do to stop us from telling Ms. Cheerilee on you." "...No you aren't," she responded. "We don't care if you post those pictures, we're going to tell on you." "Again, no you aren't. Not unless you want your 'sister's to have a home," Diamond Tiara threatened, making the CMC look at her with scared, wide eyes, "I can convince my daddy they and their friends threatened to use the Elements of Harmony to banish me to the moon, making him not only take their homes away, but having them placed under arrest. They'll be in jail for so long, not even the princess can get them out." The three Crusaders all looked on at the filly in horror, as they all backed away, putting their reporting hats back on. (End Flashback) "She… said that…?" Twilight and Cheerilee asked with wide eyes, earning nods from the original three members of the CMC. "Now Ah definitely see why y'all don't like her," Applejack frowned. "Indeed. What a nasty little filly," Rarity added. "Hai," Silver and Fluttershy agreed, frowning as well. "...We've always been scared she was going to keep using that threat… so we've kept quiet about her bullying for all this time…" Scootaloo said in fear before hugging Rainbow Dash, "I-I didn't want her to take you and your friends away, mom." Everypony looked at the first three Crusaders in shock, including the new four Crusaders. To think they held this secret for so long, shocked them. "I… see," Cheerilee noted. "Ah didn't want to lose the family farm…a-Ah didn't want to lose mah big sister," Applebloom added, shivering a bit as tears formed in her eyes. "I didn't want Rarity to be taken away and lose her job. It… it wouldn't be fair," Sweetie Belle added. "...You three have sure gone through a lot, keeping that a secret for so long…" Twilight responded. "We know," Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo nodded sadly, looking down. "I wouldn't be that brave…" Timid sighed as she cried. "Neither would I," Amethyst added. "Yeah… I'd try to tell you to cheer up, but… I'm too shocked and saddened after hearing all that," Quirky sighed, her mane deflating a bit. "Cutie Mark Crusaders… please, just promise me this. If you're ever bullied again, you'll tell someone, okay?" Cheerilee asked. "Y… yes, Ms. Cheerilee." Applebloom nodded. "Yes/h-hai /Cheerilee-sensei," the rest of the CMC added. "Good, thank you all for coming," Cheerilee smiled, "You may leave now" "Scootaloo… I'm proud that you opened up," Rainbow Dash smiled. "Thanks mom. I-I was scared to tell anypony that, but… I'm kinda glad I did now," Scootaloo replied, sighing a bit in relief. Dash pulled her adopted daughter into a hug, smiling at her. "Good morning, class," Cheerilee greeted her students the next day, "Today, I have an announcement for you all." "What is it?" Dawn Star asked. "It has come to my attention that bullying in schools has started to get out of hand. Therefore, I'm establishing an anti-bullying rule," Cheerilee replied as she motioned to the chalk board, showing the word 'bully' crossed out, "If anypony here is found bullying someone, they will be suspended from school." "So? That doesn't sound bad," Diamond Tiara scoffed a bit before flinching at the disapproving glare Cheerilee was giving her. "One more thing… if anypony is being bullied, come see me immediately. Okay?" Cheerilee asked her class. "Okay," the class smiled. "Finally, we can play recess without worry now," Sweetie Belle sighed in relief before kicking a ball over to Quirky, "Heads up!" "I got it!" Quirky beamed as she bopped the ball with her head, "Coming your way, Amethyst!" Amethyst took off a little bit into the air, managing to balance the ball, "Got it. Dawn Star, comin' your way!" "Got it!" Dawn Star nodded as she took off into the air a bit and flew after the ball just as Amethyst hit it towards her, however she missed the ball and it landed a little bit away from Diamond Tiara, who had a venomous glaring look on her face. "Hello… Blank Flanks," the spoiled filly said, saying 'Blank flanks' like it was a poison. "Ugh… what now Diamond Tiara? We're trying to have fun here," Dawn Star sighed as she flew down to the ground. "You know what! Ms. Cheerilee talked with my daddy yesterday, and guess what?! He grounded me for three months! I can't do anything except go to school now thanks to you blank flanks!" Diamond Tiara snapped. "...To be fair, you brought that on yourself for bullying us," Dawn Star stated with a frown of her own. "You Crusaders are going to regret this, terribly!" "...I'm suddenly kinda scared," Timid whispered to Dawn Star. "I am too, Timid. Hopefully it's an empty threat since she can't do anything now, "Dawn Star reassured. "Hai… that bully has been exposed as the nasty filly she really is," Amethyst added. Diamond Tiara walked off, before turning to the Crusaders with a scowl, before she just walked off. 'I swear I'll get back at those blank flanks...I swear it,' the spoiled filly thought as she walked away. Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. Also, this is a kinda continuation of last chapter.
Magic of LoveIt started as a normal day in the Ponyville Castle, with Twilight working on some spell with Trixie helping her out a bit. "Hmm… let's see…" the violet Alicorn pondered a bit as she was looking through a book to help her with the spell,"Perhaps maybe, this'll work." "Hmm?" Trixie blinked a bit as she looked over Twilight's shoulder a bit, "...I wouldn't try it like that. Not unless you want to end up turning everyone in Ponyville into cats." "...How did you get so smart with magic anyhow?" Twilight asked jokingly. "Hpmh. None of your business," Trixie scoffed a bit, not wanting to tell, "A magician never reveals their secrets after all." "It was a joke Trixie," Twilight informed, giggling a bit. "R-right… by the way, if Trixie may ask, why are you working on this spell anyhow?" the azure unicorn asked, a tiny bit curious. "Favor from my sister-in-law," Twilight informed. "A favor?" Trixie blinked. "She asked my help with the spell." Trixie gave a small eye roll as she trotted over to sit down, tired from working for so long. "...Trixie'll ask one last time before she takes a nap. What're you going to use this spell on exactly?" "I… don't know yet… I'm not even sure what this will do. Like a certain potion Rainbow Dash took from me, which caused her to almost destroy Ponyville." Trixie just blinked in confusion at that before yawning a bit as she began to take her nap. "Hi Twilight," Amethyst waved as she trotted in with a box of peaches. "Hello, Amethyst," Twilight greeted the filly, "Is everything okay?" "Yea. I got you the peaches you wanted," Amethyst informed as she put the box by Twilight, before sitting down, looking a little lonely, "Before you ask… I just miss my mommy." "...I see…I'm sorry to..." Twiight began "It's okay...but...it's just been a while since I've seen her….I'm going to read a book. If you need me, I'll just be over there," Amethyst informed, pointing to a small beanbag chair with her name on it. "Okay then," Twilight nodded as Amethyst trotted over to her seat and sat down on it, grabbing one of the books next to it. The alicorn just smiled at Luna's adoptive daughter for a moment before looking at the peaches and starting to work them into a potion that was going along with the spell. "Okay… just a little more, and..." Twilight began. "Hey Twi." "Gahh!" Twilight yelped as she accidentally sent a blast on magic off. She then quickly turned to see Rainbow Dash flying behind her, "R-Rainbow Dash! What're you…?!" "I came to borrow one of your Daring Doo books," the cyan pegasus shrugged. "...I see… look Dash," Twilight began, unknown the magic blast she released going into the potion she was making, "I thought we talked about this. Next time you want to ask for something, use the door like everypony else." "...windows tend to be a bit more convenient… sorry Twi," Dash shrugged, making the alicorn facehoof. "Ugh… it's okay. Sorry Dash… but I'm kinda busy making something at the moment," Twilight stated, not noticing the potion acting strange. "...Uh ...Twilight?" Dash spoke. "Not now Dash. Look… my Daring Doo books are on the top shelf to your left and..." Twilight began. "Twilight." "Again, not now Dash. Once you get your book, sit down and wait until I..." "Twilight!" "What?!" Twilight snapped a bit before seeing Rainbow Dash point behind her. She turned around to see the potion had started to act up, the vial it was in bouncing around a bit, "...Duck!" "Oh crud!" Rainbow Dash yelped as she, Amethyst, and Twilight ducked down in time as the vial exploded, the potion that was in it bouncing around the room until it hit a mirror. After a few moments, a four way beam shot off, two of them flying out the window and the other two hitting Twilight and Rainbow Dash. "Aunt Twilight? Auntie Twilight?" Amethyst said with worry, seeing Dash and Twilight on the ground. "Since… when did you call her 'auntie'?" Dawn Star asked, walking in. "...I call her that…" Amethyst replied, "Sometimes," "...Amethyst? Dawn Star… are you two okay?" Twilight asked, starting to stir. "We are Twilight. But… are you okay?" Dawn Star asked. "Peachy," Twilight groaned, rubbing her eyes, "What happened?" "You and Rainbow Dash got hit by that potion when it reflected off the mirror," Amethyst answered, "You two've been out for a few hours." "Oh really? Well… is Dash okay?" Twilight asked with a bit of worry. "Ugh… somepony mention my name?" Rainbow Dash groaned as she began to regain consciousness. "Yea… I was worried about you," Twilight informed. "It's okay Twi..." Dash grinned weakly a bit as she managed to stand up, "It'll take more than that to knock me down." "You're something special, y'know Rainbow Dash," Twilight giggled. "That I am, Twi," Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit. "...Does something seem… off to you?" Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst. "No… at least… I don't think so," Amethyst replied with a whisper, "Why? What's wrong?" "Not sure…" Dawn Star shrugged before tapping her chin in thought, "But...this almost seems...rather familiar." "Huh? Ho..?" Amethyst began. "So, what do ya want to do now, Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked the violet Alicorn once she helped her up. "Not sure… but if I'm with you, I don't mind," Twilight smiled, a blush on her face. "Same here," Rainbow dash smiled back, blushing as well. "...Okay, this is starting to feel familiar," Dawn Star noted quietly, watching both Twilight and Rainbow Dash stare at eachother, almost lovingly. "I'll go and get a bell," Amethyst informed, walking off. "Huh? W….Mischief," Dawn frowned. "Ugh...I...am bored!" Mischief yawned, taking the form of a dog as he rested in the middle of town, "There's nothing to do...I w…" "Mischief!" Dawn Star's voice snapped, making the 'dog' turn to see the Alicorn filly stomping towards him. "..Uh..hi?" Mischief greeted, a bit confused by the glare he was getting, "...Okay, I'll bite. What's wrong?" "You did that dust thing again! stop it!" "..I have no idea what you're talking a…" Mischief began before Dawn was pressing her face against his, the Alicorn filly still glaring at him. "Don't lie! Twilight and Rainbow Dash are acting like they did when you put that dust on them!" Dawn Star snapped, "Now stop it!" "It's not him. I used the bell, it didn't work," Amethyst informed. "See? I'm telling the truth… for once," Mischief replied, mumbling that last part a bit. "..If it's not you…." Dawn Star paused as she moved back from him, "Then who?" "Don't know. My pop and sis are still out on Vacation," Mischief shrugged. "...What if… it was that spell Aunt Twilight was working on?" Amethyst theorized. "...You think so?" Dawn Star asked. "I know so..I saw the spell hit both her and Rainbow Dash," Amethyst nodded before blinking, "Wait...there were two more beams that came form the mirror and went out the window." "Where do you think the other two went…?" Dawn Star wondered as she noticed Silver Hawk and Fluttershy. "You sure you're alright, Fluttershy-chan?" Silver asked in concern as the two pegasi walked by. "Ano… I-I am," Fluttershy blushed, smiling a bit as she nuzzled her head against Silver Hawk's, "I'm just glad you're okay, SIlver-kun." "...uh… okay?" Amethyst and Dawn Star said in confusion, as the other Crusaders all rushed over to them. "Did ya'll just see…?" Applebloom began. "Timid's brother and Fluttershy walking by, almost lovingly? Yes," Dawn replied, "It's happening to Twilight and Rainbow Dash too." "What?! Again?!" Scootaloo gawked, "but h…?" "Alright, where is it?!" Quirky shouted as she shook Mischief, "Where's the love potion infected cupcakes?!" "I-i-i-i-i-i-i haaaaaaaave no idea w-w-w-w-w-what y-y-y-y-y-y-our talking about!" Mischief yelled, his voice shaky, like he was in an earthquake of sorts. "We can testify for him." Amethyst informed,causing Quirky to stop as she turned to face her, "Twilight was making a potion and it ended up bouncing around the place before it split into 4 separate beams, two of which hit Twilight and Rainbow Dash." "And I'm gonna guess Fluttershy and Timid's brother got hit with the other two," Scootaloo figured. "Well, we gottha fix 'em! Stat!" Applebloom frantically ahouted a bit. "Yeah! We don't want a repeat of what happened with Big Mac and Ms. Cheerilee!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, making Amethyst blink. "Eh? What…?" Amethyst began. "No time, so we'll give you the short version. We wanted to pair Ms. Cheerilee with Applebloom's brother, we used a love potion on them, which made them act all lovey dovey with each other. We found out the love potion was a love poison, and we had to separate Big Mac and Cheerilee until it wore off," Scootaloo stated quickly. "...Now I get why you said we're never going to try for matchmaking Cutie Marks," Dawn Star sweatdropped. "Exactly. Now we need to hurry before Rainbow, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Timid's brother start talking lovey dovey to each other!" "My lovely Rainbow…" Twilight giggled as Dash and her were walking along the streets of ponyville, staring at each other lovingly… though what was a bit weird was they had hearts in their eyes. "My smart little princess," Dash smiled. "R-Rainbow! Twilight!" Fluttershy's voice called out, catching the two's attention as they saw the shy pegasus and Silver hawk walk towards them. "Hey Fluttershy. Nice to see you here," Twilight greeted. "H-hai," Fluttershy nodded before she nuzzled against Silver, who rested his head on hers a bit, "Especially if I'm with my Silver-kun." "...Timid… we need to do somethin', now!" Applebloom whispered to Timid as they were in disguise, watching the four. "H-Hai. D-demo… I-I don't know what to do!" Timid whimpered. "Well think fast before they…!" Applebloom began before she noticed the three pegasi and Alicorn were gone, "..leave." "A love potion/spell?! Nice thinking Princess Cadance…" Dawn Star groaned as she was trying to put together some of the notes Twilight had written, along with info passed on from Twlight's sister-in-law, "Ugh… any luck, Amethyst? Sweetie Belle?" "No. Nothing, "Sweetie Belle shook her head as she and Amethyst looked through various spell books Twilight had. "We looked through everything, and we can't find a way to fix this," Amethyst added before seeing something, "Wait! I think I found something!" "Does it tell us how to reverse it?" "Hang on…" Amethyst responded, reading over it as fast as she could. "Okay, it says that this spell was something started by…Star-Swirl the Bearded, whoever that is. The spell was created to help heal wounded hearts, but it only works for those who have true feelings for each other." "...And?" Dawn Star urged her to continue. "Uh… well…" Amethyst responded, as she looked at the paper with her eyes squinted for a moment, "If this spell is used by mistake, the only way to reverse it is to… to…" "...To what?" Sweetie asked. "I-I don't know. I can't make out the last part," Amethyst replied, trying her best to read the last part of the sentence, "I'm sorry! I'm dyslexic!" "Dys… what now?" Sweetie blinked. "Dyslexics. It means she can't read as well as other ponies," Dawn Star explained before she looked at Amethyst, "It's alright Amethyst… but now, we need to find another way to reverse the spell/potion." "...uh… I'm looking at some of the notes from Auntie's sister-in-law… and it mentions something about… 'wearing off' and… 'water'... I think?" "You sure?" Dawn Star asked hopefully. "Th-that's all I can make out," Amethyst replied, sighing a bit, "Sorry." "...It's alright. At least we have a possible answer," Dawn Star stated before looking at Sweetie Belle, "Sweetie, you go and find Scootaloo and Quirky. Amethyst and I will get Applebloom and Timid." "Alright," Sweetie nodded, as she rushed off. "Before we do anything else… why didn't you say you're dyslexic?" "...I-I didn't want anypony to find out," Amethyst sighed. "We'll talk more about this later, okay?" "Alrighty." The CMC were getting a water trap ready, in they had to do it fast before those infected by the love spell/potion would arrive. "Any sign of them, Mischief?!" Scootaloo asked the son of discord, who was taking the form of a eagle. "Nope. Not ye… oh hold on! I think I see them!" Mischief shouted, making the CMC freeze up, "Oh…no wait…it was just a few flies." That of course made the CMC facefault. "So… what does dyslexia do? Is it contagious?" Quirky asked Dawn Star. "No…" Dawn replied, "It only means that Amethyst has trouble reading compaired to us." "Quiet! I think I see them!" Mischief informed, as they all got into position, "Oh wait… it's just Vinyl Scratch and Octavia talking to a pair of ponies." "Darn it, Mischief! Stop leading us on like that!" Scootaloo barked. "Uh… minna… I see them," Timid informed, sure enough, it really was the four ponies affected by the spell/potion. "...hide!" Scootaloo whispered as the fillies went back into their hiding places. "Have I told you how beautiful you are, Fluttershy-tenshi?" Silver Hawk smiled, making the shy mare blush and giggle a bit. "Keep calling me that… I really like it, my Silver-kun," Fluttershy giggled. 'Ugh… I see what Scootaloo meant now,' Mischief gagged mentally as he watched the four interact. "So Twil, what did you think of our time together?" Dash asked. "Perfect, as always, Bowy" Twilight smiled as she nuzzled against the cyan pegasus. "Okay… they're almost in position," Dawn Star whispered. "Steady… steady…" Quirky slowly said as the four slowly approached the area the CMC set the trap at. "Ohh! I just got an idea!" Fluttershy gasped a bit, "Rainbow, Twilight? Maybe we can go to that new restaurant tonight for a double date!" "Sweet. I like that plan," Rainbow grinned before wrapping a hoof around Twilight, "Especially if I can go with my princess here." "Oh you," Twilight giggled. "Now," Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst, as she tried to turn the wheel, but it wouldn't budge, "What the?" she then tried to turn it again, earning the same result, "...oh don't tell me…" "...Oh for pity's sake," Mischief rolled his eyes before he flew down and manually knocked the bucket down, soaking the three pegasi and Alicorn. "Gah! What the hay?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before turning to the shivering Twilight, "You okay, Twi?" "Yea," Twilight nodded. "Oh… I was turning it the wrong way. Dang dyslexia," Amethyst sighed, loud enough for the four soaking ponies to hear her. "What the… Amethyst? Is that you?" Twilight asked, making the filly freeze up. "Uh oh… busted," she gulped. "You're dyslexic?" Twilight asked "Yea… but that's not what's important right now. Auntie-Twilight, you, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Timid's brother got hit with a love potion/spell you've been trying to work on. It only affected you four because you… have feelings for one another." "Uh duh. Of course we do," Rainbow Dash stated. "Huh?!" Amethyst gawked, 'Oh mother no… don't tell me they're still infected with the love potion/spell!' "We're all friends," Rainbow Dash added, making the filly facefault. "Yes. But listen Amethyst, you don't' go around splashing other ponies with ice cold water," Twilight informed before mumbling to herself, "Pinkie did that to me last week for some ice bucket challenge." "No… that was the only way to fix you all. And uh… what I mentioned by feelings… the spell only worked if… romantic feelings already existed," Amethyst clarified as she stood back up. "...Wait… so we were…" Silver Hawk began in realization. "Under a spell created by Star-Swirl the Bearded, the spell being meant to heal broken hearts," Twilight gasped "You were all acting all lovey-dovey…" Amethyst added, "Like what happened with Applebloom's brother and ms. Cheerilee." "...w….w...we d-didn't k...k…k…" Fluttershy began before she fainted, her entire face a beet red. "Kiss? No," Timid informed, as Mischief reached for a bucket, dumping the water onto Fluttershy, waking the shy mare up. "I-I see…" Silver Hawk noted, the stallion blushing heavily. "Uh… did me and Twi… say anything?" Rainbow Dash asked, a bit nervous at the moment, "Anything… mushy or girly?" "No...at least, I don't think so." "Good. Because… well Twilight… there's something I need to say," Dash informed, "but… not here." "...o-okay," Twilight nodded, having a feeling she knew what Dash wanted to talk about. "Okay… are we alone?" Rainbow Dash asked as she and Twilight stood within the main room of Twilight's castle. "Yea," Twilight nodded. "Good," Rainbow Dash nodded before she took a deep breath, "Twilight… th-there's something I've been meaning to say to ya." "...What is it?" Twilight asked nervously. "At first… I thought you were one of those typical eggheads. But… as time went by, you became one of my best friends. You helped me a lot. You put up with me ego sometimes. Y-you knocked me to my senses when I was corrupted by Discord when he was still evil… you forgave me, even after how cold me and the others were when you were trying to prove Chrysalis posed as Cadence during the wedding… and… and…" Rainbow Dash paused before pulling her mane a bit, "Ugh! I'm not good at these kinds of things!" Twilight blinked for a moment, moving closer to Dash, "With… what things?" "Confessing my feelings for ya!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed before shutting her mouth, blushing heavily. This in turn made Twilight blush heavily as well. "...I love you, okay? I've never really liked stallions… ever," Dash continued, "Th-they just remind me of those two jerks that picked on me and Fluttershy when we were fillies. And when Mischief did what he did to us on Hearts and Hooves Day, I honestly felt sick to my stomach when we snapped out of it." Twilight still stood there, frozen on the spot as her face still had a heavy blush. "So… now you know the truth..." Dash sighed a bit before she smiled at the violet Alicorn, "I love you." "Well… I have something to say as well Rainbow," Twilight informed, clearing her throat a bit as she calmed down a little, the blush still on her face, "A-as time went on, you became one of my best friends too. But..." she paused, turning her head a bit away as her blush increased, "I've also started to gain some feeling for you as time went by." "Really? Well… I kinda knew due to the whole mess that occurred today," Dash shrugged. "So… yea. Rainbow… I love you too," Twilight smiled, walking towards her. "Though… you sure we can make this work? I mean, there are some ponies that look down on… well, Mares who like mares." "True, but I don't care…" Twilight stated as she nuzzled her head against Rainbow Dash's, "As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy." "Well, can we… uh… kiss then?" Dash asked nervously, rubbing the back of her head a bit, "To tell ya the truth, I've… never kissed anypony before." "...Neither have I… but… I-I guess that'll change," Twilight admitted with a blush as she moved back a bit, her face inches away from Rainbow Dash's. They just blushed as they slowly closed the gap between each other, their lips touching each other. After a few moments, they separated the kiss as they looked each other in the eye. "Heh… guess that makes it official," Rainbow said with a small chuckle. "Yea… I guess it does," Twilight smiled a bit. "Fluttershy… please come out, I want to talk to you," Silver Hawk called out, knocking on the door of Fluttershy's cottage. No response came, making the Neighponese pegasus sigh. "Fluttershy-chan.. l-listen. I-I don't know if you can still hear me d-demo…I-I have a question to ask you," Silver Hawk stated. Fluttershy meekly opened up the door as she looked at Silver's eyes. "Wh-what is it, S-Silver-san?" Fluttershy squeaked, blushing heavily. "...I-if you're n-not doing anything t-tomorrow… d-do…" Silver hawk paused, the heavy blush still on his face as he took a deep breath and quickly asked, "Do you want to go on a date?!" This in turn made Fluttershy's face blush heavier. "...I-if you don't want to... I-I understand," Silver Hawk sighed a bit as he began to walk away. "Matte!" she called out quickly, making him stop in his tracks, "...a date… sounds… lovely…" "Really?" "Uh… I… h-h-have… s-s-s-something… to… say," Fluttershy stuttered before pulling her head back into the door to hide her heavily blushing face, "B-but I'll tell you w-when we're on our date tomorrow!" "...o-okay. t-till tomorrow then, F-Fluttershy-chan," Silver Hawk replied as he began to walk away once more. Inside her home, Fluttershy was panting, her heart nearly ready to pop out of her chest. "M-my-my first date…" the shy mare whispered to herself. =The next day= "So he asked you out, darling?" Rarity asked later, helping Fluttershy get ready for her date. "Y-yes. I-I'm so nervous," Fluttershy admitted, "M-my heart feels like it's about to burst any moment. I-I've never been on a date before, Rarity. I-I don't even know wh-what to do on a date." "Just be yourself," Rarity replied with a soft smile, "You'll do just fine, dear." "..Y-you really think so?" "You're one of the greatest mares in Ponyville, you'll do just dandy." Fluttershy was waiting by her door, dressed up in her attire from the Grand Galloping Gala. Though she was still a bit nervous, scared of screwing up the date, her very first date. Before she could think or say anything, a knock on the door caught her attention. "Fluttershy-chan? It's me, Silver," the voice of Timid's brother called out from the other side of the door, "Are...are you ready?" "..G-give me a minute!" Fluttershy yelped as she quickly looked at her reflection in a nearby mirror, 'O-okay Fluttershy. You can do this. J-just be yourself.' She walked over to open the door,seeing Silver Hawk dressed in a light blue vest. "H..hi Flu…" Silver Hawk paused, blushing when he noticed how Fluttershy looked, 'W..wow...she's...she's...beautiful...' he then looked down at the vest he was wearing, 'Mou...I should've come better prepared.' "Y-y-you look n-nice, Silver-san," Fluttershy noted, blushing. "Thanks… Fluttershy-tenshi…" he responded with a blush, making her blush heavily in return. "A-ano… sh-shall we go?" Fluttershy managed to squeak out. "S...sure." "Bowy… you didn't have to do this," Twilight blushed, as they arrived at a fancy restaurant. "Hey. We're a couple now, so I figured I'd take ya to some place fancy for our first date," the cyan pegasus replied. "Twilight? Rainbow?" Fluttershy gawked, as she and Silver Hawk arrived. "Huh? Fluttershy? What're you doing here?" Twilight blinked. "Uh… well… I..." Fluttershy began with a stutter, the shy mare still blushing from earlier. "...Hold on, Twi. I'll be right back," Rainbow Dash spoke as she moved Fluttershy with her, "I need to talk with Fluttershy about something." "...okay," Twilight replied, a bit confused as she and Silver watched the two turned the corner. "Wh-what is it, Rainbow?" Fluttershy asked, wondering what the cyan pegasus wanted to talk to her about. "What're you and Timid's brother doing here? ...You two aren't still under the effects of that spell, are you?" Rainbow dash asked in suspicion. "N-no!" Fluttershy shook her head quickly. "Huh? Then wha…" Rainbow Dash began before she grinned a bit, "You two are on a date, aren't you?" "Uh… well, I… a-ano…" Fluttershy stuttered. "Relax. I'm here on a date with Twilight," Dash informed, making the shy mare blink a bit in surprise. "R-really?" "Yeah," Rainbow nodded before blushing a bit, rubbing the back of her head, "I… confessed to her yesterday and stuff… turns out, she really liked me in return." "Suge…" Fluttershy awed. "So… this will be a double date?" Dash asked before whispering to Fluttershy, "Cause to tell ya the truth… I... don't know what to do on a date, especially at a fancy place like this." "...N-neither do I. D-demo…" Fluttershy began as she calmed down a little, "R-Rarity gave me some advice not too long ago." "So, let's enjoy our night then?" "H-hai. L-let's just b-be ourselves...th-that's what Rarity told me at least," Fluttershy replied with a small stutter. "Okay!" After a while, the four were enjoying their double date with Silver Hawk looking at Fluttershy a bit later, the two sitting at their table as the sun began to set outside. "I… I uh… h-h-have… s-s-s-some-e-th-thing… to tell you," Silver Hawk began, blushing up a storm. "What is it, Silver?" Fluttershy asked, blushing as well. "I've uh… I mean to say…w-well…" Silver hawk stuttered, trying to find the right words to say. "W-well what?" Fluttershy urged him to continue. "I… l-l-l-o-o-ove… you," Silver Hawk admitted, making her blush even more. "..I-I know…" Fluttershy replied, making him blink a bit in surprise, "R-remember Peach, Timid's pet kitty?" "Yeah… wh-what about her?" Silver Hawk asked. "...I made a wish to spend time with you two…w-without you knowing. I turned into Peach… and she became real somehow," Fluttershy informed before turning her head away, small tears forming in her eyes, "I-I'm sorry." After a moment of silence, Silver moved her head towards him before he smiled softly at her. "There's no need to be sorry..." Silver whispered before he pressed his lips against Fluttershy's. Fluttershy gave a mental gasp as he eyes widened and a heavy blush formed on her face, 'M-my-my first kiss.' She soon melted into the passion of the kiss and enjoyed it before they separated with Fluttershy blushing. "If we're a couple… can I ask you something? Can you… call me… 'Fluttershy-tenshi' from now on?" "...Of course," Silver Hawk smiled as he pressed his head against hers, "Because that's what you are to me. A tenshi…" Fluttershy smiled back at that, small tears of joy in her eyes as she nuzzled her head against Silver's. "Hey Timid, I've got a surprise for you," Silver Hawk informed as he had arrived back to his home. "H-hai, onii-chan?" Timid asked, resting in the living room with Yuki and Peach. "W-well… m-me and Fluttershy-chan… I mean… Fluttershy-tenshi… w-we're dating now," Silver Hawk replied with Fluttershy walking in, making Timid drop one of her mangas with wide eyes. "Y-you mean it?" "Hai," they nodded, as Timid just got really giddy. "KYAAA!" Timid beamed in joy before she shot over to Fluttershy and hugged one of her front legs before calming down a bit, "G-gomen demo… c-can I ask you something, F-Fluttershy-san?" she nodded. "Sure Timid," she smiled. "W-well… since you're dating my onii-chan… c-can I… c-call you… Onee-chan?" Timid asked shyly. "I would love that. I've always seen you like a little sister," Fluttershy admitted, giving a soft smile as Timid hugged her once more, teh shy mare returning the hug. Silver Hawk gave a soft smile as he watched teh two hug before deciding to join in. Even though his dad wouldn't leave him alone about it, he'd have to make a reminder to send his mom and dad a letter about this new chapter in his life. "Mischief, can you believe it?! Onii-chan is dating Fluttershy-chan!" Timid beamed with joy, jumping on her bed like she had a sugar rush. "Eh? You sure they're not acting all weird again?" "No! Onii-chan told me himself he and Fluttershy-chan are dating! Kya! I have an onee-chan now!" Timid exclaimed with joy. "Keep that dumb sound up, and you'll shatter glass…" Mischief groaned, annoyed as he stuffed a pair of corks into his ear-holes, "And my eardrums too." Timid just ignored him as she jumped around on her bed some more, "Wait til I write to Okaa-san and Otou-san about this!" Author's Note You like? Leave a review/comment if ya can. also, happy early Valentines day/ Hearts and Hooves day, everyone,
Mark of the NightIt started out as a normal day in Ponyville as the CMC arrived at the train station. "Are ya sure ya can't stay fer Nightmare Night, Amethyst?" Applebloom asked. "Yeah… this would be the first one you'd spend with us," Quirky added, "well..this also technically my, Dawn, and Timid's first nightmare Night in Ponyville, but still…" "I really would like to… but… Mom's given me an invite back home… and I really want to spend a holiday about her… with my Mom," Amethyst responded as she wheeled a small suitcase onto the train bound for Canterlot. "...Okay… just be careful on the way there, Amethyst," Dawn stated. "I will, I promise," Amethyst smiled, "See you all later." "J-jaa ne, Amethyst-chan," Timid waved a bit, her stutter almost not there. Amethyst gave a wave as Twilight signaled the private train to Canterlot was good to go. Thus, the train began on it's way to Canterlot, the CMC waving to Amethyst as she waved to them from out the window. "I hope she'll be okay," Quirky sighed, "She's gonna be missing a lot of fun stuff…" "I'm sure she'll be back by tomorrow," Scootaloo reassured. After a little while, the train had stopped, and much to the surprise of Amethyst, Princess Luna was there at the train station, waiting for her. "M-mom!" Amethyst gasped in a mix of surprise and happiness as she ran out of the train before hugging the Princess. "So this is that pegasus filly that calls you her mom?" A guard asked Princess Luna. "Indeed it is,"the princess/goddess of the moon nodded in response. "I missed you so much…" Amethyst said, tears dripping down. "I missed you too, dear Amethyst," Luna smiled, "I hope things have been well for you during your studies with Twilight?" "They have, she's been taking it nice and slow due to my dyslexia," Amethyst responded. "I see..I am glad to hear that," Luna smiled a bit, "Anything else you want to talk about?" "Well… can we talk more back at the castle? Maybe after I settle down a bit?" Amethyst asked as she moved back a bit, separating the hug. "Sounds like a plan," Luna smiled, as Amethyst walked alongside the princess of the night, seeing that Canterlot was decorated for Nightmare Night. It wasn't long before the duo arrived back at the castle and were walking within the halls before stopping before a set of doors, Luna using her magic to open them and reveal her bedroom, Amethyst smiling and going over to the part of the room she used to have when she was little. "So… why is it that you changed from a… cyan like color to what you are now? You never told me that," Amethyst admitted. "Moving on from the past of Nightmare Moon," Luna answered with a small sigh. "Oh… I see. S-Sorry," Amethyst apologized. "You did not know, it was only natural you'd be curious to ask," Luna admitted, "You are still young after all." Amethyst gave a small nod in response as she took out a piece of paper, showing a drawing that she had made, which was of them, with a label 'My Mommy and Me,'. "I worked really hard… do you like it?" Amethyst asked. "...I love it," Luna smiled, hugging Amethyst, "You are simply a very nice filly..." "...Th...thanks mom," Amethyst smiled as she returned the hug. The night sky shone as the ponies of Ponyville celebrated Nightmare Night, a night dedicated to the princess of the night itself. "So, Amethyst left for Canterlot?" Dash asked Twilight, hiding behind a wall to hide her costume. "Yea," Twilight nodded, as she walked out wearing a costume similar to one she saw in one of Timid's books when Dawn borrowed one at the time. The costume was primarily red, and it was themed after a pirate of sorts with the red coat, gold accents, and a symbol of a key and two cutlasses in the style of the Jolly Roger skull & crossbones, but it was heavy in the black accenting. "Don't know why, but this seems so… familiar, and feels so… right. So… what are you going dressed as?" Twilight asked. "My favorite princess," Dash smiled as she stepped out, her coat dyed a shade of lavender identical to Twilight's her mane also styled and colored like Twi's, the only added thing was a fake unicorn horn coming out of her mane, "Tada!" Twilight saw this, blinking a bit before she gave a slight giggled. "...What's so funny?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising her eyebrow a little. "Nothing. Just… kinda funny to see you look like me," Twilight giggled a bit. "Y-Yea, well… the best inspiration came from the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria," Dash admitted. Twilight blushed a bit at that as she walked over to Rainbow Dash and nuzzled against her a bit, making Dash blush in response. "Thanks for the compliment…" Twilight whispered to her marefriend before walking back a bit, "So… are the girls ready?" "Not sure yet…" Rainbow dash answered as she looked up the stairs, "Scootaloo, Dawn! Are you two ready yet?!" "Almost!" Scootaloo replied from upstairs, and it wasn't much longer before the young filly rushed down, dressed as Rainbow Dash, her coat dyed cyan along with a painted Cutie Mark, and her mane and tail were like Dash's normal rainbow mane. "I guess cosplay runs in their family," Dawn Star joked as she walked down, wearing..nothing? "..uh..Dawn? Where's your costume?" Scootaloo blinked. "Costume?" Dawn blinked, "...I..wasn't aware I needed one." "What th...it's Nightmare Night! You have to wear a costume!" "...Oh," Dawn Star realized as Scootaloo dragged her back upstairs. "I've got my costume ready Mom… you wanna see it?" Amethyst asked from inside the room. "Of course, dear," Luna noded in response as the doors opened, revealing Amethyst dressed as her, having painted her coat to match Luna's, Cutie Mark and all. She had a fake horn, and even her mane and tail matched Luna's in color, but it didn't have the same flowing effect. "How do I look?" "..You look lovely, dear," Luna smiled a bit. "Thank you. I put a lot of time and effort into making this costume," Amethyst giggled. Luna gave a small nod, still smiling a bit before she and Amethyst heard the door open, making them turn to see a familiar sun Princess/Goddess walking in. "Hello Luna. And… wow, isn't this something else. Managed to clone yourself for your special night?" Celestia teased, giggling a bit. "..." "I was joking a little, Luna," Celestia giggled a bit, something rare for Luna to see from her sister these days, "It really is good to see you again Amethyst," "Likewise," Amethyst smiled, "I'm really happy to be back here...even if it's only for a little while." "Indeed. Oh, if I may ask Amethyst, how is Twilight doing?" Celestia asked out of curiousty. "She's doing just fine. She hooked up with Rainbow Dash recently, and I don't think I've ever seen her so happy," Amethyst informed. Hearing the news of Twilight falling in love, especially with another mare, took Celestia back for a moment, blinking a bit in surprise. "Wait...you mean Twilight...and her friend Rainbow Dash...are together?" Luna asked, a bit surprised to hear this as well. "Yes. Why… is that a bad thing?" Amethyst asked in confusion. "Uh… no, but… tis… simply unexpected is all," Luna responded. "Uh...yes… it certainly is," Celestia agreed. "Well… they're happy, and shouldn't that be what matters most?" "...O-of course, dear," Luna nodded, as Amethyst smiled. "So… candy time?" she asked, taking out a bucket she brought with her. "Indeed it is, Amethyst," Luna confirmed, "Let us go out and collect as much candy as you can." "Yay!" Amethyst cheered a bit before thinking, 'I wonder how everypony else is doing?' Back over in Ponyville, Twilight and Dash were guiding the CMC all around to get candy, with Quirky actually wheeling a wagon so they could carry their haul. "And I thought Pinkie was obsessed with getting candy," Dash admitted. "Ooh~! I made a haul!" Quirky beamed, the energetic filly wearing a cute bunny costume. "Ah think your costume's neat," Applebloom smiled, dressed as a wad of cotton candy. "You don't think my costume is scary, ne?" Timid asked, as she was dressed as a bat-pony. "Yipe!" Dash yelped running behind Twilight. "Uh… well… it looks… well… it reminded us of what happened with Fluttershy sometime ago," Twi answered. "Eh? Wh...what happened to Onee-chan?" "...Well...Let's just say she turned into what you're dressed as now," Twilight replied, making Timid blink in more confusion, "...A batpony. Except she turned into some kind of Vampire Fruitpony or something we called… Flutterbat." "...e-eh?!" Timid gasped after hearing that, "Well… my first choice was a kitty… but Onee-chan's wearing that." "She is? Last time I saw her, she was petrified to come out here on Nightmare Night," Twilight pointed out. "Well, Onii-san is with her," "That explains that," Dash noted, coming out, "Ever since Fluttershy and your brother have been going out, she hasn't' been as… well, shy as before." "Well, I'm glad to have such a nice Onee-chan now…" Timid giggled. Back over in Canterlot, Amethyst was having some trouble carrying her bucket of candy around since it had filled up over the night,. She tried to stay up, only to trip as the heavy bucket kept dragging her back to the ground. "Need some help?" Princess Luna asked, walking over to Amethyst. "Yes, please," Amethyst nodded as her bucket was soon engulfed in a veil of magic energy before it lifted into the air a bit, "Thanks, mom." Ponies began to notice Princess Luna walking with her 'daughter' and were amazed by the young filly's costume. Though some began to whisper, a bit afraid that a second Nightmare Moon might soon come. Luna overheard that and frowned a bit. Even though mostly everypony had forgiven her, there were a select few that still feared her other self… her darker self. "Mom… I'm glad to be back here with you. But… I've really grown to like Ponyville… my friends are really nice, and… I'll admit, Princess Twilight isn't the only one I've hung out and learned a bit from. I've also learned from the pony who used the Element of Generosity… I'm drawing a blank on her name…" "You mean Rarity, dear?" Luna checked, with Amethyst nodding. "Yea, that's who. She's really nice, and I've become great friends with her sister," Amethyst replied. "Yea… that's nice," Luna smiled, "Rarity is a great pony… but… something once happened to her… not unlike myself becoming Nightmare Moon," "I didn't know that," Amethyst admitted. "Not many ponies do," Luna admitted. -Back in Ponyville- "So… Rarity was once corrupted like Princess Luna was?!" Dawn Star gawked. "It's a long story… but it did happen," Twilight responded. "Okay… I guess," Dawn shrugged, as Quirky screamed. "Somepony stole my wagon!" Quirky shouted, before crying hysterically, "All that candy, gone to waste~!" "Where was the last place you saw it?" Dawn Star asked. "Uh… right before we passed by Diamond Tiara's hou- oh," Quirky started, before quickly realizing what happened. "Wait… you don't mean that…stupid… prissy bully stole our candy?!" Dawn Star started, getting angry. "I'm not that selfish," Diamond Tiara stated, she and Silver Spoon pushing the wagon forward to them, "Your wagon got stuck on some sort of rock, and you left it behind. So, I thought I should come and return it." "..." "What? I'm trying to be nice here for once!" Diamond Tiara frowned. "It's true," Silver Spoon confirmed. "Well… thank you," Dawn Star smiled, as she got the wagon back on Quirky. "....You have a good night now," Diamond Tiara told them as they left, the spoiled filly mentally thinking, 'Stupid blankflanks.'. "...Hard to believe she's so nice for doing that," Quirky admitted before shrugging, "But hey, I'm not one to complain. I got my candy moolah back!" "...Y...yeah…" Scootaloo chuckled a bit before looking at Sweetie Belle, who was dressed as a piece of candy. "So… back to getting candy?" Dawn Star asked. "Yea/Hai," the others nodded. "You want some?" Amethyst asked her mom later, having put all of the candy on a table to snack on. "Isn't that sweet? Thank you, Amethyst," Luna smiled a bit as she took a few pieces, "Did you have a good time tonight?" "I sure did," Amethyst smiled. "Glad," Luna smiled. "You know… I really miss you. But… can I ask you something?" "Certainly," "No matter what my Cutie Mark is… no matter what I do with my life… you'll always be my mommy, right?" Amethyst asked. "Of course I will, Amethyst," Luna smiled as she hugged her daughter, "And no matter what, you'll be my daughter…" "I love you, mommy," Amethyst said, teary-eyed, as she hugged her mom. "I love you, too," Luna replied, hugging Amethyst back. "Get some rest, I have something to do…" Luna told Amethyst, tucking her into a bed. "Okay… goodnight," Amethyst smiled, falling asleep. "Goodnight," Luna smiled, giving Amethyst a kiss goodnight, before walking out, seeing her sister was there. "...Yhat question Amethyst asked you, a certain somepony asked me that very same question," Celestia sighed. "...Your former apprentice, Sunset Shimmer...correct?" Luna asked. "Indeed," Celestia sighed, "I wish… I could see her once again… to mend what was broken between us…" "Do not worry sister dearest, I am certain that thou willst see her once again," Luna assured, making Celetia smile. "I hope so…" "Will I see you again one day soon Mom?" Amethyst asked, very close to crying as she was put on the train back to Ponyville. "Rest assured, child, we will see each other once more," Luna promised. "..ok.." "And I'm sure your friends miss you, dear. So return to them." Amethyst nodded, as Princess Luna then handed her something, a picture of them going around getting candy the night before. "Whenever thou misses me… just look here, and remember the night of fun." The young filly smiled before hugging Princess Luna. "See you soon," Amethyst waved, as the train began to head for Ponyville. "See you soon… my daughter," Luna whispered as she watched the train leave. -Later that day- "So, how was it at Canterlot?" Applebloom asked, as Amethyst had soon returned home. "It was great, but not as great as Ponyville, because here, I get to be with my very best friends," Amethyst smiled. "We really missed ya, so what do ya wanna do now?" Applebloom asked, as Amethyst looked over to the Carousel Boutique. "Actually… I wanna… go and spend a little time there," Amethyst informed, "If… that's okay." "...It's no problem," Dawn Star nodded. "Let's go," Sweetie smiled as they headed over to Rarity's home/store. "Hi Rarity," Amethyst smiled. "Oh, Amethyst. So good to see you again, darling. How was your trip to Canterlot?" Rarity smiled upon seeing the young filly. "It was pleasant. I had a wonderful time with my mom," Amethyst replied with a small smile. "That's good to hear." "I was wondering…if I could spend some time here…" Amethyst admitted, looking around at the designs. "...Of course darling. You're free to come here whenever you wish," Rarity replied. "Thanks," Amethyst smiled, as the CMC all simply looked around. "So… what did you dress as for Nightmare Night?" Scootaloo asked as Amethyst showed the picture of the costume she had made. "I… made it myself," Amethyst admitted, showing the picture to the rest of the CMC and Rarity. "...Gracious… you've made this by yourself?" Rarity asked as she looked at the picture. "I… I did…" "...impressive…" Rarity noted, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd looked like a miniature version of your mother, Amethyst." "Th-thanks," Amethyst smiled with a light blush of embarrassment, "It was honestly my first time making an outfit… I'm surprised I did so well myself, and… it was fun to do it." "I see…" Rarity noted as she continued to look at the picture, "I'm surprised you've managed to make something like this on your first try, darling." "Thanks…" Amethyst blushed. "Can you make our Nightmare Night costumes next year?" Scootaloo asked. "You did such an amazing job, I bet you could make us look like anything we wanted!" Quirky added. "You guys…" Amethyst blushed a bit more. "I-I bet I would look so cute in something you made," Timid smiled. "I'd like to see what kind of costume you can make for me, Amethyst," Dawn Star added. "Ah bet everypony would love whatever costumes you could make," Applebloom added. "Yeah. In fact, you're just as amazing as Rarity is," Sweetie Belle added. Hearing this made Rarity think for a moment, realizing that Amethyst had a lot of untapped potential in her. "Amethyst, darling, why don't you let me teach you as an apprentice? I can show you the true art of fashion designing," Rarity offered the young filly. Amethyst felt like her heart was about to soar at this chance, she really knew she had fun making her own costume, but to learn from one of the best designers. "I'd love to learn from one of the best designers in all of Equestria. So… I'll accept your offer Rarity," Amethyst giggled with joy. "Excellent! Oh you won't regret this, darling!" Rarity smiled, with Amethyst giggling in joy, simply very excited about this, when suddenly, a bright flash came from nowhere, making all of the Crusaders gasp in shock and amazement, as well as Rarity. "No… way…" Applebloom gasped. "Amethyst… take a look at this mirror for me please," Rarity told Amethyst, putting a mirror up by Amethyst. "I'm confused…" "Turn around…" Scootaloo told her. Amethyst turned around, but turned away from the mirror. "She meant… turn around and look at the mirror," Dawn Star stated. "Oh…" Amethyst blinked a bit as she did so before, gasping, seeing that there was something on her flank: it was her Cutie Mark, which was an amethyst jewel with a thread going through a small ribbon that went around it, "M-my… my Cutie Mark…" "Congratulations Amethyst… you're the first Cutie Mark Crusader who's gotten their Cutie Mark," Scootaloo told Amethyst. "..." "Whats' wrong? Aren't you happy? You finally got your Cutie Mark!" Sweetie Belle smiled reminded. "Am… I not a Cutie Mark Crusader anymore?" Amethyst asked nervously, "Because… I may not have told you this before… but… did you know… you're all my very best friends?" "We know…" "But… can we... really be friends anymore? I mean… I have my Cutie Mark… but… I'm no longer a Cutie Mark Crusader…" "We never said getting a Cutie Mark would no longer make you a Crusader, you're always a Cutie Mark Crusader," Applebloom assured, "Ah used to worry that… if Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got there's… Ah would be alone. So… Ah made a rule saying that you leave the Crusaders only if ya'll wanna." "..." "You never leave your friends behind. If being friends with Twilight and the others has taught me anything, even if you change, you're still friends til the end," Rarity assured her new apprentice. "She's right, Amethyst," Sweetie Belle spoke up, "Even if you have your Cutie Mark and we don't, you'll always be our best friend, no matter what." "Thank you," Amethyst told them, tears forming in her eyes, "And Rarity… thank you so much for giving me a chance to be your apprentice, if not for this… I don't think I would be here…" "It's no problem dear," Rarity smiled. Back in Canterlot, Princess Luna was smiling, simply because she received a message from her daughter. She opened it up and read it to herself. "'Dear Mom. Today is a very special day for me… I finally got my Cutie Mark! Miss Rarity saw the picture you gave me, and she liked my costume! So much, she made me her apprentice! I hope you're proud of me, because I'm going to be a designer. Enclosed with this message is a picture of my Cutie Mark. Hope you like it... Love you forever. Your little filly always… Amethyst'" Luna read as she pulled out the photo, showing Amethyst proudly showing off her Cutie Mark. The Princess of the Night smiled at her daughter, and felt a tear drip down from her eye. "She's growing up… but… she will always be my little filly," Luna said to herself, proud of Amethyst. Author's Note first; happy..err, really early/really late Halloween/Nightmare Night. second; you like? Comment/review if ya can. And third; Treats for anyone who guesses what costume Twilight's wearing.
Prelude to a ContestOne morning, the sun shone through Sweetie Belle's window, the unicorn filly yawning as she began to awake. After a few moments, she got off of her bed and looked in the mirror in her room. "Well… another day...hopefully the day," the filly said to herself as she looked at a calendar with a few of the days marked off except two. Today was one of her last chance to tell her sister about the upcoming singing competition in Canterlot… she really hoped her sister would pay attention to her this time. She really wanted to enter that contest and make her idol proud. Crossing off today's date on the calendar, Sweetie Belle decided to get cleaned up, mentally preparing herself for today. =a bit later= "Ok… you can do this… just tell her about it, and hope to Celestia she'll let me enter," Sweetie Belle said to herself, the Unicorn filly halfway down the stairs.. After breathing a bit to calm down, Sweetie walked down the rest of the way to see her sister, who was currently busy making something. "Morning Rarity… um, I was…" "Morning Sweetie Belle," Rarity greeted, not turning to face the filly as she was focused on the object she was creating. "Morning sis… um… I-I wanted to ask you something. Can I...?" "Yes yes. You can play with your friends today. Now move along. I'm a bit busy at the moment," Rarity waved her off, making Sweetie Belle frown a little. "But… that's not what I wanted to ask you. I was going to ask..." "Can it wait until later, Sweetie Belle? I need all my attention on this," Rarity interrupted once more, not noticing Sweetie Belle's eye twitch a bit. "... Fine… I'll try again later," Sweetie Belle sighed angrily as she walked out the front door. Later, at the clubhouse, the CMC were busy talking about how they'll get their Cutie Marks today… well… most of the CMC as Amethyst was sick at home, and Sweetie Belle was silent, still a bit angry after her failed attempt to talk to her sister this morning. "A-ano(um)…d-daijoubu(Are you okay), S-Sweetie-chan?" Timid asked, noticing how silent her Unicorn friend was at the moment, "Y-You've been quiet s-since you've arrived." "Oh… it's nothing, Timid… it's just… ugh! I tried to talk to Rarity about the competition that's going to happen in Canterlot soon, but she ignored me… again!" "...I'm… I'm sure it wasn't that bad… right?" Dawn asked. "...Ahem. 'Oh Sweetie Belle, can you please play with your friends today? I'm busy.' 'Oh Sweetie Belle, can you ask me later? I'm busy.' 'Oh Sweetie Belle? Can you make breakfast yourself?! I'm busy!' Busy, busy, busy! That's all she's been lately! BUSY!" Sweetie Belle snapped, her voice squeaking near the end. "Whoa… sorry. I… I was just asking," Dawn said, slightly nervous at how Sweetie Belle acted just now. "No… I'm sorry Dawn Star… it's just… ugh! Rarity's been getting on my nerves!" Sweetie Belle snapped once more, "No matter how many times I try to ask her, she's always busy!-!" "Hey! Sweetie, calm down! Get a grip!" Scootaloo responded, trying to calm the Unicorn filly down. "...Sorry… I'm just so… grrr!" Sweetie Belle growled, irritated as she banged her head against the wall once "I'm just so angry!" "Okay, we get it, but no need to chip your horn in the process." "Yea..uh..maybe a walk might do y'all some good?" Applebloom suggested. "...Yea… I guess so," Sweetie sighed, walking out of the clubhouse. "...D-do you thi-think she'll be ok?" Timid asked. "She just needs to cool down for now, Timid. This is a sorta touchy thing for her," Scootaloo said to the shy filly. "...How so?" Quirky finally spoke up, tilting her head a bit "She and her sister get into arguments… a lot. And I mean a lot. Sometimes, they yell at each other so loud, you can heard it throughout Ponyville." "No kiddin'," Applebloom agreed. "I… I see…" Dawn noted, sweatdropping a bit. "Yea. So let her cool off for now," Scootaloo insisted. "...O-ok. I-if you say so, Sc-Scootaloo-chan," timid nodded slightly, the shy filly still a bit worried about her unicorn friend. Outside, Sweetie Belle walked around Sweet Apple Acres for a while, taking a few deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. She didn't mean to snap at her friends like that, but...well, normally she and her sister would get mad at one another over a few things, but being ignored for quite some time (especially since she tried to ask her sister about the competition), it got her blood boiling. "Stupid sister. I just want to ask her one thing, and she keeps pushing me away for… whatever's she's working on!" Sweetie mumbled, completely fixated on this thought, "Ugh! I wish she'd just stop for a moment so I could tell her!" "Well well… troubles at home I see," a voice spoke, making Sweetie Belle turn to see Mischief, the son of Discord resting on a cart while munching on an apple, "Yo." "What do you want, Mischief?" Sweetie groaned. "Oh nothing much. I overheard your plight and…well, let's say we're kindred spirits when it comes to siblings," Mischief shrugged, gulping down the core of the apple he was eating as he reappeared next to the unicorn filly. "Oh yea, that's right… I remember now," Sweetie sighed, recalling Mischief's sister the last time she was in town. "Yea...heh. You're lucky you weren't there when me and my sister did a little thing we like to call Food Battle, which tends to get a bit out of hand at times," Mischief added with a slight chuckle, "But anyways… back to the point. I'd like to help you out." "Really? ...Um… you aren't gonna do anything crazy like switch my sister's brain with Opal's, right?" "Sweetie Belle honey. Have I ever done that kind of stuff before?" Mischief asked innocently, earning a blank look from Sweetie Belle, "...Don't answer that. So... what do ya want me to do to help you?" After a bit of thinking, Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and looked back at Mischief. "If you can, find some way to pull Rarity back from whatever's she's working on. Just… nothing over the top, ok?" "Really? Something simple? I can make her mane a really barfy green, turn her into a literal marshmallow, make her voice REALLY deep, or.." "Just try something that won't end up making everyone in Ponyville dead. Probably something like startle her or something. Maybe with a crab" "...A…crab?" "Yeah. I don't know why, but my sister really doesn't like crabs," Sweetie Belle stated, tapping her chin a bit in thought. "...Well…okay. If you say so," Mischief sighed before poofing out of there, "Just be ready when your sister comes running out." '...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?' Sweetie Belle thought. Back at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity was still busy working on… well, whatever she was working on. She had been working on it for weeks, and she didn't want anypony to see it. But...deep down, she was feeling guilty on ignoring her little sister, brushing her off to the side just so she could work on her little project. "...No worries. Once this is ready, she'll just lo-" the Unicorn began before someone began knocking on the door, "Hmm? Now who could that be?" With that, she walked to the door of her store and opened it to reveal… a box? "...What in Equestria?" Rarity blinked as she bent down to see if there was any tag on it, only to find there wasn't one, "...This is rather odd. hmm...though I can't help but wonder what is inside. ...Couldn't hurt to take a look." And so, she opened the package before it expelled a pink smog, causing her to close her eyes and cough. When the smog died down, she slowly opened her eyes to see something before her… something rather tall..and it caused her to pale significantly. "...Ok...No noise so far..." the very same guard from a few chapters ago whispered as he quietly tried to finish his now giant house of cards, "Just have to slowly..place...this…" "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" "...THAT'S IT! I'm taking my vacation early!" the guard snapped, his card house (and most of the windows in Canterlot) having collapsed once more. "What the heck was that?!" Dawn winced as she and the rest of the CMC had their ears covered. "I don't know! It sounded like a cat chewing on ice while scratching a chalkboard with tin-foil!" Quirky exclaimed, making the others look at her in confusion, "...What?" "...Did you accidentally drink coffee this morning, Quirky?" Dawn asked, sweatdropping a bit. "I don't drink coffee." This made the others simply look at each other, sweatdropping again. "...Well, it might've actually been Sweetie Belle's sister screaming her lungs out over something scary. That, or it could've been my first op…" Quirky began before Sweetie Belle came into the clubhouse, panting a bit. "Pl...please tell me you heard that, right?" Sweetie Belle panted, simply earning nods from the other members of the CMC, "I see...Well, if there's anypony I know who could scream like that, it's my.." "A….ano...ano...m...m...minna(everyone)?" timid spoke up, the shy filly looking out the window, "C...come look at this." The fillies looked out the window to see a...giant crab attacking Ponyville?! Wait what?! "I...Is that a...giant crab?!" Dawn gawked, "Th...that should be impossible! Crabs don't grow that big!" The Crusaders blinked for a moment, before realizing who had done it, with Dawn Star levitating up cards that read, '3', '2', '1'. "Mischief…" they all sighed. "Someone mention my name?" Mischief's voice spoke as he appeared in a puff of smoke, wearing a straw hat and hawaiian shirt, "It better be good. I was just…" "I told you not to go over the top, Mischief!" Sweetie Belle snapped at the dragon. "Say what now?" "Look outside!" Mischief just peeked out the window and saw the crab chasing Rarity. "...That's not over the top," he defended. "That's not...THAT'S WAY OVER THE TOP!" Sweetie Belle yelled, her voice sounding really squeaky near the end, Mischief shrinking and looking like he'd be the size of a mouse. "...So...sorry doesn't cut it this time? "...Ugh. I'm going to go and stop this…" Sweetie Belle sighed, as she hopped out and managed to actually tackle the crab into some water, causing it to shrink back to normal size. "Uh… how'd she do that?!" Mischief gawked, wondering how a filly her size would manage to tackle a giant crab. "Oh. She's been practicing teleporting spells with Twilight," Dawn Star informed. "...That really doesn't answer my…" "Then it's magic, silly!" Quirky spoke, making a smile that made a 'Squee' sound. 'Guh! There's that dang 'Squee' again! How….ugh...' Mischief sighed, feeling a headache coming, "I...I need to lay down or something. This is giving me a headache." Back with Sweetie Belle, the unicorn filly was panting heavily, the teleportation spell having taken a lot out of her after managing to tackle that crab. She was about to fall to the ground if Rarity hadn't caught her in time. "R...Rarity?" she muttered. "Sweetie, darling! Are you ok?!" Rarity asked in concern. "Y-yes… just really… tired." "Good… but, I do have one question.." Rarity began as a frown appeared on her face, "What were you thinking taking on that… that… monstrosity by yourself!?" "I… I…I wanted..to fix the problem… I had Mischief creat-" "Wait...Mischief was the o-wait a second. You convinced him to sic that thing on me?!" "Long story… I had to… tell you something… but you were… so… busy…" Sweetie Belle informed. "...That is true… and I am dreadfully sorry for that. But… there was a reason I was so busy working on it," Rarity informed her little sister, "But… after you've rested up in your room once we return, I'll show you." "...O-Okay…" Sweetie nodded as the exhaustion caught up with her, the unicorn filly falling asleep as her sister began to carry her home. "Wait! What about the crab?!" Quirky shouted from the clubhouse. "Got it covered," Mischief spoke as he snapped his fingers, teleporting the crab back to where ever he got it, "There. Happy?" "Very," Quirky giggled. Later, back at Rarity and Sweetie's place, the latter had finally woken up as she bagen to walk down stairs, only to see her sister at work...but this time, it looked like she was nearly done. "...Well… what're you doing, anyway, sis?" Sweetie asked, finally about know what been keeping her sister so busy. "Hmm?" Rarity blinked as she looked over at Sweetie Belle, "Good… you're awake. Now… as for why I was busy… well, I had bumped into Octavia the other day, and we had a small chat. While we were talking, she mentioned you and the contest that was going to happen in Canterlot in a few weeks." "Yea… about that… I… I actually want to join that contest," Sweetie Belle spoke, a bit shy about it, "-Miss Octavia heard me singing before, and she was the one that… well… suggested that I'd join it… but… I was nervous at first… and wanted to see if… well… if you'd let me join it." "...Why Sweetie Belle…Why of course you may participate in it. In fact…" Rarity began as she used her magic on the tarp covering her secret project, "What do you think I've been working on?" Sweetie Belle blinked at that before Rarity used her magic to remove the tarp, revealing some sort of dress about Sweetie's size, which was colored a light pink and purple with a few diamonds on the skirt on the dress. On the front was a small necklace with a small, gold music note on it. "...Wow. D-did you really make this for me?" Sweetie Belle asked, looking at the dress with awe. "Yes…Well, me and Amethyst before the poor dear got sick. But the fact still stands that this dress Sweetie Belle was made for you to wear in the contest," Rarity said with a soft smile, Sweetie Belle smiling in response before she tackled her sister into a hug. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" the unicorn filly squealed in a mix of excitement and joy, making Rarity smile and return the hug. "You're welcome dear. Just promise me one thing… make me proud." "...I will!" Sweetie smiled, shrugging her sister tighter before her eyes widened, "Wait! I need to tell Ms. Octavia you gave me your-!" "No need, Sweetie Belle," they heard as the two unicorns turned to see the Earth Pony standing by the door, "I've overheard everything." "Ms. Octavia?! Wh-why're you still here?!" "I was coming to say goodbye before I headed out to the train station tomorrow, but it appears I'll be leaving sooner than expected," Octavia explained. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, darling," Rarity spoke. "No no. It is ok. I just needed to know what Sweetie Belle's answer was before I go," Octavia said as she began to turn towards Sweetie Belle, "And I believe she's already given her answer." "I did? I-I-I mean…I was talking with my sister to see if she would let me go, and… well… ooh~! Yes yes yes! I want to join so bad now!" "Well then, I'll go on and inform the judges," Octavia informed. "This is so~ exciting~!" Sweetie Belle squealed in joy, "Ooh! I better go practice! Excuse me!" she quickly said as she bolted up to her room. "...Aw, Sweetie… she's so happy right now," Rarity smiled, looking over at the stairs before turning back towards Octavia, "I cannot thank you enough for giving my little sister this chance, Octavia." "No problem. Your sister truly has some talent. Who knows? She might even get something more when she performs then a trophy." "Hopefully..." Rarity nodded in agreement, giggling a little. "Well, I'll be seeing you soon, Rarity. Oh, and just saying, I hope you and your apprentice go far," Octavia bid as she took her leave. "...Thank you, Octavia," Rarity nodded with a soft smile. "Where is it?! Where is it?!" Sweetie Belle screamed as she began to look around her room for something, the unicorn filly stopping before her dresser and opened it before pulling out a set of papers, "Here it is!" She was really excited. The morning may have been a bit bad, but now she was feeling like she was on top of the world. Not only is she going to be in the contest, but her sister and Amethyst made her a dress just for the occasion. However… there was still open problem… she had to find the perfect song to sing in said contest, which means she'll have a lot of practicing to do. She was thankful she had a small list of song lyrics she wrote when she had the chance.
The shy filly from another landIt seemed like an ordinary day at school for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, sitting through another class period. "Sweetie Belle, did ya hear?" Applebloom whispered to her friend as she looked around, "There's a new filly coming." "Really? ...Well… now that you mention it, I think I heard of somepony arriving from a place called… Neighpon… I think," Sweetie Belle answered. "Neigh wha?" Scootaloo asked. "Not sure, some place overseas or something like that," Sweetie Belle answered. "Do you think she'll be nice?" Applebloom pondered. "Nicer than Diamond Tiara hopefully," Scootaloo yawned, "Sorry. I was out practicing with Rainbow Dash. She was showing me some tricks." "It's alright. Just don't let the teacher see you fall asleep," Sweetie Belle said before ms. Cheerilee walked in. "Good morning class," Ms. Cheerilee greeted her class. "Good Morning Ms. Cheerilee," they all greeted politely. "I have some good news. Today, we're receiving a new student… one that just moved to Ponyville from a very far away place," Ms. Cheerilee stated with a smile before one of the students raised their hoof up, "Yes?". "Where exactly is this pony from?" the young filly asked. "Good question. You see… she's from a place called Neighpon," Ms. Cheerilee replied as she moved the class globe and pointed to said land. "Wow. That's very far away," the filly admitted. "Yes it is. Now Everypony..give a warm welcome to our newest student,Timid Swallow," Ms. Cheerilee said as she motioned to the door, only to get silence in response, "..Timid Swallow?" She walked over to the door and whispered, "That's your cue dear." "...Ano...Ano….I'm sorry C...Cheerilee-san demo..I..I'm afraid.." a voice squeaked. "... It's okay dear… nopony's going to hurt you," Ms. Ceerilee reassured the filly from the other side of the door. "...I can't." the voice squeaked. "...What if I helped you inside? Will that be okay, dear?" "...A...Ano...h...hai," the voice squeaked in response. "...Ju…jus...just let me talk to my friend real quick. He's shy." she added. "It's okay. Take your time," Ms. Cheerilee nodded. At that her voice could be heard talking to someone quietly, and her response from the person was a series of random sounds and noises. "The hay is going on out there?" Applebloom quietly asked her friends. "O...okay. w..We're r-ready," the new filly said as the door was slowly opened. The filly that walked in shyly had soft, pale pink fur while her mane and tail was a pale yellow color. The front of her mane drooping over the shy filly's left eye. Her eyes were also a soft Cyan color. Weird enough her backpack seem to be...moving? "I-I'm…T-Timid… S-Swallow," the little filly muttered shyly. "Now then..I want everypony to behave and show Timid Swallow around the school during lunch time, and I don't want anypony to act nasty towards her…" Ms. Cheerilee stated to her class before gazing at two, certain spoiled fillies, "That goes for you two as well Diamond Tiara. Silver Spoon." The fillies in question just silently pouted at that. "Hey… doesn't she remind you of somepony?" Scootaloo whispered to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Now that you mention it… she kinda reminds me of Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle noted. "Ahh… just like you remind me of Rarity at times," Applebloom realized. "And how you remind me of your sister at times," Sweetie Belle replied, "And how Scootaloo reminds us of Rainbow Dash at times." "Yeah…" Scootaloo nodded before an idea popped into her head "...Brain blast." "Huh?" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at their friend. "Meet me behind the school during lunch. I just got a wicked idea for our club," the young Pegasus smirked. "...Excuse me, but d...does...anypony have c-candy?" Timid asked nervously as she was heading for her seat. "Oh, yea," Sweetie Belle nodded, pulling some from her bag. at that something fast and shadowy shot out and swipe the candy...then it moved around and swipe candy from the others ponies. "What the?" "Misty come back!" Timid shouted as the shadow went back into her backpack. "Who?" Applebloom gawked. "...My...umm...umm...imaginary friend," she gulped. "Then who took the candy I offered you?" Sweetie Belle asked as the backpack...burped? "...You got a pet hiding in there?" Scootaloo noticed, almost making Timid gasp. "...Umm...ano...Misty help," she whispered as the school bell rang, "Oh! it's... t-time to s...start c-class then." With that, Timid Swallow quickly headed to her seat at the back of the class, confusing the CMC. '..What's she hiding?' Diamond Tiara pondered as she watched the whole thing happen from her seat. "Okay...what did ya want to talk to us about, Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked as the CMC stood behind the school while everypony else was eating lunch. "...I think we should recruit Timid Swallow into the Cutie Mark Crusaders," Scootaloo replied. "You really think we should?" Applebloom asked. "Yeah. I mean think about it. I'm like a mini-Rainbow Dash. Sweetie Belle's like a mini Rarity, and you're like a mini version of your sis, Applebloom," Scootaloo replied. "...True…" Applebloom noted, "But… do you think Timid Swallow will accept our offer? I mean, if we approached her and suddenly asked her to join us, she'll probably freak out or faint." "Not if we convince her backpack to say yes," Scootaloo smirked, "I think she's a bit attached to it." "Uh… Okay…" Applebloom responded, a bit nervous. "There's a chance she right there." Sweetie Bell said pointing out the window to Timid Swallow talking to her backpack. "Sweet. Let's…" Scootaloo began before she noticed two certain fillies walking towards Timid Swallow, "..Uh oh." "Misty. You're going to get fat," Timid said, nuzzling her backpack. "Look Diamond Tiara. She hugs her backpack like it's a toy!" Silver Spoon laughed tauntingly, startling Timid Swallow as she quickly turn to face them. "Ano...c...can I h...help you?" the shy filly asked, "Did Misty steal your candy?" "...First off: We don't even know who this...'Misty' is. And second; No. We're here to tell you a few rules here," Diamond tiara stated. "Rules? D...demo, I thought we learned all the rules already?" she said confused and looking at her backpack, "Didn't we Misty?" Then her backpack… shrugged? "Misty, you told me you were taking notes." she frowned. "I was, but I didn't think that… oops," the backpack whispered before shutting up. "Look. She even throws her voice around to make it look like she's having a conversation," Diamond Tiara whispered. "Yeah..wierdo," Silver Spoon whispered back. "Oh great, them again," Scootaloo groaned as she and her friends spied on the three. "Anyway..back to the rules. The special rules," Diamond Tiara said, "Number 1: All new Fillies must show their Cutie Marks..if they have one." "A..Ano...w..well…" Timid Swallow fidgeted. "Do you have one, or not?" Silver Spoon demanded. "Ano..I...I..I don't have one," Timid replied. "Ooh… did you hear that Diamond Tiara?" Silver Spoon looked at said filly. "I sure did...She's a Blank flank!" Diamond Tiara laughed mockingly. "B..b...Blank Flank?" Timid Swallow's eyes widen, tears starting to form in her eyes, 'N...no. N..Not again.' "Leave her alone, Diamond!" a voice shouted as the two spoiled fillies turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Oh great..more Blank Flanks," Diamond Tiara frowned, "What're you three doing here? Can't you see we're showing the new filly how things work here?" "All you're doing is bullying her, so knock it off already!" Scootaloo told her, making Timid gasp at how Scootaloo was willing to stand up to Diamond Tiara. "Or else what? Ms. Cheerilee isn't here at the moment, so you can't do anything!" Diamond Tiara said in a mocking tone as she and Silver Spoon left, "So unless you don't want to get in trouble...I suggest you drop it, Blank Flanks!" "..." Scootaloo and her friends frowned as they watched the two leave. They then turned to the shaking filly. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked her. "..." Timid just backed away, tears dripping from her eyes. "It's okay. We're not here to hurt you," Applebloom reassured the shy filly. "..." Timid just squeaked in response as she covered her face. "That name Diamond Tiara calls us must've brought up some bad memories for her," Sweetie Belle said in worry. "Really?" Scootaloo asked before turning to Timid, "Listen to me, not to that Diamond Tiara. We're here to help. We want to be your friends." "..h...How do I k...know y..you're n...not trying t..to t..trick me a..and b..bully me l...later?" Timid asked with a stutter, the shy filly moving one of her front legs to look at the CMC, "If you do...Misty won't be happy." "We promise you… we won't do anything to harm you…" Sweetie Belle gave a small smile to the shy filly. "...Y...You promise?" "We promise," they nodded. "...O….o...okay," Timid Swallow answered with a stutter as she lowered her front legs away from her face, "A..Ano..wh..who are y..you?" "I'm Scootaloo, and these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom," Scootaloo answered. "And we're…" Sweetie Belle began. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" the CMC declared. "...Ano...C...Cutie M..Mark Crusaders?" Timid swallow repeated in a bit of confusion, "A...ano...w...what's a C...Cutie Mark Crusader, S...Scootaloo-san?" "We may not have our Cutie Marks yet, but we're friends, and we'll do what we can to earn our marks," Scootaloo answered. "R...really?" Timid asked. "Of course," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle confirmed. "I...I see. A..Ano...i...is there m...m-more of you o...or is it j-just you three?" Timid asked, the shy filly having calmed down a bit after Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying her. "As of now… it's just the three of of," Scootaloo sighed, "But that's why we're here. We want to be your friends, and to help you earn your Cutie Mark, too." "R..Really?" Timid asked hopefully, earning nods from the CMC, "D...demo...wh...what about...?" "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon? Don't worry about them. We'll make sure they don't bully you, Timid," Applebloom reassured the shy filly. "...y...You promise?" Timid asked. "We promise," all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders smiled. "...A...Ano..w..well…" Timid Swallow began before the school bell rang, "OH! G...gomen demo...c...class is a...about to resume!" With that, Timid Swallow grabbed her backpack and quickly headed inside the school. "...You think that worked, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I hope so," Scootaloo replied before looking at two, certain spoiled fillies that were entering the school, "We just got to make sure Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon don't do anything to hurt her." "Agreed," Applebloom nodded. "Yeah," Sweetie Belle added. After school, the trio of friends were about to head off to their clubhouse when… "Wait… you think we should help Timid home?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Hmm...good idea, Sweetie Belle. We don't want to leave her alone, especially if she runs into Diamond Tiara," Applebloom nodded. "Good point, let's go help her," Scootaloo agreed as the three walked back to see Timid nuzzling her backpack again. "Misty-kun...y...you need to be more c...careful. Y...you nearly got caught," Timid slightly scolded the back back, earning a shrug from it, "Hmm? Were' being watched?" she turned to see the CMC walk towards her, "O...Oh! H...hi minna-san. C...can I h...help you with s-something?" "We were just going to offer to walk you back to your home," Scootaloo answered. "...ano...o...okay. I...I don't w-want to m-make Onii-chan w..worry?" Timid replied. "..Onii-chan?" the CMC replied. "Ano...I...it means 'B..Big brother' In N..Neighponese," Timid replied as she put her backpack back on. "And by the way, what did you call us when you saw us?" Applebloom added out of curiosity. "A...Ano...E...Everypony. M...minna means 'Everypony' in Neighponese, A...Applebloom-san," Timid replied. "Oh, okay. You'll have to teach us more sometime… just so we don't get too confused," Applebloom nodded. "O...Okay," Timid Swallow replied. With that, the four fillies began to leave, unaware that two certain spoiled fillies were spying on them. "Darn...I was hoping we would mess with that new filly some more," Diamond Tiara frowned. "Yeah...and that's going to be impossible as long as she's with those Blank Flanks," Silver Spoon added. "Yeah…" Diamond Tiara noted as she looked at Timid's backpack, causing the spoiled filly to gain an idea, "And I just thought of something to pull her away from them." "A...Ano...w...we're here," Timid said as she and the CMC stopped at her place. Timid's house was a bit different from the other houses in Ponyville. It had a bit of an Eastern theme to it with some writing on the door, one that Scootaloo and her friends didn't recognize. But to Timid Swallow, it meant 'home' in Neighponese. "...Nice place," Scootaloo commented. "A...Arigatou, S...Scootaloo-san," Timid replied as she knocked on the door and spoke a little loudly, "O...Onii-chan! I...I'm home." With that, a male Pegasus pony with snow-white fur and an ice-blue mane and tail opened the door. His eyes were a soft emerald color while his Cutie Mark was that of a hawk with silver wings. "Oh! Timid Swallow. Welcome home," the older Pegasus smiled at the shy filly before he noticed the CMC, "...Who're they, Timid?" "Oh… a-ano… they're… my new friends," Timid answered, introducing the CMC. "I see…" Timid's brother noted before he looked at the CMC with a smile, "Hi there. My name is Silver Hawk. May I know your names, please?" "I'm Scootaloo." "Name's Applebloom." "And my name is Sweetie Belle." "I see...greetings then Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle," Silver Hawk nodded, "Would you three care to come inside real quick? I'm sure you three must be thirsty or hungry." "Thank you," they trio nodded. "By the way, where are your parents?" Sweetie Belle asked. "..." Timid couldn't reply as she gave a sad sigh. "Let me," Silver Hawk said to his little sister before he looked at the CMC, "You see..me and Timid are the only ones living here at the moment. Our Kaa-san and Tou-san, which is Mom and Dad in Neighponese, are back in our homeland of Neighpon." "Oh…so…it's just you two here, then?" Scootaloo asked. "Yeah...come in and I'll explain everything," Silver Hawk said as he walked inside. "Okay," they nodded as the CMC joined Timid and her brother. "Timid...why don't you head to your room so you can drop off any schoolwork you have?" Silver Hawk asked his little sister. "O...okay, Onii-chan," Timid nodded as she headed for her room while Silver Hawk and the CMC walked into the living room. "You have wonderful home, Silver Hawk," Sweetie Belle admitted. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle. I try to keep it nice and clean for when Timid Swallow comes home," Silver Hawk smiled. "But… this style… is it traditional for you in Neighpon?" "It is...and it helps remind Timid Swallow of home," Silver Hawk replied once he and the CMC were in the living room, "Now then...before I begin my explanation about my and Timid's parents, what do you three want to eat? I just picked up some fresh fruit from the market this morning." "I'll take some grapes if you have any," Sweetie Belle spoke. "I'll take a banana," Scootaloo added. "I guess Ah'll take an apple," Applebloom added. "Sure thing," Silver hawk nodded as he headed for the kitchen. "...Timid's brother is really nice," Applebloom noted once Silver Hawk left the room. "He sure is," Sweetie Belle agreed before an idea popped into her head, "Do you think he has a Special Somepony?" "Don't know...but let's not try and do something like that again," Applebloom said, recalling what happened when they tried pairing their teacher with Big Macintosh. "Yea… that was a bad idea," Scootaloo sighed. "Agreed," Applebloom and Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement before they saw Silver Hawk walk back in. "Here you go," Silver Hawk replied, bringing them the fruits they requested, "Dig in girls." "Thanks," the CMC nodded as they took the fruit they wanted and began eating. "So… about your parents…?" Scootaloo started. "...Oh right. I apologize, Scootaloo," Silver Hawk said as he sat down, "You see...my and Timid's mom and dad are very important CEO's back in Neighpon. They hardly have time for me or Timid...in fact, the only time I've ever seen them together was when Timid was born." "...Oh… I see." "Yeah...mom and dad suggested that me and Timid move to Ponyville..but there's another reason for that," Silver Hawk began with a sigh, "You see...the fillies back at Timid's old school were very mean to her...they always bullied her non-stop and called her Blank Flank. The bullying...it was starting to get out of hand. Everytime I saw Timid come home, she always had a black eye or a few bruises or cuts on her with tears flowing from her eyes. I...I couldn't stand to see my sister suffer like that." "...did you try talking to the teachers?" Applebloom asked out of curiosity. "I did...but that didn't help…" Silver Hawk replied with a sad sigh, "Let me tell you something about teachers...there are good ones...and bad ones...and Timid's School was full of bad ones that receive bribes from the parents of the fillies that bullied Timid." "That's just cruel," Sweetie Belle noted. "I know...I was glad I pulled Timid out of there when I did...because those fillies that were bullying her..they were about to do something no pony should ever go through at such a young age," Silver Hawk sighed sadly, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I don't even wanna know what that was," Applebloom gulped. "Trust me Applebloom...you don't even want to know," Silver Hawk said as he turned to a picture of him and Timid Swallow, only...Timid didn't seem so shy in that picture, "Timid was put into the hospital for a week. And once our parents found out...well, they were furious. Once Timid was better, Tou-san and Kaa-san gave us some money so we could move here to Ponyville and put Timid into a better school...one where she could finally make some friends." "...Honestly… we're the only ones she has so far…she's been subject to bullying again by two spoiled fillies," Scootaloo sighed. "...I see...Applebloom. Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle...I want you to promise me something…" Silver Hawk stated as looked at the three fillies, tears flowing from his eyes, "I...I want you to protect Timid and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I...I.." he choked back a few more tears, "I don't think I can bare to see her go through 'that' again…please...promise me." "...We promise," the three nodded. "Guess that's why Timid likes to talk to her backpack," Scootaloo guessed out loud, she and her friends missing Silver Hawk pale at that. "I thought we left him with mom and dad," he muttered under his breath. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, snapping Silver Hawk out of his small scare as he shook his head a bit. "Y...yes. Just...thinking about something," Silver Hawk replied. Meanwhile upstairs, Timid was stuffing all kinds of food into her backpack. "You were very bad today, Misty," Timid frowned at a figure hiding in the shadows, "If Onii-chan finds out you followed us here, he's going to send you away." "Not if I turn him into a ant and squash him," the figure snickered before Timid Swallow gave the figure a disapproving frown, "...Fine. I won't...but can I at least turn those two fillies that bullied you today into frogs? Or, better yet, newts?" "No." "Oh come on! They're asking for it!" The figure whined, "Everyone knows bullying you is my job anyway. I remember back home, I taught your teachers and classmates that lesson." "...what did you do, Misty?" Timid frowned. "...Nothing. Forget you heard me say that," the figure replied as it quickly ran back into Timid's backpack. "Plus, are you sure those Blank Flanks aren't pulling your leg?" "..." Timid began to whine. "S...Sorry! I forgot that word's a no-no to you!" the figure yelped, "Please forgive me, Timid-kaa san!" he whimpered in a baby like voice. "...Okay. I forgive you, Misty," Timid smiled. "Really?" "If you promise to behave tomorrow. Okay?" "As long as we don't see those two fillies tomorrow, I'll be silent as stone. But if we do and they upset you, then I'm not responsible for my next course of action. Not even your wicked and mesmerising "Stare" will stop me!" "...Okay," Timid sighed as she laid down on her bed. "...Are you sure you can trust those three fillies that saved your flank today? they could be trying to trick you, ya know," the figure in the shy filly's backpack stated. "...N...No they aren't. I...I feel like I can trust them," Timid replied as she looked up at the ceiling. "...Okay. But if they try anything funny, I'm turning them into newts. Now...good night," the figure in Timid's backpack said before snoozing sounds were heard from said item. "O...okay. I think…" Timid Swallow began before yawning, "I'll take a quick nap before I do my homework…" she then looked out her window to see the CMC starting to leave, 'I...I really hope I'll s-see them again tomorrow.' (the next day) "I hope Timid won't mind if we pick her up," Scootaloo smiled as she and the others headed for their possible new friend's house. "Of course she won't; She'll be happy to see us," Sweetie Belle smiled. "Yeah. Plus, you remember what we promised her big brother, right?" Applebloom asked. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded at that before the CMC gained sad expressions. After finding out about Timid Swallow's past, they've learned the world can be a cruel, heartless place, and that there are ponies out there that are almost as bad, possibly even worse, than Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.. "...KYAHHHHHH!" Timid's scream filled the air. "That sounded like Timid!" Scootaloo gasped as the CMC ran towards the source of the noise. Meanwhile, at the center of town, Timid was panting like crazy as she looked everywhere. "Where is it? Where is it?!" Timid whimpered, "P...please tell me I didn't leave it at home." "Looking for something?" a voice asked as Silver Spoon walked up to Timid. "..." Timid whimpered as she backed away from the bully. "I've seen your backpack and I saw who took it as well," Silver Spoon told her. "Wh..who?" "The Cutie Mark Crusaders, that's who," Diamond Tiara spoke. "Wh...what?" Timid's eyes widened at that. "It's true. Go to their clubhouse and see for yourself," Silver Spoon added. "A...ano...I...I don't know where it is…" Timid replied in a shaking voice. "Oh...well nevermind then," Diamond Tiara said before giving a smirk, "I guess that also makes you an idiot...Blank Flank." "B...B...Blank Flank?" Timid eyes started to water as she started hyperventilating. "Aw...look at the baby. She can't take being called Blank Flank!" Diamond Tiara laughed cruelly. "Yeah! What a loser!" Silver Spoon added with a cruel grin. "Blank Flank! Blank Flank! Blank Flank!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed cruelly at Timid Swallow "...M...m…..MISTY!" Timid cried loudly, making the two bullies back away in surprise before they shook it off. "...You really think we're scared of your 'Imaginary friend'?" Diamond Tiara scoffed, "Only loser fillies like you believe in kiddy stuff like that!" "W...w...w...why're you s...so m-mean?" Timid asked in a quivering voice, tears dripping from her eyes. "Because we have Cutie Marks, and you don't!" Diamond Tiara replied with a cruel grin before she and Silver Spoon resumed laughing. Timid couldn't take it anymore. The cruel memories of the bullies from her old school started flooding back into her head. She couldn't take it anymore as she ran away, running into the Everfree forest. "And don't come back until you actually get a Cutie Mark! Oh wait..you can't!" Diamond Tiara laughed cruelly before she noticed the CMC running up to her and Silver Spoon, "Oh great...you three again." "Where's Timid Swallow?" Scootaloo demanded. "I don't know who you're talking about," Diamond Tiara denied. "...you did something to her, didn't you?" Applebloom frowned. "Maybe...maybe not. But she did deserve it for being a…" Silver Spoon began. "Don't you even say it," Sweetie Belle growled a bit "Say what? 'Blank Flank?!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughed. "Why...you no good…!" Scootaloo began. However, before she could finish her sentence, sudden earthquakes were felt as everypony started to run away in a panic. "Huh? What's going on?" Applebloom pondered. "Run for your lives! Dragon!" an adult pony shouted as the footsteps got louder and closer...and then a shadow covered the CMC, the bullies, and even the entire town. "..." the CMC just looked up as their jaws dropped to the ground...literally. "Huh? What're you looking…?" Diamond Tiara demanded before a gawking Silver Spoon tapped her shoulder before pointing up. The spoiled filly then looked up before she paled. "BRRRINNNNG MEEEE DIAMMMMONDDD TIARAAAAA!-!-!-!" "...That's her!" The CMC quickly pointed at Diamond Tiara before dashing out of there, leaving the two, scared bullies. "I TOLD HER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN, AND NOW YOU AND PONYVILLE ARE GOING DOWN TIARA! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!-!-!-!" the figure roared as it lowered it's head to the shaking fillies. "Uh...Uh…..Uh…" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon hugged each other in absolute fear. The dragon-like figure didn't move at all while giving them a blank look until finally stating in a monotonous tone, "...Boo." "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed their lungs out as they bolted out of there, screaming like crazy. "...PFFFFFFT!" the giant figured snickered before he began to laugh aloud as he shrunk in size, "Oh man! That never gets old!" "...Huh?" the CMC blinked as they popped up from a nearby bush to see who was laughing. It looked like Spike...but he was a different color. His scales were a dark red color while his spines were a bright blue. His eyes were both different colors, his left being a bright purple while the right eye was a dark green. "I...I wish I had something to record that!" the small dragon laughed like crazy, "Oh wait...I do!" he smirked as he took out his own left eye and squeezed it as it played the scenario over again like a movie. "Is that...Spike?" Sweetie Belle blinked as the CMC spied on the laughing dragon. "It can't be. His scales are a different color," Applebloom said. "Hah, little brats all of them!" he laughed before stuffing his eye back in and poofing into thin air. "Huh? Where did he…" Sweetie Bell started till something wrap around her neck. "So what are we looking at?" a voice asked her. "We're looking at…" Sweetie Belle began before she slowly turned her head to see the small dragon grinning at her. "Hi~!" the dragon smirked. "KYA!" Sweetie Belle, along with Scootaloo and Applebloom yelped as they jumped out of the bush. "Ohhh~ baby! Do I love me a screamer!" the dragon laughed right next to them. "W...who are you?! A..and stop doing that!" Sweetie Belle yelled before she yelped in surprise when the dragon poked her on the nose. "Name is Mischief and I am….the son of Discord!" he told them, making a neon sign appear above him with a picture of Discord in it, "Hail to the dragon king, baby!" "...D...DISCORD HAS A SON?!" The CMC gawked. "Ahh yes...let's see how to explain this...when a mommy Discord loves a daddy Discord very very VERY VERRRRY much they get, ahem...busy in the night," he explained. "...W...We don't want to know!" the CMC blushed. "Wait...maybe he knows where Timid Swallow is," Applebloom said to her friends. "Ain't telling you girls nothing and there's no way or no one who can convince me otherwise." he smirked...however the CMC looked at one another and smirked. "Gahhh! Get it away!" Mischief screamed as the Mane 6 had him captured and Fluttershy used...the "Stare" on him, the young dragon adapting a Captain Kirk like voice "So...much..Disapproval! Must..try..and get away before..these ponies...kill me with cuteness!" "Your father would be so ashamed young man," Fluttershy said, intensifying the "Stare," "Now tell your Auntie Fluttershy what she needs to know." "No! I don't…" Mischief began before Fluttershy intensified the 'Stare', "...Okay okay! She went into that forest over there!" "The Everfree forest?" Fluttershy asked looking at him closely. "...The Everwhat now?" Mischief blinked in confusion. "Didn't your father teach you anything?" Twilight asked. "Why should he? I haven't seen him in three thousand millennia," Mischief said before snapping at Flutteshy, "And stop it with the eyes!" "Can you find Timid, no matter where she is?" Fluttershy asked. "Yes I can. But I can't teleport her here or anything like that! Now please stop with those eyes~!" Mischief whined. "If I do, you'll lead us and the CMC to Timid so we can all help her, right? Because you're a good boy." she said blinking. "Y...Yes. I...I'm a good boy," Mischief nodded before gaining a boy scout uniform, "Scout's honor ma'am!" "...Wimp." Spike uttered under his breath. "..." Mischief sent a small glare at Spike, 'I am SO going to turn him into a gecko later.' "Ohhh, a gecko!" Pinkie asked Mischief. "Can you turn me into Pinkie Pie? I wanna be a real Pinkie Pie!" "..." Mischief slowly looked at the reader while holding up a picture of a screw and a baseball. "What'cha got there?" Pinkie asked. "Nothing," Mischief said as he made the sign dissapear. "This is Discord's kid right? How can we trust him?" Rainbow Dash asked, eying Mischief suspiciously, "Let's just turn him into stone like we did his pop and leave him to rot!" "I agree with Rainbow Dash," Rarity agreed. "I do not trust this nasty imitation of my adorable Spikey-wikey one bit." "...Guys. Did you forget that we had to give the Elements of Harmony back to the Tree of Harmony?" Twilight reminded her friends. "...Oh yeah/I nearly forgot about that," Rainbow Dash and Rarity recalled. "But maybe we can still do that. We just need cement!" Pinkie smiled, pulling out a bag of quick drying cement from her Hammer Space, "Added with a bit of magic and friendship!" "Pinkie...as much as I don't trust him myself...we still need him to find Timid," Twilight stated to the pink party pony. "Fine...I'll tell one of my other selves to do it later," Pinkie said, writing down a note. "...Ooookaaaay," Mischief blinked a bit in confusion before shaking it off, as he suddenly vanished and reappeared on Rarity's back, "Weren't we going to go and look for Timid, cause it's almost dinner time and she needs to make my favorite…" he suddenly donned a parka and a whip, "Now mush!" he shouted, "..." he frowned as his outfit dispelled itself, "...no wait...that's not right…" he pondered for another moment before a cowboy getup appeared on him, "Giddy up!" he shouted as he spanked Rarity flank, making her yelp and run. "After that unicorn!" Pinkie yelled as the rest of the Mane 6 and the CMC ran into the Everfree forest. "High Ho Silver away!" Mischief laughed, waving his ten-gallon hat in the air. "...Revenge…" Rarity growled quietly to herself. "Timid! Where are you?!" Scootaloo yelled as she, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom looked for the shy filly. "She's not in this bush," Applebloom sighed. "She's not behind one of these trees," Sweetie Belle added. "Hey, maybe you should be asking me, where she be." Mischief said, still riding Rarity, "Though after the way you treated me...I'm possibly going…" Fluttershy immediately gave him the stare. "Ahh! Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" Mischief yelped, "Sheeshe! Even when separated from the other group, you won't let up!" he growled. "She's going to be found with alot, and I mean alot of animals talking to them. Despite how ugly, mean and scary they are!" "Just please tell us where she is!" Scootaloo asked, the small, orange Pegasus filly having almost about enough of Mischief's...well, mischief. "...Idiot, look!" he snapped, pointing to a pair of bushes nearby, "She's over those bushes over there!" The CMc, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked at eachother before nodding a bit as they looked over the bushes Mischief pointed at. Once they did, they saw a herd of manticore, chimera and a lot scary and mean animals and in the center was Timid...talking to them? "And...and then...then they called me a Blank Flank." Timid cried as the animals growled in anger. "Woah...she really is talking to those animals…" Scootaloo gawked a bit. "Yeah...just like Fluttershy," Sweetie Belle added. "L...Like me? Really?" Fluttershy asked, "I seen those animals before, they are really good listeners once given a chance." "Huh...go figure," Mischief smirked a bit as he layed on Rarity's back, drinking a berry smoothie, "...Something's missing from this smoothie...I know!" he snapped his fingers, adding a chocolate bar into the smoothie before he took a drink from it, "Much better." he then snapped his fingers again as ice cream appeared before Timid. "Eh? I...Ice c-cream? Ano...w...where did…?" Timid began before she realized who made it appear, "...Misty? Misty, you came!" "Of course," Michief grinned as he poofed off Rarity's back, much to the unicorn's relief, and appeared before Timid Swallow, "I couldn't leave you. Besides…" he looked at the fourth wall, "...this story would be short if we never found you." "..." Timid just giggled a bit at Mischief's randomness. "...Just one thing really quick…" she smiled before doing...the "stare!" "What did I hear about a giant dragon terrorizing Miss Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?!" "GAAH! I'm sorry! They asked for it after they bullied you!" Mischief yelped before getting on his knees, "Just please! Stop giving me that look! I already got it more than once today!" he began to bow as he turned into a worm, "I am a lowly worm to thee, lady Timid!" "And what did you do to my old school and my old teachers and bullies!" "I turned them into farm animals~!" he cried in shame, changing back into his dragon form, "They're still working their butts off at the new farm that used to be the schoo!" "Change them, along with the school, back...now!" Timid ordered, intensifying the 'stare'. "Okay okay! Sheesh...try and have fun once in a while…" Mischief mumbled as he snapped his fingers. A cow mooed and a few pigs oinked before they all changed into different ponies as the farm changed into a large school. "...What just happened?" one of the teachers blinked in confusion. "...There. I did it!" he snapped. "Did you?!" she and, for some reason Fluttershy also doing her stare, demanded. "Graaaahhhh! One's bad enough! But two?!" Mischief screamed, "Stop the madness! Stop the MADDDNESSSSS!" he screamed running and hopping on Rarity, donning the Lone Ranger's outfit, "Get me out of here, Silver!" "My name is not Sil-KYA!" Rarity yelped when Mischief smacked her flank again, causing her to run out of there with Mischief facing backwards on her. "High Ho Silver away!" "...Sis." Sweetie Belle sweatdropped. "Um...th-thank you for watching over Timid. I...I really appreciate it," Fluttershy said to the herd of animals. "...Grrr." they growled smiling as they left, one of the Manticores waving good bye to Timid. "G...Good bye minna-san! And th...thank you again for l-listening to me!" Timid waved good bye to the animals. "...you speak Neighponese?" Fluttershy gasped. "Ano...h...hai," Timid Swallow nodded. Fluttershy just squealed as she started speaking in perfect and complete Nieghponese. "...Kyyaaa!" Timid Swallow screamed in delight as she started speaking her native language as well. "...What're they saying?" Sweetie Belle asked her fellow CMC. "Ah don't know. We don't speak Neighponese, remember?" Applebloom reminded her friend. "Oh...we really got to have Timid teach us," Sweetie Belle said. "Eeyup," Scootaloo nodded before wondering, "Where'd Mischief go?" "Hiyaaahhh!" Mischief roared, dressed as the Lone Ranger still with Rarity as his loyal horse. The two would go down in legend as the Lone Dragon and his Silver unicorn. (the next day) "Wow! This news stuff is great," Pinkie Pie said as she read the newspaper, "The Lone Dragon and his trusty steed steal millions of jewelry and not get caught once!" "Doesn't the pony in this pic look…" Twilight started till Rarity, battered, bruised and dirty kicked down the door. "Never...again," Rarity said in a very irritated tone, carrying carts and carts of jewels, which were actually rock candy. "..." Rainbow Dash began to snicker. "One word, and I'll make you wear a dress so girly, you'll lose your credit as coolest pony in Equestria," Rarity frowned. "...Shutting up," Rainbow Dash gulped. "So, where's your Lone Dragon?" Applejack chuckled. "Whoohoo!" Mischief whooped, dressed as a woman while waving a tissue at them, as he rose up from the rock candy pile before diving back down, the outfit vanishing. "...Nevermind," Applejack sweatdropped. "I want some! WHEEEE!" Pinkie Pie shouted, diving in as well. "...Revenge," Rarity swore once again. "Dive dive dive!" Mischief declared as he and Pinkie, acting like ships of sorts, went deeper into the rock candy 'pool,' leaving only their tails sticking up, "Up periscopes!" "...Oi vey," Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes until she noticed how quiet Fluttershy was...well...even more so as she was staring out the window, "You okay, Fluttershy?" "..." Fluttershy just looked out the window, a blush on her face before speaking in Neighponese. "...A...are you...blushing?" Rainbow Dash blinked when she noticed Fluttershy's blush. "N...No!" Fluttershy tried to hide the blush with her wings. "...You met Somepony, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash grinned. "...W...Well..." Fluttershy stuttered, recalling last night. (cue flashback) "Th...thank you again, F...Fluttershy-san," Timid Swallow said as she and Fluttershy walked towards her home. "It was no problem, Timid," Fluttershy responded before speaking in Neighponese a bit. "Oh…" Timid began before replying in Neighponese until the two reached the front of Timid's house, "Ano...w...we're here." "Good. Now. Let's hope your…" Fluttershy began before the front door opened. "Timid!" Silver Hawk gasped as he hugged Timid, "Oh, thank Celestia you're safe! I overheard what happened today, and I thought something bad happened to you!" "Ano...i...it's okay, Onii-chan. M...my friends, along with F...Fluttershy-san and her friends, f...found me in the Everfree f-forest. I...I was talking with some of the animals there before they found me." "I see…" Silver Hawk noted before he turned to Fluttershy, "Miss. I cannot tell you how grateful I….miss?" "Um...Um.." Fluttershy stuttered, a heavy blush on her face, 'O...Oh my! I...I know Timid told me s...she had a brother but...but...o-oh my!' "Miss? Are you okay?" Silver Hawk asked the stuttering,pale-yellow Pegasus in concern. "Um...s...sorry! Bye!" Fluttershy said quickly as she zoomed out of there. "..." Silver Hawk and Timid Swallow blinked in unison. (end Flashback) "I...It's nothing really Rainbow Dash. J...just recalling a story I read," Fluttershy replied as he turned back to the window. "...Okaaay," Rainbow Dash blinked. "And do you Timid Swallow agree and swear to dedicate yourself to the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Scootaloo asked as the CMC, along with Timid Swallow, stood inside their clubhouse. "Ano...H...Hai," Timid nodded. "Do swear to be one of us until the time arrives where you achieve your own Cutie Mark?" "Ano...I...I swear." "Alright then...we Scootaloo…" "...Applebloom..." "...And Sweetie Belle…" "Welcome Timid Swallow to….the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" all three declared in unison. "A...Aritgatou, M...Minna-san," Timid smiled a bit, some tears starting to fall from her eyes. "I'm so proud!" Mischief cried (and looked) like a baby sitting back on the mountain of jewels he had…"acquired." during his 'vacation' with Rarity, "My little girl is growing up! Next she'll get a Cutie Mark and then she'll start thinking about boys…" he then changed back, "...boys I'll humiliate and eat before letting them touch her mind you." "OH! I just got an idea!" Scootaloo gasped before pointing as Mischief, "We should make him our mascot!" "...Pegasus filly say what now?" Mischief blinked in confusion, "I'm no one's mascot...I'm a star, idol and a Celestia-damn rockstar...but nopony, and I mean NOPONY makes the son of Discord a…" (Later…) "Ahhhh!" he screamed as he was hit again by the Stare, "Okay! Okay! I'll be your mascot! Just PLEASE stop giving me that stare~! It's Evil! EVILLLLL~!" "What did I tell you about swearing?" she growled as Mischief was wearing priest robes while holding a holy cross to try to make the Stare go away. "Just stop in the name of Luna and Celestia! I command you, evil one, to stop!" Mischief cried. "...Alright I'll wash my mouth and be your mascot." he sighed in defeat. "And you didn't do anything else naughty right?" she asked. "Well…" "Ahhhhh!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed, both the size of...bugs? and running from a giant (to them) frog. "AHHH come on!" Applejack groaned, seeing a swarm of vampire fruit bats eating and drinking her product. "Whoooaaa!" Rainbow Dash screamed as she flew away from a living lighting bolt. "Ahh Celestia...I'm beautiful!" Rarity gasped as she was a crystal pony again. "Cool!" Pinkie Pie gawked as she was...a pink pie? "Spike, have you…?" Twilight started before she was looking and gawking at a female figure, "...Sp..sp...Spike!?" "Not. One. Word," Spike scowled. "Why are you so tall?" Twilight asked. "...I said 'not. one. word," Spike frowned as she put her claws on her hips before noticing what she just did, "Gah!" "...What can I say, readers? When I debut...I debut." Mischief snickered, "Oh? 'What did I do to Fluttershy' you ask? ...well..." "RARRHHH!" a monster roared as Fluttershy-or rather Flutterbat-merged with her Saddle Rager persona attacked Ponyville. "Nah. I kid, I kid," Mischief laughed before whimpering while his holy clothing appeared once more, "If that happened and she got cured, I'd be Stare-ed...™...into oblivion." "Who's he talking to?" Sweetie Belle whispered to Timid. "...Ano...I...I don't know," Timid admitted. "Chance!" Mischief yelled, jumping out the window as he looked at the reader, "See you all in the sequel!" Author's Note Hope ya enjoyed the first chapter minna. For those who haven't seen it on Fanfiction, the story was made by me, KKD Silver, GammaTron, Overnerd03(for the first few chapters, same with GT), and Pikatwig(the last one having helped with most of the later chapters). So if you all like this story, be sure to leave a review if ya can.
Heart of Gold pt 1It was a normal day, with the Crusaders all coated in paint, Scootaloo in red, Sweetie Belle in blue, Applebloom in yellow, Timid in orange, Quirky in a mix of pink and purple, Dawn in green and Amethyst in white. "Eheh… sorry girls. I… thought we could get our Cutie Marks in painting," Quirky chuckled sheepishly. "Th...this paint is starting to itch…" Timid informed, trying to scratch her back a bit before Dawn star used her magic to levitate a stick and scratch the shy filly's back, "A..arigatou, Dawn-chan." "Remind me how we all got covered in paint…" Sweetie Belle inquired. "No time! I got to go and see Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo shouted as she ran off as fast as her legs could carry her, "See ya girls later!" "...Is Rainbow Dash her sister?" Amethyst inquired. "No… but Scootaloo looks up to her like a big sister," Dawn Star replied as the six all sighed about the paint, "Though I wish she would've waited until we got this paint off." "Yeah. Ah'd even take a quick rain sho…" Applebloom began before all 6 fillies were deluged in water, the paint completely being washed away. "Wh..what was that?!" Sweetie Belle gawked, moving some of her wet mane away from her face. "That would be my doing," a voice chuckled, making the six fillies look up to see Mischief resting on a tree branch, the dragon taking the form of a raccoon as he held a huge bucket, "Hello ladies." "Mischief… a rather fitting name that thine annoyance contains," Amethyst said in a way similar to how Princess Luna would speak. "Thank you," Mischief grinned as he poofed off the branch and reappeared before the wet fillies, "So where's your orange pegasus friend? Went to hang out with that 'big sis' of hers?" The group gave a nod, with Amethyst simply giving a small nod, giving him a frown as she was still annoyed by what Mischief did. "Hey… be lucky I didn't pour ice water on you. Did that with Sweetie Belle's sister last week, and let me tell ya, that unicorn has a set of lungs on her," Mischief stated, cleaning his ear a bit before he teleported away from the group, leaving the fillies all confused for a minute. "...Does he always do stuff like that?" Amethyst asked her fellow fillies. "You have no ahdea, Amethyst. He once caused such a mess, we had to get Princess Cadence involved," Applebloom informed. "Really?" "H… Hai…" Timid nodded in response. 'Hmm..let's see..what to do to these two?' Mischief pondered, hiding inside a cloud as he watched Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo (the pegasus filly completely paint free) interact with each other. "Tag, you're it!" Scootaloo laughed as she tapped Rainbow Dash's left side before she began to run..but Rainbow Dash was already in front of the pegasus filly before lightly tapping her on her nose. "Tag. You're it," Rainbow Dash grinned. 'Tag? Lame… ugh… what to do… what to do… what to do?' Mischief pondered mentally before an idea popped into his head, but he continued to follow the two pegasi so he could set his idea in motion. "Ya doin' alright, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked the panting filly, "We can stop if ya want." "Yea…" Scootaloo nodded, trying to catch her breath, before the two noticed that the sun was setting, "It's getting late… I should head back home." Dash gave a nod, before they noticed a shooting star pass by, "Oh, squirt, shooting star! Make a wish!" The two both closed their eyes and looked up to the sky. 'I wish I could always hang with my friend...especially Twilight,' Rainbow Dash thought as she looked at the night sky. 'I wish Rainbow Dash was really my big sister,' Scootaloo mentally wished. From a distance, Mischief was reading something, whatever he had allowing him to know what the two were wishing. 'Hmm… Rainbow Dash wants to hang with her friend, especially Twilight, and Scootaloo wants RD to really be her big sis… oh this is going to be good,' the son of Discord thought with a grin before doing something to make the shooting star disappear. "Huh? Where'd the star go?" Scootaloo blinked. "I guess it's gone. I really hope your dream will come true," Dash smiled. "Same here," Scootaloo responded, as they both walked to Scootaloo's home. 'If only...' the two mentally sighed, knowing their wishes were almost impossible to be reality… as far as they knew. The next morning, Scootaloo yawned as she began to wake up, the pegasus filly rubbing her eyes as she got off of her bed. She had a small bit of a gold dust around her eyes, but rubbed it off. "I hope Dash isn't busy today…" the pegasus filly yawned a bit as she walked over to a nearby mirror, seeing she had quite the bed head. She sighed annoyed before trying to get her mane under control, but it fell over her eyes, when this occured, her eyes turned into a magenta and gold spiral, but they turned back to normal, with a bit of a gold hue being in her eyes, "..That was odd…" she then began to leave her room before heading downstairs to the kitchen. But before she could open the fridge, she heard somepony knocking on her front door, "Huh?" Scootaloo headed to the door, but in her mind, she was wondering why she was where she was at the moment before she was at the front door. "...Uh...yes? Who is it?" "Hey sis! There ya are," Dash's voice said happily behind the door, making Scootaloo blink a bit. "Huh? Dash? Wh-woah!" Scootaloo began as she managed to open the front door a bit before she was suddenly scooped up into a hug by Rainbow Dash, "...Uh ...Sis? What're you doing up this early?" "I was looking for you," Dash informed as she put the filly down, "I figured we could hang out for the rest of the day. You know, as sisters should." "Yea!" Scootaloo beamed before her stomach rumbled, "But I haven't eaten anything…" "No worries. We can stop by Sugar Cube Corner for breakfast," Rainbow Dash replied. "..Sweet!" Scootaloo beamed, really excited to hang with her big sister. From nearby, Mischeif was watching with a smirk on his face. 'Part one...complete. Once those two reach the library, part two can begin,' the son of Discord thought as he poofed out of the area once more. "Morning Dawn Star, Amethyst," Twilight greeted the two filly's as she walked downstairs from her room, "Did you both sleep well last night?" "We did a…" Dawn Star began before she felt something different about Twilight, "...Twilight? Are… you okay?" "What do you mean?" Twilight asked. "Well…it's just…you look a bit… different today," Dawn noted, seeing a small hue of gold in Twilight's eyes. "...Really? I haven't noticed," Twilight blinked. "She's right… something's off," Amethyst added, walking down, as they were joined by Spike and Trixie, "M…morning Spike, M… miss Trixie." "Morning/ Mor..*yawns*ing…" Spike and Trixie greeted, the latter yawning as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Does something look… off about Twilight?" Dawn inquired. "Huh? What're you talking about? She looks normal to me," Spike replied. "Something… just looks… off," Amethyst added. "...Trixie doesn't even know what you're talking about," Trixie replied. "...Something's weird here," Dawn Star whispered to Amethyst. "You're right… wonder what's up?" Amethyst whispered back. "I don't know..but…" Dawn began. "By the way Twilight, are you still going to meet up with Rainbow Dash?" Spike asked the violet Alicorn. "Of course. I promised I hang out with her and her little sister today after all," Twilight replied, making both Dawn Star and Amethyst blink in confusion and surprise, neither noticing a tiny bit of a blush on Twilight's muzzle. "...'little sister'?" they both said in confusion. "Ugh… honestly Sparkle. Ever since you and Rainbow Dash started going out, you've been inseparable," Trixie groaned a bit. "Well of course. She's my Marefriend after all," Twilight spoke up, making both Dawn Star and Amethyst gawk. 'M...Marefriend?!' both fillies mentally yelled in shock and surprise. "Thoust think we may beth dreaming…" Amethyst told Dawn Star, before they exchanged a glance and bumped heads, "Nope… thisth real." "I don't understand what's going on… since… wait…" Dawn began, "Remember what Mischief was doing yesterday?" "Y… yeah… he went to… go…" Amethyst began before her eyes widened, "..You don't think…" "We need to find Timid… and fast," Dawn Star said, before a knock came from the front door. "Hey Twi! We're here!" Rainbow Dash's voice called out from the other side of the front door, "Ya ready yet?" "Ready?" Amethyst and Dawn Star muttered. "In a minute Dash! I just need to do something!" Twilight replied before looking at Dawn and Amethyst, "You two be careful and have a good day today, okay?" "Okay," Dawn Star nodded. "You're not gonna be gone all day, are you?" Amethyst inquired. "Of course she is Amethyst. She did promise them afterall," Spike stated to the filly as Twilight headed to the front door, opening it up to see Dash and Scootaloo. "Hiya Bowy," Twilight giggled. "Good to see ya Twil," Dash responded. '...Bowy? Twil?' Amethyst and Dawn Star thought with raised eyebrows. "So where are we going first?" Twilight asked the rainbow maned pegasus. "We're heading to Sugar Cube Corner to get something for breakfast. And after that, we'll go wherever," Rainbow Dash replied. "Who knows… maybe one day I'll have TWO big sisters," Scootaloo giggled. "One day Scootaloo… One day," Twilight smiled gently at the filly. "Okay, is everypony here?" Dawn Star asked as the rest of the CMC (minus Scootaloo) were at their clubhouse. "Yea. Our main order of business is Twilight and Rainbow Dash," Amethyst informed. "Are we gonna get Cutie Marks in Match-Making?" Quirky asked. "NO!" two of the original three Crusaders shouted, "WE ARE NEVER DOING THAT!" "Eep! Sorry sorry!" Quirky yelped. "Why?" Dawn Star inquired. "You don't wanna know. Trust me," Applebloom told them. "..Uh...okay…" Dawn Star sweatdropped a bit before clearing her throat, "Anyways, I'm sure you all started to notice something strange happening today, right?" "Ano… how so?" Timid inquired. "W… well for one… R… Rainbow Dash and T… Twilight are apparently going out," Amethyst answered, making the other fillies look at her in surprise, "I'm serious… me and Dawn Star saw it ourselves." "Hoo boy… when did they get together? While we were sleeping?" Quirky wondered. "Me and Pinkie should throw them a party!" "...I'm not sure actually but… well… yesterday, when me and Amethyst came home, Twilight was just fine. But today… she's suddenly marefriends with Rainbow Dash," Dawn Star replied. "...Now that I think about… Rarity has been acting strange this morning as well," Sweetie Belle spoke. "How so?" Dawn Star asked. "...Well… she seemed to be acting… greedy… she had some gems, and she was keeping them locked up in her room," Sweetie Belle answered. "...Come ta think of it..mah sister did start acting strangely this morning as well…" Applebloom spoke, "Fer one..we had oranges instead of apples, and… she seemed to be actin' like Rarity." "Again…?" Sweetie Belle sighed annoyed. "Ooh ohh! Pinkie was acting strange too!" Quirky spoke, "When I asked her what we were going to do today, she replied… 'we're going to watch paint dry...on rocks.'" "..." "I'm honest here. She really did say that to me," Quirky stated. "Timid, anything about Fluttershy or your brother?" Amethyst asked. "Nope… both are fine. I...I hope..." Timid answered, saying that last part in worry. They all exchanged a glance, starting to think a little bit. "Let's scope this out," Dawn Star told them. "...Okay… this is kinda…odd to see…" Applebloom noted as she and the rest of the CCM walked through Ponyville, seeing some of the resident ponies acting weird. Some of which were especially weird as they had encountered Vinyl and Octavia a few blokes down, the two having… somehow switched personalities. "I know, but we gotta find out who caused all this," Dawn Star replied. "There seems like there's a lot of chaos…" Amethyst noted. "Chaos… Discord wouldn't do this since he's still on a small trip with his daughter, Screwball… so that leaves…" Dawn Star began. "..Mischief," they all figured out. "Ooh! He's so going to get it when we find him!" Quirky yelled, "Well, when Timid finds him that is." "True but...the only question is…" Amethyst began as she looked around a bit, "Where can we find thy little annoyance?" Dawn Star looked around before seeing Sugar Cube Corner, both Twilight and Dash simply looking at each-other with a romantic look in their eyes as they sat at a table outside while Scootaloo looked at the two nearby with a small smile on her face. "...They look kinda cute… almost like a tiny family," Timid admitted. "Yeah...It's really cute," Quirky added. "I know, but focus girls. We need to find Mischief," Dawn Star stated. They looked around before seeing somepony walking by, Applebloom immediately recognizing it as her sister. "Oh mah stars, this heat today is almost a bit unbearable," Applejack groaned a bit dramatically, her hair styled into one similar to Rarity's. "...You weren't kidding when you said your sister was acting like Rarity," Sweetie Belle sweatdropped. "Ah know…" Applebloom sighed until… "Ooh this is just too good," a familiar voice chuckled nearby. The CMC all looked up to see a smiling cloud, said cloud chuckling as a familiar tail stuck out the end. "...Mischief," Dawn Star frowned before she flew up a bit into the air and used a bit of her magic to send a small magic bolt at the cloud, hitting the spot the tail was sticking out. "Ow!" the 'cloud' yelped as it suddenly vanished before Mischief popped up in front of Dawn Star, the Son of Discord taking the form of a Tanuki, " What the hay was that for?!" "Hoo boy…" the other fillies sighed while Dawn Star gave Mischief an even glare. "You're in a lot of trouble, Mischief," the Alicorn filly stated. "..I have no idea what you're talking about." "Liar!" Quirky yelled off screen. "What were you thinking, you baka?!" Timid demanded. "Again, I hav-oh lord no!" Mischief yelped when Timid began to give him the Stare, "No! No not the Stare! I can't take those disapproving eyes!" "What. Were. You. THINKING?!" Timid demanded. "I… I was bored okay! You try finding something fun to do while your pops is out in vacation with your sister!" Mischief yelled. "...I can get some of these changes, with Applejack acting like Rarity, which BTW, I kinda like," Amethyst began, "Rarity acting greedy, Pinkie being boring… but where in Equestria did you come up with Twilight and Dash being a pair?" "...Uh… They… had secret feelings for eachother?" Mischief replied, but getting no response, "...okay okay! I… may have overheard what Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were wishing for last night, So uh… I decided to give it to them and… well… I may have edited Rainbow's wish a tiny bit." "How so?" Dawn Star inquired. "...Well for one...she wanted to be with her friend forever...especially Twilight Sparkle...but..I kinda changed it to have her be with Twilight as a couple…." Mischief answered. "Hoo boy…" Sweetie Belle sighed. "How did you do this? Your magic is powerful, but not that powerful," Timid demanded to know. "...uh….that's classified," Mischief quickly replied as he began to hightail it out of there...or was..would if Quicky wasn't standing on his tail, making him comically run in place, "...not funny." "Tell us now Mischief, or you won't be seeing any rock candy for a month," Timid warned. "No! please! Don't take my precious away!" "Tell us how you did this!" Timid and Dawn Star demanded. "OKAY! I borrowed some weird gold dust from Trixie's old wagon! It makes pony's act like their wish had finally came true!" Mischief yelled comically, "There, I told you! So please don't take my rock candy away!" "Fix them. Now. Or else you will never ever, ever, ever, ever…ano...h-how many times have I said 'ever'?" Timid started. "Four times," Amethyst informed. "EVER, see rock candy again!" Timid threatened Mischief, increasing the power of her Stare. "Five evers… that's serious…" Quirky noted. "...uh...okay okay! I can't dispel it, but i can tell you how to get rid of it! Just..splash some water in their faces, and they'll go back to normal!" Mischief informed, but Timid kept her stare going. "OKAY! ...you need to ring a bell by them!" They gave a nod before Dawn Star teleported in a small bell and handed it to Amethyst before the adopted daughter of Luna began parading around Ponyville with it, causing those who were under the effects of the gold dust to snap out of it. "...Uh...Tavi?" Vinyl began as she and Octavia lost the gold hue in their eyes, "Why're you wearing my shades?" "I'm… not sure… and why are you wearing my collar…" Octavia added. "...I..don't know…" Vinyl responded nervously, before they swapped their items around. "...let us never speak of this again," Octavia stated, setting her collar back in place. "Speak of what again?" Vinyl replied, putting her glasses back on. "Exactly." Near Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight and Rainbow Dash continued to gaze at eachother lovingly as Scootaloo was watching still, eating some carrot cupcakes. "You're so lovely Twil…" Dash giggled. "Thank you Bowy," Twilight giggled, "Now kiss me." "You got it, hot stuff," Dash grinned before turning to Scootaloo, "You may want to turn away, Scoots." Scootaloo turned around as Amethyst began to parade around with the bell. "Huh? What's Ameth…" the orange pegasus filly began before her eyes glowed for a sec, returning to normal, "...Twilight… Dash…" "Rainbow… what's going on?" Twilight asked. "...I got a better question," Rainbow Dash began, her face inches away from Twilight's, "Why does it look like we're about to kiss?" "I...don't know…" Twilight responded before they heard the sound of dishes breaking. Suddenly, Scootaloo began to tear up, before she ran out of Sugar Cube Corner. "Scoots, wait!" Rainbow dash yelled as she ran after the filly, Twilight following behind her. "Rainbow… I love you… and I could only dream of us being sisters…" Scootaloo said tearfully, getting on top of the bridges edge, glancing down at the water, "And… I don't deserve to keep going on… I can't fly… I don't have a Cutie Mark… and I don't have any family…" She began to lean forward to fall in when suddenly, she felt someone grab her and pull her back. "Scootaloo! What are you doing?" Twilight asked, being the one to be holding Scootaloo's tail with her magic. "Leave me alone! you took Rainbow Dash away from me!" Scootaloo snapped, "I have nopony now, so I'm doing everypony a favor and disappear!" "By jumping over the bridge?!" "Yes! Nopony would miss me anyway! The only one I cared most about was Rainbow Dash! She…" Scootaloo paused as she began to tear up once more, "She's the best pony in the world… Sh… she sees me like a little sister… I.. I was so happy when she said that to me…" "Scootaloo..I…" "No! Shut up! It's your fault to begin with! You took her away from me! You… you took my big sister away!" Scootaloo yelled, tears of anger and sadness flowing from her eyes as she glared at Twilight. "...she took me away from you?" Rainbow Dash's voice asked as she flew over, "Why do you think Twilight was taking me away?" "Y… you two were about to… to…" "...To kiss?" Twilight finished, both her and Rainbow Dash still blushing at the memory. "You two keep your love! I don't want to live anymore without a family who really loves me!" Scootaloo shouted, the tears still flowing from her eyes. "...You're wrong Scoots…" Rainbow dash spoke as she pulled out a folded piece of paper from her bag, "I was gonna surprise you with this on your birthday next week… but I think you deserve it now…" "...wh… what is it?" Scootaloo asked, rubbing some of the tears away from her eyes. "...Twi? Let her down so she can see it," Rainbow Dash said, earning a nod from the Alicorn as she levitated Scootaloo to the floor of the bridge, "Open it." Scootaloo stayed silent as she took the piece of paper before opening it. She then began to read it's contents before her eyes began to slowly widen. "Th… these are… adoption papers..." the pegasus filly whispered, "But… why…?" "Twilight helped me fill them out last week," Rainbow Dash explained, "I figured since we see each other as sisters… well… why not make it official?" "...Y… you mean… you mean…" Scootaloo began, tears forming in her eyes once more. "Yes Scootaloo," Twilight spoke, "It means you and Rainbow Dash are family… you're really are sisters now." Scootaloo didn't' know how to respond, her form shaking as the tears poured from her eyes once more. "Uh hang on a second…" Twilight informed, before levitating the papers to check over what sort of family the two were, "...It really does check out…" "What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked Twilight. "Well… It says here you and Rainbow can be sisters or… be mother and daughter," Twilight stated. "Huh?" Dash blinked as she looked over Twilight shoulder, "...she's right." "SCOOTS!" they all heard Sweetie Belle and Applebloom shout as they arrived on Scootaloo's scooter, being moved forward by Amethyst, Dawn Star, and Timid with Quirky riding on teh back. "Girls…" Scootaloo whispered as her fellow CMC members ran towards her. "What were you doing out here?" Applebloom asked. "Well… I was uh…" Scootaloo began. "She was about to leave but we stopped her in time," Twilight replied, not wanting to tell Scootaloo's friends about her attempted suicide. "...leave… again?" Dawn Star sighed. "Again?" Amethyst asked. "We'll explain later," Applebloom told her. "...what's that paper Scootaloo's holding?" Quirky asked, pointing to the adoption papers Scootaloo was holding. "...I'm going to be related to Rainbow Dash now… but… one question remains. Should I be her sister… or her daughter?" Scootaloo told them. "So you may have two mothers!" Quirky giggled. "..." "...What? I got something on my face?" Quirky blinked at the looks they were giving her. "Oh…" Dash soon realized, "That spell or whatever it was made us all lovey-dovey," "Yea…" Twilight nodded, "Me and Rainbow Dash don't' like each other in that way, right Dash?" "Y… yeah," Rainbow Dash laughed a bit nervously and sheepishly, "Me and Twilight are friend, but not those kinds of friends." '...are we?' both Dash and Twilight thought in unison, blushes appearing on their muzzles. "Okay, we're here," Dash said as she and Scootaloo were at her house, the stars shining outside the window as it was night. "Can I open my eyes now, Dash?" Scootaloo asked Dash. "Eeyup," Rainbow Dash nodded. Scootaloo opened up her eyes, before gasping with a big smile. The room she was looking at was a fairly large bedroom with some of the stuff from her old place, her scooter laying against a dresser. In the middle of the room was a medium sized bed with a nightstand next to it, a lamp right on it. "Like it?" Rainbow dash asked before Scootaloo hugged her. "...I love it!" Scootaloo giggled happily. "So… are we sisters or mother and daughter? I really am not sure…" "Hmm… while I like the idea of us being sibs..." Rainbow Dash began as a soft smile formed on her face, "I think I'll have us be mother and daughter." "...I love you… so, so much… mommy!" Scootaloo smiled happily as she buried her face into Rainbow Dash's chest, tears of joy dripping from her eyes. "..I love ya too, Scoots…" Rainbow smiled as she returned the hug "Surpri~se!" Quirky and Pinkie declared as they happily greeted Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, the two pegasi walking in to see Sugar Cube Corner was decorated to the brim. "Congrats on making Scootaloo your daughter, Dashie!" Pinkie beamed. "Congrats on being Dashie's daughter, Scootie!" Quirky added. "Thanks Pinkie/Quirky," the two pegasi smiled as both Pinkie and Quirky placed party hats on the two. "So… mom, do you think one day, I'll get my Cutie Mark?" Scootaloo asked. "Yea… but as your mom, after this party… you're grounded," "What?! Why?" Dash then leaned in forward and whispered loudly, "For your attempt at suicide!" "N… nani?!" Timid gasped, having overheard that, "M… Misty-chan!" "Yes?" Mischief's voice asked as he appeared from the punch bowl… until he started sweating nervously when Timid began to give him the Stare. "I didn't do anything! Why are you doing that?!" "Because of what you did yesterday!" Timid scolded him, "Scootaloo-chan nearly d… ki… you know what yesterday, all because of your prank!" "..In my defense, I…" Mischief began, before Timid increased her Stare. "No! I want you to promise me you won't pull something like this ever again!" Timid almost shouted, as her voice turned rather serious, almost dark sounding, "Do I make myself clear?!" "...I promise," Mischief whimpered, taking the form of a shaking dog with his tail between his legs, "I won't pull that ever again." "...okay," Timid replied as she eased up on the Stare, "But if I hear you doing it again, you're going to be in bigger trouble." Timid the walked off, while Mischief sighed. "Well my mood is dead… ugh, what am I going to do now?" the son of Discord sighed, before he began to think, 'Good thing I had my fingers crossed… now who to prank next?' He looked around for a moment, before setting his eyes on the trio of pink butterflies that made up Fluttershy's Cutie Mark… Author's Note You like? Review/comment if ya possibly can. Also, first two parter in this story.
