Akronus had followed these girls for about five minutes until it came to another clearing in the orchard. He noticed that there was nothing out of place, except for-

"A house? In a tree? What a wondrous idea!" Akronus had seen a spacious-looking tree-house, painted orange and containing stairs that led to a door, about four feet in height. Akronus pulled out a notebook and scribbled a note into it, to make sure that it reached the ears of the men and women of Castle. Putting the minuscule writing pad back in his pocket, and looked at the house from all angles, noticing details and necessities of-the children! He had almost forgotten. Climbing up the stairs, Akronus knocked on the small door. A cloud-white child with purple and pink hair answered.

"Hi?"

Akronus waved and smiled warmly. "Hello! I was intrigued by you three so I decided to follow you. Sorry, I had suspicions."

The child looked at him strangely. This guy followed them without making a sound? That's practically impossible! He spoke up again.

"If it offers contentment, I'm a friend of Ms. Twilight's." He smiled again. He waved and started down the stairs- "If you mind me asking, what does the acronym mean?"

She lit up. No-one actually took interest in the Crusaders, so she welcomed him in. He stepped in, and conjured his own chair. "It stands for Cutie Mark Crusaders! We try to find our special talents!"

The child droned on for about 30 minutes about their club, Akronus listening intently for the whole time. Standing up, Akronus went for the door, the chair popping out of existence.

"Well, it is my time to leave. I must continue my quest, unless you wish to join me. Maybe you receive your so-called "cutie marks", or maybe you'll learn something."

The orange one looked at Akronus. "Where are you headed?"

"The city that rests on the side of the mountain." Akronus looked at them, a look of half-expectance upon his face. He started to walk out the door, when the yellow one spoke up.

"I'm in." The rest had followed her decision. Akronus smiled a gracious smile, opening the door to let them out.

"Let's get back before the others notice I'm gone."

Author's Note

sorry it's short and kinda dumb, but more characters=plot device.