As it descended toward the horizon, the sun basked the land in lustrous shades of orange and gold. Ponyville was winding down and some of its citizens were making their way toward their homes. Soon they would dream the night away, under careful watch of the Princess of the Moon.
Not too far away from Ponyville, down a winding dirt path near Sweet Apple Acres, one could find a large tree house. Inside, three small fillies admired their work together. Applejack had recently gave them the clubhouse, but the old place had loose boards, rotten wood, and a couple unhinged windows that were in need of repair; after a few days of hard work, and much redecorating, the clubhouse had been restored to its former glory. To them, it was a small clubhouse, but it was their place to call their own; they couldn’t have asked for anything else.
“Ah tell ya, this is perfect!” Apple Bloom jumped up and down in sheer delight. She ran around the structure and regarded all the hard work they had put in. “The windows are nice and clean, the floorboards don’t have holes, and we have enough room in here to put whatever we want.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be awesome!” Scootaloo punched the air, her tiny wings blurring. “I can’t wait to start on our adventures!”
“I can’t wait either, girls! This tree house is perfect for us!” Sweetie Belle said to both of her friends. “Although...” She trailed off, a small thought clinging to her mind.
Her two friends turned to her when her voice wavered. “What is it?” they both said at the same time.
Sweetie Belle placed her hoof on her chin, pondering for a moment before noticing the frowns on her friends faces. “Don’t get me wrong girls,” she said defensively. “The tree house is what we need for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It’s just…it feels as if it’s… well… missing something.”
Apple Bloom looked at her hoofwork. She had repaired most of the peeling, worn wood on the floor and walls; she also took the painted interior into consideration and saw that the paint had yet to dry.
Sweetie Belle examined the room: swept, dusted, and tidied by mostly her hooves. Her gaze then shifted to the furniture, donated by her parents after they upgraded their house, and saw that some of the woodwork was out of place and needed to be moved around.
Scootaloo studied various pictures covering some of the walls. Most of her crayon drawings were small, and sometimes over-the-top, but they were dedicated to bringing out the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ image.
In that moment, each pony shared the same feeling.
“You’re right, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said, “There is something missing.”
“Yeah… but what is-” Scootaloo faltered when she discovered the problem, “Oh.” The three soon turned their attention to the open space on the wall in front of the main room. It was the first thing that they would see when they walked inside the clubhouse. The three sat there contemplating for some time, holding their gaze for what felt like hours. As their wandering minds focused on the wall they soon found it apparent that this was the source of their problem.
“Yeah, ya kinda right actually,” Apple Bloom said, breaking the silence within the room, her voice slightly softer than normal.
“Yeah, it doesn’t feel right,” Scootaloo added, her voice sharing the same tone as Apple Bloom’s.
“Indeed. It’s unequivocal,” Sweetie Belle said, drawing her two friends to stare at her with much confusion in their eyes.
“Huh?” they both asked Sweetie Belle, equally dumbfounded at what they heard.
“It means it’s unmistakable. It leaves no doubt… ah,” Sweetie Belle tried to explain but all she got from her friends were only raised eyebrows.
“It’s the same thing?”
“Sorry Sweetie Belle but can’t ya use simple words instead of those fancy ones?” Apple Bloom suggested.
“Just trying out new words that Rarity taught me. I thought it was good.” Sweetie Belle said sheepishly.
Ah’m sure it is.” Apple b=Bloom said little sarcastically, which prompted Sweetie Belle to blow a raspberry at her.
“Hey girls,” Scootaloo spoke in between them, “what about the wall?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned their gaze to the wall before them.
“Well it’s obvious to me what the problem is,” Sweetie Belle said in a soft tone, directing her attention to the wall. “The question here is what to fill it with.”
“I could fill it with more photos,” Scootaloo recommended while holding some extra crayon doodles in her mouth. “I got plenty here.”
“No it has to be something more than that,” Sweetie Belle interjected with a wave of her hoof, “it has to stand out as more than just photos.”
“So… a bigger photo then?” Scootaloo said cluelessly causing Sweetie Belle to bring a hoof to her head, Apple Bloom snickered at her little remark.
“Maybe a photo is not the best thang but maybe something bigger would do,” Apple Bloom suggested while moving forward to the open wall, her enthusiasm shined as she observed the wall before them. “It has ta be somethin’ that represents the Cutie Mark Crusaders as a whole.”
“But what could that be?” Scootaloo asked as she fiddled with her crayon pictures, examining her little creations before settling them on the wooden floor.
“Well I know for certain it needs to be something that we can all agree on.” Sweetie Belle walked over to her friend’s side while examining the wall itself.
“Hmmm, maybe if we had little bit of—” Apple Bloom began to say when she stopped mid-sentence and made a small yet unmistakable gasp.
“That’s it!” her voice ringed out as she squealed in delight.
“Wait what is?” Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom, curious as to what her friend had to say.
“Ah know what we can use for the wall!” Apple Bloom was stomping her hoofs in place, clearly excited from her discovery and releasing much abundant energy to the floor.
“Well stop giddying around and tell us.” Scootaloo said as she tried to stop her friend from jumping all over the clubhouse. After taking a few deep breaths Apple Bloom smiled from ear to ear.
“We’re gonna make a flag for the wall!”
“A flag?” both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle responded with both surprise and intrigue.
“Yeah, ah nice big one right here!” Apple Bloom beamed as she placed a hoof to the wall. “Ya know how we see Ponyville flag hangin outside the town hall? Well I think we can have a flag of our own, right on are empty wall.”
“That is a great idea!” Sweetie Belle said ecstatically, “I’m going to take measurements right now!” She immediately ran over to a dresser and pulled out a measuring tape and began measuring the wall in quick fashion. Once she was finished Sweetie Belle grabbed a piece of paper from the table and began drawing a quick sketch of the flag, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked on in eager excitement. She drew fast and quick but was delicate with her work, a trait that she learned from her sister. After making several sketches on the paper, showing a rough blueprint of the flag, she turned to her friends, smiled broadly, and they all knew what was next.
And that was to create the flag’s design.
For the next several minutes the three fillies began their work for their flag. They laughed and teased at the concepts they had with one another; some were simple while others were complex. Apple Bloom preferred large apples to be placed on the flag with a giant tree in the center. Scootaloo wanted to see fast skateboards and have her idol Rainbow Dash plastered all over it, much to the amusement to the girls. Sweetie Belle continued to write the ideas down on a separate sheet, making notes of what was plausible and what was not. The three continued to have fun brainstorming designs and they didn’t even realize the sun beginning to set over the horizon. Until…
“I think we got plenty of ideas as it is,” Sweetie Belle said through clenched teeth, gazing over a dozen papers that sprawled across the floor, “but I think some are a little over the top.” Sweetie Belle frowned, dropping the pen from her mouth and rubbing her sore cheeks from clenching the pen for so long.
“Well we got to choose an idea…so lets get started with what we have,” Scootaloo said as she went through the papers. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle helped sort out the designs and picked out the ones that they liked the most. Soon they narrowed them down to several designs yet they still could not pick one that suited them.
“None of these designs stand out to me,” Scootaloo said as she rummage through the stack of designs now scattered across the floor.
“Yeah, these drafts don’t seem to fit with the theme of our clubhouse,” Sweetie Belle said as she tossed old papers into a garbage bin; which was filled to capacity and overflowing at this point.
“Well ah think we could go with this shield here, ah kinda like it.” Apple Bloom said a she held a design of a round shield in her hoof.
“Maybe, but it still feels empty,” Sweetie Belle replied. “Maybe we should try another emblem?”
“Wait what’s an emblem?” Scootaloo asked as she fiddled with a few of the designs. Sweetie Belle looked up from her pile of papers, her face puffed slightly in slight irritation in her friends lack of vocabulary. She took a deep breath to calm herself before she explained.
“Well lets say it’s a symbol of our club, a crest or image, if you will, that represents what the Cutie Mark Crusaders are and what they strive to be.”
“Wait, are you sure that is what it means?” Scootaloo responded, baffled by her friends facts. “Because a crest are the feathers on the head of a bird.”
“You actually know what that word means Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked in bewilderment and wonder, her hopes raising to see her friend knowing a word like that.
“Hmm? Oh no I just know that crest means a bird’s head, I had no idea that crest meant emblem as well.”
“Argh!” Sweetie Belle proceeded to slap a hoof upon her face, causing it to redden. Apple Bloom shot Scootaloo a look and had to stifle a chuckle when she saw her obvious bewilderment. After several more minutes of searching they soon found a design of a filly that was to be placed over the shield.
“Yeah this will do,” Scootaloo said as she viewed their work. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle inspected the design and they both nodded in agreement
“Eeyup! This ought to do it.” Apple Bloom beamed, her enthusiasm never faltering.
“Ok, now that we have the designs we got to choose the colors,” Sweetie Belle said as she fiddled with another paper with different color schemes.
“Oh I know!” Scootaloo called out as she ran to a nearby dresser. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle eyed Scootaloo as as she tossed small clothes and papers into the room, creating a bigger mess then before. She pulled away from the dresser and turned to her friends, holding in her hooves their capes. “We can use these colors!” Scootaloo beamed, her wings fluttering as she waved the capes about. Apple Bloom’s grin widened at the idea but Sweetie Belle could only face hoof herself, already reddening the spot on her forehead, before dissolving herself into laughter.
“Hey Sweetie Belle? What’s up?” Scootaloo said as she saw her friend holding her belly in pure laughter.
“Oh...it’s just… we could have used that design the entire time!” Sweetie Belle pointed her hoof to the maroon capes and saw the Cutie Mark Crusader badge on the side. Not a moment later they all were laughing and giggling to themselves on the floor of the clubhouse.
“Hey Apple Bloom! Ya girls up there?” Their mirth quickly subsided as they heard Applejack’s voice. Apple Bloom quickly stood up and looked out the window, seeing her sister just below the clubhouse.
“What are ya’ll giggling about?” she asked, curious at what shenanigans they were up to. Apple Bloom simply smiled back at her sister.
“Hey Applejack! We were just working on a little project for the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” she said which made Applejack chuckle at their little antics.
“Well ah hope you have fun. Ah’m goin into town to get a few things, hopefully some of the shops ain’t closed,” Applejack said and turned to leave. Suddenly a thought dawned on Apple Bloom and she quickly called out to her sister.
“Hey Applejack? Ah was wonderin... can ah have a sleepover tonight with my friends? Would that be alright sis?” Applejack turned to her sister for a moment, quickly tapping a hoof to her chin. “Well it’s a little late but ah reckon it would be fine. I can let Rarity and Rainbow Dash know you're here. That alright girls?” Apple Bloom turned to her friends and they were looking at each other at what to say but hastily nodded their heads to her.
“I know she needs me to help move a few things tomorrow with her work but I think it will be alright. Just let my sister know I’m here okay Applejack?” Sweetie Belle called out.
“Well, if it isn’t too much to ask, you can let Rainbow Dash know as well. She wanted to show off some new tricks later tomorrow evening so just let her know I will be seeing her later.” Scootaloo said, the reply that came was a hearty chuckle from Applejack.
“That’s fine by me! Ah will let them know. Have fun girls!” Applejack said and turned toward the dirt path towards town. When Apple Bloom could no longer see her sister she breathed out a held breath.
“Well that went well,” she said as she went over to her friends side. Apple Bloom clearly noticed Scootaloo was happy about this, excited that they can still work on the banner. When she looked over to Sweetie Belle, however, she noticed that she was a little blue. She looked uneasy by the whole deal, her legs shifting on the wooden floor with soft taps from her hoof. Sweetie Belle noticed her staring and brought a smile to her face, although her uncertainty still remained unnoticed. Feeling confidence rise within Apple Bloom got her friends attention by clearing her throat.
“Look girls, ah know what ah said was my own thoughts but we all know that this flag is important to all of us. Besides, if we do a sleepover we can still work on the flag and have it finished quickly for our clubhouse. Heck we might even get a cutie mark out of it,” Apple Bloom said to her friends and they both turned to one another for a moment regarding their friend’s words, big smiles quickly broadened their faces.
“Well we’ve made it this far to make this work, lets give it a shot.” Scootaloo said as she moved her hoof outward in between the two.
“We have made it this far in creating this, so count me in girls.” Sweetie Belle said as she bumped her hoof with Scootaloo’s. They both turned to Apple Bloom who eagerly placed her hoof next to theirs.
“Lets do this girls! Ah liked to believe we can get ourselves a cutie mark out of this.” Apple Bloom said enthusiastically and her friends both agreed.
“Cutie Mark Crusaders! Banner makers!” They all shouted in unison and lifted their hooves above their heads. After the triumphant hurrah they scanned around the room and notice the complete mess they made of the place.
“Uh I think we need to move our work elsewhere though. There is very little space here.” Sweetie Belle said as she brushed some papers off to the side with her tail, the debris of papers stacking up near one side of the the room.
“Don’t worry. I got just the place.” Apple Bloom waved her friends over and they quickly huddled up, their arms and hooves overlapping each other, and quickly explained what they must do.
By the time they finished discussing the sun has already set.
“Ya know what to do, girls?” Apple Bloom asked and her friends both nodded in agreement, “Then lets go!”
***
The moon slowly ascended into its place as nightfall approached, blanketing the land with indigo light. The town of Ponyville has all settled in for the night, the light dimming one by one as the whole town slowly became silent and embracing the dreamscape that await them.
The moon is now high above Equestria, shining in its brilliant glory to the whole land. Upon the land, however, small creatures emerge to wander the landscape, and to roam the fluorescent night.
Thousands upon thousands of tiny crickets sang their endless and calming tune. Upon the waters of the lake small fish feast on tiny insects that got too close to the luminescent waters. Near it’s banks dozens of white tailed deer grazed upon the fertile grass; several tiny fawns rested near their mothers, while several stag’s provided overwatch over their herds.
The whole land was quiet and the land was at peace. Only a single light was on that shined as a beacon to the night sky. The single light came from a lantern that was held by Apple Bloom, standing near the large red barn, waiting for her friends to arrive.
Oh what fun and mischief they will create this night.
***
Apple Bloom held the lantern in her teeth, waiting for her friends to arrive. It has been nearly an hour since the time they left their clubhouse and went to gather what they need. She closed her eyes as she sniffed the night air, smelling familiar scents that were around her home. She cleared her mind as she exhaled, remembered the things that she said to her friends.
Scootaloo was to find a wooden pole to be used as the flag’s support. Scootaloo told her that Rainbow Dash has over a dozen practice poles stationed around Ponyville; she knew that her idol wouldn’t mind if one pole was missing from her act.
As Scootaloo was away Sweetie Belle was tasked to get the materials and fabric that will be used to help create the flag. Sweetie Belle was off to get the things from her home while she went to the barn.
Inside the musty barn she cleared the floor for their project. She quickly made short work of making a big enough space so that they can proceed with their project. As she worked she heard hoofsteps coming down the path and she peered out from one of the windows hoping to see her friends. Instead she saw her sister trotting back home with a saddlebag filled with groceries. She waited until she was at the house until she felt safe to continue preparing the barn.
Once finished she took the nearby lantern, that hanged from a low post and quickly lit the candle within. She then went outside and sat on her haunches, waiting for her friends to arrive. As time passed by she waited patiently for her friends to come. A slight breeze blew across the air brushing against her coat and making her shiver slightly. She soon shook it off when she noticed a orange speck down the road, spotted easily thanks to the full moon above. She beamed as she saw Scootaloo making her way towards the barn, a large pole gripped deeply in her mouth. Once she got close she spat out the five foot pole and gagged at it for a moment.
“Egh! That’s hard on the teeth.” Scootaloo began rubbing her jaw in clear discomfort. Apple Bloom giggled for a moment before scanning her eyes back on the path to see if Sweetie Belle was on her way. She saw no sign of her which made her a little worried.
“Have ya seen Sweetie Belle down the path?” Apple Bloom asked, wondering if Scootaloo spotted her. Scootaloo simply shook her head.
“No, I didn’t see her until… oh wait there she is!” Scootaloo pointed with her hoof and they saw Sweetie Belle running down the path, a large cart following close behind her. When she came in front of them she was breathing heavily and her coat visibly damp from the workout.
“What took ya?” Apple Bloom asked her friend, as she tried to get out of her harness. Once removed from the harness Sweetie Belle tried to speak but was continuing to breath heavily, her cheeks flushed with red. She then began making gestures and Scootaloo started to giggle at the sight.
“You're trying to tell us something.” Scootaloo said, trying to get Sweetie Belle to continue. As she breathed heavily Sweetie Belle began by pointing at herself and then made a shape of a bigger pony, her hoofs flailing about as she made the shape.
“Your big self or...oh wait your sister?” Scootaloo said as she guessed her pantomime. Sweetie Belle pointed her hoof at her and nodded, signifying that she is correct, despite her ragged breath. Sweetie Belle then proceed to snore and overlapped her hoofs over the other, swaying from side to side as she moved.
“She is cradlein, oh she’s sleeping.” Apple Bloom said, another nod from Sweetie Belle. She quickly pointed at the fabrics behind her then pretended to lift something heavy, contorting her face to show discomfort. Apple Bloom looked at her charade for a moment then stomped her hoof in place.
“Is thick… no she is loaded!”
“No she’s not.” Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom and contradicted her. “She’s saying that Rarity is very heavy or is bloated from eating too much.” Sweetie Belle looked at her friends in shock and shook her head at them; waving her hoofs across from each other until she huffed out a small raspberry. Scootaloo easily caught on, but deciphering it the wrong way. “Oh, she’s passing gas!”
Sweetie Belle took deep breaths in and out, trying to rectify what she was trying to say but her friends were not paying much attention at this point.
“That don’t make sense, what about the snoring she did earlier.” Apple Bloom tried to make a point out of it which got Scootaloo to ponder for a moment; while this happened Sweetie Belle tried to get their attention by trying to speak but continued to wheeze out air. Scootaloo then slammed her hoof to the ground and beamed brightly.
“I got it! Rarity snores very loudly when she sleeps!” Scootaloo made her conclusion. Sweetie Belle Just about had it and she took a deep breath and spoke louder than she should, causing the other two to turn to her in surprise.
“No girls! You got it wrong!” Sweetie Belle said as her voice raised an octave, “The things I had to get were very heavy so I had to move quietly to get materials out of my house and not waking my sister!” Sweetie Belle finished and fell on her haunches, almost falling over from her small outburst.
“Sorry Sweetie Belle. We had no idea.” Apple Bloom said as she went over to her friends side to comfort her.
“Yeah sorry about that. I thought you were saying that Rarity was a heavy sleeper or something like that.” Scootaloo said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.
“It’s okay Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle said as her voice became a little calmer, her breathing more smooth as she stayed in place, “I was not being clear to you girls, that’s all.”
“Well lets clear all of this and get it inside the barn.” Apple Bloom said and began dragging the cart inside. Sweetie Belle helped while Scootaloo grabbed the pole. Once inside they shut the red and white door behind them and laid out all of the materials and tools that they needed in the center of the barn.
“Alright here is the design.” Sweetie Belle said as she laid out the blueprint of the flag, her voice a bit softer than normal. They viewed the flag, which was simple enough, trying to piece together in how they would make it. It was a flat square flag just like any other. In the center would be a shield and inside of the shield was a crusader rearing on its hind legs, a small cape billowing behind it. On one of the edges, where the flagpole will be, were small holes that allowed the flag to be held. The girls inspected the design over and gazed at the materials now organized around them.
“We have everything we need but we must be careful with what we use.” Sweetie Belle said as she spread some of the maroon fabric. Her words caught Scootaloo’s attention as she handled the pole.
“Wait why do we need to be careful? We know what we are doing.” Scootaloo said as she held the flag pole up, only for it to tip forward and land haphazardly in the middle of the pile, knocking several materials out of the way. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo laughed as they quickly sorted through the mess but Sweetie Belle remained silent and this caught the attention of her friends.
“What’s wrong Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom set the materials aside and went over to her friend, she could see a worried look plastered over her face. Scootaloo noticed as well and they both stared at her for a moment, wondering what was wrong. Sweetie Belle turned her head to the side, rubbing her hoof over the other in clear worry, and sighed deeply.
“Well you guys know that these materials are the same ones that I used for our capes, right?” Sweetie Belle asked her friends.
They both looked at her for a moment, slowly grasping at what she was saying. “Well she was mighty upset when I used the fabrics,” Sweetie Belle paused as she closed her eyes, her voice continued to show unease as she spoke, “she had to get new materials to make up her order. I know it was just awhile ago when we did this but now that I have the same fabrics from before I think she’ll be mad at me again when she finds there gone.”
“Oh Sweetie Belle that ain't true.” Apple Bloom assured her by patting her back. “She cares for you a lot, she won’t be mad at ya for doing this.” Apple Bloom said as she comforted Sweetie Belle, she could feel her friend shake slightly from the touch before settling down again. Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo and stared at her intently, trying to get her to say something that would lift Sweetie Belle’s spirits. Scootaloo eyes went wide at her glare and she fumbled her words into the mix.
“Ah.. you know what Sweetie Belle! Ah...I think when we make this awesome flag we can get this fabric back to Rarity before she even knows it.” Scootaloo said as she once again tried to hover over the ground with her wings. Sweetie Belle looked at the both of them, a small smile appearing on her face.
“She’s right. Besides, we can just say we were a borrowing in the meantime.” Apple Bloom said with a cheerful smile. Sweetie Belle smile lifted higher, taking comfort by both of her friends soothing words.
“Alright then girls. If were going to do this together, then we got to make sure we do it right.” Sweetie Belle said, feeling more confident than what she felt moments ago. “Scootaloo, I’m going to need you to make the cutting.” She said as she handed a pair of scissors from the ground to her friend, which she accepted.
“Apple Bloom can do the sewing and stitching.” Scootaloo passed a needle and thread to Apple Bloom which she received eagerly, excitement building in them as they all knew what to do.
“And ya can guide us at what ta do since ya have the design.” Apple Bloom said as she pushed the blueprint to Sweetie Belle, who at this point was more assertive to take on the challenge ahead of them.
“Alright then girls! Lets try not to and make any mistakes.” Sweetie Belle said as she raised her hoof in the air, her friends followed suit. “Lets make our flag together!”
“Cutie Mark Crusaders, Banner Markers!”
The moment they said it the cutie mark crusaders began their work into the night. Following the blueprints they carefully cut several feet of maroon fabric while cutting a half of a length with the blue and a half of that for the gold. The girls quickly began making cuts, guided by Sweetie Belle’s trained eye for the work. Each of the girls knew their part and each one knew what they had to do to make the best flag that ever existed.
Minutes turned into hours as time moved past them, the only light they had was the lantern by there side; the candle melting halfway through its waxy interior, basking the room with a light glow that cast shadows upon the farm’s walls. As they continued to create the flag it was turning into something that was far better than they had anticipated. The flag was stitched carefully around the edges by Apple Bloom, she made sure that every area was checked by Sweetie Belle before she continued on. Scootaloo helped cut out the shapes needed for the flag’s design, careful to make sure each cut was precise and not have any meaningless snips that might ruin the piece. Once she was through she handed the pieces to Apple Bloom where she waited for Sweetie Belle to measure and carefully place the pieces evenly on the flag. Sweetie Belle then turned to Scootaloo to make certain cuts on the edge of the flag for the pole to fit through.
The three worked diligently and carefully, each giggling in excitement in anticipation of the moment they can hang the flag above their wall. They talked and imagined how great it will be when they can march around ponyville, waving their flag above a hill for all of the citizens to see. As their work continued into the night the moon high above the sky was slowly descending down and the three fillies did not realize how late it really was. They didn’t seem to care about the time, their focus was on the flag and they wanted to be sure it would be the best that they can hope for. Their determination to see this through was above anything else they have worked on and they wanted to make their club special for all to see. When the last of the stitching, cutting, directing, and cleanup was finished the three fillies moved the wooden pole into the holes of the flag and carefully lifted up the flag so it leaned against the wooden post. They all took several steps back to admire their work, nearing a stall that was filled with hay.
‘We did it girls.” Sweetie Belle said as they looked at their flag. They didn’t realize it but they all had deep bags under their eyes, a light shade of gray forming around their eyelids.
“Just look at it. It was a long haul and I can’t believe we made it with our own hooves.” Scootaloo said as she nearly dozed off before catching herself to stay up longer.
“Ah think this will be a keeper girls.” Apple Bloom began to say as she looked at their flanks. “We may not have gotten our cutie marks for ‘Banner makers’ but this,” she said as she rubbed her eyes with a hoof, trying to her best to stay awake, “this is our flag.” she said sleepily.
“Our banner.” Scootaloo added, nearly dozing off.
“Our ensign.” Sweetie Belle finished, which only drew stares from her friends.
“It’s the same thing.” she simply stated causing all three fillies to laugh and giggle. Soon the mirth slowly subsided and they all gazed at the flag one more time, the want of sleep quickly overcoming their needs to stay awake.
“This was... a great... sleepover,” Apple Bloom said drowsily as she fell backwards, landing in the soft hay behind them.
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle said as she gave out a loud yawn. “It certainly...was.” She stretched out her back until she fell into the hay as well.
“Ditto. Night night...” Scootaloo let out another loud yawn that lasted a few seconds before she succumbed to sleep, falling in-between her two best friends. They all breathed heavily as sleep overtook them. As the three fillies slept on the moon had already dipped on the horizon, with morning slowly approaching the sleeping land.
***
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack called out for her little sister. The farm pony woke up early when the sun ascended above the mountains, clearing up the chores that needed attention. It was only after finishing her early morning chores that she took notice of her sister’s absence. Thinking she would still be at the clubhouse with her friends she made her way toward the tree house. When she arrived she didn’t see any movements within and everything was very quiet. She went up the small stairs, the wood creaked with each step, and peered through the window to see a mess within the clubhouse. Papers and clothes were scattered all over the floor and there was a large heap that surrounded a trash can; the inside filled to capacity.
“They've sure have made a mess of this place.” she mumbled to herself as she left the clubhouse to search for the three fillies. She searched around the barn for a time before she saw tracks that were deep in the dirt path. Curiously she followed the path which eventually lead to their barn.
“Now what are ya rascals up to?” she said softly as she went inside, wondering what mischief they got into.
The barn door opened and the smell of hay and aged wood filled the air. Several of the small windows had light streaming out near the stalls. She moved forward for a few steps when she noticed a lantern on the floor, the candle inside burned of all of it’s wax. She looked around to first see a small wagon filled with a bunch of colored cloth and sewing equipment. She puzzled at the sight for a moment before turning to see why.
A large five foot by four flag was propped idly on the side of the wall. Moving closer to inspect the flag she saw that the flag pole had several holes that exposed the wooden pole but was trimmed and well stitched, giving it a unique appearance. She opened the flag a bit more to see what was inside and her eyes widened to see what was on the front. The flag showed a large blue shield that was placed in the middle of the flag. On the inside of the flag showed a Cutie Mark Crusader on its hind legs, the color adorned with golden material. Applejack knew beforehand that it was the Crusaders work but as she stared at it she couldn’t help but be amazed at how much detail went into the flag. The thought of the three fillies soon crossed her mind and she wondered where they were. A soft snoring came from behind and she turned around to one of the stalls; taking notice at a pair of hooves sticking out behind the stall.
“Girls?” Applejack said softly trying to get their attention.
No response.
She made her way to the stall to see what they were up to but stopped at the stall to see the three fillies in the hay. Her eyes widened and a slight gasp escaped her, raising a hoof to her lips to be silent. For a moment she was still and gazed at the sight before her. Her body soon relaxed and a broad smile spread across her face. She leaned slightly at the stall’s entrance, admiring at what was before her. She stayed there for some time, minutes passing as she gazed at the sleeping fillies and never wanting the moment to end. Her heart felt a flutter as she saw them huddled close to one another and in the back of her mind she already figured out what their project was and why they were-
“I’m telling you I’m going to get her for this!”
A loud voice broke the silence and Applejack immediately turned towards the barn door. She quickly made her way to the entrance and saw two figures heading towards the barn, one of them hovering as she moved. It was Rarity and Rainbow Dash, she could tell even from this distance, and they were having a spout at something fierce.
“Big deal! I don’t want to hear about it!” Rainbow Dash called out to Rarity who quickly dismissed her with a wave of her hoof.
“Big deal? I need those fabrics for several clients of mine and the clothes are what I need for my orders. Besides I for one, to be frankly my dear, find it more pressing than simply crying over a simple pole!”
“Simple pole!” Rainbow Dash dropped down to her hoofs and shoved her face into Rarity’s, “I had a setup for an awesome trick that I was going to do. I had fourteen practice poles all around Ponyville and I was going to wow everyone with my new trick. But now I only have thirteen with a note saying that one was borrowed!”
“Personal space, please.” Rarity said, pushing her cyan friend back so she was not in front of her. “That doesn't make much sense, it’s just one pole my dear.”
“It’s an odd number Rarity!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “and you know what they say that thirteen is an unlucky number. I can’t have that!” Rarity scoffed at her friends reasoning's which made Rainbow Dash a little bothered, her eyebrows narrowing until they were pinching each other. They were halfway to the barn when Applejack made her way toward the two disputing friends.
“Then take one pole out so that you have twelve. That is an even number.” Rarity tried to reason with her friend but it only raised her ire.
“You don’t understand Rarity! My awesome trick that I was going to perform needs fourteen poles. I can’t remove one and have twelve remain, that will ruin my trick. It will be out of whack if I had another one removed!”
“Well your plight is most ridiculous. I find it more urgent to retrieve what was lost so that I can finish my clients work. I have precious work to perform. I don’t want to hear anymore of this frivolous rabble. Go back to your clouds and just cool off.”
“What did you say?” Rainbow Dash said as she stopped in front of Rarity, her lips curling up at her friend's remark. “I don’t need to go clear the clouds all the time Rarity! Besides I don’t go about in some fru fru dress and show off to everypony else!” Rarity gasped at her statement, her hair whipping to the side as she stared at her friend in outrage.
“Making dresses are my passion! You take that back this instant you charlatan!” Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash, who at this point went up close and personal to her.
“Make me! You haughty Diva!” Rainbow Dash snapped back, making Rarity’s eyes flash with anger.
“Why. you. little! I’m not a Diva I’m a Fashionista!” Rarity seethed as the two stared at each other for the longest time, both of them not noticing Applejack standing in front of them with an unamused expression. She knew when they get into an argument it was usually over major things but what she was staring at was ridiculous. Applejack soon cleared her throat, the noise distracting the two friends long enough to look at her. Before the two could say anything, however, she placed her hooves on either side of their heads and bonked them against each other. The two yelped at the unexpected blow, rubbing the side of their heads at they stared at farm pony before them.
“My dear Applejack. For whatever reason did you do that?” Rarity said as she rubbed her bruised cheek.
“Yeah what gives?” Rainbow Dash said back and Applejack simply stared at them, her expression remaining the same.
“If you two are done griping at one another ah’ll show ya what all the fuss was about.” Applejack said as she headed back towards the barn
“But-” They both said which Applejack turned at them and giving a glare that would stop a timber wolf in it’s tracks.
“Can it!” she said as she stared them down.
The two were silent after that and followed Applejack inside the barn without hesitation, but not before giving each other glares of ‘this is not over’ to each other. Once in the barn Rarity immediately saw the materials in a wagon nearby and she went over to check everything that was inside. When she nodded that everything was in order, Applejack cleared her throat again.
“Girls. I want ya to see this.” Applejack said from a nearby stall. Rarity and Rainbow Dash were about to say something to Applejack when the flag caught their attention.
“My pole.” Rainbow Dash exclaimed to which Applejack quickly shushed her.
“These are my fabrics. My deep bordeaux hue and my tint bleu cloth.” Rarity said as she looked at the flag. Her horn glowed and a faint aura radiated off of the flag and made it flat for them to see the design. Rarity and Rainbow Dash gazed at the flag for quite some time. Rarity could only stare at the piece, her eyes ogle at the fabric and texture, examining at all the details they could provide. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, could only look at her pole that was placed within.
“This is quite a piece. Why I never seen such care done so thoroughly for a simple flag.” Rarity said as she continued to examine the flag before letting it drop down again.
“Yeah… it looks cool… but why does my pole have to be apart of it.” Rainbow Dash said as she hovered near it, only for Rarity to pull her tail with her magic, plopping down right beside the fashion designer.
“Please dear, you don’t want to ruin the art.” Rainbow Dash turned on her again in slight irritation but Applejack cleared her throat to get their attention. They both turned to her and saw her smiling with half open eyes. She leaned against the stall’s door with a hoof over the other, and motioning her head to the open stall. They looked at each other for a moment, both perplexed at what Applejack wanted them to see, before making their way toward the stall.
“I don’t know why this is important Applejack, I don’t see why-” Rarity cut off mid-sentence with a gasp, being completely quiet and her eyes went wide.
“Ah Rarity? What’s gotten into yo-” Rainbow Dash began to say when when her voice trailed off, staring at the sight before them.
The two friends that held anger mere moments ago has now vanished, replaced with a look of wonder for the briefest of moments to sheer elation, captivated at the adorable sight before them. They were stunned at what they beheld and Applejack continued to beam brightly. For what the three friends were seeing was three fillies, huddled closely together amongst the hay. Apple Bloom was on her side, snoring quietly as her hoofs dangled off of Scootaloo’s shoulders. Scootaloo rested herself in front of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, her hooves huddled close against her chest. Sweetie Belle was on the side on the far end, her back against Scootaloo’s, and her tail wrapped around herself as she slept.
The morning rays of the sun shined out a window, casting itself over the three fillies; a smell of pine wood filled the stall as the light continued to shine through.
The three mares could only stare in awe and fascination, seeing the younger siblings sleeping together made their hearts flutter, making them forget the argument they had mere moments ago. As the minutes passed by they continued watching the younger siblings, their small chests rising up and down in quiet serene slumber.
“Were they like this when you found them?” Rarity asked Applejack, her eyes never leaving off the small fillies.
“Eeyup.” she simply replied, not bothering to look up from her sleeping sister. Rarity opened her mouth to speak again when a rainbow colored mane came into her vision.
“Hey look at that.” Rainbow Dash said very softly as she tried to bring a hoof to her mouth to quiet herself. They saw Scootaloo squirming around, her face contorting as she moved about the hay in her sleep. Then, in that moment, they witness a sight to behold.
Scootaloo stretched her legs outward and she yawned like a cat. In that moment her wings extended, stretching outwardly in the air; at the same time Sweetie Belle, disturbed by the sudden movement, flipped her body over and lifted her head so that it settled on Scootaloo’s side. Apple Bloom, her sleep also bothered, huddled closer to her two friends, her tail wrapping itself around Sweetie Belle’s back in a apparent blanket. When Scootaloo finished stretching in her sleep she brought her wings down and her left wing draped over Sweetie Belle’s head, a smile brightened on her face as she became more relaxed. Sweetie Belle smiled at the touched of the wing and nuzzled into her friends side. When the moment was over the three older sibling awed at the sight and bright smiles appeared across each of their faces.
“This is the most adorable thing I have ever seen.” Rarity said softly, her voice almost crumbled in sheer whimper, continuing to smile in utmost delight. Butterflies fluttered within her as she gazed at her little sister in her quiet enclosure.
“Yeah, I never seen Scoots so tuckered out.” Rainbow Dash said as she looked at the fillies before her, a hidden smile stretched on her face and her hoof placed on her cheek.
“They’ve been working through the night.”Applejack observed, her eyes continued to be half open yet never losing its shine, “Ah guess they fell right to bed when they finished their project.” She motioned at the flag and Rarity and Rainbow Dash easily caught on; they couldn’t be mad at them for what they wanted to do.
The three friends continued to look down at the fillies when Applejack nudged into Rarity’s side, which made her raise an eyebrow in her direction.
“Lets take that flag of theirs to the clubhouse. I’m sure they’ll love it hanging in their room.”
“That is a lovely idea.” Rarity beamed and turned to grab the wagon while Applejack folded the flag and strapped it to her back. Rainbow Dash followed close by, her once boisterous attitude was now replaced with a calm demeanor. When they exited out the barn Applejack took notice of Rainbow’s silence.
“Hey Sugarcube. Somethin’ the matter?”
Rainbow Dash hid a smile as she looked down. “Sorry girls, that scene back there… well it just brings back memories is all.”
The three were silent for a moment, memories of their youth flowing back into their minds. Memories of when they were fillies themselves, playing and adventuring around ponyville and enjoying life around them. Those memories resonate with them to this very day.
“Ah remember that you came down with your folks after ya finished your flight camp. Ah think that was when we first met.” Applejack said as she recalled the memories of a cyan pegasus exiting a train with her parents. The two meeting each other for the first time and quickly became friends in a friendly game of tag, chasing each other to their hearts content across town.
“I remember those memories too,” Rarity said as she closed her eyes and sighed, “Ah the joys of youth.” she said as she remembered her encounter with Applejack with Rainbow Dash as they played in the streets and joining in with them on their little adventures, trying her best to catch up and to be apart of their game.
“Yeah… good times.” Applejack sighed to herself as she remembered all three of them running towards the fields and after a day’s worth of play they fell to the earth; sleep claiming them in the afternoon sun.
“At least they are still young. They can make the good times last.” Rainbow Dash said as she looked back toward the barn, knowing that the girls had plenty of time ahead of them to be themselves. Rarity took noticed of her smiling friend and a smug grin slowly spread across her face.
“I didn’t know you had a soft spot in you darling. I thought you were always full hot air.” Rainbow Dash turned to Rarity with an unamused look on her face.
“Shut it,” her attitude resurfacing, but there was a small smile upon her mug. “I don’t go soft that easily.”
The three friends soon laughed together as they continue to move on down the road to the clubhouse, leaving the barn far behind them; while the three fillies continued to sleep in the morning’s warm embrace.
Author's Note
I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I have in making it. I would like to thank my editors for making this possible. Do tell me what you think of the story everypony.
I do appreciate the feedback. 
