Chapter 6-Sprout

Sprout:

“……. Heh, magic wishes…… Just how dumb am I?” Standing before a hospital bed her coat drenched in sweat stands our hero, the farmer mare Applejack. Having run the entire distance from golden oaks library to ponyville central hospital, a seven mile distance in under twenty two minutes the mare is significantly winded. However upon seeing her sister Applebloom still lying in her bed as cold as death, her breath stops cold in her throat, her hopes dashed as she is forced to slowly watch her sister’s shallow breaths.

“I told you MISS applejack!” A grey coated black maned unicorn stallion walks up arrogantly “but no. You refused to believe the words of a professionally accredited doctor. Now as you can plainly see your sister is still in a coma.” The doctor golds his hoof as to cross his arms “now do you have any other ridiculous accusations of magic wishing stones.”

The orange mare looks down at the sister and sighs deeply “no…. No doc. I just…. I just want to visit her now, if that’s all right.”

 “Are you kidding me?” The doctor exclaims “you disrupted the entire hospital with your deluded antics, pulled me away from some very important paperwork and you just showed up here this morning! Why on this good Equestria would I…”

For the first time since he saw the supposedly ignorant and impudent farm mare the doctor stops and looks at the mare herself. Her slumped defeated posture, her disappointed frown and her eyes that radiate sorrow, and suddenly he realizes that the mare before him might not be as bad as he thought. He sighs in defeat “fine, you can have extra visiting time despite the fact you showed up this morning! But ten minutes only, then nurses have to care for her.”

Applejack weekly nods as the doctor turns and opens the door out, looking at the mare one last time before closing the door. Applejack seeing that she is finally alone takes off her hat staring at her unconscious sister, the lights from the fading sun glistening off her coat. “Hey bloom. How are you doing?” Applejack asks.

“The farm’s doing fine, case you were wondering. Big Mac has been handling a lot of the new hire-ons, an with the money ah’m making with this new job with Twilight we’ve got quite a bit saved up till harvest time. May even have room to expand….”

The orange mare fiddles with her hat “granny took it the hardest, you being here. She pretends to be tough as nails but ah can tell how she’s really doin. An Twi, bless her heart, she’s never met ya but she provides the best care and expenses fer ya for notin. You …. You ‘d like her bloom.”

A lone tear falls down Applejack’s face landing on her sisters’ sheets. “She’s snobby and opinionated most of the time but she is a good pony who will do all she can to help out others. An she’s always got a plan, even when things look their worst. But most importantly she never gives up, just like you bloom, she puts her all into everything she does even when… Even when…..” A single teardrop falls on Applebloom’s face causing the unconscious filly to cry along with her sister.

Now the orange mare can no longer hold back her tears “ah…. Ah miss ya bloom. There’s no point dancin round it. Ah’m not upset yer chores aren’t done, ah’m not upset that ya tried to play it tough when ya first got sick, heck I aint even upset about ya whining fer yer cutie Mark.” The mare cries over her prone sister knowing her words can never reach her “so please. Please come home.”

Applejack lays her head on the bed spread letting her ocean of tears soak into the sheets not caring who is looking. And there the mare cries, not a loud sobbing but a gentle stream of tears that slowly let's out the deep seated sorrow that has been building up in her soul. So caught up in her tears and sorrows the orange mare almost misses the soft sound of rustling sheets and a gentle voice.

“A-Applejack…..?”

The orange mare’s ears immediately perk up at the sound of a familiar long lost voice. The voice speaks again.

“…..sis….. Is that you…..?”

Applejack’s head snaps up with such force it rustles the bedspread with the air currents alone. There looking her dead in the eyes in are the small inquisitive pupils of her sister her head craned towards her, her eyes wide open and awake. Applejack stares, unable to even speak as her little sister blinks back at her.

“…..Applejack….. Are ya really not upset fer skip in out on mah chores?”

“APPLE BLOOM!!” The orange mare surges forward tears in her eyes as she embraces her waking sister for the first time in weeks. Holding her sister in a fiercely loving hug as the surprised filly slowly wraps her arms around her as well. And no matter what troubles and calamities the future may have held for those two, for that moment, for that single moment everything was right in the world.

“Humph, will you look at that….” The doctor mutters to himself as he looks in on the two sisters hugging and greeting each other with open hearts and souls filled with joy. Unwilling to join them the harsh unicorn stallion is content to watch on through the glass window above the doorway as Applebloom and Applejack embrace tearfully.

“In all my years I’ve never seen a patient wake up from a coma that deep, it’s a scientific improbability.” Though the doctor wants more than anything to rush in and apply cold hard science to the filly’s’ miraculous recovery, not even he can bring himself to tear apart the two sisters for even a second.

“Dr.Flesh who are you kidding.” The doctor chastises himself. “You’ve spent your entire life studying more improbable happenings in the RSD. You just can’t stand to accept that such a miracle could occur without it being documented and recorded.”

“Perhaps… perhaps there is more to this line of work than science and research.” The doctor remarks half-heartedly to himself as he abandons watching in on the two fillies, walking down the hall with a new spring in his step. “I may hate to admit it but behind all the glamor being a doctor is really about is reuniting ponies like these two.”

However the doctor’s new perspective on life is suddenly cut off as a deep fit of exhaustion begins to overcome his previously exited form. “Goodness, what’s gotten into you doctor? S-So tired all…. of a….. Sudden?” to his great surprise the doctors’ steps become more and more heavy by the second. His breath grows shallow as his senses begin to shut down without reason or cause, one after the other.

“Wh-What’s going on?” The doctor asks himself as he props himself in a nearby chair. “I-I feel so…. Tired……..” Dr. Healthy Flesh remarks to himself his incredible intelligence no longer able to function under the incredible deliberating onslaught of exhaustion that overtakes his every thought.

“I…. Guess a little nap….. wouldn’t…………..” And with that the good doctor, completely overwhelmed by an unexplainable exhaustion falls into a deep and troubled sleep as his very presence goes ignored by thee two happy sisters walking hoof and hoof out of the hospital happy as can be.

…………….

“….an that’s what happened more er less Twi.” Applejack finishes her story for everypony at the table as she looks back at her sister. “Ah’m just glad that things worked out the way that they did! Ah don’t like to admit it….. but Ah was really scared fer ya Applebloom.”

The filly looks up at her sister with a look of utter appreciation in her eyes as she rubs her head “ah just can’t believe ah was out fer two an a half weeks! It feels like just yesterday ah was bucking apples…”

“AHEM!” the orange mare taps her hoof impatiently

“…all right helping to buck apples and the next thing I know ah’m sitting in bed starin up at Applejack! It’s like magic!”

Applejack wraps her hooves around her sister crushing her with a hug “an it was Magic. The best kind of magic the one that makes wishes come true!” Dropping her sister like a sack of potatoes the orange farmer points accusatorially at Twilight Sparkle. “SEE! An you doubted me when ah said that ah heard voices from the stone! It’s just like Lyra said the stones Grant wishes and Bloom here is proof!”

Twilight looks at the little filly rubbing her hoof to her chin “wellllll…… it is true that Applebloom recovered quite coincidently and your claim isn’t entirely without merit.” Twilight sits steadfast as she closes her eyes as if reciting an element of her moral code “Never the less a theory is still a theory, and evidence that these stones really can grant wishes is shaky at best. However I will admit that there is evidence that could be attributed towards wish granting.”

Applejack rolls her eyes “ Give me a Break…….Twi yer as paranoid as a squirrel protectin its nuts in an early winter.”

Dash jumps to her hooves “yeah! What Applejack said! Except less country. Why can’t you just accept that the stones are magic? I mean you use magic all the time!”

Twilight glares at the Pegasus “because I’m a scientist! That’s why! Now I’m sure we are all very glad that Applebloom has recovered but we have other matters to attend to in this meeting. So if Applejack is done with her story I’d like to move on.”

The entire table looks towards the orange mare who after a few seconds tips her hat signaling that she is fine with Twilight moving on “thank you Applejack. Well then, with Applejack’s story told and everyone finally on the same page I call the first ever meeting of the Stardust Crusaders into order!”

“Wait hold on there Twilight…” Dash rises up to her hind hooves placing her fore hooves on the table “Stardust Crusaders? What the heck?”

Twilight leans her head “what? I thought that it was clever! We’re crusading for pieces of magical stones that fell from the sky like stardust so: Stardust Crusaders. Given that the night this all started was called the night of shooting stars I thought it was a perfect name for our team!”

Applejack and Rarity look at each other with concerned faces “um Darling, I don’t mean to insult your creativity but that name, oh how do I put it…..”

“…..It’s as horrible as cider made from rotten apples.” Applejack finishes.

“What?!” the lavender mare shouts “it is not horrible! It’s creative and original! Back me up Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy immediately flinches at Twilight’s requests as she begins to sweat profusely. “Um….. I don’t mean to…. Ummm….. Be offensive or anything….. But that name does seem really plain and generic……. I mean what is some pony is already using it? We could be sued! And I don’t want to go to jail!”

Pinkie smiles “I like ‘The Mane Six’ cause there’s six of us and we all have manes and we’re main characters!”

“I’M NOT CHANGING THE NAME!” Twilight shouts “I’m the government employee and I’m footing the bill so I get to decide what we call ourselves.”

Giving her friends a look that lets them know that this discussion is over Twilight clears her throat and resumes “now onto the main topic of tonight’s discussion….” With a deft moment of her hooves the unicorn mare picks up a box filled with the strange stone fragments and places them on the table proper “…..what do these Strange stones really do? Thoughts?”

 The entire table face hoofs as everypony, save Twilight, sees that their entire conversation is going in circles. Everypony except for Pinkie that is. “Oh! Oh! I know pick me!”

Twilight points to the Pink mare “yes Pinkie?”

The pink mare lowers her hoof and excitedly exclaims “They grant wishes!”

Now it is Twilight who is facehoofing “No Pinkie, I just got through explaining that’s illogical and it’s only a loose theory. We need a real scientific Hypothesis, not mystical mumbo jumbo!”

Pinkie puts her hoof to her chin and thinks as hard as her mind will allow before speaking up “okay I got it! Not only do they grant wishes, but they also talk to ponies as well! Is that a good Hypothesis?”

Twilight double face hoofs “NO! When will you ponies get it? Granting wishes is illogical and unscientific! There’s a rational reason for all of this and if we can pull ourselves out of superstitious behavior we can figure out what it is! Now any real contributions?”

Applebloom tensely raises her hoof causing Twilight to point to her “Yes Applebloom? You have something to say?”

The filly lowers her hoof “Are you always this crazy or is it just today? Cause this is mah first time meatin ya and I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”

“Well Applebloom that’s a very good question… you see……. WHAT?!” Twilight slams her hooves on the table fuming at the filly’s accusations “What kind of question is that?”

“Applebloom!” Applejack snaps at her sister “That was a very rude question to ask! But to answer yer question, yes she’s always this crazy.”

“ENOUGH!” the unicorn yells “I’m sick and tired of all this…. This…. NONSENSE! I know that all of you are set on the idea that wish granting magic exists but I am…….”

“Oh lighten up darling!” Rarity says as she is filing her hoof “I know that you are upset that your theories aren’t going anywhere but please.” Throwing her hoof file off to the side Rarity clears her throat as she prepares to take up the role as the voice of reason. “Dash just let her own inability to see the error of her ways backfire on her and I for one am not eager for a repeat.”

Twilight is about to yell at the mare when she realizes the reason behind her words. Taking several deep breaths the mare calms down before addressing Rarity again “thank you Rarity. You’re absolutely right getting frustrated won’t solve anything now. Thank you for being the force of reason here.”

“It's’ quite all right Darling” Rarity nods “I’m glad you were able to see how crazy you were acting……..”

“I’m Not CRAZY!” the lavender mare shouts slamming her hooves into the table as her horn glows menacingly. Yet quickly the lavender mare realizes all her friends are moving away from her scared stiff by the unicorn’s outbursts.  Calming herself Twilight clears her throat as she blushes profusely “sorry……. Again.”

“……. Like I said quite all right Darling, what are friends for?” Rarity looks towards the center of the table at the box of strange stones “to be honest it feels good to be good for something around here for once.”

“Hunh?” Fluttershy asks “what do you mean Rarity? You’re a great help! Your gem finding spell has helped us find so many of the Red stones in town. We never could have found them without you!”

Rarity looks at Fluttershy a look of sadness in her eyes “Yes I suppose that you are right Fluttershy. I know that I have already been an immense help to you all. It’s just that..… It’s just that I hate being helpless in a pinch. The main reason that I joined this little group was to keep Applejack and later all of you out of harm’s way.”

The ivory mare looks down at her hooves “yet when Lyra attacked us I was completely powerless, I could only signal for help. I mean it was Fluttershy of all ponies who was able to stop Rainbow Dash while I was forced to the sidelines. No offense Darling?”

Fluttershy shakes her head to signal that no offense has been taken ‘”that’s fine Rarity. I never expected to be able to stop Rainbow like that it just happened. And besides you’re the one that taught me that we can do what we are able and let our friends to do the rest.”

“I know darling…. I know. But is there a problem with wanting to do more?” the ivory mare asks “Now you all have such fantastically flashy powers and I feel so….. So powerless in the face of adversity. I know I always am putting my everything into everything I do. But to be unable to do anything……” Rarity’s face fills with tearless sorrow up her face twisting into a visage that appears to be haunted by ghosts of the past “to watch helplessly as ponies precious to you die…… that….. That is something unbearable to me…….”

Applejack looks at her friend a look of concern on her face “Rares… I had no idea that ya felt that way…”

Seeing her friend’s concern Rarity instantly brushes the sadness of her face as quickly as possible “oh don’t worry about me Applejack. It’s just my silly feelings getting in the way again. It’s just that I wish….” The mare closes her eyes “I just wish that I had the power to help you all better, that’s all….”

Responding to the mares’ sudden profession of her desires and much to the shock of everypony at the table the stones ignite once again in a flash of light that fills the room causing all the ponies in the group to cover their eyes. Twilight particularly flails about as she tries to make sense of the situation “what’s going on? Why is it glowing again?” however the purple mare’s scientific inquiry is cut off by a gentle voice that resonates through the library.

You seek to better express your desires to aid others and bestow upon them a gift of your creativity.

‘There’s… there’s that voice again!’ Applejack thinks to herself ‘that’s the same voice that came out of nowhere ah knew it came from the stones!’

You seek power not for your own sake by that you might aid others and in doing so atone for your own mistake.

‘A mistake?’ the orange mare thinks ‘Rarity made a mistake? What could it be?’

A mistake that drives you to be generous. You Rarity are worthy. Now find your inspiration and create.

The light bursts again leaving the room exactly as it was before as the mares right themselves. Rarity in particular seems to have trouble standing on her own four hooves. “Ugh… darlings this bright light is simply not good for my skin, or my eyes. Twilight dear do those dreadful stones always flash that bright? Because if so I think that I’ll need a pair of sunglasses!” a pair of sunglasses forms around Rarity’s eyes shielding her from the light of the room. “Thank you Pinkie, I bit too late, but it’s the thought that counts.”

Pinkie sits on the other side of the table pointing her hoof at Rarity’s’ glasses “Ummm Rarity? I’m over here.”

Rarity looks to see that the pink mare is indeed on the other side of the table “oh, then I suppose it was you that provided me with these stylish silver glasses Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy nervously shuffles in her seat as she stares at Rarity. “Um. No it wasn’t me Rarity.”

“Oh?” now the ivory mare is truly stumped “well if you didn’t give them to me then where did they come from Fluttershy.”

Applejack stares mouth agape at the ivory mare “Rarity….. ah think that you made them…”

Rarity scoffs at this “oh Applejack hush now. You know that I am a fabulous designer of fashion but forming something from out of thin air like a new umbrella is simply….” Rarity picks the glasses off her face with the gentle glow of her telekinesis, causing it to take the form of a smart silver umbrella. Rarity stares mouth agape at the silver object, then closing her eyes intently the silver umbrella then changes shape into a beautiful silver dress. Blinking again Rarity wills the dress to change form into a solid silver sphere about seven hoof lengths across each molecule of the mercury ball moving and flowing at its user’s slightest will.

Twilight stares mouth agape as Rarity moves the liquid metal stand in various shapes with as her horn glows. The stand itself seems to flow like water as Rarity molds the shimmering metal completely absorbed in her newfound powers. “What. The……”

Twilight’s imminent burst of obscenities is cut off by Rainbow Dash’s perfect timing “Oh come on!” Dash yells “Now Rarity gets as stand? Now it works? Why didn’t the stone grant my wish to have a mountain of bits or that wish to be captain of the wonderbolts?”

Rarity fiddles with her amorphous stand like a fowl with a new toy constantly forming it into new shapes or levitating it in the air with her telekinesis while moving it around.

Applejack looks at her friend with a bemused look “Dash ah don’t think that that’s a good wish. From mah experience the stones seem to only grant the real important like wishes.”

Dash slams her hooves on the table “But me being the fastest most Awesome Wonderbolt in Equestria is real important!”

Applejack rolls her eyes “whatever Dash…” Dash grumbles as the orange farmer turns to face her ivory friend “more importantly…….” Applejack watches as Rarity forms her stand into the form of a glimmering sword.

“You have a stand…….” Applejack stares intently as rarity moves the liquid shape with her mind alone “Rarity You have a stand! Do you know what this means?!”

Rarity looks at applejack her lack of attention causing the liquid to pool and fall to the floor before evaporating into thin air “it means that I can design my dresses at twice the normal rate at which I normally craft them?” the mare asks excitedly.

Applejack looks at the mare as if she just grew a third head “uhhhhh yeah that, but more importantly…….” The orange farmer trots up to Twilight Sparkle walking over to the purple mare and dropping to her plot only a hoof length away from her.

Suddenly Applejack looks at Twilight with an unnerving stare “Ummm Applejack what’s with the staring?”

The orange farmer begins to smile like a mare that has cheated death itself all the while staring at Twilight “Why are you smiling like….. Oh no.”

The farmer licks her lips slowly wetting her mouth “Don’t do it Applejack!”

The mare coughs as if to pave the way for saying something important “I know the disintegration spell Applejack and I’m not afraid to use it!”

Applejack slowly opens her mouth “Applejack I swear to Celestia! If you even think of saying it, IF YOU EVEN THINK of saying those words there will be DIRE consequences!”

Slowly…. Ever so slowly the orange mare opens her mouth, and says the most painful and embarrassing words a pony who is wrong can possibly hear “I told you so.”

The lavender filly freezes up like a statue the words echoing through the corridors of her mind each time chipping away a little bit of her sanity. Suddenly the mare can take it no more and fires a light blue beam of magic at the filly Applebloom.

Her sister gasps in terror “TWILIGHT! Ah know that was kind of tasteless but how dare ya take it out on mah sister like that!” turning to her sister Applejack begins to coddle her in her hooves “Applebloom are yawl all right?”

The filly raises her hoof to her ears with a quizzical look “WHAT?”

Applejack raises her voice “AH said ARE YAWL ALL RIGHT?”

“WHAT?”

“She can’t hear you Applejack, my defining spell has made sure of that.” Twilight says as she takes in very deep breaths “Don’t worry I can easily dispel it later.”

“Defining? Why would yawl deafen mah sister ta punish me?”

“Applejack, I didn’t deafen your sister to punish you.” Twilight says “I did it so that she wouldn’t hear this.”

Suddenly with the force and intensity of the royal canterlot voice the lavender mare begins to cuss with the force and creativity that makes Applejack very glad that her sister can’t hear anything. In great detail and using almost every curse word known in the equestrian language (‘101 words not fit to be said’) the Lavender mare begins to curse the laws of physics, probability and the utter defeat of the scientific process. But more than anything she curses the universe itself that seems to be conspiring to make a deliberate fool out of her. The mare continues and continues to curse as her friends look on with mixes of horror, admiration, laughter and bashfulness, simultaneously until the mare finally runs out of steam and falls to the table in exhaustion. Pointing her horn towards the young Applebloom Twilight dispels the spell she cast on her to prevent her from hearing that. “All right Applebloom…” the lavender mare sighs “you should be able to hear now…..”

“WHAT?” the filly asks

The lavender mare sighs as her head hits the table all her friends watching her and trying to recover from the mare’s barrage of profanity. Finally the butter yellow pegasus finally builds up the courage to walk up to the mare “um…. Twilight? Are you okay?”

Twilight raises her head “yes of course I’m fine Fluttershy! It’s not like the universe is conspiring against me or anything!” the mare laughs emptily before slamming her head into the table again “now I just have to find a way to send a letter to princess Celestia saying that magical wish granting stones are falling from the skies all around Equestria.” The lavender mare sighs again as she looks around the table. “I just… I just don’t know what to do. What do I do now…..”

The entire group is silent as they gather around the lavender mare all of them not knowing what to say as Twilight Sparkle slowly bangs her head into the table. Suddenly Pinkie Pie’s hoof shoots straight up in the air as she bounces excitedly in place. “Ooo! Ooo! I know what to do! We should throw a party!”

Twilight groans as she pulls herself off the table “Pinkie! A party is your solution for everything!”

“I know Twilight but please, hear me out.” The sudden serious tone of the pink mare causing everypony to pay attention. “When you first came to Ponyville you were super alone! You didn‘t trust any pony and you didn’t even want any friends. But now….” The pink mare pulls all of the ponies in the room into a single giant hug defying all possibility “…now you have lots and lots of friends that really care about you! You said once that I couldn’t throw you a party cause you didn’t have any ponies to celebrate with. But now you do and no matter what’s going to happen we’ll be able to face it together!”

Pinkie extends her hoof to the lavender mare “so I say we throw the biggest ‘welcome to ponyville’, ‘we all have stands’ and ‘Applebloom’s not in a coma’ combo party ever! What do you say?”

Twilight slightly tears up a as she looks across the room to see it filled to the brim with all of her most important friends. All of them willing to stand by her thick and thin through whatever dangers the world can throw at her. With a smile on her face she takes Pinkie’s hoof “You know what Pinkie? You’re right! We’ve all gotten stand powers, Applebloom has woken up and we’ve all solved a major mystery about the strange stones all while retaining our health. I would never have thought that I would be saying this when I was living in Canterlot, but let’s have a party!”

Without another word pinkie disappears in a cloud of smoke and before a pony could say Yahtzee! The room is covered in streamers banners and several kinds of cake, all a courtesy of pinkie’s party cannon. “Then without further ado… Let’s party!”

Applebloom’s eyes widen as she looks across at the colorful display “wow! Can I party too? Ah just love Pinkie’s parties!”

Applejack looks at her sister with worry “ah’m not so sure of that bloom. Ya just got out Of the hospital an all. Doctor said that ya needed rest an….” Applejack is cut off by the sight of the filly ‘s pouting, her little eyes widening to maximum cuteness. Not even applejack can resist “well…. I suppose it is yer party….. But no stayin up past yer bedtime! Ya need yer rest.”

The filly looks disheartened “aww but Applejack…..”

“No buts missy. Ya can stay fer the first half of the party but no later!”

“Aww……” The filly begins to pout against the injustice of it, no sooner than getting out of the hospital and she gets groused by her sister.

However the filly’s plight does not go ignored as a rainbow maned pegasus flies down next to her “hey kid don't sweat it! You’ll be able to stay up and do all the best and most awesome things like the grown-ups do!”

“Really?” The hopefully filly responds

“Yeah!” Dash snickers “in about ten years! Ha!” Dash slaps the filly’s back in her cruel jest. Suddenly the moment her hoof lands on the filly’s back Dash is sent flying backwards landing head over hooves on her the hardest most fortified part of her body, her head. The entire room looks over in surprise as the speedster groans on the floor, a victim of her own malice.

Twilight walks over to the embarrassed rainbow Dash looks up at Twilight “how…. How did I get on the floor? Did we break out the cider already?” The rainbow mare asks her eyes spinning in her head.

“I have No idea Dash but I know for sure that that certainly wasn’t normal…” Twilight muses as she picks her impulsive friend off the ground “but it seems like you just fell over. Applebloom did you do anything to….. Applebloom! Look!”

All eyes in the room turn to the yellow filly and a strange shaped object that seems to be growing out of her very back. The object in of itself appears to be a small sapling comprised of brass that has only three small branches and a hoof-full of golden leaves sprouting out of its tiny branches. The brass plant appears to be growing out of Applebloom itself, its roots completely invisible as only the stem juts out of her back. However the strangest feature of the stand itself is the fact that its branches and stem are curled up into the shape of a circular springs giving the plant a bouncy and flexible look as it bobs back and forth along with the filly’s body.

“GUAH!” the surprised Applebloom seeing a plant growing out of her falls flat on her flank the plant disappearing almost instantly as she stares at where it popped out of her body. “A-Applejack? Is this because I ate that watermelon seed when yawl told me it would grow inside of me? Cause if it is I’m sorry that ah ever doubted ya.” The filly looks on her elder sister with pleading eyes “Please remove it before a watermelon grows inside of me, ah don’t want ta explode.”

Applejack tilts her head looking at her sister with a look of confusion and slight fear.  “Uh, sis? Ya didn’t eat any watermelon seeds while you were in the hospital did ya? I mean ya were in a coma all that time right?”

The filly tilts her head “uh yeah Sis….. I woke up, we spent the next two hours fillin out discharge paperwork an stuff an we came straight here. Why?”

The orange mare throws her hooves up in exasperation “Well if ya didn’t eat a Watermelon, why would ya think one was growin in her stomach?! Sides watermelons don’t do that, now thimble melon seeds…. Whoee! Now yawl don’t want ta see what happens when ya eat those!”

“Well I didn’t know! What else could that have been?” Suddenly the filly’s mind catches up to her sister’s words “wait! Yawl were lying to me about the watermelon seeds?! I was so terrified of a plant growin in mah belly ah never ate a single Watermelon all last summer! Why in Equestria did yawl lie….”

“Well ah don’t know Applebloom?” Applejack rolls her eyes. “It may have something ta do with the fact that we’re the APPLE family an ah don’t want mah kin eatin any ‘lower class’ fruits on mah watch.”

“Anyways!” The Twilight walks between the two sisters “I think that the bigger issue is that Applebloom sent Rainbow Dash falling to the floor without even touching her.” Twilight looks inquisitively at the filly as she gently manifests her stand in front of her. Tapping bloom in the side with her stand twilight’s prodding causes the plant like object to spring out of Applebloom again this time with much less force.

Twilight nods and withdraws her stand “well it’s official. Applebloom has a stand power.”

“What!” Applejack yells “what…. But how…. What…..”

Applebloom fares little better “ah…. Ah have a stand?”

Twilight taps her chin “well it seems to be an automatic stand power, that is, it automatically activates its power once the pony wills it to work, like a shield. And from what I can tell it doesn’t’ seem to be able to move at all, so it’s an Ability type stand like Fluttershy’s.” Applejack her eyes widening prods her sister causing the plant to appear at the point of contact sending Applejack’s slight prod shooting back on itself.

“And more interestingly” Twilight continues “it seems to respond automatically to the stimulus of being attacked so you won’t have to worry about it going out of control or having to learn how to use it. But yes it seems like now even a little filly with no formal training can develop a stand power. Ugh! Just how many more ponies are going to get stand powers! Who’s next? The mail mare?! I should really start with a…….”

Twilight’s rant is cut off by Applejack tapping her on the shoulder. “Uh..… Twi?” The orange mare points to her sister who looks as though she has drank an entire liter of coffee in under three seconds. Her body bouncing around in excitement, her words streaming out of her mouth like a river of fire.

Applebloom gasps. “Ah have… A stand? Just like mah sis?” Twilight nods causing the filly to woop in glee jumping in the air and clicking her heels “this is great! We can go on adventures together! Ah can help out a be part of the team an have mah own theme song an…,”

Applejack sighs “no ya aint Applebloom.”

The filly stops her prancing immediately “what? Why not? I got a stand an everythin!”

Applejack stamps her hoof “because it’s dangerous! That’s why. An just cause ya have a stand that..… That…. What does yer stand do anyways?”

Twilight looks at Applebloom inquisitively as she trots around the filly unnervingly “well from Dash’s initial response and the fact that the ‘counter’ activated the second after she was ‘attacked’ by Dash …. I would say that Applebloom’s power is some kind of kind of kinetic energy rebound.”

Applejack blinks with a vacant stare

Twilight suddenly realizes she’s talking to a farmer “uhhhhhh it returns an opponent’s attacking force back on them.”

“….Right that.” Applejack turns back to her sister “anyways it’s one thing ta have a stand, it’s another ta be able ta use it. Sides our work’s too dangerous fer a little filly.”

“But ah can use it!” Applebloom protests “an I can help!”

“The answer’s no bloom.” Applejack puts her hoof down “yawl can help by stayin out of the grown up ponies way, an stayin out of trouble.”

Applebloom is ready to begin another round of protesting when Pinkie grabs the two sisters with a surprise hug squeezing them both together “come on girls, let’s stop with this moping! We’ve got a party to celebrate! This is no place for an argument! Unless it’s about what kind of cake is best, that in that case it ‘s triple chocolate!”

Applebloom’s further protests are cut off by Applejack “pinkie’s right this is no place fer arguin bloom, we’re here to celebrate yer recovery.”

“But Applejack! You were arguin too!”

“Applebloom!” Applejack stamps her hoof with the sound of thunder, laying down the law “Now ah don’t want ta hear any more o yer bickerin. Yawl are too young an that’s that. An if I hear any more sass you’ll be sleepin through the rest I the party. Understand?”

Applebloom opens and closes her mouth repeatedly however in the end her desire to stay at the party and not be sent home early overrides her indignity and she nods affirmatively.

“Good!” Applejack nods “Now run along an have fun. I see Pinkie brought yer favorite cake so have a slice er two and remember it’s yer party too.”

As the slightly less disappointed filly (pinkie’s cake will do that to a pony) trots off the remainder of the group comes together as pinkie hands each one a mug of fresh (non-alcoholic) cider. Raising her glass high in the air pinkie shouts “A toast!” The pink mare shouts “to a great party, and even greater friends!”

Applejack raises her mug “a toast!”

Rarity Raises hers as well “a toast darlings!”

Fluttershy raises her glass with much more gusto than normal “a toast….”

Rainbow nearly slams her glass into the others raising it with such gusto “An Awesome Toast!”

Twilight beans as she raises her glass to her friend’s a look of sheer joy on her face “a toast to great friends!”

“HERE HERE!!!” The all yell at once downing their drinks with mighty gulps.

Pinkie seeing the mood is just right jumps up on the table. “Well then ponies without further ado, Let the triple party jubilee, the greatest celebration held in a library BEGIN!”

And with that the six new friends (with the exception of one little filly who was sent to bed early) celebrated all night, excited at the fact that their journey was just beginning.

……..the next morning……..

As most parties go the party to celebrate Applebloom’s recovery, Twilight’s welcome to ponyville and everypony getting stands was one of the greatest triple combo parties the pink mare had the pleasure(s) of throwing. However as all parties must, the party ended far too soon and the next morning a certain yellow filly found herself grumbling as she trotted down the road to go to a place that she rather would not go.

“Stupid Applejack” Applebloom mutters as she kicks a stone on the path, the yellow filly‘s saddlebags filled to the brim with books paper and pencils “sendin me ya school while she an her friends have a super-secret club meatin! It aint fair!”

The filly punches a nearby post as she walks unwillingly to the path to the schoolyard. More than anything she wanted to turn around and run back to the golden oaks library, to where her sister was and do something, something important! She hated being excluded because of her age and she hated being babied even more. However Applejack made it very clear just what would happen if she heard from Miss Cherilee that she decided to skip school. Applebloom shuddered at the thought of Applejack’s punishment, and so the filly continued to walk unwillingly to the schoolyard ahead of her.

Finally the yellow filly comes into sight of the large bright red building in front of her the yard filled with the sounds of fowls like her laughing and playing. Part of Applebloom wanted to be excited for this, her first year of real schooling at an actual school. With life on a farm she had been homeschooled by granny most of her life. It was a lot more effective and more practical when you could adjust the schedule for harvest or didn’t have to work to where you were learning your multiplication tables. But it also meant the little filly had few close friends outside her family, few fillies and colts her age with whom she could relate. It had taken weeks of begging and chores to convince her sister she could handle both the farm work and her new schooling at Ponyville elementary. And now she was here on the cusp of a new experience a new adventure for her to delve into.

“ Maybe…….” The filly optimistically hopes  “maybe this won’t be so bad at all?”

“BLANK FLANKS! BLANK FLANKS!” A loud voice resonates over the fences of the schoolyard

The filly’s ears droop immediately “or not….” She recognized that voice.

Walking through the gates to the schoolyard Applebloom comes within name calling distance of a familiar filly that she had rather hoped not to see. A pink filly with a well groomed two toned mane of white and mauve and a cutie Mark of a shiny crown, an exact duplicate sitting on her pompous head. Her cocky self-righteous grin permanently plastered on her muzzle displays her cutie mark’s true calling, to stand over others and dominate.

“ Diamond tiara…” Applebloom mutters under her breath. And of course flanking the queen of the universe itself is the pink mare’s crony silver spoon. Wearing her trademark fancy glasses and accusatory gaze the grey filly with a silver greased mane done in an intricate ponytail and a silver spoon stamped on her flank, symbolizing her talent for manners etiquette and unbreakable decorum. The mare had made it her mission in life to follow her master and aid in her mission to make every pony‘s life miserable. True she wasn’t as bad as Diamond but her appearance would herald the coming of the spiteful filly so Applebloom liked to avoid her anyways.

Applebloom and Diamond had been bitter enemies ever since either could remember. Though the Apples and Filthy rich (Diamond’s father) had been business partners since before either fillies were born the two fillies relationship had soured into a bitter and aggressive rivalry. Ever since filthy brought his daughter to the apple’s farm and she had called Applebloom’s sister a ‘country hick’ the two had been at each other’s throats. Both families had hoped that the two fillies would be fast friends given their common ancestral history in the founding of Ponyville. However after the subsequent beating Applebloom had given Diamond for her insult of her sister and Applebloom’s subsequent ultra-heavy duty secret prohibition free maximum grounding the two couldn’t be farther from companions.

Applebloom would have prepared for her insult if the day by now and given a witty retort however it appeared that fate had decided to smile on her today as it looked like Diamond had decided to pick on somepony else today. Or rather some ponies else…….

“Well? Got anything to say for yourselves?” Diamond walks around the two fillies in a circle. “You just thought that you could splash me with mud and get away with it? Did you Blank flanks?” Diamond says as she walks around the fillies like a vulture circling her meal.”

“So what!” An orange pegisi a filly yells as she buzzes her wings in an attempt to intimidate her opponent “so we threw a ball and it splashed a drop of mud on your coat? Look it’s not even visible!”

“I don’t know….” Diamond says as she flanks the mares “Silver what do you think? Should I just forget about it?”

Silver who is currently mirroring Diamond circling around the fillies begins to smile “I don’t know Diamond. I mean they refused to apologize even after insulting your word, and they’re like totally rude….….. I don ‘t think that you should let them off so easy….”

The white filly in the center whimpers closer to the ground, her two toned mane of light purple and pink, shaking as she looks up with her green eyes “just…. Just leave us alone! You… You bullies!”

Diamond stops in her tracks directly in front of the white filly causing her to whimper in fear. Diamond taps her chin “you know what Silver? I think that I will forgive them!”

“What?” Silver stops looking both surprised and relieved at the same time.

“Yes.” Diamond says “after all… It’s not like I would expect any civil and polite behavior…..” Diamond leers at the two fillies “….. From BLANK FLANKS!” The entire playground laughs at Diamond’s tasteless joke as even the brave Orange filly begins to tear up at their combined laughing.

“I mean if they are willing to admit that they are uncivilized blank flanks with no redeemable qualities whatsoever, of course I’ll forgive them! It’s not like they know any better.” The laughter continues embarrassing the fillies even more as Applebloom watches on.

“…..Diamond….. Well at least I'm not the object o ridicule on mah first day. Maybe ah might actually be able ta make some friends before Diamond tries ta make a fool out of me.” Applebloom looks around searching for some pony to make friends with, a spotted cold with a brown mane, a light blue pegisi a filly, a teary eyed orange pegisi and her white….

Suddenly Applebloom can‘t look away from the tormented fillies their situation a perfect window into her past bullying experiences. ‘Except these fillies don‘t know how ta fight back…. They can‘t handle Diamond’ the yellow filly shakes her head suddenly as remembering something critically important. ‘What am I thinkin? I can‘t let Diamond make fun I any pony! Not when ah have the power ta stand up fer them! Sides……That’s what applejack would do!’ Bravely the yellow filly steps forward through the crowd as Diamond Tiara continues to mock the two defenseless fillies.

“Well?” The pink filly swishes her hair to the side “are you going to apologize? Or not? Blank flanks.”

Silver looks at the two fillies with her accusatory gaze “I don’t think that they’re going to Diamond.”

“Well of course!” Diamond laughs “after all everypony knows that Blank Flanks are young, immature….”

“Yawl got a problem with Blank flanks…..” Every head on the playground turns to face the newcomer as the filly’s pink ribbon blows in an arriving wind. “Ah said, do YOU, have a PROBLEM, with Blank Flanks? Do you Diamond Tiara?”

Diamond’s body immediately tenses up as she turns to face her eternal enemy. Her body instinctively reacting to the presence of a real challenge. Diamond locks eyes with the filly in front of her, knowing this won’t be an easy fight in any sense of the word. Diamond turns her head looking at Applebloom out of the corner of her eye as if she were far beneath her notice “well look who decided to show up! If it isn’t the princess of the blank flanks herself! What’s wrong worked that your little wittle subjects are crying?”

The playground fillies circle around the two knowing that this is going to be an epic showdown between the two rivals. Applebloom take a step forward “well ah may just be a poor country farmer….” Unwilling to let her rival put a negative spin of her heritage “……But ah just thought that the princess of snobs had better things ta do than hang around with blank flanks. Or is it that yawl’s Crony Silver is getting too boring fer ya so yawl are reduced to hangin round us blank flanks? If ya needed a new friend yawl could have just asked Diamond.”

The entire playground ohhs at Applebloom’s righteous burn causing Diamond to grind her teeth in her rage. ‘Looks like Applebloom brought her A game today, I’ll have to step it up!’ “Oh but I was bored!” Diamond says as she steps off to the side looking off to the heavens “how would I be able to survive a single day without hearing your butchered country accent and uncouth stories about shoveling mud on your dirt farm. And I thought that you were too scared of little old me to show up!” Diamond smiles as she turns back to her opponent, “after all you skipped the first two weeks of school! What’s the matter Apple-loser? Were you to chicken to face me?”

Now it is the other filly ‘s turn to grind her teeth in anger as the playground around her chuckle at her from under her breath. “Ah was in the hospital Diamond….”

“For what?” Diamond smirks “to get that ugly wart removed? Well I guess you weren't able to get it off after all. I guess that removing your entire crushed face and replacing it with something that doesn’t make me want to barf was out of your family’s price range.”

Now the entire playground is laughing uproariously at her as Applebloom tries to slump away from their jeers. Diamond holds her head triumphant in her victory knowing not even Applebloom can come back from that insult.

A normal filly might have shrunk down and bowed her head at such embarrassment letting the alpha dog on the playground have her day. But Applebloom was anything but a normal filly “Well at least ah wasn’t born ugly like you Diamond Tiara!” The yellow filly retorts “fer all ya money and class ya couldn’t fix her ugly mug or yer ugly attitude! At least ah have an a good heart! Ya might have money Diamond, but ya are as rotten as a moldy old stump!”

The entire audience is struck dumb at Applebloom’s sudden scathing comeback as Diamond fumbles about to find any retort to silence her aggressor. “Well…. Well….” The pink mare comes up blank as she tries to counter “well…. You….”

“An another thing!” Applebloom lurches forward her eyes only a hoof-length away from her enemy “no pony here likes yawl’s bullyin! In case yawl haven't noticed lots of fowls here are blank flanks! An yawl just walk around usin it as an excuse to make other ponies miserable!” The yellow filly ‘s advance pushes Diamond back as she tries to put as much distance between her and her advancing foe “ordinary ponies might be impressed by yawl’s fancy money and snobby attitude and insultin ways, but ah aint! Cause I know that deep down ya aint a brave strong an smart filly like ya try ta make yerself seem by tearin other ponies down!” Applebloom stops eyes mere inches away from the mare “cause deep down yer just a lonely little filly beggin fer attention. An that doesn’t scare me, not. ONE. BIT.”

Finally the pink mare reaches the end of her rope both figuratively and physically as her attempts to back up causes her to trip over her own hooves into a puddle of mud with an unceremonious splat. The entire audience who moments ago were struck dumb with awe now begin whooping and hollering at the fall of their old tyrant and the rise of a new benevolent ruler. Diamond Tiara has taken a tumble off the social status ladder and Applebloom has moved into her place.

However even the most soulless tyrants has a loyal follower. A pony that will stand by them thick and thin and tend to their wounds when all goes wrong. Silver spoon rushes over to her friend through the mud picking her friend off her rump “come on Diamond let’s get out of here….” Diamond however doesn’t move, her eyes glaring at Applebloom with all the hatred she can muster. Her eyes seem to bore a hole into Applebloom’s very soul causing even the yellow filly to shiver in fear.

Silver’s prodding continues “come on Diamond. She’s not worth it. I brought your favorite shampoo today just in case, we can wash all this muck off in the school showers.” The pink mare continues to stare as the groups around the playground shy away from the defeated mare.

“Come on Diamond!” Silver pulls her friend’s arm “Do you want the mud to dry and get stuck in your beautiful mane?”

This finally grabs the pink filly’s attention, however she refuses to cease her hateful glaring at her enemy “yeah…. You’re right Silver…. Let’s go…..” The pink filly finally breaks her stare as the two walk off of the playground and into one of the school’s side buildings.

The fowls laughing at the retreating mare finally begin to disperse as Diamond Tiara walks out of sight. Every filly and colt talks among themselves spreading rumors of the recent confrontation and playing with each other by the light of the sun, savoring every second before school begins. Applebloom sighs in relief that her first day of school and her first confrontation with Diamond at school hadn’t backfired horribly on her like all her ordinary antics had. The yellow filly begins to believe that the day is finally looking up for her as two familiar fillies walk up to her.

“WOW!” the orange coated purple maned Pegasus shouts her small wings fluttering in excitement “that was so cool! Not as cool as Rainbow Dash but still…..”

Her white companion sighs “Scootaloo? Do you really have to compare everypony you meet to rainbow Dash? I’m beginning to think your obsession with Rainbow is unhealthy….”

“Aww what do you know sweetie?” the orange mare turns her head with an upset frown to look at her white friend beside her “what are you a Psycho analyst or somthin?” The orange mare turns back to Applebloom “sorry about sweetie there, she can be a real wet blanket sometimes.” The orange mare extends her hoof to Applebloom “my name’s Scootaloo! Thanks for handling that bully Diamond there, I could have taken care of her but I just thought that since ya seemed to know her that I should let you handle it.”

Applebloom takes one look at the orange pegisi in front of her. Brash, arrogant and strong willed Applebloom already feels a deep affinity with her. Applebloom takes her hoof “Yeah ah know Diamond, like a bad cold. Don’t worry bout her none ya just got to know how to handle her an she won’t give ya too much heartache.”

“But you made it look so easy!” The white unicorn exclaims her voice cracking in the process. Embarrassed the filly clears her throat “I mean even when she said all those mean words you weren’t fazed at all. Ya just stood up to her and got her to back off! That was amazing!” the White filly shifts her balance “Oh and I’m Sweetie Belle by the way.”

Applebloom looks at the purple maned Unicorn. Though shy and a bit clumsy Applebloom could tell right out that she was the brains of the two, and she had a cute demeanor that could win over any adult. “Sweetie Belle… it’s nice ta meet ya. And it’s like I said, ya just have ta know how to handle her.”

Applebloom waves her hoof nonchalantly “why the first time she started pickin on me, I learned quick that throwin hooves would just get me a groundin, so I just took her own words an threw them back at her. That shut her up real quick. So from then on every time I got in a scrap with her ah just took whatever she threw at me and threw it back, guess that’s just a part of my ‘psy-chi’ like Twilight would say…..”

Suddenly her mind turns to something Twilight said to her before she left something about stands gaining powers biased on their user’s mindsets. “Hey…. That’s probably why I got that kind o stand power in the first place….. whenever somepony tries to beat me down it only makes me stronger. An I take what they throw at me and… send it back?  Or somtin?” the yellow filly sees the her two companions staring at her “uh.. What’s up guys.”

Sweetie chirps up “what’s a stand?”

“Ut Oh…” Applebloom gulps “ah wasn’t supposed to talk about that….”

“Yeah…” Scootaloo rubs her head “I’ve never heard of standing giving you magic….is that why you were at the hospital?”

“Yeah!” Sweetie belle confirms as she backs away “is it contagious? Why would you come to school if it was contagious?”

“No it’s not it’s just that…….”

“I just don’t understand how you could get some kind of special power from standing?”

“Can it make you really sick? Can it…” Sweetie gulps “….Kill you?”

“No! I mean yes…… I mean no you can’t…..”

“How’d you get it Applebloom I want a special power too!”

“Yeah Applebloom if you’re sick you shouldn’t be around other ponies.”

“What’s the secret?”

“…..cause if you are then you should be…”

“Enough!” the yellow mare’s outcry silencing the random gibberish of her two friends “now yes ah was in the hospital for somethin, no ah’m not contagious, and no ah can’t tell you why it’s a secret, so please stop asking.”

Scootaloo groans “Aw come on! And here I thought you were cool! Why can’t you tell us? Are you afraid that you might get in trouble or something?”

“No it’s not that…” Applebloom thinks back to this morning and Twilight’s words.

‘Now Applebloom I know that you are excited to have a stand power but what we do and what we’re looking for are matters of national security. If word leaks to the population about……yada Disaster, yada yada yada yada, bad news, yada yada yada yada Banishment……. Applebloom are you listening?!’

‘um…. Yes….. But just to be sure……. say everything you just said now.’

‘Ugh! All right Applebloom, the bottom line is that it comes down to trust and endangering the ponies of ponyville. If average ponies learn what the stones can do they might try to abuse them or use them to give them stand powers which could end up killing them. Second the ensuing panic from discovering stand powers would send the public into an uproar and cause other countries to seek means of obtaining stand powers to boost their militaries. In other words it could lead to war, something pony kind hasn’t experienced on our soil since the nightmare wars.’

‘Now Applebloom I know that you are sore that you aren’t helping directly with our search, but by keeping this secret from untrustworthy ponies you are saving lives. I hate to admit it but right now there are many ponies that we can’t trust with this information…. But you are Applejack’s sister and she attests to your honesty. So please promise me that you won’t tell anypony……. Cause of this information is shared with the wrong ponies….. Just promise me that you won’t….’

Applebloom takes in a deep breath calming herself for what she is about to say “I’m sorry girls but Ah made a promise not to tell anypony bout stands and all that other stuff.” Applebloom imagines the image of her upset sister holding a giant cake as she imagines her punishment if she were caught revealing something she promised not to. Applebloom shudders “sides mah sister would be real sore if I said something ah wasn’t supposed to…”

“But…..” Sweetie tears up “but aren’t we friends? Can you…..” Sweetie begins to sniffle her mere presence seeming to wear down any desire to keep a secret from her “Can’t you trust us?”

Applebloom flinches “No! not it’s not that… it’s just Twilight said that this is real secret like and ah wasn’t supposed to tell anypony that we couldn’t trust…..”

“So you can’t trust us?! Do I look like a filly who would give up a secret?” Scootaloo accuses “I guess that she just can’t trust us…”

Applebloom begins to panic as she becomes painfully aware she just questioned the trustworthiness of two ponies who could very well be her friends. “No it’s not that ah can’t trust ya it’s just that…..”

“…Well?!” Scootaloo says “then why can’t you trust us not to tell?”

Applebloom pauses looking at the faces of the first two ponies that she ever met at school, ponies that could very well be her friends. Sure it was wrong to go back on a promise, but when it came down to it Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were right; keeping a secret from them would make it seem like she couldn’t trust them and that would demolish any chance of them being on amiable terms. Twilight’s words ring in her ears……

‘So please promise me that you won’t tell anypony……. Cause of this information is shared with the wrong ponies…..’

Applebloom shakes her head dispelling any lingering notions of her promise. ‘buck this!’ the farm filly thinks ‘if keepin a secret fer mah sister and her friends that have done nothing but push me push me away, costs me mah friends than ah don’t want ta keep it.’

Applebloom raises her head “ya know what, yer right. It may just be that we met today, but if ya promise, an I mean a bonafide Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony than I’ll tell ya what stands are.”

Sweetie immediately ceases her crying as if on command as a smile graces her lips “Great! If you hadn’t told us after that I would have had to use my real pouting face and that would have been really bad.”

Applebloom looks at the white filly “wait… You were actin?”

“Well…” Sweetie shuffles her hooves nervously “I was sad that you kept a secret from us just as soon as we met…… but I was just wanted to know what was so important because my sister has been acting strange lately.”

Sweetie looks back at the yellow mare her eyes brimming with hope and confidence “But my sister told me that she could trust Applejack, so since you are Applejack’s sister I thought that you might know something. But it was wrong of me to try and force you to tell something that you promised not to. So if you don’t feel like telling us….…”

Applebloom pulls Sweetie into a side hug “No ah want ta tell ya. Not cause ya tried to force me, but because we’re friends, and friends don’t keep secrets from each other.”

Both Applebloom and Sweetie smile as they admire their newfound friendship. “Enough chitter chatter!” Scootaloo shouts as she stamps her hoof “let’s get onto the story! So Applebloom what’s a stand?”

Applebloom clears her throat “well if ah’m to tell the story right ah need to start from the beginin. See ah was out lookin at the stars at night……”

…………….

From there Applebloom told her two friends everything she had heard from her sister about what had been going on around ponyville recently. While they all lay on the grass in the schoolyard field Applebloom told them everything that was really going on. About the Red Stones and how sick they could make a pony, the strange stones and their wish granting powers and most importantly Stands, and how getting one gave their users strange and unnatural powers. She talked and talked as her new friends listened in awe to Applebloom’s story and her heroic representations of all the adults as they fought to recover the mysterious stones that rained down from the sky. No sooner than Applebloom finishes her tale of heroism and bravery than the bell rings signaling the start of a new school day and all the learning it brings.

“Alright students.” A mulberry earth pony mare with a cutie mark of a trio of flowers yells from the door to the school “Time for class!” The three fillies look at their teacher Miss Cheerilee and then back to each other.

“Awwww class?!” Scootaloo moans “If I knew that going to school meant that we would have to go to learn boring stuff I wouldn’t have come!”

Sweetie punches the orange pegisi in the arm “Going to school is about learning things Scootaloo. Anyways Applebloom is all that true, the crazy magical powers and magic stones and everything?”

Applebloom nods her head “Yep, everythin! Though it doesn’t matter none cause the ADULTS….” Applebloom rolls her eyes “….will let us help. They say that we fillies are too young to help out.”

“That’s bogus!” Scootaloo says as she gets up from the grass “I mean Rainbow Dash wouldn’t lay down and take that! We can’t just turn our backs on everything that is going on!”

Applebloom lowers her head in shame as she too rises to go to class. “But mah sis won’t let me join their group, ‘the stardust crusaders’ er something like that. And I mean what could I do alone…”

Suddenly Sweetie belle puts her hoof on Applebloom shoulder giving her a heartfelt look of confidence “you’re not alone Applebloom! You have your friends!”

Scootaloo mirror the unicorn in putting her hoof on her friend “Yeah! We’re your friends Applebloom! No way that we’d let you go it alone! And if the adults won’t let us join their group then we can just make one of our own!”

Applebloom’s face lights up at this idea as the gears in her mind begin to turn “our own group…… Yeah. Applejack said that ah couldn’t join them but if we make our own group we can search fer the red stones without them.”

Applebloom walks a distance away from her friends as she mulls over the details “yeah… we could do it together, ferget the ‘stardust crusaders’ if they won’t let us help then we don’t care.” Applebloom strikes an epic pose as the wind blows causing her mane and ribbon to flutter in the breeze “From this point on, us three are ‘THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS’!”

Both of the stunned fillies look at Applebloom their mouths agape as they try and think up any word to say. Applebloom finally noticing her friend’s states looks cautiously at them “Um? Guys what do you think?”

Scootaloo is the first to mare to be able to move her mouth “Applebloom…. That name…..”

Applebloom nods “yep ah thought it up all on mah own! Ya see the adults called themselves Crusaders, and we’re crusading fer the Red Stones too. But we don’t have Cutie Marks, cause we’re not adults like them. So Cutie Mark Crusaders! Nice hunh?”

Now Sweetie Belle is able to speak “Applebloom….. That name……”

“That name………” Scootaloo resumes

Both of the fillies look at each other as their horror fades away. Then with the force rivaling the Royal Canterlot voice they scream “IS TOTALLY AWESOME!”

Applebloom blinks “Ya think so?”

Scootaloo nods “yeah! Totally awesome right Sweetie?”

“Yeah!” Sweetie nods “it’s the perfect name for a group of fillies looking for something.”

Applebloom nods as she places her hoof towards the other two. “Then it’s decided, from this point on we’re a team, and we’ll look for the Red Stones and Strange stones and everything else that comes our way, TOGETHER!”

The two fillies join their hooves with Applebloom as they raise them in the air simultaneously. “TOGETHER!” All the fillies grin and giggle at each other as they look at their newfound friends picturing all the amazing adventure they will have together.

“Applebloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!” the three are broken out of their reprieve by the voice of their teacher “girls! All the other students are inside! If you don’t come in right now you’re going to be tardy! And I don’t think that you want me to have to talk to your parents now do you?”

The three fillies look at each other with fear on their faces as they rush inside without further a word. Running inside they all take their assigned seats in the normal bare bones classroom as they teacher takes attendance and begin their day. However in their minds they are already running through grassy fields and having fun together like good friends do.

…………………..

“Stupid Stupid Applebloom.” Diamond Tiara mutters to herself from the back of the classroom glaring daggers at the red maned pony in front of her. Not only had that mud taken forever to get out of her mane, no thanks to Silver, but because of it she had missed all of recess washing out the offensive gunk. But even worse, Applebloom’s words had struck close to home and everypony in school had seen it. She had been thoroughly embarrassed in front of the entire school, and though she still knew that they respected and feared her status, her credibility had taken a major blow that would take months for the others to forget. Worse still her actions might have put some backbone in her opposition, ponies might start to question and resist her will rather than awe in her presence like rightly they should. Even those new ponies Scottaloser and Sweetie Dunce look completely un-cowed and if ponies like them learn to resist her, than her status as queen bee of school is ruined. “Stupid Stupid Stupid Applebloom! Why did she have to make a fool of me like that? It’s not fair!”

As the teacher takes roll Diamond plots and plans on how to get even with her adversary for her actions. if she could just bring  Applebloom down a peg, if she could show them all just how lame Applebloom really was than they would all come flocking back to her again. Then everything would be as it should be, she’d be at the top and Applebloom would be at the bottom.

Diamond Smirks “heh, so you want a fight now Applebloom? Alright I’m game. But there won’t be any mercy then…..” Suddenly a strange pony shaped figure leans down from the ceiling directly beside Diamond Tiara. The figure sports a diamond lined opera mask its hooves ending in two plain white operating crosses like the kind you would find at a high class puppet show.  Its lower half seems to be embedded into the ceiling itself while its upper half is a pristine white covered in fancy lace and an impressive diamond collar. “I’ll embarrass you to no end and show everypony who exactly is on the top of the social ladder here! And with my new power ‘Baltimare Tea Party’ it’ll be as easy as cake.”