Apples and Cinnamon

Soon after Applejack and Cinno left the farmhouse that morning Applebloom and Sugarcane went out on their own to go and play with the other cutie mark crusaders. They quickly found Scootaloo doing tricks on her scooter in the market place.

"Hey Scoots! What's up?" asked Applebloom

"Not much just out practicing being awesome on my scooter. Gotta get better if I want to impress Rainbow Dash the next time I see her."

"Well if that's the case I doubt you would want to come and join us on an adventure would ya?" asks Sugarcane with a coy grin.

"Huh? What are you talking about there Suggs?" Asks Applebloom

" I was going to wait until we went and got SweetieBelle as well, but ya see I once heard of a flower that supposedly grows in the Everfree forest. Legend has it that the flower can heal any kind of wound even old ones. Ya see that is the real reason fur me coming along on this trip. My uncle won't say it but he is in terrible pain every waking second. If ya stand real close to him like I do ya can hear him scream through his teeth. I was hopin that while he was off doing whatever business he was sent hear to do I could get the flower, and mix up the potion that it is used in. I was also hopin that since ya girls know about the forest that ya could help me find it."

"Awe that sure is sweet of you but I don't recall of hearing about a flower like that. You sure it exists?"

"I'm sure! I've seen a picture of it in my Mom's Botany book! It is bright blue with glitter stripes and grows where there is a lot of water. Please! I beg of ya girls please help me heal my uncle! All he ever does is give to every pony even if it nearly kills him. I just want to help him fur once."

The two fillies stare at each other then give a firm nod of their heads go about of finding SweetieBelle. They find her in her sister's boutique and quickly recap what Sugarcane told them. With a tear in her eye she agrees to help as well, and the small group of fillies set off to search for the flower in the Everfree forset. They went deep into the forest careful not to run into any cockatrices or timberwolves. Soon they found themselves in a change in scenery; the trees themselves changed from the usual deciduous trees to mangrove trees as an entire plain was submerged in water. There were also several different types of flora as well but the most alarming thing was seeing a massive group of rockidiles swimming throughout the free space. Some of them were massive the size of a small house, but most of them were just small enough to swim through the roots of the mangrove trees.

"I don't know about you gals but this looks to be a might foolish to go further. Lets go back." whispers Applebloom

"What?! But we've come so far! Besides we must be close look at all this water it has to be close." retorts Sugarcane.

"Maybe but I don't feel like playing hopscotch across roots above several rockidiles. Lets just see if we can go around shall we?" answers SweetieBelle. Scootaloo nods her head in agreement. Just as she says that a very large rockidile shot straight up out of the air and snapped a bird in it's maw. It was clearly the alpha male seeing as it was almost three times the size of any of the other rockidiles. At that moment all the fillies rapidly shake their heads and decide to follow SweetieBelle's advice to go around.

Taking the scenic route the fillies keep their heads on a swivel knowing very well that they were in heavy predator territory. Their journey lengthened by having travel across a flooded terrain their hooves getting stuck with every step in the thick mud. Eventually they came across solid ground to which they happily opted to take. Now on firm ground they could see all kinds of plants around them but not the one they were looking for. The disheartened Sugarcane begins to cry.

"Hey hey what's with the water works? Ya not giving up are ya?" asks Applebloom

"I...just thought th...at we'd of found it by know. Just look it is almost sunset even if we do somehow manage to find it we wont be able to find our way back in the dark. How am I supposed to help my uncle if all I manage to do is get all of us killed by some nocturnal predator?"

"Geeze way to make it sound like you went and killed us there. Look there is still time for us to head back before nightfall. We can then get help from Rainbow Dash and the others in looking for the flower tomorrow. Ok?" answers Scootaloo

"O...ok but I think it would be faster if we cut through this area since it is dry. If we keep our wits about us we should be able to maneuver around any rockdiles that we come across. Alright?" Sugarcane says trying to stop her crying.

"Ok that's probably best since we can move faster on dry land then in the water. Lets hurry." SweetieBelle says with a worried expression on her face as she looks at the skyline.

The fillies hastely begin their march through the area of dry ground all the while making sure that they don't run into any rockidiles. Their journey is long but eventually they get to the end of the firm ground which they were using as a guide. Much to their horror the solid ground they were following led to a cliff, and at the bottom was the alpha male sleeping in field of the flowers they were looking for.

"Oh come on!" yells SweetieBelle

"Shhhh. Keep quiet look he's sleeping and I don't think we would want to wake him up. Right?" Applebloom says as she puts a hoof up to SweetieBelle's muzzle. A loud snore rattles the nearby trees.

"Look it is the flower I am sure of it!" Sugarcane proclaims pointing to the field of flowers the beast is laying on top of.

"Are you nuts! We are not going any where near that thing! It could swallow us whole" SweetieBelle's vioce cracks as she talks.

Crumble! The ledge the fillies were standing on gives way and they all slide down the cliff. The young fillies stifle their screams as they land but a few inches away from they monster's snout dust fills it's nostrils. Ahh ahh Snhht the giant rockidile sneezes covering the girls in snot. It gingerly opens it's eyes to see what all the noise was about. The fillies froze hoping that it would not see them; it slowly closes it's eyes again and begins to snore once more. A small quiet sigh of relief emits from the fillies as three of them start to tiptoe around the gargantuan. Applebloom looks back to see Sugarcane collecting a hoof full of flowers.

"Come on Sugar! we's gotta sceedaddle before this big guy wakes up fur a late night snack." whispers Applebloom

"Coming I just needed to get some flowers since that is what we are all risking our necks fur." Sugarcane makes her way around the rockidile's snout slightly brushing it with her bushy tail. Aaaaaaa choooo! A very loud sneeze erupts from the rockidile; his eyes shoot wide open as an angry growl emits from it's maw. Now the scared fillies run for their lives screaming as the large rockidile chases them. Unable to make it to the exit the fillies begin to look for a hiding place.

"Look over there! There is an opening!" Yells Scootaloo as she points to a rock formation where there was a small opening. They scramble to the only safe haven first Scootaloo makes it in followed by SweetieBelle then Applebloom.

"Hurry! he is right on top of you!" Screams Applebloom as the rockidile just misses snatching up Sugarcane. Out of instinct Sugarcane bucks the rockidile right in the snout as it misses her stunning it for a split second. She makes it to the rock formation; squeezing in just in the nick of time as the beast snapped it's jaws shut right behind her. A stream of frothing saliva covers the girls.

"Oh come on!" SweetieBelle yells at the rockidile to which it growls at her making her squeak.

"You just had to go and pick some flowers didn't you? You just couldn't leave well enough alone?" Scootaloo asks with more then a bit of venom.

Sugarcane starts crying full blown waterfalls streaming her face as well as snot from her nose. "I...just wanted to help Cinno. Everyday since he was gored by that changeling he has been in soo much pain. Most of the time he can't even walk and the other times he is in so much pain that he can't go very far without having to stop to catch his breath. I just thought that if I could heal him he could be happy again, but all I've done is get us killed. I'm... so...sorry girl for getting you all mixed up in this."

The other two look at Scootaloo giving her a guilt look. "Hey we'r not dead yet. Now are we? Listen I remember your uncle tellen miss Rarity that he taught you how to be a soldier. Is that right?" Applebloom says as she tries to console Sugarcane. Sugarcane gives a shaky nod in agreement. " Well then. What does your training tell you to do now?" The sound of stones breaking interrupts the conversation as the girls look to see that the rockidile just smacked it's armor covered tail against the stone making the hole just a little bit bigger. "Come on think!"

"Well there is really only one thing we can do." states Sugarcane as she rubs the snot off of her face. She then rummages through her mud covered backpack. Grabbing a makeshift megaphone that her uncle showed her how to make. " We call for backup."