The eight-way clover leaf track was lined with barriers in the form of wooden picket fences and bales of hay. Being only a yard high, this allowed the spectators in the houses surrounding the area a clear front-row view to the action.
The annual Applewood Derby was in full swing.
Amid all the singing and cheering were three fillies who weren’t so cheerful. They were the passengers of the carts being driven by the older ponies enlisted to assist in their creation — and the only foals not driving.
A streamlined cyan speedster with a jagged motif had just lost its left rear tire and was now skidding out of control. Meanwhile, a cart in the form of a vintage carriage was leisurely approaching from another side. A white cart with huge mobile swan wings and a high passenger seat was approaching directly opposite the carriage.
The spectators’ eyes appeared to pop all at once. Immediately before, they were cheering on the collection of carts racing around the roadway. Now, they knew exactly what was about to happen…
WAM!!!
A huge dust cloud engulfed the intersection. The next few seconds seemed like an eternity.
In the dead center of the course were the remains of ten piled-up carts. Some of the competitors were still inside, while others had gotten out just after the crash.
Rarity was the first to emerge from the wreckage. “Oh, my beautiful swan has become an ugly duckling!”
Applejack took a look at her own cart. “And ma’ old time cart is a rootin’ tootin’ wreck!”
At that moment, Rainbow Dash was on the track, on hoof, with the front end of her cart. “It… still counts as a win if I push my cart across, right?” she quipped weakly, as a loose tire bounced from the opposite direction.
Diamond Tiara was still occupied with Randolph, the family manservant. He was in the passenger seat of her cart, as per the rules. The look in her eyes was incredibly pained, though she appeared relieved he hadn’t suffered much more than a few scratches.
But then she noticed something.
Turning toward the other competitors, she asked loud enough for even the spectators to hear, “Hey, guys! Has anypony seen the Crusaders? I can’t find them anywhere!”
This caught the attention of Perky Prep, a slate blue colt on the cheerleading squad arranged by Cheerilee earlier. The fillies in question were indeed nowhere to be seen, though he had heard a faint moan underneath the mess. “Hey, she’s right!” he piped up. “Everypony, out of your carts, now! We need to clear the debris, fast!”
On this order, all of the racers jumped out and immediately began rummaging through the debris. Spectators jumped over the fences and bales. Even Cheerilee, the cheerleading squad, and participant board got into the act. “Come on!” she shouted, galloping for the carts.
In less than a minute, they found the three fillies in question — bruised, bedraggled to their tails, and still in their helmets, but motionless, as if they had all died. Their cutie marks were a dead giveaway.
“Holy horseapples!” a stallion piped up upon finding out he had uncovered Sweetie Belle. “Call an ambulance, right away!”
“She’s still got a decent pulse,” replied Bon Bon, who had just located Apple Bloom.
“Gimme a hoof, will ya?” grunted Snips, having found Scootaloo. “She’s not feather-light!”
Two ambulances showed up shortly, along with several cruisers from the Ponyville police department. While the paramedics tended to the Crusaders, the officers approached the herd of ponies still gathered around the diminishing wreckage.
“Can somepony explain what happened here?” one police stallion asked.
“They got crushed under our carts!” answered Rainbow Dash.
“Your carts?” Scootaloo snapped. “We were supposed to design them! Agghh!”
“And we were supposed to be driving them!” Sweetie Belle grumbled.
“The derby was supposed to be for us, not you guys!” Apple Bloom finished, feeling a huge strain in her neck from the shout. “Now the whole thing got ruined for everypony! Acckk!” As with the other Crusaders, the sudden strain from her shouting proved too much for her. She, too, promptly passed out.
“I think I’ve heard everything I need to know here,” the officer replied without hesitation. “Can we get them loaded in?”
“On it!” a roan stallion with a red cross sub-mark shot back. “Flatline, Ultrasound, open up!”
While the paramedics were busy loading the Crusaders into the ambulance, the officer gave the mares a stern look. “You really ought to be ashamed of yourselves. That was gross misconduct on a multitude of fronts. There is going to be a police report on this, and I wouldn’t rule out a criminal record, either.”
“I hope you’re satisfied,” Diamond Tiara snapped, giving Rarity a hard glare. “Thanks to your pigheaded selfishness, the rest of us weren’t able to complete the race. If I know the others, the Foal Free Press is going to have a field day with this one. And when Princess Twilight Sparkle learns about this, and she will, it’s not going to be pretty.” She trotted over to Randolph. “Let’s go. You deserve better than this.”
Watching them trot off, Cheerilee fixed the three mares with her own glare, a sign that even she had her limits. “They’re right,” she finally said, sternly. “We let the class have this outdoor event so they could race and have a little fun, perhaps even win a ribbon. This wasn’t a project for the older ponies. Your sisters trusted you to give them a hoof with the design and development of the vehicles. In return, you let them all down in no small way. I’ve never seen them so pissed off.”
“Well, I do trust you’re going to give the other officials an earful,” Rarity shot back. “Have you seen the layout of the track? I’m surprised nopony reported any problems with the intersection. How anypony thought it was safe to travel on, let alone race on, I’ll never get.”
“It isn’t about the track, Rarity,” Cheerilee continued seriously. “Did any of you even bother to listen to what they were asking for? They all wanted to go out of their comfort zones and try something they wouldn’t normally consider. And yet you flat out ignored their requests and overwhelmed them, even to the point of taking the wheel when they were supposed to. Everypony else who was racing followed the rules; you didn’t.”
“Did you also have a look at what was going on?” Perky Prep chimed in. “They didn’t look like they were having any fun out there. I’ve never heard Scootaloo scream like that. For somepony who normally gets a huge rush out of a fast ride, that’s not something we can casually brush off.”
“And did anypony notice the design of Rarity’s cart in particular?” a pigtailed filly in a similar uniform added. “The passenger seat was higher than the rooftop of Applejack’s cart! No wonder Sweetie Belle fell out! And don’t start me on those huge wings you used to impede the other racers. If I’d acted like that, the least of my worries is that I’d be disqualified for cheating.”
Rarity looked stunned. She wasn’t even inclined to faint, as she usually did.
Cheerilee cantered up to the participation board. “For that laundry list of transgressions, up to and including decommissioning the other competitors, I am disqualifying the three of you from the race. Now, with all that out of the way, I’m going to visit the hospital and maybe get them some flowers. You should, too. After what they had to go through, the Crusaders need all the support they can get.” The cheerleading squad stormed off, leaving only the other three mares and the few fragments of the crash.
“Uh, I can’t say it wasn’t fair,” Rainbow Dash sighed, removing her helmet. “They should have done it sooner, if you ask me. But I’d still be reading the riot act to whomever wanted to have the race here. The design of the track wouldn’t pass muster even in Wonderbolts territory.”
“Oh, don’t you worry none, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “I’m gonna be makin’ darn sure them Town Hall officials get it with both barrels. And I’m also gonna be givin’ the school board an earful of their own, too.”
“Well, maybe we should pay the poor dears a visit first,” Rarity finished. “Before any of that. If Diamond Tiara is absolutely correct, I don’t think it’s going to take a Gabby Gums for this to become the talk of the town.”
“Yeah, and after that, we oughta go talk to Twilight.”
Apart from the paramedics attempting communication with the Crusaders, the trip to the hospital passed in relative silence. Their voices were still weak, and they were still in a state of confusion about things. Apple Bloom’s hair ribbon had been removed from her mane and fashioned into a makeshift support. Sweetie Belle was only able to muster a weak blink and feeble grunt. Scootaloo simply groaned. Eventually, all three of them nodded back off.
They were properly X-rayed and loaded into their beds. Once the staff left to tend to other patients, the Crusaders finally spoke up.
“I don’t think it was a good idea to let the older ponies ride in the carts,” Scootaloo began, her voice a bit stronger. “And I’m also not sure about having only one day to complete the cart.”
“Anypony else feel we screwed up somewhere but don’t have a clue where?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“You, too? I’ve been wondering about that myself!”
“Well, ah know one thing,” Apple Bloom chimed in. “We were supposed to be havin’ a bit of fun, but our sisters got carried away, again. Seems to be a habit with ’em.”
Sweetie Belle sighed, shooting an upward glance toward her horn. “Good thing the inside of that helmet had a horn position,” she finally said. “When I fell out of Rarity’s cart, I landed headfirst into the mess. How about you guys?”
Scootaloo found that all of her hooves were perfectly fine. “My wings. I wonder how many stunts Rainbow Dash has pulled to be here. I don’t think I’m gonna be riding my scooter for a few days. And you, Apple Bloom?”
Apple Bloom looked at her left front hoof. “Fractured. Ain’t gonna be usin’ any tools for a bit, but ah might be able to climb up and get a few apples.”
“I wouldn’t recommend even that,” Sweetie Belle finished. “I’d be staying on the ground, picking the apples up around the tree and loading them into the baskets. In any event, there’s going to be a lot to talk about.”
That afternoon, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity showed up in the lobby of the Ponyville Hospital. They could make out Cheerilee, Bulk Biceps, and Snips’ relations in the crowd. Rainbow Dash also caught a glimpse of a brightly-colored mare and stallion she’d seen only in passing.
“Hello, Cheerilee,” Applejack said weakly. “I take it you visited the little fillies?”
“Yes,” Cheerilee answered. “They were extremely fortunate not to be seriously injured.”
“That’s nice to know,” Rainbow Dash piped up.
Cheerilee paused. “And you’ll all be happy to know that there’s going to be a lengthy discussion about the next derby. Two of the spectators also notified the town council about the roadway. We’re definitely not going to be having it on that eight-way road next year.”
“And what about the role of the older ponies?”
“Well, somepony suggested they stay on the sidelines and let the students be the only ones in the cart.”
Rarity nodded. “Fantastic. We weren’t lying when we said the rules were a teense ambiguous.”
“I know,” Cheerilee replied, cracking a smile. “Some of the students brought that up. The board brought that up, too. I think everypony did. I expect it’s going to be front page news in the next issue of the Foal Free Press.”
Applejack nodded, lifting her hat back. “You an’ us all.”
Cheerilee nodded and trotted off.
Rainbow Dash trotted up to the reception desk. “We’re looking for Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom,” she announced.
“We did a few X-rays on them,” Nurse Caduceus answered. “Sweetie Belle suffered a concussion when she fell out. Her horn also got bruised. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom broke a hoof and Scootaloo broke a wing. We made sure to have three different staffers check each CT scan so we didn’t get a medical error. We’ll need to keep them a few days, possibly prescribe some physiotherapy, but they will be good to go before long.”
“That’s a relief,” Rarity replied. “Can we go see them?”
“Of course. They’ve been asking about you almost since they regained consciousness. Room E-219.”
The second-floor room had four beds, separated only by white drapes. Sweetie Belle was in the bed to the immediate right of the door, while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were farther down.
Rainbow Dash could only muster a feeble shake of her head as she caught a glimpse of the bandages on Scootaloo’s wing. How heartbreaking, especially since it was a clear reminder of her own injury a few years earlier, in that exact same spot.
“How ya doin’, squirt?” she finally piped up.
“Oh, fine, I suppose,” Scootaloo answered heavily. “I think I landed in the driver side of Applejack’s cart. Right on the wing. That’s how I get the ponypower for my scooter. I never imagined being scared of a fast ride.”
“Yeah, I was told as much. What about the rest of you?”
“That crash did quite the number on my horn, even with the helmet,” Sweetie Belle grumbled, shifting her eyes up toward the forehead area. “The top part of the cart snapped off and caused me to tip over. Can’t attempt any magic for a while. And I was making so much progress.”
“Yes, you were,” Rarity answered. “How about you, Apple Bloom?”
“Ah landed full on ma’ right,” Apple Bloom sighed. “When the cart got struck, it landed right on top of me. Musta been buried under two, three layers. Even my tail got caught in there. That’s probably how my hoof got broken.”
“I’m really sorry to see you go through this,” Applejack piped up.
Apple Bloom grimaced, not sure what to make of her sister’s statement. “Well, I don’t think we’re gonna be able to redo the race. Not this year, anyway. All them beautiful ribbons, and nopony’s gonna have a shot at them.”
Applejack lowered her head and lifted off her hat. “Maybe we don’t need ’em.”
This surprised Rarity, if only slightly.
“Well, c’mon, honey,” Applejack pressed. “Y’all can’t be obsessin’ over some second-place finish in your fillyhood forever. I mean, you own two white-hot high-end frou-frou shops, just opened a third, what more ya need? Even I got over my obsession, and it wasn’t an easy thing.”
“I guess not,” Rarity answered. “It’s just that I never expected things to be quite like this.”
“Whoa there,” Sweetie Belle said. “You mean to tell me you also had issues with a second place ribbon?”
“Yeah,” Applejack answered. “Lots of times, when I was competin’ in the rodeo. And thank the stars ya didn't see that earlier Runnin' of the Leaves.”
Apple Bloom snorted. “Can’t say ah’m surprised to hear that.”
“More than enough time to talk about that later,” Rainbow Dash piped up, not in the mood for any arguments. “You guys just get some rest, concentrate on your recovery, and all that. As for us, I think it’s time to go see our friend the egghead. Knowing her, she’s probably got her snout deep in another book.”
Castle of Friendship.
Twilight Sparkle was busy reading. What else is new, thought Rainbow Dash.
“Hey,” Twilight said. “What brings you here?”
“The Applewood Derby ended with a collision in the center of the track,” Applejack answered. “The carts all done got totaled. The Crusaders is in the hospital.”
Twilight’s eyes popped. “What??”
“You mean you haven’t heard a thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, flabbergasted. “It’s been all over Ponyville! Practically since it happened, everypony’s been talking nonstop about it!”
“Almost everypony within the town limits has already gone to see them,” Rarity continued. “Since they’re also your students, they’d probably benefit by your presence. Perhaps you’d like to have Starlight Glimmer with you, too?”
“What for?” Twilight asked, still perplexed.
“Well, we’re sensin’ some sorta friendship lesson in all this,” Applejack answered bluntly. “Ain’t sure what it is, though. Might also be a good idea for your new student to get to know the Crusaders, get some experience on the front lines with the little fillies. Maybe they can make some sense of her cutie mark, ’cause I sure as sugar don’t think she sees it.”
Twilight Sparkle connected the dots. “And you think that if they see me, they’ll be able to figure out the lesson?”
“Not only,” Rarity replied. “This is also an opportunity to demonstrate just how valuable Twilight Time is. You could be killing three or more birds with one stone here. And in Sweetie Belle’s case, it could serve as a serious wake-up call for our parents.”
No reaction.
“Oh, come on, Twilight!” Rainbow pressed. “They look up to you like nopony does, not even us! You’re practically their second dam!”
Twilight snorted. “Fine. Tomorrow morning.”
Outside, the three mares huddled. “I know I could lose a lot of business with that kind of coverage,” Rarity whispered. “And not just here. I’ve actually witnessed more than one Canterlot derby, and I’ve also read about a few in Manehattan.”
“Can’t imagine Granny Smith and Big Mac are gonna let me live it down,” Applejack added. “Especially not Big Mac. The way he told off the Crusaders after that Gabby Gums episode, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t go after me that same way. Hay, I wouldn’t be surprised none if Apple Bloom asked him to help her out next year.”
“Well, I’d never seen much on Scootaloo’s immediate family,” Rainbow Dash concluded. “But I’m pretty sure she’s got relations. Maybe now we’ll learn a little more about them.”
The following morning, Starlight Glimmer accompanied Twilight Sparkle in the Twinkling Balloon.
“This is interesting,” Starlight said, observing the ground underneath. “I heard something about an Applewood Derby all day yesterday. That what the crash in the neighborhood was all about?”
“It was,” Twilight answered. “Three fillies were injured in the incident. That’s whom we’re going to be seeing today. Their sisters said we might learn something out of all this.”
Starlight chuckled. Always an ulterior motive for everything, isn’t there? Wisely, she kept this thought to herself.
The balloon landed right on the doorstep of the Ponyville Hospital. As the pair of ponies trotted out, they could make out a few more familiar faces — including Big Macintosh, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and their respective relations.
“They really miss you, Twilight,” Diamond Tiara said without a prompt. “Based on what I heard in there, this is going to be one big friendship lesson.”
“You should see the flowers and cards and whatnot,” Silver Spoon added. “The class is really pulling for them. Almost all of Ponyville is pulling for them. The Foal Free Press is buzzing.”
Twilight nodded. “Nice to know.”
“So what’s their room number?” Starlight asked.
The Crusaders had just finished breakfast and gone to the bathroom when they heard the creaking of the room door. Two figures were there to greet them, one with purple fur and another unfamiliar pony with a more pale shade of lavender.
“Oh, hi, Twilight,” Sweetie Belle chirped, her voice considerably stronger than yesterday.
“Hello, Crusaders,” Twilight answered. “Rarity told me about your episode.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo chimed in. “It was utter madness. We never imagined that every single major region in Equestria had its own version of the derby. Maybe you raced when you were a filly?”
“I did. But that’s for another time. Today I’m here with a new member of my team. Meet Starlight Glimmer. Starlight, meet the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle is in white, with the horn; Scootaloo is in orange, with the wings; and Apple Bloom is in yellow. That bow she has on her bandages? Usually in her hair.”
“You’re her new student?” Apple Bloom asked eagerly. “We heard quite a bit about ya, Starlight.”
Starlight blushed. “I bet.”
“So that’s whom Spike was talking about all this time!” Sweetie Belle chimed in. “That explains that Cutie Map mess a few months back. We’ll have to ask about that.”
“I’m sure you will.” Starlight couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Anyway, I hear there was a derby going on.”
“Our first race,” Scootaloo said. “The idea is that every year, we pick one older pony to assist in the design and construction of the cart. That pony is supposed to be the passenger.” Her face fell.
“And let me guess, they took over?”
The Crusaders nodded all at once. “Didn’t miss a beat,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Well, no sooner did we mention the race than they all pounced,” Sweetie Belle continued. “You should have seen Rarity’s reaction, especially. She was like Pinkie Pie in a candy factory. Speaking up didn’t do us much good, so we gave up. Maybe not the best idea.”
“Yeah, they’re like that when they’re not off on a war mission,” Twilight said. “What you tell them and what they actually hear aren’t always the same thing.”
“Ever consider telling them that?”
Twilight hesitated. “No, I guess I never did. Why?”
“Maybe they need a little reminder,” Starlight answered. “If you want them to learn on their own, like you’ve been doing lately, perhaps that little clue will get their motors going.”
More hesitation.
“What have you got to lose, Princess?” Scootaloo pressed. “They look up to you, too.”
Twilight shrugged. “I guess.”
In a few days, the Crusaders were given an official clean bill of health and physiotherapy appointments. The Twinkling Balloon, waiting outside by prior arrangement, promptly took them to the Castle of Friendship.
Starlight Glimmer and Spike were busy going over the Cutie Map, while Twilight had just closed up another book.
“Hey, Princess,” Scootaloo announced. “Hey, Spike, hey, Starlight.”
“Oh, hey, Crusaders,” Twilight answered. “I take it you’re looking for the journal?”
“Yeah,” replied Sweetie Belle. “Shouldn’t take too long.”
“Even after years of Friendship Lessons, we still find ourselves having a long way to go. It’s very difficult to speak up sometimes, to stand up for yourself. You can’t always assume that your elders know best, though. If you do, they’ll completely take over and your project won’t be yours. When somepony that looks up to you wants to move outside their comfort zone and take on a project you wouldn’t normally think about, be ready and willing to mix things up.”
“Looks good,” Apple Bloom said with satisfaction.
That afternoon, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity entered the main room.
“So did they show up?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“They did, and they already wrote their entry,” Twilight replied.
“Good,” Rarity chimed in. “Come along now, it’s our turn.”
With a glow of her horn, Rarity snatched up a pen and began writing.
“Throughout the years of wielding the Elements, we’ve learned some incredibly valuable lessons. Others, however, never seem to stick. With age is supposed to come wisdom. The reality is quite different. It’s incredibly easy to be caught up in the spirit of competition regardless of the sport. It can also be incredibly easy to be consumed by a past incident to the point of vicarious conduct. But when working with a partner, whether in battle or peacetime, you will need to split the work load and listen to each other’s feedback. Especially if it goes against what they would normally think about.”
“That should do it,” Applejack concluded.
Spike, Twilight, and Starlight read both journal entries.
“That’s why they didn’t want you step in until later,” Starlight said after a moment’s reflection.
“Because I’d been doing this for years,” Twilight answered. “Now we’re seeing them learn on their own. In fact, Rainbow Dash said as much.” Going over the entry another time, she added, “And it looks like they all learned it.”
Author's Note
Unfortunately, there was room to tick off only five character boxes, which meant some names couldn’t be put in individually. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are the only members of the Mane Seven not to be involved.
Spike does not have a speaking part, which is why his box was not ticked. There were other characters and a few originals, but the five-box limit made it impossible to account for that.
