WARNING: This tale contains potentially dangerous levels of cuddly cuteness. If you can't handle that, turn back now.
You have been warned.
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"Well..."
"Ponyfeathers..."
"That didn't do nothin' for us..."
The three forlorn fillies planted thier still very blank flanks on the cold wood floor of thier clubhouse, in a manner that they could all look at each other without much effort.
"Obviously baking Equestria's largest cake isn't our special talent."
Sweetie Belle lit her horn, grabbing a crayon in her magic and crossing off a giant cake from the list on the clubhouse wall.
"Considerin' we only managed to make Equestria's largest mess...ah reckon not." Apple Bloom agreed, sighing.
"Ponyfeathers." Scootaloo repeated her earlier sentiment. "Well. What haven't we tried?"
"Nothing." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said together.
"Ziplining?"
"Done that."
"Hang gliding?"
"Eeyup."
"Uh...statue making?"
"We did that."
"Prank masters?"
"We did that too."
"Pottery?"
"Tried that. An' we tried party throwin', comedy, dancin', candy makin', and carpentry." Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah don't aim to try carpentry again neither."
"Considering it got the Element of Kindness to ban us from any construction in, on, or around her property...carpentry is definitely out forever." Sweetie Belle stated.
"Well, come on, there has to be something!" Scootaloo got up and began to pace, her wings twitching every so often in agitation. "I know! Rodeo!"
"We tried that, and it failed epically." Sweetie Belle said. "The only one who was any good was Apple Bloom, but she didn't get her cutie mark, obviously."
"Clowns?" Scootaloo asked.
"Did that."
"Actors?"
"Eeyup. That too."
Scootaloo kept naming off things until her mind went as blank as her flank, then sat back down and huffed.
"We've got to come up with something!" She said in frustration. "We aren't gonna get our cutie marks by doing nothing!"
Her shoulders slumped slightly. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom exchanged looks before moving to sandwich their friend between them in a hug. She squirmed slightly, but didn't really mind it.
"We'll think of something." Sweetie Belle stated emphatically.
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom put it. "An' it'll be great!"
Scootaloo laughed a little as they hugged her tighter.
"Thanks." She said."Y'know, that hug helped."
"Ha, I wonder if one can get a cutie mark in hugs." Sweetie Belle giggled.
Then the eyes of all three opened wide as they stared at each other, expressions indicating they had the same thought.
"We haven't tried hugging as a way to earn our marks yet!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"Yeah! We could hug anypony who needs it, an' maybe some who don't." Apple Bloom grinned. "Why, we could just hug everypony in Ponyville! That ought to do it!"
"I like this idea." Scootaloo said, grinning wider as she thought about it.
Fir a filly who used to hate displays of affection, she'd come a long way.
"Then let's do it!" Sweetie Belle said cheerfully. "We can start with our sisters and then move on from there!"
"Yeah!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom eagerly agreed.
Sweetie Belle stuck out a hoof, and the other two followed suit, before they happily shouted up to the ceiling of thier clubhouse.
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Cuddlers, YAY!!"
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Having decided to start with the closest ones to thier location, Applejack was the first target. She was busy bucking apples when the three fillies burst out of the brush and skidded to a halt in front of her.
"Well now, howdy there fillies." She greeted, pausing for a break so she could talk. "What are ya'll up to now?"
"Attack!" Apple Bloom commanded.
Applejack let out a startled grunt as three sets of forelegs wrapped her in a hug. She chuckled and lightly patted a hoof on each of thier heads.
"That was mighty nice, but what was it for?"
"Hm." Apple Bloom stared at her flank, then back at the others. "Nope. Nothin' yet."
Before Applejack could even say anything more, the three turned and ran towards town, laughing excitedly while yelling goodbye to her. She scratched her head with a hoof, shrugged, and went back to work on the orchard trees.
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Fluttershy was out caring for her critters when she was sneak attacked by the fillies, letting a squeal escape before she realised who it was and what they were doing.
"Oh my goodness." She said, before lightly hugging them all back. "What are you girls up to?"
"Ponyfeathers." Scootaloo said, looking at her still blank flank, then at her friends.
"Sorry, Fluttershy, can't stay, we gotta go hug more ponies!" Apple Bloom called as they ran off, still headed towards town.
"Hug more ponies?" Fluttershy looked bewildered. "Oh dear...I hope they aren't getting in trouble."
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The fillies headed for Rarity's boutique next, bursting through the door with enough force to cause the fashionista to shriek.
"Aah! Girls! Whatever are you doing??"
"Sorry, Rarity." Sweetie Belle said, before giving a nod to the other two.
"Well, just don't let it happen again, darling, that door is not- GAH!!" The last as Rarity found herself tackled and fiercely snuggled by the three fillies. "What in Equestria?!"
After a moment of being tightly hugged, she was let go, and the fillies examined thier flanks again. Nothing.
"Hm. Maybe we just keep hugging ponies til our marks appear." Sweetie Belle offered.
"Yeah!" The other two agreed.
The trio ran out the door, leaving a befuddled Rarity to wonder what had just happened and what manner of mischief the fillies were up to now.
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Thier next target was Rainbow, who was easily found doing small flight tricks for a group of foals. They waited til she finished, and then approached her.
"Oh heya, kiddo." She said, looking at Scootaloo. "Hi, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Whatcha fillies doing?"
"Getting ready to hug you." Scootaloo said with a smirk.
"Oh, that's nice. Well sure, you can h- wait, what?!" Rainbow stared at them.
Before she could say anything else, she was viciously tackled by Scootaloo while the other two piled onto both, and all three fillies hugged her so tight she lost her breath.
"What the hay?!" She gasped out. "C'mon, why??"
She didn't much care for public displays of affection...usually. This one wasn't so bad, just awkward, as she was sprawled in the dust under a pile of fillies who seemed to want to smother her to death with this massive cuddle.
"Hugging lots of ponies, and you're one of them, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo announced, as her friends giggled.
They released her, gave a quick look for thier marks, then ran off giggling and leaving a confused and breathless Rainbow in the dust...literally. The pegasus rubbed her head. Whatever that was about, she hoped it didn't include a peck of trouble for the fillies.
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Naturally the next target was Pinkie Pie, and the fillies were not hesitant to launch a massive hug attack by pouncing on her in the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner.
"Gotcha!" Scootaloo crowed triumphantly.
Pinkie, characteristically of course, grabbed all three in a massive hug that nearly crushed their breath from thier lungs.
"Awwww! You're so super duper extra sweet, giving hugs! I was wanting hugs, how'd you know?!? ARE YOU MIND READERS?" She giggled.
"No." Sweetie Belle gasped.
"Aah...Pinkie...can't breathe..." Apple Bloom got out.
"Oops! Sorry!" Pinkie let go of them.
After getting thier breath, the fillies looked for their marks and sighed.
"Guess we haven't hugged enough ponies?" Scootaloo offered.
"YOU SHOULD HUG EVERYPONY IN TOWN." Pinkie shouted excitedly. "Everypony and every creature! Attack!"
She donned a battle helmet she unexplainably grabbed from mid air, and waved her forelegs.
"Operation Hug: go!" She yelled.
Before the fillies could respond, the timer dinged, and Pinkie was back to business as usual, singing loud while pulling cookies out of the oven. The Crusaders looked at each other.
"Here you go!" Pinkie said, before a cookie appeared in each of the fillies' hooves. "Keep up your energy! Lots of hugs! I believe in you! Go go go!"
Well, with that enthusiastic encouragement, the Crusaders turned and ran out the door, munching thier cookies on the way, as the set out to find the next target.
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Twilight was busy in her library home, cataloging books, when she was suddenly prey to a sneak attack, which included somepony wrapping thier legs around her neck.
"GAH!" she yelled, falling to the floor under the weight of her attacker...er, attackers.
With some maneuvering, she was able to look to see what was going on...and saw the Crusaders sprawled on top of her, grinning widely while they hugged her with all the strength they could.
"What...?" She managed, confused. "Not that I mind the hugs, girls, but, why the surprise attack?"
"We're on a mission." Scootaloo said.
"To hug ponies!" Sweetie Belle added.
"Til we get our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom finished.
"...You're trying for hugging cutie marks?" Twilight said, blinking.
"Yeah!"
"That...would certainly make for an interesting cutie mark..." Twilight said slowly, before lighting her horn and gently removing the fillies from her.
Spike chose that moment to come into the room.
"Hey, Twilight, what did you want for lun...AAH!"
His question was cut off by the sudden pounce of the fillies, who proceeded to hug him nearly to death. Or so he felt like. Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated them off her assistant.
"Well, that didn't work." Sweetie Belle said.
"On to more hugs!"
The fillies ran out of the library, leaving Twilight and Spike to stare after them.
"Uh. What just happened...?" Spike asked, still a bit dazed.
"They're crusading for thier marks again."
"With hugs??"
"Yep."
"How long do you think they'll keep it up?"
"At least the rest of the day."
"You think they'll get everypony?"
"I wouldn't expect them not to."
"Then every pony in town gets sneak attacked..."
"Unfortunately."
"Sweet sapphires."
"Exactly."
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The remainder of the day, ponies were succumbed to attacks all over town. They were hugged, snuggled, and cuddled. Twilight, with Spike's help, had managed to warn them of potential attacks, so they were mostly ready.
By the end of the day, the Crusaders were thoroughly tired out, and still mark-less. They trudged back to thier clubhouse and collapsed.
"Ponyfeathers." Scootaloo sighed.
The other two groaned. The door to their clubhouse opened and in came Applejack, followed by Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight and, Spike.
"Well now, why so glum, sugarcubes?"
"All that effort..." Sweetie Belle offered.
"All them hugs..." Apple Bloom put in.
"AND STILL NO CUTIE MARKS." Scootaloo shouted.
"You know." Twilight spoke up. "You may not have got your marks today, but you did accomplish something else."
"Failure?" Scootaloo said.
"Come on, kid, cheer up." Rainbow came and laid a wing over the filly.
"You have everypony smiling at each other and laughing." Twilight said with a smile. "You made their day better with those hugs."
"Huh." Sweetie Belle rubbed her head.
"Ah reckon that's true..." Apple Bloom piped up.
"Of course, darlings." Rarity caught her sister in a hug. "Nopony can say you three are not persistant either!"
"Nope." Applejack hugged Apple Bloom to her.
The others joined the hug, and the Crusaders giggled. After the group broke apart the fillies looked at each other.
"Hugs failed us in our marks," Sweetie Belle stated. "So! Let's find something else!"
"Yeah!"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, YAY!"
And with that, they were off on yet another mission...that didn't involve sneak attacks on the entire town.
