My Little Pony: Guardians of Crystal Growth (Season 1)

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The train to the Crystal Empire rode fast on its tracks, drifts of snow and sharp winds accompanying it. Inside one window, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle could be seen, staring outside at the landscapes that rushed past them.

A morose, unhappy atmosphere permeated the wagon they sat in. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were sitting next to each other on the same seat, the latter leaning towards the window with a grumpy expression, head propped up on one hoof. Sweetie Belle sat opposite of Apple Bloom.

The door of the wagon that was a few seats away from them opened and in came Flurry Heart, a smile on her face. She trotted past the seats and the other passengers, who paid her no attention and looked outside the window or were engaged in conversation. On her back, she carried four sandwiches and four small paper cups with a straw poking out at the top. Her guard trotted behind her with a stoic, bored expression.

Arrived at the trio of mares, Flurry Heart levitated the sandwiches and drinks off her back and sat down next to Sweetie Belle, while her guard moved to the free seats at the opposite window.

“I bought sandwiches and soda for you!” her voice shrieked with excitement as she let them float onto their laps.

Apple Bloom responded with a grunt and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked down at the food with a doubtful, hesitant expression.

“I thought all of you have to be hungry because of the long trainride!” Flurry Heart further explained. She levitated her own sandwich to her mouth and bit into it, starting to chew with a satisfied, happy expression, eyes closed.

“Guess it can't hurt to eat a little before we arrive.....” Scootaloo spoke, sounding slightly annoyed, then picked up her sandwich with her remaining wing and started chewing. Sweetie Belle followed her example a second later.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Flurry Heart ate in silence, while Apple Bloom kept staring out the window, not touching her own food. After a couple bites from her sandwich, Flurry Heart interrupted the silence.

“I'm so happy you accepted to become my guards! I already know where in the castle we can make your guard quarters, you're going to love your new rooms!” The young princess squeed, another grin flashing up on her face.

Sweetie Belle stopped eating and turned around at her. “You already planned that?” Her face looked a little shocked. A more than audible huff came from Apple Bloom.

“I did!” Flurry Heart confirmed, her voice sounding prideful.

Scootaloo looked up now. “But what about your parents? We can't decide this alone, we have to convince them of becoming your guards. They need to agree first,” she explained.

“Oh, don't worry about this!” Flurry Heart shouted. The suitcase in the compartment above her head clicked and opened, engulfed by yellow magic, and three sheets of paper came flying out. As Flurry Heart levitated the paper in front of their faces, crude drawings became visible.

“Once they see the guard armors I designed for you, they will agree!” She placed her hooves between her hindlegs and looked around betweem the expectantly, still grinning the entire time.

“Well, I guess drawing isn't Flurry Heart's special talent,” Sweetie spoke flatly. She glanced at Flurry Heart's bare flank.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hung their heads and heaved a deep sigh. At the window, Apple Bloom gritted her teeth, angrily.

Not far away in the distance, the green oasis of the Crystal Empire came into view.
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On the main street of the Crystal Empire, the group of five ponies approached the castle. Flurry Heart was cantering merrily at the top of the group. Smiling in anticipation and her eyes fixated on the crystal castle, she skipped from one hoof onto another.

Behind Flurry, her guard trotted stoically, carrying all of their luggage on his back. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at the castle with unhappiness and dread in their faces, unable to share Flurry's sentiment.

Apple Bloom turned at her friends. “Ya really wanna stay with that pesterin', winghorned princess catastrophe and be on her tail the entire day?” She did not care about the volume of her voice. Disgust appeared on her face.

Flurry Heart's tempo decreased a little, but the happy look she radiated from her eyes remained. Her guard did not react.

“Maybe Shining Armor and Cadance will say no to the idea,” Sweetie Belle suggested, without looking away from the castle nor changing her expression.

Scootaloo nodded absently.

Apple Bloom huffed her discontent with the situation and looked away again. Her eyes drilled into the princess in front of her. Just in this moment, Flurry Heart turned around. They had arrived under the castle now, the crystal heart spinning at Flurry Heart's side.

“We are here!” the teenage princess shouted. She reared up on her hindlegs for a moment, forehooves flinging through the air in an exuberant, energetic fashion. “Now I'll lead you inside and then we will convince my parents in no time!”

Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle flinched back a little, the latter upholding her glares, and gritted their teeth.

Flurry Heart smiled at them, confidently and wide-eyed, her curly tail wrapped gently around her left hindleg.
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“No!” Shining Armor spoke sternly.

The grin in Flurry Heart's face vanished. Her lips forming a frown and her ears dropping, she hung her head and looked at the purple carpet of the throne room. At her left side, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle smiled.

“I agree with Shining,” Cadance spoke next to her husband, in a contrasting, soft voice. She wore a look of concern on her face. “We know that you have reasons to hold a grudge against Flurry Heart and it probably would not end well if you became her guards.” The expression in her eyes turned from benevolent to strict.

“Plus–” Shining Armor made a step forward, “– Flurry Heart already has a very capable guard. She doesn't need a new one.” He looked down and gave the guard of his daughter a nod of stern approval.

The guard remained silent, stoically looking in front of him.

“But.....” Flurry Heart's eyes became wet as she kept looking down. “I want them to be my guards.....”

Shining Armor came down the stairs of the crystal throne and trotted to his daughter. He lifted a hoof and raised her chin with it, making Flurry Heart look at him. Shining Armor's eyes remained stern, but a warmth radiated from them now as he looked at his daughter intensely. “I understand why you want that they become your guards, Flurry. But they aren't the right ponies for the job. You need guards who aren't biased. How else would a guard be able to protect you?”

Flurry Heart looked at him pleadingly from big, wet eyes. “But.....” she uttered again.

To her left, Sweetie Belle cleared her throat, making Shining Armor look over to her. Flurry Heart turned her head, a bit of hope glimmering in her eyes.

Sweetie Belle put her hoof back on the floor. “May I answer that question?” She stepped forward and at Shining Armor's side, his and Flurry Heart's eyes following her movements, then turned to look at him. “What happened between us and Flurry Heart was a long time ago. And we can't forgive her, because we have suffered too much from what she did.”

The glimmer of hope in Flurry's eyes vaporized and she looked away from Sweetie Belle, staring down once more. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo nodded grimly.

Shining Armor put his hoof away from this daughter's chin and turned around to face Sweetie Belle, a keen expression on his face.

Sweetie Belle continued. “But even though all three of us hate her, we now have a good reason to be around her anyway.” Her eyelids lowered a little in sadness. “It is hard not having a purpose in life, when all you do is existing from day to day without being able to contribute anything meaningful. Becoming Flurry Heart's personal guards would give us such a meaning again and it is because of this,–“ She paused again, closing her eyes and placing her right hoof on her chest, “– that we are able to prevent our emotions from affecting the correct execution of our duties with guarding your daughter.”

To her left, the eyes of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo grew in size and their mouths gaped open. “Ya can talk like this?” Apple Bloom sputtered in surprise, even momentarily forgetting her anger about Flurry Heart.

Sweetie Belle gave her a wink, before she turned at Shining Armor again.

The captain of the Crystal Empire guards stayed silent for a moment, his eyes probing Sweetie Belle's face for a sign of dishonesty. Sweetie Belle did not falter and gave him a look of flawless conviction.

Shining Armor flashed a look at Apple Bloom, then addressed Sweetie Belle's vow. His face lost any softness and returned to the stern expression from earlier. “That sounds impressive, but I can't trust you that everything would go over well. I noticed the way Apple Bloom looks at Flurry Heart and I can tell that she isn't able to keep herself in check.”

The determination in Sweetie Belle's face slightly faded. She looked over at Apple Bloom, then at Scootaloo. The pegasus mare nodded. Sweetie Belle refocused her attention on Shining Armor. “Scootaloo and I will keep her in check. She won't hurt Flurry Heart.”

Shining Armor's face remained hard like a rock. “That's nice,” he spoke, not sounding the least bit convinced. “But as Flurry Heart's guards, all three of you must be able to work at your full potential to protect our daughter. Apple Bloom's emotions would distract her from her guard duties.” He looked at the earth pony mare again before he continued. “Maybe Cadance and I can agree if Apple Bloom returns to Ponyville and only Scootaloo and you will work here as Flurry Heart's guards.”

Now Sweetie Belle's face became hard. “That won't be possible. It's either all three of us or none of us.”

“Then I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do for you if you don't agree to this compromise,” he rejected Sweetie Belle. The mare kept her hard expression, but there was some insecurity in her eyes now.

“Don't worry about me, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom interferred. Shining Armor and Sweetie Belle looked away from each other and over to Apple Bloom. Flurry Heart looked up, as well, giving the earth pony mare a shy, careful glance.

Apple Bloom was wearing an expression somewhere between empathy and sadness. “Ya and Scootaloo jus' take the position. There's plenty for me to do on Sweet Apple Acres and Shining Armor is right. Ah'd rather help ma family than guardin' that f–”

Both Shining Armor and Cadance gave Apple Bloom a warning glance. Apple Bloom lifted her left hoof and gave a little cough into it. Sweat appeared on her forehead. “–filly.” Then she turned around to leave. She looked back over her shoulder. “Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, take the job. Ya need it more than me and there's no point in ya sittin' around in Ponyville and doin' nothin'.” She turned her head around again and began slowly trotting towards the huge gate of the throne room, ears flat and head lowered.

Flurry Heart watched her and pure despair appeared on her face all of a sudden. Her head shot up. “No!” she shouted. She looked at her parents pleadingly, first at Shining Armor, than at Cadance. “I need all of three of them as my guards!”

Apple Bloom stopped in her tracks and turned around rapidly. “What are ya needin' us for?!” Suspicion and newfound rage were on her face. She came stomping towards Flurry Heart.

Alarmed, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hurried over to their friend, blocking her path.

Flurry Heart ignored Apple Bloom. She raced up the stairs of the throne. “Mom!” her high voice whined through the throne room. Arrived at the top, she grabbed one of her mother's hooves and squeezed it tightly. “Please!” She gazed at Cadance with a heartwarming display of adorable puppy dog eyes. Some tears were collecting in them.

Cadance's face softened. She looked down at her daughter, then at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were busy preventing Apple Bloom from going further. She watched them in silence for a few moments. Then she spoke to them. “Would you three go through a test to prove yourself?”

The struggling below her stopped and all three mares looked up at her in surprise.

Shining Armor looked his wife, doubt in his face. “Are you sure about this, Cadance?”

Cadance met his eyes and nodded. “The least thing we can do is let them try, Shining Armor.” Below her face, Flurry Heart started to beam and her eyes began to sparkle. She squeezed her mom's hoof stronger.

“Maybe,” Shining Armor responded, not quite agreeing. “But what could they do?”

Cadance smiled. “I was thinking they could try to solve our little problem for us.”
Shining Armor appeared a little shocked. “This problem?” he asked.

Cadance nodded. She looked down at Flurry Heart and stroke her mane. “Flurry Heart needs guards who are patient and have tact and who can work under stress and pressure. And who can put their hooves down if it is necessary.”

“No doubt the last requirement on this list is fulfilled,” Shining Armor spoke, taking a glance at Apple Bloom's still slightly hostile face.

“Um-hm. And solving the problem we have right now is perfect for the rest of them. I already thought it through.” She stopped caressing her daughter's mane and looked at her husband again.

Shining Armor still didn't look convinced. “But what if they fail, Cadance? You know that a lot is on the line. We should send somepony who is more skilled at those things.”

Uncertainty appeared in Cadance's face and a frown built on her forehead. “That's right..... We only have one chance to succeed, otherwise.....” Sunken in thoughts, she trailed off, her eyes becoming distant.

“I will help!” Flurry Heart suddenly piped up. “Let them try it, if they fail, I will use all of the bits that I saved and pay for everything myself!” She looked even more pleadingly at her mother.

Cadance's face cleared up. She looked down at Flurry, surprise adorning her face. “You would sacrifice all of your savings if they fail their test? Is it that important to you, Flurry Heart?”

“Um-hm.” Flurry Heart nodded. Then her eyes turned sad and she lowered her head. “I have only one chance, too,” she whispered in a low volume.

Cadance gave her daughter a warm smile. She gently brushed a hoof over her mane and left ear. Cadance looked at Shining Armor. He was smiling, as well, now. Shining Armor nodded at his wife, then turned around at Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle stepped away from Apple Bloom and stood to attention.

“Okay, here is what you need to do.....” Shining Armor began.
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Several streets away from the castle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were heading towards a new destination. Flurry Heart was not with them. Their faces were happier than before, only Apple Bloom wore a grouchy expression. After a few seconds, Sweetie Belle began to speak.

“I think we're almost there.” Sweetie Belle hovered a slip of paper in front of her face. “Two cross streets behind the stadium. A big, green house that stands taller than those around it,” she read out loud. “A house that big should be easy to find.” She looked up and hovered the paper away.

Scootaloo smiled. “Yeah and the test doesn't sound too hard, either! What do you think, Apple Bloom?” She looked ahead at her friend.

The only answer from Apple Bloom came in the form of a disgruntled mumbling.

Taken aback, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other. Scootaloo scrunched her face. A few seconds of silence followed before she continued to speak.

“We only need to convince a pegasus of changing their mind about not participating in the charity flight race that happens to collect funds for the Crystal Empire Orphanage. This should be easy!” An optimistic smile graced her face.

Sweetie Belle glanced at her, doubtfully. “A race that happens in only two hours,” she added. “And we don't even know why this pegasus doesn't want to participate in the race anymore. All we know is that they suddenly said they aren't interested in flight races anymore and would rather try out something new from now on. And isn't it odd that Shining Armor and Cadance didn't tell us who it is? They only said we will find out when we're there.”

Scootaloo wrinkled her forehead. “Yeah, it is. But I'm not worried. If you can talk to the pegasus as convincingly as you did to Shining Armor and Cadance in the castle, they will agree to participate in the race in ten seconds flat!” Her face became determined now.

“I hope you're right.....” Sweetie Belle looked ahead of them. “There it is,” she pointed into the direction they were heading, at a large house carved out from a green crystal. “I hope this will be as easy as you said, Scootaloo.” Sweetie Belle eyed the house with a nervous expression.

“I'm sure it will be! Come on, let's get there and talk to the pony and in a few minutes, we can return to the castle!” Scootaloo reassured her and galloped ahead.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked after her with sobering glances before they increased their tempo to catch up.

Arrived at the house, Scootaloo rushed up the stairs. She had barely stopped as she already lifted her hoof and eagerly knocked on the door twice. A second later, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle emerged behind her. Scootaloo looked back at them. “This is going to be nothing, don't worry. Convincing a racer to keep racing will be fun!”

In front of Scootaloo, the door got unlocked. She smiled and turned her head around again to face it. The door got pulled open from the other side. Scootaloo's smile increased, then suddenly dropped sharply and was replaced with a dumbfounded look, before in evolved into a hostile frown. “You?!”

Behind her, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gasped.

In front of them, in the frame of the opened door, stood Lightning Dust. Her amber mane was unkempt, the feathers of her wings ruffled and there were bags under her eyes. “Yeah? What's the matter?” she asked, a clear annoyance in her voice.

Scootaloo's pupils had become shrunken to the size of tiny pinheads. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. Eventually, she merely gritted her teeth while her face became twisted by more and more anger.

Lightning Dust seemed oblivious to her identity. Only now that the hostility of the mare opposite of her increased, her face became clear with realization. All of a sudden, Lightning Dust looked more awake. She flashed Scootaloo a grin and smirked. “Ex-Washout,” she spoke. “Wouldn't have expected to meet you again.”

“Same here,” Scootaloo snarled. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were speechless.

Instead of making a hostile remark, Lightning Dust stepped further inside and held out a hoof in an inviting manner. “Come inside!”

Scootaloo eyed her with suspicion for a few seconds. Then she hesitantly followed the invitation, without taking her eyes off the other mare. Trotting past Lightning Dust, she didn't take her hoof and instead slapped it away. Finally, Lightning Dust's expression changed and she glared at Scootaloo. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave Lightning Dust frowns as they followed their friend.

Lightning Dust closed the door, then turned and caught up with them. “Living room's to the right, the door next to the stairs,” she told them, her voice having become noticeably sour.

Wordlessly, Scootaloo stepped into the living room, her friends trailing closely behind. The walls of the room were richly decorated. Opposite of the door, their eyes wandered over framed pictures, each of them showing Lightning Dust. One of them showed her in a rookie uniform at Wonderbolts Academy next to a number of other recruits, on another one she was seen standing at the side of Rainbow Dash, in the same uniform. Other pictures showed her posing in a Washouts uniform with her teammates Short Fuse and Rolling Thunder or flying next to a colt with a cerulean coat and a short and spiky, sea green mane. Lightning Dust looked younger on this picture.

Aside from the pictures, the entire room was decked out in Washouts memorabilia; posters, flags, stickers and also a Washouts uniform that had been tacked to the wall. Only in one corner of the living room, a Wonderbolts poster was hanging. It looked worn and old, with scratches all over it and the corners of it ripped.

Scootaloo grimaced as her eyes went over everything.

Lightning Dust stepped into the room behind them, eyeing Scootaloo sternly. “Let's get to the point,” she spoke, now sounding impatient. Silently, she offered them a group of black chairs made of faux leather that were grouped around a small table, by pointing a hoof at them. The table was cluttered; papers with hastily written lines on them, books about a variety of subjects, tools and small papercraft figures were spread out over it.

The four mares sat down, spreading themselves around the table. “Ignore the mess,” Lightning Dust said, waving a hoof over the table. “I am busy figuring out a few things right now.” She gave each of them a glance. “So, why are you here?”

Sweetie Belle sought eye contact with Lightning Dust. “Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor sent us here,” she began.

“Yeah?” Lightning Dust adressed the explanation, in a gruff manner. “It's about the flight race, isn't it? Should have guessed they will send somepony to me. If you are here to convince me to fly again, then you can grab your tails and leave. This mare doesn't fly anymore.” Lightning Dust leaned back in her chair with a smug expression, placing her forehooves behind her head. Her eyes looked distant and empty, though, which betrayed her display of confidence.

“And why is that?” Sweetie Belle asked, making her voice sound caring.

“Not your business.” Lightning Dust closed her eyes and shrugged her shoulders, dismissively.

Scootaloo looked to the left, casting her eyes over the wall decorations again. Then she stared Lightning Dust straight into the face, now wearing a smug expression of her own. “Because she failed it all and now flying gives her nightmares.”

Instantly, Lightning Dust's eyes shot open. She glared at Scootaloo with a deep hatred.

Scootaloo's expression remained. “Isn't it right? All the stuff on the walls makes it obvious, if you ask me. Well, that, and the fact you're hiding here in the Crystal Empire like a butterfly that developed backwards into a grub.”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo looks of concern. “Scoots? Ya think it really is a good idea to provoke her? She ain't gonna be convinced if ya try it like that.” Apple Bloom tried to stop her.

Scootaloo only flashed her a short look, then focused her attention on the outraged face of Lightning Dust. “I guess things didn't quite go up for you after you tried to play me off against Rainbow Dash. Right?”

Now Lightning Dust's lips curled into a mocking smile. “Like you never managed to go up. Must be tough flying with only one wing left.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “I don't miss it, my wings have always been useless for flying.” She grinned at Lightning Dust. “But I at least always kept flying in my mind. Unlike you. It's better to be a grounded pegasus with a reputation, than a fallen Wonderbolts recruit.”

Lightning Dust's eyes turned to slits and she bit her bottom lip. Her forehooves started trembling, but she remained silent.

Scootaloo got up from her chair and aimed for the picture on the wall that showed Lightning Dust with the colt. “I wonder what Sky Stinger would say if he knew you're hiding in here, grub. He's your younger brother, right? Rainbow Dash told me about him. I heard he's a high-ranking member of the Wonderbolts now. Sucks that you never managed what Sky Stinger could do.”

In a rapid movement, Lightning Dust stood up and knocked over the table. Books and the rest of the items on it whirled through the air and the table smashed with a bang against a cabinet. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle flinched in their chairs.

With two quick steps, Lightning Dust was at Scootaloo's side. She grabbed her and turned her around with force, then pressed her face into hers. “Never say his name again.”

Scootaloo did not flinch. She smiled. “I know what he would say: 'Dust, I'm ashamed. You didn't manage to get into the Wonderbolts and you ruined your own flight team, too. And now you have given up and sit here in a puddle of self-pity. Weak, little grub.' That's what he would say, isn't it?” She shoved Lightning Dust, who was frozen in place, away from her and slipped out of the other pegasus' grasp.

Scootaloo trotted across the room, towards the exit. Her eyes were resting on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. “He would be so disappointed to hear that his big sister is giving up like that. But that's not even the worst thing..... I can't imagine how disappointed you must be of yourself for being a quitter like this.”

Scootaloo waved Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle over. They looked at her in confusion, but got up and followed her outside when she left the living room. In the foyer of the crystal house, a shout by Lightning Dust rang into their ears. Her voice sounded cracked. “I'm going to be better than him!”

Outside, Sweetie Belle voiced her confusion. “What was that all about, Scootaloo?” she questioned her behavior in Lightning Dust's house.

Scootaloo gazed at her, not looking any less confused. “I'm not really sure, Sweetie..... But I think it worked.”

“Ya think she'll fly again now?” Apple Bloom came closer.

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. You heard what she shouted after us.”

Their faces remained confused as they headed back to the castle.
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Back inside the castle, the successful trio marched through the gates into the throne room. A victorious look adorned their faces. Only's Apple Bloom's expression was, as usual, tarnished by a hateful glare as her eyes fell on Flurry Heart. Scootaloo gave her a subtle push with one hoof and Apple Bloom hid her feelings the best she could. They stepped in front of the crystal throne.

Shining Armor stood next to the throne, on which his wife still sat. Flurry Heart flanked the throne at the other side. Shining Armor and Cadance were visibly surprised to see them, while Flurry Heart gazed down at them full of excitement, eyes glowing.

“You are back already?” Shining Armor asked, voice ripe with surprise, but also distrust. “How did it go?”

“She's back in the game,” Scootaloo said, simply. She looked a little smug.

Shining Armor and Cadance exchanged a look. “You have been gone for barely an hour,” Shining Armor spoke, looking at them again. “Don't be surprised if we have a bit of trouble to believe you that it worked so quickly.”

Flurry Heart raced down the stairs and took up position in front of the three of them. Her eyes gleamed with happiness as she looked over them. “I knew you would pass the test!” She turned around on her hooves, facing her parents. “Now you have to hire them as my guards!”

Another look got exchanged by Shining Armor and Cadance, before they addressed their daughter. Cadance spoke first. “If Lightning Dust flies in the race today, then we will give them a chance, Flurry.”

“But we will verify this first. It happened all a little fast.” Shining Armor gave his daughter a stricter expression than this wife. He switched his focus to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. “For now, you can stay. Flurry Heart wants to watch the race today and we allow you to attend it together with her. Flurry's current guard will join you and he will report to us how it went.”

Cadance picked up where her husband left off. “And if you said the truth and everything went well at the stadium, we are willing to let you try. Do you agree with this?”

The three mares nodded, silently.

Cadance smiled. “Then this is settled. The stadium will fill with ponies soon. You and Flurry Heart should get ready to get good seats.”

Flurry Heart squealed. “Oh, I'm so, so happy!” The princess gave each of them a crushing hug, making them gasp for air. She stepped in front of them again. “Now that you are my guards, we are going to have the best time ever and I will do everything for you!”
Sweetie Belle set up a diplomatic smile. “We aren't your guards yet, Flurry Heart,” she explained.

Flurry Heart did not respond, she only stared at them with a wide grin. After a few seconds, she paced around them and began galloping out of the throne room.

“Follow me! We have a flight race to watch! The popcorn is on me!” they heard her overly excited voice shout back at them from the corridor behind the gate.
They facehoofed and shook their heads, collectively, before they set themselves into motion to follow Flurry Heart.