Despite being best friends who do everything together, the Cutie Mark Crusaders sometimes did things on their own or with other friends and family. Sure, they often tried to get the three of them together for these sorts of events, but sometimes things just didn't work out. Not that it really was a problem. Sometimes a crusader needed a break to themselves.
Sweetie Belle, waiting for her friends at the clubhouse, had to go through the first week of summer by herself save for whatever fun events her sister, Rarity, had planned. Sadly, even those were limited due to the new influx of summer requested clothing from her clients, which ate up her time. Meanwhile, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were with their families on their own adventures for the start of the summer.
Since her parents were always traveling around the world, Scootaloo had been more than excited to explore with them. She wrote postcards about the places they visited, the animals they saw, and the deadly events that nearly cost them their lives. That wasn't something Sweetie Belle would write happily about. Then again, Scootaloo had always been the more danger prone of their little trio. The young unicorn could still remember some of the various crusades her extreme friend had led them on. Ones that often caused them to get bandages on their limbs afterward.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and her siblings had decided to venture out into the Macintosh Mountains to look for some legendary apple tree. It was said that anypony who ate its sweet fruit was given infinite wisdom. Sweetie Belle had wanted to go see this tree as well, maybe even get a bite of it, but Rarity had forbidden her to go saying it was too dangerous. "Like she doesn't go on dangerous adventures to save the world with her friends," Sweetie Belle muttered while rolling her eyes. Huffing, she crossed her hooves and shook her head. "If they did find the tree, I'm going to be so mad that I didn't get a chance to eat the apples and become super wise."
"Well, it turns out goin' to search for it wasn't the wisest thing to do in the first place," a familiar voice replied as the door opened to reveal a smiling Apple Bloom. "Howdy, Sweetie Belle. Ah'm back!"
"Hey, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle said, getting up and hugging one of her best friends. "So, how was your adventure?"
"It was fun, but no luck findin' the tree," Apple Bloom said as she and Sweetie sat down next to their club's table. "We did have quite a journey, however. We had to deal with rock monsters. Swing on vines to escape a bunch of angry monkeys. And Ah had to walk across a narrow bridge to reunite with my siblin's when we got separated."
"Wow, sounds like you were fearless," Sweetie Belle said with adoration.
Puffing out her chest, Apple Bloom proudly stated, "Yup, Ah'm pretty much the bravest filly in Ponyville. Thank you."
"Excuse me?" The girls turned around to see a grinning Scootaloo, wearing an adventurer's hat, walk inside. "I think I'm much braver than you are."
"Oh, yeah? How?" Apple Bloom asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Well, for one, I managed to avoid a tribe of flesh-eating natives in the jungles where my parents and I were adventuring. We also managed to ride rapids with nothing but a raft made of bamboo and twine with crocodiles and piranha after us. And I managed to escape an old ancient temple all by myself."
"Oh, please, Ah bet ya had yer ma and pa holdin' yer wings the entire time," Apple Bloom said, sticking out her young while winking at Scootaloo.
"Oh, want to challenge me on that?" Scootaloo asked, grinning.
"Apples never back down from a challenge!" Apple Bloom said with an equally wide smirk. "Let's have a dare contest to see who is the bravest! The first filly to back out has to wear a chicken outfit the rest of the day! Deal?"
"Deal!"
The two spat into their hooves and bumped them together. Scootaloo then turned to Sweetie Belle and asked, "Hey, Sweetie? Mind being the judge?"
"Sure, this sounds like it would be fun to watch!" Sweetie Belle said with a hoof clap. "Since Apple Bloom was first to arrive, why doesn't she dare first?"
"I'm fine with that," Scootaloo said, shrugging her shoulders. "So, what do you want to dare me to do?"
"Hmm," Apple Bloom rubbed her chin while licking her lips. Then her eyes widened when an idea came to her. "Ah got it! Ah dare ya to the spooky cavern in Gastly Gorge with no light and get one of the shiny rocks that are said to be inside."
"Ha! I'm not afraid of a dark and scary cave! Let's go!" Scootaloo shouted as she led the girls out of the club.
***
Ghastly Gorge was not the most dangerous place around Ponyville. However, it was still an area one should be careful around. The girls could recall how Rainbow Dash got trapped by a few boulders while having a race with various pets to see which one would be her personal one. Other stories about how some ponies who weren't careful got hurt from falling boulders, tripping over cliffs, or some of the dangerous creatures that lived in the caves.
The cave that the girls were in front of was one that Rarity and Spike went into sometimes to get the shiny stones said to be inside, which is how the Crusaders heard about it. Sweetie Belle shivered upon seeing how big and dark it was, but neither Scootaloo nor Apple Bloom seemed to be afraid. The winged filly walked forward towards the entrance before turning her head to her friends. "Alright, so I just got to go inside and get a shiny rock, right?"
"Yup, without running back with yer tail between yer legs," Apple Bloom pointed out.
"Easy peasy," Scootaloo said as she started walking inside.
"Be careful!" Sweetie Belle shouted.
"I'll be fine!" Scootaloo echoed as she disappeared into the dark cave.
"Maybe we should have given her a light?" Sweetie Belle suggested, but Apple Bloom shook her head.
"Nope, Ah said with no light, and Ah means it," Apple Bloom answered before smirking. "Besides, she'll just come out cryin' like a foal any minute now."
***
"Ugh, wish I had a light. That's the third rock I tripped over," Scootaloo said, dusting the dirt off her flank from her latest fall. She continued onward, blinking her eyes once in and while to help her adjust to the darkness. A trick her parents taught her when they went cave adventuring one time before having to run away from angry skeletons.
Regardless, there wasn't much to see except stalactites and stalagmites. "Come to think of it, what do those shiny rocks look like? Ugh, I should have asked that question before I walked into here."
Suddenly, there was the sound of something crumbling nearby that made Scootaloo freeze up. Slowly, she turned to her left but didn't see anything. "Maybe it was just the wind?" There was another rumbling noise that made her gulp. She also could hear the sound of footsteps walking towards her. They sounded heavy and were coming closer with each passing second. "Um, hello? Girls, is that you?"
There was no answer.
"Come on, this isn't funny!" Scootaloo yelled, her voice echoing across the cave as her wings flapped. She began to slowly back up while looking around for any sign of the creature following her. "S-S-Seriously, I'm not scared!"
Then she felt something cold and hard touch her rump, which made her shriek and turned around with her wings flared up. Once she saw that it was just a pile of rocks, she sighed in relief and placed her hoof over her heart. "Oh, phew. For a second, I thought-"
A tap on the shoulder made her voice quickly die out, and she slowly turned around and saw a face in the darkness along with three pairs of eyes that were glowing bright green. Screaming, Scootaloo ran away as fast as possible. She didn't care what direction she was going in so long as it was as far away from the green-eyed beast as possible.
I hope the girls heard me scream and are coming to rescue me! Scootaloo thought with a prayer in her mind.
***
"I win again!" Sweetie Belle joyfully proclaimed as she placed a line across her three X's on the makeshift Tic Tac Toe drawing in the dirt.
"Ugh, that's the seventh victory in a row!" Apple Bloom complained as she cleared the dirt before making a new one. "Best out of sixteen!"
***
Scootaloo didn't know how long she had been running, but eventually, she got so tired she had fallen to her stomach. Panting for breath, she tried to figure out where she was, but nothing looked familiar. "Great, now I've gotten myself lost. And all I had to do was find some stupid rock."
Getting up, Scootaloo tried to look for a way out of the cave when she noticed a bright blue light coming from around the corner. Hoping it was the exit, Scootaloo galloped forward until she found herself in a big circle area with tons of glowing blue rocks. Excited, she grabbed a few and looked at them with awe. "Wow, so pretty! I gotta show the girls these!"
She was about to turn around when another figure started coming towards the cave. Gasping, Scootaloo slowly backed up as the familiar green glowing eyes appeared near the entrance. "S-Stay back! I got these glowing rocks, and I'm not afraid to use them!"
"They're called fluorites," A familiar deadpan voice of no emotion spoke as the figure moved into the light. Scootaloo's eyes widened when she saw that the so-called creature was none other than Pinkie Pie's sister, Maud Pie, and she had a large set of night vision goggles on her face.
"Maud? What are you doing here?"
"I was just exploring this cave for fluorites to add to my home," Maud Pie answered, monotone as always. She pulled up the night vision goggles. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"S-Scared? Me? I wasn't scared, hahaha," Scootaloo forced a laugh before coughing into her hoof. "Um, but since you're here and all. Can you show me the way out?"
"Sure," Maud Pie said as she motioned for Scootaloo to follow her.
***
Sure enough, Maud had shown Scootaloo the way towards the entrance before leaving to get her fluorites. Scootaloo, after calming herself down, proudly walked out of the cave with the sparkling blue rocks. "Hey girls, I'm back."
"Wow, you're okay! And you got the rocks!" Sweetie Belle said as she rushed over to the smirking pegasus. Sweetie Belle eyed the shiny stones with glitter in her eyes. "Oooh, pretty."
"So what do you think of that, Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked, winking to the huffing earth pony. "And I didn't even get scared once."
"Yeah, yeah," Apple Bloom said, waving her hoof in the air. "So ya got a shiny dumb rock in a dark cave. That's not that brave. Ah can do better."
"Really, okay then," Scootaloo said as she walked over to Apple Bloom and poked her in the chest. "Then I dare you to go into the Everfree Forest and find that rare flower Zecora told us about one time. I think she called it the Blood Petal Bloomer."
"That's it? Ha, we've been in the Everfree Forest so many times that it's practically a walk in the park! Let's go!"
***
The Everfree Forest was such a place of mystery and wonder that it was often the place of spooky tales that frightened young foals at night. Fortunately, various places such as Zecora's Hut and The Castle of the Two Pony Sisters were now made safe over the years. Despite this, one still needed to be careful as there were all sorts of dangerous animals and plants that could make a pony meet their maker. The fact that the weather was made on its own was still a weird concept to ponies that some didn't believe that it was true when non-ponies told them it was the norm worldwide.
"You sure you want to do this, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked as they walked closer to the path entrance. "A cave is one thing, but the Everfree Forest is pretty dangerous."
"Come on, Ah take this path all the time for mah potion lessons with Zecora," Apple Bloom assured while stretching her legs. "Ah'll be back in a flash."
"Just don't wet yourself when you come across a manticore or a timber wolf," Scootaloo teased.
"Laugh all ya want, but Ah betcha Ah'll be back faster than y'all were at the cave," Apple Bloom said before rushing into the forest without looking back.
"She'll be okay, right?" Sweetie Belle asked, worried.
"Of course," Scootaloo said before muttering, "Probably."
***
Apple Bloom had rushed in thinking she would find that Blood Petal Bloomer in ten seconds flat as Rainbow Dash often quoted. However, thirty minutes in and Apple Bloom was starting to realize that it would be a much harder find than usual. Already she had checked every bush she had come across, but the flowers weren't what she was looking for.
"How hard is it to find one single flower in this forest? How does Zecora do it?" Apple Bloom asked herself as she continued her venture forth into the wilderness.
The growl of her stomach made her wince. She wished she had gotten something to eat first before doing this. While she could eat the grass, she and her friends did that one time in the Everfree Forest, and it tasted like garbage. And she wasn't going to try and eat any of the berries she saw in the forest. She remembered what happened last time when Applejack decided to eat some after delivering some apples to Zecora.
Ah didn't think a pony could use the outhouse that much for a week, Apple Bloom thought with a shiver upon thinking about it.
Coming to a clearing, Apple Bloom saw that there was a large set of orange flowers with purple dye stems. However, what caught her attention, much to her joy, was that she could see the Blood Petal Bloomer right in the middle. All she had to do was cross through the orange flower and grab it.
"Never saw flowers like these before. Eh, Ah bet they're nothin'," Apple Bloom shrugged before proceeding to the Bloomer flower. Once she got there, she picked it up with her teeth, but the surrounding orange flowers all puffed out a strange orange color cloud that went into Apple Bloom's nostrils. She coughed a bit, trying to wave the cloud away before she slowly began to feel sleepy all of a sudden.
Yawning, a swaying Apple Bloom stumbled around. "Maybe I just...need a little...sleep..." She then collapsed onto the ground.
***
"Say, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked as she practiced levitating a rock with her magic.
"Yeah?" Scootaloo asked, lying on the grass and watching the clouds above.
"You dared Apple Bloom to get a Blood Petal Bloomer, right?" Sweetie Belle asked before throwing the rock as far as she could. "Isn't that flower usually next to those orange ones that cause ponies to hallucinate if they sniff their powder?"
"Nah, I'm sure you're thinking of some other kind of flower."
***
"Wake up, sleepyhead. Everythin' is ready!" Applejack's voice echoed in Apple Bloom's ears. She slowly opened her eyes to find her big sister, dressed in an orange and red gown with an apple pin on the hem staring at her with wide eyes. She also had a white version of her hat on her head with floral decorations on top.
"Applejack? What's going on?" Apple Bloom yawned as she rubbed her eyes before wondering what happened. She couldn't really remember where she was or what she was doing.
"It's yer weddin' day silly," Applejack said, nudging Apple Bloom up from the couch. "Come on, yer future husband to be is waitin'."
"Wait, wedding'? Husband?! Ah'm gettin' married?!" Apple Bloom shot up at once. "But Ah'm too...young...what?" Looking at the nearby mirror in the living room, Apple Bloom was shocked to find that she was no longer a little filly, but a beautiful long-haired mare wearing her mother's wedding dress that Granny Smith showed her one time. "O-Oh, Ah guess Ah am."
"Next time, for yer bridal shower, take it easy on the cider, Sugarcube," Applejack chuckled before guiding Apple Bloom to the front door. "Now, let's get this ceremony started."
"Um, right," Apple Bloom said as she tried to recall if she really was getting married or not. Ah must be. This feels so real. Guess Ah was just dreamin' or somethin'.
Once the front door opened, a piano began to play "Here Comes The Bride" as Apple Bloom gasped at the sight of how many ponies were sitting in white pillow cushions. All gazing at her with smiles, tears, or a combination of both. Most of them were her family, but she recognized her best friends, some kids from school (Although they were clearly adults now), and her sister's best friend. Big Macintosh, Sugar Belle, Granny Smith, and Grandpa Pear were all at the front row with the biggest smiles while Spike, now taller and bigger, took photos of Apple Bloom as she nervously walked down the flower-covered aisle outside.
Birds were chirping in the air, and Discord, dressed as cupid, could be seen above raining rice down with giant salt shakers. Walking down, smiling at her family, she turned to the right and saw a few guests that she was surprised to see as well. Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, Silverstream, and her parents were all dressed in regal clothing like a royal wedding. They look proud, or, in the case of Skystar and Silverstream, ready to burst out of their seats in excitement. Wait a minute, where's Terramar?
"Hey, Apple Bloom," A familiar voice addressed her as she slowly realized she was at the altar. Apple Bloom gasped to see an older and handsome-looking Terramar in a white royal uniform and cloak standing before her. "Ready for the biggest day in our lives?"
Ah'm... Ah'm marrying Terramar?! Apple Bloom felt her entire face turn red and stood silent as the priest hippogriff started his speech. Apple Bloom didn't even know what to think or say. All she could do was look at her so-called future husband and shyly smile every time he turned his ocean-colored eyes towards her. Okay, he's nice. Handsome. And...well, we are friends...Ah guess this isn't so bad...
"Do you, Terramar, take Apple Bloom to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The priest hippogriff asked.
"I do," Terramar said with a wide and loving smile. "From now until the end."
"And do you, Apple Bloom, take Terramar to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Apple Bloom looked at the priest and then at a smiling Terramar before sighing with a lovely smile. "Yes, Ah do."
"Then I happily pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."
Terramar slowly closed his eyes and leaned forward. At the same time, Apple Bloom, realizing she was going to get her first kiss, did the same and slowly perched ahead...
***
PHHHHTTTT!
"Gah!" Apple Bloom shouted as a horrible smell awoke her from her daydream. She felt her eyes water as she looked around and saw that she was some distance away from the orange flowers. The Blood Petal Bloomer was right next to her, but her focus was on the fact that her nose felt like it had been dumped into a trash bin. "Ugh, what's that smell?! Wait, where's mah husband? The weddin'? What...was Ah dreamin'?"
She slapped herself a few times to make sure that she was in reality again. Once Apple Bloom was sure that she wasn't in a dream, she asked, "So what was it that got me out of it? And why did it smell so bad?"
A shuffle in a nearby bush was her answer as she saw a skunk, smelling horrible, grin at Apple Bloom before rushing off.
"...Ah darn it, now Ah gotta take a tomato bath," Apple Bloom skunk before shivering. "Ah just hope Ah wasn't gonna kiss it instead of Terramar."
***
"Gah, what happened to you?!" Scootaloo shouted as she and Sweetie Belle held their noses. "Did you fall into hydra dung or something?"
"A skunk got me," Apple Bloom answered before spitting out the flower. "Here's the stupid flower. Now let's find Zecora so she can wash this out with somethin'."
***
"Okay, now that Apple Bloom no longer smells like butt. We still need to determine which of us is the bravest one," Scootaloo said as she and the other crusaders walked around town. Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle and said, "Sweetie, as our judge, you need to tell us who is braver."
"Yeah, come on, Sweets," Apple Bloom said, smiling. "Ya know it was me, right?"
"Actually, I think you were both pretty brave," Sweetie Belle said, rubbing her chin. "Hmm, maybe we need a tie-breaker."
"Sure, what is it? It's got to be something really daring, though," Scootaloo said with excitement.
Sweetie Belle looked around for something to inspire her when she noticed Diamond Tiara perching some celery at a market stand and got an idea. "Okay, I dare you both to kiss Diamond Tiara on the lips! The first one willing to do it is the bravest!"
"What!? Ewwwww!" Both the other crusaders said, sticking their tongues out.
"There is no way I would kiss Diamond Tiara, even if we are friends with her now," Scootaloo said in disgust. "She's still a bit of a snob, and I can think of far better ponies to kiss first before her."
"Yeah, Ah'm savin' mah first kiss for Terra-Ah mean someone else," Apple Bloom replied while supporting a light blush.
"So you both are too chicken to do it?" Sweetie Belle asked, tilting her head.
"Oh, please like you're brave enough to do it," Scootaloo proclaimed before Sweetie Belle walked away. "Hey, where are you going?"
The two crusaders watched as Sweetie Belle walked over to Diamond Tiara. The latter had just finished her purchase and noticed the unicorn filly walking towards her. "Oh, hey Sweetie Belle. What is it?"
"Mind if you help me out with something?" Sweetie Belle asked politely.
"Sure, what is-" Diamond Tiara was silenced when Sweetie Belle leaned forward and kissed her on the lips with her eyes closed.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom's jaws dropped as they saw their friend make out with Diamond Tiara for a full minute. Even the rich filly was surprised, her tail standing up in shock while she just stared at Sweetie Belle with deep red cheeks. Once Sweetie Belle ended the kiss, she smiled and winked at Diamond Tiara. "Thanks, Diamond. See ya later."
Diamond Tiara just stood there as Sweetie Belle hopped back towards her friends before slowly walking backward. She had a lot to think about. And a lot of questions to ask her parents.
***
"Sweetie Belle?"
"Yes, Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked as she read a book near the window of Rarity's home. The unicorn was looking out the window with a confused look on her face.
"Why are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo wearing a chicken costume and walking down the street while clucking?" Rarity asked, eyebrows raised as Sweetie Belle just giggled.
"Because I was the bravest."
Author's Note
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