Cutie Mark Crusading

Scootaloo pushed open the door to her school. Her friends were sitting at their desks, for some reason wearing their Crusader capes.

"Hi!" said Applebloom excitedly.

"Excuse me, Applebloom, but do you want to share that with the class?" said their teacher, her hands on her hips.

"No, Miss Cheerilee," said Applebloom nervously.

"If you hadn't been talking then, you'd know that it's recess time," said Cheerilee, she turned to Scootaloo, "And you, Scootaloo, are late," she glared.

"Sorry, Miss Cheerilee, I overslept." said Scootaloo.

Cheerilee's face softened.

"Just don't do it again. You three, go out to recess," she said, smiling.

The girls jumped up and ran outside.

"So, you guys, why're you wearing your capes?" asked Scootaloo.

"Um..." Sweetie Belle's green eyes darted about anxiously, "can't we just wear our AWESOME capes I handmade for no reason except they're awesome?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"Something's up with you," she said, "that's totally fake."

"Well, Scootaloo, we jus' wanted ta wear our capes t'day," said Applebloom.

"Okay, okay! Are we still on for afterschool in the clubhouse?" asked Scootaloo.

"'Course!" said Applebloom.

The three smiled at each other and ran to go play.

* * * * * * * *

Scootaloo climbed up the rope ladder to their clubhouse.

"Hi guys!" she said, seeing her friends.

"Um...Scoots, just one thing...promise we'll stay friends no matter what?" asked Sweetie Belle nervously.

"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?" asked Scootaloo.

"Um..." said Applebloom, exchanging a glance with Sweetie Belle.

"Let's just get this over with," said Sweetie Belle.

Simultaneously, they took of their capes.

Identical looks of nervousness were mirrored on each other's face, while Scootaloo's face bore an expression of anger and disbelief.

On the girl's thighs, there were images. Applebloom was graced with a hammer and a paintbrush, crossed over an apple, and Sweetie Belle had a microphone over a musical note.

They stood there in silence, before Scootaloo finally said something.

"You two...got your cutie marks..." said Scootaloo, angrily.

"Yeah..." said Applebloom, her eyes downcast.

"I was just writing a song, singing it out loud, when Rarity came in and asked me to sing something for her. When I was, my cutie mark just appeared! I swear, I didn't mean to!" said Sweetie Belle.

"And ah was jus' helping ma sis rebuild an' paint the wagon when mah own cutie mark appeared. Ah'm so sorry, Scootaloo!" said Applebloom.

"We took a vow that whichever one of us who got our cutie mark first would tell the others," said Scootaloo slowly.

"Yeah..." said Sweetie Belle.

"You two told each other! You told each other how to get a cutie mark!" shouted Scootaloo.

"What? We would never!" exclaimed Applebloom.

"Don't lie!" screamed Scootaloo.

"Scoots, we're really sorry, we didn't mean to," said Sweetie Belle.

"Don't you 'Scoots' me," said Scootaloo quietly.

"But we're friends!" said Seetie Belle.

"We WERE friends, you mean," said Scootaloo.

"We never should've told her," said Applebloom.

"Oh, and I would just never see them?" asked Scootaloo sarcastically.

"We swear, we didn't mean to!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Of course you didn't," said Scootaloo.

A tear slipped from Applebloom's orange eyes.

"Please still be our friend," she said.

"Why? We don't have anything in common anymore, do we? I'm the only Crusader left," said Scootaloo.

"W' can tell ya how ta get yours?" said Applebloom.

"I don't want your help, ex-friend," said Scootaloo coldly.

Disbelief registered on the girl's faces.

"You're really doing this, Scootaloo?" asked Sweetie Belle.

Applebloom was openly crying now.

"Ah'm so sorry, Scootaloo!" she said.

"I don't see why we would still be friends. We can't be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore, can we?" asked Scootaloo.

"We still can!" said Sweetie Belle.

"How? You two just go be your own happy little club, I'll find my own cutie mark!" she shouted.

"Please, Scoots, don' do this ta us!" said Applebloom.

"Sic semper tyrannis," hissed Scootaloo.

"What?" asked Applebloom.

"Latin for 'Bullies get what's coming to them'," hissed Scootaloo, "and I think this is a pretty good example of it."

"What's that s'posed ta mean?" asked Applebloom.

"Well, Twist probably felt the same way when you deserted her, didn't she?" hissed Scootaloo.

Applebloom looked up in shock.

"Twist wasn't even ma friend!" she said.

"Oh really? Well, you should tell her that. She was heartbroken after you deserted her," said Scootaloo coldly.

Applebloom crumpled up on the ground, sobbing.

"That was mean!" shouted Sweetie Belle.

"Oh, and you aren't?" asked Scootaloo.

Sweetie Belle's mouth hung open, as Scootaloo turned around.

"I hope you two have fun, ex-friends," she said, jumping out the door.

Her legs pumped hard at the ground, the muscles twitching with every step.  She hurtled down the road, ignoring her friends calling her. She ran faster, harder and better than she'd ever felt before.

Suddenly a sharp pain in her thighs sent her tumbling to the ground.

"Ow!" she yelled, looking down at her thighs.

Her mouth dropped open in disbelief.

"Oh...my...gosh," she gasped.

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle caught up with Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo!"

An image of untied sneakers had appeared on Scootaloo's thigh.

"Ya got yer cutie mark!" exclaimed Applebloom.

"Wow...I'm sorry, guys..." said Scootaloo.

"No problem, Scoots," said Sweetie.

"You forgive me?" asked Scootaloo, surprised.

"Sure! We all make mistakes, but only the best ponies can live up to their mistakes!" said Applebloom.

Scootaloo smiled and drew her friends in for a hug.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Best Friends Forever!"

Applebloom then broke away.

"I have somepony to apologize too...." she said.

Then somepony walked up the street. It was a young girl, her red curls contrasting nicely with her blue school uniform and pink peppermint stick cutie mark.

"Twist!" shouted Applebloom, running up and hugging the girl.

"Ah'm so sorry for deserting you!" she yelled.

"Applebloom! It'th okay!" said Twist.

"Will y'all accept mah friendship? Y'all can join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" said Applebloom.

"Of courthe! But..." she said, "I have my cutie mark."

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all showed her their cutie marks.

"Yay! Thith ith the betht day ever!" said Twist.

The four all hugged, overwhelmed by the happiness of this moment.

It was the best day ever, indeed. Or maybe it was the worst day ever. But whatever it was, carpe diem!