Cutie Mark Crusaders: Mushroom Kingdom Mayhem

May 25th, 1001 Post-NMM.

Spike and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were scattered about in different comfortable positions inside of the Golden Oaks Library's reading room, various books, comics, or otherwise open in front of them.

School had gotten out a few hours earlier, and the fillies were in the midst of taking a much needed break from the day's Crusading. At Spike's earlier suggestion, they decided to spend it by reading together. Spike was just happy to spend time with his friends.

Scootaloo was laying on a beanbag that had been set up in the corner. Her sister Sweetie Belle was cuddled up against her side while the two of them shared a comic.

Apple Bloom lay just in front of the beanbag on her belly, a beginners book on martial arts open on the ground in front of her. Spike laid with his back against her left side, a Power Ponies comic held carefully in his hands so as to not tear the thin paper with his claws.

Scootaloo finished her own Power Ponies comic and waited for Sweetie Belle to finish the last page, then set it aside when she felt Sweetie Belle nod. She groaned as she carefully stretched out so as to not accidentally punch her sister in the process. "My back and wings are getting cramped just laying here reading. I say we go back to trying to find our Cutie Marks now that we've taken a break. Or at least do something besides just laying around, my legs are falling asleep!"

Apple Bloom perked up from the floor in front of them. "Ah have an idea, how about we go out into town and just look around? Who knows, maybe we'll find something interesting to do!"

Spike turned around and looked at his friends. "Oh hey, that reminds me! Princess Celestia said in her letter last Friday that an architect and a warp pipe engineer were coming to Ponyville this morning!" He exclaimed.

Scootaloo buzzed her wings in excitement and soared over Apple Bloom as she jumped off the beanbag. "That's good enough for me! Let's go!"

"Wait, it's almost evening right now, would they even still be here?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Spike stood up from his spot and stretched out with a groan as well, before he shrugged. "I have no idea, but there's no harm in going out for a bit, right?"

Scootaloo bounced impatiently in place. "Come on! Let's go already!"

Apple Bloom giggled at her friend's clear excitement as she closed her book and set it back on the shelf where she originally found it, before she headed to the front door where Scootaloo was already waiting.

Spike went around and picked up the other book and comics, before he took them over to the shelves. Just before he grabbed the rolling ladder to put them away, the reading materials floated out of his grasp in a green magic aura.

"Just point at where these should go," Sweetie Belle said.

Spike smiled at her in thanks, before he pointed towards where each item went on their respective shelves.

Sweetie Belle floated each one into the correct spot, before she turned towards Spike.

Spike checked where she'd put each book and comic. He nodded in satisfaction once he'd confirmed their location as correct. "Got them all right, Sweetie Belle. Thanks for helping me," he said as he walked towards the entrance.

Sweetie Belle followed right by his side. "Not a problem, Spike. It's what friends are for, right?"

Spike pulled her into a quick hug, before they separated a second later.

The duo reached the entrance where Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had waited for them. "Come on! We're almost out of daylight!" Scootaloo called impatiently.

Spike blushed. "Sorry Scootaloo, I didn't want to just leave everything on the floor, Twilight would get pretty upset with me if I did that."

Scootaloo realized how rude she'd been and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Sorry, Spike. I just want to get out and do something before the day's over, y'know?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, I know. Now, let's get out there and meet some new ponies!" He cheered and pumped his arm.

"Yeah!" The Crusaders all cheered together in excitement before they ran towards the exit. Apple Bloom reached the door first and held it open for the others.

Sweetie Belle grabbed her school bag from the pile they'd all been left in by the entrance as she left the library. When Scootaloo grabbed her school bag, she also grabbed Apple Bloom's school bag and held it in her mouth as she ran towards the exit.

As Spike followed after them, he paused and turned back towards the depths of the treebrary just before he reached the door. "Twilight! We're going out into town for a while!"

"That's alright! Just make sure to stay safe! And come back before it gets dark!" Twilight called back from her room upstairs.

"We will!" Spike called back. Permission now received, he turned back to his friends. "Alright, let's go!"

As Scootaloo was about to leave, she turned to Apple Bloom and plopped her school bag onto her back. "Here you go, Apple Bloom," she said once her mouth was free.

"Thanks Scootaloo," Apple Bloom said as she adjusted the school bag to better rest on her withers.

As Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exited out the door, Sweetie Belle poked her head back into the library and called out. "Come on already, Spike! We're leaving!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Spike called as he ran to catch up to his friends. He closed the door behind him as he left the library.

Now outside under the light of the late afternoon sun, the Crusaders turned to each other. "Where should we start our search?" Scootaloo asked.

The others thought for a few seconds, before Apple Bloom spoke up. "The warp pipe hub would be pretty big, right, Spike?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, the one in Canterlot is huge since the pipes themselves are so big, and there's so many. Why do you ask?"

"Because the only places Ah can think of with a large enough empty space are the outskirts of Ponyville, and Sweet Apple Acres," Apple Bloom explained.

"There's also the field where the skate park used to be after it was demolished last year," Scootaloo mumbled with a downtrodden expression.

Sweetie Belle threw a foreleg over Scootaloo's withers and hugged her sister close. "I'm sorry Scootaloo, I know how much that place meant to you."

Scootaloo leaned into her sister's hug. "It's not your fault it was condemned. It just, didn't get enough funding to keep it maintained, I guess."

Sweetie Belle nuzzled Scootaloo's cheek in an attempt to cheer her up.

A small smile broke out across the pegasus filly's face as Sweetie Belle's fuzzy cheek tickled her. "Thanks sis. I love you," Scootaloo said as she returned the nuzzle.

"Love you too Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle responded, before the two separated.

Scootaloo turned to face Apple Bloom. "Let's go to Sweet Apple Acres first, that way we at least have somepony to ask if they've been around rather than just wandering aimlessly in the outskirts for the rest of the day."

Apple Bloom nodded. "That's a good point. Alright, to mah home it is!" She exclaimed as she turned towards where she knew her family's orchard was and sped off.

"Wait for us!" Sweetie Belle cried out as she and both her sister and Spike took off after Apple Bloom.

The Crusaders ran through town until they reached the fence that marked the border between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, where they walked through the entrance and entered the orchard.

As the CMC plus Spike walked all throughout the massive field of trees, they turned their heads every which way to see if they could spot anypony that resembled an architect or an engineer.

Apple Bloom dug her hooves into notches in the bark of one of the nearby trees as she climbed it to get a better view of the nearby area. "Ah'm not seeing anypony besides us in here," Apple Bloom said as she looked towards the north part of the orchard once she'd reached the top.

Scootaloo took a page out of Apple Bloom's book and clambered up a tree south of her friend. "Neither am I," she responded as she scanned the southern section of the orchard with a hoof held over her eyes to block out the sun.

"I think we should just go ask Applejack directly, see if maybe they spoke to her," Spike suggested. "Assuming they were ever here in the first place, that is," he finished with a shrug.

Apple Bloom looked up towards the sun in the sky and made sure to not stare directly at it. "Based on what time it is right now, Applejack should be working in the east part of the orchard, where the hills keep it shady and cool in the late afternoon."

Spike waved a hand forward dramatically. "Lead the way, Apple Bloom," he said as he gave an overdramatic bow.

When Scootaloo heard Spike's call, she jumped out of her tree and stretched her wings out to turn her fall into a glide. She circled over Sweetie Belle and Spike's heads as she glided down, before she touched down next to Sweetie Belle.

Apple Bloom gave an impressed whistle as she watched from the top of her tree. "Wow, Scoot. Ah didn't know ya could do that," she said as she climbed back down the tree.

Scootaloo smiled and rubbed her chest with a hoof proudly. "It's something Rainbow Dash taught me how to do last Thursday before she and Fluttershy left for Cloudsdale," she explained as she flapped her wings once and tucked them back into her sides.

Apple Bloom took the lead at the front of the group, and over the next twenty minutes, she lead them around, through, between, and occasionally even over the thousands of apple trees within the orchard.

Apple Bloom paused as the sound of hoof-on-wood impacts echoed throughout the orchard. Her face broke out into a wide smile as she turned back to her friends. "That's gotta be her! Let's go!" She called back before she broke out into a run. The others ran close behind so as to not fall behind.

The thwacks got louder as the group approached the source, before a dimly-lit pony silhouette could be seen in the distance reared up mid-buck.

"Applejack! Ah need to ask y- Oh hey Big Mac!" Apple Bloom greeted when she realized who the pony actually was. "Is Applejack around here somewhere?"

Big Macintosh finished his buck with a thwack that resounded through the area and jostled his brown saddlebags, before he turned towards the group when he heard his little sister greet him. "Eeenope. She's back home preparing for her trip in two days."

Apple Bloom facehoofed. "Oh right, Ah can't believe Ah forgot," she said. She shook her head and looked back up at her brother. "Well, anyways, have you seen anypony else around here this morning? We're looking for an architect and an engineer that are supposed to be somewhere around Ponyville, and we were wondering if they might have come here."

Big Mac chewed the straw in his mouth as he thought. He nodded a minute later. "Eeeyup. There were two ponies here half an hour ago, ya just missed them."

Scootaloo's wings buzzed as her excitement returned from the positive news. "Sweet! What did they look like?"

Big Mac put a hoof to his chin as he frowned in deep thought. "Well, one of them was pretty tall. Not quite my height, but taller than Applejack. The other one was only a little bit taller than ya are, little Bloom. The tall one was a unicorn mare, while the short one was a pegasus, not sure on his age though. He talked kinda funny, too," he said.

"Did you see where they went when they left?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Big Mac nodded. "They said something about going towards a cottage they'd heard about by the border of the Everfree Forest, most likely Fluttershy's."

Apple Bloom gave her brother a hug that the much larger stallion returned, before she waved goodbye. "See you later Big Mac! We've got some ponies to meet!"

Big Mac called out before she left. "Before ya leave, here, take this. It's yer allowance for the week," he said as he reached his muzzle into the saddlebags. He pulled out a small ratty brown bag that jingled as it moved. "Ya forgot it when ya left for school this morning," he mumbled around the bag.

Apple Bloom turned to the side so he could drop it into her schoolbags. "Thanks, Big Mac!" She called out to him as they left.

Big Mac waved goodbye, before he returned to his farm chores.

The Crusaders trotted and jogged back through the orchard together as they didn't want to waste any time and risk missing the two again.

With their goal in mind, they quickly reached the fence that acted as the boundary between Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres again, where they stopped briefly.

Spike pointed a single claw towards Ponyville. "Let's cut through town, it'll be much faster than trying to catch up by going around the outskirts," he suggested.

The fillies nodded, and the group took off once more, this time straight into Ponyville proper.

The group darted down various well-trod dirt roads and through the market where only a few stalls were still open this late in the day on their quest to reach the other side of town. Multiple times they had to slow down to not collide painfully with any other ponies that were out and about.

When they reached the town square however, a blur of cyan and rainbow zoomed down to them from the sky. "Hey squirt, can't help but notice you've all been wandering around town for a while now. You looking for something?" Rainbow Dash asked as she pulled her biggest fan and pseudo sister into a quick winghug.

A massive smile broke out across Scootaloo's face as she nuzzled Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow Dash! You're back from your trip!" She cried out as her wings buzzed on her back.

The buzzing wings tickled Rainbow Dash, making her laugh. "Ha ha, alright, alright! Ha, I get it, you're happy to see me, hee hee, but that really tickles!" She said through her laughter.

Scootaloo blushed and focused as she put conscious effort into stopping her wings from buzzing. The buzzing slowed to a stop, before she tucked her wings back to her sides. "Sorry, Rainbow Dash. They just do that when I'm happy, you know I can't really control it very well yet," she said her wings twitched.

Rainbow Dash smiled down at Scootaloo. "It's fine, I think it's kinda cute actually," she said with a cheeky grin.

Scootaloo blushed and pulled away from the hug as she ducked under Rainbow Dash's wing with a pout. "I'm not cute, I'm cool!"

Rainbow Dash gave Scootaloo a gentle noogie, which the filly tried and failed to duck away from as she batted at Rainbow Dash's hoof. "You can be both at once, you know. Just look at Fluttershy, everypony knows she's cute, heck, even I think she's adorable, but the way she can intimidate even grown dragons into crying just from talking is really, really cool."

Both the Crusaders and Spike stared wide-eyed at her. "She really made an adult dragon cry? When was this?" Spike asked as Scootaloo sat down next to him.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise. "You mean I never told you about this?" The Crusaders and Spike shook their heads. "Well then, story time! Back when that black smoke was hovering over Ponyville seven months ago, the dragon at the top of the mountain that was the source of it all was trying to attack us, swiping his claws at us and even breathing fire, when suddenly, she just went completely crazy and started yelling at it! Not even a minute later he broke down into tears, apologized, and just took his hoard and left!" Rainbow Dash excitedly explained, gesturing rapidly with her hooves and wings as she spoke.

The fillies and dragon's jaws were dropped all throughout Rainbow Dash's story.

Rainbow Dash blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Although, I do admit I probably didn't help things, since I did kick the dragon's nose, after all..." she trailed off, before she suddenly shook her head. "No, wait, that's not why I'm here right now. You four are looking for something, right?"

Apple Bloom nodded first. "Yeah, an architect and warp pipe engineer from Canterlot are supposed to be here somewhere, and we were heading to Fluttershy's cottage since Big Mac said they mentioned going that way," she explained.

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before she shook her head. "Sorry, if they're the ones I'm thinking of, then the last I saw of them was a few hours after Fluttershy and I got back from our trip to Cloudsdale when I was practicing some of my tricks out by Ghastly Gorge, I saw them watching me from a distance. They were making sure to stay away from the Quarry Eels, so I guess they'd already had an encounter with one," she said. "We got back early this morning, and that was around noon, so I don't know how helpful this is."

"Maybe they've heard of you before and wanted to see if you lived up to the hype," Spike suggested with a cheeky grin.

Rainbow Dash gave a cocky smirk. "It wouldn't be the first time somepony from out of town wanted to see me in action!" She exclaimed as she struck a pose. "Next time I see them, I'll give them my autograph! I'm sure they'll love it!"

The Crusaders and Spike let out a laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised, anypony that's heard of you wants your autograph!" Scootaloo exclaimed as her wings buzzed once more.

Rainbow Dash let out a laugh. "If that's everything, stay safe you four!" She said as she prepared to take off

Just before Rainbow Dash took off into the air, Apple Bloom spoke up. "Oh, Rainbow Dash! Ah just wanted to say, thank you for lending me your dojo's punching bag! It's helped me out a lot!"

Rainbow Dash turned to her and smiled. "No problem Apple Bloom, just make sure to keep training! Oh, and by the way, you can keep it. I actually bought another a few months ago to replace it, since it had been getting kinda old," she announced.

A relieved smile bloomed across Apple Bloom's face. "Sweet, thanks! Ah kinda tore it open by accident last Friday when Ah bucked it, so Ah was pretty worried about telling ya," she confessed.

Rainbow Dash gave her a proud look. "Well, I'm glad all that training has paid off! And to think, when I first tried to teach you martial arts last year, you couldn't even budge it!" She said as she pulled Apple Bloom into a noogie much like Scootaloo's own.

Apple Bloom giggled and batted at her hoof.

Rainbow Dash stopped and let go after a few seconds. "Next week we can finally start on your actual training, now that you're strong enough to actually use the equipment. Er, maybe a little too strong, admittedly, since you tore open a punching bag."

Apple Bloom gave an excited grin and squee as her tail wagged excitedly behind her. The cute sight made the others laugh.

Once Rainbow Dash had calmed down from her laughter, she crouched down and prepared to take off once more. "Stay safe you four!" She called back to them again, before she took off into the air with a rainbow trail that followed her as she flew away.

The Crusaders and Spike waved at her as she flew off into the distance. The speedy mare became nothing more than a prismatic speck within seconds.

Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo. "Ah can see why you love her so much. She's awesome!"

Scootaloo grinned. "I know, right?!"

Sweetie Belle and Spike resumed their trek towards Fluttershy's cottage. "We don't have much time before night falls, you two! Come on!" Sweetie Belle called back.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo quickly ran to catch up. "We're coming!" Apple Bloom called out.

"I can't wait to see Fluttershy again!" Scootaloo called out excitedly. Her wings buzzed on her back again as she ran by Apple Bloom's side.

For the next hour the group ran through Ponyville, before they eventually reached the homey cottage of the nature-loving pegasus mare just as twilight started to fall over the area.

Scootaloo walked up to the front door and knocked three times before she stepped back. Her tail slowly wagged as her excitement grew.

A few seconds later, Fluttershy opened the door and poked her head out. Dark bags were beginning to form under her eyes, and her long pink mane was tangled up and knotted with what appeared to be parts of a bird's nest sticking out of one side.

The Crusaders and Spike shared a concerned glance with each other as several different animals cried out and screamed both at and over each other behind the kind pegasus mare.

Once she noticed who was at the door, she fully opened it and stepped out. She shut the door behind her, before she turned to the Crusaders and Spike with a kind smile. "Oh, hello girls, and Spike too," She greeted as her wings rubbed up and down against her sides.

Scootaloo walked up to Fluttershy and spread out her forelegs for a hug. Fluttershy smiled and pulled Scootaloo closer with her wings to accept the hug. "Welcome back, Fluttershy," Scootaloo said as she nuzzled her old foster mother.

Fluttershy returned the nuzzle. "I'm glad to be back, Scootaloo," she said. She let go of Scootaloo and stepped back from the hug. "What are you four doing here?"

"We're looking for an architect and an engineer that are supposed to be somewhere in Ponyville today. We just came from Sweet Apple Acres, and all Big Mac could tell us was that they were a tall unicorn and a short pegasus," Scootaloo explained.

"Oh, you mean Scale Ruler and Level Measure? They were here an hour ago, you just missed them," Fluttershy said.

"You spoke with them? What are they like?" Apple Bloom asked.

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, they came in and stayed for some tea for a few minutes. We had a nice chat about the animals in the area. They were only able to stay for a few minutes though, they said they had a lot of things they needed to do today."

The Crusaders and Spike shared a glance. "Did they say where they were going next?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Fluttershy shook her head, which caused bits of the bird's nest to fall out of her mane with a rustle. "No, sorry, just that they were going into town for a bit. I'd come help you all look, but I'm having a bit of a problem in here."

"Does it have anything to do with the chaos we heard coming from the cottage?" Spike asked.

Fluttershy nodded. "Ever since Scale and Level were here, the animals have all been acting up for some reason, and I just can't seem to get them to calm down. Not even the Stare has worked, which is unusual," she said, which greatly alarmed the Crusaders who had seen the Stare in action just a few weeks ago when they ran into a Cockatrice in the Everfree Forest.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Scootaloo asked.

Fluttershy smiled at her old charge's concern. "It's alright, I'll be able to handle it."

"I hope so, I don't want anything bad to happen to you or any of the animals," Scootaloo said.

Fluttershy walked up to Scootaloo, wrapped her wings around her and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you for your concern, and I'm glad to see you're doing better now, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo returned the warm hug and smiled. "Thanks for caring for me all those years, Fluttershy. I know I've said it before, but still, thank you, and I love you."

Fluttershy gave a wide smile as her eyes watered. "I love you too, Scootaloo," she said as she nuzzled the filly.

Their hug continued for a minute, before a loud high-pitched animal scream came from within the cottage suddenly and caused them to separate. The scream surprised the other Crusaders and Spike as well who jumped back from the door. It also alarmed Fluttershy, who yelped and ran back inside in a panic. She closed the door behind her once more. "Harry, no! Stop trying to eat Angel Bunny! He's not food!"

The Crusaders and Spike backed away from the chaotic cottage slowly. "Let's just leave her alone so she can deal with that for right now. I don't want to distract her any more," Scootaloo suggested.

The others all nodded, and the four turned and headed back into Ponyville.

They reached the border of town a few minutes later. Apple Bloom glanced up at the darkening sky above. "It's getting pretty late, I'm not sure we can find them at this point. They've probably already either left or found a hotel to stay in for the night."

Scootaloo waved a dismissive hoof. "Pfft, I'm sure we can find them. Besides, I don't want us to have wasted the whole day running around for nothing."

Spike shot a hurt look towards her. "But I thought you had fun earlier in the library?"

Scootaloo's eyes widened as she waved her hooves in a panic. "No no, I did! I just meant since then!"

Spike let out a sigh of relief as Sweetie Belle spoke up. "What if we split up and went to different parts of town? We could ask around and see if anypony else has seen them."

"That's a pretty good idea," Apple Bloom said. "Just one question though: Where do we meet up once we're done?"

Sweetie Belle answered with a smile. "By Sugarcube Corner, of course! I've still got some money from last week's allowance, so we could get some milkshakes before going home for the night!"

Scootaloo let out a cheer and pumped her foreleg. "Sounds like a plan!" She said before she took off into town.

The others waved goodbye to each other as they too went their separate ways.

Apple Bloom knew that the market wouldn't remain open much longer now that it was almost nighttime, so she chose that for her search area.

She hoped to find a few still open stalls amongst the various closed stalls as she glanced around the area.

Several minutes later, she finally found a cherry stall that was run by a scruffy looking earth pony stallion that was in the middle of closing it down.

The filly approached the stall and put her hooves on the counter to make eye contact with the owner. "Hey mister, have you seen a unicorn mare or a small pegasus colt or stallion today? The pegasus talks kinda funny, and they're an engineer and an architect," Apple Bloom asked.

The stallion turned towards her when he heard her voice. When he saw her, he looked down towards her and smirked. "Buy some of my cherries and I'll tell ya."

Apple Bloom looked around the stall. "What cherries? Ah don't see any cherries here," she said in confusion.

The stallion ducked down below the stall and came back up a second later with a bag filled with bright red cherries. "These cherries. Buy some, and I'll tell ya what ya want to know."

Apple Bloom frowned in thought. A second later she spoke up. "How much for the bag?"

The stallion gave a greedy grin. "Forty bits for the entire bag."

Apple Bloom's frown deepened. "Twenty bits."

"Thirty-five." The stallion responded.

Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. "Twenty-five."

The stallion frowned. "Ya drive a hard bargain, little filly. Thirty bits, no lower."

Apple Bloom's frown reversed into a wide smile. She reached into her schoolbags and pulled out the pouch of bits her brother had given her with her allowance earlier. "Here you go mister, thirty bits," she said after she set the bag down on the counter.

The stallion took the bag and upended its contents onto the counter with a loud metallic jingling. He counted every bit in the pile that resulted and nodded with a smile once he'd counted out thirty bits. He pushed the bag of cherries towards Apple Bloom, as well as the now empty pouch. "The cherries are yers, little filly. I thank you for your patronage," he said, enunciating 'patronage'.

Apple Bloom took the bags and set them both in her schoolbags. She turned back towards the shopkeeper. "Thanks. Now, mah question?"

The stallion looked confused. "Huh, what?"

Apple Bloom frowned. "Mah question earlier. Have you seen a unicorn mare or a small pegasus stallion? One's an architect, the other's an engineer."

The stallion's face lit up in understanding. "Oh, THAT question. Nope, never seen em," he answered with a shake of his head.

Apple Bloom's face fell. "What?! You mean Ah just spent all mah allowance for the week without even getting any real answers?! COME ON!" She yelled in frustration as she threw her hooves up into the air.

The stallion shopkeeper shrugged. "Them's the breaks, kid. Now, I've got to pack up my stall for the night, so scram before you get in the way."

Apple Bloom turned around and left the stall and grumbled under her breath as she left. "Dumb greedy shopkeeper, making me spend all mah bits in one place like that. And for cherries, of all things. Ah mean, Ah like cherries and all, but still, come on!" She finished with a shoulder-heaving sigh.

The filly glanced around the market once she'd finished her grumbling and saw that all of the remaining stalls had packed up for the night.

She shrugged. "Guess it's time to go to Sugarcube Corner. Ah hope the others had better luck than Ah did, or at least didn't have to spend any bits."

After the conversation Scootaloo had had with her sister earlier in the day, there was only one destination in her mind this late in the afternoon.

She rode her scooter through a still familiar series of roads towards her goal. Despite the night that now approached, she still knew her path even in the darkness.

When she finally arrived a few minutes later, the pegasus filly sighed and slowly climbed off her scooter, before she sat down in front of an empty field where the very beginnings of greenery poked out of the old dirt. A sign that read "For Sale" was planted near the edge of the road.

The joyful giggling of a small filly filled the air as a much younger five-year-old Scootaloo rode her brand new scooter.

The little blue scooter and its accompanying helmet had been a gift from her parents for her previous birthday, and the very first chance her father got he took her to the recently built skate park in town.

Scootaloo gleefully rode her scooter all throughout the park as she had the time of her life. Her tiny wings buzzed as they propelled her ever faster. "Woo hoo! I love this so much! This is AWESOME!"

Suddenly, one of the wheels of her scooter caught on a rock that she hadn't seen in front of her. The sudden stop that resulted sent the filly flying forward as she screamed in fear. "Uwaah!

"I've got you!" The warbled voice of her father called out as he caught her. His voice no longer sounded as clear as it once did in her head.

"Daddy!" Scootaloo tearfully hugged her father.

The blurry, faded image of Snap Shutter returned the hug and ran his hoof through her mane as he comforted his scared daughter.

Scootaloo let out a teary-eyed sniffle as she stared at the location of one of her dearest memories. "I miss you, dad. I wish you and mom were still here."

She looked up towards the sky and closed her eyes. "They may have given up on finding you, but I KNOW you're out there somewhere. I just know it."

She stayed at the site of the old skate park for another half hour as she silently cried to herself in mourning, before she wiped her tears away, turned around, and morosely headed towards Sugarcube Corner.

Sweetie Belle ran as fast as she could towards Carousel Boutique with a specific goal in mind.

When she arrived she pulled her spare key out of her school bag with her magic and unlocked the door. Once it was open she ran straight towards Rarity's work room and closed the door behind her with her magic.

Rarity heard the bell above the front entrance ring twice and frowned in confusion. "This late at night? Who in the world could that be?"

Sweetie Belle spoke up from right beside her oldest sister. "Hi Rarity!"

Rarity jumped and let out a surprised squawk. "Wah!" She put a hoof to her chest and let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was just her youngest sister that had managed to sneak up on her. "Oh thank goodness it's just you, Sweetie Belle. I didn't know what to think when I heard somepony enter the shop at this time of night."

Sweetie Belle frowned and hugged Rarity, who returned the hug. "Sorry sis, I just wanted to get here as fast as I could once we split up to look for those two."

Rarity separated from the hug and frowned in confusion. "'Those two'?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yeah, we're looking for an architect and an engineer that were supposed to be here in Ponyville today to 'scout out a location for the warp pipe hub', or something like that."

Rarity scrunched up her face in thought which caused Sweetie Belle to giggle at the silly expression. Rarity unscrunched her face and lightly batted at her sister. "Oh, stop it. Anyways, I never spoke with anypony like that since I've been working on finishing up Diamond Tiara's dress all day, but I did hear two voices talking about something like that through the window around noon or so."

Sweetie Belle's face fell. "That doesn't help us at all! That's way before we started looking for them!" She said as she threw her hooves up in frustration.

Rarity patted Sweetie Belle's withers with a comforting hoof. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful. On the other hoof, do you want to work on your special project while you're here?"

Sweetie Belle's face lit up at the suggestion. "Yes! I'm almost done with it, too!"

Rarity called back as she walked out of the room. "Just let me know if you want me to come help."

Sweetie Belle ran over to the closet where she had hidden her project and pulled both it and the supplies she needed to work on it out. "I want to do this myself, you know that!"

Rarity chuckled to herself. "My offer's always open if you need it."

Due to Spike's lack of knowledge on the area, he managed to somehow wander into an area of Ponyville that he had never been in or seen before.

Spike looked around the area as he tried to reorient himself through familiar landmarks. The only buildings he saw were an old rundown wooden stage, and a much newer theater that he vaguely remembered a news article on that he'd read a while back.

The drake walked up to the front door of the theater and looked at the schedule posted on the doors. "Huh, that new Daring Do movie is finally coming out next month. Neat."

Spike stepped back after he finished reading the schedule and looked around. "I wish I had a map of the area right now. I have no idea where I am."

Apple Bloom was the first to arrive at the meetup location a little over an hour later. Her more in-depth knowledge of her hometown allowed her to better and more easily navigate in the darkness of Luna's night.

With the weight of the cherries in her saddlebags, the filly headed over and sat down against the wall by the entrance to the sweets themed bakery to wait for her friends to arrive.

Scootaloo was the next to show up not even five minutes later, hints of faded tear trails still visible on the pegasus filly's face.

When Apple Bloom noticed the trails, she got up and pulled her closest friend into a hug, which Scootaloo fully leaned into. "You alright, Scoots?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah, just... remembering, is all."

Apple Bloom continued to hug the pegasus for another minute, before she gave her one last squeeze and sat down. "Sit with me while we wait?" She asked with a pat of a hoof on the ground next to her.

Scootaloo accepted her offer and sat down close to her friend. She adjusted herself as her wing brushed against Apple Bloom's side.

They sat together for a few minutes, before Scootaloo's rumbling stomach interrupted the quiet of the peaceful night,

Scootaloo blushed. "Eh heh heh... Sorry, I haven't exactly had dinner just yet."

Apple Bloom gave a comforting smile. "That's alright. Ah've actually got some cherries here that Ah bought while asking around the market earlier. Want some?" She offered as she swung her school bag around so that Scootaloo could reach it.

Scootaloo smiled and reached a hoof towards the offered bag of cherries. "Thanks, Apple Bloom," she said before she popped one into her mouth. She chewed it and spat out the seed. "Mmm, these are pretty good."

Apple Bloom let out a chuckle. "Ah sure hope so, they cost me mah entire allowance."

Scootaloo performed a double take. "What, why?!"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Because the stallion that Ah bought them from was the only shopkeeper still out and about, and he wouldn't answer mah question unless Ah bought these cherries. He didn't know anything, by the way, because of course."

Scootaloo rolled her own eyes. "Of course."

The duo stayed cuddled up together and continued to eat the cherries while they waited for Sweetie Belle and Spike to arrive.

Ten minutes later, Sweetie Belle panted as she ran up to them from the direction of Carousel Boutique. "Oh thank goodness I made it in time!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both shot her a concerned look. "You okay, Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom asked.

Sweetie Belle panted for a few seconds before she nodded. "Yeah, I just lost track of time working on 'the project', and when I noticed what time it was, I ran here as fast as I could."

Scootaloo gave her sister a deadpan stare. "You do remember that we're looking for the architect and engineer, right?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "I do remember. I asked Rarity if she had seen or met anypony like that, and she mentioned that she heard two ponies talking outside her window while she was working. They were talking about the warp pipe hub around noon, so we know they were definitely looking around at that time."

"We already knew they were here, but it's still nice to find out for sure," Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo reached across in front of Apple Bloom and patted the empty spot on the ground. "Want some cherries? They're really, really good."

Sweetie Belle moved to sit down next to Apple Bloom opposite of Scootaloo, and the trio shared the remaining cherries while they waited for Spike to arrive.

Finally, after another ten minutes of waiting, Spike called out to them from down the street. "HEY! I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

The fillies waved towards Spike, who happily waved back as he ran in their direction.

The dragon skidded to a stop just in front of them. "You wouldn't believe just how lost I got trying to find somewhere to search! I managed to find my way clear over to the movie theater, and it took so long for me to find my way back!"

The fillies' eyes widened. "That's clear on the other side of town! How'd you manage that?!" Scootaloo asked incredulously.

Spike shrugged. "Honestly, I have absolutely no idea. I'm just glad I made it here before you gave up on waiting and went home for the night."

"We wouldn't just leave you like that, Spike. You know that," Sweetie Belle said.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo both nodded. "Yeah! We would have waited here until morning if we had to!" Apple Bloom promised.

"Or at least, until our angry sisters came and picked us up, that is," Scootaloo amended.

Spike smiled in response, before he glanced up at the still lit windows of Sugarcube Corner. "Is Sugarcube Corner seriously still open? It's like nine-thirty at this point!"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "So long as Pinkie's still awake, the bakery stays open. Sometimes it's even gone multiple straight days without closing at all."

"Well, then we might as well go in and say hi before we go home, right? I mean, we're already right here, after all," Scootaloo suggested.

The fillies all stood up and stretched their bodies forward in a way that reminded Spike of cats, their muscles having cramped up in the time they'd been sitting down on the ground.

Spike covered his mouth with a hand to stifle his chuckle as he watched them stretch.

Once they were done, the group stepped towards the entrance and walked in. The little bell situated above the door chimed from their entrance.

"Hi girls! And Spike too!" Pinkie Pie cried out, the bouncy pink mare having popped out of a large vase filled with decorative candy canes by the door.

"Hi Pinkie!" They each called back.

Pinkie Pie fully crawled out of the vase. "Here for some milkshakes again?"

They nodded once more. "Yep! We've had a long day wandering around town, and we wanted to have a nice treat before calling it quits for the night," Scootaloo explained.

Pinkie Pie grinned widely with a smile that stretched all the way across her face. "Right this way Crusaders!" She called as she bounced through the room towards the seating area.

The Crusaders and Spike followed the pink baker as she bounced towards their seats.

As they passed by one of the tables, Spike paused and glanced at the two ponies that occupied it. "No way, is that..."

Apple Bloom heard him and stopped. "Is that what, Spike?"

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle also stopped and watched as Spike pointed towards the unicorn mare with a purple coat and red mane, and the pegasus stallion with a red coat and green mane that were currently sat at the table. The two spoke to each other quietly under their breaths. The stallion was notably only a little bit larger than Apple Bloom herself was.

"I... I think those are the two we've been looking for!" Scootaloo cried out.

Scootaloo's outburst caught the attention of the duo at the table, and they both turned to look at the Crusaders. "And just who are you four?" The unicorn mare asked in a gravelly voice.

"Ah'm Apple Bloom!" Apple Bloom introduced herself. Her friends followed after her.

"I'm Scootaloo!"

"Sweetie Belle!"

"And I'm Spike!"

The fillies moved to put their hooves together. "And together we are... THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! ON A MISSION TO FIND OUR CUTIE MARKS! YEAH!"

Their loud shout stunned the two at the table, their eyes wide from the shock of the shout.

The pegasus was the first to recover. "And why have you ruckus-making fillies of fuzziness been looking for us?" He asked.

Scootaloo spoke up first. "We heard you were here to scout out an area for a warp pipe hub, and we wanted to learn about warp pipes!"

Apple Bloom piped up next. "Yeah! The way they let you just go from one part of the world to another so quickly is really cool, and we wanted to learn about them!"

"Please teach us something..." Sweetie Belle begged, her lower lip stuck out and her green eyes as wide as she could get them.

The duo leaned back from the group with uncomfortable expressions.

Seeing that their friend and sister's plan wasn't working with just her, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stuck out their own lips and widened their eyes.

The combined force of the Crusaders' puppy dog eyes slammed into the duo at full force.

The mare was the first to give in. "Alright, alright! I'll teach you something, just stop with that incessant begging!"

The fillies all broke out into wide smiles. "Hooray!" They cheered.

The mare shook her head with a sigh. "The things I put up with... Alright, so the first thing to know about warp pipes is, they are really, really weird. Each one works differently based on what color it is, its orientation, its size, its location, and even how many other warp pipes are in the same area. I'm only an architect, so anything beyond that is out of my area of expertise. My longtime friend Level Measure here can tell you more, since he's an engineer."

Level Measure gave a wide grin and chortled. "At last! I can blabber about the delicious dessert of my passion!"

"Somepony say dessert?!" Pinkie Pie called from directly behind the duo, who jumped in fright. The baker carried a tray of milkshakes balanced on her fluffy tail.

"Gah! Don't do that, you incomprehensible menace!" The unicorn shouted in her surprise.

Apple Bloom frowned. "Hey, don't call Pinkie Pie mean names like that! She's just trying to be nice!"

The unicorn jolted as the filly chided her and cleared her throat. "My apologies, you just badly surprised me is all."

Pinkie Pie waved a hoof. "Don't worry about it! I get called all sorts of names ponies don't mean when I surprise them too much, so I'm used to it!"

Pinkie's admission made the Crusaders and Spike all frown. "They still shouldn't do that, though," Scootaloo said.

Pinkie Pie shrugged. "Like I said, I'm used to it," she said as she deposited the milkshakes on the table in front of the Crusaders and Spike.

While the fillies and drake took their desserts, Level Measure cleared his throat. "Ahem! As I was saying, my passion for the pipes of warping go very, very deep. Much like the very plumbing implements themselves! Alas, I only have the time to teach you one thing, as we must be off soon for tomorrow's preparations. Some warp pipes, when used for the first time, will spit you back out. This doesn't mean they're broken necessarily, it just means that you haven't used any of its connecting pipes before."

The fillies and drake listened with wide eyes. "Wow! Does this mean that some warp pipes are connected to more than one other pipe?!" Sweetie Belle asked.

Level Measure nodded. "Indeed! You are a very smart filly! Not every country, kingdom, or empire has these pipes of convenience, but the ones that do are very much quick to navigate!"

As the Crusaders and Spike soaked up the knowledge like sponges, the unicorn stood up. "I apologize, but I'm afraid we must take our leave now. There is much we must do in the coming days, and we'll need all the time we can get to prepare for it all."

"Awww!" The Crusaders and Spike all cried out in disappointment as Level Measure joined his friend.

"But we never even got your name!" Apple Bloom cried out to the unicorn.

"I apologize for that. My name is Scale Ruler, and I am a part of Canterlot's most elite architects. Our organization, The Light Masons, has been around for so long, we were the ones who designed Canterlot Castle one-thousand years ago!" Scale Ruler said. "Now, I'm afraid we must be off. It has been a pleasure chatting with you four, but we really, really must be off."

The bell above the entrance dinged loudly as Scale Ruler and Level Measure quickly left the bakery.

Scootaloo smiled. "Y'know, despite how long it took to find them, I'd say that it was completely worth it," she announced as she guzzled down her chocolate milkshake in seconds. She let out a sigh. "Ah, that hits the spot- AAAAHHH!" She cried out and held her head with her hooves as the brain freeze hit.

The others giggled in response, before they drank their own milkshakes down at a much more reasonable pace.

Scootaloo let out a whimper as the brain freeze ran its course, before it eventually allowed the filly to raise her head back up as it faded. "Ugh, that was awful! The milkshake was delicious, but brain freeze SUUUCKS!"

Sweetie Belle patted her sister on the back. "And that, sis, is why you don't guzzle cold drinks."

Scootaloo gave her younger sister a glare. "Yeah, I figured that part out, thank you very much."

Sweetie Belle giggled, before she stepped back from the table where they all stood. "It's really, really late now. We should get home soon."

Pinkie Pie gave all four a large hug, her forelegs seemingly stretched out to hold them all. "Have a great night Crusaders!"

The Crusaders and Spike returned the hug. "Have a great night, Pinkie Pie!" They all called back.

Pinkie Pie let them go after a few seconds. "You really should be getting home now though. It's past ten!" She announced with a hoof pointed towards Sugarcube Corner's cupcake-shaped clock.

"WHAT?!" The four cried out in shock.

They turned and ran towards the exit door. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Spike barreled through the door as Sweetie Belle held it open with her magic. Before she left, she pulled a small pile of bits out of her school bags and floated them over to Pinkie Pie. "Goodnight Pinkie!"

Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out and grabbed the bits with it. She pulled it in with a ding like a cash register. "Thanks girls! And Spike!"

The Crusaders and Spike ran back through town, where they reached Carousel Boutique first on their way to their respective homes.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle waved goodbye to Apple Bloom and Spike as they ran inside. They closed the door quietly so as to not alert Rarity with a loud slam.

They looked around the dark main room. "I don't think she's up," Scootaloo whispered.

Sweetie Belle nodded, before she motioned with her head towards the stairs.

Scootaloo nodded back, and the sisters slowly climbed up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs, they crept down the hall towards their shared bedroom and opened the door quietly.

They both snuck into the dark bedroom, with Sweetie Belle being the one to close the door behind them.

They both let out a sigh of relief, before they screamed in surprise when the lights suddenly turned on.

Rarity was sitting on the edge of their shared bed, from where she seemingly stared straight into their souls. "Do you two realize how late it is? It's past ten! That's how late it is!"

"We're sorry Rarity, we didn't mean to be out so long," Sweetie Belle apologized.

Rarity sighed. "I know, but that doesn't change the fact that you both stayed out way passed your bedtimes. You should already be asleep, you have school tomorrow!"

"There's only two days left of school anyways, we'll be fine! Tomorrow's just Field Day, there's no more homework or schoolwork or anything left this year!" Scootaloo said.

"That may be so, but you'll want to be awake to enjoy it all, right?" Rarity asked.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both nodded. "Yeah, you're right," Scootaloo admitted with a sigh.

Rarity sighed as well, before she climbed down off the bed and pulled her little sisters into a hug. "I'm sorry for being so harsh when you came in. I was just worried when you weren't home by the time it got fully dark out."

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle returned the hug. "We're sorry."

Rarity let go after a few seconds. "Well, I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, and I love you both," she said. She leaned over and kissed them both on the forehead.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo returned the kiss, the two only able to reach Rarity's cheeks due to their smaller size. "I love you too, Rarity," they both replied.

Rarity gave them both one last smile and left the room. She closed the door behind her, the doorknob enveloped in her blue aura.

Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle. "Well, today sure was an interesting day."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Yep, sure was."

The two stood in the room for a minute, unsure what to do.

"I'm... going to go brush my teeth," Sweetie Belle said as she headed towards their room's attached bathroom.

"I'll go after you," Scootaloo said. "In the meantime, I'll get the bed ready for us."

Sweetie Belle headed into the bathroom while Scootaloo prepared the bedding.

A few minutes later Sweetie Belle came out and Scootaloo took her place.

Sweetie Belle climbed into the bed and crawled her way under the blanket.

Scootaloo left the bathroom and joined her in bed a few minutes later.

Sweetie Belle turned off the lamp with her magic and plunged the room in darkness once more.

Scootaloo snuggled up against her sister. "I'm probably going to have the nightmare again," she whispered.

Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around her older sister and kissed her forehead. "I love you, Scootaloo."

Scootaloo smiled. "I love you too, Sweetie Belle."

The two were fast asleep within minutes.

After they waved goodbye and said goodnight to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, Spike and Apple Bloom ran through Ponyville to their next destination: Golden Oaks Library.

Less than fifteen minutes later, the duo reached the library entrance. Spike turned to Apple Bloom and gave her a quick hug. "Goodnight, Apple Bloom," he said.

"Goodnight Spike," Apple Bloom replied, before she turned and ran towards Sweet Apple Acres with one last wave behind her.

Spike waved back as she left, and when she was out of sight, he turned back towards the door and pushed it open.

"Twilight! I'm home!" He called out to his sister.

Twilight rounded the corner from the kitchen. "Bit late isn't it, Spike?" She asked.

Spike blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Eh heh, yeah, sorry about that. We lost track of time while we were talking with Scale Ruler and Level Measure. We actually learned some really cool things about warp pipes from them! Those are the architect and engineer, by the way."

Twilight smiled. "That's good, I'm glad that you were able to actually learn something today. Speaking of..." she trailed off. "Could you please maybe tell me what you learned? Warp pipes are just so mysterious, and I haven't been able to find any books on them since we got here!" She exclaimed, her excitement building until she had started grinning widely.

Spike smiled and told her everything he and his friends had learned that day, the two slowly heading upstairs as they talked.

"...Actually connected warp pipes!" He finished as they reached their room.

"Wow, all these different types of warp pipes are fascinating!" Twilight exclaimed.

Spike nodded as she opened the door. "I know, right?! I just wish there was someway we could actually experience these different warp pipes ourselves, all we had in Canterlot was the 'point a to point b' variety."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I knooow! Yeah, it was cool the first time, walking in the pipe in one room of Canterlot Castle and coming out on the other side of the city, but that can only be cool so many times before it's just another, fancier doorway."

Spike nodded as a wide yawn interrupted him partway through it.

Twilight giggled. "Come on sleepy head, let's get you to bed. And don't worry about your teeth, you can miss one night."

Spike grinned sleepily. He looked towards where his small round bed was at the foot of Twilight's larger bed, but paused when he noticed something.

Or rather, a lack of something.

Spike turned to Twilight in confusion. "Um, Twilight, where's my bed?"

Twilight's eyes widened for a second. "Oh right! I forgot to finish setting this up before you got home, sorry about that," she said before she lit her horn.

With a flash and a pop, a second bed appeared next to Twilight's own a few feet to the right. The new bed looked near identical to Twilight's own, the primary difference being the color scheme was purple and green instead of purple and more purple-but-slightly-lighter.

Spike stared at the new bed in surprise. "Is this... is this bed for me?"

Twilight nodded with a massive grin on her face. "I figured it was about time you got a real bed, so I went out and got one while you were out with your friends earlier. I didn't quite finish converting the guest room into your new room before you got home, so you'll have to sleep in here for tonight, but by this time tomorrow, you'll have your very own room! Isn't this great?!" Twilight clopped her hooves together in excitement.

Spike continued to stare, unsure how to react. "I-I don't know what to say... I've never had my own room before," he said. His eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait! What about my old bed?!"

Twilight looked visibly uncomfortable. "Yeah... About that... I'll be honest, your old bed that I got for you all those years ago was actually an old repurposed dog bed one of the guards in the castle gave me to use until we could get something better. I've been feeling worse and worse whenever I saw you sleeping in it for the past several years, but it wasn't until today that I finally decided to actually get you a real bed," she admitted with a wince. "Don't hate me?"

Spike gave Twilight a hug. "I could never hate you! I love you Twilight, and something like an old dog bed wouldn't be enough to make me hate you. Unless it was out of malice, then expect pranks," he said with a grin.

Twilight returned the hug and patted his head with a chuckle. "I definitely deserve a few pranks anyways, but no, it wasn't out of malice. I promise."

The two separated after a few seconds, and Spike moved towards the doorway. "I'm going to go brush my teeth real quick, and then I'm going to bed," he called back to his sister. "I know you said that I could miss tonight, but I hate my morning breath when I skip," he explained.

Twilight waved as he went, before she climbed into her own bed.

A few minutes later, Spike walked back into the room and hopped into his new bed. He felt around and explored the bedding Twilight had picked out. "Wow, this is soft!" He said before he crawled under the sheets. "Ahhh, this is nice..." he muttered as he fell asleep.

Twilight giggled lightly as his snores echoed throughout the room. "Goodnight Spike," she said as she drifted off to sleep.

Apple Bloom waved goodbye to Spike as she ran through the dark streets of Ponyville.

Thanks to her intimate knowledge of the village, she was able to navigate her way to Sweet Apple Acres with incredible ease and arrived there only a mere twenty minutes after leaving Spike behind.

Apple Bloom darted between the trees of her family's orchard as she made her way home.

She broke out into a wide grin as she crested the final hill and caught sight of her family's well-lived in home.

When she got to the front door, she quietly pushed her way in and crept through the living room.

As she passed by Winona's doggy bed, where said dog was asleep, the border collie's ears perked up and her nose twitched. The dog jumped up and panted in excitement as she caught sight of Apple Bloom once she'd woken up.

Apple Bloom turned towards where she heard the sound of Winona's panting to her side and smiled at her. "Aw, hey there Winona. Who's a good doggy?" She asked in a whisper as she pet and scratched her head with a hoof.

Winona panted happily from the affection. She rolled over and gave a quiet yip.

Apple Bloom gave a light giggle and began to rub her belly. "Aw, you're so cute!"

The filly continued to love the loyal dog for several minutes, until finally the dog gave a great big yawn and curled back up, fast asleep once more.

Apple Bloom shot another smile towards the dog, before she continued to creep her way towards her room upstairs.

The filly slowly crept up the stairs and stepped over the squeaky stair as she went.

When she made it to the top she walked down the bedroom hall towards her room at the far end, where it was situated next to Applejack's room.

Just before she entered her room, she paused and thought for a second. Her decision made, she instead turned and went towards the bathroom to brush her teeth, before she came back a few minutes later and entered her room.

Apple Bloom made it to her bed, and she climbed in and snuggled herself under her blanket.

Within minutes, the exhausted filly was sound asleep, the only sound in the room being her quiet breathing.