The day droned on. Class after class of boring topics were drilled into the minds of the tired students at CHS. In a rather packed classroom sat a group of four friends known as the Crusaders: Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and one of the most recent additions, Diamond Tiara. Now, there would usually be one other person here, but Silver Spoon was busy visiting family… during the school year no less...

The seconds advanced closer and closer to the ringing of the last bell. Ms. Cheerilee had finished today’s math lesson and had moved on to discussing something that made the students perk up: the school yearbook. This time, the school would be holding a special challenge: to find the craziest story of the year. The bell rang. The students exited, overjoyed that the day had finally ended. While most ran for the nearest sports field, the girls had gone to hang out at a nearby park instead.

“So how’d ya reckon we make our mark on the school yearbook this time?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Hmm. We could start a journalism club! I’m sure we’d find lots of stories to tell,” exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

“No,” said Scootaloo.

“How about we run a MyStable account? We’d get lots of stories that way,” said Apple Bloom.

“Double no. It needs to be something exciting, and waiting on others is gonna take too long,” said Scootaloo.

“So what do ya wanna do?” asked Apple Bloom. The rest of the group shrugged.

“Well, we’re not going to get anything done on an empty stomach,” huffed Diamond Tiara.

“Diamond’s right. How about we stop by Sugarcube Corner for a quick snack?” said Sweetie Belle. The other girls nodded in agreement.

Sugarcube Corner was unusually busy this afternoon. It was practically overflowing with customers. The girls made their way through the mass of people and sat at the main counter. Big mistake that was.

“Oh thank god, am I so glad to see you girls here!” The girls jumped and turned around, coming face to face with Pinkie Pie, who looked on the verge of her biggest meltdown in forever. (If that was even possible) Before any of them could say a word, Pinkie instantly transported them into the kitchen.

“Uh… Hi Pinkie… Is everything alright?” asked Apple Bloom.

Pinkie began to freak out: “Is everything alright? Is everything alright?! Of course not! With the Cakes out of town, I can’t keep up with all these orders! Do you know how many milkshakes I need to make?! And I haven’t even started the cupcakes! And-”

“We can help you!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

“Really? Cause I was just gonna vent to all of you about my frustrations,” said Pinkie.

“Of course we’ll help you! Plus, this will be a great story for the yearbook!” said Scootaloo.

“Well Pinkie, where do we start?” said Apple Bloom.

Pinkie brought them over to the milkshake station. Across the counters were bowls of ice cream, cups of sugar, cartons of milk, and a bunch of other sweet stuff. Immediately, Pinkie and the girls got to work. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo poured the milk and ice cream into several blenders. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara poured in some chocolate syrup, graham crackers, and whipped cream. During all this time, Pinkie had made two extra shakes.

While Sweetie Belle was busy blending the first batch of shakes, the others had begun a new batch of milkshake orders: ice cream, milk, strawberry syrup, and chocolate chips. Diamond Tiara had insisted on adding edible gold sprinkles “for the flavor”. Under normal circumstances, that would be the most ludicrous request, unless you’re one Pinkamena Diane Pie, that is. Soon, all the milkshakes were ready for serving. (Except for the burnt one)

With most of the customers having been served, the group moved onto the next set of orders. “Alright, now it’s time for cupcakes!” Pinkie went over to the kitchen fridge to get the necessary ingredients. “Hmm. Looks like we’re all out of milk!” she exclaimed.

“Guess we’ll need to make a quick trip to the store,” said Scootaloo.

“No need! We got it all right here!” said Pinkie.

“Then me and Diamond could go an’ get it for ya. Where’s it at?” suggested Apple Bloom.

They looked high and low, two fridges at a time, for what seemed like hours. “Why does this storage room need so many fridges?!” Diamond complained. “Pinkie” was the only answer Apple Bloom gave. They searched and searched, until they had reached the two final fridges. The left one was nearly four times as large as the right one. Diamond went over to the right fridge and, to her dismay and annoyance, found nothing. Meanwhile, her partner in milk-finding had climbed the other fridge. “I got it!” yelled Apple Bloom as she fetched the milk carton from the largest fridge’s top shelf.

Having gotten what they needed, the two girls were making their way back out. Just as they had reached the doors, Apple Bloom slipped on a pool of water on the floor. Rather quickly, she found herself falling, the milk carton slipping out of her hands and launching straight into the stratosphere. She expected to land on the cold hard floor, but instead found herself in the warm embrace of Diamond Tiara. The two stayed still for a moment, taking in the sudden physical contact between them. The faint smell of perfume reached her nose. It was pleasant. She felt Diamond’s arms around her, holding her tightly. ‘This feels nice, relaxing even. I could get used to this’ Apple Bloom thought. As soon as that thought appeared, she jolted upright and dusted off the non-existent dirt from her overalls.

“You okay, Apple Bloom?” asked Diamond Tiara.

“Yup. I’m just fine! Ain’t got no scratches or nothin’ ” Apple Bloom replied hastily, her face reddening slightly. “Now, where’d the milk go? ”

“Into orbit,” Diamond replied sarcastically. “Come on, I’m sure there’s more somewhere-”

“Hey girls! How’s the milk coming along?” said Sweetie Belle as she entered the storage room. And just then, the fabled space-carton had landed, splattering onto the floor between the three of them.

The rest of the afternoon had gone smoothly. The four girls had helped Pinkie prepare the absurd amount of cupcakes. With all the customers satisfied, the girls walked out of the diner, exhausted yet prideful about all the work they had done. As Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Diamond Tiara struck up a conversation between themselves, Apple Bloom remained lost in thought. She looked straight ahead, not daring to look in her friends’ direction. The events in the storage room replayed endlessly in her mind, with only one thought on the brain:

“Why her?”

Author's Note

Published: November 13th 2024