Babs Seed, Babs Seed, What You Gonna do?by WinterSpeedChaptersYou gotta hide, you gotta bailThey stole her from youWhatever will you do?Did it work, or was she bland?And could you lend a helping hand (hoof)?You've got a bully on your tailBabs Seed, Babs Seed, where's AB now?Babs Seed, Babs Seed, what is your new plan?You gotta hide, you gotta bail After The three original Cutie Mark Crusaders met all of the new ones in Manehatten, they decided they would celebrate. At Bab's favorite resturaunt, of course. I hope *she** doesn't come back and ruin everything...* Babs thought, since she knew that the bullies in Manehatten were fully aware of her favorite resturaunt. And that some of them liked it, too. Her head drooped, and soon her snout was making marks in the dirt as they trotted along. Applebloom noticed this behavior, and she gently nudged her cousin. Babs winced before looking at her, and remembered when the fillies and colts used to do that to her. She would always fall for the trap, thinking somepony would comfort her, but there was always a mean pony standing there, either taking her science notes or teasing her. But when she looked at Applebloom, she had a warm smile on her face, and her eyes looked remorseful. "Ah know that gal was mean, but don't ya worry. Ah don't think she'll be comin' back anytime soon." She said. She felt sorry that Babs had bullies, and not even one friend to help her, when Applebloom had two. Babs gave her a smile and nodded. Maybe things won't be so bad after all. Maybe they can even have a sleepover at their new hangout! Babs' smile grew wider as she thought more and more of what she was going to do while her first friends were here. She remembered to never go camping, especially if ponies were going to tell ghost stories. As much as she loved them, she didn't think Scootaloo would be able to sleep with Rainbow Dash back in Ponyville. Soon she saw an orange hoof wave in her face. Her thoughts faded as she started to hear her surroundings. "Hello? Hellloooo!Helllooo!HELLO!" Scootaloo yelled with an impatient frown on her face. Babs shook her head and gave her a sheepish look. "Anyways, now that you're done daydreaming, let's get down to business! We're here at Sunny's Sunshine Cafe, which is your favorite, right?" Scootaloo said, her expression instantly changing into a big grin. Babs just nodded, having a bad feeling about going inside. AppleBloom got behind her and pushed her in when she wasn't moving, and she smirked when they got inside. " See, no mean ponies around here!" She exclaimed. Babs sighed, realizing that she was worrying for no- "Oh, look! It's the Cutie Mark Wanna-bes!" "What are they going to do? 'Crusade' to find some lousy cutie mark? "Maybe their special talents are being babies! "Or dodos! "Or chi-" "I AM NOT A CHICKEN! I'M A PONY! WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT?! Scootaloo screamed over the ponies. Babs' heart sank. Not only were they here before us, but they started calling us names right when they got in. To Babs' surprise, Applebloom was still smiling. "Actually, It's a 50/50 chance of that happening. With so much things a talent could be, heck, we are all clueless! Ah'm glad y'all found your marks. Ooooh, a block of gold. Well, ya talent certainly isn't mining, ya probably hate walking around on the ground outside. Y'all must be rich. Ah hope that ya have more than being rich." she said. The pony she was mentioning had a yellow coat with a shiny gold and brown mane. She gasped at her words. "What more would I need than money and more ponies to help me with you little blank flanks." She said in an over dramatic, snobby voice. Applebloom simply looked her in the eye, pointed to all of the other Crusaders, and smiled. "Friends, for one. Food, for two. Family, for three. And honesty, for four. I could list much more, but I feel that you must be 'much more superior' to be wasting your time on a farm filly like me." she said the last part in a mocking tone, trying to mimick the accent of the filly. The foal in question only snorted. "Come on, girls, let's move away from these losers, and sit at a cool table, that isn't infected with uncool germs." She hmphed and got out of her chair. Her and her followers all kept their nose up as they took their things to a table farther away. Babs smiled for the second time with those bullies in the same room. They stole her from you "That can't be Applebloom doing this...She must be being forced!" Babs screamed. The CMC were having a meeting, and she was the only pony talking. The rest were slouching, scared, and depressed. Even Sweetie and Scootaloo weren't happy. But then, Sweetie Belle suddenly yelled. She smacked her hoof across the table (which was round, because you can't have a meeting with a RECTANGLE table. That's just weird). "OBJECTION! Why would she be forced? I mean, I know bullies are mean, but not that mean...right...?" She said, starting confident, but sounding unsure as her voice faded away in the room. She opened her mouth, but closed it with a frown. She had nothing else to say. She was scared. Scared a best friend was now bullying her and her other best friends. She was scared the leader and first of the CMC was gone. She was scared Applebloom was no longer a crusader. Everypony sat there for a moment in silence. Then Babs pushed her chair away from the table. The other ponies watched as she leaves. One other crusader saw something wet hit the floor. She needed to do something, anything. "HOLD IT!" A high voice called. "The only way to figure this out is to spy on them! Some of the pegasi that can fly will spy on them from the clouds, and the earth ponies will hide. The unicorns will help the earth ponies and themselves with hiding places." The filly stepped up as she speaked. She had a pure white coat, a polychromatic mane with black, yellow, and cyan. She was a pegasus and had sky blue eyes. Her expression held determination, and her confidence was high. Some ponies gasped, some ponies stared, some ponies nodded and agreed, some ponies guffawed and hated the idea, there were even ponies giggling. There were many different expressions about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but the one that seemed everlasting was the filly who had made the idea. "My name's Snow Storm, and I think we can save Applebloom and get our leader back. Who's with me!" She raised her hoof high in the air and smiled. At first, it was silent, but her smile and hoof would never waver. Finally, a navy blue hoof came up. It was followed by a deep pink. Soon more hooves of other colors came up, and finally two more. One was orange, and the other was a very light grey. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle kept their hooves up. Babs stayed there the whole time, and another hoof was added to the bunch. That's funny She thought. It seems I always find a way to smile in these bad times. Whatever will you do? Everything seemed happy. Until they tried the plan. The pegasi couldn't fly high enough, the unicorns couldn't levitate objects big enough to hide themselves, and the earth ponies had nothing to hide behind. Babs watched their failure, as the bullies came back and laughed. Laughing. Why won't they stop laughing at me? A tear hit the floor, which made their raucous laughs and giggles even louder, making the tears faster. Why do they do this? Babs tried to run away, but they were always there. Even Applebloom, with her eyes as hot as fire, burning her soul, and destroying any hope. Is there any good reason? Babs got up with lightning speed. She was covered in cold sweat and her heartbeat was pounding. She looked at her hooves and saw they were shaking. A slight giggle left her lips. A dream? She started smiling, despite the melancholic nightmare. Was it all a dream?!. She sprung from her bed and was about to wake up Applebloom. Then she stopped. Her smiled faded into a slight frown. It...was a dream...all of it...right? She had been crying too many times. Applebloom wasn't there. Although everything from the meeting to the failure was a dream, Applebloom being a bully...was not. She sank to her knees, and gently laid on the wooden floor. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She gasped in fright, scared by the unexpected move. She saw a pony that looked just like the one in the dream...what was it...Snow Storm? The filly smiled. It was warm and sincere. "It's okay. I know we will fix it. I don't know how, but we will get Applebloom back. And she will come back willingly." She seemed so sure. Babs wondered what her secret was, how she could be this confident. She saw tears in the filly's eyes, and Babs hugged her. She whispered in her ear. "I know." Did it work, or was she bland? Babs woke up with a start. She was excited, yet nervous at the same time. She quickly grabbed an orange and headed out the door. She was the first one at the cafe where they would meet them. The filly threw the orange peels in a waste bin near the entrance. She was having a good start today, with no nightmares the other night. With a trot, she started a conversation between her and the crusaders whom recently entered. "Hi! So, do you guys have 'the money'?" She giggled as a colt showed her a small suitcase. "Yup, this case looks mighty fancy. Surely, they'll think it holds a just number of bills." He said while hitting the suitcase, making a noise that showed it was actually hollow. Finally, the bullies came. They always came to this cafe. Since they knew it was Babs favorite, the leader just had to say it was her favorite, too. What a load of hay. "Oh, look! They finally decided to come along!" Said the leader, whom Babs could never remember the name of. She could see Apple Bloom next to her, looking a bit confused. "I don't mean any trouble, I just came by to ask Apple Bloom something. We'll give you all a good amount of money if you would stop bullying us for a moment?" Babs replied to the insult. "Ehm..Weeell...I guess," The other filly said, dragging out her words to sound like she was thinking. "Now, where's the dough?!" She asked greedily. "You'll get that in a second." Was her answer. She slumped with a 'hmph'. Apple Bloom and the CMC met up in the hangout. The other talked about random things so they wouldn't seem suspicious while Babs slowly crept near Apple Bloom. "So, AB...It's been a while, hasn't it?" "Why is a blank flank talking to me?" "Look, just to let you know, you don't need to hold back." "It's nothing going on. Look! DT sucks, but aren't real nutjobs-" Suddenly she stopped. Babs thought that was worded out weird. Does she mean she can be a better bully than Diamond Tiara? Was it a code? "I...see. Nothing to talk about, I guess," Babs waved at the colt a sign of retreat. They needed to escape. They had no actual money. After what felt like hours of running to Babs, she was safe at home. Quickly, she wrote down what Apple Bloom said. It's nothing going on. Look! DT sucks, but aren't real nutjobs And Babs tried every code she knew. Read it backwards, upside down, in a mirror, use the letter before, use the letter after... And then it clicked. Maybe it's like an acrostic! She wrote it down. I t's N othing G oing O n L ook D T S ucks B ut A ren't R eal N utjobs That could make "Ingo L.D.S. barn", "ING old S.B. Arn", or other jumbles of things Babs didn't even think we're real words. But after random jumbles, she came up with "In Gold's barn". A friend of the leader, Shimmer Gold, was usually just called 'Gold'. That was also her family name. Her Dad is a miner, her Mom a salesperson, and her Ma and Pa farmers. Her grandparents own a barn. What would be in it, though? There wwas no specific time to come, or what was in it. But Babs was desperate, so she headed out alone. And could you lend a helping hand (hoof)?*I woke up with a start. What was it now? "...Are you awake?" Apple Bloom whispered while poking me. "I am now..." I grumbled. She made an innocent smile. "What's so important?" "I just...wanted to make sure of something," Hm. That was very vague. It must be very personal, or else it could have probably been able to wait until morning. "Well? Spit it out!" I was in a cranky mood, and you could tell. It wasn't helping her say it at all. "Can we make a promise? A Pinkie Pie Promise?" It was a very low whisper. "Okay," "I'm very serious right now," "Okay," The earth pony made a sigh before continuing. "We'll always be together, right? Always?" That was it? What a dumb question! Of course, of course, why would I say no? "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I said nonchalantly, doing all the right gestures and movements. She looked as if she was relieved, desperate almost. "Th-Thankyou...Good night," "Night," Was what I ended the conversation with. In the cold night stood a lone figure. She maneuvered through the vastness of it. Babs opened the large barn door, which caused a creaking noise to be heard. It echoed throughout the barn and its walls. She stepped further. Suddenly, she heard a glass break. It dropped from the hooves of a familiar pony. Her eyes widened, and Babs did the same. "Apple...Apple Bloom? Is it really you?" The orange pony whispered, feeling her bow, which was placed on her simple hair. The same style as before...before any of this. "H-Howdy...partner," came an accent only a real farmpony could muster. She was ba- "You're back! You're back!" Babs exclaimed. She was shushed by Apple Bloom, whom was looking around. "Shh, It's bad enough I broke that expensive wine glass they gave me. Are we even allowed to drink wine yet?" She wondered, until she shook her head and dismissed the thought. She hugged Babs. "I never left. They just made...threats if I didn't join them. I've decided to leave today." Apple Bloom explained as she pointed a hoof to some bags and luggage. So, together they ventured once again into the bitter night. Once home, they lay on their beds, exhausted. Babs looked at Apple Bloom and started to speak. "I want to make sure of something..." She said, surprising the cream pony slightly. "Uh, sure." "I feel like this is déjà vu, but... We'll always be together, right?" After this simple question, silence hung in the room. The answer was obvious, but sometimes everypony needed some kind of reassurance. "Of course. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Apple Bloom replied with a warm smile. "Always," You've got a bully on your tail Muffling is heard inside a closet, which is soon found out to be Applebloom. She bursts out of the wardrobe, frantically trying to find something to wear for a special trip to Manehatten. "What ta wear?! This is even more important than when Babs came for the first time!" Applebloom exclaimed. Applejack dissapointedly sighed and shook her head. "Y'all right, but don't ya remember that she wouldn't care?" She said bluntly. Applebloom's ears perked up, followed by them folding down. She sighed and nodded. "Right..." "Cutie Mark Crusaders Ponyville and Manehatten branch meeting!" The three fillies yelled simultaneously. "Not quite yet, we have ta get ta Manehatten first, heh." Applejack interrupted. The fillies immediately groaned, but that didn't stop them from jumping into the train out of excitement. Finally, after a long, boring wait to the Crusaders, the train stopped at Manehatten. All three of the ponies made 'Oo's and 'Aah's when they dismounted the train. As they ran to Bab's house, while pulling Applejack with them, they were giggling and looked into their luggage to see if all their things were still in there. The group reached the building, which looked like it belonged to the Oranges. Applejack knocked on the door, waiting for a response. After waiting for a few minutes, the door opened. Babs Seed I grudgingly trotted to the door to see whoever was out there. Probably some bully or something. It turns out, their parents don't care what their children do. As long as they get money. It's all about money for ponies in Manehatten. If only my parents weren't on some business trip, then maybe they could have taken care of them.... But for now, all I have is a crummy babysitter who always hogs the TV remote. Guess I should have expected that from somepony who gets paid to watch stranger's kids. "Hey! Why didn't you open the door yet?!" yelled an old scraggly voice from the living room, which is otherwise known as "the voice of my crummy babysitter". I sighed and opened the door, and for the first time since I've gotten back to Manehatten was I surprised. Surprised, and glad. "Hello fellow Cutie Mark Crusader!" A pony said, having a voice crack. I suddenly got bombarded with hugs, and my eyes were still wide in shock. I finally shook my head and realized, this was happening. My best friends were actually in Manehatten. Right now. For me. I felt a tear, but I told myself only foals cry. Unless you have a pretty good reason for crying. Which I had. Definetely. I quickly invited them into my 'humble' home....until I heard a groan from the wretched living room. Really? At least he would have some days (or, if I'm lucky, even longer) off from work. He should be thankful! Applejack looked a bit confused, knowing that my parents were usually very kind and even love to take care of children. "Great, more stupid fillies to take ca-..." My babysitter stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Applejack's harsh glare, finally getting what he deserved. I heard Scootaloo giggle, and I started to grin. Sweetie Belle looked a bit hesitant to smile, although, as she felt threatened by this strange identity. "U-Uh..I mean...I meant to say tha-" "No need ta waste ya breath. Ah can see that you need ta be fired." I saw that even Applejack was smirking. Mr.Crummy sighed and went home. Without packing. Actually, he didn't bring anything because he just used all of my stuff. It was a relief to have him out of the house. "Don't worry even for a second, Ah'll get ya a new babysitter before we leave lickety-split!" Applejack reassured me. I didn't really want to think of them leaving, so instead of talking about that, I immediately asked what they wanted to do first while Applejack tidied things up after my ex-babysitter. "Well, we don't really have a hang-out here in Manehatten..." Sweetie pointed out. "Unless you got a clubhouse laying around!" Scootaloo added, looking around the house. I giggled and then remembered something very important. "I gotta show you guys the Cutie Mark Crusaders Manehatten Branch!" I exclaimed. The fillies looked at me, confused. My tummy was full of butterflies when I led them into a hole I had dug. I was so excited as I climbed down the ladder "Um, Babs...Why are we in a hole?" Sweetie Belle asked. I didn't answer. They would know soon enough. After walking through a not-so-long tunnel, we ended up finding two doors. I looked at my friends, and they just shrugged and opened the doors. When they went inside, they looked astonished. Hehe, I learned the word astonish in reading class! Cool word, isn't it? Applebloom When I saw what Babs (and seemingly other fillies and colts) made, I was completely ast-astun-astonys- I was amazed! Then, I saw the fillies and colts who seemingly helped her. They were all fine and dandy! And I could tell they were a Cutie Mark Crusader- they were all blank flanks wearing the CMC cape! I was so happy...but then, I saw some other pony. She had a cutie mark, and she wasn't wearing no cape. She didn't look too nice, either. I focused on all the other cool stuff, though! It was like some kind of underground base, with marble walls and a wooden floor! The marble must have been hard to get. Actually, where does that marble-stuff come from, anyways? I dismissed the thought when I heard Bab's voice. She sounded scared. "W-What are you doing here?!" She said to that one particular pony that seemed not-so-cool. The filly had a white coat and a sky blue and cream mane. Her mane and tail were styled like waves. She was pretty. Pretty mean. "Just making sure that my underground hangout was all clean - momma says to never own something dirty." The filly said. Now I knew where the idea of stealing our clubhouse came from. I felt the need to step in. "So what? Ya just stepped in! Y'alll can't claim it! All that does is show that ya are a lazy pony, and that ya might not be able ta get all the marble and things ta make it, 'cause y'all cheap!" I walked up to her, following all the step-backs she takes until her rump hit the wall. I knew someponies were cheering, but I wasn't done yet. "And...And a bully. And bullies aren't nice. Being mean isn't nice. I'm just stating what Ah think is happenin'. Y'all could just be poor or somethin'. I just met ya, so Ah don't know. Ya always have the right ta talk too, if ya want ta." I said calmly. She looked even more surprised before, but she felt that it wasn't enough. I looked back, and I saw everyone smiling at me. Sweetie, Scoots, the other fillies and colts, but most of all, Babs. I knew that she used to insult us and I wanted to make sure this unfriendly pony knew I was just guessing. Then she talked back. "Why would I, uh, be lazy! I didn't mean owning t-the hangout, I m-meant to say..uhm," Then, she pointed at a sunflower in a vase. "This flower! It's, uh, mine!" Then she galloped away. Once I saw the few ponies behind me laughing, I looked at them. "As much as laughing seems right, it ain't." They all got quite. But then they smiled. All the ponies started thanking me and giving me high-hooves. Babs looked especially happy. Now that the bully was gone, there was nothing to worry about. Right? Actually, there probably wouldn't be much wrong, since the filly already embarrassed herself. I wonder what her name was? Maybe it was BlueberryMarshmallow? Or SkyWhite? Or even WeatherForecast? Okay, maybe not WeatherForecast... Babs Seed, Babs Seed, where's AB now? Applebloom wasn't in her bed the next morning. Applejack, Babs, and all the rest of the CMC tried to find her. But she was nowhere to be found. Babs even considered asking the bullies if they kidnapped her, but AppleJack told her that would be rude. They did ask all over Manehatten, though. When they got to that filly with the cream and sky blue mane, they found out there was a sleepover- for "cool" ponies only. "Oh, look! It's Baby Seed and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crybabies!" she said. Babs almost felt a bit guilty, since she had used the term when she was bullying the three original CMC. "We are only here to ask where Applebloom is!" SweetieBelle screamed, making some ponies cover their ears. Applejack had split up with some of the newer Crusaders so finding her little sister would be faster, so there was nopony to help them if they started teasing and whatnot. "Applebloom! We have some losers who want to see you..." The bully said with a twisted grin. First, two other ponies blocked a little filly about Applebloom's size. They slowly moved out of the way, which made the pony comment "Be faster next time!" The filly had sparkling orange eyes, and she was wearing mascara and eyeshadow. She had a red, styled mane that was braided in the back, and the bangs were curled inwards. Her cream coat was professionally groomed, and her cutie mark was a pony laughing, who was also wearing a crown. "Woah....I mean, this is not Applebloom?!" Scootaloo said, unsure about it herself. "I assure you, this is most definetely me." AppleBloom(?) said. She had more of a Canterlot accent than a Manehatten one, and her vocabulary has certainly grown. "No, no, no, the real Applebloom would never join the bullies side! Or get a cutie mark for being one.....!" Babs started to trail a bit, realizing she was lying to herself. The filly just giggled. "What's wrong, Babs, didn't you used to bully me, also?" She said. Babs heart beat had stopped for a moment, as she knew this actually was Applebloom. She opened her mouth to say something, but the bully just interrupted. "Aanyways, we are really too busy to have a longer conversation with some crybabies, and we need to get back to our sleepover- which is two nights, of course- so why don't you just get back to your little loser stuff. Isn't that right, AB?" The filly giggled before Applebloom answered. "Sure as sug- T-that's right, Cloudy!" She responded. That's weird... Babs thought. She almost sounded like herself.... A split second before Cloudy closed the door, she could have sworn AppleBloom mouthed the words "Help. Me." Babs Seed, Babs Seed, what is your new plan?You can do this, you can do this... Babs chanted in her mind the next morning as she headed for the hangout. She nervously sat down at a table while keeping her hooves together, as if in a class. Everyone was quiet, and she hoped for somepony- anypony to say something. Finally, Scootaloo cleared her throat, making the first sound for a while in the room. "Uh...Maybe we could...Um...talk to her privately?" She suggested in more of a questioning tone than a confident one. SweetieBelle sort of shrugged, scared to move an inch as if frozen, and SnowStorm decided she had enough. She broke the ice. With a hammer. Made of diamond. Used by the very Thor himself. "ENOUGH! This isn't helping at all! I think what Scootaloo said is a great idea, although we need to plan a bit more!" She screamed. Everyone was silent, except for some of her heavy breathing. "So!?" Snowstorm growled. Babs was thinking too much to hear the outburst, completely in her mind. Snowstorm just sighed and slumped in her seat. Ponies either stared or just nervously looked around the room. A few sighed, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn't really do anything but look at Snowstorm. But Babs just smiled. A grin, actually. "Actually, that's a very good idea. I'm not sure if I just wanted to belive this, but I think I saw her trying to ask for help. We just need to plan this out, just like you said." She smiled at Snowstorm. Babs continued, "I think we should tell her that we'll make a deal. We will 'give her money if she stops bullying us'. Then, we can verify if this is true. If not, we can just run away and not give her any money,because it's not like we have any anyway. If it is true, we can just tell Applejack, like we should've done before." she said, slightly nervous near the end because of the memories of her bullying the crusaders. She wondered why she ever did that, to become a bully. Ponies started to agree, but mostly because they couldn't really think of anything else. Or they were just dumb, you could never know. Babs wanted to get the plan started right away, but it was the middle of the night. Strangely, she wasn't tired until now. Perhaps it was the nervousness keeping her awake? That was more effective than caffeine. After a good night's rest, the plan would start. And hopefully, she gulped, work. Because of it didn't, she and others would be devastated. This is the leader of the first CMC we are talking about, who wouldn't be devastated?
You gotta hide, you gotta bail After The three original Cutie Mark Crusaders met all of the new ones in Manehatten, they decided they would celebrate. At Bab's favorite resturaunt, of course. I hope *she** doesn't come back and ruin everything...* Babs thought, since she knew that the bullies in Manehatten were fully aware of her favorite resturaunt. And that some of them liked it, too. Her head drooped, and soon her snout was making marks in the dirt as they trotted along. Applebloom noticed this behavior, and she gently nudged her cousin. Babs winced before looking at her, and remembered when the fillies and colts used to do that to her. She would always fall for the trap, thinking somepony would comfort her, but there was always a mean pony standing there, either taking her science notes or teasing her. But when she looked at Applebloom, she had a warm smile on her face, and her eyes looked remorseful. "Ah know that gal was mean, but don't ya worry. Ah don't think she'll be comin' back anytime soon." She said. She felt sorry that Babs had bullies, and not even one friend to help her, when Applebloom had two. Babs gave her a smile and nodded. Maybe things won't be so bad after all. Maybe they can even have a sleepover at their new hangout! Babs' smile grew wider as she thought more and more of what she was going to do while her first friends were here. She remembered to never go camping, especially if ponies were going to tell ghost stories. As much as she loved them, she didn't think Scootaloo would be able to sleep with Rainbow Dash back in Ponyville. Soon she saw an orange hoof wave in her face. Her thoughts faded as she started to hear her surroundings. "Hello? Hellloooo!Helllooo!HELLO!" Scootaloo yelled with an impatient frown on her face. Babs shook her head and gave her a sheepish look. "Anyways, now that you're done daydreaming, let's get down to business! We're here at Sunny's Sunshine Cafe, which is your favorite, right?" Scootaloo said, her expression instantly changing into a big grin. Babs just nodded, having a bad feeling about going inside. AppleBloom got behind her and pushed her in when she wasn't moving, and she smirked when they got inside. " See, no mean ponies around here!" She exclaimed. Babs sighed, realizing that she was worrying for no- "Oh, look! It's the Cutie Mark Wanna-bes!" "What are they going to do? 'Crusade' to find some lousy cutie mark? "Maybe their special talents are being babies! "Or dodos! "Or chi-" "I AM NOT A CHICKEN! I'M A PONY! WHAT IS SO HARD ABOUT THAT?! Scootaloo screamed over the ponies. Babs' heart sank. Not only were they here before us, but they started calling us names right when they got in. To Babs' surprise, Applebloom was still smiling. "Actually, It's a 50/50 chance of that happening. With so much things a talent could be, heck, we are all clueless! Ah'm glad y'all found your marks. Ooooh, a block of gold. Well, ya talent certainly isn't mining, ya probably hate walking around on the ground outside. Y'all must be rich. Ah hope that ya have more than being rich." she said. The pony she was mentioning had a yellow coat with a shiny gold and brown mane. She gasped at her words. "What more would I need than money and more ponies to help me with you little blank flanks." She said in an over dramatic, snobby voice. Applebloom simply looked her in the eye, pointed to all of the other Crusaders, and smiled. "Friends, for one. Food, for two. Family, for three. And honesty, for four. I could list much more, but I feel that you must be 'much more superior' to be wasting your time on a farm filly like me." she said the last part in a mocking tone, trying to mimick the accent of the filly. The foal in question only snorted. "Come on, girls, let's move away from these losers, and sit at a cool table, that isn't infected with uncool germs." She hmphed and got out of her chair. Her and her followers all kept their nose up as they took their things to a table farther away. Babs smiled for the second time with those bullies in the same room.
They stole her from you "That can't be Applebloom doing this...She must be being forced!" Babs screamed. The CMC were having a meeting, and she was the only pony talking. The rest were slouching, scared, and depressed. Even Sweetie and Scootaloo weren't happy. But then, Sweetie Belle suddenly yelled. She smacked her hoof across the table (which was round, because you can't have a meeting with a RECTANGLE table. That's just weird). "OBJECTION! Why would she be forced? I mean, I know bullies are mean, but not that mean...right...?" She said, starting confident, but sounding unsure as her voice faded away in the room. She opened her mouth, but closed it with a frown. She had nothing else to say. She was scared. Scared a best friend was now bullying her and her other best friends. She was scared the leader and first of the CMC was gone. She was scared Applebloom was no longer a crusader. Everypony sat there for a moment in silence. Then Babs pushed her chair away from the table. The other ponies watched as she leaves. One other crusader saw something wet hit the floor. She needed to do something, anything. "HOLD IT!" A high voice called. "The only way to figure this out is to spy on them! Some of the pegasi that can fly will spy on them from the clouds, and the earth ponies will hide. The unicorns will help the earth ponies and themselves with hiding places." The filly stepped up as she speaked. She had a pure white coat, a polychromatic mane with black, yellow, and cyan. She was a pegasus and had sky blue eyes. Her expression held determination, and her confidence was high. Some ponies gasped, some ponies stared, some ponies nodded and agreed, some ponies guffawed and hated the idea, there were even ponies giggling. There were many different expressions about the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but the one that seemed everlasting was the filly who had made the idea. "My name's Snow Storm, and I think we can save Applebloom and get our leader back. Who's with me!" She raised her hoof high in the air and smiled. At first, it was silent, but her smile and hoof would never waver. Finally, a navy blue hoof came up. It was followed by a deep pink. Soon more hooves of other colors came up, and finally two more. One was orange, and the other was a very light grey. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle kept their hooves up. Babs stayed there the whole time, and another hoof was added to the bunch. That's funny She thought. It seems I always find a way to smile in these bad times.
Whatever will you do? Everything seemed happy. Until they tried the plan. The pegasi couldn't fly high enough, the unicorns couldn't levitate objects big enough to hide themselves, and the earth ponies had nothing to hide behind. Babs watched their failure, as the bullies came back and laughed. Laughing. Why won't they stop laughing at me? A tear hit the floor, which made their raucous laughs and giggles even louder, making the tears faster. Why do they do this? Babs tried to run away, but they were always there. Even Applebloom, with her eyes as hot as fire, burning her soul, and destroying any hope. Is there any good reason? Babs got up with lightning speed. She was covered in cold sweat and her heartbeat was pounding. She looked at her hooves and saw they were shaking. A slight giggle left her lips. A dream? She started smiling, despite the melancholic nightmare. Was it all a dream?!. She sprung from her bed and was about to wake up Applebloom. Then she stopped. Her smiled faded into a slight frown. It...was a dream...all of it...right? She had been crying too many times. Applebloom wasn't there. Although everything from the meeting to the failure was a dream, Applebloom being a bully...was not. She sank to her knees, and gently laid on the wooden floor. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. She gasped in fright, scared by the unexpected move. She saw a pony that looked just like the one in the dream...what was it...Snow Storm? The filly smiled. It was warm and sincere. "It's okay. I know we will fix it. I don't know how, but we will get Applebloom back. And she will come back willingly." She seemed so sure. Babs wondered what her secret was, how she could be this confident. She saw tears in the filly's eyes, and Babs hugged her. She whispered in her ear. "I know."
Did it work, or was she bland? Babs woke up with a start. She was excited, yet nervous at the same time. She quickly grabbed an orange and headed out the door. She was the first one at the cafe where they would meet them. The filly threw the orange peels in a waste bin near the entrance. She was having a good start today, with no nightmares the other night. With a trot, she started a conversation between her and the crusaders whom recently entered. "Hi! So, do you guys have 'the money'?" She giggled as a colt showed her a small suitcase. "Yup, this case looks mighty fancy. Surely, they'll think it holds a just number of bills." He said while hitting the suitcase, making a noise that showed it was actually hollow. Finally, the bullies came. They always came to this cafe. Since they knew it was Babs favorite, the leader just had to say it was her favorite, too. What a load of hay. "Oh, look! They finally decided to come along!" Said the leader, whom Babs could never remember the name of. She could see Apple Bloom next to her, looking a bit confused. "I don't mean any trouble, I just came by to ask Apple Bloom something. We'll give you all a good amount of money if you would stop bullying us for a moment?" Babs replied to the insult. "Ehm..Weeell...I guess," The other filly said, dragging out her words to sound like she was thinking. "Now, where's the dough?!" She asked greedily. "You'll get that in a second." Was her answer. She slumped with a 'hmph'. Apple Bloom and the CMC met up in the hangout. The other talked about random things so they wouldn't seem suspicious while Babs slowly crept near Apple Bloom. "So, AB...It's been a while, hasn't it?" "Why is a blank flank talking to me?" "Look, just to let you know, you don't need to hold back." "It's nothing going on. Look! DT sucks, but aren't real nutjobs-" Suddenly she stopped. Babs thought that was worded out weird. Does she mean she can be a better bully than Diamond Tiara? Was it a code? "I...see. Nothing to talk about, I guess," Babs waved at the colt a sign of retreat. They needed to escape. They had no actual money. After what felt like hours of running to Babs, she was safe at home. Quickly, she wrote down what Apple Bloom said. It's nothing going on. Look! DT sucks, but aren't real nutjobs And Babs tried every code she knew. Read it backwards, upside down, in a mirror, use the letter before, use the letter after... And then it clicked. Maybe it's like an acrostic! She wrote it down. I t's N othing G oing O n L ook D T S ucks B ut A ren't R eal N utjobs That could make "Ingo L.D.S. barn", "ING old S.B. Arn", or other jumbles of things Babs didn't even think we're real words. But after random jumbles, she came up with "In Gold's barn". A friend of the leader, Shimmer Gold, was usually just called 'Gold'. That was also her family name. Her Dad is a miner, her Mom a salesperson, and her Ma and Pa farmers. Her grandparents own a barn. What would be in it, though? There wwas no specific time to come, or what was in it. But Babs was desperate, so she headed out alone.
And could you lend a helping hand (hoof)?*I woke up with a start. What was it now? "...Are you awake?" Apple Bloom whispered while poking me. "I am now..." I grumbled. She made an innocent smile. "What's so important?" "I just...wanted to make sure of something," Hm. That was very vague. It must be very personal, or else it could have probably been able to wait until morning. "Well? Spit it out!" I was in a cranky mood, and you could tell. It wasn't helping her say it at all. "Can we make a promise? A Pinkie Pie Promise?" It was a very low whisper. "Okay," "I'm very serious right now," "Okay," The earth pony made a sigh before continuing. "We'll always be together, right? Always?" That was it? What a dumb question! Of course, of course, why would I say no? "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I said nonchalantly, doing all the right gestures and movements. She looked as if she was relieved, desperate almost. "Th-Thankyou...Good night," "Night," Was what I ended the conversation with. In the cold night stood a lone figure. She maneuvered through the vastness of it. Babs opened the large barn door, which caused a creaking noise to be heard. It echoed throughout the barn and its walls. She stepped further. Suddenly, she heard a glass break. It dropped from the hooves of a familiar pony. Her eyes widened, and Babs did the same. "Apple...Apple Bloom? Is it really you?" The orange pony whispered, feeling her bow, which was placed on her simple hair. The same style as before...before any of this. "H-Howdy...partner," came an accent only a real farmpony could muster. She was ba- "You're back! You're back!" Babs exclaimed. She was shushed by Apple Bloom, whom was looking around. "Shh, It's bad enough I broke that expensive wine glass they gave me. Are we even allowed to drink wine yet?" She wondered, until she shook her head and dismissed the thought. She hugged Babs. "I never left. They just made...threats if I didn't join them. I've decided to leave today." Apple Bloom explained as she pointed a hoof to some bags and luggage. So, together they ventured once again into the bitter night. Once home, they lay on their beds, exhausted. Babs looked at Apple Bloom and started to speak. "I want to make sure of something..." She said, surprising the cream pony slightly. "Uh, sure." "I feel like this is déjà vu, but... We'll always be together, right?" After this simple question, silence hung in the room. The answer was obvious, but sometimes everypony needed some kind of reassurance. "Of course. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Apple Bloom replied with a warm smile. "Always,"
You've got a bully on your tail Muffling is heard inside a closet, which is soon found out to be Applebloom. She bursts out of the wardrobe, frantically trying to find something to wear for a special trip to Manehatten. "What ta wear?! This is even more important than when Babs came for the first time!" Applebloom exclaimed. Applejack dissapointedly sighed and shook her head. "Y'all right, but don't ya remember that she wouldn't care?" She said bluntly. Applebloom's ears perked up, followed by them folding down. She sighed and nodded. "Right..." "Cutie Mark Crusaders Ponyville and Manehatten branch meeting!" The three fillies yelled simultaneously. "Not quite yet, we have ta get ta Manehatten first, heh." Applejack interrupted. The fillies immediately groaned, but that didn't stop them from jumping into the train out of excitement. Finally, after a long, boring wait to the Crusaders, the train stopped at Manehatten. All three of the ponies made 'Oo's and 'Aah's when they dismounted the train. As they ran to Bab's house, while pulling Applejack with them, they were giggling and looked into their luggage to see if all their things were still in there. The group reached the building, which looked like it belonged to the Oranges. Applejack knocked on the door, waiting for a response. After waiting for a few minutes, the door opened. Babs Seed I grudgingly trotted to the door to see whoever was out there. Probably some bully or something. It turns out, their parents don't care what their children do. As long as they get money. It's all about money for ponies in Manehatten. If only my parents weren't on some business trip, then maybe they could have taken care of them.... But for now, all I have is a crummy babysitter who always hogs the TV remote. Guess I should have expected that from somepony who gets paid to watch stranger's kids. "Hey! Why didn't you open the door yet?!" yelled an old scraggly voice from the living room, which is otherwise known as "the voice of my crummy babysitter". I sighed and opened the door, and for the first time since I've gotten back to Manehatten was I surprised. Surprised, and glad. "Hello fellow Cutie Mark Crusader!" A pony said, having a voice crack. I suddenly got bombarded with hugs, and my eyes were still wide in shock. I finally shook my head and realized, this was happening. My best friends were actually in Manehatten. Right now. For me. I felt a tear, but I told myself only foals cry. Unless you have a pretty good reason for crying. Which I had. Definetely. I quickly invited them into my 'humble' home....until I heard a groan from the wretched living room. Really? At least he would have some days (or, if I'm lucky, even longer) off from work. He should be thankful! Applejack looked a bit confused, knowing that my parents were usually very kind and even love to take care of children. "Great, more stupid fillies to take ca-..." My babysitter stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Applejack's harsh glare, finally getting what he deserved. I heard Scootaloo giggle, and I started to grin. Sweetie Belle looked a bit hesitant to smile, although, as she felt threatened by this strange identity. "U-Uh..I mean...I meant to say tha-" "No need ta waste ya breath. Ah can see that you need ta be fired." I saw that even Applejack was smirking. Mr.Crummy sighed and went home. Without packing. Actually, he didn't bring anything because he just used all of my stuff. It was a relief to have him out of the house. "Don't worry even for a second, Ah'll get ya a new babysitter before we leave lickety-split!" Applejack reassured me. I didn't really want to think of them leaving, so instead of talking about that, I immediately asked what they wanted to do first while Applejack tidied things up after my ex-babysitter. "Well, we don't really have a hang-out here in Manehatten..." Sweetie pointed out. "Unless you got a clubhouse laying around!" Scootaloo added, looking around the house. I giggled and then remembered something very important. "I gotta show you guys the Cutie Mark Crusaders Manehatten Branch!" I exclaimed. The fillies looked at me, confused. My tummy was full of butterflies when I led them into a hole I had dug. I was so excited as I climbed down the ladder "Um, Babs...Why are we in a hole?" Sweetie Belle asked. I didn't answer. They would know soon enough. After walking through a not-so-long tunnel, we ended up finding two doors. I looked at my friends, and they just shrugged and opened the doors. When they went inside, they looked astonished. Hehe, I learned the word astonish in reading class! Cool word, isn't it? Applebloom When I saw what Babs (and seemingly other fillies and colts) made, I was completely ast-astun-astonys- I was amazed! Then, I saw the fillies and colts who seemingly helped her. They were all fine and dandy! And I could tell they were a Cutie Mark Crusader- they were all blank flanks wearing the CMC cape! I was so happy...but then, I saw some other pony. She had a cutie mark, and she wasn't wearing no cape. She didn't look too nice, either. I focused on all the other cool stuff, though! It was like some kind of underground base, with marble walls and a wooden floor! The marble must have been hard to get. Actually, where does that marble-stuff come from, anyways? I dismissed the thought when I heard Bab's voice. She sounded scared. "W-What are you doing here?!" She said to that one particular pony that seemed not-so-cool. The filly had a white coat and a sky blue and cream mane. Her mane and tail were styled like waves. She was pretty. Pretty mean. "Just making sure that my underground hangout was all clean - momma says to never own something dirty." The filly said. Now I knew where the idea of stealing our clubhouse came from. I felt the need to step in. "So what? Ya just stepped in! Y'alll can't claim it! All that does is show that ya are a lazy pony, and that ya might not be able ta get all the marble and things ta make it, 'cause y'all cheap!" I walked up to her, following all the step-backs she takes until her rump hit the wall. I knew someponies were cheering, but I wasn't done yet. "And...And a bully. And bullies aren't nice. Being mean isn't nice. I'm just stating what Ah think is happenin'. Y'all could just be poor or somethin'. I just met ya, so Ah don't know. Ya always have the right ta talk too, if ya want ta." I said calmly. She looked even more surprised before, but she felt that it wasn't enough. I looked back, and I saw everyone smiling at me. Sweetie, Scoots, the other fillies and colts, but most of all, Babs. I knew that she used to insult us and I wanted to make sure this unfriendly pony knew I was just guessing. Then she talked back. "Why would I, uh, be lazy! I didn't mean owning t-the hangout, I m-meant to say..uhm," Then, she pointed at a sunflower in a vase. "This flower! It's, uh, mine!" Then she galloped away. Once I saw the few ponies behind me laughing, I looked at them. "As much as laughing seems right, it ain't." They all got quite. But then they smiled. All the ponies started thanking me and giving me high-hooves. Babs looked especially happy. Now that the bully was gone, there was nothing to worry about. Right? Actually, there probably wouldn't be much wrong, since the filly already embarrassed herself. I wonder what her name was? Maybe it was BlueberryMarshmallow? Or SkyWhite? Or even WeatherForecast? Okay, maybe not WeatherForecast...
Babs Seed, Babs Seed, where's AB now? Applebloom wasn't in her bed the next morning. Applejack, Babs, and all the rest of the CMC tried to find her. But she was nowhere to be found. Babs even considered asking the bullies if they kidnapped her, but AppleJack told her that would be rude. They did ask all over Manehatten, though. When they got to that filly with the cream and sky blue mane, they found out there was a sleepover- for "cool" ponies only. "Oh, look! It's Baby Seed and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crybabies!" she said. Babs almost felt a bit guilty, since she had used the term when she was bullying the three original CMC. "We are only here to ask where Applebloom is!" SweetieBelle screamed, making some ponies cover their ears. Applejack had split up with some of the newer Crusaders so finding her little sister would be faster, so there was nopony to help them if they started teasing and whatnot. "Applebloom! We have some losers who want to see you..." The bully said with a twisted grin. First, two other ponies blocked a little filly about Applebloom's size. They slowly moved out of the way, which made the pony comment "Be faster next time!" The filly had sparkling orange eyes, and she was wearing mascara and eyeshadow. She had a red, styled mane that was braided in the back, and the bangs were curled inwards. Her cream coat was professionally groomed, and her cutie mark was a pony laughing, who was also wearing a crown. "Woah....I mean, this is not Applebloom?!" Scootaloo said, unsure about it herself. "I assure you, this is most definetely me." AppleBloom(?) said. She had more of a Canterlot accent than a Manehatten one, and her vocabulary has certainly grown. "No, no, no, the real Applebloom would never join the bullies side! Or get a cutie mark for being one.....!" Babs started to trail a bit, realizing she was lying to herself. The filly just giggled. "What's wrong, Babs, didn't you used to bully me, also?" She said. Babs heart beat had stopped for a moment, as she knew this actually was Applebloom. She opened her mouth to say something, but the bully just interrupted. "Aanyways, we are really too busy to have a longer conversation with some crybabies, and we need to get back to our sleepover- which is two nights, of course- so why don't you just get back to your little loser stuff. Isn't that right, AB?" The filly giggled before Applebloom answered. "Sure as sug- T-that's right, Cloudy!" She responded. That's weird... Babs thought. She almost sounded like herself.... A split second before Cloudy closed the door, she could have sworn AppleBloom mouthed the words "Help. Me."
Babs Seed, Babs Seed, what is your new plan?You can do this, you can do this... Babs chanted in her mind the next morning as she headed for the hangout. She nervously sat down at a table while keeping her hooves together, as if in a class. Everyone was quiet, and she hoped for somepony- anypony to say something. Finally, Scootaloo cleared her throat, making the first sound for a while in the room. "Uh...Maybe we could...Um...talk to her privately?" She suggested in more of a questioning tone than a confident one. SweetieBelle sort of shrugged, scared to move an inch as if frozen, and SnowStorm decided she had enough. She broke the ice. With a hammer. Made of diamond. Used by the very Thor himself. "ENOUGH! This isn't helping at all! I think what Scootaloo said is a great idea, although we need to plan a bit more!" She screamed. Everyone was silent, except for some of her heavy breathing. "So!?" Snowstorm growled. Babs was thinking too much to hear the outburst, completely in her mind. Snowstorm just sighed and slumped in her seat. Ponies either stared or just nervously looked around the room. A few sighed, and Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo didn't really do anything but look at Snowstorm. But Babs just smiled. A grin, actually. "Actually, that's a very good idea. I'm not sure if I just wanted to belive this, but I think I saw her trying to ask for help. We just need to plan this out, just like you said." She smiled at Snowstorm. Babs continued, "I think we should tell her that we'll make a deal. We will 'give her money if she stops bullying us'. Then, we can verify if this is true. If not, we can just run away and not give her any money,because it's not like we have any anyway. If it is true, we can just tell Applejack, like we should've done before." she said, slightly nervous near the end because of the memories of her bullying the crusaders. She wondered why she ever did that, to become a bully. Ponies started to agree, but mostly because they couldn't really think of anything else. Or they were just dumb, you could never know. Babs wanted to get the plan started right away, but it was the middle of the night. Strangely, she wasn't tired until now. Perhaps it was the nervousness keeping her awake? That was more effective than caffeine. After a good night's rest, the plan would start. And hopefully, she gulped, work. Because of it didn't, she and others would be devastated. This is the leader of the first CMC we are talking about, who wouldn't be devastated?
