Chapters Cliche birth of a hero. Part 2
The sun was high and there was a nice breeze flowing. The trees had a beautiful orange hue, making the whole town look straight out of a fantasy story. The running if the leaves would happen soon. But for now, things were peaceful in the town of Ponyville. The occasional leaf flew through the air, gently fallin on the ground, only to be crunched under the wheel of a scooter. The crusaders were using their usual method of transport, with Scootaloo driving the scooter while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle held on to their dear lives on the little cart. Well, Sweetie Belle did. Apple Bloom simply enjoyed the ride, no longer having to worry about getting hurt in the eventual crash. Their objective lied in the center of Ponyville, right next to the market zone.
"Thanks for shoppin', hope to see yah soon."
The Apple Stand was a joy to see. It reminded everypony of the earth pony origins of the town, it also served as quite the inspiration. An honest, hard working family earning their living. A shinning example of integrity and resolve. A real example of success and will power. The entire definition of an earth represented by small selling stand. The very-
"Can't you go faster?"
"Wanna try doing it? Ah wait, you can't, because you don't have wings!"
"Scootaloo be careful!"
The antics of the crusaders were, at this point, well known in Ponyville, to the point where they rivaled the elements of harmony in attention. So when they saw two fillies in a red cart pulled by another filly in a scooter, going at a rather dangerous speed, they did the sanest thing that anypony would do. Move out of the way and hope that they walk out of it. Trying to stop them would only encourage the little fillies to try something even more dangerous.
"Derpy, what can Ah' do for you?"
The market was, as expected for a Saturday, full to the brim. Ponies where everywhere. Some were selling, some were buying, and some were simply taking a stroll. The occasional couple could be seen walking around, blissfully immersed in their romantic world. Either way, it was perhaps the worst place to go running around like a maniac.
Which was exactly what the crusaders were about to do.
Scootaloo was a superb driver. The scooter was simply an extension of her body. She could jump, twist, turn and do pretty much anything she wanted. Even dragging a small cart with two fillies on it did little to impair her. She grinned when she saw the market place filled to the brim. In her eyes, what she was facing wasn't a a dangerous idea.
It was a challenge.
Her wings buzzed louder as she sped up through the town. The cart started bumping over the uneven road, making Sweetie Belle pale. Apple Bloom edged Scootaloo to go faster, enjoying the rush of the wind. Scootaloo swerved to the side, skillfully avoiding a brown stallion with a tie. Using a rather large bump as a ramp, she jumped over a set of pebbles. The apple stand was on sight now. Any distraction would mean a rather nasty crash against the stand. Her focus was intense. Nothing could snap her out of it. She was a speed demon! She was the master of the road! She-
"Go away Dash! You can get an apple later!"
Scootaloo's attention went straight to the cyan speedster known as Rainbow Dash, who was currently leaving Applejack in peace after trying to get an apple for free. Her eyes followed her idol through the skies like if it was the only thing that mattered. But her mind managed to snap out of it, placing her back at the matter at hand. But a few seconds was all it took to send her off course, making her taking a sharp turn, vainly trying to avoid a rock. As their usual luck predicted, the scooter hit head on, the sudden break launching all three crusaders into the air along with the cart and scooter.
"Sorry 'bout that Derpy. How many apples did yah wanted?"
Apple Bloom spun through the air, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo flying besides. Sweetie Belle was moving her legs madly while Scootaloo flapped her wings in vain. All three of them were screaming. The ground slowly got farther away, before starting to come closer and closer and clo-
CRASH!!
Apple Bloom hit the ground. Face first. Hard. She dragged through the dirt, caving a small path. She groggily raised her head, only to receive the cart on her head, digging her head in the ground. Trying again to look around, Apple Bloom found herself right in front of a very shocked Applejack. Derpy had, in the last second, managed to catch Sweetie Belle while Rainbow Dash had grabbed Scootaloo just as she was about to hot the ground..
"Oh gosh, Apple Bloom, are you alright?!" Applejack started, pulling her little sister out of the dirt and checking her for injuries.
"Ah'm fine sis, really!" Apple Bloom answered, feeling slightly embarrassed. It was the truth too. No pain, no cuts, no scratches, no spinning head. She felt just as great as before. Meanwhile, Derpy gently Sweetie Belle on the ground.
"There you go. Are you ok?" she asked with a sweet tone.
"Y-yeah, just a little scared back there."
"I wasn't scared at all!" Scootaloo cheered from Rainbows hooves.
"Dang right! That's my little sister!" Rainbow agreed.
Applejack Dash a short stern look before returning her attention her sister, who was, apparently, really fine. She wasn't hurt in any way. Not wanting look a gift-horse in the mouth, Applejack sighed in relief. She didn't even want to think how badly it could have gone for her little sister. A little tug on her leg snapped her out of it.
"Hey sis, we need your help." Apple Bloom asked, her friends lining up besides her.
"You...you do?" she asked dumbly. She could hear RD snicker a little.
"Yeah! We come up with a new plan." Apple Bloom explained.
"You have?"
"Yeah! We're going to fix houses!"
"So we can get our cutie marks! Sweetie Belle chirped in, her earlier fright all but forgotten.
"We need to know which houses need repairing!" Scootaloo finished. Applejack was still stunned for a few sconds, trying to understand how so much could have happened in just a few seconds.
"I heard that the second floor of the town hall needs some repairs again." Derpy said.
"You heard her crusaders! Let's go!" Apple Bloom said before bolting away, barely followed by her friends. As the excitement died away and the everypony eventually left, poor Applejack was left sitting there, completely disoriented.
"What the hay just happened?"
A few blocks away, free from all the commotion, stood the Town Hall. Perhaps the only actual state building, many thought it was beautiful, though a few wondered how it got so damaged so easily. For some reason it always was the target of something. Accidental destruction, intentional destruction, pure and simple destruction, it was always something. Luckily, there was always somepony willing to fix it, like our little crusaders. Providing they didn't simply add to the damage. As usual, Apple Bloom took the lead.
"Okay ponies. Derpy said that the second floor had some boards that needed some fixing. Do yah have everything we need?"
"Hammers and nails are go!" Scootaloo answered.
"Saws and extra hammers are go!" Sweetie Belle answered.
"Alright, lets get our cutie marks!"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOUSE FIXERS YEEEAAHHH!"
The second floor seemed in perfect state at first sight, but a closer look revealed the truth. The entire floor was riddled with rotten wood, the walls were poorly build and the beams on the roof seemed slightly out of place. All in all, it was an accident waiting to happen. Sweetie Belle took a small step back at the daunting task.
"Are you sure this is a good idea Scootaloo?"
Scootaloo herself seemed slightly nervous.
"Ok girls, new plan. We tackle the walls but nothing else alright? Applejack will have mah' mane and tail if we wreck this place." Apple explained. Setting themselves to the task, the three crusaders each grabbed a hammer. The wood was surprisingly hard considering how badly it was placed. Apple Bloom immediately founded the mistakes, and with her strength, easily corrected them. The boards came off like if they weren't even glued to the wall, a few of them breaking even! Measuring her strength, Apple Bloom quickly got to the half of her section. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo weren't doing so well. They had barely managed to remove a few of the planks, not being able to replace any of them due to the rest of the wall.
"What is going on here?"
All three fillies froze at the voice of Mayor Mare. A half pulled plank fell loudly on the floor.
"What are the three of you doing here?" She repeated the question, walking towards the center of the room. The three fillies lined up in front of her. A small, barely audible creak could be heard. Nopony noticed but Apple Bloom, making her ear twitch a little.
"We were, uh, we were fixing the place!" Scootaloo answered.
"The place is fixed young lady. It was fixed a while ago." Mayor Mare said.
"Are you sure? It doesn't look very fixed to me." Sweetie Belle said.
"It is done. The workers told me it was all perfect." Mayor Mare said, slightly irritated.
"But it ain't! The walls are all wrong, the floor is all rotten and the-"
"Enough. You three are here without permission and damaging public property. This floor is in perfect conditions!" Mayor Mare said angrily. Apple Bloom's ear twitched again. Something was wrong.
"There is nothing wrong about the walls, the floor or the roof. I could even jump on it!" Mayor Mare said. Another twitch, followed by a small line of dust that fell from the ceiling.
Realization hit Apple Bloom like a freight train.
"NO, WAIT, DON'T JUMP!"
But it was too late. Mayor Mare gave a slight jump and fell strongly on the ground, sending ripples all over the room. One of the beams on the roof broke from its place with a sickening snap. Faster than anypony could react, Apple Bloom pushed Mayor Mare out of the way just as the head of the beam fell on her little body, sending her through the rotten floor, the floor of the first story and finally stopping at the bottom of the basement with a loud thump.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Shouted both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The hole that the beam had made grew bigger as pieces of the rotten wood got loose from the impact, making the whole floor shake. Reacting from her shock, Mayor Mare ran towards the girls, hoisting them on her back and running towards the stairs, the whole floor caving around them. Small clouds of dust started falling from the roof. Finally reaching the first story, Mayor Mare began running towards the door again, barely avoiding the large chunks of wood that were falling around them. With a grunt, she managed to jump over the hole were the beam had pushed Apple Bloom through.
"What about Apple Bloom?!" Scootaloo shouted.
A larger piece fell right besides them. The entire floor of the second story was coming down. And they were right under it! Mayor Mare did her best to avoid the pieces of wood, but it was slowing her down too much! They would not make it!
Crack
Apple Bloom bursted through the floor at an incredible speed, crashing into Mayor Mare and sending all four of them through the wooden door. All of them bounced on the ground a couple of times before finally stopping.
BRAMF
With a final roar, the floor collapsed, sending a cloud of dust and debris through the door and windows. A large group of ponies had gathered outside. As the noise diminished and the dust dissipated, Mayor Mare ran towards the girls. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were whimpering and shivering, with a few scratches on their bodies, but fine on the outside. With sigh of relief, she ran to the last filly.
Apple Bloom was panting. She wasn't hurt in any way, at least not visibly. The section of her body where the beam had fallen over was visibly ruffled, but no scratch, wound or broken could be seen.
She was perfectly fine.
"What in the..." was all she managed to stutter.
"GIRLS!"
Applejack ran to where she was, followed by Rarity and the rest of her friends. Mayor Mare had to step back in to let the distressed ponies grab their dear sisters.
"Oh Sweetie Belle, are you alright?! Are you hurt?! Where?!" Rarity asked hysterically.
Rainbow Dash flew down and scooped Scootaloo on her arms. After a few seconds, both of them manage to wake up, immediately hugging their sisters and weeping in fright.
"Apple Bloom, wake up, c'mon talk to me dammit!" Applejack ordered frantically as she cradled the unconscious body of Apple Bloom. After a few seconds, the little filly slowly opened her eyes, the entire world a blur for a few seconds. The figure of her sister slowly became more clear. She could feel something wet dripping on her face. Applejack was crying.
"Is...is everypony...alright?" she asked between pants.
The answer was a crushing hug from her sister that fully brought her back to reality. Looking around, she saw Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo being attended to. The town hall was still there, though almost every window was broken.
"Mayor Mare saved the crusaders!" somepony cheered, making the entire crowd erupt in cheers in congratulations.
"No wait, I-" the mayor tried to argue, but they would have none of it. Mayor Mare had saved the crusaders from a rather nasty death, and that made her a hero.
"Is there anything you want now Mayor Hero?" somepony said. Mayor Mare stood dumbfounded for a few seconds. Turning her head a little, she saw the crusaders and family being swarmed with ponies and questions. She frowned.
"Yes. I want the architect and the construction workers that are responsible for this mess!" she ordered loudly, grabbing the attention of the crowd. A few ponies did as she told them and shot out, giving the girls and their sisters some space.
"Come on, let's get out of here while we can." Applejack said, carrying Apple Bloom on her back.
A short while later, Apple Bloom sat on her bed, trying to make herself as little as possible in front of the angry face of Applejack. Now that the emergency was over, the time for worry had passed. Now was the time to be angry, and Applejack was making the most of it.
"What were you think gettin' inside a rusty old place like that?!" Applejack asked.
"We-we were trying to earn our cutie marks! And the whole place was bad so we tried to fix it! But then a beam came off and almost crushed us so I-" Applejack placed a hoof on her mouth. Her face had lost the stern tone it had, but it wasn't still very serious. She took a seat besides Apple Bloom.
"Now listen here Apple Bloom. You almost got yourself killed today. Do you understand that?"
Apple Bloom nodded. She didn't almost got herself killed. She was fine, if a little sore.
"Ah understand you want your cutie mark sugar cube, Ah' really do. But Ah' don't want you risking your neck over it! What good would be finding your talent if you died? Or if Sweetie or Scootaloo had died?"
That got her thinking. What if they had died? She barely felt a little sore, but nothing more. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had almost died. Heck, the mayor had almost died! What if she hadn't saved them? What if she hadn't had those powers? they wouldn't even be alive to tell the tale!
"Think before doin' any more crusading, specially if you feel it's dangerous. Alright?" Applejack asked, taking a softer tone.
"Alright..." She murmured.
"Ah also wan't you to stop this crusading for the rest of the day. Let things cool a little around, know what Ah' mean?"
"Yeah..."
"Good. Now, family lunch is almost ready, so get cleaned up and come down when your done." and with that said, Applejack left, leaving Apple Bloom alone in her room.
Apple Bloom laid on her bed, her mind in a swirl of frustration. Yesterday, she had found a weird apple. She chose to do the right thing and tell the rest of her family, only to be silenced and punished without even a chance to explain. Then, she gained all this powers and skills. She chose make something productive with them and use them for crusading, only for the crusading to almost cost the lives of her friends. She saved them all, only to get yelled at by her sister, who didn't know what really happened. And finally, when she had had enough and tried to explain everything, she had been told to shut up again.
Suddenly, family lunch didn't sound so good.
"Apple Bloom, yah' got a visitor!" Applejack called from below. Apple Bloom groaned. Even now, the world wanted to mess with her.
"Comin'..." she said.
Walking down the stairs, she pushed all the irritation to the back of her mind. Her day was pretty much ruined by now, she didn't want to make it worse by being a jerk to everypony. With a sigh, he descended the last steps, arriving to the front door. And promptly froze in place.
"Hello Apple Bloom." said Mayor Mare.
Cliche birth of a hero. Part 3.
Irritation bubbled inside Apple Bloom. There she was. The one who started all this mess. If it wasn't for her, none of the mess at the town hall would have happened!.
"Hello Apple Bloom." Mayor Mare said.
Apple Bloom sat there, a frown decorating her face.
"Now don't be rude Apple Bloom, this mare saved your life, be respectful." Applejack said.
"Hi..." Apple Bloom growled. She didn't feel like being respectful right now.
"Excuse me Applejack, but I borrow little Apple Bloom here for a while?" Mayor Mare asked respectfully.
"We're about to have lunch now." Apple Bloom snarked.
"Sure you can, just don't take too long. We Apples need our tummies full for work!" Applejack said with a chuckle. Apple Bloom barely resisted the urge to groan.
"Of course. Please follow me Apple Bloom." Mayor Mare said as she walked out the door. Apple Bloom staid right were she was.
"Come on now Apple Bloom, we'll have a dish ready for you when you come back." Applejack said. Apple Bloom waited for a few more seconds before grudgingly following Mayor Mare. Outside, the sun was starting to leave the middle of the sky. After a few minutes of walkings, they arrived at the entrance to the farm. Mayor Mare stopped there, waiting for Apple Bloom to catch up to her. It was lightly windy, making a few leaves fall on their own.
"Alright, here Ah' am oh mighty rescuer, what can ah do for you?" Apple Bloom asked sarcastically, dropping all pretense of politeness. Mayor Mare didn't really seemed to mind.
"How did you do it?"
"How did I do what?"
Mayor Mare sighed.
"Little filly, today I woke up with a headache, my assistant called in sick, I've got a huge amount of paperwork to be done, a wooden beam almost crushed me, followed by a roof that nearly fell on my head and finally, to top it all, I was blasted through a door with the force of a minotaur. You are are involved in three of those problems. Now please tell how did you do it."
Apple Bloom was at lost. She had tried to tell everypony she knew about what happened. And now a pony she barely knew was asking her to explain everything.
Maybe the universe was trying to apologize.
"Well..." Apple started. Once more, she retold her story, from the moment she found the golden apple, to how she discovered her powers, continuing with the entire town hall fiasco and finishing with her being scolded by Applejack, sparing no detail whatsoever. Mayor Mare patiently listened, not interrupting at any moment.
"And thats about it." Apple Bloom finished. She felt relieved that she could finally tell somepony. Mayor Mare didn't say anything for a while, pondering all she had heard.
"So... a golden apple, you say?"
"Yep."
"And it gave all this powers."
"Thats right."
For a few seconds, the Mayor's expression didn't even change a bit. The tension was growing thick to be cut with a knife.
"Well, I suppose saying thank you for saving my life would be in order." Mayor mare said with a smile.
"You want me to thank you?" Apple Bloom growled.
"Of course not. I'm thanking you!"Mayor Mare said excitedly.
"But we were the ones who wrecked the town hall to begin with!" Apple said.
"Yes you did. But that was because it was unstable to begin with. If it wasn't for you three, somepony else might have caused it. Then what would have happened?" Mayor mare explained.Any anger she had left had been replaced by confusion. The crusaders had been partially responsible for the destruction, though so was Mayor Mare. And she was thanked over it? It made little sense in her head. Then again, she had saved Mayor Mare, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Should she feel angry about being mis-blamed? Guilty for the wreckage they caused? Or happy that nopony got hurt thanks to her?
Seeing Mayor Mare's expectant face, she decided to go with the later.
"Su-sure, no problem! I mean! Anytime." she declared.
"Why, heroic and humble. You're quite the little filly aren't you?" Mayor Mare said, making Apple Bloom blush a little. Given the track record of disaster of the crusaders, she wasn't exactly used to praise.
"Well. I would love to stay here and chat a little longer, but I have to back and have a little chat with the construction workers. I hope to see you around Apple Bloom!" Mayor Mare said as she started to walk away.
"What about the rest of the the town? Won't they bother you or me?" Apple Bloom asked concerned.
"Oh never mind about them. Wait a day or two and they'll forget all about it."
Apple Bloom waited for a few seconds before leaving too.
"Apple Bloom..."
Apple Bloom stopped.
"Thank you again."
Apple Bloom smiled.
Maybe lunch wouldn't be so bad now.
As usual, Granny Smith's cooking was delicious. Between all the testing, destruction and weirdness, Apple Bloom was famished. As as the plate was placed in front of her, she nearly ate it along with the food.
"Applejack told me you had quite the adventure today Apple Bloom." Granny Smith asked in her usual sweet tone, all the anger from before forgotten.
"That's right, Derpy was telling me about how her daughter made into college in Fillydelphia, Amethyst Star I think? Anyways, It was then when-"
"How 'bout Apple Bloom tells me her side of the story." Granny asked. Applejack shrugged at kept eating.
"Well, there's not really much to tell besides what everypony knows already." Apple Bloom said between gulps.
"You must've been quite scared I bet." Granny said.
"Oh not really, Ah mean, an apple never gets scared right?" Apple Bloom said.
"Eeeyup." Big Mac added.
The rest of the lunch went by peacefully as the family put the morning events behind. There was an afternoon full of work to be done, and time waited for nopony. Big Macintosh went out, followed by Applejack, while apple Bloom helped Granny with the dishes. as she grabbed the first one, she immediately started scrubbing it. It only took a few seconds before the plate broke under the pressure.
"Dang it..."She murmured.
"What was that dear?" Granny asked.
"Nothing! Ah' mean, ups! Ah'...Ah' dropped the plate. How, uh, silly of me!" Apple Bloom said as she dropped the pieces on the floor.
"Well, just put it the trash. We'll see about getting a new one soon." Granny Smith said.
Apple Bloom thanked Celestia and Luna for her Granny's lack of attention. Given the past attempts, she didn't want to try and explain the whole thing again only to be declared lying again. After a few more minutes a few close calls, all dishes were ready and clean. Granny Smith went to rest, leaving Apple Bloom free from any duties.
"Ah should go check how Sweetie and Scoots are doin'... "
Just as Mayor Mare said, the town was already starting to forget about the incident. Sure a few of the usual gossiping mares were talking about, but for the most part, the whole thing was history. A couple of ponies gave her a short glance, but soon went back to their business. Apple Bloom was thankful for that. She didn't mind the attention, but didn't really crave it. That was Scootaloo's job. She probably was with Rainbow Dash in a cloud somewhere.
"Guess that leaves Sweetie Belle then..." She said as she walked through the main square. She stopped in front of the town hall. Saying it was a mess would have been an understatement. All the windows were broken, the walls were visibly strained and second floor was lucky to be still be in shape. She sighed. It would take a while to fix. She glanced at the door, or what was left of it. They were almost yanked out of their hinges. And she had done it, saving her friends and the mayor in process.
That though gave her some comfort.
As she approached the Carousel Boutique, she prepared herself for the barrage of questions that Rarity would inevitably asked. She was that kind of pony. The elegant house stood proudly in front of her, radiating an air of elegance. The front door had a sign that loudly said CLOSED. Not really paying attention, Apple knocked on the door, making creak loudly and making a small indentation on the wood.
"Ups. Gotta keep an eye on that..."
After a few moments if silence, she was about to knock on the door again when she heard some ruffling inside.
"Just a second please! No need to be so rough about it." A delicate yet grown voice came from inside, definitely belonging to Ponyville's most feminine mare. After a few more seconds, the door opened, revealing the element of generosity,Rarity.
"I'm sorry, but we are closed for the...oh, hello Apple Bloom, what can I do for you?" she asked on her usual tone.
"Ah came to check on Sweetie Belle...if possible." She asked.
"Sure, please do come in. Poor thing, such a terrible thing to happen. When she told me what happened I couldn't believe it! You were quite the hero apparently." Rarity said dramatically.
"She told you everything?" Apple Bloom said.
"She told me you were a hero back there and that you saved her life. That is all I need to know." Rarity said as she gave Apple Bloom a wink. Apple Bloom didn't understand what she meant by it.
"Please wait here while I go get her." Rarity said, stepping aside and letting Apple Bloom inside. Not only Rarity didn't blame Apple Bloom for the disaster, she thanked her too. That improved her mood a lot. A few moments later, Sweetie Belle appeared, a few band aids on her.
"Sweetie Belle! You alright?" Apple Bloom asked, worried for the state of her friend.
"Yeah! A bit sore though. Guess that disaster at the town hall was little too much for us." Sweetie Belle said with a smile.
"Sure was!"
Silence floated in the air for a few seconds.
"We really could have died there." Sweetie Belle murmured. Apple Bloom said nothing for a while.
"Yep."
"But thanks to you we came out of it!" Sweetie Belle chirped, her mood returning to her usual pluckiness. Nothing could throw a crusader's heart down the drain! With renewed energy, both fillies said their goodbyes to Rarity and left the boutique, eager to find their third partner in crime. Sweetie Belle gave the town hall a glance as they passed besides it, but returned to the task at hand.
"Where do you think she is?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"If I have to guess, napping in a cloud with Dash." Apple Bloom said as she looked at the sky, hoping to see some trace of purple in the sky.
"We're never going to find her then!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Apple Bloom placed a hoof on her chin, deep in thinking. Her eyes light up.
"We won't. But I know somepony who might!"
The library. Perhaps the only place in all of Ponyville where one could find knowledge at the tip of their hooves. History, science, magic, or whichever subject one fancied, the library was sure to have it. In addition to all that accumulated wisdom, the library counted with it's own research materials, like a lab, an exploration and a small telescope for anypony to see the night sky. Of course, the sky was the last thing on the crusaders mind as the raced towards the library. Apple Bloom knocked on the door, being careful to not overdo it. It took only a second for Twilight to open the door.
"Hey Twilight, how you doin? Listen we-"
"What do you need?" Twilight snarked, making Apple Bloom recoil a little.
"We, uh, we need to use the telescope a bit." Apple Bloom answered.
"For?"
"So we can find Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle added, noticing the bags under Twilight's eyes. It reminded her of the time when she tried to give them that doll.
"Of course, always for crusading, never for studying, just like everypony in this town!" Twilight said as she walked inside, ranting all the way. The two fillies hesitated a little before walking inside. Spike was organizing a few scrolls while Twilight, who was still in her angry tirade, prepared the telescope.
"What's wrong with her?" Sweetie Belle asked. "
"She spent all night reading and made a mess. After she cleaned it up, she tried getting some sleep." Spike explained.
"So she's cranky? Because she stayed up late?"
"No. An entire mob of ponies passed by the library cheering and screaming and woke her up, along with the rumble making the entire library a mess again. Whats up with that?" Spike said sarcastically. Apple Bloom gulped.
"Yeah, he he, what's up with that indeed..." Apple Bloom said sheepishly.
"There. It's all setup. Please be careful with it." Twilight said from above before entering her room.
"There you go. Don't fall now!" Spike said as the girls climbed all the way to the balcony. Sweetie Belle immediately started looking around with the telescope.
"You see her somewhere?" Apple Bloom asked as looked around in vain hopes of spotting their friend.
"No. No. Not yet. There!" Sweetie Belle pointed with a hoof. Indeed, barely visible between the branches of the orchid, hung a rainbow colored tail, right besides a purple one. Not wasting a second, both fillies quickly arrived below the apple tree. Or at least Apple Bloom did. Sweetie Belle arrived a few moments later, panting heavily. She and Apple Bloom would have to talk about this super speed of hers. But not now. They had a different problem here. Scootaloo and Dash were peacefully napping away in an apple tree. A rather tall apple tree. On the highest branch. Unreachable by unicorns or earth ponies.
But not for super ponies.
Scootaloo napped peacefully on top of Dash, who in turn was napping peacefully on top of the branch. This was perfect. Hanging out with her new sister was perfect.
"Psst."
No interruptions. No problems. Just her and Dash.
"Hey Scoots."
She ignored the fly that was bothering her. She just wanted to sleep now.
"Scootaloo!"
Her eyes shot open, but she saw nopony near them. And then Apple Bloom appeared right in front of her face.
"Come on Scootaloo!" she said before disappearing again. Scootaloo blinked a few times. There she was again.
"Let's go!" Apple Bloom said before disappearing. Except she wasn't disappearing. She was falling. Looking down, she saw both of her friends waiting for her. Or at least Sweetie Belle was. Apple Bloom was jumping. She was jumping high enough to jump over the tree. Once she saw that Scootaloo was awake, she stopped jumping, landing besides Sweetie Belle.
"Go on squirt." Dash said, surprisingly awake.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked.
"Meet me ltomorrow in front of sugarcube corner. We need to talk." She said with a smirk. Scootaloo nodded before jumping from the branch, using her wings to slow her fall as much as she could. Dash jumped as well, neatly landing on the ground.
"Nice job Apple Bloom, you're pretty awesome! Not as much as me, but close enough." Dash said before flying away, leaving a rainbow trail behind her.
"Ah take it you told her." Apple Bloom said.
"She asked! I couldn't help itI You were so cool back there! when you pushed the mayor out of the way and the beam fell, CRASH!, and then, BAM! You burst out of the floor! Not as awesome as Dash but still very awesome!" Scootaloo said excitedly. Apple Bloom grinned proudly. She could get used to the praising.
"Ok. We're all here. Any crusading ideas?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I've got one." Scootaloo answered. Any lasting fright from the disaster had by now completely disappeared. The crusaders were known for their tenacity and determination, and it showed. Very rarely could something put in the dumps, and even then it would only last for a short while.
"How about we go play with Fluutershy's animals?" Apple Bloom said before Scootaloo started. After all the excitement of today, all she wanted was to relax a little. The other two crusaders stared at each other, then at Apple Bloom.
"I call dibs on Angel!" Sweetie Belle squeaked.
"We can bring Winona too!" Scootaloo suggested.
"Great idea! Elizabeak loves Winona!" Apple Bloom said.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ANIMAL ENTERTAINERS YAAAAAAY!"
By the end of the day, all crusaders were dirty, ruffled and smelly. But unlike yesterday, they were happy. They played, they had fun and they did it together, all of it putting the day's earlier disaster in the past. As the day soon reached its end and the sun started settling, the cutie mark crusaders decided to call it a day and each went to their homes after a final hoofbump from their friends.
Apple Bloom was tired. Not physically. Her body felt great, if just a little sore from everything that had happened in the day. Her mind was tired. Phasing from surprise to fright to anger to pride to determination and ending with happiness was finally putting the strain on the young fillies heart. She wanted to get home and rest. It was no surprise that she decided to go to bed as soon as she left the shower. Placing her bow on the table, she laid down inside the bed and slept.
"Thank you Apple Bloom...I haven't heard that in a while... "
Of course, her friends thanked her whenever she did something for them. But to hear it from sompeony else that wasn't them. Knowing that she was the one who made them feel like that. It felt refreshing. It felt nice.
It felt good.
"Nice job Apple Bloom, you're pretty awesome. "
"I couldn't help it! You were so cool back there!
"She told me that you were a hero and that you saved her life back there. That is all I need to know. "
"But thanks to you we came out of it!
"Heroic and humble. You're quite the little filly aren't you? "
Her eyes slowly close, her mind filled with those words. Maybe she could be all those things. Maybe she could really put her powers to good use.
"Maybe I can be hero all the time..." she murmured as she finally fell asleep, a beautiful smile decorating her face.
This looks like a job for Superfilly!
A new morning shined over Ponyville. The same sun over the same landscape. Another day in the land of Equestria. But not everything was the same. A little filly had recieved an extraordinary gift, and she was going to use it for good. For her friends, for the town. But she couldn't go out in public just like that! There several steps to be made. And she would miss none of them. Or at least, none that mattered.
"Alright. First things first." She said as she shoveled through her closet, pieces of clothes and garments flying out. After a few seconds, she pulled a small, blue blanket. It was a little dusty, but nothing a shot rinse could fix. She would need Sweetie's help for this though, but that would come later. Fishing through her closet once again, she took out a cyan shirt, which she immediately put on. Wrapping it around herself like a small cape, she made sure to put small, slightly tight hood over her head, making sure to remove her pink bow first. Carefully, she placed a safety pin through the sides around her neck. It was a little crude and it would fall off if she wasn't careful. There was nothing she could do for her flank though, but the lack of a cutie mark would avoid easy recognition.
For probably the only time in her life, she thanked not having a cutie mark.
"Don't wan't any unwanted attention now... she thought, remembering the mob of ponies that nearly assaulted Mayor Mare as they tried to congratulate her. They would end up trampling her! Or at least, stomp her into the ground. She gave a small laugh at the thought.
"Now, Ah' need a name..."
Grabbing a paper and a pen, she sat down and started scribbling, removing her hood.
Mega Apple? Too obvious.
Superior? Too Tiara like.
Ponyneitor? Too creepy.
Super Fruit? No. Just no.
The list went on and on. A few minutes later, she threw the paper into the trash, missing by a few inches.
"How can this be so hard!? Why can't I-uh?" Her ear twitched. It was soft. Very soft, but there nonetheless. A very soft cry. Almost a whimper.
"Somepony is crying for help! Names can wait." She said as she ran to the door, stopping right in front of it.
"If Ah' go out that way, mah' family will see me. " she thought. How to get out then? The whimper continued, pressing on the young filly. Apple Bloom looked around and saw her exit. With a short race, she jumped out the window, giving a quick flip and landing on the ground below with a thump. Following the source of the whimper, she ran at amazing speed, the hood barely staying on her head. She soon arrived at the stream, somewhere between Sweet Apple Acres and Fluttershy's cottage. While it was normally shallow around the farm, the initial rains from autumn had made the stream grow surprisingly rough as it distanced itself from the orchid. At the shore, a young green mare was trying to pull a cart loaded with crates from the water. She was losing the battle and if she didn't manage to pull out soon, she would end up being carried away.
"Somepony help me!" She screamed. Apple Bloom didn't hesitate for a second.
"Here Ah' am! Ah gotcha."" She said as she jumped in front of the mare. Bitting one of the shafts, Apple Bloom started pulling. Her hooves dug a little into the ground with each step, but she didn't give up for a moment. The green mare could only stare in amazement as the little filly easily pulled the her and the cart behind her. After a minute, once both her and the cart were at a safe distance, Apple Bloom let go of the shaft.
"There you go ma'am." Apple Bloom said with pride.
"T-thank you! Thank so much! But how did you do it?" She asked, her mind trying to understand what she saw.
"Just doin' mah' job." Apple Bloom said simply. The mare stared with her jaw open before trotting away with the cart behind her, her mind still reeling from the experience.
"Who are you?" she asked, stopping for a moment
"Ah am...eh...am...Ah' don't know yet." Apple Bloom answered lamely, though the mare didn't seem to care.
"Well, thanks anyway! You saved me and my perfumes! I owe you one!" The mare said happily before trotting away, cart in tow. A sense of satisfaction came over Apple Bloom. She did it! She saved somepony! Her first step in road of a hero was complete! It easier than she thought really. Looking up, she saw how the sun approached the middle of the day. She still had some time.
"Alright, lets go do some heroics. "
Deciding against entering the town, at least for now, Apple Bloom strolled around in hopes of finding somepony else in need of assistance. It didn't take her long before she could hear a grunt. Nopony was around her upon inspection. Looking up, she saw a yellow pegasus mare holding a bag, or at least trying to. The rather large sack of mail seemed to be filled to burst and it was even bigger that her! With a snap, the bag broke free from any restraint, starting a free fall. Right on top of the spot where Berry Punch and her daughter Ruby Pinch were having a picnic!
"When did they even get there?! " Apple Bloom thought.
Ruby Pinch was about to grab a sandwich when she was suddenly pushed at amazing speed from her place just as the pony-sized bag slammed on the spot where she was. Stopping a few feet away, Apple Bloom let her go, careful of hiding her face from her classmate. As soon as the shock passed, Berry Punch run towards her daughter, checking her for any injuries. The yellow mare smiled sheepishly as Ruby Pinch gave her a glare.
"Thank you! Oh thank you!" Berry said repeatedly as she hugged her daughter. Apple Bloom was about to respond when a loud crash was heard. Not far, she could see a young worker stallion dangling from the roof a two stories high house, a few tiles falling and shattering on the ground. His shirt was caught a loose nail, slowly ripping away. In a single bound, Apple Bloom arrived right at the roof. The roof trembled a bit with the impact, making the shirt finally rip free and letting the worker, closed his eyes in fright, fall to his death. After a few seconds of darkness but no pain, he dared to look up. Apple Bloom had caught in the nick of time, bitting hard on his shirt.
"Wow..." Was all he manage to say as Apple Bloom pulled him up.
"I almost died. You saved my life!" he thanked.
"No problem, Ah' was just doing ma-ups!" Apple Bloom tried saying before stepping on her cape, sending her tumbling down the roof and all the way into the ground with a soft thud.
"Hey! Little filly! Are you okay?" the stallion shouted from the roof.
"Ah'm fine..." she grunted in response after a few seconds. That had hurt a little
New idea for costume: Shorter cape.
"You're sure?" he asked.
"Yes. Ah'm sure." She said before standing up. Trying to save as much pride as possible, she gave a dramatic twist and left at top speed, heading for her house. Just as she was about to enter the orchid, a small scream stopped her in her tracks.
"You gotta be kidding me! " she mentally cursed before bolting off.
Straining her ear, she tried following the sound of the scream but it was hard, as it was slowly getting quieter. After nearly five minutes of running around, she finally arrived to her objective: Orange Orchid, Carrot Top's field of carrots and perhaps the only farm in miles that could boast of being of the same quality as Sweet Apple Acres. The wood fence was all torn up at one point, bite marks all over it. Clawed paws had run through the fertile earth, tearing out a few of the carrots. On of the windows was broken, slobs of what appeared to be tree sap on it, along with a few dark wooden splinters.
"Ah got a bad feeling about this..." Apple Bloom thought as she climbed through the window. The inside of the house was a mess, almost everything was torn up. A loud crash from upstairs caught her attention. Immediately running up the stairs, she gasped at what she saw.
A large timberwolf was holding Carrot Top down and about to bite her head off! Without wasting a second, Apple Bloom jumped forward, kicking the timberwolf of Carrot Top and crushing one of it's eyes. One of it's legs fell apart as it slammed on the wall.
"Run!" She yelled at Carrot Top, who ran down the stairs and out of the house. That second of distraction was all the beast needed to rebuild itself. Apple Bloom found herself flung across the room as the wolf swiped a half formed claw at her, making a gash on the shirt. The stubby claws felt like small stings. Not that painful really, but they were there.
"Hey! This was a new shirt you dumb toothpick head!" she yelled as she stood from the collapsed table she fell on. The timberwolf ignored her anger as it charged again. But the young hero was ready for it. Using the partial blindness of the creature, Apple Bloom dodged to the side and gave a potent buck to its head, making explode from the sheer force, sending shrapnels and wood pieces everywhere. Lacking a head, the rest of the body soon collapsed. Having heard about their rebuilding qualities, Apple Bloom picked the largest piece she could find of the defeated timberwolf and threw it out the window as hard as she could. The rest of the beast so started following the main part, all the way to the Everfree forest.
"Well that was easy." she said with a grin as she stepped outside, only to immediately hugged by a sobbing Carrot Top. To say that she felt awkward was an understatement.
"Um...it's okay..." She awkwardly consoled the mare while patting her in the back.
"Oh my Celestia I was so scared! Thank you thank you thank you!" she thanked before letting go, leaving a very ruffled Apple Bloom, who was doing her best to hide her face.
"S-sure! No problem!" She said. After a few seconds more or making sure Carrot Top was okay, she trotted away, her job fulfilled. She had saved four ponies. All before lunch time!
Lunch time.
"Oh pony feathers! Ah' completely forgot about lunch! "
Running as fast as she could, she quickly jumped over the fence of the orchid and reached the house, a trail of dust behind her. Reaching the side of the house, she jumped all the way to her room. Quickly ditching the cape, she hid the mangled shirt below the bed and tied her pink bow on her mane, just in time as Applejack opened the door.
"Apple Bloom, lunch time." She said.
"Oh, eh, sure, Ah'll, Ah'll, let's go." She said, panting heavily.
"Eh...you alright sugar cube? You look you ran all the way from the library." Applejack asked. Apple Bloom repressed the urge to chuckle.
"Ah've been, eh, jumping on my bed! Yeah, jumping....'cuz it was fun." she invented, giving a glance at her messy bed. Thank all the gods in heaven for her not remembering to make it this morning. Applejack raised an eyebrow, making Apple Bloom put the most convincing smile she had. Which was not convincing at all.
"Alright, let's go, Granny made apple fritters!" Applejack said with a smile before leaving.
"Right behind yah!" Apple Bloom said before letting a long relieved sigh. That was a close call. A few seconds more and Applejack would have found out! Pushing those thoughts out of her head, Apple Bloom went for lunch. All this heroics had made her ravenous!
"Boy, Ah' sure am hungry today." Apple Bloom said as she chomped one of he fritters.
"That's 'couse you're growing up! Ah bet you're gonna be big and strong, just like your mama." Granny Smith said.
"And a bit tidier Ah' hope. Ah don't wanna sound like Rarity, but yer room is a mess Apple Bloom." Applejack said between mouthfuls
"Don't you worry none sis! Ah'll have it done right after lunch!"
"You better. Ah don't want mah sister to be known for her messy room." Applejack said.
"No problem!"
Usually, putting a room in order would take a normal earth pony between ten to fifteen minutes. Apple Bloom managed it in nearly forty five seconds. Super speed had some perks, and she would certainly take advantage of those. But in doing she realized she had a problem. A big problem.
"How in the world am Ah' supposed to use this now?"
The cape was dirty and visibly roughed up in many spots and the cyan shirt was pretty much garbage at this point. The three gashes were long and wide. There was no fixing it. At least, not by a normal tailor. She couldn't tell her family about it or they would ask questions and this was certainly beyond Sweetie Belle's skills. She needed a special tailor. Somepony who's very being was dedicated to clothes and fabrics. Somepony like-
"Excuse me?" Rarity said as she allowed Apple Bloom inside the boutique.
"Ah' need this fixed please." She asked, taking out the damaged cloth out of of her school bag. Rarity nearly gasped at the dirty mess she was presented with. That dirty blanket, that mangled shirt, oh horror!
"How in the world did you manage to do this?!" Rarity as she inspected the damaged suit.
"Ah...Ah took a little fall in the Everfree forest and...Ah' fell on a bush." she said. Rarity didn't seemed convinced.
"Honesty is not my forte , but I do recognize a lie when I hear it." she said.
"Well... Ah was... Ah was..." Apple Bloom stammered, trying to come up with something.
"Apple Bloom." Rarity said firmly.
"Ok ok! Ah have superpowers now so after the whole mess yesterday Ah decided to use to help ponies so Ah made a costume and it got torn up after Ah saved Carrot Top from a timberwolf and now ah have no costume and PLEASE DON'T TELL APPLEJACK!" she finished frantically. rarity raised an eyebrow.
"It's all true Ah' swear. Look all prove it!" Apple Bloom said as she ran scooted one of the heavy designing tables. With a little grunt, she stood up, lifting the whole thing, fabrics, plans and all. After placing it back, she ran in front of Rarity, putting the best puppy eyes she had.
An uncomfortable silence floated for a few seconds.
"Oh...my..." Rarity said. She couldn't believe what she saw. Sweetie Belle was telling the truth!
"So you'll do it?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully.
"Oh? Oh! Eh, does Applejack know of this?" Rarity asked. Apple Bloom's cheerful expression immediately went down cast.
"No she doesn't..." she answered glumly.
"Well, you have to tell dear. As a big sister myself, I always prefer when Sweetie Belle is honest with me. It is the trust that all families should have. And besides, she is bound to discover the truth sooner or later. It would be a lot better if it was from you." Rarity explained.
"But what if she gets mad at me, or tells me to stop?! Ah've just started!"
"I'm afraid that is a chance you will have to take my dear Apple Bloom." Rarity said. Apple Bloom immediately became downcast. Rarity stared at her. Then she stared at the mangled pieces of clothing was levitating. Her heart tugged a little and she sighed in slight annoyance.She was the element of generosity and all.
"Listen Apple Bloom. Let's make a deal..." she said. Apple Bloom perked slightly at the suggestion. Rarity studied the clothes a little more.
"I will fix this...suit...for you, but you may only pick it up after you've spoken with Applejack." Rarity proposed.
"But-"
"No buts. That is my offer. I will talk with Applejack afterwards if it goes awry. Is that alright with you?" Rarity said sweetly. Apple Bloom smiled a little.
"Alright. Deal." Apple Bloom agreed before leaving.
"Where's Sweetie Belle?" she asked just as she was about to exit.
"Oh, she's in bed right now. The poor thing is feeling terrible. Her throat is all sore and she feels absolutely nauseated." Rarity answered. Apple Bloom frowned a little. Sweetie Belle was sick and Scootaloo was with Rainbow Dash, which left her all alone this time.
Alright. Thanks Rarity!" Apple Bloom said before leaving.
"No problem darling! Now then, where did I put my sportswear fabric roll?"
Apple Bloom walked aimlessly through the town. The afternoon was starting, a soft wind blowing, though not enough to make Sweetie Belle sick. But that wasn't in Apple Blooms mind right now.
Right now she was busy concerning herself with her stubborn sister. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. Applejack was known for being protective if her family sometimes to a fault. It wouldn't be the first time that she would stop Apple Bloom from doing something by letting her concern and fear get to her head instead of actually thinking things through.
"But Ah' can't just stop. What would Ah' do with this powers besides helping ponies? What would have happened to them? "
Apple Bloom had saved the lives of four ponies today, one of them a filly like her. If she hadn't been there, what would have happened? Would have those accidents and dangers happened anyways? Grim images of possible results sprang to her mind. She shook herself of them before they got overbearing. She walked in front of the town hall, were a few warning signs had been placed in order to keep the population away. That made three more ponies she had saved.
"Ah' can't give up so easily. Ah have to convince Applejack no matter what. Ah'm a superhero after all!" she vehemently said to herself. With renewed confidence, she left the town hall, making her way to to Sweet Apple Acres. As she left the town, her new found courage waned a little, but reminded herself of the decision she made. Finally arriving at the house, she steeled herself when she saw Applejack sitting at the table, helping herself to another portion of apple fritters, her stetson hat hanging on the chair. Big Mac was probably still working and Granny Smith was sleeping like a log on her rocker chair.
"Hey Apple Bloom! Want some?" Applejack offered.
"Hey Applejack..." Apple Bloom murmured. Applejack immediately recognized her sister's troubled tone.
"What's wrong sugarcube? Diamond Tiara's been bulllying you again? That no good-"
"No! Ah' mean, it's not that. Can we talk Applejack?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Course we can Apple Bloom, we're sisters!" Applejack said. The glare Apple Bloom gave her made the message finally sink.
"Oh, that kinda talk. Ok, let's go to upstairs." Applejack said. Both sisters slowly made their way to Apple Bloom's room.
"Alright sugarcube, what do you want to tell me?" Applejack asked with a smile.
Apple Bloom took a deep breath.
Here it came.
Meanwhile, in the entrance of the town, a dark wooden creature made it's way through the back alleys, avoiding sight, with a single eye glowing a pale yellow. Close behind it, four more creatures followed closely, their four pairs of eyes glowing with the same color. Their fangs dripped tree sap as they snarled and growled, a fowl breath coming from their muzzles. All of them were here for hunting. But not their leader. He was for something more important.
Revenge.
"...and that's about it." Apple Bloom finished.
Silence reigned in the room. Applejack was amused for a while, but that changed when she realized how serious her little sister was.
"You're serious?" Applejack asked.
"Yes Ah' am. Look." Apple Bloom said as she lifted her bed with a single hoof. The entire thing creaked a little, but that didn't matter at all right now to Applejack.
"Well..." Applejack started.
"Well?" Apple Bloom repeated, trying to hide her hopeful tone.
"Ah gotta say no." Applejack sentenced, her voice stern as a rock.
"What?! Why!?" Apple Bloom asked.
"What do you mean why?! First time Ah' hear of this, even after Granny talked to you, and now you wanna go running around like some sort of hero? You can't be serious!" Applejack answered loudly.
"Ah tried telling you before! About the golden apple! And later about the town hall! But you didn't listen to me both times! You owe me!" Apple Bloom yelled.
"Owe you?! And don't think Ah' owe you letting you go running around and putting yourself in danger! Don't you know how worried we would be?" Applejack asked.
"You!? What about me!? You go running straight into fighting Nightmare Moon and Discord, and then, you go fighting those bug-ponies in Canterlot! Did you stop to think how Ah' felt? How Big Mac and Granny felt?! You don't have a horn or wings or that weird pinkie sense, and yet you pretty much fly into danger! You say you worry for me, but Ah' don't think you do, cause if you did you would at least warn me of it like Ah'm trying to do right now. "
Slap.
Apple Bloom didn't expect that. She rubbed the spot on her cheek where the hoof hit her. Looking up, she saw Applejack her hoof still trembling in the air.
"Now you listen to me, Apple Bloom, and you listen to me well. Ah do all those things because I have to. Because otherwise, my friends would get hurt. Because otherwise, my family would get hurt. Because otherwise you would get hurt. You're right, Ah' don't have all those nifty things my friends have. And that's too bad. But for as long as Ah' can breath and buck hard, Ah will keep all of you safe. And that's all precisely because Ah' care ." Applejack growled, her face right in front Apple Bloom's
"If you ever say that to me again, you're gonna wish you had twice the muscle you have right now! You understand me?" Applejack said before stomping out of the room, slamming the door in the process.
Apple Bloom was still rubbing her cheek. She didn't feel it. Actually, she hadn't felt the blow at all. But it hurt.
It hurt real bad.
"That...wasn't supposed to happen..." she sniffed, instantly regretting the words she said to Applejack. She was supposed to convince her sister, not argue with her. If there was any moment she really doubted her earlier decision, it was now. She was willing to risk herself, but not sacrifice her relationship with her family! A single tear fell from her eye.
Her ear twitched again.
She didn't want to go. She wasn't in the mood for saving anypony right now. Besides, almost all the accidents earlier could have solved themselves pretty much. She really didn't have to-
Her hear twitched again. This time she recognized the sound.
It was a scream. But something else too. A growl. A very familiar growl.
She looked out the window, the sun was almost gone now. She was about to jump out of reflex, but stopped. She looked at the door, her mind returning the argument. Her eyes switched between the town and the door. Her mind debated with herself.
"Sorry sis..." she whispered.
And with that, Apple Bloom jumped through her window.
Meanwhile, the main market zone was chaos. Ponies ran in fright as the pack of timberwolfs wrecked everything they could find. Four of them eating everything, the fifth one just destroying everything. Apple Bloom stopped at a safe distance, hiding behind a torn store cart. It seemed that they would stay there for a while. Good.
"Lets get that suit. "
Rarity carefully set the table. Since Sweetie Belle was sick she wouldn't have worry much about food. A nice soup would do. But Celestia forbid she set the table by just throwing the plates on! All she needed was to serve the food. Carefully, she levitated a soup bowl, filled with steaming stew. She had to be careful now. She want to-
SLAM.
Crash.
"Rarity! Suit! Now!" Apple Bloom yelled, the door nearly yanked from its hinges.
"What happened to the door?!" Rarity asked.
"Doesn't matter. Ah need the suit!" Apple Bloom demanded.
"Did you talk to Applejack?" she asked, her mind still in shock.
"Yes. No. Suit please!"
"We have a deal Apple Bloom, I would mend your suit and you-"
"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
"BEASTS!"
"THE HORROR, THE HORROR!"
Rarity blinked a couple of times as the small crowd ran away, probably to the hills.
"Back dresser. Now."
Behind the curtains, on a small foal sized mannequin, was the Apple Blooms suit. Rarity clearly had some fun in it, as it was vastly different from before. The cape was still blue, while the uniform was still the same cyan, just a tad darker.
"I inspired myself with the wonderbolt academy uniform. I just added a mask over your eyes. The cape is shorter too, hat way you wont trip. I also used an enchanted sports fabric. It'll take a lot to tear it, but it will do little against a solid impact. Light, cool and durable. A perfect fit if I do say so myself." Rarity said proudly.
Despite her urgency, Apple Bloom couldn't help but to admire the thing. Rarity had proven once more why she was the master seamstress of Ponyville. A loud roar brought the filly back to reality. With a bit of help from Rarity, Apple Bloom suited up. The top of her mane was completely visible, but it didn't really mattered. It was a perfect fit. The cap hung nicely on from her shoulders and across her back. Her mouth was exposed, but her eyes were covered with a small mask, leaving her eyes free of obstruction.
"Let's do this." Apple Bloom said.
The pack leader snapped the last remaining stick of the selling cart. The market zone was ruined. Broken shafts and torn carpets were all that remained. He was vigilant and sharp, while the rest gorged themselves. The ponies had run to their houses, helplessly watching as the beasts destroyed everything. The element of magic was unreachable and there were no guards at the moment. Who could save them?
"Hey, toothpick head!"
The five wolves raised their heads. The pack leader growled as he recognized the scent from earlier. It was her.
Apple Bloom walked, planting her hooves firmly on the floor. There five of them, all with full grown, sharp claws, and only one of her. She was at a disadvantage. She had handled one of them with little problem. Five of them could be an issue.
"Here goes nothing..." was her final thought before she charged forward.
Meanwhile, back at the farm, Applejack washed the last reminders of tears from her face. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why did she hit her!? She let her temper get the best of her and now had screwed things up. Mean words and hoofs never fixed anything. Ma always said that before she passed away. What would they think if they knew she had slapped her little sister? True, Apple Bloom said mean things, but that was no excuse.
"Ah' should go up there. Maybe we can try the talk again..." she said to herself as she climbed the stairs. She stopped at Apple Bloom's door. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"Hey Apple Bloom? Can we talk?" she asked gently.
Silence answered.
"Ah just...want to apologize for hitting you, Ah' didn't meant it..."
Silence again.
"We could try it again y'know? This time in a more civilized manner?"
Silence once more. Applejack frowned.
"Y'know, If Ah' come here apologizing, you could at least open...the...door." Applejack stopped on her tracks. The room was empty. The window was open. The curtains were flowing outwards. A roar echoed through the air all the way from Ponyville.
It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
Applejack didn't even grab her hat as she bolted out of the house.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom dodged the fangs of a wolf before punching with all her might, knocking out the jaw out of it. Not wasting a second, Apple Bloom delivered a follow up, finally punching the head off the body. Pain erupted from her side as another wolf slashed at her. The suit was undamaged by the claws, but Apple Bloom was not from the blow, making her stagger a little. Out of reflex, Apple Bloom bucked, making a whole in the body of her attacker, splitting it in half.
Two down, three to go.
As the two timberwolves ran upon her, Apple Bloom used her speed to dodge right between them, using her momentum to run through the legs of one of them. The other beast snapped her its jaw at her, nicking her on the hoof, only snap a few of it's fangs on steel hard skin and bone. Apple Bloom grabbed its jaw and pulled, ripping it apart.
Only the pack leader remained.
"Alright toothpick head, let's finish this." She growled.
"APPLE BLOOM"
Apple Bloom looked at her side. It was Applejack, running at all speed. She was about to shout when a snap returned her t the battle. The pieces from the fallen timberwolves floated, slowly forming a small vortex around the pack leader. The mix between leaves and branches blocked her vision. As the vortex died down, she froze in place. A single giant timberwolf stood before here, nearly three times the size of a normal one. And it had seen Applejack.
"Applejack, stop!" she shouted. The large monster saw his chance and took it, slashing a claw at Apple Bloom, sending her flying to a small mountain of debris. Applejack was about to scream before she noticed the monster staring at her. The giant timberwolf roared before lunging at her. Applejack froze place as the large beast fell on top of her, its jaw a mere inches from her face. Raising a paw with a growl, the monster roared as he slammed it on her. Hard. Vengeance would be his.
But not today.
Applejack was frozen in terror and shock, as Apple Bloom did her best to stop the massive paw, pushing with both hooves and all her might.
"You can come here, roaring and grunting. You're pissed. Ah' get it...but..." She said as she slowly pushed the claw away.
"[Nopony messes with my sister ." she growled. With a strong punch, Apple Bloom shattered the claw in pieces, making the wood monstrosity recoil.
"And Ah've just about had it with you! " she yelled before jumping, with all her might, at the chest of the monster, going right through it and landing safely on the other side, the head of the pack leader on her hooves. The large Timberwolf trembled for a few seconds before falling apart. Apple flipped the head of the beast in the air, giving it a powerful buck, sending it flying through the sky.
"That should do it." Apple Bloom panted before being hugged fiercely by Applejack. Apple Bloom reeled from the shock for a few seconds, but eventually hugged her back.
"Ah'm sorry sis...Ah shouldn't have said those things before." Apple Bloom said, sniffing a little.
"Ah' shouldn't have slapped yah. That was stupid from me." Applejack said as she cried.
"We both were kinda stupid weren't we?" Apple Bloom said, letting go of her sister.
"Ah guess..." Applejack chuckled as she wiped a tear. She had done it. Apple Bloom had done it. She had fought the monster and won, just like she said she could. Maybe she had a point when she said she wanted to be a hero.
"That kid saved Applejack!" Carrot Top shouted from afar.
"She saved us all!" The perfume pony shouted from behind her cart, far from the battle scene.
"But she's just a filly!" a worker stallion said.
"She's a superfilly !" Ruby shouted from a window. And that was it. More and more ponies started congratulating her and shouting ovations. Both sisters looked around as the town cheered their new hero. Applejack smiled sadly and gave in, realizing that her sister may not be completely right. She was naive and emotional. But she had a point. She could do the hero just fine. And Applejack would have to live with that.
"Superfilly uh?" she said as both of them walked home, Apple Bloom still in her outfit.
"Ah guess so...kinda cliche if you ask me..." Apple Bloom answered as they entered the orchid. Arriving at the house, they stopped just before the door.
"Listen, Applejack, Ah'm-"
"Nevermind sugar cube...You're right..."
"Ah am?"
"Ah've always been worried about you. Maybe, just maybe, a bit too much, And Ah ended up ignoring how you felt about it. So much that it took something like this to make me realize how much of a jerk Ah was being. So, what do say we start over. This time with all the details?" Applejack said with a smile. Apple Bloom stared at her sister before sniffing a little. And then started crying, blubbering apologies while hugging her sister.
"It's ok sugarcube, it's ok..." Applejack cooed while Apple Bloom calmed herself down.
"S-so...you're ok with me being a hero?" Apple Bloom asked.
"For now. But Ah' still wanna talk about tomorrow." Applejack said.
"Ok! Let's go sis!" Apple Bloom said, stepping into the house, followed by Applejack. The entire house was dark. Not a single sound could be heard. Both sister tiptoed their way through, until suddenly the lights came on, revealing a not so happy Big Macintosh.
"You two got some explaining to do."
Beware: The Mollusk! Part 1.
A week ago, Apple Bloom defeated a giant timberwolf.
A week ago, Apple Bloom officially started her career as a super heroine.
A week ago, she thought she was indestructible.
Big Mac had proved her wrong.
Her rump was sore for hours from the paddling he gave her, which probably meant that Applejack could barely walk after that. Who would have thought that Big Mac could be so strong?
"Well, he did move a house once... " she thought, the love poison incident flashing in her mind. Now that her problems with her family had been fixed, at least for the most part, she could focus on more pressing matters, like the fact that she hadn't seen neither Sweetie Belle or Scootaloo in almost a week. She wanted to get some crusading done. And she wanted it now. Specially since vacations were about to end. The running of the leaves would be in a couple of days, classes starting right after that. Saving ponies all week long had ben fun and all, but crusading with her friends was much better! Sweetie was probably still sick though, and Scootaloo would always enter fangirl mode around Dash.
Talk about an obsession.
"If they only showed up..." she murmured. She had left a message with Rarity earlier, knowing she would tell Sweetie Belle and Dash, who would tell Scootaloo. The clubhouse was cold, partially due to the cloudy skies, to the point were a slight fog appeared with each of her breaths. Winter was fast approaching. But that would not stop her heroics.
A small bag on her back carried her suit. After rather embarrassing incident at Sugarcube corner, she had decided it was better to always be ready.
"Ah' didn't knew cream could glue you to the wall ..." she thought, trying to forget how she nearly brought down the wall by pulling free. She had to save the day while covered in cream to hide her identity. It took hours of scrubbing and bathing to remove every bit of it from her hair. Who knew an oven could explode like that?
"Hey Apple Bloom!"
Scootaloo entered the clubhouse, leaving her scooter in a corner and dropping her helmet besides it. She seemed tired, as if she had been running a marathon. Knowing her hyperactive mode personally, it was probably the case.
"You'll never guess what happened!" she started.
"Rainbow Dash is gonna teach you to fly." Apple Bloom deadpanned.
"Rainbow Dash is gonna teach me to fly! Isn't it awesome?!" Scootaloo cheered, ignoring the lack of surprise from her friend and rambling about her idol and how cool it would be. Apple Bloom sighed.
"Anyways, where's Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo asked, now calmer from releasing the pent up energy.
"Sick. We're going to visit her and see what's going on." Apple Bloom answered. As they climbed out of the clubhouse, Apple Bloom's ear visibly twitched. Scootaloo put on her helmet as Apple Bloom immediately took her suit out
"Hero time?" the pegasi filly asked.
"Yep"
Silence flowed between for a few seconds.
"Bet I can get to the boutique before you're done." Scootaloo challenged.
"You're on!" Apple Bloom agreed, and with that, both friends shot in different directions. Scootaloo flapped her wings as fast as she could. Racing through the town, her mind completely focused. Everything around her could be seen, heard, smelt. The birds flying on the sky. The ponies walking on the ground. Every small rock in the way. It was little surprise when she noticed a rainbow forming on the sky. She smirked and flapped her wings harder.
There was the Carousel Boutique!
She speeded once more. She had to get there. She had to beat Apple Bloom! She was almost at the door, just a little more!
"Look out!"
Scootaloo reacted instantly, jumping over the blur that was Apple Bloom, giving a small flip in the air. Lading safely back on the ground, she cheered at her small trick, but was instantly dismayed when she saw an undisguised Apple Bloom knocking on the door.
"No fair! You almost knocked me out me out of the way!" Scootaloo complained.
"Sorry. It's a little hard to see whats in front of me when Ah' run that fast. " Apple Bloom said sheepishly.
Scootaloo's frown didn't go away.
"Tie?" Apple Bloom offered.
"Deal." Scootaloo said after a few seconds. Knocking the door, they patiently waited. A small wind was blowing, making Scootaloo shiver a little.
"You took less than I thought." Scootaloo said.
"Turns out there wasn't an emergency. I swear I heard something around here. But nothing happened. I did manage to stop a wall that was crumbling though, but that wasn't it." Apple Bloom answered.
"Mysterious uh?"
"Kinda. Let's go." Apple Bloom said as she opened the door herself. Rarity never closed the door during the week. The boutique was, frankly put, a mess. Clothes and fabrics where everywhere. Drawers were empty and mannequins were on the floor. Rarity could be seen running around, trying to fix everything bit by bit. It was as if a tornado had come and gone.
"Uh...hi?" Scootalo said unsure.
"Oh! Girls! I'm sorry, I'm a little busy at the moment." Rarity as she placed back a few drawers. A couple mannequins were placed back in their usual corner.
"We came to see how Sweetie Belle!." Apple Bloom said cheerfully. Rarity didn't seem to hear as she placed the fabrics back in place.
"Is she in her room?" Scootaloo asked. Rarity carefully placed the opins and needles back in the pin cushion, not paying them any attention in the least.
"I say we just go upstairs...."
"Yeah..."
Rarity held her breath as she placed all her designs back in the closet, saving a few for further changes.
"There! All done! Now, what can I do for you girls?
Pure silence.
"Girls?"
"Apple Bloom! Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle cheered with a harsh voice from her bed. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had to stifle a laugh at the sight. Sweetie Belle was buried in three layers of blankets, along with wearing a purple pajamas. Her mane was a mess, probably from all the time spent in bed.
"You gotta get me out of here!" she moaned harshly before givng a cough. Apple Bloom's ear twitched in slight discomfort.
"Wow...Rarity takes this as serious business..." Scootaloo said as she climbed on the bed. Sweetie Belle frowned. Apple Bloom simply jumped on it, right in front of Sweetie.
"Enough of being sick. Time for some crusading!" she said excitedly.
"I can't. Rarity has me quarantined here..." Sweetie Belle answered.
"What's quarantined?" Scootaloo asked.
"It means she's stuck here. Which is why we gotta get her out." Apple Bloom explained.
"But if Rarity catches us we'll get in trouble! At least, more than what we usually get into." Sweetie Belle said.
"And my scooter is down there with her!" Scootaloo added. Apple Bloom placed a hoof on her chin, deep in thought. She was tough alright, but not stealthy. Rarity would notice her immediately. The idea was to sneak Sweetie Belleout, meaning she was out of the question. The only choice was...
"Ah' hear something..." Apple Bloom murmured.
"Hero time again?" Scootalo asked.
"Not this time...it's coming from below..." Apple Bloom answered as her ear twitched slightly. A mumbly sound reached her. It was somewhat familiar.
"Somepony is talking downstairs with Rarity. I think... its Miss Cheerilee!" Apple Bloom said.
"How do we get the scooter now? She'll see us for sure!" Sweetie Belle asked, her hopes of leaving fading.
"No, this is perfect! Scootaloo can go and it while she and your sister talk!"
"Why me!?" Scootaloo asked.
"It's your scooter." Apple Bloom answered. Scootaloo opened her mouth to retort, but closed it right away. She was always bad at arguing with words. With a sigh, she left the room.
"Are they gonna see her?" Sweetie asked.
"Probably not. Between Miss Cheerilee and the mess...what happened anyway?"
"I don't know. I was here, drinking some medicine Rarity gave me, which tasted horrible and made me sneeze, and suddenly the whole house shook!"
"Why?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Beats me, Rarity was hugging me like the world was going to end."
Scootaloo slowly walked down the stairs. She could hear Cheerilee and Rarity talking away in the kitchen, completely focused on their own little world. Perfect. The scooter was right besides the door. Which meant she would have to walk right in front of the mares. Not so perfect. Tiphoofing her way across the boutique, she stopped just in before the kitchen.
"This is the paper for the trip in monday. Could you sign it please?"
"Of course. Anything for Sweetie Belle's education. Let me get my quill."
Scootaloo paled as she heard hoofs walk in her direction. Looking around, she immediately hid inside a dresser and climbed on a mannequin. Hoofs walked about in the room, echoing slightly with each step. She held her breath as they passed right besides the doors, only sighing when she heard Cheerilee's voice again from the kitchen.
"How is Sweetie Belle doing?"
"Oh not well. Poor thing has her throat all taken. She could barely speak at first!"
"Oh my, is she ok now?"
"Oh yes. The medicine is doing wonders for her. I think she even likes it!"
Scootaloo had enough, quickly returning to her position. With a small jump, she passed right in front of Cheerilee and Rarity, who were to busy talking to notice, landing with a soft thud right in front of the door. Grabbing her scooter, she repeated the action, this time using her wings to soften the fall.
"Did you hear something?"
"Must have been Opal. She's been acting odd lately..."
Smirking at her success, she ran back to the room, where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle anxiously waited for her.
"Got it!"
"Awesome! You gotta have some weird ninja skills!" Apple Bloom said.
"That's it! Let's try some ninja crusading!" Sweetie Belle said. All of their faces lit up at the suggestion.
"CUTIEGOHG-" Sweetie Belle coughed badly.
"Wow, you really got it bad." Apple Bloom said, ignoring the discomfort from the sound of the cough.
"Nothing a scarf and a sweater can't fix!" Sweetie Belle said desperately as she ditched the pajamas, covering her neck with said clothes. Putting the pajamas under the blankets, she did her best make it seem like if a filly slept there. It would fool anypony who just gave a quick glance.
"Okay. Now what?"
"Hang on a second." Apple Bloom said a she opened the window as much as she could. Afterwards, she pulled her costume out, quickly putting it on.
"Now, hang on tight!" She said as she grabbed her friends. With a mighty jump, the three of them blasted out of the boutique, jumping from roof to roof. After a couple more jumps, they landed in front of the clubhouse. If Sweetie Belle's mane wasn't frazzled before, it certainly was now.
"That...was awesome!" Scootaloo cheered as she entered the clubhouse.
"I feel sick..." Sweetie Belle mumbled.
"You know, we should this more often. It's a fast way to get anywhere!" Apple Bloom said a she put the suit back in her bag.
"I'll stick with the cart..." Sweetie Belle said, her face slightly green. In a second, there was bucket in front of her, courtesy of Apple Bloom.
"Ah' guess ninja crusaders is out of the question..." Apple Bloom said. With Sweetie Belle incapacitated and out of ideas, Apple Bloom resigned herself to the reality that the would no crusading before classes began.
"While I was sneaking, Cheerilee said we're going on a school trip. Wonder where?" Scootaloo mentioned.
"Hopefully somewhere fun. Last time we went to the chalk mines..."Sweetie said, recovering from the nausea.
"Maybe to a construction site. Y'know, a big one." Apple Bloom said.
"Why would we go to a construction site?" Scootaloo asked.
"Ah' don't know. Maybe we could...hang on a second." Apple Bloom said before jumping out the window. After a few minutes of silence, she returned, covered in mud, which she promptly shock off.
"What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Snips and Snails managed to glue themselves to the roof the school and broke it. We fell on the mud after I rescued them." Apple Bloom deadpanned as she cleaned the suit from any leftovers of dirt.
"How did they glue themselves to the roof?" Sweetie Belle wondered.
"How did they even get on the roof?!" Scootaloo asked.
"Beats me. They're always causing trouble. Remember the gabby gums issue? They stuck to each other with gum..." Apple Bloom said.
"Or the time when they brought an ursa minor to town. Dang they're stupid..." Scootaloo said. She didn't really like them, considering they all but worshipped the ground Trixie walked on, even after she humiliated her idol.
"I bet they're gonna do something dumb on the trip, just because they can. I wished they would learn their lessons already." Apple Bloom said.
"Anyways...how about some game while we're here?"
"Rarity will check up on me soon..." Sweetie Belle said.
"There's a new trick I've practicing. How about I show you guys?" Scootaloo proposed, receiving a general approval. Using the scooter this time at Sweetie's insistence, they arrived at the garden of the school, where Scootaloo had prepared a small ramp before hand. It was slightly colder now, but that didn't put the crusaders off their objective. Standing on the side, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched as their friend practiced.
"Okay, here I go..." Scootaloo said as she speeded to the ramp. Letting her concentration flow, Scootaloo jumped, giving a flip and neatly landing on the ground, cooly skidding a little.
"Awesome!"
"You rock Scoots!"
Scootaloo would have bowed to the praise of her friends. If it only had been their friends who gave it. Looking up she saw Snips and Snails. On the roof the school. With a glue bucket besides them. Again. She gave a look at Apple Bloom, who didn't seem amused at all. Hidding behind the ramp, Apple Bloom changed into Superfilly.
"Did you see that! I bet she can do it again but twice as big!" Snips said.
"What are you two doing?!"
Superfilly landed besides them, looking none too pleased.
"We were just, eh, looking for something!" Snips said.
"Yeah! We didn't climb back as soon as you left!" Snails complimented. Superfilly resisted the urge to groan at such stupidity. Not waiting for an explanation, Superfilly grabbed botch colts and jumped off the roof. Not stopping there, she jumped again and again, before finally dropping them on other side of town.
"There. Now behave please. " she nearly growled before jumping away. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were patiently waiting for her.
"Ok, Ah'm here. What's next?" she asked as she took of the suit.
"Nothing's next." Scootaloo said as she connected the cart to the scooter.
"We gotta go back to the boutique before Rarity comes up." Sweetie Belle explained as she put her helmet on.
"But the tricks!" Apple Bloom complained.
"Sorry AB, but we're out of time." Scootaloo said, putting her own helmet on.
Apple Bloom could feel the irritation raising inside of her. Not at her friends, but at Snips and Snails. They always messed things up! One day, they would do something stupid and it would blow up in their faces. And they would whine and cry. Maybe then they would learn!
"Stupid colts..." she grumbled as they arrived at the boutique. Not wasting a second, Apple Bloom carried her friends back to Sweetie Belle's room. Sweetie quickly ditched the sweater and the scarf for her pajamas, sliding back into bed, just as Rarity opened the door.
"Girls! I didn't hear you come in. Why, Sweetie Belle! You look like if you had been running a mile! Is you're fever up again?" Rarity asked sweetly.
"Oh, eh, yes! It's my fever! I can feel it, eh, fevering me up!" Sweetie Bell made up.
"Oh dear, let's take care of that shall we? I'm sorry girls, but I'm going to ask you to leave please." Rarity said.
"Bye Sweetie Belle, see you on monday!" Scootaloo said."
"Yeah...monday..."Apple Bloom grumbled.
Back at her home, Apple Bloom sighed. It was useless to get worked up over it. She would just have to bear it for now. Besides, once Sweetie Belle was all healthy, they could go crusading again! This time, without a pair of dumb colts to interrupt them!
Beware: The Mollusk! Part 2.
"Now children, remember to behave."
"Yes Miss Cheerilee!"
Sweetie Belle suppressed a groan, trying her best to diminish the soreness of her throat. Her scarf helped while on the trip, but now that they were inside, it was just a bother. But a useless scarf didn't compare to the bigger, current bother she was having to deal with. When she said she wanted to go somewhere fun, she had only said it half heartedly. It seemed the universe heard her, but in the way she wanted.
An alchemy research plant was not on her list of fun places.
"At least in the chalk mines we got to do stuff..." she complained.
"Look at it in the bright side. At least we're not going to the royal library." Apple Bloom said.
"Yeah, I mean, I would have liked to go to the rainbow factory, but this isn't that bad." Scootaloo added.
Cheerilee, being the ever-optimistic teacher she was, had decided to make a trip to the plant plant near Canterlot. The class had been rather lacking in science lately, and so she hoped to entice them with something more interactive. So far, reception had been mostly good. The kids seemed slightly interested by the plant and everything was in control.
"Check this out!"
"No no no, check this out!"
Except for those two colts. Always causing trouble. She had already caught them attempting to touch a few of the materials and creations of the labs. While she always encouraged curiosity and desire to learn, Snips and Snails seemed more interested in the curiosity part than the desire to learn. It wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last. Why couldn't they behave every once in a while?
"Here we got the gem collection. We use for magical experiments which require special properties." the tour guide explained.
"Are diamonds included?" A certain haughty voice asked.
"Why yes little lady. Diamonds are used here as stabilizing agents. Without them, the whole place would blow up!"
Diamond Tiara grinned smugly, making sure to be noticed. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"What's the matter blank-flank? Ashamed that your name doesn't show up? Reminds you of something?" Diamond Tiara said with a smirk. Silver Spoon snickered besides her.
"Oh no. After hearing that, Ah' was just wondering how somepony could be so distanced from her name like you." Apple Bloom retorted dryly.
The tour went on, passing from section to section. From a cloud researching lab to a sound testing field, the alchemy research plant, or ARP as they called themselves, seemed to have everything of every field possible. Of course, Apple Bloom would have liked if they had some architecture or building section, but was disappointed. It wasn't long before they entered a large green house, filled with large plants, vats and containers of chemicals and fertilizers. It was moist and hot, even when outside was almost winter.
"And here we are the experimental green house, where we grow and manipulate different plants and bugs."
"Manipulate in which way?" Cheerilee asked.
"Oh, here we make things like healing creams, sized veggies and bugs, stuff like that."
"Oh! You can make giant bugs here?" Snips asked, Cheerilee sighed quietly. Here we go again.
"As in big enough to eat a pony?" Snails added.
"Well, we certainly could do it. See that vat?" the guide explained, pointing a hoof to a rather large vat of chemicals that was connected to a container. A stingy smell came from it." We use a specially modified serum that makes bugs grow. It makes it easier to study them, particularly the little ones. Now if we walk this way, we'll see the new rose we've been working on for a while..."
The group carried on behind the guide, ready to see more wonders of science. All but two little colts, who stayed behind, right besides the vat. Snips and Snails stared at vat, which was as twice as big as Big Macintosh. A small stair was besides it, passing over the tube that connected the vat to the container and leading right to the edge of the vat.
"It makes bugs grow...wow" Snails said in his usual slow manner.
"Yeah, wow... are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Snips asked.
"Why is it called a vat if it isn't in a cave?"
"No you idiot! Help me find a bug. Any bug!"
Meanwhile, the rest of the group was in front of a large, beautiful yellow flower, easily as big as the school bell. A sweet tantalizing smell surrounded it.
"This is the celestia. We call it like that in honor of our princess. We have managed to-hey! You two! What are you doing?!" the guide called. The entire group turned back, finding Snails carefully lifting a snail with his front hooves, while Snips bit his tail to keep him balanced. All this over the greenish content of the vat.
"Snips! Snails! Get down from there right now!" Cheerilee said as she ran to them. The sudden call of attention caught both colts by surprise, leading to Snips letting go of Snails, who completely fell into the liquid. Snips backed up to avoid the splash, only to tumble of the stairs and and fall on the tube, disconnecting it from the vat. Green chemical started flushing out, quickly absorbed from the ground.
"Snips get out of there!" Apple Bloom called, already hearing a light rumbling.
As Snips scampered to Cheerilee, the ground trembled. A large ant the size of Winona crawled to the surface, followed by another two. A large, thorny vine grew out of the dirt, dangerously lashing around. Using the confusion, Apple Bloom slipped into a large patch of grass.
"This looks like a job for Superfilly." she said as she pulled out the disguise.
Cheerilee hoisted Snips in her back and tried to run away, but another vine appeared around her, slowly growing in size. They were trapped!
"Don't worry everypony, here Ah' am!" Superfilly said as she jumped in front of the approaching ants. Grabbing one, she threw it away from the group, doing her best to not gag at the smell of the giant bug. A small cream was heard as another ant was approaching Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. With a small run, Superfilly smashed into the mutant insect, sending bouncing into the third ant, both of them disappearing into the foliage.
"Superfiily! You saved us!" Diamont Tiara exclaimed.
"Yeah, don't count on it..." Superfilly grumbled.
"Help us!" Cheerilee called as she did her best to protect Snips from the encroaching thorns. Superfilly jumped over the vines, barely missing the thorns and landing right in front of Cheerilee and Snips.
"Need a lift?" she said as she grabbed Cheerilee, who held the colt tight. With a mighty jump, she pulled them free just as the thorns impaled the their previous spot. After making sure both of them were safe with the rest, Superfilly turned her attention to the plant. How could she stop it?
"What can Ah'...there! " she thought as she spotted a shovel. Not wasting a second, she grabbed. The vines stood no chance as she hacked them away one by one, the thorns merely snapping as they tried to pierce her skin. Soon, all that laid on the ground were dead pieces of plant.
"That'll do it.." Superfilly said as she dropped the shovel. Turning her attention to the empty vat, she jumped in it, pulling the unconscious Snails out and dropping him with Cheerilee.
"Oh my Celestia, Snails, are you alright?!" Cheerilee asked franticaly as she shook the colt. Superfillly waited for a few seconds before Snails started coughing green liquid while the rest of the class surrounded him and Cheerilee. Using the distraction she jumped into the foliage.
"I can't thank you enough Superfilly, you saved our...lives?" Cheerilee thanked, but was surprised when she found nopony waiting. Apple Bloom quietly walked out of grass, placing herself besides Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.
"Well class, I think it's time we end the tour. Shall we?" she motioned to the tour guide.
Back in Ponyville, Cheerilee decided to give the class the rest of the day as she took Snails to the hospital.
"Can't believe they actually did something like that. Ah' wanted them to learn sometime, but not like this!" Apple Bloom said as she paced through the clubhouse. They had retreated there as soon as they arrived.
"Well, maybe now they'll think twice about doing something stupid. I mean, did you see the size of those ants? Nasty." Scootaloo added.
"I hope Snails is ok. That thing seemed dangerous." Sweetie Belle said.
"Ah' hope so too Sweetie Belle. Ah' hope so too..." Apple Bloom said as she looked out the window.
"Well then. Let's go crusading! Let's forget about for now." Scootaloo proposed.
"What do you got in mind?" Apple Bloom asked, her mood improving already. Crusading with her friends always put her in a better mood.
A few hours later, in the hospital, Snails laid on a bed, slowly recovering from his dip in the growth chemical. He had been left to sleep it off. Or at least, that was the plan. The afternoon was ending, the sun slowly approaching the horizon. Snail grumbled uncomfortably, twitching and sweating. His eyes shot open as intense pain shot from his hoofs. Sitting up, he raised them up.
And he tried to scream.
His hoofs were swelling. But that wasn't the problem. They were changing. Hair receded and disappeared as the skin became soft and shiny with slime, the color changing from orange to a dark grey. The transformation didn't stop there, climbing all the way through his arm and body. He tried to scream, but only a loud gurgle came out as his entire body changed. Falling to the side of the bed, he puked, a sizzling sound appeared as the floor tiles started melting. His hind legs slowly fused together while his eyes slowly grew in the form of antennae.
And he kept growing and swelling.
Apple Bloom waved a hoof in goodbye as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle speeded away from Sweet Apple Acres. The sun had started to set, and she could already smell Granny's delicious pie.
"Oh, Ah' can already feel mah' mouth watering. Ah' swear, those are best- "
Her ear twitched.
"Aw, you can't be serious..." she said as she turned around. Something had crumbled. A wall perhaps? She could just wait till tomorrow if nopony was hurt. Her eyes darted from the house to town and back to the house.
"Pie can wait. Ah' gotta at least take a look." she said.
Soon enough, she was jumping across town, using the roofs as platforms. A few ponies waved their hoofs when they saw her. It felt goo that they warmed up to her so quickly. Made this whole hero business worth it. But thanks came later. Now she had a job to be do. After a couple of minutes, she arrived at her destination: Ponyville's hospital. Superfilly's reaction was simple.
"What the crud happened here? "
A wall had crumbled, making a large hole. A few nurses and doctors inspected the damage or tried to calm each other down, though luckily, nopony seemed to be hurt. But that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the wall. It was cracked alright. But not completely. A few of the rocks didn't seemed to be broken, but melt , along with a trail of burnt grass. A stingy smell was in the air. A very familiar smell.
"Growth serum..." she murmured. But that was impossible. The growth serum had been swallowed by the ground of the ARP garden, and even then, the only creatures in contact of if were the bugs, the plant and...
"Oh no... "
As if on cue, a scream pierced the air, coming right from the residential zone. Since it was near, all it took was a single bound. Landing right in front of a house, she sniffed around. The stingy smell was stronger here. A lot stronger. A fizzling sound sound caught her attention. Following the scent, she arrived at the edge of the zone. Ponies were running away in fear and disgust. Superfilly cringed at the sight.
"What is that ?"
A large, mollusk like creature dragged itself across the street, as fast as a trotting pony. It was as a little bigger than Princess Celestia. It's front legs were thick and flappy, connected to a grotesque head presenting the basic snout of a pony, but the eyes and mouth of a snail. It didn't have hind legs, instead being one huge slug-like body. Acid dripped from it's mouth, while his trail visibly burnt the patches of grass that it crossed over.
"Ew...Snails?" Superfilly said. The monster started sliding towards her fast, acid drops falling on fences and walls, making small indentations.
"Okay buddy, stop right there." Superfilly said. The mollusk monster didn't even slow down. Passing over a fallen lamp post, the metal structure melted as the acid covered it.
"Ah' said stop!" Superfilly ordered. The mollusk slowed down as he reached her. Superfilly sighed, happy that it would end quickly. But not quite so, as the mollusk reared back a slimy leg. Distracted by the sigh, Superfilly received the punch head on, sending her tumbling against a wall.
"Ouch...alright then. Let's do it you way..." she growled as she lunged forwards. The mollusk tried another punch, but the hero simply swatted the leg away, following it up with a strong punch to what she hoped was the stomach. Her efforts were met with a rain of acid that she barely dodged, a few drops falling on her flank. She cringed a little at the pain. It was like concentrated hot water dripping on her leg. The mollusk didn't seem fazed at all, protected by a soft body.
"Great, what now? " she thought as she backed away a little.
The mollusk started approaching her again, acid dropping from it's mouth. Liquid acid. Liquids could be frozen. An idea started forming in her head. Jumping over the monster, she started to walk out of the zone, slow enough so that the creature followed her.
"That's it Snails...follow the blue treat.." she tempted as she lead the mollusk out of the residential zone. It took a few long minutes, but soon enough, both of them were far enough from the populated areas. Superfilly planted her hooves firmly on the ground.
"Time to put this lung muscles to work..." she said just as the mollusk was upon her. Taking a deep breath, she blew. And blew, and blew, and blew . With her strength, the wind went from a slight current to a small typhoon, with enough force to create a small tornado. The mollusk kept getting closer, but it was slowing down as the acid slowly froze in different parts of its body. Soon, the monster could not keep with the cold wind, and collapsed, the low temperature and ice around it's body putting it to sleep.
"Wow..Ah' can't believe it worked..." she murmured.
A grumble was heard, putting Superfilly on alert. The mollusk started shrinking, vapor and acid evaporating. The slug section soon turned into the normal pony body of a colt, while the eyes and mouth returned to their original form. After a minute or so, a sleeping Snails laid there, completely normal, though covered in slime.
Deciding to take no chances, Superfilly, took Snails to the smartest pony she knew.
"You...you are..." Twilight said as she opened the door. Bystanders gave odd looks a Superfilly, who carried Snails on her back, and since he was bigger, his legs dragged on the ground.
"Yes, I'm Mare-do-Well, can we go inside? We need to talk." Superfilly said hastily.
Once inside, Apple Bloom removed the head of the suit and proceeded to explain what had happened, sparing no details, going from the earlier incident at the ARP to the current events, while Twilight prepared a makeshift bed for Snails.. She wasn't worried about revealing her identity, since Applejack had probably told her earlier.
"That is troubling indeed. I'll see what I can do for him. I'll have patched up by tomorrow. Does anypony know it was him?" Twilight asked as she stood from her seat and skimmed through the books.
"Ah' don't think so...Ah'm the only one who was there both times." Apple Bloom answered.
"The lets keep it that way. No need to tag him as a monster."
"Thanks Twilight. Ah didn't know if to take him back to the hospital, with all the commotion..."
"No need to thank. Snails should be thanking you! If you hand't appeared, who knows what could have happened?" Twilight joked. Apple Bloom gulped, remembering how she almost didn't come over a slice of pie.
"Well. Ah' think a better be going now. Applejack's gonna kill me if Ah' get home late." Apple Bloom excused herself. Putting her mask back on, Superfilly walked to the door.
"Oh Apple Bloom?"
Superfilly turned around for a second.
"Meet me after school ok? I would like to talk to you about something..." Twilight said before busying herself with a medical book. Superfilly nodded in agreement before leaving, jumping away to the orchid, happy to have saved the day once more.
Apple Bloom jotted down on her paper. Class was boring and repetitive, but that was no excuse for having bad grades. Applejack had all but threatened her to burn her suit should her grades drop one bit, a threat that, knowing her sister, was most likely to be fulfilled. A naked superhero wouldn't look very good would it now?"
"Why don't you write something on your flank? That way you'd have a cutie mark for while!"
Of course, paying attention would be a lot easier if Diamond Tiara wasn't bullying her. Again. How did nopony but her realized what a spoiled brat she was? As another ball of paper bumped against her head, she repressed the rising need to snap at her. Cheerilee hadn't been in the greatest of moods since they returned from the trip. The fact that Snails had to miss class didn't seem to make it any better.
If they only knew why Snails was missing. Yesterday she had left rather quickly so she wouldn't get in trouble back home, but now that she wasn't in a hurry, part of her mind kept worrying about her classmate. She wasn't really friends with him, but didn't want anything really serious happen to him.
"What's the matter? Thinking of another cutie dumb crusading for later?"
Apple Bloom gritted her teeth. If that filly talked to her one more time, she swore she was-
Ear twitch.
"Not now! " she mentally cursed. She could hear the cracking of wood as the roof fell apart. She had to go. Now.
"Miss Cheerilee? May Ah' go the bathroom?" Apple Bloom asked, raising her leg.
"Is it an emergency?" Cheerilee asked in a low growl, making the entire class shudder. Apple Bloom lowered her hood a little, but pressed on anyways. That roof was about to collapse.
"Y-yes?" she answered. Cheerilee stared at her for a few seconds.
"You have five minutes."
Apple immediately grabbed her bag and was about to leave when a voice stopped her.
"Why do you need your thchool bag?"
"Dang it Twist! "
"I bet she she toilet paper there. Gotta wipe up right?" Tiara teased. Apple Bloom resisted the urge to cringe.
"Ah' eh, yeah! Ah' have toilet paper to, eh, wipe myself. Yeah, cuz that's what clean ponies do." Apple Bloomsaid, making the best liar face she had. Needless to say, the whole class was staring at her. Even Cheerilee was staring. Apple Bloom decided to shut before saying something else said. Not wasting another second, she bolted away.
"Well, that wath too much information..." Twist muttered.
Superfilly soared through the skies, jumping over the roofs one by one. While running was actually faster, she ran the risk of colliding with something or somepony, so she decide to play it safe and use her jumping power to get around. Plus, it good felt knowing her cape fluttered with each jump.
The old bell tower had been in need of repair for quite a while now. Since normally nothing happened nearby, any thoughts of maintenance had been put on hold for more pressing matters, like when when Spike went berserk or the parasprite infestation. Now that things had been peaceful, or as peaceful as they can be, the Mayor had decided to fix it, lest another incident like the town hall happened again.
"Of course, she hired the same construction workers... " she thought as she saw who was dangling from the roof of the tower.
"Have no fear, Superfilly is here!" she shouted as she arrived. Effortlessly, she grabbed the work in her hoofs, carefully putting him on the ground. Another crack was loudly heard.
"The bell is going to fall and Screwdriver is still inside!" the worker said.
"Ah'm on it!" Supperfilly answered. The door was locked, at bucking through it would knock the bell down. Jumping to top, she peered inside, where said pony was indeed hammering away, earplugs making him oblivious to the impending disaster. With one final blow, the vibration made the wood holding the bell finally snap, sending the metal instrument crashing down. Superfilly jumped inside, pushing on the roof for extra momentum. Screwdriver didn't even know what hit him when he was suddenly pushed away with incredible strength, the bell landing right on the spot where he was. Bucking the door open, Superfilly threw him besides his partner.
"You guys need to start paying more attention while you work." Superfilly chastised them
"Sorry for that. Won't happen again, I promise. Thank you!" the worker said as he helped Screwdriver up.
"No problem. I'm happy to have helped." Superfilly answered before jumping away. Now that she was done, returning to school was a priority. All she had to do was grab her bag and she would be done!
"You took six minutes." Cheerilee said from her desk.
"Well, Ah...Ah'.."
"Doesn't matter. Go back to your seat. Class, we need to talk about being reckless. As you may have known, Snails had a little accident in the trip..." Cheerilee said."
"You don't say... "
"It is also no the first time this has happened. For that reason, I a citing a parent-teacher conference, so please tell your parents I would like to talk to them when possible."
"Miss Cheerilee, does that include all of us? Because as far as I recall-"
"Yes Tiara, it does include all of you." Cheerilee snapped. Apple Bloom sighed. She hated this conferences. It reminder that she didn't-
"Oh well, at least I have parents, right Apple Bloom?" Diamond Tiara said. Silver Spoon elbowed her slightly. Apple Bloom could feel her hooves dig into the desk from her anger. She breathed, trying to calm herself down. She would get nothing from getting angry. Beside, she still had class left. Earning Cheerilee's fury would only make things worst.
"Alright children, let's continue..."
Apple Bloom fumed on her way to the library. Somehow, Diamond Tiara had managed to ruin her day. Again. What did she do to her? Why did she hated her so much? Apple Bloom couldn't even being to understand. Maybe she should return the favor one day. A few words there, a couple pushes here. Maybe then would that stupid filly leave her alone for once!
"Or maybe I could just sock her right in her ugly face..." she thought. The image of a Tiara with stars around her head made her giggle a little.
"Something funny Apple Bloom? Maybe you would want to share the joke."
Oh not again.
"Where are your friends? Did they get a cutie mark and leave you alone?" Diamond Tiara laughed.
"What about you? Did Silver Spoon see what a jerk you are and left'cha?" Apple Bloom answered.
"Oh she's just busy telling her parents. But you wouldn't know that."
Apple Bloom grit her teeth.
"Oh yeah? What about you? Is Daddy to busy for her little girl?" she snapped.
"My dad is perfect. I just haven't been in home for a while. But rest assured...He will come." she said after a few seconds of silence, smiling smugly before leaving, making sure to bump her. Apple Bloom didn't answer. Her mind was too busy seething to say anything.
"One of this days..." she grumbled as she continued her way towards the library. She was in a bad mood now, and she always had troubles expressing it. Nearly blasting Spike through the library as he opened the door proved it.
"You could have just knocked..." Spike set as he tried to free himself from the wall he was embedded in. Apple Bloom ignored him as she stomped her way. Twilight rushed out of the basement at the noise.
"Spike?! What happened?! Did-oh hi Apple Bloom." Twilight saluted. Apple Bloom simply walked passed her.
"I see you knocked on my door..." Twilight as she saw the broken entrance. That wouldn't be cheap. With a plop, Spike freed himself from the wall.
"If this is about Tiara, you shouldn't take it out on us. Why don't you just buck her and be done with it?" Spike grumbled as he dusted himself off.
"No. With all her strength, she could seriously injure her. She has to be careful with her powers, not use them for whatever problem she faces." Twilight replied.
"Easy for you to say, you haven't had a bully on you." Apple Bloom complained. She hated to admit it, but Spike had a point. Taking out her frustration on them would only make the day worse. Besides, this were Twilight and Spike. They always had cool stuff to do. Her crusader sense was tingling already.
"Well, I'm sorry I can't help you with that. But I know just the thing to distract you. Are you curious as to why I called you here?"
"Eh, yeah?"
"Great! Let's go to the basement. I'll explain there." Twilight said as she walked down the stairs. Apple Bloom hd never seen the basement of the library. It was big. It was very big. It was bigger that the library! A few machines could be seen on the side, but nothing big. At very bottom was a rock. A square rock, besides some scrolls and ink, along with a strange metallic platform.
"Twilight? What is this?" Apple Bloom asked as they arrived at the end of the stairs.
"This, my dear Apple Bloom, are measuring instruments. We're going to test the limits of your powers!" Twilight said excitedly. Apple Bloom didn't share her happiness.
"You called me for this? What about the ponies that need saving?"
"Spike had that covered."
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Everfree forest, a manticore was about to eat a poor stallion.
"Please, don't hurt him, please?. He didn't know what he was doing. Now, now, poking eyes out with claws is not good. Uhm, please let him go?"
Fluttershy was all but ignored by the beast while the stallion did his best to keep the fangs away from his face.
"I hope he does... " Apple Bloom though. She couldn't hear much from the outside from here. Twilight went to the square rock, her horn already flashing purple. The was rock was covered in a purple glow for a few seconds before Twilight signaled Apple Bloom to come closer.
"Now then. Please move this rock." Twilight instructed as she took a seat on a side, lifting a scroll and a quill. Apple Bloom did as told, the rock easily moving.
"Sorry. Not by pushing. I want you to blow on it. You blow anything else apart, believe. Is secured the place with magic."
Apple Bloom hesitated for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and blowing as hard as she could. The could rock didn't even move. Letting her earlier frustration, Apple Bloom took another deep breath and blew again, this time with all her strength. The rock didn't even budge. A few seconds later, a number had appeared on top of the rock.
"What does that mean?" Apple Bloom asked.
"You...just blew with a wind at forty six miles per hour...you could blow somepony away if you're not careful..." Twilight said as she enchanted the rock again before noting down the observations.
"Why didn't the rock move then?" Apple Bloom grunted.
"I enchanted the rock to reject force. The more you push it, the more it pushes back." Twilight explained as she enchanted the rock while Apple Bloom gathered her breath.
"Okay, now please stand here." Twilight said as she motioned the platform. Apple Bloom quickly jumped on top of it.
"Okay, what now?"
"This is a gravity platform. I want to see how much force you can withstand while standing. Don't worry. It won't crush you or anything, though I doubt you'de get hurt by it... just stay still." Twilight explained. Apple Bloom froze on place as Twilight pressed a button on the side of the platform, making the whole thing whirl and. Apple Bloom felt nothing at first. The she felt heavier. And heavier. And heavier. It wasn't air though. No, this was different. It was as if the earth itself was trying to suck her in. And it was only getting worse!
"Incredible..." Twilight whispered as she wrote down a few things on a scroll.
"How long do I gotta do this?!" Apple Bloom shouted. After a few more seconds, Twilight pressed another button, turning off the machine, Apple Bloom shakily stepped down. After feeling like if a dragon had climbed on her, being out of the machine made her feel like if she was walking on air.
"How did I do?"
"You stood under the equivalent of thirty times normal gravity. A normal pony would be crushed under such conditions." Twilight explained.
"Awesome. What's next?"
"Well, for this part, we gotta go outside. Hang on a second." Twilight said. Apple Bloom felt her mane tingle. What was-
POP
"There we go!" Twilight said. Apple Bloom flopped on the ground. Applejack had told her about teleportation and how cool it was. Apple Bloom decided she was either lying or stupid, because nopony would like this. As she recovered, she saw yet another rock square, a track for running, Rainbow Dash and...Scootaloo
"Whats up?" Dash asked.
"Are you ready Dash?" Twilight asked.
"Of course I'm ready! I've been ready since I was born!"
Twilight enchanted the rock, slowly putting magic into it. Apple Bloom was about to ask before Dash interrupted her.
"Okay Apple Bloom, you ready for this?" Scootaloo asked.
"Ready for what?"
"You and Dash are gonna measure your jumping powers!" Scootaloo cheered, barely hiding her excitement. Dash took a position besides her. Apple Bloom took a position as well. Scootaloo started a ten second countdown.
"As high as you can AB." Dash instructed. Scootaloo was on five seconds.
"Alright."
Three. Two. One.
Dash barely had time to react as Apple Bloom blasted upwards, dust following her for a while. Dash bolted up, catching up with her as she slowed down. A few seconds later, Apple Bloom landed on the ground, right besides Scootaloo.
"Wow, you must have jumped at least twice the size of the bell tower!" Dash exclaimed as she flew down.
"You rock AB!"
"Ah' felt like if Ah' was flying for a moment! Ah've never been so high before!"
Dash immediately flew to the running track, standing at the far end. Scootaloo took her place at the beginning, holding a flag in her hooves.
"Ok AB, now you gotta run!" Scootaloo explained. Apple Bloom took a starting position.
"On your marks. Get said...."
Apple Bloom breathed.
"GO!"
Apple Bloom bolted forward, her speed leaving dust biting dust. Scootaloo saw her as she sped up, eyes wide in amazement. For Apple Bloom, everything was a blur, she couldn't even see where she was going, except for a tiny circle in front of her. Stopping, her hooves marked the ground as she skidded to a stop. Looking back, she giggled. She had outrun the track by twice it's length. Running back, she stopped where Rainbow was, her mane completely blown.
"Wow... you ran two hundred meters in in ten seconds flat! Only I've done better, and that was flying!" Dash cheered.
"Dash, did you see that?! She zoomed so fast that dust was behind her!"
Apple Bloom grinned. Her earlier anger was all but forgotten by now. She was starting to like this!
"Okay Apple Bloom, final test!" Twilight called.
"What do Ah' do?" Apple Bloom asked as she approached Twilight, who was finishing enchanting the rock.
"Very simple. Lift this." Twilight said.
Apple Bloom grabbed it with her front hoofs and lifted. It wasn't that heavy. At least for a while. It started getting heavier. And heavier and heavier. Feelig it slip from her hooves, Apple Bloom flipped it on her back, carefully balancing it. It was still getting heavier, soon surpassing her earlier experiment. Her hooves started digging into the ground as the weight increased. She gritted her teeth from the effort. She was reaching her limit.
"It seems impossible, but right now, you are lifting nearly five tons!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Not for long..." Apple Bloom growled. With a jerky move to the side, Apple Bloom let the rock fall on the ground with loud thud, making everypony else stumble as the land quaked.
"Wow..." Scootaloo said. Apple Bloom panted as she sat on the ground. That last experiment sure took a bit out of her.
"Whats...next?" She panted. Twilight finished writing a few things down.
"Thats about it Apple Bloom. You can go now." Twilight said.
"Come on Apple Bloom, let's tell Sweetie Belle about this!" Scootaloo said before running away with Apple Bloom in tow. Dash smiled as she saw the orange filly run. Then she noticed the lack of sound from Twilight, who was staring intently at Apple Bloom.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"That filly withstood thirty times normal gravity and bench pressed a five ton rock and she's, what, ten years old?" Twilight answered.
"So? She' gonna be insanely strong. What's the problem?" Dash asked.
"That strength...it's not something that comes from enhancing muscles...there's something else going on..."
"Is it bad?" Dash asked.
"I'm not sure...but whatever it is...its working with magic. A very powerful magic."
The town of Ponyville!
Vibrant, peaceful and colorful. Filled to the brim with kind, generous and friendly ponies, all of which will immediately warm up to any newcomer that wishes to see the town for itself. If there was anything that the locals of Ponyville prided themselves in was that nopony was deemed an enemy. They both preached and practiced friendship with a passion, even before the arrival of the student of the princess.
Life was good in Ponyville.
To some ponies, mainly pegasus, it was going to get even better.
"Let the games begin!" the announcer shouted, eliciting cheers from the crowd.
Every six months, Cloudsdale would send their pegasi sport stars to different towns and cities, allowing the local pegasi to participate in a series of events, called the Feather Games, which included racing, acrobatics, endurance and strength. It was done as a way to show a more friendly face of the pegasi capitol, since only a pegasus could get there. Good PR and all that.
Little did they know that a shadow was watching from behind the scenes. A shadow with an evil intent. A dastardly plan that would give him his wishes of conquer.
And nopony would stop him.
Nopony!
"Mom, the crazy stallion is scaring me!"
"Don't worry muffin, just leave him alone."
Meanwhile, back at the games, a small group of friends cheered from the grades. Rainbow Dash was participating in the racing event, and her friends couldn't just stay home and do nothing right? Applejack and Pinkie Pie cheered the loudest, while Rarity and Twilight simply chatted. Their friend was going to win the race to matter what. The winner would be allowed to introduce itself to the wonderbolts in person!
"Where is Scootaloo?"
"Guess..."
A loud scream of joy and encouragement was the answer that Sweetie Belle needed. There was no way that Scootaloo would miss her idol race from the back of Fluttershy. Which meant that they would be one crusader missing.
"Now what? The race doesn't start until half and hour." Sweetie Belle adjusted her scarf. Her throat was still a bit sore. The cold air helped little.
"Now nothing. We got nothing to do and Ah'm out of ideas at the moment."
"How about we go exploring? There's gotta be something to do here..." Sweetie suggested. Apple Bloom shrugged. Sure, why not? The racing track that had been built wasn't that big, but it was bound to have something worth of attention, right?
Sadly no.
They walked around the racing track, under the grades and tried to pry inside the racers area, finding nothing in each area. Apple Bloom sighed in defeat. To say that she was bored would be putting it mildly.
"Ah' wouldn't mind some hero time now..." Apple Bloom took a peak inside her school bag. The suit rested inside, clean and neatly folded.
"What happened to Snails? Is he alright now?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Twilight is still checking on him sometimes, but he seems fine now. His mane is growing back too so thats good."
A loud bang was heard. The race had started! The fillies didn't waste any time in getting to the grades, where her friends and family cheered and shouted to the rainbow blur that speeded across the air, barely a couple of feet over the ground.
"GO DASHIE!"
"FLY LIKE THE WIND!"
"YOU'RE THE BEST RAINBOW DASH!"
It was rather heartwarming to see them shout so passionately for their friend. It went to show how close their bond was. Meanwhile, the racers sped through the track, their wings beating as fast as they could. Two of them headed the group, both of them leaving a trail with their speed. One was a rainbow mix, while the other was an electric golden hue. Constantly disputing the first place, they slowly started leaving the group behind.
"Wow, somepony that can keep up with Dash! That's some wing power!" Twilight mused to Rarity.
The race went on. A couple of participants dropped out of exhaustion. But Dash pressed on. She could win this. She would this. She was the speed incarnate! She-
Parasprite to the head!
PAF, BOOM, CRASH. Dash smashed right through the barrier at full speed, leaving a hole in the process. The other pegasus simply moved one with the race, only to be blocked by a swarm of parasprites, forcing her to pull op and forgo the race.
"Dash!" Twilight screamed. Teleporting to the side of her fallen friend, dust and debris were thrown away as the unicorn dug her friend out. To her relief, Dash was just unconscious, with no real injuries besides a few scratches. A parasprite landed in front of Twilight. It blinked a couple of times before spitting a ball of chewed food, which quickly turned into another bug. Both devourers buzzed away, leaving a confused Twilight to bring her friend to the infirmary.
"Twilight! What happened?" Applejack asked.
"No time! Get Rainbow to the infirmary. There are parasprites flying around!"
The farmer hoisted Dash on her back and ran away, leaving Twilight to deal with the growing disaster. Parasprites were swarming the track, chewing on the structure and slowly growing in numbers. How did this happen? When did they even get here?!
"Have no fear, Superfilly is here!"
Superfilly landed in front of the grades, right where the main swarm was heading. A powerful breath completely dispersed the swarm, allowing the ponies on the grades to escape. The parasprites buzzed around in confusion.
"That was easier than Ah' thought... "
The swarm reformed, even bigger than before and ready to continue it's spree.
"Maybe Ah' thought wrong! " Superfilly jumped out of the way. The grades were covered in parasprites, visibly shrinking as the bugs ate away. Twilight prepared.
"Apple-" Superfilly glared at her." Superfilly! Out of the way!"
A blast of purple magic shot from the sidelines, impacting the swarm at full force. One by one, the parasprites began to disappear, leaving what was left of the grades to collapse on themselves. A few parasprites chirped before vanishing as well. The gluttonous bugs were gone, but the damage was done. The track site was a mess, with patches of grass torn and eaten. Fences chewed up. Grades eaten till they were barely recognizable. There was no way the race could happen in this conditions.
"What happened? Ah' thought the parasprites were back in the Everfree forest!" Superfilly asked, cleaning the mess in search of any potential injured victim. The rest of the elements had helped with the evacuation, making sure to take the girls with them. Only Twilight and Superfilly remained, along with a few guards.
"I thought so too! Pinkie Pie drove them out last time. How did they come back?"
"What in all heavens happened here?!"
Mayor Mare walked towards them. While she was happy to see Superfilly there, her main focus was the disaster surrounding them. Superfilly explained the situation while lifting what was left of a grade.
"Thank heavens nopony was hurt. They came out of nowhere." Twilight said.
"Why did they come here? They wouldn't just jump out of the forest like that would they?" Superfilly asked.
"I don't think so. I don't know much about parasprites, but this cannot be simple instinct."
"You think somepony is behind this? Then we must stop the games. I will not allow anypony to be hurt in them." Mayor Mare decided.
"Since all we have is mere suspicion, canceling the games will only cause unnecessary panic. We can't cancel the games..." Twilight said. Superfilly bucked a haystack away.
"That are we supposed to do? Nothin'?"
"For now, yes. Let's continue with the games, but keep your eyes open. If this is intentional, whoever did this will surely try again." Twilight explained.
Meanwhile, far from the site, binoculars studied the zone. The test run was a success. A moderate one, but a success anyway. However, not everything was fine. How could a filly blow so hard? And the purple one zapped his beauties away like nothing! Those two ponies could prove troublesome. He would have to take care of them somehow. His ambition would be not be stopped by a mere unicorn and a wannabe heroine!
Apple Bloom watched the strength competition unfold. Her bag was open and her suit ready to be pulled at any moment. Sweetie Belle was with Rarity, Scootaloo had gone to see Rainbow Dash in the infirmary. Ponies surround the hay stack circle where different pegasus tried to stay airborne with varying weights on them. It was a shame she couldn't participate. She would probably dominate the competition!
"Looks like we have a possible winner here!" The announcer pointed a hoof at Derpy, who was lifting an anvil, though with serious effort.
"Go mom!" Dinky shouted from the atop the haystacks. The other pegasus tried in vain to keep up, but nopony could lift as much as Derpy. Their efforts were met with falls, snapped ropes and sore backs.
No parasprite in sight.
"Maybe it was an accident... "
As on cue, a soft buzzing ringer her hears. They were here, and closing in! The competition was in danger! The suit came on i a second. Superfilly followed her amazing hearing. The swarm was coming through the east. She had to at least hold them until Twilight noticed. Somehow.
"Alright, let's try this again." Superfilly planted her hoofs firmly on the ground. They would not go trough her.
The swarm was relentless. Haystacks, posts and fences would disappear under its ravenous mouths. They could destroy Ponyville if left unchecked.
"Super breath failed? Let's try super speed." Superfilly ran in circles around the parasprites. Fast, faster, fastest. Wind began picking up into a small but powerful current, absorbing the swarm inside. She was no pegasus, so any chance of creating a tornado that lasted was impossible, but for as long as she ran, the swarm would trapped inside the wind. She just had to keep running. A few parasprites were sent flying by the sheer force of the speed. The swarm was thinning out!
"Just...gotta...keep..running..." Superfilly grunted. The parasprites were spinning. She was spinning. Her world was spinning. Cue nausea. She gave a couple more loops before spinning out of control and roll out of the gusting winds, tumbling across the ground. The swarm dazzled in the vanishing winds for a few seconds before returning to its spree.
"Now!"
A large net fell over the parasprites. Pinkie Pie and Applejack held the ropes down, making sure to trap each bug under it. A soft glow showed a spell that prevented it from breaking. Another flash came and the parasprites were gone.
"Whoa nelly. Those things sure are hungry. Yah'll right?" Applejack helped the dizzy hero stand up.
"Good thing you acted Superfilly. Gave me time to prepare the spell and the net." Twilight cheered.
Meanwhile, a hoof slammed on the ground. A cloaked stallion observed from afar, hidden between the bushes. How dared they?! His pets! Gone in a flash! That Superfilly. She gave the time to the unicorn! This would harder than he thought. Sending parasprites to keep them busy would not be enough. He was going to have to take direct action and speed up his plans. He could still win this!
"What now?" Superfilly asked. The competition went on as if nothing happened. Derpy had managed to lift two anvils for ten seconds, thus earning the golden medal of strength.
"The acrobatics test is coming. All the pegasi will be up in the air!" Applejack said. Twilight thought for a moment. This could be tricky.
"Superfilly, keep your suit on. I bet they are going to try again. I'll have the mayor post a few guards around."
"What about us? We gotta do something too! We can't let the meanie bugsies ruin the party!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Go fetch Rainbow Dash and get her ready for the competition. Tell her what happened. I would like to keep her around for this one."
And so, the final test arrived. Acrobatics. It was the most popular contest. Pegasus would train day and night for it, perfecting their flips and practicing their flight. It was far from the Young flyers competition, but it was fancy enough.
"Alright. I'm gonna steal the spotlight in this one!" Dash said as she floated around Superfilly.
"Remember to be careful. The parasprites are still lurking around and Ah'm not sure Ah' can save your butt this time." Superfilly said. Comments and whisper were said when ponies saw her standing atop a large hay roll. Was there an emergency?
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I got this." Dash smirked. The competition started with Cloudchaser. Decent speed, poor endurance, perfect acrobatics. Her sister Flitter did a little better. Time Turner did a horrible job and messed a loop. When did he get wings anyways? Superfilly watched as he landed on a net that was placed for emergencies. She could hear him mutter something about versions and mutations, but paid no mind to it. She had a job to do, and she wouldn't be distrac-look at that rainbow flip!
"What did I say? " Dash performed a small drop, followed by another flip and a loop. If that hadn't earned her the gold, then a tornado mixed with a cloud would! The fluffy winds started going faster and faster. It was truly a beautiful sight. Then Superfilly heard the buzzing coming from inside the clouds.
"Here we go again..." she snapped into action. Rainbow didn't waste a second and immediately kicked the cloud away, revealing a few parasprites. It wasn't even near the size of the earlier swarm.
"Hero time..." Superfilly jumped inside the ring while the crowd shuffled out, already familiar with what was to follow. Superfilly blew after a deep breath, completely dissipating the small cloud. A small group like that couldn't even possibly consider rejoining.
"Well, that was rather anti-climatic..." Dash said.
"Yeah, Ah' expected...wait..."
Ear twitch. Screams.
Coming from the town.
Dang it!
Ponyville was once again swarmed by parasprites, all feasting on the food and the houses. Superfilly could only look in horror as she landed in the middle of the disaster, followed by Rainbow Dash.
"Tremble! Tremble, little ponies! For today, Ponyville belongs to me!"
A unicorn stallion shouted from the top of the town hall, now a ruined mess from the chewing and biting of the infestation. Around his horn and neck were ring bands engraved with different symbols and runes. The stallion barely noticed Superfilly above him, jumping back at the last minute. Superfilly crashed the roof.
"Who are you?! What are yah doin'?!"
"I am the Paramaster, and I shall take this town and the elements for myself, and then, I shall rule Equestria! HA HA HA HA HA!"
"With parasprites? You're gonna try to take over Equestria with parasprites?! " Superfilly tried punching him, but the Paramaster was too fast, jumping of the roof. A few parasprites helped him land, followed by running away.
"You'll never stop me! I shall rule the land!"
"What now?!" Dash tried making a small tornado, sending a few bugs flying, but it wasn't enough, they were just too many!
"Get Twilight! Ah'll deal with the Paramaster!" Superfilly broke in pursue. The unicorn was fast and nimble, using the swarm of parasprites to hide himself. But Superfilly was faster, stronger and in this case in particular, with good sight. The swarm moved accordingly, growing heavy around them.
"You stupid filly! You'll never catch-" BAMF.
The Paraneitor flew through the air, his cheek recoiling from the blast of pain. She caught to him. That filly had caught up to him! Superfilly was immediately in front of him. She was not happy.
"It's over Paramaster. There's no way you can beat me by yourself!"
"Not by myself, that much is true, but I am most certainly accompanied!"
The runes on the bands started glowing. Superfilly had to cover her ears as a large fraction of the swarm splintered and rushed towards its master, covering completely. The hero had to stet back as the swarm to the form of a stallion, large as a two-stories high house.
"Now face the wrath...of the Paramaster! "
"Not good..." Superfilly dodged a giant hoof. She bucked a fallen log to towards the giant monster, but it merely separated a few parasprites. She repeated the process with whatever she could find. Barrels, logs, haystacks. Same result. Poor result.
"This is getting me nowehere. What do Ah' do?! "
"Superfilly!"
Flying above the monster were Rainbow Dash and a trembling Fluttershy. Flying. Pegasus. That's it!
"Dash! Fluttershy! Start flying! Circles!"
Both pegasus understood. Flying around the creature was hard, between avoiding the incoming balls of bugs and moving at increasing speeds was tough! But both flyers pressed on, building a small current of air that soon turned into a powerful gust of wind. Superfilly dodged another large hoof, bucking in it as soon as she had the chance. The hoof exploded, the parasprites sucked away by the wind and scattered away. This was it!
"What are you doind?! STOP! " the monster shouted as Superfilly jumped to its face and punched away, each blow sending more and more bugs flying. Eventually, the monster stallion became a mash of bugs and magic, barely consistent. With her keen eye, Superfilly spotted the familiar glow of the runes. She jumped off, landing right in front of the falling monster.
"Time for you to buzz off."
In a mighty bound, Superfilly smashed through the monster, taking the Paramaster with her. The swarm, now lacking a leader, quickly dissolved itself, absorbed by the wings around them. Meanwhile, Superfilly continued her jumping, the villain trapped with a hoof, eventually landing in front of the library, where Twilight was zapping as many parasprites as she could.
"Twilight! The runes! They're the ones causing this mess!" she shouted.
"The lets get rid of them!" With a shot that would make Celestia proud, Twilight all but destroyed the bands around the horn and neck of the Paramaster, riddling the swarm of his influence.
"Now Pinkie!"
Pinkie burst from inside the library, covered in all sorts of instruments loudly playing away. The parasprites followed her like lost puppies out of the town. They did it!
The day had been saved!
"What about him?" Spike asked.
"Oh, I know where he belongs." Twilight said as she wrote a letter to the princess. "In jail."
"Looks like ma'h work here is done. " Superfilly thought as the ponies started cleaning up the mess. In a single bound, she was gone, having fulfilled her duty.
It had been a few weeks since the Paramaster had been arrested and Ponyville was back on track. Repairs had been made. Parasprites had been shooed out. Tranquility was returning. Life went on.
But not for Apple Bloom.
She had a problem. One that she could not fix with her powers.
Homework.
Make no mistake, Apple Bloom prided herself in being a good student. She payed attention in class, studied and behaved. She was a teacher's dream come true. No, her problem came in other sense. You see, earth ponies, having no magic, were forced to use their mouths for most daily activities, such as writing. Using your mouth for writing required practice and patience. Apple Bloom, being the good student she was, was used to having a pencil in her mouth. Taking notes, drawing and writing plans were easy as pie for her.
Snap.
"Dang it..."
At least, it used to be. Her powers allowed her to accomplish amazing feats, such as beating a giant timberwolf, nearly freezing a giant slug and save ponies from danger at a tremendous speed. Her life as Superfilly was possible thanks to this amazing skills.
Snap.
"Not another one..."
Her life as Apple Bloom however, had taken a turn for the worse. Not that much of course, but now that the excitement had gone away and Superfilly had established herself as the protector of Ponyville, Apple Bloom discovered that her powers, while awesome and incredible at first, were always there. The super strength was always there. So was the speed and hearing.
Snap.
"Alright, that's it, Ah' give up."
Apple Bloom spat the broken piece of pencil. The fifth one so far. The essay lay on her desk, untouched, pristine. A small study in history. She should have been done already, if she didn't keep snapping her pencils like twigs. Accidental of course, but, annoying nevertheless. She still hadn't managed to control her strength completely yet. The pencils were one thing. Tumbling down a tree she tried bucking was another. Even opening a door was a problem. She had ripped the door knob of the bathroom once. Boy, was Big Mac angry for that one.
"I wonder if Sweetie and Scoots are for up for some- " Ear twitch. "Here we go..."
Her super senses were perhaps the most troublesome. Sunny days were uncomfortable, too much noise would make her head hurt and she could smell a rotten egg in the kitchen all the way from her room. While Superfilly could pass this off without a bother, Apple Bloom had to hide it from public, lest they discover her identity. And it wasn't as easy as she thought.
"Thanks for saving us from Superfilly!"
"No need to thank me. Just be more careful from now."
Her super hearing, while useful in attending emergencies, was particularly problematic while not saving anypony. While she couldn't hear normal conversations, she could still hear things like shouts and loud speaking. Exclamations of pain, fear and danger were now a daily thing for her. Did they only pop out now that she was around to save them?
Or were they always there, and nopony came?
Apple Bloom didn't want to think of the answer.
She took of her suit, once more back in her room. To make things fair, Ponyville was a peaceful town, if a little accident prone. The criminal rate was pretty much non-existing, and any villain that actually appeared was and outlandish, yet actually dangerous creature, like the toothpick head. She would take care of them and the crisis would be solved.
"Glad Ah' don't have to see him again..."
Saving ponies, battling strange creatures, all this while managing her life as a normal filly. Tough.
"Apple Bloom! Your friends are here!"
"Coming!"
Maybe she should save those thoughts for later. Right now, Ponyville was safe, nopony was in danger and her friends were here. It was time for some crusading. And boy did she have some ideas.
"You be careful now, be back for lunch!" Applejack said from the door.
"Sure thing sis!" Apple Bloom put her helmet on. Soon enough, the three friends sped off on the scooter. Granny smiled from her rocking chair as she saw them pass the entrance to the orchid. Ah, to be young again.
"Those fillies are gonna go far with that attitude."
"Not if they break their necks in the process." Applejack hanged her stetson hat on the door knob. The gray sky allowed some sunshine in. Winter would be here soon.
"As Ah' recall, you were just as eager back when you were younger."
"Ah didn't go in suicidal missions when Ah' was five if thats what you're getting at."
"Nope, you didn't. You complained about your cutie mark though. Pretty often too."
Meanwhile, the crusaders rolled down the street, eager to get some work done. The sun shone brightly for one of the last times before winter. Scootaloo flapped her little wings, slowly gaining speed.
"Any ideas?" Sweetie Bell asked.
"I heard that the Sugarcube Corner is giving away the extra stock." Scootaloo turned. "Lets have a bite!"
It only took them a few minutes to arrive, but their stomachs were already grumbling with anticipation. A line was already formed at the counter. As soon as they entered however, Apple Bloom wrinkled her face. The smell! It was like if somepony was shoving a bowl of sugar up her nose! Sweetie and Scoots seemed fine though. She was just going to have to bear with it.
Soon enough, the three of them were happily eating a bag of cupcakes away. It was weekend, so no school, and they had no homework. Only cupcakes to eat and a lot of time to spare. Life was good for them today.
"Catch!"
Except for that.
Apple Bloom stopped the rock headed towards Sweetie Belle's cupcakes with a hoof, costing her the cupcake she was about to eat. She didn't even have to guess who threw it.
"What do you want Tiara?! You could've hit Sweetie Belle!"
"Could have? Guess I will have to try harder next time." Diamond Tiara laughed. Silver Spoon was right besides her, snickering cruelly.
"Why don't you leave us alone? Go suck up to your daddy or something." Scootaloo replied. Tiara flinched for a second before returning the remark.
"Oh please. I don't have to. My daddy will give me, like, anything I want." She glared at Apple Bloom. "Unlike you Apple Bloom."
"Leave her alone. What did she ever do to you!" Sweetie shouted. Tiara smirked.
"Just being a blank flank hick. Just like her parents. Too bad they died right? I mean, like, thats gotta suck!"
"DT..." Silver Spoon wasn't laughing anymore.
"I mean, at least mine loves me enough to stay, right Silver Spoon?"
Apple Bloom stood up and walked towards the bully. Diamond Tiara was unfazed.
"I bet your mom and dad didn't like you, thats why they died right? Because of little blank flank here!" Tiara said cruelly. Both Silver Spoon and the remaining crusaders were mortified. Diamond Tiara was taking things too far this time. But Apple Bloom hadn't said anything. Her eyes told everything they had to know.
"Then we're the same right?" Apple Bloom snarked.
"How could we possibly be same? You don't even have a cutie mark." Tiara replied. Apple Bloom didn't flinch.
"Oh yeah, right. Ah' forgot a cutie mark is everything right? But Ah'm not talking about that. Ah'm talking about your dad and your mom. You very special mom. " she growled.
"Oh yeah? What about her blank flank?" Tiara challenged.
"Thats she's crazy. Oh so very crazy." Apple Bloom showed teeth, for whatever face she was making, it couldn't be called a smile.
"M-my mom is not crazy!" Diamond Tiara tried to talk back, but the stutter gave Apple Bloom all the signs of weakness.
"Of course she is. She's so crazy, they make her wear that stupid hat! Right girls?!" Apple Bloom called. Nopony nodded. She gave a step, making the pink bully back away.
"Maybe thats why your dad gives you all that stuff, so you believe he really likes you! After all, who could possibly love the daughter of a loony mare!" Apple Bloom near shouted, barely holding her lungs under control.
"My...my daddy-!"
"Poor, poor Diamond Tiara, living the life of a broken family. But wait, you got your cutie mark! Isn't it great?!"
Tiara was nearly sobbing now. Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo could only watch in horror as the situation had reversed completely, and not in a good way.
"Ah' mean, that cutie mark is everything to you, right? You remind us everyday about it, right?! You show off that big, fat, stupid cutie mark, right ?! A cutie mark that is completely useless, just like you! So go back to your house, say hi to your mommy and leave me the buck alone! " Apple Bloom roared.
The shout was with enough force to send the Diamond Tiara's namesake flying of her head. Diamond Tiara tried to mumble something before bursting into tears. Faster than could be even thought, she ran away, not even picking up her tiara. Silver Spoon hesitated for a seconds before blasting after her friend, leaving the crusaders alone under the tree.
It grew had suddenly grown so quiet, at least until Sweetie Belle dare to break the ice.
"Eh, Apple Bloom...are you alright?" she asked. Apple Bloom didn't say anything. It was that they noticed that she was sniffing. Hard.
"No...Ah'm not." She turned to them, trying her best to hold her tears. Both the unicorn and the pegasus were at lost, not knowing how to console their friend. Apple Bloom's ear twitched twice.
"Hero time?" Scootaloo asked. If there was a worse time than this for heroics, the she didn't know it.
"No. Its not hero time...Its Tiara..." Apple Bloom brought her ears down, doing her best to block the sound. "She's crying. Not far from here"
"Well, duh! You gave her quite a whammy there. Never head you like that before." Scootaloo brought out a cupcake, already getting over the issue." So she's crying, not so different from what she does to us."
"You can't hear her." Apple Bloom glared at her. "Ah can. Every word." The implication of the statement made Scootaloo cringe a little. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut. Apple Bloom turned to leave.
"Where are you going Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Home."
"But what about crusading?"
"Lets leave for tomorrow girls..." Apple Bloom took a jumping position. "Ah'm not in the mood right now."
And with a single bound, she left her friends behind. Since most ponies were at the Sugarcube corner or on their homes, she wasn't really worried about being seen. Being airborne had another advantage. Apple Bloom could feel her mind relaxing a little. The tears went away and the sniffs stopped.
But she was still troubled.
"Hey there youngin'! Your home early." Granny smiled from her chair as Apple Bloom landed right in front of the house. Her sad face didn't go unnoticed.
"Aw, whats wrong dear? Some baddie got too tough?" Granny rocked a little on her chair. Apple Bloom sat besides her. She waited a minute before telling her what happened, doing her best to sound as neutral as possible. She hesitated a bit when she reached the part of her lashing out. Granny Smith listened carefully. Her face not showing anger at any point. By the end of tale, Apple Bloom was choking a little.
"And...and thats about it." Apple Bloom rubbed her eye. "Ah did something dumb granny."
"That you did little one." Granny rocked softly on her chair. "What you said was very mean, specially if its true. That Tiara girl must be feeling awful right now."
"But...but she's always doing the same thing to us granny!" Apple spat. "She always taking our stuff and making us miserable! We have to put with it, be she doesn't?"
"Thats not what Ah' meant Apple Bloom. What Tiara does is horrible. A bully is always a bad thing. They look for ways to make ponies suffer for the fun of it...and that just ain't nice." Granny Smith explained. "But sometimes, they bully for other reasons. Reasons that are probably sad, that they don't want others to see. And what better way to hide you being miserable than making somepony else even more miserable?"
"Ah don't feel good for making her miserable..." Apple Bloom muttered.
"And you shouldn't be. You returned the same coin that she gave you, and it hurt. You never really enjoy making bad things to somepony else. That Tiara girl must probably have a sad home. Ah don't like what she's doin', not one bit, but Ah think Ah can understand why she does it."
"But why should Ah' do now? Should Ah' apologize to her or just leave her alone?" Apple Bloom asked. She couldn't hear Diamond Tiara crying anymore.
"Ah think you should make things up with her." Granny rocked her chair once more. "You see, sometimes, when you find somepony who is a baddie and cruel to others, the best way to fix it, is being kind to them. Show them there's a better way. And to forgive is one of them. An enemy forgiven is a friend gained."
Apple Bloom was about to ask once more, but her ear twitched. A scream for help reached her ear. A very young scream for help. She pushed down her inner turmoil, instead reaching for the suit in her bag. She had a duty to fulfill. With a quick goodbye, Superfilly jumped away, leaving Granny Smith smiling o her chair.
"Go far...Far is too short for what she will do." she mumbled before falling asleep.
Meanwhile, Superfilly followed the sound of the scream. She was reaching the edge of town, near the road that led to the forest. She landed right at the exit. She could see prints on the road. Two of them were small set of hooves. The other three were large claws. Claws that she was very familiar with by now. Specially by the piece of dark wood that was on one of them. A piece she recognized very well.
"He just doesn't learn..." she growled.
The Everfree Forest was a scary place. Even with her powers, Superfilly kept her guard up at all times. The stories of what inhabited there were enough to convince her to be ready to face anything. She could hear soft sobs and crying. As much as she hated the fact that somepony was in pain, she hoped that they kept at it. It was her only way of founding them.
"Come on...come one...where are you... "
She heard twig break. That was it. She quickly followed the sound to a small clearing. Five timberwolfs were there. One of them held Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon down. Both of them were sniffing, doing their best to keep it down in fear of being torn apart by the wolfs.
Right at the middle was an enemy that Superfilly recognized all too well.
"Toothpick head...." she growled. She stared at the two frightened bullies. Granny's word echoed in her mind. She took a deep breath. This was not going to be easy.
The black twig that was the ear of the leader twitched, signaling the arrival of his enemy. The wooden wolf tightened his grip on the fillies while the pack took a fighting stance around him. Superfilly cursed inwardly. Since when did they have such a good hearing?! Surprise was out of the question now, and it was her fault. Toothpick Head looked around, his glowing eyes peering in search of the hero. There was no avoiding it. She walked out of the bushes hiding her, planting herself firmly in front of the pack.
"We meet again Toothpick Head!" Superfilly declared. The wolf snarled as she revealed herself. "Now, Ah' suggest you let those two go before Ah have to go medieval on you."
The Toothpick clicked his teeth, signaling the rest of the wolfs to attack. Superfilly easily dodged the first, who exploded at the impact of her hoof. Two timberwolfs tried charging at her, but she simply dodged to the side.
"You guys aren't as tough as you're made out to be." Superfilly teased as she bit the tail of one of them. With a hard pull, she pulled the hind quarters of the beast apart, using her momentum to slam the wooden behind against the other beast, smashing his head apart.
"Better start applying for paper lumber."
The last wolf charged. Superfilly rolled her eyes. The wolf bit hard on her body. Or tried to. His entire muzzled snapped in tiny pieces as he tried to pierce the skin.
"Haven't learned your lesson yet have you?" Superfilly uppercutted him, sending his head flying into the skies. The body fell before her, now nothing but a pile of leaves and twigs.
"Now its just you and me pal." Superfilly readied herself. "Let them go."
The Toothpick growled in anger. But he wasn't ready to surrender. Grabbing the fillies with his claws, he threw them to the woods, trapping them on a branch, high enough to kill any falling victim.
"If wanted some protection, you should have kept them." Superfilly smirked before blasting forward, hoof ready for punching. The woods echoed as she connected her fist with the jaw of the Toothpick. But no exploding sound came. No splinters fell from his face. Just a large crack hole. The wolf growled before clawing at Superfilly, sending her flying against a tree, taking the wind out of her.
"Wow...you've gotten tougher..." Superfilly stood back up. The Toothpick was visibly different now that she noticed. His limbs were visibly thicker, with less protruding twigs and leaves. His face was also sturdier looking.
"Been eating lately? Ah' hope you didn't get very fat." she joked. Her stomach still hurt a little from the blow. The wolf howled before charging. Superfilly dodged, bucking on the side. The beast recoiled for a second before returning the buck, missing her head by a hairs breath. Superfilly could feel the wind whistling as the wooden claw sailed over her head.
"Too slow!" she shouted as she grabbed the leg, ripping it apart with all her strength. Using as a hammer, Superfilly smashed on the back of the wolf. The beast bit her leg, hard, slamming her on the ground before launching her against a branch, cracking it the process. Superfilly groaned. She could feel the pain of the bite on her leg.
"Thats gonna leave a mark..." She stood again. The Toothpick stood there, waiting for the next round, doing his best to hide the shattered leg.
"Lets put and end to this."
Ignoring the pain on her leg, Superfilly blasted forward at full speed. The Toothpick barely had time to react before he was slammed with the force of a cyclone. The air around them quaked as he was launched in the air, smashing all the way through the tree that held Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. With a grunt, Superfilly jumped to the falling tree, grabbed both fillies and blasted away, jumping over the sea of trees.
"Hang on tight!" she ordered as she landed at the entrance of the forest. She dropped the girls on the ground with a sudden move.
"Ouch..." Diamond Tiara mumbled.
"Tha...thank you! You saved us!" Silver Spoon hugged Superfiily, who winced in pain. Damn leg. Too late to hide the slight limp.
"Your hurt." Diamond Tiara said, trying to inspect the leg. Luckily, the fabric of the suit didn't tear. That didn't mean it didn't hurt like hay.
"Ah'll be fine. Just doing my job." Superfilly panted.
"What can we do to repay you?" the Silver Spoon asked.
"No need. Ah' do this for free." the hero answered, wanting to leave as soon as possible.
"Please, we insist!" Diamond Tiara asked. Superfilly thought of many things she could tell her right now. Many things she could demand of her. But she noticed her eyes. They were red and puffy, and her voice was a bit raspy. Granny's words echoed in her head.
"An enemy forgive is a friend gained. "
"There is one thing you can do for me." Superfilly stood. The two bullies stared closely.
"Ah'm a complete stranger. You don't know me, and yet, Ah saved your lives, not because Ah had to, or because Ah gained anything, but Ah wanted to." She put the best serious face she had. "You can repay me by kind to others in return. You wont gain anything you can touch, but it will be worth your while. Agreed?"
Both fillies looked at her, then at each other, and then at her again.
"Agreed." both answered.
Cliche birth of a hero. Part 1
Apple Bloom grunted as she pulled her two friends out of the mud pit by their tails. The three of them were covered in dirt, not a single spot of cleanness on them. As she finally managed to pull them, she dropped besides them, exhausted. The sun was setting over the horizon, giving the entire land a gorgeous orange hue. Fitting, considering it was autumn. What was left of their improvised fortress slowly sinking away. So much for Cutie Mark Crusaders Evil Lair Builders.
Or CMCELB for short.
"Okay..this was a stupid idea..." Scootaloo said.
"It was your idea." Sweetie Belle commented while vainly trying to shake some of the mud off. Not even her mane had been spared the onslaught of dirt. A a few drops managed to fall, though it did little change to the overall picture. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hadn't exactly fared much better. Scootaloo was pretty much a walking sludge of dirt while Apple Bloom was a little cleaner than both, but only because she had been moving. All in all, a long bath was in the near future.
"Ah' think we should call it a day girls...we're a mess and it's gettin' late." Apple said while shaking her head, cleaning the mud off from the bow. Scootaloo stared at her for a few seconds, as if an idea was slowly forming in her head.
"Ah' mean it Scoots..." she added. Scootaloo fumed for a while, but eventually agreed that she was tired too. Soon enough, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle went to their houses. Lucky for Apple Bloom, they had decided to try the CMCELB plan near Sweet Apple Acres. It was starting to get dark too. Apple Bloom knew she wasn't in any danger, but she also knew that she had a time to get home and she was almost late, which meant she was risking an earful from Granny Smith.
"Guess I'm not getting any pie later... " she lamented. She was starting to get hungry after all the crusading, and all of Ponyville knew that Granny's pie was the best in town.
As she walked through the path to her home, apple trees began to appear. Their shadow usually gave a nice refreshment from the onslaught of the sun, but now that it was autumn and she was covered in mud, all it did was send shivers across her entire body. As she walked, most of the mud began to dry and fall off, a fact she was grateful for. A slow crunch was heard loudly through the trees, freezing the fill in place. Turning to one side, all thoughts of getting home and avoiding punishment were forgotten. A soft, yellow glow could be seen between the trees. And Apple Bloom, did what any healthy curious child would do.
"Wonder what that is? " was all that was in her head as she walked through the woods. She had even forgotten about ehr hunger. After a few minutes walking, she arrived at a small hole on the ground. It wasn't a deep hole, nor large hole. It was just a hole.
With a golden apple shinning in the middle.
That caught Apple Blooms attention. Jumping inside, she warily approached the the apple until she realized something. This was an apple. And apples never hurt ponies. All in all, it was a pretty normal apple. Except for the color that is. Picking the apple between her hooves, Apple Bloom examined it a little bit closer. It was a little heavy for an apple, but nothing special.
"A golden apple...lying in the middle of the trees." she muttered. As if to remind her, her stomach grumbled loudly. The walk and curiosity had taken distracted her from the hunger, but now that she was still and the excitement had ended, the grumbles came with a vengeance. She started arguing with herself about what to do. She could satisfy her stomach by eating a strange but visually juicy apple...or she could take it back home to Applejack.
The apple looked so juicy.
Her family would like to know about the apple.
She was hungry.
Something like this had to be told to Big Macintosh.
She really was hungry.
With a sigh, Apple Bloom grabbed the apple with her mouth and started trotting to the house, deciding that telling her family was best. It was dark by the time she got there and not even a single light could be seen inside the house. This fed some hope inside her heart. Maybe everypony had gone to bed already. She could walk in and say she slipped in later. The door creaked as it opened. Apple Bloom peeked for a few seconds before entering, walking on the tip of hoofs. Not a sound could be heard. Not even her sister's usually loud snoring. The fact that the entire house was deadly silent didn't cross her mind. Climbing the stairs, she entered her room. She approached the table, wanting to-
"Ye'r late."
The lights went on, scaring Apple Bloom into bitting a big chunk of the apple and forcing her to swallow it, nearly choking herself in the process. The bitten fruit landed on the floor with thump. But that went ignored by Apple Bloom, who was staring at a visibly angry Granny Smith, who was sitting on a small stool.
"Young lady, ye' were given a curfew. What were yah' doing that took you so long?" The elder mare asked.
"But Granny ah-"
"No buts. You're siblings are still out looking for yah!"
"But Granny Smith! Ah found a golden apple so Ah' thought Ah' should bring it home so Ah did and just look it's right there!" She pointing a hoof at the apple.
Only there was no apple. It had dissappeared, as if it was never there. If Granny Smith was upset, now she was honestly mad.
"Little filly, Ah' am not old enough to be lied to like that, specially by ma'h family."
"But ah-" Apple Bloom tried.
"No buts. Ye'r grounded little filly. Tomorrow you are to stay home and help around the house, no crusading." Granny Smith said as she walked out of the room, turning of the lights.
"And you better apologize your brother and sister tomorrow, they've been worried sick!"
And with that, Apple Bloom was left alone. She sniffed. All she wanted to show them something. Why did this happen? If Granny would have let her speak maybe she wouldn't have gotten grounded and go crusading tomorrow. Stupid CMCELB plan that took her time, stupid trees that got her attention. Stupid golden apple that delayed her. If she hadn't gone looking for it, this wouldn't have happened.
"Stupid apple..." she murmured as a single tear slid down her face.
As the first rays of sun started covering the land, Apple Bloom woke up. She could hear the cock-a-doodle-do of the farm rooster as if it was in the room next to her. She took a deep breath. She would have to face Applejack and Big Mac now. And that would suck. She was punished, so that meant no crusading at least till after lunch. That would suck too. She was crusading yesterday all day, which meant she would have to day a days work all sore and tired. And that would really suck. Not wanting to delay the inevitable any longer, she jumped out of bed, nearly cringing with the pain all of her joints screamed.
Only there was no pain. In fact, she felt amazing! Energy was almost bursting out of her!
After a short bath and placing her typical pink bow, Apple Bloom ran down the stairs, only to be face with three scowling faces. The whole getting home late problem floated back to her head.
"Eh...good morning everypony?" she asked shyly.
"Morning Apple Bloom. Did yah rest well?" Applejack, her stern voice dropping a little.
"Of course! Ah mean...yeah, Ah did."
"Good, cuz Granny here told all about your talk yesterday. Ah figured you've had enough stern talking for now." she explained as the little filly took a seat at the table.
"Does this mean Ah' can go crusading today?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully. Applejack chuckled at the response.
"Ah'm afraid not. You still messed up yesterday, now you make up for it. That's why you're gonna help Big Mac around the farm today."
"All day?!"
"Just help him around. Once he's done, you're free to go." Applejack said.
And with that, both siblings finished their breakfast quickly, eager to get the task done. Entering the barn, both of them sighed at the mess it was. It always happened. After each bucking season, they would just throw everything in, not really caring to organize it since they used every day, but now that the season was over, the entire place was an even bigger mess, a mess that could not stay for the winter. Usually, Applejack and Big Macintosh would take turns, since it was their fault mostly, but since he had assistant this time, Big Mac decided to take the job this time.
"Well, what do ah' do?" Apple Bloom asked, wanting to get this as quickly as possible.
"Some of the tools are missing, along with a couple of baskets. Find those while Ah' pull the carts in." Big Mac instructed.
Remembering that she had borrowed a few of the tools, Apple Bloom dashed to the clubhouse, the trees zoomed right besides her at an incredible speed. After a couple of minutes, Apple Bloom skidded to a halt, right at the entrance to the clubhouse. She was panting slightly, not out of soreness, but shock. She had run the entire distance in a coupe of minutes. Applejack, the most athletic earth pony in all of Ponyville, could barely do it in a good day, and she had done it a couple of minutes.
"Wow...ah'm fast." she whispered.
The tools came back to her mind. As expected, the tool box was inside the clubhouse. Seeing it brought back memories of the yesterday, including Granny Smith angry at her. She didn't like it. The box just laid there, mocking her. Turning around, she gave it a solid, frustrated buck, sending the poor tool box crashing through the wall and slamming into a tree. One side of the box was heavily bended. Apple Bloom could only stare, her mind barely registering the fact that be bucked a metal box right through a wooden wall. It was a thin wooden wall alright, but very solid anyways.
"Wha..." was she manage to say.
After bringing the mangled box to Big Mac, Apple Bloom went on to find the baskets. Thankfully, Big Mac had dismissed the damage as season stuff put the box away, saving Apple Bloom from trying to explain, only to be assumed as a lie. Finding the baskets would be easy as pie. Applejack always dropped them in the same place right outside the entrance to the plot. But her mind wasn't focused on getting the baskets back. Her mind was filled with to the brim with the fact that somehow, her body was capable or incredible feats!
"That apple! Ah' knew something weird was going on with it! It must have given me this powers, but how? "
Wanting to test it out, she broke into a run, and soon enough, she found herself right at the entrance to the farm, right where the baskets where. A trail of dust was slowly fading behind her. So speed was no problem she could easily run as fast as Applejack without pushing herself. Turning her attention at the mount of baskets, she smirked. In a single minute, she had managed to pile the all five of the baskets in one tall pillar. Placing herself behind the bottom, she started pushing. The entire pile started moving easily. Wanting to push herself, apple placed her snout at the very bottom, touching the ground. With a small flip, the placed the pile on her back. It was as heavy as her school bag.
As fast as Applejack and as strong as Big Macintosh. All of it without breaking a sweat!
Big Macintosh slowly pulled on of the carts inside, loaded with hay and farming tools. No sign of Apple Bloom. He sighed. If that filly had run off she would be in deep-
"Ah'm finished."
Turning around, his eyes widened in surprise. There she was. A smiling Apple Bloom with all five of the baskets behinds her, neatly stacked in two piles. He didn't know if to believe it or not. This was supposed to take her nearly an hour. She had done it in barely ten minutes.
"Got anything more?" she asked. If he wasn't mistaken, he could swear he saw anticipation on her eyes.
"Eh...nnnope?"
"So I can go now? She asked.
"Eeeeeyup?"
"Great! Bye Big Mac!
And with that, Apple Bloom left, leaving poor Big Macintosh confused from top to bottom.
Apple Bloom ran through the streets, the morning sun visible just over the horizon. Few ponies where on the streets, so she didn't really had to worry about crashing into anypony. The market would be closed for a couple more hours and Applejack wouldn't arrive until she had finished up preparing the apple cart, giving her plenty of time to explore. It was saturday, so school was out and it was too early for Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to be up yet. But she knew how to entertain herself for now. In few minutes of running, she had arrived at the other edge of the town, at the entrance to the fields. Big, empty and with the occasional rock and tree.
"Now then...let's see how fast can really go" she grinned as she took a starting position.
A few hours later, a tired Sweetie Belle slowly woke up. Giving a long yawn, she slowly made her way downstairs, where sister was finishing her breakfast.
"Morning Rarity..." she sleepily said.
"Good Morning Sweetie Belle. How was your sleep?" Rarity asked with a smile. Sweetie Belle didn't respond, instead deciding to sit a the table, mumbling and barely registering the fact that it was day. Rarity's heart flipped a little at how adorable the scene was. With a bit bit of magic, she poured some cereal and milk into bowl. Sweetie Belle always like those choco-flakes that Sugarcube Corner solded. After making sure that Sweetie Belle wouldn't make mess, she stood up to start cleaning.
"Apple Bloom was here earlier. She seemed really excited about something." She commented.
"Mmm-hmm..."
"I told her you were sleeping. She said she would come back later to pick you up."
"Good..." Sweetie mumbled, still half asleep.
"She should be here right about-"
"Hi Apple Bloom!" Apple Bloom said through the window. Sweetie Belle didn't even blink as she stared at her friend.
"Meet me at the clubhouse, and hurry!" Apple Bloom cheered as she left. Sweetie Belle didn't even blink as she stared at the space where her friend used to be. Rarity chuckled. Sweetie Belle had never been a morning pony.
A short while later, Sweetie Belle walked through the trees of Sweet Apple Acres. She had always liked the place. Green, beautiful. Soon enough, she arrived at the clubhouse. Inside was Scootaloo, youngest daredevil in history, removing her helmet. She had arrived just a few seconds earlier. But there was no sign of Apple Bloom.
"Where is Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"I don't know. I thought she would be here with you. At least, thats what she told me." Sweetie Belle answered.
"Ah'm here!"
Both crusaders looked around the clubhouse, but her friend was nowhere to be found. As if on cue, bump was heard from the roof. The girls quickly ran outside. Looking up, they saw the room of the clubhouse, some branches, leaves, a couple of eaten apples and Apple Bloom munching on the third apple, comfortably sitting on the room.
"Apple Bloom what are you doing! Get out of there!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Scootaloo was no different, trying to help her friend avoid getting a broken neck. One of the eaten apples rolled off the roof, falling into the ground. Apple Bloom would follow the same fate of she wasn't careful. After finished the apple, Apple Bloom stood up perfectly without a care in the world, making of her friends pale with worry.
"Apple Bloom be careful!" Scootaloo shouted.
Apple Bloom smirked and jumped of the roof, giving a small flip in the air and falling right in front of her friends, not a sign of pain or strain on her, leaving both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle with their mouths open.
"How's that uh?" she asked.
"H-how did you-" Sweetie
"Magic apple." she answered. Silence reigned for a few seconds.
"What?" Scoots added.
"Let's go inside and ah'll tell everything."
Once inside, Apple Bloom spared no details on how she found the golden apple, where she found it and what happened. She also made sure to tell them about her experiments on the field, testing how powerful she really was.
"So you got superpowers? Cool!" Scootaloo chirped, her wings buzzing in excitement.
"Ah' know right? Wonder what else Ah' can do!" Apple Bloom added.
"Can you fly or shot things with your eyes?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Or maybe climb the walls or something?"
"Ah' don't think so..." AppleBloom answered. Putting one hoof on a wall, she jumped towards it, placing all four hooves firmly on the wall. She entire floor rattle a little as she fell.
"Guess not." she snarked. After a few seconds, Sweetie Belle giggled a little, followed by Scootaloo, and soon all three of them were laughing.
"So...what now?" Sweetie Belle asked.
Now that was a question. She had incredible, amazing skills, was faster than the fastest pony and stronger than the strongest stallion. And she had no idea what do with all that power.
"Why not some super crusading?" Scootaloo suggested.
"What do yah mean?" she asked.
"Well. think about it! Now you've got all this superpowers, we can try some really cool stuff!"
"Like?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Like...like...like building! Or mountain climbing!"
"We tried those." Apple Bloom said, cringing at the memory of the CMCELB plan. "And besides, what difference is it gonna make trying them again, even with superpowers."
"How about house fixing?" Sweetie Belle added.
"Ah thought Ah said-"
"No wait, she's right! Not exactly building and we can still use your powers! What do you say AB? Feeling up to it?" Scoots tempted. Apple Bloom doubted for a few seconds. She could use something to do, and this was also a perfect chance to explore how strong she was.
"All'right, let's do it." She accepted.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOUSE FIXERS YAAAAAY!"
The Amazing Red Shell! Part 1.
Apple Bloom squinted.
Snow. Cold. Peaceful. Poetic. Snow could inspired the deadest of hearts. it could make any stallion and mare feel like a kid again. It could make any landscape look beautiful. Its white purity could make for a gorgeous spectacle. Quiet. Sublime. As if winter intentionally painted a canvas.
It could reflect a huge amount of light. Something that ponies with sensitive eyes could attest to. Some a bit more. Some a bit less.
Apple Bloom felt like if somepony was waving a lantern right in front of her face.
"Apple Bloom, can you even see what you're doing?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah..." she grunted as she pulled the tree out of the entrance to a small cave. "Why you ask?"
"Because you pulled the wrong tree."
Indeed. The small cave that they wanted to explore was now blocked with not one, but two large logs. Scootaloo adjusted her scarf.
"You've been squinting a ever since it snowed. Are you sure you're alright?" Apple Bloom sighed, dropping the ropes she was pulling.
"All this snow makes it hard to see. Its like staring at the sun all the time. Ah' can barely see anything!" Apple Bloom went on to push the log out of the way. The cave wouldn't explore itself. Specially if it was blocked.
"Maybe you could get glasses." Sweetie Belle chirped. "My sister has them."
"Yeah, but thats so she can see better. Apple Bloom needs something to block the light, not make it easier to see."
"Maybe Twilight can help? See whats wrong?" Sweetie Belle suggested. Apple didn't really want to go see her, but her unicorn friend had a point. Going to a doctor would compromise her secret identity, and nopony else would possibly know how to help her.
"Let's go to the library..." Apple Bloom sighed.
The whole town was covered in snow. The streets had to be cleaned of any water, lest it froze into a dangerously slippery ice. Kids rain over the snow while adults carried on with their business. The day was sunny, but not warm, and clouds could be seen floating around the town. A night of snow could be expected at this rate. The three crusaders walked through the street, not wanting to risk a tumbling with the scooter and cart.
"Geez, its cold..." Apple Bloom shuddered. Mighty she was, but even the mightiest sword could freeze. The library soon came into view. The branches were loaded with snow. Spike hadn't melted it yet. Twilight was going to be angry once she walked out. That is, if she actually left the library. Who knew that twilight could spend an entire week locked inside reading? Spike would have to clean up days worth of mess. She knocked on the door, which cracked a little. She still had some issues with her strength.
She was gonna have keep an eye on that.
"Yes? What is it?" Spike answered the door.
"We need to talk to Twilight." Sweetie said.
"Uh, she's kinda busy at the moment." Spike motioned to close the door. "If you come later maybe..."
"Ah' need to speak with her now Spike." Apple Bloom blocked the door. Spike struggled in vain to push her out of the way, but it was no use. Apple Bloom didn't want to be moved, and no force in Ponyville would change her mind.
"Fine...she's in her bed." Spike grudginly let them pass. "But be warned: she's in a bad mood."
Indeed, the inside of the library proved Spike's words to be true. Books were thrown around. A table was overturned. Scrolls, quills and ink bottles were strewn around as well. A distinct path of destruction could be noticed, one that went all the way up the stairs.
"Whats wrong with her?" Scootaloo asked.
"A cold. Coupled with a shipment of books I ordered a month ago being late, misplaced and finally lost."
Four heads turned up. Twilight was standing at the edge of the second floor, looking non too happy. Her mane was a mess, much like when she tried the want-it-need-it spell, though her eyes reflected none of the insanity she had back then. No, Twilight was visibly pissed.
"What is it you need?" she asked sternly. Apple Bloom backed a step away. She was mighty alright. But Twilight was one of the most powerful unicorns of this generation. Angering wouldn't be stupid.
It would be suicidal.
"Ah', eh, Ah' need glasses." Apple Bloom said. Twilight blinked a couple of times before rubbing her head in confusion.
"Excuse me?"
"Ah mean...Ah need special glasses." the filly repeated. "The sun is too bright with all the snow, and my vision is blinded."
Twilight teleported in front of them. The flash made Apple Bloom recoil bit.
"Come with me." Twilight gestured before pointing a hoof towards Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. " You two better leave for now. This may take a while."
"But-"
"Now." Twilight growled. The door was slammed right in the fillies' faces, leaving them out in the cold.
"Jerk." Scootaloo grumbled.
"Wow...She really is in a bad mood." Sweetie Belle added. Meanwhile, inside the library, Apple Bloom followed Twilight to the basement. Machines, books and boxes were strewn around the place. A surprisingly messy place for somepony as organized as Twilight.
"Alright then...glasses that reduce light reflection...shouldn't be too hard to make..." Twilight said a she rummaged through her stuff.
"Ah' don't wanna be a bother Twi. If you don't have them, Ah'll just go." Apple Bloom said.
"Nonsense. You already got me out of bed, so might as well do something productive while at it." Twilight pulled a small blue box out. "Here we go!"
The box was dusty and visibly worn, but by the way handled it, Apple Bloom could see it had endured worse things. Twilight snapped the box open, pulling out a couple of glasses. One of the lenses was missing, while the other one was cracked. The legs were bent and to call it dirty would be an insult to dirtiness.
"You know, if you don't wanna help me, just say so..." Apple Bloom snarked. Those glasses were in terrible conditions!
"Apple Bloom, I always do the best of my effort is asked for it." Twilight walked up the stairs. "Now follow me. This is just the first part."
Twilight applied a small spell to the lenses. The cracked in the glass vanished, while the legs bent themselves back into their proper place. They were still dirty though, and the missing glass was still there.
"Its not done." Apple Bloom commented.
"Hang on..."
A small glass panel flew off from the window towards the glasses, changing and shrinking in the process. By the time it got there, it had turned into a nice glass, right in size.
"Almost there." Twilight hummed as she applied another spell. The stains were gone, the dust vanished and the rust went away. The glasses, which appeared to be at least twenty years old, now seemed like they were bought yesterday.
"Will it help me now?"
"Not quite. You see, right now, this just a normal pair of glassed that I used to use when I was a kid. But..." another spell briefly covered the glasses. "Now its ready. Try them on."
Apple Bloom did, expecting some major change. To her surprise, there was no change. Having the glasses on felt no different than not having them at all. Had Twilight failed or something?
"Nothing's different..."
"Oh, but it is. Look out the window?"
Apple Bloom did. And gasped. The snow was perfect! Every detail, every pile. It was beautiful. Ponies wrapped up in coats, scarfs and boots walked around.
"Its perfect!"
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I enchanted the glasses so that they filter light. Basically, you'll be seeing what a normal pony would see." Twilight lifted the glasses from her eyes. "But if anypony else puts them on, they wont be abel to see anything..."
"Blowing my cover."
"Exactly." Twilight twirled the glasses on the air." These are designed specially for you, so be careful with them."
Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo waited outside. Why did they have to wait outside in the cold was beyond them. Twilight had an odd way of thinking, and the chances of understanding were fleeting at best. All they could do was to be patient and wait for their friend. Sweetie Belle was doing her best to take it in stride. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was fuming. A trait she had learned from her idol.
"Why do we have to wait here?" she arranged her overly long scarf. "I'm freezing my wings off!"
"Why don't we-" Sweetie coughed hard. "...e-explore in the meantime?"
"Dude, that throat just doesn't want to get better." Scootaloo noted.
"It's been like this for a while..." the unicorn croaked.
The door opened, letting a very content Apple Bloom out.
"Be careful not to break them!" Twilight instructed before closing the door.
"Can you see better now?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Much better, thanks." Apple Bloom led the group away from the library. "Ah' feel like if somepony had removed a flashlight from my face."
"Can we call you four eyes now?" Scootaloo joked. The three fillies laughed. No criminals for now, no emergencies from repairs and constructions, no natural disaster. Life was good for them.
"What's that?"
A large carriage was silently moving through in Ponyville. No windows were visible, and the single door hole was blocked with planks. Nopony was pulling the carriage, though that fact wasn't particularly important, since carriages pulled by magic had not been unheard off. Since Ponyville had visitors every now and then, nopony really paid any attention to the carriage.
Except Apple Bloom.
"What's wrong?" Scootaloo asked.
"That carriage." Apple Bloom pointed a hoof towards it. "Its buzzing."
The carriage kept moving on, now followed by the crusaders, who soon noticed its destination.
"Ah' thought the town hall was still closed." Apple Bloom noticed.
"Rarity said that the main hall was cleared. Maybe they are a repairing crew?" Sweetie Belle said.
The carriage stopped right in front of the hall.
"Hey girls! Whats up?" Pinkie Pie asked as she bounced besides them.
"When did you get here?!" Scootaloo asked.
"My mane poofed, and my ears twitched three times." the party pony answered.
"So?"
"Soooo it meant that something big is going to happen here! Is it a party? I hope its a party!"
The carriage was dead silent for while. Nothing happened with it nor around it. Pinkie Pie impatience won, and she ran to the carriage in curiosity. Apple Bloom's ear twitched as the buzzing got stronger. Something was wrong.
"I wonder what's inside..." Sweetie Belle said.
The buzzing increased.
"Hey! Here's a small hole!" Pinkie Pie peered inside. "Let's have a look."
The buzzing went from agitated to frantic. Apple Bloom heard a growl.
"Pinkie Pie! Get out of there!" she yelled. But it was too late. The carriage exploded, sending planks and snow flying, along with a pink pony. Pinkie Pie slammed on the frozen ground hard. She didn't get up. Meanwhile, The contents of the carriage had been revealed. And it wasn't a party.
"Changelings!" a mare shouted.
"Run" another pony screamed.
The group of changelings started their attack. They were barely seven. But when you could fly and shoot green beams of destruction, the number was no longer a big concern anymore. The insect like ponies wasted no time in getting to work. One destroyed stand, while other two grabbed a pony and launched her against a window. Three other were randomly firing beams, scorching the ground and burning walls. The seventh one, however, was high in the air, seemingly giving orders to the rest. He was just as black was the others, but his plates were not green, but red.
"Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom grabbed her friends. "Get Pinkie out of here, then fetch Twilight! Go!"
The two fillies friends nodded before darting away, doing their best to pull the unconscious mare away from danger. Apple Bloom ran to an alley, pulling her hat and coat off.
"This looks like a job for Superfilly!" she said as she put on the suit.
The red changeling gleed in cruel happiness as he watched how his drones tore apart the town plaza. He was so involved with the destruction that he didn't even noticed the hoof that collided with his face with the force of a charging minotaur. He crashed on the ground with the same force, making a small crater.
"Alright monsters! Ready to have the daylights knocked out of you?!"
Twilight felt better now that she had cup of tea and a nice book. What better way to spend a snowy day than in your bed with a good story. Oh, it reminded her of younger days. Like when she-
The door knocked.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me..." she grumbled as she jumped out of bed. The door knocked again, harder this time.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!"
She opened the door.
"Twilight! Changelings are attacking the town! Superfilly is fighting them!" Scootaloo shouted.
"Pinkie is hurt! We need your help!" Sweetie Belle cried. As on cue, a small explosion was heard.
So much for reading.
Meanwhile, Superfilly rose from the debris of the wall where she had crashed through, her in deep confusion about what happened. One second, she was whamming the mother of all beatdowns on the changelings, the next, she was sailing through the air. Her face hurt. A lot.
"What the hay..." she mumbled as she walked out of the hole. The red changeling stared at her, seemingly just as confused as her. Did he do it? How?
"Who are you?!" she asked.
"Me am Red Shell! Me am no friend!" he shouted, snapping out of his confusion. "Me kill pony! Me get revenge for queen!"
"Not if Ah' can help it!" Superfilly charged. The two fighters crashed into each other, exchanging blows and kicks. Red Shell had the advantage of size, but Superfilly was more experienced. It didn't take long before she managed to buck him straight in the face, sending him flying through the sky.
"Me...no like..." he grumbled as he sailed through the town. Meanwhile, Superfilly continued her fight with the changelings. Those beams werent very strong against her, but they did hurt. Ever held a hot plate? Thats how hot they were.
"Stop...firing..." she dodged a laser from the sky. "..those dang lasers!"
Another laser shot, not green, but purple, hitting one of the changelings straight on the chest. The invaders stared how their comrade fell to the ground, completely singed.
"Superfilly! We are here to help!" Twilight proclaimed. Behind her where all of her friends, with the exception of Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
"Whoa nelly, those bugs are back!" Applejack shouted.
"A true gentlepony knows when to admit defeat." Rarity said.
"Who cares!? They're gonna be gone now!" Dash smashed her hooves together. Indeed, as soon as she finished her staement, the changelings charged at them, only to be met with the strength of the elements of harmony! Twilight was about to fire again when the local hero stopped her.
"Twilight! We got a problem!" she said. "There's red changeling thats got super strength!"
"Super strenght?" Twilight asked. That was the las thing she managed to say before Superfilly pushed out if the way of the large fire that shot their way.
"What the hay was that?!" Applejack yelled as she finished hogtying one of the monsters.
Superfilly immediately rose to the challenge. Red Shell had returned, looking a lot different than before. His wings were gone, and he had shrunk a little, both in size and horn length. His eyes, pure blue, now had red irises in them.
"Me Red Shell!" he proclaimed. "Me angry!"
"Red Shell? What kind of unoriginal name is that?" Dash said.
Red Shell took a deep breath before unleashing a torrent of fire. Superfilly countered immediately with her own, icy breath. The two powers collided, mixing and canceling each other out. Steamy water laid on the ground between the two enemies. Twilight quickly put two and two together.
"Superfilly! I think I know whats going on!" Twilight launched a beam towards an incoming changeling. "His changeling nature must have reacted when you touched him!"
"Whats that supposed to mean?!" Superfilly shouted as she dodged a blow from Red Shell.
"Its your powers!" Twilight shouted back. "He has an inverse set of your powers!"