It was a peaceful morning in Sweet Apple Acres when the rooster let out its morning call to greet the rising sun. The great yellow orb peaked over the mountain tops and began to spread its magnificent light across the land. Bathing the trees with refreshing rays and waking the animals from a calm night of sleep. Bright sunlight filtered through the curtains of Applebloom's bedroom window, filling the little green room with warmth and sunshine. It reached into the fourposter bed and spread over a sleeping red-maned, yellow filly who was still curled up under her plush blankets.

A knock on her bedroom door caused Applebloom to let out a snort and crack one eye open to glare at it, "What?" she called out groggily with a sleep-heavy voice.

"Rise n' shine, sleepyhead!" It was good ol' Granny Smith, always the vigilant wake-up-caller of the household. The old mare had more pep in her then most of the fillies in Applebloom's entire class put together, much to even her own amazement, particularly first thing in the morning.

"Come along now, up up up! Ya sleep in anymore, an' ya'll be late for school!" called out Granny in her crackling voice.

"Comin', Granny!" Applebloom managed to blurt out as she tumbled out of bed.

Applebloom went out into the hall dragging her hooves along. She let out a huge yawn just as her elder sister pranced passed her heading for the stairs.

"G'mornin', Sugarcube. sleep well?" asked Applejack cheerfully.

Applebloom simply mumbled back something incoherent and made her way to the bathroom to try and wash the sleepies out of her eyes. She jiggled the door handle to find it locked.

"Aw, come onnnnnnn!" Applebloom groaned. "Big Mac, are ya in there?"

"Eeee-yup!" came the voice of her big brother.

"Are ya gonna take long?" she asked hopefully.

"Eeee-yup!" came the reply again.

"URGH!" Applebloom promptly kicked the rug in agitation and turned towards the stairs to make her way down to the kitchen.

The enticing aroma of cooking pancake batter mixed with fresh-picked fruit filled her nostrils, and it was all she needed to feel less grumpy. If there was one thing she loved about mornings in Sweet Apple Acres, it was Granny's Special Fruity Flapjacks.

"Well, there she is, an' jus' in time, too." said Granny Smith standing by the stove and flipping pancakes onto a plate. Applejack was already at the breakfast table pouring some milk for everypony.

"Looks like somepony forgot t' brush their mane this mornin'." Applejack noted out loud as her little sister climbed into a chair. Applebloom checked her reflection in a spoon to find that her red mane had the worst case of bed-head, ever.

"S'not mah fault that Big Mac's hoggin' the bathroom," she pouted, "I'll jus' fix it after breakfast."

Applejack nodded and passed her a glass of milk just as Granny Smith brought over a huge pile of pancakes that threatened to teeter right off the plate she was holding in her mouth. The plate landed with a heavy thump on the center of the table, causing the tableware to jingle a bit.

"Oh, boy!" Applebloom exclaimed happily. She grabbed a short stack of them onto her plate and quickly helped herself to the syrup. Applejack did likewise, but with a little less speed since she had to wait for her sister to pass the syrup bottle after practically emptying half of it. Granny Smith climbed onto her stool and smiled serenely as she placed a single pancake onto her plate and just gave it a light dusting of sugar.

"Bees'r ferfect!" Applebloom exclaimed over a happy mouthful of the syrupy pastry.

"As always," agreed Applejack, "best flapjacks this side of anywhere."

"Awe, thank ya, m'dears. Ah jus' wish Big Mac gets t' enjoy 'em fresh off the pan fer once," said Granny before looking towards the stairs, "an' speakin' of which, HEY, MACINTOSH!" she shouted up for him, "GET YER TAIL DOWN TO BREAKFAST BEFORE YER SISTERS EAT IT ALL! ON THE DOUBLE!"

A rumbling sound that reminded the mares of a small landslide of logs came clamoring down the stairs as the heavily muscled, large, red stallion landed his great wide hooves on the wooden planks. Applebloom sometimes imagined that some day those poor stairs are going to finally give under her brother's great bulk of horsepower. She made a mental note to stack some hey or pillows in the seller underneath, just in case it ever does happen.

"Goooood Mornin'," said Big Mac cheerfully as he took a seat at the table.

"Coffee?" offered Applejack.

"Eeee-yup."

Halfway through pouring a cup, a huge crash rammed into the kitchen's door to the back yard, causing everypony to jump and create a bit of a mess as almost everything leaped off the table and plopped back down.

"Mail's here!" Applebloom reported as she popped off her chair and went to the door.

She opened the door to find Poinyville's grey coated post-mare shaking some leafs out of her yellow mane and looking a bit cross-eyed with dizziness from the crash. "Woops, over flew it again." she said while trying to find where her hat had gone.

"In the flowerbed," pointed Applebloom, spotting the lost item.

"Oh, thank you." Derpy shook the dust off her hat before placing it expertly back on her head, "Anyway, good morning everypony! Got some mail for you today!"

"Care for some flapjacks, Miss Hooves?" offered Applejack while Derpy rummaged through her saddlebags.

"No thanks, AJ. Had a big breakfast at home."

"Any mail for me?" piped up Applebloom as Derpy finally pulled out a small wad of letters and a rolled up newspaper.

"Actually, I think there is..." Derpy replied handing the lot to Applejack, "something from Man-a-hating..."

"You mean Manehatten?"

"Yeah, that's it! Welp, hate to dash, but duty calls!" Derpy tipped her hat and cantered towards the door. She extended her wings to get ready for immediate take off. "Bye everypony!"

No sooner did the post-mare fly out of the door then Applebloom was bouncing at Applejack's knee begging for her letter. "Where is it? come on! gimme gimme gimme!" she bounced impatiently.

"Hold yer apples, Sugarcube, I need t' find it first!" she finally found it somewhere in the middle and handed it to her bouncy sister, "Here."

"It's from cousin Babs!" exclaimed Applebloom as she tore open her letter and started reading it in the center of the floor.

"You don't say." smiled Applejack taking a sip of her milk and unrolling the newspaper.

There was a moment of silence while the Apple family continued there breakfast with Applebloom reading her letter. Then the little filly suddenly exploded in an earsplitting squeal.

"OH MAH GOSH! ohmahgosh-ohmahgosh-ohmahgosh!" Applebloom was practically running in circles from excitement and waving her letter about, "I gotta show this t' the girls A-sap!"

"Whoa, hold on there, little missy. ain't ya fergettin' somethin'?" asked Granny Smith before her granddaughter ran out the door.

The little filly skidded to a halt right in the door frame, "What?" she asked in confusion.

Applejack held out a spoon to her to remind Applebloom of her previous reflection, "your mane?"

"OH! oh, yeah, right... mane! teeth! school bag!" Applebloom recited as she dashed up the stairs and galloped for the bathroom.

"Now what in tarnation do ya think that was all about?" asked Granny Smith, "I haven't seen her this excited since the Apple Family Reunion."

Applejack shrugged and turned another page in the newspaper. A brightly colored add-in fell out from its wedge between the papers and landed on her lap. Applejack picked it up and gave it a look-over before smiling and placing it on the table for all to see.

"Bet ya two bits it'll have somethin' t' do with this."

"Eee-yup."

* * * * *

With her mane neatly brushed and tied up with a hair ribbon, and her school saddlebag bouncing securely on her flank, Applebloom made her way down the path that lead to Miss Cheerilee's schoolhouse at a brisk canter. She couldn't wait to see her best friends and share with them her cousin's letter. Just thinking about it gave her hooves an extra skip and a little more speed.

The sound of noisy young foals soon filled the air. Fillies and colts from all over Ponyville were collecting in the yard outside the schoolhouse. Chatter, laughter and general horsing about was taking over the area as more students collected. Miss Cheerilee, the dark-rose coated mare with the bouncy pink mane and ever patient smile, was standing in the door frame of the schoolhouse, watching over the foals. She greeted her students with a cheerful voice that made her seem more like a mother than a teacher. Which was probably why she was so well liked by all her students.

"Good morning, Applebloom," Miss Cheerilee said as the yellow filly reached the front steps.

"G'mornin', Miss Cheerilee. Say, Have ya seen Sweetie Bell or Scootaloo?"

"I believe they are already in the classroom."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Applebloom pranced right by and went to the classroom to find her best friends hanging out at the very back. Sweetie Bell, the gentle white coated unicorn with the tow-toned mane that resembled pink and purple cotton-candy, was hooking her school saddlebag on the back of her chair. She was also talking animatedly with Scootaloo, the outspoken orange coated pegasus with the hot-pink mane that was always ruffled and unkempt. The pegasus was leaning on her folded scooter, which would soon take its rightful place under her chair before class started.

Applebloom beamed with joy at finally seeing her friends.

"Girls!" she called out, skipping over to join them.

"Hey, Applebloom, what's up?" Scootaloo greeted.

"wait'll ya hear what ah just got in the mail!" Applebloom reported while hooking her own school saddlebag on her chair.

"Oh, oh, is it from Babs?" Sweetie Bell asked.

"How'd ya guess?" Applebloom paused in the middle of digging in her bag for the letter.

"Duh, who else is gonna send you anything?" Scootaloo said with a roll of her eyes, "She's, like, the only pony not from Ponyville you know."

"Not true," Applebloom said, "why, ah know plenty of other ponies! Or did ya forget about mah family reunion not too long ago?"

"Anypony send you anything since then?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well... no," Applebloom had to admit, "But that don't mean they ain't gonna send somethin' in the future."

Scootaloo just shrugged, "If you say so."

"So what did Babs send?" Sweetie Bell chimed in to keep the peace. She was also extremely curious now.

"Oh, right!" Applebloom quickly pulled out the letter. But before she even had a chance to unfold it, the school bell rang.

"Alright everypony, take your seats, please." Miss Cheerilee called out to the foals.

"Awe, come onnnnn!" groaned Applebloom, "this is totally unfair!"

"Don't worry, AB. You can tell us at recess," Sweetie Bell said while getting into her seat.

"Yeah, no biggie," Scootaloo agreed. She slid her folded scooter under her own seat before climbing into it and pulling her notebook out. "Not like your letter is going anywhere, right?"

"Yeah, right." Applebloom said with a small pout as she climbed into her seat.

The other foals made a huge hussle and bussle as everypony went about the classroom getting to their proper places. Miss Cheerilee stood by her desk making sure all heads were accounted for. When they were all finally in place, and the noise was all but silenced, Miss Cheerilee gave a motherly smile to her students and began doing what she did best.

"Alright, everypony, today we'll be covering the basics of..." A small, light-periwinkle hoof was raised, demanding the teacher's attention, "Yes, Dinky?"

The little yellow maned unicorn stood up to be heard. "Miss Cheerilee, before we start the lesson, is it alright if I pass these out to everypony?" she held out a stack of brightly colored paper. "My mama asked me to hand them out."

"Of course you can, Dinky."

"Thank you, ma'am!"

Dinky's horn began to glow with a faint, yellow aura. The stack of paper caught the glow and floated up over the classroom, then began to deal a sheet of paper to each of the ponies just like a deck of cards. Everypony who received a sheet was quickly chattering with their neighboring classmate in rushed excitement. When a sheet finally floated down to each of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applebloom's jaw dropped.

"No way! That's it!" she exclaimed with a voice that was both surprised and annoyed.

"What's it?" her best friends asked in unison.

"This!" Applebloom held out the printed paper to them. In colorful texts that overlapped a collection of brightly colored scenes of various acrobatics and animal stunts, stood the words Circque de la Luna. "This is what Babs wrote to me about!"

* * * * *

Dear cousin and friends:

I just came home from one of the best shows I've ever seen! There ain't no doubt in my mind that any act in all of Equestria can be anywhere near this level of cool!

It's called "Cirque de la Luna"... My sister says it's some fancy talk that means "Circus of the Moon" or something, but who cares why they named it something in a weird way instead of plain old Equestrian? I don't, to be perfectly honest.

But the real cool part is the acts! This circus has got it all! You just name it! Jugglers, acrobats, tamers, dancers, musicians. Heck, there's even an act with a real, live manticore. Can you Believe that? a manticore!

Now, I don't want to spoil nothing, cause I heard that the circus is planning to make a stop at Ponyville on its way to Canterlot. So that means you guys might get to see it!

You guys are in for a great show! Let me know when you get to see it, alright? I can't wait to hear what you all think of it!

Oh, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders of the Manehatten branch say hi! We should really think about having you guys come over for a visit so we can have a huge CMC party or something.

Best wishes,

Babs <3

Applebloom finished reading her letter out-loud to her friends. It was recess, and they were all hanging out by the swings behind the schoolhouse. All the students were scattered about, either in groups having their school lunches or otherwise running around playing games with one another.

Applebloom was sitting in the center one of the three swings, Sweetie Bell was swinging slowly in the one on her right, while Scootaloo was lounging in her swing with her belly on the rubber seat and her hooves crossed in front of her.

"Wow, she made it sound twenty percent more awesome than the poster does!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

"Ah know! An' they're comin' to Ponyville soon, so that means we'll get to see it, too." Applebloom said, "Can ya imagine seein' all those things?" She asked with a wistful sigh. "The lights, the music."

"The amazing performers." Sweetie Bell chimed.

"The dangerous stunts," Scootaloo added.

"The exotic animals." Applebloom continued.

"The glamorous costumes." Sweetie Bell Sighed.

With each thing they listed their eyes got bigger and rounder, seeing the very things they longed for floating before them in colorful apparitions. Their imagination got so carried away with them, that it didn't take long before they were all imagining themselves as part of the actual circus.

"That's it! Why didn't we think of this before?" Scootaloo asked, her little wings buzzing in excitement with the revelation.

"Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?" Sweetie Bell asked knowingly.

"If it's anythin' like what ah'm thinkin'. Then ah think we just thunk up our next best idea ever!" Applebloom said with a cunning grin.

"Yeah!"

"Totally!"

With an excited hop from the swings, all three fillies raised their hooves and bumped them together while yelling in unison in their traditional Crusader's chant.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Circus Performers!"

Author's Note

now with images! enjoy!

***please do not re-post my drawings without permission, thank you.***