It was a normal day in Ponyville, well as normal as it could be anyway, three small fillies are seen leaving the Whitetail Woods, covered in tree-sap (again) these fillies were known as The Cutie Mark Crusaders, or the destroyers of Ponyville, the latter not known to them. Their names were Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo.
"Ugh, why do we always get covered in this stuff!" Scootaloo complained.
"Ah don't know, ah just wish it would stop" Apple Bloom answered.
"Guys? Little help?" sweetie Belle pleaded, she seemed to have gotten her hoof stuck to her mane trying to remove a twig.
"Ah guess is safe to say that Cutie Mark Crusader Tree Climbers is a bust?" Apple Bloom quipped.
They all checked their flanks, only to find them blank, as it always seemed to happen, much to the disdain of the trio.
"Yup!" said Scootaloo answered, slightly agitated "how many different things have we tried?"
"Today or altogether?" Questioned Sweetie Belle.
"Today" Scootaloo added, strangely amused at the situation. The fact sweetie was asking this obviously meant she was keeping track.
"Hmm, ten I believe" Sweetie Belle answered, sighing.
"An' altogether?" Apple Bloom pondered, genuinely curious.
"Um, about one thousand, three hundred and sixty six" Sweetie Belle revealed.
"You kept count?" questioned Scootaloo, surprised.
"Well, yeah" replied Sweetie Belle "I wanted to keep track to tell future members of our adventures" she added.
"Ah guess that makes sense," said Apple Bloom.
They looked off toward the horizon to see that the sun had begun its descent, and that Luna's moon would soon come out of its hiding place on the other side. Personally, Scootaloo loved this part of the day, and hated it in a sense.
She loved it because the sky would shine the same color as her coat, she was sure that if she could fly up there she would be camouflaged and the only way she would be visible is because of her mane.
But she also loathed this time of day, because she would yet again be reminded that her friends would be returning to their warm homes, while she returned to her small enclave hidden near the edge of the everfree.
"Well guys" she said "we best be heading home, it's getting late" she added pointing to the sky.
"Aww" the other two groaned.
"Don't worry guys tomorrows the weekend, we can crusade as long as we want, no problem right?" Scootaloo said, with a slight chuckle.
"Sorry Scoots ah can't" Apple Bloom said dejected "Mah family needs me to help with the apple-buckin' this weekend."
"And Rarity wants me to help her run the store tomorrow," Sweetie Belle added, "I'm free on Sunday though."
"Oh" was all Scootaloo could say.
"Hey, ah got an idea!" Apple Bloom suddenly said, "Couldn't you ask Rainbow dash to help ya with your flyin'" she added "how's that coming anyway?"
"Ugh, not too well, I still can't get much more than half a hoof off the ground." Scootaloo stated.
"Well, then ya should ask! That would give Diamond tiara one less thing to get on your nerves with, oh, ah would love tah see her face when she sees ya showing off yer moves, cos ah reckon if you're as good in the skies as ya are on yer scooter, you're a shoo'in for dem Wonderbolts for sure!" Apple Bloom praised, gleaming at her currently flightless friend.
"Yeah!"-exclaimed Sweetie Belle, still balancing on three legs.
"Whoops! Sorry Sweetie forgot you were still in a sticky situation," Scootaloo said, holding her sides "And thanks you guys," she said blushing.
"Think nothin' of it Scoots, ah hate seeing you guys down," Apple Bloom said, hugging her friend, causing her to squirm.
"Erm, too close for comfort, AB," Scootaloo complained, slightly uneasy.
"Well let's get washed up and head home," Sweetie Belle added.
The trio quickly went their separate ways, when Scootaloo was sure no one was around to see she quickly scampered off into the Everfree forest. After she was about 20 feet in, she saw the small entrance into her cave. Parting the overgrown vines, she stepped inside.
"I'm home!" she called to no-one in particular. walking down her 'hallway', as she called it, the cave opened out into a large underground reservoir. a small pool in the center coming from a small waterfall that originated from a hole in the cave wall, said hole currently held a makeshift grate to keep any dangerous creatures from entering her 'sanctuary'. The small pool was surrounded by a large area of greenery and a small makeshift hammock. she was glad she had this place but it got very lonely very often.
"Well, I best eat," she said opening her makeshift trunk, thankful she was attentive in shop class, still, her skills could not live up to Apple Bloom's, but it was enough to make do. She found the fruits of her labors, figuratively, of course, as the trunk was full of different pastries. "I still can't believe the Cakes let me do deliveries for them," she said aloud, thinking back as her own voice echoed through her mind, "my mom said if I want pocket money I'd need to earn it." She felt bad for lying, but I was that or steal, and the cakes gave her more than enough, which was cool with her, as she needed food and school supplies.
She ate four cupcakes and two oranges, then walked over to her hammock and nestled down on her sheets of soft grass and pillow of hay. Gradually she began to fall asleep dreaming of flying her wings twitching erratically in her sleep, but she became aware that there was a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, was it nervousness? No, she didn't have anything to be nervous about. It didn't feel like anything she had felt before, and yet, it felt somehow familiar, like a strange itch inside her stomach, as if something is trying to make itself known, but that could wait until tomorrow, she was tired.