Cutie Mark Crusaders Conundrum
Chapter One:
Kicking Rocks
"One more try! We have to try one more time!" the leaves that surrounded the Cutie Mark Crusaders' treetop headquarters stuttered.
"But we've already tried fourteen times already," both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo groaned from their backs.
"Well…," Apple Bloom rolled her eyes in thought, "Maybe the fifteenth time is a charm."
"Let's face it Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle sighed as she rolled onto her belly, "We're not going to get our Cutie Marks in 'turning in as many circles as possible'."
"Yeah," Scootaloo managed to get her world to stop spinning, "Maybe we should try something else," she tried to stand up but fell right on to her back, "Or maybe we could take a break?"
"Fine," Apple Bloom sighed, "Let's take a five minute break and meet back here."
"Ok," they both agreed, "We'll stay here," their world was still a little wobbly.
"Fine," Apple Bloom pushed opened the door.
The day wasn't just going right. The Cutie Crusaders had been trying all day with everything they could think of to get their Cutie Marks. Today's activities were all about spinning. They tried spinning tops, but the only wobbled back and forth. They tried to spinning plates, but Granny Smith didn't appreciate them using her great grandmother's good china. They tried spinning yarn, but they ended up spinning their manes and tails. They even tried to spin tales, but all their stories sounded like others they had heard before. Their latest attempt had felt them dizzy on the floor. Maybe there were no Cutie Marks to be earned by spinning.
Everything that they were trying lately ended the same; blank flanks and no Cutie Marks. Yesterday ended in failure. The day before was the same. Every day they tried and still couldn't find what made them special. Every pony was supposed to have something about them that no other pony had. There was just that one special thing that would tell a pony what they were supposed to be or do. That's what any pony ever wants… to know what their place was.
"Every pony else in our class has one," Apple Bloom sighed as she dragged her hooves along the wooden planks, "I don't understand why we can't find ours. They just woke up one day and there it was… Right on their behind," she snorted loudly, "but we work every day trying all sorts of things to get ours and what do we get… nothing," she hung her head, "Why can't we find our one special talent and get our Cutie Marks?"
What talent could be so hidden? They've tried everything their minds could think of. Well, everything that their families would let them. Even Apple Bloom had to admit that jumping off a cliff with homemade parachutes was not their wisest Cutie Mark attempt.
"Thank goodness that Rainbow Dash was there," she snorted as she kick some stones in the path.
They skipped out ahead of her and bounced about until they came to a rest in the dirt.
"Aha," an idea came to her.
Every stone she could find, she started to kick and toss about. Pebbles and stone went flying through the air along with a layer of dust. She only stopped when the air was so thick that she started to cough and sneeze. The dust settled and she could see again. Looking around at her handy work, she admired the stone free path. Filed with hope, Apple Bloom turned to her behind. There was something there.
"YYYEEEESSSSSSS! I did it! I did it!" she exclaimed loudly, "I finally got my Cutie Mark!"
Looking one more time, she tried to see what it was.
"What's going on?" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came running down the path.
"I did it!" Apple Bloom showed them her flank, "I got my Cutie Mark for… umm… umm," she tried to determine what it was.
"Probably for making a big mess," Scootaloo was looking more at the surrounding area.
"Huh?" she took a look for herself.
The stones may have been cleared from the path, but they were now scattered all over. They were stuck in bushes and up in trees. Small branches and leaves were knocked off from the flying projectiles.
"Squeak! Squeak!" a squirrel poked its head out from the tree.
"Chirp!" an anger bird squawked down at them.
"Um… Apple Bloom…," Sweetie Belle started to say.
"What are you chirping about?" Scootaloo called up to the bird.
"Um… Apple Bloom…," Sweetie Belle tried again.
"Scootaloo," Apple Bloom prodded her, "I think we should go."
"Why?" Scootaloo stomped her hoof in the ground, "He started it!"
"I think Apple Bloom might be right," Sweetie Belle started to slink away.
"Why?" she turned back to the still chirping bird, "Oohhh," she folded back her eyes as she noticed all the growing flock of songbirds.
"What should we do?" Sweetie Belle whispered to Apple Bloom as they started to back away.
Apple Bloom took in a deep breath, "RRRUUUNNNN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
With a quick twist, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran as fast as their hooves could carry them. The sounds of anger birds and chattering rodents started to fade. But they had to be sure that they weren't being pursued.
"I think…," Apple Bloom looked back, "that it's… safe…."
CRASH! BAM! BOOM!
"Ouch," there was a collective yelp of pain.
"My goodness," a gentle voice came above them, "Are you three alright?"
"Uh huh," Apple Bloom rubbed her head.
"Seems alright," Scootaloo stretched her wings.
"I think so," Sweetie Belle shook her head, "Ohh," she looked up at the pony that stood over head, "Girls," she whispered, "Rarity told me not the talk to strangers!"
"My sister told me the same thing," Apple Bloom shot up.
"Well Rainbow Dash didn't say anything about… hmm… hmm," Sweetie Belle quickly pulled Scootaloo away.
"Stranger?" the dark maned pony looked confused, "How can we be strangers when we've been friends for so long?"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle quickly turned their backs to the stranger and didn't speak a word. Scootaloo looked to the strange pony, then followed her fellow Crusaders' lead. The clippity-clops of the stranger's hooves came up right behind them. They tried their best to ignore her, but they could feel her big eyed stare.
"Now that's no way to treat an old friend," the pony clicked her tongue.
"We ain't never seen you before," Apple Bloom refused to turn around.
"Oh come on now Apple Bloom… Sweetie Belle… and Scootaloo," her sweet voice called them each by name, "I've known you since you were little… I admit," She sounded a little sad, "That I haven't visited as often as I would like, but I'm here now and happy to see each and every one of you."
"Really?" Sweetie Belle turned around excitedly.
"Sweetie Belle," Apple nudged her.
"But she called us by name," she frowned, "She can't be a stranger if she knows our names."
"She's probably been spying on us," Scootaloo accused, "She overheard us talking. That's all."
"Yeah," Apple Bloom agreed, "She's been snooping around like a no good, sneaky pony."
"Would a spying, snooping pony know that… umm… well yes… a spying pony would know that… hmm…," the stranger sat down and thought, "A spying pony would know a lot of things."
This time they all turned around to take a look at the stranger.
She was a tall, slender Unicorn with rosy colored eyes. The base of her mane was as dark night, but faded into a creamy grey. Her body was white, but like her mane, down her legs darkened until they turned completely black at her hooves. On her back she wore a worn saddle bag with many patches of mismatched leather and stitched over holes. A grey blanket covered most of back side.
"Oh oh oh! I know," she suddenly exclaimed, "Would a no good spying pony know that your sister," she pointed to Apple Bloom, "is one of the most honest ponies in Ponyville and she does occasionally falls asleep while working? She does work awful hard though," she added, "And how about your sister, Rarity?" she turned to Sweetie Belle, "She's very generous to those around her, even willing to give of herself and," she bent in close to the little fillies, "she wears false eyelashes, but don't tell her that I knew that," she giggled.
The girls couldn't help but giggle along.
"Well what about me?" Scootaloo stepped forward, "I don't have…"
"A sister," the tall Unicorn smiled, "but you do have Rainbow Dash. The one and only Pegasus to perform a Sonic Rainboom… twice I might add," she gave a wink, "and she's loyal to boot. She may not be your actually big sister, but she's going to be the closest and greatest one you'll ever have."
They just stared up at her as she continued to smile down at them.
"Wow!" Scootaloo hovered a foot off the ground, "You really do know us!"
"But," Sweetie Belle looked to Apple Bloom, "I don't remember meeting you…"
"Yeah," she had to agree, "We don't even know your name."
The Unicom giggled, "That's fine. I'm one of those ponies that come and go like the wind. I'm remembered when I here, but soon forgotten when I'm gone."
"That's kind of sad," Apple Bloom looked up at her.
"Not really," she shook her head, "I know every pony across Equestria, so there's always some pony that remembers me," she stood up and walk passed the three Crusaders.
"Ah, I wouldn't go that," Apple Bloom warned.
"Why ever so not?" the Unicorn seemed puzzle.
"There are a lot of anger critters that way," Sweetie Belle explained, "I'm not sure why they were mad, but they didn't like something."
"Yeah. I wonder what got them in such a bad mood," Scootaloo looked to Apple Bloom.
"Um… well," she bit her lip, "Hey look…," she changed the subject really quick, "I got a Cutie Mark… for something rock kicking related…," she swung her rear flank around to show everyone.
"Umm… Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle brushed off Apple Bloom's flank, "That's just a smug."
"Aww," Apple Bloom let out a disappointed sigh.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle couldn't help but share in her saddened sigh.
"I see what's going on here," the Unicorn smiled, "You three are trying to… Huh?" the angry Robin from before landed on her horn, "How's it going Mr. Robin?"
It started tweeting and chirping at her in an angry tone. She listened patiently as it said its peace. The girls just looked back and forth as the one sided conversation continued.
"I'm sure that she didn't mean too," the Unicorn finally was able to speak, "And I'm sure that she's very sorry and wouldn't have done it if she knew that your nest was up there."
"Huh?" Apple Bloom cocked her head.
"Oh… I'm sorry," the Unicorn apologized, "But when you were kicking rocks, you accidently knocked Mr. Robin's nest out of the tree and knocked some squirrel's nuts out of his home and scared a baby bunny when one of the rocks landed in his hole."
"I did all that?" Apple Bloom looked down to her still dusty hooves, "I… I didn't mean too… I'm sorry…"
"See she's sorry and I'm sure that she will make things right," the Unicorn winked to her.
"Oh… yessum… I sure will," she nodded her head.
"We'll help too," both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle quickly volunteered.
"Don't you worry Mr. Robin, everything will be back to normal before you know it," the Unicorn started down the path, "Come on my little fillies; we have some work to do."
"Yes Miss… Miss… Ahh… We didn't catch your name," Sweetie Belle came up next to her.
"Oh yes… I know yours," it slipped her mind, "but you've forgotten mine. I'm Trinity DeMane, but my friends call me Trinny."
The name wasn't familiar to them. They were sure that they had never meet a mare by the name of Trinity DeMane. Surely they would remember a pony of such presence. She stood taller than most ponies, save for Big Mac. Her voice was like a gentle spring breeze the refreshed the heart when it filled their ears. She seemed so different from any other pony they had meet and it just wasn't the fact that she multi-colored. Though she was a stranger to their eyes, she knew them and therefore, that had to know her.
It seems like such a shame that a pony like her is so easily forgotten, Apple Bloom couldn't help but think.