A/N: Thank you for all the feedback everyone! I sincerely appreciate it!
Update on my Fanart on my Profile: Yes, I know that none of the links are working, FF.N is messed up because no one's outside links have been working for a while now I've noticed. Now, you can find my personal art on my DA ( .com ). Feel free to comment, I would sincerely appreciate any feedback on them!
Thank you to everyone who sent in OC applications, they will be reviewed and looked over carefully and applied as needed, I appreciate it ^-^
As for the Sombra/Clover pairing, if nothing else, it will be one-sided.
Here's a super cute chapter from Zebs POV to make up for the last two darkish chapters~!
Q&A at the bottom!
Stay classy, readers!
Chapter Eleven
Cutie Patootie
Zeb was excited and nervous at the same time. He'd been doing so well in Foal-Care, that the main Foal-Sitter, Mrs. Tulip, talked to his Mama and now he was starting Kindergarten early!
"You have your lunch?" Clover asked him, brushing his mane gently.
"Yes, sistah," he replied immediately, glancing down into his dark green saddlebag.
"And your notebook and pencils?"
"Yes, sistah."
"Mistah Flop?" Zeb grinned brightly; his sister had the prettiest voice in all of Equestria when she talked like their Papa.
"Yes, sistah! Ah be havin' all of dat!" He assured her, bouncing on his hooves a little as she tiied off his top-knot; Clover laughed at him, and Zeb admired her pretty mane as she gave it a quick brush. In the morning light through the window, the white almost looked like silver!
"Alright, alright!" She laughed, leaning down and nuzzling her muzzle against his, making the young colt giggle happily. He had been a little sad when his Papa and Mama hadn't been able to see him off to Kindergarten, since Mama was at the hospital because his new little brother or sister would be coming sometime today, and the doctors wanted her close at hand, just in case. But that was okay, because Clover had gotten special permission to stay home for the next few weeks, to help out so, unless there was a super big important Princess emergency, she would get to spend a lot of time just with him! Well, when she wasn't working at the Soup&Rye like Mama usually did.
"Come on, Zeb," Clover announced, making Zeb jump a little and quickly grab up his bags. Giggling, Clover put them on his back properly and lead the way out of the house. "Now, I won't get off work until a good hour after you finish class," she informed him seriously. "During that time, you can come to the Soup&Rye and help out, as you're always welcome there, or you can play with friends at the park and I'll come and get you. Do not leave Ponyville, Zeb. Not even to come home. Not without me, okay?"
"Yes, sistah," he agreed; it wasn't like it would be a hassle for him, he hardly ever got to play around in Ponyville by himself! Outside, the three new Guards were waiting, saluting smartly and Zeb was always enthralled when he saw them in their armor. They were just so cool! And sometimes they would even play with him!
"If I'm going to be later than I thought, I'll send somepony to get you, either Martial Law," his sister pointed her hoof at the Earth Pony Guard, an older Stallion with pale red coat, gray mane and tail, and blue eyes, "Summer Sun," she pointed at the yellow Pegasus Mare with her pink-and-red mane and green eyes and freckles, she was really pretty... "or Light Dancer." The last Guard she pointed at was a thin, tall Unicorn with a pale blue coat, white-and-lavender-and-yellow mane, and blue eyes, who winked at him when he looked at her, instinctively making Zeb hide his face behind his sisters foreleg.
"Okay, sistah," he muttered, trotting along beside her as she guided him away from their cottage and towards the school house in town. Summer Sun took flight, gliding high above them on alert, while Martial Law stayed close and Light Dancer gracefully sauntered behind them, all their eyes on alert. Sometimes, they made Zeb nervous just being around, as if they expected an attack at any moment.
It was nerve-wracking, to say the least.
"Don't be worryin', Sugahcube," Clover reassured him kindly, her accent sweet and warm and relaxing Zeb just like when Papa would tell him stories about the stars at night.
"Ah not be worried, sistah!" He announced, making himself trot forward with his nose in the air proudly. "Ah is bein' a big foal now! Ah don't be gettin' scahed of anyting like dose babeh foals! Ahm a big brodah today!" looking over his shoulder, he grinned up at his sister, who was grinnign right back, her wings flicking up and out a little in happy amusement, and Zeb wondered if she realized exactly how often she talked with those.
"Good," Clover declared, using her partially-flared wings to hop-glide forward and landing in a pounce besides him, nudging his cheek with her muzzle and making him giggle again. "That's exactly the sort of attitude a big brother needs! Come on, sweetling," she urged affectionately, straighening up once more, only, with a flare of her horn, she had him up in the air and on her back, making him laugh happily. "Lets get moving or you'll be late for your very first day!" Zeb squealed with delight as she took off running, her Guards staying close by as she zoomed through down the path to town, flaring her wings at the top of the hill so that, when they overshot, they ended up gliding nearly all the way to the school house doors, ponies calling out greetings cheerfully as she waved.
There was a smiling Mare waiting for them, a dark magenta-coated Earth Pony with dual-pink mane and kind-looking pale green eyes. A trio of smiling daisy's were on her flank. Zeb felt himself stumble a bit when Clover put him on the ground, his legs trembling a bit as his ears pinned back, eyes going wide as he looked up at what had to be his new teacher, Miss Cheerilee.
"Hello there, Princess Clover Breeze," the teacher greeted warmly, ducking into a bow, which Clover simply nodded to, smiling down at Zeb as she nudged the froze colt forward a bit. "And hello, Zeb!" the teacher continued, turning her bow into a kneel with a surprising amount of grace, she that she was face-to-face with the small foal, smiling as Zeb seemed to shrink a bit.
"Hi," he managed to squeak, wishing desperately that he was back at Foal-Care, where the worse he had to deal with was being forced into a naptime he didn't want and the snack-ponies running out of cookies before he got there.
"Are you ready for your first big day?" Cheerilee asked him brightly; Zeb hesitated, glancing uncertainly over at his sister, before nodding weakly at the teacher. "It's okay to be a little nervous, sugarcube," she told him kindly, placing a gentle hoof on his head. "We're all nervous on our first day of Kindergarten." Zeb seriously doubted that, and sent a telling look at his sister. She wasn't scared of anything! He had the bravest, smartest, most amazing big sister in the world and he knew that she hadn't been nervous about Kindergarten!
"It's okay, Zeb," Clover told him, smiling gently, and Zeb sighed, his ears pinning back unhappily as he kicked a small pebble near his feet. "Will you at least try and make some friends today?" She asked him gently, sweetly, and Zeb slumped.
"Okay, sistah," he muttered, she cooed and leaned over to nuzzle him lovingly while Cheerilee got back to her hooves, smiling brightly at the two of them.
"If it helps any, my friend Applejack's little sister is going to be in your class!" She cajoled; Zeb just grumbled moodily, pouting.
"Let's go in, then," Cheerilee urged; Zeb hesitantly followed after the dark magenta-Mare, glancing back repeatedly until the schoolhouses doors closed with a distressingly firm thump, blocking his sister from his view,
He already couldn't wait for this day to be over, and it had only just begun!
~(Line Break)~
Zeb felt like he was going to cry or hide or something, as he stood, trembling, in front of the whole class of staring, curious older foals next to Cheerilee as she introduced him to them all.
"Everyone, this is Zeb," she told them warmly. "Today's his first day of Kindergarten, and I want you all to be extra nice to him, okay? He's a little nervous, so please, welcome him to the class!"
"Welcome, Zeb!" They chanted back at him, and Zeb swallowed heavily, twitching as Cheerilee placed a hoof on his shoulder, smiling down at him tenderly, and Zeb wanted to cry even more, because it was the same way his sister smiled at him but it wasn't her smile,.
He wanted his sister.
He wanted to go home.
"Why don't you sit on the other side of Diamond Tiara, right next to the window," she urged him, gesturing at the prettily primped little Earth Pony filly, with a light magenta coat, a lilac-and-white mane, and turquoise eyes. A tiara sat on her head that exactly matched her Cutie Mark, and she looked affronted.
"Why does he get the window seat?!" She complained, glaring at Zeb as he shuffled past her and hopped up into his assigned seat, nervously setting his bag directly beside him and making sure Mister Flop wasn't sticking out. "I want the window seat! I was here first!"
"You've had the window seat for the last week, Diamond Tiara," Cheerilee told her patiently. "Zeb is new and probably feeling a little homesick, so he gets the window seat for the week. That's enough," she added firmly, and Diamond Tiara huffed out a prim little noise of displeasure and slumped back, crossing her forelegs and sulking as she gave Zeb the stink-eye.
"Miss Cheerilee?" A filly on the other side of the room called, waving her hoof in the air. She had a gray coat with a dual silver mane and tail, and glasses perched on her nose over purple eyes.
"Yes, Silver Spoon?" the kind teacher answered; the filly waved her hoof towards Zeb, who sunk a little deeper in his chair, the attached desk hiding most of him from view.
"Why does he have stripes? Is it some kind of disease?!" The whole class gasped and there was a huge movement of ponies leaning away, and Zeb felt his eyes burn with tears.
"Don't be silleh, Silver Spoon!" Another Earth filly snapped, sitting up and frowning at the gray filly. Her coat was light yellow and her mane was a light crimson, with a large pink bow holding it all out of her face, tangerine eyes glaring scornfully at the other filly. "It's not uh disease! He's uh Zebra! They all got some kinda stripes!"
"Oh!" The class drew out, and Zeb let himself sit up a little to flash the kind filly a shy, thankful smile and getting a bright grin in reply.
"Very good, Apple Bloom!" Cheerilee exclaimed happily, nodding at her and making the filly bounce a little happily. "Zeb is, indeed, a Zebra. This means that his family is from the country of Zefrica, which is far away from here, and not even a part of Equestria!"
"Ooooh!" The class said together, and Zeb slowly found himself sitting up fully in his seat and listening attentively as Miss Cheerilee started a long but interesting lecture on the many different countries, from Zefrica to Saddle Arabia and everything, and Zeb was even able to answer a question about the Flightdom's of the Griffons!
At lunch, Zeb tried to find the nice filly, Apple Bloom, so he could eat with her, but she apparently ate lunch with her sister and brother on their way into town to sell apples, so, instead, he ate with a nice, if a little lisping, filly named Twist (Zeb really liked her super-curly red mane since it clashed so nicely with her purple glasses and pale pink eyes on her cream-colored coat.). After lunch, Zeb trotted happily back to his seat, pausing to hold the door open for Silver Spoon when it looked like it would close in her face after Diamond Tiara stalked primly past him with her nose in the air. The gray filly offered him a half-smile, before sticking her own nose in the air and walking to her own chair. Shrugging a littlle, Zeb hurried to his chair as the bell rang, perching there, wondering what they'd learn next.
All his classmates were still chattering happily when Miss Cheerilee walked to the front of the room.
"Let's quiet down please!" She called warmly. "We have a very important lesson to get to." Obediently, all the foals quieted and faced forward. "Thank you. Today we are going to be talking about Cutie Marks." As she flipped a page in the large notebook to show off a few of said marks drawn there, Zeb felt his ears flick forward in interest, even as Diamond Tiara sighed dramatically beside him.
"Bo-ring~!" she complained under her breath, rolling her eyes as she rested her chin on her hoof. Zeb refrained from shushing her, as his sister had always told him it was almost as rude as talking out of turn in the first place. Miss Cheerilee continued blithely onward.
"You can all see my Cutie Mark, can't you? Like all ponies, I wasn't born with a Cutie Mark. My flank was blank." Here, she flipped another page, showing off a baby-foal picture of herself, making several fillies in the class coo.
"Aww... She's so precious!" Twist murmured, a little too loudly, but Zeb could agree. His new sibling was going to be ten times as cute, though! He just knew it!
"Then one day, when I was about your age," Miss Cheerilee continued happily. "I woke up to find that a Cutie Mark had appeared." Cheerilee quickly used her pointer-stick to move the baby-foal photo, exposing a picture of the teacher as a young Mare dancing to some music, hair a crimped, staticky mess and braces on her teeth, as well as leg-warmers and bracelets and wild hair ornaments.
"Look at her hair!" Some foal hissed loudly, but Zeb didn't know who. The class giggled anyways, even Zeb, and Cheerilee smiled at them all.
"Yes I know, but honestly, that's how everypony was wearing their mane back then," she assured them without even a flicker of self-consciousness, gesturing at the picture, where her Cutie Marks could clearly be seen. "I had decided to become a teacher, and the flowers symbolized my hope that I could help my future students bloom if I nurture them with knowledge. The smiles represented the cheer I hope to bring to my little ponies while they were learning. Now, can anyone tell me when a pony gets his or her Cutie Mark?" Immediately, Twist's hoof was high in the air, waving back and forth excitedly.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" She exclaimed happily. "When she discovers that certain something that makes her special!"
"That's right, Twist," Miss Cheerilee said happily. "A Cutie Mark appears on a pony's flank when he or she finds that certain something that makes them different from every other pony. Discovering what makes you unique isn't something that happens overnight, and no amount of hoping, wishing, or begging, would make a Cutie Mark appear before its time." Zeb tried to pay attention. he really did, but Diamond Tiara just kept making psst sounds at Apple Bloom, trying to get her attention, and he couldn't help but look over.
As he watched, she held out a folded piece of paper towards Apple Bloom, and Silver Spoon was making 'over here' gestures. Uncertain, but not wanting to get anypony in trouble, Zeb stayed quiet as Apple Bloom leaned over and took the note, Miss Cheerilee turning around just in time to catch her.
"Apple Bloom! Are you passing a note?" She demanded; Apple Bloom froze.
"Uh... I... Uh..." She stuttered as she tried to come up with an answer, the note falling from her mouth.
"What could be so important that it couldn't wait until after class?" the teacher demanded, walking over, only to blink and gasp a little in confusion over the little piece of paper on the ground. "It's blank!" Immediately, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon broke into mean laughter.
"Remind you of somepony?" Diamond mocked, and Apple Bloom looked sheepishly down at her flank, where Zeb noticed no Cutie Mark resided, and the whole class laughed. Instantly, Zeb frowned, sitting up straight.
"Don't be mean," he scolded clearly, frowning in disapproval at his classmates. "What may be a silly joke to you, may be a mean ting to somepony else. Ah am sahry, Miss Cheerahlee," he announced, gaining the teachers attention and holding her eyes firmly as he lied, but he really didn't want Apple Bloom to get in trouble for passing a note, even if it was blank. "Ah asked Apple Bloom fah a piece of note papah at lunch, and she was just tryan to get it to me. Ah didnah mean ta get 'er in trahble. It be not 'appinen again, Ah prahmise." As Apple Bloom and the rest of the class, especially Diamond and Silver, gaped at him, Zeb sat tall and straight, just like his sister always told him to, and Cheerilee eyed him, before smiling faintly.
"Well, if that's the case, I can let it slide this one time," she announced, nodding at him. "But don't let it happen again in the future, Zeb, alright?"
"Yes, Miss Cheerahlee," he agreed; the teacher turned around, and got back to work, telling tails about various famous ponies and how they got their Cutie Marks. A hoof poked Zeb in the side, and he glanced over at Diamond Tiara as she stared at him narrowly.
"You just lied," she hissed; he glared at her.
"And you was bein' mean fah no good reason," he pointed out right back; Frowning, Diamond sniffed and sat back.
"Blank Flank," she muttered meanly; Zeb huffed at her, but did nothing else, just turning back to his notes and getting back to work as Cheerilee continued to teach.
~(Line Break)~
As the Final Bell finished ringing, all the foals rushed out of the schoolhouse, laughing and chattering. All but three. Twist and Zeb stood on either side of the depressed Apple Bloom as she slunk out of the school, Twist trying to smile encouragingly while Zeb kept an eye out for Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, as the two had decided that they needed to make as much fun at Apple Bloom as they could.
"Want some sweets?" Twist asked the slumped Earth filly optimistically. "I've got some peppermint sticks. I made them myself," she added bashfully. Zeb accepted, but Apple Bloom only shook her head.
"Mm-mm," was all she said; Zeb crunched on the candy sadly as he eyed his new friend.
"They'll make you smi-i-le~!" Twist cajoled, but Apple Bloom just sighed dejectedly.
"No..." Zeb's ear twitched backwards as he heard two ponies approaching, and he gritted his teeth in response, accidentally biting his candy in half. Pity, really. It was good candy.
"I don't know why we had to sit through a lecture about getting a Cutie Mark," Diamond Tiara complained snootily as she and Silver Spoon approached. The two split so they were on either side of the trio. "I mean, waiting for your Cutie Mark is sooo last week. You got yours," she said, and Silver Spoon showed off her flank, where her Cutie Mark (A silver spoon) rested, "I just got mine. We all have them already." Here, she mock-gasped, and smirked at Twist, who looked completely deadpan. "I mean, almost all of us have them already. Don't worry, you three," she 'reassured as her and her friend circled the three foals, Zeb glaring at them in annoyance, ears pinned back unhappily, "you're still totally invited to my Cute-Ceañera later today."
"It's going to be amazing," Silver Spoon announced as they continued to circle.
"It's a party celebrating me and my fantastic Cutie Mark," Diamond scoffed, nose in the air haughtily. "How could it not be?"
"Ah can tink o' ah few reasons," Zeb muttered under his breath, and watched as the two friends did some weird, girly secret hoof-shake.
"Gimme uh break," Apple Bloom muttered; Zeb nodded at her.
"My doughts exactly," he told her.
"See you later..." Silver Spoon started, the two fillies giggling meanly for a second.
"Blank Flanks!" The insulted, laughing nastily as they high-hoofed and sauntered away. Apple Bloom made a low, unhappy sound, slumping again, and Zeb stomped his hooves.
"Don't be listenin' ta dose two," Zeb told his friends firmly. "Dey be likin' ta be stirrin' de mud is all."
"Ah suppose," Apple Bloom muttered, before the three parted ways at the fork, Apple Bloom off to Sweet Apple Acres, Twist off to her house to make more candy, and Zeb off to the Soup&Rye. He wasn't in much of a mood to play, despite having learned a lot at school.
He hoped his sister wasn't disappointed in him for not being happy, when she saw him, but he just couldn't help it.
Those two fillies had his tail tied in so many knots, it was a wonder it didn't look as braided as Clovers by now!
~(Line Break)~
"I'm proud of you, Zeb," Clover reassured him warmly as she let him stir the Orange Carrot Dessert Soup all by himself for the first time, while she carefully poured in the next mixture of sugar and orange pieces. "You stood up for your new friends and you didn;t let a couple of bullies get to you. That is the mark of a strong Stallion, mark my words!" She announced, beaming down at him with a dusting of flour on her black muzzle. Zeb's ears pinned back shyly as he grinned up at her, and continued to stir.
"Ah am happy ta be makin' ye prahd, sistah," he told her shyly; Clover finished dumping in the ingredients and nuzzled his cheek with a coo, making him giggle, before she flew into the air to drop the ingredients bowl on an empty space of counter next to Sudsy.
"Howdy, y'all!" A voice called into the kitchen, and Zeb glanced over to spot Clover's friend Applejack carry in a bushel of bright green apples that Mrs. Rye had asked for.
"Oh my, thank you, Applejack!" The Chef exclaimed happily, before handing the farm-pony the required bits and getting to work.
"Hey there, AJ!" Clover greeted, flying over to hug her friend carefully so she didn't get flour on the orange Mare, "You look a little stressed, is everything alright?" She asked, concerned; Zeb could feel himself puff up proudly.
He had such a caring, wonderful sister!
"Aw, shucks, Clover, it's just Apple Bloom," she said, shaking her head with a slightly exasperated smile; Clover cast an amused glance over at Zeb, who perked his ears towards the two but continued to work on the Dessert Soup.
"Let me guess," Clover drawled. "Cutie Mark impatience?" Applejack chuckled.
"Yep, that'll be it," she agreed. "Silly filly just scared off a good chunk of mah customer's in about ten minutes with her antics. Driving me madder'en a bear with a bit nose! Somethin' about a 'Cute-Ceañera' or some such nonsense one of her classmates is throwin'. And about not wantin' ta be a, uh, 'Blank Flank'?" Applejack shook her head. "Don't be surprahsed if she pops up here sometime later ta try'n getchu ta help her out. Well, I best be goin', see y'all~!" She called out, lifting her hat in farwell as she left.
"See ya, Applejack!" Zeb heard Clover call back. "Don't worry abot Apple Bloom, it'll all work out!" Focussing on counting stirs, Zeb almost spilled the whole pot when his sister reappeared at his side, dropping from the air neatly to take the spoon from him with a secretive smile.
"It sounds like your friend could use a friend, sweetling," she told him, nudging his muzzle with hers and nodding towards the door. "Why don't you go and make sure she's not getting into trouble, hmm?" Zeb hesitated, then smiled brightly up at her.
"Yes, sistah," he told her, jumping forward to hug her around the neck tightly and kiss her cheek, giggling as he let go and dodged her when she playfully swiped at him. "Bah, Mrs. Rah! Ah be goin' now!" he shouted as he tossed his tiny apron onto a hook and grabbed his school saddlebags, zipping out the door before the Chef could finish going 'Oh My!' at him.
He had a friend to find!
~(Line Break)~
Zeb found her half an hour later, utterly spent and half-conscious at the base of a tree with Clover's friend Rainbow Dash going over a list and muttering to herself.
"Ah found ye, Apple Bloom!" He declared cheerfully, plopping down next to the tired-looking filly.
"Hey there, Zeb," she greeted dolefully, glancing over at Rainbow Dash as she continued to mutter about having done this and that.
"Do ye be wantin' a snack?" he asked; Apple Bloom lit up, and the young colt happily pulled a half of his large sandwich from his saddlebags to share with her, the two of them munching together happily. They'd just finished as Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon walked nearby, carrying a large wrapped box and Apple Bloom cringed while Zeb glared narrowly, ears pinning back in dislike.
"Your new outfit is, like, perfect for the party," Silver Spoon told her friend; Zeb bit back a yelp when Apple Bloom grabbed him and yanked him into some bushed to hide. Grumbling, he lifted his ears high to listen, not willing to just poke his head up like Apple Bloom was (he had learned from Hide-And-Seek that you never want to do that, after all.).
"I know," Diamond tittered. "It totally shows off my Cutie Mark." Zeb had a sinking feeling that the two fillies had spotted him and Apple Bloom and were purposefully talking loud just to hurt them. He really really didn't like ponies like them, he decided as he felt Apple Bloom steadily get more and more despondent as the two continued.
"I love being special!" Silver declared happily.
"Can you imagine how embarrassing it must be to be... not special?" Diamond asked meanly; Zebs ears pinned down, and he had to force them back up.
"I don't even want to, like, think about it," Silver Spoon declared, no doubt shuddering dramatically for affect. The two were finally out of hearing range, so Zeb gently pushed Apple Bloom from the bush, plucking a leafy twig absently from her mane as he did so.
"Don't be worried, Apple Bloom," he tried to reassure her, but she just sat down and stared at the ground sadly, and Zeb was at a loss. He'd never had to deal with a sad filly before! What were you supposed to do?!
"Ahm doomed. Doomed!" Apple Bloom told him dramatically, tangerine eyes shining with tears, much to the young colts panic. "Ah'll never find sumth'n Ahm good at."
"Oh, Apple Bloom," Zeb said, shifting unhappily on his hooves, only to jump in surprise when Clover's friend Pinkie Pie popped up out of no where behind him.
"You look like you'd be good at eating cupcakes!" She announced cheerfully; Zeb was relieved to see Apple Blooms threatened tears completely vanish as she blinked, dumbfounded, at the bright pink Earth Mare.
"Eatin' cupcakes?" She asked, hopefully; Pinkie nodded happily. Zeb blinked as Rainbow Dash twitched and looked over, deadpan.
"Eating... Cupcakes?" She asked slowly, walking over while Pinkie Pie beamed and did her strange bouncing thing.
"Eating cupcaaakes~!" She sang gleefully. "And Zeb looks like he'd be good at making cupcaaakes~!" She sang, bouncing around the two foals.
"Ah don't be tinking dat dis is how it wahks, Apple Bloom," Zeb muttered uncertainly; Apple Bloom just shook her head, tangerine eyes glittering happily.
"This is exactly what we need!" She told him gleefully as Pinkie Pie bounce-hopped away. Apple Bloom hopped over to Rainbow Dash, smiling earnestly. "Ah really appreciate all yer help, Rainbow Dash," she told the cyan Mare, even as she began to back up, pushing Zeb along with her hip as she did, making the Zebra colt sigh. "Yer a really great coach and Ah really learned a lot from you, and Ahm sure Ah can learn a lot more but... I've got some cupcakes to eat!" She squealed happily, spinning and hopping neatly over Zeb with a bright smile. "And Zeb has some ta make!" She added, grabbing him by the scruff and eagerly pulling him along with her after the happily bouncing Pinkie Pie. "See ya at th' Cute-Ceañera! Hold on, Pinkie Pie, we're uh'comin'!" She called, and Zeb could only shrug and shake her off him, before trotting along after his friends.
After all, a free cupcake was a free cupcake!
~(Line Break)~
"Ah can't believe Ah didn't think of this," Apple Bloom told Zeb, starry-eyed as they followed Pinkie into the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner. "A cupcake-eating Cutie Mark! It's sooo obvious."
"If ye be sayin' so, Bloomy," the colt offered, though he seriously doubted it. Then again, he didn't see what the big deal was. His sister only got her Cutie Mark at the Summer Sun Celebration, and she was thirteen, almost fourteen! Really, he just didn't understand what all the hubub was about. They'd get their Marks when they were ready, and that was that...
Still, his sister always did tell him to support his friends...
"Now, where are those cupcakes?" Apple Bloom asked, eagerly looking around the kitchen, opening cupboards and drawers and even poking her head under the sink and into the oven. "Ahm ready t' chow down!"
"I don't have any cupcakes," Pinkie told her easily, blinking guilelessly down at the filly. Zeb didn't believe it for a second. He'd known Pinkie and Fluttershy for what felt like ages now, and Pinkie always had a reason for the stuff she did. Sometimes, only she would ever understand those reasons, but there always was a reason.
"Oh," Apple Bloom said, blinking, and Zeb trotted over to sit next to her as Pinkie Pie gasped loudly, blue eyes twinkling.
"But you look like you'd be good at helping me make some!" She declared, happily plotting a Chef Hat on both foals heads, which made Zeb blink a little, because her hooves had been empty just a second before and there weren't any hats out either...
"Ah guess uh makin'-cupcakes Cutie Mark could work, too..." Apple Bloom reasoned uncertainly, Zeb blinked big eyes as Pinkie Pie began to sing.
"All you have to do is take a cup of flour! Add it to the mix!" Zeb handed her the cup immediately and watched her dump it in an orange bowl that hadn't been there a second ago.
"Now just take a little something sweet, not sour! A bit of salt, just a pinch!" She appeared at Apple Blooms side, winking at her and causeing the lemon the young filly had been balancing on her nose to roll away. Then she was on the other side of the room, spinning a cupcake tray on her nose with ease.
"Baking these treats is such a cinch! Add a teaspoon of vanilla!" she told them, smacking a filled spoon and sending its holdings into the bowl with ease of long-practice.
"Add a little more, and you count to four, And you never get your fill'a~" she started dancing, and Zeb was swept up in it along with Apple Bloom, the two of them giggling as they found themselves waltzing along to Pinkie's Cupcake Song.
"Cupcakes! So sweet and tasty! Cupcakes! Don't be too hasty! Cupcakes! Cupcakes, cupcakes, CUPCAKES!" Giggling like crazy, the two of them finally broke apart in order to help actually make the cupcakes, stirring the mixture and, well, making a bit of a mess of things considering how much fun Pinkie was making it. Normally, Zeb would be very careful when making things in the kitchen, as his Mama was almost always working and whatever time she could spare to teach him to cook was always a very special time for the two of them. This time, however, it was about fun and experimentation, so he could get a little crazy with it.
As he dodged a splatter of dough from the mixer, which Apple Bloom had on high, the buzzer for the oven went off, and the young filly accidentally knocked him into the bag of flour in her eagerness to pull the cupcakes out.
"Hawt, hawt, hawt!" She yelped, tossing the badly burnt cupcakes and their tray from her mouth with a cough.
"Oooh, those look much better than the last batch!" Pinkie Pie declared, cheerfully eating one charcoal-cupcake with a happy hum. Lighting up, Apple Bloom eagerly did the same, and Zeb could only wince as she gagged and spat it back out, staring from Pinkie Pie to Zeb with teary tangerine eyes.
"Ah guess Ahm not cut out ta be a baker, either," she told them mournfully, bowing her head and beginning to shuffle away sadly. "Ah just have ta face it, Ahm gonna have uh blank flank ferever."
"What about that?" Pinkie asked her, and Zeb blinked as the two foals noticed the white smudge on the filly's flank, making her gasp.
"What about what?" she demanded eagerly, twisting and turning in circles, trying to see it. "Is there somethin' on mah flank? Is there, is there, is there?" She leaped over to a downed bowl, peering at her flank in its reflective surface, gasping with glee. "Uh Cutie Mark!" She squealed, eyes sparkling. "It's uh... Uh measuring cup?" She asked, peering at the smudge and tilting her head. "No. Uh mixin' bowl? No..."
"Uh, Bloomy?" Zeb tried; she ignored him, continuing to try and guess what it was.
"Are those cupcakes? Uh tower of cupcakes, maybe..." Pinkie Pie appeared next to her, and blew on the smudge, making the flour fall off, exposing Apple Blooms blank, yellow coat beneath it.
"Flour. It's flour!" The Earth Mare declared happily, bouncing away as Apple Bloom, dismayed turned in circles to try and see her never-there Mark. "Yay! I guessed it. What game you wanna play next? Please say bingo, please say bingo."
"Whoa, what's been going on in here?" A new voice asked; everyone looked over to see Twilight Sparkle standing in the kitchen doorway. Zeb didn't know the Unicorn very well, as she was one of the few friends his sister had who didn't randomly pop over to the cottage, unless she was dropping off or picking up a book, that is.
"We've been making cupcakes," Pinkie chirped cheerfully, sliding over while balancing all the burnt cupcakes on her head, offerng them to Twilight. "Wanna try them?"
"Noooo... Thank you..." the Unicorn said after a moment of dubiously eyeing the charcoal-treats. "Not that they don't look, heh, delicious," she added with a weak smile.
"Twilight, you have ta help me!" Apple Bloom demanded, and Zeb blinked, wondering how she'd gotten over there so fast...
Must have copied Pinkie Pie, somehow.
"What's the matter?" Twilight asked, concerned; Zeb groaned and covered his ears with his hooves.
"Should nah 'ave asked dat," he muttered, as Apple Bloom to a huge gulp of air, and began to babble at high speeds without pausing.
"Tiara's Cute-Ceañera's today an' everypony in mah class'll be there an' they'll all have their Cutie Marks an' Ah want to get my Cutie Mark but Ahm no good at sellin' apples or hang-glidin' or makin' cupcakes, but Ah wanna go t' th' party but how can Ah go t' th' party if Ah don't have mah Cutie Mark, which Pinkie Pie says Ah can't just make appear, but Ah need it ta appear, RIGHT NOW!" she wailed, and, once the ringing in his covered ears stopped, Zeb sat up, shaking his head carefully.
"Uhhh... I don't follow," Twilight told her uncertainly. "How can I help you?"
"You can use yer magic ta make my Cutie Mark appear!" Apple Bloom told her; Zeb frowned.
"Bloomy, dat is not how it be working," Zeb told her firmly, trotting over and setting a hoof on her shoulder seriously. "Mah sistah be tellin' me dat de only way fah ah Cutie Mahk to be appearin' is if it be de time and dat de Pony in question is feelin' right and doin' what dey is bein' needed to do."
"Zeb is right, Apple Bloom," Twilight told the young filly kindly. "A Cutie Mark is something a pony has to discover for herself."
"Please Twilight," Apple Bloom begged desperately. "Jus' trah!" Twilight shook her head.
"I'm sorry but-"
"Oh please, please, please please please!" Apple Bloom asked, all by trying to climb the Unicorn, as Zeb sat down with a sigh.
"Fillies," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Alright, alright!" Twilight exclaimed, frustrated; Apple Bloom beamed.
"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squealed; Twilight rolled her eyes a bit, before focusing, bowing her head to point her horn at the fillies flank. With a pwing sound, a Cutie Mark appeared, an apple filled cart, and Zeb felt his jaw drop a little.
"No way," he breathed, while Apple Bloom squealed gleefully, prancing a bit.
"Yes! Ah knew you could do..." the Cutie Mark faded away "...it." Twilight sighed and even Zeb felt disappointed as Apple Bloom blinked away tears.
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I told you-"
"Trah again, trah again!" the filly begged, and, with a sigh, Twilight did. In rapid succession, over twelve different Cutie Marks appeared and faded, until Twilight was gasping for breath, unable to magic even one more into place.
"I told you that not even magic can make a Cutie Mark appear before its time," the older Mare told Apple Bloom sympathetically; Apple Bloom slumped and closed her eyes, sniffling.
"It's hopeless, hopeless!" she declared, standing up and slowly making her way towards the main doors that separated Sugarcube Corner from the kitchen. Zeb shared a look with Twilight (Pinkie Pie just continued to make cupcakes that came out much better than the foals experiments did). "Ah jus' won't go t' th' party, Ah can't go. Everypony'll just laugh at me an' make fun of me an' call me names. It'll be th' worst night of mah life." She declared dramatically.
"I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that," Twilight tried to reassure her, pushing the door open for the depressed little filly, Zeb trotting after her, freezing as he realized just what was going on past the kitchen doors.
"Uh-oh," he muttered, ears pinning back uncertainly.
"Forget it," Apple Bloom told the Unicorn, not even looking up from the ground. "There's no way Ahm going t' that" she finally looked up, ready to glare ahead, only to freeze and gulp at the sight of the set-up in front of her, where Diamond Tiara's Cute-Ceañera was all set up and in full swing. "...Party." The room was filled with decorations and balloons and happily chattering ponies. Zeb spotted his sister's co-worker Merry-go-Round dropping off some sandwiches and a large bowl of the Orange Carrot Dessert Soup that he had helped make earlier. Diamond Tiara and her friends were chattering in a corner, admiring the filly's party dress, much to her smug pleasure. A pony Zeb vaguely recognized as a frequent customer at the Soup&Rye gagged on a frosting-covered charcoal cupcake.
That was all he managed to see before Apple Bloom was yanking him behind a chocolate-pony statue, to hide from the party guests. Normally, he would have hidden himself without her help, so, with her yanking him around, his nerves, surprisingly, disappeared far faster. After all, it was hard to be nervous about people staring at you when your friend was making a spectacle out of herself over something you thought was silly.
"How could Ah have forgotten th' time?" she bemoaned to him, peering around the statue unhappily. "How could Ah have forgotten Pinkie Pie was hosting th' party!? How could Ah have forgotten it was at Sugarcube Corner?!" she cried; Zeb winced.
"Maybeh because you was bein' to worried abou' de pahty ta begin wit', Bloomy," he told her; she gave him a dirty look and he just shrugged, grunting in surprise when a party hat was shove on his head.
"Don't forget your party hat, Forgetty Forgetterson!" Pinkie Pie chirped as she shoved another hat onto Apple Bloom's head, before bouncing away happily. Apple Bloom managed a tight smile for her, before glancing around, grabbing Zeb again, and yanking him behnd a counter, both of their hats disappearing in the movement.
"Ah have t' get out of here afore anypony sees me," she told him, yanking him with her to hide behind the cake. Zeb rolled his eyes.
"Ah tink dat you is bein' too worried about dis whole ting," he told her, only to be hushed as Snails approached and took a massive bite out of the cake they were hiding behind.
"Hey!" Diamond Tiara shouted, appearing next to the table to glare angrily at Snails as he chewed his massive bite slowly and bllinked at her. "It's my Cute-Ceañera! I'm supposed to get the first bite of cake!" Apple Bloom continued to drag Zeb all around the room on her way towards the door, and the Zebra colt gave up, slumping in her hold and pouting as she just did what she wanted. They tried to hide behind a bunch of balloons, but some Unicorn who liked popping things destroyed them all. After that, they went from table to table to table, Apple Bloom constantly peering around.
"Okay, Apple Bloom, almost there," she muttered, as the two of them took up a hiding place under the punch bowl table.
"Ah don't tink we will be makin' it, Bloomy," Zeb told her honestly; she shushed him with a glare.
"It's attitudes like that, that make it harder fer us ta get stuff done, Zeb!" She complained; he threw his hooves in the air in exasperation.
"You be drowin' dis whole ting out o' prahportions, Bloomy!" He complained; the stubborn filly shushed him again, narrowing her eyes at the door.
"You hush yer bellyachin' an' help me move this table," she told him; Zeb huffed, annoyed, but helped her anyways. That's what friends were for, after all. They carried the table carefully, in fits and bursts, all the way to the door.
"Made it!" Apple Bloom whispered to him, just as she ducked out from under the table...
And ran right smack into Applejack.
"Apple Bloom, y'made it!" the older mare chirped happily, setting her sister upright. "After Ah heard about Twist, Ah was afraid ya wouldn't show up. Oh!" She added, peering under the punch table at Zeb, who grinned at her sheepishly and waved. "Why, hullo there, Zeb! Havin' fun?"
"Yes, Miss AJ," he told her, getting a chuckle and a hoof rub to his head. Applejack shook her head and started walking deeper into the party, maybe-accidentally pushing Apple Bloom further in as well Zeb just shook his head and popped out from under the table in order to follow, rolling his eyes in amusement at the faces his friend was making as she was pushed along.
"Ah sure am glad you came t' yer senses about this whole Cutie Mark thing, Apple Bloom," Applejack told her guilelessly. "These things happen when these things are supposed t' happen! Trying t' rush 'em just drives ya crazy. Ah'll let ya be, looks like yer friends want t' talk t' you!" She finished, nodding over at the meanly smirking Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, before walking away.
"Zeb, help me!" she begged; Zeb sighed, and glanced around.
"Got it," he muttered to her, before quickly and neatly yanking a table cloth out from under another punch bowl without even making it rock (A trick he'd learned from Dixy and Dot at the Soup&Rye). Quickly, he tossed it across Apple Bloom's back and, with her eyes lighting up in understanding and relief, they quickly tied it off so that it looked like an, actually, pretty cute pink dress.
"Well, well, well, look who's here," Diamond Tiara declared snidely as her and her friend finally got close.
"Nice outfit," Silver Spoon mocked, the two mean fillies snickering.
"Just sumt'n Ah, uh, pulled together last minute," Apple Bloom told them, while Zeb sat and purposefully admired one of his black hooves in a bored way.
"It really shows off your Cutie Mark," Diamond Tiara started, only to mock gasp. "Oh wait, that's right! You don't have one." Zeb glared at her, before sniffing and turning his back to her. Clover always said to just ignore bullies, after all.
"Uh, Ah have uh Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom bluffed; Zeb bit his tongue and made sure it looked like this was old news to him.
"Eh, what? Since when?" Silver Spoon demanded; Apple Bloom looked nervous, so Zeb spoke up.
"Bloomy is be havin' it since earliah today. She doesn't want t' be showin' it off yet, dough. Aftah all, dis be your Cute-Ceañera, Tiahrah." Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes, but Zeb had given Apple Bloom the best move to make.
"He's right!" The yellow chirped. "Mah Cutie Mark is so unbelievably amazin', Ahm afraid that if Ah show it off, everypony'll start payin' attention t' me instead of you." She leaned really close to Diamond Tiara's face, staring at her earnestly. "Outshined at yer own Cute-Ceañera-can you imagine how embarrassin' that would be?" Diamond Tiara gulped a little, before humphing at the two and sticking her nose in the air.
"Uh, forget it, I didn't really want to see it anyway," she declared primly; Apple Bloom grinned.
"Okay, well, I'm gonna go mingle. Enjoy your party!" she urged and began to walk away, smiling.
"You're still a Blank Flank, though," Diamond snapped at Zeb, but he just gave her a droll stare he'd stolen from Emerald Stone when the strong Reaper had been with the Family.
"Ah be a Zebrah, Tiahrah," he reminded blandly. "Mah coat is bein' mahked all de time. Ah don't be needin' no Cutie Mahk t' be special." Sticking his own nose in the air, he sauntered after Apple Bloom, leaving Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon gaping after him in shocked confusion.
Unfortunately, luck was not on their side, and Apple Bloom tripped over her 'dress', smacking into the record player and sending it screeching, gaining everyone in the rooms attention.
"Oh no," she whispered, even as Zeb sighed and helped her sit up, making sure she hadn't hurt herself. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, scenting weakness, popped up next to the two friends, mocking already.
"Wow, that is an amazing Cutie Mark," Silver Spoon mocked as the two fillies laughed meanly.
"Nice try..." Diamond told her, before the two shared a look and then added together,
"Blank Flanks!" the declared, laughing nastily while Zeb stepped between them and the teary-eyed Apple Bloom, glaring.
"You got a problem with blank flanks?" a voice demanded; several guests gasped and looked in the direction the voice had come from. Two young fillies stepped out from under a punch table, one a Pegasus with and orange coat and a magenta mane and purple eyes, and the other was a Unicorn with a silvery-white coat, a pink-and-dusty-lavender mane, and green eyes. It was the Pegasus filly that spoke.
"I said," she repeated, the two of them glaring. "You got a problem with blank flanks?!"
"The problem is, I mean, they're like, totally not special," Silver Spoon explained; Zeb glared.
"Dat is not being true!" He snapped at her, stomping his hoof.
"He's right!" The Unicorn filly declared, as the two of them stomped over to stand on either side of Apple Bloom and Zeb. "Having a blank flank means that they're full of potential!"
"It means," the Pegasus filly added, glaring protectively, "that they could be great at anything. The possibilities are, like, endless," she mocked, pinning her ears back briefly to sneer at the two Earth fillies.
"They could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer," the Unicorn said, turning to Zeb and Apple Bloom and offering an encouraging smile. "One of them could even be Mayor of Ponyville some day!" The Pegasus nodded along firmly, flicking her wings in agreement.
"And they're not stuck being stuck-up like you two," she added, and the other ponies in the room laughed, making Diamond Tiara scowl.
"Hey, this is my party," she complained, stomping a hoof. "Why are you two on their side?" The two trouble-makers stepped forward with smirks.
"Because..." the Pegasus said, and, together, the two turned and showed off their equally blank flanks to the room without any shame. Apple Bloom gasped, starry-eyed, and Zeb found himself smiling warmly.
"You don't have yer Cutie Marks either? Ah thought Zeb'n Ah were th' only ones!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, setting a hoof on Zeb's shoulder for emphasis.
"We thought we were the only two," the Pegasus reassure her, the four of them smiling together.
"I for one think you are four very lucky foals," Twilight Sparkle declared as she stepped through the crowd easily.
"Lucky?" Diamond demanded in disbelief, while Silver Spoon sneered beside her. "How can they be lucky?!" Twilight frowned briefly at her, before smiling at the four newfound friends in front of her.
"They still get to experience the thrill of discovering who they are, and what they're meant to be," she explained warmly; Applejack walked around the outskirts to approach Apple Bloom with an affectionate smile.
"And they got all th' time in th' world t' figure it out, not just an afternoon," she teased gently as she and her sister nuzzled together, much like Clover and Zeb nuzzled. The other guests chattered excitedly. As soon as Applejack moved back, Zeb and Apple Blooms classmates swarmed them.
"Wow, Apple Bloom, I wish I could be a scientist!" Tornado Bolt exclaimed.
"Do you really think you could be Mayor?" Piña Colada asked Zeb.
"Maybe I got my Cutie Mark too soon," admitted Coronet wistfully. As more and more surrounded Zeb and his best friend and their two new friends, babbling on happily, Diamond Tiara stamped her hoof.
"Hey, what's everypony doing? This is my party, everypony is supposed to be paying attention to me!" She commanded, only to be ignored.
"Whatever," Silver Spoon declared in support of her best friend. "We still think you're losers, right Diamond Tiara?" She asked, trying to initiate their strange secret hoofshake.
"Not now, Silver Spoon," the spoiled filly snapped, sulking as she glared at the gathered foals who were excitedly chattering on.
"Name's Scootaloo," the Pegasus introduced herself; Zeb hoof-bumped her with a smile.
"And I'm Sweetie Belle!" The Unicorn chirped; Apple Bloom beamed.
"Apple Bloom," she told them, "An' this is mah best friend, Zeb!" Zeb grinned at the other two fillies.
"Hullo dere!" He greeted.
"Your stripes are totally awesome," Scootaloo told him; Zeb could only laugh as somepony fixed the record player and the party re-started, full-swing.
"This song is so super!" Twist declared loudly in the backgroud, leading a bunch of other fillies onto the dance floor to bounce and flail around happily.
"So Ah was thinking, now that we're friends..." Apple Bloom started, only to pause with a sheepish smile. "Ah mean, we are friends, right?" she checked as the foursome moved towards a nearby empty table; Scootaloo bumped their flanks together, making Apple Bloom bump into Zeb who stumbled into Sweetie Belle, the two laughing as they untangled their hooves.
"How could we not be?" The Pegasus scoffed easily as they perched around their targeted table. "We're totally alike. We don't have Cutie Marks, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon drive us crazy-"
"Totally crazy," Sweetie Belle mocked, making the four laugh.
"Well, now that we're friends, what if th' four of us work together t' find out who we are an' what we're supposed t' be?" the yellow Earth filly offered, Zeb nodded his head, even if he didn't much care about Cutie Marks. These were his friends, after all!
"Ooh! Ooh!" Sweetie Belle gasped happily, smacking her hooves on the table in glee. "We could form our own secret society!" Zeb blinked as the three fillies grinned brightly.
"I'm liking this idea," Scootaloo declared.
"A secret society," Apple Bloom mused cheerfully.
"Yeah. We need a name fer it though." Zeb carefully took a sip of the cup of punch he grabbed from a nearby table as the three fillies went through various names.
"What about De Cutie Mahk Crusadahs?" He offered, and the three paused, musing over the name as he sipped his drink.
"It's perfect!" Scootaloo announced gleefully; the other two fillies bobbed their heads in excitement.
"This is gonna be so great!" Sweetie Belle squealed.
"We're gonna be unstoppable!" Apple Bloom agreed enthusiastically. Scootaloo leaned over and scooped a cupcake off of the nearby stand, nimbly balancing it on her nose with a smirk.
"What do you say we celebrate with some of these delicious cupcakes?" She asked, setting it on the table to eat. Before she could take a bite, Zeb and Apple Bloom both put their hooves over her mouth.
"NOT the cupcakes," Apple Bloom told her seriously. "Trust us." Zeb nodded firmly, and Scootaloo pulled back to eye the cupcake with suspicion.
"Let's see if there are any cookies," Sweetie Belle offered with a nervous chuckle; instantly, the other three foals lit up.
"Yeah!" Apple Bloom agreed, hopping down from the table. "Come on!" Laughing, the three other foals followed as the yellow Earth filly darted across the room towards the dessert tables, ready to gorge themselves on cookie.
Zeb had never known having friends like these would be so amazing. He could now fully understand why his sister was so loyal to her friends.
Even if they did make him dance.
~(Line Break)~
"There you are!" Clover's voice called, making Zeb pause from where he was laughing with Scootaloo as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom tried to see who could balance the most cupcakes on their nose at once.
"Sistah!" He cried happily, bouncing over and throwing his forelegs around her neck as she knelt down to hug him too.
"Did you have fun?" She asked, smiling softly down at him as he beamed.
"Yes, sistah!" He told her, nodding his head rapidly. "Dese are mah friends, sistah! Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, an' Apple Bloom! Dey ah mah best friends!" He introduced with pride, the three fillies scrambling over in excitement.
"Wow, I didn't know your sister was a Princess!" Scootaloo exclaimed; Clover smiled down at them warmly.
"Hello, you three," she greeted kindly. "Last time I saw you was at the Summer Sun Celebration!" The three gasped.
"Oh my gosh, we did meet there!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, the three fillies staring at one another in a new light. Apple Bloom grinned and bounced in place. "We must'uh been meant t' be friends!"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle cried, and the three hugged, Scootaloo reaching over to drag Zeb in, making him giggle happily.
"We're going to be the most awesomely awesome friends ever!" Scootaloo promised.
"Mm-hmm!" The other three agreed, giggling, while Clover chuckled.
"Well, as nice as this is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal my brother back from you fillies," she teased gently, smiling. "Our Mama just gave birth to our newest sibling, and she wants us both their to meet them as soon as we can." Zeb squealed, to hyped up on sugar to care as he pranced excitedly around his sister.
"Babeh! Mama had de babeh! Yay!" Clover laughed, even as the three fillies cheered as well.
"We wanna go!" They exclaimed, clamoring around her. "Oh please, please, please, PLEASE?!" They begged, and Clover laughed even more, even as her down-turned ears pinned themselves against her neck uncertainly and her wings twitched uncomfortably.
"I don't mind if you girls come as well," she finally offered; the four Crusaders cheered in excitement, tackling and hugging one another, rolling towards the door, before they were up and running towards it, making Pinkie Pie cheer and hop over them. Laughing, Clover took to the air and flew over them, her Guards neatly stepping up (actually, only the Pegasus and the Earth Pony Guards were there, Zeb noticed. The Unicorn was probably Guarding his new sibling at the hospital).
They were going to meet his new sibling, and Zeb didn't care how far he had to run or how tired he would be after getting there!
He had friends and a new sibling!
Life couldn't be better!
~(Line Break)~
"Are you ready?" his Mama asked him as they stood outside the viewing room, the four young foals peering in at all the baby foals curiously.
"Yes, Mama!" Zeb said excitedly; Mint Leaf chuckled and nodded towards his Papa, who was in the room with the tiny babies.
"Zeb, meet yah new sistah, Nutmeg Sprinkle!" Zendo introduced, gesturing to the gently snoring baby to his left. Nutmeg was a Zebra, just like Zeb, but unlike him, she was a Pegasus, and her mane was black and bright blue, and styled in cute little dreadlocks.
"Awwww," his three friends cooed, and Zeb swelled with pride, chest puffing out.
"And," Zendo continued, gesturing to the little foal on his right. "Yah new brudah, Zerro!" Zeb' eyes wide, stared in fascination at the small foal, his other new sibling! Two of them!
Zerro looked a lot like their Mama, with his dark green coat, but his mane was wavy and curly and mostly dark red with black mixed in. His muzzle was black and, most importantly of all, he was a Unicorn!
"Oooh!" Zeb's friends exclaimed, and Zeb felt his heart swell.
"Ah am going ta be de best big brudah dey'll evah have!" He declared, earning a sweet, warm smile from his tired Mama, an approving smile from his Sister, and determined grins from his friends.
Yes, today was, most assuredly, the best day ever.
A/N: End Chapter! Whoo! Finally!
THE TWINS ARE HERE!
AHHHHHHH!
To see a picture of them, go to my DA! (See Top A/N) They're under the name Glimpse of the Future. The names are due to my Headcanon that Zendo and Mint Leaf agreed that Zendo would name their Boys and Mint Leaf would name the girls.
What did you guys think of Zeb being a Cutie Mark Crusader? Also, I MAY have accidentally started the idea of shipping future!Apple Bloom & Zeb? Hehheheheheh (Coughs)
Anyways, Review!
(Oh, and those three random foals named in the fic, Tornado Bolt, Piña Colada, and Coronet? All Canon, or, at least, they were all called those names in the Transcript, where a lot of the lines for this fic were grabbed. I edited some, like the fact that Early On Diamond Tiara says her Cute party is This Weekend but we never see day or night happen and in seemingly the same day the party happens, so I messed with that)
Q&A
Q: Why did Rainbow Dash teach Clover how to Cloud Walk when Mint Leaf is a Pegasus and should have been teaching her all about that?
A: Because Mint Leaf is kinda a Workaholic and isn't around very often. Zendo is a Stay-at-Home Dad but he can't help much in that respect. And, Clover never asked her mom to teach her Cloud Walking. Just Cooking, really. So, there you go!
Q: Will we see more Big Mac?
A: He's a background character, so he'll be around, no worries!
Q: Are you going to ship Clover with anypony and if so can we get a hint as to who?
A: Okay, so, this is a maybe-question. As in, the answer will always be Maybe. Mostly because there aren't a lot of Stallions in the fic that I can see with Clover as of yet (Then again, I'm only half-way through Season 2 in WATCHING the series, so maybe later)
The Sombra/Clover thing will likely be One-Sided ON SOMBRAS SIDE (She is the Guardian of the Dead, he is the Lord of Shadows, that kinda evil attraction, you see?)
I can't really see Clover with any of the Canon ponys right now, and there is the whole Immortality thing going on.
So, feel free to send in requests.
MOST LIKELY NEVER GOING TO BE BIG MAC, SRRY big fan of Macilee, okay?
Awesome
Q: What are the Average Heights of your Ponies?
A" Okay, people keep sending in (Insert Number) Hands, and I'm like 'lolz, but they don't have hands" so, the AVERAGE HEIGHT of Ponies in my headcanon are 4' at the shoulder, to 4'3". Anything under 3'6" is considered a foal, anything over 4'5" is considered either an Alicorn or a Draft pony (AKA Big Mac) Alicorns are, at full grown, about 6' at the shoulder (Celestia) Luna isn't full-grown yet, or maybe just short, idk, but there you go. ^-^
General Reminder That Your OC's DON'T Have To Be Ponies. Griffons, Sphynxes, Diamond Dogs, Dragons, And All Manor Of Sentient Creatures Are Welcome.
FANART WELCOME!
Thank You!
Stay Classy, Reviewers!
(BTW, this chapter was over 10.000 Words! WHOOT!)
