Blast it all! It's been too long since I've posted a chapter. My apologies. I hit a slump and had a hard time getting out, but the episode from a week or so ago as inspiration, I have had a eureka moment. I just love Sweetie Belle, Princess Luna and Rarity… having all of them in one episode was just too mind blowing greatness! Weird… I know… but I accept that fact.
Anyway, I'll just do my shout outs and let you all continue on with the story. My thanks (x6) goes out to HyperMonicaPenWork. Thank you for the short, but lovely reviews. Hope to hear from you all soon.
Chapter Eleven
You have to be True
Though the sun shined as brightly as it could, it felt like a heavy rain cloud loomed over head. It weighed down upon them and denied them any happy thought or pleasure. Words of torment filled their minds and left their ears ringing. They just couldn't shake the gloomy feeling that took hold of their hearts. So many times they had heard their jeering words and like so many times before, they felt their sting. It burned.
The Crusaders let out a collective sigh.
"What are we going to do?" Sweetie Belle let herself slump to the ground.
"I don't know…," Apple Bloom let an even bigger sigh, 'If we go to Applejack and Big Mac, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will just say that we were being mean to them."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed, "Those two just give the sad puppy dog eyes and water works and everyone believes them," she huffed as she folded her arms.
"There has to be something we can do," Babs Seed stood up, "We just can't let them have our clubhouse."
They all started to ponder on what they could do to remove the two imbedded fillies.
"We could get Fluttershy to convince some mice to move in," Sweetie Belle smiled.
They thought for a moment.
"Nah," Scootaloo shook her head, "The mice might not want to leave… Oh!" an idea came to her, "What about spiders?! That will send them shrieking right out," she rubbed her hooves together with a diabolical look in her eye.
"How is that any better than my idea?" Sweetie Belle snorted, "If spiders infest the clubhouse then we have to deal with them," she shuttered, "and I don't care for the webbing they leave around."
"Uh huh," Apple Bloom shuttered to, "They always seem to leave it right in the middle of a walk through and you always seem to walk through it when it's dark or stormy."
"Or down in the creepy basement," Babs Seed could recall many time wandering into a misplaced web.
"We're getting off topic here," Scootaloo tried to remind them, "We need to figure out a way to get those two Cutie Mark snobs out of our clubhouse."
"That doesn't seem likely…," Sweetie Belle looked down, "Anything we'll try, they'll just figure a way out of it."
"It sure does seem that they got us licked this time," Apple Bloom could feel the depression setting in.
"This was supposed to be a good day…," Babs Seed sat down next to her.
"A day of possibilities…," Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo collapsed on to one another.
Once again, they released a heavy collective sigh.
They were so full of hopes for that day. Sure they all had a crumby start to the day, but it was made better. They didn't need to worry about the little things in life; they were easy to fix as long as one tried. Trinny showed them that today and Apple Bloom wasn't going to let her down.
"Come on girls," she stood up straight, "We don't need the clubhouse to come up with stuff to do… all we need is good idea to get us back up on our hooves."
"What's the point?" Scootaloo traced her hoof in the dirt.
Sweetie Belle rolled onto her back, "Yeah. It's been a rough day already. Why don't we just call it a day…?"
"Is that any kind of attitude to have?" Babs Seed was growing tire of the pity party, "Sure things didn't start out as we planned, but we just have to find the good."
"What's the good in the loss of our clubhouse?" Scootaloo huffed as she rested her cheek on her hoof.
That was quite a blow to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. That clubhouse was their center of their club. It was the one place they could go and not feel ashamed of their blank flanks. They could close up the windows and door and not let the world see what they were doing. They could confide in each other and know that they wouldn't be judged. It was a place of encouragement and faith. So many plans had been hatched there. So many cheerful memories had been made. Did the loss of the clubhouse mean that those times were gone too?
"Maybe we should just lie here…," Apple Bloom started to slowly sink to the ground.
"Yeah…," Babs Seed was losing her motivation.
"Why can't we just get our Cutie Marks?!" Scootaloo stomped her hooves down in anger, "I mean I'm willing to take anything at this point!" she groaned as she fell onto her back.
"I know," Sweetie Bell agreed, "I would even take a rock Cutie Mark if it meant that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would leave us alone."
"But do you really want a rock Cutie Mark?" Apple Bloom asked.
"… well… no…," Sweetie Belle admitted, "But if it meant that I could just be like everyone else… I would take it…"
"Anything is better than being a blank flank," Scootaloo sighed.
Apple Bloom and Babs Seed looked to each other with sad eyes. It was true that they had had the same thoughts at one point or another. Why couldn't they just het a Cutie Mark… any one would do. Even if it didn't have to do anything with them or whatever special talent or special destiny they had. Just something to stop the harsh words.
"Anything would be better than nothing…," Apple Bloom looked to her bare flank.
"That's no way to talk," a disappointed voice came from her.
"Whoa!" Apple Bloom jumped up into the air and then ran behind Babs Seed.
"Sorry sweetie," Trinny apologized, "I didn't mean to scare you," she got a sad look on her face.
"It's okay Trinny," Apple Bloom came from behind her cousin.
"I thought you girls were going to your clubhouse?" she looked to each of them, "Why all the long faces? … Other than the fact that we're all ponies," she giggled.
Apple Bloom wanted to say what happened, but she didn't see a point in saying the truth, "We just didn't feel like going there…," she lied, "We just wanted to walk a bit…"
"Uh huh," Trinny raise her brow, "What about coming up with some ways to get your Cutie Marks? I thought you were going to have a brain storming session."
"We were… just too…," Scootaloo looked up the sky, "… too tired from this morning."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle half heartily agreed, "just too tired to think of things to do…"
"Mmm…," Trinny eyed each one of them, "Too tired, huh? I assume that it has nothing to do with being call blank flanks by two young fillies that don't appreciate what they have?" she hit the nail on the head.
"How did you know that?" Apple Bloom was confused.
She just smiled, "Let's just say I know what it's like to be made fun of," she gave them a wink, "But it doesn't mean that I was willing to compromise on who I was. Words are words my dare little fillies, but a Cutie Mark is forever," she gave a gentle smile.
"What's the point when you don't know what you're supposed to be doing?" Scootaloo huffed as she folded her arms, "Every pony else seemed to know what they are supposed to be doing."
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed, "We're just running around not knowing what we're doing. I'm starting to wonder if there is something special about me… if I do have a destiny…"
Those words were painful to admit, but they seemed so true. All their tries… ended in failure. Anything that came to their mind they would do, but still there was nothing adorning their flanks. Every pony kept encouraging them to be patient; that their time would come. It just wouldn't seem come.
"It doesn't mean that you should accept the first thing that comes to you," Trinny grew stern, "If you're meant to be something then it will come to you. You just can't give up because something gets in your way," she stomped her hoof hard enough to make them jump, "The moment you let some pony else tell you what you can and can't be, is the moment you give up on yourself. You are the only one that tell yourself that. If there is one thing that you have to be," she became gentle once more, "You have to be true," she started to sing.
You have to be true.
There's nothing that you can't do,
She started to prance down the path as she sang.
The girls looked to one another and decided to get off their rumps. They quickly caught up with her and couldn't help but bounce along with Trinny's tune.
You've got to try,
It's no time to be shy.
You've got to be you,
I know that you'll see it through.
Trinny just pranced along as she sang. She didn't seem to pay any mind to anything in her way. She jumped over holes and rocks and popped in and out if a branch hung too low. The girls had to put a little bit more effort into avoiding all the obstacles.
You're going to find,
That you are one of a kind.
You're going to see,
How incredible you're going to be.
You can't give in,
Just face the world with a grin.
Her pace didn't stop as she came up to a little stream. Instead of hoping from stone to stone like any other pony would. Trinny just trotted along without missing a beat. Her hooves barely touched the water; as if they were floating through the air.
You're going to shine,
I know that you'll be fine.
Because you're kind, sweet, brave and true!
And that because you are you!
You're going to so see…,
She turned to the girls as her song started to wind down.
Just how special you are to me…
You're going to be,
Something amazing, I can see…
Trinny ended her song with a smile.
"You… you really think we're something special?" Apple Bloom looked up to her.
Trinny gave a little chuckle, "Of course I do. Each one of you is unique and I know that you will be something amazing. You just have to give yourselves some time."
Apple Bloom could feel the tears whelming up as she threw her arms around Trinny. The other Cutie Mark Crusaders couldn't help themselves either and soon followed Apple Bloom. They all gave a big hug; knowing that they were going to be alright.
"Oww! Oww!" Trinny jumped up in pain, "Sunburn," her lower lip quivered in pain as she looked to her covered sore backside.
"Sorry…," Scootaloo apologized.