• Chapter Seven: Cutie Mark Creaters •
…
Chrysalis approached the two ponies locked in the cage. The little one; Sweetie Belle was shivering as she hid her face under her hooves. The older unicorn; Fancypants kept a reassuring hoof over her shoulder, while keeping his eyes locked on Chrysalis in a menacing glare. Chrysalis rolled her eyes, and trotted up.
"You won't be getting Raripunzel back, you know. Stop putting up this determined show." Chrysalis stuck her tongue out at the two ponies. "Well I should really stop playing with my toys. I'll finish this off, with my irritating ploys." Chrysalis powered up her horn, as it shone a bright green magic. It hurled its way around Sweetie Belle, before teleporting her before the changeling queen.
"Please don't hurt me, queen," Sweetie Belle whimpered, peering up at Chrysalis through eyes drenched with tears. "I'm only a foal."
If Chrysalis was any normal pony, her heart would have melted and she wouldn't be able to bring herself to cause any harm to this adorable little thing. However, Chrysalis was no normal pony. "Stop with this rubbish, you're making me gag. Your words won't work on me- not one nag." Chrysalis smirked, beginning to bring a portal up.
"Run Sweetie Belle! Run!" Fancypants shouted, and to Chrysalis's surprise, the little foal began to swiftly scamper across the room.
"Get back here, you fool! I won't harm you as much- I'll be less cruel!" Chrysalis roared in fury, and gave chase. As much as Sweetie Belle was trying, her pounding, little legs were no match for Chrysalis. The changeling queen, at her tail pounced, and pinned the foal to the floor. Sweetie Belle let out a pitiful squeal, and tried writhing out of Chrysalis's grip, but it was no use. Chrysalis had her securely under her hooves, and the changeling queen began to power up her horn once more.
"Dear, little pony,
You'll change scenery, with this spell
Just on the edge of the Everfree Forest.
Goodbye Sweetie Belle."
The portal powered in front of them. Chrysalis was able to withstand it, her hooves planted firmly on the earth. Sweetie Belle however, was less fortunate as she got lifted into the air in painful somersaults and went hurtling into the void. Chrysalis instantly closed it up, and trotted back to the remaining pony.
"Now it's your turn, to play this game. Now come out here, so I can get a good aim." Chrysalis teleported Fancypants before her, but to her surprise, his horn powered up and sent a wave at Chrysalis. Chrysalis went tumbling across the room. Shoot! I forgot I put the magic proof around the cage! Now he's allowed to do any magic now that he's not in it! Chrysalis furiously powered up her horn and teleported him back into the cage. Fancypants gave her a miserable expression. Chrysalis powered up her horn again, and shot an aura around the whole cage.
"Poor Fancypants, poor old prince.
I'm making you a dwarf.
Your personality is now grumpy.
You must be feeling awf'.
You will never save Raripunzel from the tower.
There'll be five others just like you.
You'll never find hope again.
You're life is now askew!"
Chrysalis's horn powered up, and caressed Fancypants's face, before cutting edges into it and rearranging it, before shrinking him to half of his size. Fancypants let out a furious screech, before he dropped to the ground of the cage in pain and sorrow. Chrysalis opened up a massive portal before him, and his beloved cage, and sent them pummelling into the anonymous void. It finally closed up, and Chrysalis blew away the smoke from her overused horn triumphantly.
"Why Chrysalis, another success, I couldn't help but snoop. You must be happy, feeling most content as you have completed half of the group," the draconequus teleported before her, with a blaze of fireworks spitting out of him, and shooting blissfully across the sky. Chrysalis walked passed him, and to her mirror.
"One is as competitive as a race with not one lack."
"Two is as determined as a needle in a haystack."
"Three is as beautiful as a top model created gown."
"Four is as hilarious as a flawed, clumsy clown."
Chrysalis turned back to the creature. "This next one will be the hardest one yet. There could be many ones who find amusement, who could pose as this threat."
The draconequus held his lion-paw up to his chin. "But this one is the most, not second not last. I'm sure there is one which you might have seen in the past."
Chrysalis stared at the ground, her green eyes glinting in the dim light. She had never not known what to do before. Suddenly, her magic mirror buzzed to life. She stepped back in awe, alongside the draconequus. The mirror shone a bright light, more blinding than the sun. Chrysalis brought up one of her hooves, trying to cover up the scorching sensation. Eventually it died down, and the whole mirror shone one colour. Pink.
"Pink? Why that colour? Out of all of those to show? There must be something special, if it forced the mirror to glow," Chrysalis stepped forward, but the pink faded away from the mirror at that very movement. Chrysalis let out a sad sigh. "This number four must be as funny, and as blissful as the colour pink. Now all I have to do is go ahead and think."
The draconequus nodded, and summoned a bit of cotton candy. He handed the sugary treat to Chrysalis.
"Well bye Chyrsalis, it's time I go, I have found some certain goals. I need to go and torment some unsuspecting foals!" He gave a sweet smile before charging towards Chrysalis. Just before he hit her, his body parted in two, before coming back together as one as he continued to charge behind Chrysalis. The changeling queen glimpsed in surprise, as he sprang for her window. He spammed into it, seeping into the glass before dissolving completely. Chrysalis rolled her eyes. He had the most random ways of exiting.
Turning back to her mirror, Chrysalis sat down curiously and knocked her reflection slightly with her hoof. Nothing happened, to Chysalis's disappointment. She had never seen it give her a clue like the pink one before.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Who is the most fairest, of them all?" Chrysalis frowned and backed away when the face appeared.
"Chrysalis, it's you. What a surprise. You don't need to ask any more, just for me to advise." The face disappeared.
Chrysalis gritted her teeth. "I ask anyway, because I like to know I'm the most. Anyone who competes I'll turn them into a ghost!" Chrysalis sighed, before trotting up to the cotton candy the draconequus had given her, and she began to chew slightly onto the fleecy product. It was no match for the taste of love and no changeling could survive on food like this, but Chrysalis ate it anyway for her own satisfaction. She finished the pink cloud-like edible object, before sighing and trotted across the room into the centre, where there was an opening in the ceiling. The reason why there was a huge circular hole in her roof, was because Chrysalis forced Celestia to raise her sun exactly above the circle during the day, and she forced Luna to raise her moon over it during the nighttime. That was what Chrysalis made Celestia and Luna to do. As for what she forced Cadance to do... that was a whole different story.
Chrysalis lay down exactly under what was currently the moon, feeling its light beam down onto her.
"Time to find my number four, you cannot flee! It's time for you to show yourself so I can change your destiny!"
…
The creamish-yellow foal, with the reddish-pink mane, tied back neatly in a bow and yellow eyes shot open with a start.
She screeched, hopping up, getting into a defensive stance. "Where's Chrysalis? Where is she? Lemme' at her!" Apple Bloom glared around furiously, examining her surroundings. She drifted out of her stance, calming down when she realised she was no longer in Chrysalis's evil lair. Instead she was in a grassy meadow. It was filled with many hills, as the moor stretched out into the distance. On the other side, stood tall and mysterious trees, looming above her, the forest just speaking danger. She stiffened. She had heard tales of the Everfree Forest. Horrible, horrible tales. Apple Bloom had grown under an immense fear that the timberwolves that had killed her parents, would come back after her. They haunted her dreams each night... the bony structures, filled with bits of wood and other debris. Their glinting yellow eyes, glaring furiously... their hot, sticky breathe breathing down at her with its grotesque reek. Apple Bloom knew that she would have to build a shelter out here... and fast. That was when she figured out she wasn't alone. There were two other foals, deep in sleep, their hooves cradling their heads as they snored softly. Apple Bloom's eyes widened. Other foals constantly teased her at school for being a blank flank. She had been deserted between endless hills and the Everfree Forest, with two foals who were probably going to tease her. Apple Bloom gulped, and examined the two fillies. One was a small pagasi foal. She was bright orange, and she had a short, messy mane which was purple/pink. The other one was a pure white unicorn foal. She had a curly pink and purple mane. Apple Bloom nearly cheered in excitement when she realised that both of them had blank flanks like her. She knew that these two were going to become good friends of hers. She stumbled over to the pegasi. She nudged it slightly with her hoof.
"Wake up!" Apple Bloom spoke into its orange ear, and the foal stirred before sitting erect and peering at Apple Bloom in confusion.
"Who are you? Where is Chrysalis? Where is Rainbow Dash?" The orange pegasi narrowed her eyes at Apple Bloom suspiciously.
"Ah am Apple Bloom, Chrysalis sent us through the portal to here, so she's probably doing some more evil scheming, and ah don't know who Rainbow Dash is." Apple Bloom scuffled on her hooves nervously.
"You're a blank flank!" The filly's eyes widened, as she stared at Apple Bloom's bare rump, before smiling. "I am Scootaloo! Who is she?" Scootaloo turned her head to the white unicorn filly, who was still softly breathing in a calm sleep.
"Ah don't know..." Apple Bloom tilted her head, before prodding the unicorn's head. "But ah am goin' to find out!"
With one more prod, the unicorn roused, glaring at the two through mint-green eyes before sitting idly. "You two are spies, aren't you? Chrysalis sent you to torture me, eh? Well that's not going to happen! I am going to find Rarity, and you two can't stop me!"
Apple Bloom gasped. "Rarity? Ya don't understand! Chrysalis sent us here too! She stole mah sister, Applejack, and ah was trying to save her, but Chrysalis sent meh here!"
The unicorn hesitated, before turning to Scootaloo. "What about you?"
"She stole my sister-ish and idol Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo replied, scuffing the ground with a hood.
The unicorn's gaze softened. "I am Sweetie Belle. I cannot believe it! We are all blank flanks!"
All three of them seemed just as stoked as each other. Despite the fact that they had lost the ones they loved, they were thrilled at the fact that all three of them had blank flanks. They chatted a bit; about their lives, and the ponies who teased them at school.
"Hey! Ah was thinking- we should start a group to help ponies like us to help us, earn our Cutie Marks?" Apple Bloom suggested.
"Great idea," Scootaloo complimented.
"Now we just need a name," Sweetie Belle bit her lip, and all three of them shared their ideas until they settled on the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"What should we do first?" Sweetie Belle started. Apple Bloom hesitated. Suddenly, an ear splitting howl resonated through the air. All three foals stiffened in shock. The timberwolves were nearby.
"Ah think we need to build houses... and fast," Apple Bloom concluded.
The other two nodded in agreement. "Cutie Mark Crusaders House-Makers! Yay!
"Well this being the moorland, should have a lot of hay! Straw's easy to lift up with my magic so come on, let's not just stay. Come on you two, help me gather some straw! We can make a house that's good enough for four! This will be the best out of all! Anyone who doubts it would be a big fool!" Sweetie Belle chirped, about to hop away, when Scootaloo stopped her.
"Just hold on a minute Sweetie Belle, if you think you could. A house of straw would be nice, but I think we should make it of wood. On the edge of Everfree forest, there are already lots in store! And if we need more, me being a pegasi can just go get more! So come on you two, let's get some wood, we do not have all day! Come on let's make the house of wood where we could live and we could stay!"
Apple Bloom wasn't even sure if Scootaloo could fly, but nonetheless, she still disagreed with the idea. "A house of sticks would be nice, but Scootaloo ah have ta disagree. A house of bricks would be the best, it would stay upright, ya just see. And meh bein' an earth pony can fetch it easy as pie! So come on you two, let's give it a go- at least give it a teeny-weeny try!" Apple Bloom smiled.
"A house of bricks? Where will you even find bricks?"
"Ah can make em', they'd be better than just plain sticks!"
"Well I think a house of straw would be best!"
"A house of straw would be worse than a bird's nest!"
"A house of wood, if you have feared!"
"A house of bricks!"
"That would be just plain weird!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle glared at her.
"Well if we cannot conclude this we will go our separate ways! I think we should, nonetheless, we should make our houses ourselves we do not have the days!" They all concluded in unison, before trudging away from each other in three different directions.
…
"Stupid wood and bricks. I'll show them! I'll make the best straw house anypony has ever seen!" Sweetie Belle muttered under her breathe.
"Is that so?"
Sweetie Belle jumped back in horror, to see an unusual form before her. Is was the craziest looking creature she had seen... like several different creatures from a petting zoo had been put together to make it. "What are you?" She backed away cautiously.
"I'm a draconequus. One of the most powerful creatures on earth," the figure replied, before Sweetie Belle.
She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to help you of course! I for one, think the straw house is the most superior out of all three of them," the draconequus replied, a sly grin on his face, as he teleported a whole stack of straw before her.
"I know right! But none of them would listen to me," Sweetie Belle replied, staring at the ground sulkily.
"Oh, who cares about them?" The draconequus asked, before teleporting behind her, and picking the small foal up around her belly, and holding her above his head, so she could see the haystack better.
She gave a surprised yelp, before turning to him. "But... they are my friends..."
"Any good friend wouldn't have dissed your idea like that," the draconequus smirked, and shoved her into the haystack. Sweetie Belle's eyes widened, as she was now in a small room inside of the straw. There was a huge window on the other side of the straw shelter, which showed what was beyond the stack.
"I guess you're right... if they were true friends, they would have stood by my side," Sweetie Belle murmured inquisitively, peering at the draconequus who was now in the room with her.
He nodded deviously. "Yes, that's right! If you want to see what your friends really think, just look through the window!"
Sweetie Belle hesitated, before trotting up to the glass and peering through. She saw Scootaloo's face appear. Her eyes were narrowed, and her mouth was curved slightly, but everything about it seemed astonishingly brutal.
"I think Sweetie Belle's idea of straw was stupid! Anypony dumb enough to think of an idea like that shouldn't even be this old! In fact, she shouldn't even be born yet!" Scootaloo gave a devilish grin, before vaporising. Sweetie Belle's eyes welled with tears as Apple Bloom appeared and said what she had to say.
"Ah agree! Ah wish ah never met her! She's definitely the idiot out of all three of us!"
Sweetie Belle turned to the draconequus miserably. Her green eyes didn't glimmer. They were cloudy, as they were welled with tears.
"Sad, isn't it?" He questioned, before his eyes began to swirl into an endless, colourful spiral. Sweetie Belle gaped and her eyes mimicked the spirals. She finally broke free from the trance, and her fur and mane had gone one shade duller than it had been before. Anger poured through Sweetie Belle, and charged her up.
"They don't like my idea? They think I'm stupid? Well they are going to pay! They are so going to pay!" Sweetie Belle furiously bashed her way out of the straw before ripping it apart to build her house. She felt rage boiling down in her. She would prove them that she was the most best out of the three, whether they liked it or not. The draconequus gave an evil smirk, before teleporting away.
…
Scootaloo trotted up to the branches, and picked a twig up in her mouth.
"I'n goin' to e' 've 'est out o' all o' 'vem," Scootaloo said, her voice muffled through the stick in her mouth.
"Why of course you are!"
Scootaloo jumped in surprise, spitting out her sticks. She screamed, and fled, her tail streaming behind her as she tried to get as far away from the monster as possible. She sprinted, but the creature teleported before her, and she went slamming into its stomach.
"No need to flee!" It turned to her, but she backed away. Her belly was exposed, as she crab-walked back. Unfortunately, she eventually tripped over a peculiar rock and went falling onto her back completely. She was unable to get up.
"Don't hurt me!" She stared at the creature in fear, but he only laughed.
"H-hurt you? Ahahaha! You think... I am going to h-hurt you!" The creature went into a hysterical laughter, falling onto his back, as he clutched his stomach in amusement. He teleported up again, suddenly, with a serious expression on his face. "No, I am here to help you."
"Help me?" Scootaloo got up onto her hooves and stared at the creature curiously.
"Yes! Your idea of wood was by far, the best out of all three!" The creature snorted, a hint of foxiness in his eyes.
"You really think so?" Scootaloo asked in surprise, but then puffed her chest out, "I mean- of course you do! Something Rainbow Dash would say," she muttered the last part and it wasn't audible. The creature nodded vigorously. Suddenly, all the sticks on the ground began to rattle.
"Earthquake!" Scootaloo shrilled, and was about to go ducking for cover, when the creature picked her up.
"No- not earthquake... my magic!" All the fallen down sticks began to gather together into one pile.
Scootaloo stared in amazement. "Thanks! I really need to get building now!" She tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he only held onto her tighter, and she glanced at him cautiously. "Are you going to let me go?"
"Of course!" The creature grinned mischievously. "Just one more thing..."
To Scootaloo's astonishment, she was teleported up to a cloud high above. She gave a little yelp, and crouched down to the cloud, clinging on to it with her hooves. "How am I going to get down? I... I can't really fly."
"I'll help you down... I just need to show you what your friends really think about your wood house idea!" The creature whizzed his magic, and the clouds around the, began to form into faces.
"I'd like to see," Scootaloo hissed, and glimpsed at the faces of cloud.
Apple Bloom's face appeared, and she began talking. "House of wood? Pff! That is the most horrible idea ever!" Scootaloo stared in surprise, as Sweetie Belle appeared next.
"Yeah! I agree- almost as horrible as the pony who thought up the idea!"
"What? They really think that?" Scootaloo stared at the creature in sorrow.
"Yes. I know you can change the way they think though." He replied, before his eyes started swirling. Scootaloo gaped, as her eyes mimicked the movement, and she felt anger boiling up in her.
"How dare they- how dare they! I'm going to show them! Let's see who's going to be laughing, after I create the best house!" Scootaloo let out a snarl, and the creature teleported her back to land, with a flick of his paw. Scootaloo infuriately began shoving sticks in different spots, her fur and mane changing one shade duller.
"One more to go," the draconequus muttered before teleporting away.
…
"Time to build, create, create, create! A house of bricks, can't have it done too late! We'll live and we will thrive by our own mature laws! We'll be the best one's ever seen we do not have no flaws!" Apple Bloom chanted the small tune, before mumbling sadly. "No flaws except our lack of Cutie Marks." She sighed, before stacking her bricks on top of each over, plastering them down with cement she had created out of some mud and tree sap. "Oh well! Now ah need to build the best brick house ever!"
"And that will be true!"
Apple Bloom gaped, to see a figure before her. She narrowed her eyes. "Back away! Ah know how to kick, and it will hurt!"
The creature summoned a white flag and began flapping it too and fro. "Ok, easy! I'm not here to hurt you! I'm here to help you!"
Apple Bloom's gaze softened. "Cool! What are ya' anyway?"
"A draconequus," he replied, giving a smug grin.
"Ok- well you can go get some extra bricks to help," Apple Bloom smiled. She turned away for half a second, and when she looked back, there was a whole stack of bricks there. "Woah! That's a lot" Apple Bloom sighed, before picking up another one, but the draconequus picked her up before she could even touch it.
"Wait! Ah am not a brick!" She cried, but it was too late, as she was moulded into a rectangular prism and coated with cement, before being plastered onto the wall. She went falling through the wall, before she landed softly on the ground in an unusual room, with the draconequus standing on the other side in amusement.
"What was 'at for?" Apple Bloom questioned, brushing some dust off her pelt.
"I need to show you something! I need to show you what your friends really think about you creating a brick house," the draconequus began to show her the wall of the room. It was completely made of stone, and some figures of stone-painted ponies appeared. Apple Bloom recognised Sweetie Belle. The stone painting began to move around and talk.
"Brick houses are the most pathetic idea I have ever heard! What was Apple Bloom thinking? It's ridiculous!" Sweetie Belle scoffed, grinning haughtily before disappearing into dust. A cave painting of Scootaloo appeared next.
"I won't go too harsh on her idea- so this is as easy as I can get. Brick houses are the most rubbish idea ever! Nopony would agree with her- I am embarrassed to even call Apple Bloom my friend. Sorry wimp, but the only word that speaks for you, is lame!" Scootaloo laughed, before disappearing.
"What? No!" Apple Bloom peered up at the draconequus. "They are mah friends! They wouldn't... they couldn't!" She choked, before peering at the ground in disdain.
"I guess some friendships... aren't meant to work," the draconequus gave her a sorrowful, yet, devious look, lifting his chicken-claw to her chin and lifting it up, forcing her to look into his eyes. They began to swirl, and Apple Bloom's eyes mirrored them. Apple Bloom felt rage spiralling up to her heart, and her fur and mane changed to one shade greyer.
"Ah will get mah revenge on those two measly, jerks. Those dimwits mess with meh? Ah will have mah vengeance and them twits, and nopony can stop meh!" Apple Bloom's voice thundered through the room, and the draconequus snapped his claw, teleporting Apple Bloom back to her pile of bricks, where she began to half-heartedly stack them in fury.
"A job well done," he hummed before teleporting away.
…
"Straw after straw, I will build, build, build. Nopony will stop me because they know that I am skilled. I am majestic, I am brave, I am neat with my horn! None of those pitiful beasts can kill me with this scorn!" Sweetie Belle gave a screech of excitement and rage as she weaved the last bit of hay into the house. It stood before her proudly, standing tall and sturdy. Sweetie Belle let out a triumphant huff, scraping sweat off her forehead. That was when she heard the snarl, and a wolf came racing down the hills towards her home.
"Oh no!" Sweetie Belle squealed, and pounced through the door of the home, closing it furiously, and pressing her back against it, feeling her racing heart. The wolf howled, and she turned to the window, seeing it sitting down angrily before her house.
"Little foal, little foal, let me come inside to save your skin! Or I will huff and I will puff, and I will blow your house in!" The wolf let out a savage snarl.
"You can talk? A talking wolf? How curious I say. And no, you can't come in, until my very last day!" Sweetie Belle chortled, turning a shade greyer in pride.
The wolf gave a furious roar, taking one deep breathe in. The air came out of its jowls, and all the straw Sweetie Belle had put up began to crumble down. Bits of debris and hay went closing in, and Sweetie Belle only just managed to escape from the crumbling down house.
"Now you're mine! Foal flesh tastes so fine!" The wolf licked its chops, before pouncing forwards. Sweetie Belle let out a frightened scream, and galloped as far as she could away from her fallen down home.
"Where to go, where to go?" Sweetie Belle felt her eyes tearing up. "I should go to my friend's homes... but they made fun of me... I cannot," Sweetie Belle saw the wolf hot on her trail. "I have to! They are my friends, and nothing can stop that!" With that, Sweetie Belle's colour returned, and all the hatred she had possessed before had faded. It gave her an extra bound, as she raced towards the wooden structure in the distance, the wolf's rancid breathe on her tail.
…
Scootaloo let out a joyful sigh of relief, as she peered up at her completed wood house. It stood up stably, with the sticks lined over the sides. It would make an amazing home.
"I bet this is way better than anything made by Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom," Scootaloo smirked, and felt herself turning one shade greyer than before.
"Scootaloo! Scootaloo!" The voice was muffled and quiet, as it was in the distance. The pegasi turned up to see Sweetie Belle approaching her from the distance, a wolf a few metres behind her, giving chase.
"Oh no!" Scootaloo cried, and leapt into her house, slamming the door.
"Please Scootaloo! Let me in!" The sound of Sweetie Belle banging against the door made every stick in the house rattle slightly. Scootaloo glared at the vibrating door, which Sweetie Belle was banging at.
"The wolf is now your problem Sweetie Belle! I don't care what happens to you!" Scootaloo snapped.
"Please Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle cried again, her voice was desperate. There was a hesitation. "I know a pony as awesome a you, would let a pitiful desperate pony like me in, because you are cool and nice!" Sweetie Belle whimpered.
Scootaloo paused. "Fine- but only because of that." As soon as the door opened a creak, Sweetie Belle bolted inside, before Scootaloo locked it up again. Scootaloo trotted up to the window, and peered outside to see a wolf, glaring at her.
"Little foal, little foal, let me come inside to save your skin! Or I will huff and I will puff, and I will blow your house in!" The wolf narrowed its eyes as it croaked out he words.
"You can talk? A talking wolf? How curious I say. And no, you can't come in, until my very last day!" Scootaloo snapped, smiling slightly as the wolf kept out a snarl at the back of it's throat. It took one great gush of air, and blew a gust of wind towards the house. The wood only shook slightly.
"Looks like your blowing didn't work," Scootaloo replied in a snarky way, but to her surprise, the wolf wasn't done yet. It blew another gust of wind at the house, and this time, the wooden planks couldn't take the force, and the stick house began falling apart. Twigs began tumbling down and another series of sticks and branches collapsed. Sweetie Belle was off in a hurry, as she went scampering into the distance. Scootaloo escaped from the breaking-apart home, but was hesitant to run away. Where would she go? Apple Bloom's place had to be the best option... but she couldn't go there... could she? The menacing growl of the wolf concluded this option, and Scootaloo's fur changed back to its original colour, as she went tearing down the ground after Sweetie Belle.
…
"Done! Finally! In no time too soon," Apple Bloom muttered, peering into the distance, spotting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo being chased by a wolf. Apple Bloom trotted into the home and locked the door closed. A few minutes later, she heard the hooves banging against the door.
"Please let us in Apple Bloom! There's a wolf!" Scootaloo whimpered.
"Why should ah? Ah figured out that friendship wasn't good enough for you two," Apple Bloom snapped.
"We were wrong! We do need friendship!" Sweetie Belle wailed.
Apple Bloom hesitated. "Prove it!"
"You're our best friend Apple Bloom- with you will will be able to defeat Chrysalis. With you, we'll be able to get out Cutie Marks! Please Apple Bloom! Please let us in!" Scootaloo cried. The pleas- the wails, filled with hope and despair. They were enough to give Apple Bloom the strength. She felt the goodness and warmth of the emotions surging through her, and the hate faded away, changing her back to her original colour.
"Ok!" Apple Bloom shrilled, unlocking her door. Her two friends dashed in, and Apple Bloom quickly locked it again before approaching her window and peering at the wolf outside.
"Little foal, little foal, let me come inside to save your skin! Or I will huff and I will puff, and I will blow your house in!" The wolf fiercely prowled outside the brick home, viciously baring it's teeth into a snarl.
"Ya can talk? A talking wolf? How curious ah must say. And no, ya can't come in, until mah very last day!" Apple Bloom shrilled.
The wolf breathed in a terrible amount of oxygen, before gushing it out. The wind hit the home, but the home didn't even shake. The wolf tried again, with the same outcome.
"What? How? How isn't your home falling down!" The wolf gave a furious howl. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle peered out of the window to see the wolf. The canine let out a soft sigh, before it began ripping its paws off itself.
"What are you doing?" Sweetie Belle cried in surprise.
"I should stop lying to you all! I'm not a wolf- I'm a foal like you three," the wolf replied, before taking off its disguise to reveal a brown-orange foal, with a red-pink short mane. She had green eyes, and a blank flank.
"What? Who are you?" Scootaloo cried in shock.
"Name's Babs Seed. Sorry I was pretending to be a wolf... I don't know what got into me... It's like something inside me told me to dress up as a wolf and terrorise you three."
"Babs Seed? Oh mah Chrysalis! Applejack told meh about ya! Ya're mah cousin!" Apple Bloom cried, opening up the door and allowing the foal to come in. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were hesitant, but after they all chatted for a bit, they grew to like Babs Seed and accepted her as a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader.
They were all happy, until several howls ricocheted across the sky. The wolves were nearby, and the foals gave each other shocked expressions. Babs Seed's howls might have attracted some fellow pack members.