The Misadventures of Ponified Friends

Chapter 22: No Encores for You (The Show Stoppers)


(Silver's POV)

"Where are you taking us?"

"Somewhere you might find awesome," I answered, leading Apple Bloom in some part of the Acre surrounded by trees.

"I've never been here before," said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was also present, trailing from behind.

"Are we there yet?" the little Pegasus asked impatiently.

"There-where-what? I don't even know what we're doing!" Sweetie Belle complained.

I pushed and ripped off tree branches and bushes to clear our path. I couldn't wait to show the surprise!

"Well, here we are!" I said ecstatically, looking at the construction.

"What are we looking at?" Apple Bloom asked. She looked puzzled.

"I have no idea," said Scootaloo.

"What is that thing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well, Applejack and I figured that you three could use a place to do fun things and do some Cutie Mark Crusader stuff. And so, I'd like to welcome you to your new clubhouse!" I announced.

While I was walking around aimlessly during my break from bucking a few days ago, I stumbled upon this area in Sweet Apple Acres. I discovered this worn-down treehouse in the middle of the clearing, and I asked Applejack if she knew there was something like this in the farm. Turns out, it was her old clubhouse, and I knew the place was special when Applejack's face lit up as she told me stories from her younger days and about how she used to have a lot of fun in the clubhouse and how it made her childhood and all that. And that inspired me to try and restore the place for Apple Bloom and her friends.

I expected them to get overly excited, like usual. The only responses I got were confused stares and uninterested facial expressions.

That quickly drained my enthusiasm. "You guys could've at least smiled…."

I walked towards the tree as the crusaders followed. I walked up the ramp carefully since the wood was almost rotten. I'm surprised it managed to hold up the weight.

"So AB, has Applejack ever told you about her clubhouse before?" I asked as we made our way to the balcony.

"She did mention it a few times, and she even said that she would give it to me someday." Her eyes scanned the clubhouse. "but I don't think this place is even habitable."

"Well, sure, it's a little beat down, but it's nothing a little restoration can't fix!" I said confidently. "And look at the perks! It's in an empty and secluded area of the farm, so you guys can pretty much go all out in here. It's perfect!"

I heard a loud crash inside the clubhouse. Some parts of the roof collapsed. How convenient timing.

"Though it might need a tiny bit of TLC," I added.

"TLC as in Tender Loving Care or Totally Lost Cause?" Scootaloo said. Jeez, what hurt this kid?

"Silver, we're supposed to turn this into our clubhouse?" Apple Bloom asked worriedly.

"Don't panic. I'll help restore the clubhouse to its full glory!" I proclaimed as I rested my hoof on the wall. "And who knows? Maybe you guys can get your cutie marks once you discover you have a talent for-"

The wall I was leaning on broke into pieces, and I tumbled inside the clubhouse with a loud OOF! I popped my head out of the rubble, and I was dizzy as heck.

"-A talent for fixing is what I'm trying to say." I finished groggily.

"I have a feeling this is going to take a while," Scootaloo said, surveying the damage.

"I doubt it," I replied. I dusted myself up from the scraps of wooden planks. "Tomorrow's a weekend, so if we're lucky, we'll have this done by Monday, or maybe even earlier. And we really should get going to school now, or you guys are going to be late."

AB frowned, "Oh, right. School."

"Speaking of school, is it true that Star Blast is going to be a teacher there?" Sweetie Belle asked. There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

"A student-teacher actually, but yeah! Gosh, I hope everything goes well for him…."

"Does that mean that he can help us ace our exams?!" Scootaloo asked loudly.

"Well, yeah, but in the right way, of course. Trust me. Speedy and I tried bribing him once when we were in high school to give us answers during our test, and we got an earful, so don't even try cheating around him." I quickly shoved that statement aside, and I said, "Anyway, let's get going."

Groans of refusal from the girls signaled our walk back to the farm, and we finally made our way to the Schoolhouse where I dropped them off. I did plan to stay there for a bit to see Robert in action for the first time.

But since Twilight and Lemuel were already there to support him (or embarrass him), I decided to go back to Sweet Apple Acres. I should ask Rob himself how the entire thing turned out once I'm home.


The weekend flashed by, and here I am, hanging out in the library on a Monday. Weirdly enough, every chore in Sweet Apple Acres was done in the last few days even when I spent half of it working on the clubhouse with the girls, so this is a rare day off for me.

Also, a quick update on the Crusaders' clubhouse; It's mostly pretty done like I said it would! Now it's all up to the fillies to decorate it. I might have to check up on them this afternoon. I bet they'll rush right there once school's out.

Side note: Lemuel, who, for some reason, is not outside like he does during this time of the day, randomly challenged me in a chess match.

"Okay, so I'm just gonna sliiiide my bishop down here, and bam! Checkmate!" Speedy chuckled arrogantly. "What are you gonna do now?"

I sighed as I moved my knight to eliminate his bishop. "You're making this way too easy for me."

"Darn it! I forgot about that!" Speedy said, dragging his hooves on his face in frustration.

"And stop saying your every move! What are you? An anime character?"

He shushed me. "Shut up! Let me concentrate!"

"Why don't you just give up? You only have one pawn and a king," Spike commented while playing with the JoyBoy.

"Just shush! Spike, okay?"

I leaned back on my chair and watched his continued struggle. "Dude, I'm literally one move away for a checkmate."

"Shhhh!" he said, hesitating to move his pawn.

And when he did, I landed my Queen on my intended position and, "Checkmate."

"Yeah, this sucks," Speedy said bitterly. "I didn't even know you play chess."

"Well, Rob and I have matches from time to time. You should play with him."

"No, thanks. I already know I'm gonna get molly whopped." Speedy then flew up and did a few backflips before resting in midair. "So booooored!"

"You don't have to say it." I yawned. "Man, this is killing me."

"I wish something interesting happens," Speedy said. "Been a while since we fought a monster."

"Isn't that a good thing, though?" Spike said, not taking his eyes off the screen of the console. "You know, not constantly risking your lives?"

"Yeah. Thank goodness for that." I added. "I haven't asked, but I'm guessing you have time off too?"

"Yup. No weather duties for me this week, which sucks. They're making this really awesome thunder cloud formation, and I don't get to be a part of it!"

"Well, why don't you just ask them if you could join?" I suggested. I stood up and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of soda. I'm parched.

"Nah, they're way too far from Ponyville right now," Speedy replied. "Could you get me some cola too while you're there? Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah."

I heard knocking suddenly. I looked at the door when it kept going. I motioned Lem to check it out.

With a groan, he lazily walked towards the doorway. "Hello?"

As soon as he opened the door, three small multicolored figures dashed past Lem, making him spin like a top.

I spat out my drink when I realized who they were.

"Hey, Silver! You don't mind if we clean up the library, do you?" asked Apple Bloom, who was already tearing down the library alongside Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"Yeah, we do!" said Spike, throwing the console across the room out of shock. "Twilight's gonna kill us!"

"What are you fillies doing?" Speedy said, his eyes swirling around in a daze.

"Trying to get our cutie marks!" Scootaloo answered.

"Of course, you are," I said with a sigh. "Why aren't you in school?"

"Ms. Cheerilee let us off early," said Sweetie Belle, throwing books off the shelves. "She was having a meeting with Star Blast and Twilight."

I hummed. They did mention that earlier. "Okay, then why the library?"

"Well, after finishing the treehouse…" Scootaloo started.

"We tried doing lots of things in Ponyville!" Sweetie Belle continued.

"Yeah! We fed the farm animals, played games, made candy, dyed manes, climbed mountains, searched for a lake monster-"

"Lake monster?"

"And let me guess. No cutie marks?" Speedy cut-off Apple Bloom. The crusaders shook their heads.

"Look, girls, we admire your efforts, but this is a horrible time for, uh… this," I said, gesturing at the mess they made. "And I doubt that rearranging books will make a great cutie mark."

"But there's nothing else to do." Sweetie Belle complained.

"We already ran out of ideas. At least for today." Apple Bloom added.

"How about this, though," Speedy said, walking towards the crusaders who were on top of a pile of books. "Instead of doing things you haven't done before, why don't you three stick to what you already know!"

"What we already know?" The Crusaders said.

"What? Being a real pain in the-"

I quickly covered Spike's mouth while the girls are busy wondering.

Scootaloo raised her hoof. "Oh! I know! How about singing? We can never go wrong with singing!" and the other two agreed with it.

"Well, there you go!" Speedy approved.

"Speaking of, we made a Cutie Mark Crusaders theme song!" said Apple Bloom.

"A theme song?"

"Yeah! You wanna hear it?"

"We'd love to, but-" I tried hard to tell them that it wasn't the right time, but Apple Bloom's enthusiastic voice overpowered mine as she told the girls to get ready.

They obliged as they prepared, clearing their throats. But before they could let out a tone, we heard the door open, making us turn.

"What is going on here?" said the confused Twilight. Besides her was Star Blast, who was also surprised.

"They did it! We had nothing to do with this!" Spike said, pointing a claw at the crusaders.

"We can see that," said an amused Blast. "Crusading again, girls?"

"Yup, but we sure aren't gotta get our cutie marks from being librarians," Apple Bloom answered.

"I should think not." Spike scoffed, earning him a glare from Twilight. "What?"

"But thanks to Speedy's advice, we're gonna stick with something we like instead of doing things we're not familiar with!" Sweetie said.

"Really?" Twilight said. "That's… not a bad idea."

"Hey, why sound surprised? I always give good advice!"

"Dude, you got a kid grounded when he tried fixing his computer cause you said deleting system32 will make it go faster," I said, reminding him of the incident.

"To be fair, the computer did become faster cause he had to do a clean install."

"Anyway," Star Blast spoke up. "I think I have just the perfect thing for you three."

He brought out a rolled-up poster from his bag and laid it down on the ground.

"Showcase your talents…"

"For all to see."

"Perform in the Ponyville School's Talent Show!"

"This should be a good place for you crusaders to start," said Blast. "There will be all sorts of awards. From Best Dramatic Act, Comedy, Magic, I'm sure you three have the talent to compete."

"Hey, this is a good place to discover our talents," Apple Bloom said. "Juggling!"

"Acting!"

"Magic tricks!"

"Square-dancing!"

"Tight-rope walking!"

"Tiger taming!"

"My little ponies! You're missing the point," Twilight said, catching the attention of the three fillies. "Think about the things that you already enjoy doing. Think about what you're already good at."

"Sure, we can do that," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah, sure we can!" Sweetie responded.

"Well, whatever we do, we'll do it as…" Apple Bloom began, then they all cheered, hoof bumping in the air. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Come on! Let's go back to the clubhouse and get some supplies for the talent show!" Scootaloo said, then they finally ran out of the library.

"I swear they have enough energy to power an entire city," I commented.

"I'm sure we all had phases in our childhood like them." Blast said.

"Even you?"

"Yes, Lem. Even me."

"Still, I think the advice you gave 'em went completely over their heads," I said to both Speedy and Twilight.

"Well, they are still fillies. I think it's best if we let them do their own thing." Twilight answered.

"So, a talent show, huh?" Speedy said, grabbing the poster to look at it. "Does everyone get to join or just the students in this school?"

"Just the students," Blast said. "Why'd you ask?"

"Were you planning on joining, Speedy?" Twilight asked.

He nodded. "Oh, definitely. I don't know if you know, but I can do a mean Sonic impression."

With that, both Blast and I let out annoyed groans, making Twilight and Spike look at us in confusion.

"Darn it, dude. I thought you're already past that, and now you decide to bring it up." I said.

"Hey! My voice is good enough to replace Ben Schwartz and Roger Craig Smith. Remember when I did a Sonic meme that gained over a MILLION views on YouTube?"

"Yes!" Rob and I said at the same time.

"You guys will be lying to yourselves if you think that my Sonic voice isn't convincing," Speedy said.

"We know, Lemuel. But that video of yours? That temporary fame got into your head, and you kept using that voice for weeks!" Blast said.

"Yeah, and you became way more annoying if that was even possible," I added.

Speedy raised an eyebrow, sporting a clueless look. "Seriously? I did that?"

"Yes!"

"Uh, who's Sonic?" Spike asked, joining the conversation.

"Oh, he's a very popular video game character back in our world," I answered.

"Was that the blue hedgehog thing that Speedy wore for Nightmare Night last year?" I nodded to Twilight's question.

"Speaking of, why are you even gonna do your Sonic voice in the talent show when none of the ponies knows who he is?" I asked him

Speedy's face scrunched up, and he put his hoof under his chin, thinking about it. I shook my head as I realized that he never even thought about it, and so did Blast, looking at him with a deadpan look of disappointment.

When it finally hit him, Speedy smacked his hooves. "Darn it!"

"Well, that was a good use of valuable time," Blast said sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Twilight and I will be planning the event. You guys can join us if you want to, seeing that you're not occupied with anything."

"I'm good. Not much of a planner," said Speedy.

"Me too. It ain't one of my strong suits," I said.

"Well, in that case, why don't you boys clean this place up?"

We turned around, and the other books that the Crusaders didn't even touch were scattered all over the floor. How the heck did that even happen?

Spike threw a bit of a temper tantrum when he kicked a pile of books next to him after Twilight and Blast went upstairs. I just scratched my head. Beats doing nothing, though.


"Say, let me ask you something."

"What is it, dude?"

"Is it just me, or did you become way taller?"

It was a Tuesday afternoon right now, and it was my turn to pick up groceries in the farmers market. And yeah, Speedy tagged along since he was still on a break from weather duties.

Oh, and to answer his question, "Really? I didn't realize."

"Like, seriously. You grew at least an inch or two." Speedy said, hovering next to me to meet my height. "You're probably 6 foot 8 right now in your human height. And not only that, you even got bulkier."

"Well, that's what happens when you work out, eat healthy, and buck hundreds of apple trees every day. What got you interested so suddenly?" I said, examining the cart of fresh vegetables and fruits on the stall.

"Oh, I don't know. Just asking."

"That's it? I have a feeling there's way more to it than that." I said, turning to him.

I just noticed something.

"Huh, looks like I'm not the only one who had physical changes." I snorted.

"I know. I gained weight. And not in the best way." He said grumpily, crossing his forehooves.

"But how? It's been only two days."

"Let's just say this stuff is happening to me for comic relief."

"More like you need to lay off the cupcakes," I replied. "Actually, look at the bright side. You look normal now and not a talking twig like you used to be."

He laughed dryly. "Shut up."

I let out a few chuckles. But seriously, though. Speedy will burn that out once he goes back to flying. He has an insanely fast metabolism that even makes mine look normal, even back then as humans.

We shortly started to make our way home after shopping as we passed by the Boutique. I then begin to hear a familiar scooter sound.

"Sweetie Belle!" I heard Rarity bellow. "I told you not to touch my things! Come back with my supplies!"

"We're just borrowing them for the talent show! Don't worry, sis. I promise I'll bring them back!" Sweetie Belle shouted back. She was with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo on their wagon again, driving away from the Boutique. What are they up to this time?

"There goes the girls wreaking havoc again," Speedy commented, watching the fillies go door to door in each house. "I wonder what they'll do in the talent show."

"Well, I can tell it's going to be a banger. One way or another."

As we arrived at the library, Blast greeted us, who held a book at the front door.

He sent a smile towards our direction. "Nice to see you two bonding. Kind of late to be grocery shopping, don't you think?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I forgot." I told him. "Luckily, I asked the pony in the usual stall I buy in to save me the best harvest in advance."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cool," Speedy intervened, dropping the bags of groceries with a grunt. "Thanks for making me carry this all the way here, by the way."

"What? You need the exercise."

Speedy and I got into a bit of banter like always, and Blast broke us up again.

"Come on, guys. Don't turn that nonsense into a big deal. Although, I do have to agree that you need the exercise, Lem." Blast said.

"Excuse me?" Speedy said.

"Yeah. I noticed you've put on a bit of weight since you went on a break. Did your metabolism finally slow down?"

"Okay, first off, OUCH!" Speedy said dramatically. "And second, this world definitely wants me to for humor's sake, specifically for Silver's."

Eh, I have to agree with that.

"Okay, why don't you two set the groceries up on the shelves already?" Blast ordered.

Speedy had one of the bags and went inside while I carried most of 'em. I stopped midway when I noticed Blast was still sitting outside.

"I gotta ask. Are you waiting for someone, or is that a comfortable reading spot?" I said, curious.

"Oh, I'm waiting for the Crusaders."

"The Crusaders? Why?"

"They said they needed this book." He then showed me said book, titled 'Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish Figures.'

"Why in the heck would they ask for a book like that?"

"Come on. You know how adventurous those girls can get just to have a cutie mark. I'm speaking from experience."

"Not to this extent! Are they gonna summon the demon lord or something?"

"Now, let's not go overboard."

And speak of the devil, the Crusaders have shown up. They seem to be carrying more stuff now compared to earlier.

"Hey, Silver! Hey, Star Blast!" Apple Bloom greeted. "Did you get what we asked for?"

"Yup, one 'Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish Figures' coming right up." Blast said. He levitated the book and gave it to the girls.

"Sweet! Thanks!" said Scootaloo.

"Hold on for a minute!" I said before they took off. "Can I ask something first about that book? Of all the books, why that? And what are you going to do with it?"

"You'll see!" Scootaloo zoomed past me in a blink of an eye.

"Thanks for letting us borrow this!" Sweetie Belle shouted back. I reached out my hooves, watching them turn into a tiny dot on the horizon.

"Looks like they'll surprise us at the Talent Show." Blast said next to me.

"Have you seen the stuff on their wagon? Plywood, heavy-duty construction equipment, aren't they supposed to be Kindergartners?!" My voice went up an octave.

"They're actually 2nd Graders," Blast said. "Hassan, relax. If they can survive an encounter with a lake monster, I'm sure they can safely work with those pieces of equipment. Huh, I can't believe I'm that assured."

"But what about the book? Who knows what evil they can unleash!"

"Again, you're going overboard."

"But-"

"Look, if it eases your mind, I can guarantee that the book is curse and monster free. Otherwise, I wouldn't have given it to them without a thought," Blast said. "Now, let's go inside and start preparing dinner."

I sighed. I could always visit the CMCs in their clubhouse tomorrow. But I won't be surprised If I wake up and there's a giant monster rampaging across Ponyville.


Two days have passed, and so far, so good. There's not a monster on sight. I should never have doubted Blast.

Or they just haven't opened the book yet. Yup, that's gotta be it.

I was finishing up harvesting a section of the apple farm when the girls returned from school and went straight to their clubhouse. The talent show is tomorrow, after all.

Which reminds me, I need to hurry up here and help set up the stage for the show, or else Twilight and Blast are gonna scold me again. I don't need that right now, and it's the last thing I wanted.

I heard a loud whistle, and when I turned, a bottle of apple juice was hurtling in the air towards me. I clumsily caught the bottle, and I glared at the one who threw it, "Can't you just give me a drink normally for once?"

"Where's the fun in that?" said Applejack. "Good job here as always, Silver. These Gale Gala's have never looked prettier. "

"Thanks," I said, taking a drink. "But seriously, one of these days, I'm gonna end up with a huge bump in my head if you keep throwing things at me."

Applejack chuckled, "Alright, I'll stop doin' it. Say, have you seen Apple Bloom? School's over, and she hasn't gone home yet."

"She and her friends are at the clubhouse prepping for the talent show. They just got here."

"Figures," Applejack put her hoof on her chin. "Do you have any idea about what they're gonna do? Apple Bloom's been keeping it a mystery."

Then an image of the girls reading the book and unleashing hellspawn across the world flashed through my mind.

I gulped down the juice as I looked at AJ, "Trust me. I think it's best if we don't know."

"Oh, please. What's the worst they could do?"

I gave her an 'are you serious?' look, my face tilting to the side obnoxiously to prove my point.

"Alright, alright. I got ya." Applejack said. She then began walking in the direction of the clubhouse.

"Hey, whoa. Where do you think you're going?"

"Taking a peek at what they're doin'."

"If Apple Bloom wants to keep it a secret, then we should respect her wishes!" I shouted as AJ was going further into the trees.

"I won't ask her about the talent show!" AJ replied.

I hesitated to follow her. I then remembered the other stuff the Crusaders brought with them yesterday. Well, besides the Ghost book. Power tools, cans of paint, and the fabrics from Rarity?

I genuinely am curious at this point, so I ran and caught up with Applejack shortly.

"Took you long enough." Applejack said.

"I just wanna find out if they're alright, that's all," I replied.

"The talent show's just around the corner. It wouldn't hurt to see how the fillies are doing."

We arrived at the clearing, and we began to hear upbeat music coming from the clubhouse. So the Crusaders are doing a dance routine? Thank goodness it's lowkey. But for some reason, I can't see them as dancers.

Quietly, Applejack and I peeked at the window and saw the Crusaders practicing a dance move, and man, they're flailing around all over the place and hitting themselves. Applejack was wincing throughout all of it as we continued to watch. It was like their first time practicing their routine.

"I think we should go…." Applejack suggested.

We walked back down the clubhouse, and AJ was sporting a worried look.

"Well, gosh. Sure wasn't expecting that." Applejack said.

"I expected way worse, though," I said. "But I sure am glad they're not using the book."

"What book?"

"Nothing."

We heard the door open as the Crusaders went out with satisfied smiles.

"I think that sounded pretty good!" Apple Bloom said.

"Me too. You think we're ready?" Sweetie Belle said.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Scootaloo answered confidently.

Applejack bumped me lightly and motioned to walk away sneakily and get out of here, but it was too late.

"Hey! Did you see us practicing?" Scootaloo asked. They all rushed over the rails of the balcony.

We slowly turned around. "Uh… Yeah?" Applejack said uneasily.

"Well? How did we do? How did we do?" Apple Bloom asked with an excited grin.

Applejack couldn't come up with something. She is the Element of Honesty, so I figured that she's afraid to tell the truth and discourage the girls.

So that's when she decided to push me forward and force me to handle all the lying. "You go!"

"Oh, come on!" I complained. I turned to the girls as I cleared my throat, but not a word came out of my mouth. I am horrible at sugar coating, so that could make everything worse!

"I think… Uh…" I mumbled. My mind was blank right now!

"Speechless!" Scootaloo declared, bringing me out of my dilemma. "See girls? I told you that's what we're gonna do! We're gonna leave them speechless!" The girls cheered and high-fived.

"Speechless is right…" Applejack muttered.

"You Crusaders done for the day?" I asked them.

"We still have one more practice left." Sweetie Belle answered.

"And then, we're just gonna finish up our props for the show!" Scootaloo said.

"Props?" The Crusaders pointed to the left side of the clubhouse, and I gasped sharply.

There were cardboard cutouts of what appears to be Sweet Apple Acres and of the clubhouse, done with completely horrid and icky paint jobs that you can tell that it was made by an amateur. Rarity's expensive-looking fabrics were hung on clotheslines drenched with dirty water, not to mention that there was a sweater sewn with five sleeves, so that was weird. Where the heck did they use the construction stuff I saw yesterday?

"Cool, huh?" Scootaloo said proudly.

They were not making this any easier for Applejack and me.

"Well… It ain't bad." Applejack said.

"Oh! And we also wrote a song! Ooh, ooh! And I have a solo dance routine!" Apple Bloom said. "Scootaloo, why don't we give 'em a taste?"

"No, no, no!" I waived off quickly. "It's okay. You gotta save some for us at the talent show. Keep the suspense going. You know what I'm saying?"

Apple Bloom pondered, "You do have a point. Our performance has to be a surprise."

"Yeah! That'll make everyone even more speechless!" Sweetie Belle agreed.

I was relieved that the Crusaders bought it.

"Now, we'll leave you fillies at it. We're not trying to be a bother here." Applejack told them.

"I'll bring you guys over some snacks later, okay?" They cheered right after I said that. "Keep up the grind in there."

The Crusaders went back inside the clubhouse with more vigor. The upbeat music loudly replayed as Applejack and I began to leave the clearing.

"Keep up the grind?"

"Oh, that means to work hard back in my world," I answered heartily. "Well, at least one of the many different meanings, but that's what I usually associate it with."

"Hmm, I like it," Applejack then frowned. "The fillies do need a heck lot of grindin' right now, cause they ain't ready for the talent show at all, as much as I hate to say it."

I shrugged. "Who knows? They might pull off a decent performance. Those girls are capable of doing anything."

"Speaking of the talent show, didn't you tell me earlier that you're leaving early cause you're helping out or somethin'?"

My eyes widened. I completely forgot! "Shoot! I need to run, or Blast will force me to sit through one of Twilight's brain-scrambling lessons again!"

Applejack shivered. "I heard that from Speedy. Do get along now!"

I thanked AJ for the day, and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. The sun was starting to set, so I hoped I wasn't too late. I could not sit through another one of those brain-scrambling lessons cause they literally scramble your brain! My life is most definitely on the line right now!


It's finally the day for the Talent Show. Ponies of all ages had gathered around the field next to the Schoolhouse where the stage was set. All eyes were on the magic act on stage by the not-so-bright duo of Snips and Snails. Blast hooked me and Speedy up with backstage access since we helped set up the place.

To tell you honestly, I was in it just for the free snacks, including Speedy, who was already on his third refill of popcorn.

"Man, no wonder you're gaining weight," I commented, munching on my own tub of popcorn.

"Shut up. It's Kettle corn," he retorted while he stuffed his face with said food.

"Look, I promised you two snacks, but may I remind you that these are for the students?" Blast said suddenly behind us. "You're hogging all of it!"

"No, we're not," Speedy said. "There's a perfectly untouched bowl of veggie sticks right over there." He then pointed to the area of the table that the kids avoided like the plague. One of them even had to block his snout when he grabbed a juice box.

"Gee, I wonder why," I said sarcastically.

Blast sighed, "I guess even herbivores are picky with their vegetables."

"They're kids, dude," said Speedy. "If you have that stinkin' pile of greens on one side and then a tray of freshly baked cookies and candies on the other, chances are that they'll go with what tastes better."

"Well, that is true," Blast said. "Now that I think about it, the kids started to bring their own lunch the moment I got put in charge of what comes out of recess."

"Wow, where's all this wisdom coming from?" I asked jokingly, turning to Speedy. "Ever since you've been on that break, you've been saying some pretty useful stuff."

"Hey, I'm wise twenty-four-seven. I just don't bother talking." Speedy replied.

"Well, thank goodness for that cause ninety-nine percent of the time, your mouth releases nothing but hot air."

"Of course you would know, Mr. Basketball Head."

"Did you two just seriously started fighting right now?

We were cut off by the laughter of the crowd outside. We peeked and it seems like Snips and Snails screwed something up in their act (not really surprised with that one). Both of them started chasing each other around the stage until finally, Ms. Cheerilee came out and ended the act.

"Uh, how about a round of applause for the S&S Magic Act?" she said encouragingly. The crowd stomped their hooves repeatedly. "And now, for our next act, we have Sunny Days and Peachie Pie reciting their poem on roller skates!"

We moved out of the way for the two fillies, already wearing their skates as they took off to center stage.

"Break a leg, you two!" Speedy said to the girls, waving them good luck.

"Speedy! What a thing to say!" I heard Apple Bloom's voice outta nowhere.

"Hey, you girls are finally he-" I paused, speechless at what I'm seeing.

The CMC's were wearing black cloaks that covered them entirely, but I could see they had some bizarre-looking outfits and makeup on. Rarity would faint hard if she saw this.

"No, no, no. You see, in theater, it's considered bad luck to say 'good luck,' so you say 'break a leg,' instead." Sweetie Belle told Apple Bloom, completely unaware of the bewildered stares we had on them.

"Nice costumes, CMC!" Well, I guess Speedy hadn't. There's no hint of sarcasm in his voice whatsoever. "How are you doing? Nervous?"

The three fillies nodded.

"Come on, why are you getting nervous? You have this in the bag!" Speedy said.

"You'll be amazing, you three," Blast said. "I, for one, will be looking forward to your singing, Sweetie Belle."

"Really?!" said Sweetie Belle, almost shrieking. "Oh, but, uh… I'm actually not singing."

Blast raised a brow, "Huh. I assumed you will since you're one of the best in class."

"So none of you are singing?" Speedy asked.

Scootaloo immediately raised her hoof, "I will! I will! I'm gonna be the main singer tonight."

"Oh?" Blast said out of confusion. I already had a glimpse of what kind of performance the Crusaders will be having and everything they did individually, so I'm not surprised now.

"And I'm gonna be the main dancer!" declared Apple Bloom, pretending to karate chop something.

"… Huh?" Blast was looking more worried by the second.

"And I'm in charge of..."

"Costumes?" Blast finished for Sweetie Belle. This time his face was really drooped.

"And sets and props. How'd you know?"

"Are you girls sure about this?" Blast looked anxious.

"Cutie mark Crusaders, you're on next." Ms. Cheerilee announced as she walked by. "Break a leg."

"It's showtime, girls!" Apple Bloom beamed. The girls had thrown away their cloaks, fully exposing their costumes. It all looked something like Freddie Mercury would wear, but I think even he would think twice about wearing those.

"Break a leg, girls!" Speedy hollered. As if on cue, Apple Bloom tripped out of excitement as they went on stage. "But not literally!"

"That's definitely foreshadowing, man…." I mumbled.

"Did they just switch roles?" Speedy pointed out once the CMC's were out of earshot. "It should have been Sweetie Belle singing, Scootaloo on choreo and Apple Bloom on props. Didn't I tell them to stick at what they're good at?"

"I mean, it's still good to explore and try out new things. Let's watch and see how they do," said Blast, looking at the bright side.

The stage lights have dimmed, and some 70s or 80s rock music started to play. The curtains have opened, and there go the girls with only their faces lit up, similar to Queen in their Bohemian Rhapsody video.

"Here we go, boys…." I said, nervously watching.

"It can't be that bad!" Speedy declared. I bet he has never heard Scootaloo sing. I might find out in just a few…

"Look, here are three little ponies

Ready to sing for this crowd

Listen up, cause here's our story

I'm gonna sing it very loud!"

Just as I expected, the hopeful expression he had on started to drift into an emotionless slate the more he watched the Crusaders air guitaring in the stage, right in front of their poorly made props. The crowd was silent out of shock and awe or something.

"When you're a younger pony,

And your flank is very bare,

Feels like the sun will never come

When your cutie mark's not there."

I have no knowledge on how to sing correctly, but I could tell when someone's singing off-key. Unfortunately, Scootaloo, alongside AB's weird dancing solo, ain't exactly appealing to both eyes and ears.

Sweetie Belle went backstage to pull a rope and bring a sun prop up for dramatic effect as AB jumped high enough to pull off kung fu stances.

"So the three of us will fight the fight!

There is nothing that we fear!"

"Hey, Sweetie Belle," I heard Speedy call out. "You need help with that?"

Sweetie Belle was struggling to hold the rope that was pulling some of the props, "I'm… alright!" she said through gritted teeth. Her grip was loosening by the second.

"No, you are not!" Speedy dashed towards Sweetie Belle, but it was too late as she let go of the rope.

We looked back at the stage, noticing that there were spiders, ghosts, and bat mannequins dangling right next to Scootaloo. We were relieved that it wasn't some prop that could crush someone.

Sweetie Belle chuckled nervously. "Whoops." Then she went back to the stage.

"We'll have to figure out

What we'll do next

Till our cutie marks are here!"

Not gonna lie, the moment AB and Sweetie Belle joined Scootaloo singing, it became quite tolerable.

"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders

On a quest to find out who we are!

And we will never stop the journey,

Not until we have our cutie marks!"

And of course, Apple Bloom continued her random dance moves, doing the crane style looking like Daniel-san from Karate Kid. I swear she also did the Running Man. Scootaloo was so into her performance she fell down the platform she was standing on and continued vocalizing. Sweetie Belle returned backstage to activate a smoke machine that appeared out of nowhere. We're literally standing right next to it.

Also, Speedy looked dead inside. The last time I saw him with that look was when we watched Justice League. The Joss Whedon one.

Fog has engulfed the whole stage as soon as Sweetie Belle activated the machine, and this is when it all came downhill.

Thanks to the fog, the Crusaders couldn't see well enough and what happened is that they began bumping into each other blindly, at least that's what I could tell from what was happening.

Sweetie Belle suddenly shot out of the fog that had us yelping. She shook her head and took another prop that was drawn like a clock quickly. Again, where the heck did that come from?!

"They all say that you will get your mark

When the time is really right,

And you know just what you're supposed to do

And your talent comes to light."

Sweetie Belle ran across the stage, not noticing Scootaloo thanks again to the fog, causing her to trip over her. Sweetie Belle rolled over to the operator that controls the spotlight, making it turn in a random direction, which lands on Apple Bloom hiding behind one of the tree props.

AB tried improvising but ended up making a hole on the prop when she kicked, making her leg stuck and dragging the tree prop with her as she tried to get it off.

"But it's not as easy as it sounds

And that waiting's hard to do

So we test our talents everywhere

Until our face is blue!"

The spotlight turned blue and turns out Sweetie Belle had put blue cellophane on it from the top of the stage. She tried pointing it on Scootaloo's face just like the song says but did not hit the mark. So Scootaloo had to adjust.

Once Sweetie Belle returned center stage to jam out with Scootaloo, I noticed that the wind was picking up.

"Yo, Speedy. What's up with the wind? Is there a monsoon coming?" I asked.

"I dunno. Clear skies till Saturday as far as I'm aware."

The wind became so strong that I had to shield my face. Now I'm confused. "Where the heck is this coming from? You sure there's no weather problem tonight?"

"I swear there isn't!" He answered, struggling to keep himself in place.

"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders

On a quest to find out who we are

And we will never stop the journey

Not until we have our cutie marks!"

The wind started to be calm. I slowly brought my hoof down. "That was weird."

"Where did that come from?" asked Speedy.

"Looks like here's the culprit."

Speedy and I turned around, seeing Blast holding up a fan.

Wait. A fan?

"The wind came from that?" I said incredulously.

"I know. I couldn't believe it either." Blast said, bringing the fan to the side with his magic.

"Hey, ain't that the fan the CMC's had the other day?" Speedy wondered.

"I'm guessing it's part of their act." Blast said.

"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders

On a quest to find out who we are

And we will never stop the journey

Not until we have our Cutie Marks!"

Speaking of, we heard loud noises coming from the stage that we had to cover our ears. We slowly turned around, and dust spread out as the stage was full of the scattered cardboard props of the CMC's who emerged from the debris.

They looked over with expectant smiles but gained no reaction from the crowd… until they all busted out laughing. The CMC's smiles dropped, and they went backstage with their heads down.

"Wow. That did not go as well as I expected." Scootaloo started.

"I can't believe they're laughing at us!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Was it that bad?" Sweetie Belle questioned.

It looks like it's time for the grown-ups to step in and lighten up the mood.

"You girls did okay," Blast said.

"And for a group of young fillies like you, it's impressive that you worked on those props and technicals all on your own with no help from grown-ups. So that's already a plus in my book." Speedy added.

"Thanks, Speedy." Scootaloo smiled.

"But is our performance bad?" AB demanded. She suddenly looked me straight into the eye, and she had her infamous puppy dog eyes.

Man, this will be the death of me. I have to tell them the truth somehow, so I went with what I felt watching their performance.

"Well… It's definitely not one of the best performances of the night." They groaned sadly. "But hey, at least you guys were the most entertaining."

"We are?" We nodded to the three of them.

"Back on stage, girls. It's time for the awards!" Ms. Cheerilee announced.

"Back on stage? No!" Sweetie Belle said in protest.

"They'll just laugh some more!" Apple Bloom complained.

"Yeah. What's the point?" Scootaloo said sadly, her eyes downcast.

"Now, girls, let's be good sports. You made a great effort. You should be proud!" Ms. Cheerilee encouraged. "Now, come on. Star Blast, can you assist me with giving the medals?"

"Yes, Ms. Cheerilee."

So she and Blast have gone to the stage with the other students, minus the CMC, who still wouldn't budge. I have to cheer them up and not let them think that they wasted their efforts in the past few days to prepare for this night.

And I think I just have the right story for them.

"You know, girls, something similar happened to me when I was your age."

AB looked up at me. "You did?"

I nodded. "Well, it's not a performance like yours, but it's pretty close. Back in my hometown, we have this game called 'basketball.' It's where you have two teams against each other, and the goal is to toss a ball through the opponent's goal and whoever scored the highest at the end of the time wins."

"Wow, that sounds fun!" Scootaloo said, finally cheering up.

I smiled proudly. "Greatest sport in the world. Back when I was young, we were scheduled to play at my rival school's court. The game was insane! We would trade shots! A fastbreak here and a three-pointer there, both teams were neck and neck not allowing each other to take the lead!"

The Crusaders were into the story as their ears perked up. "And it came down to the wire. The score was 80 to 79, and our team was losing, and there was only 3 seconds left on the clock! So, my teammate passed me the ball, and it was all up to me to win the game for us. You know what happened?"

Sweetie Belle raised her hoof out of excitement. "You tossed the ball and you won?"

"Nope. I missed. To make matters worse, the ball wasn't even close to the goal."

The Crusaders gasped.

"Yeah, it was one of the worst days of my life. We had to watch the other school celebrate right in our faces in a game we could've won."

"Did you stop playing after that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I didn't. In fact, that loss even made me even better."

"But… How did you become even better if you lost?" Scootaloo asked in confusion.

"You see, in competitions, like the talent show right now, it's okay to lose. I know we don't know the results yet, but it's a good thing. It makes you stronger and makes you wanna strive to become a better version of yourself. If you guys keep at it, one of you could become the best singer, dancer, and artist in Ponyville. No, in Equestria!"

The girls looked at each other happily.

"Now go on. They're waiting for you at the stage."

They nodded. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle proceeded, but Apple Bloom turned back, and she suddenly gave me a hug.

"Woah, what's up, AB?" I said, taken aback.

"I just wanted to thank you, Silver. If we don't win anything, then that's okay. I promise we'll be better."

I gave back a hug gently. "I know you will."

She released her hold, gave me a beaming smile, and went on to join the others.

"That was heartwarming as fudge, dude," Speedy commented all of a sudden. "I legit shed a tear. You can see the stain on my hoof here. See?"

"Uh, thanks?"

"And that story. Was it the game you had against Belfort Private?"

I sighed. "I can still remember every second of that last play. For a kid who came from another country trying to prove himself, that crap broke my heart."

"Well, you did get revenge eventually by winning the State Championship two years in a row against them, and it was all blowouts."

I chuckled. "Now that part I like."

"Let's hear it for all our talented fillies and colts!" Ms. Cheerilee announced. The audience began thumping their hooves as applause. "Will you do the honors, Star Blast?"

"Certainly, Ms. Cheerilee." He cleared his throat. "The first award goes to… Snips and Snails for Best Magic Act!"

"Wow, I didn't see that one coming," I said, clapping along with the crowd.

"Why? They're the only ones who did a magic act." Speedy said.

"What are you talking about? There's a couple of 'em who did."

"Really? I could've sworn it's only the two of them."

"Dude, we've been watching in this same spot throughout the entire talent show."

Speedy shrugged. "Eh, whatever. Hey! If they got medals, the Crusaders could certainly get theirs as well."

"I sure hope so."

"The next award goes to… Sunny Days and Peachie Pie for Best Dramatic Performance!" Blast continued. This time the cheers were louder.

"What's so dramatic about roller skating?" Speedy questioned. I was confused as well, but we did miss the entire performance. I think we were preoccupied with the CMC when that happened.

"And finally, the last award goes to…" Blast paused, the drum roll being the only sound we could hear in the field.

Blast slowly opened up the envelope. His eyes widened, and he sent a smile at the three. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"What?!" Speedy and I both were surprised. They actually won an award!

"For, uh… For Best Comedy Act."

Oh, well that explains it.

Still, the girls proudly stepped forward to receive their medals, and they got the best reaction of the night as every pony gave them a standing ovation. They loved them!

They bowed and finally went backstage. They ran towards us with grins on their faces. "Silver! We won! Can you believe it?" Apple Bloom said.

"Congrats, AB! All that hard work paid off." I said, clapping my hooves still.

"I knew our act was awesome!" Scootaloo stated.

"Yup. Not in the way you intended, but still awesome." Speedy said as he ruffled Scootaloo's hair.

"You know what would be the best?" Sweetie Belle began. "If we won and we got our cutie marks!"

The Crusaders quickly took off their outfits in anticipation, and still no cutie marks. They all groaned in disappointment.

"Congrats, Crusaders." Blast said, walking over to us.

"Thanks, Star Blast…"

"Why the long faces?"

"Well, we worked really hard and won a prize, but we still don't have our cutie marks," Scootaloo responded sadly.

"Which is the prize we really wanted." Sweetie Belle added.

"Aaaand back to the cutie marks again…" Speedy mumbled. I sighed. I kind of forgot that the reason they joined the talent show in the first place was because they had hopes of getting their cutie marks here.

"But we think we know why!" Apple Bloom said positively.

"Yes. We know why." Sweetie Belle joined in.

"Oh? Let's hear it then." Blast encouraged.

"Twilight would love to hear this. She's probably like, 'Oh, this is going to be a special report to send for Princess Celestia.'" Speedy joked, imitating Twilight's voice that earned him laughter from the girls.

"Well, maybe we were trying too hard." Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Mmhmm, and?" Speedy urged them on.

"And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that's not meant for us…"

"Keep going," Speedy continued, his hoof moving in a circular motion as if to reel in the answer he wanted.

"We each should be embracing our true talents!" Apple Bloom declared.

"Ding, ding, ding, ding! Correct answer!" Speedy exclaimed happily, extending his hooves wide open. "And your talent is?"

"Comedy!"

My urge to facepalm surfaced. The girls really got our hopes up, especially Speedy, who is now frozen in place staring blankly into nothingness with the smile he had earlier. Blast just chuckled out of amusement.

"Apple Bloom! You did it!" I heard AJ call out. She was with Rarity and Rainbow Dash, probably to pick up the fillies.

"Did you see our reward? Weren't we funny?" All three of them skedaddled excitedly towards their guardians, immediately bragging about their medals.

"They were so close to realizing their true talents." Blast sighed. "But alas, destiny has something else in mind."

Blast looked after Speedy, levitating him as he was still in a state of shock.

"They were… they were so close…." Speedy kept muttering. Even he knows what it is?

"And what is their true talent?" I demanded.

"Can't tell you. If Speedy figured it out, then so can you. So I'll leave it at that." Blast said. "Now, come on. Let's go home."

"No, seriously, what is it?" I chased after Blast as he continued to walk away. "Come on, dude! Don't leave me hanging!"


Author's note!

Still alive!

This update took so long, Gen 5 got out first before this chapter lmao (I love the New Generation tho)

This one is surprisingly one of the longest I've written in the story so far. Guess that's what happens when you work on it on and off in the course of 2 years. Sheesh.

And so, the wait for another chapter begins. No promises this time :| Even I don't know when to begin. But I sure am glad I'm back for more ponies!

Leave a fav and a follow if you like the story, and yeah, do leave a review. Or not. - Super Bright Brat


DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT MY OCs!