//------------------------------// // Original // Story: Succedanea // by deathtap //------------------------------// Sitting in the clubhouse on a sunny afternoon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders had finished their lunch and were wondering what to do to earn their Cutie Marks. How they wanted those marks. The fillies could practically taste it. To be considered as having come of age, where they would be considered productive members of society. Earlier that very day they had finished another failed attempt at earning their marks, and were unsettled by their near escape from a severe telling-off. They needed to be a little more careful when attempting these things. “So, what are we going to do now? What else is there to do that we haven’t done?” Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but sigh in frustration, “We’ve tried everything!” Her two best friends stared at her with mixed emotions. Surely they could not have tried everything; they still had not earned their marks. They had to continue on their quest of self-discovery. “Well, what about Cutie Mark Crusaders Cave Spelunkers?” Applebloom suggested, “Remember when Fluttershy read us that one book?” “You mean ‘Journey to the Center of Equestria’? We should try to do that!” Scootaloo’s eyes opened wide at the prospect. Journeying to the center of Equestria? Seeing ancient creatures from yesteryear? That would be so awesome! Sweetie looked at her two friends, “Let’s search around for some caves first.” “But there ain’t no caves in Ponyville.” Applebloom frowned, “How’re we supposed to get our Cutie Marks if we ain’t got no caves to explore?” The girls all frowned, looking at the ground in disappointment. There were no caves in Ponyville for them to explore. “There’s gotta be at least one cave in Ponyville! Even a small one!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, “We just gotta find it!” “Cutie Mark Crusaders Cave Finderers!” exclaimed Scootaloo, and her two friends joined in her reverie. Soon, the trio were off, speeding towards the nearest most likely place where a cave would be located. Carousel Boutique. In short, the trip was a failure. Undaunted, the girls proceed to the nearest convenient location: Sugarcube Corner, where they were once again filled with disappointment as they discovered that here too, was no caves for them to spelunk. “Whatcha girls doin’?” Pinkie Pie asked, seeing their frowning faces. “We just wanna earn our Cutie Marks in spelunking!” Scootaloo harrumphed, “But we can’t find any caves to explore!” “Well, why not try Fluttershy’s place? She’s sure to have a couple of caves lying around for you to spelunk,” Pinkie replied, shrugging to herself. The three smiled instantly, and after a quick thankful hug, they zipped off as fast at their filly legs could carry them to the cottage in question, knocking on the door excitedly. “Um... oh, hello girls. What can I do for you today?” Fluttershy asked gently as the fillies bounced up and down in front of her. “Fluttershy, Fluttershy...” Applebloom began. “... do you know of...” Sweetie Belle followed. “... any caves nearby?” Scootaloo finished. Fluttershy thought about it for a moment, then nodded, “As a matter of fact I do. Come with me girls.” Leading them down a path at the back of her house, she walked to a small dark hole in the side of a slight rise under a tree. And there it was! A cave! In Ponyville. Pinkie was right. The girls grinned at each other, squealing in excitement as girls do. Without any delay, the girls grabbed their equipment from their clubhouse. Everything they could remember from the book. Ropes, flashlights, emergency rations, harnesses and a camera to document their adventure. The girls carefully prepared themselves. They had taken the helmets they used when riding along with Scootaloo and with a stretchy material that Sweetie had ‘borrowed’ from her sister, they tied their flashlights to it. Rarity wouldn’t miss a few lengths, they hoped. They slipped on their harnesses that they had used when trying to get their Zip Lining Cutie Marks, and used the rope to attach themselves together. Dividing their emergency rations amongst each other, two sandwiches and a bottle of pop, they were ready! Taking a deep breath, they walked in together and took about five steps before coming to a stop. The light from the entrance was now too dim to see properly. “It’s so dark in here. Let’s turn out lights on,” Applebloom said squinting hard in an attempt to see her two bestest friends. “On three!” Sweetie giggled in anticipation, “One...” “... two...” Scootaloo placed her hoof on the switch at the top of the flashlight. And, “... three!” Applebloom shouted. Suddenly three lights illuminated the cave, bathing the gloomy interiors in light. What they had expected was a large chasm full of spectacular natural mazes, deep underwater rivers and lakes, precious gems that would twinkle like Luna’s stars under their light’s luminous gaze and other mind-boggling, wondrous things. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by dirt, worms, bugs of many kinds and spiders. The first thing they did was squeeze each other before letting out an ear wrenching scream. The insects had already started to crawl all over their fur, on their backs, behind their ears, along their stomachs, in their tails. Suffice it to say, they darted out of that cave as quickly as they could. As soon as they were outside they started shaking themselves, jumping up and down, twirling round and round, anything they could think of in an attempt to buck off any unwanted passengers. From a distance, it almost looked as if they were working out, or inventing a new form of dance. This went on for some time, until they calmed down enough to be sure that they were clear of any and all forms of creepy-crawlies. Happy with the knowledge they were now clear of any unwanted passengers, the Cutie Mark Crusaders all heaved a sigh of relief. That did not quite go according to plan. With a lighthearted giggle, the three fillies headed back towards their clubhouse, confident that they would continue their quest for their Cutie Marks, while wisely steering clear of any caves.