//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Crusading NOT for Cutie Marks // Story: Undead Robot Bug Crusaders // by Banjo64 //------------------------------// “Alright, let’s get this Cutie Mark Crusader meetin’ started,” said Apple Bloom from the clubhouse podium. She was meet with slightly subdued cheers. As is typical of fillies who stayed up WAY past their bedtime, the CMC had slept in that morning. They were still wiping the sleep from their eyes, despite it being well past noon. Apple Bloom glanced at the day plan in front of her. “First order a’ business: pickin’ a new name for our club. Any suggestions?” asked Apple Bloom. She got two groans. “Apple Bloom, do we really have to change it?” complained Scootaloo. “Yeah. I like being a Cutie Mark Crusader and not a... Talent Seeker or something,” added Sweetie Belle. “That’s not a bad name, actually,” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle facehooved. “Look girls, Ah get it. Ah still like the name too. We’ve always been the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and we don’t want to change that. But we’re not crusading for cutie marks anymore. We can’t even get cutie marks anymore. Don’t ya’ll think we should change the name tah show that?” asked Apple Bloom. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle shared an uncertain look. “I… guess?” said Sweetie Belle as she rubbed the back of her neck. Scootaloo sighed. “Fine. But only if we can come up with a good name, and I mean a REALLY good one. And the Talent Seekers are a rock band in Trottingham,” she said. “How do you know that?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Because I’m a bug pony in a hive with other bug ponies, and some of them live in Trottingham and play music for a living,” Scootaloo answered. “So… they’re fans of the Talent Seekers?” asked Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo facehooved. “Anyway… Talent Seekers is out. Any other ideas?” asked Apple Bloom. The three fillies each put a hoof to their mouths in thought. “Friendship Buddies? I mean, we’re friends and stuff…” suggested Scootaloo. “No, that sounds too bland. How about S.B.A.B.S? I’m pretty sure our initials don’t spell out anything weird in another language. Or maybe A.B.S.B.S?” proposed Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom outbid the others with a faceplant. “Any good ideas?” she mumbled through the podium. Half an hour later, the answer was still no. They did not have any good ideas. “Filly Destiny Team?” suggested Apple Bloom. “Nah, it sounds like we’re some kind of extra girly group,” said Scootaloo. Apple Bloom let out a sigh. “Shoot. We came up with Cutie Mark Crusaders in, like, seconds. Why is it so hard tah come up with another name?” she asked. “I dunno. Maybe some cosmic force doesn't want us to change the name?” suggested Sweetie Belle. The clubhouse fell silent. “Well, it wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to us. Remember what Discord did as thanks for letting him out?” reminded Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom’s eye twitched. “Yeah, OK. Some cosmic force messin’ with us is definitely less weird than bein’ made of plastic, or whatever the hay that was. Ah still think that ain’t the case though,” said Apple Bloom. “Either way, we still don’t have any good names,” replied Sweetie Belle with a shrug. “Well, maybe we could ask somepony else for ideas? How about your mom, Scoots? You can ask her through your hive mind thing, right?” suggested Apple Bloom. I recommend Friendship Explosion. You three do have a tendency to cause property damage wherever you go. added Scootaloo’s mother. Gee, thanks mom, thought Scootaloo. “Yes, but she doesn’t have any ideas either. My mom was never very good with names,” Scootaloo said out loud. Excuse me? Would you care to repeat that, dear? questioned Scootaloo’s mother. It’s true and you know it mom, came another voice through the hive mind. Uno, we’ve had this discussion before… said Scootaloo’s mom before Scootaloo tuned her out. She didn’t need to hear another tease argument between her mom and oldest brother about his name. But really, how could her mom have not realized these little fights were going to happen when she named her eldest son “one?” Speaking of numbers... “I have an idea. What if we ask Sweetie Bot?” said Scootaloo. “Wait, what?!” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. “I mean, a super fancy robot has to know some really cool words that we can use, right?” asked Scootaloo. “I dunno. She got all twitchy last time, and it’s only been a few hours. Are ya up for another go, Sweetie?” asked Apple Bloom as she noted how nervous Sweetie Belle looked. “Er… I can… I mean, I’m pretty sure that ‘compatibility rejection’ thing is about how long I can go full robot, not how often...” Sweetie stuttered as she rubbed her hooves together. “What was that, by the way? Do you always start twitching after being Sweetie Bot for a while?” asked Scootaloo. “Yeah. It kind of feels like my brain freezes up. It starts to really hurt after a bit too. It’s kind of why I hate going full robot,” said Sweetie Belle. “OK then. Go Sweetie Bot, give us a name idea, and turn it off before the headache starts,” said Scootaloo. “Besides, maybe if ya spend more time as Sweetie Bot, it’ll hurt less. Ya know, like exercisin’ a muscle,” added Apple Bloom. “I don’t think that’s how robots work, but I guess it can’t hurt to try,” mumbled Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle’s eyes gave a flicker. “ALL SYSTEMS ONLINE. UNIT SWEETIE BOT READY FOR INPUT.” said Sweetie Bot. “OK, real quick: do you have any suggestions for a group name? Maybe something really cool sounding?” asked Scootaloo. “PROCESSING… PROCESSING… POSSIBLE DESIGNATION IDENTIFIED: ENDOWMENT EVANGELISM,” said Sweetie Bot. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked at each other in disbelief. “Well, we did ask for fancy words,” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah, but ‘endowment?’ Isn’t that another word for going to the bathroom?” asked Scootaloo. “UNIT SWEETIE BOT EXPRESSES 2% SATISFACTION WITH SUGGESTION. REQUESTING SECONDARY SEARCH,” said Sweetie Bot. “Yeah,  you do that. And maybe one with words that sound less creepy?” said Scootaloo with a hoof jab. “PROCESSING… PROCESSING… POSSIBLE DESIGNATION IDENTIFIED: CUTIE MARK ACQUISITION PROGRAM,” said Sweetie Bot. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom facehooved. “Ya know what? Forget it. We’ll just stick with Cutie Mark Crusaders until one of us comes up with somethin’ half decent,” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah. When our best option so far sounds like we’re a bunch of calculators, it’s a sign we’ve got nothing,” added Scootaloo. “UNIT SWEETIE BOT AGREES WITH UNIT SCOOTALOO. SHUTTING DOWN COMPUTATION SYSTEMS…” said Sweetie Bot. Sweetie’s eyes flickered again, then she shook her head. “Gah. Even when it doesn’t hurt it makes me feel dizzy,” she said. “OK, the new name thing was a bust, so let’s move on,” said Apple Bloom as she made her way back to the podium and glanced at the sheet. “Next on the list is: hanglidin’ for cutie... marks…” she trailed off. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Apple Bloom, did you just take our original day plan and scribble the name change thing at the top? Because you know that our plan before the whole ‘we all have secrets’ thing was to spend the entire day crusading,” reminded Scootaloo. “Um… Well, even if we can’t get cutie marks, we still need to find our talents, right?” said Apple Bloom with a blush. Scootaloo sighed. “Yeah, but I’m pretty sure none of us want to be hang gliders for the rest of our lives. I mean, I’m the only one who cares about flying, and I think hang gliding is kind of cheating. Maybe if you two could get cutie marks in it we would want to try, but I’m pretty sure none of us want that talent now that we have to choose ourselves,” explained Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle raised her own eyebrow. “Wait, then why would you go crusading with us at all? If you can choose your talent, why’d you try baking, swimming, and all the rest of that stuff you didn’t really want to do?” she asked. “Mostly because I wanted to spend time with you two and help you girls find your talents,” said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were touched by Scootaloo’s words. Almost literally so as they pulled her into a hug. “Besides, just because I don’t want to do something for the rest of my life doesn’t mean I don’t want give it a try. It can be fun to try new things,” continued Scootaloo as they broke up the hug. “Huh,” said Apple Bloom. She suddenly had an idea.   “Well, why don’t me an’ Sweetie Belle do the same? We all have things we wanna try, so why don’t we go down the list like normal and try ‘em for just fun and such?” suggested Apple Bloom. Scootaloo thought about it for a moment, then gave a shrug. “Eh, why not?” she said. “So… we’re gonna go hang gliding just for fun?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Guess so,” said Apple Bloom with a nod. The girls had a familiar urge to yell at the top of their lungs, but silently agreed not to. They weren’t really setting out to crusade, and they didn’t want to sound like calculators. Two hours later, the three of them were making their way to the top of a large hill at the edge of the Whitetail Wood, freshly made hang gliders in hoof. They had been built using the flimsiest leftover cloth from Rarity’s scrap pile they could find so that they’d be nice and light, and held together with the best glue lying around the clubhouse. There was no possible way they wouldn't work. But then Sweetie Belle thought of something. “Wait… didn’t you try this one before you met us, Apple Bloom?” she asked. “Yeah, but that time Rainbow was rushin’ me, and ah didn’t even get off the ground. Ah wanna see if actually glidin’ is any fun. Besides, she hooked me up to a really old glider. Remember when ah got the cutie pox? That fancy new hang glider was a ton easier to use,” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah, but you also had a fake cutie mark helping you. You’re probably not going to get off the ground this time either,” Scootaloo pointed out. “Yeah? Well ah bet ah’m gonna fly twice as far as you, dodo!” said Apple Bloom. “Oh, that joke again? What, the old chicken fall back not funny anymore?” said Scootaloo with a huff. “Wait, since when was the chicken joke a thing? Wasn’t it just that one time?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Well… It was until ah mentioned it tah Pinkie Pie…” said Apple Bloom with a slight blush. “And she still thinks it’s funny. Now she brings it up every time she sees me. I’m so sick of it. I’m not a chicken!” said Scootaloo angrily. “Wait… can’t you turn into a chicken? I mean, once you’re older and get better at changing?” asked Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo gave her an angry glare. “Nevermind,” Sweetie Belle said quickly. Finally, they arrived at the top of the hill, where they found a pleasant wind blowing gently against their gliders. It was perfect for hang gliding. “Ok, the wind’s goin’ that way, so that’s the way we should glide,” said Apple Bloom as she gestured with a hoof. “Yeah, but it’s also headed to some oak trees. We’ll only get so far before we crash,” Scootaloo pointed out. “So? We’re probably gonna crash anyway. It’s not like we know how to properly use these things,” added Sweetie Belle. “If we crash on the ground we’re less likely to get covered in tree sap,” replied Scootaloo. “Oh. Yeah, that’s a good point. Should we wait until the wind changes?” asked Sweetie Belle. “Or we could just ask it to,” said Apple Bloom, pointing toward a nearby weather pegasus. The weather pegasus, Clear Skies, was more than happy to help. “Ah hang gliding... I used to do it all the time with my friends when I was a filly. It’s a nice, fast way to fly around open skies without having to flap your...” Clear Skies rambled. “Uh… Mrs. Clear Skies?” interrupted Sweetie Belle. “Oh! Right, sorry. You girls probably want to hang glide, not listen to me tell stories,” said Clear Skies with a blush. The CMC sighed, but didn't comment. “Right, so I’ll be able to shift the wind away from the trees for a bit, but be sure to go quickly, OK? This wind was scheduled for today and some other pegasi are working in the area, so the wind won’t stay changed for long,” said Clear Skies. “Right. Thanks again, Mrs. Clear Skies,” said Apple Bloom. “You’re welcome. Have fun, kids,” Clear Skies said before flying off. “I can never tell whether she’s talking about her husband or the weather,” mumbled Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. “What’s so hard about that?” asked Apple Bloom. “Because she’s married to Open Skies,” said Sweetie Belle. “Wait, she’s married tah the sky?” asked Apple Bloom in confusion. “No, the pegasus named Open Skies,” said Scootaloo with an eye roll. “Oh. Now ah get it. Ah think,” said Apple Bloom. A moment later the wind changed, pointed to a more open area. “Alright girls, let’s do this!” cheered Scootaloo as she set up her glider. As it turned out, Apple Bloom was wrong. She did not fly twice as far as Scootaloo. Two times zero is still zero. “WHY?!” Scootaloo cried to the sky. Her glider’s fabric had torn apart before she’d even jumped. “First it was the hot air balloon, then it was parachuting, and now this! Why is it always me when it’s about flying?!” complained Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle did a little better. Her glider held together, but she only managed to drift a few meters before she plummeted to the ground. It was a soft landing on a patch of tall grass, but it still trashed her patchy glider. “I knew I was leaning forward too much,” she mumbled as she pulled herself out the wreckage. Apple Bloom on the other hoof, actually managed to get some air. Whether it was because of her previous cutie pox driven ride or just plain luck, she found herself airborne and stable. “Wahoo!” she shouted as she pulled away from the ground. Hang gliding really was fun when you weren’t doing it because of cutie pox and actually got off the ground. “Guess it wasn’t just the fake cutie mark last time. She’s actually kind of good at this,” commented Sweetie Belle as she watched Apple Bloom fly away from the hilltop. “She just got lucky that her glider didn’t break,” mumbled Scootaloo as she trotted up to her friend. Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, Murphy was in the area and he was in a bad mood that day. Suddenly the wind changed, pointed back toward the trees, and sweeped Apple Bloom’s flimsy glider with it. “Ahh!” screamed Apple Bloom as she frantically tried to change course, but to no avail. Her glider was threatening to tear apart in midair if she fought the wind. What was more, her successful gliding had put her level with the upper branches of the nearest oak tree, leaving her no choice but to brace for leafy (and twiggy) impact.   “Apple Bloom!” cried her friends as they watched in horror as Apple Bloom vanished into the tree’s leaves. The air was filled with painful sounding snaps and cracks for a second, then… CRUNCH! Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle winced at the sound, and then looked on in shock as broken glider pieces rained out of the tree. They shared a terrified glance at each other before they ran down the hill. “Apple Bloom, are you ok?!” called Sweetie Belle as they neared the tree. “Apple Bloom, if you can hear us, say something!” called Scootaloo. “Mmmnmm…” came a dazed moan from behind the tree. “Apple Bloom!” cried Sweetie Belle. She looked around the tree to see that Apple Bloom’s head was burnt looking and detached from her body! Oh, wait. That was a thing she could do. Apple Bloom spat out a few leaves. ““Mmm… plah! Ah’m OK. Just a bit broken up. Mah bow got caught on a branch and came off,” said Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle let out a relieved sigh. She’d forgotten that Apple Bloom was undead for a moment there. “Just a bit broken?” gagged Scootaloo as she looked around in disgust.  It wasn’t just Apple Bloom’s head that had come off. Chunks of zombie pony were laying all around them among the bits of ruined hang glider. The only thing keeping Scootaloo from throwing up was that Apple Bloom’s insides seemed more or less intact and, more importantly, still inside. “Yeah, this ain’t that bad. That time ah fell off the barn was way worse. Still, could ya’ll give me a hoof pullin’ mahself back together?” asked Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle picked up one of the detached hooves and held it out for her. “Oh, ha ha. Real funny joke, Sweetie,” deadpanned Apple Bloom. Sweetie Belle didn’t get it. “Ok, I think this goes here…” said Scootaloo as she tried attaching one of Apple Bloom’s bits. “No, that’s part of mah right hind leg!” said Apple Bloom. Scootaloo let out a sigh. Reassembling Apple Bloom was like doing a puzzle that was all the same color, moved, and complained every time you got a piece wrong. It was also very creepy and disgusting. “Found another one!” called Sweetie Belle as she tossed another burnt looking bit down. Oh, and several chunks of Apple Bloom were still stuck in the tree, so Sweetie Belle was busy climbing around trying to find them. “Wait… This ain’t a bit of me. This is a pinecone,” said Apple Bloom as she looked at the new piece. “Huh?” said Scootaloo as she looked over herself. Sure enough, it was a pinecone. A burnt and crispy looking pinecone, but a pinecone nonetheless. “What the hay? Why is there a burnt pinecone in an oak tree?” asked Scootaloo. “Maybe somepony tried cookin’ it, burnt it, and threw it away?” suggested Apple Bloom. “Who in Equestria would try to cook a pinecone?” asked Scootaloo. Meanwhile, a blue unicorn on a rock farm sneezed. After ten minutes of hard work, Apple Bloom was almost in one piece. “Any luck with that last part yet Sweetie?” asked Apple Bloom as she pulled twigs out of her reclaimed bow. It’s enchantment would only work if she was completely pulled together. “I found it, I’m just having some trouble reaching it,” came Sweetie Belle’s reply. Scootaloo just let out a sigh as she laid back on the grass. She’d had enough of detached body parts for one day. Or any day for that matter, though she had reluctantly acknowledged that it was kind of unavoidable with a ghoul for a friend. She just hoped that it would get less disgusting with time. Then she noticed something off about the situation. “Well, at least it’s official now. We’re not the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore,” she said. “What makes ya say that?” asked Apple Bloom. “You just crashed into a tree, and you don’t have a drop of tree sap on any of your parts,” Scootaloo answered. “Huh, Guess so. Well then, ah reckon we should try harder to come up with a new...” said Apple Bloom. “Gah!” shrieked Sweetie Belle before she plummeted to the ground in front of her friends with a loud clunk, a bit of zombie pony in hoof. “Ugh…” said Sweetie Belle, rubbing her flank. The landing hadn’t been too painful, but it had knocked a small hatch on her side open. “Great, another place I can open up. I hope being a robot full of doors means I can’t get a bruise. Anyway, here’s your… you, Apple Bloom," said Sweetie Belle as she passed over the last bit of ghoul pony. “Thanks. Now ah can get mah bow back on before somepony sees me,” said Apple Bloom as she popped the bit into place. Unfortunately, Murphy was still in the area, and now he was outright furious. “Hey, you girls OK? Clear Skies said she changed the wind for you, but Murphy Law noticed and changed it back before…” came the voice of a certain multi-hue maned pegasus. The trio turned in horror to see Rainbow Dash staring at them, with Sweetie Belle’s side still open and Apple Bloom’s bow still in her hoof. “Uh…” said Apple Bloom. “Uh…” said Sweetie Belle. “Uh… We can explain?” said Scootaloo. “Uh... huh?” questioned Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. “OK, let’s go over this one more time. Apple Bloom’s a zombie, which is kind of creepy. Sweetie Belle’s a robot, which is kind of cool. And Scootaloo’s a changeling, which I kind of already knew. That about right?” asked Rainbow Dash. The CMC nodded, causing Rainbow Dash to sigh. “You know, this whole thing sounds like one of those really weird movies Pinkie keeps begging me to watch with her. I mean, the last one was about baby hybrid pirate lizards, and I can’t stop thinking how that made more sense than this,” said Rainbow Dash. “Yeah, it is kind of crazy. And I don’t even know my whole story,” admitted Sweetie Belle. “By the way Scoots, didn’t you and Fluttershy tell me there’s a law against telling others you’re a changeling? Why’d you tell these two?” asked Rainbow. “Well…” started Scootaloo before she was interrupted. “Wait, Fluttershy’s a changeling too?!” asked Sweetie Belle. “Nah. Fluttershy just happened to find Scootaloo’s hive years ago by accident and made friends with the Queen. She’s been visiting those guys for ages. As for me, I sort of barged in on Flutters and Scoots when they were chatting about it,” said Rainbow with a wave of her hoof. “And the law says you’re allowed to explain yourself if you’re caught. Well, after the wedding invasion my Queen figured that it’d be a good idea to change the law so disguised changelings can reveal themselves to their friends. You know, to prove that we’re not all evil love sucking monsters?” said Scootaloo. “Huh. I thought the plan was to let Princess Celestia send a bunch of pony eggheads to visit your hive,” said Rainbow. “It was, but that’s not going to happen for a few weeks, so the laws are being revised in the meantime,” said Scootaloo. “Gotcha. Now, what am I going to do with you three?” asked Rainbow Dash. “What do ya mean? We’re not in trouble, are we?” asked Apple Bloom. “No, but I’m going to have to tell your sisters I know your secrets now. They’ll kill me later if I don’t. And if I’m telling AJ and Rares, I probably should tell the other girls too. I mean, if Fluttershy and me know Scoots’ secret, Rares and Pinkie know Sweetie's, Twi and AJ know know Apple Bloom’s, and we’re all sharing secrets here, shouldn’t we let my friends in on all this too?” asked Rainbow. The three not-ponies looked at each other. Rainbow did have a point: it was kind of silly to keep secrets from ponies who already knew that at least one of them wasn't a pony. But on the other hoof, it was still letting other ponies know the truth, something they were still VERY nervous about. “Er… I’d rather not. I don’t want Twilight to cut me open for science or anything,” Sweetie Belle mumbled as she rubbed her hooves together nervously. “And ah think Fluttershy’d have a heart attack if she saw me all burnt and red-eyed,” added Apple Bloom. “And I really don’t want Pinkie finding out and letting it slip with a bug joke, so I think we’ll keep it secret for now,” said Scootaloo. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “I can kind of see where you’re coming from, but seriously? You don’t trust my friends with each other’s secrets, even though they already know some of them?” she asked. “We’ll tell them eventually. Just not right now. Ah mean, Sweetie found out she was a robot a just few days ago. We just… need some time tah work it out first,” explained Apple Bloom. “Yeah, sure. ‘Eventually.’ And how are you planning on keeping me quiet till then, huh? I know how to keep a secret, but I hate lying to my friends about things I think they should know. Why shouldn’t I just tell them?”asked Rainbow as she rolled her eyes. “If you don’t tell, I promise to forget about THAT.” said Sweetie Belle. Rainbow winced, then sighed. “Fine, but don’t expect me to cover you three if the others start asking questions. And you can bet your flanks I’m gonna make sure that ‘eventually’ doesn’t turn into ‘never,” said Rainbow. “Fair ‘nough,” said Apple Bloom. “Also, you girls are on your own for cleaning up this mess. I’m paid to work the weather, not pick up trash,” said Rainbow as she gestured to all the hang glider pieces scattered around, As Rainbow flew off, Scootaloo leaned over to Sweetie Belle. “So, what exactly was THAT?” asked Scootaloo. “Well… Let’s just say she lost a bet with Rarity and leave it at that,” said Sweetie Belle nervously. Besides, I doubt Scootaloo wants to know Rainbow had to put on a dress and say she always dresses in style… thought Sweetie Belle. That evening, the three of them were back at the clubhouse after many hours of not-really-crusading. The rest of the day had passed without incident and, more surprisingly, not a drop of tree sap. “Another day, and still no talents,” said Scootaloo as she flopped onto a bean bag. “Yeah, but we had fun. And that was what we decided to do, right?” asked Sweetie Belle. “And ‘sides not being covered in tree sap, it was like we were all still normal ponies crusadin’ for cutie marks,” said Apple Bloom. “Yeah, Rarity was really happy about the tree sap. ‘Whatever it is you’re doing now, please keep doing it!’” Sweetie Belle said, imitating her sister. The three not-ponies giggled. “Yeah, I guess not much has changed. We’re still trying to find our talents and have fun while doing it. So what if we’re a little undead or made of metal? We’re not going to let that stop us from finding our destinies!” said Scootaloo. “And hopefully find some answers to why I’m a robot,” added Sweetie Belle. “Yeah, that too,” said Scootaloo. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “Apple Bloom, ya in here?” asked Applejack as she peeked inside. “Yeah. What’s goin’ on, sis? Did Rainbow Dash already talk to ya about… that?” Apple Bloom asked nervously. “Yeah, but that’s not why I’m botherin’ ya. Ah just got a letter from one of mah cousins in Manehatten. She’s goin’ on a business trip to the Griffon Kingdom, and needs somepony to watch over her filly, Babs Seed, for a week or so. Ah can’t think of a good excuse tah say no, so it looks like we’re gonna have tah look after her,” said Applejack. “Wait, are ya sayin’ mah cousin's gonna be stayin’ with us for a week?!” exclaimed Apple Bloom as fear started to creep into her. “‘Fraid so. Me an’ Big Mac were talkin’ ‘bout how tah help ya hide…” said Applejack. Applejack glanced at Apple Bloom’s friends. “...Ya know what, so ah reckon ya should come up to the house for a bit so we can come up with somethin’.” she said. Apple Bloom’s fear quickly became dread. How in Equestria was she going to keep her cousin from finding out she was a ghoul when they were living in the same house?