> The Cutie Mark Crusaders Do Manehattan
>  by Diablomuerte2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Send Off and Cheerilee's Silly Plan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Send Off and Cheerilee's Silly Plan 


It was a glorious morning in Equestria when a large group of ponies went to the train station. The group consisted of mostly fillies and mares. Each pair of filly and mare were related in some form or another. The reason for all those ponies being at the train station was to send off their little fillies as they went to Manehattan. 

Cheerilee had planned a field trip to Manehattan since the students all did well on an important mandatory test. It was her way of congratulating them, she felt they deserved it. The trip would be part educational and part recreational. They had reserved spots to a museum that they were to all meet up at, and had been given maps and itineraries to bring home to make sure their families agreed with allowing them to go. The students would be monitored while in a group but were able to go off as long as they met up in the allowed settings when the time called for it.  It was an expensive trip, but she didn't mind spending her bits if it was for a good cause. She was smiling when she saw all the fillies and mares at the station. She was a bit hesitant about proposing the trip since most fillies were unfamiliar with areas outside their own home.

Big Mac had decided that he would be the chaperon for the trip and help Cheerilee with handling the colts. He knew that they could get rowdy when they felt adventurous. He was also there because he was sweet on the school teacher. He never had the courage to ask her out but felt in this way he could at least be close.  

Applejack was there to send off her sister Applebloom, she had made sure that the little filly had been prepared and ready for the day. "Ya sure ya got everythin' little sis?" She asked one last time, just in case.

"Yeah big sis, I got everythin'," Applebloom replied with a huffy tone. She didn't feel it was necessary to triple check everything, it almost felt like she had Twilight for a sis at that very moment.

"Jus' makin' sure sugarcube." The older sister replied before nuzzling the younger one.

Rarity was a bit more worried than Applejack about Sweetie Belle. "You sure you packed everything? I mean hair brush, curlers, clothing..." She was sounding off useless items to the little filly.

"Rarity... I don't use those things." Sweetie Belle said in a bemused tone. She wasn't as into being feminine as her sister, she was more into singing and hanging with her friends. 

"A lady must always look her best though Darling." The whiny unicorn complained. Rarity gently nuzzled her little sister as a tear dramatically fell from her eye. She didn't like send-offs and was a very dramatic unicorn.

Fluttershy was fussing about Scootaloo, which confused most of the mares there. They had known that Rainbow Dash became a sort of sister to Scootaloo, but they didn't get why Fluttershy was so worried about the filly. "Oh, oh my... did you make sure to pack everything you need Scootaloo? I made sure to list off what I put in your pack, but you never told me what you needed." She said, worried. 

Rainbow Dash chuckled a bit but knew better than to make her marefriend anxious. "Shy... don't worry, she is alright, I made sure to quadruple check her bag." Rainbow Dash said with her chest puffed out. 

"Yeah, again, why are you two here... I mean, don't get me wrong, I love you both, but I thought my foster parents would see me off." Scootaloo said, a bit saddened. She hadn't been able to shake the feeling that her foster parents were not interested in her anymore ever since Rainbow Dash had come over one night to talk to them. 

"Well don't you worry about that Scootaloo. I promise you, when you return from your trip, your 'foster' parents will be here waiting for you." Rainbow Dash said with a wink. 

Scootaloo didn't get the gist of that message, but she was about to have a life changing experience when she returned from her trip. Since she was ready and the train was ready for boarding, she met up with her friends and they all had a group hug. 

"Alright, we are going to have a Cutie Mark Crusader kinda trip, aren't we," Scootaloo said while smiling. 

"Well I sure hope we do," replied the farm filly.

"Yeah, we are going to have fun together," chirped the sweet voiced unicorn filly. 

Filthy Rich was one of the few stallions at the station that day. He had to send off his daughter, Diamond Tiara , who meant the world to him. He may have all the money a pony could want, but his daughter was the true gift that was bestowed upon him. "Now you be careful and promise you won't let yourself get lost." He requested softly.

"Dad!... I am not a little filly. I can take care of myself," Diamond said with anger. Diamond Tiara was a filly who felt she ran the world and could do as she pleased because she was rich and therefore superior. She had a bad attitude about life and it showed with her sadistic nature and her mean streak.

"Alright Pumpkin, just remember that Daddy loves you." The father said gently before watching his daughter bolt off to her only friend. It saddened him to think she hasn't made any others. It was probably due to the fact that Diamond Tiara was spoiled rotten by her father. He was a busy stallion and had to keep up his extended hours to deal with his business. That left him unable to be there for her other than with his money.

"Hey Diamond ... your dad brought you here?" Silver Spoon questioned while looking at the stallion behind her friend.

"No, he came on his own, can you believe that, it's not like we are foals...I am practically a mare." The crowned filly responded with an ego.

"Oh well, at least we will be on our own for awhile today, I told my mom not to bother coming since I was capable of doing things on my own," Silver Spoon said with a grin.

"Yeah the only issue with today will be the blank-flanks... I just hope we don't have to be in a huge group because the less I see them the better." Diamond Tiara stated with a snotty tone.

"You still on about them?" Silver Spoon asked, confused.

"Wait, don't tell me you think it's okay to be a blank-flank?" Diamond Tiara was hoping her friend hadn't gone soft, it would mean she would be the only one against the three fillies. 

"Well... no... still I mean, they... nevermind, you are right." She said with a fake grin. Silver Spoon had matured over the last weeks and didn't think it was cool anymore to pick on the fillies for not having their cutie marks. She didn't want to upset her only friend though, so she went along with her ridiculous beliefs. 

Derpy Hooves, the local mail-mare, was sending her daughter Dinky off. She had packed her daughter's pack full of essential items and muffins. "Muffin, you gonna to be alright without momma?" She asked while her eyes were moving around oddly.

"Yes momma, I will be fine." Replied the unicorn filly. She loved her pegasus mother and didn't care what anypony in the world had to say about the mail-mare's condition. Just because her mother was a little off didn't mean she wasn't the best mother anypony could ask for.

"Okay Muffin, I am going to miss you." The mail-mare nuzzled her daughter and smiled. She loved her daughter regardless of the filly being a unicorn. Even if it meant being grounded, she would spend a thousand years on the floor just to spend one moment with her little muffin.

Twist was escorted to the station with Dinky since she was friends with the unicorn. It wasn't like her parents didn't want to be there, it was just that Twist wanted to get going, and not having a parent to fuss over her would make it easier. She and Dinky went on the train together.

The rest of the fillies and colts, and their respective relatives, all did their last minute checks. It was hurried by the conductor's call, "All aboard." That call sent the fillies and colts into overdrive and they all got on the train, accompanied by Big Mac and Cheerilee. 

____________________________________________________________


When the train started moving the fillies and colts waved their hooves out the window and smiled as they headed off to Manehattan. The train ride was slow and boring for most of the fillies and colts, the only fillies having fun were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. 

They were huddled together in their own part of the train, making plans for their trip. They had all decided they would visit Babs Seed since they all missed her. Babs Seed was a bully who became a friend after the Cutie Mark Crusaders found out she was being bullied herself. While they were planning their own itinerary they were interrupted by Cheerilee. 

"Excuse me all my little ponies, I have an announcement to make." She said excitedly while all the students gathered up in front of her. "I have a special idea about how this trip will work and I am hoping you colts and fillies won't disappoint me." She was a bit hesitant about her idea, knowing some students didn't get along. "I have decided that we will be doing a buddy system for this trip so that way no one is alone, along with the buddy system we will have a designated spot that we shall all meet at before we go home so no one gets left behind." She said while eyeing their faces, some of the fillies seemed confused and others were still smiling. 

"Alright, when I call out your names that means you are to pair up with the filly or colt mentioned." She was looking at Big Mac before she went on to speak. She was glad he was there to keep the colts in line since they respected him. "Alright ..." She called a list of names pairing colts together for the male group, and the fillies together for the female group. Big Mac was responsible for the safety and well being of all the colts and Cheerilee was responsible for the fillies. After most of the names had been called out, it left six fillies to wonder who they would be teamed up with. "Applebloom and Twist..." Cheerilee hesitated before continuing. 

The CMC were upset about being split up, but Applebloom decided it would be a nice change of pace to get to know someone new. After all, she and Twist were both blank-flanks before Twist found her talent. They decided to go off together and talk. 

"Sweetie Belle... and ... Silver Spoon." She closed her eyes and waited for the resounding angry cries of two fillies but got no such thing. 

Diamond Tiara was supremely angry that Silver Spoon didn't raise heck about it. "Silver Spoon, you heard what she said?" She asked her friend. 

"Yeah I know, I just don't want to make a big deal out of it, don't worry, it's not like I will become friends with Sweetie Belle." She said nonchalantly. She decided to go towards Sweetie Belle and just get on with it. When she got close she could see Sweetie Belle looked a bit sad. 

"Please don't be mean to me Silver Spoon." Sweetie Belle begged. She wasn't in the mood for being picked on, and without the other two to help her out, it could make her just breakdown and cry. 

Silver Spoon felt a bit crestfallen, she never realized that she was that ill perceived. "Don't worry Sweetie Belle, I will have no reason to be a jerk to you on this trip." She said with a soft tone. 

"Really?" The unicorn filly replied with glee. 

"Yeah really..." she replied softly, unable to be as brave to say it loud enough for her only friend to hear it. 

The two fillies decided to walk off on their own as well, they found a spot to talk alone and become comfortable with each other. Silver Spoon decided it would be a good chance to get to know Sweetie Belle. This made Cheerilee feel more enthused about the whole idea. She wanted each student to make new friends and try to get along. She was tired of their constant fighting or being standoffish, it seemed to work so far, until she noticed the last two students were eyeing each other with dangerous intent. 

"Scootaloo, you and Diamond Tiara are the last two, that means you two are paired up for the trip." Cheerilee explained. This time she got the anger she was expecting. 

"What?" An angry Scootaloo yelled out while flaring her wings out to display her emotion. 

"Yeah I agree with her... What?" Diamond Tiara questioned. She didn't like the idea of being paired up with a blank-flank. She had noticed Scootaloo was more of a threat than the other two since Scootaloo had been training with Rainbow Dash. She didn't like the possibility of being hurt if she got out of line. 

"Well listen, I am tired of the fighting and the unnecessary drama. All the other students are getting along just fine... and I know if you two hang out and try to understand one another, you can be friends or at least be amicable with each other." She stated with her tone getting authoritative.

The two fillies decides to just play along and went off together to interact. They made a pact with each other to uphold a truce until the trip was over. Scootaloo wasn't excited about a truce since she was looking for a reason to finally trounce the spoiled brat. 

"Alright, for the remainder of this trip we have a truce, and that doesn't mean that we have to talk or like each other, but it does mean we have to be together ... in close proximity I mean." Diamond Tiara explained. She didn't enjoy being close to the intimidating pegasus. She could tell the pegasus felt the same about her, except Scootaloo had no fear of Diamond Tiara.

"Fine! Let's just play along and act all 'nice' until the trip is over, and then, when we get back, it's back to square one." Scootaloo was somewhat okay with the truce since it would mean not being called a blank-flank by the evil witch of a filly. 

As the train kept going, the fillies and colts were all tired, some of them had parted from their assigned partners and went to rest, others stayed and chatted until they passed out. The early morning had activities and taken it’s toll; from all the packing and getting up at the crack of dawn, it had left them with barely any energy, and with them being young, they needed their rest. 

Scootaloo was still talking to Diamond Tiara, who was slowly drifting off to sleep. She had no idea the filly was going to stay near her, and it felt awkward just leaving her there alone. She also noticed  the other filly was getting cold as the train had gone through a tunnel. Scootaloo unconsciously wrapped a wing around her, it never left Diamond Tiara's body until the train stopped at Manehattan.
> What about Babs?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


What about Babs?


The train had finally stopped at Manehattan after what seemed like hours. The sound of the train making its stop creaky, and the motion of it all, caused some fillies and colts on the train to start waking from their naps. Some ponies were yawning awake while others shirked awake, realizing that they weren't at home with their mommies. It was quite an event, especially for a few little fillies.

Silver Spoon was blushing as she woke, on her was a sleeping Sweetie Belle and she just looked so adorable on her back. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't be seen like this or people will start assuming things and the last thing she needs is Diamond Tiara throwing a hissy fit over her being gentle with the unicorn filly. 

Sweetie Belle was starting to wake and rolled off of Silver Spoon and grunted. "Ow... oh hey Silver Spoon, did you sleep well?" She asked with a smile while rubbing the back of her head. 

Silver Spoon tried her best to sound standoffish. "I don't know Sweetie Belle, would you have slept well with me on your back?" She asked in a semi ticked off tone.

"I slept on your back... I am sorry, I meant nothing by it. I was just tired and you were all comfy." She said with a soft smile, not understanding why it would seem awkward for two acquaintances to be snuggled up. If they were friends like the other fillies she is used to seeing, then it would be common place. 

"It's alright, just let's not tell anyone we were snuggling. I would hate to see Diamond Tiara upset in the morning." She said honestly because of that time Diamond Tiara flipped out over something minor at breakfast. 

"I won't tell, I don't want you to get yelled at because of me," the sweet voiced filly replied, looking down and feeling guilty.

Silver Spoon wished she could be nicer, but felt there was no way they could be friends as long as Diamond Tiara was ... alive. Silver Spoon was Diamond Tiara's only friend and that meant she couldn’t abandon her no matter what. It would be horrible if she did such a  thing. 

____________________________________________________________


Applebloom had been woken up by Twist when the train stopped. She was used to waking up to rooster sounds or an angry sister, never woken up soft or gently. To be fair, Applejack worked hard on the farm and Applebloom did take a lot of time to wake up unless she was in an excited state.

"So Applebloom, it's going to be like old times huh." She with a beaming smile.

"Oh yeah... oh now I feel bad." Applebloom had forgotten how after she formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders with Sweets and Scoots it was just them hanging out all the time. She never had time to hang out with Twist, and now it just hit her. "I'm so sorry Twist... I jus' been so busy tryin'  ta get my Cutie mark, I never stopped ta bother hangin’ out with my other friends... we are still friends, aren't we?" She asked, hopeful. 

"Of course silly, I just figured you really wanted your cutie mark, so I was alright with you being a little distant," She said with her awkward voice while fixing her glasses. 

"Aw shoot, yer a real good friend Twist.. well don't ya worry. I think we'll make up for lost time on this trip... I just hope the others are doing okay with their partners." 

____________________________________________________________


Diamond Tiara was very comfortable while she slept, it felt like there was this luxurious blanket on her body. The blanket fought the coldness of the train and it made her feel... cared for. It was a strange sensation one would get from a blanket and she didn't remember packing such a wonderful thing when she got ready for the trip. Her mind was slowly coming back to reality and her eyes were opening.

"I don't have an orange blanket," She said, confused at the feathery blanket that had wrapped itself around her. She became fully alert when she was conscious enough to notice the breathing of another pony next to her. She also noticed the form of another pony next to her. It finally registered that there was another pony next to her. She started to freak out. "Scootaloo wake up, and get your wing off me." She was trying to push the offending thing off her but the wing's grip was tight.

"What... five more minutes Dash... I just want to sleep," She said deliriously. She was in a dream and wasn't aware she was being attacked. She felt a biting sensation on her wings and that woke her up instantly. "Ouch... hey... what did you do that for?" She asked a blushing Diamond Tiara whom she was about to thump on the head.

"You... you.... you wrapped your wing around me... why would you do something like that," she said, offended. She wasn't into pegasi culture and didn't know what kind of emotions the wings displayed when they did certain things. She just felt odd about it all.

"I did not you crazy filly... ewww... you got your slobber on my wing," Scootaloo complained before flexing her wings and looking majestic as she did. 

Diamond Tiara was not sure why she was watching in awe, but she remembered that she was not going to stop despising Scootaloo, Scootaloo was a blank flank and that was not something acceptable. "Well I wouldn't have to if you didn't try touching me with it, blank flank," She said with pride, as if she had won something.

"What happened to the truce... I won't lie, until just now I thought... never mind," She said while turning away and going to regroup with her friends. 

Diamond Tiara didn't feel any sense of gratification like she used to. She instead actually felt disappointed in herself. She suddenly was cold and that feeling of being cared for had left as the wing did. Why am I feeling like this... I don't want to be friends with her... even if she was keeping me warm when I was cold... 

____________________________________________________________


The Cutie Mark Crusaders and their forced entourage were all hanging out at the station while Cheerilee was talking about the emergency plans in case anything was to happen. They didn't really pay attention as they had their own little meeting to handle. It seemed they all had separate plans as of late, and because of their partnered situation, it caused them to reconfigure their original itinerary

"I am sorry Applebloom, I know how much you wanted us all to go with you to see Babs, but I can't... Silver Spoon and I are going to the park," Sweetie Belle informed apologetically.

"Well alright then, how about you Scootaloo?” She tried asking but got no response. ”... Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked when the other member of the squad had not responded.

"I... gotta stick by my assigned partner even if I don't like her," She said slowly and in a low volume. She didn't want another reason for Diamond Tiara to get in a foul mood.

"But... What about Babs? I mean we were going to visit her... now what?" Applebloom questioned in a saddened tone.

"I know!" Chirped Sweetie Belle. "You can take Twist with you." 

____________________________________________________________


Twist was minding her own business as the CMC had their little conversation, she was just excited to reconnect with Applebloom. It was hard when Applebloom, one of her only friends, had leapt off to a brave new world of danger and adventure just for the sake of her cutie mark. She remembered how she got her own cutie mark and felt it wasn't that big a deal. She had the patented candy mix she made and would share some with Applebloom to cheer her up as she could tell things weren't going well by the tone of the hushed voices.

Silver Spoon was with Diamond Tiara, hearing her whine and complain about how Scootaloo had offended her virtue by being too intimate with her. "She hugged me with her wing and it was really co- crazy." Diamond Tiara recovered from her almost faux-pax.

"Well maybe she didn't mean to make you feel bad, I mean isn't that just a pegasus thing?" She asked while not really caring about Diamond Tiara's problems when she had her own to deal with. 

"Easy for you to say. It's not like Sweetie Belle had her horn on you." Diamond Tiara said, defiant.

"Well... I mean she... never mind. I am just saying I think you are overreacting," Silver Spoon admitted. 

"What... I am not reacting enough. I should report her for-" The crowned filly was cut off by her friend.

"Oh grow up!" Silver Spoon had enough. "You know something, we spent about two to three years now disliking them for being blank flanks, but the moment we are kind to them they are ready to try and be caring to us. Sweetie Belle was very open to giving me a chance, as much as I didn't want to be her friend for your sake... but after hearing how Scootaloo, even with her not really liking you, was able to push that aside to keep you warm... it shows me that they are better friends than we have ever been to each other." Silver Spoon let out with a huff.

"Why, because we don't do that mushy stuff like hug? Is it because you want a hug?" She asked in a snide tone.

"That isn't the point DT," she said, using the nickname. 

"I mean if you just want a hug, I can give you a hug," Diamond Tiara said in a patronizing tone.

"I don't want a hug. I just want kindness," Silver Spoon said, her voice growing in anger.

"I mean it's not that big a deal to give out a hug... my forelegs are all open. Come on in pal, I’ll hug you." Diamond Tiara persisted in being rude since her friend was being a softy.

"You know what.. I am glad we aren't spending the day together... hopefully you will grow up and realize the world doesn't revolve around you DT." Silver Spoon went off and joined Sweetie Belle as the CMC's meeting ended. 

"I guess she really wanted that hug..." Diamond Tiara joked to no one as she was left alone. She looked around and saw no signs of the other fillies and started to become worried. 

"Up here princess... I am going to stay by you, but I am not going to be near you. You made it clear on the train that I am too unclean to be close," Scootaloo said while hovering above, looking hurt. 

"Well how can we be close if you stay up there... just... come down will you?" She said a bit saddened, she didn't like being alone. 

Scootaloo was unsure of the sincerity of Diamond Tiara's sadness, but she remembered something Rainbow Dash said to her while she achieved her first flight.  Remember squirt, just because you're awesome now doesn't mean you can be heartless. Part of being cool is knowing when to be there for your friends. Without friends you can't be cool, got that? 
That voice and the words that played in her mind made her do the unthinkable... she was going to try and be there for Diamond Tiara. She settled down next to her and nuzzled her to alert her that she was there. "Hey... lets go, I believe you wanted to go shopping right?" She said lowly. 

Diamond Tiara, with a tear slipping from her eye, just nodded. She wasn't sure how to feel about anything, she was losing the only friend she had and was slowly gaining a new one. She didn't know why Scootaloo would want to be nice to her after all she has done to the pegasus filly. Still, she was grateful that she wasn't left alone. Her greatest fear in life was that she would be left alone. She had been so isolated from her father since he was always working. During their short time spent together he was usually in a grouchy mood. It was not fun being the rich filly in Ponyville. Silver Spoon was the only other wealthy filly in town, and now they were at odds. 

The two walked off together in silence as with each minute their bodies got progressively closer together. Diamond Tiara was drawn into the warmth and care that Scootaloo was offering and Scootaloo was being drawn in by a sense of duty. Soon their bodies touched and Scootaloo's wing wrapped over Diamond Tiara's whithers again. This time the snotty filly didn't complain as they walked about town. She was finally able to admit it was comfortable, if only internally. 
> What a Twist!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


What a Twist!


Applebloom had set off to go find Babs Seed, she knew where the filly lived but the map wasn't as easy to read as she predicted it would be. She was taking Twist with her because the rules were you can't run off on your own the entire trip. There were special circumstances when it came to using the little fillies room and other obvious personal boundary issues. 

Twist was just excited to be spending time with her friend. She had no cares as to their destination. "So Applebloom want one of my specialty candy?" She asked her while pulling one from her saddlebag. She didn't know what to say to a filly who was forced to separate from her friends to explore new friendships, it wasn't something that was taught in class.

"Nah that's okay, I jus' want to hang out with ya and Babs... I don't need any gifts." She said with a soft smile. She wasn't trying to be rude but she wasn't a candy kinda filly; she loved apples and apple products. She had been raised on an apple farm and was constantly fed apples her whole life. She had packed some snacks for herself and felt they would suffice. She looked at the other filly and noticed the sad look of rejection on her face. "Actually I think I'll take one and try it out." She said with an honest tone. The Apple family is known for their honesty, well most of the time at least.

"Alright here you go." Twist said with a smile. She handed over the candy that granted her a cutie mark and watched her friend take a bite into it. She waited for a reaction as time seemingly stood still. 

"It's kinda tasty." Appleblom replied while chewing the rest of the candy and smiling. "It's a bit mintier than I expected though." She made a face to express the mild discontent of the after taste. "Still, it's really good." She admitted while finishing the candy and hoping she wasn't offered another. She was going to stick to fritters and pies for sweets.

Twist was smiling, she was able to not only spend time with a friend, but her friend liked her candy as well. It was a good feeling when something a filly makes gets appreciated. She was a bit more cheerful and had an extra bounce in her step. Twist had always been known to try and look at the bright side of thing. Regardless of how awkward she appeared to be both physically and verbally, she was always being bright and sunny. Which is why most fillies and colts were kind towards her.

Applebloom was feeling even more sorry for having seemingly abandoned the filly for her other friends. She was hoping that there would be a way for everypony to hang out, maybe the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't just have to be about getting cutie marks. She was thinking of many things and didn't realize she was heading off course. "I'm sure she lives over here somewhere." The farm filly convinced herself, even as the buildings didn't become recognizable. 

Twist didn't care if they were lost, she was having fun traveling. She could easily take the map and find the house herself but why ruin Applebloom’s moment of leading. She felt if her friend wanted to lead, then let her it wasn't causing anypony harm. They had an entire day to spend and it wasn't like Babs was just going to pop out of the blue and question them.

____________________________________________________________


Babs Seed had been roaming the streets of Manehattan because she had requested a day off to see her cousin, who was supposed to have arrived at her house an hour ago. She was looking for any blank flanks with similar colored features as her cousin. She was searching almost aimlessly until she spotted some filly who looked like her cousin with another filly who looked awkward following her. 

"Hey Cuz, is that you?" She said in her usual thick tone. She had a voice that was passable for a colt. It wasn't feminine and her accent drove the point. 

"Babs!" Applebloom excitedly screamed out before tackling her cousin and hugging her. 

Babs Seed enjoyed bonding with her cousin since they hardly saw each other since the last Apple Family Reunion, which was almost ruined by Applejack. The Apple family was widespread and from all parts of Equestria. Yet, they always came together for an Apple Family Reunion. It was almost a sacred tradition to attend it. Not all the time can all  Apples make it but most of the time they try their hardest to attend. 

"How you doin’ Cuz, and is that a new friend of yours?" She motioned to the gawky filly while getting off the floor. 

Twist got closer when she noticed she was being addressed. "Hi I'm Twist, it's nice to meet you." She said with a smile as she extended a hoof to Babs. 

Babs slowly shook it almost unsure. She didn't remember a Twist from before, it was a bit off putting not knowing any of Applebloom's new friends.

"Well Twist ain't a new friend Babs, she's an old one that ya never met. I mean ya was jus' around long enough ta meet the other crusaders." She said with a pout.

"Yeah well hopefully I can go by some other time and hang out again. This time with no drama from those other two fillies. What are their names again? Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon right?" She said unsure.

"Well... about that Cuz'  ya might want ta keep an open mind as we travel cause I've some bad news." Applebloom stated with a fake grin.

____________________________________________________________


Babs Seed was not a happy filly. She had just been informed that the bullies had been teamed up with the other crusaders. She wasn't glad they would have the chance to pick on her friends some more. "It's time we do something about this Applebloom. Those fillies will never learn their lesson and telling their parents won't do anything. I think it's time we handled them ourselves." She suggested while walking ahead of them leading the group.

"Ummm' Babs... do we gotta? I mean I came ta hang out with ya, not fight Silver or Diamond." Applebloom replied with a pout.

"Yeah... I mean if you beat them up then Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle will be in trouble." Twist added hoping to help calm the recently met Babs Seed.

"So what? We just going to let them bully our friends? I mean, you know they aren't going to be nice to them?" Babs asked while snorting in anger. 

" Well ta be fair... it’s only been Diamond Tiara who's done the worst of it all, Silver Spoon jus' kinda followed her around." Applebloom stated in defense.

"So Silver Spoon won't be picking on Sweetie, but I doubt Diamond Tiara will be nice to Scootaloo. I mean she absolutely despises blank flanks, like us." Babs said while pounding her hoof on the floor. She was ready to teach that snob a lesson. 

"Why do you want to hurt her so bad? I mean she never bullied you did she?" Twist asked inquisitively. She wasn't sure why Babs was so upset with the bullies if she wasn't their target. 

"Oh I don't want to hurt her physically, I just want to make sure she isn't picking on your friends... but I guess we can deal with it when we cross that bridge." Babs said in a softer tone. She realized that she was sounding like a bully to her cousin and friend. She wasn't trying to be a mean filly, but she was worried about leaving Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in the hooves of those fillies. 

"I don't think we have to worry about Sweetie Belle, Silver Spoon hasn't been mean to her since they got partnered. I still worry about Scootaloo though, she seemed so down when we met before coming here." Applebloom stated with a pout. 

This caused the group to stop and realize they hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. Babs decided to take them on a tour of Manehattan. She was hoping they could visit many of the sites Manehattan had to offer before they had to leave. What Babs didn't know and, the others forgot was they had to meet Ms. Cheerilee and Big Mac around noon to do a check in. 

____________________________________________________________


Cheerilee and Big Mac were with most of the colts and fillies in the meeting spot that was supposed to have lead to the Museum entrance. Cheerilee started counting off all the fillies and checking names from the list. She was missing six little fillies and that got her worried. 

Big Mac noticed Cheerilee was in a tizzy and decided to see what the hullabaloo was about. "Ms. Cheerilee, what seems ta be the problem?" He asked in a low tone as to not alert the other students that some were missing.

"Well it seems your little sister and her friends haven't checked in yet and, I am just worried about them forgetting to show up." She said with a bit of hesitation. Big Mac was a gentle stallion and she knew that, but his little sister is missing and that could aggravate the usually calm stallion. 

"Well... I trust my little sister, I know she’ll remember and is just runnin' late. If she doesn't show up in the next five minutes then we can begin to worry." He said in a somewhat distressed tone. He was trying to keep his cool, but he had heard some crazy things about his little sister and her friends doing random and dangerous activities all for the sake of their unearned cutie marks that haven't appeared yet. 

All but one filly and colt had been unnerved by the fact they were being delayed, Dinky wasn't noticing her friend Twist around and decided to look through the crowd of ponies. She managed to see Cheerilee and Big Mac talking to each other in a somewhat hushed tone.  She sneaked up to them and waited to hear what was going on.

Big Mac noticed the little filly and nudged Cheerilee softly and pointed to the little filly who thought she was unseen. "I think she's lookin' ta eavesdrop on us." He said with a chuckle. 

"Oh I see... she must be worried too. I do hope you’re right and your sister and her friends will be here shortly... I would hate to lose students in a big city like this." She said in a whisper making sure Dinky couldn't hear them.

____________________________________________________________


Applebloom, Twist, and Babs Seed were prowling the streets in search of landmarks and signs to take pictures in front of. They were so entranced by site seeing they had completely missed the deadline and were considered missing. They didn't have a care in the world as they were having fun. 

Twist thought she would feel like a third wheel when Babs came along but the exact opposite became true. She was given plenty attention by both fillies and that made her smile. After they ate some lunch she remembered something about having to meet with Cheerilee at one point but couldn't pinpoint why the thought was hitting her brain. She just ignored it for the sake of hanging out. "So where are we going next?" She asked the other fillies while beaming.

"Well I think we should hit the park up. I mean, only other place is the mall... I don't think any of us wants to go there do ya's?" She asked.

"Well... I'm sure I don’t want ta go ta a fancy mall." Applebloom said. Being a humble farm filly meant she wasn't into fancy things and diamond rings. Plus she had a sneaking suspicion they would run into Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo and she didn't want to give Babs a reason to get angry for nothing.

"Alright then the park it is." Babs replied with a smile.

They headed off to the park all the while avoiding the impromptu search party that was looking for them. They had no idea just how much of a panic they caused and wouldn't find out unless they were caught but it seems at each turn they just narrowly missed the frantic teacher running all over Manehattan. 

____________________________________________________________


When they arrived at the park they noticed that there was something very wrong with the picture. It seemed most ponies were enjoying their day and just sitting side by side or snuggling one another in a tame display of affection. They didn't mind all that since picnics usually lead to snuggling or some form of pda. 

The big problem at hand was that Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon were openly snuggling without a care in the world. To most other ponies they wouldn't see the issue with it since they would assume they are friends. To the group of ponies that just arrived it was a nightmare. They were flabbergasted since Silver Spoon, until recently, was an enemy of theirs. They didn't know what was going on, but they were going to investigate. 


> Sweetie's Song to Silver Spoon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Sweetie's Song to Silver Spoon


The sun was still high in the sky as it graced it's beauty over the park in Manehattan. The entire park was full of resting ponies or couples engaged in some sort of public display of affection. The park was famous for a couple to relax since it was rarely filled with loud or obnoxious ponies. 

The serenity of the silence that enveloped the park had built up from the lack of words being spoken by anypony. The two fillies, who used to be somewhat enemies, were snuggling together without any shame or worry. The pair of ponies had been enjoying each other's company after the unease and tension died down.

Silver Spoon had been somewhat unable to relax around the sweet voiced filly. She thought Sweetie Belle was just too endearing for her to be friends with after all she had done to the adorable unicorn. She was also afraid of displeasing her only friend in the world. She didn't know how well Diamond Tiara was getting along with Scootaloo, but she hadn't held her breath that somehow her friend would grow a heart. 

It wasn't as if Diamond Tiara was the embodiment of evil, it was just she had no idea on how to properly treat other ponies. Silver Spoon was amused at how the sweet voiced filly won her heart over and allowed herself to be pulled into a world of friendship. She was just hanging out with the little filly at the park while, slowly, things started happening. 

____________________________________________________________


Earlier in the day. 


Sweetie Belle was walking with Silver Spoon into the park. They weren't too close to one another, but they weren't that far apart either. Sweetie Belle wanted to walk closer, but Silver Spoon admonished the unicorn filly if she got too friendly. 

"Silver Spoon... do you not want to be friends with me because I have a blank flank?" She asked with a pout as she was feeling down.

"No... that isn’t the reason, can we just let it go Sweetie Belle?" She pleaded with a disheartened tone.

"No... I like you Silver Spoon, you were nice to me when you had no reason to be," she said honestly.

"I... never did have any good reason to be mean to you in the first place," she said while looking away, as if not wanting to be interrogated about it. 

"Then...why were you mean?" Sweetie Belle, failing to get the hint, asked. 

Silver Spoon walked closer to the other filly in silence while they got to an isolated area. She looked at the target of her internal struggle and just relented on at least giving her some sort of answer. 

"Listen, I was only mean to you... because Diamond Tiara needed some back up on teasing you girls," she said awkwardly.

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle chirped, confused.

"Well I mean... look, Diamond Tiara has no other friends besides me... and if she wasn't backed up on disliking ya’ll for your blank flanks... then she would feel as if she was the only one," Silver explained.

"Well... I don't get it. Why does she dislike blank flanks?" Sweetie questioned.

"It's not that she dislikes blank flanks in particular, she just needs some way to feel superior to other fillies. She has issues... it isn't her fault though, she could be a nice friend... if she was able to accept kindness from other fillies," Silver sadly said while pawing at the ground. Silver Spoon began to tear up a bit. 

"Don't cry... you don't need to cry Silver." Sweetie nuzzled Silver Spoon's face gently and it earned her a whinny.

"No... don't you get it? We can't be friends... I would love to, honestly... but I did so many mean things and also... if I become friends with you, what will happen to Diamond Tiara?" She asked the other filly while wiping her eyes of tears.

"Well... we can be friends... all you have to do is... listen to my song," Sweetie said with a smile.

"Sweetie Belle, I don't think a song will help..." The glasses wearing filly sadly stated. 

"Just listen to my song... will you please?" She almost begged.

"Fine I’ll listen to it..." Silver Spoon laid on her stomach in the grass while she watched Sweetie Belle get up and move a few feet away, looking towards her. 

Sweetie belle started singing a song that was playing from her heart.

"Just listen to my song,
So we can get along, 
Trust me when I tell you there's no way I can be wrong.

And there's no reason why,
We can't give it a try,
We could have a lot of fun, be it day or night.

Why be mean when we can be friends?
Laugh and play until the day ends
We can hug and say that we've grown
And never have to feel alone!

You've got nothing to fear
'Cause I'm always right here.
If you need a friend you know that I'll always be near

So stay with me, Silver
Play with me, Silver
We can be friends, friends forever, forever!~

Why be mean when we can be friends
Laugh and play until the day ends
We can hug and say that we've grown
And never have to feel alone!

Never alone!" 

Sweetie Belle stood with her arms wide open, a wide smile stretched across her face as she caught her breath. Slowly the world had seemed to pause as Sweetie Belle laid her eyes on her possible new friend. She suddenly fell over and felt her sides being gripped by a powerful hug.

Silver Spoon didn't know what to say at that moment. She had never felt that desired by anyone to just be their friend. She didn't feel that she would be able to gain new friends, and at that moment, she didn't care about anything else. She had a friend and she was going to enjoy hugging her.

____________________________________________________________


Silver Spoon smiled when she remembered that moment. That moment lead to them snuggling under a tree with no worries in the world. She wasn't going to apologize to anyone for making a friend and would find a way to adjust to being friends with both Diamond Tiara and Sweetie Belle. 

Sweetie Belle had sung her heart out and felt it was worth it. Something odd happened when she sang, it felt as if she finally knew what she was meant to do. She hadn't checked her flank or asked Silver Spoon to. She didn't care if she had earned a cutie mark, It wasn't as important as earning a friend. 

"Silver Spoon... is there a nickname I can use... your name is kinda long," She asked, giggling. She nuzzled her friend, unaware she was being watched by three confused fillies.

"Well... Silvy... is one option, or... never mind, Silvy works fine," she said, avoiding the other shortened version, it was too ridiculous to even suggest.  "So how about you Sweetie Belle, any names I can use on you when we aren't surrounded by the others?" She asked while feeling watched. 

"Well you could always call me Sweetie or just Belle... or Sweets, like Scootaloo does," she said while suddenly being alert of other ponies in their area. 

"Well I will think on it, but it seems we aren't alone." Silver Spoon looked around, ready to defend the unicorn filly if the need to came.

____________________________________________________________


Three fillies were hiding in a bush near the tree that the other two were snuggling under. They had just been discovered, but haven't been caught yet. Applebloom was unsure she heard right, it seemed the two snuggling fillies had grown into being friends. She wasn't sure how that came to be, but wasn't going to spoil it.

Babs was suddenly intrigued with the concept of a nice Silver Spoon. She hadn't pictured any of the bullies from Ponyville able to show a heart. It was a fresh view on life, seeing an old enemy become a new friend. She remembered hearing about friendship being magic. It was something she didn't understand until now. If two enemies can learn to be friends, then friendship truly is magic. 

Twist was excited, there might be a chance that the CMC won't be exclusive to those lacking a cutie mark anymore. If Silver Spoon could be friends with Sweetie Belle, then maybe there would be hope that Scootaloo could be friends with Diamond Tiara.

Silver Spoon spotted the moving figures in the bush and called out. "Who's there?" She asked, a bit nervous. She wasn't in her hometown and strangers could be potentially dangerous. She wasn't enjoying being spied on and wasn't sure how much she could do to protect Sweetie Belle.

"It's jus' us," Applebloom said before walking out of the bush with Twist and Babs in tow. "I'm sorry we were spyin' but we saw ya two snugglin' and didn't know why," She finished apologetically.

"Oh I see," Silver Spoon replied with a blush. She wasn't sure whether to be glad or embarrassed. On one hoof it was just Applebloom and two other ponies she recognized, so she was safe, but on the other, this meant that people now knew she was friends with Sweetie Belle, and she didn't know how she was going to let Diamond Tiara know.

"Hey, you alright Silvy?" Sweetie Belle asked while nuzzling her gently, unaware of how distressed her friend was. 

"Yeah Sweetie... I am... just how am I going to tell Diamond Tiara... about this. I mean don't get me wrong, I love being your friend and all, but... how will she feel about all this?" Silver Spoon asked, a bit worried. 

Silver Spoon was glad Applebloom was alright with her being friends with Sweetie Belle, but she wasn't sure how Scootaloo or Diamond Tiara would feel. She wasn't even sure if they were being amicable with one another. 

Babs spoke up in an almost wise tone. "Forget how she feels. If you truly like being friends with somepony, then you shouldn't let any other pony tell you not to be. I learned that the hard way myself, remember? I was so scared of being nice to my cousin and her friends because of, well... you and Diamond... and I almost lost my chance at having them as buddies. Don't make the same mistake I almost did." 

Twist decided to chime in. "Umm' girls... where are Diamond Tiara and Scootaloo at? You think they are doing alright on their own?" She was hoping things would continue down this path because, so far, her day was going great and she didn't want fighting to ruin a special day of bonding with an old friend. 

Sweetie Belle was thinking about it. "Well... I’ve known Scootaloo longer than I’ve known Applebloom, and from what I know she has changed since being sisters with Rainbow Dash. I think finally having someone to talk with her about growing up has really set her straight...I can't speak for Diamond Tiara... so Silver Spoon?"  She asked her friend.

"Well... that's just the thing, Diamond Tiara hasn't changed since me and her met and became friends. I don't know if even the magic of friendship would be able to make her be a good filly. I just know that she isn't a bad filly at heart, and if only someway Scootaloo could figure that out then maybe there could be a chance that Diamond could change." Silver Spoon saw the good in Diamond Tiara. Sadly, the good inside her friend was locked away by fears of being disliked and nightmares of being alone. 

____________________________________________________________


Scootaloo was having a late lunch with Diamond Tiara, it wasn't her favorite thing to do in the world, and it wasn't pleasant at all. "Look Diamond... for just once in your life, can’t you be nice?" She was genuinely trying to reach to Diamond Tiara and salvage the day that she had been dealing with. 

At first the situation was calm as they made their way from the train station. When they left together with Scootaloo's right wing draped over Diamond Tiara's withers, they had seemed to get along quite nice. Though as time passed, Diamond Tiara felt she was being looked at, with the crowd of Manehattan ponies being elite, she didn't want to be associated with a blank flank. She had distanced herself from the hold and broke it completely and the day since then had been unbearable. 

Scootaloo only stayed by her side because she had no other choice. She knew Diamond Tiara wouldn't survive on her own, she knew that filly needed someone around. She just didn't like being the filly that had to endure Diamond Tiara's horrible attitude. 

Diamond Tiara felt a bit upset with herself as to how she was treating Scootaloo, but she was convinced that the other filly was just being nice because of the truce. "Look blank flank... once we get back I know things will return to normal, you don't like me and I don't like you. So why try and pretend to be nice when ... we aren't going to be friends," She explained with certainty.

Scootaloo wanted to throw something at the irritating filly. "You know... I feel sad for you, I really do," she said before getting up. "Look, I don't care about some stupid truce we made... I genuinely was starting to like you... but if this is how you will act, even as friends, then it's fine. I will just stop trying," she said with a huff.

Diamond Tiara felt conflicted, she didn't know why she wanted to reach out and touch the other filly and say sorry while also wishing the other filly would just disappear. "I... anyways blank flank... I think I am done eating lunch... ready to go?" She asked impatiently. 

"Actually I need to go to the little filly's room, want to come with so you aren't alone?" She asked politely, even with the current state of discontent towards the other filly. 

"Eww’ no, I don't want people thinking we are like that... plus I will be fine on my own," she said curtly.

"Fine..." She yelled before softening. "Just don't get into any trouble." She walked away and went into the bathroom, leaving Diamond Tiara alone. 

Diamond Tiara hadn't noticed how the silence was condemning and she was suddenly aware of just how much she wanted to reach out to Scootaloo and try to make amends. She sat there, ready to cry, until she noticed somepony trying to get her attention.

"Hey there toots, I couldn't help but overhear and it seems you and your friend are having some problems?" A seemingly nice stallion was ushering her over to an alley. 

"Umm' yeah, but I am fine..." she said, wearily knowing how strangers can be trouble. 

"Oh don't be like that, you know I have foals of my own, see! Look."He held out a wallet with photos of foals that were assumed to be his. "I am not some bad stranger wanting to hurt you, I just want to talk to you is all. I don't want you to be all lonely," he said with a smile that could fool a cop.

Diamond Tiara was unable to discern the dishonesty the pony was spewing and she was blind to the danger of listening to a seemingly honest and kind stallion. She had been fooled into his trap and hopefully nothing awful would come of it. 

Once the little filly had entered his trap, the stallion had no need to pretend he was a kind and caring pony. He had showed his true colors once he was able to utilize the situation to his advantage. "Listen toots, about that crown... I say you give it to me, or else." 













> Leave Her Alone!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Leave Her Alone!


Scootaloo had finished using the bathroom and was ready to face Diamond Tiara again. She thought to herself for a moment about the day. It wasn't going too bad, if only Diamond Tiara wasn't insistent on being so deterring toward her attempted friendship. Scootaloo had seen a softer side of the other filly and was now hoping that there was a way to get through. "It's not like she is a bad pony... " She grumbled to herself while washing her hooves and drying them off. She wasn't sure why she had to do that, but rules are rules. 

Just as she was about to leave the restroom area, she was wondering to herself why she was so eager to make Diamond Tiara her friend. She remembered something that Rainbow Dash had said to her. 

____________________________________________________________


Flashback


Rainbow Dash was flying around with Scootaloo in tow, they were isolated from the rest of Ponyville so her friends didn't get jealous. Scootaloo was on her way to earning her cutie mark, with her ability to fly as well as she can. She just needed that special talent, and that thought made Rainbow Dash remember how she got hers. 

"Hey Scoots." She got the filly's attention and began to smile a bit. "You know how I got my cutie mark right?"

Scootaloo remembered the awesome story that lead to a sappy moment between Rainbow Dash and the other mares that day. "Yeah I remember that... why? Is there something about me not getting my cutie mark that you aren't telling me?" She asked, weary and excited.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and rubbed the little filly's head. "Nah, just remembered something about your little situation with them bullies."

Scootaloo wasn't sure what her honorary sister meant and wanted to pursue the thought in her big sister's head. "What do you mean ‘my situation?’"

"Well Scoots, I don't think them girls are being mean because they feel tough. If you think about it, they are the only fillies with no friends other than each other," Rainbow Dash said sadly. 

"So? They deserve each other if you ask me," Scootaloo stated with a huff. 

"No, you got it all wrong. No one likes to be alone, and I know I hated being alone. I could have ended up being a bully too," she said in a soft tone while looking off, far away. 

"What? You... I thought you were the one being bullied?" Scootaloo wasn't sure what her mentor and sister in spirit had been going on about.

"Well I was like Diamond Tiara too, lonely and friendless. I could have easily found the wrong person to be friends with and become a jerk... like Gilda... but luckily for me, I found another lonely filly to be best friends with," she stated with a peaceful look on her face. "You see, Fluttershy needed help, she was unable to fight back against those bullies. I was also being bullied, but I could do something about it, I could fight back and that usually scared them off. I could have easily used the fear I put in them and made it worse, you can too. I bet you could easily fight back and kick those fillies flanks, but what would that do for you?" Rainbow Dash landed on a cloud, wanting to relax as she spoke with her little 'sister.’

Scootaloo landed on the cloud next to her and snuggled close. "Well it would show them not to mess with me... I mean I’m so tough now, I could easily make the bullies and make them leave me alone," she said with a prideful smirk.

Rainbow Dash sighed before lecturing. "That's just it, if you become the bully to beat the bully, you're no better than they are. I know that not every problem in the world can be solved by words, but if you try using kindness it can go a long way. I had a special filly teach me that, and because of her, I never became a bully."

"So then what are you telling me?" Scootaloo asked eagerly, wanting to know what her big 'sister' was saying. 

"Well, I am telling you is that somewhere inside that little filly is a lonely soul just waiting for a friend. Unlike those bullies from Cloudsdale who had friends and just wanted to be jerks, Diamond Tiara is desperately crying for help. I can't do anything about it myself, but you can Scoots... I am not saying to try and make friends with her randomly, but if you have a shot... take it. Who knows, you may be surprised by what you find when you try giving friendship a chance." Rainbow Dash snuggled her little sister and smiled. "After all, I gave being a sister a chance... and I am so glad I did Scoots."

____________________________________________________________


Scootaloo smiled at that memory with a goofy grin on her face. She left the restroom and headed back to the area in which they were seated, outside the restaurant they were eating at. When she went back to her spot and noticed a lack of Diamond Tiara, she got worried. She hadn't seen her on the way out the bathroom and surely the filly wouldn't have ran off on her own.

____________________________________________________________


Diamond Tiara was hoping someone would rescue her, she wasn't able to fight off a stallion. "Please just leave me alone Mr," she begged with tears streaming down her face, not wanting to give up her tiara. It was the only memento of her mother she had. "Look, my dad is rich and you can have a lot of bits if you want, but I can't give up this tiara... it's all I have." She pleaded for mercy and it wasn't responded with the answer she was looking for. 

"You think I care toots?" He asked while gesturing for her to give the tiara to him. "I want that tiara so I can sell it and most likely buy myself a nice camera, then I might go bird watching or something," he said nonchalantly, as if trying to make her feel worse about the fate of the gift her late mother gave her.

"Please... don't do this... look, I won't tell anypony about this if you just let me go now.. I don't want to give up my tiara!" She cried, the tears spilling while she backed up against the alley wall. It seemed hopeless for the rich filly, all hope she had of being rescued was gone. She felt like she was doomed and that feeling made Diamond Tiara cover her eyes and assume the fetal position. Then she heard it, the sound of being rescued. She didn't expect the pony rescuing her to be the one pony she had been so cruel to. 

"Leave her alone!" Scootaloo shouted. After hearing the faint noises coming from the alley, she had decided to investigate and see what was going on. She found Diamond Tiara being harassed by the sleazy stallion and she wasn't even able to think when instinct kicked in. She had her wings flared in a display of anger, her body was tense and shaking with raw emotion exuding from it. 

The stallion, startled by the loud demand and unknown intruder to his private affairs, turned around and noticed it was just a filly with her wings flared out. "Oh look, your little friend is here to rescue you... how cute," he spat out in anger. "It doesn't matter how tough you think you are toots, I am getting her crown, and if you don't back off, I will take whatever is in your saddle bag as well," he warned.

"You think you are tough? I eat stallions like you for breakfast," she said, mimicking Rainbow Dash, and began shadow boxing, she wasn't intimidating him in the slightest, but was trying to distract him more than actually scare him off. "Now leave her alone or you deal with me, got it?" She threatened in a serious tone.

Diamond Tiara took this opportunity to run by the distracted stallion and run off, leaving Scootaloo on her own. She had no way of helping Scootaloo fight off a stallion and she didn't get rescued for nothing. She stopped once she ran out the alley and looked back. "Come on bla.. Scootaloo let's go," she pleaded.

"Run off, don't worry, I'll be right behind you," she commanded, she had no intention of letting this stallion follow them and potentially hurt Diamond. She just had to stall for her to get a head start. "Looks like it's just you and me,” she said with her wings flared up again, trying to intimidate the stallion.

"You are so dead!" The stallion, who lost a possible fortune by not grabbing the tiara from the intended victim, roared out in anger. He charged at Scootaloo with great speed and was ready to attack the little filly. 

"As if loser," Scootaloo teased before soaring into the sky and laughing "too easy." She was going to brag about this to her 'sister' later. She decided to use her flying prowess to find Diamond Tiara so they could be together and meet up with the others.

____________________________________________________________


Diamond Tiara had not ran too far off from the eatery they were having lunch at. She was afraid that something happened to Scootaloo. She had time to reflect on things while waiting to be found. "Why did she come for me? She could have just ran off and left me... she didn't have to risk herself to help me... stupid blank flank.... what if she is... I didn't ask to be rescued." She started grumbling to herself inaudibly. 

The thought of losing her tiara to some jerk made her realize that she wasn't being as appreciative as she should be. Still, it was hard for the diamond around her heart to break. The moment she got rescued the crack appeared on the diamond around her heart, allowing her to feel again. It was an amazing reaction to care for the heroic filly's well being, but it also frightened her. She wasn't sure if she could ever truly be friends with the filly she tormented, she had no clue how she could ever make up for the bullying.

When she thought about just ignoring the whole thing and trying to go back to being her old self and forget about the whole kindness thing, she saw Scootaloo in the sky and called out to her. "Scootaloo!" She chirped out, almost sounding as excited as Sweetie Belle. She had to tone herself down and she unsuccessfully tried hiding her face that had been flushed in embarrassment.

Scootaloo landed next Diamond Tiara and tackled her into a hug. "I am so glad you are okay... I was worried about you, silly filly," she said with a mixture of joy and anger. "Why didn't you wait for me while I was gone?" She asked, now more angry than worried. 

"Because... I didn't like being alone..." she said with tears pouring down her eyes from being scolded. She didn't like it when somepony was yelling at her, especially when it was because of her own stupidity. "I was... tricked... because I was lonely and I ..." She didn't even have to finish.

Scootaloo held the crying filly firmly to her chest. "I won't let you be lonely anymore... I promise." She vowed with the intensity of thousand suns. "I promise Diamond... I won't let you ever feel lonely again... from this moment on... you are my friend," she said before letting go of the hug. 

Diamond Tiara had no words, she couldn't say anything in reply to even begin to honor what the sentiment meant to her. The one thing crippling her emotional growth was the sadness of being alone. She felt that way even with Silver Spoon around at times. She did something that shocked both fillies and made their friendship blossom. She kissed Scootaloo right on the cheek and nuzzled her. "Thank you... for being my friend."

Scootaloo had a goofy grin on her face and a blush growing on her cheeks. She now had two stories to tell Rainbow Dash that day; how she saved a pony's life and how she earned a new friend. "You don't have to thank me for being your friend, just be my friend in return," she said softly before wrapping a wing around her and guiding her to wherever life lead them. 

She decided a nice stroll in the park might not be such a bad idea after all. She gently lead her new friend to the park, all the while keeping her wing wrapped around her protectively. She had decided that this day... was slowly becoming awesome, and was just hoping it would stay this way. 

____________________________________________________________


Meanwhile, Cheerilee was still running around the town looking for the fillies. She had almost given up and gotten the help of local authorities, but she had remembered there was one part of the city she hadn't checked. She rushed off to the park in hopes of finding the fillies she had lost. She wouldn't know how to deal with the embarrassment of losing students on a trip. 

She also didn't want to get the authorities involved unless they were absolutely missing, she remembered in her youth when she accidentally rushed into assuming the worst and made a fool of herself. She was ready to do so again if her search had failed because the fillies lives are more important than her image. 



> The Cutie Mark Crusaders Reunited
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Cutie Mark Crusaders Reunited


Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle, Twist, Babs Seed, and Applebloom were all talking at the park and figuring out what to do next. They all seemed to have forgotten about the itinerary and were just making plans as they went. While they were all attempting to be civil about their dispute of where they should be heading, they had almost came to an agreement, but with the nominated decider of the group being indecisive, it was just going nowhere.

"Well I jus' think we should find Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara before they chew each other's heads off," Applebloom suggested in an annoyed tone. 

"Well whatever we decide to do let's not split up. Manehattan is a big city and you don't want to be lost with the creeps that sometimes pop up," Babs warned with a grimace.

"Creeps?" Silver Spoon asked worriedly. She had no clue if Diamond Tiara was off on her own. Knowing her friend it was possible she had already separated from Scootaloo because of the pegasus filly being a blank flank. Silver Spoon may not like Diamond at times because of her attitude, but she was still a dear friend.

"Oh no!" Sweetie Belle chirped in. "We need to find them now... what if something has happened to them already and they can't call for help?" She was starting to get shaky with fear.

Silver Spoon nuzzled the worried unicorn filly and tried to be brave for the group. "How about we go searching for them as a group?" She suggested as the voice of reason amongst the arguing crowd.

Twist was looking off in the distance because something caught her eye. She had noticed the two fillies that were being mentioned were very close together and walking slowly towards an area of the park. "Umm' girls ... I think I see them," she said in her slight lisp. She noticed that Scootaloo had her wing over Diamond Tiara's body, it seemed they were enjoying one another's company. "Awww' that's precious," she said in endearment.

Silver Spoon couldn't believe her eyes. "Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?" She wasn't sure if her glasses somehow broke during her snuggle session with Sweetie Belle. She was seeing something that seemed neigh impossible.

"Oh my gosh!" Sweetie Belle chirped in amusement. She had never thought she would see the day; her worst enemy being intimately close to one of her friends. "Let's hide before they see us," she suggested, fearing the moment would be ruined if they had been caught. 

"Wait... is this really happenin'? Cause I jus' don't believe it." Applebloom stared in complete bewilderment. Surely the sun was beaming too bright and was causing her to hallucinate. "That don't make sense," she said as if clarity had been found in her mind.

"Why not cousin?" Babs asked, puzzled. She wasn't sure what was making Applebloom so upset about the scene. 

"Well... I mean it's Diamond... and Scootaloo, they both hate mushy stuff and look at them," she stated as if they were all blind to the crime at hoof. It went against all she knew to witness such a display.

"Well I am going to let them know we are here so they can join us," Twist stated happily. She wasn't understanding why it was so hard to see the two fillies get along. She was positive that they were just being odd, in her mind she was the only sane one there. "Hey girls over here," she yelled out towards the unsuspecting two fillies. 

____________________________________________________________


Scootaloo was mindlessly walking with Diamond Tiara, her wing gently gripping her new found friend. She was unsure how the other fillies of her group would feel about the new blossoming relationship and, at that moment, didn't care. She wasn't going to break a promise she made, that would be uncool. She had been wondering how the group dynamic would play out if Diamond Tiara hung out with them.  Silver Spoon was still Diamond Tiara's best friend and that made Scootaloo worry about animosity between them. What if being friends with the crowned filly caused other friendships to crumble? She didn't dare ponder on that as she didn't want to accidentally think out loud. 

"Hey Scootaloo?" Diamond Tiara asked, as if on cue. 

"Yeah Diamond?" She responded, shortening her name for convenience sake.

"Will we go back to being enemies when we go back to Ponyville, or did you mean what you said earlier?" She questioned, a bit hesitant of breaking the spell that the moment they had created. 

"Well I meant what I said, how about you? Do you still want to be friends when we get back?" She asked with an unsteady heart. She was sure the rejection was coming, otherwise the other filly wouldn't have brought it up.

"Well I do... I want to be your friend Scootaloo, I am just scared about Applebloom and Sweetie... what if they don't like me still and tell you not to be friends with me?" She asked, concerned as she tried separating from the wing hug in case she had to look away and cry.

"Don't worry, they aren't like that, and if they are then I will let them know I am going to be your friend... if they don't like that, I guess I will have to worry about it when the time comes." Scootaloo kept Diamond Tiara in the hug. She didn't want her friend to think she was just going to give up when the tough time came. "You don't have to run away, I would never break my promise and I don't make empty ones either," she said before nuzzling her.

Diamond Tiara nuzzled back gently and she was smiling again. Her mood softened and she stayed by Scootaloo's side, all the while blissfully unaware that they were being watched. "So then wha-" She was going to continue asking her questions, but she heard a familiar filly calling out to them.

Scootaloo looked in the direction of the noise and noticed her friends, and Silver Spoon, all waiting for her and Diamond Tiara on top of a hill near a tree. "Oh crap... they spotted us... well it's now or never. You still in?" She asked, giving her one last chance to break off their friendship and retain her status as the evil queen of Ponyville Elementary. 

"I am in... and nothing will change that," she said, ready to face the barrage of questions or possible angry words from the group that was watching them in awe. She hadn't figured out that they were all somewhat happy with the prospect of Scootaloo and her becoming friends. She was still worried about how Silver Spoon would feel since, in her mind, they only had each other. 

____________________________________________________________


When all the fillies met up the awkward silence became pregnant and the mood was sullen. None of the fillies knew what to say, each had their own misconception of what the others were thinking. New friendships blossomed in the absence of one another, and with the notion that things would return to normal being heavy on some minds, it was causing a plight in the lives of the group of friends.

"Well... I am going to say it." Diamond tiara began speaking with a confident grin. "I'm friends with Scootaloo now... so do what you wish, but I am sticking by her," she said to the group with a false bravado. She wasn't usually a filly with a need to make declarations of friendship, but loved attention nonetheless.

"Well... I am happy for you Diamond, because I became friends with Sweetie Belle, and I was worried you would be upset," Silver Spoon said with a soft smile. She was still unsure about it all, the entire moment was amiable enough, but at any moment anything could happen. 

"Well that's great news for us all," Twist said excitedly. "Now we can all hang out and no one has to be bullied for not having cutie marks." It was as if on cue, the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at their flanks and noticed they had no destiny induced mark.

"Hey girls, is it cool if me, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all talk privately for a second?” Applebloom asked the group. She was unsure if she was ruining the somewhat happy mood among them.

The other fillies nodded while Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle walked away and waited for Applebloom to speak with them.

“So what’s going on Applebloom?” Scootaloo asked, confused as to the sudden shift in her demeanor. 

“Well it’s about us bein’ Cutie Mark Crusaders… I love hangin’ out with ya girls, I really do, but I think we shouldn’t always being hangin’ out together an’ trying ta find our cutie marks,”she said in a sad tone.

“What do you mean Applebloom? Do you not like hanging with us anymore?” Sweetie Belle asked in a depressed tone with tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“Yeah, what gives Applebloom?” Scootaloo huffed out in anger. 

“Well it’s just I think we should hang out like friends and crusade sometimes because if we keep crusadin’ all the time we might miss out on the other great things that life has ta offer… I mean look, we got new friends and it was because we weren't focusing on our dang cutie marks,” Applebloom relayed in a somewhat confident tone. 

“I see what you are saying now… I think we can work a schedule out… because I mean… I kinda made a promise to Diamond Tiara that we would be friends and I kinda maybe hinted I wouldn’t let her feel lonely anymore… so I can dig this,” Scootaloo said with a puffed chest. 

“Well I guess we can take a break from crusading from time to time… it would be nice to hang out with Silver Spoon some more, but does this mean we will start to drift apart?” Sweetie asked with the tear still waiting to fall from her optical organ. 

“No… we will never drift apart, sure we may find new friends but… that doesn't mean we hafta drift apart now,” Applebloom said with a soft smile. 

“Well good, because while I like hanging with Diamond Tiara, nothing will stop me from wanting to hang with you girls,” Scootaloo said with a grin.

“Yeah! I am so happy, we don’t have to split up and we can keep our new friends,” Sweetie Belle chirped out happily in a loud way.

“So then let’s get back ta our new friends and worry about crusading another time,” Applebloom finished the conversation on a happy note and the friends all rejoined their new friends under the tree where the shadow kept them cool on the warm day. 

____________________________________________________________


Cheerilee was running amok, she had been worn out by the time she got to the park. She was about to give up all hope and just accept the fact she had possibly lost the fillies and would face judgement. She was in the park, resting on a bench, looking out at some fillies playing.

In her deluded state of mind she could have sworn the fillies in question were the ones she was looking for. She watched them play a bit and wished those fillies would magically turn into the missing group of students. She kept swearing she could hear Sweetie Belle’s high pitched voice in the crowd of young ponies. 

She didn’t know if it was delirium or a brain wanting to torment her, but she was now watching the group of fillies run towards her shouting her name. She got off the bench, ready for the mirage to fade and her day to be crushed by reality, but instead she felt a bunch of fillies hug her. It was awkward for two seconds while her brain adjusted to the world around her. 

Not only was she being hugged by the various fillies, it was the students she was running around town looking for. She was finally able to relax and could begin enjoying the trip. She wasn't sure who the extra filly in the group was, she hadn’t seen that filly before, and her lack of a cutie mark couldn't help her identify the seemingly lost pony.

“Who are you?” She asked inquisitively with a soft tone. She wasn't sure if the filly was lost or knew one of the students. 

“My name is Babs Seed,” said the dark orange filly with an odd accent. “I am Applebloom’s cousin.” 

“Well then Babs Seed, why don’t you come along with us while we go to the museum. I don’t want to leave you here all by yourself,” Cheerilee said with a tender voice.

“Really? I can come with ya’s?” Babs asked, excited. 

“Yes you can and I am sure Big Mac will be happy to see you too,” Cheerilee stated before she lead the group of fillies out of the park, her stress gone and her day brightened. 




> The Promise Kept
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Promise Kept


Once Cheerilee had guided the missing students to the rest of their patiently waiting group,she began to calm the worried fillies and colts. Big Mac was a bit apprehensive about his sister's running off without letting him know where she would be. He wasn't too upset when he noticed Babs was around, and that made him feel better. Cheerilee had invited Babs to spend the day with the class and would then see her off to her house before the group headed home. 

Babs was grateful for the opportunity to spend time with her cousin and friends. She had enjoyed her time running around Manehattan, still being able to spend time with the group in an organized fashion had its own appeal.

Dinky had ran towards Twist and gave her a big hug. She was worried about her friend the entire time, and seeing her safe made the little unicorn filly smile bright. She wanted to share one of the muffins that her mother had given her with Twist. 

Twist was already full from lunch, but decided to eat it anyways. There was nothing wrong with making a friend happy, and rejecting a gift was unnecessary at this moment. She had realized that Dinky herself must have felt like she did when Applebloom was first starting off being a Cutie Mark Crusader.  She silently made a note to herself to invite Dinky to hang out with her and Applebloom when they decide to hang out together. 

Most of the students that have met Diamond Tiara before this trip couldn't believe the sudden change in her demeanor. She wasn't being snarky, rude, or incorrigible in the slightest. It seemed she had been changed and, for some reason, very into staying close to Scootaloo. They felt as if they had entered another dimension, or that maybe Diamond Tiara was a changeling. Since she was being nice, they didn't care what happened as long as she stayed that way. 

Though as strange as it was to see Diamond Tiara being civil, it was equally confounding to see Silver Spoon not around her and being just as civil. They wondered what had caused this new change, but they didn't dwell on it too much with their short attention spans and their eagerness to continue on with the day. After some soft moments of hugs and greetings, the group was ready to move on with their day and get back into the tasks at hoof.

The tardiness of the missing fillies had caused the group to have a more rushed tour through the museum. While most students didn't mind since museums were boring, the other students were interested in some of the exhibits that they didn't get to see. Still, most of the day had went off with barely a hitch, the ex enemies turned friends had been keeping their new found peace and were not making a fuss about their pairings. 

____________________________________________________________


At the gift shop in the museum there was this cool looking pair of glasses. Scootaloo had her eye on them but the cost was too much for her. She was ready to walk away and keep her composure, regardless of how bad she wanted it since they seemed similar to Rainbow Dash's shades. While she was walking away, Diamond Tiara had witnessed the filly walking away with a false smile, she decided she would help her out by purchasing the shades as a thanks for her earlier bravery. 

"No way you actually bought me these?" Scootaloo asked, overjoyed. "This is so awesome," she said before putting them on and posing. "How do I look?" She had a brilliant smile on her face. 

Diamond Tiara was giggling inside, it felt nice to her, and yet still felt odd. "I think you look great in them Scootaloo," she said in an honest tone. She was smiling at the joy she brought her friend. She didn't expect a hug so soon and was almost embarrassed, but she didn't resist. She was going to have to get used to affection if she wanted to have friends. 

Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle were just off in their own world, they had no interest in knick knacks or disputing possibly being left behind by searching for something to purchase. They had stuck with the core group of classmates, not wanting to be lost again. 

Babs,Twist, and Applebloom stayed in a group of three since it would have been awkward to try and separate with no other students to be in a group with. They managed to get along well, even when there was an argument about what an artifact represented when they went past it. 

____________________________________________________________


When the day was drawing to a close, the students went with Cheerilee and Big Mac to see Babs Seed home. Big Mac and Applebloom took a minute to say their farewell to their cousin. It was a sad moment for Babs, but she had a lot of fun prior, so overall it was still a good day for her. She just wished she didn't have to live so far away from family and friends.

With Babs safely at home, the rest of the group headed to the train station to get back to Ponyville. Cheerilee noticed how happy some of the students were to see their families and how apprehensive some were of returning back to their normal lives. She was glad that her silly little plan worked and that the youngsters were able to get rid of their animosity. It was something she didn't expect to fully work, but she had to try something. The negative disposition between some students was often causing dramatic and nearly dangerous encounters at random intervals. 

The students eagerly boarded the train and Cheerilee made sure to not have any missing colts or fillies from her checklist. Once they were all inside, she and Big Mac entered while sharing a small smile of victory. They had barely any time to chat during the entire trip but had made a plan to spend a bit more time together once they both had enough time. 

____________________________________________________________


The train ride home was maddening for a certain group of fillies. The assigned pairing was over and they all could go back to hanging out with their usual friends. Though most fillies and colts were glad to be able to socialize with their normal buddies, the six fillies who just spent the day bonding were in an awkward position. 

"So what does this mean for us?" Asked Sweetie Belle. The group of friends were trying to figure out what they will be doing since they no longer were assigned to their partners. 

"Well we can just stay hanging out with each other unless anypony objects?" Silver Spoon questioned. 

Scootaloo placed her wing over Diamond Tiara again and held her close. "I am not going to just let some silly assignment ending stop me from hanging out with my new friend." She had her chest puffed out and her sunglasses on to hide her emotions. She didn't want to show how distraught she was about somehow losing her new friend. It wasn't just a promise to Scootaloo, it was something she wanted in her life. A new friend meant new opportunities, Scootaloo wasn't willing to allow things to return to the old ways.

Diamond Tiara blushed a bit at the assertiveness of Scootaloo. She was glad that the pegasus filly had such a commitment to being friends with her. She couldn't pinpoint the exact reason she became flustered as her face was turning a shade of red. "I agree with Scootaloo, I think we can make this all work. I know for now I just want to spend more time with Scootaloo, if that is alright with everypony?" She asked hesitantly.

Applebloom threw her thoughts into the fray. "Well I'm alright with all this, I mean it's not like we ain't gonna crusade anymore, we're jus’ taking time off ta spend with new friends." Applebloom had a soft smile on her face and it had helped ease the nerves of all the fillies that were huddled together. 

They came to an agreement that they would all spend time with their new friends and gain more of an understanding of one another. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had split up again, but this time it was with a purpose. They would have many adventures waiting for them at home, for now they had new explorations in the field of friendship. Each crusader was getting to know somepony they either had no chance with before that day or didn't want to prior to it.

____________________________________________________________


The train ride was relatively silent, each filly and colt were tired from the active day they spent in Manehattan. The stopping train had alerted each little pony of their arrival to their home town of Ponyville. Cheerilee and Big Mac helped all the fillies and colts gather their packs and get off the train.

At the train station the parents and other relatives of the students were waiting with joy to receive their children back. Most of the fillies and colts had rushed off to embrace their family. One filly in particular had not seen her guardians and felt as if she was abandoned. 

"So I guess my foster parents decided not to show..." Scootaloo said to her approaching honorary sister who was there in their stead. "I don't get it, why don't they want me anymore?" She asked with tears falling down her eyes, visible from where the shades ended. 

Rainbow Dash pulled the filly into a hug and smiled softly. "Scoots, your foster parents weren't meant to permanently keep you. It's why they’re foster parents. I knew you needed a real family, so I thought it over..." she said while making sure Scootaloo could see her face. "I had fun being your sister, it's nice and you are a fun squirt to spend time with, but I really think being a mother would be even more awesome." 

Scootaloo thought she heard her honorary sister wrong and had to double check. "What are you saying?" 

Rainbow Dash chuckled. "I am saying squirt that I adopted you, though there is one minor setback," she said uneasily while looking around for her marefriend. "You see, Fluttershy was deemed more suited to adopt you, so I had to lie and say me and Shy were life partners. So while I did initially try to adopt you solo, it was with Fluttershy's help that I could actually have you as my daughter. Well, our daughter, but you still get the drift." 

"So where will I stay?" Scootaloo asked, confused. She was happy to be adopted, but it seemed as if there was something else going on she wasn't sure of.

Fluttershy had picked this moment to make herself known and, with a soft voice, she relayed the information. "You will be staying with us. You see, while you were gone, me and Rainbow Dash were getting things settled and moving your stuff into the spare room I have." 

Scootaloo was beaming and was ready to cry in joy until she heard the us part. "Wait... us? You mean you and Rainbow Dash live together?" She wasn't aware that her honorary sister had moved in with Fluttershy. 

"Well Scoots, me and Shy talked it over and we decided that, even though we aren't married according to Equestrian law, we were married in our hearts long ago. I wouldn't dream of any other mare to spend my life with and I wouldn’t be happy if any other mare had you in their life if I was unable to adopt you Scootaloo." Rainbow Dash got nuzzled by her marefriend for her sweet words which made her blush and try to keep her cool image. 

"I just... I can't believe this." She was sure this was too good to be true. The other pegasi weren't sure if they somehow made the wrong move, misunderstanding the filly's reaction. "I mean first I make a friend outta Diamond Tiara, now I am going to be living with my two favorite ponies in the world, I just..." Scootaloo's own emotional wall broke down and she finally let her happiness flow from her eyes as she spilled tears of joy. 

They all shared a group hug and shared a heartfelt and blissful moment as a new family. They weren't going to be as comfortable with the new transition right away, but they would slowly work at it. The new family was ready to head out of the train station, but Scootaloo reminded herself to do something just before she went to her new home.

She ran off towards the area where Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich were standing, she needed to end the day with reassuring her new friend of the promise she was going to keep. “Hey Diamond,” she excitedly called out. 

Diamond Tiara wasn’t sure if she was hearing things, but she could have sworn Scootaloo was calling her name and running towards her and her father. “Scootaloo?” She asked out confusion. Her father wasn’t sure what was going on either but didn’t make any moves to react.

Scootaloo got close and wrapped her wing around Diamond Tiara, just like she did so many times during the day. “I’m going to walk you home,” she stated before looking to her father. ”If you don’t mind Mr.Rich.”

“Well I don’t mind, I just didn’t know you and my daughter were friends.” He was happy to know Diamond had a new friend, but confused as to why the pegasus filly was using her wing to embrace his daughter so intimately. 

“Well I didn’t know me and her were friends either, but I am glad I found out,” she said while slowly walking off with Diamond Tiara at her side. When they were far enough from anypony to eavesdrop, they had shared some soft whispers and jokes until Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara had reached their destination. 

Diamond, now dreading going home, had turned to face Scootaloo. “When will we hang out again Scootaloo?” She asked sadly, ready to hear some bad news about being too busy or having to go crusading. 

“Anytime you want Diamond… anytime you want.”