> The Canterlot Crusaders
>  by Booker Write
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!" Cried Sweetie Bell.
"Me neither! How 'bout you Scootloo?" Said Apple Bloom.
"It's CANTERLOT! What do you think?!"
"In my opinion y'all, I think Canterlot would be a great place for the first ever Cutie Mark Crusader adventure outside of Ponyville!" Cried Apple Bloom in pure joy.
"Woohoo!" the entire CMC cried in unison.
"And" said Apple Jack, "your cousin Babs is going to be there too."
"She is?!" Exclaimed Apple Bloom.
"Yup." Said the hard working BigMacintosh, who is helping Apple Jack pack the luggage into the train.
"Even better!" Cries Scootloo.
"Well, y'all better get on the train. It's fixin' to leave for Canterlot." Said AJ.
"But what about Rarity?" Asked Sweetie Bell.
"And Rainbow Dash?!" Exclaimed Scootloo.
"They're already on the train. Now get on!"
Right as Apple Jack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders hop onto the train, the whistle blows signaling the trains’ departure.
> Once a Crusader, Always a Crusader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When the train finally pulled into the Canterlot station, the first thing they saw was Babs. She looked amazing in her official Cutie Mark Crusader cape, but she looked extremely upset. The train stopped and everyone got off.
"Now," said Rarity, "We're going to the castle to help with the preparation for the fashion show. When you all get done with your 'catching up' come straight to the castle. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Rarity."
As the older ponies trotted away the original three crusaders turn to look at a still depressed looking Babs.
"So Babs, how you doin'?" Asked Apple Bloom.
"I'm doing good, but I can't be a Crusader anymore."
"WHAT?!" Scream the three young fillies.
"Well it's just that I... Just that I... Just that I'd rather show you."
Suddenly Babs took off her cape to reveal a mark.
"A CUTIE MARK!!!!!" The three Crusaders cried in excitement.
"That's amazing!" Said Scootloo.
"Yeah, but it also means I can't be a Curie Mark Crusader anymore."
"Don't fret, Babs," said Apple Bloom, "We Cutie Mark Crusaders had a special saying, 'Once a Crusader, always a Crusader.'"
"It's our way of sticking together." Says Scootloo.
"Staying friends." Said Sweetie Bell.
"You mean, I can still be a Cutie Mark Crusader?!" Cried Babs in excitement.
"Exactly!" Says Scootloo.
"Hey guys!" Says Babs, "I got a great idea! Why don't we start a CANTERLOT BRANCH!?”
> A New Crusader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Babs, you are a genius!" Said Apple Bloom.
"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly." Responded Babs.
"But we would!" Said Scootloo.
"But, the thing is, where in the big city of Canterlot are we going to find a filly or colt without a cutie mark?" Asked Sweetie Bell.
"LOOK OOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!!" Screamed a young Pegasus.
THUD! Suddenly the young Pegasus flew right into the small group.
"Ouch." He moaned, "Sorry."
"That's OK." Said Sweetie Bell.
"HEY LOOK!" Cried Babs. "A blank flank!"
"Well," Said the young Pegasus colt, "Thanks for being the one thousandth person to notice that today!"
"No!" Cried Scootloo, "That's good."
"It is?!"
"Of course it is!" Said Sweetie Bell. "You see, we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"That means we help fillies and colts who don't have a cutie mark get one." Said Babs.
"Through adventure." Said Scootloo.
"And danger." Said Apple Bloom.
"And excitement!" Said Sweetie Bell.
"That sounds neat and all," said the colt, "But how exactly do you 'help' each other?"
"By support!" Said Sweetie Bell.
"And thinking of ideas." Said Scootloo.
"Precisely!" Said Apple Bloom.
"So... What exactly does it take to become a 'Cutie Mark Crusader'?" Said the young colt.
"All you need is a blank flank." Said Babs.
"Then I'm all set!" Said the young colt. "Sign me up!"

> A Pony Named Booker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	This new pony was a very handsome pony. He was grey with tan hair and a chocolate brown stripe in his hair. He always wore a grey workers hat, tan rimmed glasses, and a tan shirt. 
"By the way," Said Babs, "What's your name?"
"My name is Booker T. Write."
"What does the 'T.' stand for?" Said Scootloo.
"Tales."
"Oh."
"Well, I'm Apple Bloom; this is Scootloo, Sweetie Bell, and Babs."
"Well, it's nice to meet you all. I can't wait to meet the other Cutie Mark Crusaders."
"Um... We're the only Crusaders, Booker."
"What?!" Exclaimed Booker.
"Actually Apple Bloom, there are those other two ponies that I told you about from Manehatten." Inquires Babs.
"True... But still, that's not much." Said Scootloo.
"Nonetheless, I think it's a great idea." Said Booker. "By the way, how long have you guys been doing this?"
"Only a few months." Said Sweetie Bell.
"And you already have six members?"
"And two branches!" Said Scootloo.
"Wow that's amazing. Every club or group I've ever tried to start ended extremely quickly." Stated Booker.
"Well, you just didn't have enough determination!" Said Apple Bloom.
"No, I did. I just couldn't get any other members, and that's when I realized starting groups was not my destiny, nor my cutie mark." Proclaimed 	Booker.
"Well, I guess you can't get a simpler reason than that." Said Babs.
"Nope." Chuckled Booker. "Um... Do you even know where you’re going?"
"We're going to the castle!" Said Scootloo.
"What?!" Exclaimed Booker. "The castle?!"
"Yep. Princess Celestia's castle!"

> The Testing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the five young ponies got to the castle they found out where their quarters were. Of course they had a hard time getting Booker in. Apple Bloom, Scootloo, and Sweetie Bell found BigMac and asked him where their luggage was so they could get their capes, so he told them. They found their capes and put them on.
"What are those?" Asked Booker when he saw the capes.
"These," Explained Scootloo. "Are the official Cutie Mark Crusaders membership capes."
"I'm still confused."
"If you have one of these it shows that your one of us!" Said Sweetie Bell.
"OH! Now I get it."
"Now comes the real hard part of becoming a crusader, Booker!" Said Scootloo.
"Really? What is it?"
"THE TESTING!!!!!" Cried the four crusaders in unison.
“The what?!”
“The testing,” said Apple Bloom. “It’s where we test to see if you have enough brains and guts to be a crusader.”
“Um…”



“So, I guess you do have enough.” Said Scootloo.
“Really? You don’t say.” Gasped an out of breath Booker. “I just trotted into a cave, with a dragon in it, and the dragon was married to a manticore!”
“Was it really married to a manticore?” said Sweetie Bell ecstatically.
“Well… no, but there was still one in there! Anypony dumb enough to do that has to have guts!”
“True, but what about brains. How will we test that.”Asked Apple Bloom
“Should thinking of that count?” asked Scootloo.
“I guess it could.”
“Alright then,” said Scootloo. You are now officially a Cutie Mark Crusader.”
“Don’t worry,” said Sweetie Bell. “I’ll make you a cape and have it mailed to you. In the meantime why don’t we find a good clubhouse for the new branch?”
“Yeah!”  Said the others in unison, and they went off to find a good clubhouse.