//------------------------------//
// Familiar Faces 
// Story: Crusader's Quest in Cloudsdale 
// by BoredWriter 
//------------------------------//


Sweetie Belle turns to Apple Bloom "The Wonderbolt's Academy? Are you sure?"

"Rainbow Dash said she used to hang out with Cirrus there, they have to know something"

Upon landing in the Academy, Scootaloo flies across the track repetitively.

"Ugh, Scootaloo... are you going to help us or not?" 

Scootaloo laughs "This place is empty! You're not going to find Cirrus here. But maybe if she sees me doing tricks she'll show up"

.	Applebloom groans "Look over there for evidence, I'll search over here"

Sweetie Belle walks up to the Dizzitron "What is this thing?". Scootaloo flies next to her

"It's the Dizzitron, Rainbow told me she rode in it when she was a cadet, it's for some... recovery exercise" Scootaloo flies onto the "Pull the lever"

Apple Bloom jumps up and pull the lever, it starts to spin. "WOOOOOOT". Then stops it

"Hey!"

"This isn't what we're here for Scoot, we have to solve this cutie mark problem before the spell wears off". Sweetie Belle looks at the wheel then taps on Apple Bloom

"Look! It says Cirrus Storm on the back of the Dizzitron"

Apple Bloom follows "It sure does! But why?"

Soarin without the Wonderbolt's outfit flies across the track and stops next to the CMC "What are you doing here? The Academy is closed"

"Do you know this pony?" Apple Bloom points to the signature on the back of the Dizzitron.

"Uh... I remember she made the Dizzitron for the Academy two years ago. Mama Biceps used to twirl the cadets before it was built" Soarin scratches his head "It hurt a lot".

"Do you like... know anything about her?"

"Well... I talked to her when she was building it..."

"Well go on! What did she say?"

"I... uhhhh don't want to talk about it"

Apple Bloom thinks to herself then tells Sweetie Belle "Keep trying... I know something that'll make him speak"


Apple Bloom flies over to the Food Fair, with various stalls selling food. She spots Applejack with the crate of baked goods then opens up her wings "I can't let her see me like this".

A nearby mare drops her sunglasses and towel, Apple Bloom covers herself with the Towel and puts on the Sunglasses, then walks up to Applejack.

"Applejack, do you have any pies?"

"Apple Bloom?! What ya doing up here?"

"Uh... Starlight offered to take me and the other CMCs up here. She used that cloud walking spell... heh... heh"

"Awww, that was real sweet of her. Why don't you share some Granny Smith goods with 'em". Applejack stuffs various baked goods in a bag then hands them to Apple Bloom. 

"Hey! Wheres my towel?"

Apple Bloom drops the towel and sunglasses, then flies off with the bag before Applejack notices shes has wings.


Soarin shakes his head "No! I'm not Cirrus! I just... don't want to talk about it okay?". Sweetie Belle stares him suspicious while Scootaloo spins on the Dizzitron as minimum speed. Soarin sniffs "IS THAT"

"Granny Smith's Apple Pie" Soarin runs up to Apple Bloom.

"Nuh uh! First you gotta tell us everything you talked about with Cirrus"

Soarin swallows nervously, then lowers his head "I asked her if her cousin Rainbow Dash would be my date for the gala."

Scootaloo starts laughing while spinning "Haha! Rainbow's too awesome for you"

"I was too nervous to ask Rainbow myself..." Soarin puts his hooves over his head on the ground "you... you gotta understand..."

"It's okay, no wonder you were nervous to tell us. Did she say anything else?"

"When I asked Cirrus she said she doesn't talk with her cousin anymore so she couldn't answer"

Sweetie Belle gets her hopes up "And... did she say why she doesn't talk with Rainbow Dash anymore?"

Soarin nods "But then she said she had to go help her parents in the Cloud Factory and left"

Apple Bloom hands him the Apple Pie, which he starts eating immediately "That's all we need to know, thanks"

"Please don't tell Rainbow Dash I asked Cirrus that"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle take off, but return shortly to turn off the Dizzitron. It launches Scootaloo upwards, but is too dizzy to recover and simply falls down. Soarin catches her

Scootaloo's eyes continue to spin "Oh... uh... thanks"

"Don't mention it, Rainbow saved me many times"

Scootaloo tries to follow Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they fly away, still dizzy. "Really? You want to impress Rainbow Dash by helping her cousin, and you're not even going to help us?!"

"Buh but... there are all sorts of other things I can do to impress her. Maybe I can do cool aerial tricks and stunts, beat records, or even race Cirrus for Rainbow Dash and get her the 60th win in a row!"

"We can't take any risks, if any of us get hurt, Twilight would get mad at Starlight, then she'd take our Cutie-Marks away"

Scootaloo snaps out of her dizziness "Oh. Right"

The CMCs drop in front of the Cloud Factory "It looks like it's open. If Cirrus's parents work in the Cloud Factory, they're probably be in there" 

A security guard blocks the entrance "Excuse me mister, is Hail Storm and Rainbow Trail in there?"

"No unauthorized entry. We have added security precautions after a pony with a rainbow colored tail sabotaged the factory". The security guard holds up a photo of the snow-making machine malfunctioning, with a Rainbow tail sticking out of it"

"Do you know what pony is responsible for this"

The cutie mark crusaders shake their heads.