//------------------------------//
// Worn Out Places 
// Story: Crusader's Quest in Cloudsdale 
// by BoredWriter 
//------------------------------//

	The CMC walk through Cloudsdale residents "I guess we can't go in the factory. Maybe some pony knows Cirrus's family?"

Sweetie Belle walks up to a small cylindrical building with displays of all types of clouds in the windows "Wow... thats a lot of clouds"

Apple Bloom points to a plague on the door "Look what it says here. The finest clouds produced in the factory since the first day of the job until retirement. Mr Shy"

"This pony worked in the Clouds Factory his entire career! He must know Cirrus's parents"	

Scootaloo pouts "GRRRR! We aren't getting anywhere! All we do is ask ponies where Cirrus is and the closest we get is her parents and a stallion who has a crush on Rainbow Dash. Why can't we forget it and just have fun flying"

"Okay fine Scoot, you leave and do whatever, we have a cutie mark problem to solve"

Scootaloo flies off as fast as she could. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle look disappointed, then walk to the door of the house next to the display building. Apple Bloom approaches the front door. 

Sweetie Belle asks worried  "Are you sure about this? Mr Shy sounds like..."

The door opens and Mr Shy steps out "Hello, are you Mr Shy?". Then Mrs Shy and Fluttershy step out.

"Girls?"

"FLUTTERSHY!" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom run away.

"We need to hide some where"

Sweetie Belle points at a damaged shabby house "In there? It doesn't look like any pony has lived there in ages"

They jump in the window, and land on sun chairs. Zephyr runs up to them

"HEY! CUSTOMERS! Welcome to the presence of... moi... your manes must hold so much stress for you to be here". 

Zephyr dumps a bunch of relaxation products on Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. 


"Like this" a stallion heads a beach ball to Starlight, who looks at the beach ball angrily and it lands next to her. She tries to concentrate on it but is still unable to use magic

"THIS IS WHAT PONIES DO FOR FUN?! THROW A CHUNK OF INFLATED PLASTIC?"

"Yup"

The stallion throws it at her again. She gets angry and head butts the beach ball at him with full force, then gives a maniacal laugh, but then calms down "This is sort of fun actually"

Apple Bloom whispers to Sweetie Belle "Check the window, is the coast clear?"

"Fluttershy is coming this way!"

Mr Shy opens a map "It looks like this is it". Fluttershy opens the door.

Zephyr waves "Hey Mom!"

Mrs Shy opens the door "Son, this is... wonderful..."

Zephyr squirts an excessive amount of mane cream on Apple Blooms face "Oh it is. I'm saving up for renovations. Check out my first two customers!"

Fluttershy looks at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom suspiciously. Sweetie continuously covers herself with cucumber slices while Apple Bloom covers her entire self with mane cream, making herself completely white. "Do I know you?"

"Nope, I'm uhh... Napple Groom, and this is Tweaky Shell"

"I thought for a moment you were the cutie mark crusaders" Fluttershy scratches her head. "But then if you were, Scootaloo would be here"

"Heh heh yeah! We're really big fans of them!" Apple Bloom rolls over "Ugh... Scootaloo"

Sweetie Belle raises her hoof "Has any pony here worked in the Clouds Factory"

Mr Shy responds "I have"

"Do you know Hail Storm or Rainbow Trail?"

"I do"

Mrs Shy interrupts "Remember when we went to their baby shower, then had to leave early because we found out Fluttershy fell off Cloudsdale?"

Apple Bloom gets up "Baby shower? What was the baby pony's name?"

"Snowy Trail"

"That's all we wanted to know. Thanks" Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom leave the building.

Zephyr exclaims from the window "Hey! Your therapy isn't done yet!"


"Two please" the stallion buys two Apple Dumplings from Applejack. 

Applejack looks around him to find Starlight siting with her hooves crossed. "Starlight? Is that you?"

"This is my new friend, Starlight Glimmer, we met at the Rain Beach"

"No I'm not" Starlight points at the stallion angry "He won't leave me alone"

The stallion looks sad and walks away with the bag of dumplings.

"Starlight... what in tarnation is going on..."

"I kinda... turned myself into a Pegasi. When I get my magic back I'm going to leave this cursed place"

"Calm down Starlight, you should find ways to enjoy yourself while you don't have magic. It was really nice of you though to bring my sister and her friends here. Where are they anyways?"

"Oh they're just flying... I mean... running! Around looking for cutie mark problems. I'm sure everything is under control"

"I hope so. You outta apologize to him for what you said" the stallion sits at a table with his head down.


A group of colts and fillies watch Scootaloo flying around wildly "Wow... how long have you been doing this?"

"Just this morning"

The crowd awes. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle fly over. A mare announces "Welcome to Jr Flight School! I am the teacher..."

"Oh, we're just visiting Cloudsdale from Ponyville"

"Do you know this pony?" the mare points at Scootaloo still flying around.

"Nope. But I would like to know all of you. I'm Sweetie Belle, and this is my friend Apple Bloom"

Each of the fillies and colts introduce themselves, Scootaloo flies up to some colts "Wanna race?"

"Soon" The colts start raising their hooves "I'm Rusty Wing"

"Cloud Zap"

"Nimbus"

The mare points at a filly, who raises her hoof "Snowy Trail"

Apple Bloom grabs Sweetie Belle and points to Snowy Trail "That's her! We should talk to her when they're done saying their names"

The mare ends the introductions "I'm afraid Flight School isn't going on today. A lot of students went to the Food Fair".

Scootaloo talks to the colts again "Race?"

They nod. Apple Bloom watches from a distance disappointed. Sweetie Belle holds her magic ribbon up to Apple Bloom, which is starting to disappear.