The CMC are now taking Sparx and Ashes to Rairty's Boutique per the insistence of Sweetie Bell. Ashes followed alongside Applebloom and Scootaloo. They arrived at Rarity's boutique. It was filled with all kinds of clothing ranging from shirts, dresses, boots, and scarves.
"Welcome, dear guests! I am so glad you two could arrive! Please, look around! I have a colt's section right over there!" Rarity was working on a new dress when they arrived. She pointed at the colt's section of the store and went back to working.
"Cool hat...!" Ashes then wore a hat with a feather stuck to it.
"Pfft...you look so dorky!" Sparx laughed as they tried on more hats.
"Oh girls, would you please bring them to my office? I would like to see their hoods right now and maybe design their own attire." Rarity then left for her office.
"OK!" The CMC then grabbed Sparx and Ashes and brought them to Rarity's office like she requested. Rarity sat Sparx and Ashes down and took a close look at their hoods.
"Hmm...goodness. This is certainly unusual. I've never seen this kind of material before. It feels almost like metal, yet it feels so soft and light to the touch. And their both so well-crafted. Not a single thread loose or out of place." Rarity was quite amazed at these strange hoods Sparx and Ashes wore.
"Your brothers, Chilly and Gust, also wear hoods similar to yours, yes?"
"I don't know...."
"Me neither...." Sparx and Ashes didn't understand a word Rarity said.
Rarity cleared her throat, "Well, I might as well assume they do. Would you mind removing them so that I may examine them closely?" Rarity then took out her glasses and measuring tape for her examination. Sparx and Ashes did as she asked and what Rarity and the CMC saw shocked them. From neck to flank in varying sizes, both Sparx and Ashes were covered in scars. Some of them even circled their bodies entirely.
"Sweet Celestia...! You're...! Your bodies...! Girls, look away! Go to the front and watch for customers for me!" Rarity then levitated the CMC out of the office, hoping to not traumatize them.
"What's with you...?"
"Did we do something wrong...?" Sparx and Ashes were both really confused. Rarity felt really uncomfortable looking at their scarred bodies.
"You...do you know that you two...are covered in scars? Just...what happened to you?" Rarity had half a mind to get the first-aid kit. Or call a doctor. Sparx and Ashes looked at each other's bodies.
"Huh...that's something."
"COOL!" Rarity did not know how to do deal with something this...shocking.
"Just...what happened to them? Do their brothers have scars all over their bodies as well? I must tell Pinkie about this!" Rarity thought as she began composing herself.
"Well, I have seen enough of your hoods. I do believe you two should go see more of Ponyville now! You may put your hoods back on and leave with the Crusaders now!" Rarity tried to make herself less suspicious, but was failing.
"Cool."
"OK!" Sparx and Ashes then put their hoods on and began making their way out of the office. The three arrived in the main shopping area where the CMC were watching for any customers.
"Girls, may I see you for a moment. Boys, please wait at the entrance." The CMC walked over to Rarity still shocked at what they saw while Sparx and Ashes did what Rarity asked them to do.
"Now girls, I know you three saw what I saw, and I know you have many questions. Well, so do I and I think I might know where to get the answers. I want you three to keep this a secret. I'm going to close the shop for now while I'm out. Keep an eye on them for as long as you can. Pinkie needs to know about this right now!" Rarity wore a fancy coat as she gave the CMC their instructions. The CMC nodded, trying to contain their shock.
"Alright, run along now. And keep this a secret." Rarity then rushed off to find Pinkie, leaving the CMC to their task. The three foals didn't know how to react to Sparx and Ashes after what they just saw.
"Boys, thank you for the visit! I'll see you later! Ta-tah!" Rarity ran passed Sparx and Ashes as she left her boutique.
"Girls, what do you think we should do with them...? I've never seen so many scars before."
"I don't know, Sweetie Bell.... But Rarity gave us a job to do. And we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We can keep a secret, right?!" Scootaloo was confident in their ability to fulfill their job.
"Yeah...! And both Sparx and Ash don't seem too bothered by those scars! Let's just go do what we do best!" They agreed and they ran up to Sparx and Ashes with newly obtained excitement.
"C'mon guys, let's go!" Scootaloo began pulling Sparx's hood again.
"Go where...?" Sparx was getting used to being dragged everywhere.
"Let's just go...!" Ashes joined the CMC in yanking Sparx away in unison. Sparx was getting tired of being dragged everywhere. Meanwhile, Gust and Rainbow Dash were walking around in Ponyville enjoying the cloudy day. Rainbow Dash was able to chase off the mare Pegasi that were chasing Gust.
"Thanks for helping me out back there, Miss Rainbow Dash. I'm not sure why they keep bothering me though...." Gust was quite confused.
"Forget about them. You guys seem pretty popular." Rainbow Dash was also bothered by all that is happening. She frowned at the unusually cloudy sky that blocked out the sunshine.
"Um...is it normal to be that cloudy?" Gust noticed Rainbow Dash looking at the sky. He did find the thick clouds rather odd.
Rainbow Dash yawned, "No.... It's really weird. I had to go to a boring meeting at the Cloudsdale Weather Factory about it. I haven't slept since...." She seemed rather tired.
"Well, maybe I can help! I have big wings! I can get rid of those clouds easy!" Gust stretched his wings out and Rainbow Dash was not expecting such...lengthy wings. She could also feel a slight breeze brush against her mane and tail.
"WOW...! That's so cool!" Scootaloo then arrived to see Rainbow Dash and Gust standing around. She was all alone when she saw them.
"Oh, hey Scoots. Weren't you with your friends?"
"Yeah, but we split up. Sparx and Ash are with Applebloom. Sweetie Bell left to go see that blue-guy. I forgot his name...." Scootaloo fluttered up to Rainbow Dash in excitement.
"You mean Chilly?" Gust then folded his wings back in place.
Scootaloo then jumped up to Gust, "Yeah! Hey, let me see your wings again! They look awesome!" Her eyes sparkled in awe.
"Um...ok." Gust blushed a bit and stretched out his wings again. Another slight breeze came when it happened.
"WOW...! You must be REALLY good at flying! Hey Rainbow Dash, you two should race! I wanna see who is better!" Scootaloo's wings fluttered frantically with excitement.
Rainbow Dash yawned again, "Sorry Scoots, but I'm too sleepy to race. And it's too cloudy to fly.... Maybe Gust here can take care of it."
"I'm on it...!" Gust then flew up into the sky in a flash and into the clouds. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were amazed at how fast he took off.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash...! I need to tell you something! Something really, really important!" Scootaloo whispered in Rainbow Dash's left ear. Rainbow Dash listened to Scootaloo. Scootaloo told Rainbow Dash about the scars they saw on Sparx and Ashes in Rarity's Boutique.
"So you think Gust and Chilly have those same kind of scars too...?" Rainbow Dash was quite surprised to hear about this.
"Yeah...! Rarity told us to keep it a secret though. Not even Sparx and Ash knows where they got those scars! It's so crazy!" Scootaloo was still shocked. Gust then flew back down from the clouds without leaving a dent. Gust's hood fluttered about upon the landing and both Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo noticed a few scars on his body. Just like Sparx and Ashes.
"Sorry, Miss Rainbow Dash.... I couldn't get rid of the clouds. They keep coming back after I kick them." Gust was sad about his failure.
"Don't worry about it, Gust. At least you tried. C'mon, let's go to the park. I'm gonna try to get a nap." Rainbow Dash began making her way to the park.
"Ok...! Let's go!" Scootaloo took off running to the park.
"Wait for me!" Gust followed them. Chilly on the other hoof was still being mobbed by many mares. He was keeping them away with an actually cage made of ice. He had his head against a table at a candy store, sleeping.
"C'mon, handsome...! We won't bite!" The mares were still persistent as they tried to squeeze their way through the cold cage.
Chilly opened his eyes with a yawn and said, "Ladies, leave me alone. I already have a sweetheart. Go find another colt...." He then went back to sleep.
"Oh...? What is she like? Is she nice?" The mares stopped their pursuit to listen to his story.
Chilly sighed as he woke back up, "Yeah, she is. She works hard, she takes charge, and she's the only one who can keep me moving. And she's tough as stone." The mares giggled.
"Hey...! Mister Chilly!" Sweetie Bell ran over to Chilly and stopped at the cage.
"Oh...uh...Sweetie Bell, right? What's up?" Chilly took his attention away from the mares for the moment.
"Um...do you want to go see the school? It could be fun." Sweetie Bell was small enough to squeeze through the cold cage and walk up to Chilly.
"Alright, aright.... Ladies, if I may." Chilly then dis-spelled the cage and the mares fell over.
"Gotta go. Later." Chilly then followed Sweetie Bell to the school she and her friends go to. It was a day off for the foals. Sweetie Bell noticed a little scar on Chilly's left front leg as they walked. She knew all four of the Spellbind Brothers had scars on their bodies. Sweetie Bell kept her nervous feeling un-noticeable to Chilly as he gave him the tour. Meanwhile, Rarity arrived at Twilight's castle to tell her what she and the CMC saw. She stepped inside the castle to see Spike walking towards the library carrying a few books.
"Spike dear, is Twilight here. I must speak with her." Rarity took off her scarf and placed it on the nearby coat hanger.
Spike stopped suddenly and dropped the books, "Oh...Rarity! Uh...Twilight is in the library with Starlight right now." Spike looked at Rarity with hearts in his eyes as he began picking up the books.
"We don't have time for this...!" Rarity quickly gathered the books and Spike up with her magic and rushed over to the library. She sees Twilight and Starlight looking through some books and placed Spike gently on the ground.
"Oh, hello Rarity. Do you need something?"
"Twilight, I need to speak with you. It's about the Spellbind Brothers!" Twilight and Starlight then stopped reading when she mentioned them.
"What is it?! Did they hurt anypony?! Did something catch on fire?!" Twilight and Starlight were both really worried.
"Um...no dear. I saw something that you two should know!" Rarity was still very shocked over what she saw at her boutique. This became quite...complicated.