Chapter 1: Parachutes
The sun shined bright as the Apple family began their day. Applejack went to go buck apples, Big Mac went to plow the fields, Granny Smith went to garden some of the plants, and Apple Bloom went to feed the chickens and such. Overall, the day started out normal. Once Apple Bloom was done feeding the animals, washed her hooves, and helped her sister buck some apples, she asked if she could meet up with her friends.
"Sure thing, sugar cube!" Applejack responded, before letting her little sister run off to play with the other CMC members. While Apple Bloom ran off, she didn't notice one of the chickens glaring at her.
Soon, Apple Bloom arrived at the clubhouse, where Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were waiting for her.
"So, what are we going to do today Crusaders?" Apple Bloom asked, excited to start trying to earn their cutie marks ... again.
"Well, we could try flying! But how?" Scootaloo suggested, thinking hard.
"I thought chickens couldn't fly? Bawk! Bawk-Bawk-Bawk-Bawk! Bawgauk!" Sweetie Belle said, immitating the animal with her hooves and body.
"I'm not a chicken!" Scootaloo retorted, feeling annoyed.
"It's true. Chickens don't fly, but they flutter in the air. Actually, being a chicken is kind of fun! Bawk bawk bawk bawk ...." Apple Bloom replied also starting to immitate the bird.
"I said I'm not a chicken!" Scootaloo shouted. Sheesh, doesn't that stupid joke ever end?
"Relax Scootaloo. We were just joking. We're sorry. Besides, even ma sister is doing it," Apple Bloom responded, before pointing out the window. Sure enough, Applejack was doing the chicken dance near the pig pen. Boy, was she a silly pony.
"You're right, and I forgive you. Now let's think. What can we do to fly?" Scootaloo said. The three fillies thought hard and eventually thought of a simple, but good idea. Skydiving. Sure it was more gliding than flying, but it was close.
"So, how do we skydive? It's pretty dangerous!" Sweetie Belle asked, knowing most ponies would be against the idea of three fillies jumping through the sky.
"Twilight can help us! She has a balloon we can use, and we can have unicorns use their magic to help us land in case the parachutes fail. Plus, Twilight's an alicorn, so she can fly up and use her magic to help us if something goes wrong on the way down. What do you think?" Apple Bloom suggested.
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo cheered in agreement. The fillies then rushed to Twilight's library and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Spike answered.
"Hi Crusaders. What do you need? Do you need Twilight for something?" Spike asked curiously. Scootaloo nodded. Spike then let them into the library and lead them to the upper part of the library where Twilight was.
"Twilight, the CMC are here," Spike announced. The alicorn turned around and thanked Spike for his help.
"So, what do you girls need help with?" Twilight asked in a calm voice. The CMC explained their plan and told Twilight they wanted her help. Twilight was nervous. Skydiving wasn't really an activity fillies should be participating in. But they had taken precautions. So, Twilight agreed.
After making sure her balloon was all set up, the pegasus ponies cleared the skies, the earth ponies cleared a landing area, and after assigning both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash as the ones in charge of the teams, Twilight made sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders were ready to skydive.
At the Ponyville Skydive Training Station however, the fillies were having some difficulty with their training. They had each picked out their own parachutes to use; Apple Bloom picked out a bright red parachute with an apple on it, Sweetie Belle picked out a white parachute with a music note on it, and Scootaloo picked an orange parachute with a purple wing on it.
Scootaloo was practically a natural, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom on the other hoof, were having trouble. They had passed most of the tests, but the parachutes were giving them problems.
"Grrrrr. Ohhhhh. Come on!" Sweetie Belle said, trying to properly pack up her parachute in the backpack.
"It's like the parachute strings have a mind of their own!" Apple Bloom agreed, trying to make her chute straps from twisting and tangling up. They struggled with their parachutes for a while, until the two fillies finally managed to get their parachutes in the backpacks.
"Yay!" cheered Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they hugged each other, happy their parachutes worked.
FFFWHOOOOSSHHHH! The parachutes emerged from the backpacks, and after unraveling again, the giant fabric floated down, and landed on top of the two fillies, trapping them under the silky parachutes.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" screamed Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle as they were suddenly trapped under their parachutes, unable to see anything or get out.
"Help! Help! Get me outta here! I'm stuck!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle as she struggled to get out of her parachute, getting tangled up in the fabric.
"Help! Who turned out the lights?! I can't see! Ahhhhhhh! Get me outta here!" shouted Apple Bloom as she flailed around under her parachute, getting stuck under it as well. Both Scootaloo and and the Skydiving instructor pony giggled seeing the fillies stuck under the parachutes, and quickly got Scootaloo's friends out of their parachutes, carefull not to rip the fabric.
Soon, it was time for the CMC to skydive. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were carried by Rainbow and two other pegasus ponies to the correct height and waited to be dropped.
"Now!" all three fillies said before being dropped. Once released, the three fillies dropped towards the ground. Air rushed past them as the three friends approached the ground faster and faster.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" the three fillies screamed as they approached the ground. Soon, after a minute or two, the Cutie Mark Crusaders pulled the cords on their backpacks releasing their parachutes!
"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" the CMC exclaimed as their parachutes opened, gently floating the fillies down towards the ground. Ponies cheered from the ground as the three friends floated down, getting closer and closer to landing. After a long while of floating down with their parachutes, the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally landed on the ground.
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo cheered upon landing on their landing spot. The fillies unbuckled their harnesses, ran to each other, and hugged. After a minuting of hugging, they separated.
"Wahooo! We did it Cutie Mark Crusaders! We skydived! Now, let's check to see if we got our cutie marks-" Apple Bloom said until Scootaloo interrupted her.
"Look out!" Scootaloo exclaimed as all three of the parachutes were floating down right towards them! The parachutes were going to fall on them!
"Gangway!" Apple Bloom screamed before she and her friends tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, by the time Apple Bloom screamed, the silky parachutes had already touched the ground, and were starting to lower. The three fillies were now surrounded by nothing but big lowering parachutes as they scrammed to find an exit, knowing it was already too late. The parachutes kept getting lower and until finally, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were completely covered by their parachutes.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed the three fillies as they got covered by their parachutes. Poor Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo struggled under their parachutes, and as they did so, the fillies only managed to get tangled up under the fabric. They looked like three little ghosts, each one being red, white and orange.
"Ahhhhhhh! Help! I can't see!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as she tried to get out of the fabric.
"Help! I'm stuck!" Sweetie Belle yelled, thrashing about under her parachute.
"Help me! Get me outta here!" Scootaloo cried out, flailing her hooves around.
Soon, after struggling under their parachutes for a while, the three fillies finally got out and hugged each other. Everypony cheered as they then looked at their flanks.
No cutie mark.
"Oh come on!" Apple Bloom said in frustration.