//------------------------------//
// 2. Hunting Cutie Marks Part 2 
// Story: Renaming Starlight's Village 
// by Brass Polish 
//------------------------------//

In the days when Starlight’s Village was an isolated community, whenever a train called at the halt, it didn’t stick around for long. Nowadays, ponies come and go more often, and the train stops at the end of the line for longer. So when Apple Bloom stepped off the train, she found she had time for a conversation with a passenger boarding.
“Nice to see you again, Apple Bloom,” said Feather Bangs. “I’m taking these apples to my fillyfriend in Las Pegasus. I wouldn’t have met her if it weren’t for you and your friends’ advice. So thanks again.”
Apple Bloom didn’t smile. “I’m just visiting my brother.”
“Great,” smiled Feather Bangs. “You’ve just gotta see the orchard he set up. It’s already huge. And…”
He indicated the baskets of apples he was carrying.
“It produces really tasty apples. Hail Stone’s gonna love these.”
The guard’s whistle blew. Feather Bangs said goodbye to Apple Bloom and climbed aboard the train with his apples. Apple Bloom was leaving the platform before he’d even shut the coach door.

*****

No train would still call directly to Starlight’s Village, as every potential route was too steeply graded and had narrow clearances. So anypony venturing from the halt to the hill overlooking the Village had quite a hike. As Apple Bloom crested the hill, the first thing she saw was a vast sea of apple trees. It was situated alongside one of the rows of cottages making up the entire little town. Since she’d last seen the Village, only one cottage had changed substantially. It now had a barn extension on the back. This was the cottage Apple Bloom headed straight for.
“Apple Bloom!” exclaimed Big Macintosh when his little sister walked into the Cafe. “What a surprise.”
“Can I talk to Sugar Belle?” asked Apple Bloom quickly.
“Oh, uh…” Big Mac was taken aback. “Eeeyup.”

*****

Sugar Belle was putting a tray of gooseberry pies into the oven when her husband came into the kitchen to tell her Apple Bloom was here and wanted a word.
“What happened to you?!” exclaimed Sugar Belle when she saw Apple Bloom. “You’ve got Phlegm’s cutie mark!”
Apple Bloom smiled. “I found it flying around the Everfree Forest. I knew it must belong to someone from Starlight’s old cult.”
“You sure spotted it quick, dear,” said Big Mac, impressed. “I had to squint to see it. I thought she was a blank flank again at first.”
“It was the same with Phlegm,” said Sugar Belle. “He had a yellow coat like Apple Bloom has, and it was hard to see his cutie mark on him as well when he first came to the Village. Probably one of the reasons he wanted to have it taken off in the first place.”
“Since I’ve found it,” said Apple Bloom, “he obviously didn’t get it back when the Cutie Mark Vault was broken open.”
“Yes…” Sugar Belle pondered. “I don’t remember seeing him after everypony got their cutie marks back. I thought he’d just decided to leave the Village after learning that Starlight was a fraud. Several ponies did that; not everypony stayed.”

*****

“What can you tell me about Phlegm?” asked Apple Bloom.
Sugar Belle glanced at the kitchen door, then said to Apple Bloom “He usually hung out with Double Diamond. They’d sometimes read comic books together.”
“Comic books? In a cult village?” asked Big Mac.
“Well, any books we had had to be approved by Starlight, and they usually had titles with words like ‘Alliance’ and ‘Balance Of Power’; anything that encouraged equality,” said Sugar Belle, turning towards the kitchen. “Apple Bloom, maybe you should go talk to Double Diamond about Phlegm. I gotta run. Gotta look after the baking.”
Apple Bloom turned as soon as Sugar Belle left the room. Big Mac followed her out the door.
“Where’s your cutie mark?” he asked.
Apple Bloom didn’t answer. “Where does Double Diamond live?”
Big Mac pointed to a cottage on the other side of the road. “He ain’t home right now, though. He’s gone snowboarding.”
“Okay, I’ll wait,” sighed Apple Bloom.
Big Mac watched as his little sister walked across the road and sat on Double Diamond’s front porch.
“Eeeyup. Still a dedicated Cutie Mark Crusader,” Big Mac grinned to himself, going back into the Cafe.

*****

Although most of the villagers had customized their homes since Starlight was unseated as leader and the equality dogma had been lifted, most cottages retained their narrow windows. So when Apple Bloom, upon sidling around the cottage and checking that the coast was clear, picked up a rock and smashed one of the back windows, she had a tight squeeze infiltrating Double Diamond’s house. Straight away, she spotted a shelf full of books. She pulled several down and rifled through them. If it was an ordinary wordy book, she tossed it aside at once. If it was a comic book, she went straight for the final page and then tossed it aside… until she found a comic book with a blank page. Blank accept for some miniscule writing, which Apple Bloom quickly deciphered.
“Take a closer look,” she recited, “to join the adventure in this book.”

*****

Apple Bloom hadn’t looked at the title of the comic book, but upon being sucked into the story’s environment, it didn’t take her long to figure out its premise. She was wearing a ragged frock and holding a tarnished stuffed animal. She was standing in an airfield. Nearby was a large flying fortress. And from a hatch on the bottom, a mare in a lab coat appeared to be trying to climb down but got stuck halfway.
“I could use a hoof here,” Apple Bloom could hear her saying.
Apple Bloom walked away from the airfield and climbed over a fence. Loitering on the outskirts of the airfield were three giant slugs with machine guns on their eyestalks. They took no notice of Apple Bloom in her dirty clothes. It was clear that the story of the enchanted comic would not commence until somepony helped the scientist out of the flying fortress hatch. Apple Bloom ambled away from the giant slugs, and began her quest to find the pony Sugar Belle had described, and take his place.

*****

The quest was over before it could even begin. All of a sudden, two of the giant slugs charged through the fence and slithered into the airfield. One of them aimed its eyestalks at Apple Bloom, who jumped the fence to avoid the machine gun fire. As she ran, she could hear the scientist’s voice, a lot clearer now, shouting.
“They’re attacking! If only the Sergeant Major had met me here like we’d agreed!”
Somepony’s yanked her out of the hatch and started the mission! thought Apple Bloom, alarmed.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, wearing similar outfits to Apple Bloom, jumped her.
“Bookmark!” they shouted, each clinging to one of Apple Bloom’s hooves.

*****

The three Cutie Mark Crusaders were ejected from the enchanted comic book and tumbled into Double Diamond’s living room. Apple Bloom spied a familiar glass jar sitting on the coffee table.
“You brought by cutie mark back?!” she shrieked as she, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle stood up.
“Come on, Apple Bloom,” said Scootaloo. “We’ve gotta get that cutie mark off of you. It’s messing with your…”
“Intruders!”
The Crusaders turned to the front hall in time to see a snowboard come flying at them. They ducked. The snowboard flew over their heads and hit the coffee table. The jar fell off and broke apart. Apple Bloom’s cutie mark flew out and began hovering around the room.
“Wait. You’re the CMCs,” Double Diamond blinked. “What are…?”
Apple Bloom leapt up, pushed Double Diamond aside, and ran down the hall toward the front door. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were alarmed to see Apple Bloom’s cutie mark sail out of the broken window.

*****

Apple Bloom burst out into the street and turned to flee the Village. But she bumped into Night Glider and Party Favour, who were sharing a bag of nacho chips.
“Hi, Apple…!”
Apple Bloom turned tail and ran the other way up the street, towards the tree that stood where Starlight’s cottage used to be.
“What’s she doing?” wondered Night Glider.
“I think she’s trying to find her cutie mark,” said Party Favour, looking towards the sky. “Look.”
Night Glider looked up and saw a two-dimensional purple and red shield floating around above the Village rooftops.
“Get that cutie mark!” shouted Scootaloo, storming out of Double Diamond’s front door and taking to the air.
“I’m coming!” shouted Night Glider, taking off. “I’ll catch it!”
She dumped out the nacho bag as she flew upwards, and held it open as she joined Scootaloo’s chase.

*****

Now Sweetie Belle ran out onto the street.
“Apple Bloom, wait!” she shouted a she ran after her. “You’re not right in the head! You need your own cutie mark! Come back!”
Party Favour quickly blew up several long balloons, created a balloon snake, and let go of the tail. Air shot out, launching the balloon snake up the road. It rocketed past Sweetie Belle and scooped up Apple Bloom, then coiled around the tree, pinning her to it.
“Thanks, Party Favour!” Sweetie called.
She ran towards the trapped Apple Bloom. Scootaloo swooped down and joined her.
“But her cutie mark!” Sweetie exclaimed.
“Night Glider’ll get it,” insisted Scootaloo. “She’s way faster than me. Come on. We gotta try to snap Apple Bloom back to her senses.”

*****

It was going to be difficult.
“Let me go!” demanded Apple Bloom. “I’m trapped enough as it is!”
“That’s not you talking,” insisted Scootaloo. “That’s whoever owns that cutie mark you’re wearing talking.”
“We can help you find him,” said Sweetie Belle, “but you need your own cutie mark back first.”
“I’m just as trapped in my own cutie mark as this one!” barked Apple Bloom, squirming and struggling. “I’m fed up with being the only serious Cutie Mark Crusader! I’m sick of you two always abandoning me!”
“You said,” said Scootaloo, “you have plenty to do whenever we’re not around.”
“Yeah. You told us you always go to Zecora’s and mix potions,” said Sweetie.
“I only do potions when I’m bored or depressed!” grunted Apple Bloom, still straining against the balloon snake. “And guess how many times I’ve been to Zecora’s this week! I’m fed up! I want out!”
“If you feel this horrible,” said Sweetie Belle, “imagine how the pony who owns that cutie mark feels.”
Apple Bloom stopped struggling.
“Wouldn’t it be great to find him and help him?” asked Scootaloo. “To try and make that desperation and anxiety go away?”

*****

“I’ve got it!” they heard Night Glider call.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned to see Night Glider flying towards them, holding the chip bag aloft and clamping it shut with her hooves.
“Watch out!” shouted Party Favour, pointing to the tree.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned to see Apple Bloom biting the balloon snake. The punctured balloon uncoiled the snake, which whipped around the tree. Everypony ducked. Night Glider took a whack across the face, and she dropped the chip bag. Sweetie Belle quickly straightened up, and used her magic to grab the chip bag and send it hurtling at Apple Bloom. It collided with her flank. There was a flash of light. The yellow apple was no longer on Apple Bloom’s flank, and in its place was…
“A nacho chip?” Scootaloo chuckled.
Sweetie Belle flicked the chip off, and there was Apple Bloom’s own cutie mark.

*****

Apple Bloom just stood there, her face going red.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” smiled Sweetie Belle.
“This was such a stupid idea,” muttered Apple Bloom, not making eye contact with her fellow Crusaders. “I should’ve known that cutie mark’s owner would be desperate and uncaring.”
She straightened up.
“You two are right. We should find Phlegm and help him…”
“Phlegm? That’s his name?” asked Scootaloo.
“Yeah. Sugar Belle told me about him,” said Apple Bloom. “He…”
“Hey, speaking of Phlegm,” interrupted Double Diamond, “his cutie mark’s flying away!”