Cutie Mark Crusaders, yay!
It was a beautiful, spring day in Ponyville. The kind of day that you just couldn’t waste away indoors. And for three young fillies, it was the perfect day to search for their special talents.
“Okay girls, listen up! Today is the day! We’re going to finally find our cutie marks!”
“You said that last time.”
“Quiet, Sweetie. This time I’m sure of it!”
“Well ah’m up for anything at this point. What you got fer us, Scoots?”
“I told you to stop calling me that! Ahem, right. So here we go. The Everfree Forest! I think we can beat it!”
“We’ve already tried that. Several times.”
Three foals were planning on how their day would go, and were making plans to find their special talents. As was their almost ritualistic behavior at this point. Still, the three girls always managed to find their way through by each other’s side.
At least, that’s what they believed.
“I know…”
The young, orange pegasus said.
“But this time we’re going in with a plan by me! And we all know that I’ve never planned an excursion there! Besides, we’re not doing much of anything. Just something called trailblazing.”
“We’re going to burn down the Everfree Forest?”
Came the squeaky voice of a unicorn.
“No, silly. Trailblazin’ is when ponies go out and make their own trails within a wild area. Granny Smith is always sayin’ that Ma and Pa loved to do it together… back before Ah was even a thought in their minds… Somethin’ about ‘secret rendezvous?’ Ah didn’t really understand it.”
“Ooooooh! That makes more sense!”
“Exactly!”
Scootaloo proclaimed proudly.
“So whaddaya say girls?”
Scootaloo put her hoof out, waiting for her friends to reciprocate. Applebloom was the first to react by shrugging.
“Couldn’t hurt. Ah’m in. Gotta keep you two from gettin’ in trouble after all!”
Applebloom snickered, before putting her hoof against Scootaloo’s
“Hey! We always come out okay, don’t we?”
Scootaloo sounded indignant.
“Well, I’m not one to miss out doing something with you two. I’m in!”
Sweetie Belle eagerly shoved her hoof in, a little too forcefully, causing Scootaloo to wince at the contact.
“Glad to see you eager Sweetie… but careful with the hooves! That hurt!”
Sweetie Belle looked down at the ground, and scuffed her hooves.
“Sorry…”
Scootaloo felt her irritation melting away.
“Ah, don’t worry about it Sweetie. I know you didn’t mean to!”
Sweetie brightened at that, and shot Scootaloo an absolutely radiant smile.
Applebloom coughed.
“So, trailblazin’ hmm… We’re going to need some equipment. We have a storage shed by th’ farm. Might be a good place to start, and Ah can go and get my first aid supplies!”
Scootaloo blinked at Applebloom.
“What exactly do you think we’re going to be doing?”
Applebloom rolled her eyes.
“This is you we’re talkin’ about here.”
Scootaloo bristled.
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Applebloom stuck her tongue out at Scootaloo, and blew a raspberry.
“Better safe than sorry, Ah say.”
“Where did you even learn first aid?”
Sweetie Belle asked in awe.
“Started practicin’ after that one incident with the cockatrice. Even though it wouldn’t have helped particularly well there… Ah figured it still wouldn’t hurt to know.”
“She says it so casually…”
Scootaloo whispered to Sweetie Belle, who then giggled.
“Ah’m now certified through the Ponyville General Hospital’s course!
Applebloom stated proudly.
“That’s awesome, Bloom!”
Scootaloo said in genuine happiness.
“Awe shucks, thanks Scoots.”
Scootaloo frowned.
“I still don’t want to be called that…”
“Did my ears deceive me though!?”
Sweetie Belle asked with a cheeky grin.
“What’re you going on about?”
Scootaloo asked, and Applebloom echoed.
“Ah’m with Scootaloo here.”
“It sounded to me like Scoots was impressed by you!”
“Why do you gotta call me that… and I can be impressed!”
Applebloom chuckled.
“Heck of a good job showin’ it.”
Scootaloo crossed her forehooves, but decidedly did not pout. She was too cool for something like that. Yeah, too cool. And nopony would tell her otherwise!
"Whatever you two... let's get ready."
***
Scootaloo would never admit it, but the Everfree Forest gave her the creeps! Just something about it seemed ominous… malevolent… unnatural. She could feel herself shivering, just at the edge of it.
“Awwwww, is somepony scared?”
Sweetie Belle teased.
“I’m not scared! It’s just cold here. Yeah, that’s it!”
Scootaloo turned around to take in her companions. Applebloom had two saddlebags with big red crosses on them on either side of her body. She also had a canteen on a chord strapped across her chest. On her back, she carried a small backpack that she claimed contained camping supplies in case they got lost.
Scootaloo didn’t know where they’d be without their resourceful friend at this point. It used to be so much simpler before… but the three of them were growing up. About to graduate from primary school. Scootaloo still couldn’t fly per say… but she managed to hover at times. Her primary mode of transportation was still her scooter, but she was making progress!
Sweetie Belle looked determined and ready for anything. Upon Applebloom’s insistence, all three of them had taken canteens of water. And Sweetie had managed to procure flameless torches, a portable light spell, Applebloom had said, for all of them too. Sweetie Belle had the canteen strapped across her chest, and the torch in her magical grasp. She too, had a small backpack, and saddlebags full of trail mixes and other items useful while hiking.
Sweetie Belle… Sweetie Belle was always cute. Even Scootaloo had to admit that. But that child-like cuteness was gradually turning into something else, Scootaloo could see Sweetie turning into a truly beautiful mare. Scootaloo wasn’t sure how to feel about that. And she was graceful, dancing lessons with her sister and a private tutor making sure of that.
Applebloom was showing more and more interest in learning about how the world worked. Her newly acquired skills in first aid showed that. On top of that, the way she was always prepared… Scootaloo had to respect that. Applebloom was smart, Scootaloo always knew that. It was just coalescing more and more into a mechanic’s eye of sorts. She had a natural skill for looking at something, and figuring out how it worked.
As for Scootaloo herself… She still wasn’t sure. She kept herself fit, going on runs, practicing her limited flight, even swimming some. But beyond that? She sighed. She had no idea what she wanted to do. Her friends were all finding things they were interested in. Sweetie Belle was learning more about Canterlot High Culture, the art of dancing, and even learning about what it meant to be a lady of refinement. Rarity couldn’t be prouder.
Applebloom was becoming a jack of all trades, with a speciality in equipment maintenance and repair. But Scootaloo? She just had her silly plans for their cutie marks. She felt a warm hoof on her shoulder. She jumped a little, being brought back into reality. The smiling face of Sweetie Belle greeted her. Another warm hoof found her other side, she turned to look at Applebloom, who looked worried.
“I’m fine girls…”
“No offense, Scootaloo, but Ah don’t believe you. If you don’t want to talk about it though, Ah understand.”
“Yeah! Whatever happens, it’ll always be us three, right?”
Sweetie Belle said in her smiling voice. Scootaloo felt a lump in her throat. Yeah. Everything would be okay. Just so long as they had each other. Scootaloo’s two friends pulled her into a hug. One of their old group hugs, with Scootaloo in the middle. Scootaloo couldn’t have asked for better friends.
“Right…”
She said after a while, before wiping her eyes clean of entirely nonexistent tears.
“Let’s get going. No time to waste.”
As she led them into the forest, eyes as ancient as existence, and older than known reality were watching them. And those eyes flashed once, before fading into the darkness of the forest.