I glared at the mark. It was worse. The first tree I might have even cracked a bit, but with a little practice I was down to slightly worse than it was before. I walked away from the tree stomping my hooves. Then I stopped and brought down one hoof in anger hard as I could. The ground shook, and the sound of countless apples hitting the ground filled my ears. I smiled as big as could be.
"Hah, take that. Sure I'll miss the bucking but…"
Then I frowned and rushed over to the tree in front of me. I wasn't stomping on the roots like Big Mac's trick, but it weren't much better. The soil didn't seem that loose, and would surely settle eventually, but it didn't seem like a good idea to keep doing it. It felt so good to do it too.
"I gotta talk to Twi."
"That was so cool."
I looked around, half expecting a blue pegasus, but the voice didn't sound quite right. Then I saw a familiar orange pegasus filly in one of the trees. She was hanging from a branch by nothing but tree sap. Oddly it looked like she hadn't damaged the tree she was in, and it was from some other tree.
"So what are ya doing in mah tree Scootaloo?"
"Oh, minor miscalculation."
"I'm hoping I won't find mah sister and Sweetie Belle around here too."
"Nah, that whole jet thing made us figure out something really important. It would be cool if we all got our cutie mark at the same time, but there is no way that's going to happen. So we are doing things a little different."
"That sounds mighty sensible."
"Yea, so pretty much only I'm doing the awesome stuff now, they're just helping."
"That sounds like some might good progress actually. So is Sweetie Belle trying out some instruments or Applebloom working on her carpentry?"
"Why would they do that?"
"Ne'er mind. Shoulda known it would be too much ta hope fer. So what were they doing exactly?"
"Well even the Wonderbolts have a crew, and Rainbow Dash like the Wonderbolts, so by the transative property of awesome, they have to be awesome too, so I figured maybe my friends could get cutie marks for helping me with this neat idea I had."
"That landed you in mah tree."
"Well it needs work. But who cares about that, that whole shaking the ground thing was so cool. I mean not quite Rainbow Dash at her best cool, but at least Rainbow Dash normal flying cool."
"Ah see."
I thought Dash was exaggerating, but I guess she mostly just exaggerates about herself, doesn't she? Scootaloo then fell out of the tree with a thud, but quickly got to her hooves. She smiled. I frowned a little.
"Something wrong? I mean I didn't even know earth ponies could even do stuff like that. Applebloom is crazy strong, but not that strong."
"Yea, well, till recently, neither did ah."
She frowned. "Oh, this is like that weirdness with Pinkie. Are you sure she's not an alicorn at all? I mean sometimes she's all small and…"
"Ah'm sure. Princess Luna and Celestia both said so."
"Okay. But what I don't get is why you should be upset. I mean Dash is cooler than ever, and Pinkie sure isn't less happy. I totally don't know if I could tell if she was more happy then she used to be."
"Ah reckon ah would have some trouble too, but I think she might be. See thing is I can't buck the trees no more."
"Oh, that's bad, isn't it? Why not?"
"Because ah kick em too hard. I need to figure out how ta be more gentle"
"You can't control it? That's bad. But Applebloom said you were taking care of some of Fluttershy's animals." Then she smiled "Oh, I get it. You weren't touching them."
"It ain't all the time. Mostly it's just a problem with bucking, and ah guess stamping mah hooves now."
"Oh." Then she blinked. "But that sounds like it's not you need to be more gentle, but you're just using too high level a spell. Like using a third circle arcanonizer when a first circle mystical paper spell is just fine."
"What?"
"Nothing. I don't play that game. Why would you even suggest that? I'm not into that sort of nerdy thing just because my parents are."
"Ah didn't say nothing like that."
She laughed nervously, looking around. "Uh, anyway, yea, seriously, if that is all magical and stuff, you need to be more gentle with your magic."
"Oh really? Ah never thought ah that. How the hay do you suggest I go about doing something like that?" Then I cringed.
"I've heard worse. Way worse. Mostly from Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara the one time we tipped a manure cart on them."
"Now hold on a second here." I glared down at the little filly. "Now ah ain't hear nothing about no cart of manure or…"
"We didn't do it on purpose. We didn't know it was full of manure until we hit it, and we sure didn't see the two of them on the other side." Then she looked away "Though I guess maybe if I did know I would have…" Then she cringed "Uh…"
"Oh never mind. So what are you thinking? How ya think ah can learn ta be more gentle with magic?"
"I don't know, I don't have…" She blinked. "Well, okay, I guess I do, but I sure don't have this problem. I'd say you need a good sense of scale so do something big."
"Big like what?"
She smiled brightly. "Ooo, I know. You should totally kick down a mountain, and make an earthquake that shakes all the ground away or…"
"Okay, just stop right there. That's enough of that foolishness. Still, ya might have a good idea there. Now get back with your friends, and try ta stay outta trouble."
"We always do."
"An ah was always 'fraid a that."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind, just get." Then I blinked. "Well, let me help you with that tree sap first then ya'll can get going back to…"
"Nah, Sweetie learned her first spell. She still can't float anything, but she has got a spell that cleans tree sap down."
"Ah see."
Then she ran off, all sorts of stuff sticking to her as she ran off. I really hope them three get their marks soon. It will be so much safer, not just for them, but everypony.