After the Crusaders, Angel and the colt left the Everfree forest, they dropped Angel off at Fluttershy's house, which the colt was surprised at how many nice animals were there, and continued on to the clubhouse. All the while Scootaloo was telling him about Ponyville, mainly cause she didn't want her friends to give away too much to him, "And that's how we became the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Any questions?"
He nodded, "Yeah. How far to the clubhouse? I've had a rough night." He said the last part with a yawn, showing his lack of energy.
Applebloom turned to him, "Not too much farther. Just passed those apple trees." She turned back and pointed to an orchard of apple trees.
He nodded, "That's Sweet Apple Acres, right?"
He turned to Scootaloo who nodded that he was correct and they moved on in silence for a bit before Sweetie Belle spoke, "I can't wait to introduce you to my sister!"
He rose a brow, "Isn't she the fashionista?" Sweetie Belle nodded, "I just hope she doesn't put me in a dress."
Sweetie smiled while the other Crusaders sighed and Scootaloo said, "Yeah, she probably will. She loves making dresses, almost to an obsession."
Sweetie Belle put a hoof to her chin, "I guess. I mean she does kinda go overboard some times. But she means well."
Applebloom shook her head, "A little too well if you ask me. It took her forever to tell us her Cutie Mark story!"
The colt tilted his head to the side, "And what is her Cutie Mark story?"
Scootaloo sighed again, "Long story short, she was upset with her school play costumes, so much so her unicorn magic dragged her across Equestria until she was in front of a giant rock. Then the Sonic Rainboom happened, shattering the rock and revealing it to be filled with gems and jewels which she put on the costumes. The play was great, everypony loved the costumes, the end."
The colt rose a brow but nodded anyway and asked, "What's a Sonic Rainboom?"
As Scootaloo turned to him, beaming, the other two Crusaders groaned as they stopped so Scootaloo could explain, "Why it's only the most awesomest trick ever done by any pegasus and it has only been done three times! All of them by the greatest flier in Equestria, Rainbow Dash! I saw it when we were at the royal wedding and it was so great! It's done when a pegasus goes so fast they make an explosion of color!" She finished and sighed dreamily as the colt gave a look of great wonder.
After a few seconds of imagining the Sonic Rainboom he said, "Almost makes me wish I could fly."
Scootaloo lost her dreamy look and nodded sadly, "Me too."
He looked at her and asked, "Wait, can't you fly?"
She thought the question over before answering, "Yes and no. I can sorta fly sometimes but most of the time I just use my wings to power my scooter." Her sad look was then replaced by one of determination, "But one day, I'll be a great flier!"
The colt nodded, "I'm kind of the same." He looked to the horn on his forehead, "I can't use my magic." His face lit up as he got an idea, "Hey, what if we help each other?"
Scootaloo gave him a questioning look, "What do you mean?"
He got a huge smile and put a foreleg around her shoulders while waving the other one about, "You help me with my magic and I help you with your flying! It's brilliant, brilliant I tell you!" He stood up onto his hind legs and Scootaloo lost her balance and fell on her back. After seeing what he had done he helped her back up, "Heh, oops."
Scootaloo rubbed the back of her head and quietly said to herself, "I'm not sure if I'm liking this idea..." She turned to the colt and thought his offer over in her mind, Well, it's not like I have anything to lose and I'd be able to keep an eye on him..., "All right, we'll try it some time. But no promises."
He just smiled and started walking towards the apple trees once more while the Crusaders lagged behind a little to talk. Applebloom turned to Scootaloo and said, "Ah Don't know why you think he can't be trusted Scootaloo. He seems alright to me."
Sweetie Belle decided to throw her two bits in as well, "Yeah! He seems nice and well behaved. Not like Nightmare Moon. She was all scary. Except when Princess Luna turned into her for Nightmare Night! Then she was cool!"
Scootaloo shook her head before answering, "I don't know. There's just something more to him than meets the eye. But you're right. If he hasn't done anything, I guess he can be trusted." She waited for her friends to go ahead and catch up with the colt before quietly adding to herself, "... For now." And running after her friends so she wouldn't get left behind.
After a few minutes of walking in silence they came to their destination, Applebloom walked in and waved one of her hooves around, "Welcome to the base of operations of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
The colt stepped in as well and looked around, there were plans for elaborate ways to get Cutie Marks on one wall while another held posters of, who he presumed to be, Rainbow Dash who Scootaloo told him about on the way and the fanclub for Rainbow Dash she ran every now and then, and finally the last wall was bare, save for a closet. He looked around one last time before saying, "Seems homey." He smiled, "I like it."
Applebloom walked over to the closet and took out an extra sleeping bag, "You're lucky we keep alot of stuff in the closet. Come ta think of it, why do we have half this stuff in the closet?"
Scootaloo moved to stand beside Applebloom and look inside as well before taking her head out of the closet, shaking her head, "I don't know and I don't think I want to know."
Applebloom grabbed the sleeping in her mouth and dragged it to the colt and laid it down, "Here you go."
He grinned as he looked it over, "Thanks!"
Sweetie Belle yawned as she crawled into her own sleeping bag, "I don't know about you guys but I'm going to bed."
Applebloom also yawned and moved to do the same as Scootaloo walked over to the colt and spoke in a whisper, "Okay, since my friends trust you I will to, but only because they do. So, don't break it okay?" She said the last part with a scowl on her face.
The colt just smiled before he grabbed her into a hug and matched her whisper, "Why would I break the trust of the first friends I've ever had?" He let go and crawled into his sleeping bag as Scootaloo stood there wondering about the colt and if he could be trusted, the nagging paranoia itching at her mind.
Shaking her head she went to her sleeping bag letting her thoughts roll around in her head some more. After a bit she just shook her head one last time and laid down to sleep. She would have all the time to think in the morning.
_____________________________________
Scootaloo groaned as the sun came through the window, trying to save the vestiges of sleep she turned and pressed her face into the fluffy part of her sleeping bag. But then she remembered what happened the night before and groaned once again for an entirely different reason. She crawled out of her sleeping bag, looked to the extra sleeping bag on the floor with blurry eyes and made her way over to it, taking care not to wake her friends. Nearing the colt's sleeping bag she noticed something was off, she couldn't see any breathing. Panicking slightly she shook the sleeping bag a little. When that didn't work she put a hoof in the bag to open it when she felt somepony's breath on the back of her head and heard somepony say, "Boo!"
She tried to scream, but when she did a hoof covered her mouth and the pony behind her said, "Shh! Don't want to wake your friends, right?"
She stopped screaming into the hoof and said hoof uncovered her mouth and she spun around to see the colt hanging from a rope tied to the ceiling, "What are you doing?" She whispered with exasperation in her voice.
The colt smiled, "Well, I was bored with sleeping so I set up a prank!" Though he whispered, the excitement was evident in his voice.
Scootaloo just shook her head and moved to take care of her sleeping bag as the colt got down from the rope when she heard a dog bark. Or more precisely, Winona, the dog that belonged to Applebloom's sister, bark. She trotted to her friends and shook them roughly. Applebloom was less than happy about that, "What's this about Scootaloo?!"
Scootaloo took a deep breath before she spoke and said, "Applejack is coming here and we need to hide him!" She said the last part pointing at the colt.
Sweetie Belle shook the fog of sleep from her head, "Why?"
Scootaloo turned to Sweetie Belle, panic ever rising as the barks drew closer, "Because we don't know how she'd react to us bringing a strange colt from the Everfree Forest into Sweet Apple Acres!" Seeing the unconvinced faces of her friends she decided to add, "He doesn't have a name yet you know."
Sighing, her friends reluctantly agreed to hide him for the time being when the colt brought up a pressing matter, "And where exactly am I going to hide?"
Scootaloo was about to answer when they heard a voice from outside, "Girls! Time to get up!"
With no time to respond Scootaloo just ran up to him, grabbed him and the extra sleeping bag, threw him and the bag into the open closet, said, "Sorry!" And slammed the closet shut before running to her sleeping bag to pretend to be waking up. Realizing what her plan was, the other Crusaders followed suit and acted as though they just awoke from sleep as well.
Applejack walked into the clubhouse, "Well Ah'll be. Usually ya'll would be up and runnin' to start your crusadin' more rearin' ta go than a pig at supper time."
Applebloom faked a yawn before answering, "Ah guess we're just a little bit more tired than usual."
Applejack chuckled, "Well, Ah guess there's no real harm in lettin' ya'll sleep in some, this bein' a weekend and all." She started to leave saying one last thing over her shoulder, "Just don't sleep in too late! I don't want Rarity comin' here cause she's worried about Sweetie Belle!"
They all let out sighs of relief, not believing that Applejack would simply take their act at face value. But they were brought back to reality by a thump that came from the closet. The Crusaders all walked to the closet and Applebloom opened it to find the colt standing on his hind legs covered in pots and pans, "I am the kitchen ware guy." He tried to leave but the handles on the pot that was on his head caught on the door frame making him fall onto his back, back into the depths of the closet, "And I can't go through doors."
Scootaloo sighed again, went into the closet and dragged him out, luckily, without any of the pots or pans, "Now that we're safe, we have more pressing matters to attend to."
Sweetie Belle turned to Scootaloo and asked, "What's that?"
Scootaloo looked back to the colt and said, "Finding you a name."