“Hey Applebloom. Think you could help me fold this end over this way?” Scootaloo asked.
"Sure," Applebloom replied, moving over to Scootaloo's side of the oversized sheet of paper.
Scootaloo and Applebloom bit the end of the page, clamping down with their jaw and pulled it over towards the center. Once there, they both stopped and looking at Sweetie Belle. Of course, she wasn't paying attention to what the two other fillies were up to. Instead, she was off to the side staring off into space, clearly somewhere else mentally.
"Sweetie?" Applebloom tried to call her through the paper. It was muffled and didn't even phase the one entranced by absolutely nothing.
"HEY SWEETS! WAKE UP," Scootaloo boomed, taking her mouth off of the paper. Without Scootaloo, the rigidness of the paper pulled Applebloom slightly back to the to-be fold's origin.
Sweetie snapped in her direction. "Huh?"
"Run your hoof along that part there, would you? We've gotta make a clean crease and can't hold the thing steady with just one of us." Scootaloo said before helping pull the piece back in to place.
"Right, sorry." Sweetie went around to the other side of the sheet to crease the paper so Applebloom and Scootaloo could lie the now folded piece flat. Both of them spat out their edge of paper with a "blech". Who would have thought that something Pinkie owned could taste so bad? Then again they should have been thankful somepony had such an unpractically large piece of paper on hoof. Then again, considering the array of miscellaneous items the mare had on hand, was there any doubt?
Though Scootaloo was already moving to the other side of the sheet before Applebloom could pick her head up.
"Alright girls, other side now." she said.
“Eh Scoots? Hold on." Applebloom looked across to her friend. "Ah know ya wanna fly an’ all but do ya really think this ‘ere gian’ paper airplane ‘ll help git our cutie marks?”
Scootaloo nodded in assurance. “Totally! I've been thinking about it all week! A building cutie mark probably... or crafting, whatever the heck you call it. Or when we fly this thing, maybe a flight cutie mark! Maybe not for me, since... you know." she erected her wings and looked at them, showing how redundant it'd be for her of the group to have a "flight" mark. "...but just think how cool it'd be if you could say you flew, turn around and-" she flipped around to where her cutie mark would be (if she had one). "-BAM. They see a plane... or a wing... or a piece of paper or something. I don't know. But it's foal proof!”
“Scootaloo, we done tried some crazy stuff before, but don'tcha think this is kinda... pushin' it?” Applebloom said.
“Yeah. Don’t you think this is kind of... dangerous maybe?” Sweetie said slightly lower than Applebloom.
“No way! Look." Scootaloo jumped across the page over to her saddlebags. Her energy hadn't wavered since they'd made their way to the top of this hill. She was no doubt excited about their latest plan. After a moment of shuffling inside, she took out a little paper plane with three small generic pony dolls glued to the top. Written on the side of each were three names. Scootaloo in the front, Applebloom in the middle and Sweetie in the back. "See, I've got the design just right to hold our weight."
"Just like that paper boat ya thought we could float in?" Applebloom commented.
"This one's different. I spent all week in Cheerilee's class perfecting it this time."
"Right... you kept asking me for paper." Sweetie sulked, recalling her mental note to buy a new notebook before the week started again. Another 5 bits she could have spent stuffing herself at the Sugarcube Corner, or perhaps paying more of her library fines off she owed to Twilight.
"Anyway check it." Scootaloo threw the paper plane at Sweetie. Before she could catch it, it struck her head, sticking it's nose into her poofy mane.
"Ow?" Sweetie automatically said, feeling the sharp tip of the plane strike her head through her mane. It didn't hurt, but for some reason she found it mildly annoying.
"It flies great. And this version'll fly just as good. It'll be the same thing. Just a little bigger."
A little? Sweetie thought as she took the plane out of her mane and threw it back at Scootaloo. The plane was enormous! Or at least it looked like it would be judging by the size of the paper. She was sure once it was done it would be able to fit a maximum of six fillies rather than three. This should have been slightly encouraging but...
"Besides, even if it was a little dangerous, that hasn't stopped us before right? We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders! Nothing scares us, especially if it gets in the way of our cutie marks!” Scootaloo said. She paused before looking at her two companions and laughing. “...don’t tell me you are scared.”
“I ain’t scared of nothin’.” Applebloom defended proudly.
“Y-yeah. Me neither.” Sweetie looked out off of the hill they were building their airplane on high over Ponyville.
"But... we just ain't tryin' to do nothin' that will get us killed." Applebloom added, glancing at her friend's hesitation. She wouldn't look fearful, but she'd be lying if she said Sweetie's obvious fear wasn't justified.
Sweetie agreed with another "Yeah".
She waved them off "Psh... have a little more faith in me. Like I said. It's foal proof. We'll be fine." Scootaloo promised.
"If you say so." Sweetie and Applebloom sighed.
***
The three of them had been up there for just about the entire Saturday. In their sisters (or in Scootaloo's lack there of, "role model's") absence to go to some party they weren't allowed to attend, the three had been able to work nonstop on their airplane project, now nearing completion. Sweetie, of the three of them knew their latest cutie marking scheme was among their most dangerous yet. She was never one who enjoyed blindly diving into danger, though the problem there was she rarely could articulate or project herself well enough to protest. Plus, with few exceptions, it would usually be the two of them versus her own opinion wimpy opinion. Though at the same time, she didn't mind being put into situations that, hurt her (and in some cases threatened her life) as long as she had her friends at her side. It was always nice to know that even if she came out of a try for a cutie mark with a few nicks and bruises she could still share a few laughs with her friends.
Still, even with Applebloom's stubborn nature to appear brave, it was refreshing to Sweetie to actually consider how insanely bad an idea this was. She had probably been so nerve wracked over the project since the first time they came to the top of this hill that some of it must have rubbed off on her.
It wasn't much longer before they put the finishing touches on the crude, yet recognizable paper airplane. It didn't turn out exactly like Scootaloo's model, but it looked stable enough to look flyable. Good enough for Scootaloo to say:
"Yup, that's perfect! Applebloom, you brought the rope right?"
"Yeah. Sis wasn't workin' today, 'n no one else was either, so there was a ton a rope just lyin' around."
"Nice. And Sweets, you brought the fabric too right?"
"Right here. I got corduroy. You said you wanted it to be rough, right?"
"Right, so we don't slip off when we take off. Alright, lets get it on the plane. I want to get off the ground before the sun starts going down."
Ropes sewed on by Sweetie to be attached to different parts of the plane for steering and something to pull on in order to take off, and seats, or rather patches of fabric to be super glued on by Scootaloo to help them keep from slipping off the plane to meet a most unfortunate end. These were Scootaloo's "safety precautions". Both Applebloom and Sweetie, at this point knew that these were poor when they couldn't find any type of parachute or contingency item. However by this time, they couldn't back down now, or convince their "Scoots" how bad this idea was. Instead, they both occupied their minds by how much this plan supposedly meant to Scootaloo. Though it was likely a legitimate cutie mark plan, Sweetie and Applebloom both agreed Scootaloo's purpose was to have the ability to say she legitimately flew without help from Rainbow Dash. After all, she was one of the few in her class that had hadn't learned how to fly beyond gliding short distances yet. In their eyes, Scootaloo's desire and pride outweighed the danger.
"Alright, cool!" Scootaloo grinned at their creation. "Now we gotta make it look cool. C'mon, there should be some paint in my saddlebags."
The three of them spent the least time however painting the plane, whilst being careful to not put too much paint in one area to weigh it down anywhere. It was painted the colors of each of the filly’s coats with the purple letters CMC at the nose and flank of the plane creating a tri-colored rainbow effect.
Sweetie tilted her head, the Rarity in her unsatisfied. "I dunno girls... looks a little tacky."
"What are you talking about, it looks great!"
"Just look at the way the colors are blending. It looks like someone started a lazy rainbow and gave up." Sweetie criticized.
"Bah, what do you know about design?"
The sister of the town-wide designer gave Scootaloo a look that, as if to say "Seriously?". However she held her tongue as Applebloom snickered silently. Scootaloo didn't notice either of them.
“Alright guys, you ready?” Scootaloo said. She picked up her saddlebag, and went inside to take out some goggles that were only a shade darker than her own orange coat.
Sweetie sighed. "As we'll ever be.” Both her and Applebloom then put on their own saddlebags along with Scootaloo.
“Sure hope ya know whatcha doin' Scoots.”
"You worry too much." Scootaloo reassured her. "I'd expect this much complaining from Sweets."
"Hey!"
"Now, help me turn it that way. We need the longest strip of runway we can get. And we gotta start off fast too. You know, like we're throwing it."
The three of them picked up the plane, surprisingly sturdier than it looked. Perhaps the hardened paint was keeping the wings still? Thankfully however, even with the added paint, rope, it was surprisingly light. Then again, that was only when the weight was distributed evenly between them.
Scootaloo took her position at the front left of the plane, by her own patch of fabric. Applebloom went to the right of the plane, near the middle, by her patch of fabric. Finally, Sweetie moved around the back of the plane, behind her own piece of fabric. They each took an end of rope by their teeth.
"Alright, on three, run for the edge. When we get there, jump on." Scootaloo said through her gritted teeth. "One..."
Sweetie and Applebloom prepared to make their sprint. However, unlike Applebloom who had finally put her mind in the danger, Sweetie's legs shook as if they were preparing to buckle. The reality was dawning on her how high they were, and how high they were preparing to take off from.
"Two..."
She was scared. No, "scared" was too light of a word to describe her fear. She was terrified at the realization she would be a good hundred, maybe two hundred feet above Ponyville with barely a harness to identify or a prayer should their "precaution" fall through. If she took off on this plane, she was sure she wasn't just going to get a scraped leg, or a bruised flank. She felt it in her stomach, the sickening foreshadowing something horrible was going to happen if they took off from here. She felt they were missing something. She had to say something. She had to assert herself before-
"Three!"
Scootaloo and Applebloom raced along the sides, dragging the plane and for a brief moment, an unprepared Sweetie. Sweetie's brain went into automatic as her legs began moving as well, despite her worries. She barely even realized she was moving at all. Once Sweetie regained her footing, she also began pulling the plane along with her friends. They dragged the plane, gaining speed to the point they could barely keep up with the plane itself, until they reached the end of the their strip of land, and beyond which was nothing but a big fall.
"Now!" Scootaloo yelled.
The three jumped on, taking their spots on the plane, now grabbing onto the ropes with their hooves. As she thought she felt them dive, Sweetie shut her eyes in fear. She felt like screaming, but resisted the urge. If her friends weren't screaming, there wasn't any point to screaming, right? Right?
Even with her self control, Sweetie expected the worst and for the plane to crash and that to be that. However, it didn't. She did feel wind rushing all around her, but it didn't feel as if gravity was pulling them down to the ground anymore. After a few seconds of not dying, Sweetie opened her eyes.
"Ah can't believe this ol' thing is flyin'!" Applebloom said in awe. Looks like Sweetie wasn't the only one who had shut her eyes since she was also just noticing the relieving lack of crashing and/or spontaneous combustion. She could feel the tension in her rope, she could feel her flank just begging to disconnect from her corduroy patch, and she couldn't have her eyes completely open, but she was on the plane, and it wasn't pointing down. That's what mattered.
"Ha! I told you!" Scootaloo said.
To confirm they were indeed flying, and they weren't just still on the hill with a big invisible fan pointing at them, Sweetie peered over the edge of the plane. By now, they were soaring over Ponyville, and all of its inhabitants. Sweetie could make out some looking up in awe to see the sight of the over-sized "tacky" paper airplane. Others didn't notice or shook their heads, disregarding it as "another day in Ponyville". The day before yesterday, chocolate rain, yesterday, a pink hot air balloon, today a giant paper airplane, tomorrow a time and space machine.
From the crusader's point of view, the sight of all of Ponyville was breathtaking. Rarely did ponies so young, especially earth and unicorns, see the world from such a vantage point. They could see the library, the boutique, the school house, the bakery, the library and even the farm, and the forest they were getting ready to fly over. This was truly a day to be a crusader. Though for her life, Sweetie couldn't help but still feel a sick, uneasy feeling in her stomach.
***
They flew.
***
They flew.
***
They flew. They kept flying, and soon, they were beginning to head out of Ponyville. Out into the wilderness that was the Everfree forest. Then, something occurred to Sweetie. She suddenly had an idea why she felt so sick, even after they took off and were supposedly "safe", for now. A surprising ten minutes of flying, and now, only being able to see Ponyville at the tip of the horizon, Sweetie looked up at her friends who had quit discussing the amazement of soaring through the air.
"Uh... Scootaloo?" Sweetie asked.
Scootaloo tilted her head back to her. "What's up Sweets?"
"You... do know how we're supposed to get down from here." Sweetie hoping if she stated it, it'd somehow end up being a fact.
Instead the filly at the front turned fully back to her. There was a moment of silence as Applebloom and Sweetie stared at her, waiting for an answer. A bead of nervous sweat went down her neck. "Err... yeah, about that."
"C'mon now, ya went through all this plannin' and ya didn't figure out how ta land?"
"No, I did!" Scootaloo defended. "That was kind of what these ropes were for... Sweetie would yank that part and it would start going down. But uh-"
"Ya thought we'da been able ta find some place ta land?" Applebloom asked, hints of annoyance in her tone.
Scootaloo shrugged it off. "Hey. I forgot. What are you gonna do?"
"C'mon Scootaloo!"
"Alright, I'm thinking! I'm thinking!" Scootaloo said. Now she was beginning to panic. "Um... what if we got it going down just slightly? Just enough to skim the trees and slow down?"
"Yeah, or get stopped suddenly and flung off the plane you dodo." Sweetie said. "We're going too fast! We have to keep this level or we'll just crash!"
"I told you not to call me things I don't know!" Scootaloo said.
"Dodo dodo dodo!" Sweetie taunted.
The two of them argued and talked over each other pointlessly as Applebloom looked past Scootaloo into the distance. She saw something in the middle of a large clearing of the forest. Something she'd never seen before, and only heard of. After peering for a few moments, squinting to try and make out and assuring herself it was what she thought, she called her friends.
"Uh girls?...HEY!" Applebloom said gaining both of their attention . "Look!" The fillies looked forward on their flight path. What they saw far off in the distance... was a large old looking estate.
"Wait... isn't that the manor Rarity said she was invited to?" Sweetie asked.
"Yeah, Dash said she was going to some mansion too."
"Sis too... yeah, her 'n 'er friends." Applebloom recalled.
"Sheesh... sure looks big. I bet you could see it all the way from Ponyville! Why hasn't anyone noticed it before?" Scootaloo asked.
Sweetie gave Scootaloo a puzzled look. Surprised that she was the one to remember something Scootaloo didn't. Especially since it was related to her own role model. "Don't you remember?"
"Yeah, remember when they found that ol' pony Wanderin' round Everfree? Said he owned that mansion." Applebloom asked.
A little less than two weeks ago, Rainbow, who had been assigned to start a light drizzle over the forest, noticed the mansion far off in the outskirts of Ponyville. No one had seen it before, and no one had heard of any recent construction out in Everfree of all places. The mansion's seemingly instantaneous appearance, despite the existence of magics that were designed to construct homes, was odd enough to eventually catch even the princesses’ ear within the first few days it was noticed. It was utterly unheard of for a house of that magnitude to spring up out of nowhere. About a day after the appearance of the mansion, Princesses Celestia and Luna had journeyed down from Canterlot to investigate the strange mansion. Naturally the Elements of Harmony: Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash (especially since she was the first one to spot the thing), were obligated to join them, in case this mansion turned out to be more than outrageous construction magic. Perhaps the work of another "Nightmare" or "Discord".
However, before they could get halfway through the Everfree forest, the mares were met by the next best thing to the mansion: the owner, seeming to also be making his way to Ponyville. The owner called himself by the name "Specter Yield". He was an old, gaunt looking unicorn with a dark green coat and yellow eyes. His mane was well kept, and a solid shade of red. His cutie mark was just a strange brown splotch, as if someone has smeared chocolate over that part of his flank.
Specter claimed to have his mansion "specially made", dodging adding any other details to an incredibly stumped Twilight who couldn't even fathom the amount of magical output to even put together the frame. Even if he, as he claimed, had ponies from a town far off known as Stabletown, to build his house in a hurry, she couldn't understand why the construction itself didn't cause an uproar. This however was the only explanation to which why no one knew of its construction and its sudden appearance. Speed and a questionable source of magic.
Naturally, Twilight's suspicion was taken on by the others and there developed a fair amount of distrust of the stallion as they guided him back to Ponyville. Even Pinkie swore something was off, despite her sense reacting to everyone but the stallion. However, eventually, they put it to the side after noticing the earth stallion's old, and kind hearted personality and values. The kind of old guy that wouldn't hurt a fly, and couldn't even if he wanted to. Even the princesses decided to buy his story. Inevitably, Pinkie wasted no time in setting up a party for him, who was warmly welcomed into the Ponyville community.
This is what happened according to both Applebloom's and Sweetie's stories, that seemed to agree with each other.
"Oh yeah, now I remember." Scootaloo nodded.
"Yeah, our sis'... Rainbow... Pinkie, Fluttershy and Twilight went too ah think." Applebloom thought for a moment. "Ah yeah. Twi let Spike come ah think."
"You would know that." Scootaloo teased.
"What's that supposed ta mean?" Applebloom asked.
"Um, I think we're getting off topic." Sweetie asked.
"Sweetie's right. We gotta figure out a way ta get down without breakin' our necks."
The three of them thought for a moment before Scootaloo spoke. "Well... you're right. If we're going to land, we either need something flat to glide down on, or we need to slow down and maybe get caught on one of those trees." Scootaloo concluded.
"Alright, now how do we slow down?"
"Uh... I don't know." she gave up. "Can't really think of anything besides waiting for the plane to glide down normally and hope for the best. Never seen a paper plane that flew forever. Heck, I can't believe this thing's flown as long as it has."
Applebloom shook her head. "No good. We already been flyin' fer a while, and we still got a way down before we hit th' trees. Ah don't wanna be out 'ere when the sun goes down now. If we're gonna land, we better land soon"
"I know, I know... hey, what about the mansion? We're headed the same way, maybe we could land on the roof?" Scootaloo tried.
"And what happens if we miss? B'sides, ah think we'll be to low to hit the roof and just crash into the mansion!"
"Damn..." Scootaloo cursed. "Well... I'm out of ideas." she sighed. "Probably should have looked harder for those parachutes..."
"No kiddn'." Applebloom agreed.
The situation looked completely hopeless on the tacky giant airplane. At least until a light bulb went off in Sweetie's head.
"Wait girls... we do have a parachute! We have three!"
The two of them looked back at Sweetie. "We do?"
"Well... kinda." Sweetie explained. "I thought about it because of that paper boat actually. It made me think of a sail."
"A sail?" Scootaloo asked.
"Right. Um... a sail traps air to turn. Just like a parachute traps air to fall slower. Or slow down!"
"And we... oh!" Applebloom began to see where Sweetie was going with her explanation. "Our capes!"
"Oh yeah!"
Sweetie grinned and nodded.
The cutie mark crusader capes Sweetie had sewn herself with the CMC emblem on the side. This was one of the items they always carried on them. Both as a lucky charm, and a reminder that they are crusaders. It wasn't made to be a sail like Sweetie had thought of, but it should have been enough to slow the plane down to the point they could do something else.
"Alri' then here's what we'll do. Ah think we can do with one. Ah'll get mine."
"Careful." Sweetie warned. "I don't want you to fall."
Applebloom nodded and put the rope in her mouth before letting the rope slip out her hooves. She then used her free hooves to move around in her bag past the other things she'd stuffed in there. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at her intently. Seconds felt like minutes as they watched her.
Eventually, Scootaloo asked "You found it ye-" However, before Scootaloo could finish her sentence, something smacked into her face. It was wet and shiny and went too fast to be fully examined. If anyone were able enough to examine it, they might compare it to snot. "a-"
At the speed they were going, it was enough to knock her back, and force her to let go of the rope. She fell into Applebloom, who's items and self fell into Sweetie. Only Sweetie, who had been subconsciously and nervously had been playing with the rope in her hoof long enough for it to tie around it and help her keep her grip. Scootaloo held on to one of Applebloom's hind legs and Applebloom held on to one of Sweetie's hind legs, forming a chain between the fillies. They held on to each other for dear life, screaming in terror.
The new weight on the back of the plane caused the plane nose to loop up, and send the nose higher. Eventually, the plane was pointing up vertically towards the sky. The paper plane started to slow, causing the fillies to cease screaming for a few moments as they were seemingly stuck in mid air when the plane came to a stop.
"Uh oh." Scootaloo said as the plane turned downwards and began to fall to the ground and the fillies resumed screaming.
Applebloom tried to keep herself together as she fell and screamed, trying to think of a way out of this grim situation. Now it was her turn for an idea to come to her.
"Sweetie!" She called. "Ya need ta climb back up on the plane, ya hear?! Ya need ta pull the nose up so we don' crash!"
Sweetie nodded, understanding Applebloom's plan. However, this plan wasn't exactly simple to execute. After all, she still had two fillies hanging on to her hind legs as they fell. Still, Sweetie had gravity and the light weight of the plane on her side. She had to try... it wasn't if things were going to be any better if she didn't. Sweetie attempted to reach out for the rope Applebloom used. She managed to grasp it and pull herself down closer to the nose. Despite all of the factors of physics on her side, the pull was difficult, being a filly, and an unfit one at that; she barely had the proper upper body strength to pull herself up. Thankfully, she managed to find the strength reach Applebloom's spot. Next, was Scootaloo's.
"Ya can do it Sweetie!" Applebloom rooted from behind.
"Go! Go!" Scootaloo cheered, feeling her grip loosen on Applebloom's leg.
Sweetie was close. She was so close now. She just needed reach Scootaloo's spot at the front and they'd be saved. This was it. In the next few seconds, they was either going to live, or she would be making very close friends with the ground, followed by her maker. Now was make it or break it time. Now was the time to do or die.
Sweetie reached as far as she could to the rope... but it was too far away. Her heart dropped as she tried reaching out as far as she could with her leg. But it wasn't long enough. The one rope that would save them was the one rope that was cut too short.
"C'mon, C'MON." The ground was getting closer and closer by the second. There had to be something she could do to reach the rope.
Sweetie tried again, this time, using telekinesis, the only magic she'd ever learned to stretch out the rope even further. She could hear some of it ripping out of the seams at the front as she tore it from the paper. Since she was still learning how to cast the simplest unicorn abilities, such a simple spell was draining to her. She could feel herself grow weaker, her grip loosening on Applebloom's rope. She remained strong, knowing her failure would result in her friends losing their lives.
Sweetie shook her head, trying to remain conscious as she pushed out all of her magical energy, her very life force, to stretch the rope as far as she could to her hoof. Barely, she managed to get a hold of Scootaloo's rope. She began pulling herself in along with the rest of her friends, and makes it to the nose of the plane.
"Pull up! Now!" Applebloom yelled. Sweetie yanked on the rope, jerking the plane into a 45 degree angle, still pointing down. Sweetie gives another good yank, leveling the plane out a little more. At this point, they were just above the trees of the forest thicket.
"It's not enough! We're gonna crash!" Scootaloo said. She was right. Though they weren't going as directly down as vertical as before, they were still headed for the trees.
If I can just get another good yank I can- Sweetie thought before the three fillies' faces were smothered with leaves and branches. The momentum of their sudden stop sent Sweetie and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders flying off the paper airplane, and into the forest. Sweetie let out one last yell before her world was consumed in darkness.