//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Crusader Alicorns // Story: Discord's Parting Gift to the CMC // by silvadel //------------------------------// "This meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders will come to order," said Apple Bloom. A mote of energy flew out of Scootaloo. It rapidly formed into a small translucent figure of Discord. "I would actually say that this meeting has come to disorder." The three fillies huddled in the corner of the tree house. "No need to be frightened; I have been watching and living in Scootaloo for over a year now. If I were going to do anything bad to you, trust me, it would have been done a long time ago," said the miniature Discord. "I've simply been thinking of a suitable way to repay you for allowing me to scratch an itch I had for over one thousand years. "The answer came to me when I was reading a delightfully angsty letter Apple Bloom was writing to Princess Celestia. I agree with you wholeheartedly. You have an insight into things commensurate with and beyond your years. No ponies are more qualified to be alicorns than the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Apple Bloom's cheeks darkened on mention of the letter. "I wrote that when I was mad at Diamond Tiara. I would never actually send it. You really think we would make good alicorns?" "Rarity has always wanted to be royalty and if I were..." said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo whispered to the miniature Discord, "As an alicorn, would I be able to fly?" After seeing Discord's nod she continued, "Well what are we waiting for?" "Can you give me a Cutie Mark Crusader Alicorn cheer?" asked the miniature Discord. The Cutie Mark Crusaders joined together, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Alicorns, Yay." As they reached the apex, the miniature Discord snapped his fingers and vanished. A small burst of laughter went unheard by the jubilant crusaders. Scootaloo looked at Apple Bloom and noticed that she was as big as her sister now. Her wings peeked out from beneath her ludicrously undersized crusader vest. A mauve horn gracefully flowed from her forehead. Scootaloo's own horn playfully distracted her on the periphery of her vision. Apple Bloom peered at her own vest. "I guess we should take these off. Maybe Rarity can resize them." They looked to see if there were any cutie marks. Seeing none, they all let out a sigh. Scootaloo flexed her larger and stronger wings. She turned to face her fellow crusaders, "I'm off to see Rainbow Dash." She shrieked with joy, "Now I can get to her house any time I want to." She bounded out the door and into a glide, then gently flapped her wings and gained some altitude. Boldly, she tried to perform a loop, but miscalculated it and crashed into a tree. She didn't know what name Applejack gave this particular tree but "painful swirling stars" was her choice. She brushed herself off, saw nothing was broken or badly bruised, and leaped back into the air. With greater care this time, she took a direct course to Rainbow Dash's cloud home. Far too rapidly for her tastes, she came to a landing outside the front door. She raised a hoof and gave it an enthusiastic knock. This was too much for the door, which fell inward onto the cloud surface inside. It then proceeded to fall through the cloud material and soon made a clattering noise from the ground below. A light blush formed on Scootaloo's cheeks as she assessed the damage. With no warning of her approach, Rainbow Dash swooped through the opening, veered around Scootaloo and came to an abrupt landing beside her. "What did you do to my door? How did you get... up..." She paused, and her pupils dilated to an unnatural size as she looked Scootaloo up and down. She mumbled, "Scootaloo is an alicorn." She gazed into Scootaloo's eyes. "Is this one of Twilight's experiments?" Scootaloo beamed, "No Rainbow! This was a gift from Discord. Isn't it great? I can fly and everything! Don't know my own strength yet, but..." Rainbow Dash placed a hoof over Scootaloo's mouth. "Wait a... Discord? Ahh, I think we had better get over to Twilight's and have this figured out." She removed her hoof and stared at Scootaloo. After an unpleasant half a minute, Scootaloo got the point and glided towards the library with Rainbow Dash behind her. She opened the door to see Twilight standing in the middle of the room. Her horn was glowing as she levitated books around. Twilight turned towards Scootaloo and immediately noticed her horn. The shock broke her concentration and moments later she was pelted by falling books. ---- Sweetie Belle carefully climbed down the ladder from the clubhouse. When her hooves hit the dirt, her stomach started to growl. She looked up at the apple trees, focused on a nice plump red apple and pulled at it with her magic. The apple streaked past her and splattered against a nearby rock. On her fifth attempt she finally managed to safely get one down. Her appetite sated, she started bounding towards Ponyville thankful that she had tested her magic. The trees of Sweet Apple Acres thinned out and she soon reached the outskirts of Ponyville. She crossed the bridge and made her way to her sister's dress shop. She carefully opened the door and entered Carousel Boutique. Rarity called out to her from her design room, "I'll be along in a minute Sweetie Belle. I just have a couple of small alterations... and done." Rarity trotted around the corner and looked at Sweetie Belle. "Now if you let your wings get so... um Sweetie Belle, you didn't let Twilight cast any spells on you did you?" "No sis," Sweetie Belle chirped. "We became alicorns at the clubhouse today. Isn't it great? I will be a princess and you will be royalty like you always wanted! You won't even have to..." Rarity put a hoof to her horn like she did whenever she had one of her headache days. "Sweetie Belle, I couldn't help but notice the 'we' in your statement. Just go slowly and tell me what happened at the clubhouse." Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and said, "Well we started the club meeting. Then a little Discord popped out of Scootaloo. He wanted to thank us for what happened in the garden last year. He said we would make the best alicorns. Now the CMC will be together forever." Rarity took on a most unfashionable shade of green. Sweetie Belle frowned, "I thought you would be happy, sis." Rarity coughed. "Sweetie Belle, Discord is dangerous. Yes I am happy for you but... Never mind, we should go and ask Twilight. She will have some ideas." Rarity pranced upstairs, humming to herself. Sweetie Belle got bored waiting for Rarity to get ready to go. She started levitating one bolt of cloth, then another, then two at one time, then three. Rarity emerged in a pleasant afternoon dress with a frilly hat. "Wow Sweetie Belle, your magic has really come along." Sweetie Belle placed the bolts neatly on a shelf. "I really like being an alicorn." She sighed and followed Rarity out the door. When they arrived at Twilight's they noticed the door was open. Rainbow Dash was sitting on the floor near Twilight. Scootaloo was in the middle of the room and a bunch of books were scattered about. "Hey Scootaloo, I see Rainbow had the same idea as my sister." ---- Apple Bloom cleaned up the clubhouse and hummed the CMC theme song to herself. With the pride of a job well done, she turned out the lantern and climbed out of the clubhouse. She grazed a wing on the edge of the opening and let out a small yelp of pain. On the ground she flexed her wings and noted no permanent damage to them. She gave them a couple of experimental flaps lifting herself a few inches off the ground for a few seconds. She jumped off the ground and flapped a few more times but ended up planting her face into the ground. On the sixth attempt she managed to clumsily fly. She felt the air through her new wings and emitted several squeaks of glee. She flew off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. She went along the trail, over the bales of hay, and not knowing how to land, smashed right into the side of the barn. She fell backwards into a well-placed hay bale. Applejack emerged from the barn. "Now Rainbow Dash, how many times have I told you not to... Apple Bloom? Now what did I tell you about letting Twilight cast spells on you? Wings?! Twilight is going to get a piece of my mind." Apple Bloom tried to reply, "But it..." only to be shoved along by her sister. She decided she would wait and get everything straightened out later. She trotted quietly under the constant gaze of Applejack. Applejack's glare also served to make them practically invisible to other townsfolk who really did not want to get involved in whatever was going on. They walked through the open doorway and joined the other ponies already in the library. Twilight Sparkle stood up and questioned the Cutie Mark Crusaders who in turn related the story of what happened in their clubhouse. Her eye twitched a couple of times during the interplay but she managed to hold herself together. She proceeded to levitate a quill against some parchment. "Dear Princess Celestia The Cutie Mark Crusaders Sweetie Belle (Rarity's sister), Apple Bloom (Applejack's sister), and Scootaloo appear to have become alicorns. A fragment of Discord had been hiding in Scootaloo since he initially broke out of his prison over a year ago. It told them this ascension was a gift and it occurred while they were touching. It is my theory that such a ritual was necessary to evoke the change. I am going to perform a few experiments. I should note that the CMC were a worriment when they were just fillies. As alicorns they could be walking, flying disasters. Please advise as soon as possible. Your Faithful Student Twilight Sparkle" Twilight passed the letter to Spike, and with a gout of green flame, it was off to the princess. She turned to Scootaloo, "Please follow me down to my lab. I would just like to run a few tests to make sure you are okay." Scootaloo beamed at the prospect of seeing a real laboratory and followed Twilight through a door, around a bend and down some stairs into the basement of the tree house. The mana lights on the walls cast creepy shadows over the myriad of equipment. She heard Twilight say, "please do not touch anything and come over to this apparatus." A strange helmet with all sorts of glowing gemstones embedded in it was placed on her head and then Twilight attached a wire into the helmet. Another device started humming and tooting while a line started being recorded on a roll of paper. Twilight stared at Scootaloo uncomfortably and then moved a few dials. Scootaloo heard Spike call out from above, "Twilight, Princess Celestia wrote that she will be here herself in just fifteen minutes." Scootaloo watched as Twilight continued to take measurements. "Uhm, figure anything out yet?" "Well, I know that you are indeed an alicorn. It isn't some form of illusion or simple transformation. You do not seem to be under any mental control. Oh..." Twilight produced a small rubber ball and placed it before Scootaloo. "Could you try focusing some magic on that ball and see if you can bring it to you?" Scootaloo looked at the ball. "I don't really know how." "It is easy, just focus magic to your horn and around the ball and pull it towards you." Scootaloo shrugged and concentrated. Her horn started to light up with a red aura and the ball began to glow. The glow intensified as the ball began to melt, turning into a small steaming pile of goo. ---- Scootaloo and Twilight emerged from the basement. Scootaloo cantered over to Sweetie Belle and sat beside her. Twilight walked over to the adult ponies and said a few things the crusaders couldn't hear and then all three started for the exit. "Come along crusaders, lets see the Princess." A brown speck appeared in the distance. It rapidly grew into a sky carriage being pulled by four pegasi in armor. It landed in front of the assembled ponies and both princesses emerged. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity bowed while Twilight ran up and nuzzled her mentor. Luna stared at the Cutie Mark Crusaders who awkwardly did their own small bow. Apple Bloom was the first to speak. "Princess Celestia, can we raise the sun tomorrow?" "No! You may not raise the sun." "Awwwww but we want to see if we can get our sun raising cutie marks." She looked at the Princess of the Night, "could we try raising the moon instead?" "Nay child, but you may watch while we do it sometime." Celestia slowly approached the three fillies. "Are you sure you want to be alicorns? There are many drawbacks and responsibilities." Scootaloo looked at her wings and then back to Celestia. "I love being an alicorn." She turned to Luna, "Princess Celestia can't make us not alicorns if we don't want to, can she?" Luna gave Celestia a little smirk and playfully replied, "she's got a point there Tia." "Not helping," shot back Celestia. She turned to the fillies. "If you remain Alicorns you will live forever. Do you really want to outlive all your family?" While Scootaloo struggled to hold back a tear, Apple Bloom angrily responded. "How could you be so insensitive? Look at what you did to poor Scootaloo." Calming down she continued. "As for myself, I always reckoned I would outlive my family anyway." "Well what about your friends?" "Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are my friends," replied Sweetie Belle. "They are the ones who are important and now we will be together forever." Princess Celestia visually deflated somewhat and she walked over to her student. She whispered, "Did your experiments reveal anything?" "I found no trace of chaos energy in Scootaloo. She is not being controlled by any outside force. Her thaum readings are quite impressive but she has no control at all. She is a filly alicorn." Princess Celestia looked back towards the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "I expect you to not give your guardians any trouble. I expect you to continue going to school and set a good example. You are ponies just like the other students. Do not expect any special treatment or treat other students differently due to your changes." She winked at her protege. "Twilight Sparkle, please prepare extra study materials for these fillies on what they should know in the way only you can. "Oh, and sister. I do believe you have free time in three days to come to Ponyville and show these fillies just how you raise the moon. I am sure they will enjoy it." Princess Luna stared daggers into Celestia as she climbed back into the carriage. She was followed by a smirking Celestia. Soon after that they were merely a speck in the distance and then gone. The adult ponies sort of stared at each other for a while. Applejack shifted her Stetson and nodded while Rarity made a comment about it getting late and having a large order to fill. At that point all of the ponies went their separate ways for the night. --- The crusaders met the next day at school. Cheerilee addressed the class. "Now children, if you will all take your seats we can begin." Scootaloo looked forlornly at the woefully undersized desk in front of her. "Miss Cheerilee, I don't think these desks are big enough." "Unfortunately they are all we have. The parents manage okay at pony teacher association meetings. I will ask Mayor Mare though if we can procure some special desks if it turns out to be too much of a problem." The crusaders squeezed into their uncomfortable desks and waited patiently while the rest of the classroom filled with students. Cheerilee walked up to the chalkboard and carefully drew a picture. She then wrote the word "Draconequus" beneath it. "A Draconequus is a creature that mostly existed thousands of years ago. They have the head of a pony and a body of all sorts of other animals. The most well known draconequus is called 'Discord.' "Discord was by far the strongest of the draconequus and tortured the ponies. For decades nothing made sense. Crops became almost impossible to harvest. The sun and moon followed no schedule. It was chaos. It took the combined power of the princesses and the Elements of Harmony to freeze him into stone. "When Discord was sealed the other draconequus fled and with the exception of the incident a couple of years ago, no living pony has ever seen a live draconequus. "Now class, What is the first thing you should do if you should ever run into Discord?" Sweetie Belle raised her hoof. "I know, say a cordial greeting and try to be friends." Cheerilee turned pale. "No, you should run away and try to find help." "But Miss Cheerilee, didn't you tell us last week that friendship is the best way to solve most problems?" "Yes, Sweetie Belle, but this is Discord. You can't be friends with him." Apple Bloom raised her hoof. "Maybe Miss Cheerilee, ponies just haven't given him a chance." Cheerilee approached the blackboard and flipped it over. She wrote "7 x 7 = ____." "Now who can tell me the answer to seven times seven?" After quite some time, the bell rang and most of the fillies charged out into the world. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sauntered towards and then stopped by the door. The CMC gathered together and stretched their stiff appendages. "I wonder if Twilight has a spell that would make those desks more friendly," mused Sweetie Belle as they slowly walked towards the exit. "Did you know that alicorn fillies take over fifty years to mature?" said Diamond Tiara. "Really? Maybe Apple Bloom will have her cutie mark by then," replied Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie Belle. "Do alicorns grow up that slowly?" Diamond Tiara sighed at the CMC. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders will probably still be blank flanks when my foals have their cutie marks." "Cutie Mark Disasters," added Silver Spoon. "You are just jealous that we ascended," Scootaloo retorted. "We didn't need horns or wings to achieve our place in the world," scoffed Diamond Tiara. "We did it through pure talent, something the Cutie Mark Disasters seem to have none of. If you had any, you would already have your cutie marks." "Pure talent and rich parents," replied Scootaloo. Apple Bloom chimed in, "we don't have time for this Scootaloo. Twilight is expecting us and you know how she gets." Scootaloo fell in behind her, crestfallen. As they trotted off Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon did a fake CMC cheer, "Cutie Mark Disasters alicorn blank flanks." They maintained a brisk pace, paying little attention to their surroundings as they passed park benches and shrubs. They slowed to a walk when they crossed the tree line and entered the actual town. A couple of ponies gawked at the crusaders as they approached the library but no pony confronted them. They entered the library and saw Twilight look up from over the book she was reading. "I was starting to wonder when you three would arrive," said Twilight. "Now, I have selected a course of study that should really help you adjust to your new status as alicorns." She magically moved a small cart from the back room and started placing books into it. "First off, I went with 'My First Spell Book' by Sure Fire. Many other works have been written about beginning magics but that one was always closest to my heart. Rarity said Sweetie Belle was more advanced so I will also include 'Teleportation, Getting From A to C without passing through B' by Short Cut and more importantly 'Defensive Magics' by Close Call. Then we have 'The Basics of Flight' by Soft Landings and 'Flight Vectors' by Blue Skies to help with the pegasus stuff and 'Helping Things Grow' by Apple Seed for earth pony magic. Sweetie Belle scanned the titles of other books in the library looking for something to improve the desk situation. Her eyes settled on "Making it Bigger: Enlargement Spells for Unicorns." She added this to the growing pile. "I always liked 'A Brief History of Equestria' for easy knowledge of the past. Volumes 1 through 6 should work well. 'The Definitive Diarchy' will help with how the government works in Equestria. 'The Responsibilities of Power' is a must." Twilight glowered at the pile. "I know I am forgetting something. Oh, 'The Artistry of the Moon and Stars' by Twinkle Shine. It will work wonders with Luna if you can show some knowledge of her night at your meeting." She then levitated three small books onto the pile. "I took the liberty of creating study plans for each of you." Next came some quills, paper, and an oversupply of ink. She looked at the crusaders excitedly, "maybe you can get your scholar cutie marks?" "Um Cutie Mark Crusaders scholars, yay?" half-heartedly cheered the Crusaders. "Now it isn't that bad," replied Twilight. "Just think, you have all of eternity to learn." The crusaders let out a collective groan. Apple Bloom hitched herself up to the cart and started dragging the books to their clubhouse with the other crusaders behind her. "Between school and all this when are we going to have time for crusading?" complained Scootaloo. "Well you heard Twilight, we have an eternity to read all of this stuff so we don't have to do it all at once," replied Sweetie Belle. "I assume you haven't looked at her study plans yet then," moaned Apple Bloom. "Maybe we can get our cutie marks for magic," replied Sweetie Belle. "Think of how much faster we can get from place to place by teleporting." Scootaloo hovered over Sweetie Belle. "Wings are for getting from place to place faster." Apple Bloom unhitched herself from the cart and the trio stared at the books. Scootaloo put some of the writing supplies in her saddlebags and opened the clubhouse door. Apple Bloom carried the rest of the supplies and the three study guides. Sweetie Belle levitated the books through the threshold and followed behind them. Apple Bloom whistled as she watched the books float into the corner of the clubhouse. "You are pretty good at that Sweetie Belle, almost as good as Rarity." "Naw, my sister is amazing with telekinesis," replied Sweetie Belle. She paused a second before asking, "do you really think so?" Apple Bloom stared at "My First Spell Book" and concentrated. It floated towards her in a wobbly way, landing just outside her reach. "Yeah I think so." Sweetie Belle pondered this. "Well, maybe I can work on our desk situation then." She levitated "Making it Bigger" to her and opened the book. She started reading. At first she started to blush. Then she looked confused. Soon after she slammed the book shut and looked pale. "Does the spell look hard to cast?" asked Apple Bloom. "Scootaloo, try levitating this book over to you," said Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo sheepishly replied, "I don't think that is a good idea." Sweetie Belle held her gaze on Scootaloo and after a few more moments Scootaloo gave in. A red glow formed on her horn and the book burst into flames. She started to move towards the book to try to put the fire out but Sweetie Belle waved her off saying, "just let it burn. It is for the best." When the dinner bell rang, the crusaders had finished less than half of what their study plans recommended, and none of what they considered boring. They placed the books into a pile, said their farewells, and left the clubhouse. ---- It rained throughout the day and after class the somber trio left the schoolhouse. They trudged through the muddy grass and walked onto the path that went towards Sweet Apple Acres. The rain kept most of the ponies indoors and the normal bustle of the afternoon was replaced by the gentle patter of drops against the shingled rooftops. Lyra and Bon-Bon were sitting on one of the park benches to the side of the path. The crusaders approached the only two ponies silly enough to sit out in the rain. "Whatcha doin'?" asked Apple Bloom. "Just pondering life and listening to the sounds of the rain," replied Lyra. "Aren't you afraid you will get sick just sitting in the middle of a storm?" Bon-Bon winked at Lyra. "It is just one of those 'Lyra' things. I got used to it. Personally I would be a lot happier if it were a sunny day, but you can't have everything." Scootaloo beamed, "I know, we could clear the sky for you." The three fillies formed a huddle and in unison cried out, "Cutie Mark Crusaders Sky Clearers, yay." Scootaloo launched herself into the sky and started making short work of the clouds. She even tried a few basic tricks as she graced the air. Apple Bloom tentatively took off from the ground. Her wet feathers made it difficult to fly and she carefully worked her way from cloud to cloud, dispersing them one by one. Sweetie Belle looked at her drenched wings and pondered. She stood up on a vacant park bench and stared at one of the clouds. Her horn glowed as she brought the cloud down to nearly ground level. She gave the cloud a good buck and it disintegrated. She stared up at another cloud and repeated the process. Twenty minutes later they landed near Lyra and looked up at their work. The sun had started to evaporate the puddles making some ground mist, but all in all it was looking like a pleasant afternoon. They went flank to flank and gave them a look. "Awwwww," they said in unison. Bon-Bon took a few candies out from her saddlebags and gave them to the crusaders and Lyra started playing a tune on her lyre. The crusaders smiled and continued on their way. It was not long though before they saw a rainbow streak moving in their direction. Rainbow Dash landed right in front of the crusaders. "What have you done? It was supposed to rain all night." "Well Bon-Bon wanted a sunny afternoon and we thought it could get us our cutie marks so we..." replied Scootaloo. "I don't care who tells you. The weather is set up weeks in advance by Cloudsdale. You are not to play with the weather." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed. "Now I have to go to Cloudsdale, requisition more clouds, and spend much of tomorrow setting them up so it will storm that evening." "But you can't have it rain tomorrow night," pouted Apple Bloom. "Luna is going to show us how to raise the moon." "I'm sorry Apple Bloom but the farm ponies need the rain. If we don't then all of their crops will wilt." She was about to say more but the glare she got from Rainbow Dash was enough to show it was hopeless. With a collective moan the crusaders continued on their way. Sweetie Belle came to a sudden halt. Apple Bloom bumped into her while Scootaloo deftly flew over, landing on the other side. "Where are we going anyway? We paid for this day. We MADE this day." All three crusaders charged back into the park and spent the rest of the day simply playing. ----- The third day weighed heavily over the crusaders. It was pleasant and sunny when they started school, but by the time it was over, the sounds of raindrops competed with Cheerilee. Apple Bloom kicked a rock repeatedly as they headed for their clubhouse. "It just isn't fair. This rain could have happened some other time." "If it could have only been earlier when we were in class, then we could have gotten some real crusading done this afternoon," replied Sweetie Belle. "Books, books, and more books," complained Scootaloo. "At least Twilight will be happy." "I wouldn't say that," replied Apple Bloom. "As far as Twilight is concerned we should have been reading in our sleep." The crusaders ascended the steps of their clubhouse. Scootaloo grabbed the book on the moon and stars. Sweetie Belle levitated the book on teleportation to herself. Apple Bloom started reading "The Basics of Flight." An hour later, Sweetie Belle asked Scootaloo to watch her first attempt. Scootaloo gave her book to Apple Bloom and stared. Sweetie Belle's horn glowed a bright blue and she vanished, reappearing three filly lengths away on the other side of the room. She looked down at her flank, saw no cutie mark, and sighed. Eventually the dinner bell rang and all three crusaders had a quick dinner at Sweet Apple Acres. Sweetie Belle thanked Applejack for the meal, and the crusaders set off for their meeting with Luna at the library. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took to the air while Sweetie Belle trotted along, teleporting a short distance each time she fell behind. When they reached the library they saw Twilight. She was outside waiting with a small magical shield above her which served to protect her from the rain. Sweetie Belle teleported to her side which earned her a knowing smile. "I see who is the teacher's pet out of our group," said Scootaloo as she maneuvered under the shield. Twilight's horn glowed a little brighter as she extended the shield. "And how are your studies coming along, Scootaloo?" Scootaloo looked towards Apple Bloom for some support then thought a bit and finally replied, "I could name some of the constellations if it were not raining. But as for magic, everything just gets set on fire." Twilight tossed a quill onto the ground and stood next to Scootaloo. "This time try to work as softly with your horn as you can. Try to feel around the feather not at the feather and carefully, serenely reach out and pull the feather towards you." Scootaloo's horn glowed as she concentrated. Nothing happened for a while, but then slowly the feather skittered towards her. Twilight smiled. "See, you can do it. You just need to stay calm while you focus." "I see Luna," observed Apple Bloom. The crusaders stood next to Twilight and watched as Luna glided in. "Greetings crusaders and Twilight." The crusaders bowed while Twilight walked over to Luna. They exchanged a few words then Twilight went back into the library. While Twilight was chatting away the crusaders' thoughts drifted back to the rainstorm. Luna looked at the crusaders. "Why are you so glum?" "Well, with all of the rain we won't be able to see you raise the moon," replied Apple Bloom. Luna tried to suppress a giggle. "Is that the issue? I was pleased that it was raining. It means we will not have to compete with the light from Ponyville." She stared at the still uncomprehending crusaders. "We just fly up and over the clouds. They will provide a good platform for viewing the sky." Sweetie Belle started to blush and rubbed her left forehoof into the ground. "One other problem then. I haven't tried to fly yet." Scootaloo gaped at Sweetie Belle in total disbelief. "Not even once? Really?" Luna sighed. "I will just have to fly you up there myself then. Climb on Sweetie Belle, we do not want to be late." The four alicorns took a nice easy ascent into the air. Soon enough they passed through the cloud deck and the sky went from grey to orange. Luna dropped Sweetie Belle off onto the highest cloud and then landed beside her followed by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. The sun began to sink below the distant horizon. Luna and the crusaders turned in the opposite direction and Luna's horn started to glow. The crusaders shifted their view back and forth between Luna and the rising moon. "And now for my favorite part," said Luna. She moved her horn across the whole sky and the stars burst into view. Sweetie Belle carefully walked across the cloud and scanned the skyline. "There are so many stars — more than I ever see from Ponyville." Apple Bloom added, "You can even see the seven pony sisters." Scootaloo contentedly watched the sky next to Luna. Sensing the moment Luna observed, "it is very nice to see fillies so interested in my night. See that dark patch of sky near the seven sisters?" She moved closer to Scootaloo and concentrated. Her horn glowed and a new red star formed in the blank area. Then she walked towards Sweetie Belle and a blue star formed above it and to the left. The final star was yellow and the three stars formed a triangle pointed downward. In one final burst of concentration she added a nebula in the center of the triangle. "It looks just like our crusader uniforms," stated Sweetie Belle. "That is so cool," added Scootaloo. Apple Bloom smiled. "Thank you Princess Luna." For the next two hours they observed Luna's sky. Luna pointed out various constellations and told stories. When the fillies started to get tired, Luna said goodbye to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom and dropped Sweetie Belle off at Carousel Boutique. It was a night none of the crusaders would ever forget.