//------------------------------// // Summertime Blues // Story: The Band // by Ben Matthews //------------------------------// Sweetie Belle is laying on the floor of the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse, alone, flipping through the pages of a song book she bought from a music store. The other members of the CMC were busy elsewhere. Apple Bloom is doing repairs on the Sweet Apple Acres farm; Due to their last crusade for their cutie marks. Scootaloo is with Rainbow Dash celebrating her recently acquired cutie mark. Who knew pigs can actually fly?! And without Discord's help too! Thanks to excellent teamwork: Sweetie Belle's idea and planning; AB's construction of the catapults, And finally, Scootaloo's amazing rescue of the crash-landing pigs, with the use of the orange pegasus' scooter. Sweetie sighed as she flipped another page with her snout, not bothering with magic from her horn or even one of her hooves. Feeling a bit bored, and lonely. “ One down, two to go. I doubt Apple Bloom would get hers. Doing boring chores.Yuck.” Thinking of the amount of damage the crash-landing pigs did ”Then again, there maybe a few surprises under all that rubble.” Sweetie made a small smile, and wished her friend luck on gaining a cutie mark while making countless repairs. The young, white coated, unicorn glances at the next page, reading the title of the song printed on it. "Yeah, it's turning into a cruel summer." Having read a couple of Rarity’s romance novels, imaging herself in the song writer’s horseshoes; Adding another layer of feelings on top of the absence of her fellow crusaders. Unnoticed, her horn lights up as she begins to sing. Done singing the song, Sweetie shook her head hard, as if trying to break out of a trance. “Must be going crazy with loneliness. Thought I heard some ponies singing along with me.” With a half-hearten glance at her flank, not really expecting anything; her jaw drops in surprise. After cheering loudly, “I got a cutie mark!” Sweetie Belle quickly got up and ran out of the clubhouse, racing across Sweet Apple Acres towards the main buildings near the center of the farm; eager to tell Apple Bloom and her family. Thoughts of what to do after telling Scootaloo and Rarity began to appear. “Took long enough to get it. But what to do now that I have my cutie mark? Worry about that later!” Almost matching the galloping speeds of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, two of the most athletic ponies she knew. As Sweetie Belle got near the main barn on the farm, she noticed Apple Bloom with a hammer in her mouth nailing boards together. “Apple Bloom, I got it!” The young earth pony dropped the hammer from her mouth. “Got what?” Sweetie showed her flank. “Hey, you got one too!” Apple Bloom glances at her own flank. “Well I’ll be…No wonder I was having an easy time putting this place back together.” “I gotta tell Rarity and Scoots! Bet, I’ll be there and back before you are done.” Apple Bloom grins at her fellow Crusader. ”Challenge accepted.” Sweetie Belle races down the main path on the farm towards Ponyville, the sounds of Apple Bloom hammering away quickly fading. Sweetie Belle enters the Carousel Boutique, and her home, ”Rarity, are you busy?” “Just a minute, dear.”Sweetie watches as her sister moves a couple of rolls of fabric with her magic,. placing them on the shelves. “There, done for the day. I have enough material for the next project, or two. “Rarity looked at her younger sister, and did a double take; “Oh my, is that what I think it is?” “Yep, and it’s not fake. I wasn’t in the mood for tricks at the time I got it.” “I can see that. It is no way related to that terrifying tale Applejack told me” Rarity makes an overly dramatic shudder. “Unless you are planning to sing about pigs that can fly?” Rarity gave Sweetie a questioning look. Wondering how her sister escaped some sort of punishment, when she was the real mastermind behind that crazy attempt for the Crusaders to gain their cutie marks. “Eeenope,” imitating Apple Bloom’s brother, Big McIntosh. “But thanks for the idea.”Sweetie grins back at Rarity. “I got to find Scootalo and tell her that the Cutie Mark Crusaders no longer have blank flanks.” Smiling broadly “Apple Bloom has a cutie mark too?” “An apple, of course.” Some patterns of cutie marks tend to run in families. ”Plus a paintbrush. Might be from rebuilding the fence..among other things." Sweetie Belle winched at the memory of the messy aftermath; including the inevitable tree sap. “See you later Sis.” Sweetie Belle turns around and heads out the door in search of Scootaloo.