//------------------------------// // The CMC and the Interrupted Camping Trip // Story: The Cutie Mark Crusaders and the Architect's Birthstone // by MyHobby //------------------------------// The CMC and the Interrupted Camping Trip “And that, students,” Miss Cheerilee finished. “Is the story of how Promise the Colorful created the first rainbow.” The bell rang, signifying the end of the school day. Students began to file out even as Cheerilee shouted homework instructions. “I want a full page on the effects of the rainbow on modern weather care handed in by Wednesday! Spelling counts!” Scootaloo’s pencil scratched as she walked. She held her notebook in place with one wing, barely holding it steady enough for legible writing. If I can get this done now, she thought, I’ll have the whole week to work on the adventure! She was already fairly familiar with how rainbows worked; she had her idol to thank for that. Maybe I can include a quote from Rainbow Dash in it, I’ll be sure to get an “A!” She glanced up as Sweetie Belle ran past, eyes downcast. The unicorn filly moved quickly for the exit, and was gone before Scootaloo could get her attention. I hope Sweetie isn’t still sore from last night. Apple Bloom passed next, saluting as she exited the schoolhouse. Scootaloo saluted in return, then left through the doorway herself. She ran straight for the near side of downtown Ponyville, to the semi-permanent address of Rainbow Dash’s cloud house. Said home floated two stories above the ground. It was, as the name suggested, crafted entirely out of clouds that were fashioned into familiar shapes by pegasus magic. Rainbow Dash told her that she made it herself, all the way back to the basic designs. The weather-crafted building was a labor of love, and evidence of the pegasus mare’s lifestyle; stable and loyal, yet ready to move in an instant. “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo called out. “Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Sounds of scuffling, and at least one plate breaking, filtered out of the house. “Shucks!” Rainbow swore before she could catch herself. “I-I mean, shakes. Yeah, shakes.” The mare’s rainbow-maned head poked out from the edge of her cloud house. She caught sight of the orange filly almost immediately. “Oh, hey Squirt. What’s up?” “I’m doing a school project on the Everfree,” Scootaloo lied. “And I was just wondering if you had any stories about it?” “Do I ever!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Just a sec, Scootaloo, I’ll be down in a minute.” After a moment of listening to glass being swept away, Scootaloo saw Rainbow Dash leap out of the cloud house. She grinned as the older mare preformed a loop-de-loop before setting down on the grass. “Awesome…” Rainbow Dash sat, thrusting her chest out proudly. “Now, what sort of spectacular, radical, and/or epic adventure do you wanna hear about?” “Just one, really,” Scootaloo said, producing a fresh page of paper. “That first adventure into the Everfree, the one where you fought Nightmare Moon!” “Ooh, fan of the classics, huh?” Rainbow grinned. “It all started one Summer Sun Celebration a couple years ago…” Apple Bloom stotted up to Twist’s family’s candy shop, a few doors down from the famous Sugarcube Corner. The reason for the spring in her step had as much to do with her upcoming adventure as the sweet, succulent fumes flowing from the shop’s ovens. Her mouth watered as she opened the door of the Bon Bon, and the sight of millions of candies came into view. “Good aftahnoon,” the shop’s proprietor spoke in a nasally New Jockey accent. “Welcome tah da Bon Bon, can I help yah, hun?” “Hey, is Twist back from school, yet?” Apple Bloom asked. “I was gonna talk with her ‘bout somethin’, an’ missed her.” “She’s in her room, dearest.” The shop owner’s voice had switched to a proper Trottingham style. “No doubt working on her homework.” “Thanks a bunch!” Apple Bloom ran to the back of the shop and up a flight of stairs. Twist was in her room, as promised, though she wasn’t working on her homework. “Hi Apple Bloom, I got that litht for yah!” “”Bout the food?” Apple Bloom asked, examining the list. “Yup. Ith not everything,” Twist said. “But ith a thtart.” She squinted at Apple Bloom through her glasses. “Tho, what’th thith all about?” Apple Bloom shrugged. “Whadda yah mean?” “All thith…” Twist glanced to the left and right, only continuing once she was certain that they were alone. “Thecret thtuff.” “I ain’t got nothin’ tah hide!” Apple Bloom would have felt her pants catching in fire, had she been wearing any. “It’s just this little project I’m workin’ on with Scootaloo an' Sweetie Belle.” “If you don’t have anything to hide,” Twist grinned. “Then what’th with all the thecreth?” “Look, if I tell yah, do you promise not tah tell?” At Twist’s emphatic nod, Apple Bloom leaned in close. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders are gonna try for an adventurin’ cutie mark.” “Really!?” Twist exclaimed a little too loudly. “Thweet!” “Hush!” Apple Bloom glanced at the bedroom’s door, almost expecting a hoard of parents to burst through for a scolding. “We don’t want just anypony knowin’ about it, on account of us goin’ into the Everfree Forest.” “The Everfree!?” Twist’s glasses slid down her nose in shock. “But that’th dangerouth in there!” “I said hush!” Apple Bloom planted a hoof in her friend’s mouth. “We know it’s dangerous, that’s why we’re preparin’ for it.” Twist eyes narrowed in thought. After a moment, she pulled away from Apple Bloom. “Ath long ath you’re sure it’th safe…” “Sure it is,” Apple Bloom grinned. “We got a whole list full of equipment an’ knowledge!” She adjusted her giant bow, nodding all the while. “Sure, it’ll be a walk in th’ park…” “And then, out of absolutely nowhere, a gigantic river serpent splashed out of the raging river!” Scootaloo wrote furiously as Rainbow Dash related her tale. She had heard the story a million times, but she had never realized all of the dangerous stuff that happened in the Everfree. Routinely. Manticores, bottomless chasms, flesh-gnawing trees, poison joke, it was a madhouse of flora and fauna. I wonder where I can get some tranquilizer darts on the cheap? she wondered. Maybe a magic missile launcher or two… She glanced down at the list that Apple Bloom had made as Rainbow Dash went on. I’m gonna need better equipment than a couple of bungee cords if we wanna get through the forest in one piece. “You wanna know what they said? They said they needed the best flyer in all of Equestria!” Rainbow Dash giggled at the memory. “That meant me, naturally.” So what do I got? Scootaloo went over the checklist she had put together based on Rainbow’s story. Crumbled cliff, manticore nest, evil trees… Wait, were the trees before or after the river? “You okay, Squirt? You look kinda lost.” Scootaloo looked up and realized that she had been frowning deeply. “Oh, oh sorry, Rainbow Dash. I just need to make sure my notes are…” She thought for a second. “Noteworthy?” Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo shared a locked gaze as the elder attempted to guess the younger’s intentions. Dash was about to speak when the two were interrupted by a third party. “There you are, Scootaloo!” A skewbald colt ran up to the two girls. “I brought that map you wanted!” “Map, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked as she eyed Scootaloo. “What’s the map of?” “The Everfree Forest,” Pipsqueak replied. “Scootaloo wanted me to help her find a location on the map.” He glanced at Scootaloo’s notes and smiled. “So you’re getting directions from Rainbow Dash? Fantastic!” “Directions, huh?” Rainbow Dash’s danger sense was tingling like mad. “Directions to where?” “T-to the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters,” Scootaloo gulped. “Heh, I just wanna be able to mark the location on the map?” Her comment was phrased like a statement, but sounded like a question; she wanted more information. Rainbow Dash carefully weighed the possibility of learning more about the filly’s plans with the probability of getting her into a ton of trouble. “So, is your report on my adventure, the palace, or the forest?” “A-actually,” Scootaloo, as always, thought quickly on her feet. “It’s about the Architect’s Birthstone, from the new Daring Do book.” A smile sprang unbidden to Rainbow’s lips. “That’s a good one. Do you really think Ahuizotl’s gone for good?” Scootaloo sighed inwardly; glad to be out of the spotlight. “Naw, he’s just biding his time.” “So,” Pipsqueak mumbled, holding his map up for all to see. “What’re we going to do about all this, then?” Scootaloo ran over to his side, giving Rainbow Dash her best grin. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash! You gonna help me make this the best report ever?” “Why not?” Rainbow shrugged. She spent the next few minutes working with Pipsqueak to find the palace, and pinpoint its location. “The Architect’s Birthstone is a precious gem used as the cornerstone of the old palace,” Sweetie Belle read aloud. “Nopony knows what type of gemstone it is, nor where it’s located.” She closed the book and tossed it into a pile. “I could have told you that.” “Sorry,” Spike said. “These are the only books I could find that mentioned the Birthstone.” Sweetie laid her chin on the chair’s armrest. “Great, that’s a whole lot of nothing.” She jolted upright, eyes widening. “Unless…” She got Spike’s attention with a bump to his noggin. “Hey, do you have any books on the Palace of the Royal Pony Sisters?” He stood from his position beside the chair. “Yeah,” he replied. “Just a sec.” He set about digging through the annals of the Ponyville Public Library. “Canterlot Castle… Crystal Palace… Here it is!” He held a book up for Sweetie Belle to see. “This book’s got the history of the palace, anything specific you want to see?” She trotted over, a smile on her face. “Is there a chapter about building it?” Spike flipped through the pages. “Yep. Commissioned by Celestia and Luna… located in the Everfree… designed by Stellar Integrity…” “’Designed by Integrity,’” Sweetie Belle repeated. “What does it say about him?” Spike read further. “Stellar Integrity was an architect who worked in early Manehatten. Celestia approached him about designing a permanent palace for the princesses.” “Anything about the Birthstone?” Spike turned the page. “Nope, just that he had a daughter named Charity.” “Drat,” Sweetie grumped as she sat back down in the chair. “So much for, uh, my report.” Spike wasn’t giving up easily. “What about this, it says that the first part of the palace that was built was the throne room…” “So?” Sweetie asked as she rolled over onto her back. Spike grinned over the book. “So, doesn’t that mean that the cornerstone would be underneath the throne room?” A smile slowly spread its way across Sweetie Belle’s face. She practically leaped off of the chair and over to Spike. “Thanks, Spike! You’re a genius!” She planted a quick peck on his cheek before racing out the library door, leaving the blushing young dragon alone. In her haste, Sweetie Belle failed to notice the purple-coated unicorn filly walking past. The two unicorns collided with a crash and tumbled to the ground. Sweetie was the first to her feet, helping the other up. “Gosh, Dinky, I’m sorry.” “That’s okay,” the petite filly answered. “I should have watched where I was going.” “Me too,” giggled Sweetie. “Hey, what’s up with the bags?” Dinky Doo glanced back at the bulging saddlebags hanging from her flanks. “I was getting supplies for the camping trip my mom, Cheerilee, and I are taking out by Fluttershy’s cottage.” Sweetie blinked. “Camping trip, huh?” She pawed the ground in contemplation. “Who’s coming along?” “A bunch of kids from school,” Dinky said. “You and the other crusaders can come too, if you like.” “I’ll have to talk with my mom and dad,” Sweetie said as she gave Dinky a small smile, “But I’d love to.” The fillies went their separate ways, Dinky with her supplies, and Sweetie Belle with her plots. Sweetie all but breathed a sigh of relief as she walked home. “Maybe we can get our adventuring cutie marks without getting into trouble.” The Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse was a bustle of activity as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom gathered together their purchased equipment. Scootaloo held up a toilet paper tube to be converted to a dart gun, Apple Bloom rolled up a rope that was almost too heavy to carry, and they both poured over the map. “Are yah sure that this is the right way?” Apple Bloom asked. “I’m sure if Rainbow Dash is sure!” Scootaloo laughed. “I got this straight from the horse’s mouth.” The pegasus looked through the toilet paper tube, taking aim at a distant flower. “So, what are we gonna load this baby up with?” “I dunno,” Apple Bloom said. “I only know th’ recipe for one potion, and I’m not sure I wanna risk that one goin’ off again.” “Hey, girls!” Sweetie shouted as she walked into the clubhouse. “Sweetie!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shoved their equipment to the side as fast as possible. “We didn’t know you were coming in today!” Sweetie Belle tilted her head. “But I come in every day.” The other two crusaders glanced sideways at each other. They turned back to Sweetie with practiced smiles on their faces. “Oh, right,” Apple Bloom said slowly. “We knew that.” “We were…” Scootaloo considered. “Just testing you.” Sweetie raised an eyebrow at the stack of junk behind her friends. “Testing me for what?” “Uh…” Scootaloo continued smiling as she nudged Apple Bloom. “Fer…” Apple Bloom coughed. “Just makin’ sure you weren’t a changeling or nothin’.” “Well anyway,” Sweetie Belle said as she walked around the others. “I think I’ve got an idea about how we can get an adventuring cutie mark without putting ourselves in danger.” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom continued to grin, sweat running down their faces. “Cool,” Scootaloo said. “What do we gotta do?” “It’s a camping trip!” Sweetie squeaked. “Miss Doo and Miss Cheerilee are hosting it, and a whole bunch of kids from school will be there.” “Where’s it at?” Apple Bloom asked as she adjusted her bow. “Right around Fluttershy’s cottage,” came the answer. “Is that close enough to the Everfree for you crazies?” Scootaloo considered her map and then turned to Apple Bloom, grinning wickedly. Apple Bloom returned her grin, before the both of them looked up at Sweetie Belle with pleasant smiles. “I think it just might be!” “Are you sure you can carry all that?” Sweetie asked for the thousandth time. “Yes,” groaned Apple Bloom for the thousandth time. She wound up carrying the lion’s share of the equipment, reasoned Scootaloo, because of how much stronger earth ponies were than pegasi. Apple Bloom figured that the excuse had grown old sometime around Smart Cookie and Chancellor Puddinghead’s time. Scootaloo trotted past, carrying a significantly more reasonable load. “Come on, Apple Bloom, put your back into it!” “I’ll put your back into it, feather brain,” rumbled Apple Bloom. The fillies and colts walked two-by-two, with Ditsy Doo and Cheerilee leading the pack and Apple Bloom taking the rear. “C’mon kids! We’re almost there!” “Um, mommy?” Dinky spoke with a soft voice as she pointed to the right. “That way.” Ditsy looked in the direction she was walking, then over to where Dinky pointed, and started giggling. “Of course, muffin. We don’t wanna walk into the Everfree Forest, do we?” The little filly breathed a sigh of relief as the trail of ponies switched course. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shot each other a sly look and noted the location for future reference. Pipsqueak munched idly on a stalk of grass as he spoke to Featherweight, a skinny pegasus colt. “You don’t suppose we’ll run into any monsters out here, do you?” Featherweight shrugged, the full extent of his opinions becoming apparent. Rumble grinned from his place in line behind Pipsqueak. “You never know, Pip,” he said. “There could be a couple of cockatrices just around the bend.” “Rumble!” Twist protested. “Thtop being tho thcary!” “Don’t worry about it,” Rumble shrugged. “My big bro taught me all about the creature in the Everfree. Most of them are more scared of us than we are of them.” Scootaloo giggled at the info. “Rargh! Here comes the almighty Scootaloo, come to scare all the manticores away!” “More importantly, children,” Cheerilee interjected, “The monsters don’t usually come this close to the edge of the forest.” Pipsqueak turned his flashlight on, cloaking his face in shadows. “But there’s always the exception that proves the rule!” “Pip, be nice,” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Nightmares are the last thing I need tonight.” “Alright kids,” Ditsy Doo called out. “Here’s where we’ll be setting up our campsite!” “If you need any help,” Cheerilee continued, “Just ask me or Miss Doo. We’ll be right here the whole time.” Apple Bloom collapsed to the ground, her saddlebags overflowing with survival gear. Scootaloo cantered up to the exhausted filly. “You want me to set up the tent?” At Apple Bloom’s half-hearted wave, Scootaloo went about her duties. Within a few minutes, their corner of the campsite was complete. A small, three-pony pup tent stood a short distance away from the fire pit, decorated with the symbol of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Sweetie Belle unrolled her sleeping bag into the tent, a contented smile playing at her lips. “Now this is adventure!” she sighed. “Nice, safe, adventurous fun.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. She unpacked her favorite blanket and spread it out over her sleeping bag. As she looked up, she came face-to-face with a bespectacled candy maker. Twist smiled wide as she talked. “Tho, when are you gonna go into the Everfree?” Scootaloo stuffed an orange hoof into the other filly’s mouth. “Quiet down! Who told you that?” Apple Bloom rolled over, still lying on the ground in the same spot. “Sorry, Scootaloo, I had to tell her.” Sweetie walked up to the exchange. “Tell her what?” Rumble’s voice piped up from behind Sweetie Belle. “That you girls are gonna go into the Everfree Forest to find the Architect’s Birthstone.” Scootaloo glared at Twist accusingly. “Alright, who else did you tell?” Twist shook her head until Scootaloo removed her hoof. “I thwear I only told Rumble, honetht!” “Great,” Apple Bloom sighed. She stood shakily to her feet. “Almost twice as many ponies know about our plans as before.” “Exactly twice,” Dinky said from behind Apple Bloom. The farmer spun around before smacking herself with a hoof. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” “I did,” a voice with a lower Trottingham accent spoke up. Pipsqueak sauntered into view to stand beside Dinky. “You three are always getting into some kind of mischief.” Sweetie Belle stepped into the middle of the crowd. “Hold on, we are not, I mean not, going to just tromp into the Everfree Forest!” Rumble tilted his head to the side. “You sure, Sweets? ‘Cause Twist heard it straight from Apple Bloom.” “Augh!” Sweetie stomped her hooves into the ground as she glared at the other two crusaders. “I can’t believe you two! Lying to me and going behind my back like that is just… it’s not nice!” “Well,” Apple Bloom sat upright, her eyes downcast. “We really want our cutie marks, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo matched Apple Bloom’s position. “You aren’t gonna tell on us, are you?” Sweetie thought. “You haven’t broken any rules yet, besides being stupid.” She turned to the collected colts and fillies. “What do you guys think?” “They’re cool,” Rumble smiled. “It’s kinda early for somepony to be in trouble…” Dinky murmured. “Pfft, like I wouldn’t have gone with them,” Pipsqueak laughed. “I think they’re alright,” Twist shrugged. Sweetie Belle shook her head at the two reprobates. “You two got off easy, you know that?” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom nodded, dispositions blue. The day proceeded quietly enough. Once the tents were set up, Cheerilee and Ditsy Doo gathered the children around the fire for campfire songs. S’mores were inhaled more than chewed, and the foals had a wonderful time. Night came, and the children gathered into their tents and sleeping bags. Many giggles rose into the night sky, but all good things must come to an end. One by one, they drifted off to dreamland, content that the fun would continue in the morning. As the witching hour approached, and the night became darkest, a series of shadows slunk into the campground. One shadow turned to another, its voice accompanied by a series of eerie clicks. “Where’s the yellow one’s cottage, cottage?” “The queen said it was right around here, round here…” the other replied. “She didn’t say that we’d be tripping over a bunch of maggot ponies, ponies!” a third growled. “Silence!” a deeper voice hissed from beyond the tree line. “Do you want the pony maggots to wake up? Keep your mandibles shut!” The first shadow rolled its eyes. “Blah, blah, blah. It’s always the same, the same.” The shadow tiptoed around a sleeping Cheerilee. “Do this, don’t do that, keep your mouth shut, mouth shut.” Its foot landed right in the center of the campfire’s hot coals. The shadow’s mouth was covered by the others before it could scream in pain. It whimpered as it moved its foot out of the heat, and onto the grass. The shadow grinned sheepishly at the other’s glares. It backed slowly away, trying not to embarrass itself further. In the next instant, several shadows let out a horrified gasp as the first tripped backwards over Sweetie Belle’s sleeping body. It found itself face-to-face with the awoken filly, and both let out a terrified scream. Sweetie Belle was looking right into the face of a full-grown changeling. The combined screeches woke Cheerilee and Ditsy immediately. The two adults sprang to their feet on opposite sides of the campsite, and their flashlights turned towards the invading pests. Three changelings were sneaking through the campsite, one of which was screaming in the face of Sweetie Belle. Cheerilee’s eyes narrowed. “You have exactly one second to explain what you’re doing here.” “Well, you see,” one changeling began. “One,” Cheerilee said. She launched herself at the bumbling insectoid, slamming her heavy hooves down on its hard exoskeleton. It was knocked to the ground, rolling into another tent. The tent fell over, scattering the fillies resting inside. The entire campsite churned with panicking foals. Ditsy flew above the chaos that erupted. “Everypony, come here! Keep together!” Most of the foals obeyed, flocking to the pegasus mother like chicks to a hen. Sweetie Belle, however, was not quite in control of her actions. She shut her eyes and ran from the screeching changeling behind her, accompanied by her two best friends in the world. Twist and Dinky were also running from a changeling, its maw open wide to grab their tails. Its head was forced into the dirt by the sudden weight of both Rumble and Pipsqueak landing solidly on top of it. The colts followed the fillies, trying to get as far away from the enemy as possible. The Cutie Mark Crusaders collided with the other four with a scream. In their panic, the group of foals ran straight into the Everfree Forest, heedless of the monsters within. Cheerilee gave the changeling another good smack, sending it sprawling into the hooves of the others behind it. “And don’t you ever come back, EVER!” The changelings fled, tails tucked proverbially, and literally, between their legs. Cheerilee thought that she saw a fourth changeling in the trees, but hoped that it was a trick of the light. She took a quick head-count, speaking as she did so. “Do you all remember your camping buddies? Is everypony still here?” Featherweight stepped forward, his face worried. “Mizz Cheerilee, Pipsqueak is missing.” “Dinky?” Ditsy called out. “Dinky, where are you!?” She turned on Cheerilee, eyes wild. “My daughter! I can’t find my daughter!” “I’ll get Fluttershy,” Cheerilee soothed. “She can go into town and round up a search party.” She hugged the pegasus. “We’ll find them, Ditsy, I promise!” Sometime later, the seven foals were resting beneath a scraggly-looking tree. They were thankful to find that it was not of the flesh-eating variety, and they gathered together in a bundle of shivering fur. “You guys okay?” Pipsqueak asked. “B’cause I’m not sure if I can slow my heart down any.” Dinky took in labored breaths beside him. “I-I-I-I-I’m scared.” “I wouldn’t worry ‘bout any monsters gettin’ to us tonight.” Apple Bloom’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates. “On account of that patch of poison joke we almost ran through.” The foals looked to the side, getting a good look at the bunch of blue-pedaled flowers a little further down the path. Twist gingerly set her glasses in place in front of her eyes. “D-doth anypony know where we are?” Pipsqueak stood and looked around grimly. He turned back to the others with a look of defeat in his features. “Right smack dab in the middle of lost.”