It was another sunny day in Ponyville. The weekend was just starting and the Crusaders were going to be busy.
To avoid the whole 'what HAVEN'T we tried' problem, Scootaloo was writing a list of things to try that weekend while waiting for the others. Just as she was putting the finishing touches on the paper before her, Scootaloo heard her two best friends talking as they entered the Clubhouse.
“Yer thinkin' too much; there ain't nothing going on between Twilight and Pinkie Pie.” Apple Bloom dismissed the white unicorn as she and Sweetie Belle entered inside.
“I don't know. They were acting weird.” Sweetie Belle tried to defend her position as the others rolled their eyes.
“Pinkie Pie is always weird. But never mind that guys, check out what I made!” Scootaloo displayed her list with pride. “This way we won't run out of ideas.”
“Ooohhh.” Two pairs of eyes lit up at the offered list, which had a lot of things written on it to do.
“I bet we'll get our Cutie Marks for something on that list!” Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves as Apple Bloom nodded with a grin on her face.
“So what are we gonnah do first?”Apple Bloom asked as both she and Sweetie Belle looked at the peagasus who was sticking up the list on the wall.
“Let's do running, extreme running, lumberjacks and tree climbers!” This statement drew blank stares from the remaining Crusaders.
“What's extreme running?”
“An' where in the hay would we git the ax fer bein' lumberjacks?” Scootaloo sighed, she had hoped for better reactions.
“Extreme running is when you go even faster than normal running, like breaking the speed of sound fast. And we could find an ax at the farm, can't we Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle gave a soft 'oh' of understanding as both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked to their last friend who gave a shrug.
“Ah don't know. Maybe BigMac has one...” Apple Bloom couldn't help but smile along with her friends, though she was weary about how heavy the ax was.
The fillies tried to earn their Running Cutie marks on the way to the farm. Luckily running is a relatively easy thing to do, and by the only downside was that by the time they got to the farm house was that they were out of breath. They leaned on one another as they got their breath back before realizing that they didn't know where Big Mac kept his tool box.
After a quick check to see if they earned a Cutie Mark (with corresponding 'awww' of disappointment) the girls made sure that the cost was clear and began their search.
The girls began to tip-hoof around the farm and barn, trying to find where Apple Bloom's older brother kept his tools without waking up Granny Smith from her nap on the porch.
“Where's Applejack and Big Mac? Wouldn't they think it's weird that we're sneaking around?” Sweetie Belle asked quietly as they peered around the corner of the house, looking for likely places to keep work tools.
“Nah. They're in the fields, making sure all the trees made it through the winter jus' fine.” Apple Bloom waved a hoof as they sneaked over to the barn.
“Then why are we sneaking around?” Sweetie Belle asked coming to a halt in confusion.
Scootaloo dragged a hoof across her face as she groaned while Apple Bloom tilted her head in realization.
“Because we don't want to wake up Granny Smith! Come on! We've searched the house, they've gotta be in the barn somewhere.” Scootaloo said as she took the lead, sneaking into the barn.
They searched the barn from the top down and at the very end they found all the tools near a workbench along the right wall. They opened all the drawers and opened boxes, looking for the ax.
After searching the tool box for a few moments, they found the ax leaning up against the wall nearby. The ax was much heavier than it looked and it took all three of the girls to move it. As they began to drag it out of the barn, Apple Bloom had a sinking feeling about the day's crusading.
Each filly had an odd grip on the handle as they dragged it along. Apple Bloom had the handle in her mouth as she gripped it near the ax head. Scootaloo had her fore-hooves wrapped around the middle of the handle and had her wings working over-time to help move it. And Sweetie Belle had a grip on the end of the handle with both her magic and her hooves.
They were going to try and earn the Extreme Running Cutie Mark on the way to the forest, but they could only manage a crawling pace with frequent stops to catch their breath. It was at one of these stops that Apple Bloom felt the need to point out the obvious.
“Scootaloo, Ah don't think we're gonnah be able to get any kind o' runnin' done carrying this ax. Could we just take it to the forest normal-like?” Apple Bloom asked at one of their frequent breaks as she wiped her forehead with a hoof.
Scootaloo sighed, she knew that the young farmer was right.
“Yeah yeah, alright. We'll try and get the 'Extreme Running' Cutie Mark later. Let's just make it to the forest on the edge of the farm.” And with that the three fillies picked up the ax once more and continued on their trek.
After making it half-way there, the young ponies were starting to doubt their ability to be lumberjacks. But Scootaloo wouldn't give up and began to try and encourage the others.
“Come... on... huff... you guys...! We'll... be... gasp.... really cool.... lumberjacks....!”
It may have been more encouraging if they all weren't out of breath.
After the grueling trek, they came to the edge of the forest that was next to Sweet Apple Acres. Unfortunately, the forest right next to the farm was the Everfree Forest.
The three Crusaders gulped as one at the ominous forest before them.
After they got their breath back -though their heart beats remained at a faster pace than normal- Scootaloo took a deep breath and turned to her fellow Crusaders.
“Come on you guys! It's just a forest. What could go wrong?” Scootaloo waved in a nonchalant manner. Sweetie Belle was still a little shaky though so Scootaloo turned to Apple Bloom for help.
“But don't you remember what happened last time?” Sweetie Belle shivered at the thought of the cockatrice. The others shivered as well but they really wanted to try to get their Cutie Marks.
“Ah shoot Sweetie Belle. I visit Zacorah all the time. It's not really dangerous. Ya just gotta stay away from anything that lives in here.” Apple Bloom waved a dismissive hoof.
“Yeah. Don't worry. We'll just stay on the edge here to get our Cutie Marks.” Scootaloo reassured the unicorn. Sweetie Belle nodded and the trio got to work.
They wanted to get their lumberjack work out of the way, so they tried to find a tree for them to practice on. Scootaloo wanted to get this whole thing over with and chop at the nearest one, but Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom put up a fuss.
“Y'all can't jus' go and chop whatever tree ya want! Trees got the right tah live too!”
“Yeah! What about the little baby animals who might need the tree to live in or for food?”
“Fine! Alright already. We'll go find a tree that's already knocked over. Would that work for you?” Scootaloo huffed as she rolled her eyes at the others' plea.
The other two nodded happily and grabbed a hold of the ax once more. Scootaloo groaned as she grabbed it as well and the trio set off to find a tree already fallen over.
They had to head further into the forest to find anything that would suit their needs. When they finally did find one, it was much deeper into the forest than they were planning to go, though Sweetie Belle was concentrating on finding a tree and didn't think about any of the forest's inhabitants. The tree they found had fallen to be stuck between two others and was propped up to the point of being almost upright.
“It's perfect! This way, when we chop it down, it would help those other two trees.” Sweetie Belle clapped in excitement while Apple Bloom still had her doubts that they would be able to even lift the ax on their own.
Since they all wanted to be the first one to get their Cutie Mark, they had to play a game of 'Fire, Water, Tree' to find out who would be the first one to try.
“Fire, Water, Tree, Shoot!” The fillies yelled as they uncovered the marks they had made in the dirt to represent the element they choose.
“HA! Fire beats Tree, I go first!” Scootaloo yelled in triumph as she hoof-pumped. Sweetie Belle was saddened a little and Apple Bloom offered to let her go next, which cheered her right up.
The two others stood back a little as their peagasus friend took hold of the ax and faced the tree.
Scootaloo dragged the ax over and stood on her hind legs. She grabbed the handle with both hooves as her wings began to frantically beat trying to pull her backwards. The young peagasus managed to drag the ax along the ground but couldn't get enough force to lift it up.
Sweetie Belle went next and she tried to grab the ax with magic and her fore-hooves. Her efforts were met with less success than the peagasus'. Trying to use both magic and her hooves was hard for the young unicorn and she only managed to move it a little towards the tree.
Apple Bloom went last and she wasn't sure what method to try and use, her hooves or her mouth. First she tried using her mouth but couldn't get enough lift and her neck started to hurt from the effort. So she tried using her hooves instead and was met with some success. She lifted the ax from the ground, but due to lack of balance, started to go in circles.
Luckily the others were fast on their hooves after playing basketball with Apple Bloom and jumped back to avoid getting hit with the sharp object. Just as Apple Bloom lost all control the ax hit the tree on the blunt end and the ax head fell off the handle.
Since she no longer had a counter-weight to enhance her spinning, Apple Bloom also fell over next to the tree they were attempting to chop.
As Apple Bloom sat and recovered from the dizzy spell, the other fillies looked at the broken tool with growing guilt. Once the earth pony recovered, she joined her friends in their mournful watch.
“Uh, I don't suppose your brother has another ax he could use?” Scootaloo asked with a glance at the farm pony.
“Eeenope. This is his only ax. Maybe we could bring it back where we found it an' pretend it never happened?” Apple Bloom asked hopefully, looking towards the others. They jumped at the idea, nodding along rapidly.
“Wait, what about our Tree Climbing Cutie Marks?” Sweetie Belle asked as Apple Bloom made to pick up the ax head.
Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo as they remembered their last one to try for the day.
“Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Want to just climb this tree while we're here and then head back?” Scootaloo asked as she rubbed the back of her head.
“Sure. We'll see who can git to the top o' these trees the fastest! Ready, set, go!” Apple Bloom cried as she, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo raced up different trees, determined to get to the top first.
In their haste, they didn't choose the proper hoof-holds. Which means that at the same time, at roughly the same height, each of their trees gave an ominous crack when they they were a little over a story high. The trio only had a moment to even register the sound before they were falling back down, hitting branches and getting covered in sap and needles.
Even with the ground covered by a decent amount of moss, the impact of hitting the ground from such a height left each filly dazed as they all landed with a soft 'thud'.
As they laid down in the positions they fell in, they pondered how they always seem to be covered in some kind of mess after trying to earn their Cutie Marks.
Unbeknown to the Crusaders, a lone Timberwolf pup was testing out his prowling skills and came across the trio. As they dragged the ax pieces back, the wolf pup followed close behind. Each time that the girls stopped, he stopped as well, preparing to make his grand entrance. But soon they were on their way and he had to wait to see if they stopped once more, no one could get a good roar out while prowling. This pattern continued for a while, until the fillies began to argue.
What had started out as a recount of their last adventure in the forest turned into a 'who was the most scared' contest, with each trying to say that it was the others. The wolf pup was confused, what was at first was a semi-quiet group of prey were now squabbling loud prey. He decided that he better start on the hunt fast before something else tried.
A roar sounded from the forest around the fillies, silencing their argument as their eyes widened in shock. They smelled a foul stink coming from the side. They turned as one to their right and saw a green pair of eyes staring back at them. They all froze for a moment until the Timberwolf pup jumped from the bushes and landed in the middle of the trio, who in turn all jumped back rapidly in different directions.
At this point the Crusaders were free of their shock, for the most part. But that didn't mean that they were all doing the same thing. Sweetie Belle was backing away from the pup, Apple Bloom had grabbed the handle and held it between the pup and herself, while Scootaloo had backed up onto her hind legs and took a few jabs at the pup much like her rainbow-maned hero.
The Timberwolf pup felt his control of the situation slip as while the fillies were scared, they weren't running away and some even took stances to fight against him. He went for the one who showed no resistance and leaped at the unicorn filly.
Sweetie Belle screamed as both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom leaped at the pup to defend their friend. Apple Bloom smacked the wolf pup on the head then Scootaloo ran into him, sending the two sailing over Sweetie Belle who had crouched down in fear.
The wolf pup was annoyed at this point, something was hitting and knocking him over, and he was one of the most feared creatures in the entire forest. As the peagasus tried to regain her balance from the jump the pup charged at her, knocking her over with him on top. Just before he could get a proper grip on her, a shrill voice yelled and he was pulled away from the peagasus.
“Leave her alone!” Sweetie Belle concentrated like never before and pulled the Timberwolf off her friend with a jerk of her head, urging her magic to mimic the motion with the Timberwolf in its grasp.
Apple Bloom ran over and swatted at the pup with even more force while yelling as well.
“Yeah! Git away from here ya stinkin' varmit!”
The Timberwolf pup had had enough. First there was the yelling, then the smacking, and being knocked around. He was going to find easier prey. Or find some of his friends to help him out. Either way, he was getting away from the young ponies.
As the Timberwolf pup ran away the Crusaders panted as they stood in shock at the sudden attack and retreat. Within moments they drew together in a group hug, glad that they were all safe.
“We... beat … a Timberwolf!” Scootaloo yelled from the hug, as the events caught up to her. “How cool is THAT! I bet Rainbow Dash hasn't even done that!”
Scootaloo broke from the hug as she jumped around their area in excitement. The others began to smile along as their success began to sink in.
Soon all three fillies were jumping around and shouting about how they beat a Timberwolf all on their own.
As a sudden thought came to their minds at the same time, each filly paused while they looked at their flank, hoping for a Timberwolf fighting-themed Cutie Mark. They sighed as one as the reality came crashing back.
They collected the ax parts once more and proudly walked out of the forest. Even if they didn't get a Cutie Mark and they were covered in tree sap and needles, they still beat a Timberwolf on their own. They had a glow of pride for the rest of the day, even if they didn't accomplish what they had hoped for the day.
What they didn't know was that the creatures of the Everfree Forest had long since come to fear a certain pink earth pony who was watching over the fillies on their trip into the woods that day. The creatures all knew of the hyper mare's powers of both perception and speed of tongue. It was by coincidence that the Timberwolf pup had come across the fillies, and had Sweetie Belle not been able to pull him away like she did, Pinkie Pie would have stepped in. Though she was glad that they managed on their own; it meant that the fillies were growing up a little. They wouldn't need a watcher forever.
Pinkie gave a small smile as she hopped back towards Ponyville. She had some baking to catch up on as well as getting ready for Gummy's birthday that was coming up soon.
(After all, turning one year old is a big deal! And it's always good to be prepared early, 'cause then you get to think about all the fun you'll have and it's going to be so cool and I gotta work on that singing telegram, I've only got another twenty-eight days before it's his birthday!)