On Our Own

by kwr2k13


Chapter 12: Sonic Rain Boom Alert!

On Our Own

Ch. 12: Sonic Rainboom Alert!

The mood in Unit A was very somber, as Duo and the Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled up on the couch, recovering from the whole kidnapping ordeal with a quiet movie.

Harmony had expended so much magical energy that once they got home, she had to be carried to her bedroom, where she was now sleeping like a log.

The Mayor sat at the kitchen table, staring blankly out of the window at cloud formations basking in the bright afternoon sun, as she contemplated the events of the past hour.

“Wow, my cousin sure was brave, rescuing you guys,” Little Horn sighed. She glanced across at the Mayor, “You too, Miss Mayor! Are you feeling any better now that we got you that veggie burger from the cafe?”

The Mayor didn’t respond; she simply nodded her head in acknowledgement towards Little Horn’s question.

Little Horn smiled as she went up to the Mayor and gave her a hug.  “I am glad you are okay.  Every pony here is grateful for what you did to help my cousin rescue my friends.”  She disengaged the hug and went over to sit with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Meanwhile, the television came on with breaking news.  Scientists and other experts attempted to come up with a logical explanation that some colorful blast suddenly appeared in the sky over the American Mid-West, more specifically around a town in Iowa west of the Mississippi River.  

Babs Seed was the first to see this blast on the television, “Whoa, what was that?”  She pointed a hoof towards the television screen, staring in awe of the colorful explosion, and looking to her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders for an explanation.

Scootaloo spat out the apple juice she was currently drinking, much to Apple Bloom’s dismay at being the recipient, before speaking, “That’s a Sonic Rainboom! There is only one pony I know in existence that can do that!”





Duo was staring wide-eyed at the news report, ignoring the question Babs Seed asked, and Scootaloo’s response, “She was right the whole time… It wasn’t just a dream.”





“What dream?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“The dream from last night!” Duo once again repeated.

        “Just tell us the dang dream already Duo!” Apple Bloom impatiently retorted.




~Last night~


 Duo stood in the middle of a vast space, surrounded by stars as far as the eye could see, behind him were a few planets, and in front was the milky way, “Where am I?” He asked as he tried to take a step forward only to realize he wasn’t standing, he was floating, “Whoa! What’s going on?” At that point, a small ball of light appeared in front of Duo.

A few seconds later the ball of light erupted and, after nearly blinding Duo before dimming out, a tall dark blue pony stepped out. She had a tiara on top of her mane that flowed without wind, and resembled the night sky. She had a long sharp horn on her forehead and long elegant wings that stretched to about six feet wide. She wore a darker variation of blue armor on her chest and hooves, the chest being adorned with a crescent moon that matched her cutie mark, “Duo, we meet again.” She walked up to Duo and, bending down, wrapped a wing around him.

Duo smiled happily as he willingly enjoyed the embrace, “Auntie Luna! I have so much to tell you!”

Before Duo could continue, however, Luna raised her hoof to silence him, “We know of thy recent events that hath transpired. We are very happy that thou is safe and unharmed.” She then let go of Duo and stood back up, “We came to remind you that the sign we hath mentioned in a previous dream shall come soon. Once thou hath seen this sign, tell the others to go to it; for it shall be a key in returning back home in Equestria.”
        
        Duo looked at her with a raised eyebrow before speaking, “I thought that video message was the important event you spoke of?”

        Luna simply shook her head with a smile, “T’was but a fortunate development, the real event shall happen very soon. Be prepared.” At that point Princess Luna started to walk away.

“Thanks so much! I can’t wait to get back home!” Duo waved happily to her saying this.




~Present~


Scootaloo was the first to respond, since Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were speechless. “That’s awesome! That means we should totally go to Iowa to find Rainbow Dash!”

Little Horn smiled at the hearing of Duo’s mentioning of getting a message from one of the Princesses.  “So, your Aunt is Princess Luna?  What about Princess Celestia?  Is she your aunt as well?  We have to tell the Mayor and my cousin!  They’ll know what to do!”  The little tan filly goes over to hug her friends, “It was no coincidence that you girls and Duo responded to the video message and showed up when you did!  I am also wondering if anypony else was affected by that Discord character.”  She sighs, “I remember this filly in class named Blue Skies.  She’s a unicorn, like Sweetie Belle, Duo, and myself.  She disappeared from Ponyville a couple days before I did.  You think Blue Skies ran into Discord, too?”


"There is a high chance she did. It is starting to sound like everypony was affected.” Duo responded.

Little Horn nodded, “I hope Harmony is up for a road trip, because I don’t think a couple of fillies and a colt travelling on their hooves would last long out there with all that traffic. Besides, what will we do once we meet your family members? I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you are well.” She remarked to the Crusaders.

Hearing Little Horn ask him about his parents caused Duo to flinch and look away sadly. "I have no family except Princess Luna, and she adopted me."

Little Horn nodded, “And Princess Celestia and Cadence, her niece. Aren't they family as well?” The young filly frowned when she saw that Duo was saddened by her last comment. Somehow, missing her parents made her empathize with Duo. She went over to Duo and gave him a warm hug.

“You are among your friends, Duo. Me, Harmony, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Babs Seed, The Mayor, and Mr. Crankshaft. You aren't alone anymore. When you responded to my message online and told me that the Crusaders were coming along, I was so happy! Harmony was able to find out when you would be coming so we could finally meet you.” She had a smile on her face as she looked at Duo after breaking the hug. “Feeling better?”

Duo Smiled when Little Horn hugged him and, in response, hugged her as well. Hearing about the new friends he made, and about the other princesses, made him more determined to get back home. When they broke the hug, he was smiling. "Yeah! Thanks, Little Horn!"

Little Horn smiled, “Glad to hear, Duo! Now, how are we going to let Harmony know about this? Anypony want to explain to her about the sonic rain boom and the newscast?”



Little Horn nodded, “I hope Harmony is up for a road trip, because I don’t think a couple of fillies and a colt travelling on their hooves would last long out there with all that traffic. Besides, what will we do once we meet your family members? I’m sure they’ll be happy to see you are well.” She remarked to the Crusaders.



Duo Smiled when Little Horn hugged him and, in response, hugged her as well. Hearing about the new friends he made, and about the other princesses, made him more determined to get back home. When they broke the hug, he was smiling. "Yeah! Thanks, Little Horn!"

Little Horn smiled, “Glad to hear, Duo! Now, how are we going to let Harmony know about this? Anypony want to explain to her about the sonic rainboom and the newscast?”


“You’re her cousin; her family,” Crankshaft gestured, “Why don’t you tell her?”

Little Horn blushed, “Yeah, I will right now! Thank you, Mr. Crankshaft! Be right back!” The tan filly galloped off to find her cousin in her bedroom to tell her the good news.

“... That, and I don’t want to be the fool who wakes up the sleeping bear,” Crankshaft murmured warily under his breath.

“Harmony! Harmony!” The excited filly exclaimed, almost out of breath as she burst into the room, opening the door with her light blue magic. “A Sonic Rain Boom happened over the mid-western United States today! It’s all over the news. Scootaloo said it’s the work of Rainbow Dash!” She paused to hug her cousin and catch her breath.

Harmony grumbled something indecipherable under her breath as she rolled about amongst the bed sheets, before sitting up and tiredly rubbing her eye. She yawned loudly before turning to glance at her cousin. “How long was I out for?”

Little Horn checked the clock in the room, “About a couple hours; you used up a lot of magical energy trying to rescue my friends.” She then paused to wait for Harmony to respond to her.


Harmony gave a dry, tired grin. “Heh, I can imagine. My horn felt like it was about to melt off of my head like an ice-cream. I… I didn’t even know I was capable of that kind of thing until it was actually happening. The rush of adrenaline gets to you, ya know?”

Little Horn nodded and attempted to climb up on the bed to join her tired cousin, standing on her hind legs and propping her forehooves on the bed. “You were worried about my friends and the Mayor’s safety, Harmony. And, that fight-or-flight response kicked in when you needed it. After that, you used up all your magical reserves. I’m just getting used to my magic. I still have a lot to learn to do the spells you can do.”

“Well… most of it was just levitation and teleportation…” Harmony murmurs, “That’s… really all I was doing. Levitation is a pretty basic and straight-forward thing; I guess it doesn’t even pass as a spell, per say. I wouldn’t call it one, at least. Teleportation on the other hand… I think that’s what consumed the majority of my energy.”

Little Horn nodded in understanding to her cousin’s explanation between the levitation and teleportation ability. “I’ve mastered levitation, thanks to you! It’s a simple spell any unicorn learns at Magic Kindergarten. I haven’t tried teleporting yet, but I am not sure if I am ready for that just yet. Besides, don’t you have to focus on where you want to go for you to teleport?” She then got herself up on the bed near her cousin and nuzzled her warmly.

“Focus is probably a good idea, yeah,” Harmony chuckled, gently ruffling up the filly’s mane, “Otherwise you might end up in Timbuktu or something if you’re not careful, and that’d be more than a little inconvenient for everyone.”

She took a deep breath as she rolled about and hopped off the bed. “Now, what was this about a Sonic Rainboom…?”

Little Horn smiled at the mentioning of the Sonic Rain Boom, “Scootaloo said it was all over the news! That, and the explosion at some bookstore in Seattle.” The filly jumped off the bed and followed her cousin out the bedroom door to the hallway as she told her about the various news updates.

Harmony meandered out of her bedroom and into the living room. “Well, it sounds like Dashie is definitely up and about, at least. She’s about as subtle as a space-shuttle launch at the best of times.”

She took a seat on the couch and scratched her chin in puzzlement. “Why do you think she would do something like that? What’s she trying to grab attention for?”

Little Horn sat next to her cousin, and faced her friends, "Duo mentioned to us earlier that his Aunt Luna came to him in his dream and mentioned that she requested Rainbow Dash to perform her signature move in the sky so everypony would come to a farm in Iowa. Do we know anypony who lives on a farm?” She looked over at Apple Bloom and then back at the other assembled ponies for a response.


"Ma' family, when Ah was human, lives on a farm. Although, they live in upstate New York." Apple Bloom responded.

Babs Seed nodded, and spoke up, sitting next to Apple Bloom.

"Ah often visited mah cousin on the farm while we were still humans. Ah even had a big sister Ah could talk t' if Ah got bullied in school." The orange-brown filly covered her bare flank with her bobbed tail, remembering some of the things said about her before the transformation.

Scootaloo nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, it is an apple tree farm. I lived in the shelter in town; getting to her house always lead me through a forest."

"So... that means we do not know of anypony in Iowa." Duo stated before sighing.

"My sister Rarity told me of a friend she knows in Iowa that lives on a farm in Iowa, her name is...Jackie, I believe? When I saw her Skype chatting with her, she had these freckles, blonde hair, green eyes, and a big brown hat. She sounded related to Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom looked over at Sweetie Belle with shock. "So then... the family Ah was with was NOT my pony family? Ah only know of one pony that wears a hat like that. Applejack!" Just speaking the name of her elder sister made Apple Bloom more determined than ever to meet her pony family.

Babs Seed looked over at her cousin, and nodded, “Sounds like mah big cousin, Applejack, all right.” She then trotted over to her cousin.

“Lissen here, Bloom; we are all in this togetha! Remember dat. And, if anypony starts any trouble, ya let me tell their mommas about their bad attitudes!” The orange-tan Earth pony stood near her cousin and placed her forehoof around Apple Bloom’s shoulder in support for her family member.


"To be fair, my sister is nicknamed Rarity... I am unsure if it really is the real Rarity though." Sweetie Belle said sadly.

"Don't worry Sweetie Belle, we will all get back to Equestria soon and everything will be back to normal." Duo said in an attempt to comfort the unicorn.

Little Horn listened to her friends talk about possibly meeting some of their relatives. “Perhaps that video we posted could have been seen by Applejack and her friends? Perhaps they responded? Maybe they can help us get to Iowa!” The young filly seemed just as excited about travelling with her friends to reunite them with their families.
Little Horn sighed, “Maybe Sweetie Belle can contact whoever ended up as Rarity and see if she can help us? I mean, duh, Element of Generosity?” She suggested.

“‘Element of Generosity’ does not necessarily mean ‘loaded with cash’,” Harmony shook her head, “We don’t know what his or her financial state is, so we cannot fully rely on her to fund our trip. If they can spare a buck or two, then that’s fine, but we’ll need something more solid than that to support us.”

Little Horn sighed again, looking up at her cousin as she countered her suggestion. “You have a point there, Harmony. I just want to help my friends get back to their families; their pony families, I mean.” She looked over at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Duo, Babs Seed, and Scootaloo for their response.

"Does Crank even have enough fuel in his car for the trip? Also, I agree with the video thing." Duo responded with just as much excitement.

Little Horn looked up to her cousin, “What do you think, Harmony? Should we try to reach out to those ponies on the Skype chat and let Applejack and Rarity know their sisters are okay and we need to get to Iowa?”

Harmony shrugged. “I think it’s certainly at least worth a shot.”

Little Horn nodded and hugged her cousin warmly, wrapping her fore-hooves around Harmony’s front leg in a show of support, “I’m with Harmony on this. What do you ponies think?” She waits for the Crusaders, The Mayor, Crankshaft, and the other gathered ponies for their response.

“Driving from here all the way to Iowa…” Crankshaft mused worriedly, rubbing his chin, “It’s a much longer, more expensive road trip than you might think, and don’t get me started on crossing the border. I’ll have to do some research and crunch some numbers, but I can guarantee the figures ain’t gonna be pretty.”

“What are we talking, here?” Harmony asked.

“The van is a thirsty old beast, so paying for four or even possibly five full tanks of fuel alone will just about bankrupt us,” Crankshaft furrowed his brow. “The next biggest problem for me is crossing the border. I highly doubt that our current passports will do us any good anymore, since we’re not exactly human anymore. I just cannot predict what the border security will do once they see us. If we were already in America to start with, then it wouldn’t be an issue, but...”

“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Harmony murmured, “So what’s next on your list of concerns?”

“Well, the van isn't exactly an RV, so forcing, what, six, seven ponies to spend three or four days cooped up in a van isn’t exactly going to be a pleasant ride,” the stallion grimaced, “We’ll have to make food stops and rest stops along the way, and even spend the night somewhere if we have to.”

Little Horn sighed, “Maybe Sweetie Belle can contact whoever ended up as Rarity and see if she can help us? I mean, duh, Element of Generosity?” She suggested.

“‘Element of Generosity’ does not necessarily mean ‘loaded with cash’,” Harmony shook her head, “We don’t know what his or her financial state is, so we cannot fully rely on her to fund our trip. If they can spare a buck or two, then that’s fine, but we’ll need something more solid than that to support us.”

Little Horn sighed again, looking up at her cousin as she countered her suggestion. “You have a point there, Harmony. I just want to help my friends get back to their families; their pony families, I mean.” She looked over at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Duo, Babs Seed, and Scootaloo for their response.

Meanwhile, an email alert from Harmony’s IPad computer beeped, indicating a new email had came through.

“Harmony!” Little Horn exclaimed. “We have another message! I think some pony’s trying to contact us!” She levitated the device over to her cousin so she could open the link provided. The image of the pony making contact came into view. This particular pony had golden wings, magenta fur, and green eyes, along with a blue mane and tail.


Little Horn smiled at seeing the golden Pegasus in the video. “I think we should contact her and let her know we can use her help. Please, cousin?” The little filly gave Harmony her sad-eye look.

“Besides, I think she may have been that other pony the doctor who was treating me at the hospital was talking about. I never saw her, but hearing that another pony was actually at that hospital was probably when Golden Moon was admitted!” Little Horn wanted to reply to Golden Moon, but she waited to see what her cousin would say or do next.Meanwhile, an email alert from Harmony’s I Pad computer beeped, indicating a new email had came through.

"Um hello, my name is Golden Moon. I used to be a freelance artist named Emilia Rosemary, that is until I ate some kind of cupcake with blue frosting and spots on it at a local 24 hour convenience store. I thought the guy with gray hair gave me a moldy cupcake, but he told me that it was their new special brand of cupcake. So like an idiot, I ate without a care in the world, and after that when I was walking home about 2 maybe 3 hours my head started to hurt a lot. The next thing I know, I passed out next to a playground next to a school. When I came to about 3 maybe 4 days later, I wake to find myself as a pony in the hospital hooked up to some scanning machine, and some weird doctor taking notes. I got scared and ended up running out of there when the doctor wasn't looking. I have been hiding in the clouds most of the time, but when I was looking online on a computer at one of the colleges I sneaked into a few days ago, I found your message about what happened to you, and I just had to send you a message to you for help."

Golden Moon continued her message. She sounded like somepony who was in need of some friends to hang out with.

"That pretty much it, so far. I have been on my own for the past few days, but during my time hiding from people, I heard on the news about Rainbow Dash’s Sonic RainBoom, and how there was sanctuary at the apple family farm that Princess Luna was saying in my dreams. So, I was wondering if I could help you all get to Iowa. I know I'm not that much of an expert at making things, but I am very good when it come to sneaking into places without being noticed and getting supplies. It's how I was able to last this long without getting notice by anypony. Please respond, and I will help as best as I can.”

Little Horn smiled at seeing the golden Pegasi in the video. “I think we should contact her and let her know we can use her help. Please, cousin?” The little filly gave Harmony her sad-eye look.

“Besides, I think she may have been that other pony the doctor who was treating me at the hospital was talking about. I never saw her, but hearing another pony was actually at that hospital was probably Golden Moon!” Little Horn wanted to reply to Golden Moon, but she waited to see what her cousin would say or do next.

Being the impatient filly she was, Little Horn wasted no time in using her magic to type out a response to Golden Moon:

Golden Moon,
I am Little Horn, cousin of Harmony Trebleheart. We received your message and my friends and I want to meet you. Can you come to my apartment? My cousin owns the complex and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Babs Seed, Duo, and Scootaloo are here with me. They are wanting to go to Iowa because Apple Bloom and Babs miss their family, as does Sweetie Belle and Duo. Scootaloo wants to go because Rainbow Dash performed her Sonic Rain Boom. Duo thinks it’s a sign that we are supposed to go. Can you help us?”

The message was sent, and the young filly waited for the response from the Pegasi.

"Sure, I'll be there. Just send me the address to the apartment number, and I should be there either in the afternoon or night. I'm a Magenta color Pegasus with golden yellow wings, wearing a purple colored skirt, and black hoodie with bunny ears. Reason why I'm wearing this was because I needed something to help me sneak around at night." Golden Moon replied.

Little Horn sent back a message to Golden Moon, explaining that the apartment number was Apartment A, and gave the address and mentioned the cafe. She offered to meet her at the cafe, and if Golden Moon wanted to consider stopping for something to eat, rather than at the apartment, that would be fine.
“I hope she will be able to help us. She sounds like a nice pony and she’s a Pegasus.” The young filly said to her friends and cousin.

Just then, Golden Moon replied back,

"Okay, sure let's go to meet at the cafe. Haven't eaten anything good in a while; plus it will be a good opportunity for us to know each other."

Little Horn showed the message to meet at the cafe to her cousin and to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Are you ponies hungry? Would you like to get something to eat at that cafe? That new pony, Golden Moon, will be there. We’d better bring some money along, since she says she hasn’t eaten in a while.”


Duo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo each nodded their heads vigorously.

Little Horn smiled as her friends wanted to go meet up with the new Pegasus. She turned the communications device to allow Golden Moon to see her friends.

“Golden Moon, these are my friends from Ponyville. This is Apple Bloom,” she said, pointing a hoof towards Apple Bloom, “Sweetie Belle,” she continued to introduce her friends to Golden Moon, “Scootaloo, Duo, and Babs Seed. Babs is a cousin of Apple Bloom’s. Of course, there’s my cousin Harmony, The Mayor, and Mr. Crankshaft. Yes, the Mayor of Ponyville’s been staying with us. We hope to get back home so she can get back to her job.”

“Hey,” Harmony gave a small wave.

Little Horn started to move the communications device to her cousin, “Here, Harmony, you can talk with Golden Moon and get her the directions to the cafe, while I make sure the Crusaders are ready to go. Do we have enough money for the dinner for all of us?”

“I sure hope so,” She murmured, glancing inside her purse, “If not, we hope they take credit cards.”

Little Horn yawned as she went to talk with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Babs Seed, Duo, Crankshaft,The Mayor, and Duo. “I think this may be the first time Ms. Robinson, the owner of the cafe, has seen a group of ponies trotting in for a meal. I’m not sure what kind of reaction we will get.”

“I think it’ll be the first time anyone’s seen a group of ponies trot into a cafe for a meal,” Harmony mused.

Little Horn indicated that Golden Moon was still on the communications device. “Uhm, Golden Moon needs directions to the cafe, Harmony. She’s a Pegasus, so she would be able to spot us from the sky.”

“You did give her the address, right?” Harmony quirked an eyebrow.

Little Horn nodded, “I sure did! She’ll meet us at the cafe and then she can explain how she ended up in our neighborhood. Somehow, she found an Internet connection and she responded to our video message.”

“There’s WiFi spots everywhere,” Harmony murmured, “She wouldn't have needed to look very hard for Internet.”


Little Horn went to the door to motion her cousin and friends to come with her to the cafe. “What are you waiting for? An invitation? Golden Moon is waiting for us at the cafe. C’mon!”

“Damn, she’s quick,” Harmony blinked, “She only got the address like, forty seconds ago.”

Little Horn and her group entered the cafe and saw the hooded figure with a blue tail sticking out of her skirt. Her green eyes surveyed the assembled fillies, colt, and adult ponies entering the cafe. The Pegasus had golden wings, a blue mane and tail, and her fur was magenta, just like she said in her message.

Golden Moon lowered her hoodie and greeted the group of ponies in the cafe, motioning them over to join her table. Her demeanor was of good cheer and friendliness as the ponies went to talk to her.

“Hi, Golden Moon? My name is Little Horn and this is my cousin, Harmony. We talked over the computer. These are my friends from my old school.” She looked over at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, inviting them to share with Golden Moon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all! My name is Golden Moon, and I'm very grateful that you replied to my message." She walked towards one of the chairs in the cafe and sat down. "You would not believe the trouble I had ended up while coming here."

“I can imagine,” Harmony mused, “So, what’s your story?”

"Well to make a long story short I was being chased by that weird doctor from the hospital. I don't know why she's after me, but if I seen a lot of movies involving aliens and stuff it would not turn out well. So I hid inside a university college hoping she wouldn't find me there. It worked for a while until the night I used the computer to send you that message. That's when she found me, turns out she worked there as a teacher during the night. So like a scared horse I bucked her by accident knocking her unconscious. During her unconsciousness I printed out the location that you send me, flew up into nearest cloud I could find, and headed towards the apartment/cafe."

Golden Moon started to shiver a bit from the ordeal of being chased for past few weeks. "S-so far that woman has been chasing me everywhere I go. I tried getting help from my friends, but they didn't want to be experimented on if the government found me living with them. I would of go to my parents for help but I can't due to....personal reasons, so I'm pretty much on my own."

Harmony remained quiet, a serious expression on her face as she pondered the mare’s tale. Little Horn felt a pang of empathy for the Pegasus. She went up to Golden Moon, sitting down between her and Harmony. “At least you are safe now. You aren't alone, Miss Golden Moon. My friends and family can help you.” The filly's blue eyes beheld an aura of kindness as she really wanted to give Golden Moon a hug.

Golden Moon smiled at the filly named Little Horn. "Thanks I really am grateful that I was able to find somepony that can help me." She sighed with relief. "But here's the thing I don't get? Why are they after ponies like us? I mean I been pretty much into hiding so I don't know anything that much."

Golden Moon smiled at the filly named Little Horn. "Thanks I really am grateful that I was able to find somepony that can help me." She sighed with relief. "But here's the thing I don't get? Why are they after ponies like us? I mean I been pretty much into hiding so I don't know anything that much."

Little Horn looked over at her cousin and then back at Golden Moon. “I do not know why they would be after us. But, my friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Duo had an unfortunate run-in with some animal control agents a while back. Let’s just say my cousin can be very persuasive when it comes to dealing with inconsiderate ponies or people.” She smiled at her cousin in a loving manner.

“Not that it’s a skill I want to make a habit of using…” Harmony murmured sheepishly.

Little Horn chuckled and gave her cousin’s foreleg a hug in a loving manner, “It’s okay, Harmony. You and the Mayor saved my friends!” She looked towards Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, and smiled at them. “I think that deserves a good meal. What do you say, ponies?”

"As long as it isn't meat," Golden Moon said sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I tricked a high school student into giving me his burger once, and let's just say I was sick for at least a day or two."

Little Horn nodded empathically, “It’s okay, Golden Moon! The cafe here serves vegetarian options. The owner is aware of Harmony and me becoming ponies, so just head up to the counter when you are ready. Just want to make sure we have enough money for all of us here first.” The tan filly looked over at her cousin to make sure it was okay to place their orders.

Harmony glanced across at the others. “Fruit Salad all around, I’m guessing? Anyone up for drinks?”

Duo and the Crusaders each smiled as they nodded their heads. "Apple juice!" They all said in unison.


“Oh me?” Golden Moon thought about what to get, after a few seconds she spoke out what she wanted to drink. “Um can I have a glass of orange juice please?”


Harmony quickly tallied up everyone’s order. She then stood up straight and made for the counter. “Alright then. Sit tight, and I’ll be back in a few minutes with our food.”


Little Horn looked over at her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders. “My friends started a club back in Ponyville called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Golden Moon. You’ve probably heard of it?” She asked Golden Moon, attempting to invite her friends to join in on the conversation before Harmony brought their food and drink orders to their table.

“A little bit yes, but not so much sorry.” Golden Moon said rubbing the back part of her head in embarrassment. “Hard to keep up to date with certain events when you’re being chased by a crazy scientist.”

Little Horn nodded in sympathy for Golden Moon, “Well, The Cutie Mark Crusaders are represented here by my friends Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Babs Seed, Apple Bloom’s cousin, became the fourth member, and Duo and I became the fifth and sixth official members, respectfully. You have a Cutie Mark, Golden Moon?”

“Hold on, let me check.” Golden Moon looked at her flank to see if she had a cutie mark. To her surprise she didn’t have a Cutie Mark. “It seems that I don’t have one yet; that’s odd, you think I would get one with all the running and sneaking around I been doing, huh?”

Little Horn smiled and looked at her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders, “I think we should invite Golden Moon to be part of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. What do you think, Apple Bloom?”


“Ah think she would be a perfect candidate at becoming a new member!” Apple Bloom said with a smile.


Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both nodded their heads in agreement before Scootaloo spoke up. “Although, she would also be the only Crusader that is not a little filly like us. Then again, we do not discriminate here!”


Sweetie Belle then spoke up next. “Everypony should have a chance to get their cutie mark, and we are here to help!”


Babs Seed nodded in agreement with her cousin and friends, “Yeah, what mah cousin and friends said. Welcome to the Crusadah’s, Golden Moon!”


Duo remained silent, but nodded his head nonetheless in agreement.


“So does that mean I can join?” Asked Golden Moon.


Little Horn answered, “Of course, Golden Moon! That’s what the Cutie Mark Crusaders were created for; to help anypony who wants to earn their cutie marks. Maybe your special talent is flying, since you are a Pegasus?” She suggested.