//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: Cutie Mark Crusader Sleepover at Rumble's House Yay! // Story: Time Lord: The Story of North Star // by Thrawn1800 //------------------------------// Chapter 16 I wiped the sweat from my forehead, smiling as I looked up at my work. I’d taken care of seven trees so far, and felt like I could do another four or five before the workday was over. Apple laden barrels were stacked on the wagon that I'd parked nearby. I swept my midnight blue mane back with a hoof, then went on to the next tree. I put barrels around the base of the trunk, except where I saw the apples were thinnest. This is where I turned my back to the tree, then bracing my front legs against the ground, bucked it. Apples rained down from the branches, landing in the barrels with a clamour of satisfying thuds. After checking that all of the apples had been removed from the tree, I started loading the now full barrels onto the wagon. Determining that I wouldn’t be able to move it if I added any more fruit, I hitched myself to the front, and started pulling it back to the barn. When I’d first started working there, I hadn’t quite been able to move it on my own, needing Applejack’s help to get it moving. But now, I could move a full wagon with ease. Coming to a stop in front of the red double doors of the storage barn, I unhitched and started unloading. When I was about halfway done, I heard hooves on the dirt track, coming from my left. I looked up from my work, and saw Applejack trotting towards me from the direction of the front gate. “Hey A.J.” I said, once she was close enough to hear. “What’s up?” “The girls have a sleepover tonight.” she said. “But ya see, ah forgot that ah’d already arranged fer me’n some friends ta do the same.” “I see. But why’re you telling me this?” “Could ya take the girls tonight? Ah’d really appreciate it.” “What about Pinkie, or maybe Fluttershy?” “Pinkie’s watching the Cake twins, and Fluttershy’s taking care of Harry the Bear. He’s sick.” I nodded. “I’m fine with it, but I’ll need to ask Thunderlane.” I turned back to the barrels, reaching for the next one. “I’ll ask when I get home.” “Ya can go’n ask now if ya want. Ah’ll finish up here.” “I can finish unloading.” I carried the barrel into the barn, and set it down next to the others I’d already unloaded. She shrugged, and left. After I’d finished up the work I’d already started, I put the wagon back in its place next to the barn, picked up the plain saddlebags Big Mac had given me, then started for Thunderlane’s house. Being late summer, the sun’s harsh rays beat down on my back. Even with my white fur, I could feel my skin heating up. But thankfully, the dirt path was dappled with shade from trees that were planted irregularly along the edge. After I’d passed the school, which was closed for the summer, I turned right and crossed over Ponyville’s west stream. The clear water flowed along, the grassy banks kept far greener than the neighboring fields by its presence. Cattails waved in a light breeze that had begun to move among them, and also caught up my tail and tossed it playfully. The rustling of plants and gentle rippling of the water was very relaxing. When I got to Ponyville, the market was still in full swing. Merchants and shoppers were haggling over the price of goods; which ranged from the apples on the Apple Family’s cart, to the zucchinis sold by a neighboring farm. All of this formed into a mildly loud babble of mixed voices. I nodded to Big Mac, who was standing next to the apple cart. He nodded back, and I continued onward. When I got home, I reached into my saddlebags and pulled out my key. But before I had the opportunity to use it, the door was opened from inside. I quickly put the key back, knowing what to expect next. Rumble came streaking out of the living room, blasted by Thunderlane, and tackled me to the ground. “Hey buddy!” I said, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Hey!” he said excitedly. “You’re back early!” “Sure am!” I stood, picking him up with one foreleg and plopping him down onto my back. He stood there, beaming at me. “Hi.” said Thunderlane, coming outside and closing the door behind him. “Hi.” I said, giving him a quick one-legged hug. “Listen, the reason I’m back so early-” I explained the situation with the girls to him, and he nodded. “Sure, it’ll be fun.” Rumble hopped down from my back, and Thunderlane looked down at him. “You okay with that, buddy?” Rumble nodded, still smiling happily. “In that case, you need to go and clean up your toys, okay?” “Okay.” Rumble trotted inside, closing the door after himself. Thunderlane watched him go, then turned back to me. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked. “They’re going to get a bit rowdy.” “I’ll be fine.” I kissed him softly on the cheek, then smiled. “I’ll be back soon.” He smiled “Bye.” I left, and he went inside. I trekked back through Ponyville, across the bridge, down the dirt path past the school, and turned right at the gates to Sweet Apple Acres. I found Applejack in the orchards, bucking a tree. I stood back until she’d unleashed her hooves upon it, then approached. “So?” she asked. “It’s fine.” I said, and she looked relieved. “Thanks sugarcube. Ah’d really hate ta have ta disappoint them.” She started loading the barrels. “Ya c’n even take’m now if ya want to.” I nodded “So, where are they?” “They’re in their clubhouse, over yonder.” she pointed through the trees. “If ya just turn right once ya reach Clarabella, then go between Jonathan and Maybelle-" “I know how to get there.” I said quickly, cutting her off. I still thought it was weird that she named the trees like this. “Thanks though.” “Yer welcome.” I went the way she’d started to describe. I arrived in a clearing, nestled near the middle of the section of the farm that wasn’t made up of apple trees. A wooden clubhouse with a reddish colored roof sat in the branches of the tree that stood on the far end. From inside, which I could hear the voices of Ponyville's resident Cutie Mark Crusaders. “Girls?” I called up, and they stopped talking. They poked their heads out through an open window, looking down at me. “Yeah?” called Scootaloo. “Can I come up?” “Sure.” said Sweetie Belle. I climbed up the ramp, and opened the door. Stepping inside, I smiled at the girls. “Hey guys.” I said. “How’s it going?” “Alright.” said Applebloom. “Ah just wish we could still have our sleepover.” “Who says you can’t?” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow questioningly. “What do you mean?” “Well…” I said, the corner of my mouth lifting slightly. “You could have it at Rumble’s house.” “Now there’s an idea!” said Applebloom excitedly. “Let’s go’n ask Applejack if we can!” “No need. She’s already given it the okay, and I’ve talked to Thunderlane about it.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders squealed in delight, jumping up and down. “Now, do you guys want to go now? You’ll have more time outside if we do.” They gave their enthusiastic assent, and ran over to the saddlebags that were stacked against the clubhouse wall. I offered to carry their stuff, but they politely refused. Back at Thunderlane’s house, the girls and Rumble made their enthusiastic greetings, while Thunderlane and I looked on bemusedly. Rumble proposed the idea of going to the park, and the trio of fillies agreed. All four of them turned to look at us, all wearing wide grins. “Come on.” I said, bumping my shoulder against Thunderlane’s. “It’ll be fun.” We walked through Ponyville, past Hay and Clover, to the park I’d visited with Thunderlane ages ago. The girls and Rumble ran forward, headed straight for the play-area. I watched them go at it for a moment, then smiled and ran after them. It felt great to be able to relax after a long day. And even if they had a lot of energy to burn, I still had enough myself to keep up with them. “Hey, guys?” I said, when we’d reached the swinging phase. “Do you want to play a game I came up with?” “What is it?” asked Scootaloo. “I’ll need you all to get off the swings.” They looked at me questioningly, but complied. I walked to the other end, then as I came back I set the empty swings going on their own. “You have to get through to the other end without letting any of them touching you.” I explained on the way. “Awesome!” said Scootaloo. “It’s just like the trap Daring Do has to get past in… in…” “Book 6.” “Exactly!” “Who wants to go first?” I asked. Rumble hopped up and down, his foreleg raised high in the air. “Me!” he shouted. He ran to the close end of the swings, watching them go back and forth for a moment before running forward. He made it to the first set of supports, then repeated the process. He made it to the end, narrowly avoiding the second to last swing. “Me next!” said Sweetie Belle, after I’d gotten the swings going again. She took more time than Rumble, but she successfully avoided the swings. Applebloom’s attempt was a close call, as she narrowly avoided several swings. She wasn’t as agile as Rumble, or as careful as Sweetie Belle, but she made to do a clean run. Scootaloo just about zipped right through, using her small wings to give herself some extra speed at the last segment. “Yeah!” Scootaloo whooped. “That’s an awesome game North!” “Your turn!” said Rumble, racing down the swingset and preparing them. I went to the starting place, and observed the line of rapidly moving swings. I hesitated a moment, then stepped forward. I didn’t pause once, moving fluidly past every swing without stopping. And it was only when I reached the end that I realized I’d had my eyes closed. I opened them, and saw the four of them all staring at me with their mouths open. “That was-” started Applebloom. “Amazing!” Scootaloo shouted. “How’d you do that?!” I shrugged, then waved at the swingset. “You go ahead and play, okay?” With innocence born of their age, they shrugged off the strangeness of what I’d just done and started playing the game by themselves. I sat down on a bench next to Thunderlane. He was watching me, with an eyebrow raised. How did you do that?” he asked. “I really don’t know.” I said. “Luck?” He shrugged, and extended a wing across my shoulders. We talked about unimportant things for a while, also keeping an eye on the playing fillies and colt. I felt happy and comfortable, even if I still felt a bit confused by what had happened with the swings. At one point, I pulled out the sonic and did a silent scan of the area. Nothing unusual was picked up, so I stowed it back into my collar. “You think we should take them back home?” asked Thunderlane, looking up at the sky. “It’s getting a bit late.” “Yeah.” We slid off of the bench, and called them over. When Thunderlane announced it was time to go, there was a bit of disappointment. But with the stipulation that there was fun and cutie mark crusading to be found indoors, they came happily enough. At home, Thunderlane went to the kitchen, while I watched them. They asked if they could play a game, so I fetched one from the hall closet. When I got back, the CMC were whispering among themselves, while Rumble watched them curiously. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Oh, nothin’.” said Applebloom. “Just chattin’.” “Sure.” I put the game on the table, then went to find Thunderlane. “What should we make?” he asked, looking around the kitchen. “I have an idea.” I said, after thinking for a moment. He and I got to work, occasionally peeking into the living room to make sure everything was okay. The CMC were pretty self-sufficient, and Rumble’s semi-destructive tendencies were suppressed by the exercise he’d gotten at the park. “Dinner!” Thunderlane called, after we’d finished. They came racing in, sitting down promptly at the table. After dinner, baths were taken care of. Rumble went quietly, which was surprising. But neither Thunderlane nor I complained. After the young ponies were done, Thunderlane and I took our turn. I still felt a little embarrassed about needing help in the shower, but I felt more comfortable with Thunderlane than I would’ve anypony else. When we came down, I reflexively forced Thunderlane to duck. Something white and rectangular flew over our heads, hitting the hallway wall with a soft thud. “What the?” he said, looking over at the projectile. A pillow lay against the wall, looking completely innocent. So where was the launcher of the weapon? I peeked around the corner, then drew back as another flew past. “We need ammunition.” I whispered to Thunderlane. “Who’re the teams!” I said loudly, this time directing my words at the occupants of the living room. “Us versus you!” Applebloom yelled back. “Thanks!” I ran quickly over to the two pillows that had hit the wall, then back to the base of the stairs. Another pillow came my way, but I managed to dodge it. “Now what?” asked Thunderlane, frowning as I handed him a pillow. “What’re you asking me for? Get’em!” We charged around the corner, throwing our pillows and taking cover from the incoming projectiles. By the end of the pillow fight, everyone laid on the ground, panting but smiling. It’d been fun, and remarkably similar to the snowball fight with Caramel the previous winter. I rolled onto my front, grinning over at Thunderlane. He grinned back, and I made myself stand. I walked over to him, stepping over the pillows strewn across the floor. I leaned down and nuzzled his forehead, looking him in the eye. “Do you two want us ta leave you alone?” I looked over at Applebloom, who was giving us an exaggerated smile. Rumble and Sweetie Belle wore similar expressions, and Scootaloo seemed completely uninterested in the whole thing. I straightened up, and helped Thunderlane stand. “Now what?” asked Rumble. “Now,” said Scootaloo, “We have a question for North.” I raised my eyebrow, and Sweetie Belle cleared her throat. “We asked you if you wanted to be a Cutie Mark Crusader months and months ago, but you still haven’t given us an answer.” “Oh.” I faintly remembered them putting the question to me in Sugarcube Corner, on the same day as the snowball fight. “Well, sure, I guess.” “Great.” said Applebloom. “Then we’ll take care of the induction ceremony tomorrow, at the clubhouse.” “What about me?” asked Rumble. “I wanna be a Cutie Mark Crusader too!” “Sorry Rumble.” said Scootaloo. “But the Cutie Mark Crusaders is really just for girls.” “No it’s not.” I said. “I’ve read the charter-” “Only part of it.” said Sweetie Belle. “The induction section is classified, so we couldn’t let you see it.” “But North’s a stallion!” said Rumble, pointing out the flaw in this arguement. “He’s a guy!” “Yeah.” said Applebloom. “But he’s technically the mare in his relationship with Thunderlane.” “What?!” said Thunderlane and I together. “Well, you are!” said Applebloom defensively. “Rumble told us you are!” I looked over at Rumble, feeling a little hurt and very confused. “Aren’t you?” said Rumble. “I mean… I-I just thought…” His sentence faded into silence, and everypony was quiet. My thoughts were confused and conflicted, and I was upset that any of them thought that way about me. My partnership with Thunderlane was equal, wasn’t it? That was what we’d agreed, he and I. I forced myself to break the silence, speaking softly and without looking at anypony. “Maybe… maybe we should go to bed now. It’s late.” Everypony nodded. Rumble went upstairs, and Thunderlane took the girls to the spare bedroom. Alone, I went to the bedroom I shared with Thunderlane. I sat down on the bed, then slid down onto my front. I covered my nose with a foreleg, tucking the other against my chest. I nuzzled into the soft top blanket, squeezing my eyes shut. When Thunderlane came back, he quietly laid down next to me. He nuzzled my shoulder, but I just burrowed my muzzle deeper into the blanket. He laid his head next to mine, snuggling up against me. He pressed his nose into my neck, taking a deep breath. “What’s wrong?” he whispered. “I know they must have hurt you when they said… that. But remember North, they’re just little fillies. They don’t really understand what they said.” I sniffled. “I know.” “You’re my stallion.” Thunderlane said, hugged me. “The only stallion for me. And I could never think of you in any other way.” I uncovered my nose, and returned the hug. I felt better, but doubt lingered in the back of my mind. We fell asleep there, heads towards the footboard of the bed, uncovered save for our entangled limbs and Thunderlanes dark feathery wings. ___________________________________________ The next morning, I took the girls back to Sweet Apple Acres. The trip was silent, none of us talking. When we got there, though, Applebloom looked up at me, the other two standing behind her. “Ah’m sorry if we said somethin’ that hurt yer feelings.” she said. “Really.” added Scootaloo. “It’s okay.” I said. I managed a small smile. “Just try not to say stuff if you’re not sure what it really means.” They nodded, then Sweetie Belle motioned for the three of them to huddle. I watched them talking quietly, and was about to go and start my work, when they separated and looked back at me. “We’ve agreed,” said Applebloom, sounding more official than usual, “that our club could use a few rule changes.” “Do you still want to be a Crusader?” asked Scootaloo. I looked between them, then nodded. “But you’ve got to let Rumble join too.” After another, if shorter, huddle, they agreed to my condition. “Then let’s go make it official!” said Sweetie Belle. “To the clubhouse!” They led me through the orchards to the clubhouse. Once there, Scootaloo had me take a modified version of the Cutie Mark Crusader oath. Once she’d finished the extremely long list, much to the other two’s displeasure, they handed me a red cape which Sweetie Belle had embroidered with the club’s symbol. They wanted to celebrate, but I insisted that I needed to go and start on my day’s work. I left them, planning another escapade. I promised that if I had the time, I’d join them later.When I got back to the barn, I found out Big Mac had gotten started before I’d arrived, and Applejack was taking her turn in town, selling apples in the marketplace. I picked up where I’d left off the previous afternoon. Putting the barrels under trees, bucking them, and stacking full barrels onto the wagon. Bringing the full wagon back to the barn, unloading, then starting the whole process over again.