Standard Disclaimer: I do not own MLP, nor am I in any way affiliated with the author of the story this fic is based upon.

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Chapter Fifteen

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It all started so innocently. Scootaloo had discovered that while she could not truly fly, her wings did give her enough lift for some impressive leaps. All she had to do was flap hard on the upswing to gain air, then slower on the downswing to slow her descent. Thus far, the filly's personal bests were twenty two hooves straight up, and thirty horizontally.

This discovery led, probably inevitably considering that this is Scootaloo we're talking about, to the idea of getting a cutie mark in rooftop parkour. And so this is where we find her; racing across town by roof, leaping and flapping from building to building. At first Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had been following Scoot's progress from the ground, but they quickly fell behind.

Scootaloo herself wasn't particularly concerned. They would surely catch up when she stopped to rest and check her flank. Headlong the pegasus rushed, barely making an exceptionally long jump over a wide main street and up a floor as well. Landing on the taller building, she caught sight of her goal: the town library. It was just another block away now. Determined to finish the course in spite of how tired her legs and wings were getting, she pushed herself forward, reaching the giant tree in another two minutes.

Once there, she stopped, breathing hard, and jumped down to the ground. "I wonder if Miss Twilight can spare a glass of water." She wondered, and headed around the tree trunk towards the front door.

As she was passing a window, Scootaloo heard voices from inside. Some of them she didn't recognize, so she stood on her hind legs and peered in. Rainbow Dash was there, along with Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike. And, three beings unlike any the orange filly had ever seen.

They were talking, mostly about things Scoots didn't understand. Then, the door opened and two more of the beings came in. These were laughing about something. "Dad? What's so funny?" Rainbow asked.

"'Dad?'" Scootaloo thought to herself. "I know for a fact that Rainbow Dash is an orphan like me... And even if she weren't, her father would have to be a pony..." The filly gasped. "These things are brainwashing the adults! Probably part of an alien invasion plan!"

She considered running to find her friends, but decided instead to listen in a bit longer. Intelligence is important in a war after all. And so Scootaloo tuned back in and listened as the two new arrivals explained what they were laughing about. And when she heard, she forgot all about her fears of aliens, focusing instead on what she had just found out.

Motion in her peripheral vision caught Scootaloo's attention. She looked to see Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom arriving. Running to them, Scootaloo said "You won't believe what I just heard..."

It all started so innocently. Wanting some time to themselves, Brian and Miri had gotten directions to Whitetail Woods and gone for a long, quiet walk. "If you wanna be alone," Spike had said, "Whitetail is the place to go. No ponies there this time of day, even though it's Saturday."

And so off they had went, for a romantic stroll in the woods. It was quickly apparent the Spike had been right. Few ponies spent their days in the woods, and so the couple were undisturbed as they walked hand in hand, talking of this and that. But after a time, they had heard a pair of voices. Curious, they followed the sounds to their source...

Everyone in the library was taken by surprise when the door opened to admit Brian and Miri, both laughing their butts off. "Dad? What's so funny?" Rainbow asked.

Brian started to answer, but ended up just laughing again. Miri stared, eyes wide, and could only say "Oh. My. God!" Before bursting into laughter again as well.

It took several more minutes before the two could calm down enough to explain. "We need to tell them Bri." Miri said once she was able to speak clearly.

Brian nodded. "Yeah... Okay... Rarity, you know the two bullies that are always picking on your sister and her friends?"

"We ran across them out in the woods," Brian began, "and, well... How can I put this...? What is it that they make fun of the girls for?"

"Anything and everything." Rarity answered, "Though I assume you are going for the fact that they don't yet have their cutie marks."

"Guess who doesn't really have theirs yet either..." Miri said in a sing-song voice.

"Fakes." Brian said. "That's what we saw them doing out in the woods... They were standing side by side, facing opposite directions, applying some kind of decals to each other."

Rarity was angry now. "Of all the... And after all the torment they've put the girls through..." As she spoke, no one noticed an orange and purple shadow move away from one of the windows.

Fluttershy said "After everything those two have put them through, they deserve to know. But..."

From outside, came the sound of two familiar voices loudly exclaiming "THEIR WHAT'S ARE WHAT!?!?"

From outside, three voices: "Cutie Mark Crusaders! Fakey Mark Vengeance Squad! Yeaaa!"

"Yeah, c'mon everypony, we've got to stop them before this gets too far out of hoof!" Rainbow said, and raced out the door. Everyone, pony and human alike, followed, though Thomas and Sara came last.

"Hey wait! What's the big rush?" Thomas asked. "I mean they're just kids, how bad can it be?"

Rarity stopped long enough to look back to him and say "Thomas dear, I don't know if it's actually possible for mere mortals to bring on the apocalypse. But if it is, then rest assured that those three fillies will be the ones who do it." She turned and ran to catch up with the others...

It all started so innocently. General Carver hadn't been lying when he told Pinkie that while he needed answers he didn't want to be her enemy. Quite to the opposite, if peaceful contact was possible, he wanted it. He'd end up a famous man after all. But he still had to be certain that she wasn't a threat. Protecting the nation was his job after all. And so he had tried to do his job fairly. And ended up with a bizarre, reality breaking, base-carl counting entity running free in his facility.

Even worse, the being had run off with a broken, disconnected, useless telephone. And somehow managed to make a call with it anyway. Carver looked over the report in his hands again. The base switchboard had logged a call, unmistakably I.D.ed as coming from the specific phone used in the intended trap. No log of a location, of course. The call had somehow been placed without even plugging the damned thing in, though that did raise the question of how and why the call had been routed through the base systems.

The General had almost laughed when he read the fifth line. The entity had dialed a number in the non-existent five five five exchange. Then he scowled again on reading line six. The call had been answered. By who or what they didn't know. There had been no record of the audio.

So it was that Carver was musing over these facts when a young guard walked up and saluted. "General Carver sir? You're needed at the containment chamber."

"Not exactly General. It seems to have surrendered itself, but... Well sir, you need to see this for yourself."

Carver rubbed his forehead. What headaches were coming now? Oh well. He motioned for Helms. "Let's see what it's up to this time Agent."

Five minutes later, Carver and Helms peered through the observation window, into the containment chamber. The entity was indeed there. Along with balloons, cakes, a full bowl of punch, and a large banner that read 'Congratulations Davie!!!!!' The two men looked in, at each other, back in, back at each other again.

As they entered the room, Pinkie blew a party favor, then spit it out. "Hi Davie! I was afraid you were gonna be late for your own party!"

"Why are you doing this?" Carver asked. "I mean, I'm not really convinced that you are giving yourself up. But if you are, why now? Why give up on escaping now?"

Pinkie looked confused for a moment, then smiled and said "Oh, I was never actually trying to escape Silly Willy!"

"I told you... I just wanted my one phone call. And anyway, the script clearly says I don't get out of here until after... Oh, that's a spoiler. Can't say it. But my point is, you were gonna get me, so I thought, 'why not make it easy on all of us?' So here I am! Let's party!"

Carver and Helms looked at each other warily, then back to Pinkie. "You are so strange." The agent said.

Pinkie smiled widely and said "I prefer 'random.' But strange works too." Neither man knew what to say to that...

It all started so innocently. The combination of a filly's quest for her cutie mark and a human couple's desire for a quiet, romantic walk in the woods had led to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' discovery of the hidden truth that their bullies were also blank flanks. And they were out for revenge.

Three ponies, five humans, and a dragon burst out of the library, intent on stopping the fillies before they could wreak havoc. But the little ones were much quicker than anyone had given them credit for being; there was no sign of them.

Fluttershy whispered "I don't think so. They're after the two bullies, they'd go where they can find them."

They broke up into three groups. Rainbow, along with Brian and Miri headed for the Rich estate. "How bad is this likely to get with Diamond's father?" Brian asked.

Rainbow Dash answered "Hard to say. Filthy Rich is usually a pretty decent guy, for somepony so wealthy. On the other hoof, he does get that 'bear and it's cubs' vibe when it comes to his daughter."

"I can't believe no one saw this sooner." Rainbow Dash said, "I mean think about it... What are our cutie marks for? What do they stand for?"

"Right, so...?" Brian still wasn't following where his daughter was going with this discussion.

"Yeah. I feel like a dope for not seeing it sooner. Though, nopony else did either..."

Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara was holding a pool party for herself, Silver Spoon, and three of their wealthy friends from Canterlot; One Percent, Capital Gains, and Pyramid Scheme. They were interrupted by a shout and the sight of three grappling hooks (don't ask where the girls got them, you don't want to know), being thrown over the brick privacy wall.

"What the buck are you blank flank trash doing here!?" Tiara demanded as the Crusaders climbed into view atop the fence and jumped to the ground.

Scootaloo smirked. "Y'know D.T., it's funny you mention the blank flank thing. 'Cause it's kinda why we're here. "

"Just this. Girls, now." Acting in concert, each of the Crusaders produced a bucket. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom threw the contents of their buckets on Diamond Tiara, one on each side, while Sweetie Belle dumped hers on Silver Spoon's back, letting it pour down both sides.

"W... What!? But why..." Tiara's eyes went wide with understanding."NO!!! Nonononoo..." The fake marks began to melt away.

The Crusaders stood by, smirking as Tiara's rich Canterlot friends began to laugh. But as the Canterlot ponies left, mocking Tiara and Silver Spoon, as Tiara lay on the ground, crying, the smirks faded. Then turned to frowns.

And so we end this chapter of our story, with two fillies crying, and three feeling guilty. It all started so innocently...

Dashie: Twenty Percent Cooler

by Kieva Lynn

Fifteen