//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: The Waiting Game 
// Story: A Series of Semi-Fortunate Events 
// by gingersassy 
//------------------------------//

A Series of Semi-Fortunate Events
Chapter 2

Applebloom stirs, waking from the potion induced slumber, with Celestia’s sun looming close to the zenith of its arc. Looking around, she notices she’s no longer in Zecora’s hut, but rather in somepony’s bedroom, some rich pony’s bedroom. Was this Diamond Tiara’s place? No, it couldn’t be she’d been there once before and this is not what it looked like. 
“I see you’ve awoken Applebloom.” Princess Celestia speaks warmly. “I’m sure you’re surprised to see me, and be here in my bedroom.” To that, the little filly nods her head. “Well to tell you the truth, if you’d take a look in the mirror, you might figure it out yourself.”
Still in shock over the fact that she was in Canterlot castle, Celestia’s bedroom no less, she obediently walks over to the mirror that Celestia had pointed a hoof to, only to be confused as to what she saw. Then a sudden look of realization hits her as she snaps out of this funk. “It worked!” she exclaims. “I’m an alicorn!”
“What, exactly worked, may I ask? How did you do this?” The princess asks, her voice cooling, but not quite cold.
“Well this potion recipe said that any extra ingredients would make the transformation spell fail, but I thought, what if one ingredient acted as two of the things needed. So I used an apple as both the fruit needed, and as the thing that represents who I am. That way I could have both a pegasus feather and horn shavings. Although I’m still not sure why a pony couldn’t just make the potion twice once getting one aspect, and again getting the other.”
“That is because the second potion would simply replace the aspect of the first.” Applebloom nods in realization. “But quickly, could you tell me where to find your parents, I know of Sweetie Belle’s parents and the Ponyville orphanage for Scootaloo, but I couldn’t find anything on your parents.” Celestia quells a magical fire that popped up on Scootaloo’s blanket, as if she was used to this happening.
“My parents died before I ever got to really know them, I kinda sorta remember my Ma in a hospital bed, singing to me, but that’s about it. After she died my big brother adopted me so I could stay at home. He said he wanted to adopt Scootaloo too now ever since he went to the orphanage to drop her off, but wouldn’t tell me why. Anyway, he has a date with Bulk Biceps at noon today at the café.”
“I’m going to let them know that you’ll be staying with me, or somepony else for a while. I’ll go to the orphanage first, to give your brother a little time on his date.”
“Wait, we’re staying here?” 
“Yes.” Celestia says coldly, losing any hint of the warmth her voice once held, and disappears in a flash.
“Tia, you called for me?” Luna calls, entering the room with unnervingly Pinkie Pie like timing.
“Princess Luna!” Applebloom squeals, wondering if she was just as fun at times other than nightmare night.
“Apple… bloom?” Luna starts smilingly, then continues questioningly. Just realizing the little filly standing in front of her is an alicorn.
“Oh, heh, yea, I keep forgetting myself, I figured out how to turn myself into an alicorn with a potion. And now Celestia says I gotta stay here, although she didn’t have to say it so mean.” All of a sudden Luna sees magical fire, and immediately puts it out with a spell. “Oh yea, and Scootaloo keeps catching fire.”
“Perhaps we should wake them, no offence, but why Tia would dump you guys on me without even telling me is beyond me.”
“None taken.” At that, Luna and Applebloom wake the other two fillies, and for a while they all admired the newly acquired cutie marks. Applebloom’s looked just like Twilight Sparkle’s with a zebra striped mortar and pestle over top of it. Sweetie Belle’s was just like Shining Armor’s save the image of a spring on top of it, and Scootaloo’s looked just like Celestia’s with a phoenix burning in magic fire on top of it. 
They had all agreed that Applebloom’s cutie mark had to do with magic potions, if not magic in general as well, now that she had a horn. Sweetie Belle’s took a little while, but they discovered that she could cast flexible and ‘springy’ shields that not only rivaled the effectiveness of Shining Armor’s Luna claimed, but were also quite fun (if not a bit dangerous) if cast parallel to the ground, yet she still couldn’t manage the simple levitation spell. It took them some time, however, to divine what Scootaloo’s special talent was other than catching on fire and not being burned by any fire, which they figured was useful in its own right, she’d make a great firepony that way. They only found out when Scootaloo expressed her wish to finally be able to fly. Her wings were just as big as Bulk Biceps’ and she was smaller, how come he could fly and she couldn’t? After saying this, she stretched her wings out and it became very apparent, very quickly. Suddenly, wings of green magic fire spread from her wingtips, and made wings that were just about the size of most adult pegusi’s, and they let her fly. She starts for an open window and Luna grabs her in her magic and pulls her back.
“I think Tia wanted you all here so nopony would find out about you, so it would probably be best you not do anything to be seen by the public, we don’t want people freaking out about seeing a pegasus with fire for wings, now would we?”
“No.” Scootaloo moaned.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the first precaution of Tia’s that I’ve actually agreed with in over a thousand years.”
Before anypony could point out that most of those years were spent on the moon away from her sister, there was a flash of light and Celestia reappears, her mane seemingly (and apparently literally) on fire instead of its normal luster. Noticing everypony was awake, she states, as calmly as she can, “Scootaloo, the administrators at the orphanage have been, dealt with, I heard that Big Mac would like to adopt you, but couldn’t due to legal red tape. I am bypassing that red tape, so as soon as we get the paperwork done, you are his. Furthermore, I will be sending you three to the Crystal Empire in order to practice your abilities until you are deemed in enough control to not destroy everything you come in contact with. I will also have my little cousin Léon, another alicorn, join you. Shining armor will instruct Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Léon in magic, and I will be having Flash Sentry teach basic flight to Scootaloo, Applebloom, and Léon. Princess Cadance will instruct Applebloom and Léon on public relations, then on controlling both flight and magic once you’ve been through the basics.”
The foursome is left speechless at this sudden inundation of information, but they aren’t lost by it. They then nod, and the (former) cutie mark crusaders find themselves in the middle of a grand hall, with magically sealed and darkened windows, and three adult ponies, and one colt. The colt and mare among them were both alicorns, and one stallion was a pegasus, while the other was a unicorn. “Welcome to the Crystal Empire, my little ponies, Auntie Celestia has told us about the day’s events, however, with the looks on your faces, maybe we should do supper first.” Cadance smiles, seeing how lit up the three little fillies’ eyes got, leading them to a surprisingly unstaffed kitchen. Cadance lights her horn, and there before them was a feast fit for a hundred stallions. “Dig in.”