//------------------------------//
// Those Kids (CMC) 
// Story: Garry's Mod Vs. Equestria: ASDFMovie is Awesome! 
// by Fussan 
//------------------------------//

	The orchard was beautiful in the late afternoon sun, its radiance and serenity painting a picture of peace, quiet, and Summer relaxation. The sun was hanging in the sky lazily, the clouds drifted by without a care in the world, the light breeze that rustled the leaves and made the branches sway cooled the air in the most pleasant of ways. It was a beautiful day in Ponyville, or, more specifically, the outskirts near the Everfree forest. Yes, the Everfree forest of legend; the very same one that housed beasts aplenty and countless ancient mysteries that lay waiting, still undiscovered. This is were the new and improved Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse was located, and also where we will be focusing for now.
The clubhouse, still located in a tree, but now far larger and far more "awesome", as a certain young pegasus would call it. It required no less than six trees to hold it up, as well as a large central pillar with its own foundation for extra support. The clubhouse--more like a country club now--is larger than most of the homes in Ponyville, and was far more impressive than any. Even that brat Diamond Tiara's home. Large bay windows, dark cherry doors with engravings, walls painted in the highest quality paint, carpeting as soft as the wind, all this and more, and all with seven floors and a grand total of twenty eight rooms.
Normally they wouldn't be able to afford anything even close to this in their wildest dreams, but when the ponies from the bank showed up and told Apple Bloom that her and her friends had thousands of bits in their name, and because she worked on the farm and Sweetie Belle helped out in the Boutique and Scootaloo sometimes went out with Rainbow Dash to deal with the clouds, they would start to get an allowance. Of course, the first thing they did was go to Sugar Cube Corner and eat sweets until they were sick, but after that they began to use their money wisely. Scootaloo started flying lessons in the Wonderbolt's Young Fliers Academy, Sweetie Belle started looking into her own business opportunities in fashion and all things fabulous, and Apple Bloom was thinking of starting up her own business, or maybe another farm in the Apple family name. They had more money than they knew what to do with, and at the current rate they were receiving it, they would be rich well into their life.
But that's the future, and this is the now. And in the now, the three friends decided they wanted the coolest clubhouse Equestria had ever seen. And considering the hot tub and the pool table, they definitely had it. And it was in this hot tub, next to the pool table that the three friends relaxed. The hot water and bubbles made them feel like they were the princesses of the world.
Scootaloo took a long sip from her fruity beverage, swirling the tiny umbrella and sighing happily. "Yep, this is the life."
Apple Bloom nodded, also taking a sip from her fruity beverage with a tiny umbrella and sighing happily. "Yep, this is the life."
Sweetie Belle gulped down her drink--the fourth one she's had--and nodded woozily. "Eeeeyyup! Zzis is da lyife!" she slurred, nearly slipping from the railing and falling completely into the bubbling water.
Both of her friends gave her annoyed looks. "Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo moaned. "How many times have we told you not to go so hard on the sugar?"
Sweetie Belle giggled and blushed. "Hmmmm... Dis many!" she shouted, holding up two wobbly hooves.
Apple Bloom gave her a flat look. "We've told ya more than two times, Sweetie Belle," she deadpanned.
Sweetie Belle stuck her tongue out at her friends and crossed her hooves over her chest. "You two are no fun," she said to them, half whining and no longer in a seemingly drunken state. "We have all of this and all you want to do is sit in this hot tub! Why don't we take the boat out for a spin around the lake? Or maybe go explore the gem mines we bought the rights to from those Diamond Dogs? Heck! Why don't we use those flying machines our company invented and go visit Canterlot or Trottingham?!"
Apple Bloom sighed at her friend. "Well one, because we nearly drowned the last time we took the boat out. Two because those flyin' contraptions are outta fuel. And three, because Trottingham and Canterlot's a no-fly zone on unofficial business ever since the Changelin' invasion."
Scootaloo scratched her chin with a hoof. "We own a gem mine?"
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at Scootaloo before continuing with Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, I know y'all're achin' fer another adventure, but until we can figure out how to invest the few hundred remaining bits of this month's allowance, we agreed to take things easy fer a while."
Scootaloo spoke up again. "Wait, which company made those flying things again?" she asked.
Sweetie Belle tapped her chin with a hoof in wondering. "Airnet? No... Cloudnet...?" She shrugged. "I know it has something to do with the sky and nets."
Apple Bloom raised a brow at her. "Are ya sure?"
Sweetie Belle nodded. "Definitely! The only other companies we own is that place named after some kind of fruit that makes new technologies, that one that makes those things you hold in your hoof that shoot things at stuff, and that giant building with the tanks and tubes everywhere that refines crude resources into usable sources of energy."
Apple Bloom nodded at her. "Oh yeah, I forgot 'bout those..."
"Maybe we can go sky diving?" Scootaloo suggested.
Both of her friends looked at her oddly. "What?" they both asked in unison.
"Skydiving," Scootaloo repeated. "When we were thinking about stuff to do? I was saying that maybe we could go skydiving. It could be fun."
Just as they were all about to agree to Scootaloo's plans, a knock came from the door.
"Don't trouble yourselves, madams, I'll see who it is," said the tinny voice of their new robotic butler.
Sweetie Belle smiled at the robot pony. "Thank you, Gizmo."
"Do not mention it, madam. It is my pleasure to serve you," Gizmo said as he buzzed off on his underproportioned wheels.
Apple Bloom scratched at her head in confusion. "When did we get a robot butler?"
Sweetie Belle shrugged. "The ponies that gave us the flying things sent him over last week," she said nonchalantly.
The sound of a robotic shriek of fear pierced the air, followed soon by the sound of two loud bangs and that of metal being destroyed.
The three of them froze at the sound, and gasped at the steps slowly ascending the stairs to the floor they were on. As the steps grew closer and louder, their breath came shorter and quicker. They couldn't speak, they couldn't move, they couldn't even blink as they watched the stairway that they knew the intruder would be coming up.
Then they saw who it was that was in their clubhouse. They looked up at him, and up, and up some more. He was bigger than they remembered him. "Nice place you've got here," he said with a sneer. "Real homey."
The silence was broken by Apple Bloom's happy squee. "It's you!" she exclaimed with a smile, leaping out of the hot tub and running up to him to hug his leg.
He chuckled dryly. "Yeah, it's me." He looked down at the small filly with a glint in his eyes. "I just couldn't forgive myself if I came back and didn't pop in for a quick visit."
Apple Bloom nuzzled his leg affectionately. "We missed ya, y'know! Why'd ya hafta leave without sayin' goodbye?"
He chuckled once more, but it was far less humorous than before. "Grown up reasons, kid. But enough about that," he said, crouching down to the yellow filly's level. "You look good kid. Real good." He flashed her a smile that seemed empty, even for him. "I'm probably going to have to leave soon, but I wanted to make sure you three were okay."
Apple Bloom smiled up at him. "We're better than okay, we're great thanks to all this money the bank gave us!"
He nodded slowly. "That's good kid," he said slowly, taking in a deep breath. "That's real good..." He rubbed Apple Bloom's head gently, almost as if he was scared that he'd hurt her. His smile seemed more and more forced the longer he remained there, looking into her bright, shinning eyes. Even his eyes looked empty, like two dull, glass orbs.
Apple Bloom noticed this. "What's wrong?" she asked, nosing his hand worriedly.
He looked from her, to her friends, then back to her. He sighed in a way that someone does when they're defeated. "Nothing," he said, not looking into her eyes. "But I have to go. My time's almost up, and I still have things I need to do before I leave." He stood upright again and turned to leave. "It's good to see you three again," he said, still with his back turned. "Especially you Apple Bloom," he said, too quiet for anyone but him to hear. And with that, he was gone.
Sweetie Belle sighed. "Did he have to break the robot butler?" she moaned. "I wanted him to make me another drink..."