//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Cutie Mark Crisscross // by Everyday //------------------------------// Three little fillies came running out of the mine shaft, each covered in a generous amount of black dust and grime. Panting breathlessly, and with little energy to travel much farther, they plopped down outside the mouth of the cave and did their best to clean themselves off. Apple Bloom was the first to speak. “Well, so much for bein’ Cutie Mark Crusader Coal Miners,” she said with reluctant disappointment. Sweetie Belle turned to her sharply with a puzzled expression. “I thought we were being Cutie Mark Crusader Explosives Experts.” This, in turn, caused Scootaloo to look confused. “…That was a Cutie Mark Crusade?” The three fillies sighed and hung their heads. Clearly cutie marks for good communication skills were not in their future. A deep rumbling beneath the ground quickly shocked them out of their sorrow. To their horror, they watched as the mouth of the mine shaft collapsed into a pile of rubble, burying away any hopes of finding their cutie marks down there. They turned to look at each other, unsure of what to do next. “Y’know,” Apple Bloom said, abruptly, “I’ve been thinkin’.” “That’s never good…” Scootaloo remarked. Apple Bloom shot her a glare, but continued. “I think we’ve been goin’ about this the wrong way.” “Really?” Sweetie Belle asked sarcastically. “I thought all of our rousing success so far meant we were on the right track.” “Will you two just let me finish?” Apple Bloom’s patience could only be stretched so far. Her fellow Crusaders relented and held up their hooves, promising they wouldn’t interrupt again. She pointed to each in turn as she said, “Scootaloo, you’re a pegasus, but you can’t fly. And Sweetie Belle, you’re a unicorn, but you can’t do magic. And I’m an earth pony, but I ain’t really that strong.” Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at her. “Is this supposed to make us feel better?” “What I’m tryin’ to say is, maybe if we got better at the things we’re supposed to be good at, then maybe we could figure out what our special talents are.” Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “I think you might be on to something. Rarity got her cutie mark when she discovered her gem-finding spell.” “Oh, yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in. “And Rainbow Dash got her cutie mark flying in her first race!” “Exactly!” Apple Bloom said, smiling. “So I figure if we can become better ponies, maybe we can get our cutie marks, too!” “Yeah!” Sweetie Belle squeaked in excitement. “Well, that’s great and all,” Scootaloo cut in, “but how are we supposed to magically become better ponies?” Each of the Crusaders hung their heads in thought. Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before them, scattering white stars in all directions. Barely sparing a moment to exchange panicked expressions, they made a mad dash to the nearest bush for cover. From the safety of the foliage, they peered out at the cause of the strange light. Before the Cutie Mark Crusaders stood Discord, his back to them as he studied the collapsed cave. He was stroking his chin and appeared to be deep in thought. “Honestly, sending me to take care of a small cave-in?” he pondered out-loud. “What’s next—sorting broom closets?” “Who’s he talking to?” Sweetie Belle asked, popping her head out of the bush to look around. With a sharp “Shh!” Scootaloo brought her back down into the bush. “And mere moments before I’m to start my vacation, too,” Discord continued, still unaware of the little fillies behind him. He let out a resigned sigh and muttered, “Well, let’s get this over with.” Arching himself backwards, he stretched his arms out before him and let out a deep groan. With a roll of his shoulders to loosen the stiffness in his joints and a quick shake of all of his limbs, he found himself ready to tackle the problem before him. He snapped his talons. Instantly, the debris and fallen rocks inside the cave were cleared away, leaving no evidence that the cave collapse had ever occurred. The mouth of the cave even sparkled in the sunlight, as if it had been given a polished glow. The Crusaders’ eyes went wide in awe. “Such a waste,” Discord commented. He almost sounded disappointed. “All of this magical power at my disposal, and this is what I’m called to do.” A glint appeared in Apple Bloom’s eye. She just had an idea so brilliant that absolutely nothing could go wrong. Without giving it another thought, she charged out of the bush, heading straight for Discord. “Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo hissed as she and Sweetie Belle chased after her. Discord was too busy judging his handiwork to notice. He mindlessly stroked his chin until a look of mild satisfaction crossed his face. “At least now I can finally begin my vaca—” “Hey, Discord!” Quickly turning with a start, Discord looked for the source of the disruption. He looked down in time to see Apple Bloom run up to him, followed closely by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Discord’s expression immediately brightened. “Well, if it isn’t my favorite little ponies: the Cutie Mark Crewmates!” “Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Apple Bloom corrected. “Isn’t that what I said?” The Crusaders exchanged awkward glances and raised eyebrows. “Uh—say, Discord,” Apple Bloom said, trying to get them back on track, “you’re really good with magic, right?” “I try not to brag,” he smugly replied, polishing his talons against his chest. “Well, we were kinda hopin’ you could help us out with somethin’,” Apple Bloom said, trying to sound casual. Looks of understanding dawned on her fellow Crusaders. Discord, however, simply raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Hmm,” he said slowly, mulling it over, “I suppose I do owe you three for letting me out of my stone prison that first time around, so... Okay, why not? What is it you want—candy? Some new toys? A dog to eat your homework?” Each of the items appeared over Discord’s head with a flash, hovering and gently bobbing above him. “Actually, we were just thinkin’—” “I can’t exactly fly yet,” Scootaloo cut in. “And I can’t really use my magic,” Sweetie Belle added. “And I ain’t all that strong for an earth pony.” “But maybe if we were better ponies—” “Then maybe we could find out what our special talents are supposed to be.” “I guess what we’re tryin’ to say is—” “Can you make us better ponies?!” they asked together, eyes bright with hopeful smiles. Discord’s eyes had been following the conversation in silence. When they finished, he simply stared at their smiling faces, which were starting to strain from maintaining such enthusiastic expressions. The items he conjured above his head disappeared. “Oh, is that all?” He casually snapped his talons. “There.” Rather than the cheers of thanks he was expecting, his ears were assaulted by the sharp shriek of three little ponies. “What’d you do to us?” Scootaloo cried. Discord looked down at the orange earth pony, white pegasus, and yellow unicorn in front of him. Their eyes wide with panic, they continued to frantically look at themselves and each other. “I made you better ponies,” he replied, as if nothing were amiss, “just like you asked.” “I can’t fly like this,” Scootaloo protested. “Well, you couldn’t fly before, either,” Discord said with a shrug. “Nothing’s changed as far as that’s concerned.” The hurt was clearly evident in her eyes, her mouth limply opening and closing as she struggled to speak. Sweetie Belle managed to find her voice. “I didn’t want wings,” she squeaked, gesturing toward an outstretched wing. “I wanted to be better with magic.” “I am a creature of chaos,” Discord explained, “not a miracle-worker.” Sweetie Belle’s new wings fell as she crumpled low to the ground. Apple Bloom stomped her hoof down as her eyes narrowed to a glare. “How’s this supposed to help us?” she demanded. Her ferocity dropped as she mumbled to the dirt. “I might be even wimpier than I was before.” Discord waved it off dismissively. “Oh, you three are creative. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.” “Change us back,” Apple Bloom pressed. Her fellow Crusaders stood beside her, mirroring her firm expression. “Sorry, little fillies, but you’ve cut into my vacation time enough as it is.” Two briefcases littered with stickers appeared at Discord’s side. He hefted each of them up as he continued. “I’ll be back in a week. Maybe I’ll change you back then, but honestly, I think these new bodies suit you much better than your old ones.” A pair of sunglasses flashed onto his face. “Discord, wait—” Sweetie Belle pleaded. “I’ll see you in a week, Cutie Mark Conundrums.” And with that, he disappeared. A thick silence passed over them in his absence. “…It’s ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’,” Sweetie Belle said half-heartedly. “Now what do we do?” Scootaloo said in defeat. Each of their faces scrunched up in thought. “We gotta get help,” Apple Bloom said, her eyes crossing as she looked up at her new horn. “Let’s get back to Ponyville,” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Somepony there can help us.” With a plan to guide them forward, the Crusaders dashed for where Scootaloo’s scooter was parked. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stepped into their skis as Scootaloo took her place on her scooter, and each of them put on their helmets. Scootaloo looked back over her shoulder to her friends. “I’m not sure if this’ll work without my wings,” she said hesitantly. “You gotta try, Scootaloo,” Apple Bloom responded. Sweetie Belle quickly nodded along to add her own encouragement. “Okay,” Scootaloo said, still unsure, “here goes.” With that, she pushed off the ground. And what a push it was. Wind rushed past her ears as Scootaloo blew through the sparse woods. Driven by her desire to get to Ponyville as quickly as possible, she feverishly kicked off the ground without letting up. Her eyes lit up as she found herself going even faster. “Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle yelled. “Slow down!” She and Apple Bloom struggled to hold on, but her shouts were lost to the wind, and Scootaloo wanted to see just how fast she could go. As they continued picking up speed, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were finding it more and more difficult to avoid the rocks and trees that littered the path. With the wind racing around her, Sweetie Belle struggled to keep her new wings pressed against her body. The wind finally won out, forcing her wings to flare out to her sides. She let out a shriek as her wings caught the wind and propelled her skyward, leaving her skis and helmet behind. “Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom cried. Her attention was quickly pulled back to what was in front of her, as she rapidly approached a tree that didn’t seem to be in the mood to get out of the way. She shut her eyes tight to brace for impact, but as she did, she felt a warm sensation in her new forehead decoration. Sweetie Belle, now high above the tree line, had lost her grip on her ski rope and was at the mercy of the breeze. The breeze, thankfully, seemed to be feeling pretty merciful today. She opened her eyes to find herself gently gliding along. Her shocked expression gradually changed to one of wonder as she took in her surroundings. The sunlit treetops slowly passed by far below her, a magnificent view she’d never even imagined before. Everything was so small and so quiet from up here. She turned to look back on her wings. With only the slightest adjustment to her feathers, she was able to leisurely lean and turn in midair. A light giggle escaped her lips. She gave her wings a few experimental flaps and felt the wind bend around them. She was flying. She was really flying. Apple Bloom felt her grip on her ski rope suddenly slip away, but what she did not feel was the trunk of a tree greeting her body. Instead, she felt an odd pressure squeeze her from all directions. She hesitantly opened one eye to find herself high above the treetops. She looked down in confusion until gravity decided it was a good time to kick in again. Her limbs flailed wildly as she rapidly approached the forest floor. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared herself for the worst. Another odd tingling sensation came from her new horn and spread throughout her body. Suddenly, everything felt still. She dared to sneak another peek, and the sight made her eyes go wide. She was enveloped in a soft orange glow and calmly floating just inches above the ground. She was levitating. She was using magic. Scootaloo screeched to a halt as she broke through the forest’s edge and came in sight of Ponyville. She found herself panting, but noticed that she’d barely broken a sweat. She wasn’t panting from exhaustion. It was from the exhilaration pumping through her veins. “Guys, did you see that?!” she called back behind her. Her excitement quickly fell away when she realized she had been dragging empty ski ropes. “Guys?!” she yelled out in a panic. “Up here!” A voice called from above her. Scootaloo looked up in time to see Sweetie Belle gracefully come down for a landing. Scootaloo’s eyes went wide in shock. “Were you… flying?” she asked. Sweetie Belle blushed and turned away slightly. “Um, I guess I was,” she answered modestly. She looked around and raised an eyebrow to Scootaloo. “Where’s Apple Bloom?” “Over here!” a voice within the trees replied. Apple Bloom rushed into view, her horn shining with a soft orange light. Behind her, her skis and helmet gently floated above her, gripped in the same orange glow as the one surrounding her horn. “Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle squeaked in surprise. “How’re you doing that?” Apple Bloom looked behind her, as if she needed a reminder of what was happening. “Oh, that?” She chuckled uneasily. “I just kinda… think about it, and then it happens, I guess.” Her eyes looked around awkwardly. She set the helmet and skis down and let the light fade from her horn. “But Scootaloo, that was amazing!” Scootaloo perked up at the sudden exclamation. “I’ve never seen ya go that fast before!” Scootaloo scratched the back of her head slowly. “Yeah,” she awkwardly tried to play it off, “I guess I was trying to get here as fast as I could.” They each turned their eyes to Ponyville, a bit surprised to see a greater degree of cloud cover than usual. “Well, now that we’re here,” Sweetie Belle said, “let’s split up and try to fix this mess.” “Right!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo agreed with a nod. The Crusaders rushed off in three different directions, running as fast as their little hooves could take them.