//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 (During lunch break) // Story: The CMC's New Wagon // by Wiz Ahmad //------------------------------// As the CMC returned to their clubhouse for a break after their morning class at Cheerilee’s school, they decided to go separately to avoid being seen by Diamond Tiara. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom took the long route down the village’s side road, while Scootaloo drove through the woods to the back of Sweet Apple Acres, where the clubhouse was located. Sometimes beasts and hidden creatures from the Everfree Forest lurked here, but Scootaloo had no fear of them. As she plowed on through the forest, pushing through branches and leaping over bushes in her way, Scootaloo made one last big leap over a spiky bush. But at the last minute, the back wheels of her scooter caught on one of the curly branch tips and she crashed and fell to the ground, her scooter dangling from the bush’s branch before it finally fell beside her. But instead of falling on soft grass and leaf litter, she landed on a patch of vines and other vegetation that felt rock hard, although there was a bit of bang. “Ow!” Scootaloo yelped. “Hmmm, that sounded like metal. I wonder what’s underneath here.” With some effort, she caught her scooter, placed it aside, and began tearing and pulling at the vines until they snapped and broke free to reveal a patch of a white, hard material with many flaky brown patches. Over the next half hour, Scootaloo continued tearing and pulling away the vines until she had uncovered half of the object. It was unlike anything she’d seen before, and it was enormous, standing over twice as tall as she did. There was a distinctive smell coming from it as well, and many parts were missing. Still, its unique shape fascinated her. Leaving a mental note of its location, Scootaloo leapt onto her scooter and zipped off to the clubhouse to relate the news to her friends. As she pulled up to the clubhouse, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were already there, talking about their newest cutie mark ideas. Scootaloo flew up the steps and burst in with a heap of excitement. “Hey Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom began. “We were just thinking of a brand new idea of how we could get our cutie marks.” “Yeah, sounds good,” Scootaloo replied, panting. “You guys gotta see what I found in the forest! It’s amazing!” “The forest?!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle replied in shock. “You went through the forest?” “Well, it’s better than getting attacked by a rich bully,” Scootaloo scoffed. “Anyways it’s not that far. I just hope I can remember the way I came.” Reluctantly, the two fillies jumped into the wagon, and Scootaloo towed them across the grass and into the dense trees at the border of Sweet Apple Acres, where they entered a strip of forest that led in a huge curve from Sweet Apple Acres to the back of the schoolyard. “Oh come on! Are we there yet?” Sweetie Belle groaned. “My back hurts from all these bumps and hard rocks!” Scootaloo was trying so hard to remember where she saw the object that she wasn’t even listening. Suddenly she noticed a large dome-shaped mound off to the right next to a huge curly-stemmed bush…and screeched to a halt so quickly that the wagon almost fell over. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle leapt off the wagon and stretched to regain their strength after the rough ride, while Scootaloo went to more closely examine the object. “Um, shouldn’t we get back to class now?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked over to Scootaloo, who was now trying to rip off more vines. “Ah, we’ll be fine,” Scootaloo replied through a green mouthful. “Just another few minutes to find out about this object.” The large bush was under a tree’s canopy, so it was hidden from above. Nonetheless, the sun’s rays still shone through to fill the area with considerable light. Sweetie Belle was reluctant at first, but soon joined in with Apple Bloom, and the three fillies soon had nearly uncovered the entire object. “Woah,” Sweetie Belle whistled. “You were right, Scoots. This is amazing!” “The only trouble is, what is it?” Scootaloo added. It looks like some kind of weird rock formation. Apple Bloom then noticed something circular sticking out of the ground. “Wait, what’s this?” She dug at the ground with her hooves to reveal a large circular piece of metal. A brief dig the other end of the object revealed the same circular piece. “They look like wheels,” Sweetie Belle commented. “I’ve seen similar circular pieces like those in Canterlot, only those were a lot shinier and cleaner.” “That’s because they’re what the wheels are attached to,” Scootaloo replied, her eyes widening as she remembered how she assembled her scooter a long time back. “What we’re looking at, Crusaders, is a chariot or wagon of some complicated sort that was abandoned a long time ago. Now, let’s get to our next class before Cheerilee gets upset.” By now, the other two were now more interested in the “object” that Scootaloo had found. It appeared to have a classic, lonely, almost pleading feel to it, like a long-lost gem at the bottom of a pond that dearly wanted to be at the centerpiece of a magnificent dress. “Why don’t we try to remove it and fix it?” Apple Bloom suggested. “It doesn’t belong in these woods.” “And how in the hay are we supposed to do that?” Sweetie Belle shot back. “It’s not like we can carry that on our backs or something.” “I’ll ask my big sis and bro if they can help us out. They certainly know how to pull heavy stuff.” “And we can tell Twilight Sparkle about it,” Sweetie Belle added. “She’s bound to know some info on these kinds of stuff.” “Ah, why not,” Scootaloo replied. “Right after school we’ll get on with it. The Summer Harvest Parade is only a few months away.”