Episode 18: Cutie Mark Crusaders Matchmakers, YAY!
“Ah can’t believe you two are goin’ on a date, finally!”
Yes, it was all the rave on the Apple farm. Ion the farmhoof, was finally going to on a date with his co-worker and boss, Applejack. Apple Bloom had been keeping close tabs on both the stallion and mare, seeing what, if anything, they were going to do. For the most part, Ion was nervous from what she could tell. Applejack, she was nervous too, but it seemed different.
“I-It’s not that big a deal, is it?” asked Ion.
“Are you kiddin’!? After all the stuff that’s happened lately, and all the times Ah caught ya starin’ at meh big sis, it took ya too long if ya ask me.”
Ion blushed, “I-I wasn’t staring at Applejack!”
“Yeah ya were.”
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
“Was not!”
“Was too.”
Ion stopped himself before this went any further. “Look, Apple Bloom, keep this between you and me alright. Back where I’m from, dating was exactly a priority for me.”
Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow at that last bit, “Really? Well, what were ya doin’ that kept ya busy? Superhero stuff?”
“You could say that…There was always some crisis going on somewhere, and my power was needed to keep the peace and keep others safe from harm. It was basically a twenty-four-seven job.”
“Huh, kinda like Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres. She never dated much when she was younger, not at all really. Every time Ah ask she tells me that ‘maintainin’ the farm and takin’ care of the land is a twenty-four-seven job. Things like datin’ and such aren’t really important.’”
“She said all that?”
“Yep.” Apple Bloom noted the concern on Ion’s face, and quickly added. “But Ah’m sure doesn’t feel that way now! Ah mean that was years ago, and this is now! She wouldn’t have said yes unless she really wanted to go out with ya!”
“I guess that makes sense…”
Oh boy, Ah don’t like the sound of that…
(CMC Clubhouse, Later That Afternoon)
Three fillies were walking through the Sweet Apple Acres orchards. Scootaloo, Adara, and Sweetie Belle didn’t exactly know why they were told to come to the farm or why it was so important. All they knew was that Apple Bloom looked a bit panicked and it usually took a Ponyville level disaster to make her get like that. So, being the good friends that they were, the three Crusaders made their way to their secret base/clubhouse.
“So what’s this ‘emergency meeting’ that Apple Bloom wanted us for,” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Don’t know, but she did seem a little on edge when she told us,” said Adara.
“Wonder if she’s thought of a new way to get our cutie marks, `cause with all the craziness that’s been going on around here lately, we really haven’t had much time to do any real Crusading,” said Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle noticed something different that Scootaloo had been doing lately. Instead of walking like she usually did, the orange pegasus filly was hovering along beside them, much like Rainbow Dash did whenever she was with her friends.
“Enjoying yourself, Scoots?” asked Sweetie.
“Hay yeah! I totally get why she does this all the time, it’s fun, and it’s like getting in some extra flying practice!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“Well, don’t tire yourself out. You have the rest of your life to fly around.”
Scootaloo smirked; she then flipped on her back and cradled her head with her forelegs, letting her wings do all the work while she leisurely floated forward. “Pfft, please Adara, I got stamina to spa –!”
It was at that time that a random, low hanging tree branch found itself in Scootaloo’s flight path and knocked the filly in the back of her head, sending her twirling around the branch till she plopped onto the ground.
“SCOOTALOO!” Adara and Sweetie cried out.
The two fillies rushed to Scootaloo’s side, who was now sporting a loopy expression.
“Scoots you alright!? Say something!”
Scootaloo sat up and then looked to Adara and Sweetie in turn. “Easy peesy lemon Breezie…” And with that Scootaloo collapsed back onto the ground splayed out. Adara and Sweetie rolled their eyes.
“She’s fine, if she can take Tank hitting her in the head, this is nothing,” said Adara, she then looked down to their KOed friend and then to Sweetie Belle. “Mind lending me a hoof?”
Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded a yes. The unicorn filly used her magic to gently left Scootaloo, Sweetie and Adara then stood close to each other as Scoots was lowered onto their backs. After taking a few cautious steps and insuring that their knocked out friend wouldn’t fall, the two fillies trotted along towards the club house.
It made Adara happy that they could share this kind of moment again, especially after unknowingly stealing the object of Sweetie Belle’s affections. But, thankfully, it was all resolved and now the two of them could be real friends again. It was at this time that Adara noticed that Sweetie Belle was glancing at her nervously from time to time.
“What’s wrong Sweetie?”
“Oh…um, I was just wondering about something, so I waited a couple of weeks till you cooled down to ask.”
“Ask me what?”
“………What do you know about the colt that Dinky hangs out with?”
Adara almost dropped Scootaloo from the suddenness of this question. After regaining her balance, and composure, Adara addressed the question. “You mean, Proselyte? The colt who did those weird things to Diamond Tiara and her mother, right?”
Sweetie chuckled nervously, “Well…yeah, I mean, it was weird and kinda scary, but he did it to protect Dinky and me. So I don’t think he’s a bad pony, and from what I saw, it looked like you knew him.”
As much as Adara knew this question was going to come up, she really didn’t want to answer it, since revealing anything about him would reveal her abilities and she wasn’t too keen on letting others, outside the circle that knew of her true origins and those who just know about her powers, know what she could do. So Adara did the only she could do and has done since she and the others arrived in this world. She lied her flank off!
“Oh, well, when I was alone and roaming around, a couple a years before I arrived at Ponyville, I met Proselyte in…Fillydelphia. We watched each other’s backs and with his powers he kept some of the, well, what you’d call ‘bad ponies’ away.”
“So he was homeless like you and Scoots? Did he say why he ran away?”
“Not really, he just kept to himself about that, he cared more about others more than himself really. His power does more than just what you saw, it can heal almost anything.”
Sweetie Belle had a look on awe on her face. “So…do you think you could introduce me to him?”
Adara looked to her unicorn friend with surprise, “Y-You like, like him!?”
“I-I don’t know I just think he looks cute!” Sweetie Belle immediately shut her mouth, her blushing cheeks becoming very visible against her white coat. “Don’t tell anypony, please, I just want to meet him first…Please?”
Adara thought this over, sure she didn’t want to stand in the way of Sweetie Belle finding love again, it wasn’t like she could object to it, since Adara herself was with Scootaloo, and now, apparently, Ion was with Applejack.
“Are you still angry at him…?” asked Sweetie.
“Not so much angry as disappointed, he promised me that he’d never do that again and would try to rise above it. But he and I had a talk, a meeting of the minds so to speak. For now, we’re okay. And, if you really want, I could introduce you.”
“You would, thank you!” Sweetie exclaimed.
You’re going to owe me one Lyte…
Eventually the three of them made it to the clubhouse. Scootaloo awoke with a throbbing headache, to which Adara was more than happy to relieve with the subtle use of her light. After about two minutes of waiting, the door to the clubhouse opened, revealing Apple Bloom as she strode in and walked towards the podium with a serious expression. The three blank flanked fillies shifted glances between each other, wondering why their friend looked so serious. Once Apple Bloom was behind the podium, she cleared her throat and tried to look as official as possible.
“Thanks for comin’ y’all, Ah really appreciate it,” said Apple Bloom.
“Well, when you come to our houses and say there’s an emergency meeting looking all frantic, how could we not,” said Adara.
“So what’s going on, what’s the big emergency?” asked Scootaloo.
“It has come to my attention that Ion and my big sis are goin’ to have their big date later tonight.”
“Finally!” Sweetie exclaimed while throwing her forelegs into the air. “It was starting to get annoying waiting for one of them to do something!”
“Tell me about it. But that’s exactly why Ah have called this meetin’. Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ah’m goin’ to make sure that their date goes off without a hitch!” Apple Bloom proclaimed. “And Ah’d like you guys to help!”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked nervously to each other, this was suspiciously familiar to something that trio attempted not too long ago involving a certain mulberry earth pony mare and a red earth pony stallion.
“This won’t be like Big Mac and Cheerilee, right?” asked Scootaloo.
“You know how well that turned out,” added Sweetie Belle.
Adara was totally confused. “Wait, what happened with Miss Cheerilee and Big Macintosh.?”
At the mention of this, all three senior Crusaders’ cheeks went pink from embarrassment. “It, um, it was during Hearts and Hooves Day a year and a half ago…We tried to get Big Macintosh to be Miss Cheerilee’s special somepony…” Scootaloo started.
“We gave them a love potion,” said Sweetie Belle, “that we made from the instructions in a book about the holiday, but then we found out that we accidentally gave them a love poison instead…”
“And it almost ended up with them fallin’ so madly in love that they’d forget about everythin’ else and just stared at each other all day long actin’ all goofy. But we managed to break the poison’s curse…and ended up doin’ all meh brother’s chores…” Apple Bloom finished.
“Oh…” Adara had considered for a long time that the trio of fillies were a magnet for crazy stuff to happen to them, although, she was now starting to change her hypothesis.
“But it won’t be like that! We won’t give them potions or nothin’ we’re just goin to make sure that nothin’ messes up their date!”
“How exactly are we going to do that?” asked Sweetie Belle skeptically.
“By follwin’ them of course!”
A deadpan expression befell Scootaloo and Sweetie at the mention of this.
“We’re not really going to tail them on their date, are we?” asked Scootaloo.
“How else are we goin’ to make sure that their date goes well!?”
“Apple Bloom,” spoke Adara, “Why are you so driven to see this through. I’m sure that Applejack and Ion will be fine.”
“Ah know…Ah just…” Apple Bloom stepped down from the podium and walked around to sit before her fellow Crusaders. “Ah worry about meh sister sometimes, girls. Ah don’t want her to be alone, and Ah really like Ion, he’s good fer her, y’know? Ah just want to be extra sure that they’ll be alright, `sides, Ion was kinda nervous about the whole thing, and Applejack won’t say anythin’ to me about how she’s doin’…”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked upon their friend with sympathy and concern; they didn’t know that she was this worried about her big sister. Apple Bloom and Applejack were as close as two sisters could be, so it’d make sense that she worry about her big sister, despite the fact that Applejack was grown mare and could take care of herself just fine. But, out of all three, Adara was probably the one who most understood how she felt.
Ion was like a big brother to her, to all of them really, he was the first of the seven to obtain the power of the Emotional Spectrum and transcend into an Entity of Willpower. Though she mostly refereed to the others as her brothers and sisters, Ion was probably the one out of all of them she considered a true “big brother”. Maybe it was because of the joint power of Will and Hope, maybe it was because that the two of them were, in her opinion, two of the more stable lights of the Spectrum and could more easily relate to each other? Whatever the link was, it was there, and Adara didn’t deny that she too often worried about Ion.
Adara then walked up to Apple Bloom, sat down, and held the earth filly’s hoof within hers. “Apple Bloom, I understand, believe me I do. And…as much as I’m sure I’m worrying for nothing, I too worry for Ion. I consider him a big brother, and like you, I want him to be happy. So I’ll help you.”
Apple Bloom’s amber eyes went wide with joy at hearing this. “Y-You will Adara!?”
The cerulean pegasus filly nodded with conviction. Scootaloo groaned, but smiled nonetheless as she walked up beside Adara and placed her hoof on top of theirs, “Well, I’m not letting you go through this alone, wherever you go I go!”
Sweetie Belle placed her hoof in the center as well, smiling gleefully. “I guess I have to too, I know if it was my sister, you’d do the same. Besides, we may be able to get a cutie mark out of this.”
Apple Bloom tapped her chin with her free hoof as she pondered what Sweetie Belle said. “Huh, that might work we could be Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers.”
All four fillies looked across from each other, and in one loud shout they cried as one, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MATCHMAKERS! YAY!” The clubhouse shook and apples tumbled from the trees in the distance from the sheer volume of their battle cry.
“C’mon y’all, we better get ready!”
Apple Bloom led the way with Sweetie Belle right behind her, Scootaloo was about to take off as but stopped momentarily to speak with Adara. “You really sure that this is a good idea?”
“Since when do you back down from a potential cutie mark?” Adara teased.
“I’m not backing down!”
“Then don’t worry, all will be well.”
Scootaloo scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. “That’s your answer to everything.”
“Because it’s true, when have I been wrong?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to counter, but every time she thought she had come up with a good comeback it died before it left her mouth, leading to a bunch of stuttering and false starts. The orange pegasus filly then blew a raspberry in defeat.
“You suck, Adara.”
“Love you too, Scoots.”
(Later That Night)
It was only a couple of hours before Applejack’s big date. The farm mare decided to get some last minute pep talks from her friends, Twilight and Rainbow. The three mares were standing in the den of the library, with Applejack pacing back and forth nervously, doing a very good imitation of Twilight by Rainbow’s account.
“Chillax AJ, it’s just a date. Ion’s a good guy, you got nothing to worry about,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Ah know, Ah know,” she replied.
“Geez, you’re acting like it’s your first date ever.”
Applejack paused mid-step, causing Twilight and Rainbow Dash to look at Applejack in confusion.
“Applejack, you okay,” asked Twilight.
“Um…S-So what if it is!?”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the same time as Rainbows, jaws going slack at the stark realization. They couldn’t believe it; it was just a little too farfetched to believe.
“Applejack,” Twilight began, “are you saying that this will really be your first date, ever?”
She wanted to say no, she wanted to lie out of her flank and just say she was kidding. But there was no way her pride as an Apple would let her do that, dishonesty was not her way, plus she apparently had a poor “poker face”. Sometimes bein’ the Element of Honesty ain’t all it’s cracked up to be… Knowing what was to come, Applejack lowered her hat to cover her face and uttered that one condemning word.
“Yep…”
Silence reigned within the library, the alicorn mare and pegasus mare just stood there, completely stunned by her admittance of never having gone on even one date in her whole life, it all made sense why she was so jittery and nervous about this date, it was going to the first date! After a minute passed, the snickers and snorts began to break the silence, in another thirty seconds those snickers and snorts turned to chuckling, and finally, full out laughter. The source, which was of no surprise to either mare, was Rainbow Dash, who was now rolling on her back, holding her sides as tears began to fall from her eyes.
Applejack returned her hat to its normal position, showing her face which was now as red as the apples on her flank, both out of anger and embarrassment. “It ain’t that funny, Rainbow!”
“Oh-ho-oh my sides! Y-You never been on a date! Not even once! Oh my Celestia ha, ha, ha!”
“Dashie!” Twilight called in stern voice. “That’s enough.”
Rainbow Dash eventually stopped her hysterical laughter and stood back up, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “Sorry AJ, seriously, you never went on a date?”
Applejack took a few moments to calm herself down and to let the redness fade from her face. “Ah just didn’t have time is all…Ah was always workin’ on the farm, keepin’ it goin, carin’ for the trees, fixin’ up this and that, and helpin’ Granny raise Apple Bloom…Ah just let things like datin’ fall by the wayside.”
Rainbow Dash walked up to her friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I can kinda relate to that. When I was teenager, I pretty much focused on flying and racing, I’m not going to lie, I did date a few stallions and a mare or two back then.”
“Wait – What!? I-I thought you were only into mares!?” asked Twilight.
“I was still trying to figure out which way my barn door swung, plus I really wasn’t in the mood to be labeled a fillyfooler while still in high school. But I think you both know which way it swings now.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Getting off track, I threw myself into flying and racing, thinking that I was better off not thinking about whether or not I liked mares or stallions. Same way you’re doin’ it now.”
AJ still didn’t look too convinced, “Ah get where ya comin’ from sugarcube, but…”
“AJ, Rainbow’s right. I was the same way; I didn’t think dating was important; it was pretty much the same way I thought about friendship. It can be scary, I know, you should’ve seen me on my first date with Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash giggled at the memory, remembering how the egghead mare tried to plan out everything on their date, down to the route to the restaurant, the price of the meals, even going as far as to make flashcards for dinner conversation. It took a lot of hard work to get Twilight to stop with the list making and planning of every date, and just to get her to wing it.
“Trust me, she’s right. You don’t even know what I had to go through to convince that we didn’t need a schedule for the ‘bedroom activities’,” Rainbow Dash made air quotes with her hooves for emphasis.
Applejack blushed and then looked at Twilight, she knew the mare liked to be organized, but she didn’t think she liked to be that organized. Twilight for her part just stood there in silence, blushing hard as she too remembered the awkwardness of creating a schedule for those particular activities.
“I still think if we did some work on it, we could’ve published it as a dirty novel.”
“Not a chance in Tartarus! I don’t want be known was the Princess who writes smut! And do you know how embarrassing it would be knowing that everypony was…was…pleasuring themselves to our love lives!”
“Oh silly filly, there are plenty of ponies doing that as we speak right now,” said Pinkie Pie, staring directly at nothing, but at the same time as someone.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack yelped at the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie, standing right behind them as if she had been there the entire time.
“Pinkie Pie! What the – How did you – When did you – What are you doing in my house!?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie cocked her head in confusion, “Your house?” She then took a moment to scan her surroundings. “Wow, how did I get here? I was just looking for a rubber chicken back at Sugar Cube Corner. Hmm, oh well, bye Twi and Dashie, good luck on your date with Ion, Applejack! And remember the three date rule!”
With that Pinkie Pie exited the library, leaving both Rainbow and Twilight to face hoof themselves out of sheer frustration.
“Three date what now?”
“You seriously don’t know about the Three Date Rule?”
Applejack just blinked.
“Faust help us,” sighed Rainbow.
Twilight then went to her writing desk and began jotting down something on a piece of parchment. “Twi, what are ya doin’?”
“Writing a letter to have Ion pick you up here, we’re going to need as much time as possible before you two actually go anywhere.”
(One Hour and Thirty Minutes Later)
It took some doing, but Apple Bloom was able to slip away from Sweet Apple Acres before Ion and Applejack started their date. Her first stop was to pick up Sweetie Belle who was, once again, staying with Rarity due to her parents going out of town, again. Luckily the unicorn filly managed to get out the back entrance and joined up with Apple Bloom down below.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” replied Apple Bloom.
“What’s with those saddle bags?”
“Just some…stuff. C’mon let’s get a move on!”
The next stop was Golden Oaks Library, where they would pick up Scootaloo and Adara. Apple Bloom knew that her sister was coming over to talk with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and that she and Ion would head out on their date when she got back. From there it was a simple task of following the two grown ponies and ensuring that they had the best date ever.
As Sweetie and Apple Bloom approached the library, they noticed that Ion was standing at the front door. In a panic, Apple Bloom shoved Sweetie Belle into the nearest alley and ducked in as well.
“What was that for!?”
“Shh! Ion’s right over there!”
Both fillies stuck out their heads and saw that the green stallion was indeed standing at the front door to the library, shuffling nervously as he stood there.
“What’s he doing here, I thought Applejack was going to meet him back at the farm?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Ah don’t know, maybe they made a last minute change? Oh no, what if meh sister forgot the date was tonight!? What if Ion’s comin’ to find out why she missed their date!? What if – FFFWRH”
Sweetie Belle quickly jammed her hoof into Apple Bloom’s mouth, preventing her from going into a panic fueled rant.
“He doesn’t look angry, just nervous. I think he’s here to pick Applejack up.”
The two fillies watched as the door to the library opened, with Applejack standing there with a nervous smile on her face. From the distance they were at, neither one could hear what was being said, but from the looks of it, Sweetie was right in thinking that Ion was just picking her up here instead of Applejack going back home to start.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched as the couple left the library walking down the street side-by-side. Once they were sure they were far enough away, and that Twilight and Rainbow Dash were gone. They quickly made their way to the window that belonged to their friends and threw two pebbles at it.
The window opened slightly, with Scootaloo and Adara looking down cautiously. Once they saw Sweetie and Apple Bloom, the two pegasi quietly flew down to them.
“Hey, what’s goin’ on, why did Ion pick up Applejack here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Don’t know, I couldn’t hear too much of it, something about having a talk with your sister about something,” said Scootaloo.
Oh, I know what they were talking about………And I wish I didn’t.
“Well, let’s get goin’!”
With the team assembled, the Crusaders moved swiftly, yet silently through the streets of Ponyville. Though the town was a pretty peaceful place that still didn’t mean that their folks were lenient when it came to four unsupervised foals skulking about town, knowing that, the Crusaders kept to places where they could easily hide, Adara and Scootaloo stuck to the air, hiding behind rooftops and keeping a bird’s eye view of the stallion and mare.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle kept an eye on them from the ground. Sticking close to any alley or stall that could hide them, if even one of the other Ponyville ponies saw them, they’re cover would be blown and they’d have to face the wrath of their respective sisters. The only advantage of this split up is if they were to somehow be caught; one team could still try and fulfill the mission.
The four fillies followed Applejack and Ion to a restaurant; it was one of Ponyville’s more fancy establishments, an offshoot of the one in Canterlot, catering to those who wanted a romantic dinner or a place to dine for special occasions. The name at the top of the restaurant read “The Mayleen Rose”.
“He’s takenin’ her here?”
“Rarity talks about this place all the time, it’s some fancy restaurant, very romantic,” said Sweetie Belle with hint of approval.
“Eh…Ah’m not sure, Applejack doesn’t really like frou-frou or fancy schmansy things like this.”
Scootaloo and Adara landed beside them after they saw the couple enter the building.
“He’s probably trying to impress her or something,” said Adara.
“Makes sense, Ah guess. So how are we goin’ to get inside?”
Scootaloo stepped forward, “I have an idea.”
“This is a dumb idea!”
Scootaloo and Adara helped their friends up onto the roof and entered the restaurant through a ventilation shaft. Their nostrils were being assaulted by the tantalizing aroma of the various foods that wafted through the confined space. Apple Bloom led the way, with Sweetie Belle behind her, followed by Adara, and finally Scootaloo.
“Well do you know any better way of getting in without somepony noticing us,” hissed Scootaloo.
“How do we even know this goes into the dining room, we could be heading towards the kitchen for all we know,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Just have faith Sweetie Belle,” responded Adara.
After carefully crawling and navigating the notoriously long maze-like air ducts, the four fillies found a large enough space for them look down into the dining room through the grates. From what they could tell, there were dozens of ponies inside, each one eating various special entrees of restaurant. Ion and Applejack were seated near a window, allowing them to view the back of the establishment, which was a beautiful rose garden, illuminated by the soft candle light burning within the lampposts.
“This ain’t too bad Ion, kinda reminds me of Manehattan,” said Applejack.
“You went to Manehattan, when?” asked Ion.
“It was when Ah was a little filly, a bit before Apple Bloom was born. Ah was still tryin’ to find out what meh what Ah was goin’ to do with my life. So I headed to Manehattan to stay with my Aunt and Uncle Orange, and they taught me all about high society and other fancy stuff, even got me to talk differently too.”
“Really?”
Applejack grinned; she then cleared her throat and sat up straight. The air around her changed slightly, as if more refined. “I must say, Ion, I can’t believe you doubt that I can act sophisticated even for a short time. I may not like all of its rules, but I am aware of how a proper mare is to act around others. Sometimes I just choose not to.”
Ion and the fillies in the air duct, stared slack jawed at Applejack. There wasn’t a hint of her southern accent at all, and she almost talked like Rarity, all fancy and proper. Subtle as it was, she even looked different. Her eyes were focused and half-lidded.
“Uh…Apple Bloom, did you know that she could still do that…?” Scootaloo asked.
“Uh-uh,” answered Apple Bloom dumbfounded.
After a few more seconds, Applejack returned to her more comfortable, slouching posture and wiped away the look on her face. “Yeah, Ah still know how talk like that after all these years.”
“Just don’t let Rarity hear you talk like that, she’d probably foalnap you and keep you to herself,” said Ion.
“Heh, wouldn’t surprise me, Ah could tell she was droppin’ some subtle hints a while back, but Ah told her that Ah don’t swing that way.”
“You’d think that stop her?”
There was long pause before Applejack’s eyes widened in, what Ion could assume, was horrific realization. “Not a word to her!”
“I don’t know, I mean, it is a tempting thought…Rarity doing unspeakable things to you as you –”
Applejack quickly shoved a bread roll into Ion’s mouth, effectively silencing the stallion. The mare was blushing, but she grinned slightly. But inside the grate, Adara and Apple Bloom simultaneously face hoofed themselves. Apple Bloom for watching her sister just shove a piece bread down her coltfriend’s throat, and Adara for when Ion was painting a rather racy image with his words.
After a while past, the two ponies had ordered their food and filled the gap with small talk, so far so good. Soon their meal arrived and the waiter departed. It was then that he was approached by one of the other restaurant staff and looked concerned.
“Hey, we’re making an order that calls for smoked carrots, a whole bunch of them, for that party in the private room. Think we can redirect some of the vents to siphon off the excess?”
“Sure, I’ll close the ones in here so that we can keep it from disturbing the patrons and vent it to the outside.”
The four Crusaders looked to each other with a slight amount of panic. Before they could figure out if the waiter meant that he would do that right now, the vents that allowed them to see into the dining room shut tight. The unmistakable low rumble of the fans further down in the shaft a clear indicator that it was happening right this second, and if they didn’t get out they’d die of smoke inhalation.
Quickly they made their way through maze like array of air shafts. Each time they were going to make a turn a shutter would slam shut, one after the other their exits were being cut off and it wouldn’t be long before the smoke would hit them, they could already smell the faint aroma of it even now. Soon the fillies reached the end of the line, a faint light glowed and they realized that the vent at end ramped upwards diagonally. Apple Bloom was the first to reach it and looked up to see that it was open.
“We can get out through here, hurry!”
The four fillies hurried along, climbing up the ramp to safety. Apple Bloom bumped against one of the sides of the duct, causing something to fall out of her saddle and clink against the metal as it fell behind them.
“Oh shoot…”
“What was that!? Was that potion vial!? You brought potions!?” asked Sweetie in a frantic state.
“Talk later, need to get out, double time!”
Apple Bloom was at the exit and shot forward to get out, unfortunately, she didn’t get past her flanks, becoming stuck.
“Uh…girls, we have a problem.”
Scootaloo and Adara looked from behind Sweetie Belle, eyes widening in panic.
“You got to be kidding me!” Adara exclaimed.
“This isn’t happening!” Scootaloo yelled.
Sweetie hurried to the exit and thrust her forelegs forward, trying to push Apple Bloom out. On the other side, Apple Bloom was pushing against the wall, trying to free herself from her end. She was in too much of panic and hurry to accurately take in the dimensions and measurements of the opening and match them against her own, if she had, she would’ve realized sooner that she would become stuck.
The shaft was starting to fill with light traces of gray smoke, the need to get out was intensifying, making Adara seriously consider busting open the restaurant to save her friends. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had given up on pushing and was busy trying to think of a way to get Apple Bloom loose. It was then an idea struck an unpleasant one at that.
“Apple Bloom, please forgive me after this!”
“Forgive what!? What’re ya goin’ do!?” Apple Bloom cried out.
“Scoots, Adara, back up a little, give me some room.”
The pegasus fillies complied with her request, moving back to give her as much room as she probably needed. Sweetie Belle backed up a little and lowered her head, matching the angle of her horn with, well…
“Sorry, again.”
Sweetie Belle then lurched forward and her horn made contact. On the other end, Apple Bloom’s eye twitched, and in one powerful motion she dislodged herself from the vent and screamed bloody murder into the night.
“Y’all hear somethin’ Ion?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“Huh, must be my imagination, oh well.”
Sometime later the dinner ended and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were once again on the move. Apple Bloom, unfortunately, was walking funny most of the way, her face scrunched in anger. Sweetie Belle wore an apologetic expression as she tried to assuage her friend’s anger towards what she did.
“I’m sorry Apple Bloom! How many times do I have to say it,” pleaded Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom turned to her friend, her face still angry, but her cheeks were tinted pink. “Ya stuck yer horn up meh rump and sent meh salin’ across three rooftops!”
“…You landed in a hay bale though…”
Apple Bloom snorted and then continued walking awkwardly, “Won’t be able to sit right after that.”
“I. Am. Sorry!”
Apple Bloom then glanced up to the sky and glared a warning, “If anypony here’s about this Scoots, Ah’m goin’ to apple buck you all the way to the Crystal Empire!”
With her threats uttered and her peace of mind secured, the Crusaders continued their little mission, which found them at Ponyville Movie Theater. Lots of different movie titles were displayed upon the marquee as Ion and Applejack decided on which one to watch.
“How `bout that one,” asked Ion, pointing to the movie title “The Legend of Slendermane”. “It’s supposed to be scary, but good from what I hear.”
“Pfft, Ion, considerin’ what we’ve been through, what we fought, Ah don’t think some movie monster is goin’ to scare meh.”
“Sooooo…You chickening out?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at Ion’s question. “Now hold on, sugarcube, Ah didn’t say that.” She then looked up at the marquee again, and really, she wasn’t up for much of what was up there, the horror movie sounding like the only thing that might be any good. “Alright, Ah’m in.”
Ion and Applejack then got their tickets and went into the theater. The four fillies stood at the corner of the theater, having just heard what they were going to see.
“We’re not really –?”
“Yes,” said Apple Bloom.
“Couldn’t we just –?”
“Nope.”
“You’re still angry, aren’t you?”
“Eeyup.”
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Adara all sighed in defeat. So, adding “stealing a movie” to the growing list of possibly illegal things they were doing, the Crusaders snuck into the theater. They searched about till they found the projector room doors. Once inside they walked up and down the aisles of numerous doors that led to different theaters. Finally they found the door labeled “TLOSM Projector Room”.
They made their way inside and, luckily, there was no pony inside. “They must’ve left when the movie started,” said Scootaloo.
“We can see them from the windows over here.”
All four fillies moved towards the two windows that allowed the projectionist to see if the film was running alright. Down below they were able to pick out Ion and Applejack easily, thankfully the orange earth pony mare had the courtesy to take off her hat while inside the Movie Theater.
“Now where did it go!?
The Crusaders started to look at the movie screen, showing a mare and her friends staring at a pony with no face, wearing a black business suit with a bright red tie.
“How did he get behind us!?”
“Don’t take your eyes off him, circle up!”
The fillies continued to watch was the group of mares got into circle so that they could look from every direction. At the last moment the girl who was watching the strange pony blinked and it vanished. They searched frantically until it appeared again, somehow getting much closer than it originally was.
“Is…Is that that Slendermane thing…?” Sweetie asked.
“It doesn’t look as scary as ponies said. It’s just a pony in a black suit wearing a mask to hide his face…T-Totally not c-creepy at all,” said Scootaloo.
The streetlamps in the movie flickered for a moment and Slendermane was gone yet again, sending the mares into a panic. Sweetie Belle had clung to Apple Bloom, and Apple Bloom, having gotten over the incident earlier, reciprocated the action by clinging onto Sweetie as tight as she could. Scootaloo was starting to shake, even though she put on a brave face, this movie was downright scary.
Suddenly Slendermane vanished yet again, leaving the mares to search frantically, neither one daring to move for fear of being picked off. Suddenly, in literally the blink of an eye, Slendermane stood before the mare. Everything was deathly quiet, even the eerie suspenseful music had ceased. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Without warning Slendermane’s body burst out into dozens of black tendrils as a terrifyingly large, mouth on the faceless creature opened, whisking away the mare. The music was back tenfold, one after another the mares were being picked off, screams of terror and bloody murder echoing into the darkness as the last one was left alone. The streetlamps flickered once again, now completely alone, the mare backed up against the only streetlamp that wasn’t flickering. Her eyes frantically looked in every possible direction, searching for any hint or sign that Slendermane was about to come out and take her.
Suddenly the lamp she was under flickered once, and in that next flicker Slendermane appeared behind her, unknown to the mare. The only thing she had time to do was scream before the tendrils latched onto her from behind, digging into her from behind the pole. Slendermane titled its head as if curious by this reaction or the result that such an action would result in.
As much as the fillies wanted to turn away they couldn’t, and the price for their curiosity was…
(One Hour and Thirty-Two Minutes Later)
“That…was…the most…terrifying thing…I’ve ever seen,” said Sweetie Belle in a kind of horror induced trance.
“With the…the tentacles…and the mare…and then the stallion…the woods,” said Apple Bloom in same state as her friend.
Honestly I’ve seen scarier things in universe than that creature, but it was very entertaining, thought Adara happily.
Scootaloo hadn’t said much since they left; she just stuck close to Adara, really, really, really close, like she was trying to become one with her coat through osmosis close. Though, Adara didn’t mind the closeness, it was nice, even if it was out of pure fright. Adara reasoned that Scootaloo was seeking protection because of her powers.
“Okay…I think we’ve done enough,” spoke Scootaloo for the first time since they left the movie. “They’re fine, they’re good, nothing bad happening. Ion and Applejack look like they’re going to be A-OK! Can we go home now…?”
“…Well…Maybe yer right…”
The Crusaders had now followed Applejack and Ion into White Tail Wood, both taking a walk under the moonlit night, as the cool summer breeze blew through the trees. Part of Apple Bloom knew that her sister and Ion would be fine, if nothing bad had happened by now then certainly nothing was.
“Yeah, yer right…” Apple Bloom sighed in defeat, “Guess we ain’t much in the way of ‘Matchmakers’, huh?”
“Probably not,” said the three in unison.
“What in tarnation!?”
“APPLEJACK!” Apple Bloom cried out. The yellow earth pony filly quickly opened her saddle bag and rummaged through it. “Pony feathers, Ah only have one potion left!?”
“Wait, so that thing I saw fall out of your saddle bag back at the restaurant, that really was a potion!?”
“Yeah, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that we’ve been running around town with potions! How many did you make!?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Only three, Ah looked up some recipes in one of Twilight’s books and thought Ah give it another try, and no, there’s no Heart’s Desire in any of these. Now if you’ll excuse me, Ah’m comin’ Applejack!!!”
Before the other three Crusaders could stop her Apple Bloom was already on her way, vial in hoof. The little filly continued to gallop to the where she heard Applejack, she then burst through the bushes and got ready to chuck the vial of unknown brew, but stopped when she took in the situation.
Applejack’s hat was now hanging off a branch on one of the trees. Ion was using his power to create a construct hand to grab it; he then placed it back on Applejack’s head. It was at that time that both adult ponies noticed Apple Bloom’s appearance and looked at her with confusion.
“Apple Bloom, what’re you doin’ out here,” asked Applejack.
“And what’s that in your hoof,” asked Ion.
“Uh…” Apple Bloom quickly chucked the vial behind her and tried to appear as innocent as possible, “Well… heh, heh, funny story there…”
*POOF*
An explosion of pink smoke burst behind Apple Bloom, surprising the filly, but not daring to turn around to see what the potion may or may not have created. Soon she heard the coughing of her three friends, Apple Bloom winced knowing the jig was up.
“Apple Bloom, what the hay was that!?”
“Hey, do you feel funny?”
“A little…Why does my voice sound different?”
Applejack looked from the smoke cloud and then to Apple Bloom with a stern gaze. “Okay, come on out, and you y’all better have a good explanation fer bein’ out so late.”
Apple Bloom sighed sadly, “Girls, you might as well come on out…”
There was a rustling in the bushes behind Apple Bloom, the youngest apple sibling then watched as Applejack’s jaw went slack, along with Ion’s. She turned around to see what they were gawking at and it wasn’t long before she mirrored the expression.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Adara were older, way older, like in their early twenties older! Adara’s mane was longer and flowed down to her shoulders, her fairly large wings were now even bigger, adding to this with a slender and nimble body. Scootaloo’s mane only grew to neck length, and was a little spikier, with some of her bangs covering part of her face, and a svelte body, perfect for racing. Sweetie Belle’s curly mane grew out, flowing beautifully down her back, and her body was curvy, like a supermodel.
“What’s wrong,” asked Scootaloo, her voice had a raspy tone much like Rainbow Dash’s, “Why are you guys looking at us like that?”
“Apple Bloom,” said Adara with a calming gentle voice that almost matched her true form’s voice, “how come you look…smaller?”
“Did everything get bigger, was that a growth potion?” asked Sweetie with a beautiful singing voice, and without a single crack.
“Well…Uh…Ah guess ‘growth’ is a good word, but ‘grownup’ fit’s better.”
The three fillies looked at their friend with confusion, they then turned to each other, gasped, and yelped at the sight of each other.
“What the hay!? I-I’m older – We’re older!”
“We’re grownups! H-How did that happen!?”
“It must’ve been that cloud of smoke!”
Applejack stamped her hoof, gaining the attention of the Crusaders. “You four front and center!” The four Crusaders hurriedly stood before Applejack. “Sit, now!” They did, and Apple Bloom now seemed annoyed that her friends sat higher than her. “Now, one at a time, Ah want you to tell us what y’all are doin’ out here.”
Reluctantly, all four of them told why they were out at night and following the both of them. It took all of thirty minutes to explain the whole situation and why they did what they did. Applejack and Ion met each other’s gazes, they knew their hearts were in the right place but it was still unnecessary to follow them and go through all that stuff they did. Ion and Applejack looked down at Apple Bloom, who was sadder than anything right now.
“Look, we’re upset, but we’re not mad at you guys,” said Ion.
“You had nothin’ to worry about sugarcube, and worryin’ about me isn’t yer your job, it’s the other way around,” said Applejack.
“Ah know…Ah just…Ah just wanted to make sure that everythin’ went alright with y’all, `cause…Ah really want Ion to be part of the family…and Ah want to see ya happy…”
Applejack stepped forward and lowered her head to nuzzle Apple Bloom comfortingly. With an encouraging nod from the elder apple, Ion did the same, gaining a smile from Apple Bloom from the joint affection.
“We understand, but we’re fine Apple Bloom. I do love your sister, and you know I’ll do whatever I can to make her happy,” he proclaimed.
Adara and Sweetie Belle “awwwww’d” at those words, thinking them romantic, Scootaloo just rolled her eyes but conceded, mentally, that it was romantic. Applejack blushed a little and tapped Ion with her shoulder.
“Do ya hafta say embarrassin’ stuff like that?”
“If only to make you blush, then yes, yes I do – OW!”
Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom looked to Applejack who shrugged that it wasn’t her. They then noticed that Adara was now standing next to Ion.
“Brother, please stop teasing Applejack, too much.”
“Whatever you say,” Ion then ruffled the Adara’s long mane, earning him a groan of indignation, “little sis.”
“Not so little right now,” she said under her breath.
“Well, Ah reckon we outta get y’all back home. We’ll talk to Twi and Zecora tomorrow to see what we can do about…this.” Applejack waved a hoof in front of the three grown fillies to indicate the problem. It was then that a thought popped into Applejack’s head. “Wait a minute, Apple Bloom; you said you had three of those potion vials, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are the other two?”
“Uh-oh,” spoke the four.
There was a loud explosion coming from the distance. The group of six quickly exited the woods just in time to see a large column of smoke rise up into the air. The column then took the form of a puffy, gray smoke monster that roared and bellowed in the air. What followed next were loud screams of terror that repeated:
“SLENDERMANE IS REAL!!!”
“HE JUMPED OFF THE MOVIE SCREEN!! OFF. THE. MOIVE. SCREEN!!!”
Apple Bloom and her friends all face hoofed themselves, Applejack let out an annoyed groan at the same time as Ion. This was going to be a very long night.
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Oh this is going to be FUN. The spirits that feed of rage vs a being OF pure Rage. This will be a fight to remember.
4661215 I thought you might like that.
4661225 You thought right.
there are plenty of ponies doing that as we speak right now,
Fourth wall breaking Pinkie, well done.
4661607
Thank you
vally8.free.fr/jeux/phoenixwright2/gif/ani-edgeworth-bow.gif
Cute chapter. In the next one, I wanna see BLOOD!!
Really now, amazing job, as always.
Why does Zecora keep letting Applebloom into her house?
So Butcher will be interacting with the windigos next chapter. Interesting. I was hoping you wouldn't put Butcher with the gryphons. The gryphons and the changelings are the usual go-to enemies for fanfics. I was kind of hoping Butcher would interact with the minotaurs since he's a bull and they're bulls, but the I hadn't thought of the windigos. In retrospect it seems kind of obvious. Definitely looking forward to that and seeing what kind of trouble a grown up Scoots and Sweetie can cause.
4662182
Thank you and yes, there will be blood
4663668
Personally, I think she just wants to see her mess with the town after all those times the town hid in their houses.
4665876
Please, I have that going on in MLP Next Gen, it'd be bad form.
4690094 YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
4690094 Passive agrressive revenge, thats brilliant!
4661215
You read my mind!
4690094
So, Zecora's a troll.
“I don’t know, I mean, it is a tempting thought…Rarity doing unspeakable things to you as you –”
oh so it's rape, BDSM, and tentacles LOVE IT
wait Adara called Ion her brother in front of the others. They don't know there related uh why is no one reacting to it