Battle Ready: Envy

by D101 Reviews

Chapter Five: The Cutie Mark Crusaders

Chapter Five: The Cutie Mark Crusaders

Applebloom bounced up and down over and over again as she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders ran down the high street a good thirty or so paces ahead of Applejack, who was smiling as the three fillies raced down the road to the station.

"I can't believe Babs' is back in town again!" Applebloom cried, her eyes sparkling in joy. "I can't believe how long it's been since the Apple family reunion!"

"I can't wait to hear how the Manehatten branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is doing!" Scootaloo exclaimed, just as excited.

"Maybe Babs has already found her Cutie Mark!?" Sweetie Belle suggested. It was not the first time this idea had been suggested, and only spurred the three girls to run faster towards the station in excited glee.

Applejack laughed as she began to jog after them. She knew what sort of trouble those girls might get up to if left alone for amount of time.

She caught up with them at the station just as the train pulled up to the platform, Applebloom and the others bouncing on the balls of their feet, waiting for Babs to emerge from the carriage. She smiled and waited a few feet behind the three fillies.

The doors to the train opened. A few doors down from where the three were stood, an orange furred filly with maroon hair that covered one eye stepped onto the platform. Applebloom was the one to spot her first.

"Babs!" she cried and rushed to embrace her cousin. "I missed ya cousin!"

"You too!" Babs replied, wrapping her arms around the other filly. "You ain't my favourite cousin for nothing you know?"

Applebloom smiled and the two walked over to the other Cutie Mark Crusaders. The four filly's began speaking excitedly as the approached Applejack, who was watching with a smile. Her eyes however wandered around the platform. She didn't recognise anypony else at first. Then she spotted the pale blue pegasus with neon blonde mane and grey brown eyes. As if to confirm her suspicions the pony turned her head to look around, and Applejack caught sight of her Cutie Mark: two crossed daggers on a cloud.

"No way..." she whispered under her breath.

For a few moments Sky Blade didn't see her. When she did however, she looked just as surprised as Applejack felt. Sky composed herself faster of course and approahced the farm pony.

"I was wondering why Ponyville," she said as she neared.

"Yeah," Applejack croaked. Sky cocked her head.

"Something wrong AJ?"

"Yer darn right there's somethin' wrong!" Applejack hissed at her. "What the hay are you doin' in Equestria?"

"Would you believe tourism?" Sky shrugged.

"Not funny."

"It could be true for all you know. Why are you assuming Warhorse brings bad tidings with it?"

"Because the last I heard, you an' Battle an' a whole bunch o' other Warhorse ponies were outta town."

"Tactical wasn't supposed to say that!" piped up a small voice from below wait height. Applejack looked down and saw the small unicorn colt standing there. He clung to Sky's leg at the look he was given. "Dad said that Tactical was to tell Miss Twilight Battle was sick."

Applejack looked at Sky.

"Battle expected Tactical to lie for him?"

"No the Commander didn't issue that order," Sky explained. "He was expecting us to return in time for his meeting with Twilight. As I understand it King Veteran wanted Tactical to concoct a possible bend of the truth that would less distressing to you here in Equestria. Missing in action sounds far worse than bed ridden does it not?"

"I guess," Applejack shrugged. She looked down at the colt. "Who's the small fry?"

"I'm not small!" Blueprint cried.

"This is Prince Blueprint of Warhorse," Sky explained coolly. "Battle's younger brother."

Applejack's eyes widened as she looked down at Blueprint, who stood up a little straighter, a proud look on his face. A black face, devoid of Cutie Mark.

"He's a sweet little guy ain't he?" Applejack asked, ruffling Blueprint's hair. His proud face become one of bashfulness and looked up at Applejack with sweet eyes. Applejack looked to Sky. "Is he here?"

Sky sighed. "Can we talk about this some place else?"

"Do I have to come too?" Blueprint sighed. "I only like this kind of talk when big bro is doing it."

Sky bit her lip.

"Ya'll can't let him go out by himself?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was the Commander's orders for me to keep an eye on him," Sky explained. Applejack nodded before she turned to Applebloom.

"Applebloom, come 'ere for a second!" she said. The young filly looked up from her conversation with her friends before she walked over to her sister.

"What's up sis?"

"Applebloom, this here is Blueprint," Applejack said, gesturing to the grey furred foal. "He's new in Ponyville so he doesn't have any friends here."

Applebloom looked at Blueprint, who smiled sheepishly at her. Applebloom stared hard for a moment before her face split into a wide grin.

"You ain't got your Cutie Mark either!" she cried, pointing at Blueprint's blank cheek.

"Oh... yeah," Blueprint muttered scratching the back of his head.

Appelbloom's smile widened as she grabbed Blueprint's hand and pulled him towards the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, talking rapidly.

"Applebloom'll take good care o' him," Applejack explained. "Now. Why are ya'll here in Equestria?"

---

"And this is the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse!" Applbloom exclaimed proudly. "It was mah sister Applejack's clubhouse when she was a li'l filly but I fixed 'er up good so we could use it."

Blueprint looked at the clubhouse and smiled.

"~Cooooool~" he whistled in appreciation.

"Aw it ain't all that," Applebloom said blushed scuffing her feet as she and the other clambered inside.

"It really is," Blueprint insisted looking around. "This place looks amazing." He sat down on one of the mast and looked around smiling. "So what do you do here then?"

"Normally this is where we come up with plans on how we get our Cutie Marks," Scootaloo explained.

"We're the last ponies in our class at school to get our Cutie Marks," Sweetie Belle elaborated. Blueprint frowned.

"Why's that so bad? I mean, doesn't that mean it'll be more special when you do get your Cutie Marks?"

"If we get them," Applebloom pouted. "We've tried everything we can think of."

the four fillies sat there for a few moments. Blueprint raised and eyebrow before he got to his feet and grabbed a sheet of blank paper from the floor. He picked up a handful of pencils and set down cross legged on the floor. The girls looked at him but they remained quite as Blueprint began to quickly sketch something on his sheet of paper. After about five minutes of waiting he set the pencils down again and showed them his work.

A green gemstone, so perfectly drawn, highlighted and cast in shadows that the Cutie Mark Crusaders believed it was real for a moment. The Barion cut green gem was clear and shone with some brilliant internal light that refracted and danced and splintered, creating intricate and beautiful patterns within themselves.

"That's beautiful!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Scootaloo agreed.

"I ain't never seen a pony draw like that!" Applebloom praised.

"You said it cous," Babs breathed.

"It's the Eye of Equitem," Blueprint explained. "Where I come from it is a symbol of hope. As long as the Eye is lit, there is always some hope left."

"Why show it to us?" Sweetie Belle asked. Blueprint looked at her and smiled.

"Because you looked like you could do with some hope."

"Well that's mighty kind of you Blue," Applebloom said smiling, "You don't mind if Ah call you Blue do you?"

"I kind of like it actually," Blueprint admitted, smiling back at Applebloom. "Better than what big bro calls me anyway."

"What's your brother call you?" Scootaloo asked.

"Squirt," Blueprint said, then he paused. "Still better then what he calls big sis."

"What's he call your sister?" Babs asked, Blueprint shyed away.

"Uh dad doesn't like it when I say words like that."

"We won't tell," Scootaloo promised. "Besides I know most of 'em anyway."

"Me too!" Applebloom piped up. "Applejack likes to use 'em when she' bucking apples when she thinks Ah can't hear her."

Blueprint smiled slightly before leaning in conspiratorially. "Bro likes to call big sis... a useless bitch."

The foals started tittering madly at the taboo of such forbidden language. When they calmed down, Sweetie Belle took a look at Blueprint's drawing again.

"Maybe you'll get your Cutie Mark in drawing?" she suggested.

"Big bro thought the same," Blueprint sighed. "But so far I don't have anything. He said I'll get my Cutie Mark when the time is right. My special talent is drawing, but it's not going to be art. I can feel it."

"I wish I knew what mah special talent was gonna be," Applejack lamented.

"You really don't," Blueprint muttered. "I hate knowing what my talent will be like but not being able to figure out what it'll be. It's so frustrating!"

He sagged slightly, ears drooping as he looked at the drawing of the Eye of Equitem. His eyes were filled with such sadness and frustration.

"Maybe we can help you out!" Babs exclaimed. "We could ask Miss Twilight about different kinds of drawing and try each one out!"

"Great idea Babs!" Applebloom exclaimed, before another, brighter look appeared in her eyes. "Maybe we could all get our Cutie Marks in research!"

"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle cried.

The four Cutie Mark Crusaders put their hands one on top of the other, before throwing them into the air.

"Cutie Mark Crusader Researchers! Yay!" the cried as one. In a flurry of movement, they each donned a maroon cape with golden silk lining. On each cape was a dark blue shield with three egg yellow ponies on it.

"Come on! To the library!" Sweetie Belle cried.

Comments

[PhycoKrusk]

And that's the story of how Twilight accidentally teleported all the way to Canterlot.