S1 E18: The Show Stoppers (What If?)
Applejack was leading her sister Apple Bloom, and her two friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, through a small patch of woods on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. She'd told them she had a big surprise waiting for them.
"Where are you takin' us?" Apple Bloom asked impatiently "Seems like we've been trottin' around for hours."
"We're almost there, youngin's." Applejack replied "You're gonna love what I have in store for ya."
"I've never been here before." Sweetie Belle said, as she and Apple Bloom pushed past a leaf.
Unfortunately for Scootaloo, the leaf snapped back and hit her in the face. "Ouch, that smarts!" she complained. She was more cross than hurt.
"Oh. Sorry." Apple Bloom apologized.
"Apology accepted. Are we there yet?" Scootaloo asked Applejack. She hated asking the obvious question, but she was rapidly losing patience and was starting to have second thoughts about continuing the journey.
"There? Where? What? I don't even know what we're doing." Sweetie Belle said, greatly confused "Everything's starting to look the same."
"Ah, here we are." Applejack said at last, and stopped at what appeared to some sort of wooden building. But it had clearly seen better days. The paint was dull and chipped in many places, most of the wood rotten and decayed.
"What are we lookin' at?" Apple Bloom asked, observing the sight that lay before her. She was anything but impressed.
"Don't ask me, I have no idea." Scootaloo replied.
"Just what is that thing?" Sweetie Belle added "It looks like no one's been here for years."
"Cutie Mark Crusaders, welcome to your new clubhouse." Applejack said proudly. She exepcted to be showered with praise, but all she got was a long silence, and a few angry glares. "Well, don't thank me all at once." she continued "You fillies will never believe this, but this use to be my clubhouse when I was your age. Sure it hasn't been used in a while, but it's empty and on a secluded, private part of the farm. And it's all yours. It just needs a little, uh..." Applejack paused, trying to think of a good word to describe the neglected building "TLC." she said at last.
"TLC as in Tender Loving Care, or Totally Lost Cause?" Scootaloo asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Applejack! Do you seriously mean to tell me we're suppose to turn this into our new clubhouse?" Apple Bloom complained.
Applejack leaned against one of the wall boards and said "Well, maybe y'all will get your cutie marks when you discover your talent for..." Just then, the wall board she was leaning against gave way and she crashed. Fortunately, she wasn't hurt "Uh... house cleanin'?"
"Seriously?" Apple Bloom groaned. Just by looking at the clubhouse she could tell it would take a long time to repair.
"Are we actually suppose to try and fix this thing up?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"My thoughts exactly." Scootaloo joined in "This place is a dump! It's a miracle it hasn't fallen apart already."
"Well, I think we can do it. But we've got our work cut out for us." Apple Bloom admitted, looking at the decayed clubhouse.
"Really?" Sweetie Belle asked, incredibly unsure of the idea.
"There's only one way to know for sure." Apple Bloom replied.
"And that would be what?" Scootaloo asked.
"We'll have to take a closer look at it. You know, get a damage report and see just what needs to be repaired." Apple Bloom explaind "Once we've done that, we can make a plan to get the supplies we'll need to fix it."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." Sweetie Belle said uncertainly, the clubhouse did not look safe at all.
"Relax, we'll be fine." Apple Bloom reassured her friends "Now come on, the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can start makin' repairs!"
"Just a sec." Scootaloo replied, and went to fetch her helmet from her scooter "I'm not taking any chances. The last thing I need is for one of those boards to come down, and hit me on the head."
Reluctantly, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed Apple Bloom into the clubhouse. When they did, they could not believe their eyes. The outside had looked bad enough, but the inside was far worse. The windows seemed dusty and cracked, dust and cobwebs were everywhere, and the fillies had to be extremely careful to avoid splinters from the rotting wood.
"Wow, what a surprise! The cruminess is thorough!" Scootaloo said sarcastically "Calling this place a pigsty would be an insult to pigsties."
"The dust in here would drive my sister Rarity insane." Sweetie Belle commented, sneezing slightly as some of the musty air passed by her nose.
"Well, at least now we've got a sense of what needs fixin'." Apple Bloom replied. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were not sure why, but Apple Bloom seemed most impressed with the place.
"Good, so can we talk about it outside?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously.
"Where it's safe?" Scootaloo added.
"Sure thing." Apple Bloom smiled, and headed over to join up with her friends.
But just as she was about to meet up with them, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo noticed a loose floorboard that seemed ready to give way as soon as somepony stepped on it. "Apple Bloom, watch out!" they cried. But it was too late. Apple Bloom stepped onto the floorboard, and screamed as it flung her into a wall. Fortunately, she was more dirty than hurt.
"Add that to the list of things we'll need to fix." Apple Bloom muttered, as she shook herself off. Then, she joined up with her friends and they all left the clubhouse together.
Once outside, Apple Bloom spoke up again "If we're gonna go out into Ponyville and look for our cutie marks, we're gonna need a base of operations. And this clubhouse is the perfect candidate."
"You're kidding right?" Scootaloo asked "You saw how run down the place is. What makes you think it can somehow be useful to us?!"
"Rarity always say that if you put enough effort into it, it's possible to fix anything. It just takes a little determination." Sweetie Belle replied.
"It'll take more than determination to fix up this place Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom spoke up "There's a lot that needs to be repaired. I'm not gonna lie, it's gonna take a lot of time and effort. But I think if we work together, we can do it! So, are you girls with me?!"
"I think so." Sweetie Belle replied.
"I guess." Scootaloo shrugged.
"Alright then, here's the plan." Apple Bloom said seriously "First thing's first, we're gonna need a whole lot of wood. Most of the floor and wallboards are too rotten to be useful. That's where you come in Sweetie Belle."
"It is? How can I help with that?" Sweetie Belle asked uncertainly.
"Your sister Rarity has to know a thing or two about construction. After all, she runs and maintains her own business." Apple Bloom explained "If you ask her politely, she'll probably let you part with some 2x4s. While you're there, see about gettin' some new drapes to replace the old, torn ones."
"I can do that, I guess." Sweetie Belle replied. She was still uneasy from the last time she had 'borrowed' some of Rarity's materials, in order to make the capes for her and her fellow cutie mark crusaders.
"And as for you, Scootaloo." Apple Bloom went on "You're pretty fast on that scooter, aren't you?"
"Darn right I am!" Scootaloo boasted "I can go faster than anypony could by trotting!"
"Then you're the perfect pony to pick up nails, and paintin' supplies." Apple Bloom instructed "On your way back, you can probably stop by Carousel Boutique and pick up Sweetie Belle."
"What do I look like, a taxi service?" Scootaloo complained.
"If you're as fast as you claim that shouldn't be a problem, or am I mistaken in assuming you and your scooter are up for this important assignment?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Fine, I'll do it." Scootaloo said, under her breath she added "Just this once."
"Good, and when you're done with that you could probably draw us a map of Ponyville. We're gonna need it to plan our crusades." Apple Bloom added.
"Okay, anything else you'd like me to pick up for you?" Scootaloo teased "Bread? Eggs? Milk? Laundry?"
"Very funny Scootaloo." Apple Bloom replied "While you two are busy with your tasks, I'll be gonna around and tryin' to see what I can get done on my own. For starters, I could probably nail down that loose floorboard before it sends someone else flyin'."
"How are you gonna do that?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"With a hammer of course." Apple Bloom explained "So, what are you two standin' around here for? Let's get to work and turn this clubhouse into somethin' worthy of the name 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'!"
And so, Apple Bloom's plan was set into motion. Sweetie Belle hopped into a wagon attached to Scootaloo's scooter, and together they set off for Carousel Boutique. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom headed back to Sweet Apple Acres to borrow Big Macintosh's tool kit, in the hopes of doing some damage control.
It didn't take Scootaloo long to reach Carousel Boutique, she knew Ponyville in and out. She even knew of sneaky shortcuts she could take to save time, or avoid being caught.
Sweetie Belle hopped out of the wagon, and watched as Scootaloo sped away as fast as she could. Now, she was alone. "I just hope Rarity isn't too busy." she thought to herself, and plucking up courage, she entered Carousel Boutique and headed up to where she knew Rarity would be working.
Scootaloo was racing towards the Ponyville Hardware Store, so far she was making good time. "This is gonna be easy!" she thought to herself "I'll be in and out faster than Rainbow Dash on cider day!" But as she approached the road leading up to the store, Scootaloo stopped. Fluttershy was leading an entire group of sheep across the path, effectively blocking it. And from the looks of things, the flock would take some time to make it all the way to the other side. All Scootalo could do in the meantime, was wait. "Me and my big mouth." she thought to herself, as she waited impatiently for the path ahead to clear.
Rarity was in her workshop, busy tending to a dress order she'd recieved fron Manehattan. She was just putting the finishing touches on the helm of the dress, when Sweetie Belle came barging in. Rarity was, needless to say, quite unhappy. Taking a deep breath (so as not to unintentionally yell at her little sister) she turned around to face Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, I thought I told you that I do not like to be disturbed when I am 'In The Zone'." Rarity said calmly but firmly.
"I'm very sorry Rarity." Sweetie Belle apologized.
"I'm certain you are. But in the future I would appreciate it if you knock before entering." Rarity said kindly, accepting the apology without another word "Now then, is there something I can help you with?"
"Well, Apple Bloom told me that I'm suppose to ask you for some wood and new drapes." Sweetie Belle said nervously.
"Whatever do you need them for?" Rarity asked "You've already borrowed some of my materials to make those capes. Which I'm still not too happy about it."
"We're trying to fix up Applejack's old clubhouse, Apple Bloom thinks it could serve as our headquarters." Sweetie Belle explained.
"Ah yes, I remember that clubhouse." Rarity replied, a look of disappointment and sadness seemed to be reflected in her eyes "Applejack and I use to play in it from time to time as fillies, but the last time I saw it, the years had not been kind to it. The fact that you and your friends are trying to restore it is nothing short of admirable."
"So, can you help us?" Sweetie Belle asked anxiously "If not, I understand. I'm probably asking too much of you as it is."
"Nonsense Sweetie Belle, I'd be glad to help." Rarity smiled "Truth be told, I had wanted to restore that clubhouse myself, but I never really got around to it. Running your own business does tend to eat up one's time."
"But what about that dress you were working on?" Sweetie Belle asked, eyeing the garment Rarity had been working on just seconds ago.
"Don't worry about it Sweetie Belle. The customer who ordered it wasn't planning on coming back for it until three days from now." Rarity reassured her little sister "I'll have everything you need ready in a jiffy. But I hope you're aware that it takes more than just new boards and drapes to fix up a clubhouse."
"Scootaloo's suppose to be picking up the nails and paint." Sweetie Belle said, a look of uncertainty crossing her face "But something tells me that's not going to be as easy as it should be. I just hope she doesn't take too long, she's suppose to pick me up on her way back to the clubhouse."
"So what is Apple Bloom doing while you two are picking up supplies?" Rarity asked, as she set to work on designing the new drapes.
"She said she was going to use a toolkit and try to do some repairs on her own." Sweetie Belle told Rarity.
"My goodness, you fillies certainly have your hooves full." Rarity exclaimed "Are you three absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"Apple Bloom seems to think that the clubhouse has potential." Sweetie Belle stated "She seems to be a bit more knowledgeable about construction for some reason."
"And what about you Sweetie Belle? What do you think?" Rarity asked.
"I guess I agree with Apple Bloom. Though I think Scootaloo may have a point about it being like a pigsty." Sweetie Belle said with uncertainty.
"Well, go with what you think is the best decision." Rarity encouraged Sweetie Belle "If you have an idea that's different from your friends, don't be afraid to share it. If they're truly your friends, they will at least acknowledge your opinion."
"Really? I thought friendship was all about compromises." Sweetie Belle replied, greatly confused.
"It is, to some extent. There is no 'One size fits all' approach to friendships, just as there's no 'One size fits all' approach to dress making." Rarity explained "What holds one friendship together, can tear another friendship apart. Some friends have more things they like to do, and some friends find only a few areas they really agree on."
Unfortunately for Sweetie Belle, this explanation did not clear things up for her at all. "I still don't get it. How can friendships be so complex?"
"Well, perhaps I can explain this in simpler terms." Rarity said to Sweetie Belle "Take Fluttershy and I for example, there is a lot we have in common. We both love fashion. We both love spa dates. And we both love dressing up. Applejack and I, on the other hoof, have very little in common. Applejack is almost my exact opposite. Yet, there are some things we both like, or at least are willing to tolerate."
"I think I get it now." Sweetie Belle nodded "Thanks for the advice Rarity."
"You're more than welcome Sweetie Belle. If there's anything that's ever bothering you, you know you can always ask me." Rarity said kindly "And if I'm not mistaken, it seems that I have completed work on the new drapes for your clubhouse." Using her magic, Rarity levitated the drapes into a bag for storage.
"That's great, but I still need some wood for the walls and floor." Sweetie Belle replied.
"Say no more, I haven't forgotten." Rarity reassured her sister "Come with me to the basement, and we'll rectify the problem. Do be careful though, there's a very good reason why I tell you not to go down there by yourself."
Meanwhile, for Scootaloo it seemed like hours had passed since Fluttershy and the herd of sheep had appeared. But at last, the road was cleared and Scootaloo could finally head to The Ponyville Hardware Store. "About time!" she thought to herself, and sped down the road as quickly as she could. If she hurried, she could make up for lost time.
Parking her scooter by the side of the building, Scootaloo raced inside as fast as her hooves would let her. "This will be easy, I've been to this place enough to know where to find things." Scootaloo thought to herself, but upon entering The Ponyville Hardware Store that optimism vanished. It seemed, that since her last visit, the store had been renovated. Whereas the nails had previously been off to the right of the doors, they were now replaced by a massive display that did not interest Scootaloo even the slightest. The paints had also been moved, and were now at the very back of the store, when they use to be right next to the nails.
Scootaloo groaned in annoyance "You've got to be kidding me! Why the hay did they have to reorganize everything?! Things were fine the way they were!" With a great deal of complaining and frustation, Scootaloo set off to try and locate the nails.
Back at the clubhouse, Apple Bloom was whistling to herself as she carefully trotted up the ramp, a red toolbox in hoof. It had taken quite a bit of convincing, pleading, and begging, to get Big Macintosh to agree to part with his toolbox.
Applejack had been incredibly persistent on not letting Apple Bloom use any of the power tools by herself. "Those tools can be very dangerous if you don't use them properly." she had told Apple Bloom "You shouldn't need to use any of them. If you do, make sure you come and get either me, or Big Macintosh. No ifs, ands, or buts!" Apple Bloom hadn't liked such a decision, but it was no use arguing with Applejack.
Once inside the clubhouse, Apple Bloom carefully placed the toolbox on the ground. "First thing's first." she said to herself "I've gotta take care of that loose floorboard." She went over to the toolbox and took out a hammer, then she carefully made her way over to where the floorboard that had flung her into a wall a short time ago was.
Looking at it now, it seemed obvious that it would give way like a spring the moment it was stepped on. It seemed very unstable, as if the only thing holding it in place was some sort of invisible force. In reality, it was suppose to be held in place by two nails.
Carefully, Apple Bloom pressed down on the beam until she managed to force down the part of the board that turned it into a make-shift spring. Then, clutching the hammer firmly in her hoof, she pounded the nails back into the board. Once that was done, she placed the hammer onto the beam to see what would happen. When it didn't give way, Apple Bloom reluctantly stepped onto it herself. "I sure hope I actually fixed it, otherwise I'm gonna feel sorry for myself in the mornin'."
Seconds passed, but nothing happened. Apple Bloom stepped back off of the board and sighed with relief. "Glad that's taken care of." she said to herself "Now let's see what else I can get done. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo should be comin' back soon, and I at least want this place to look halfway presentable by then."
It had taken Scootaloo much longer than she would've liked just to find the nails, and obtaining the cans of paint proved to incredibly frustrating. But at last, she reached the checkout, payed for the supplies with her allowance, and made her way out to where she'd parked her scooter. Once she'd placed the nails and cans of paint into the wagon, she paused for a second to catch her breath. "I forgot just how heavy that stuff was." she said, in between breaths "Oh well, at least I've finally gathered everything Apple Bloom wanted. I hope she's having better luck than me right now, otherwise we're never gonna that clubhouse fixed." And with that, she hopped onto her scooter, fastened her helmet, and took off for Carousel Boutique.
Unfortunately for Scootaloo, the trip back to Carousel Boutique from The Ponyville Hardware Store proved to be more challenging than the trip to The Ponyville Hardware Store from Carousel Boutique. The construction supplies in the wagon were heavy, and weighed Scootaloo down considerably. It took her much longer than usual for her to get up to top speed, and even then she was having difficulty maintaining it. "Come on, come on!" she complained "I can't let this slow me down! I can go faster than this, I know I can!"
"Where's Scootaloo, she should've been here by now." Sweetie Belle thought to herself, as she waited in front of Carousel Boutique for Scootaloo to show up.
"Are you sure Scootaloo is suppose to show up here instead of heading back to the clubhouse?" Rarity asked Sweetie Belle.
"Of course I'm sure, that was the plan. Scootaloo might be a bit hot headed, but she's not stupid!" Sweetie Belle said in reply, glaring angrily at Rarity.
"I made no such assumptions Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo is a good filly, and she's certainly not stupid." Rarity said, quickly defending herself "I was just wondering if you were sure you heard right. Trust me when I say, there are times when you may unintentionally hear something the wrong way."
"But I know Scootaloo is suppose to meet me here!" Sweetie Belle replied "Where could she be?!"
At last, in the distance there appeared a familiar orange figure. As the figure drew closer, Sweetie Belle could see that it was Scootaloo. From the looks of things, she was exhausted. She was nearly out of breath, panting hard and and wiping sweat from her brows. At last, tired but trimuphant, she reached her destination.
"Where have you been Scootaloo? I was worried about you!" Sweetie Belle asked.
"You wouldn't believe it, but I've had an adventure and a half today." Scootaloo replied, in between pants "First the trip to the hardware store took longer than expected because of Fluttershy and her ducks. Then the store decided to rearrange everything, so it took me forever to find the nails and the paint cans. And to top it off, on the way back this heavy load not only slowed me down, but also made one of the wheels on my scooter pop off. I had to stop and put it back on, and that took a long time."
"My goodness, you've certainly been through a lot." Rarity exclaimed.
"Don't I know it." Scootaloo complained "Anyway, I'm here now. So hop in and let's get back to the clubhouse already!"
"Are you sure you can manage darling?" Rarity asked. Scootaloo seemed quite worn out, and although the journey from Carousel Boutique to Sweet Apple Acres wasn't that long, Rarity was concerned that it would be too much for Scootaloo.
"I'll be fine." Scootaloo said, brushing off Rarity's concerns.
"Maybe you should listen to my sister." Sweetie Belle suggested "I can drive the scooter, and you can ride in the wagon."
"Have you ever actually driven a scooter before?" Scootaloo asked.
"Well, no." Sweetie Belle admitted "But how hard could it be?"
Scootaloo facehoofed "Really hard. You would not believe how many times I wiped out when I was first learning to drive it. If you're not careful, you could cause an accident. Which is why, I think it's better for the both of us if you just leave the driving to me."
"But you're going to wear yourself out!" Sweetie Belle complained.
"I can manage just fine, thank you very much!" Scootaloo protested.
"Girls." Rarity said crossly, but Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didn't hear her and went on arguing.
"Just let me drive, I'm sure I can get us back to Sweet Apple Acres." Sweetie Belle pleaded.
"But you don't know how to drive my scooter, and those nails and paint cans need to make it back in one piece!" Scootaloo argued.
"And you think your way is better?" Sweetie Belle complained "You'll pass out and leave us stranded in the middle of Ponyville!"
"No I won't, I'll stop to rest before that happens! I know my limits!" Scootaloo protested.
"Girls!" Rarity said crossly, this time she said it loudly enough for both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to hear her. "That's quite enough arguing out of the both of you. Both of you have a point."
"We do?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle asked.
Rarity nodded "Which is why, I've come up with a solution that should satisfy you both."
"What are you going to do?" Scootaloo asked.
"You'll see in a second." Rarity replied, and lit up her horn. The wagon was surrounded in a light blue glow, which faded after just a few seconds.
"What did you do to the wagon?" Scootaloo asked supiciously "You better not have tampered with it!"
"All I did was cast a spell to lighten your burden a little." Rarity explained "It's a spell I use quite often when dealing with heavy fabrics. It removes some of the weight, making the object lighter and easier to lift. Or in this case, it reduces the amount of drag your wagon will apply to your scooter. You should find it much easier to carry all of that stuff back to Sweet Apple Acres, without wearing yourself out."
"Really? You can do that?" Scootaloo asked "I thought that was the kind of egghead stuff that Twilight was so good at."
"Scootaloo, while I may not know as much about magic as Twilight does, that does not mean I don't know a few useful spells." Rarity told Scootaloo "In fact, I know a spell that can find gems burried beneath the ground. I've actually started teaching it to Twilight, and I must say she's proving to be a quick learner."
"Wow, that's actually pretty cool." Scootaloo said excitedly. Suddenly, she had a new found respect for Ponyville's number one fashionista. "Thank you so much Rarity. What do I owe you?"
"Oh don't be silly Scootaloo, this favor won't cost you anything." Rarity replied with a smile "But you had best be on your way now, Apple Bloom is undoubtly waiting for you to return."
"She's right, we'd better get going." Sweetie Belle said, hopping into the wagon and putting on a helmet. Rarity levitated the wood, and the new drapes into the wagon with her magic. "Goodbye Rarity, thanks for everything you did." Sweetie Belle called, as she and Scootaloo set off back to Sweet Apple Acres.
"You're welcome Sweetie Belle, just make sure to be careful." Rarity called back, and she waved until the wagon was out of sight.
Apple Bloom was waiting in front of the clubhouse when Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle returned. "About time you girls showed up. I was beginnin' to think you got lost or somethin'."
"It's my fault." Scootaloo admitted "I didn't think it would take so long just to pick up a few things."
"Don't blame yourself Scootaloo, you couldn't have known about the sheep or the rearranged hardware store." Sweetie Belle replied, as she hopped out of the wagon.
"Yeah, but it's my fault my scooter broke down and I nearly wore myself out. I really didn't think ahead on that part." Scootaloo sighed.
"Well, at least you're here now. Did ya bring the map?" Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo.
Scootaloo gasped "Oh man, I completely forgot about that! I'll get right on it!" And as soon as the supplies had been unloaded from the wagon, she took off again.
"So, did ya manage to get some new drapes and new boards for the floor and walls?" Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle.
"I sure did." Sweetie Belle replied "And I got a bit of a lecture on friendships from my sister."
"Well, I guess that's no surprise considerin' our sisters are friends now." Apple Bloom shrugged "Now come on, you're gonna help me get those drapes into place. And then you're gonna help me put in some of those new boards."
"But what about Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I'll make sure I save some work for her whenever she gets back." Apple Bloom explained "If this is gonna be our clubhouse, we're all gonna have to pitch in at least a little bit."
"That makes sense, I guess." Sweetie Belle shrugged.
"You think I'm bein' bossy, don't ya?" Apple Bloom asked, as the two fillies made their way up the repaired ramp.
"Maybe a little bit." Sweetie Belle admitted.
"Well, I'm not tryin' to be." Apple Bloom replied honestly "But my family always believes that a little bit of hard work never hurt anypony. I wouldn't ask you two to help me if I felt the workload was too much for ya. I've already gotten a good deal of the clubhouse repaired as it is."
"I can see that." Sweetie Belle said to Apple Bloom, as she observed how much better the inside of the clubhouse looked compared to the last time she'd seen it. The loose floorboard had been nailed down and now you could no longer tell where it use to be. The floorboards that hadn't been too rotten had been repaired. The windows had already been replaced. And the dust and cobwebs had been completely eradicated. Still, the restoration was far from complete. There was still the task of replacing the drapes, replacing the wood that was too rotten to be of any use, and giving the walls and floors a fresh coat of paint.
"Are you ready to get to work?" Apple Bloom asked Sweetie Belle.
"I guess so." Sweetie Belle replied, somewhat certainly.
"Okay then, let's begin." Apple Bloom said with a smile.
"I sure hope Scootaloo doesn't run into anymore trouble while she's drawing that map." Sweetie Belle thought to herself, as she helped Apple Bloom carefully remove the old drapes.
It hadn't taken Scootaloo long at all to find the perfect spot to draw a map of Ponyville. It was a secluded hill on the outskirts of town, and from it Scootaloo had a perfect view of the town below her. Though she was by no means an outstanding artist, she still took her time and tried to draw as accurately as she possibly could. After all, if the map was going to be used for futue crusades, it had to look presentable.
Some buildings, such as Carousel Boutique and Golden Oaks Library, proved to be quite tricky for Scootaloo. While others, such as Sugarcube Corner and the clocktower were no trouble at all.
At last, the map was completed. Scootaloo smiled at how well put together it seemed. "I couldn't have drawn a better map if you'd paid me." she said to herself.
Just then, the clock struck the hour. Scootaloo looked at the clocktower in the distance, and gasped. It was already 5 o'clock. "Oh man, I didn't think it would take so long just draw a map." she said with great concern. "I'd better get going, my parents will be expecting me to be home soon. The last time I came home late, I was grounded for a whole week!"
Scootaloo quickly slipped the map into her saddle bag, and hopped onto her scooter. There was no time to waste! She needed to reach the clubhouse, and fast! She sped off down the road as fast as she could, not caring who or what got in her way.
"Excuse me! Pardon me! Coming through!" Scootaloo shouted, as she weaved her way around ponies that appeared in her path. Many of them were cross and complained, a few even shouted out some choice words.
Even Granny Smith complained, when Scootaloo zipped past her with only a simple "Sorry!". "In my days kids were taught to respect their elders!" she said crossly. But Scootaloo was too far away to hear.
Suddenly, Scootaloo eyes grew wide as she looked along the path ahead. There was an overturned cart laying in the middle of road, and there was no way around it. Unfortunately, Scootaloo was going too fast to stop in time. "Well, there's only one thing to do in a situation like this." she thought to herself. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, as Scootaloo raced right up the overturned cart and into the air. Using her wings as a booster, Scootaloo hovered off of the ground for a few seconds, before the wheels of her scooter hit the pavement. She breathed a sigh of relief, once she was certain she avoided what could've been a nasty accident.
But the journey wasn't over yet, as Scootaloo knew all too well. As she continued towards the clubhouse, fewer and fewer ponies appeared in her path. At last, she was on the home stretch, as she turned onto the dusty backwoods road that would take her to the clubhouse. Just before the clubhouse came into view, a low tree branch appeared in Scootaloo's path. Knowing that there was no way to duck under it, or go around it, Scootaloo timed her next move carefully. Waiting until just before her scooter approached the tree branch, Scootaloo leaped off of her scooter and into the air. Using her wings to propel herself, Scootaloo quickly hovered over the branch and positioned herself back onto her scooter. "It's times like this that make me glad I'm a pegasus." she thought to herself, and she skidded to a halt just seconds before she would've crashed into Apple Bloom.
"Wow Scootaloo, I never knew you could do all of that on your scooter!" Apple Bloom said with amazement.
"Hey, if I'm gonna become an awesome flyer like Rainbow Dash, I've got to stay active." Scootaloo replied "Who knows, maybe one of these days I'll even make it into The Wonderbolts."
"With acrobatics like that, I'd be surprised if you didn't join them at some point." Apple Bloom admitted.
"I was thinking the same thing." Scootaloo smiled "Even Rainbow Dash says she's never seen moves like that before."
"Well, I'm glad you're here." Apple Bloom replied "Because you're gonna help me with some of the remaining work on the clubhouse."
"Have you really fixed up all of that by yourself?" Scootaloo asked, as she obeserved how much had changed in the span of a few hours.
"Some of it yes, but I've had help from Sweetie Belle." Apple Bloom explained.
"Speaking of Sweetie Belle, where is she?" Scootaloo asked. Just then, she and Apple Bloom became aware of singing in the distance. It seemed to be coming from the bushes.
Sweetie Belle was singing a little tune to herself, as she was busy dusting off a bench. "We are The Cutie Mark Crusaders." she sang, humming the parts she had yet to think of lyrics for ".... stop the journey." she continued to sing to herself.
"See, I told you that sounded like her!" Scootaloo said to Apple Bloom.
"Looks like you were right after all." Apple Bloom replied "Guess I owe ya five bits."
"Ah, you can keep em. It was a silly bet anyway." Scootaloo shrugged.
"Oh, hello." Sweetie Belle said sheepishly, embarassed that her friends had overheard her singing. To her surprise, they seemed impressed. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked nervously.
"All of it. You sounded pretty good." Apple Bloom spoke up.
"You're quite the singer Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo complimented "That song sounds pretty good."
"Thanks, it's kind of a work in progress though." Sweetie Belle replied "I'm fairly good with singing, it's just the lyrics that take me a while to come up with, that's all."
"Well, I like the sound of it." Apple Bloom encouraged.
"I'll bet if you try hard enough, you could turn it into our theme song!" Scootaloo suggested.
"Theme song?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Of course. If we're gonna be a club we've gotta have a theme song!" Scootaloo said with great enthusiasm "I'd love it if you could make it into a wicked rock ballad!"
"I'm not so good with rock, Rarity doesn't usually like me listening to that kind of music." Sweetie Belle admitted.
"Well, if it weren't for the fact that I'm still taking singing lessons I'd totally do the theme song the way I wanted it." Scootaloo explained "Alas, I'm much better at dancing."
"You should teach me how to dance sometime Scootaloo." Apple Bloom suggested "It seems like whenever I try to dance it's like I have three left hooves."
"Perhaps I will sometime. Don't tell Rainbow Dash, but part of the reason I'm such a good dancer is because my parents make me take ballet lessons. They say it makes you better at balancing." Scootaloo replied.
"Ballet sounds amazing. I tried to design my own tutu once, but it didn't turn out so well." Sweetie Belle admitted.
"Well, maybe someday I'll design one for you and me and we can join in on Scootaloo's lessons." Apple Bloom suggested.
"Ugh, I sure hope that doesn't lead to our cutie marks." Scootaloo groaned.
"Alright, that's enough talk for now." Apple Bloom said, breaking up the conversation "Scootaloo, you're gonna help me put in the remainin' floor and wall boards. And then Sweetie Belle, you're gonna help Scootaloo and I paint the clubhouse."
"We'd better make it quick." Scootaloo replied "My parents are expecting me home in half an hour, otherwise they'll kill me."
"Then let's stop talking, and get to work." Apple Bloom said seriously.
The next day, Applejack decided to stop by the old clubhouse and see what the CMC were up to. When she reached the clubhouse she was amazed "Well I'll be a donkey's uncle!" she exclaimed. The clubhouse looked better than it had looked in years. All of the wood had been replaced (or repaired) and repainted, the old windows and drapes had been replaced with new ones that matched the new paint job nicely. The ramp up the clubhouse seemed incredibly inviting, instead of run down. And there was not a single sign that this place had ever been so run down and neglected.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were busy coming up with plans to earn their cutie marks, when they heard a familiar "Howdy there Cutie Mark Crusaders! You enjoyin' your new clubhouse?"
"Indeed we are. Thank you so much for lendin' it to us Applejack!" Apple Bloom said happily.
"I gotta tell ya, this place looks amazin'. Did you fillies do this all by yourselves?" Applejack asked.
"You betcha! Though it was mostly Apple Bloom's idea!" Scootaloo explained.
"She's the one who saw the potential in this place, and lead the effort to fix it up!" Sweetie Belle added.
"It was a team effort." Apple Bloom replied "We all pitched in and helped out. If I'd tried to take this on alone, I don't think I could've done it."
"My thoughts exactly." Scootaloo agreed.
"Same here." Sweetie Belle nodded.
"Sounds to me like you three learned a lesson about friendship." Applejack said with a smile.
"We did?" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle asked.
"I think Applejack's right." Apple Bloom explained "We learned that, by workin' together and utilizing each other's strengths, we can do things that we couldn't accomplish individually."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Applejack replied "And I know Twilight would be pleased to hear that. So, why don't you three head down to her place and tell her all about it?"
"You really think she'd be interested?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Darn tootin' she would." Applejack said happily.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Scootaloo asked "Let's get going! Next stop, Golden Oaks Library!" And with that, the three fillies raced out of their new clubhouse and headed for Scootaloo's scooter.
Applejack just smiled "They remind me of myself when I was younger. I just know they're gonna have a lot of adventures together, cutie marks or no cutie marks."
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Awesome start
Do Power Ponies.
5761692 The list has been set in advance, so I'm sorry to say that "Power Ponies" will not be on the list of episodes rewritten. The same goes for any and all Season 5 episodes that air before this fic is concluded, should any turn out bad.
5761710 darn it.
Please Please Please tell me you are planning on doing Pinkie Pride
5762484 No. Why exactly would you want "Pinkie Pride" to be rewritten, I might like to know?
5762497 Not saying it's bad or anything, in fact, it's one of my favorites of the series, but I think the way the mane 6 acted could have been fixed, and I also think Cheese should have been allowed more time to interact neighBour's, other that explaining what he did in one song, the again,this episode may be hard to do because it's a musical.
5762537 I take it, you didn't mean to double post.
5762703 yeah, sorry about that, ill delete one of those.
All of my f*cking yes.
Clever filly.
That, actually a pretty useful spell.
Agreed, that was impressive.
I doubt Scoots is the type to say alas.
You mean to type I don't THINK I could've done it.
I feel like you're making Apple Bloom too verbose, Sweetie Belle's the dictionary. Not to mention it's utIlizing.
Well, that's gonna be risky, considering that I suspect that if you cut out Glass of Water, I sense fanrage will ensue. I know it's not THAT good, but it IS the one Discord song in the show, so, just thought I'd offer that.
5767145 Well, I can only hope people will give my rewritten version a chance when it comes out.
5773512
If it helps, I will. I think the main problem with the episode is not so much what's in it, but the pacing as it starts off rather slow, mind you once it gets to the good part it's fantastic, but the pacing makes it suffer a bit.
5773523 Well, Spoiler Alert!: Discord isn't going to be in the episode at all. I feel like his role was pointless, and just showed that only Fluttershy would even care if he was actually sick. So I get the feeling a lot of people are going to hate that rewrite, when I get around to it.
Assuming that my "Bats!" rewrite doesn't tick people off first.
5774680
Er, not to sound rude, but, I'm pretty sure that's a terrible idea. The whole point of Three's a Crowd was that it was a Discord episode, a Discord episode without Discord? Again, not to be rude, but I suspect that may not be such a smart move.
5774680
First Off, Huh?
Second, What Does That Mean?
Thirdly, It Would Makes Sense With a What-If Scenario of "What Would Happened If Fluttershy Didn't Turn Into a Fruit Bat Vampire?"
and Fourth, I Hope So...
5775943
Well, Maybe Pinkie Pie will both get sick & Sing "Glass of Water" in Honor of Discord from the Randomness and Craziness from Pinkie Pie Herself.
This is a Good Start for the First Rewrite. Great Job!
I enjoyed this, far better then the actual episode, even though that episode was just for comedy and still makes me cringe.
Nice continuity from the previous episode and also a nice shout-out for the Dog & Pony Show episode that followed.
I love this rewrite so much more, far better than what I could've come up with.
I am in the process of writing a July 1995 rebroadcast of an old 1959 episode. It's of "Sing Along With Sweetie Belle", inspired by the chorus depicted in the "Filli Vanilli" chapter of your little book of script re-writes, and (closely) by the old "Sing Along With Mitch [Miller]" LPs and TV show that came out between the late 1950s and middle 1960s. It will be posted in the form of a blog post in response to irate FIMFiction "story people" not approving the concept as a fanfic. This was originally to contain some songs from the Brony community, but none will be present in the post due to the fact that bronies do not exist in this setting. It will present instead songs that, well, will feel like they're 100 years old. Well, then, they'll appeal to parents and grandparents. And most of all, thanks to the exchange below, from this chapter, it will also live up to what, second to doing his schtick on LP/TV, is the most well-known aspect of Miller's life by not including ANY rock songs:
Whad'ya think? Do you wish to read it once it's up?
Here better name for the episode A Clubhouse Wasn't Build In A Day play on Rome wasn't build in a day
WOW!....You completely changed the plot of the episode and made it much better and interesting. The MLP staff would have benefited greatly if they had you in their team.
Yes, yes they will
.
I like this rewrite.
"Scootaloo, you're gonna help me put in the remainin' floor and wall boards. And then Sweetie Belle, you're gonna help Scootaloo and I paint the clubhouse."
Help ¿whom?:
"Scootaloo, you're gonna help me put in the remainin' floor and wall boards. And then Sweetie Belle, you're gonna help Scootaloo and me paint the clubhouse."
"I'm not so good with rock, Rarity doesn't usually like me listening to that kind of music." Sweetie Belle admitted.
Wasn't Fluttershy leading sheep?