CMC: Training is Magic

by Cold Spike

Chapter Five: Magic is not all Equal

Sweetie Belle felt bored. Once her friends had departed, she realized the mistake in her planning. Her friends would thank her when they, too, could fine-tune their magic, sure; but that meant no crusading for a while. She had mastered her light spell (for the most part, anyway), but without her friends by her side, she felt lonely.

“Maybe if I go help them…” she muttered, and debated with herself if this was the right choice. The issue was she didn’t know too much about Pegasus or Earth Pony magic. She considered showing up anyway to cheer them on, but that meant she would have to choose between both of them. As she was lost in thought, Sweetie noticed the library off in the distance. Her thoughts melted away as she scrunched up her muzzle in concentration. “Or, maybe I can learn more magic!”

Discord himself couldn’t stop Sweetie Belle from nearly tearing down Twilight’s door and searching for her. She had never thought that learning magic could be so easy and be this fun, and she wanted more. Sweetie felt like Twilight on a high, eager to learn anything and everything about a subject. Even if she only learned one new spell today, that would make her happy. Not only would she become more powerful and be able to do more, but it would hopefully encourage her friends to keep going with their training. Crusaders stick together, even when apart! Rule thirty four… wait, what are the other thirty three rules?

She shook her head of those thoughts and looked around the public reading area. “Where is everypony?” she wondered aloud. She didn’t have to wait long for an answer when the door to her right nearly exploded off its hinges; but either by luck or magic, it remained in place. Even so, a trail of black smoke wafted from the edges of the door which was shortly followed by the distinct sound of coughing. Panicking, Sweetie dashed over to the door and slammed it open. “Hello?! Are you okay, Twilight?” she called down.

For a few moments, all she could hear was more coughing, and all she could see was more smoke billowing out. Sweetie Belle considered running out to get help, when Twilight finally called back. “...Sweetie Belle? Is that you?”

“Yeah, I--” Her voice trailed off as a violent glow encased all the smoke, which then quickly vanished. Slowly, the image of Twilight Sparkle came into view who looked at her awkwardly. “Uh, I was just checking if you were okay.”

Twilight looked around her lab. Tables were knocked over, beakers were destroyed, and pieces of paper were scattered (with various degrees of fire damage) everywhere; the place was a huge mess. She chuckled nervously, then slowly nodded. “Oh, yes, just a few… miscalculations in some experiments,” she said, subtly moving a rear hoof to extinguish a still-smoldering piece of paper. “Sorry if I scared you,” she hastily replied as she summoned up a bit of magic to clean things up.

“Oh, that’s alright. Do you need any help?” Sweetie Belle replied while watching the mare clean up unknown liquids off the ground.

Twilight looked at all of the mess, then quickly shook her head. “Uh, I think I’ll be alright, but thank you. Was there something you needed? A book, maybe?”

Sweetie Belle looked back at the massive assortment of books. She considered asking for a book on magic, but then realized how dumb that sounded. I can have, like, the queen of magic teach me some! she thought excitedly. That’s way better than a book! She then cleared her throat and gave a shy smile toward Twilight. “Uh, no, thank you; but I was wondering if you could help me learn more magic?”

The mare smiled and nodded without thinking. “I’d be happy to-- wait, since when do you know magic?” she asked, looking at the filly and raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

What’s wrong with knowing magic? she wondered. “Rarity taught me how to make my horn glow, see!” she exclaimed, then quickly followed the motions of the pretend runes in her head. Eventually, her horn sparked then ignited green, which bathed the library floor with a dull glow.

Twilight sighed in relief and admired the glow. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Sweetie Belle. I was worried you might have tried to make up your own magic or do something… with the Crusaders involving magic,” she said hastily as Sweetie glared at her indignantly. “But since you’re learning from a unicorn, then, yes, I would be happy to teach you some. If anything, it will give me a break from all of my experiments. It’s not as if they’re going that well,” she said, muttering the last part.

Sweetie jumped into the air and cheered. “Great! When do we start?”

Twilight set aside the final beaker, then shut the door behind her with a quick burst of magic as she cantered back into the public reading room. “As soon as I find out what you know. So, what did Rarity teach you?”

Sweetie recalled all she knew and explained it to Twilight. The mare nodded, thinking it over. “Okay, you know the basics at least. That’s good, because most spells require them.” She then chuckled a bit. “You know when I was a filly, most unicorns only focused on one talent. Mine was magic, so Princess Celestia taught me all she could; but it wasn’t really until recently that I was able to focus it all so I could readapt old spells to make new ones.”

“Like teleporting?!” Sweetie blurted out.

Twilight blushed. “Well… that was sort of a happy accident. I misunderstood an assignment that Princess Celestia gave me, and I spent the next three weeks researching all of these spells and tomes and runes until I had memorized teleportation perfectly. She was so impressed that she forgot all about our old assignment, as I had reached far beyond what she could even hope for. At least, I think that’s what she thought…”

“Can you teach me that? And can we go on crazy adventures and stuff, just like you did?!” Sweetie started excitedly bouncing around the room, just thinking of the possibilities.

Twilight frowned, not fully understanding what the filly meant. Perhaps she thinks I will teach her all of my magic? Like I’d end up as her teacher? While that would be wonderful, I don’t think I would have time… She shook her head clear of those thoughts and focused back on the bouncing filly. “Well, I can’t teach you magic like that,” she said as Sweetie’s mane deflated. “Not exactly like it, anyway,” she amended. “I can promise you to teach you all I know about the fundamentals. And, hopefully, you can figure out spells of your own! That’s the fun of magic. I just wish more unicorns would experiment.”

Sweetie nodded. “So, if I know stuff like the basics, I could teleport?”

Twilight sighed and nodded her head ever slightly. “Maybe. When I’m finished teaching you what I can, I’m sure you could research and experiment on your own. I’m afraid I can’t be your permanent teacher, but I can guide you in the right direction. How does that sound?” she said gently.

Sweetie weighed her options and figured it was much better than pestering her sister all the time. “Well, alright. Let’s do it!”

“If you’re this enthusiastic about learning, then you’ll be teleporting in no time! But, why did you want to so badly?” Twilight said with her head tilted in confusion.

Sweetie snorted in response. “So then I can be like Sir Squishy the teleporting cupcake knight! Duh!” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

For a few moments nothing was said and then Twilight slowly nodded. “You’ve been hanging around with Pinkie Pie too much.”

“Why does everypony keep saying that?!”

---

A few moments later Sweetie and Twilight had cleared out the library and were seated across from one another at a table. On the table were some of Sweetie’s runes along with a set from Twilight, though Twilight’s had symbols on them that were unfamiliar to Sweetie Belle.

“Okay, you know about summoning up mana, focusing on your spell, and casting the spell.”

“Yeah, Rarity said it was like willing what you want to make it happen,” Sweetie said while doing her best to memorize it all.

“Yes, but that will only get you so far. For example, you can’t just channel mana then want to teleport and it will happen. If that was true then, well, I wouldn’t need years of magical training. No, when it comes down to it there are many different schools of magic--”

“Oh, you mean imprints?!” Sweetie interrupted excitedly.

“Yes,” Twilight said slowly. “How much do you know about them?”

Sweetie shrugged. “Just that. Rarity got too busy to teach me any more than that.”

“I see. Well, imprints are certainly important. They don’t technically mean anything until you’ve gotten your special talent.” Sweetie’s ears perked up instantly, and Twilight could tell that she now had the filly’s full attention. She continued, “This is because until you get one, you will still be finding your way. Figuring out which magic you are proficient in is very important. In fact it can be dangerous if you experiment too much in one magic but aren’t well versed with it,” Twilight explained and shuddered a bit for Sweetie to see.

“Why? Have bad things happened to you?”

Twilight coughed uncomfortably and then gestured with her head, pointing back towards the lab door.

It took Sweetie a few moments to understand, but when she did, she gasped. “What were you doing?”

Twilight sighed. “While I am well versed in magic, as it’s my imprint, after all, that doesn’t mean all magic. You see, I was trying to make some very delicate potions, using my horn to enchant them. I’ve seen Zecora do it without a horn, but she seems to have had a lifetime of practicing. Something went wrong and, well, you saw the rest,” she said bitterly.

“And what If I told you that even Twilight can reach her limits?” a voice echoed in Sweetie’s head. “Wow. Well, what was the potion supposed to do?”

“It was meant to refill one’s mana font, when it’s low or you’re straining for more. It could be very useful when a unicorn has grown too tired from over exerting their own magic,” she said and then noticed Sweetie giving her an odd look. “I guess Rarity didn’t explain that you can run out of magic?”

Sweetie shrugged. “She just said everypony has their limits.”

“Quite right. When you reach yours, you’ll know. It will feel like a headache, or worse, and that means you should stop until you’ve rested. That potion would fix it, but no matter. I’ll figure it out, even if potions aren’t my, well, special talent.”

“But you said that could be dangerous…” Sweetie pointed out as she thought it over.

Twilight hesitated before speaking. “Yes, it can be. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try, though, if you truly wish to overcome your limitation,” Twilight said, as if reciting something from memory. Then she shook her head. “But for now, let’s get back to these runes. You know of the glowing spell, but let’s try something a bit trickier.”

Sweetie examined the new runes and squinted at them.

“You can channel magic and use it, but have you tried holding that magic in first?”

Sweetie shook her head. What was she talking about? It had never occurred to the filly that she even do that. What would it do? Would it give her more magic?

“I see you're confused. Well, now’s about as good as time of any to reveal one of my runes to you,” she said, and she passed Sweetie Belle another stone.

On the stone, Sweetie could see a tiny circle which was followed by a slightly larger one and many others. “I don’t get it.”

“Right. It’s the echo rune, and it basically means to channel even more magic, to strengthen it. If you can hold in your channeled magic for a while before casting, then you can make it more powerful. This is important as most useful spells require quite a bit more magic than a simple light spell would.”

“Okay… do you think Rarity does this when she’s making dresses?” she wondered.

Twilight hummed a bit, then shook her head. “I’m not sure how she does it exactly. I believe Rarity simply paces herself, since her magic can be active for quite a while. Just making a simple dress can take her hours sometimes,” she explained. Of course, that has more to do with her being a perfectionist than anything else… Twilight added silently. Aloud, she said, “I’m sure the more she keeps it active, the stronger her horn has gotten. She’s built up more endurance, but that’s not what we’re trying to do here. Not yet, anyway. Let’s see if you can hold in your magic for a bit longer before casting the light spell. Try it, and see what happens.”

Sweetie Belle figured it would just make the light brighter, but she gamely tried anyway. Channeling up as much magic as she could, she waited a bit. A slight tingling sensation could be felt through her horn. That must be it! She beamed and concentrated harder on wanting light, on lighting up the whole library! However, instead of light even happening, she felt a whoosh of wind roll over her and her magic died out.

To Twilight all she saw was a slight purple glowing bit of magic explode in Sweetie’s face. When the sparkles had cleared, Sweetie’s fur, at least around her horn and muzzle, wasn't exactly alabaster-colored anymore. Purple was all she saw; and from the confused look on the filly’s face, Twilight could tell she hadn’t noticed just yet. “Uh, heh heh. Perhaps that was too much magic,” she said cautiously.

Sweetie shook her head in confusion. “What happened?”

“I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I think you just experienced a bit of magical backlash. Magic isn’t perfect, you see, and too much channeled for such a simple spell can have drastic changes. I didn’t think this would happen, or I would have cautioned you to only channel a little bit more. Hmm, perhaps your horn channels it much faster than mine can. That can make things tricky…” she muttered, trailing off as her mind wandered.

Sweetie frowned. “Magic can be slow or fast?”

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts, then quickly nodded. “Oh, yes, not all magic works the same for each pony. It’s not an exact science and, like I said before, a lot of it is experimentation. That’s important. I think, from now on, you should practice in a mirror. That way, you can tell if your horn is glowing too brightly. The brighter the horn, the more magic you’ve channeled in. For what I’m going to be teaching you, we only need a little more magic. Alright?”

Sweetie groaned and grabbed her head, as if nursing a headache. “That hurt too! How long is it gonna take me to get better?” she whined and pouted while looking away.

Twilight smiled then patted Sweetie on the back. “Just takes a little time. The pain from backlash should diminish soon too,” she said cheerfully, but her smile didn’t last. “I… can’t be your teacher, but if it helps, maybe I can tutor you once a week. So, a sort of semi-teacher. How does that sound?”

Sweetie nodded, feeling gratitude toward Twilight. “Thanks, Twilight.”

“Sure thing! And, uh, don’t worry about your face; it should clear up as soon as the magic wears off.”

Sweetie blinked while tilting her head in confusion. What was she talking about? She cantered over to a nearby mirror, then promptly screamed.

---

Apple Bloom followed Granny Smith to the outskirts of the farm. Here the trees had yet to be bucked at all, as most of them still had fresh apples. Granny motioned for Apple Bloom to follow her to a nearby tree.

“Alright, youngin’, what can you tell me ‘bout buckin’?” Granny said slowly.

Apple Bloom frowned and went to say something without thinking, then promptly stopped. What did she know? She had certainly tried to buck and spent plenty of days with her sister while she worked, but what did she actually know of the finer art of bucking? “Uh, I know you use the magic in your hooves to do… something to the tree,” she replied weakly.

Granny nodded. “Well, I guess you got that part right. But magic doesn’t just spring up all... well, magic-like, I guess. At least, not for everypony. You’ve got to summon forth the strength of your own magic. Will it, control it, dominate it!”

Apple Bloom raised her hoof to interrupt, then spoke. “Do you have any instructions on how to do that?” she asked hesitantly.

Granny snorted. “Focus. If there’s anything that will help you tap into yer inner magic, it’s gonna be focus, youngin’. PIcture what you want that tree to do when you buck it. Feel what you want, and when your hoof strikes the tree, magic should take care of the rest,” she said slowly.

Apple Bloomed looked to the tree then back to the Granny. “That’s it? That’s all there is to Earth Pony magic?”

The mare chuckled with her eyes wide in surprise. “Hay no! You just wanted help with buckin’, missy. You’ve still got growin’, plantin’, plowin’, using yer inner strength to haul your product back to the farm, and not to mention farm maintenance,” the mare counted off while Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as well. “You said you wanted help in buckin’, though, so that’s what we’re gonna focus on today. So, go stand next to this here tree and show me what you got.”

Apple Bloom quickly complied and took a deep breath. She considered just bucking the tree with her back hooves, as she had always tried, but something stopped her. Focus. Picture what you want the tree to do for you. a voice echoed in her head. She pictured the tree dropping apples as she bucked it. She focused on the picture playing out in her head over and over like a movie projector. She wasn’t sure if she felt something change in her hooves, but even imagining it did was a whole lot better than nothing, as far as she was concerned. Focus.

Apple Bloom faced Granny, then promptly raised both of her back hooves high into the air while tilting her body down. In one swift motion, she kicked her hooves back against the tree. She heard a loud thump and quickly cracked her eyes open. Sitting before her was a shiny red apple, albeit one that had been smashed to a pulp.

Granny chuckled. “See? It’s all about focus. I’m afraid this here tree is a might too tall for the apples to survive, but it sure is good for practicing on.”

Apple Bloom stuck her hoof in the apple and studied it. That was awesome! she thought excitedly as she fought to keep her giddiness in check. She had done it, she had bucked a tree! A small victory for sure, but one nonetheless. “Can’t you just tie up some nets below the branches to make use of these apples?” she said while licking the juices from her hoof.

Granny hummed. “I suppose; but it wouldn’t really be worth our time. You see, when harvest comes around, time is our greatest enemy. We have to get as many apples off the trees as we can so we can get them into stores. Markets are counting on us having them in stock and if we miss a harvest or end up too slow, then that spells bad news later down the road. Ponies will start thinkin’ we got lazy or something. Best we just leave this tree for practicing; nice thinkin’ though,” she finished with a wink.

Apple Bloom nodded. That certainly made sense, even if she thought it was a shame that a full tree went unused. “But how come only one dropped?” she suddenly said making the mare pause in thought.

“Hmm, let’s just say you ain’t strong ‘nough yet. That’s all,” she said but noticed Apple Bloom’s ears had fallen low in disappointment, and she quickly continued. “‘Course, to make even one apple drop from this ol’ tree means you’re gettin’ there. I mean, it’s massive and much more grown than the rest,” she said, gesturing at the tree’s thick branches and trunk.

Apple Bloom looked around and found that she was right. Plenty of the trees around the orchard looked newer and much punier than the one she had bucked. She smirked as she flexed her hooves. “So, can I start buckin’ for the upcoming harvest?” she said excitedly.

Granny smirked back at her. “You can try. Won't hurt nothin’ if you don’t succeed. Just keep practicing at it.”

“Okay! Uh, what about the other stuff? Like plowin’ and growin’ and… things?”

“Well, shoot, we can work on that there stuff while we're at it. When I’m through with you, you’ll be farmin’ this whole place in no time! Of course, you’ll have to practice a lot on your own. These ol’ bones can still keep up, but not every day,” she said firmly.

Apple Bloom frowned but nodded in understanding. “Well, okay. What’s next?”

A bit of snoring answered her question. Apple Bloom frowned, but it quickly morphed into a wide grin. That just meant that it was time for bucking.

---

For the next few weeks, each Crusaders practiced with their teachers as much as possible. Sweetie Belle studied quite a bit, but no book could ever replace practical experience. She always felt as if she learned a lot more by simply doing, rather than reading. This frustrated Twilight as she often warned about over-experimenting without knowledge. Still, all the purple stained coats in the world couldn’t keep Sweetie away from trying.

So close. Twilight says if I can make my light brighter, I can move on! she thought with determination.

Apple Bloom bucked the same tree every day. Granny talked with her through each attempt, but it never got any easier. Every day she told herself this would be the day, the day that all of the apples fell and she could consider herself one of the great apple buckers of the farm. With every buck and kick, she repeated the same message in her head.

So close. I just gotta do what Granny said. I’ll be buckin’ soon! Apple Bloom thought.

Scootaloo, however, wasn’t having as much luck with her teacher. She practiced every day by attempting to stay in the air for as long as possible, but she didn’t seem to be improving any. When Scootaloo did return to Bubbles, the mare didn’t have much advice other than to keep on practicing. Keeping them from buzzing too quickly was a real challenge and almost seemed impossible like it was her instinct to buzz. By the second week, she had run out of patience.

Ignoring homework, ignoring her friends, ignoring her ever-decreasing supply of bits and even her exhaustion, Scootaloo marched up to Bubbles’ home and angrily knocked on the front door. I’ve been doing this stupid exercise for three weeks! And I still can’t fly! she thought indignantly as if learning to fly in under a week was a normal thing.

“Coming!” Bubbles called out and soon the door slammed open, narrowly missing Scootaloo. “Oh, hello, Scootaloo. Is there something the matter?”

Scootaloo gave her a flat look in response. How did she not know? They had been practicing the same technique for close to three weeks. Scootaloo had even stuck around some days to help with a few chores. “Why am I not flying yet?” she demanded in a huff.

The mare looked very taken aback. It was as if Scootaloo thought she alone held the power for getting her to take flight. Even if I did, what makes her think I wouldn’t unleash it on her? she thought as she entertained the silly notion. Sighing, she spoke calmly and clearly, “Scootaloo, I’m doing my best, but I never said I was great at flying. I merely wanted you to get on the right path and then hopefully you would be able to teach yourself the rest.”

The filly scowled in response. “But shouldn’t I be flying even a little bit? I’ve tried every single day and nothing! I haven’t even talked to my friends in forever!” she complained with another huff, her cheeks turning crimson. I haven’t talked to them in three weeks… she thought miserably. True, they had still been going to school, but it was like they had some unspoken agreement to not speak, which would undoubtedly lead to more crusading until they had learned more about their own magic.

Bubbles looked down sympathetically and sighed. “Scootaloo, perhaps you should go see them. You told me they had been practicing their own magic on their own, so perhaps they could use a boost from their friend. If anything, it should cheer you all up, as I’m sure they are having just as much trouble as you have been,” she said with an air of patience.

Scootaloo didn’t hate the idea but an unsettlings thought about it occurred to her. When she spoke it up it was quick and just as impatient as before, “But Sweetie Belle can do magic with her horn! I don’t get how she can and I can’t get these stupid feathers to so much as lift me once!”

“We all learn at different rates. I’m sure Sweetie Belle wasn’t using her horn for much of anything until recently. However, pegasus ponies can usually flap their wings from day one. Think about how she must feel now that she has a bit of independence. She would want to share it with you, to help you along as your friend. Go see her, please,” she urged again.

Instead of scowling again, Scootaloo paused to think. She had never thought of it like that. Scootaloo had been buzzing her wings since she could remember and it had always been useful. Not even a week ago had Sweetie’s horn been merely sparking when she willed it to do something; even when she squeaked in excitement. Even before then Sweetie had used her mouth to write with quills, instead of her magic. Of course, she must now feel much stronger and independent than ever before and feeling jealous of this would do nopony any good.

“Okay, I’m sorry for yelling,” she said quietly.

Bubbles grinned. “It’s quite alright, now go have some fun. And keep practicing!” she called after Scootaloo, who was already dashing off.

Forgetting about her wings for the first time in nearly a month, Scootaloo dashed around all over Ponyville, looking for her friends. She figured by now they must have made some progress in their training, and maybe it would help her as well. They had agreed to no crusading, but there was nothing in said agreement about not talking to one another. What was the point in that?

She sped up as she neared Rarity’s boutique. She didn’t actually know where Sweetie Belle lived, so she figured here was the best place to start looking. Upon reaching the building, the door slammed open, revealing the last pony she wanted to see.

“Hello, Scootaloo,” Diamond Tiara said cooly, an eerie grin slowly stretching across her face.

Scootaloo backed up in fear. “Uh, hey?” she said with her head tilted in confusion. “W-why are you here?”

“Just browsing some dresses, waiting around for one of my best friends to show up,” she said casually as she walked out and toward the street.

Scootaloo called back, ”Yeah? Tell her she’s a sad excuse for a lackey!”

She laughed., “Oh, I meant you. You are my best friend, right?” she called back in a mocking tone.

This made Scootaloo pause. What was she getting at? Every fiber of her being told her to turn back and leave the filly be, that this was a trap for something nefarious; but she kept staring, unable to look away. Sighing, Scootaloo stood up and started following Diamond.

“What do you want?” Scootaloo said irritably.

She stopped and turned to face Scootaloo, a knowing smirk on her face. “So glad you asked. You see it’s about the Firehens. Or, should I say, the lack of them,” she said coolly.

Scootaloo growled and looked away. “What about that?” she spat in disgust.

Diamond kept her smile and spoke as if she had just been crowned princess of the universe, “Oh, nothing, except if that little bit of information were to leak out… well, it could be devastating for a certain stupid pegasus.”

Scootaloo smirked. “Yeah? Or it could get a certain stupid little prissy brat in major trouble for lying on her school assignment,” Scootaloo replied smugly. “Face it, Diamond, you haven’t got a hoof to stand on.” While Scootaloo didn’t show off the fear she felt, it was all too real. There was a reason why she hadn’t protested Diamond’s report publically. She knew Diamond knew her secret. Simple detention for Diamond was nothing compared to what trouble Scootaloo would be in if news got out. Still, she stood tall, not willing to let Diamond intimidate her.

The smirk, however, did not disappear off Diamond’s face. Quite the contrary, it seemed to grow even wider. “Maybe, but maybe the other grownups won’t give a flying flank about me when they find out all about you. I don’t have a hoof to stand on? I hold all the cards and all the hooves! I know your little secret. Oh, it took me a while to figure it out. I thought for a moment that stupid oaf was your mother. Ha! No, I know all about you, Scootaloo,” she said triumphantly.

Scootaloo’s body began trembling, she couldn’t help it! Everything she had kept hidden, from where she lived and why had been found out by the biggest loudmouth brat in Ponyville. A single slip up here could ruin it all. She took a calm yet shuddering breath then spoke, “What do you want?” she said quietly.

“So glad you asked. From now on you can be doing my homework for me and anything else I want you to do and I’ll agree to keep quiet. I--” Diamond stopped when Scootaloo started bolting away from her. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going!” she called out to her in a panic.

“As I would tell you!” she called back then quickly dashed to the center of town. I gotta throw her off my trail, then get rid of the evidence from the clubhouse! If there is none then maybe, with a bit of luck, nopony will believe her! Then I just need to get to Bubbles and convince her to pretend to be my mother, Bubbles Firehen… ponies would buy that, right? she thought to herself, barely noticing that the whole thing sounded crazy. A part of her knew that she was probably not going to get away with such a thing, but the part that was her, that made her Scootaloo, didn’t want to give up. What would be the point in that?

Darting around town, she quickly turned back and started running toward Apple Bloom’s home. Her heart pumped furiously and she could already feel that she was out of breath. Just a little more. Gotta make it there… please, Apple Bloom, don’t be there! Please! she pleaded to Celestia, Luna and even Discord. As she neared the clubhouse, she started to slow down from exhaustion, but she kept on pushing. With each step, her throat ached for air. “So…” she paused to pant for more air, “close…”

Finally, she reached the steps of the place then bolted inside. As expected and hoped for, it was dark inside. “Oh, thank Discord and stars above.”

Without wasting a moment, she pried open a wooden floorboard, then quickly grabbed the items inside. A sleeping bag, a jar full of bits, her school supplies, some cleaning supplies, spare medicine and food and finally one spare saddle bag. She quickly shoved everything inside, then gently placed the floorboard back. Once she was outside with everything, her heart rate calmed. As long as they were not found within the confines of the clubhouse, Diamond Tiara had no evidence. “For now,” she clarified darkly. Without any real parents to speak of, she knew it was only a matter of time before hooves would start to be pointed. She needed Bubbles on her side, and fast. She needed to explain everything to her. She only hoped it would not lead to her doom.

Comments

[Cold Spike]

Wow, that's some rotten luck for views.

[Pyro The Reader]

Wonder what Scootaloos deal is?

[Cold Spike]

6642797 Who knows? It could be anything!

...Wait a minute... I'm the writer. Shouldn't I know?

[Kenshinryuu]

Dang it, the Scootaloo bit hits you right in the feels!!!! Stupid Diamond Tiara, I hope this backfires on her and she gets in trouble.

And now I've got this image of Sweetie collecting runes from every Unicorn in town to learn new magic tricks. Rune Master Sweetie Belle has a nice ring to it.

As for Apple Bloom, she definitely is an Apple, she got a simple explanation and managed to buck down an apple on her first try! Way to go!

[Cold Spike]

6648659 Rune Master Pinkie sounds better.

[Kenshinryuu]

6649929 Pinkie is already a party, pastry, baloon, cake, game, and random master, she's done enough multi-classing.

[Cold Spike]

6650230 You forgot master of the Hammer Space.

[Emperor]

>instinctual buzzing

So, is Scootaloo a Changeling (who might not even know she's one), or just one that ran away from some Scootabuse?

You know, I don't say this often for stories I comment on (and I comment on a shitload of them, you should see some of the ones that approach a thousand words in length on a single chapter), but you have too many things going on. In a larger 'epic' type of story (not epic-length, but more adventure-like) you could slide this Scootaloo subplot in easily, but in this story, it's distracting. I mean, I love the filly something crazy (she's permanently in my top 4 list, the positions within of which change all the time) but It's detrimental, because it takes away from the stories of the other two Crusaders and even Scootaloo's quest to achieve flight. Since you're doing this, I hope the pay-off is that it's whatever her lingering issues are that are in fact preventing her from flying, whether it be that Changeling theory above or psychological issues preventing her from doing so.