My Brave Pony Starfleet Magic: Season II

by DakariKingMykan

Episode 15: The Way The Cookie Crumbles

EPISODE FIFTEEN

One Saturday, Apple Bloom and DD invited the entire cutie mark crusaders, except for Babs Seed, who couldn’t be there, to New Sweet Apple Acres for a slumber party, with kind permission from Applejack and Buddy Rose.

Applejack promised a big dinner that night, especially as she had guests over. Rhymey Lightning, Twilight, Spike and Krysta had come to assist in some of the harvesting and chores around the acres, Applejack thought “Why not have a big dinner party?”

The crusaders also thought they’d help with the harvesting hoping it would earn them their cutie marks, except for DD as she was a space alicorn and would never have a cutie-mark, but she still helped anyway.

The friends and families all worked hard that day, working in the gardens; herd the animals, harvesting crops, all while Buddy Rose sang a special song his grandfather used to sing to him when he worked on his farm as a colt.

Alas, the other crusaders still had blank flanks, but Applejack was very proud of them for all the hard work they did with the harvests. “I think four special ponies are in for a special treat.” she assured them.

The girls desperately wished to know what it was, but Applejack told them to wait until dinnertime, but for now they had done enough and she sent them off to play.

The crusaders retreated to their tree-house, and spent their time either playing, or thinking up new ways for the three of the four to earn their cutie marks until late in the afternoon, and it was getting close to dinnertime.

“What do you think that special treat of ours is going to be?” asked Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom’s stomach gave a little growl. “I don’t know, but if I have to wait much more for dinner I’m gonna be as shriveled as a grape in the sunlight.”

Sweetie Bell and DD’s stomachs growled too. They were all pretty hungry, but DD decided to wait. “Cousin Buddy Rose once told me, he was on a mission that left him without food for three days and all he ate were seeds and nuts and anything he could find.”

The others thought while that was strange, it didn’t help them feel any less hungry. Apple Bloom thought maybe they all ought to dip into the crusader’s Confined cookie collection-- a secret jar they kept hidden under a board of the tree house filled with cookies for their snacks. “But if we eat now, we’ll spoil our appetites.” said Sweetie Bell, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had already dipped into the jar and were snacking on cookies “Come on, Sweetie.” said Scootaloo with her mouth full “A few cookies once in a while never hurt anyone.”

Sweetie Bell’s stomach growled again and she figured, maybe a little nibble or two wouldn’t hurt. So she joined her friends and snacked away, but DD didn’t.

Meanwhile, most of the gang had finished up their chores for the day. The harvest was complete. Buddy Rose had harvested a lot of strawberries. Spike was panting and sweating after a hard day’s work, and feeling starved. He tried to sneak one of the berries. “Don’t even think about it, Spike.” Twilight said. “Ah, come on, it’s just one berry. Maybe Buddy Rose won’t notice.”

“I would notice, Spike.” Buddy Rose said “I’ve counted every single one of these berries. A good gardener always keeps track of his crops.”

Spike sighed and tossed the berry in the basket. His stomach gave a huge growl. “How much longer do we have to wait? I’m starving.”

Twilight felt the same as Spike “I haven’t eaten since lunch.” she said.

Rhymey came along and he seemed pooped after all his work…

“Hunger has made me weak in the knees.
I feel I could eat a ton of bread and cheese.”

Applejack came along with Big Mac carrying baskets and bags filled with some of Applejack’s finest cooking. “Well, y’all won’t have to wait much longer. Come and get it!”

“Wow!” exclaimed Spike. “I knew we were getting a big meal tonight, but I didn’t think this big.”

Applejack had prepared a lot of food for everyone.

“Oh, to prepare all this must’ve taken you hours.
If only I’d known, I’d have thanked you with flowers.” Rhymey said.

“Aw, Rhymey, you’re so sweet.” Applejack said, “But really I just want everyone to have a good hearty meal.”

“Eeyup.” said Big Mac “Besides, we know Apple Bloom will be mighty starved. Her eatin’ habits ain’t what they used to be.”

When the others asked why this was, Applejack explained that Apple Bloom had been developing somewhat of an eating disorder lately-- always gobbling up mouthfuls of junk food and snacking when she shouldn’t be.

“Well, she’s a growing pony.” Twilight said “It’s just a phase. I’m sure it’ll pass.”

Spike’s stomach growled again. “And I think I’m going to phase out if we don’t eat soon.” he said. Everyone felt the same. Applejack had sent Lightning and Krysta to get the crusaders.

“Here they come.” said Buddy Rose as Lightning and Krysta came soaring overhead, but the crusaders were nowhere to be seen. “They aren’t in the tree-house.” Lightning said. “And they’re not at the house.” added Krysta.

The others thought for sure that the girls would be around. In the meantime they decided to have dinner out on the pasture under the stars as it started to get dark, and as they all went to set up, Applejack asked Lightning if he made that special delivery for her yet.

“No, I ran out of time, but I’ll do it right after dinner.” he promised.

The others wondered what Lightning promised, and Applejack explained she had backed a big batch of special apple-crisp cookies. “You mean… your famous apple-crisp cookies?” Spike asked with his mouth drooling.

Twilight knew how he felt. “I just love those cookies. They’re so delicious it’s so hard to stop at just one!”

Applejack had baked a large batch of them. Some she brought along as a treat for dessert, but there was a bigger batch in a brown paper sack at the house for Queen Celestia and Grand Ruler Celesto. They had requested a big batch of cookies for a special treat for the guests they were inviting to a private gala the next night. Lightning was supposed to deliver them to the palace, but he was so busy doing his extra chores around the farm that he lost track of time.

Applejack didn’t mind. “It’s not like that bag’s goin’ anywhere.”

But Applejack was wrong…!

The crusaders had stopped off at the house thinking everyone was eating there for dinner. “Hello?” called Apple Bloom, but no one was home, except for Granny Smith and she was sound asleep in her rocking chair. Not even a stampede would wake her up.

“Where is everyone?” asked Sweetie Bell

“I hope they haven’t forgotten about dinner. I’m starving!” said Scootaloo.

They all walked into the kitchen and found nobody there, just a big brown sack on the table marked “Special Treats” “Hey, what’s this.” asked DD. She sniffed the air “It smells like something good.”

The other crusaders sniffed, and they all recognized it at once. “Hey! Is that was I think it is?” asked Sweetie Bell. She knocked the bag on its side, splitting it open revealing a huge batch of their favorite treats of all time. “APPLE CRISP COOKIES!!” they all shouted, and then by judging the “Special Treats” printed on the bag. “Say, maybe this is that big treat Applejack promised us.” Sweetie Bell said.

DD wasn’t so sure. They hadn’t even had dinner yet and didn’t seem right to eat a whole batch of cookies like this all at once. “Maybe we should wait first?” she said, but the others were already diving right into the cookies. DD still wasn’t so sure about this, until her friends tempted her with some of the cookies, and DD having had Applejacks mouth-watering, super-sensational apple crisp cookies, she just couldn’t resist.

As they continued to gulp down those cookies, Sweetie Bell thought they should try and eat faster. “Maybe we can get our cutie marks for fast eating.” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom liked the idea and they began to eat faster, but DD just at her own pace.

They ate all those cookies until nothing but a few crumbs were left, and the girls were looking pretty crummy themselves. They all sat at the table groaning and moaning and holding their stomachs, and they still hadn’t earned their marks. “Oh, girls… we shouldn’t have eaten all those cookies.” groaned Scootaloo.

“I don’t feel too good.” cried Apple Bloom.

“Me neither.” said Sweetie Bell.

“I hear ya…” groaned DD “As a matter of fact… I haven’t felt this bad since on Unicornicopia when Starfleet battled the Whirlwind Warlocks of the planet Phantos! I’ll never forget those creeps and the way their tornadoes kept spinning the air round, and around, and around, and around!”

“STOP!!” cried the others. “DD, please… no more whirlwind stories.” cried Apple Bloom.

“Sorry…” groaned DD and she let out a big belch.

The gang came in the through the kitchen door. “Girls!” cried Applejack “What’s eatin’ you? Y’all look terrible.”

“We we’re looking for you everywhere. Dinner’s ready.” said Lightning, but just the mentioning of food made the girls all turn green in the face. “Sweetie Bell, what’s wrong?” asked Twilight.

Sweetie looked up. “So long Princess Twilight. Say goodbye to…ugh… Rarity for me, will you? Uhn…!”

Buddy Rose sat by his cousin. “DD…? What happened? You girls look awfully sick.”

Spike noticed the way the girls were groping and groaning. “Maybe it’s something they ate?” he suggested “Believe me, I know what it feels and looks like to have a tummy ache.”

Rhymey saw the empty sack on the table, and examined the crumbs around it. It didn’t take too much to put it all together.

“Oh! Who wouldn’t look a bit green round the eyes?
Especially after eating a whole bag of cookies this size!”

“What?!” snapped Applejack. Her hat almost fell off as she quickly grabbed the empty bag. “Oh, no, girls, what have you done? These cookies weren’t for you. They were supposed to be sent to the Queen and the Grand Ruler for their gala.”

The girls’ eyes widened in shock “Ah, shucks, sis…” cried Apple Bloom “We’re so sorry. We thought they were that special treat you were gonna give us. That’s what the bag said.”

“Oh, girls, how could do such a thing.” Krysta said.

Applejack sighed. “Oh, Nellie-- Well, all I can say is their majesties ain’t gonna be too pleased when they hear what happened to their cookies.”

“Eeyup.” agreed Big Mac.

Rhymey spoke severely to the girls…

“It’s all your fault, you’re all to blame.
These cookies weren’t yours! For Shame, For Shame!”

“Come on, Rhymey. That’s not helping.” said Twilight.

“Yeah, I think the girls already feel bad enough as it is.” added Applejack. She didn’t sound as upset though. “Come on. Let’s go back to the pasture. There’s no sense in lettin’ dinner go to waste. We may as well enjoy it. If you girls wanna come, you’re still more than welcome.”

They all left, but the girls didn’t feel like joining them. Now they felt sick and ashamed. “Girls.” cried DD “We’ve made a terrible mistake.”

The girls all nodded. “Ya can say that there again.” groaned Apple Bloom, and both Sweetie and Scootaloo let out two big belches.

The others gathered and ate their dinner under the starry skies, it was a good thing most of them were famished because without the girls there, it meant everyone could split their shares of the food. Applejack had prepared extra helping of the girls’ favorites. That was the treat she intended to give them. Now there was hardly any point.

Applejack however hadn’t even touched her food. She didn’t feel much like eating. She couldn’t stop thinking about the cookies and what Queen Celestia and Grand Ruler would say. The cookies were gone, and there was no time to make more as the recipes required the apple jam used in the cookies to settle and chill for three days in order to achieve perfection.

Lightning felt it was partially his fault. “If only I had delivered the cookies when I knew I should have, none of this would’ve happened.”

“Oh, don’t blame yourself, Lightning.” Krysta said.

“Yeah, it was just an accident.” said Twilight “Besides, the girls didn’t know the cookies weren’t for them anyway and they were obviously hungry, and anyone could’ve made that mistake.”

Rhymey nodded in agreement,

“But still, eating a whole bagful so quick?
It’s no surprise that they all feel so sick.”

“Eeyup.” agreed Big Mac “I’ll bet they’ve learned their lesson from this, and I hope Apple Bloom realizes what a glutton she’s becomin’.”

“Unlike some of us around here…” Twilight said as she gazed down at Spike, and the way he was just gorging down his food. “I’m not a glutton, just really hungry.” he said with his mouth full.

Everyone chuckled, even Applejack. Then DD came along. She was still holding her stomach in pain, but she found the strength to move. “DD, what are you doing here?” asked Buddy Rose.

“I came to apologize again.” DD said, but Applejack was smiled at her. “Oh, DD, buck up. I’m upset sure thing, but I’m not mad with you or the girls.”

“You’re not?” asked DD.

“Naw, we all make mistakes.” replied Applejack “But there is somethin’ I do want you to promise me-- the others too. That from now on you’ll think first and ask questions before you just dive right into something before ya know what it really is.”

DD wasn’t sure she understood, and that’s when Buddy Rose suggested “Why don’t we do that song we sang together?”

Big Mac was up for it, and so was Applejack. “Now pay attention and listen closely, DD.” She said, and then she sang a song about how important it was to ask questions, because if you didn’t, you’d be in for a nasty or depressing surprise.

While she sang, the others all did square dances, and by the time the song was over, DD fully understand and promised Applejack she’d remember to ask questions. “Thanks for not being mad, Applejack.”

Applejack smiled and pecked her sweet little head. Still, she didn’t know what she was going to do about the cookie problem.

That night when the girls were all in Apple Bloom’s room and tucked into their sleeping bags, their stomachs didn’t hurt anymore, but all four of them were still feeling ashamed of themselves and wondered how to make it up to Apple Jack about the cookies. Sweetie Bell thought “Maybe if they paid for the cookies.” But the others disagreed. “Even if we could, which we can’t, what good is money going to do?” asked Scootaloo.

The girls all sighed, and then noticed Apple Bloom was munching on some graham-crackers, one of the many things she stored in a box under her bed. “What are you doing?” asked DD “How can you still be eating at a time like this?”

“Aw, this ain’t eatin’. It’s more like nibblin’.” Apple Bloom said “Besides, I haven’t had anything to eat since we ate all those cookies. Never go to bed on an empty tummy.”

The girls could hardly believe this. “I think Applejack was right about what she said.” said Sweetie Bell “You do have an eating disorder.”

Apple Bloom denied it. “A little nibble here and there never hurt anyone.” she said, but then the girls, one by one, brought up times over the past week that Apple Bloom was nibbling a bit much…

Like the time at school, she tried to sneak a bite of nuts during story time and Ms. Cheerile caught her, or the time that she finished her lunch at the Cake’s café and then had two slices of cake for dessert, or even when she entered that contest to see who could eat the most cherry pies; she won of course, but it was a sickening sight to look at.

The more Apple Bloom thought about it, and the more she gazed down at her crackers. She finally realized “Sweet Nellie, you’re right. I’ve been stuffin’ myself more than hog on a gorgin’ spree.”

Apple Bloom realized she needed to break this habit of hers, and she also remembered about the cookies and Applejack. “I think I’ve got an idea.”

The next morning, Applejack was sitting outside trying to think of what to say in an apology letter to their majesties. She had no cookies for them as she promised, but she was so frustrated and worried that she couldn’t seem to think straight. Big Mac and Buddy Rose tried to assure her it would be okay, but she had a hard time believing that.

Just then, Lightning and Krysta came along. “What are you two doing here?” asked Buddy Rose. “Apple Bloom asked us to come here.” Krysta said “But she wouldn’t say why.”

“Look…” Lightning said “Here she comes, and the other crusaders.”

The crusaders came along with a few small boxes, and Apple Bloom was carrying something behind her back. “First thing’s first, sis.” Apple Bloom said “I wanna apologize again, on behalf of all the cutie mark crusaders, for eatin’ all those cookies.”

“Aw, it’s all right, Apple Bloom. Ya didn’t know.” but her sister insisted that there was no excuse. “Even if we didn’t know the cookies weren’t for us… well… at least I should’ve know better than to eat ‘em all at once. That was wrong of us and especially me, and I’m sorry. That’s why we want to give these to their majesties.”

The crusaders handed Lightning the boxes and Apple Bloom gave him the cookie jar she was holding behind her back-- the very same one from the tree house. “But these are all your personal snacks.” Lightning said.

Apple Bloom nodded and explained she finally realized her eating habits were getting out of hand and she wanted to try and lift it. “I figure if all these snacks aren’t around then, I won’t be nibblin’ so much.”

“Besides…” said Sweetie Bell “We owe it this much to their majesties for eating their cookies. Even if these aren’t the treats they requested.”

“Aw, girls that’s so sweet of you.” Buddy Rose said.

Big Mac sniffled and wiped a tear from his eye “Eeyup.”

Lightning was proud of the girls. “I know they’ll be thankful that your hearts are in the right place, girls.” he said.

The girls also handed a letter they wrote to their majesties. “Thank you, girls…” Krysta said “Let’s go Lightning.”

“Right…” Lightning said. Krysta formed a portal leading to the palace, and she and Lightning jumped in and were gone. Applejack then tackled the girls playfully to the ground in a play wrestle. The girls all laughed and jumped all over her.

Their majesties were happy with the offering the girls made, and were especially pleased with the letter they sent.

“Dear Queen Celestia and Grand Ruler Celesto…

We’re sorry we ate all those cookies Applejack promised you, and hope you’ll appreciate our offering.

This little accident did teach us that it’s important to think first and ask questions before diving right into something before you truly know what it is, and it’s also a better idea to think of others and not just yourself.

We’ll never eat so many cookies all at once again… especially without asking first."

Their majesties smiled and nodded at one-another before sample one or two of the treats, and even clinked teacups together in cheers.

(Promo)

In our next episode, the changeling captain plans to ultimate betray Chrysalis by revealing who he truly is and what his purpose is, but not before sending down yet another diabolical, mechanical monster which proves to be far more difficult than his previous creations. So powerful, the ponies don’t seem to have many solutions.

How can the ponies stop this new rampaging robot, and how will Chrysalis handle the betrayal?

Don’t miss the next exciting episode of “Starfleet Magic!”

(Next Episode: “Robotic Revelations”)