Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S2

by Banshee531

Cutie Pox

We begin today's story in Ponyville, where we find Flash, Springer and Iron walking through town.

As the trio waltzed through town, Iron let out a long, draining sigh as he asked Flash, "Remind me why I'm here again?"

Flash just rolled his eyes. "I told you this already Iron. Its because Springer wants to try bowling."

"And again I ask, why am I here again?" Iron barked back, a hiss in voice. "I'm pretty sure I have better things to do, like you know, my job as protector of this town!"

Flash made a face that showed he was having trouble containing his annoyance. "Three reasons Iron. One, the town is fine and we've already done our patrols. Two, you need to get out more due to your attitude and three, I thought it would be good training for us."

"Training?! How is bowling training?!" Iron growled, ignoring Flash's first two reasons.

Flash shined a cheeky grin. "Anything can be training Iron."

"I don't bowl. Or do any other sports."

Flash let out a groan before facehoofing. "You have got to be-" Flash stopped himself, trying to prevent a deadly glare from leaving his eyes. "Here, think about it this way Iron." Flash then motioned his hooves. "Bowling is all about perfect control. Throw the ball too hard and it'll be sent flying out of control and probably land in the gutter. And if you throw with little force, it won't move fast enough to knock over the pins. It's a great way to train for control, the same kind of control we need when using our Celestic Gear and when Springer's using his Aura Blast and Bone Breaker."

Iron thought about what he said and eventually he sighed. "Guess you've got a point. Though this is still stupid."

Flash rolled his eyes again before nudging. "Besides, this could be really fun. I've never been bowling before." Iron just facehoofed, still not believing he had been roped into this.

"Me neither," Springer cheered, a big grin on his face. "It sounds like fun."

Iron just glared at Springer, a disgruntled look on his face. "Man...I still can't get used to that. You now talking is just so...weird."

"Get over it." Flash said as he turned to Springer. "By the way, I never asked. Why the sudden interest in bowling?"

"Oh yeah! I never told you that, did you?" Springer replied, looking back at Flash while poking his chin. "Well, when I went to Sugarcube Corner to get our desserts yesterday, I overheard someone talking about it. I heard the word bowling and wondered what it was."

"Why didn't you just ask whoever said it?" Iron asked.

Springer shrugged. "I tried, but they were already gone before I could see who it was."

"Meh. Fair enough." Iron replied.

With this final reply, the three arrived at the bowling alley. where they happened to come across a certain trio of fillies.

"Hey girls," Flash waved to the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Springer waved as well, while Iron just let out a snort. Iron had found these three to be some of the more...unlikable ponies for the gruff stallion in Ponyville. Though it was mainly due to the destruction the trio would cause in town on some days, which Flash had told him to be about a third of all disasters in Ponyville. He originally scoffed at this, though he soon found out the truth when they tried to become 'Cutie Mark Construction Workers', which they then asked to expand his house...which didn't end well and was a story for another day.

"Hey Flash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, a big grin on her face. "You guys bowling today too?"

"Yeah!" Springer nodded before thinking for a moment. "Hey, weren't you in Sugarcube Corner yesterday, talking about bowling?"

Sweetie replied with an unusual sound due to the bowling bag straps in her mouth. She then put it down and said again, "Yeah, why?"

"You must have been the one I heard talking about it." Springer said, pointing to Flash next. "I wondered what bowling was, so I asked Flash if we could play."

"Awesome!" Scootaloo cheered, clapping her hooves. "You can bowl with us!"

"That's not good." Iron whispered under his breath. "Maybe we should call this off...and warn the bowling alley."

Flash gave him a small glare, hearing his almost silent grumbling. He then turned and leaned down with a smirk on his face. "So let me guess, you three are trying for a bowling Cutie Mark. Am I right?"

"You got it," Applebloom nodded. "Today's the day, I can just feel it! We're all gonna get our Cutie Marks in bowling!"

"Woohoo!" Scootaloo added.

"Yay!" Sweetie cheered.

Applebloom hopped in place. "Why after today, we won't even be the Cutie Mark Crusaders anymore. We'll be the...the Three Strikes!"

By the look on her face, Scootaloo obviously didn't like that name. "That makes us sound like we've struck out."

Applebloom agreed and thought for a moment. "How about...the Pin Twins?"

"But there are three of us," Sweetie Belle reminded her.

"Okay then...hmm..." Applebloom replied, rubbing her chin in thought. A lightbulb then went off in her head. "I got it! How about...The Bowling Dolls!"

"Yeah...the Bowling Dolls...that sounds good!" Sweetie added, nodding.

"Perfect," Scootaloo said, winking.

Flash then tapped his hoof, getting their attention. "Don't go renaming yourselves just yet girls. You don't even know if you'll be any good at bowling. Have you ever actually bowled before?"

"No," Scootaloo replied, shaking her head. "But that's exactly why we're trying it!"

"Yeah," Sweetie continued, "if we're gonna get our Cutie Marks in something we've done before, we would have gotten them a long time ago."

Springer just shrugged. "I'll have to take your word for that. I still have no idea how those things even work."

"You and every other living thing in Equestria," Flash grumbled, folding his hooves. "But for now, let's just try and enjoy our time here."

"Yeah sure," Applebloom said as she turned to the bowling alley. "Let's bowl them over!"

They headed inside and all booked their lanes before the boys went and grabbed a ball. As the did, the jakhowl of the group decided to go first. "Which one do we pick?" Springer asked as they looked at the different colored balls. "This seems...different to me. Its like looking at a bunch of heavy versions of my Aura Blast."

"No idea buddy." Flash said as he patted Springer's shoulder. "Though I gotta admit, it's times like this I wish I had Twilight here with me. She probably would have read a bowling stratagy guide or something."

"Just pick one you can lift," Iron growled while grabbing the ball that was probably the heaviest of the lot. "Grab it, roll it, and knock the pins over. Simple as that."

"Guess you got a point," Flash shrugged before walking over to the lane of extra bowling balls. After a few more minutes of ball selection, they all had one that they were comfortable with and headed to the lane. The Crusaders had already started and Sweetie was up to roll. She placed her ball on the ground and pushed it forward with her head, causing to roll forward until it swerved right and landed in the gutter. Despite this, Sweetie still seemed to be enjoying herself and smiled. Seeing this, Flash chuckled. "Well, even if they don't get a Cutie Mark, at least they can say they had fun."

"I'm up first," Springer said as he moved over to their lane. He brushed his paw over the ball and got a good feel for it, before swinging the ball back with his right paw. A second later, he swung it into the air, letting go as he did. It soared a few feet through the air and landed on the alleyway, rolling towards the pins at high speed. A tremendous crash followed, knocking down all ten pins.This was followed by a loud clapping from Flash and the others, except Iron, who just rolled his eyes. "Thank you, thank you." Springer said with an exaggerated bow.

"Nice shot," Flash complimented, "Looks like you're a natural."

Springer flexed his paw. "It's kind of like using my Aura Blast. The ball's a little heavier, but I don't need to throw it as far."

"My turn," Scootaloo said as she moved over to her lane. She seemed to be going for a more badass approach and decided to use her back legs to kick the ball. However, as she did this, the ball was instead sent flying into the roof before bouncing back and knocking over a pile of balls. It then soared over the heads of a trio of suited stallions before bouncing down the other alleys and ending up in the gutter of the last lane. Everypony turned to Scootaloo, who gave an awkward smile before slowly pacing away.

Iron just laughed. "That girl's got kick! Maybe she should go work on your friend's farm."

"I don't see her waking up that early every morning," Flash replied, smirking. Iron shrugged before taking his ball and moving over to the lane. He put the ball into position and whacked it with his tail, shooting it into the air. As he did, it flew through the air and smashed all the pins with one blow. A rally of cheering followed, causing Flash to now roll his eyes. "You do realize that's supposed to be a bowling ball and not a cannon ball, right?"

"Can't argue with results," Iron said, slightly flexing his hoof.

Applebloom was up next. She managed to pick her ball up with her teeth and unsteadily move on over to the lane.

"Oh, this isn't gonna end well." Flash commented, already seeing where this was going.

Applebloom finally released her ball, tripping up as she did so. When she looked back up, she saw her ball racing down the lane and smashing into the pins, knocking them all down. Another wave of cheers could be heard, making Applebloom smile. That smile intensified when she heard somepony say, "Cool! A bowling Cutie Mark!"

"I did it..." Applebloom gasped, "I did it!" But when she looked back at her flank, she saw it was exactly the same. "What?"

"Err, Applebloom?" Springer said to get her attention. He then pointed to an earth pony colt in the next lane, wearing a black and white shirt and pointing to aforementioned bowling Cutie Mark.

"But what about my ball?" Applebloom asked as she looked back at the lane, for which Springer just moved her head slightly to the right. It seemed after getting up from her trip, Applebloom had looked up at the wrong lane. Her ball was still rolling very slowly, only now reaching the pins. However, it just touched them without making even one of them wobble.

"Sorry kiddo," Flash said as he patted her on the head. "Guess this isn't your sport."

"What else is new?" Applebloom replied in a sad tone, her ears drooping.

Flash tapped her again. "Come on, let's keep playing. Maybe after a few more tries, you'll get the hang of it."

She didn't. In fact, by the end of their allotted time, Springer had been crowned the winner with Iron coming in second and Flash third. The girls however, were unable to knock over a single pin. Despite this, two of the three girls left the bowling alley with smiles on their faces.

"That bowling sure was fun!" Sweetie cheered, her grin growing as she did. "Even if all I got was gutter balls."

"Yeah..." Scootaloo grumbled as she rode her scooter. "At least you were able to keep your ball in your lane. I don't think Mr. Kingpin is ever gonna let me play again."

Iron just shook his head. "Tch. I'll admit, it was kinda fun."

"You just enjoyed it because you got to knock something over without getting in trouble," Flash joked, getting a glare from Iron.

Springer on the other hoof, was a bit too happy. "We've so gotta do that again! Can you imagine me throwing an Aura Blast the way I threw those balls?! My opponents wouldn't know what hit'em!" He jumped off Flash's back and mimicked the way he threw the ball, while Flash pretended to be uppercut by something and fell backwards. Springer, Sweetie and Scootaloo all giggled while Iron just rolled his eyes. The only one of the group who didn't seem amused was Applebloom, who continued to trot forwards with her head towards the ground.

Seeing this, Scootaloo rode up to her. "Awww come on Applebloom. We still had fun, right?"

"And I know just what you need to put the bloom back on your apple." Sweetie added.

---

One transition later to Sugarcube Corner later...

The group, minus Iron who had opted out, soon found themselves in Sugarcube Corner. There, Applebloom was sitting at the counter, where Sweetie pushed a cupcake infront of her. "A treat from Sugarcube Corner will cheer you up."

They watched her expectantly, but the young filly just pushed the sugary treat away. "No it won't," she said, sinking into her seat.

Seeing this, the group turned to more extreme measures of cheering her up and brought Pinkie Pie in. "A party will cheer you up!" the cotton candy pony said as she bounced around the filly, who was wearing a party hat and an unhappy smile. Sweetie, Scootaloo and Springer all blew a party blower, but Applebloom still frowned.

"No it won't." she repeated. "Nothing will."

"Oookay. What do we do now?" Flash asked, looking at the others with a face of confusion.

---

"What made us think this would work?" Flash asked as he found several layers of fabric on his back. They were in the Carousel Boutique, with Applebloom on Rarity's stage as she worked her magic.

"A lovely new chapeau will cheer you up," Rarity exclaimed as Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at her with glee, only for Applebloom to still be frowning.

"No it won't," she hissed before hopping off the stage and out the door.

Seeing this, Flash let out a long sigh, shrugging off the fabric. "Oh boy, that's not good." Flash said before turning to Springer. "Can you keep an eye on her buddy? I gotta do my afternoon patrol and I'm worried Applebloom's so upset that she might walk off a cliff...for a cutie mark that is."

Springer gave a small salute before rushing after the filly, her friends following him. As they did this, Flash helped Rarity clean up and apologized for the depressing mood. She didn't mind, and let him leave after getting the last bit of fabric put away. Meanwhile, the others found Applebloom walking down a dirt road just a bit aways, her head still pointing south in despair.

"Come on Applebloom," Scootaloo called out, walking up beside her. "It's just a Cutie Mark."

"Or lack of a Cutie Mark," Sweetie added.

Scootaloo shushed her. "That's not helping."

Before Applebloom could retort, Springer then walked up to her, shrugging. "All this fuss over a silly little mark." Springer tapped his chest. "I don't have one and I'm perfectly happy."

"Except you're not supposed to have one," Applebloom growled, glaring at him.

Springer just gave her a glare back. "And obviously neither are you," Applebloom was about to yell at him, only for Springer to say, "yet. I don't know much about them, but I do know they just don't show up out of the blue. You need to be patient."

"I've been patient!" Applebloom said, her voice rising. "More than patient, but still no Cutie Mark!"

"Well moping about it isn't gonna solve anything!" Springer replied. He would have continued, but he then noticed that the two of them had wondered right into the Everfree Forest...and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had disappeared. "Oh great...how did we get here?" Springer then nudged her and pointed to the town. "Come on, let's get out of here." However, Applebloom wasn't listening, and kept walking. Springer grabbed her tail this time, trying to stop her. "Hey! This place is dangerous! We shouldn't be in here."

"Go away." Applebloom grumbled, flicking Springer with her tail.

"No! You don't need to go walking into-Applebloom!" Springer tried to say, only for Applebloom to turn around and walk away, her ears drooping down to not listen to him. A sigh came out of Springer's mouth as he shook his head. "Why did I even bother learning to speak if this is all I'm ever gonna get in response?!"

Applebloom just rolled her eyes at the jakhowl's whining. That is, till she found her body felt a small amount of force on her hoof, causing her to trip and roll down a hill. As she rolled down and landed with a thud, Springer facepawed. "Well, at least it wasn't a cliff." He jumped down and skidded down the hill, coming to a stop in front of Applebloom. The filly was already starting to pick herself up and was holding her mouth in pain, causing the jakhowl to pat her shoulder. "You okay Applebloom?"

Applebloom opened her mouth, showing she had chipped a tooth on the way down.

"Ouch, that's not good." he said with a grimace.

"Well, who is it that we have here?" said a sudden voice. The two looked around and saw their zebra friend Zecora walking up to them. "Why its young Applebloom and Springer."

"Hey Zecora," Springer waved a paw. Applebloom tried to say hello, but the pain in her mouth stopped her from doing so.

"What has happened to you, youth?" Zecora asked before taking a closer look at Applebloom. "Ah, you've gone and chipped your tooth."

"She wasn't looking at where she was going and fell down that hill." Springer explained, pointing at the ground behind him.

Zecora nodded and turned to walk away. "Come with me, I have just the trick that will fix you up quite quick." The duo looked at each other with faces of slight confusion, but followed anyways. A second later, they were inside and found that Zecora was working on a potion in her cauldron.

As she did, Applebloom began complaining about her lack of Cutie Mark again. "I've tried everything Zecora," she said, a small snort leaving her nose. "But still no Cutie Mark. Why, I'm gonna be as old as Granny Smith and still have a blank flank."

Springer groaned, crossing his hooves as he said, "Seriously? Have you not been listening to any of us?"

Zecora just chuckled and patted Applebloom's head. "Your frustration is well understood, but one must be patient for all things good."

Applebloom just moaned. "I've heard that from everypony I know," Applebloom spat, "and now from every zebra I know. I'm just to impatient to be patient."

"Yeah, I can see that." Springer grumbled, causing her to send him another glare.

"I just want my Cutie Mark and I want it NOW!" She said that last word so loudly that it startled Zecora and made her drop a bottle into her cauldron. This caused a small explosion, sending smoke up and into the two's faces. Zecora gave Applebloom a glare, causing the filly to smile and slowly back away.

"For your Cutie Mark, you will have to wait." Zecora said as she grabbed a spoon. "We must fix that tooth before it's too late." She dipped the spoon into the mixture she had brewed, scooping out a bit and pouring it into a bowl. She then handed it to the filly. "Now drink down every last drop and this mixture will fix that chip on top."

Applebloom did so and began gulping down the potion. As soon as she was done, she moved over to a reflective vase and saw the potion get to work. Springer also watched as her chipped tooth suddenly enlarged itself, before shrinking down to its proper size. Applebloom then ran her tongue over her newly fixed tooth and smiled.

"Nice," Springer said, nodding at the sight. "That's impressive."

"I'll say!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Thanks Zecora."

"No problem." Zecora replied back.

"Wow...you're a wonder cure!" Applebloom said as she looked at her tooth again. It was here that she then a potion on the nearby shelf, causing her to raise her eyebrows in surprise. "Golly, you've got tonics that heal all sorts of ailments." She looked at all the labels on the bottles. "Bad bones, bad back, bad breath..."

"What's rheumatism?" Springer asked as he looked at one of the bottles.

Zecora just chuckled again. "Yes, indeed it is true, I have quite a healing brew."

"And not only stuff which fixes the bad," Applebloom went on, "but stuff that brings the good. Good health, good hair, good heavens!"

"Sounds like you're interested in potions," Springer said, trying to not sound sarcastic. "Maybe you could get your Cutie Mark in that."

"Hey yeah!" Applebloom said as an idea popped into her head. She smiled a sinister smile and then moved over to Zecora. "Ah bet you could mix up a cure to fix...anything." She got real close to the zebra and the shook her flank.

Zecora however, did not seem to like this idea. "There are many mixtures in this room, but none for what you want dear Applebloom. A magic potion does not hold the key. For a Cutie Mark, time is the only remedy."

"Grrr...fine." Applebloom grumbled, though quite begrudgingly.

Zecora then began mixing up a new potion, combining different liquids, powders and berries into her cauldron.

"What ya'll got going on there?" Applebloom asked as she watched.

"I am brewing up another mix," Zecora explained as she put her head in a large vase, "for a rooster and his chicks. Seems the rooster has lost his croak," she pulled her head out and showed she had a weird plant in her mouth, "making mornings very slow."

"Hey, I've seen that flower blooming in Ponyville."

"Yeah," Springer agreed. "I think I've seen it near the river. What is it exactly?"

"It is one we call Heart's Desire," Zecora replied as she started shaking it so the petals would fall into the mixture. "A dash will ignite the roosters fire." Applebloom watched as she worked, amazingly interested in this certain plant as Zecora continued. "With Heart's Desire, his talent comes into view, and he'll surely give a mighty cockadoodledoo."

Springer however, decided to interrupt as he walked up to the cauldron. "So is the rhyming thing a normal zebra thing, or do you just stay up late thinking them up?"

Zecora gave him a small glare. "You truly are Flash's partner through and through, for the mouth he has is the same on you!"

"Is that an insult?" Springer genuinely asked, "I didn't understand what you meant."

Zecora just rolled her eyes as she looked around for another ingredient. "Oh my, what is this? I've run out of amethyst." She then turned and headed towards the door. "I must go get this purple flower, for my brew to have full power."

"Okay," Springer replied before pointing to the filly. "I better get Applebloom back to town before it gets late. See you later."

Zecora nodded and exited the room, leaving Springer and Applebloom alone in the tree core. As she did, Applebloom was still looking at the mixture intensely. "Heart's Desire huh?"

Springer heard her say this and instantly knew what she was planning. "No way," he said as he grabbed her tail and pulled her away, "bad idea."

"Oh come on, you heard what Zecora said!" Applebloom barked back as she pulled her tail away. "This potion makes talents come into view! So if ah drink it, then mah Cutie Mark is bound to show up!"

"She could have just said that to make an easy rhyme," Springer warned her. "You have no idea what it might do to you."

"Can't hurt to try," Applebloom shrugged.

"Yes it could!" Springer countered, giving her a glare. "It could hurt tremendously! Besides, it's not even finished. Zecora said she needed amethyst to make it work."

"I know," Applebloom said as she looked around for an empty bottle, "and it just so happens that we got some amethyst flowers growing back at Sweet Apple Acres. I'll just use them." She then found an empty bottle and poured a bit of the potion into the bottle before corking it up. "There."

Springer wanted to stop her, but he had learned from experience that any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders could find a way to still do what she just did. "I don't like this," Springer said, pointing at her as he did. "At least think it over, alright? Sleep on it or something."

Applebloom thought for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, I'll sleep on it. And in the morning, if I think it's still a good idea, I'll drink it."

"Okay..." Springer then opened the door to the outside. "Now come on, let's get back to Ponyville."

---

The Next Morning...

Flash was an individual that truly loved sleep. He had always been a fan of sleeping, but it wasn't until the recurring nightmare event from a few weeks ago that truly made him love sleeping. That being said, today's dream for the Pegasus was a fight against a twenty foot dragon. Flash had found himself in a tight bind against the beast, as it just knocked away his trusty Lightbringer. But he wasn't out for the count, as Flash dove into the dragon's face, punching his eye with both hooves. As he did, the knight let out a cheer as he saw the dragon yell in pain.

"Aw yeah! Take that!" Flash mocked, gesturing a 'Come on!' stance with his hooves. "I'm just getting started lizard breath!"

"Wake up." the dragon replied, glaring at him with one closed eye.

"Huh?"

"WAKE UP!"

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Flash yelped, falling out of his bed with a thump. He then opened his eyes, only to see Springer on the edge, looking anxious. He looked at his alarm clock and saw it was a half hour before they were supposed to wake up. "Dude, what the heck?!"

"I couldn't sleep," Springer whimpered, a small frown on his face.

"So you decided to deprive me of that luxury?!" Flash asked. "We're not supposed to train for another half hour!"

Springer began twiddling his paws. "Well, you're always saying the early bird gets the worm and uh....yeah."

"Yeah, but the too early bird usually ends up waiting while the worms get out of their PJs!" Flash replied as he picked himself up. He looked back up and saw the look on Springer's face. "Fine fine...might as well get started early today."

"Thanks Flash!" Springer cheered, hugging his partner as he did. Flash patted him back before getting up and grabbing his sword. As he did, Springer spoke up, "Hey uh...since we'll likely be finish patrol early...can we stop by Sweet Apple Acres?"

"AJ's place? Why would we-" Flash looked at him for a moment. "Oh. This is about Applebloom, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Springer asked in worry. He didn't want to get Applebloom in trouble.

"Yeah. You wanna go see if she's alright after yesterday, don't ya?"

Springer tried to hide the lying gulp in his throat. "Err...yeah! That's it!" He nodded up and down. "She was so down in the dumps yesterday that I just wanna check to see if she's okay."

Flash just shrugged. "Okay, we can do that. If nothing happens on patrol, we'll go see how she's doing. Deal?"

"Deal." Springer nodded one last time.

"Alright, let's go." Flash said as he strapped Lightbringer to his side. With that, they headed out the library (And made sure not to wake up Twilight or Spike) and began their work.

However, it seemed lady luck was not on the jakhowl's side, as that morning turned into one disaster after another. First, while on the outskirts of town, they came across a travelling sales pony whose cart wheel had broken, resulting in the three of them pushing the damaged cart close enough to town so that the owner could get somepony to help fix it. This took up almost an hour. Then while travelling through town, they heard somepony crying Timberwolf and had to spend another hour in the woods making sure it was safe so the town didn't go into a panic. These two events combined with some other smaller tasks that had to do, (Which Flash commented as being surprising that the CMC weren't involved with any of the disasters for once) meant that by the time they had finally finished their morning patrol, it was an hour and a half later than they usually finished.

"Man, today's been hectic," Flash grumbled as the two of them flew over to Sweet Apple Acres. "and it isn't even noon yet! I can't believe we had to stop a second parasprite invasion this morning! And I don't even know how to do any instruments except my guitar!"

"Yeah..." Springer barely replied as sweat appeared under his forehead. "I just hope Applebloom hasn't left for school yet."

"Hard to tell with the Apples. They all usually get up at the crack of dawn, so it depends on whether Applebloom finished her chores or not." As he said this, the duo found that they had finally arrived at the farm. There, they saw Applejack and Big Mac heading out of the family barn, carrying a bunch of empty buckets. "Hey guys!" He called out as they landed.

Applejack and Big Mac looked up at the two of them and waved. "Howdy Flash, Springer. What brings you two here this morning?"

"Springer wanted to come check up on Applebloom." Flash replied as they walked up to the two. "She was a little down heartened yesterday."

"Well that's mighty nice of yah, but Applebloom's already left for school."

"Eeyup," Mac added.

"Darn it!" Springer growled. "How long ago?"

Applejack just shrugged. "About twenty minutes ago, maybe less. You might be able to catch her if you hurry, though she seemed to be in a mighty rush this morning. Ah just figured she wanted to talk to her friends before school or something."

Springer had a feeling it was 'or something'. "Come on Flash, to the school!"

"Okay," Flash said as he flexed his wings, "see you all later."

"See yah," Applejack replied as they took off and flew to the school.

Despite the school being on the opposite side of Ponyville, it didn't take them long to get there thanks to a second wind from Flash's wings. Very soon, they found themselves landing outside of the school before hearing something coming from the back. "What's with all the racket?" Flash asked as they walked over to the school's fence. Looking over it, they saw Cheerilee and the school ponies all doing...something. They each had a metal hoop around their waist or legs and seemed to be trying to spin them around. "Okay..." Flash commented with a raised eyebrow. "Now I know I never went to school, but I'm sure this isn't normal learning criteria."

"Hey Flash, Springer!" The two turned to see Scootaloo rushing up to them while trying to spin one of the hoops around with her tail.

"Morning Scootaloo." Flash pointed to the foals on the schoolyard. "What the heck are you all doing?"

"Loopy Hooping!" the little pegasus replied, "Applebloom's showing us how to do it."

"Applebloom?" Springer asked. He didn't like where this was going.

"You gotta check this out, Applebloom got her Cutie Mark!"

"She did?!" Flash and Springer said in shock.

"Yeah," Scootaloo nodded. "Come on, check it out!"

Flash and Springer quickly jumped over the fence and rushed over to see the little earth pony spinning a small hoop around perfectly. On her flank was the image of the hoop, which made Springer gulp. He knew where this was going.

Flash on the other hoof, was none the wiser and went to compliment the filly. "Way to go Applebloom! I told you your Cutie Mark would show up eventually."

"Guess you were right," Applebloom gleefully said as she continued to spin the hoop around. "Wanna give it a try?"

Flash looked down and saw a pile of hoops on the floor. "Sure," he said as he picked one up and tried to spin it with his tail. As he did, he nudged his partner. "Come on buddy, give it a try."

Springer grabbed a hoop and began looping it around with his waist, all the while glaring at Applebloom.

"You drank the potion didn't you?" He asked her once no one was looking at them.

"Of course ah did," she whispered back. "And look at what it did! Ah'm no longer a blank flank!"

"And what if the potion wears off and your Cutie Mark disappears?"

"Then ah'll just keep Loopy Hooping till it comes back!" she replied, a cheeky grin now on her face. They would have kept talking, but in that second, they heard the school bullies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon making pained moans. Looking over at them, they saw the two trying to Loopy Hoop, only to keep tripping over themselves.

Applebloom's grin grew wider. "Oh, don't worry girls. Keep at it and you might end up being half as good as me."

"Got any tricks to show us?" Flash asked before the bullies could reply.

"Sure," Applebloom replied. She then began doing some extreme moves with her hoop, such as hooping over it as she spun it on her leg. She then threw it into the air and actually jumped through it, followed by spinning it in her teeth and jumping through it as well. She eventually ended her routine with something she called the Hoop La. By spinning the the hoop on her tail, she created a powerful gust which then caused her to begin flying upwards.

Flash just blinked at this. "I might not know much about science, but I'm pretty sure that's supposed to be impossible."

Everypony watched in amazement at Applebloom's trick. That is, until they saw a flash of light coming off her flank. Suddenly, she stopped spinning her hoop, allowing gravity to do its thing and bring her crashing down to earth. Thinking fast, Flash managed to fly up and catch her before she hit the ground. As he did, he noticed something on her flank. Besides the Loopy Hoop Cutie Mark was another Cutie Mark, which looked like two plates each spinning on a stick. Once they landed, everypony gathered around to see Applebloom's second Cutie Mark.

"Another Cutie Mark?!" Diamond Tiara yelled before starting to laugh. "Ha! I guess that last trick really was a load of hoop la. Those Cutie Marks are fake!"

The younger ponies all gasped, while Flash tried to think of a rational expression. Springer on the other hoof, began to shake in place. He did not like the look of this.

"No they're not!" Applebloom defended herself.

Diamond turned to their teacher. "Ms Cheerilee, have you ever heard of a pony with two Cutie Marks?"

"I must say that I never have," Cheerilee said, causing her to smirk, "but maybe Applebloom has two special talents."

"Oh yeah?!" Silver Spoon snarled before pointing at the mark, "then let's see you do that."

"Now hold on," Flash tried to say only for the duo Snips and Snails to suddenly appear and throw a pair of sticks and plates at Applebloom. Luckily, the filly managed to catch them, only to immediately start spinning the plates on the sticks while holding the sticks on her nose. The ponies all gasped at the sight of this.

"Two Cutie Marks!" Sweetie exclaimed. "Two talents!"

"Too weird," Flash said before turning to Snips and Snails. "Don't ever let me catch you doing that again." The two colts both grinned nervously before stepping away.

They all watched as Applebloom performed both Loopy Hooping and plate spinning at the same time, without even needing to try. "Aw yeah."

"Oh no." Springer gulped. He had a feeling the Heart's Desire was behind this. He also knew that he had no idea what to do. On the one paw, he knew that this probably wouldn't end well, resulting in some other bad side-effect from the Heart's Desire. However, he also saw that Applebloom was happy...and he felt like he shouldn't interrupt that. Maybe.

"Alright everypony, you ready for a real show?" Applebloom asked the other with a huge grin on her face. She then ran towards Ponyville, her talents still showing as the crowd of ponies followed her, including Flash and Springer. Springer just watched the scene unfold as the reached the town square. There, everypony in town saw the filly with two talents and were amazed, including Twilight, Rarity, Spike and even Applebloom's family. It was like they were witnessing something completely new for Equestria to see.

"Flash?" Twilight spoke up as she walked up to Flash, glancing at the filly as she did. "I am seeing this, right? Applebloom with two talents?"

Flash nodded. "I know what you're thinking and if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either. But...it seems like it's true." As if to further prove the point, Applebloom threw her hoop at Twilight and somehow redid her mane so it looked just like Rarity's. Flash hopped in place at the sight. "Whoa."

"I like it." Spike added.

Twilight rolled her eyes before magically correcting her mane. As she did, Applebloom continued to show off her two special talents, doing several amazing tricks. They watched her for some time till finally, the sun began to set. There, everypony decided it was time to go home.

"Well that was a blast," Spike said as he, Twilight, Flash and Springer all returned to the library.

"I'm still amazed that Applebloom has two Cutie Marks." Twilight commented, rubbing her chin in thought. "I've never read anything that mentioned that happening before."

"Maybe Applebloom's the first in a new wave of Cutie Markers," Flash suggested with a shrug. "A new generation which will have two Cutie Marks instead of one."

"You think?" Spike replied, slightly surprised at the suggestion.

"It's possible." Flash shrugged again.

"Yeah...possible." Springer mumbled, glancing at the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight noticed his disgruntled look and asked, "You okay Springer?"

Flash decided to add to this. "Yeah buddy, is something wrong? You've been acting weird all day."

"Just tired I guess," Springer lied, hopping off Flash's back. "I think I'm gonna go to bed."

Flash and Twilight glanced at each other before replying. "Alright partner. If you're sure you're okay."

"See you tomorrow," Springer said as he headed up the stairs.

"Night," they all replied before Twilight went to the kitchen to make them a light supper. As they did, the three wondered what was up with him but decided to leave it until morning to find out.

When Flash got to his room later that evening, he saw that Springer was already asleep in bed. He took off his Celestic Gear and climbed into bed, ready to get some well deserved rest. That is, till he had barely shut his eyes...

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"WHAT THE HAY?!" Flash yelped, his popping up from his pillow. "Can't a pegasus get a decent night's sleep?" He asked as he picked himself up and looked over at Springer, only to find his jakhowl partner rubbing his eyes as he awoke. "Oookay. Who would be at the door at this hour?"

To answer his own question, Flash got out of bed and headed to the door. As he did, a yawning Twilight stepped out of her room. "What's with the banging?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"I was hoping you'd tell me," he replied.

The banging was coming from downstairs, making the residents quickly descend the staircase and head to the front door. "Who is it?" Twilight called out as her magic twisted the knob of the main door.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Applejack rushed in. "Twilight, yah gotta help me!"

"AJ?!" Twilight responded, her eyes squinting as she did. "What are you-it's the middle of the night!"

"Yeah," Flash groaned, a large yawn escaping his mouth. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until morning."

"Oh really?! Does this look like it can wait till morning?" She rushed outside and then came back in with Applebloom, who was doing the two special talents along with tapping her hooves on the ground. On her flank was a new third Cutie Mark.

"What the?!" Twilight yelped, now fully awake as she rushed over to inspect the Cutie Mark. "Three Cutie Marks, three talents. I've never seen anything like it."

"Two Cutie Marks I could buy," Flash said as he looked her over, "but three is definitely weird. Is it some kind of illness?"

The question made Twilight move over to a nearby bookshelf, quickly scanning through it. "That's a good question Flash. I was just reading something about unusual equine illnesses a few days back...what was it again?"

Spike was also looking through the shelves and pulled one off the top. "Perplexing Pony Plagues perhaps?" He asked as he held up the book before leaping off the ladder and onto Twilight's back.

"Yes! Spike, you're amazing! Thank you!"

Spike smiled smugly. "Yes well, I do have some talents." He placed the book on a reading pedestal and Twilight began flipping through it.

"Let's see here...Hay Fever?"

"Seen that before, definitely not it." Flash deadpanned.

"The trots?"

"Don't be disgusting," Springer remarked.

As she was about to suggest another, she let out a gasp as she stopped at a page. "By your suddenly exhale, I'm guessing you've found it." Flash commented as he and Applejack stepped over and looked at the page she was reading.

"Cutie Pox!" Twilight said in horror.

"CUTIE POX?!" They all screamed in horror.

"Cutie Pox," Twilight read, "this puzzling pony plague applicted a population of ponies back in the paleo-pony period."

"Say that ten times fast," Spike joked, only to be bucked off Twilight's back in retaliation.

Twilight continued reading. "Random Cutie Mark continues appearing all over the pony's bodies, causing them to preform all the talents that came with them."

"Just like me!" Applebloom yelped, still doing the three skills her illness gave her.

Flash just ignored her and tapped Twilight's shoulder. "It's obvious this illness is rare since none of us have heard of it, so what's causing it?"

"I have a theory," Springer whispered to Applebloom, causing her to gulp. The Heart's Desire had given her exactly that, a Cutie Mark. But it was still granting her wish and now she'd got Cutie Pox.

"So what's the cure?" Applejack asked, causing Twilight to read faster. That is, till she got to a particular part that made her eyes went wide.

"It says here there's no known cure," she explained.

"Nothing?" Flash asked, "not even a lozenge...or like, meds?"

"No." Twilight shook her head. "The cause of the breakout was never discovered and the Cutie Pox disappeared as mysteriously as when it arrived.

"So she'll get over it, right? Like with normal Pony Pox?"

Twilight's expression went dark. "No. It uh...it says the pony will continue to do the actions until..."

"Until what?" Applejack asked.

"Until the inflicted pony collapses from exhaustion and...don't make me say it."

Everypony's eyes went wide.

"Sacre bleu!" They all turned to Applebloom, who now had a fourth Cutie Mark that looked like a coat of arms. "Autre Mark de Cutie." She gasped before speaking in a dialect that none of them could understand.

"My sister's speaking in fancy!" Applejack cried.

"This is bad." Flash said as he stared at the mark. "If she just got another mark, does that mean more will appear at an even faster rate?"

"Probably." Twilight replied. "She needs help."

"Ah know she needs help!" Applejack barked back. "We need somepony to mix up a cure and fast!"

"Yeah but...there's no known cure." Twilight commented as she pointed to the book. "I mean, it says that-"

"Twilight! Ah need to help my sister now!"

It was then that Springer had an idea. If one of Zecora's medicines caused this, then maybe she had one that could fix it. With this thought, Springer spoke up, "I'll head to Zecora's house. Maybe she'll have something that can help."

Surprised at his sudden suggestion, especially since he had been quiet this entire time, Flash clapped his hooves. "Great idea Springer! You do that and we'll try and keep Applebloom in check."

"Why don't we just take Applebloom to Zecora?" Spike asked.

"There's no way we'll make it there with Applebloom being forced to do a bunch of different things. We'll stay here and keep her safe. Hopefully, she won't get any Cutie Marks that make her do something dangerous."

Springer nodded and rushed out of the library, rushing towards the forest. As he was about to enter, he noticed the very pony, or zebra, he was looking for step out it. "Zecora!" He called out as he sprinted towards her. "You've gotta help us!"

"Why, what is causing your distress?" she asked as Springer stopped in front of her. "I can't imagine what has you so stressed."

"Its Applebloom!" Springer yelled, pointing to the town. "She's got something called Cutie Pox and its making her do all sorts of weird things!"

The zebra raised an eyebrow at this. "How strange that she has come down with that affliction." She then raised her hoof. "However, before I help, may I make a prediction?"

"Go on..." Springer said, pretty sure he knew where this was going.

"My special plant named Heart's Desire, suddenly disappeared your visit prior. Tell me is it not true, that you took a sample of my special brew."

Springer looked at Zecora, who was giving him a dark gaze, before finally cracking. "Okay fine! Applebloom took some of your Heart's Desire potions even though I told her it was a bad idea and now she's come down with this illness and I don't want to tell on her because it might get her in trouble and she looked really happy but now she's in real trouble and I don't know what to do!" he ranted, almost out of breath before he gave Zecora a pair of puppy dog eyes. "So can you please save me the lecture and just help her?! Please, I'll do anything!" He begged while Zecora lowered her head to his eye level.

"Feel better?"

"A little," he replied, slightly blushing.

"I understand your rebuttal to keep your friend out of trouble. But one of the things that makes a good friend, is making sure they're safe in the end. You should have told somepony about the brew from the start, but now this affliction may tear Applebloom apart."

"So...is there anything you can do?" Springer asked.

Zecora nodded. "It just so happens there is a way, but whether it will work, I cannot say."

"Anything's worth a try. Come on."

And so, the two rushed towards Ponyville, which was unusually barren. There, they found Flash and the others in the middle of town, watching Applebloom washing some windows.

"Zecora!" Flash called out, waving at her. As she approached, he continued to speak. "Thank Celestia you're here. Applebloom-"

"I am aware of the situation and I know of its causation."

"You do?!" Applejack asked, "Then you must have a cure, right?"

"A Cutie Pox cure, I have for sooth," she reached into her bag and pulled out three seeds, "for healing power is in, the seeds of truth."

Applejack pointed to her sister. "Well then, give'em to her, quick! She needs help!"

"These seeds must be planted in the ground." Zecora explained, "With the truth, they'll grow and the cure will be found."

To say Applejack was confused would be an understatement. "Come again?"

Twilight and Flash looked at each other before Flash kind of got what she meant. "I think she means that they're special seeds that uh..." Flash gave Zecora a questioning look. "I'm guessing they only grow when somepony tells the truth about something?" Zecora nodded at this.

"If that's the case," Twilight continued. "It probably only works when they tell the truth about something they've either lied about or kept secret."

As soon as she realised what they meant, Applejack shot into action. "Well, let's get to it," she said as she knocked the seeds out of Zecora's grasp and dug a small hole, putting the seeds inside before burying them. "Alright, they're planted. Now somepony, tell the truth!"

However, it seemed that the citizens of Ponyville were all too scared of catching Cutie Pox to do so. Most had already hid themselves inside their houses as they saw Applebloom's Cutie Pox go wild. That and another Cutie Mark appeared on Applebloom, this one being a tornado, which caused her to spin around at full force. The sight alone made noppony want to speak up.

Applejack grew more and more concerned by the sight of this. "Somepony?! Anypony?!"

Still nopony replied, causing her to turn to her friends.

Flash shook his head. "Sorry AJ, I've got nothing to tell. I haven't lied about anything or kept something to myself."

"Me neither," Twilight said, nodding with a frown.

"There's gotta be somepony who can tell the truth!" Applejack called out.

It was at this moment that Pinkie popped out of a nearby bush, deciding to speak up. "Yesterday I told Mrs Cake I ate two corn cakes when I really ate three!" They all looked down at where Applejack had planted the seed, but the soil remained the same. They all looked back up at Pinkie. "Okay six!" Pinkie screamed, "I ate six corn cakes!" They looked back down, only to see no change, making them look back up at her. Pinkie looked like she was going over the edge. "Make it stop! Oh, make it stop!"

Springer wondered if telling them about the Heart Desire would do anything since he had already told Zecora, but thought it was worth a try. However, in that moment, Applebloom had had enough.

"Ah can't stand it anymore," she said as yet another Cutie Mark appeared. "It's me, I confess! I didn't earn ma'h Cutie Mark, they're all fake!" Suddenly, she stopped spinning, but then started tap dancing again. The older ponies all looked down and saw the soil begin to shift, they needed more. Thankfully, Applebloom wasn't done. "Ah figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what ah wanted most. So when Zecora left her hut, I took some of her potion!"

From the ground shot out a sprout, which quickly grew into a white flower that then bloomed. Not a second later, Applebloom leaped over and wolfed it down before sighing in relief. As soon as she did, she stopped dancing and fell to the floor. In a flash of light, one of her Cutie Marks disappeared, followed by another and another until she was back to normal again.

Everypony sighed in relief.

"Applebloom!" Sweetie and Scootaloo rushed over to her.

"Are you okay?" Scootaloo asked.

"Ah'm great," Applebloom replied, panting. "And Ah've never been happier to be a blank flank. But I'm awful sorry ah lied, especially to you girls. Ah was so desperate for mah Cutie Mark, I just got carried away." She then turned to Zecora, "and Ah'm really sorry I took some of your potion Zecora, even though Springer told me it was a bad idea."

"WHAT?!" Flash said as he turned to his partner, "you knew?!"

Springer held his head. "I'm sorry. I just didn't want to get Applebloom into trouble and she seemed so...so happy. So I didn't tell anyone and got her in even more trouble. I know I was wrong."

"And so do I," Applebloom cried, resting her head on the ground as she did. She then stared at Zecora. "I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted me to come by again."

Zecora just smiled at this. "Now Applebloom do not be silly, you are always welcome my little filly."

At the same time, Flash rubbed his forehead in slight frustration before bonking his partner's head. "Stop giving me that sad face Springer, I'm not mad at you buddy. Nopony wants to feel like they've betrayed their friend's trust." He then stared right into the jakhowl's eyes. "But you can't let that stop you if you think your friend is in danger."

"I know that now," Springer said with a nod. "Sorry."

"With each mistake," Zecora told him and Applebloom, "you learn something new. Growing up into a better you." With that, Zecora turned and left the village, ready to go make a new brew.

As she walked away, Twilight trotted up to the filly and jakhowl. A certain idea had popped into her head. "Applebloom, Springer, would you mind writing to Princess Celestia about what you've both learned?"

"Happy to," Applebloom said while Springer nodded, "Spike!"

Spike instantly appeared, scroll and quill in claw, and began writing what the two of them both learned. Applebloom about never taking short cuts to what you really want and Springer about looking out for a friend. When it was over, Spike rolled up the scroll and sent it to Princess Celestia.

"Ah sure am proud of you sis." Applejack chuckled, helping her sister up. "Seems like you've finally learned the importance of patience."

"Yep...all good things come to those who wait." Applebloom replied, steadying herself before looking at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Twilight, Applejack, Springer and Spike then heard Flash counting down, and when he hit zero, he pointed at the three as they said. "Well, I've waited long enough. Let's go try something else girls!"

Flash rolled his eyes as they watched the three crusaders rush off to go earn their Cutie Marks.

"Knew that was coming," Flash said before yawning. "Now if you'll excuse me, I haven't had a good night's sleep for the last two nights." And with that, he headed home to take a nap, ready to put this exhausting day behind him

Author's Note:

Now Springer gets to learn lesson along with the others, yay.

Next Time: Something on the...weirder side

Comments

[Magi Tail Welkin]

Ah was so despite for mah Cutie Mark...

The despite I think should be desperate.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Another good chapter with Springer. I like how he questions Zecora on her rhymes, but she seems to be avoiding giving an answer. Now I’m curious what this “weirder side” is for next time.

[Foxhelm]

8537663
It's About Time?

[Godslittleprincess]

"A lovely new sharpow will cheer you up," Rarity exclaimed as Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at her with glee, only for Applebloom to still be frowning.

I think the word you're looking for is "chapeau." It's French for hat.

Also, this was fun. I'm guessing Flash is a "Friend to All Children" in your headcanon, too.

[JediWaffles]

Do you plan on eventually doing the eg movies?

[Banshee531]

8538357 Yes I do.