Under a Moonlit Sky

by My Little Rainstorm

Chapter 3

“Hey Sweetie Belle! Applebloom! Scootaloo! You there?” Spike pushed aside a branch and led Stardust over to a treehouse. He walked over and stood next to the ramp, staring up at the door. The door opened and three fillies walked out. A yellow filly wearing a massive pink bow walked down the ramp.

“Hiya Spike. What’s up?”

“Hi Applebloom. I wanted you to meet somepony” he stepped aside to reveal Stardust. “This is Stardust. She’s- hey!” he whipped his tail around and stared at the red tip where Stardust had stomped on it. He glared at her and started to speak but she interrupted him.

“Hi! I’m Twilight’s cousin. My parents had to go away for a few weeks so they said I could stay with her. It’s nice to meet you.”

Applebloom’s eyes narrowed. This ‘Stardust’ was lying. She glanced over at Spike. He was staring at Stardust, obviously surprised. She watched as he tilted his head then shrugged at her from behind Stardust’s back. “Well, c’mon in. I’ll introduce you to the girls”. She walked up the ramp. Scootaloo and Sweetie bell looked at her curiously. She pursed her lips and gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. She would talk to them later.

“Wow. This is amazing.” Stardust looked around the clubhouse. Light streamed in through the windows and a light breeze fluttered the curtains. She walked over and looked at the hoof drawn map of Ponyville and the posters that littered the walls. “Are those the Wonderbolts?”

The orange pegasus bounded over to her. “Yeah! Rainbow Dash got them for me. Look!” she pointed her hoof at the corner of a poster displaying Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot. “They even signed it!”

“Oh my gosh! That is awesome. How did you get it? And you know Rainbow Dash? Also, what’s your name? I’m Stardust.”

“Name’s Scootaloo. And duh. Of COURSE I know Rainbow Dash. I’m her biggest fan! She’s practically my big sister!” This latest exclamation brought forth an amazed gasp from Stardust.

Sweetie Belle walked over to Applebloom. “She seems nice. And wow. She sounds like Pinkie. How does she even talk that fast?” Applebloom shrugged. She was still staring at Stardust through narrowed eyes. She looked around to ask Spike what she had been lying about, but the purple dragon had disappeared. Applebloom sighed. She walked over to the two pegasus fillies fangirling over the Wonderbolts.

“Ah hate to interrupt, but ah was wondering. You said you are Twilight’s cousin? She’s never said anything about a cousin” Stardust shrank back under her gaze and shuffled her hooves nervously.

“Uh… yeah. I actually just found out about her a few weeks ago. Until today, I had never met her.” the last statement was not a lie. Applebloom wasn’t sure about the first one though.

“Well, nice to meet you. Ah see you’ve met Scootaloo. Ah’m Applebloom, an this here is Sweetie bell. We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo jumped in. “None of us have our cutie marks yet, so we go on adventures to try to find them. You could join us if you want, seeing as you don’t have one either.”

Applebloom discreetly kicked Scootaloo, a movement that was caught by Sweetie Belle. She didn’t want Stardust joining them without telling them the truth. Applebloom was certain she was lying about being Twilight’s cousin, she just couldn’t think of WHY Stardust would lie. It was possible she was doing it to make herself look better, being related to royalty, but Applebloom wasn’t sure. She was knocked out of her thought process when Scootaloo delivered a jarring jab to her side in retaliation.

“If you’ll excuse us, ah think the three of us need to talk.” Applebloom grabbed Sweetie and Scootaloo and dragged them over to a corner, putting their heads close together. “Ah don’t trust her. She’s lying about being Twilight’s cousin. Are we sure we want her to become a CMC when she is lying about something like that?”

Scootaloo glanced over her shoulder. Stardust had started looking over their plans for future crusades. “I don’t know Applebloom. She seems nice. And she looks like she needs some friends.”

“I agree” Sweetie Belle stated. “We should give her a chance. Remember Babs Seed?” Applebloom looked away uncomfortably. “Maybe there is more to Stardust’s story too. We should get to know her first.”

Applebloom sighed. “You’re right. I just… I don’t like ponies who lie as soon as I meet them.”

“WHOOHOO!” Scootaloo leaped into the air, did a 180 turn in midair, and ran over to Stardust. “You’re in! C’mon! You can help us brainstorm. So, what do you like to do? Scuba diving? Hang gliding? Tiger taming?” she dragged Stardust over to a desk and thrust a stack of paper toward her.

“Um… I like... reading?”

Scootaloo froze. Slowly, she turned toward Stardust. Surely she had heard wrong. There was no way somepony as cool as Stardust could be an egghead. “That’s… cool. What type of reading? Daring Do? Daring Adventures of Rainbow Dash? Journey to Mt. Eris?”

Stardust shrugged. “Those are nice. But I prefer calmer books. Those are a bit too fast-paced. There are a few history books in the Royal Canterlot Library that are really interesting.”

Scootaloo flinched. She struggled to keep her voice steady. “Cool… um… how about I show you around Ponyville?” Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Stardust, plopped her in the wagon outside, and set off, her wings buzzing.

“Hey! Wait for us!” Sweetie Belle shouted. She turned a stricken gaze on Applebloom. “What just happened?”

“Scootaloo found a new friend” her voice was like ice and her eyes were blazing. “C’mon. We’re getting our friend back.”

Author's Note:

I know this is ANOTHER chapter that didn't really explain anything, but the next one will. Explain. A little bit.
Any theories about why our darling pegasus lied about being Twilight's cousin? In my opinion, her reason is kinda dumb and flimsy, but she is still a filly so.......... Depending on the amount of schoolwork certain people assign, the next chapter should be out tomorrow.
(Sorry for the short chapter. I will work on making them longer)

Comments

[My Little Epona]

Scootaloo is adorable.
That is all.