> They Grow Up...
>  by overlord-flinx
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Part 1: He Grew.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Pipsqueak... small, shrimp-esque, mini; the word by dictionary definition amounts it to nothing more than weak and insignificant. But if you swing that word around the pony-folk of Ponyville, you get a different definition. Brave, upbeat, a bit careless and clumsy at times, but all around a fairly upstanding lad. This, however, isn't based on the unspecific noun 'pip-squeak' but rather the given name to a once new colt from Trottingham, Pipsqueak. But he hasn't been called by his full name in a long, long time.




It now seems almost fitting that his arrival to Ponyville was based around the fall. He himself had grown like those newborn trees did all those years ago. As days turned to weeks, and those once bearing trees had grown and withered time and again, Pipsqueak gained footing in a new environment. It had been no surprise however that he tripped up along the way, as all new fillies and colts do. But as weeks turned to months, his fumbles began to be cushioned by friends, both young and old. In time though, those fumbles ceased, and he began to trot on his own terms like the stallion many knew he would undoubtedly become.

Leaves fell, snow melted, suns set. And Pipsqueak? He grew stronger, more courageous, of course taller, and most noticeably, more handsome. Though his youth became a thing of the past, his boyish cuteness turned to an almost roguish attraction. Fillies left and right swooned over the colt they once knew as the runt of all the schoolyard herds, albeit without his notice. To Pipsqueak, or Pip as he preferred to be called, his only interests had focused in on maps, history, and of course exploration, although, sadly, not pursuing the one thing that his friends and admirers wanted him to chase after. Even more so, what his guardians wanted for him...

A Special Somepony...





The air brushed through the open meadows of the outskirts of Ponyville, just like every other day; but that's what Pip loved about it. Much like the open seas, the meadow grass would waver about with the rushing winds, much like Pip's own scarf would do as he stood on the overlook of it all. Even knowing how much he adored the blowing grass, that wasn't why he was there. And as he felt the sudden foreign rush wind course behind him, he knew the reason was very close. When the sound of crunching grass came out from behind him, the young stallion smiled. "How ‘you doin’...?" Pip gave a simple glance behind him to meet the rather deranged yellow eyes of his guest, "...Cap'n."

Before another second could pass, Pip found himself hoisted up into the air with the familiar grasp of two very different arms and pressed tightly into the lengthy chest he had come to know. "Pippy, boy, it’s good to see you in one piece!" Pip could only let out a little chuckle as he fixed his mane to look up at his holder.

"Cap'n, I saw ya' yesterday." Slowly, Pip was placed back on the grassy knolls of the meadow.

The familiar friend of his drifted back down to the earth as well, sighing dramatically before lowering himself onto the grass, still with an overly dramatic tone. "Ohhh, yes. I remember now. Clumsy, forgetful, very stylish, me..." With a bat of his eyelashes and pout of his lips, Pip finally exploded into a fit of laughter.

Seeing that Pip was now immobilized in his fit of laughter, the draconequus slithered up onto his hind legs and towered over his pony comrade. Using his paw, he fixed Pip's scarf and smiled down at him. "How has your day been going? Busy? Slow? Maybe a little chaotic, hmm?" Pip slowly brought himself down from his laughing and cleared his throat for an answer.

"Busy, I'll admit... Gotta make a map o' the western moun'ains on commission for Miss Sparkle," he explained with clear honesty.

Sparkle. A name that this draconequus wasn't fond of, but for his Pip, he'd let it slide. "Western Mountains, huh?" In a single blink, the mix-matched beast disappeared before Pip's eyes and reappeared directly behind him in mid-air. "I could always snap you there and pick you up—"

The young pony quickly put a stop to that idea as he put a front hoof up against the muzzle of his friend. "Cap'n Discord? Are you 'posin' I skip out on an adventure there?" A teasing tone was heavy in Pip's voice; this alone filled the Lord of Chaos with pride.

"Me? Propose—noooo, no, no, no, no, no. Pippy... I'm wounded by the very idea." Discord shot a feigned puppy dog expression.

"Good," Pip lowered his hoof and took a step away from Discord, "Don't really want to get the idea my own guardian doesn't think I can't do a simple job like this."

In response, or for his own element of the unneeded, Discord shrugged before hooking himself around the grassy land surrounding Pip. The two remained there in some mild silence, the wind being the only interjection of that. But that silence didn't last long as Pip came to an idea, "Why’d ya' call me out here, exactly?"

Recollection! Discord could have slapped his own forehead, but he'd save that for later when nopony was looking. "Of course, small talk is nice, but I have some real fat to chew with you.” Ignoring the slightly ill face Pip gave him, he continued on, "I can guess your school work and internship is going well... But I've been having... worries..."

"Worries?" Pip found himself sitting his flank against the soft grass as he listened to what Discord had to say.

"Worries. You see—and this isn't me talking." Instantly, Pip knew exactly where this was going, and a smile came across his face. Discord quickly noticed it and smirked. "Don't make that face. Queenie's just been putting it in my head that you need to be a bit more in-touch with the pony-folk... Namely the females."

"Cap'n..."

"I'm just saying..." Discord threw his hands up playfully before scooting up close to Pip, "Just between you and me... Is there a lil' filly that gets you going?"

Instead of answering, Pip simply stood up onto all four of his limbs and stepped over Discord's coiled body. "I'll see ya' at dinner, Cap'n..." Pip chuckled as he trotted away down the sloped meadow towards Ponyville.

Sighing with his 'great defeat', Discord sprang to his back legs. "...Phooey..." was all that he managed to say before he snapped his fingers and disappeared in a brief spark of light.





It's written in many of the Equestrian-Philosophy books that "If the direct route does not work the first time, the most precise route is indeed the imprecise means". Words written by Star Swirl the Bearded... However, this single passage could easily be interpreted in many different ways.
> Part 2: Plan 'B'.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ponyville. Many, if not all ponies within the area would call it a model of how a community should be. Everyone knows your name, never a dull moment, a faithful companion at each turn; many would consider it the utmost luck that you live there. It's so humble; it's so peaceful. But, to a very small minority of jilted individuals, it's the bane of existence. Their perfect buildings, their perfect hospitality, their harmony; it's sickening to some. A majority of that minority are the Changelings. More precisely, their queen. However, as it turns out, those thoughts and feelings of great disdain have begun to fade away over the years.

Why?

It's the small and insignificant ideas that turn minds.




The sun was still making its grand arc across the spanning sky, now just starting to meet its noon peak. It was at this time that mares and stallions would file out from their homes and fill the streets of Ponyville, Canterlot, or any other city or town of that sort. It was also at this time that Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, would look out from her twisted castle's balcony towards her most hated foe's prized village. Though her ears were constantly assaulted by the buzz and hum of her subjects' flying by and around her castle, she could still, in her own mind, hear the jovial laughter and talking of those ponies.

Sickening.

But, it was when her inner flames of a toxic green began to find fuel that she brought her mind to happier notes. It wasn't her kingdom or army of loyal subjects that brought her down from her anger; those only made her feel more entitled and proud. It was the thoughts of one certain pony in that village that made her feel a bit at peace. This time, however, those thoughts had suddenly brought a nagging pain to her mind. Normally she would have time to think of her charge in peace, but she was too aware that in only moments, that peace would be—

"Honey! I'm home!"

—Shattered.

Queen Chrysalis ignored every single one of her inner pleas to not turn around, instead giving an uninterested turn to face the draconequus that had summoned himself in the room leading to her balcony. "Discord, it would seem I may need to have some harsh words with my so-called guards..."

"Hard to stop something that can just... Poof pass them." As if to demonstrate, he made a show of snapping his fingers and appearing inches away from the queen.

Once more she ignored every tugging thought that told her to simply set fire to this abomination but instead moved around him to enter her chambers. Discord followed after her, deciding that walking on his back limbs was getting boring and fell to all four of his limbs and walked alongside her. Chrysalis would've normally been bombarded with Discord's rambles by this point in his visits, but noticing his relative silence despite his—albeit normal for him—overly joking air, she knew what was holding his tongue. "No news from the boy?" her eyes didn't even meet his as she said her coldly voiced words.

Unfazed by the words but rather the idea of actually failing the job, Discord could only laugh weakly and give a shrug of his shoulders. Queen Chrysalis met her own gaze as she looked into the Gothic framed mirror in her chamber, using her own sickly green magic grasp to pick up her darkened applicator and brought it to her 'lashes. "Well no matter. I had already planned a fail-safe for your failure."

"But then why even ask me to do the deed when the deed couldn't be done?"

Stroke. One of her long eyelashes was brought back to its full glory. "No reasons other than to elude our charge on the idea that one of his guardians is a bumbling idiot."

"Hmmm... Touché." Discord slithered his lengthy body up to a stand and he rested his back against the curve of Chrysalis' wall.

The queen needed only to peek a single eye in the beast's direction to see that his more playful stature and expression had faded. Now, they could move onto the main structure. "Phase one is complete of course. Though, I'll admit phase one was also Plan 'A'. If he had divulged the needed information, we would've been done far sooner..."

Stroke. Another perfect 'lash if Chrysalis could say so herself. "That goes without much saying. But you and I both know Pippy doesn't budge so easily." For a brief second Discord formed a crooked smile before going back to a focused look. "I blame the mother-figure."

"Make your jokes, cretin, make your jokes." The applicator found its way back onto the stand and Chrysalis turned a direct look to Discord. "I for one will stay focused on the goal."

"Don't keep me in the dark. Tell me what this brilliant plan of yours is."

"Simple," She took her eyes away from Discord and moved across the room, perhaps only to elongate the tension of her words on Discord's spastic mind. The wait, however, didn't last long as she began to unravel her plan to her partner. "Now that our charge's attention is fixed primarily away from you and I, we may now act on him without his knowing."

Processing that first part of the plan went quickly for Discord, and just as quickly he came to a problem. "That... doesn't even make sense. And I know a thing or two about not making sense... Most of the time that can work to my advantage, but in this case... Eh."

"What part of that made no sense to you?"

"How is his attention away from us?" Though Discord was the pure embodiment of chaos and disharmony, he did know his way around a faulty plan.

"Seeing as our entailed visits on him have been met for this day, he will believe that we won't see him until dinner, which I have already put my best Changeling chef on."

"Changeling cuisine again?" Discord let out an overly-dramatic gag at the idea.

"Pipsqueak adores it! It's what a growing—" A deep burn stretched under Chrysalis' face as she brought herself back and cleared her throat. "...If you don't want it, you have your own means to eat. Either way, let’s get back to the plan at hoof. Now that he won't expect our arrival throughout his day, we can work our way into his life."

A normal creature would've told Chrysalis to drop the cryptic code awhile back, but Discord was far from normal. Instead, he stroked his muzzle in thought. "Uh-huh... I gotcha'... Not really, but I gotcha'."

"Think Discord. I know that's a bit of a stretch for you, but think with me. If he isn't expecting us, and we couple that with his more naive accepting ways..." she left it at that for a moment, wanting her partner to pick up on it. Seeing that he couldn't, or more likely wouldn't, she continued her own thought, "...If we put those two together, it will be easy to plant our seeds from the inside."

"Let's ignore your poor, poor, poor choice of words there and instead fix in on the idea." Chrysalis rolled her eyes annoyed, but Discord went on, "How exactly are we going to plant these 'seeds'? Oh, but how?" Discord could tell right away that Chrysalis wasn't at all pleased with the playfulness he was displaying. "How can a shapeshifter and a creature of omnipotent power get into a young colt's life?"

They both knew the correct answer, but Discord wouldn't be Discord if he just went along with the train of thought. At this point, Chrysalis had had enough and stomped a hoof against the ground, igniting a small plume of green fire under it. "We take the forms of new faces to Ponyville and infiltrate his cliqué, or posse, or whatever it is that these foals have nowadays."

"Oh!" Chrysalis could tell that Discord was pretending, and it made her face boil with rage. "I get it! Clever! Clever! Always so, so clever!" Discord applauded excitedly and moved closer to Chrysalis.

"Yes... I am... But this leads us to an important step," Once more Chrysalis stepped around Discord and moved back to her mirror, looking herself over intently. "...What to disguise ourselves as?"

"Ah... The Changeling question of the lifetime."

"It's more so Changeling Law number five... But I digress." Chrysalis knew the idea would be lost on Discord, so she would simply drop the idea as a whole. "Simplicity will be our ally... I was thinking—" But before Chrysalis could finish her spoken thought, she saw a flash in the reflection of her mirror and quickly looked behind to see what happened.

Much to the queen's displeasure, Discord had changed his appearance to that of floppy eared, small, brown dog, still sporting his yellow eyes. "...No?"

"This mission will require speech... I would think a talking dog could raise a few suspicions..." Chrysalis half humoured him as she watched another flash occur, this time replacing the dachshund Discord with a Pegasus of grey coat, goofy teeth, and a cutie mark that resembled a cracked dish. "... Pegasus doesn't work as your cover."

"Oh? And what did you have tucked away as your master masquerade?" Discord's voice was brought up a few octaves to match his more teen-esque body.

Chrysalis responded by throwing her head up as a green fire enveloped her body, much like all Changelings would do if they transformed. When the fire fizzled away, it revealed a pitch-black mare with magnificent wings and a long horn dawned on her head. Chrysalis looked to Discord, expecting an amazed expression. Instead she met a bored one. "...Really? That's what you're going with? Seems a bit... Over the top."

"Very well..." Once more, the fires consumed Chrysalis as she felt her own face grow hot in embarrassment. This time, when the fires sank back into the floor, they revealed a teenage unicorn with a black coat, long, flat green mane, and a cutie mark of a broken heart. "Better?"

"Depends..." Discord snapped his fingers again and—yet again—changed shape in the flash. When Discord reappeared, his form was that of a gray-brown goat with twisted horns, still having his eyes the same shade of yellow and red. "...Does this look better?"

Indeed, this shape did match more presciently to Chrysalis' grand design, but she only sighed at him. "It will do... Now we need to think of aliases. I was thinking—"

"I'm gonna have to cut you off right there, Queeny. It'll be a lot more fun if we think of our names on the fly." Discord reasoned, a crooked smile on his goat face.

"Why should we put it off when we could do it—?"

"You're making sense of this! I can't work under these conditions!" Discord, with a blink of his eyes, disappeared in a quick, blinding flash, leaving the reformed Chrysalis alone.

She stomped her newly made hoof against the floor and gave a sharp huff. "No patience... He must always try mine..." As sporadic as Discord was, Chrysalis was all too aware that he would've only flashed himself ahead of her.

Not wanting to tarry any longer behind him in fear of how he could mess up the plan so early in its execution, she sprouted her disfigured wings out from her young pony body and sprang out of the balcony. With a few flaps of her wings, she was off into the noon air, seeing Changelings look to her with their wide, blue eyes and soundlessly wish their queen a pleasant flight. She gave her subjects a nod, letting them know she would soon return and for them not to follow. While setting her path towards her target, she made a mental note that once she was on the skirt of it, she would have to land and put her wings away. For once she entered that area, she would be in enemy territory.
Ponyville: Home of the Enemy...






Ponyville: Home of the Adventure. Or more so home of where the adventure starts. The bazaar-style shopping, the helpful information passing travelers can share, the fair position in relativly nowhere; Pip was at home. As a young colt, he didn't fully understand just what this town could offer him. But now, trotting down the busying streets of the shopping district of Ponyville, scarf flowing to the wind, he finally understood.

"Afternoon, ma'am!" Pip bowed his head after he gave a little slowdown as he saw old Granny Smith at her usual stand.

Granny Smith gave a slight smile and  a weak toss to Pip, sending a nice red apple his way. Pip caught the apple in his mouth and bowed his thanks before taking off once more. No pony or even a stand went by without Pip giving a hello, just like every day before one of his excursions. If any part of Ponyville knew Pip at a glance, it would've been the shopping district.

Running his mental checklist through his mind, his eyes fixed onto one point without his knowing. Silver, tied back mane, glamorous grey coat, and that pearl necklace. Pip smiled widely and changed his path and speed, slowly sneaking up behind his newfound target. His target was facing away from him, clearly looking over a new pile of gems stacked neatly on the display table of the shop. Even though he couldn't see her face, he knew who it was, and more importantly, that she wouldn't see him coming.

Deep breath in, and... "Top of the noon to ya' S.S.!" he almost yelled as he stood directly behind the young mare.

CRASH! The display table flipped over as the mare threw her front hooves up with a sharp scream. Sure enough, Pip saw his final proof be thrown up into the sky as well. The familiar blue-framed glasses that were just on the mare's face. Never one to miss a step, Pip kicked back a bit and caught the glasses on his own nose, balancing it perfectly. The cheerful colt tried to hold in a laugh as he watched his scare victim clamber to her hooves. Once the mare got to her hooves, not even taking a moment to say a breath of sorry to the shop owner for the mess she made, she shot a death glare behind her to the stallion.

But, the glare died in a moment as her jaw instead dropped a bit. Pip on the other hand smiled mischievously and bucked the glasses from off his muzzle to catch it on one of his hooves at the ready. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean ta' fright ya' too much," Pip offered the glasses back while also looking past the mare and to the shop owner. "I'll be 'appy ta' pay for the damages."

The shop owner gave a half-hearted sigh and just gave a brush of their hoof before going to the back, most likely to get a broom. Seeing that that crisis was averted, Pip returned his sights to the mare who quickly snatched her glasses back and had put them back on. "All forgiven?" Pip offered.

"...I'll let it go this time, Pipsqueak." Silver Spoon sighed as she tried to fix her hair with a free hoof.

"Tops! Glad ta' hear it. Just wanted ta' say my 'hello's' to ya'... So ‘hello', and see ya' around town." Pip nodded his head and took off once more, leaving Silver Spoon with a frazzled expression.

"Such a child..." she muttered to herself.

With a newfound huff, she stormed off in the opposite direction, completely oblivious that her glasses were on upside down.
> Part 3: Hi, my name is...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Incognito. Nopony knows you; nopony recognizes you. The queen of the Changeling horde—or empire as she preferred them to be known as—was far out of her element. Smiling pony faces at every glance, jovial hellos here and there; it made her skin crawl. But if her life as a shapeshifter taught her anything, it was how to play a part. She accepted these smiles, those hellos, and even bowed in response from time to time as she moved down the village road. Even so, she was careful to take note of what traits she was adapting her new character to.

Aloof. That would be an easy enough trait to hold up and continue while she was in town. She already had a festering hatred for pony-kind, so the use of a distant persona would most likely be beneficial. To match it, she started gliding with her steps with grace; a sense of pride usually alluded to a pony of a more quiet nature. Though she wanted to smirk at her brilliance, Chrysalis held off on it; there were appearances to keep up. More importantly, there was something she had to find. And in a predominantly pony town, a goat would be easy to spot.

Queen Chrysalis had only just arrived to Ponyville, remembering to dismiss her wings and adopt her black unicorn disguise. Her more eccentric partner, though very flighty, wouldn't have blown his cover yet. But every moment she wasn't with him was a moment spent off of her plan. Troublesome as he was, Discord was needed for the plan to continue if, for nothing else, to be a means to fall back on in a pinch.

"How does anyone traverse this backwater town anyway?" Her tone was low enough to a buzz so nopony would hear but loud enough so she would feel the satisfaction of back-talking in the enemy's land.

At this point, she had started to wonder just where she was, and though it stung her to think about it, she knew she would have to do the unthinkable. Her eyes darted from left to right, looking for just the right—Ah-hah! "Excuse me, ma'am?" so sweet and gentle was her tone, she wanted to gag hearing it herself.

An older looking mare looked over her shoulder to see who was calling for her. Much to her surprise, it was a young mare she hadn't seen in Ponyville before. Even so, she moved to meet this unicorn with a welcoming smile. "Yes? How may I help you as Mayor of Ponyville?"

Mayor? Why do they have a mayor when they have a ruler? Ponies are such a crude sort... "Oh, it is an honour to meet one of your... calibre. I was wondering where I might find—" Where would Discord have gone? Directly to Pip would be the best guess... "—the educational facility in this town?" Nailed it...

"My, what an advanced vocabulary you have for one so young." Teens don't speak like this anymore? "But if you're looking for the school, you just follow that road there." Chrysalis followed the mare's hoof gesture and nodded.

"I am thankful..." Chrysalis nodded once more and began down the path, only to be stopped seconds in by the Mayor.

"However... I don't see why you would go to the foal's school when you're clearly too old..." Foal's School? "Normally mares and stallions go into apprenticeships or work studies after their general learning. It's a bit reckless, but it saves on educational funds, and Ponyville already has a vast number of different working classes," the Mayor explained to Chrysalis.

Apprenticeships? Yes... Pip did mention that. Then it's just a matter of going to the apprenticeship he's a part of. But how to ask?

"Oh... Of course. Where is my mind?" Chrysalis laughed softly as she gave her forehead a light knock with her hoof, "I was looking for -uh... Where one would go if they... wanted to produce maps... for an apprenticeship?"

Nailed it once more.

"Making maps... Oh! In that case you'll want to take that road and about five buildings down you'll find Quills and Sofas. The gentlecolt, Davenport, has been known to run a small mapmaking shop next door."

This time, Chrysalis made a quick nod and set her sights onto the distant sign that the Mayor pointed out to her. True, doing this may have raise a few suspicions, but time was running out in her opinion. Her strides grew longer and more focused as she drew closer to her target. One, two, three, four... That must've been it. Surely a store that named themselves on two products would use those very two products as the picture hanging above their store. But if she needed more convincing, it was given to her by the sight of an out-of-place goat sitting at the stoop of the store.

She inched closer to the goat, trying to hide her fuelling rage since there were still ponies walking about the streets. However, every strand of her restraint nearly snapped when that goat looked up to her and gave a goofy smile and said, "What took you so long?"

Every urge told her to strangle him with a quick shot of magic, but she knew better. He was only goading her. "Some of us would rather the traditional way of travel... Where is he?" Taking time for Discord's games was out of the question at this point.

Knowing his fun was over until the mission picked up, Discord sighed with a 'bah-ing' noise and got to his goat hooves. "I asked Davenport. Didn't say when he'd be back... Could be minutes... hours... maybe days..." At that second, a young stallion rolled around the corner behind the store, making Discord smile, "Or was it that he was checking the back of the building for garbage?"

Chrysalis raised a brow at the sudden change in the story, but she suddenly heard the reason why to the tune of a colt she knew all too well. "Afternoon, ya' two. Here ta' buy a quill or two?" Both Discord and Chrysalis set their eyes on the stallion, Chrysalis having to completely turn around and take a few steps back to get a good look at him.

Step two was now complete; they've made contact with the subject. Now was the task of leeching into him and forming a bond. This would require great cunning and creativity. Chrysalis made the first move by smiling sweetly and giving a gentle bow. "Good afternoon to you as well. No, we aren't here to purchase any quills... Or a sofa for that matter."

"We aren't?" Discord spoke up in a shocked tone. "But I need a new one... The one at home gives me a ba-a-a-ack ache..." Chrysalis shot him a harsh look while Pip snickered and covered his mouth with a hoof.

"Funny. Well, if ya' ain't here for the only two things we sell, then I ain't got a clue ta' what ya' are here for."

Time to establish an alibi. "We're new in town, and we were just taking in the sights. We only stopped here for a quick rest," Chrysalis established, Discord nodding along so he wouldn't have to help with the explanation.

"New huh? I know how that is. So what's yer' names?"

"I am... Crystal..." Curse you Discord, if only I had been given time to think...

"Crystal... Lovely name!" Thank the Makers for his naïve kindness. "Name's Pipsqueak, Pip fo' shor'. What about you?"

Discord formed a crooked smile and simply said, "Disarm Honey. Good to meet you." Chrysalis could've strangled that goat-headed monster for that.

"Disarm Honey...? Unique. Then 'gain, hard pressed ta' find a pony or anybody with a usual name, eh?" Pip laughed once more, and Chrysalis felt all her nerves unwind.

"Yes, of course. Heh..." 'Crystal' agreed as she nudged 'Disarm'.

"Well... Seein' as you two are new, guess I'll be your very own tour guide."

"That sounds lovely! Doesn't it, Crystal?" Chrysalis was already regretting her name as Discord spoke those words; even if it wasn't his voice, the sting was still there.

"Very much so... Show us around if you'd please, Pip..." 'Crystal' followed Pip's lead as she and 'Disarm Honey' ventured down the Ponyville streets.

Stage four... In motion...





"See you 'round, Cap'n...!"

"Hey, Pippy. Been meaning to ask you something."

"Wha' is it?"

"Why do you walk home? Guests usually have family pick them up..."

"...I mean Queeny has her army to meet her at the door. So where are your parents?"

"...See you 'round, Cap'n..."

"...Pips."

"Yeah?"

"Garden has a lot of fruit in it... Could stop by for a little snack?"

"That sounds fun, Cap'n!"

> Part 4: Phase Four.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Phase one: divert the target's sights away from the pursuer. Simple really. Ahead of time, the target is fed information that would have them believe that their would-be pursuers would be occupied with another matter. They must believe that their pursuer will not be around for the duration of their prerequisite time that they've been led to believe. Example: telling your foster son that daddy will be off causing mischief while mommy will be overseeing her chefs' work so dinner will be well made. It's not lying, just misleading through untruthful notions.

Phase two: assume a persona that the target would not suspect. Adorning heavy clothes, dyed coats, or cloaking your cutie mark is the norm for this step. As well as that, you must also choose a name that is far unrelated to your own name and will not clue in your target if you draw too close. Extreme example: morphing yourself into a goat named Disarm Honey and a black unicorn named Crystal. In most cases this would not be even close to adequate, but it is key to always take into account the target's naivety.

Phase three: locate and worm your way into the target's day. Once more, simple in theory as well as execution in most cases. By now, you will most likely know one or two items that will allow you to strike up an entry into the target's inner circle very quickly. The key here is to be poise, graceful, and cool as you make your advance. Example: strike up a joke at their place of work with them and be friendly at word one.

This leads us to phase four: studying the target's 'targets'...





"And this here is the good ol' schoolhouse. Been 'bout half a dozen years since I was but a wee little colt taking Equestrian history class here," Crystal and Disarm Honey nodded while Pipsqueak gestured to the red, wooden panel building.

Pipsqueak continued to recant small bits of history about the school. Such as how there was once a press in the basement of the school, but was recently replaced by that of a miniature library; to prevent burdens on Twilight Sparkle and her own collection of books. However, as much as Pipsqueak seemed to be enjoying his talk to the two new guests in town, the very two seemed to only be paying slightly attention. Once in a while the two would nod so as to not draw too much attention to their other motives. Whenever Pipsqueak looked away to better point out another site of the school area, 'Crystal' would snap her eyes away and begin to look around the area as if searching for something. 'Disarm Honey' did quite the opposite in the way of just setting his eyes on Crystal, waiting for something.

When Pipsqueak turned to them this time, they ended their searching and looked at him with overly friendly smiles; to which Pipsqueak easily returned a smile to. "That 'bout covers the ol' stompin' grounds. Be lying if I said I didn't miss it at all," a dreamy sigh passed through Pip along with a drop of his head, "but ya' got to grow up sometime, right?"

"Most definitely," 'Crystal' agreed while also shifting a dagger eyed look to her goat partner, "though, growth becomes stilted for some... Regardless, this tour has been very informative. We thank you for such an educational time," Disarm rolled his eyes a bit, but was caught in the corner of the mare's eye.

Pipsqueak chuckled a bit as he saw the dark mare give the odd goat a swat to the back of the head, not once seeing her drop her graceful stance. "Thanks. I really enjoy h'story, it's my great love. Comes with the call for adventure, have ya' know."

"Yes, yes, call of the wild and such..." Crystal dismissed everything he said, only now focused on the golden egg of that statement. "Speaking of great love--"

Before she could carry on, Disarm began to cough wildly, trying to cover his mouth while he wheezed. Through the mixes of sounds his throat made, Crystal heard a distinct "Subtle!" thrown in between the coughing.

"Speaking of great love..." dismiss it for now and deal with it later was all she had on her mind to quell the fires of wrath inside her, "...Do you have a -what are they called these days?- gal pal?"

When Pip opened his mouth to answer, Disarm fell to the ground and started coughing again much louder. Intermixed with his coughs was yet another message, this time of "this is beyond subtle!" in one quick stroke as he pounded a hoof against his chest to stop his 'coughing'.

"Is... Is he alright?" Pipsqueak finally asked with all his concern and worry.

"He's fine... He was just born with horribly structured lungs," Chrysalis looked through her own disguise to glare at 'Disarm Honey', "Isn't that right, Disarm?"

After another long, drawn out cough, the goat nodded and staggered back to his feet. "Ba-a-a-ad lungs, yeah. So..." those yellow eyes went to Pipsqueak with a roused brow. "You're a handsome colt; you probably have a lot of ba-a-a-a-abes nipping at your tail. You digging what I'm slinging home biscuit?" That urge to swat over come Chrysalis once more, but it had to be subdued for now.

"Nippin' at me tail?" Pipsqueak chuckled a little at the phrase, "that's a new way to say it. Might have ta' pass that one by Scoot' when I see 'er..."

Mark! A name! Time to nip this in the bud. "Scoot?" Crystal spoke up, cutting off any attempt to ruin this that Discord could drum up, "A friend of yours, perhaps...? Maybe...?"

"Possibly?" Disarm's tone was nearly identical to Crystal's, just with a slight pitch to it as he gave a scrunched face.

The young colt withheld a little laugh and looked to answer his new mare friend. "That she is..." 'she', bingo, "Scootaloo, me partner and fellow cartographer," similar interests and already well acquainted, "I know she don't much care for map making like me, but she does love thrill seeking and climbing to reaches I can't reach me'self," Scratch that, but still promising, "She an--Disarm? Why is she lookin' at me like that?"

Crystal's eyes were locked in place on Pipsqueak with bursting excitement as if she was drawing sweet nectar from each word he spoke. "Her? Psh, it's normal for her. She's just got this kink about... friendship. Right, Crystal?"

Disgrace... Now she was being accused of derailing the plan. Her eyes readjusted and she fixed herself up, returning to her normal posture. "Yes, indeed... Friendship is the magic that- does... good..." friendship is that of a means to an end is what she wanted to say, but 'Crystal' wouldn't say that.

"Hmmm... Agree with ya' there," Makers, thank you for making him so unassuming, "Since I moved 'ere so many calendars ago, I've made lots of good friends and a few loved ones that I wouldn't trade fo' a map of the wide, wide world!"

Loved ones!? El Dorado! This is the most golden of golden opportunities one could have! Just one simple question and--

"Good friends, huh? We've got some time, tell us about them," in a moment, that golden opportunity was snatched away as 'Disarm' opened his sick, yellow, ugly mouth.

"Really? Wouldn't want ta' bother ya' with me own life story..."

Serendipity! Pipsqueak's kind, modest nature shines through Discord's attempts! The opportunity has be offered once more, all she needs is to--

"Oh go on! We love to hear about new ponies. It's kind of our ba-a-a-ag..." Thoughts of strangling consumed Chrysalis as she heard Discord's voice an intent trickling through each of that goat's words.

"Well... If you really want..." Pip moved a bit, stretching his front legs a bit, "Best talk an' walk I say... See more town, keep the limbs movin', and keeps the mind limber," the two made not a single objection outside of Crystal snarling silently at Disarm as Pip passed between them.

Down the school road the three went, Pipsqueak returning to his regaling stories of all his friends and the amazing traits they all had. And while Disarm Honey paid the greatest of attention to each word and every pause for more, Crystal could feel her soul slowly killing itself.




The tests of time have done a great many changes to Equestria as it always had. The roads had been repaved, new tracks had been set up to reach to other towns and cities, even nations; houses had been raised far outside of what used to be the outskirts of Ponyville with a growing rise of residents to accompany them. The Carousel Boutique had long since been remodelled into a studio an passed on to the next of kin. Ponyville itself was no longer a village, it was a budding town; though it's quaint nature never was put into question and perhaps never would be.

But one thing that had never changed aside from a few repairs and readjustments was the Cutie Mark Crusader Headquarters; still nestled in that same tree, in the same stretch of Sweet Apple Acres, and housing the same three fillies-now mares. The principle reason for the Cutie Mark Crusaders was -of course- to get their cutie marks. That was their pact, their bond, and their pledge to one another; one none of them would ever break. And it was that very pact that once they gained their marks they remained in that clubhouse and remained true to their name. Only now, they had to change their oath.

"When your flank is blank and all your plans have pretty much sank, look to our rank and our unstoppable think tank!" No matter the call of Cutie Mark duty, they would always lend a hoof.

Apple Bloom, now sporting a Cutie Mark of a plank of wood with a screw laying across it and a wrench propped against the side of the plank, found her calling in something that built the clubhouse to how it was now. Carpentry, landscaping, and inventing. She personally keeps the clubhouse always in shape and ready for near anything; rain, snow, even lightning. Not long after her discovery, she started sporting goggles around and a satchel of tools; always ready for the muse or call of her Cutie Mark to overcome her. Though her red mane had long since become filled with sawdust and at times grease, she now always carries the appearance of a mare who knows just what she wants.

Sweetie Belle, her flank marked with a silver bell that had a purple ribbon strung through the top of it, came upon her calling as her voice and the music it could bring. Of the original Crusaders, she had become the most unsatisfied. Granted, she was beyond happy to know that her singing was her greatest talent, but she at first did not know how to apply it to the world around her. It wasn't until her elder sister Rarity passed on her house to her little sister that she began to organize her own theatre -and the first theatre in Ponyville- that she could perform at. The fillies and colts of Ponyville adore her and the shows she puts on for them all; as well as many stallions that her beauty draws in. Perhaps it was true what they said, good looks easily run in the family.

Scootaloo, given a cutie mark of a crimson hummingbird with white wings, discovered her knack as a born performer. Not in the way of acting; but in the form of dance, aerial acrobatics, and daredevil acts. It was this call of dance that bound her to the ground far after her days as a young filly; saving the air for her more demanding and creative arts. Once her talent was discovered, she began to pass it onto anypony else that wanted to use it by teaching fillies how to dance and show pegasi that they can still do a lot even without flight. Even though she found her talent, she never grew out of her ruffian nature or look, but her body still grew out all the same into that of a fine acrobatic flier.

The three of them were crusaders through and true, never once breaking their bond with one another as sisters, partners, gal-pals, and so on. They of course aren't without faults with one another now and get into some arguments; but their bond is that of the kind that not the test of time nor the beating of trouble can break. However, their latest crusade and disagreement came to a more heated debate...




"Order! Order!" Sweetie Belle's gavel clacked loudly against the stand she put herself behind, "I call this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders- Ponyville Branch, to order! Starting with roll call..." for a minute, the young mare gleamed her eyes down at a piece of old, yellow paper, "Scootaloo?"

A single orange wing flipped into the sky from the body of a lounging pegasus. "Present!"

"Good... Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle wasn't answered this time, prompting her to call the name once more. "Apple Bloom? Where is she?"

"She wanted to stay back home a little to catch up on her latest craft," Scootaloo's answer came calm and softly as she continued to lay slumped on the couch in the corner of the room.

"Huh... Well, good enough reason for me," a quill slipped across another piece of paper, marking an 'X' by Apple Bloom's name crudely written in crayon. "And I'm here... So we're not missing too many ponies today. Good turn out if you ask me."

"It's usually just you, Apple Bloom, and me anyway. The others never show up..."

"And that's why I called this meeting, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle walked out from behind her stand with long strides until she loomed over the resting Scootaloo. "What does it mean to be a Cutie Mark Crusader?"

A laboring sigh passed through Scootaloo as her wings furled against her sides. "It's something like advancing ourselves and testing the endless possibilities of what's ahead, right?"

"Stupendous answer!" Scootaloo cringed a bit as Sweetie Belle's voice cut against her ears, "That's exactly what we do! After we got our Cutie Marks, we helped younger ponies get their marks too. But now..."

"Now?"

"Now I think it's about time the three of us -other being Apple Bloom if she ever shows up- start to advance into the next stage of our growing up," Sweetie Belle turned to look out one of the windows of their clubhouse.

The sky was still a beautiful blue and very few clouds still hung against the sky. A fillies mind could wonder once again to flights of adventures in their wild and wide-eyed youth. To know that the world before them was filled with chances and possibilities; and once the right set was found, it would only allow for more adventures.

"So... What's this next stage of growing up?" Scootaloo spoke up, breaking Sweetie Belle out from her view into her own personal looking glass.

The lingering image stuck with Sweetie Belle for just a moment, a moment that didn't come or remain often enough. Growth always has to come, but to know this is different than to expect it. "Scootaloo... Are you  doing anything for Hearts and Hooves Day?"
> Part 5: All The Fillies Say...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Not a sole could deny it. All it took was a little look around. Young mares whispering with friends, charming colts strutting like peacocks. No one could say it wasn't true. Young love was in the air. The smell of freshly burnt cookies made by frantic mares that were using the oven for the first time; movie theaters selling out on mushy romance movies to stallions hoping it will get them somewhere. It was just that season perhaps. The wind was getting colder, and the fireplaces in everypony's house was starting to look more and more inviting. Such a loving time of the year.

As much as it was a busy time of the year.





"OoooOoOOooOOOoorder up!" An ecstatic pink mare slammed her hoof down against the counter bell in her shop.

The ring sounded effortlessly all over Sugarcube Corner's interior. But right after the first ring, a second followed. Then a third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth--

Before Pinkie Pie knew it, the bell was gone and she was just tapping her hoof against the wooden counter. Even when she started hitting the wood, she continued on; perhaps even with more force. Opposite of the counter was a yellow filly holding the bell over her head with a grayish-blue aura of magic holding it. Her orange mane was fairly knotted, except for the teal bow at the end of it. Her youthful, sweet face would look very cute if she had been smiling instead of glaring furiously at Pinkie Pie. "Stop ringing the bell!" she screeched at her, though her voice still had a air of adolescence tugged against it.

Pinkie Pie looked down at the filly, still clacking her hoof against the counter with an energetic smile. "Hey Pumpcake. Where's Poundake?"

The filly, Pumpkin Cake, looked about for a moment before scratching the bell against her head in thought. "Pound...?"

Pinkie Pie finally stopped her clacking against the wood and snapped both her front hooves against her mouth as she gasped. "Poundake is missing!?"

The bell Pumpkin was holding flew across the room as her front hooves too pressed against her mouth when she gasped. "My brother's missing!?"

"WHAT DO WE DO!?" Pumpkin jumped the counter and went into Pinkie Pie's arms as they screamed the words together.

The two continued to frantically breathe in and out, holding the other one as tight as possible. Ideas flashed between their collective minds: timberwolves cleaning their fangs after eating Pound Cake, Pound Cake getting abducted by Changelings, some pony forgetting to turn the oven off and Pound Cake falling into it and becoming a pound cake! The horror! Poor Pound Cake! He was so--

The door to the shop opened and brought both Pinkie and Pumpkin to look as a ray of light filled the room. Tears of joy went down their faces together as they saw a gold-gray pony walked into to store with wings tightly pressed against his sides. They hesitated for not even a moment as they broke towards the colt and seized him up into a hug; Pinkie picking him up and Pumpkin clinging to his hanging limp legs. "Pound Cake! You're not on the menu!" Pinkie cried as waterfalls of tears came down her face.

Young Pound Cake looked from sister to 'sister' before giving a very concerned look to a mare that opened the front door of the store for him and was still standing there. "I don't even understand!" He whimpered to the mare.

Standing in the doorway to Sugarcube Corner was mare with purple rim glasses that hung low on the bridge of her nose. Compared to the round, thick rimmed glasses she used to wear, these sharper and wire framed glasses suited her more mature form a greater deal. What used to be a frizzy, knotted mane had been tamed into just a curly, springy mane with a blue scrunchy keeping the end of her mane in check. Her face formed a rather cute smile as she watched Pound be assaulted by the girls. However, she quickly found that when the two saw her, their attentions were greatly fixed. Pinkie dropped Pound Cake down into his sister's arms right before darting towards the mare. "Twist! Thank Celestia you found him before he was served with milk!"

Twist only gave a shy shrug and smiled more-so to Pinkie. Before she knew it, she was brought into a tight hug; the same sort Pound was facing with his sister at the same moment. "Now that we're all here...!" Pinkie snapped away from Twist, leaving her to stagger a bit and readjust her glasses.

The three watched Pinkie spur around the counter after scooping up the bell Pumpkin had thrown a moment ago, putting it back where it belonged. "Now the four of us can get working on those orders!"

All at once, Pound Cake saluted with a stern look; Pumpkin Cake let go of her brother and joined in a salute; and finally, Twist saluted as well, looking just as determined as the twins. Sugarcube Corner ran a tight ship whether or not the Cakes were there. When Pinkie Pie was in charge, Pound and Pumpkin were put to tireless work. That went double for Twist, intern and apprentice to the Cakes. When it was just the four of them, Pinkie was declared the undisputed leader... Or Twist if Pinkie was unable to act. "Alrighty-tighty! We have a dozen orders coming in from all over Ponyville and Canterlot today."

"What for?" Pound asked, still not dropping his salute, though switching his front leg with a wing to salute with.

"Duh! Pumpkin, tell your brother!" Pinkie ordered with her shop-owner tone of voice.

"It's the time of the year stallions go gaa-gaa for mares and mares go woo-woo for stallions," Twist tripped a bit in her stance, though fixed herself before the twins or Pinkie could notice, "But since nopony can bake like a Cake or honorary Cake, we have to do the heavy work for them."

That's right... Not many mares could cook cookies or cakes or pies or... twists... A sounding gulp came from Twist as she nodded to no one in particular.

"Exactly-ractly! So let's get to it!" the twins threw their front hooves into the air with a little 'yeah!' before running into the kitchen behind Pinkie. "Twist, how're you feeling about cooking for everypony's special somepony?"

"...Thwell." Her heart fluttered a bit when she spoke to Pinkie.

This would be the year...





To ask a young mare or even a young stallion who caught their eye would be like walking into a Changeling hive wearing perfume... Instant ignoring and attempts to stay away. No young pony wants to talk about their crush or anything like that. In some cases, they don't even know themselves. Asking who they like gets nothing... But asking what they think of someone can get you something.

Snails? Nice colt, kind of slow but he has some whits about him.  If he was simply an imbecile he would never have taken control of the local crafts store only a few weeks into his apprenticeship. He possessed some natural talent of listening to everypony that walked into the store and never missing a detail. For better or for worse, his head was a steel traps that caught everything it heard and took it to heart. Anypony could ask him what he had for breakfast and he would have no idea; but if asked what supply was where and how effective was it, he would know in a heart beat. Slow as he is, he never loses track.

Snips? What a card he is. Though never far from Snails, Snips easily stands out against his partner-in-shop. He shows a level of smarts that vastly outweighs his friend's outer whit. Perhaps that's why he manages the stocking, money, and organization of the craft store the two of them work at. But, to ask about Snips is to ask about Snails. Never apart, never far. Friends forever, and friends to the end.

Rumble? That dashing stallion with the thundercloud cutie mark? He's something. As much as he is a fine look to the eyes, he's also a sweet tug to the heart. So considerate and bashful; it makes a mare swoon. It is no wonder that fillies and mares gather by the fences to watch him coach the elementary ponies after school hours. A great, nice stallion... Though claims that he has a thing for older mares keeps some girls at bay.

The list of young stallions could drag for some time, but there is one more that all of the fillies know. A young, cockney tongued stallion that doesn't just make mare's swoon, but has been known to catch the swooning and help them back up. It's hardly a secret, it's far from a surprise. You can ask around the town, but the answer will be the same, Pipsqueak? He's a charmer. And he would be perfect... If only he could pick up a single sign.





"--An' that 'bout rounds up me group of friends," while a goat nodded with a pleased expression, the black mare beside him seemed to be having trouble with stopping her eye from twitching.

"Wow, now those sound like some ba-a-a-a-ang up friends. Right, Crystal?" Disarm Honey nudged the side of his partner.

Her eye stopped twitching and she looked almost surprised, as if coming from another world into this one. "Wha--Oh... Of course. Friendship is wonderful."

"It sure is. But when ya' really care for someone? Thinkin' that's somethin' real special..." Pipsqueak noted while still walking ahead of them.

With Pip's back to the two of them, 'Crystal' quickly slammed a hoof against Disarm's mouth before she started to speak. You are not impeding me this time you troglodyte!  "Yes yes. Loved ones. Care to tell us about this loved one?" The nectar of victory was so close... Just as close as Discord's tongue lapping against Chrysalis' hoof in an attempt to annoy her while she plugged his mouth.

Step by step, Pip came to a halt and looked down at the ground. "Loved 'one'? Sorry... I dare not say it's jus' one..." My boy is a player... If I could weep with joy I would, "It's two. Two ponies -heh- who gave me a lot. Lotta raisin', lotta lovin', and a lotta care. They aren't me--Sorry, they are me parents. No blood we share, nothin' like that. But I love 'em as good as gold. Me beautiful and brilliant mum, and me prankster of a wonderful dad. They want what's best fa' me, when they're alrea'y the best fa' me..." Pip seemed to chuckled a bit before giving a charming smile back to the two he was guiding, "Sorry, life story draggin' on a bit. Let's keep movin'."

While Pip moved off ahead, Crystal gave a disappointed scowl. "I have wasted twenty minutes to find that out..." When she took her hoof away and put it down against the dirt, she felt something warm and wet hit against her fur. Her eyes darted to look at the goat beside her and saw that he was wiping his eyes with a handkerchief floating in the air while he sniffled. "Makers... Are you crying?"

"N-No!" He cracked his voice before blowing into the cloth, "I'm just allergic... to... to..." he continued to stammer before blowing into the cloth once again, crying with a great joy.

"This is going to be a long day..." She grumbled before returning to her track behind Pipsqueak.
> Part 6: Like it or not.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sweet Apple Acres in the past was known for many things. The chief distributor of the kingdom's best apples, the sweetest mug of cider you have ever tasted, the only farm to harvest zap-apples, and home to some of the most honest and trustworthy ponies you could find. Not only that, but Sweet Apple Acres has always been a fairly beautiful landscape. At least it is if you avoid the barn. Then again, it hasn't been used as a real barn in years. Ever since the youngest of the Apple Family took it over, it became nothing but a workshop for her. At first, the constant drilling, sawing, and sparks of welding coming from the rustic barn had been a pain to the entire family and even some neighbours. Morning, noon, and night; that barn was filled with nothing but sound and activity. Even now, early in the afternoon on a weekend, that barn was sparking with Apple Bloom's creativity.

The inside of the barn was blackened by the smoke and burn of active tools and spitting fires from welding torches. Where hay used to litter across the barn floor was cleaned up... Only to be replaced by loose nails, sawdust, and plywood chunks. To anypony, these would be a hazard to work around. To Apple Bloom? It was like stepping on sparks of new ideas. Her hooves firmly pressed against the sides of a metal pipe as she led it through a table-saw. Carefully she moved the curved metal against the spinning blade, cutting a fine slit into it halfway before pulling it away and hitting the hoof pump to shut off the saw. She clacked one hoof against the thick, green frame goggles pressed against her forehead to put them over her fascinated eyes. An inch and a half in...

"Juuuuuuust right..." she whispered to herself, her voice a tad low and scratchy at each of her words.

The cut pipe was put along side a few other pipes with similar slits put in them. Apple Bloom knocked her goggles back up towards her knotted, sawdust ridden mane before she clapped her front hooves together. At her second clap, a few high powered factory lights buzzed to life and lit the entirety of her work place. Wall to wall around here were blueprints, works in progress, and even a few failed inventions that she had been picking apart for scraps. Looking around at everything, she felt a small frown come to her. "Sure would'a liked finishin' y'all today..." one of her hooves combed back her mane before she started to chuckle to herself, still a rasp to her tone, "But call a' the Crusader always takes firsts."

Apple Bloom started out towards her workshop door with a little skip to her trot. However, she clocked to a halt when she felt a tickle to her nose. "...Probably should turn the burners off..." she turned back around and went to her welding workplace.

Under the metal table holding the active burners, Apple Bloom pressed her hoof down against a few push-pumps she had made for convenience. One by one, the fires of the torches and burners died into smoke, letting Apple Bloom go back to her exit. When she opened the door to the outside world, she flinched a bit as the sunlight hit her eyes. The smoke and stench of her work over the past few hours flew out along with the door, mingling as fast as it could with the fresh air of the afternoon air. It took Apple Bloom a minute to adjust to the sun, as usual, but she continued to walk with shut eyes in the direction she memorized. Pass the trees, over the hills, across the creek; she could literally find her way to the clubhouse with her eyes shut. When she finally could open her eyes, she was a little surprised to see that she made it to the clubhouse without any trouble.

The clubhouse was looking pretty good if you asked Apple Bloom. Then again, she was the one who repaired it on a regular basis. "Girls!" she shouted up into the tree, followed by a hoarse cough right after.

A little shifting came from the clubhouse as Apple Bloom watched from below. Before long, a familiar Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo poked their heads out from the window. Scootaloo gave a pretty cocky smirk as she let out a little laugh. "I know that wheeze anywhere! You finished with your toys?" Apple Bloom rolled her eyes playfully and started up the walkway to the clubhouse.

"Eeeyup. Well, not really... Just got a good start on ma' next invention. It's gonna be real helpful fer' the fam," Apple Bloom boasted, her voice slowly returning to it's more pleasant tone as the rasp wore down.

"Did you remember to put your toys away?" Scootaloo snickered to herself as she opened the front door for Apple Bloom.

"Ah' ain't stupid..." Apple Bloom said with an almost stern tone before she walked into the meeting room, her hoarse voice completely gone, "Ain't gonna set fire to ma' workshop a secon' time..." Her two friends held in a laugh as Apple Bloom sat down and gave them a quick look. "So, uhh... Meetin'?"

"Oh right!" Sweetie Belle jumped to action and pulled Scootaloo by the grasp of her magic to be put by Apple Bloom, "Like I was telling Scootaloo, as Crusaders, we always try to jump to the next stage of growth. We have our Cutie Marks, we have stable work, blah, blah, blah..." by Sweetie Belle's hoof gesture of spinning against the air as she listed, even she didn't seem to thrilled until she got to her point. "BUT! Now we're at the crossroad of our future... Adulthood."

"Adulthood?" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom chimed in together.

"Adulthood! When you're walking down the street, what do you see all the older mares doing?"

"Throwin' apples!" Apple Bloom shot her hoof up, hearkening herself back to the days in Cheerilee's classroom.

Scootaloo followed suit and threw her own hoof into the air. "Cleaning up messes we made!"

"Uh..." Sweetie Belle paused a moment, tapping a hoof to her chin, "Wow... Those are both true. B-But that's not the point. What you're supposed to see, especially on this time of the year, are ponies getting with their special somepony."

"Oh yeah..." Scootaloo mused a bit to herself, "Now that you mention it..." At that moment, Scootaloo froze up. So many realizations came crashing against her like so many walls she used as the brakes for some of her first stunts. When she turned a look to Sweetie Belle, her suspicious were confirmed. Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom by extension, with expecting slim eyes. "Oh no... No, no, no, no, no!"

"Apple Bloom! Hold her down!" Sweetie Belle barked her command.

Before Scootaloo could breaks away towards the door, Apple Bloom locked the pegasi's legs into a vice-like grip. As much as she struggled, Scootaloo couldn't budge her back legs free from the inescapable hold of an Apple. Her wings futilely flapped against her hips before finally going limp along with the rest of her body on the wood floor. Defeated and laid flat against the floor, Scootaloo looked over her shoulder at Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom; who had still had a grip around her legs. "You're not even going to ask why she had you do that to me?"

"Don't need ta'. Call of the Crusader always comes first... Even by force," Apple Bloom reminded her winged friend.

Scootaloo mustered a groan as she slapped a wing against her face, sliding it down her muzzle before giving Sweetie Belle an attentive glare. "So, Sweetie... I can tell where this is going. But, against my will, I'm ready to hear... Against my will, again."

Sweetie Belle's face twisted to her sly smirk as she looked back at Scootaloo. Phase one, complete...





I have always wanted you to be a proud, strong stallion... Not as prideful as your buffoon of a father -a term I use loosely-, but still able to look upon yourself and see greatness. You are special, my son... Changelings like myself must change shape and control the feelings of others to get our love. But you? You are able to use a more powerful magic that is able to put a being of chaos, a queen and her swarm, and even fillies kneel before you. I am proud of you, Pip... However...

"'Earts and 'Ooves day!" Pip cheered a little bit as he kept to a spry skip in front of the two he had met not too long ago, "Such a wonderful 'oliday, righ'? Luna! I love it so! So many maps to make for this day. Be surprised 'ow many couples come askin' for us ta' make romantic scavenger 'unt maps. It does me 'eart some good ta' see love birds walkin' about t'is day..." Pip sighed to himself in a loving way, looking around the busy street square and all the busy couples.

However... Must you be as clueless as your dim-witted father!?
> Part 7: Mother knows best?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Your papers all check out... Though, I have some protest on your request."

"Protest? Why? Our papers check out, and don't we just look like the perfect couple?"

"Yes, that's all true... But... Mr. Chief--"

"It's pronounced Chif..."

"Mr. Chif... I can see you and your wife's papers are very well done and documented. But... Don't you at least want to look over a few of the other colts and fillies?"

"Nope. We know the one we want. We like the cut of his jib."

"...Alright. I'll sign off on the papers for Pipsqueak's adoption if you're so sure."

"Trust us; we know he'll just love us. And, heck, we may even love him just as much."





How many hours had gone by...? One? Two? Three!? How much longer did she have to suffer! 'Disarm' seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal. Unlike 'Crystal', the goat kept a level head and kept close to Pip. 'Crystal' watched as the goat and colt took a seat by a fountain, still brooding in her laying annoyance. "So, Pip-rip, been meaning to a-a-a-a-ask you something..." Disarm Honey 'bah'd' out his words as he fixed his own flank into the dirt beside Pip.

"As your guide an' friend, be 'appy to answer anything ya' want," Pip said with his usual cheery smile.

"A while ba-a-a-a-ack, you were talking about a filly named Scootaloo," Pip nodded, letting Disarm go on, "I was wondering... Do you have a special somepony that isn't your 'mummy'?" his tone seemed almost mocking, but Pip still chuckled at the comment.

Crystal's head shot up and looked at the two with overcoming bewilderment. He... He's doing the job... He's doing the job! Makers of mine, he can do something right! She waited with excitement as her eyes set against the two conversing boys. Pip made for a shy look as he pressed a hoof to his scarf, as if trying to collect his thoughts. In that moment Chrysalis saw hope; bashfulness was ringing through his face. But, she would have to wait.. The plan was too far along to blow it now. "Special somepony? Well... A'right... But don't go tellin' it round town..."

Atlantis, go drown yourself. El Dorado, not even going to bother. I have found the golden goose, and she will spring forth all I desire! Chrysalis was exploding on the inside as her eyes bulged from her; every moment of anticipation was now stabbing her. Discord in his shape of a goat still looked like the same uncaring tone he always was, except for his hind leg thumping firmly into the dirt behind him. Pip cleared himself and gave a wry smile. "Ya' see... There's this one mare--"

"Pippy!" a sharp whistle filled the air, cutting off Pip's thought and snapping Crystal and Disarm's attention to down the road.

So... Close... Chrysalis started to seethe with rage, accidental letting a green flame spark at the end of her tail at just an ember. However, the flame and her rage quickly were doused as she caught sight of the one who interrupted. It was a mare...! But not just any mare, no. She was fair, lean, and had a winning posture. A coat of pink and mane of pale violet with white streaks that had a rather stylish frame tiara tucked into the top. The mare trotted down the road towards the trio, holding Disarm and Crystal's eyes like none-other. She's PERFECT! Her gate, her stride, her calling expression! YES!

WOOP! WOOP! Hoe-dar is going full skank readings! Disarm, unlike Crystal who had sprang next to him, wasn't at all amused as his muzzle formed a crooked scowl. 

When Pip looked up and saw the young mare, he chipped a smile and kicked to his hooves. "Afternoon to ya', Tiara." He greeted the mare once she was within regular speaking distance.

Tiara? Oh, this one is a winner... Chrysalis snickered to herself as she braved a moment to study this new mare.

Tiara? OH, this one's a REAL winner... Discord rolled his yellow eyes, though kept his thoughts to himself.

Diamond Tiara giggled as she neared Pip, one of her hooves flaunting against her well kept mane. Crystal nearly crumbled at her wobbling legs at Diamond Tiara's action while Disarm seemed to hold down a gag. "Good afternoon to you too, Pippy..." when she turned a glance to the other two with Pip, her 'delightful' expression took a sharp turn into a grimace of disgust, "Who're your... friends?"

Pip didn't miss a beat, except the beat of noticing Diamond Tiara's harsh expression. "Diamond Tiara, these are Crystal..." Crystal waved very enthusiastic at the mare as she was introduced, "...And Disarm Honey."

Disarm opened his mouth to comment, but was cut off as Diamond Tiara took her attention away and returned to looking at Pip with a limpid glance. "Right-so! Pippy..." Scum-sucking--! "...I missed you at the shop earlier. I wanted to ask you something."

"Sorry 'bout that. 'Ad ta' give these two a tour round town," Pip snickered and gave a playful nudge to the goat beside him.

"Uh-huh, yeah--So!" If she does that one more time... "I wanted to ask you-seeing as it is Hearts and Hooves day tomorrow..." Diamond Tiara's front hoof started to move circles in the dirt below her as she tried to hint her words.

At the same time, Disarm Honey's eyes shot extremely wide with a mix of emotions swelling into them. Oh-ho-ho-ho! No you don't hoe! Not with my boy you wont! From the corner of Crystal's eye, she could see 'Disarm's' tail curling out from behind him as it started to twist and furl. The scruffy tail of the goat soon started to take on a life of its own and mimicked the act of fingers snapping before falling limp once more. "So, if you didn't have a---" Diamond Tiara's throat suddenly felt heavy as feeling left her hooves.

She had only a second to glance down to see that a manhole somehow opened underneath her hooves before she fell in and splashed loudly against the sewer system under Ponyville. Her scream of disgust and surprise literally fell under mucky water as the current of sewage swept her away. Left there with only the last image of a mare falling into a manhole, Pip and Crystal stood dazed and confused. "...Surprise manholes... Gotta look out for those..." Disarm spoke up with a casual tone.

In spite of the death glare he soon received from 'Crystal' Pip shrugged himself once and looked back to the goat. "Ya' know--that's completely true. man'oles come out of nowhere these days!" He shook his head and let out a sigh, "'Ope she'll be a'right... Wonder what she 'ad ta' ask me..."

"She'll be fine! And I'm sure it was nothing!" Disarm laughed and put one of his legs around Pip's neck, pulling him into a friendly grapple. Discord One. Skank Patrol Zero.

I will not be so easily defeated, mark my words cretin. That one was perfect! I can only imagine the amount of love we could have fed off from such a high-grade harlot...





Within Canterlot, only the elite or noble are privileged enough to live in such an elegant and prestigious setting as the inner walls of Canterlot. Though, it comes as no surprise that parents would send their young fillies and colts to Ponyville for a more steady and homey education before their teen-hoods. In time, many of those same colts and fillies, once they reach their teens, grow more used to the way of Ponyville and take up residence there. But, for mares like Diamond Tiara, that's a thought that never crosses their mind. Such a rural and uncivil town with rural and uncivil ponies...

Inside one of the houses lining one of the may roads that fill Canterlot, a young mare sat silently on one end of a rather long mahogany dinner table. A plate of rather well cut and conditioned lettuce with carrots had been placed before her, though she gave it only a blank look from behind her glasses. "...Mom?" She spoke up, looking to the other end of the table. "What do you do when you like a boy?"

Silver Spoon regretted even asking when she saw her mother jump out of her chair and slam two hooves commandingly against the table. "You take!" The burning conviction her mother spouted across the table sent Silver Spoon to stagger just a little. "You take ze boy, and you keep hem!"

"I-I take..." Silver Spoon motioned two hooves forward, picking up her plate, "...A-And I keep?" on that, she pulled the plate into her chest, still a bit confused.

"Ja! Zat! You take, you keep!" Silver Spoon continued to look over at her mother from across the table before sighing.

Maybe I should talk to somepony other than Mom...
> Part 8: The Talk...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The relationship between offspring and parent is... complicated. No matter what sort of relationship you believe you have with your parents or your kids, to someone it looks complicated or feels like it. Parents are never the same, really. Some parents are 'hard' while some are 'soft'. The same goes for the children. But, at the same time, your 'parent' might not be the one that gave you birth. At the same time, your 'child' might not be someone you're related to. In that way, the relationship can always get so easily complicated.





"By the way..." Disarm swept a foreleg around Pip's neck and leaned himself in, trying to look as casual as could be, "we were on the topic of the filly you're thinking of fooling?"

Blatant disregard for strategic planning! Alas, results are the goal nonetheless... Crystal let loose a pent sigh, still recovering from the loss of her greatest piece. Pip looked away from his goat friend, the flesh of his face tinting an embarrassed red. "R-Right. I was talking on that. Well... L-Listen... Do either of you remember when your parents gave you the talk?"

Under their disguises, Chrysalis and Discord were momentarily confused. The talk? What was the talk, and how did that relate to what they were talking about?

The talk? Perhaps the birds and the bees? Yes, that would be most logical in this moment... And I have had that talk with Pip when he was much younger. A very uneasy talk, but I believe the point was made. Crystal's dark head bowed and she gave a subtle laugh. "But of course. My mother was smart and gave me the talk when I was but a filly."

Talk, huh? Put in the shtick that Pip is never saying what you think he's saying... Hmmm. OH! THE TALK! WE NEVER-- Disarm's facial tone dropped and he moved off from Pip, his eyes searching about a little. "The talk? Heh, no. No my parents never talked to me about it..." Swiftly, the goat put his foreleg around the neck of Crystal and pulled her a bit in one direction away from Pip, "Excuse the two of us... We've gotta chit-chat for a sec."

Crystal shot a harsh glare to Disarm, a green flame hinting in the depths of her eyes. "Whatever it is, we can talk about--"

"We'll be right ba-a-a-a-ack!" Disarm didn't allow Crystal to say any more as she was yanked into a nearby alley.

Left behind, Pip blinked once before mustering a common smile he wore. "Be waiting 'ere," he called to them as he took a seat by the fountain. The talk... Wonder what mum and dad would tell me? Mum would probably say: 'Son, girls are for one thing--' than go on about food they give 'er. Dad would say... No idea what dad would say.





One time or another, 'the talk' comes up. No, not the sex talk; that talk is just a minefield that comes and goes in an hour to three weeks of questions and awkward looks. The real talk is the talk about dating. A lot would say that the date talk is nothing and only leads to the sex talk. But, those people aren't parents. That talk is the base of everything else and is the roof of everything that comes after. Why? Because, for a parent, it is the first sign that they won't need you any more. Some parents never go through the talk and just worry about who their child is dating or going after. There's nothing wrong with that... But, there are some kids that want to know if they have a tie to their parents or not.





Muck coated every nook and cranny of Diamond Tiara's coat, mane, and bent tiara as she pushed on through the streets of Ponyville. She lost track of how long it took her to force a hole out of that sewage system she was dropped into, and frankly didn't want to think back to it. The young mare's body dripped with the horrible stench and grime that the waste of Ponyville had to offer; drawing countless stares and gags from ponies she passed. When she finally reached her house, a home that was vastly more well constructed than any neighboring houses, she bucked the front door open and stormed in with squishing hooves. The sound of the door slamming behind her brought her father's attention away from the paper he had on the dining room table and towards his daughter. "Sweetie-pie! Home al--SWEET CELESTIA!" Filthy Rich brazened his hooves against the newspaper before him after he caught sight of his daughter, and smell not long after.

Diamond Tiara, who would normally skip with joy to see her 'daddy' continued to gripe with a gnashing of teeth in her closed mouth. "I... Have had... A long... Day, daddy. Your princess was dropped in the sewer -which she had no idea was even under Ponyville- and had to walk all the way here dripping with this--ew..." her father was listening closely, despite how much his expression showed that the smell was cutting at him, "...Where's mom? I have to ask her something..."

"She's in her office fixing up some new pla--Celestia, go take a bath!"

"DADDY!"

"I'm sorry princess! But it smells horrible!" Rich had to force himself out of the room and away from his daughter, the smell becoming to overwhelming.

Diamond Tiara huffed a little and started up the stairs, continuing to gripe over the situation with each step she went up. She was down... But this wasn't about to stop her. At the top of the stairs, she looked at the doors lining the hallway. 'Diamond Tiara's Room', 'Office', 'Bathroom (with shower)', and 'ןןɐqʍǝɹɔs'... She wasn't about to take a shower, not until she got some answers. While Filthy Rich was a wonderful dad and supportive to a fault, it was her mom she would go to in a case like this. Slowly, Diamond Tiara pushed the door open and poked her grime encased face into the office space. "Mommy? Can we talk?"

Before even another word, the door swung open with a firm hold of a pink aura taking it, making Diamond Tiara stumble forward towards the floor; though the same force had caught her before she could even graze the floor. As she was airlifted more into the office, a smooth laugh came from a slender white mare looking over some papers on a desk. "My sweet Tiara..." the mare whipped the papers off of the desk and turned a look over her shoulder, fairly unaffected by her daughter's appearance, "Mommy always has time to talk!" Diamond Tiara was slowly lowered the the ground, all her grime flashing off of her and being set into a large ball that was put into a trash can nearby with the hold of the pink aura; though the scent still hung on Diamond Tiara's body. "So... Dish."

"Well... Mommy..." Diamond Tiara brushed her hoof against her tiara, trying to reset it on top of her head with little success, "...Is any boy worth this?"

At first, Fleur de Lis only offered a warm smile as she too folded her legs in and sat against the office floor with her daughter. "Really? If it was me? No way...!" she laughed at her own words before she settled herself, "But, any boy worth a bit is worth at least a little trouble." the mare winked at Diamond Tiara, bringing out a plotting smirk to her.

"Riiight... I've got it..."

"That's the kind of thinking I had when I met your father... And your father is worth -a lot- of bits. Not as much as your uncle, but..."





Within the depths of Silver Spoon's home, she sneaked her way through the spanning halls after escaping dinner with her mother. Love her to death though she did, she didn't rely on her for advice. For the advice she needed, she would have to ask someone a bit more... restrained. Luckily, she knew just where to find one. Deep within her home, she found her father's personal study with the door left partly open. Silver Spoon put a hoof to her mouth and gave a clear of her throat, trying to draw attention as she stood in the door frame. "Dad? Do you have a second?" From the corner of her eye, she could see her observant father tending away to some 'last minute affairs' as he put them on hangers.

Without his shades covering his eyes, Silver Spoon saw exactly when Hoity Toity looked to her and brimmed over with a joyful smile. "Silvy!" the stallion darted over to the young mare and brought her into a firm but short hug, "How are you? Ah! A second? No, no! You have me for hours! Come, come...!" Silver Spoon was whisked deeper into the study and brought to sit down on a velvet throw-pillow beside her dad, "Tell me what you want, Silvy. Don't be shy for a moment!"

Finally... A helpful hoof. Silver Spoon sighed a relief as she adjusted herself against the pillow. "Dad...? What do you do when you like a boy?"

"Ohhh... I'm to assume your mother wasn't any help?"

"Not if I'm going to do it in this era..."

"In that case, honey, I only have one thing to tell you. When you like somepony, you just have to throw yourself in and lay down the truth. You do remember my--"

Silver Spoon put a hoof up into the air as if reading from an invisible book, "Toity Rule One: if you have something nice to say, say it. If you have something rude to say, say it. But only say it if it's true."

"That's my girl!"





"What are you trying to say?"

"We bucked up! We -so- bucked up!"

"Calm yourself, whelp! If what you believe is to be true, we may yet be able to selvage this..."

"How? Even I can't think a way out of this."

"This won't be the first time I had to do all the lifting for us. Regardless! We must be counteractive in a sense... We have to find the boy a 'mate' that he can practice talking to."

"...Why don't--?"

"If you even suggest it, I will rip out your larynx. Even I have a basis of disguise I will not cross..."

"Oh alright. In that case, we'll need to find somepony that can pull off being--" within the alley the goat and mare spoke freely within, Disarm's eyes locked onto a passing sight.

"What are you looking--?" following his gaze, Crystal too saw the sight and her heart fell like a stone. Makers, what is that homely creature? It is beyond uninviting by all traces of the word!

Makers, who is that? She's... She's... PERFECT!





The young mare watched as the two young ponies she was put in charge of circled around her while they walked down the street. She would have told them to stop, had it not been for the bag of freshly baked goods locked in her mouth. Even more of a problem was what the two kept harping her about. "So, Pumpkin... Let me get this straight on you," Pound Cake cued his sister, "She doesn't have a date for Hearts and Hooves day..."

"Nope!" the little unicorn skipped under the gate of Twist's legs,sending a shiver through the older mare.

"Aaaand, she made extras for her date?"

"That's what she said~~!"

"Sooo, she's gonna ask the dude out?"

"Nope! She's to scared~~." The two continued to jostle their guardian more and more, shifting around her while she lowered her head in embarrassment.

I-I'll ask him... I will.. I just need to talk to somepony about it first...





The two observers watched the young mare pass by, continuing to see her being pestered by the rowdy younger ponies. "Queeny... I think I have an idea..." Discord hissed mischievously as his eyes narrowed.

"Oh... Joy..."
> Part 9: Now We Have a Plan.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The truest form of a well made plan is to never make it so your path leads to victory; but to make it so all paths possible, even to extremes, lead to a victory. That is an ideal that a smart strategist utilizes. One that can compromise their own pride and admit to the idea of maybe taking a lesser victory... You can perhaps see why this is not a strategy Chrysalis uses. Why? Because using that ideal would mean taking less than what you wanted. As we all know, changelings never compromise.





"...And that's the plan..." Sweetie Belle huffed and puffed feverishly, her horn flickering with a failing life of magic. Though it was dim, her magic was still holding onto a ruler she had pushed up against a board covered inch to inch with diagrams and plans. "...For the fifth time..." her teeth grit together before she looked back to her partners in crime.

Scootaloo, still vastly and far uninterested in the whole idea, was paying attention as best she could after the fourth rundown. However, even that focus was starting to chip away as she rubbed her hooves against the flats of her temples. On the other hand, Apple Bloom looked as if lost in thought. The gears in her wrench-twisting brain were grinding as slow as could be. "Righ'... Ah' get it..." Apple Bloom stated.

Hope filled Sweetie Belle's eyes and the ruler she was magically holding dropped from her and clacked against the floor. "Really?" Sweetie Belle asked, hoping to Celestia her rundown finally sunk in.

"Really?" Scootaloo blew a strand of her purple-ish mane from her eyes, still frustrated she was cooped up in here.

"Course I do... 'cept--"

"Here we go..." a groan of the greatest degree of grief left from Scootaloo, followed by a dull thud when her head hit against the wooden floor.

"--Cept... Ya' know? Just run it by me one more time," Apple Bloom cheerfully suggested.

As cheerful as Apple Bloom was about this, cheerful Sweetie Belle left at explanation three. Even so, Sweetie Belle lifted up her ruler, carefully. She smiled at Apple Bloom, kindly. She giggled at the situation, softly. Then she cut every single diagram of her plan into itty-bitty pieces, ruthlessly. "F-Forget the plan! We'll just... Just..." Sweetie Belle seethed in her rage, resembling her sister's tone of voice and stature when she would lose her nerves, "...WING IT!"

Before Scootaloo or Apple Bloom could add their two bits, they were flung out from the club house flank first. Within the air, Apple Bloom turned a look to Scootaloo, both looking relatively unfazed by the sudden ordeal. "...Sweetie's magic's gettin' strong," nonchalantly commented Apple Bloom, still flying across the sky along side Scootaloo.

Firstly, Scootaloo shrugged before allowing her wings to crane open. After a few light flaps against her thrown path, Scootaloo dulled her flight and started to take a flight all her own. Making for a quick adjust, she flipped herself mid-air and swooped herself under Apple Bloom; allowing her friend to fit into the small of her back. "I've seen stronger. Now come on...!" whipping her tail back against the sky, Scootaloo charged herself forward through the air with Apple Bloom clutched against her back, "Let's 'wing it'!"





To be fair, the plan was not entirely hard to follow. Perhaps the only part that had Apple Bloom lost was the very last bit of the plan. The rest of Sweetie Belle's idea seemed pretty much flawless. Furthermore, Apple Bloom had started to respect plans like these. Plans that mapped out big ideas for small goals. Not plans that over-complicated things; but plans that made it so a small goal could not escape in any way. If inventing gadgets for the past few years taught Apple Bloom anything, it was that 'small goal' didn't mean 'easy goal'. Sometimes the smallest goals are the hardest to pin down.

Phase One: Round together the Cutie Mark Crusaders (Gen. 1). If all primary six can not be brought together, the founding three will be enough.

Phase Two: Fixate on primary target. Study primary target.

Phase Three: Have lunch.

Phase Four: 'Bump into' primary target and inquire on Hearts and Hooves Day. Be sure to clear up that you are available.

Simplistic, this was the most bare-bones of the plan. This is excluding Phase One-subsection B and all the rest of Sweetie Belle's foolproof planning. Now, this idea is simple enough as it is; even with the further complications to it, it would still be follow-able. Yet, Phase Five is where Apple Bloom found a lapse in the plan...

Phase Five: Ask him out.

Something about that did not sit well with Apple Bloom. But now, free from looking at that board and staying braced against Scootaloo's back high-up in the air, she would figure this one out.





"...And that's my plan...!" Discord smirked devilishly under the safe cover of a Ponyville alleyway, "You and I go different ways; we find Pipla Khan a mare of our choosing; we set Pips-Pants up with the mare; we see who knows Pip better."

Once Discord stopped talking, Chrysalis looked a heavy, hateful but confused look at him; a marvel at how she never lost any hate looking at him. Finally, she plopped a hoof against the rim of her nose and shook her head. "D-Discord... That was the first time -the first time- you explained your plan to me. You literally just brought me into the alley and said 'Queeny... I think I have an idea...' than five seconds later, you said 'And that's my plan'."

"...So you follow my plan?" There was no measuring the amount of hate Chrysalis was now feeling in the deepest reaches of her inky body.

Makers... Still my horn... Pip needs this creature alive for now... For now... "Yes. Fine. I understand," Chrysalis admitted defeat and allowed for this stupidity come to a slow, agonizing end. "We shall conduct this in the most ludicrous and nonsensical manners possible. But as long as we draw results..."

The plan was not without its... flaws. Nevertheless, both Chrysalis and Discord had a perfect vision of how to teach Pip how to 'court' a mare. No matter how vastly different their approaches were from one another.





One, two, three... No. No matter how many times Pip counted, there just wasn't any more spots on his hoof. So strange... he could've sworn he had four last week. While Pip continued to check the underside of his front hoof, he noticed out from the corner of his eye a set of three eyes looking at him. A little embarrassed, Pip put his hoof down and smiled a greeting to the three. "'Ello there. I was just checkin' for--" seeing now who the three were, his smile only grew, "Well if it ain't the Cake twins! An'-- Twist? Is that you? 'Ardly recognize you with those pretty new glasses and that right fine mane tie!" Pip greeted heartily.

The twins held in their snickers but nodded a greeting back at Pip. Although, their attention was pretty much stuck to Twist as the bags she was holding in her mouth dropped to the floor when her mouth went agape. Her cream colored face darkened red and paled at the same time; an astounding feat. Pound and Pumpkin could already feel Twist's heart punching against her ribs as she stood face to face with Pip. "Make a move. Make a move. Come on, Twist. Remember what Pinkie said, remember what she sai-- WHAT DID PINKIE SAY!?" Twist's mind was beating against itself, lost in the thralls of disharmony.

Even so, she managed one motion before Pip could say another word. In one swift motion, Twist picked the bag she was carrying up and lobbed it to Pip before breaking back the way she came in a fevered rush. The toss startled Pip, but he managed to catch it onto his back without letting whatever was inside drop out. "Booo!" Pound yelled after Twist before he too started running down the road after her, "That was lame!"

"Lamers never win, Twist!" Pumpkin joined her brother in berating the Twist in her failure.

Leaving Pip to himself, he blinked a single time in a bit of confusion. "...Wonder where Disarm and Crystal went...?" was all he could say before the scent of fresh cookies brought his attention to the bag on his back. "Oh! Cookies..." he took another sniff, smiling even greater as he recalled the scent, "pear flavor? Me favorite! I'm sure Twist wouldn't mind if I 'ad just one..." Pip reasoned with himself before setting the bag to the little seating spot by the fountain.

Unwrapping it and allowing the scent of the cookies touch his nose all the more, he took note of a piece of paper done on top of the collection of cookies. Curious, he moved the paper open and looked to see what was drawn or written on it.

	My dearest secret love,

Would you be my date for getting it down and dirty all night long on the beach-side cuddling until nightfall? I just love you so so so so so so much. You are like the total tops and the greatest ever. I bet you are the best kisser ever. So PLEASE be my date? PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!?

Signed,

Twist.

"...Wow..." Pip felt his face set ablaze when he read that note. Whoever this 'secret love' was, Twist had it bad for them.





Earth ponies have a tendency to be unable to write through regular means. That is why many Earth ponies tend to ask unicorns to take care of anything they need written down. Thankfully for Twist, she had a loyal, trustworthy unicorn living at Sugarcube Corners... And a helpful proofreader that happened to be the writer's brother. But, perhaps Twist should have proofread it herself.
> Part 10: BSBFF
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sooner or later, a child comes of age where mom and dad can no longer be trusted with their secrets. Of course this is untrue, but you try and tell that to the teenage mind and have them listen. Regardless, it is a time that effects all races, species, and the sort at one point or another. However, when this does happen, the child finds a new soul to confide in. This new confidant is either a best friend, a trusted teacher, a sibling, or someone they've known for as long as they can remember. Also, in a rare chance, it's someone who embodies all of the above in one.





Scramble! That was all the changeling swarm was able to do at this hour of danger. Left by their queen to tend the colony and work on a nice dinner for when the family returned, they were not prepared for any great harm. Yet it came. It came from within the situated center tower of the swarm's empire. Dozens of changeling droves collected to secure the center tower, watching as bolts of lightning and cracking thunder erupted from every crack of the shattering structure. Their changeling limbs struggled to hold the tower together to allow the younger of the swarm to escape to a greater distance before the danger broke loose.

One after another, changelings fell from the tower walls as bolts of energy cut against their wings and sent them hurdling to the barrens far below. The air hummed with the mixed sounds of wings fluttering together and the cries of frightened changelings; all of which were interrupted by the bang and roll of thunder echoing within the central tower. When the final few drones stood at the base at the tower alone, holding the main gate of the tower closed -their brothers and sister laying weak around them- the thunder and lightning within simmered down to nothing.

Silence. An eerie, uncomfortable silence fell over the empire. Two of the changelings still holding the door shut looked to one another with wide curious eyes. One of them opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced himself when the door was blown off its hinges by a bright green light. What changelings remained -except for one- at the main door were knocked away from the door as well with the explosion. The last remaining guard struggled to get to his feet, the world around him shaking and turning to a shocked blur. All that he could make out before he passed out was the frightening image of a four legged demon stepping out from the destroyed tower door.

When each changeling that fought to keep the tower in one piece awoke and saw that their efforts were for nothing, they cowered in fear at the demon that left the tower. This demon was to them the stuff of nightmares. A mane as bright and vibrant as the flames of the sun; green eyes that sent chills down the body. She was by far the most twisted and ruthless beast they had ever come to know. That is why, when she stopped and looked to the mass of them, they pulled away slightly in fear. Her eyes narrowed and she huffed a dry note to her dropped mane over her eyes. "...Are any of you going to tell me where my brother is, or not?"

All at once, each changeling pointed off to Ponyville over the horizon. Sunset Shimmer, princess of the changelings, groaned and scowled at the information. "Great... More walking..." she muttered as she started her long trek towards the distant village.

Watching her leave, one of the changelings shivered to himself. They all understood the protocol set by Queen Chrysalis, but still... No changeling enjoyed when the princess woke up with such a bad temper! That's how they keep losing towers for her!





Pipsqueak and Sunset Shimmer. So different, yet fate gave them the cards that forced their lives together for better or for worse. Now, while one loved the idea of having someone to share and play with, the other saw it only as a bother. Yet, fate had a way of keeping everything in check... For better or for worse...





"...I'm not even going to ask..." Sunset Shimmer shook her head from shame as she looked at "Disarm Honey".

"Good, I didn't really feel like telling you anyway. I have a life outside of you," Discord snorted in reply.

Together in an alleyway, Sunset Shimmer and this 'goat' had met up; against Sunset's will of course. On her trek to Ponyville, a manhole opened beneath her feet partway across the plains and sent her sliding through miles and miles of sewage to bring her planted 'safely' before Discord. Sunset picked the banana peels, tin can tops, and sludge from her coat and mane with her magic, groaning at each annoying process. "Anywho! I'm glad you're here, Shim-Sham, I need your hel--"

A sickly grime crusted hoof planted against the goat's mouth, sending a gag through him. "Does this have to do with Pipsqueak?" Nod. "Is this a contest between you and the queen?" Nod. "Does she know I'm here yet?" Head-shake. "...Fine..." her hoof fell from Discord's mouth, leaving a trail of grime there in a hoof-stamp mark. "What's your plan...Dad?"





For Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, the flight over Ponyville went pretty smooth after fixing themselves from Sweetie Belle's shot. Scootaloo didn't much mind the extra weight Apple Bloom brought to her back, and Apple Bloom didn't mind the somewhat ridged flying patterns of her pegasi partner. More over, Apple Bloom was still just lost in her thoughts about the "phases". "Scootaloo?"

"Yeah? Wa'sup?" Scootaloo cocked her head back and looked at Apple Bloom, slowing herself down just a bit as she dulled her wings against the wind.

Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo a moment, still gearing away in her mind about what was bugging her. Something wasn't right in her, but she just couldn't figure it out. She shook her head and rested her muzzle against the back of Scootaloo's neck, groaning into it, "Nothin'..." her muffled reply came.

For the rest of their flight to a safe spot to land for the both of them, it went quietly. Apple Bloom's muzzle tucked against Scootaloo's neck and Scootaloo's wings jutting dull to the wind to stiffen her movements for a landing.
> Part 11: Ye Of Little Faith.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Was it at all a secret to anyone? No. Would everypony pretend it was a surprise when they heard? Yes. Even to ponies that just rolled into town, the second they saw him, they could tell. Pip was, what some ponies call, "hard-headed". Or, more-so dense if anything else. However, who would ever be brave enough to look his him in the face and say he was? I just couldn't be done... If anything, his dense nature is what made him so interesting to fillies. He never seemed threatening or in any aims to get at you. It always seemed like Pip was just expecting the best from everything. From the manticore to the bunny. Pip had a very optimistic view on the world.

Rather strange when considering his guardians...





Disarm Honey emerged from the shadowed alley, accompanied by a tall and proud Sunset Shimmer looking around the familiar town space with a listless care. The two moved towards the fountain, hoping to meet Pip there. Mild surprise welcomed them when instead of Pip being there, 'Crystal' was nonchalantly propping herself against the fountain and watching them come closer. "You're back," she welcomed Discord, her eyes quickly moving to Sunset with a bright smile, "And my precious princess is with you as well!"

Those words... They cut deep into Sunset Shimmer... Ripping into her flesh and causing blood to let. At least, that must have been the case as she had started to blush and shiver. "Mom... Not here..." she muttered, looking down at the ground where her hooves shuffled against each other.

'Crystal's' kind smile faded right away and she looked back to that devilish goat with vile spitting eyes. "If she's here, you must have brought her in to help your failing cause... A shame. The crown princess of the empire wastes her talents by helping a fleeting old goat like yourself..."

Discord reeled back, utterly appalled by the comment. "Wow... I never knew how painful words could be until right now," he turned his goat head around and lifted his snout to the air in a snubbing motion, "I don't want to play with you anymore, Queen Mean-Draws! Come, Shim-Sham-Thank-You-Ma'am, we don't need to be around this negative influence."

Sunset Shimmer just rolled her eyes and moved to follow Discord the Goat down the street. As the two moved away, they found they had to stop when they heard that most horrifying sound... The sound that made children cry, flowers die, and storms to brew. The sound of Chrysalis starting to laugh with such a smug tone to her. "Play the fool all you wish, Disarm. You'll inevitably come to see that all of this you plan on doing is sorely in vain," Discord and Sunset looked back at 'Crystal', seeing how she just leaned against the fountain while running one of her front hooves threw the reflective surface, "You can play your little games; you can jump around and work whatever ends you want... But the end result will be the same."

Before either of them could press for a less ominous tag-line, Chrysalis sauntered off in the opposite direction on the road from Sunset Shimmer and 'Disarm'. The father and daughter duo exchanged a look of not just worry, but a new fix of determination. To them, this was now a declaration of war. Sunset Shimmer had no great intention of getting too overly involved in this... But her own mother had thrown down the gauntlet. And throwing down the gauntlet was something the Discordian-Swarm Family took very seriously. With that, Sunset Shimmer scraped her front hoof against the dirt road and let out a small scoff. "The game's on now, mother..."





Pipsqueak... He's a dense child, of course...

Tight with gritted teeth and a flaring muzzle, the young colt torqued his head back and braced all four of his hooves against the jittery surface of the warped wood tree. The rope between his teeth cut a hot twist against his lips as he groaned and strained to keep on pulling.

He even believes in Santa Hooves still. However...

A sharp, splintering crack pricked against both his ears as he felt his hooves were given a great deal of release against the wood. Not a moment was wasted as he let the rope drop from his mouth and his body was flung by his own force against the now split off piece of tree, causing it to stop suddenly and crack against his back with a hard sound.

What do you think that Cutie Mark of his means?

The force of the tree racked against his back for a good moment until the colt wiggled his back legs out behind him and clipped the sides of a nearby rock. Keeping himself and the tree piece up purely by his front legs and his aching back, he trudged the rock behind him under his chest with short bursting yanks of his hind-legs.

Because he can make a map? Hah! A pee-brained larva could do that.Because he can read and understand any map? A fine talent, but not the real case, is it? No. He earned that Cutie Mark for one reason alone...

Pip, huffing out the last of his straining strength, bucked his back hooves upward and momentarily knocked the tree slice off his back; opting him the slightest moment to squeeze under it and let the tree fall onto the hard rock. As the tree fell against the rock, the wood split down the middle and splintered off a long, warped piece of fine wood. Pip picked the piece up between his teeth, his lips still blistered by the rope burn he just took; yet he smiled and nodded his head. "Right-o! This'll do just fine!" He said with an upbeat tune before skipping out of the forest with the piece of long, fine wood in his teeth.

That reason is because my son, Pipsqueak, is a born adventure and challenge taker.
> Part 12: "What did you say...?"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	War, bloodshed, disputes... They are always started by one thing. Ego. However, ego is not a bad thing at all. Ego drives everyone to do better and to support themselves through all odds. A little ego can go a long way. Yet, it may go too far. That's how wars and disputes get started in the first place. No matter who you are, everyone's ego can be turned against them in a moment's notice. From the kindest soul to the most devilish of minds...

All it ever takes is just that one, little, inexcusable phrase...





The small bin in the corner of the room still billowed out the putrid odder of sewer sludge and much the same as Diamond Tiara looked at it. Contemplation rang true within her eyes as she sat there, looking at her last attempt at winning 'the boy' over. Was any boy worth this sort of treatment? She couldn't stomp her hoof on it at all; and that alone made her want to rip her mane out on the spot. But, no. She practiced and honed in on her mediation classes her father forced her towards. Calm was key to piecing this problem together.

Amidst her soul-searching, her mother sauntered over to a nearby window in her room and turned from her daughter. Fleur's expression itself was very much mirroring her daughter's. Deep in thought, masking another emotion, yet with a certain air of cockiness about it. As a mother, she wanted the best for her daughter. Yet, as a member of a upper-class family who clawed its way to the top through whatever it took... "You know..." Fleur spoke, "Your uncle Fancy got to where he is through knowing what was ahead before it ever happened."

Diamond Tiara looked to her mother, a bit confused to what her point was. "And your father? Well, your father rode on the back of his father's own success. Except he made it his own and built on it..."

It was at that point that Fluer looked back to Diamond Tiara, eyes challenging her daughter with a fire brimming in them despite her calm demeanor. "Because of those two men in your life... It doesn't surprise me that you would cower in front of a challenge..."

"What did you say...?" Diamond Tiara whispered, her own eyes now flaring with a new fuel.

"Prove me wrong, Tiara," Fluer turned to face her daughter, towering over her and raising her head high and proud, "Show mommy that a colt won't send her baby shying away."

Diamond Tiara huffed once and clopped her hooves against the carpet as she shot to all four. Her head swung low and she looked up at her mother like an enraged bull; yet she also held a slight cocky smirk now as she readied herself under her mother's 'encouraging words'. "I'll make you soooo proud mommy!" Tiara went out of her mother's room and proceeded to charge down the stairs of the house.

Seconds after she left, Fluer saw her daughter come back up the stairs and walk pass Fluer's room. "Right after I take a bath..." Fluer made out from Diamond Tiara as she shuffled down the hall towards that bathroom.





"Knock-knock," the ridicule would never end...

"Why, who is there?" it just kept going and going...

"Twist!" like a train pileup just getting bigger and bigger...

"'Twist' who?" only more painful and with a lot less metal flying through the air...

"Twist my leg and call me Twist, Twist twisted it up again!" The Cake twins just burst out laughing again and again as they exchanged their jokes at Twist's expanse.

Twist on the other hand slumped against herself and just hung herself over the counter in Sugarcube Corner within her horizon of looming despair. Pound and Pumpkin continued laughing as they looked at Twist. Then chuckling. Then snickering. Then frowning and giving one another a shamed look. "H-Hey, come on. We're just joking..." Pumpkin said.

"Yeah. Totally. You did... You did good..." Pound scratched the back of his neck with one hoof, not believing what he said himself.

No matter what they said, Twist just slumped over the counter with the longest face they had ever seen. It was heartbreaking for the twins as they looked at her; just horrible. The two wracked their brains to try and bring some sort of hope to the girl... At least enough to get her off the counter and to stop smudging the display case. "So... Uh... Twist?" Pumpkin tried for a second time, "How'a'bout Pound and I actually help you?"

Pound shot his eyes wide and brightened up at the sound of this idea. "Oh! Yeah! Fully! You know we were just poking at you. But we'll REALLY help you this time. Full-on. No strings attached."

The two waited and watched Twist for a reaction... But got nothing at all. "...We're sorry..." they both said with bowed, almost as sad expressions as Twist had.

When they both turned to go up to their rooms, seeing no further reason to stick around with Twist the way she was, they heard a small shuffle from the counter followed by a familiar voice. "What was that? You're... sorry? Mean it?" The twins' smiles could not have been bigger when they heard Twist at that moment.





"So... Guess we just wait for Sweetie Belle?" Scootaloo surmised as she landed herself safely against the streets of Ponyville.

"May as well. We go on with out her, she'll throw us 'gain!" Apple Bloom spouted as she slid off of Scootaloo's back.

Scootaloo laughed a little and put her front leg around Apple Bloom's neck, pulling her close. "Heh, yeah. 'Cept, this time she'd throw me after you so I can't catch you," Scootaloo continued to laugh as she let Apple Bloom go.

Apple Bloom smiled and allowed herself a small chuckle and smile as she thought of that situation. "Righ'?" The two stood in the town street, looking about and enjoying a good laugh, "Ehh... But I wouldn't worry too much 'bout it if'n that happened."

"Why's that?" Scootaloo asked, expecting for a continuation of the jokes.

"Cause I know you'll catch me," Apple Bloom's smile shifted a bit, "Yer' always th---ahhh..." Apple Bloom stopped herself and staggered where she stood, receiving a quick shocked stare from Scootaloo.

"What'd you just say...!?"

"Shoo! Where the hay's Sweetie Belle, am ah' righ'?" Apple Bloom awkwardly laughed to herself, looking down the street away from Scootaloo entirely. It was clearly going to be a long wait...





"Pip!" 'Crystal' called for the young colt as she spotted him walking into town with a piece of wood on his back.

The moment Pip spotted the black mare, he gave a kind smile and a small bow; being careful as to not let the wood fall of his back in the process. "Crystal. Nice to see ya'. You need anythin'?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Now... It's time to put the plan into action... "You see, I am fairly new in town. But, you know that. So, I was wondering... Could you perhaps show me one of your famous 'trick shots'?"

Pip seemed taken back by the question on many levels. "Famous? Never 'eard anyone call one of me tricks famous... Right didn' know anyone knew I 'ad any tricks to begin with..." A little too forward... "But, 'eck! Not like I don' mind the notice for it." But, thank the Makers he's not bright enough to question it...  "But... Sorry... Me sister always told me ta' never show off in public... She also said to watch out for black mares too, but ya' seem nice." Darn you, Shimmer... I raised you too well. "Sorry..."

"...I guess it's true then." 'Crystal' sighed.

"What's true?" Hook...

"Oh... It's nothing..." she turned away, still sighing her words.

"No. Tell me. Please?" Line...

"It's just that I heard the colts of Ponyville had no skills in the ways of adventuring..."

"...What did ya' jus' say?" ...And sold...