Based on Crusaders of the Lost Mark

With all that glowy-magic stuff going on, one might have thought that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to become alicorns.

Well they did – without even getting their cutie marks.

An outsider may not be capable of comprehending the realm of chaos in which Discord often resides, but to one created within the boundary of the world, it can get lonely, especially if you're there for a long time.

After the encounter with Starlight Glimmer and the Staff of Sameness – that is, the apparently reversible magic of a manipulative unicorn – Rainbow Dash’s dreams turn towards the permanence of such equality.

This story is a sequel to "Thanks, Twilight"

Soon after the episode Twilight Time, the Cutie Mark Crusaders tried to procure a gift for twilight to thank her for continuing Twilight Time, despite their poor judgment. They found out the hard way that Spike hadn't been completely honest when he told them Twilight's favorite dessert, and none of them were happy about it. Now they wish to express their 'gratitude' towards him... as soon as they figure out how.

As of 2015-8-14 this story has been revised.
My thanks to Cal for spending time reading through more than once and highlighting several areas for improvement during the revision.

An unoriginal story idea, wherein Rarity fights an embiggened crab, because I spent way too much time on EQD once upon a time.

Rarity experiences Murphy's Law firsthoof, and The Great and Powerful Trixie learns of a new pastime.

Twilight didn't have to continue "Twilight Time" after the recent fiasco, but she did. The Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to express their thanks by using skills she hasn't taught them to produce a gift for her.

Read along as the Cutie Mark Crusaders learn how to bake lemons into pie (but you won't!), and Spike incurs their wrath.

As of 2015-8-14 this story has been revised; the original version is linked to in the notes at the bottom of the chapter.