Romance and the Fate of Equestria

Chapter Thirteen

In the treehouse at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom lounged around with a comic book as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat together on a rug.

"So, brainstorm of the day," Scootaloo said enthusiastically. "Sweetie Belle? …Sweets?"

"Hm?" Sweetie Belle said, surprised. "Oh, sorry. Just… something on my mind, about Spike." She shifted, uncomfortable. "Do you have any plans?"

"Well, I hear Rainbow Dash is doing this superhero thing to preempt anypony doing anything illegal with Golden Thread," Scootaloo said. "Maybe we could be superheroes?"

"And maybe all my pigs will grow wings," Apple Bloom murmured, turning a page.

Sweetie Belle shot a glare at Apple Bloom, then turned back to Scootaloo. "But if we were superheroes, we'd have to cover our cutie marks. I'd want to show mine off… I mean, come on. Right? And how could we keep our secret identities if we had superhero-ing cutie marks?"

"Not every superhero has a secret identity," Scootaloo grumbled.

"Just scratching the surface of problems with that plan," Apple Bloom said with a smirk.

"If I may," Sweetie Belle said, eyeing Apple Bloom again, "I move that the Crusaders increase efficiency by removing unnecessary and highly snarky distractions."

"Seconded," Scootaloo said, glaring as well.

"Ex-CUSE me?" Apple Bloom said, looking up and raising her eyebrows at them. "Whose clubhouse is this?"

Scootaloo thought for a second. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse," she said.

"Good answer," Sweetie Belle said, holding up her hoof.

"Bam," Scootaloo agreed, pounding her hoof against Sweetie Belle's.

"Okay, I get it," Apple Bloom said, getting up out of her seat. "I quit, and you're mad at me. That's fair. But you're still on Apple family property, I'm within my rights to beat you up and drag you outta here."

"If you're not gonna help us with our futures…" Scootaloo began.

At that very moment, the sun dipped completely below the horizon. And at the very second it did so, the entire clubhouse was filled with blinding white light. When the light faded, the three of them realized that they were now in the company of a tall and menacing presence.

"Princess Luna!" they said in unison, dropping into a deep bow.

"Arise, Cutie Mark Crusaders," the princess of the night replied, lightly bowing back to them.

"You've heard of us?" Scootaloo said with surprise.

"As thy theme song says, thy exploits hath rocked Equestria," Luna said, smiling wryly.

"Really?" Apple Bloom said blankly.

"Ay. That, and my sister told me all about thee. The story is an inspiring one, and I thought perhaps I could take it upon myself to appear before thee as an equal, and offer some advice."

"Equal?" Scootaloo said breathlessly.

"Advice?" Sweetie Belle said, her eyes widening in eager anticipation.

Apple Bloom whipped out a notepad and pen, staring at the princess expectantly.

"My advice is twofold," Luna said, pacing around the clubhouse. "First, consider the prophetic nature of names."

"Names?" Sweetie Belle repeated.

"Pony's names have power. 'Tis the name one receives at birth, far more than the cutie mark obtained at adolescence, that truly determines thy destiny. A pony whose destiny does not match her name will often change her name, yes? And the new name will change her fate in new and unexpected ways." She tousled Apple Bloom's mane. "Little one… by calling thee Apple Bloom, perhaps thy parents instilled into thee very early on, thy famous obsession with growing up."

"She kind of qu—" Scootaloo started.

"Shush! Trying to listen," Apple Bloom hissed. "So… everypony's name is a magical prophecy?"

"Indeed," the princess said, nodding. "This has always been so, from the dawn of ponykind. To wit: a millennium and a half ago, there lived a mother who so loved her two daughters that she named them for the sun and the moon. Little did she know…" Luna gazed at her own cutie mark in silence for a few seconds.

"Princess?" Scootaloo said cautiously.

"Ah, nothing, nothing," Luna said dismissively. "I… scarcely remember my mother."

"Yeah, I don't really remember my parents either," Apple Bloom said quietly.

"So I suspected," Luna said. "Yet another reason I sought thee out." She touched Apple Bloom with her horn.

"The second part of your advice?" Scootaloo said eagerly.

"Ah, yes," Luna said. "The three of thee… together, thou art forming a strong cosmic anchor—by virtue of being one earth pony, one unicorn, and one pegasus."

"Barely," Scootaloo said, looking disdainfully at her tiny wings.

"Oh, don't say that—thou art a lovely and healthy pegasus filly," the princess insisted. "Such a union of the three races is rare—mystical and strong."

"I don't think it's that rare," Sweetie Belle said, frowning.

"Well, she's got something there, the 'powerful' thing," Apple Bloom said. "Our sisters and their friends? They're a group of two of each, and look at what they can do."

"Two of each is indeed powerful," Luna said, "but one of each, even more so."

"That makes no sense," Scootaloo protested.

"Indeed it doesn't, but 'tis true," Luna said solemnly. "I see the iron-clad bond of friendship that hath been forged between thee, and I suspect thou art to be a powerful force for equality in the future."

"Equality?" Sweetie Belle said. "But the three races are equal… always have been. Since long before your time, Princess."

"Have they?" Luna challenged. "In spirit, yes, but what of the simple joys? Can unicorns fly, earth ponies cast spells, pegasi till the soil?"

Apple Bloom's face slowly lit up. "I… see what you're saying!" She turned to the other two. "Remember when we were working the fields? And I was all feelin' the rhythm and the emotions of the earth and the trees, and you guys… you didn't know what I was talkin' about. That was so sad."

"Yeah, it was," Sweetie Belle said. "You were excited and happy, and we wanted to know what it was all about."

"But we couldn't," Scootaloo said. "And we never can… can we?"

The princess shrugged and smiled. "I hope I have been helpful. Remember my words. As always, play to thy strengths: in this case, the strengths imparted by thy beautiful and meaningful names. And the strength of the cosmos-altering unity of the three tribes—be quick about it, whilst thou art young, before thy individual powers hath awakened too fully. I hope very much to see what thou dost devise."

With a swish and another flash of light, she was gone, but she continued speaking, her voice coming from somewhere in the general direction of the moon. "Fare thee well, Crusaders. Keep me apprised of thy progress. Thou shalt not disappoint!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "A lot to think about," she said to herself. "Names… and bein' equals, true equals. Girls, I have a plan. Let's hit the library!"

"Library? What for?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Cutie mark research. And lots of it."

"So… you're back in the club?" Scootaloo said.

"Hay yeah, I'm back in the club!" Apple Bloom whooped. "Follow me!"

"Yay!" Sweetie Belle said, bouncing up and down happily.