Scootaloo sat outside Sugarcube Corner, waiting for the other crusaders to arrive. She had rushed ahead of them first because she had heard Rainbowdash was there planning a prank with Pinkie Pie. She had buzzed there as fast as her little scooter and wings could take her, missing them by seconds. And a few seconds was all Rainbowdash and pinkie needed to find a hapless victim. Scootaloo kicked up a small dust cloud as she looked up in to the beautiful sunlit sky. She saw a lot of familiar pegasi in the air. Drizzle pranced about the air while Mary May zipped to and fro, even Derpy was doing a few lazy barrel-rolls. Then she saw it; the perfect cloud. Not too fluffy and just puffy enough to snuggle in and she hated it. She hated how it always seemed to follow her, seemed to taunt her with its perfection.

The other two Crusaders came panting up to Sugercube corner in time to see the young orange pegasus glare at the sky.

"What're you lookin at Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked breaking her out of her trance.

Scootaloo shook her head and grinned "nothing, Are you ready?"

This time Sweetie bell piped up "Yes! Operation cake eating cutie mark is a go!" she raised a large bag of bits in the air, their combined allowances. The three friends nearly tore the door from its hinges.

"One of everything, please!" the three shouted in unison.

---

After eating the sugary confections, the three fillies sat with an upset stomach and still no cutie marks.

"Ugh, too much cake. Urrp." Applebloom belched and patted her belly.

"Applebloom! Manners!" Sweetiebell said in her best rarity impression. Followed by her belch that nearly shook the bakery's windows. Applebloom and Scootaloo fell to the floor in a fit of giggles and Sweetiebell turned red in embarrassment.
"Excuse me" she added quietly and giggled herself.

After the giggling died down they started to wonder what to do next

"I know! Let’s go be cutie mark crusader lumberjacks!" Scootaloo suggested.

"I can't, Rarity won’t let me near an axe ever since we tried to be fireponies." Sweetiebell said as she played with left over frosting.

"Ah got it! Twilight bought me a new ball to replace the one she broke. Remember when she tried to give use that ugly doll?" Applebloom beamed.

"Don't remind us" Scootaloo said as she and Sweetiebell shuddered. “are you sure it's safe?"

Applebloom looked thoughtful for a minute "Ah think so, at least Applejack said it was ok. And if she says it ok then it's ok!"

"Whatever, let's head over to Sweet Apple Acres” Scootaloo shrugged and headed out the door with her friends in tow.

Mr. Cake in the meanwhile finally realized who he sold all those cakes too...he had doomed the town.

---

The sugar-high fillies tore a swath of destruction through the town. Anything that caught their attention was inspected ripped and "fixed" by the hyper crusaders. Including but not limited to;

A shipment for sofas and quills, they stuffed the sofas with the quills to make the sofas softer.

A small toy stand, where they 'tested' each toy for quality.

And they literally turned the joke shop upside down. Jester was seen laughing on his new 'roof'.

By the time they had made it to Sweet Apple Acres, they only had enough energy for a few games with the filly sized ball. With a mighty kick Applebloom sent the ball flying into a tall apple tree.

"Aw shoot, not Bloomington!" she moaned

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow “Bloomington? The trees name is Bloomington?"

"Yes and he's the tallest and thickest apple tree on the farm" Applebloom sputtered staring at the massive tree.

"So?" It was Sweetiebells turn to raise an eyebrow. "Can’t you just buck it down?"

"No ah can't, its big mac's favorite tree! He doesn’t let anyponyelse buck it" Applebloom turned to Scootaloo "Scootaloo can you fly up there and get it? Please be careful."

"I can't" Scootaloo muttered. She looked at the ground and scuffed the grass with a hoof. Tears welling up in her eyes, causing confused glances between the other two friends.

"Waddaya mean you can't" Applebloom cried. Then tapped a hoof to her chin "come to think of it Ah've never seen you do more than hover. Why’s that?"

"Can you girls keep a secret?" Scootaloo muttered without making eye contact. The other two fillies nodded enthusiastically. "Not here, I'll tell you in the clubhouse"

While Scootaloo and Applebloom headed off to the clubhouse, Sweetiebell stared at the ball in the tree. A lite glow enveloped her horn and the ball and the ball floated down gently.

"Hey, it didn't catch fire!" she cried. She waited a few seconds and both the ball and the tree refused to ignite. She proudly trotted after her friends.

----

Scootaloo and the other crusaders sat in front of a small table with a lamp. Applebloom moved the shade to put the light in Scootaloo's face causing her to blink.

"Alright sister, spill it" Applebloom said with a stern voice and face." what's your big secret?"

Sweetiebell placed a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder "it's ok, you can tell us. We're your friends remember?"

Scootaloo rolled her eyes and blinked again from the lights “Alright, but this doesn't leave this clubhouse." sweetie bell and Applebloom both mimed the pinkie pie promise

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye! Now tell us" the two said together.

"Okay I'll tell you, I'm not a really a pegasus" she shielded her eyes from the light with a foreleg to see their reaction. Applebloom looked skeptical and Sweetiebell's jaw had hit the floor. Scootaloo pushed up her hair with the foreleg shielding the light. Under her hair was a short horn. "I'm really an Alicorn."

"Pfft, That's impossible, it has gotta be a fake." Applebloom scoffed.

"I can check!" Sweetiebell offered, she moved closer to Scootaloos horn, “when a unicorn touches horns with another unicorn, it causes magic feedback. That can't be faked." she leaned in all the way...

bazaaaaaaaaappppppppp!!!!!!

Charred and dazed, Sweetiebell just nodded that it was real. Applebloom just sat there bug eyed. Sweetiebell waved a hoof in front of her and a smile started to grow on Appleblooms face.

"You're just like Princess Celestia,"Applebloom said grinning ear to ear." but how?"

Scootaloo turned from orange to red" Celestia is my mom."

"WHAT?!?" Both little ponies screamed. She shifted uncomfortably under her friends stares.

Applebloom was the first to take a deep breath to calm down before asking "So, what does all this have with not being able to fly?"

"Well, Alicorns mature as slowly as dragons, so my wings won't be able to lift me for at least another year." Scootaloo tapped two hooves together. Her eyes darting between the two others.

“Why are you here in Ponyville?" Applebloom asked

"Mom sent me out here to get down to earth as she put it" Scootaloo said "and I think I know why too. Without you two as my friends I might have ended up like Prince Blueblood. Please tell me this doesn't change how you feel about me. “She smiled hopefully at her two friends.

"Of course not" Sweetiebell squealed .The two fillies jump on top of their friend in a giant hug.