You blink a few times before responding, wondering if this was some sort of joke. “The what?”

“The Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Apple Bloom says with just as much enthusiasm as before.

“We’re going to discover our hidden talents!” Sweetie Belle chimes in.

“And earn our Cutie Marks!” Scootaloo finishes.

You can’t help but feel that they rehearsed this before, probably in front of a mirror, since they were now posing. “I really don’t know…” you say tentatively.

“Oh come on! There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain!” Scootaloo says.

You make a face, still not knowing what to do. The thought of getting your Cutie Mark had crossed your mind before, but it never had really bothered you to the point that you turned it into a quest like these three fillies had. Sure, it got annoying when your friends back in Clydesdale would bust on you about being a blank flank, but… You couldn’t finish the thought. Apple Bloom was now looking at you with those big, soulful eyes. She wasn’t even saying anything. She was just looking at you. But the look said it all and you finally caved.

“Alright, alright. I’ll join.” You say, blushing. “Just stop with the look.”

All three girls jump up and down and squeal with delight. “Apple Bloom, you have got to teach me that look! It’s up there with The Stare.” Sweetie Belle says as she tries to give an intimidating look before cracking up.

“Well… I’d better get home first,” you finally say “My mom is probably wondering where I am.”

The three fillies perk up. “Alright then! Meet us at Sugar Cube in an hour!” Scootaloo says. “We’ve got a plan!”

Your three new friends run off towards Ponyville leaving you confused. And flustered when Apple Bloom stops and turns back to you, giving you a wink. You don’t really know what to do, so you end up standing there with a goofy smile on your face. You think a lot about the day on the way home and when your mom asks you how it went, you decide to leave out some parts you’d rather forget. When you get to the part about Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo your mom only sits there and smiles when you describe each one. After having some lunch, you decide to pour yourself into your dad’s maps again. You thought it would help clear your mind, but it doesn’t. You keep coming back and back again to her. Why did she make you feel so …weird? Sighing, you look at the clock on the wall and realize that it’s time to start making your way to Sugar Cube Corner.

“Where are you going?” Your mom asks as you make your way to the door.

“I’m going to go and meet up with my friends.” You reply nonchalantly.

“See, I told you would make some friends. What are their names?”

“Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo,” you say as you try to make your way out the door again.

“Those are girls’ names...” she says with a growing smile.

“Uh... Yeah. Is that a problem?”

Your mom shakes her head, her smile still growing. “Oh no, not all… You just have fun on your date, Casanova.” She says with a giggle.

You blush heavily and stomp your hoof “MOOOO~M!”

You leave before she could say anything else and hope that your blush is gone before you make it to Sugar Cube Corner. Fortunately, you were able to turn your mind back to the maps.

I wonder if I can use the tub tonight and try to recreate the ocean currents. Then I can-

Your thoughts were cut off when you felt a series of hooves grab you and drag you into an alleyway across from Sugar Cube Corner. In a panic, you start struggling and flailing around. Your hoof connects with something and you hear an audible. “OW!” The hooves let go of you and turning around, you see Scootaloo giving you a dirty look while Apple Bloom consoled Sweetie Belle, who was rubbing her nose and on the verge of tears.

“Oh my gosh!” you yell out “Sweetie Belle, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was you guys! Are you okay?” You ask, hoping the unicorn wasn’t about to start crying.

“Ya…” she says with a sniffle “I told you it wasn’t a smart idea to scare him like that!” she tried to say. It more or less sounded like she had a nasty head cold. You can’t help but still feel bad and offer another apology.

“Really, I’m sorry. I’d never do something like that on purpose.” You say with a smile.

She smiles back. “Oh, I know that. You’re way too nice to be a bully.”

She not only surprised you with those words, but with a hug. You can’t help but feel your whole face turn red.

“Alright then!” Scootaloo says with new found confidence, causing both you and Sweetie Belle to jump back from each other.

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake are in Fillydelphia for a cooking contest an’ Pinkie Pie is heading over to Sweet Apple Acres in a bit.” Apple Bloom says. “Mah sister’s gonna teach her some Apple Family recipes. Once she’s gone, we’re gonna go in there an’ do it.” You blink a few times and raise a hoof.

“Uhh… What is it we’re going to do exactly?” You ask.

“We’re going to make some sweets!” Sweetie Belle says happily “Nice and safe! Not like last time…” She shivers slightly.

You raise an eyebrow and begin to regret agreeing to all of this. “What do you mean ‘Not like last time?’”

“How was I supposed to know that the cannon was going to explode like that?!?” Scootaloo yells as she throws her hooves up into the air “The pony I borrowed it from said it worked like a charm.”

Applebloom scowls “Scootaloo, that pony had three legs an’ was burnt worse than one of my Auntie Oops’ pies. ”

“Your point?” Scootaloo asks before realizing what Applebloom was getting at. “Oh. Okay, not my best moment. But hey at least we test fired it first.”

What did I get myself into?

There was no going back now, though. The three fillies drag you with them as they move across the streets of Ponyville, trying to remain hidden. Once you finally make it to the back door of SugarCube Corner, you and the three fillies sneak into the shop unnoticed.

“So, what are we making?” you ask.

“Well, last time I tried to make cupcakes, it didn’t go so well...” Apple Bloom said, a little disheartened.

“Why not candy?” Sweetie Bell suggests.

“Why not? It couldn’t be that hard, could it?” you say encouragingly. Maybe this wasn’t going to turn out so bad after all.

“OOH! OOH! Can we make bubblegum?!?” Scootaloo asks excitedly “I LOVE bubblegum!”

“Are there any recipes around here?” Sweetie Belle asks, looking through some drawers.

“Over here! Hmm… Candy, candy, cand- Ah!” Apple Bloom exclaims. Pulling out an index card from the box, she shows you a simple recipe.

“Ya, we can do this!” you say happily “We’ll have bubblegum in less than 15 minutes with this!”

* * * * * * *

You never believed so much could go wrong in such little time. But there you were. Suspended from the ceiling by a giant wad of gum. Where did it go wrong? When Apple Bloom used too much gum base? When Scootaloo tried to fix this by adding more syrup? When Sweetie Belle thought that doubling the temperature would balance everything out? Or when you got distracted when Scootaloo licked some of the gum sweetener that you got on your neck and you let the mixture expand into the giant mass that now held you in its gummy grip.

Yeah, that last part seems about right.

“How should we get him down?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We could use apple butter. When I got gum stuck in my mane last week, apple butter got it right out.” Apple Bloom suggested.

“We could eat it.” Scootaloo said as she jumped up and took a bite out of mass you were stuck in.

“MMM! Thif if rolly goob!” Scootaloo tried to say inbetween chews.

As you stared at the floor, you began to wonder why your life has gotten so complicated. And how in the world you were going to explain to your mom that you got gum over 80% of your body.