Author's Notes:

The Usual Disclaimer:

The following is a work of parody, and is protected as Fair Use under section 17 U.S. Code § 107 of US Copyright Law. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all affiliated characters are property of Hasbro Inc.

I own nothing. All characters, settings and other belong to their respective owners. This is purely a fan-work with no intent towards profit, slander or harm towards the characters, settings or other, or their respective owners. If the respective owners feel that this fan-work in any way, shape or form threatens or besmirches their property, please let me know so that it be can be removed asap.

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I'M NOT DEAD YET!

That said, I've yet to get the chance to watch any of Season 5 yet except the first two episodes. Hmmmm. This outrage must be fixed, soon.

I must apologise for the lack of updates, the final 'twist' from the idiots I was working with was, when I refused to loan them my laptop for their own internetting, which considering I've seen their search history and I wanted nothing to do with what they were 'looking up', was to throw the portable hard-drive against a wall and only missed out on doing the same with my laptop because I grabbed it and ran out of the dongers and to the manager's house at top speed.

Needless to say, my faithful little black box is kaput. Seven years of data down the drain, and that includes all the chapters I had written during the short hours of the night when I finished work. There are no words in the english language for how angry I am, but nothing could be done because they all basically covered each other's asses to the boss when I raised the complaint. One of the reasons why I've officially quit that job, but I feel for my ex-boss nonetheless. He knows damn well he's got a group of buttmongers on his hands, but they all cover for each other and know their legal rights back-to-front. He can't get rid of them without a drawn-out legal battle for which he'd receive absolutely no financial gain and get blacklisted with the Unions.

I will be making a concerted effort to get chapters from here up to 40 up by the end of the month as an apology to my readers who had been sitting here in limbo for all these months.

CHAPTER 35

“So … that's the situation, Sirs. The Changelings appear to be earnest in their desire to surrender, and the Queen herself is in poor physical health, at least she gives that appearance, and she is with three … foals. I believe she is unable and unwilling to put up a fight, and no-doubt the civilian staff of the outpost have already disseminated the story to the local gossip circles.” The short, balding Pony who apparently ran the Outpost wound down his explanation, apparently nonplussed by the enraged expression on Brass Star's face, nor the sneering condescension from the leader of the Fourth Circle Magi, whose comrades surrounding him and ran detection spell after detection spell over him and a Unicorn Border Guard beside him, but for some reason the Unicorn didn't seem … important enough to pay attention to. “I would advise that we treat the Queen as a visiting dignitary, a potentially hostile one with health-conditions that require immediate attention, and proceed accordingly.”

“Yes, I'm certain I will take the advice of a Pony who has been exposed to one of the most potent wielders of mind-warping magic at face-value.” Brass Stars snorted, his wings trembling with ill-concealed anger. “Surely, you are the font of all wisdom, Peach Seed.”

“There's no need to be snide, Pegasus.” The bitter, grey-maned Unicorn Mage in charge of the Circle Magi snorted as his comrades shook their heads and stepped back from the two Border Guards. “There are no traces of any magic on these two other than low-level protection wards woven into their uniforms and residual auras from a scrying device and the usual Unicorn levitation spells. There are at least no magical methods capable of defeating spells casting by the Fourth Circle, but there might be something chemical instead. Nobody knows if Changelings are venomous or not, or if their cocoons have hypnotic side-effects. We will begin a deep-level scan for anything unusual in their blood-streams … I would suggest standing back, else your … steroidal tendencies might come into question.”

Twilight Glimmer found her attention focusing on the portly Earth Pony, and tried to ignore the hissing remarks from Brass Stars that he didn't need pills to be a Royal Guard or enhance his wings, and most definitely told herself she didn't hear the comment about the Fourth Circle needing those broad gold bands on their horns to keep them 'rigid' while casting. That is not going to win you any help getting promoted, asshole, even if the Fourth Circle Magi is being a bigoted old goat.

“Uh, sirs? As … enlightening as this is, perhaps we should take the Changeling Queen to the train now, before she hears your 'conversation' and decides she actually can make a move?” The Unicorn Guard that had been standing next to Peach Seed said loudly, flicking his ears in annoyance as the leader of the Magi and Brass Stars glared at each other, the other soldiers and magi shuffling awkwardly.

Glimmer blinked, feeling a rush of irritation at the Unicorn, wondering why somepony so … unimportant … would bother speaking … and shook her head, wincing at the stabbing pain behind her eyes. Why would she even think that about somepony else? Especially a fellow Border-Guard?

“Brass Stars, sir Mage, perhaps the Border-Guard has a point? The sooner the Changeling Queen is taken into custody, the safer the local inhabitants will be?” Twilight Glimmer hoped her face was still the same blank mask she had cultivated under Brass Star's tenure, but given the evil glares she was receiving from the two Stallions, the young Mare had the horrible feeling the mask had 'slipped'. “Forgive me for stating the obvious, but surely the Fourth Circle's carriage would be ...”

“Yes, you are forgiven for speaking out of turn.” The leader of the Fourth Circle Magi snapped, his eyes still locked onto Brass Stars’s, the two Stallions trying to glare each other into submission.

Coughing, the irritatingly un-important Unicorn border-guard made a couple of quick pointing motions to the cloth-covered wagon and gave an awkward smile, before mouthing the words ‘forget him’. Fighting down the unusual compulsion to ignore the Stallion, Glimmer forced herself to look over towards the wagon, noting with surprise there were a few of the other Magi were casting spells upon the structure with their eyes closed in concentration, and a younger Stallion with four brand-new golden rings on his horn giving her a wry smile.

“You watch your mouth around my people, you old goat! We’ve bent over backwards to accommodate you, so you’d better bucking start showing some appreciation or you can take your entire group of nerds back to Canterlot …”

“I will not be spoken to by some testosterone-riddle mule like that. I am Greysmoke, one of the most senior Magi in Equestria. You will submit to my authority, Pegasus, or so help me …”

“I don’t submit to anyone, especially not an old goat who is so far past his prime he should be in a nursing home!”

Oh Faust no. Glimmer sighed and stepped back slowly, avoiding any sudden movements that might attract the attention, and ire, of the two Stallions as they tried to glare each other down and began firing off vicious insults at each other. Just what we need, right when one of the biggest threats to Equestria is sitting not more than a hundred meters from us all … the young Mare noted that most of the convoy had backed up and away from the two Stallions, wanting no part in the argument between two senior officers that were acting like a pair of Foals squabbling over a teat.

“Ma’am.” The younger Magi whispered, his hoof stroking the cloth sides of the ‘wagon’ with oddly affectionate motions as the other Magi not looking on to the spat between the two arrogant Stallions channelled spells that Glimmer couldn’t even begin to identify into the cloth and wood of the vehicle, their faces expressionless masks. “I know this is highly irregular, but I suggest we go and … escort … the Changeling Queen before our commanders lose sight of our shared mission. Once she is secured inside the wagon’s interior, we’re certain our spells will be able to turn back any attempts to subvert our will back onto the Changeling herself.”

“Errr, it won’t kill her if she does do her … mind-magic-thingy, will it?” Both Glimmer and the young Magi flinched as the owner of the voice, the irritatingly un-important Border Guard, seemingly appeared behind them out of thin air, who took their startled looks with an expression of tired resignation. “It’d look pretty bad if we took a visiting member of Royalty into custody only for her to die in transit, after all.”

“We … don’t believe so?” The Magi replied after several awkward moments, in a tone of terrified uncertainty. “We’ve yet to actually test the spells and wards against Changeling magic, actual authentic Changeling mana-waves. Much of the work is just … extrapolation and guess work, I’d say. Soooo I suggest we inform her royal high insectness to not cast anything within the wagon if she doesn’t want her head to explode.”

“Great. Terrific. Look, I’ll go fetch the Queen, you guys sort out the convoy.” The odd Unicorn Border-Guard muttered darkly, shooting a look where the fat Peach Seed was futilely attempting to calm down Brass Stars and the leader of the Fourth Circle Magi, who had squared off and looked ready to come to blows. “This is going to look like hell on my record.”

“Beg pardon?” Twilight Glimmer and the Magi said together, not following.

“Let’s just say I can make sure that the Queen and a small escort can get to the train station without those two noticing … but it’s going to involve me going with them. I’m about to abandon my post … and that’s going to get me court-martialled.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took all of Twilight Glimmer’s not-inconsiderably will-power to not stare at the terrible Queen of the Changelings. Even more gaunt than the pictures taken at the wedding of Princess Cadenza and Royal Consort Shining Armor, with several of the strange holes in her limbs having expanded to the point where the very structural stability of her limbs was at risk and her wings fractured and broken beyond any hope of flight, it was her horn, and the deep, jagged cracks running through it that made Glimmer’s heart wince with, of all things, sympathy for the Changeling.

This was hardly the bogeyman the newspapers had scared Ponies with for months, nor the immortal monster that Command had feared they faced. This was a wretch, a starving, dying mother throwing herself at the hooves of her enemies. Or at least, Glimmer prayed this was the case, and the Changeling Queen’s pride really had been crushed to the point where she would parley in this condition.

The rest of the Changelings, including those adorable foals, were likewise meek and subdued, bundling their Queen into the wagon and then herding the strange cat-like creatures after her, but not before stockpiling small orbs of pink, orange and green fluids they claimed were food, medicine and building supplies, in that order into the battered cargo-wagon they had salvaged from somewhere across the border. Indeed, their every action bespoke of weariness, and judging from how they flinched at the on-going verbal smack-down between Brass Stars and ‘Bitter He-Mule’, fear.

“My boy, I am ordering you to go with the Changelings, in-front of all these fine witnesses no less. There, you’re out of hot water.” Peach Seed was saying to Dappled as the young Border-Guard moped by the side of the Changeling Queen’s ‘escort’ wagon. “Your talent has served the Border Guard well, and you’ll also be useful escorting the Queen to the train and away from any prying eyes outside of the convoy. More-over, the Queen is insisting on your presence, probably because she’s hoping to use you as a meat-shield against my darling puddin’.”

“With all due respect, sir, I think I’m more afraid of your wife than a dishonourable discharge, or whatever machinations the Changelings might have in store for me.” Dappled moaned, leaning heavily against the wheel of the cloth-walled wagon. “I swear if she asks me why I haven’t settled down and have a family, or pulls out pictures of her grand-daughters and asks if I’d like to meet them, I’m going to talk the Changelings into escaping back across the border and taking me with them. I swear Candy Apple must have read the same book as my mother …”

“Dappled m’boy, my sweet little Candy wrote that book, I can assure you of that. Now harden the buck up, stand up straight and do the Border Guard proud, because I for one am sick and Faust-damned tired of being looked down by those pampered pansies in the Royal Guard. So you get your plot in gear, you do that voodoo that you do so well, and you show them how the Border Guard gets things done, you understand me, soldier?”

“Sir!” The strangely unimportant Unicorn all but jumped into a stance and saluted, and it was all Glimmer could do not to snicker at how easily the older Stallion had gotten his subordinate all fired up.

Ah, if only you were still here, Major Stonehoof, you’d probably be bursting with pride to see these two. Glimmer couldn’t help but think sadly but fondly of the retired soldier who had led the Garrison before the ravages of old-age had forced the stern warhorse to retire and be replaced with the brash, arrogant Brass Stars.

“Well, Captain Glimmer, let’s get this show on the road before our esteemed leaders start brawling in the dust.” The young Magi who had been orchestrating the enchanting of the Queen’s new ‘carriage’ said with a tired smile on his face, the bulk of the Border Guards and Fourth-Circle Magi gathering around the Queen’s wagon and the other Changelings as Guard Dappled, sweating profusely, cast a spell that appeared much like a ripple of distortion in the air, a bubble that swept over the Ponies and Changelings like a shimmer of half-seen light.

As it passed over her, Glimmer instinctively tried to grasp the spell, to try to understand the working, only to be filled with such an overwhelming feeling of contempt and dismissal as her mind ‘touched’ the magic that she almost walked away, and she wasn’t the only Pony to take a step or two away, blink or shake their heads in surprise at the strange feeling.

Strangely enough, the Changelings remained untouched, and watched the Ponies with what Glimmer could only think was bemusement.

Emotion magic? A BORDER GUARD can use emotion magic? Glimmer screamed inside her head as the unlikely convoy slowly trundled forwards, the eyes of Ponies and Changelings alike glued to the screaming-match going on between the sour-faced Greysmoke who was supposedly in-charge of the Fourth-Circle Magi and Brass Stars, whose eyes strayed over them, then went glassy for a second before the two Stallions refocused on each other and started shouting insults at each other again.

“Forgive me, Sir Magi, but am I correct in assuming this is …” Glimmer whispered once the convoy had gotten a suitable distance away from the two arguing commanders.

“Emotion magic? Yes, you noticed it too, didn’t you. Not surprising, given you’re a Twilight, but it is rather alarming to see such a strong and dangerous talent out here.” The young Magi whispered back, his features taunt with nervousness. “I think our young Border-Guard might find himself reassigned sooner rather than later. To think we have an empath of this level wasting his talents acting as a mere sentry on the border!”

“Could he be a Royal Agent?” Glimmer whispered after several moments of quiet thought. “I mean, that’s a very rare and potent talent he has there …”

“Maybe, but if that is the case, why didn’t he reveal his Regalia and countermand Brass Stars and Flint? Why go through all this rigmarole just to get the Changeling Queen out of here when he would have the authority to give those two their marching orders, damn their personalities?”

“I suppose we’ll find out when we get back to Canterlot, I guess.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Really?” Night Light sighed, staring at the crates that Thunderwing had ‘procured’ to transport the items from the Canterlot Armory. Crates with a very large, vibrantly pink pair of overlapping hearts pierced by a rather … scandalous object … on them. “You picked crates that have the symbol for Equestria’s most infamous sex-toy producer as the method to smuggle the goods into my house?”

“Considering what your wife does for a living? Sounds like a solid cover-story to me.” Spud pointed out, the burly, scarred Stallion awkwardly carrying one of the crates in through the front door, while two of the other Stallions had to carry a crate between them.

“And I am hardly gossip-magazine material, Night Light. Civilian life has made you far too sensitive!” Thunderwing added, grinning wickedly at him as two very tired-looking Stallions who had pulled the wagon all the way from Canterlot Castle trudged their way out the gates, leaving the wagon behind.

“Maybe not, Thunder, but consider that this house is under constant surveillance by the paparazzi at least, let alone the Shadow Court now that things are moving along as they are! Couldn’t we have picked something less obvious than a hire-cart loaded with what appears to be novelty ‘adult’ toys? To the paparazzi, this has to be a scoop just waiting for them to make a mountain out of. I mean, think about it! Suddenly, you all move in, we’re being watched by the sharpest eyes of Canterlot’s gossip-hounds and Thunderwing rolls up with crates marked with the logo of Beating Hearts’ Adult Toy Shoppe?” The retired sniper groaned and put a hoof to his face, ignoring the bemused and annoyed looks of his companions and Ex-herdmate. “I can see tomorrow’s headlines! General Thunderwing retires to join Herd, Princess Sparkle to gain a dozen new parents! It’ll be an absolute disaster!”

“Would being part of a Herd really be that big of a problem to you, Night?” Thunderwing asked in a short, clipped tone that made Night Light wince. Hardly the best angle to use for his argument, considering at one stage Thunderwing, Twilight Velvet and he had been on the verge of forming a Herd of their own.

“Not to me, Thunderwing, a Herd has never been a problem to me, but consider this, all of you; what our wives and partners inside are going to think about this … and more importantly, what they could do to us …”

Silence held the group in a tight grip for several seconds before a chorus of understanding “oooooh” broke the quiet.

“Errr, better go talk to my lovelies after we get these … ‘toys’ … sorted.” Spud mumbled, the scarred, ugly stallion going considerably paler under his coat as his eyes flicked back to the upper levels of the house, where the remaining ponies were packing away and shifting everything they could lay their hooves on to try and squeeze everyone inside the house comfortably.

“Bollocks. The missus will be right pissed at me if that happens, Night.” Another Stallion muttered, turning green as he looked at the logo on the box with trepidation. “She’s quite conscious about social status, and if she thinks she’s going to get lumped into something scandalous in the public eye, she’ll bolt out of here faster than you can say ‘staying at my mother’s house indefinitely’.’

“Bolt out of here and right into the hooves of Bluebones thugs, or any of the other Noble Houses involved in the Shadow Court.” Night Light pointed out as the remaining stallions started to mutter to each other. “First things first, we get the … toys … inside and prep the house for any uninvited guests. Then … we try to convince our lovely partners not to chew our faces off tomorrow if this goes belly-up. Somebody tried to kill the six mercenaries hired to kidnap me with a spell powerful enough to breach the warding runes on Canterlot Castle’s cells, and that’s not something a novice could pull off.”

“It wasn’t by choice, Night. The boxes, I mean.” Thunderwing muttered as the two of them maneuvered the last of the crates down to the basement, the other Stallions having dropped theirs as soon as possible to rush upstairs to ‘prepare’ their spouses. “Rosebush is strapped for manpower, the Three Generals have stripped Canterlot Castle of all but the bare essential Guards to shore up the borders and secure a … potentially hostile diplomat at the Wastelands Border, and Captain Rosebush refused point-blank to have any official involvement with our little fortification efforts. I had to use something to smuggle the items out of the castle, and those boxes were the only ones I could find that would be the least likely to be inspected by the Royal Guard and have awkward questions asked.”

“Little Rosey has got a good head on her shoulders, but Faust-damn is she far too politically-minded for her own good sometimes.” Night grunted as he wrestled with the crate’s lid, finally prying it off to get a good look at the fully-charged stun-wands packed inside under a layer of blankets. “I’m not angry at you, Thunder, just peeved at the world in general that seems Tartarus-bent on making my life, and that of my family, as complicated and dangerous as possible. You just happened to be the bearer of the last batch of bad news, for which I apologise, I shouldn’t have snapped.”

“Still, you do have to admit, we’re all taking to this quite well. The soldiering, I mean. You ‘retirees’ get your marching orders and you snap back into line like you were waiting for the call.” Thunderwing smiled softly as she took the lid out of Night Light’s hooves and pulled it back over the crate. “Boring civilian life with Velvet not everything you dreamed of?”

“I live with one of the kinkiest Mares in creation who writes dirty novels so scandalous we have to get them printed in another country. My son was the Captain of the Royal Guard, my daughter became the personal student of a God, and now both of them are royalty and one of them has ascended to Godhood in the process.” Night Light replied tartly as the two Ponies moved to the stairwell that would lead them out of the basement. “All of that is far more dangerous for my health, mental or otherwise, than the border-skirmishes we had to deal with the last time the Gryphons decided to flex their muscles. At the very least, the Gryphons would just kill me.”

“You really don’t regret leaving the army, do you?” Thunderwing’s voice became small and sad in a way that made needles of pain worm their way into Night Light’s heart.

What you’re really saying is that you think I don’t regret leaving the army, leaving you, to be with Velvet.

“I have enough regrets for a dozen lifetimes, Thunder, with growing older and having foals with only one of my two special Mares being very damn high up that list. Leaving the army while I still had all my limbs attached, however, is not something I regret. The ‘Champagne’ unit was doing more damage to the rest of the Border Guards’ morale than the Gryphon rebels were doing to their bodies, and damn Bluebone was egging them on while using his family connections to keep them shielded from proper punishment. Sooner or later, if I had stayed with our unit and Bluebone had remained focused on punishing me, we would have been ordered into a situation where no matter how well trained we were or how hard our unit fought, we would have been overwhelmed by the Gryphons.”

“Someday, we are going to have to get Bluebone for what he did to us at the border, aren’t we?” The Thestral whispered softly, her face an unreadable mask, as she followed Night Light up the stairwell.

“If Faust has any mercy for us Ponies, he’ll get his soon enough, Thunder, and every sorry, horrid thing he’s done, as a soldier, as a civilian, will come back to bite him on the plot very, very hard.” The dark-blue Unicorn turned and gave his Ex a wicked grin. “And if he comes after us … well … ‘self defence’ is a legally watertight excuse for us to use if things come to that.”

“Princess Celestia said we were not allowed to go that far.” The Commander of the Lunar Guard warned, to which Night Light scowled.

“And Princess Celestia sends my little girl off into ungodly amounts of danger at the drop of a hat, and Bluebone has been after her for years for this sham marriage to his son, trying to ruin Twilight’s life for his own political mileage.” Night Light pointed out as they reached the doorway. “I don’t care if it upsets the Princess’s political schemes or causes a disaster in the Court, if I get the chance to take Bluebone out of the picture, I’ll do it. I will not let my family get any more tangled up in Celestia’s political ploys than they already are, no matter the cost, and no matter who is standing in my way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sweetie, are you sure you took the order right?” Mrs Cake asked again, trying her best to take a tone that wouldn’t further irritate her already-frazzled husband’s nerves. “I mean, ginseng and guarana in a triple-layer …”

“I know, dumpling, but Miss Rarity was very … firm … that the cake was to have enough kick to it to keep a Pony awake all night long.” Her gangly husband muttered, picking up the mixing-bowl awkwardly between his teeth and carrying it over to the next bench in the kitchen, where the ingredients that would hopefully combine to make a sweet confectionary were all laid out, along with the new ingredients that were causing the Cakes so much stress. “Dumpling, you follow the magazines, is this one of those ridiculous trends coming out of Canterlot? The stimulants are just going to make the cake taste something awful …”

“Miss Rarity, you say. Tell me exactly what she said to you, sweetie, she could be trying to be discreet …” The short and ‘cherubic’ female half of the famous pair of bakers urged her husband, who sagged and recalled the instructions for a triple-layer chocolate cake, fresh whipped cream, glazed cherries, caramel sauce, three times the normal amount of sugar and, with a shudder, he repeated the dreaded line …

“…whatever will give the Ponies who eat it enough stamina to stay awake all night…” Carrot Cake stuttered, blushing fiercly around his freckles. “And she apparently wants it sent to Sweet Apple Acres …”

“Oh sweetie … she’s just being shy about a rendevous!” Cup Cake giggled, giving her frazzled husband a playful shove. “She must have met a gallant Royal Guard during today’s misadventures, and is looking to, ah, ‘repay’ him?”

“I don’t know, dumpling …”

“Oh pish-posh, Rarity and I gossip all the time! Tell me, was she smiling to herself and sounding so very pleased with something?” The portly Mare asked, mentally congratulating her friend in advance for a night of passion with one of those robust Stallions, then chiding herself as her attention turned back to the awkward but sweet and devoted Stallion who had won her heart so many years ago.

“Well, yes, but dumpling …”

“Sweetie, Rarity is the type of Mare who likes to put layers of meanings to things, like this cake of hers. No doubt she didn’t want to ask for something so crass as an aphrodisiac, so she’s trying to help the poor Stallion, eh-hem, rise to the occasion with a special treat.” The cherubic Mare gently began nudging her husband away from the table. “You leave this monstrosity of a cake to me, I’ll duck upstairs, grab some of our special … ‘candies’ … and mix them into the cake, and we’ll leave these nasty ‘stimulants’ out of the mix. Rarity and her special somepony won’t get a wink of sleep tonight, and they’ll never know it wasn’t all them.”

“Is this why you insisted I help you taste-test all those muffins before we had the twins, dumpling?” Carrot asked with a tired smile as he finally took the hint and stepped back to let his wife tackle the task.

“Oh please sweetie, you know you’ve never needed anything other than some whipped cream and a wooden spoon to get my oven ready for some baking.” Cup Cake teased, giggling like a Filly as her husband hooked a fore-leg over her shoulders, pulling her close and kissing her softly on the forehead. “Now skedaddle already, we’ve got customers out there, and Lyra might be happy to lend a hoof with Pinkie missing, but she wouldn’t know a red-velvet cupcake from a custard eclair!”

“Alright, alright, I can take a hint!” Carrot chuckled as his cherubic wife chased him out of the kitchen, obviously in much better spirits, leaving Cup alone to work her ‘magic’ as she trotted back to the mixing table, face split into a blushing grin.

“Oooooh, miss Rarity, I want all the juicy details at our next social!” The portly Mare giggled to herself as she began preparing the ingredients for combining, her hoof reaching towards a large pill-box full of the aphrodisiacs she used to help her over-worked husband rise to the occasion on demand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Whazzat?” Scootaloo muttered, head hanging down in defeat at their latest attempt to get a Cutie Mark had been derailed by Apple Bloom’s stubborn older sister. The box the older Mare carried on her back looked important, considering how Applejack insisted on carrying it herself and refused to allow any of the Crusaders from even touching it. “What d’you think is in that box?”

“The Elements of Harmony?”

“A solid gold apple?”

“Nah, maybe it’s a new rifle for dealing with the bats and Timer-Wolves?”

“Nuh-uh, it’s gotta be the Elements!”

“I say it’s gotta be something expensive! I can feel a lot of magic coming from that box!”

“Maybe it’s something for Rainbow Dash? Like a signed Wonderbolts poster?!”

“A’right, tha’s enough!” Applejack turned to look over her shoulder at the three squabbling Fillies, shooting them a glare that immediately silenced their ‘spirited debate’. “Jus' so we don't have none of your shenanigans tonight, this here’s a scroll from Twilight that ah’ll be lookin’ after for a few days. An’ there ain’t none of your tomfoolery to be involved with it, clear? It’s dangerous, like, ah’ll tan your hides fer days dangerous, y’hear me? Y’know what it is now, stay away from it, or else.”

“But …” The three Fillies said at once, only to flinch backward a step as Applejack’s glare turned from ‘frustrated’ to ‘volcanic’.

“Ah’ll have a Pinkie Promise from all three of y’all that you won’t tell a soul ‘bout this scroll, y’hear? We’re holdin’ it at Apple Acres for a few days till Twilight can figure somethin’ out ‘cause nopony would think to look for a spell-scroll on a farm, but it’s dangerous, an’ if y’all can’t keep your hooves to yourself …”

“But sis, we wouldn’t …” Apple Bloom spluttered indignantly before going mute under the weight of her sister’s frustration.

“Wouldn’t do whatever it takes to get your Cutie Marks? Wouldn’t pull any number o’ dumb stunts that put grey hairs in everypony’s manes when we hear ‘bout them after the fact tryin’ to force what’s supposed to come all natural like? Y’all can Pinkie Promise me that ya’ll won’t get each other all worked up to the point not a lick o’ common sense’ll be shared between the three of you if’n y’all think something might magically gift you with your Cutie Marks?” The older Farm-Pony said in a low, firm voice that made all three Fillies flush with shame and look down at the ground in embarrassment, mumbling the words to the famous ‘Pinkie Promise’ as Applejack’s glare bored holes into their heads. “Maybe you ain’t been paying attention to what happened in Ponyville today, but things have got a lot more dangerous, an' weird, than ahm comfortable with, an’ ah won’t be havin’ you three mixed up in it. Y’all are hazardous enough for Ponyville’s health as thing stand.”

Chastized and more than a little ashamed, the three Fillies followed the Farm-Pony back to the Apple homestead in silence, unable to look at Applejack in embarrassment, especially Apple Bloom, whose face burned with resentment and shame at being spoken to like that in-front of her friends.

It’s so easy for you, Applejack, you’ve already got your Cutie Mark! The young farm-filly fumed in her mind, scowling at her sister’s swaying tail and the box that bobbed back and forth on the elder Apple’s back. We’re almost thirteen, and we’re still Blank Flanks! D’you understand how bad that makes us feel, to be the only Ponies our age without a Cutie Mark? ‘Course we’re gonna do stupid things so we can find out what we’re supposed to do with our lives! I’m tired of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon always mockin’ us and tellin’ the other Ponies we’re no-good ‘cause we ain’t got Cutie Marks at our age! Y’just don’t understand!

And thus were planted the seeds of a rebellion that would come to haunt Ponyville for years to come …