The Cutie Mark Crusaders were just entering the clearing when they saw a heaping red mass sighing and sobbing at the base of their club house. The small, yellow filly, Apple Bloom, put her face in her hoof and shook her head. Her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo skidded to a stop next to her on Scootaloo's scooter laughing and carrying on. Apple Bloom hushed the other Crusaders pointing to the crying Big Macintosh ahead of them.

     "Whats eatin' him?" Scootaloo shot her fellow blank flank a questioning look.

     "He's probably upset about my mama again. He tries to be strong for me but it gets to him every now and again," Apple Bloom continued, "Ya see, Big Mac isn't mah brother. He's kinda mah daddy... He didn't want anypony to know he had a filly out of hoof-loc, and since it was around the time of mah granparents leaving, he told everypony that I was AJ's siste and by extension, his sister. No pony questioned cause no pony really knew my grandparents and it became fact. You guys have to Pinkie Pie swear that you won't tell anypony about this, though."

     "But, who's your mo--" Scootaloo started.

     "Pinkie Pie swear!" Apple Bloom insisted.

     "Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo said in unison.

     "Oh that's so sad, Bloom... I swear," Sweetie Belle said with a glum look and a sigh.

     "Mum's the word, AB," Scootaloo agreed.

     The three little fillies approached the sobbing stallion as quietly as church mice. They crept around his quivering frame and scurried up the ladder into their club house. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had a new charge and new research to spatter along the walls of their meeting place. They were now the proud helpers of one very sad, very lonely red stallion.

Author's note: I realize the chapter is short, but I hope y'all like it and the new chapter should be uploaded this afternoon.