Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, and Apple Bloom (The Cutie Mark Crusaders) are sitting in a circle in the middle of their clubhouse. Apple Bloom has a small letter in her hooves.
"Applejack gave this to me. She said it was important!" she says, and then opens the letter. She reads it aloud:
Dear Cutie Mark Crusaders,
Babs here! My folks back home are letting me visit for a few days! There's so much we need to catch up on! And, my friend, Lightning Speed, is gonna come with me. He really wants to meet you three! I will be taking the train tomorrow morning. Can't wait to see you ponies again!
Fellow Cutie Mark Crusader,
Babs Seed
"Wow! Babs is coming tomorrow!" Apple Bloom shouts, leaping into the air. The letter flutters to the floor.
"And she's bringing her friend! Maybe he'll want to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders!" Scootaloo cries, her wings rapidly fluttering.
"We need to make this place spotless if we want him to join us," Sweetie Bell points out, spinning around to view the huge mess. Papers and equipment from past attempts to get their curie marks are scattered all around. Paint brushes and empty paint cans are shoved in one corner, underneath Scootaloo, Sweetie Bell, Apple Bloom, and Babs' names neatly painted on the wall.
Apple Bloom rushes over to the window, and peers out. Fallen leaves are all over the ground below, hiding the green grass. Rakes are piled under a tree, waiting to be used.
"This place needs a lot of work....." Apple Bloom states.
"We can never clean this up in half a day!" Scootaloo exclaims, blowing a spider web away.
"We must try!" Sweetie Bell says. "For Babs! For Rapid Lightning! For the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"
"Yeah!" Scootaloo and Apple Bloom yell. The three ponies put their hooves together.
"The Cutie Mark Crusaders!!!" They shout.
