Crusaders or Heroes?

by The_Ind1e_Us3r

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Scootaloo, Adventure, Slice of Life
Length: 1804

The Cutie Mark Crusaders attempt to perform a rescue around Ponyville.

When the Cutie Mark Crusaders discover that they might have the ability to save a pony from danger, just like superheroes, they go around to find an emergency that could prove that true.

Vector art found here.

Published 2023-02-04 13:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-02-04 13:50:00 UTC

Crusaders or Heroes?

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle are good friends. They've helped each other and others find their cutie marks. They have amazing misadventures. And they even opened a club known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The three ponies know what to do, and they always look out for each other.

One morning, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle met Scootaloo at her house. Scootaloo appeared to be reading a comic book.

"Mornin', Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said to Scootaloo.

"G'day, fellas," Scootaloo said back.

Sweetie Belle noticed Scootaloo was reading a comic, so she asked her, "What are you reading there?"

"Ah, this?" Scootaloo showed the comic to both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "Just this old comic I found in a bookstore. I'm beginning to enjoy it."

As she kept reading, she had an idea. "You know," she said, "I think we could be like them."

"What are you talking about?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Think about it." She stood on the table. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders, patrolling Ponyville 24/7. We could make the newspaper!"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, but that's not gonna happen," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "We already have our cutie marks." She looked at her cutie mark.

"Well, think of this as just a hobby, and not all the time," Scootaloo insisted.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle thought long and hard. Scootaloo had a great point, but neither of them thought it was a great idea.

"Well, I guess we could, but-" Before Apple Bloom could say anything else, Scootaloo stepped down from the table.

"Then it's settled!" Scootaloo announced.

"You have to clean that table later, though," said Apple Bloom, looking at the wooden table that had marks on it.

"Oh," Scootaloo noticed. "Whatever. Let's go brainstorm for our superhero hobby!"

A few minutes later, the Crusaders rode around town in their scooter driven by Scootaloo and wagon.

"What do you think our emblem shall be?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I'm glad you said that, Sweetie," said Scootaloo. "I've been thinking of it as us, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, on a badge with freedom colors on it."

"Ya will make a sketch of that, right?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Yep. Just imagine..." A thought bubble popped up in Scootaloo's mind. In that thought bubble, she imagined Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and herself in superhero outfits, protecting the public from all kinds of danger. But then there was trouble.

"Scootaloo, look out!" cried Apple Bloom.

"Huh?" Scootaloo snapped out of her thought bubble to see that she was headed straight for a clothing rack pulled by Rarity! "Whoa!" She tried to stop her scooter, but it was too late! She, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle crashed into the rack! Clothes and fabric flew everywhere! Luckily, no one was hurt.

"Oh, goodness!" exclaimed Rarity. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes, Rarity," said Sweetie Belle covered in a red piece of long fabric.

"I'm sorry, Rarity," an upset Scootaloo said. "I didn't watch where I was going." She picked up the rack and placed it back on its wheels.

"It's okay." Then, Rarity noticed something. "Wait a second..." She took a look at the Crusaders, who had long capes, eye masks, and decorative clothing on them. "A-ha!"

"What is it?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"You have some unique clothing on you," replied Rarity.

"Wait, what?" Scootaloo looked up to see that an eye mask and a cape was on her head. "Hold on a second. Apple Bloom, did the heroes in your comic book have outfits like these?"

"I believe so," answered Apple Bloom.

"Hmm... That's it! I told you we could be destined as heroes!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

Rarity was confused. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's a really long story, sister!" Sweetie Belle cutted off Rarity.

Scootaloo ran to Rarity. "Rarity, can you take us to the boutique? I think I've got an idea with these."

"Uhh, sure?" Rarity did not know what the Crusaders were planning on, but she agreed to take them back to the Carousel Boutique for a makeover.

With a few snip-by-snips, and a yard-by-yard measuring, Rarity finished customizing the Crusaders' small superhero-like outfits.

"Well, what do you think?" said Rarity.

The Crusaders looked at them in awe. The outfits glistened in the light.

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

"Ya know, they do look amazing, for the most part," Apple Bloom complimented. "But why do I get no eye mask?"

"I didn't have enough eye masks for all of you. Sorry," replied Rarity.

"Splendid as ever!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Good!" said Rarity. "Now do whatever you have to do. I'm going to Twilight's place for a dress pick-out, which is why I had that rack in the first place."

"Bye, sister!" Sweetie Belle said as Rarity left the boutique.

"So," Scootaloo began, "ready to save Ponyville from danger?"

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said in unison.

"Okay. Cutie Mark Crusaders, assemble!" Scootaloo stroke a superhero pose, with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle following the action.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders walked carefully around town, keeping their eyes peeled for any kind of trouble lurking about. Then, they heard a cry for help.

"That sounded like..." Apple Bloom said. "Some pony in danger!"

"You're right! Come on, everyone!" Scootaloo led the team towards the pony crying for help.

"Help!" cried the pony.

"Don't feel the blue!" the Crusaders announced. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders are here to help you!"

Then they noticed that the pony, who was just a filly, needed help from getting down a tree.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" the filly instead said. "I need help getting down from this tree!"

The Crusaders looked at each other in confusion.

"That's what you need help with?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yes! I'm afraid of heights!" the filly trembled.

"It's not that high!" Apple Bloom pointed out.

"I know, but I'm just afraid of hurting myself when I get down!" The filly held on to the tree for as long as she could.

Scootaloo climbed up the tree on her own and attempted to help the filly get down safely. She grabbed the filly's hoof and used her tiny wings to get both of them down to safety.

"Thank you!" the filly said. "Who are you?"

"We don't reveal our identities to anyone," replied Scootaloo. "But you may call us the Cutie Mark Superteam."

"Well, than you, Cutie Mark Superteam! I really appreciate it!" The filly ran gleefully away. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were confused.

"That wasn't how I expected the rescue to be," Apple Bloom said.

"Agreed," Sweetie Belle replied. "That wasn't that big of a rescue, anyway!"

"Well, we could just find new danger," insisted Scootaloo. "You'll never know what'll happen next in Ponyville."

For the rest of the day, the Cutie Mark Crusaders looked around town to find any life-threatening danger. But all they could do were perform just simple, non-dangerous rescues, such as helping an old mare cross a sidewalk and assisting a western Earth pony pack hay bales in their cart.

At the end of the daylight, the Crusaders gave up. They thought there weren't any danger that could be saved. So now...

"This was a bad idea from the start..." moped Scootaloo. "I'm sorry I got you all into this mess."

"It's okay," Sweetie Belle said. "It's not bad to try new things for a start."

Just before they head back, they spotted a dog on the train tracks. Its leash was tangled to the railroad ties. It struggled and strained to get off.

"Oh no!" Apple Bloom said. "That dog is stuck on the tracks!"

"We have to go help it!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle.

"Uhh, I don't think this is a good idea anymore," said Scootaloo.

The three of them ran to the tracks and tried to untangle the leash from the ties. But it was no use at all.

"I can't do it..." exhaled Scootaloo, strained from all the struggling.

Hoot!

Then there was trouble. The Crusaders heard a sound that made their legs wobble.

"A train is coming!" gasped Apple Bloom. "Come on! Pull!"

The train was visible from the distance. It whooshed down the line at a very high speed.

Ponies nearby took notice and ran towards the fence to see the Crusaders attempting to free the dog at the wrong time. The rest of the Mane Six, including Rarity and Applejack, were some of the ponies who saw them.

"Oh no! Hurry!" Sweetie Belle cried.

"Just let it go!" Rarity cried.

The driver saw the dog and the three on the tracks and applied the brakes as hard as he could.

"It's too late! We have to get off now!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she and Apple Bloom ran off as fast as they could. But Scootaloo stayed behind. "Come on, Scootaloo! It's too late!"

"No!" said Scootaloo. "Not today!" She pulled with all her might to free the dog from the tracks. And with a last-second escape, she and the dog got out of the way just in the nick of time! The ponies clapped and cheered at Scootaloo for attempting to risk her life to save a dog from being hit. Rainbow Dash was the most proud of all.

The driver got off the train and inspected the Crusaders in worry. "Oh my goodness, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't know you three were in the way!"

"Don't worry about us," said Scootaloo. "At least we're all safe and sound."

The dog smiled at Scootaloo.

A little while later, the Mayor came to inspect what had happened.

"What's happened here?" she asked.

"It was all my fault, ma'am," the driver said, upset at what he had done. "I didn't know they were on the tracks to begin with."

"No," said Scootaloo, "we're to blame. I wanted to protect Ponyville from danger with my friends. So I'm the one who should be sorry."

The driver and mayor smiled.

"That's not true," the mayor said. "You tried to save a dog from getting hit by a train. That's one kind of danger you stopped. You should be proud of yourself for that."

"Yea, and not to mention you were so brave back there!" said Apple Bloom.

"And strong too!" added Sweeite Belle. "You're the one that deserve to be praised more than us."

"Aw, thanks, girls," said Scootaloo sweetly.

"It's not just you, orange one," the mayor said. "You and your friends have earned your mark for your bravery."

Every pony clapped and cheered for their bravery. It seemed like the Cutie Mark Superteam wasn't a bad idea after all. And that made the Cutie Mark Crusaders smile and smile.

Author's Note

The original writing had Apple Bloom as the main character instead of Scootaloo, hence why you may spot words that are normally said by the former.