Cutie Mark Crusaders - Earning Your Keep

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Well hello there, little ponies! How are you doin’ this fine autumn day, eh? I declare, there’s nothin’ like a nice morning sun at the flank end of summer to put the trot back in my old bones. And from the look of it, I’d say some of you fillies and colts have been trottin’ over to Sweet Apple Acres and helpin’ yourselves to a bit o’ the harvest when nopony’s lookin’, eh? Don’t try to sneak one past me; I’ve done enough of my own pinchin’ to trick to the shine of apple juice ‘round a young pony’s mouth.

Oh, don’t get cross-hoofed on me, now. I’m not gonna clap you in irons and haul you off to yer mommas. Ponies is ponies, my ol’ grandmare used to say, and if’n ya don’t have enough bark on ya to snitch an apple or two when the darn things are ‘bout to burst from bein’ so juicy, then you ain’t doin’ it right.

What’s that? Oh, my mark? Well thank you kindly, little miss, for askin’. Ayup, it’s a spiderweb all right. Very perceptive of ya. They call me Webweaver, when they don’t call me less savory things. I like to travel about and spin webs, like the one over there ‘twixt them two trees, see yonder? I set them up, and any tales that’s floatin’ about in the wind, why they just fly over and get caught up in my webs. Ever’ once in awhile, I’ll trot around and see what the wind’s done blown in there, and if’n I think it’s special enough, why I’ll just wrap it up and carry it ‘round with me ‘til I spy a special colt or filly who I think needs to hear about it. No, young sir, I won’t show you. It’s right special, this talent of mine, and if I showed you, then it wouldn’t work.

Flies? Gorry no, I don’t catch flies in my webs. It’s easy ‘nuff to catch flies when you’re as old and slow as I am, and a mite more troublesome to get rid of the pesky things. No, I told ya, I catch tales, and if you’ll hold yer yammerin’ for a bit, I might just set a spell and tell ya one or two.

There now, ain’t this better? Just look at this. A shady spot like this is just the place to set a web, and catch a tale on the breeze. And mayhap it’ll work just as well to undo one and let it float out again; this breeze feels just about right to float it ‘tween my mouth and your ears, and if ya pay attention, ya can send it on it’s way yer own self, and save me the trouble of tellin’ it twice. Carryin’ tales is a worrisome burden, and it can wear an old unicorn like myself down somethin’ turrible, but this here tale’s not too heavy for young ears, I reckon. Let me ask you, have you little’uns heard of the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Ya have?

Stupid club? Blank flanks? That’s a serious charge comin’ from you lot, when the whole lot of ya don’t have more marks yerselves than I do legs under my belly. Snicker if ya want, but cutie marks is serious business to those that hasn’t got ‘em yet, even though you lot with yer own would like as not wanna forget the fact. And the three fillies I’m gonna tell you about are more serious than most about the whole affair.

Now, settle down. No need to go arguin’ about it amongst yerselves. Ever’pony under the sun’s got a mark comin’, sooner or later, and if the fillies in my story’d set that fact in their heads – like you lot ‘arter – they’d be a lot more content. But bein’ content ain’t what these three are about, not by a long shot, and it’s just as well, I reckon, else I wouldn’t have much to say to you here, am I right?

You bet I am, little miss. Lemme tell you what happened…

“Oh no,” Scootaloo groaned, her wings tucking down to her sides as she let her scooter coast to a stop. “It’s totally wrecked!”

In the wagon behind her, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked dismally over the remnants of their clubhouse. The storm from the evening before had been particularly rough, and the weather ponies had warned everyone there might be some minor damage from tree limbs and other debris. But this…this was…

“It’s a disaster!” Sweetie Belle hopped out of the wagon and trotted over to the base of the tree their clubhouse was perched in. Part of the door hung splintered and ruined from one lonely hinge; there was no sign of the rest of it. Pieces of board, a few shingles and a shutter lay scattered about, and the posters that had hung from the interior walls were hanging limply from a nearby bush. “What’re we gonna do? It looks even worse than when Applejack gave it to us!”

Apple Bloom meandered through the wreckage to join her. “It’s not that bad,” she offered weakly. “We c’n fix it up again.”

“With what? I forgot to stop by the hardware store on the way over,” Scootaloo shot back. The orange filly dismounted from her scooter and removed her protective headgear. “There’s no way we can scrounge enough stuff again to fix it this time.” Stalking over to the paper decorated bush, she retrieved a crumpled piece and groaned again. “Our map! Now what are we gonna do?”

The little map of Ponyville tracing their adventures in search of their cutie marks was a complete write-off; the only legible bit remaining was the TOP SECRET, DON’T LOOK OR ELSE! still visible in one sodden corner. Sweetie Belle looked it over for a moment, then shrugged. “At least nobody else can read it either. They can’t steal our cutie marks.”

“We didn’t get them yet, remember?” Scootaloo groused. “Besides, how do you steal a cutie mark?”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie replied. “Maybe that’s why we can’t find them, though. Somebody keeps hiding them from us.”

Scootaloo gave her a flat stare and said nothing.

“Have you got a better idea?” Sweetie Belle said crossly. “At least I’m thinking, here.” She sat down, pouting, and returned Scootaloo’s glare. “You have helmet mane.”

“Hey, c’mon, focus, gang!” Apple Bloom stepped between them. “This ain’t helpin’. We gotta fix up our clubhouse, remember?” She sat back beside Sweetie Belle and studied the denuded framework overhead. “Ah think we can fix it, we just need to get some supplies, is all.”

Scootaloo shook herself, her forelock falling gently over one eye, and then exhaled loudly. “Yeah, I guess. But where are we gonna get them?”

“Do you think Applejack can give us some supplies?” Sweetie flipped over a piece of shattered board with one hoof. “She gave us all this old stuff before, remember?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo brightened at last. “C’mon, Apple Bloom, let’s ask Applejack. She’ll help us out, won’t she?”

Apple Bloom’s muzzle quirked up in an odd expression. “Ah reckon. But ah think ah know what she’s gonna say…”

Applejack drew in a deep breath as she curled her hind legs up close to her body. Poised on her forehooves, she kicked backwards with a loud grunt, striking the bole of the apple tree directly behind her. Tucking her head in just in case, she listened with satisfaction to the chunky sounds as the tree gave up its fruit, the apples pattering down to fill the buckets on either side. “The storm tore it up, huh?”

“Yeah, it’s a real mess.” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ah don’t think we can put it back t’gether again with what’s left.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty wrecked,” Sweetie Belle added.

“Totally!” Scootaloo offered, waving her forelegs for emphasis. “I mean, ka-pow city!”

Applejack settled back against the tree, resting for a moment. “Well that’s a darn shame, sugarcube. Ah know how hard y’all worked on ever’thing.”

“We were wonderin’ if you had some extra stuff layin’ around we could borrow to try to fix it up. Ah told ever’pony how great a sister you were and you’d never EVER leave a pony hangin’ if you could help ‘em out.” Apple Bloom put on her most sincere expression, and her friends nodded rapidly in support. “Please, Applejack?”

“Aw hon, you ain’t gotta butter mah bread up like that.” Applejack grinned. “I ‘preciate the compliment.” She tilted her wide brimmed hat back and let the breeze toss through her forelock. “Problem is, ah ain’t got much tah give ya. All we got at the moment’s a couple a ‘ol boards and a few nails, and Big Mac needs them fer the barn door. He's got to patch it up 'soon as he gets home.”

Scootaloo perked up. “Hey, do you have six wooden planks?”

Applejack blinked. “Um, nope, just two, sugarcube, and ah cain’t spare ‘em.”

“How about some four by eight plywood?”

Sweetie Belle clapped a hoof over the orange filly’s muzzle. “Oh no, we’re not doing THAT again.”

Scootaloo shook free and snorted. “It worked last time!”

“Hold on here, girls. Yer buckin’ the wrong tree.” Applejack straightened up, stretching out one hind leg. “Ah told ya ah cain’t give yah the stuff ah got. But there ain’t no reason ya cain’t take some money and go buy yerselves all the supplies ya need.”

The three fillies traded glances. “Ah don’t think we have enough, Applejack.” Apple Bloom sat down, a pained expression flitting over her face.

“What about them ten bits ah gave ya last week fer yer allowance?” Applejack gave her sister a knowing look. “Ah bet Mr. and Mrs. Cake down to Sugarcube Corner sold themselves a few cupcakes to a pack of hungry fillies after school t’other day.” She leaned down, a small smile beginning to crease the corners of her mouth. “Or am ah the one buckin’ the wrong tree now?”

“Yeah, we kinda spent it all.” Apple Bloom’s expression sunk lower.

“They were really really good,” Sweetie Belle offered helpfully.

“And awesome!” chimed in Scootaloo.

“You three went through ten bits ‘o cupcakes in one afternoon?” Applejack shook her head. “Tarnation!”

Apple Bloom’s expression hit rock bottom, her lower lip pouching out and beginning to quiver slightly. Sweetie Belle trotted up next to her friend, reaching up and rubbing the other filly’s shoulder. “They were really good,” she said again, trying to think of some other reason that sounded…well, reasonable. It had seemed like a good idea at the time…

“Oh, don’t get so down in the face, thar. Yer lip’s stickin’ out so far, yer liable tah trip over it afore ya take two steps,” Applejack soothed, rubbing her sister’s forelock. “Ah’ve got a little extra jingle that ain’t doin nuthin’ but holdin’ down that jar in the kitchen. Maybe ah could spare a few bits for yer clubhouse.”

The miserable expression on the three fillies’ faces vaporized instantly, and they gazed at Applejack with such a worshipful look that the pony could almost hear a heavenly chorus hovering about her head. “Y-You mean it??” stammered Sweetie Belle.

“Well why not? Shoot, it used tah be mah clubhouse when I was yer age. It’d be like restorin’ a national monument fer the Apple Family.”

“That’s awesome, Applejack! You’re the coolest!” Scootaloo darted a look around suddenly, hoping Rainbow Dash hadn’t been within earshot. “Um…how much can we have?”

Applejack crossed her hooves and leaned against the tree beside her, cocking an eyebrow at the little pegasus. “Have?”

A moment’s silence ensued.

Sweetie Belle sallied forth to break it. “Um…how much can we…borrow?”

Applejack shook her head. “No can do, sugarcube. Ah never lend out anythin’. If’n some pony’s in need, I’ll give ‘em ten bits and the hat off’n mah head without sayin’ a word, and not expect to see it again. If it comes back to me, well then, that’s fine too, but lendin’s a bad business.” She swished her tail slowly, enjoying the bemused expression on their faces for a moment. “Ah reckon it won’t hurt nothin’ if you earn that there money, though.”

Sweetie Belle looked distraught. “I don’t think Rarity would like it if I got a job apple bucking.”

The peach colored pony laughed helplessly, swatting the trio of apples marked on her own flank with a forehoof. “I reckon not, Sweetie, and you ain’t got the hooves for it yet, no how. Naw, I ain’t talkin’ about a job, sugarcube; there’s other ways to earn yer pay besides jobs.” She leaned down, holding them in her gaze, a predatory grin on her face. “Naw. Ah’m talkin’ ‘bout…chores.”

The three fillies let out a chorus of groans, and Apple Bloom shook her head resignedly at her friends. “See? Ah told ya…”

Chapter 2

“Wow!” Sweetie Belle stood still for a moment, taking in the view. “I thought you said it was just a garden. This is huge!”

Scootaloo groaned, letting her head sink down to rest on the handlebars of her scooterboard. “This is like, massive. We’re never gonna be able to finish this in time to get to the store today!”

Apple Bloom jumped down out of the little red wagon and shook her windblown mane back into place. “Ah told ya not to rush, Scootaloo. And we ain’t gotta pick everything, just the stuff that’s ready to be harvested.”

“Yeah, but…really? I mean come on!” Scootaloo waved her forelegs dramatically in the air and gestured at the plot before them. “I thought you only grew apples here. You could feed the whole town!”

“It ain’t that big.” Apple Bloom trotted over to the edge of the plowed earth before them and pawed at the ground with a forehoof proudly. “But it does for th’ Apple Family, ‘less we need somethin’ special from town.”

The vegetable garden lay off to one side of the storage barn, slightly less than halfway between it and the house. About twenty rows wide, it stretched back for some distance, almost to the edge of the tree line that marked the informal edge of Sweet Apple Acres. The rich, brown earth was neatly plowed, and each row was headed by a small stick with an empty seed packet placed on top. The pictures on the front of each packet were long faded, washed out by the summer rains and long hours of sunshine, but the plants poking up in each row were well developed and no longer needing such identification to announce themselves.

“Greenbeans, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, squash…ick.” Sweetie Belle made a face as she walked past the head of that row. “Carrots…hey, Apple Bloom, how come you grow carrots? We just buy ours in town from Golden Harvest.” She sat back and closed her eyes, rubbing her belly with her forehooves. “Mmm-MM! She always has good carrots.”

“Ah know. But ah think ours are better.”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle bent her head for a moment, sniffing. “They smell the same.”

“Yeah, but mah Granny Smith grew these.” A small smile touched Apple Bloom’s face for a moment, and she struggled to find the right words. “She comes out here every spring, when Big Mac’s done plowin’ the garden up, and plants it all herself.”

“Granny Smith planted all of this??” Scootaloo stared down the long rows of vegtables. “By herself?”

“Ever’ year, while Big Mac an’ my sister are workin’ down in the apple orchards. She let me help her this spring, cause I’m a big pony now.” Apple Bloom blushed proudly. “She let me dig the holes and even plant some of th’ seeds, but she wouldn’t let me cover ‘em up.” The yellow filly shook her head, her hairbow bobbing gently. “She said yah had to be careful when you put the seeds tah bed, or else they wouldn’t wake up and grow proper.” She stopped there, suddenly mindful of what Granny had said to her next.

“Unicorns has got magic all tied up in their horns, and that’s why they’re always runnin’ about with their brains in a twist.” The white-haired mare had leaned over and tapped Apple Bloom’s foreleg twice. “An Earth Pony’s only got a little magic, and that’s right there down in their hooves, if they’re canny enough to find it and use it in the right place.”

Apple Bloom had lifted her forelegs up, staring at them in mingled suspicion and wonder. “Ah’ve got magic hooves?”

Granny Smith had laughed, the sound clear and wonderful in the fresh, spring air. “Maybe so, little one. But it’s up to you to find out how tah use ‘em.”

Apple Bloom started abruptly, shaken out of her reverie as the pegasus filly beside her emitted a piercing whistle.

“WAKE UUUP!” Scootaloo shouted at the garden. “Come on out and jump in the wagon already!” She pawed at the dirt restlessly with a forehoof and turned to see her friends regarding her with a wary expression. “What?”

“They’re just vegetables, silly.” Apple Bloom felt suddenly foolish. “C’mon,” she said, standing up and trotting over to the first row of greenbeans. “Let’s get tah work before mah sister comes over here and sees you talkin’ to a cornstalk.”

Sweetie Belle giggled and followed after her, leaving Scootaloo perched on her scooter behind them and wearing a pained expression. “You said they were asleep…” The pegasus filly leaned over and kicked a hindhoof to set her scooter in motion, fluttering her wings as she towed the wagon over to the beans.

“Ah said we just put ‘em to bed. They wake up on their own and grow.” Apple Bloom craned her head up and began carefully picking the beanpods off of the first plant with her teeth and dropping them in the wagon. “They’re just stupid ‘ol plants anyway, they don’t really sleep.” She felt a slow flush creeping up under her eyes and over her cheeks, the heat having nothing to do with the sun overhead. Beside her, Sweetie Belle quietly picked beans away from the second plant in the row, avoiding eye contact with either of her friends.

The three fillies worked their way slowly along the row in silence, Scootaloo pulling the wagon along in short hops, with Apple Bloom only speaking up now and again to correct them when they came to a spot here and there where the beans weren’t quite ready to be harvested yet. They paused once at the halfway point to let Scootaloo haul the filled wagon over to the barn where a row of baskets had been laid out for them by Applejack.

Apple Bloom watched the pegasus filly for a moment, her ears twitching as the faint squeaking of one of the wagon wheels carried across the air. Turning back to the beanstalk before her, she grabbed another mouthful of the pods and tugged it free, a few leaves coming with it as she dropped the clump to the ground.

“Careful, don’t break it,” Sweetie Belle offered timidly.

“Who cares, it’s just a dumb ‘ol plant anyway.” Another fat clump of beans hung just out of reach. Rearing back on her hind legs, Apple Bloom swiped at it with a champ of her jaws, but the pods remained just out of reach. Placing her forehooves on the stalk, she shook the plant angrily, watching the offending prize dance about over her head. “Stupid, stupid plant!”

A rush of wind made her duck suddenly, and she crouched down in reflex, emitting a startled squeak of alarm. A thudding sound shook her, and she opened her eyes to see Scootaloo standing beside her, wings fluttering from the jump she had made, the beanpods gripped carefully on one side of her muzzle. The lavender-maned pegasus dropped the beans in front of her and touched Apple Bloom on the shoulder gently with her nose.

“Hey, look. I’m sorry.” Scootaloo shuffled uncomfortably, her wings tucking in close to her sides. “I wasn’t making fun of your garden, or Granny Smith or anything, honest. It was just a stupid joke. I’m always making stupid jokes.” Her tail drooping, the little filly stared at the ground. “I really just wanted to hurry up and get everything done so we can go buy the stuff and fix our clubhouse so we can hang out and do cool stuff together.” Swallowing heavily, she sniffled and looked up at Apple Bloom. “Please don’t be mad at me. You two are my best friends in the whole world.”

Apple Bloom stood frozen for a moment, then touched her friend’s forehoof with her own. “Ah ain’t mad at you, Scootaloo. Ah just felt outa sorts, ah guess. It’s okay.” She offered the little pegasus a grin. “Shoot, ah probl’y would’a ended up pickin’ these dumb ‘ol plants anyway. But at least I’m doin’ it with the coolest friends in Ponyville!”

Scootaloo scrubbed her eyes with a foreleg, her features brightening. “Yeah! Hey, if we can finish all this today, maybe we can get our cutie marks at this. You think?”

Sweetie Belle’s features drew up in a broad grin. “A harvesting cutie mark? What would that look like?” She laughed suddenly. “Rarity would freak out!”

“Ah don’t know, let’s try it!” Apple Bloom drew back her foreleg, and in unison, the three clapped their forehooves together and let fly with a shout that boomed through the rustling plants beside them. “Cutie Mark Crusader HARVESTERRRS!”

The sound carried easily across the open yard to the front porch of the house where Granny Smith sat in her rocker, the old chair creaking softly as she leaned back and forth. Big Macintosh poked his head out of the half-door beside her, a couple of nails tucked into one corner of his mouth. “What in the tarnation are them kids up to?”

“Do’ins,” Granny said, and chuckled to herself, her old eyes twinkling with memories. “Jest do’ins, Big Mac. Let ‘em be.”

Chapter 3

Scootaloo pulled the loaded wagon the last few feet and came to a stop, exhaling loudly with relief as she dismounted her scooter for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. For all she knew, it was the thousandth time; she’d quit counting after the twenty-third trip or so. “Finalllly!”

Her friends groaned in tacit agreement. The three fillies were matted with sweat, with dirt splotches liberally applied just about everywhere. Their manes were caked and stiff, and Sweetie Belle kept swiping weakly at her forelock, which seemed to be dangling a new bit of cornsilk down in her eyes every few minutes. The little unicorn had taken a tumble off of the wagon while they’d been unloading a batch of corn earlier, and they’d spent several minutes uncovering her, giggling at the frustrated filly as she’d waved her forelegs around frantically, looking nothing so much as like one of the decorated haystacks that dotted the farms around Nightmare Night Eve time.

Apple Bloom was not in much better condition, her hairbow dusty and limp as it hung around her ears. The formerly yellow filly, now about three shades darker and more dusty grey than yellow at this point, patted Scootaloo on the shoulder. “Why’nt you let Sweetie Belle an’ me unload this last bit? You been haulin’ that thing all day an’ helpin’ us pick, too.”

“No, I can help out, I’m cool.” The little pegasus leaned against the side of the wagon for a moment, her legs trembling with fatigue. “Just gimme a second to catch my breath.”

Sweetie Belle had already jumped into the rear of the wagon and begun rolling the heads of lettuce from the top of the pile into the half-filled bushel basket beside them. “Take a break, Scoot. We’ve got this.”

Scootaloo blinked and rubbed sweat from one eye. “All right, if you’re sure…”

Apple Bloom patted her again and then hoisted herself up in the wagon beside Sweetie Belle and began rolling lettuce heads along with her friend. “One head two head three head four, ain’t gotta do this chore no MORE!”

Sweetie Belle burst into a fit of laughter at that, than began snorting and brushing at her forelock again. “Oh come ON! This stuff is everywhe…” She broke off as she spotted the green lettuce leaf Apple Bloom had been tickling her ear with. “Oh, you are SO gonna get it.”

Scootaloo shook her head, a crooked grin creasing the corner of her mouth as she wandered a few steps away and sat down. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and just let the breeze wash over her for a few moments. The air was cooler now in the late evening, and the gentle currents wafted over the treetops at the edge of the farm and ruffled the matted fur of her forelock, her ears flicking as they caught the barest hint of the cooler autumn air that was to come soon. Her shadow stretched out long behind her, the reddened rays of the lowering sun turning her orange coat a dark, burnished golden-brown.

Finally done, she thought. Maybe tomorrow we can get the stuff we need. Shoot, this wasn’t so bad-
A droning hum zoomed past one ear and she blinked rapidly, her eyes watering in response. She sat up, flicking her ear in irritation as she stomped a forehoof on the ground. “Aw, I hate mosquitoes!”

“Ah ain’t too partial to ‘em none, mahself,” Scootaloo glanced around and saw Applejack pacing up behind her, her own ears flickering rapidly. “Tell yah the truth though, I don’t think they’re gonna have much luck with munchin' on you kids; yer all wearin about half that field on yerselves.” The mare grinned, shaking her head. “You’uns are a pure-T mess, ah have tah tell yah.”

“Yeah, but it’s all cool.” Scootaloo grinned. “We did it, Applejack, look!” She waved a foreleg at the garden plot.

“Yeah, ah been keepin’ an eye on you fillies t’day. Y’all done a good heap o’ work, and I’m right proud of all of yah.” Applejack turned her head to nudge the small pouch slung at one side, the bag clinking softly. “Looks like it’s time ah kept mah end of the deal, huh? Y’all ready fer yer wages?”

Sweetie Belle shoved the last of the lettuces out of the wagon, glaring at it until it rolled to a stop on the edge of the filled basket. She jumped down from her perch and trotted over to Applejack, Apple Bloom following a short distance behind. “What’s wages, Applejack? Are they yummy?”

The peach colored mare laughed. “They can be, ah reckon, if’n yah unload ‘em at Sugarcube Corners. Ah’m talkin’ bout yer pay.”

“YAY!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “Payday!”

“Moolah!” Scootaloo added.

“Jingle!” Apple Bloom ran in a circle around her big sister, then thumped to a stop beside her friends, the three looking up at Applejack with wide eyes. “Um…how much?” she added timidly, not wanting to appear greedy or anything, but the pouch Applejack bore might save their clubhouse and enable them to get down to the real work of discovering their cutie marks, and maybe even saving the world, or at least something cooler than picking vegetables.

Applejack chuckled softly. “Lesson learned. Yah might wanta ask that question before yah take on chores next time, just tah make sure ya ain’t getting’ cheated. Don’t you worry though, yer big sister’s gonna pay yah fair an’ square.”
The three fillies watched with rapt attention as Applejack unhooked the pouch from its strap, shaking it open. Scootaloo switched her tail absently at a mosquito on her haunch, pasting it with a dull thwack.

“Good shot,” Applejack mumbled around the bag. Gripping the neck of it in her teeth, she shook out four golden coins in front of Sweetie Belle. “Thar’ ya go.”

The three fillies lowered their heads, ears drooping as they examined their reward. It might buy them a few boards, or some paint, or maybe a new curtain for the window which didn’t actually exist anymore… “Thanks, Applejack,” Sweetie Belle offered in a low voice. “We really appreciate-”

The mare chuckled loudly. “Hold on, ah ain’t done yet.” She shook four more coins out in front of Apple Bloom.

And then four more in front of Scootaloo. The three fillies stood dumbfounded, jaws agape.

“Twelve bits??” Apple Bloom shook her head and counted again. This was more than her monthly allowance. “Are you sure? That’s an awful lot!”

Applejack yanked the drawstring of the pouch closed and hung it back on the work harness slung at her side. “Well, looks to me like three fillies I know did an awful lot of work out here t’day. That was a powerful lot o’ vittles you three hauled outa that field, and yah saved Big Mac, Granny and me the time an’ trouble o’ doin’ it ourselves.” She regarded them with good humor. “And bein’ that all three of yah kicked in and helped out, ah reckon all three of yah oughta get paid.” She offered them a crooked grin, her emerald eyes gleaming. “Or am I buckin’ the wrong tree again? Ah didn’t overpay ya, did I?”

A chorus of “NO!” answered her back.

“Well, then, that settles that, ah reckon.” She glanced at Apple Bloom. “Ah see you thinkin’ thinks there, little sis. What’s up?”

Apple Bloom’s eyes had been unfocused, lost in thought for a moment. She regarded their earnings again, then looked up at her big sister with a sad gaze. “Ah don’t think it’s gonna be enough to fix ever’thing. It’s really wrecked bad.”

Her friends looked at the golden coins and traded a glance; they’d learned lately to trust Apple Bloom’s intuition on such things. Sweetie Belle glanced unhappily behind them at the picked over garden, and then back to Applejack. “Have you got any more chores we can do?”

“’Fraid not, girls.” Applejack shrugged apologetically. “Least not something suited to young’uns. Ah’m afraid ah’m all tapped out.” She shook her head, ears flicking irritably as another mosquito droned past, the advancing evening beginning to bring the annoying pests out in droves. “Tell ya what, though. Bein’ that it’s the weekend, and you ain’t got school tomorrow, why don’t you get up in the mornin’ and see if there’s other folks in town that needs a little help? As hard as you three work, ah’m sure you’ll drum up enough jingle doin’ odd jobs here an’ there that you’ll set yerselves up and have enough to fix that clubhouse lickety-split.”

Apple Bloom jumped in place, her bedraggled hairbow bouncing limply. “Yeah! We can do it! Maybe we can ask Rarity if she needs help…um…sortin’ fabric, or somethin’.”

An alarmed expression surfaced on Sweetie Belle’s face. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Looking down at herself, she groaned, brushing ineffectually at the dried sweat and grime on her coat. “At least it’s a clean idea, though. She’s gonna go nuts when I get home.”

“It’s worth a try.” Apple Bloom looked over at her other friend. “What’ya say, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo had remained oddly quiet for the past few moments. She shrugged noncomittally, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess, if you think it’ll work.”

“Don’t fret, sugarcube. You’ll get yer clubhouse fixed up in a jiffy, ah’m sure.” Applejack glanced up at the lowering sun. “Why don’t y’all come on inside and get cleaned up? You can sit down and have dinner with us if’n ya like.” She grinned. “Shoot, you can set to work chompin on some of them vittles yah picked today fer real, this time.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Thanks, but I really better get home. I’m already probably gonna get yelled at, and I don’t want Rarity to come looking for me.”

Scootaloo stood up and shook herself. “Yeah, I gotta fly, too. C’mon, Sweetie Belle, you can ride with me.” She grinned, her eyes flashing suddenly. “I bet I can get you home faster than Rainbow Dash, even.”

“Really?”

Scootaloo mulled that one over for a second. “Well, almost as fast.” You never knew who might be flying by and listening in…

“Thanks, Scootaloo, that’ll be awesooMMWAOOOW!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes had grown round as saucers. “YOU HAVE A CUTIE MARK!”

Everyone blinked and replied in unison. “What??”

Sweetie Belle began bouncing rapidly in place. “On your flank, Scoot! It’s even got wings, I think!”

“Where where where where where??” Scootaloo turned her head around to peer at her own hindquarters, spinning around rapidly. “I don’t see it-uff!” Dizzy, she flopped over breathlessly, squinching her eyes shut and feeling slightly sick to her stomach. “What is it, Sweetie Belle, I can’t see it!”

The little unicorn stepped close, squinting in the dim light. “It’s a…something flying, it’s got wings, but there’s dirt all over it.” She rubbed the spot with a forehoof, the fur underneath ruffling up. “It’s a…oh. It’s a mosquito.” She flicked the dead insect away with distaste.

Scootaloo’s expression crashed into total misery. “Aww come ON!”

Applejack repressed a laugh and walked over to the little pegasus, bending down down to nuzzle her forelock. “Hang tough, sugarcube,” she said softly, “just like you did t’day. One day it’ll pop up and yah won’t have tah hunt fer it ever again, don’t you worry.”

“Yeah, I know.” Scootaloo stood up and sighed, smoothing the matted fur back down over her flank. “One day.”

Chapter 4

“Wait!” Sweetie Belle ran both forehooves over her own forehead and down her neck, and then shook herself vigorously, letting her pink and purple tresses fluff out again and fall where they would. “How’s it look now?”

Scootaloo tried a weak smile, and failed. “Um…about like last time.”

“Yeah…that’s what I guessed.” The little unicorn sighed. “Thanks for trying.”

Scootaloo had parked her scooter and wagon off to one side, trying to give her friend a few more precious minutes as they walked toward their destination. The two stood in front of the Carousel Boutique, the shop owned by Sweetie Belle’s older sister, its interior lights gleaming out into the darkened street where they had paused for a moment to try one last bit of damage control. The fillies had stopped and tried to clean off in the small pond that lay near the remains of their clubhouse, scrubbing the worst of the dirt off as rapidly as they could. The speedy trip back to town had left both of their manes windblown but at least mostly dry, but the resultant “styling” left a lot to be desired.

“You think she’s gonna be really mad?”

“At this? She’ll probably ground me for a hundred years or so.” Sweetie Belle sighed, staring at the shop door which loomed, waiting, in the shadow cast by the bay window beside it. “Don’t worry, she’ll get over it.” She looked back at her friend. “Hey, you wanna come in? We can all go have dinner together or something.”

Scootaloo shook her head. “Nah, I’m gonna go crash.”

“You almost did that on the way here.”

“Not really crash. I mean, take a nap or something. I’m kinda beat.”

Sweetie Belle looked at the pegasus filly for a moment in silence. “You sure?” she asked quietly. “It’s no problem, really. Rarity fusses a lot, but she won’t mind.”

“No, really, I gotta go. I have to get home and get rested up so we can head out early tomorrow like Applejack said.” Scootaloo offered her a broad grin. “Cutie Mark Crusader chore hunters!” She stuck out a forehoof.

The little unicorn clapped her own forehoof together with her friend, and met her gaze. “You sure?” she asked again, trying one last time.

“I’m cool, really. But thanks.” Scootaloo trotted over to where her scooter and wagon were parked, fishing her helmet out of the back and clapping it over her head. Her wind-frazzled mane and forelock stuck out at odd angles, giving the little pegasus a bedraggled appearance. “Catch ya later!”

“Seeya, Skater!” Sweetie Belle grinned.

“It’s a scooter, I told you-“ Scootaloo broke off and shot her a dirty look. “Ha-ha, very funny.” She pursed her lips and stuck out her tongue. “Pbbbbbbbbbbbt!” Kicking a hindhoof to set the scooter in motion, she turned and headed back down the dark road, her little wings beating rapidly as she accelerated. Passing under a streetlamp, her purple tail was a flick of color, visible for an instant as it fluttered in the wind, and then she buttonhooked around a corner and was out of sight.

Sweetie Belle stared after her for a moment, listening to the rapid fire squeaking of one of the wagon’s wheels as it faded into the night air. Emitting a long sigh, she turned, braced herself, and walked over to knock on the shop door. “Hey Rarity, it’s me.”

“’Me?’” came a voice from within, clearly relieved, and winding up to full fuss ahead. “Whomever could ‘me’ be? Could it be a little sister of mine who’s stayed out much longer than I told her to? Again?”

“Um…yes?”

“I’m glad we agree on something.” Rarity opened the door and froze, staring down at her sister in shock. “Good heavens, child, what happened to you?? Where have you been?”

Sweetie Belle undid the tie on the little pouch Applejack had given her and displayed the gleaming coins inside proudly. “Farming!”

The older unicorn’s jaw dropped for a moment, and then she bent down and peered at her sister with a gimlet eye. “Come on in here. I have to close up, and then we’re going to get cleaned up. Well, you are, at least.” She lifted a foreleg out of the way as Sweetie Belle picked up her money pouch and trotted inside. “This story, I have got to hear.”

Scootaloo leaned into the turn as she cut around the corner, the motion of her wings ceasing as they flicked out straight to either side for balance. She darted a glance to either side, but the street was fairly clear at this hour, with only a few pedestrians trotting along the storefronts that lined Ponyville’s business district. Coasting down to the end of the block, she turned right off of Main Street onto Apple Avenue and began flapping her wings again, picking up speed. The squeaking of the wagon’s wheel rose from a random staccato beat into a low whine, annoying, but bearable.

The stores gave way to open yards, the houses of the ponies that worked here in town or just liked to live near the nerve center of the district. A warm, yellow glow shone from the windows of each residence, shining out into the deepening dusk that slowly enfolded the land. Off to the east, over the trees in the distance, the moon peeked out to cast its own light over the scene. The silver light became brighter and more apparent as it rose, and the little pegasus filly sped down what seemed to be a silver river, the alternating pools of street lamps on either side becoming more and more rare until they fell behind entirely. The yards became wider and deeper, interspersed with open fields here and there of unkempt grass, the houses set further back from the road. She was out in the open country now; if she stuck to the road, she would eventually end up back at Sweet Apple Acres or one of the other farmsteads on the western side of town.

Scootaloo began coasting again, folding her wings to her sides to give them a rest for a moment. The curve of the road was gentle here, and it was a shallow downgrade as the land fell slowly toward the farms below. If you kept heading west, eventually the land would drop down into a boggy marsh that stretched for some distance in the valley beyond. Further, and the land began to rise again into a series of low foothills, with small communities dotted here and there. The little pegasus wished sometimes that she could go visit there and talk to the ponies that lived among the hills, but the roads that winded through the marsh were rough and tumble, and not very suited to travel, at least not via scooter and wagon. Someday, she mused, when they were older, she and her friends would go there and visit. They would look at the strange sights and laugh at the odd way the hill ponies spoke, and everypony there would exclaim in wonder and delight at the amazing cutie marks of the three visitors.

Up ahead, she spied the tree that marked the turnoff of the path she wanted. Scootaloo hunched down over the handlebars of her scooter, her eyes narrowing and a devil-may-care grin curling the corners of her mouth. She waited until the last second, and then cut sharply to the left, leaning into the turn, her wings flicking out and see-sawing as they helped her balance. She shot past the old pine tree, barely missing it by less than a body length, the wagon bumping and rattling sharply behind her.

“Eh, not bad.” She’d done better, but not while hauling an empty wagon along. It was a necessary evil, and she didn’t mind carrying her friends along for the ride, but without them, it was a major bummer. Ducking under an overhanging fern, she felt the wagon jump behind her as it struck the plant, the left rear wheel giving a sharp squall of protest. “Oops!” She cut around the last corner of the narrowing path and came to a hard stop in the clearing beyond, her wings tilting forward and flapping hard as she pushed the brakes on her handlebars. Dismounting from the scooter, the little pegasus removed her helmet and shook out her windblown mane. She carefully placed the helmet into the wagon, and then turned around and allowed herself to look at the scene before her.

The Crusaders’ clubhouse sagged forlornly in the crotch of the tree, the cool light of the still rising moon peeking through the storm-torn branches and making it look utterly abandoned, as if it had been sitting here for a hundred years. The basic framework was still intact, as well as the flooring, but three of the four walls had been torn to shreds, and half of the roof was gone. The little ramp leading up to where the door had formerly stood was askew but mostly intact, and Scootaloo took a moment to nudge it back into alignment before pacing carefully up the weathered planking.

The floor rapped hollowly under her hooves as she stepped inside and walked gingerly over the worn surface. The wood looked mostly dry now, and she made a careful circuit of the platform, testing her weight on each plank before moving on. It seemed sound enough, and the load that had been pressing down on her heart lightened a tiny bit. Given time – and hopefully, no more storms – she and her friends might just be able to do this after all. The clubhouse had been a gift from Applejack, a remembered treasure from her childhood, but if Scootaloo and her friends could fix the place up, it would really belong to them, then. It would be something they could call their very own, and the little pegasus had precious little in her life that she could lay that claim to at the moment.

Scootaloo exhaled softly and walked over to the one remaining wall. Curling her legs underneath her, she lay down, leaning against the woodwork as she tucked her tail around her. Her ears flickered back and forth as she listened to the swishing of the night wind and the soft creaking of the tree just outside. Yawning hugely, she squirmed for a moment and then settled down again, closing her eyes.

Overhead, the moon coasted slowly overhead along the path it had wandered since the dawn of days. The silver beam of the Eye of Luna gazed over all of the land, frosting the treetops and slipping between their waving branches to bathe the tiny form of the pegasus far below in a silver blanket of dreams. And if a shadow happened to pass over her sleeping form that night, it moved on, and left her in peace.

Chapter 5

Rarity paused in front of her workbench, her mouth drawn up into a moue of distaste. “Oh no, these fabrics simply won’t do. What was I thinking??” The delicately curled horn on her brow sprang alight with a blue coruscating glow, and the sheaf of material before her lifted into the air and shot into a corner, joining a heap of others. “Oh come now, there has to be something here…”

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle hopped up and down in place as she watched her sister trot back and forth. “You said you’d think about it last night, remember?”

“I have been thinking about it. Last night, and ever since I woke up this morning.” The older unicorn peered over her glasses as she seized another roll of fabric with an enchanted grip. “If I show up at at a fall fashions exhibition with a design clearly meant for a spring fashion exhibition, I’ll have everypony in four counties laughing at me. Oh no no no, this simply…will…not…do.”

“Not that, I mean the chores!”

Rarity froze in place and turned to fix the little unicorn with a stare.

Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation. “Sorry. The tasks.”

“That’s better, dear.” Rarity turned back to examining the pastel blue sheaf of material hovering in mid-air before her. “Ick…no.” Pastel blue zoomed overhead to land next to teal, grey, and an alarming hue of pink. “Nothing here has any fire in it.”

Her sister blinked. “Why would you want to burn it?”

“That’s not what I mean, Sweetie.” Rarity shook her head and offered a wistful shrug. “Look, why don’t you go out and play, hmm? Give your sister a chance to get her thoughts in order. I don’t really have much cash on hand anyway, so I’m afraid there’s not much I can help you out with in regards to repairing your…fort.”

Sweetie Belle shot a well-practiced glare at her older sister.

“Clubhouse, then.”

The smaller unicorn continued to stare at her with a pout.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh for…fine, look. Come back after lunch, and I’ll see if there’s something that you can all help me with. I spent most of my free cash on the autumn show material that’s already late in getting here, but…oh, I’ll figure out something.” She peered over her glasses again, meeting her little sister’s gaze. “I promise.”

Sweetie Belle squealed and bounded over to give her a hug. “Thanks, Rarity. You’re the greatest!”

“You and I both know that, just remember to tell the fashion reviewers that when they look at the horrid mess I’m liable to end up cobbling together.” Rarity watched her little sister as the filly grabbed a pouch containing her lunch and her earnings from the previous day and headed out the door at top speed. “And try to stay clean this time! Please??”

Scootaloo blinked her eyes sleepily, rubbing her face with a foreleg. She yawned hugely and stood up, stretching out one leg at a time, a small hiss escaping between her teeth as her muscles complained. Whatever chores they did today, she decided, would not be picking something. Or hauling something. Or anything that required too much movement, at least until her limbs loosened up some.

“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” called a voice from somewhere above.

Looking up, Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she saw a multicolored blur zoom past the tree, circling it several times before alighting on the ground below. “Rainbow Dash!”

“Yes, I know, thank you. Sorry, no autographs today, please.” The cyan pegasus grinned at her and then turned her gaze to the shattered clubhouse. “Wow, this joint is a mess. What did you kids do, let Pinkie Pie throw a party here?”

Scootaloo scrambled down the ramp from the clubhouse and trotted over to join her. “Naw, the storm wrecked it.” She glanced sadly up at the hulk in the tree above. “All our stuff is gone, too. Even our map.” It was a super-duper top secret map, designed to help them find their cutie marks, but Scootaloo wasn’t worried about sharing this particular bit of intelligence with her hero.

“Shoot. I’m sorry, Scoots.” Rainbow Dash frowned unhappily. “I wish I’d known. I saw the storm on the schedule, but I was workin’ on the other side of town. I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

“That’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.” Scootaloo offered the older pegasus a timid pat on the foreleg. And even if it was, the look in her eyes said, I’d never admit it. “Besides, we’re gonna fix it up again, and it’ll be cooler than ever!”

“Sweet!” Rainbow Dash looked over the wrecked clubhouse one more time, then glanced down at the filly beside her. “You’re sure out here awful early, kiddo. That’s pretty dedicated.”

“Yeah, well…” Scootaloo felt her cheeks redden under her coat. “I, uh, I have to plan out the repairs and all. I mean, when we get the stuff to repair it.”

“Right.” Rainbow took the hint and dropped the matter. “So where you gonna get the stuff? That’s a pretty big mess you got right now.”

“We’re gonna buy it ourselves!” Scootaloo waved her forelegs in the air happily. “We worked over at Sweet Apple Acres yesterday, and Applejack paid us and everything. We need a lot more, though,” she added, her gaze returning to the clubhouse again as if drawn by a magnet.

“I’ll bet you do. I’m sure you’ll get it lookin’ awesome again.” Rainbow Dash grinned at her, then spread her wings out to their full breadth. “I gotta fly, kiddo, I’ll catch you later, huh?”

“Sure thing!” Scootaloo smiled back, and then suddenly jumped up and down. “Hey, wait!”

Rainbow had crouched down, her haunches bunched up, preparing to launch herself into the air. “What?”

“Maybe we could help you out! I mean, um,” Scootaloo stammered, “that is, can we help you out with anything?”

The cyan pegasus straightened, folding her wings up to her sides again. “With what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

“Maybe we could help you work, or something, you know.” The little filly fidgeted for a moment. “Chores and stuff, like Applejack had, that we can earn stuff with.” Scootaloo didn’t want to come out and ask her hero for money. It seemed somewhat sacrilegious, like begging.

“You want me to give you chores, so you can earn enough moolah to knock this joint back into shape, huh?”

“Yeah, that’d be cool.”

Rainbow Dash fought to repress a laugh. “Um, I appreciate the thought, kiddo, but…well, I’m a weather pony. You can’t exactly help me haul clouds around, at least not yet, and your friends won’t have much luck, either.”

Hauling clouds around was possibly the most awesome chore Scootaloo could think of, but it was also not an option, she realized unhappily. “Um…is there anything else?”

“You could clean house…my house is a mess.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “It’s also a cloud. Same problem. Besides,” she said with a grin, “it’s my mess, and I like it like that. No go.”

Scootaloo frowned. “Sweetie Belle said that’s what Rarity always says when she tries to organize her stuff.”

The cyan pegasus laughed out loud at that. “Oh, thanks kiddo. I’m savin’ that one up for Miss Neatness one day.”

Unsure of what she’d said that was so valuable, Scootaloo just went with it. “No problem!” Her wings fluttered for a moment. “Ummm…is there anything else?”

“Sorry, kiddo, I’m strikin’ out, here.” Rainbow frowned. “I still feel pretty bad about the mess, though. I tell you what, I’ll keep an eye out, and if I think of anything or hear anything, I’ll drop in and let ya know, okay?”

“Okay.” The little filly beamed at her. “Thanks, Rainbow Dash!”

“Sure thing!” The pegasus crouched down and launched herself vertically, zooming up through the canopy of leaves overhead into the sky. “Catch you later!”

Scootaloo watched her go, her own wings spreading out and flapping rapidly for a moment, as if preparing to follow after her hero. Not yet. Someday, I won’t have to stay behind anymore, though. Her gaze caught the glare of the sun as it slowly ascended in the eastern sky, and she started. She had to get moving if she was going to meet up with the others and get an early start. If she really dug in, she could zip down to the farm, pick up Apple Bloom, and then hit town to pick up Sweetie Belle. They could grab a snack somewhere and then get to work.

Trotting over to where her scooter sat, she grabbed her helmet out of the wagon hitched behind and jammed it over her head. Grinning hugely, she jumped on board her scooter, giving it a playful thwack on the handlebars with one forehoof.

“C’mon, kiddo,” she said in imitation of a certain sky-blue pegasus, “let’s see if I can beat my best time heading into town.”

After careful consideration, some trepidation, and not a little deliberation, the three fillies had headed over to Sugarcube Corner to pick up a snack, said snack being agreed upon as the best way to make their plans for the day ahead. After several agonizing minutes of decision, they emerged in triumph, having spent only one of the precious coins in their possession to obtain the largest muffin they could get for the price. Mrs. Cake had obligingly cut it up into three equal pieces for them, and they stood next to Scootaloo’s wagon outside, talking animatedly as they ate. Several ponies smiling amusedly at the scene as they passed by the group; it was odd to see three young fillies looking so serious about something as tasty as a muffin.

“So did ya talk to Rarity? What’d she say?” Apple Bloom had perched herself in the wagon, a new hair bow bobbing about in her forelock. “Will she help?”

“She just told me to come back after lunch, she’d figure something out.”

Apple Bloom gave her a gloomy look. “That don’t sound good.”

“Don’t worry, she promised.” Sweetie Belle took a huge chomp out of the muffin before her and then chewed daintily before swallowing. “She’s my sister, and she always keeps her promises, honest.”

“I saw Rainbow Dash this morning, before I picked you up,” Scootaloo said. “She didn’t have anything we could do, but she said she’d tell me if she heard of anything.”

“Really? That was nice of her.” Apple Bloom tucked the last bit of her own muffin in her mouth and began chewing blissfully. “Mmm, deesh are good!”

“Hey, chew slow.” Scootaloo gave her a serious look. “These are all we have until lunchti-“

Apple Bloom swallowed and emitted a tremendous belch in reply. “What were ya sayin’?”

Scootaloo stared for a moment, then grinned and stuffed the rest of her muffin in her mouth, chewing rapidly.

Sweetie Belle stared in alarm. “Uh oh…” She flattened her ears as the little pegasus swallowed and then belched back at Apple Bloom, fluttering the yellow filly’s new hair bow in the blast.

“That ain’t bad. Ah give ya about eight points.”

“Eight??” Scootaloo shook her head. “Come on!”

Waving a forehoof dismissedly at her, Apple Bloom looked over at Sweetie Belle expectantly. “Your turn.”

“Do I have to?”

“Sure. It’s for good luck. C’mon!”

“Okay…” Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and crammed the last of her muffin into her mouth. Her friends watched her jaw working, and began to chant. “Chew, chew, chew, chew…”

Swallowing heavily, the little unicorn hiccuped twice and coughed. “Ugh…”

Apple Bloom blinked. “You okay?”

Sweetie coughed again. “…went down…wrong way…” She shook her head, then glanced up at them, leaning toward her with a concerned look on their faces. Her eyes twinkled, and she stood up. “BRRRRUUAAAAAAAAPPPPP!”

Apple Bloom went tumbling back into the wagon, and Scootaloo stumbled backwards, tripping and falling over her scooter to land with a dull thwap! The two stood up warily, eyeing Sweetie Belle as she stood beaming before them. “How’d I do?”

“That was a wicked ten!” Scootaloo laughed.

“Yah got that right.” Apple Bloom shook her head, her red mane fluttering. “Ah think ah got muffin bits in mah new bow.”

“Ewwwwwwwww!” Scootaloo snorted and laughed again. “Extra point for the gross out!”

Sweetie Belle giggled and jumped into the wagon next to Apple Bloom. “So what’s next? Whatever we do, I gotta stay clean.”

They mulled that one over for a minute.

“Hey, let’s go ask Fluttershy. Maybe we can help out with her animals or something,” Scootaloo ventured. “That should be easy.”

“An’ clean,” added Apple Bloom. “She’s about the neatest pony ah ever saw, except for your sister, Sweetie.”

Sweetie Belle nodded. “And she’s really nice. She’ll help us out for sure!”

“Awesome! Let’s do it!” Scootaloo grabbed her helmet and clapped it on tight. “Hang on, Crusaders!”

“Oh, that’s such a shame about your clubhouse, little ones. I’m so sorry to hear it!” Fluttershy’s expression was solemn for a moment, but then brightened again. “Of course you can help me. I know just the thing!”

“Really? That’s great!” Sweetie Belle looked at her hopefully. “Is…is it clean?”

The sunyellow pegasus laughed gently. “Oh yes, very clean. In fact, it has to be.” She was trotting about in the living room of her cottage, picking up items very deliberately and gathering them together in a pile on the low table next to her couch. The fillies could see a variety of odds and ends already gathered there atop a neat, white cloth. There was a large swatch of cotton padding, a bundle of what looked like small, regular sticks, and a small tape dispenser, among other things. “I’m going to go out and check over all the little animals nearby, and make sure they’re okay. And if any of them are hurt, or just need a little help, I bring them back here take care of them.”

“Awww,” Apple Bloom said. “That’s so sweet!”

“And cool!” added Scootaloo.

“And clean!” Sweetie Belle agreed. “Hey, I know! If any of them are hurt, we can bring them back in the wagon!”

Scootaloo’s jaw dropped. “I didn’t think of that. We can bring back lots of animals in the wagon!” She stuck her forehoof out, and her friends immediately clapped theirs together with her in unison. “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ANIMAL AMBLULANCE!”

Fluttershy crouched reflexively at the shout, gritting her teeth. “Oh, my…”

The three fillies rushed outside, and Scootaloo made a beeline for the wagon. She reached into the back and pulled out a stethescope, hooking it around her neck. “I’m the doctor!”

Sweetie Belle blinked. “Where’d you get that??”

“From the ambulance, silly.”

The little unicorn gave her a dubious look. “It’s a wagon.”

“An AWESOME wagon. Ambulance.”

“But I was just in there. I didn’t see it in there!”

Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and leaned nonchalantly against the wagon. “One day, when you’re as awesome as I am, you’ll figure these things out.”

“Girls!” Fluttershy trotted out of her cottage, the bag of supplies slung round her neck. “Remember, the animals might be hurt, or scared. So we have to be nice and quiet.”

“Okay, Fluttershy!” they chorused, standing shoulder to shoulder. The three fillies wore beatific expressions. Scootaloo’s stethoscope swung slowly back and forth, almost dragging the ground. “What do we do now?”

“Follow me, and be very, very quiet.” Fluttershy beamed. “Let’s go check on the bunnies!”

Chapter 6

The three fillies stood together, peering at the entrance of the rabbit burrow that bored into the hillside. Apple Bloom looked over at Fluttershy with an uncertain expression. “Um…should we knock?”

“No, silly,” Fluttershy laughed. “Just introduce yourself, like you would to anypony else.” The pegasus paced over to the burrow and leaned down. “Hello bunnies, it’s me, Fluttershy. I’m just checking up on you to see if you need anything.”

A small nose came into view, wriggling rapidly.

“Oh, it’s okay,” Fluttershy said. “These are friends of mine, and they’re helping out. You can come out.”

A few seconds passed, and then a small grey rabbit hopped out of the hole. He took another long look at the Crusaders, then seemed to shrug. Leaning back into the hole, he waved a paw, and four other rabbits came hopping out, lining up next to him and looking at Fluttershy expectantly.

“Oh, how very good of you! It’s time for your checkup, isn’t it?” she exclaimed. “Just let me get my things.”
“We’ll get them for you, Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle trotted over next to the older pony slowly, trying not to alarm the rabbits. “Just tell us what you need.”

Apple Bloom nodded rapidly in agreement. “Yup, we’re ready to go, just say the word!”

“Okay…” The sunyellow pegasus paused for a moment. “Hmm. Okay…would you get me the depressor?”

Sweetie Belle snapped to attention. “Depressor!”

“Depressor!” Apple Bloom echoed.

Fishing about in the wagon where Fluttershy had placed her bag of supplies, Scootaloo retrieved the pony-sized tongue depressor. She looked at it and then looked at the little bunnies that sat patiently in a row. “You’re kidding, right?”

Apple Bloom cleared her throat and gave her friend a stare.

“Ohhkayyy….” The pegasus filly shrugged and handed it over. “Depressor.”

Apple Bloom passed it down the line. They all watched as Fluttershy examined it for a moment, and then held it up next to the smallest bunny in line.

“Oh, you know, I think you’ve grown a bit since last week.” Fluttershy smiled. “You’re getting to be a big bunny, aren’t you?” The tiny rabbit preened at the attention, and then settled down as the pegasus moved on to her next subject. The next bunny was just a bit taller, and wouldn’t quite meet her gaze.

“Oh, look who’s shy. Come on now, stand up straight and let’s see if you’ve grown any…oh! Oh my,” Fluttershy exclaimed, peering at the rabbit more closely. “No wonder you’re all crouched down, just look at your paw.” She patted her tiny patient gently. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

The three fillies watched with rapt attention as the pegasus bound up the small scratch, passing Fluttershy the various items as she called for them. Sweetie Belle leaned close, careful not to get in the way, as she studied the neat bandage that Fluttershy was creating from what seemed a random hodgepodge of stuff. “Wow, you’re really good at this. How did you learn how to do that?”

Fluttershy blushed, a small rosette of color appearing briefly under the fur on her cheeks. “Oh, it’s just a few things I learned when I was your age, back when I was in flight school. All of the little pegasi were bumping into things when they were learning how to fly, and I…well.” The color in her cheeks rose a bit higher. “I bumped into a lot of things before I got it right.” She busied herself over the rabbit’s paw again, wrapping it carefully. “I help out at the vet, too, and they teach me all sorts of things when they have time.”

Apple Bloom looked around the field they stood in, taking note of the numerous rabbit burrows. “And you take care of all the bunnies ‘round here?”

“Oh yes. Them, and the birdies, when they hurt their wings, and the field mice.” Fluttershy smiled. “I think there’s even a grumpy old porcupine around here somewhere that I help out. He has really bad knees.”

Scootaloo’s eyes crossed at the thought of that one. “Yikes. That sounds like a lot of work.”

“Yes, it is.” Fluttershy finished tying off the last of the bandage and gave the little rabbit a pat on the head. “There you go, good as new. Try and stay off of it for a couple of days though, otherwise I’ll have to put a new one on. And then you’ll have to stay in bed until it heals.” She arched an eyebrow and peered closely at the young bunny. “You don’t want that, do you?”

Sweetie Belle giggled as the rabbit shook his head rapidly. “Yeah, you sure don’t want The Stare.” Her friends nodded in agreement.

“Oh, I don’t think it would come to that,” Fluttershy said quickly, an alarmed look on her face. “The bunnies are pretty good about listening to me.”

Apple Bloom glanced over the bag of medical paraphernalia as Fluttershy began examining the next rabbit in line. “Gee, this is a lot of stuff. How’d ya get all of it?” Her brow furrowed in thought for a moment. “I mean, the bunnies and all don’t pay you, do they?”

The pegasus laughed softly. “Oh, no, of course not. I make a little money at the vet when I help out, and I actually get a lot of business from ponies who have pets that need a little training, or somepony who needs a sitter for their pet while they’re out of town.” She peered at the rabbit in front of her again and clapped her forehooves together. “Oh, look who’s got a new tooth! You’re such a big bunny now!”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “An’ you spend it on wild animals? How come?”

Fluttershy gave the rabbit a small slice of carrot to munch on and straightened. “I like doing it because it makes me feel happy inside. When a little animal’s hurt or needs help, and I make it all better for them and see them walking or hopping around again like they used to, it’s just the best feeling in the world to me, better than money or jewels or...” She offered the fillies a small, embarrassed smile. “I’m probably not explaining it very well; nopony ever really asked me about it before.”

“Awww, that’s so sweet!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes were wide and glistening with emotion. “I wish I could be like that.” She frowned slightly. “Animals always run away from me, though.”

Fluttershy smiled at her and patted the filly gently on the cheek. “Well, you can practice at it while you’re with me. Why don’t you all spread out and go visit the other burrows while I’m finishing up here?” She waved a foreleg at the other holes that dotted the small, grassy field. “See if you can introduce yourselves and get to know all my little friends.”

“Yeah, let’s go!” Apple Bloom surveyed the area for a moment. “Scootaloo, you check that side, I’ll grab the center. Sweetie Belle, you check out those over there by that ol’ elm tree.”

“Okydoke!” The three separated, and Sweetie Belle trotted over to a rough-edged burrow that lay between a couple of the tree’s gnarly roots. Peering carefully into the hole, she noticed an odd smell coming from it, and could hear low breathing coming from inside.

“Wow, that doesn’t smell healthy.” She wrinkled her nose and waved a foreleg in the air. “Hello in there, Mr. Bunny. Are you sick?”

There was no response from the burrow.

“Hello? Please don’t be afraid.” The dim light that seeped down into the hole was reflected back at her by a pair of red-rimmed eyes. Somebody was home, that was for sure. “I’m here to help. My name’s Sweetie Belle, and I’m a…um…paramedic!” She smiled hopefully, but still got no response.

Wow, he sure must be awful scared. She sat down in front of the hole with a worried expression. Holding eye contact with the burrow’s owner, she kept her voice low and began to sing.

Don’t you worry, little guy
I’m only just a friend
We’ll do our best, my friends and I
On that you can depend.

Don’t you fret, we’ll fix you up
I know how bad you feel
My friends and I have just the stuff
Come out and you’ll be healed.

Her heart jumped as the eyes blinked and began to move forward slowly. Sweetie Belle kept herself motionless, closing her eyes and continuing to hum softly. She heard a low, snuffling sound and felt whiskers tickling her forelock. A wide grin spread over her face as she opened her eyes and looked over her first patient.

“Whoa….um. You’re…you’re not…oh wow, you’re really hurt!” Reaching out and giving her subject a reassuring pat on the head, the little filly turned and looked in the direction of the others. “Hey Fluttershy, come over here! This guy’s leg’s all messed up!”

The yellow pegasus glanced in Sweetie Belle’s direction with a look of mild concern, her expression abruptly changing to dismay. “Oh! Oh…my!” Sweetie Belle sat with one forehoof patting the head of Grumpy Joe, the meanest, most contrary skunk Fluttershy had ever met. “Sweetie, be careful. That’s….that’s not a bunny,” she offered weakly.

“I know. He’s really hurt, though, he can barely walk.” The filly continued to stroke the skunk’s head gently, humming at him for a moment. “Can you help him?”

“I’ll try,” Fluttershy said. She walked carefully toward Joe, stopping for a moment when the skunk shot her a warning glare. He soon subsided, though, and seemed to relax as Sweetie Belle kept talking and humming to him in a low voice. Pausing for several seconds between paces, the pegasus eventually made her way to the side of her new patient and began examining him warily. “Oh dear, you’re right. I don’t think this is something I can do here. We’ll have to bring him back with us.”

“Scootaloo, go get the wagon, quick!” Sweetie Belle continued to sing under her breath as Scootaloo hurried back to where they had left the wagon and scooter parked. Apple Bloom stood back at a careful distance, her expression full of amazement as she watched her friend swaying slowly over the wounded skunk like a mother crooning a lullaby to her child.

“Wow,” the red-haired filly said. “Sweetie, you sure got a way with animals. Maybe you’ll get an animal helpin’ cutie mark! Or maybe a medicine one, like the nurses an’ doctors get!”

Sweetie Belle blinked and glanced at her flank quickly, but it returned the same bare, empty answer it usually did. “No,” she replied sadly. “Still nothing.” She glanced up at Fluttershy with a plaintative look as Scootaloo coasted up next to them with the wagon. “Did I do something wrong?”

Fluttershy took a long look at the gruff old skunk that was practically curled up in the lap of the filly that sat next to him. Shaking her head, the pegasus smiled and leaned over to nuzzle Sweetie Belle’s forelock. “Not at all, little one. Not at all.”

Chapter 7

“…it wasn’t my fault, he was hurt!” Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs and shot an irritated look at the mare across the room. All the way across the room. “Besides, he didn’t spray me, I just held him and put him in the wagon. I don’t smell!” She paused and hurriedly sniffed herself to be sure.

“Well, there’s no sense in taking chances, now, is there?” Rarity stood in front of the bench in her workroom, the horn on her forehead bathed in a bright blue glow of magic effluence as she levitated a bolt of cloth before her, frowning for a moment. “Besides,” she added, “Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are doing just wonderfully on their own!”

The two fillies in question were seated on a low platform next to Rarity, both covered in half-finished dress designs. Apple Bloom sported a yellow and blue sundress with a wide-brimmed hat that sat off-kilter on her tumbled forelock. Scootaloo was draped in a somewhat heavier design, a formal dress suitable for a dance or wedding. This wouldn’t have bothered the little pegasus so much if the dress hadn’t been a shade of pink so bright that it made her retinas ache when she glanced down at it. She’d been doing her best to avoid doing that as much as possible, and was currently keeping her eyes closed to avoid accidentally glancing at it.

Sighing heavily, she gave up and opened her left eye, glaring over at Apple Bloom. “I am not liking this idea.”

“Aw, c’mon Scootaloo.” Apple Bloom giggled helplessly. “Rarity said she’d help us fix up our clubhouse with something. And you get to look pretty!”

“I don’t wanna look pretty. I wanna look awesome.” Scootaloo looked down at herself and grimaced. “And it’s so not happening right now.”

“Hmm. Maybe you should try standin’ different. You know, an action pose!” Apple Bloom waved a forehoof at her friend. “Like you’re getting’ ready to face off with a dragon!”

"Yeah!” Scootaloo jumped straight up into the air and landed in a crouch, her wings outstretched and poised for flight, glaring fiercely across the room at Rarity and imagining an enormous scaly dragon in her place. Her eyes narrowed to gleaming lavender slits and she grinned. “Too bad for you, dragon! I’m here to save my friends!”

Sweetie Belle sat up and began shaking imaginary bars in front of her. “Over here, Scootaloo! Help! The mean old dragon has me locked up over here! She’s gonna eat me for…” She paused and waited a beat. “DINNER!”

“Quick, Scootaloo, you gotta do somethin’!” Apple Bloom chimed in.

“Don’t worry.” Scootaloo’s wings burst into motion, vibrating rapidly as they turned into orange blurs. “I’m gonna have to use my special power. The SUPERCHARGE!” The other two fillies gasped appreciatively.

Rarity turned around and glanced at Scootaloo, then froze, her jaw dropping open. “Oh my goodness, that’s…that’s simply terrifying!”

“See?” Scootaloo snickered. “Told ya!”

Rarity rubbed her chin with a forehoof for a moment, and then leaned over and grabbed something from one of the shelves on her workbench. She trotted over to Scootaloo and knelt down, tucking a daisy behind the filly’s left ear. “There, that’s so much better! Perfect!” She turned away and paced off, humming an aimless tune to herself as she began searching one of her wall cabinets. “And don’t slouch, dear, it ruins your poise something dreadful.”

Scootaloo's wings buzzed to a stop and she stood motionless, still crouched, her expression glowering, staring at where the imaginary dragon had just blasted her with flame. “I need a new special power.”

“You think you have problems?” Sweetie Belle sighed. “At least you weren’t on the menu.” She sat back down for a moment, frowning. “Hey, Rarity. I thought you said you didn’t want to use all that yucky fabric.” She pointed at the stack of pastel colored material that Rarity had discarded earlier. “How come you’re designing stuff with it, then?”

“You’re quite right, dear. Those are summer colors and the festival I’m planning designs for is for fall, after all.” Rarity’s horn glowed once more, briefly, and a swirl of magic adjusted the hem of Scootaloo’s dress. “Oh, that’s perfect.” She stood back, looking at them appraisingly. “I already ordered the proper colors, and when they get here, I’ll already have some wonderfully posh designs ready to go!”

“What about mine?” Apple Bloom looked down at herself, frowning. “This ain’t no gala dress.”

“Very perceptive, dear.” Rarity beamed. “That is something that no pony can resist at a fashion show.” She crouched down and lowered her voice. “A sneak preview of next year’s designs.” The unicorn straightened up, frowning a bit. “Of course it’ll change by spring…hats are so ephemeral when it comes to personal taste. One moment they’re in, the next, out. But it will pique their interest and get them in the door, and I can’t ask for much more, can I?”

“I guess so.” Sweetie Belle had never really grasped this part of her older sister’s occupation. She often liked to think that she could be a designer, just like her sister, and she did have a basic grasp of what looked good, and what didn’t. Scootaloo’s dress was exquisitely tailored especially for a pegasus, with just the right amount of material left out to allow her wings complete freedom of movement without ruining the basic design; the flowing curves down the hem on the side actually accented the sweep of her wings. Despite her rather hangdog expression, the pegasus really did look pretty dressed up. But the intangibles of personal whim in design and the rapid ebb and flow of what was popular one minute and yesterday’s news the next was something Sweetie Belle could not quite grasp; her elementary magic practice seemed relatively easy in comparison.

Despite the fact she couldn’t actually do any magic. At least, not yet. “Are we almost done yet, Rarity?” She glanced at the large bay window at the front of the shop, where the afternoon sun shone in warmly. “We still wanna try and get some stuff for the clubhouse before it gets too late.”

Rarity glanced at a clock on the wall and blinked. “Oh my, the time has flown. I suppose I have kept you three long enough.” She smiled at all of them. “Thank you so much for helping me, you really have been dears to do this. Sometimes it’s so hard to get willing help with this sort of thing. The few times Rainbow Dash has helped me with this, it’s been an effort to get her to stand still for more than a minute.”

Scootaloo, who was already halfway out of the dress at this point, stopped and stared at the unicorn wonderingly. “You got Rainbow Dash to try on dresses for you??”

“Oh yes, a few times. That mare would look simply smashing with the correct application of fashion. I do keep trying, however.” Rarity sighed in self-commiseration. “The things I do for the sake of fabulousity.”

Scootaloo looked at her own dress, reconsidering. Well, I guess it wasn’t too bad. And I was able to stick through it. Apparently, even Rainbow hadn’t been able to do that. The idea that she had able to deal with something her hero couldn’t endure swept over the little filly, and she toyed with the fabric between her forehooves, smiling to herself as she heard it rustle, the material even seeming to glow as she eyed the ruffled curves. “Aww yeah. I made you look good, dress.”

“Scootaloo, you can let go of it now, dear.”

“Huh?” The pegasus looked up. Rarity was looking at her, an odd, quirky smile on her muzzle as her horn rippled with blue light. “I promise to make you one of your own another time, if you really want one that badly.”

“What? Oh!” Scootaloo let go of the dress and grinned apologetically as it floated away. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom stood on either side of her, giggling, and she felt a dull heat in her face as she blushed.

“I really like her….mane!” Sweetie Belle intoned, staring at the dress and affecting a hypnotized gawp as it floated over to drape itself on one of the dress forms in the corner. She stared at it a moment longer and then couldn’t hold the pose any more, dissolving into laughter.

“That was so funny I forgot to laugh. Again.” Scootaloo stuck her toungue out at Sweetie and made a rude noise.

“All right now, girls. I promised you I’d give you something for your troubles, and I hope this shan’t disappoint.” Rarity was rummaging through a storage bin on one side of the room, her muzzle pursed up in a moue of concentration. “No…no. Oh good heavens, no, wrong material…ah! Here we are.” Her horn glowed once again, and a large bolt of sky-blue material lifted itself from the bin and floated over to the three fillies. “Sweetie told me what a horrible shambles that storm made of your clubhouse, in and out. I know the money you’ve made will buy materials to fix the outside, but the inside of things is important as well. This ought to do to help with a bit of redecorating.” She walked over and brushed a forehoof over the material. “You could make a smashing set of drapery with this to replace what you lost, as well as a wonderful rug or two, a tablecloth, or pretty much anything else you like.” Rarity looked at them apprehensively. “Do…do you like it?”

The three were staring at the huge bolt of cloth in wonder. “Like it? That’s beautiful!” Apple Bloom looked at her friends excitedly. “Wow, we could make…anythin' with that much stuff!”

“Yeah! And the color’s totally awesome!” Scootaloo wasn’t all that enthusiastic about pink, but sky blue was one of her favorite hues. “We could even make our own flag!”

“A flag, and our own song…wow, we could make our own country!” Sweetie Belle laughed. “Cutie Mark Crusaderland!”

“I’m th' president!” Apple Bloom said immediately.

“And I’m the vice-president!” Scootaloo chimed in.

Sweetie Belle sat back and primped the curls of her mane. “Then I’m the secretary of the interior decorating.” She smiled, pleased with herself, and looked over to see her friends eyeing her warily. “What?”

“You worry me, sometimes.” Apple Bloom shook her head, then looked at Rarity again. “Thanks again, Rarity. This is really great!”

“Ah-ah, I’m not quite done.” Rarity’s horn flared alight once more, and a small glass jar floated over to them, clinking as it moved. She upended it in mid-air and a small stream of ten golden coins fell out and dropped neatly into the pouch Sweetie Belle wore on her side.

The fillies all stared at it, open-mouthed, and then looked up at the unicorn. Apple Bloom was the first to speak. “But I thought you said you didn’t—”

“I had a customer come in before lunch. They bought one of my hats.” Rarity offered them a small smile. “I know it’s not much, but perhaps it will help you get what you need, at least.”

Sweetie Belle felt her eyes smarting, and she dashed forward and hugged her sister. “You’re the best, sis, you know that?”

“Well of course I do, dear.” Rarity stroked the filly’s mane tenderly with a forehoof. “Besides, if I let you go out picking vegetables again or some other horrible thing like that to make the extra money you need, I could never forgive myself.” She fluffed out a bit of Sweetie Belle’s mane. “And it takes forever to get your forelock styled properly when you get it as dirty as you did the other day.”

Sweetie Belle just hugged her sister’s foreleg tighter against her cheek and smiled at the excuse. She knew better. Rarity had made ten bits this morning, and given the money to them…because she could. That was just the way she was.

There was a knock on the door, and they looked up to see Twilight Sparkle looking through the open upper half Rarity always left ajar while her shop was open. “Hey, everypony! I’ve been looking all over for you kids.”

The three fillies blinked at each other and looked at the purple unicorn in surprise. “Us?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Mmm-hmm!” Twilight nodded. “Rainbow Dash told me you were looking for odd jobs to help raise money to fix your clubhouse. That’s really enterprising of you.” She smiled. “I have a few books that the school wanted to borrow from the library, and I could use a hoof or two in helping carry them over there. That is, if you’re interested.” She smiled and winked.

Rarity saw the look on their faces and braced herself, flattening her ears back against the coming onslaught. “Three…two…one.”

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER MOVERS!”