//------------------------------// // Chapter 3- Cutie Mark Crusading // Story: Ratchet Earns Her Wings // by RatchetFlash //------------------------------// "So, Zecord was like a big brother to me. Mostly because my brother was off in Canterlot messing around with other Unicorns. I never saw him much . So Zecord took the role of big brother and he always protected me." Ratchet murmured as she continued to push herself as close as she could into Draco. He didn't mind and he just wrapped his paws around her tighter. "Well, I will have to thank him for protecting my marefriend." He grinned slightly. They had been together for a year now, but she still blushed every time he called her his marefriend. And Ratchet's cheeks turned a deep red as she buried her face into her neck. "Aw, Jeez, I'm just teasing you Flash." Draco chuckled lightly. "Anyway.." Ratchet mumbled as she withdrew her muzzle from his neck. "A few days later...." "Applebloom! Come on! We have to get a new crusader!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she trotted into Ponyville. "Ah'm coming!" She shouted back as she came up behind the unicorn. "Hm.... I think we should get a pegasus! Not that we are replacing Scootaloo, but I think a pegasus would feel right." "Ah agree with ya! Lets go!" "Cutie mark crusaders! uh...... Recruiters!" Sweetie Belle blurts out and the two fillies say "YAY!" At the same time. Sighing. That is what Ratchet was doing. She had been kicked outside and been told to play by her brother. He said she spent was to much time on the Ponynet, but she didn't think so. It was all she had to do. She looked at her wings with a sigh. She wanted those mechanical wings and she wanted them now. She glanced up as a rainbow streak goes over the sky. Rainbow Dash. She was jealous of that pony with her whole heart. She did a sonic rainboom! How old was Ratchet now? Sixteen. She was still a blank flank. Most other ponies had their cutie marks at six. Maybe she was talent less. Her ear perked as she heard some prissy voices around the corner. "You two are still crusading for your cutie marks? It's no use!" The grey filly said then both of the fillies said at the same time "Blank Flank!" Ratchet had been bullied, so she wouldn't let it happen to this earth pony and unicorn. Ratchet snorted as she glared at the prissy ponies. She blew a bit of brow hair back into her mane as she ran out and stood in front of the two younger fillies. Both of them started in aw at the larger filly. She was much bigger than them, she still had a blank flank, and she was a pegasus. "Why are you prissy ponies bullying these fillies? You used to be a blank flank! I bet you wouldn't have liked it if someone called you a blank flank!" Ratchet snorted as steam came from her nostrils. She had never felt more mad. But she sure did feel powerful. The two prissy ponies, who had never been stood up to like that before backed away at the sight of the larger mare looking down at them. "Yeah, that's right! Leave these two alone! Go!" Ratchet held out her wings and stomped her two front hooves down on the ground loud as the two prissy ponies ran away. The two fillies gazed up at Ratchet with wide eyes. "Whoa! That was awesome!" A orange pegasus came up from behind a tree on her scooter, her small wings buzzing as her scooter came up to them. "Scootaloo!" The unicorn jumps up and town like that crazy party pony Ratchet had seen around town. "Hey Sweetie! I was just showing some of my awesome tricks to Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo boasted. "We were jus' looking for somepony to join the CMC 'cause you already got ya own cutie mark." The earth pony said. "Yeah. And uh..." Sweetie looked up at Ratchet who sighed. "My name is Ratchet Flash.." Ratchet mumbled as she folded her wings back up. "And Ratchet here came up and stood up to Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara!" Sweetie continued. "That sounds pretty awesome." Scootaloo exclaimed. "Ah'm Apple Bloom and this 'ere is Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom stated as she pulled Sweetie to her side. Suddenly Ratchet's shy side came in as she moved her head so her mane was covering her eyes. "H-Hi.." She muttered. "Well.. Ah.... Sweetie and I still dun got our cutie marks, and we have a club called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, maybe you could join us if ya wanted to!" Apple Bloom said in one breathe really quickly, but Ratchet was used to talking quick. She often talked with the speed of a Sonic Rainboom. "Oh... I uh.. I don't want to trouble you." Ratchet said in almost a whisper. "It would be a trouble at all! We were just looking for a crusader!" The unicorn stated. "Oh.. I uh.. I guess I could go on one crusade..." Flash muttered quietly "Follow us! We have to bring you the clubhouse!" Scootaloo stated as she pointed to the wagon on the back of her scooter. The two fillies jumped in and made room for Ratchet, who was much bigger than them. "I can just walk.. I don't think I will fit.." The white pegasus muttered softly. "Oh, Yeah, she is a pegasus. I forgot. You can just fly, we will meet you at Sweet Apple Acres!" Sweetie stated. "I... I... I can't fly..." Ratchet mumbled as she prodded the ground with a hoof. "Oh..." Sweeties ears went down. "I can go slow. It won't be as cool, but I don't want to leave Ratchet in my awesome dust." The orange filly boasted. 'She got one ego there' Ratchet thought to herself. Scootaloo buzzed her wings slowly and took off slowly. Ratchet sighed and galloped behind the wagon on the scooter. The three fillies led the older white pegasus mare up a hill on Sweet Apple Acres to a tree house. When Ratchet finally caught up she was panting. "Come on! We gotta bring you into our club!" Scootaloo said with the same cocky voice. All three of the fillies rushed into the clubhouse and Ratchet walked in behind them. She barely fit through the doorway bu once she was inside she sat down. The three fillies were already pushing stuff into place. The pegasus was on one side of the tree house with bongo drums, the unicorn standing at a podium in the middle and the earth pony standing on the right. There were all wearing red capes that had a blue symbol that had a yellow pony in the middle. Ratchet sat down on a rug in the middle of the treehouse and waited. The orange pegasus held up her hooves and started a gentle beat on the drums for a few moments before she grinned and began to bang on them wildly causing the hole clubhouse to shake. She stopped and waiting a second before hitting the drum one last time. "We, the cutie mark crusaders, elect Ratchet Flash to join us a a sister, friend, confidante, ally, blossom buddy... Scootaloo did you even revise this???" Sweetie spoke loudly "Uh... Oops... Gotta remember to do that." Scootaloo giggled and Sweetie Belle continued. "Gal pal, comforter , chum of chums, home girl, blah blah blah blah and fellow cutie mark crusader! You are solemnly sworn in here this day in witness of your fellow sisters, friends, confidonts, blossom buddies, comprades, blah blah blah blah." Sweetie Belle finished and Scootaloo jumped up. "Congratulations!" Confetti exploded and somefilly threw a cape at Ratchet, that turned out only big enough to be a scarf so Ratchet tied it around her neck as a scarf. All four of them giggled. Ratchet hadn't ever given this any second thought and kinda just joined them. Oh well, it might be fun. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BOAT BUILDERS! YAY!" The teo fillies bumped their hooves together and waited for Ratchet to put her hoof up. Instead, she just sat there looking at them with a quizzical look. "Isn't that a bit.... Silly?" "Aw naw. It isn't silly at all. Trust me. My sister is the Element of Honesty!" Applebloom boasted. Ratchet rolled her eyes and put her hoof in. Nothing better to do. The unicorn and the earth pony bolted outside and Ratchet was close behind them. "So uh... How and where are we gonna build a boat?" The white pegasus questioned. "Right here and with wood!" The unicorn said as she picked a hammer up in her mouth. Ratchet thought for a moment before shaking her head and giggling. She picked up a hammer in her mouth and helped Sweetie nail a board onto the 'base' of the boat, that was just a bunch of planks nailed together in a sloppy manner. After a while the two fillies were pushing the boat toward a small creak. Once they got the boat in the water all three jumped in. The bottom of the boat gave out when Sweetie jumped in next to Ratchet and Applebloom. The boat fell totally apart and the three had to swim over to the shore. They all did it just in time to hear a boom and watch a flash of Rainbow go over their heads. Ratchet had known of the Sonic Rainboom but she has never seen one. Her mouth fell open. The other two fillies mouths were also agape as they all stared at the rainbow as it zoomed over Sweet Apple Acres. It suddenly stopped as a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane landed in front of them. "Hellooo-Oh.. Who are you?" Rainbow Dash said as she looked at Ratchet. The white pegasus just responded by holding out her small wings, her Underdeveloped Primaries showing obviously. "I'm Ratchet Flash! That rainboom was soooo awesome! I knew about it but I have never seen one! Oh wonder what it feels like to fly? I want to do a Sonic Boom of my own!" Ratchet went on for a while, leaving all three ponies wondering what she was saying. Rainbow put a hoof to her mouth. "Whoa! Calm down! You are talking faster than Pinkie, and I didn't even think that was possible!" Rainbow chuckled as she pulled her hoof away from Ratchet's mouth. The cyan pegasus looked at Ratchet's wings, and saw she didn't have a cutie mark. She didn't show anything about it before she grinned. "Hey Rainbow! Rarity was looking for you this morning!" Sweetie Belle chimed. "So was Applejack!" The earth pony added. "Huh. I wonder why..." Rainbow said to herself. She looked at Ratchet for a moment. "Did you join the CMC?" Ratchet nodded. "That's awesome! Not as awesome as me, but still, pretty awesome. Try and keep these two fillies out of trouble. Now, I better go. I promised Applejack that I would help her out on the farm. Cya!" The pegasus bolted up into the air, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. "Whoooooooa..." Ratchet mutter as she watched the cyan pony bolt off into the sky. The CMC tried many different things, most of them failing. The things the tried were painting, racing, growing grass, animal wranglers, rock throwers, bungee jumping, apple bucking, making drums, climbing trees, hang gliding (again), fishing and baking cupcakes with Pinkie. "Applebloom!" Applejack yelled from outside Sugar Cube Corner. Ratchet looked over at Pinkie who shrugged and continued to ramble about cupcakes. "Aw... Looks like I got to go so sum chores, Cya later!" The earth pony ran outside and a few moments later Rainbow Dash walked in. Pinkie turned around and waved her hoof. "Hey Dashie!" The pink pony said in her hyper voice as she put a cupcake pan in the oven. "Hey Pinkie, Sweetie Belle.. And Ratchet Flash." Rainbow looked over at the white pegasus who was trying to figure out the best way to hold a bowl with hooves. She turned around and smiled. "Oh... Uh.. Hi Rainbow Dash..." She muttered softly before she groaned and gave up on holding the bowl. "I guess baking isn't our special talent..." Sweetie sighed. During this whole time, Ratchet had been thinking. She never even noticed it, but she was thinking... 'What am I good at?' The question had been in her head for a long time now. Then she knew it. Her talent wasn't like what anypony else had. Her talent was making her friends happy, whether it be fake insults, being super hyper sometimes or just being the crazy pony she is. That was her moment of self discovery. A light on her flank appeared as the three others in the room looked at Ratchet's flank. The pegasus wasn't even aware of her own cutie mark. "Hey, Flash, take a look at your flank." Rainbow said with her same raspy voice. "Hm? What?" Ratchet looked down at her flank and saw her cutie mark. A number sign, (#) on the left top, a exclamation (!) point on the top right and between the two on the bottom middle of her flank was an at mark (@). Ratchet's mouth fell agape. "I can get my wings now!" Ratchet jumped up and down similar to the way Pinkie did. The party pony giggled. "This calls for a party!" Pinkie shouted as she jumped around Ratchet. Rainbow was the only one wondering what Ratchet meant by 'get my wings now'. Pinkie and Sweetie Belle were too busy jumping around the jumping pegasus to care. "I gotta get home! Tell mom! Tell Zealous! I hope he has them ready by now!" Ratchet said quicker than Pinkie ever spoke, and she kept on repeating it. After a while she got dizzy and stopped jumping. "Flash, what do you mean by 'Get my wings now'? Don't you already have wings?" Rainbow questioned. "MymomsaidthatonceIgotmycutiemarkIcouldfinallygetthosemechincalwingsfromZealous!" Ratchet continued to talk quickly as she ran out the door and towards her home on the other side of Ponyville, leaving a confused Rainbow to take Sweetie Belle home and a party planning pony. "Mom! Mom! Mom! I got my cutie mark! I got it!" Ratchet yelled as she ran inside her home. She was sixteen, after so many years of waiting she felt almost complete. She just wanted one more thing. One more thing that could possible cause more pain for her than expected.