Chapter 18: The Cutie-Mark Crusade Part 1
The War Machine
Chapter 18: The Cutie-Mark Crusade Part 1
We returned to Ponyville after a few days where the guards take the new gryphon weapons up to Canterlot, but Twilight and I keep one each for study as well. Twilight so she can examine them and so I can see their true extent and make calculations on their advancement, I believe they're getting help from someone.
Celestia decides to stay at the workshop for the day as we plan out our next move.
"So what do you think we should do next? I would like to get the Apache finished and then make my way to Gryphonstone to end this conflict as soon as possible," I tell the white alicorn.
"I would like that as well, but our armoured division needs repairs and replacements. We may even be able to add our own rocket pods with the help of these new gryphon weapons," she replies while levitating one of the rocket launchers we took with us.
"Yes, I would like to have greater numbers when we do eventually assault them, the capital is bound to have more of them protecting the city," I say and look to the Apache chassis.
"How much longer will this Apache take to build?" Celestia asks.
"Between a month or two," I reply.
Eve then decides to speak up. "Is this aunty Celestia?" she asks looking at the white alicorn through a camera in the corner of the workshop.
"Who was that?" Celestia asks while looking for the source of the voice.
"That was Eve, our daughter," Luna replies.
"Your what!? You had a foal with Adam!? But, how? When?" Celestia demands with confusion.
"Not exactly, Celestia. Eve is a copy of my core coding just without my memories, she was an experiment to see if more like me could be created or born. So far she's showing signs of self awareness and is learning as fast as I did. I'll soon make her her own body when she is ready," I reply.
"So... you two aren't courting each other?" Celestia asks with a raised eyebrow and a sly grin.
Luna looks at me with a blush on her face, I then look back to Celestia. "No, I don't believe so," I reply. Why would Celestia think that? I’m not an organic lifeform nor one of their kind.
"I see..." she says and looks between Luna and I. "So where is Eve then?" Celestia then asks.
"On Luna's personal computer in her room," I reply and point to said room.
"Very well, it is nice to meet you, Eve. I hope we can meet properly once you get your own body built," Celestia says to the young A.I, turning in place to find and look into the nearest camera.
"Thank you, aunty. I look forward to being able to move around and experiencing life with a body of my own," Eve replies gratefully.
Celestia smiles at being called aunty, she then looks back at me. "I'll be heading back to Canterlot to aid in the funeral's of all the fallen guards. I will then return in three days," she tells us.
"Okay, we'll get back to work on the Apache," I reply.
Celestia says goodbye and leaves, Luna and I return to building the Apache for an hour where Twilight and Trixie then arrive.
"Adam! You're back!" Twilight says and hugs me around my waist.
"Welcome back," Trixie says as she walks over to her's and Twilight's work area.
"Thank you, it is good to be back," I reply.
"So what are you doing now?" Twilight asks.
"Continuing with the Apache, while you will be examining these," I tell her and pick up the new rifle and launcher.
"What are those?" she asks with curiosity.
"The gryphons new weapons, we picked them up after our battle," I reply and hold them out to her.
"New weapons? How are they advancing this quickly... and why do they look like yours?" she asks while levitating them in front of herself.
"I'm not sure how, but I believe they're trying to imitate my weapons or someone is helping them," I reply.
I then explain how they work and to be extremely careful with the crude rockets.
Twilight and Trixie get started on examining the new weapons and their ammunition while Luna and I continue work on the Apache.
The Next Day
Twilight and Trixie went home for the night and Luna went to teach Eve some more before going to sleep herself, but I stayed up all night working on the Apache's computer systems.
It’s now morning and I'm installing the completed mainframe and welding it into place.
I hear Luna yawn as she walks out of her room with half closed eyes and her mane looks a mess. "Good morning, Adam. How are you feeling today?" she asks me.
"Is that a trick question?" I reply with a hint of humor, my emotional systems seem to be evolving on their own again.
She frowns as she pouts at me. "You know what I meant!" she says and walks over to her workstation.
For the next hour and thirty minutes we continue to build the Apache, but then three knocks at the door gets our attention.
I walk over and open it to see Applebloom and her two friends. "Hi, Adam! We were wondering if you would help us today?" Scootaloo asks me.
"Help you with what?" I ask in turn.
"To get our cutie-marks! We were wondering if you know of anything that could help us," Sweetie Belle replies.
"And how would I be of any help? I have no data on cutie-marks, how do you receive them?" I ask the three fillies.
"A cutie-mark shows what yer special talent is, it appears on ya flank when you discover what yer best at," Applebloom tells me.
"I see, so you have been trying different things to see if you are good at it?" I ask them.
They all nodded rapidly at me. "Uh-huh, but we mostly end up covered in tree sap..." Scootaloo replies with a scrunched up face.
"So what have you tried so far?" I ask and they list off a lot of activities they have attempted. I do not condone the use of a catapult to launch themselves into the nearby lake though. "Have you tried focusing on what each of you love to do the most?" I ask them.
They stare at me for a few seconds before looking at each other. "Why didn't we think of that!" Sweetie Belle shrieks as Scootaloo’s hoof meets her own face.
"What do you enjoy doing the most?" I ask them.
"I like to ride my scooter across town!" Scootaloo replies patting the handlebars of her scooter.
"I erm, I like to sing," Sweetie Belle replies.
"Ah'm pretty good with mah hooves, buildin' our clubhouse was fun," Applebloom says.
"Then why don't you focus on that this time? If you would like, I could accompany you today and aid you," I tell the little fillies.
They grin widely and hop around. "Yeah!" they all shout out.
I chuckle at their enthusiasm and turn towards Luna. "Luna, I'll be out for a few hours helping these fillies, I do recall promising to help them before we left earlier," I inform the dark blue alicorn.
She looks up at me wearing a welding mask from her station with a welder in her telekinesis. "Very well, but do hurry, we need to get this finished as soon as possible," she tells me and returns to her work.
I look down to the three still grinning fillies. "I can spare three hours with you, one hour each. So who would like to go first?" I ask them.
"Me!" Scootaloo yells first, getting frowns from the other two.
I look at Scootaloo's scooter and notice it's old, almost on the verge of collapse. "May I have a look at your scooter?" I ask her.
"Huh? Oh er, sure," she says with slight hesitation and pushes it towards me.
I pick it up and examine it, the wood is starting to rot and the wheel joints are barely holding on.
"I'm afraid this is too damaged to use anymore Scootaloo, the wood is rotting and the wheels are about to fall off where the screws are rusted," I tell her and to prove my point, I easily snap the board in half where the interior is weak and flaking.
"My scooter!" she shouts out in anger and distress, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"Do not worry, I shall make you a new one." I tell her and walk into the workshop. "Luna, can you assist me in making an aluminium scooter with rubber wheels and hoof grips?" I ask her.
"Hmmm? I suppose so, it shouldn't take more than ten minutes at most," she replies and puts her welding torch down.
Nine Minutes Later
I now stand in front of the fillies with a freshly made light weight aluminium scooter with rubber wheels and grips. Scootaloo is staring at it with drool dripping down her chin.
"Ewww, close your mouth, Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle tells her friend with a scrunched up face of disgust.
"Here you go, Scootaloo. A new stronger scooter," I say to her and put it on the ground in front of her.
She reaches a hoof out and lightly strokes the shiny metal board which has a rubber pad on top to give her hooves more grip. "I can have this?" she asks.
"Yes, I did break your old one. But it was too dangerous to use any longer, so a new one was required," I reply.
She squeals and jumps onto it, her little wings buzz rapidly and she shoots off down the dirt path towards Ponyville before turning back around with a flip and races back over to us.
Scootaloo stops in front of me and lets go of her new scooter and then leaps at me and hugs my left leg as best as she can with her tiny little legs. "Thank you, Adam! It's awesome!" she tells me.
"You're welcome," I reply.
She lets go and hops back onto her scooter, she does tricks and stunts as she barrels down the path. After forty minutes of non-stop riding, her flanks glow and the image of a scooter with a pair of wings on the sides making it look like it's flying appears on her flanks.
She stops and just stares at her flanks before squealing even louder this time. Her two friends run over to her and congratulate her on getting her mark.
"So now that she's found hers, who's next?" I ask both Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.
Applebloom starts hopping in place. "Me, me!" she yells with each hop.
"Alright then, you enjoy building things correct?" I ask her.
She nodded and points to the apple orchard. "Ah built our clubhouse mahself, but the tools ah used weren't tha best and are rather old," she tells me.
"Alright, show me this clubhouse then," I tell them.
Scootaloo hooks her new scooter to the red wagon they have where Applebloom and Sweetie Belle hop onto it. Scootaloo then shoots off down the road like a missile and I follow behind them using my jet skates.
After seven minutes of travel, we arrive at the small clubhouse built onto a tree. It does look well made but the boards aren't sanded and look rough, the ends of the boards look like they were cut with a poor saw as well. The walls are a peach colour while the roof, door and shutters are a reddish brown.
"Well, 'ere it is," Applebloom says, gesturing to the structure.
I walk up to it and examine the boards. They're still in good condition but the fillies could get splinters quite easily from them.
"It is well made for what you had, where are the tools you used for it?" I ask her while I look through the window that's just low enough for me to see through. A small desk with a few cushions are at the back with a crude map of Ponyville with crosses on several locations is pinned to the right wall, there's also a chest with some toys to the left of the window.
"In tha barn, mah sister Applejack let me use them to build tha clubhouse with," the red headed filly replies.
"Go and get them, I'd like to see what condition they're in," I say to Applebloom.
"Erm, sure, ah'll be right back," she replies and runs off towards her family's barn.
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Breaking her scooter was just cold. And no, making her a new one afterwards doesn't fix it.
Ok....NEW CLUBHOUSE MONTAGE....*insert CMC Clubhouse here*
Huh... that was new....
7084718 If the condition was as bad as he said, it would of probably broken apart while she was riding it, causing her to be probably severely injured (given the stunts she does in canon episodes), requiring days/weeks of staying in a hospital bed. While it was cold to break it in front of her instead of waiting and then when scoots isn't around grind it up and recycle the parts, you do have to remember Adam is an AI. A very advanced AI, but still an AI. So to his core, it was the most efficient way to deal with the situation at the current moment.
Nice chapter. Nice to have some filler every once in awhile.
7084761
Yeah can't imagine a lot of people would remember that. Even some of the most advanced fictional AI are always too logical.... though E.D.I. from Mass Effect might be different in that regard, don't quite remember.
7084761 Then Luna should have called him out on it. It would have made for a good character building moment.
Scootaloo: "I shall build you a better scooter."
Apple Bloom: "I shall build you better tools."
Sweetie Belle: "...I don't really know. I shall build you a better voice? You'll be the world's first cyborg singer."
7084718 it was to protect her.
She would have been seriously hurt, if she tried to ride on that death-trap.
I have a question for the readers. I brought up how short this chapter felt to Urimas and I'm wondering if anyone if thinking something similar. I'm not looking to have him change it or anything, I'm just looking for thoughts.
Thank you for provide us with a real chapter this day, this day one can only expect fake chapters or jokes about cancelation.
So thanks again
7084919 See my other reply.
7085006 maybe, but I still don't see how he is in the wrong.
He did a good thing and replaced her broken and useless scooter with an even better scooter. She has literally nothing to complain about as he gave her a gift.
7085030 He destroyed a personal possession that wasn't his and probably had a very high sentimental value attached to it. You don't go around breaking things that aren't yours, not without permission and even if you replace it afterwards with something better. I could pin him to the wall in court for this.
7084854 Luna wasn't paying attention at the moment. She was busy with the Apache.
It's nice to know that you're changing the story a bit. Heh changing, changeling, get it? No, because it's April Fools!
If you need a name for a new CMC clubhouse I suggest this - Tree of a Crusader (Tree of the Crusaders), House of Crusading
7085036 "I could pin him to the wall in court for this."
Well no you can't, as you are not the 'victim'. Scootaloo can, but she obviously don't mind and is happy, so there is no problem.
Plus the scooter was already destroyed, it was only a matter of a day or two, before it would break on its own, therefor making keeping it entirely useless.
7085049 You seen to be missing something very important here. Adam had no right to do anything to Scootaloo's scooter that she did not give express permission for. It was her scooter, and no one can so much as touch it without her say so. It is the right of personal property, and Adam stomped all over it. An 'ends justifies the means' argument will not get him out of this.
7084992 I'll never joke about that, tbh I hate April Fools Day.
7085082 there is no 'get him out of this'.
There are no charges pressed against him from Scootaloo and therefor no punishment. Besides we don't know how the laws works in Equestria, for all we know, what he did was totally legal. I mean, breaking in is apparently legal, since the mane six was never punished for breaking into Zecora's home in 'Bridge Gossip'.
7085269 This is not about court. This is about your defending a bad action. Adam did wrong and shouldn't have gotten away with it. You have failed to convince me that he didn't do anything wrong.
7085453 and you failed to convince me what he did wrong.
He made sure Scootaloo was safe and even improved her scooter.
Do you go around blaming adults for taking dangerous toys away from their children as well, calling it stealing?
I think you might be advanceing the story to fast.
7085513 How so? This is filler, before they get back onto the Apache.
7085513 i don't feel said rush, tought...
That's an interesting twist, giving the CMC different cutie marks than the show. Are you going with the thought that ponies are capable of multiple cutie marks, and the first one just happens to stick, or just simply disregarding canon on that one? *is curious*
7085776 Canon is out the window! Shot out with a cannon!
7085808 and then it came through my wall like the kool aid guy and now its mounted above my fireplace.
7085882 Well, thanks for the feedback. Sorry that my story writing isn't your cup of tea.
I just write what I like the sound of, what I'd like to read in a story.Some like drama or romance while I prefer action and adventure.
Still, thanks for the comment.
7086227 *Raises a warhammer and swings wildly after a heavy night of drinking* Hold shtill ya bastards ya! I ish only tryin' ta shwat that *hic* fly off'a ya nose! *Burp*
7085491 Yes, that is stealing, they're taking things that don't to them. That's the definition of stealing. When you see a kid playing with something dangerous you warn them or their parents about it, you don't take it and break it.
Hmmm, I feel Scootaloo got her Cutie Mark a little to easily. Maybe if she'd started out doing simple tricks, worked her way up to more complex ones as she got used to the new scooter, and finally pulled off a trick she'd never been able to do before it would be a little more awesome. Or a description of how she settles into a zone, starting to see the potential tricks she can now pull off and how the scooter seems to be synchronizing with her to bring out her full potential.
7086330 Letting the kid get hurt while you can have stopped it is illegal as well.
Er... I'm pretty sure you get your Cutie Mark when you REALISE/EMBRACE your special talent, not randomly as you're performing said special talent.
7087663 Holy crap.... Biggest comment I've ever had, thanks for pointing these out, I'll get around to fixing them when I get onto my computer (currently on my Laptop).
Why can't more people give helpful feed back like this?
7087368
Here, maybe explaining what Adam should have done will help. He should have scanned the scooter, told Scootaloo it was dangerous, then offered to make her a new one. ONce the new scooter is complete, then and only then does he offer to dispose of the old one. If Scootaloo say yes, he breaks it and throws it out. If she says no, she gets it back to keep. She's not going to be using it anymore, she's not a total idiot or desperate, but she does get the final say on what happens to it.
I was suggesting a way to have Adam make a harmless mistake and grow as a character because of it. Heroes grow when they screw up as much as when they win.
7087762 I agree with most of what you said, except one part. I just still think what Adam did was the right thing, even if he could have handled it better in the execution of the action.
"She's not going to be using it anymore, she's not a total idiot or desperate,"
She repeatedly puts herself in danger just to gain some mark on her flank. I would call that being a total idiot.
I was expecting this to be an April Fools day chapter.
7088032 I don't do that.
Despite me first thinking this was an April Fools chapter, I like the pace this one has. Nicely slow from the last one.
7088331 I don't pull April fools jokes, I find them in bad taste.
7088457 I do not kid in instances like these.
... Unless I'm being an ignorant prick. Which if that is true. Kindly point that out to me.
7087803 Exactly. What he did was tactless more than anything else. Having someone point out that he didn't handle the situation as well as he could have would have allowed for him to become more considerate in the future.
7088562 except you talked about literally have him face legal charges, which is way more than a mere lesson.
7088619 You kept insisting he hadn't done wrong. That was a counter that said I could prove he did. At no point did I think that it would or should happen, it's complete overkill here.
That changeling Adam has captured is transmitting data to Chrysalis, who is helping the gryphons to make those weapons.
Or something.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
So, the CMC get their marks a few seasons earlier. Then again it's not as if the story is already a great deviation from the show chronology already
I wonder how will Diamond Tiara treat them now. Well, only one way to know!
Coming up next: MONTAGE!
7087684 cus wii r nawt
engrish mage-jerz
7087663 that comment I r8 8/8 while I mastub8 and when I'm...
..........You know what I'm going to stop there.
Any I'm out, (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
I wish for more...
But it is four in the morning...
I shall sleep now...
7111224 nou sleep I is for for the zzzzz