//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Human Cutie Mark Crusader 
// Story: Moving On 
// by Manitive 
//------------------------------//

	Scootaloo apparently thought that it was important to get Rainbow and me, especially me, to the clubhouse of their so-called 'Cutie Mark Crusaders'-club as fast as possible. At least that's what it felt like when she started dragging me through whole the whole town, passing curious ponies that looked at us like we were totally crazy.

All of that was made even worse by the fact that she was standing on her scooter, buzzing her little wings rapidly while dragging me alongside her with the help of her teeth, which unfortunately meant that I had to somehow keep up with her, or else she'd have fallen off - something I really wanted to prevent from happening. Additionally, I still had to carry the clothes Rarity cleaned for me. So, I tried my best to keep up with her while being careful not to drop the freshly-cleaned clothes. At least she seemed to have learned from earlier that day and was going a little slower.

Which, unfortunately for me, still was jogging speed.

Rainbow, for her part, had no troubles keeping up with me and Scootaloo, thanks to her wings. She was hovering alongside us, occasionally trying to start a conversation with me, knowing full well that there was no way for me to hold it up longer than ten seconds. I tried a few times to get her to carry my clothes for me so that I could concentrate on keeping up with my daughter, but all she did was smirk and say, "No can do, I'm flying. Too great of a risk, y'know?"

To put it short; she was having a blast out of seeing me suffer. 

The three of us passed by cottage after cottage, pony after pony, and then, to my confusion, exited Ponyville into the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. I repeatedly tried to gain Scootaloo's attention in order to, for one, get her to slow down and two, ask her why we were going to the Apple's farm, but she either didn't hear me or just pretended that she didn't hear me.

Once we passed through the more than obvious entrance to the farm, Scootaloo took a sudden left into the orchard that nearly made me trip over my own feet and drop the precious clean clothes I was carrying. I just barely managed to prevent that from happening, and that only because she brought her scooter to a halt as she turned left and thankfully didn't continue driving.

Scootaloo released her grip from my pants, leaving back a small salvia imprint of her front teeth, and then hopped off from her scooter. She lifted a hoof up to her forehead, wiping away a few drops of sweat, completely oblivious to my condition. "Whew, that was fun!"

Meanwhile, I was trying my dearest not to fall unconscious, bending over in exhaustion while taking deep, long breaths. I wasn't nearly as exhausted as earlier that day when I had to sprint through Ponyville, but my lungs were still burning with every single breath I took.

"That was awesome, squirt!" I heard Rainbow cheering, quickly followed by a smack, presumably originating from a high-five. A quick look into their direction confirmed that, as I saw both of their forelegs still outstretched, Scootaloo smiling widely.

"Yeah..." I breathed out, gaining their attention instantly, still looking at them with a glare on my face. "Awesome..."

At first, Scootaloo didn't seem to realize why I sounded so sarcastic. But that quickly changed, her confused expression replaced by realization and a sheepish smile. "Heh, sorry dad." She said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "I thought I was going a lot slower this time."

"Don't beat yourself over it." Rainbow assured Scootaloo with an encouraging pat on her back, smirking at me. I opened my mouth in order to inform her that slower was still too fast, but Rainbow apparently saw that and interrupted me even before I was able to form the words. "Your dad needs the exercise."

I stood up and blinked, then quirked an eyebrow as the meaning behind her words hit me. "Did you just call me fat?"

She shook her head, a cocky smile on her face. "Nope, just pointed out that you could use some exercise."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "...You're going to regret that."

"Guys?" Scootaloo interrupted just as Rainbow was about to speak up. "Can we maybe go to the clubhouse, now? I really want to show it to you, dad!"

I shot Rainbow one last glare before looking back at Scootaloo, a small smile on my face. "Sure, but please, this time no scooter. Let's just walk, okay?"

I could tell that she wasn't really too happy about not being able to drive her scooter, but Scootaloo nodded her head nonetheless, although she was really reluctant about doing so. "Okay."

I gave her another smile before motioning for her to lead the way, which she, after looking confused for a second or two, understood. She hopped off of her scooter and continued to walk further into the orchard, scooter rolling alongside her while Rainbow and I were following a few meters behind her.

I think it was good that I asked her to walk the rest of the way with us, because as we got further and further into the orchard, the ground got increasingly more bumpy, a few rather big holes that surely would've caused an accident littering the narrow path between rows of apple trees we were following. Though Scootaloo, upon me questioning her about it, assured me that she sped down the same exact path a few hundred times, so she knew when she had to slow down in order to prevent any injuries from happening.

It wasn't long before I noticed that the trees around me were getting bigger. In fact, they started looking a little too big for apple trees. But a quick glance into their direction assured me that they were indeed still apple trees, just that they were bigger than the others I had seen so far. Way bigger. They also stood less in a row like I had seen in other parts of the orchard on the farm. It seemed like we were reaching a part of the orchard that was less frequently visited and thereby tended to by the Apple family. 

While I was busy studying my surroundings, I almost failed to notice the big wooden square in one of the bigger trees of the orchard. It was only because of Scooaloo's audible excitement and her being so nice as to point it out that I spotted it, their clubhouse, sitting in the biggest tree I was able to spot in our near vicinity.

And, to say that their clubhouse was awesome, was really an understatement.

It was, to put it simply, every children's dream of a perfect club- and treehouse. A wooden platform appeared to be perfectly built to the thick trunk, supported by three or four sturdy-looking support logs that connected the trunk with the platform's underside and ensured the stability of the treehouse that sat atop it. There was also a ramp, also made out of wood, that directly led up to the front door of the clubhouse. It was quite obvious why they used a ramp instead of a ladder. cClimbing a ladder wasn't really an option, with them being ponies and not owning any hands and all, and flying into the clubhouse wasn't an option either, at least not for any of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Well, not at that moment. I was still going to see if there was any way I could help my daughter with her little problem so that maybe one day she'd be able to enjoy the sky just like every other pegasus.

I opened my mouth as Scootaloo turned around to face me, stepping aside and presenting the clubhouse with one of her forehooves. "Wow."

In response to my simple, yet more than adequate praise, the little filly puffed out her small fluffy chest, a proud smile on her face. "Awesome, eh?"

I nodded my head in agreement, mesmerized by the sight before me. "Uh-huh."

"C'mon, let's go inside!" Scootaloo exclaimed in an excited tone, buzzing her little wings rapidly like a hummingbird. I was about to form a response, but by the time the words were ready to leave my mouth, she was already in front of the ramp, leaving back her scooter at the foot of it. She then hurried up the ramp, obviously too excited about something to notice that I wasn't following her, opened the front door of the club, stepped inside and, without missing a beat, shut the door loudly.

Not only was I extremely confused by my daughter's behavior, but also slightly suspicious. Especially since, if what Rarity said had been true, another one of the Crusaders was waiting inside there, maybe even all three of them! And we all know what happened the last time they and I were together. Maybe Scootaloo was just tricking me into thinking everything was safe, and then, once I turn my back to her, all three of them would've struck at once. Just the sheer image of another one of their make-up sessions was enough for me to play with the thought of running away. 

I looked at Rainbow out of the corner of my left eye suspiciously. Maybe she had been informed of the plan the CMC were pursuing and was just waiting for me to run away. 

Not.With.Me.

I was not going to run away. I was going to face the three little devils and show Rainbow that I was a man!

So, with renewed confidence, I walked over to the ramp, one hand on the non-existent handrail as I carefully walked it up. Once I stood in front of the door, I took a look back over my shoulder, seeing Rainbow still waiting there with a big smile on her face. But it wasn't the kind of smile I was excepting. Not a mischievous one, just a normal smile. I was a little confused that she, or anyone else for that matter, hadn't knocked me unconscious already so that I wasn't able to struggle while they were prettying me up.

Looking back forward, I placed a hand on the door and tried to push it open, only to realize shortly after that I had to pull in order to open it. So, pull I did, and once the door was fully open, all I saw was darkness.

"Scoots?" I asked aloud, one eyebrow raised in confusion. I took a step inside, followed by another, quickly finding myself in what could've been the center of the for all I knew. "You here?"

Suddenly, without warning, the door behind me shut close with a loud thump, almost as if it was closed by a strong breeze. I jumped at the sound. Then it hit me.

I ran right into their trap.

I was going to get prettied up again, but this time without my consent. They were going to knock me unconscious at any moment, and then they were going to drag my motionless body into the darkness, where they were going to blemish my face with their girly make-up. Then they were going to tie me up and put me to show in the town center the whole day where everyone was going to have a good laugh at my expense. 

I started shuddering, spinning around slowly in an attempt to spot any of them nearing me. But everything I saw was darkness, total and utter darkness. Inky black darkness. I wasn't even able to see my own hands.

What if their talent really was make-up stuff? What were they going to do with me once they got their cutie marks? Would they just get rid of me? Sell me to some sick pony that likes to own exotic creatures? Or maybe to a zoo where I was going to be caged in and robbed of my freedom? Or maybe I-

"Dad." A voice, serious and yet holding some authority to it, suddenly announced, breaking me out of my panic-induced stupor. With a confused blink, I realized that there was only one person that would've called me that. 

"Scoots?" I asked into the darkness, looking around once again, but unable to spot anything. "Where are you?"

I felt a small breeze hitting my face, barely even worth mentioning. "That doesn't matter."

"Wow, that's some spooky stuff right here." I mumbled under my breath, momentarily ignoring my growing fear just in order to say that.

Suddenly, there was another sound besides my own voice. A sound that was silent at first, but got increasingly louder with each passing second. A sound that was like a rolling thunder that got closer with each passing second. 

The sound of a...

Drumm roll?

Suddenly, the lights went on and the drum roll stopped. Without thinking, my hands shot upwards to my eyes, shielding them from the bright intrusion, which had the side effect of me not being able to see what was going on. I heard the sound of shuffling, and, between that, hushed whispering.

"What do we do now?" One of them asked.

"I dunno, you're the one who came up with this!" The second one whispered back.

"Girls, girls-" Another one interrupted, that one sounding strangely familiar. "-calm down, we've got this."

I slowly let my hands back down and blinked twice, trying to adjust them to the bright light that nearly blinded me. After a few seconds, my eyes were adjusted to the brightness, but they were definitely not prepared for what stood in front of me.

A wooden lectern, of some sort, was the first thing that caught my eyes, and standing behind it was a familiar white unicorn filly with a curly mane that wore a dark red cape. My eyes trailed to Sweetie Belle's right, where another familiar, yellow face, Apple Bloom, stood, wearing the same cape as Sweetie Belle did, but besides that, looked completely like her usual self. Lastly, I was able to spot my daughter standing behind a small set of drums to Sweetie Belle's left, but unlike before, she was also wearing the same cape just like her other two friends. She must've put it on before I entered the clubhouse.

Slowly, very slowly, I raised one eyebrow. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

To my question, Sweetie Belle took quick glances at the other two, to which they gave her nods, before clearing her throat loudly and unrolling something that looked like a scroll with the help of her magic.

She placed the scroll on top of the lectern and began reading, "We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect William to join us as a brother, friend, confi-" She scrunched up her nose cutely, trying her dearest to figure out how to pronounce the word. "-confidante, ally, buddy, pal, compadre... Scootaloo, I thought you revised it!"

The orange filly in question shrugged her shoulders. "I did."

Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a short glare before skipping through the majority of the unrealistically long scroll, mumbling under her breath all the while. "...Homeboy... amigo... blah blah blah... Oh, yes, here!" She pointed one of her little hoofsies at some part in the scroll, leaning even closer to the piece of paper. "...and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader! You are solemnly sworn in, here this day, in witness of your fellow sisters, friends, confidantes...buddies...compadres...Ugh, Scootaloo?!"

Scootaloo walked up to me, on her back another, much larger cape of the same color as theirs, so big that she nearly tripped over it on her way over to me. Once she stood in front of me, and I shot her beaming face a confused look, she motioned for me with one hand to take the cape off of her back. After a second of hesitation on my part, I carefully picked it up, holding it up in front of me and unfolding it in order to see just how big it was.

And big, it was. Way bigger than any of theirs. And now that I had a closer look at one of their capes, I realized that there was also a blue patch sewn-in, depicting a yellow, featureless pony with a cape rearing up on its hind legs, striking a triumphal pose. The material it was made out of was soft to the touch, probably some kind of wool.

"Congratulations!" Scootaloo said aloud, bumping my leg with a hoof casually. "You're now a Cutie Mark Crusader!"

Shaking my head once, I looked at the cape, then back down at Scootaloo, then over to her two filly-friends behind her, and finally back to the cape. I slowly lifted the cape away from in front of my face, securing it in my right hand.

"What?" Was the first word confused me managed to form, unable to understand what really was going on. To say that I was overwhelmed would've been a huge understatement. The only thing I picked up from their little ceremony was something about 'solemnly sworn in', 'compadre' and 'fellow sisters'. Oh, and the part about me being a Cutie Mark Crusader. Let's not forget about that.

"Wait..." My eyes widened, fixed on the wall at the end of the room. "Did you just say that I'm a Cutie Mark Crusader?"

To my complete horror, all three of them nodded their heads simultaneously, big smiles on their faces.

"Oh god..." I muttered under my breath. "Oh god. Ohgodohgodohgodohgod."

"Dad, what's up?" Scootaloo asked worriedly as her face fell, cocking her head to the side a little. That was apparently not the reaction she was expecting. "You okay?"

Upon hearing her voice and feeling her hoof on my leg, I calmed down a little. I gulped heavily, slowly looking down to my daughter. "D-Does that mean that I have to join your...adventures?"

You might ask yourself why I was so worried about joining them on their crusades. Well, that is because from what I had heard, some of their little adventures had been extremely dangerous and had caused some serious trouble in the past. Plus, there was a big possibility that they were going to try to pursue me into another round of 'paint the human's face so that he looks like a monster'. I didn't want to be any part of that.

"Nah, ya don't hafta." Apple Bloom answered in that thick accent of hers, giggling a little at my obvious fear. Little, adorable demon. "'s not like ya can get a cutie mark, right?"

I exhaled audibly, not realizing that I was holding my breath until the air escaped my mouth. "Nope."

"Like Apple Bloom said, don't worry about that, Mr. William." Sweetie Belle assured me, jumping back onto the ground and stepping around the lectern she was previously on, stopping in front of it. "Also, I wouldn't say that you're a Cutie Mark Crusader per se-" 'Ouch' "-you're more of an...honorary member?"

"But you still get the totally awesome cape!" Scootaloo added, pointing an excited hoof at the piece of cloth I was holding in my hands.

"Wow girls." I breathed out, not too sure what to say. First off, what they did was extremely adorable and secondly, they just made me be part of their little club, at least partly, and not because they could cut me open and see if they'd get their cutie marks as a surgeon. No, they purely did it because...

"Uhm, what exactly did I do that made you girls think I would be a good...addition to your club?"

They looked at me with blank faces for a second, then looked at each other, before giving me a shrug as an answer.

"So, just because you felt like it?" I inquired confusedly.

They shrugged their shoulders again, this time without having to silently ask for each other's opinion first.

I crossed my arms, rolling my eyes at their lack of words. "Words, please?"

"Well...you don't have a cutie mark, just like us." Sweetie Belle pointed out the obvious, curtly showing me her blank flank as if to prove her point.

"Plus, you're my dad." Scootaloo added.

"An' ya ain't like any of the other adults." Apple Bloom finished.

"...Well, alrighty." I smiled at them, not totally satisfied with their answers, but they were a start. "Anyways, I have to say that I feel honored to join your club, as long as that really doesn't mean that I have to go crusading with you guys. Eh, no offense. "

"Nah, like Ah said, ya don't have tah as lon' as ya don't want'a." Apple Bloom reassured me, smiling up at me warmly.

"Though you have some duties, obviously." Scootaloo quickly added, to which the other two fillies feverishly nodded their heads.

I hummed in thought. "What things are we talking about?"

"Homework!"

"Fixing the clubhouse!"

"Aaaand..." Scootaloo lifted a hoof under her chin. "You have to walk us to school! Every day!"

"Deal." I said with a small chuckle, though I knew deep inside that I just accepted a deal with three little devils. At that moment, though, I couldn't have cared less. They were just way too adorable to deny their offer.

"Yay!" All three of them cheered in unison. Even before I was able to do so much as blink, I found myself surrounded by them, each one bouncing up and down excitedly around me, their tails bouncing in sync with their cute little bodies. I was tempted to just scoop all three of them up in my arms and cuddle them but feared that they wouldn't take too kindly to that. At least Scootaloo wouldn't have liked me doing that in front of her friends, that much I was sure of.

So, I chose to just stare at them while chuckling at their small, incredibly cute little dance, thinking about what I had gotten myself into again. To be fair, I couldn't have cared less. The adorableness more than made up for the troubles they were sure going to present me with.

"Though, I have to say that you girls really have to work on your initiation."