“I'm leaving, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle called up the stairs to her sister, making sure her voice was good and loud in case she was still in the shower. Sweetie didn't bother waiting for a reply, instead running back to the front door to join up with her friends. She slammed the door shut behind her out of sheer enthusiasm, and didn't spare a thought towards locking it.
“What, your sister's not even gonna say goodbye?” Scootaloo asked, brow raised and hands on her hips.
Sweetie shrugged, the three walking as one down the walk towards their ride. “I'm pretty sure she's in the middle of something important.”
“Really?” Apple Bloom asked. “What?”
“Beats me,” Sweetie answered with another shrug. “Rarity's been acting weird all morning.”
“She always acts weird, though,” Scootaloo pointed out.
The other two giggled. “True,” Sweetie said with a broad smile. “But she's being extra weird today. I'm pretty sure she's hiding something.”
“Oh, maybe she's got a boyfriend!” Applebloom suggested as they reached the old pickup, her own smile excited.
Sweetie pursed her lips and hummed uncertainly. “I don't know...usually when she's crushing on a guy she's pretty obvious about it. Last time, she was swooning so much that Mom had to take her to see the doctor.”
Applebloom and Scootaloo shared a stunned look. “Well, I sure am glad Applejack's not like that.”
“Has she ever had a crush on someone?” Scootaloo asked.
“I don't think so,” was the answer. “You ever notice anythin' like that, Big Mac?” Applebloom asked her brother, sitting patiently in the pickup's driver seat with the window rolled down.
Big Mac tapped his chin in thought for a moment, then said “Nnnope.”
“Guess she just ain't interested,” Apple Bloom decided with a helpless shrug. “But enough about that.” She smiled and looked at her two best friends, both already doing the same. “You girls ready for today?”
“We sure are!” answered Sweetie, sticking her hand into the middle of their group.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo chimed in, placing her hand on top of Sweetie's.
“Alright then,” Apple Bloom said, adding her own hand.
“CRUSADERS FOR JUSTICE FOREVER!” the three shouted as one, loud enough to make Big Mac flinch and more than one dog in the neighborhood start to howl. The trio descended into a giggle-fit of boundless energy, eagerly rushing around the truck to get into their seats – Apple Bloom in the shotgun position next to her brother, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo crammed into the less-than-roomy back seat.
Soon even Big McIntosh had been swept up by their enthusiasm, chuckling along with them as he backed the truck out of the driveway.
“So, where to first?” Sweetie asked as they reached the edge of her neighborhood, Big Mac waiting for a chance to turn out onto the main road.
“The hardware store,” Big Mac answered with a happy smile.
“The hardware store?” Scootaloo repeated, her face scrunched up with distaste. “Why there?”
“Big Mac needs to get a few things,” Apple Bloom explained, turning around to look at her friends so they could see how sorry she was. “Plus Granny Smith gave us a list of some other stuff to pick up too,” she added, holding up the list in question. It was long.
Scootaloo groaned, throwing herself back in her seat. “I thought we were going to be doing hero stuff today, not running a bunch of errands.”
“Well, just think of it as our first good deed of the day,” Sweetie said, staying positive. “We're helping an old lady with her shopping!”
“Yeah, exactly!” Apple Bloom chimed in brightly.
Scootaloo just crossed her arms, her grumbling unabated. “I'm still worn out on shopping since we tried being Crusaders for Savings...”
“I still think that was one of our more useful ideas,” Sweetie told her. “Plus finding all the right coupons was pretty fun too.”
“Whatever,” Scootaloo said. “Let's just get this over with...”
Although the journey to the hardware store should have been a fairly short one, Big McIntosh soon realized that the girls he was chaperoning weren't about to keep it that way. Only five minutes in they forced him to stop so they could get out and help an old man cross a busy intersection; another three minutes after that Sweetie Belle had expressed concern for a cat that was walking down the street without an owner in sight and he'd been forced to stop again. He watched them chase off after it with unbridled enthusiasm for a couple seconds before driving off to find a place to park, and wasn't at all surprised to see them return fifteen minutes later, catless.
“It wasn't lost or a runaway,” Apple Bloom had explained to him as she and her friends piled back into the truck. “It was just an outdoor cat. Had a collar and everything.”
“I'm glad it was healthy and not in trouble or anything,” Sweetie said as she buckled up. “Though I get the feeling it didn't really like us.”
“I'll say,” Scootaloo chimed in as she nursed a few shallow scratches on her arms. Apple Bloom took a small first aid kit out of the glove compartment and passed it back to her, and she and Sweetie Belle quickly got to work tending their minor wounds.
Eventually, after a few more stops that mostly turned out to be false alarms, the four reached Canterlot Hardware. A couple minutes after that, Big Mac had found a parking spot and they all filed out of the truck.
“Hey, you think anyone's gonna need our help inside?” Scootaloo asked.
“Maybe,” Sweetie Belle shrugged.
“Let's go see!” Apple Bloom finished enthusiastically, leading her friends on an eager charge to the front door. Big Mac followed at a calmer pace, smiling and shaking his head.
It was Apple Bloom who opened the door, but she – and her friends – stopped the moment they recognized who was on the other side of it.
“Oh, hey Sunset! Hey Twilight!” Apple Bloom began with a smile at the two older girls, both of whom were carrying heavy-looking bags.
“What're you two doing here?” Sweetie Belle asked, squeezing into the store past Apple Bloom.
“Buying hardware, obviously,” Scootaloo told her, on Apple Bloom's other side.
“Well duh,” Sweetie Belle shot back. “But what're they buying it for?”
“They do got a lot of it...,” Apple Bloom said, a finger on her lip as she cast an uncertain look at the bags Twilight and Sunset were carrying.
“Eeeyup,” Big Mac chimed in, appearing behind the three.
“Hey girls,” Sunset greeted, stepping aside to let the group enter. “Hey Big Mac.”
“Yes, hi,” Twilight said with a hint of impatience as she, too, moved to the side. “All this is actually just materials for a research project I'm helping Sunset with. We actually have a bus to catch, though, so maybe we could talk-”
She never finished her sentence, the interest of the three Crusaders now piqued. “Ooh, what kind of research project?” Apple Bloom asked as she peeked into Twilight's bags. “Anything we could help with?”
Scootaloo moved to join her, but Sweetie Belle hung back with an uncertain frown on her face. “I don't know. This stuff looks a little too advanced for us...”
“Pfft, we can handle it,” Scootaloo scoffed, waving her hand before delving more fully into the bags. Twilight squirmed in discomfort, but neither Scootaloo nor Apple Bloom noticed. “We can do anything if we put our minds to it!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused.
Sweetie studied the bags and their contents more closely, until her smile suddenly grew. “Good point. Hey, maybe we should try being Crusaders for Science again after we're done being Crusaders for Justice?”
“That's a great idea!” Scootaloo said, bursting with enthusiasm.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom chorused, again.
Twilight's body lurched back a little as she gave the girls a puzzled look. “Uhh...I'm sorry? Did I hear you right? You're Crusaders for Justice?”
Apple Bloom looked up at her and beamed. “Sure are!”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “Today we're going around fighting bad guys and helping people, just like Rainbow Dash!” She struck a karate pose as if to emphasize her point.
“Well,” Sweetie Belle corrected without hesitation, “more like Mare-Do-Well. I don't think Rainbow Dash has been all that active as a superhero yet.”
Scootaloo gaped and puffed herself up in outrage and protest, but all she could manage to say was “Hey!”
Apple Bloom gave the older girls an apologetic smile, saying “Well, regardless, we're gonna be tryin' our own hands at the hero business.” She stiffened at a sound from behind her, and looked back to see Big Mac crossing his arms and giving her a stern and protective look. “Uhh, at least as far as we can do so, err, responsibly,” she added, quickly and sheepishly. “Y'know, helpin' old ladies cross the street and the like.” She looked back at her brother, who nodded his approval.
Scootaloo, on the other hand, let her distaste be known with a sputter. “So just the boring stuff...,” she said as if to clarify her friend's explanation.
An odd smile suddenly appeared on Twilight's face, and she hooked her arm around Sunset's. “Yes, well, we'll just leave you to it, then,” she said. “But we really must be going now, so...goodbye!”
She made for the exit with enough force to drag Sunset along with her, who said “Later, guys! You keep an eye on them, Big Mac!” as the four waved her off. Once she was out the doorway she forced herself to stop, quickly adding “And if you see Rainbow Dash, tell her not to be so aggres-SIVE!” finishing just as Twilight yanked her away.
The four watched them leave in silence, the girls looking mildly bewildered but Big Mac looking unperturbed. He nodded, and said “Eeyup.”
“Wow, Twilight sure was in a hurry to get outta here,” Apple Bloom observed.
“You don't think she doesn't like us, do you?” Sweetie asked, a frown forming on her lips.
“Nah, she loves us,” Scootaloo said with a dismissive hand wave. “Everyone does! She just had a bus to catch, remember?”
“Oh yeah!” Sweetie said, brightening up.
Scootaloo nodded, then punched her open palm. “Alright girls, let's find somebody to help!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle chorused, and the three raced into the store. Big Mac just smiled and shook his head, then started walking towards the nails.
They were the only people in the store, aside from the elderly green-skinned clerk. And he was quite insistent that he didn't need any help.
“Aww man, what's the point of crusading for justice when there's no justice to deal out?” Scootaloo complained, throwing up her hands in frustration.
“It's okay,” Sweetie told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I'm sure there'll be someone we can help in the next place we stop at.”
“I guess,” Scootaloo said, slumping. “But what are we supposed to do until then?”
“It does look like my brother's gonna be a while,” Apple Bloom said, a finger to her lip as she watched Big Mac compare two boxes of nails at the other end of the aisle. “I guess we just look around for now” She shrugged. “Who knows, maybe somethin'll catch our interest?”
Scootaloo rubbed a finger across her chin in thought. “Hmm...well, I could always use more spare parts for my scooter...”
“Couldn't go wrong with pickin' up some supplies of our own for the clubhouse, neither!” Apple Bloom added brightly.
“Yeah!” Scootaloo said. “Especially once we turn it into our secret hero base!”
“Yeah!”
“And I bet I have coupons for just about everything we could need!” Sweetie added enthusiastically, pulling a thick coupon book out of a pocket.
Her friends turned blank stares her way. “What?” she shrugged. “I told you, I liked couponing!”
They kept staring.
“Electric screwdriver?” Scootaloo asked, holding up a cordless model with an eager grin.
“Nope,” Sweetie said almost immediately, her eyes glued to her coupon book.
“Already got one anyway,” Apple Bloom said offhandedly as she perused the shelves of power tools.
“Ooh, how about this cool power saw?” Scootaloo said next, putting the electric screwdriver on the nearest shelf and grabbing a saw instead. It was red.
“You kiddin'?” Apple Bloom answered, looking over just so she could raise a brow. “Granny barely even lets me use the regular saw. Besides-” she turned back to the wall of tools - “I don't know if we're gonna need to be doin' any cuttin'. A new drill might be good though,” she said with a smile, picking up a shiny black drill while Scootaloo put the power saw back on what was blatantly the wrong hook.
“Ooh! How about a jackhammer?” Sweetie Belle suggested, staring at a particular coupon with wide-eyed delight.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shared a look. “A jackhammer?” the latter asked with enough skepticism to power the entire aisle's worth of tools.
Sweetie looked between them in confusion, then held up her book and pointed at the coupon she'd found. “What? We can get one for 10% off!”
“Would we ever even need one of those?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo.
Scootaloo paused to think for a moment, then said “Better remember it, just in case.”
“Good idea,” Apple Bloom said. “Though even with the 10% off I reckon a jackhammer's a little more than we can afford right now.”
“True,” Sweetie admitted with an uncertain frown as she continued to leaf through her book.
“Let's just stick with the drill for now,” Apple Bloom said, tucking her choice under her arm. “Unless you got another good coupon in there for us.”
Sweetie quickly flipped a few pages. “Uhh, does a two-for-one on garden hoses count?”
“How long'a hoses are we talkin' about?” Apple Bloom asked immediately.
“Uhh,” Sweetie quickly squinted at the coupon, “fifty feet.”
“Plastic or rubber?” Apple Bloom added without missing a beat.
“Does that even matter?” Scootaloo questioned.
Apple Bloom shrugged. “I dunno, maybe.”
“Well, the coupon doesn't specify either way,” Sweetie told them.
The three looked at each other, and shrugged. “Let's just put it in the 'just in case' pile with the jackhammer,” Apple Bloom said as she led her friends to another aisle.
A few more minutes later – and a few more entries for the 'just in case' pile – the three had regrouped with Big McIntosh to check out. Then they put the vacuum cleaner and the industrial-strength adhesive they'd picked out back on the shelves after a receiving a stern 'No', and went to meet him at the checkout counter.
“Are you sure you wanna pay separately?” Apple Bloom asked Scootaloo as she paid for her drill and Sweetie Belle's half-off waffle iron.
“It's fine,” Scootaloo told her with an armful of spare scooter parts. “You two are buying stuff for the group, I'm just buying stuff for me.”
Apple Bloom shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Well, you girls certainly are buying a lot,” the old clerk said as he handed Apple Bloom her bag. “Of course,” he laughed, “not nearly as much as Miss Sparkle and her friend purchased, but still. Is there something going on that I'm not aware of? Should I be expecting more young people coming in today and buying supplies?”
The three girls looked at one another. “I don't think so,” Apple Bloom answered.
“Yeah, we're just buying this stuff because it's convenient,” Sweetie added.
“He's the one who wanted to come here,” Scootaloo finished, pointing at Big Mac who was admiring the single box of nails he'd purchased.
The clerk chuckled, beginning to scan Scootaloo's items. “Well, that's fair enough I suppose. You were all able to find everything you needed alright, at least?” he asked the four.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac answered, his sister and her friends soon following with their agreement.
“Even if we didn't get to buy all of it...,” Scootaloo muttered under her breath a second later.
“Well young lady, your total is $37.36,” the clerk told her. She paid quickly with plastic and coupon, and as she took her bags he smiled. “Have a nice day, and come again!”
“Thanks!” Scootaloo answered, waving along with her friends as they all moved towards the exit.
“We will!” Apple Bloom added.
“You too!” Sweetie chimed in.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac finished.
“So, where to next?” Sweetie Belle asked, all four back in the truck and headed out onto the main road. The clock on the dashboard read a little past 10:30.
“The pet store,” Big Mac answered plainly, not taking his eyes off the road.
“The pet store?” Scootaloo questioned, once more raising an eyebrow.
“We gotta pick up some food for Winona,” Apple Bloom explained, once more apologetic.
Scootaloo huffed and crossed her arms. “When are we gonna go somewhere we wanna go?” she asked.
Apple Bloom gave her brother a questioning, almost pleading look, but he simply raised a brow and shook his head. “Sorry, but we gotta finish Granny's list first,” she told her friends.
“That's okay,” Sweetie said despite Scootaloo's audible disagreement. “We understand.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes.
Plushie's Pet Supplies was, while not the largest or flashiest pet shop in the city, the most respected by more established pet owners. It had always ensured that the supplies it sold were of the highest quality available and that any animals they housed were ethically obtained and treated, and that had earned them more than enough business to compete with the larger franchises. This business had included the Apple Family for two generations – for while Plushie's didn't supply anything for livestock, the Apples always had a dog or two around that needed care.
A bell rang when they opened the door, alerting the handful of employees working the register and floor. However, as the Crusaders rushed in seeking people to help and Big Mac quietly tread the familiar path to the dog food, they all decided to let them be.
As with the hardware store, the girls found the shop distressingly free of people in distress. All the customers present either had no problem getting what they were looking for or were already being helped by an actual employee, and the employees themselves were getting on without trouble. And so, with heavy sighs and great reluctance, the three Crusaders for Justice regrouped with their chaperone who didn't even need their helping in carrying the giant sack of dog food he'd picked out. The girls had entirely chalked it up as another uneventful stop as they waited at the checkout, only to have their attention caught by the entrance bell ringing.
It was Fluttershy. She was dressed in the same light, flowing, pastel garments they knew her for, accessorized with just a hint of pet hair, but she looked much more distracted than usual. The Crusaders looked at one another, shrugged, and walked over to her.
“Hey Fluttershy, what's up?” Apple Bloom greeted, catching the older girl by surprise – she let out a faint squeak, and her hands darted to the stone that hung around her neck.
“Is something wrong?” Scootaloo asked.
“Cause it seems like something's wrong,” Sweetie added.
“Oh, hi girls,” Fluttershy answered, her voice soft and her hands slowly dropping. “Umm, I don't know if I'd say that something's wrong, exactly,” she said, now wringing her hands and looking away, “but, well... I suppose today hasn't been going like I expected it to, either...”
“Is it anything we can help with?” Sweetie asked, her friends leaning forward with eager smiles.
Taken aback by their enthusiasm, it was a moment before Fluttershy put a finger to her lip and began to think. “Umm, well, I guess so, if you really want to that is...”
“We want to!” Apple Bloom told her. “Trust me!”
“Yeah, we've been looking for people to help all morning!” Scootaloo added.
“Oh, well, in that case, I'd be glad to give you someone to help,” Fluttershy told them with a small smile. She paused to think again, finally saying “Umm, well, I guess the main thing is that I'm not sure how to handle this person that I work with at the animal shelter. He's a bit of a handful, not at all the type of person I'm comfortable being around. But I can't not be around him either, and I've been given some, well, conflicting advice on how to deal with him.”
“Hmm,” Apple Bloom said, rubbing her chin. “Sounds like quite the pickle.”
“Yeah, you should probably start by telling us exactly what he's been doing,” Scootaloo added.
Sweetie Belle held an arm out in front of them. “Wait,” she said, looking from them to Fluttershy. “Before that, this isn't one of those things where we assume you're talking about a human but you're really talking about like a dog or something, is it?” She ignored the strange looks her friends were giving her.
Fluttershy blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Oh no, I'm talking about a human. All the dogs at the shelter love me, and I love them.”
“Okay, just checking,” Sweetie said, returning the smile.
“So, uh, yeah,” Apple Bloom said, still giving Sweetie an odd look. “What's this guy been doin' exactly?”
This prompted a long-suffering sigh from Fluttershy. “A lot of little things, mostly. He'll pretend he doesn't know how to do things we've demonstrated several times so we have to do it all over again. He'll misinterpret requests on purpose and either get us the wrong thing or bring the right thing to us way later than we wanted. He'll play mean pranks on the animals when we aren't looking. And the worst part is, he's not even consistent about it! Sometimes he'll be mean and make things harder, but other times he'll just do what he's supposed to! And whenever someone calls him out on what he's doing, he'll act like we're just picking on him because he's an old man with a bad history!”
By this point Fluttershy had gotten so wrapped up in recounting her woes that she'd stopped paying attention to the Crusaders entirely. The three girls, for their part, were sharing a variety of uneasy expressions between each other.
“He's very good at seeming kind and thoughtful,” Fluttershy continued, “so much so that I keep having second thoughts about him, but he's also very good at making me doubt myself and what I'm doing.” She finally looked back at the girls who'd offered their help to her, the distress in her eyes strong enough to make them flinch.
“Wow, uh, that sure is...something...,” Scootaloo said after a moment, putting on a nervous smile.
“I'll say,” Sweetie Belle added. “I'm not sure we know how to help with something like that.”
Fluttershy's whole body seemed to droop at that comment. “Oh...,” she said softly, “I understand. I'm sorry I bothered you with it...”
“Don't be!” Apple Bloom interjected with forced brightness, darting forward to put an arm around Fluttershy's back. “Even if it don't seem like somethin' we can fix, we're still gonna try. Right girls?” She looked to her friends for reassurance, and they gave it – after a moment. “So,” she asked Fluttershy, “you mentioned you were getting' conflictin' advice, right?”
“Oh, yes,” Fluttershy nodded, smiling softly again. “Dr. Rescue says that we should just treat him like, well, who he is, and not let him get to us. He'll only be volunteering at the animal shelter for a few months, after all.”
“Well, that sounds reasonable,” Scootaloo said. “If he's a jerk, then just ignore or avoid him as best you can.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle nodded, but Fluttershy just sighed. “Yes, and I was going to do just that, but then this morning Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna dropped by, and, well...” She sighed. “Long story short, they gave me some tips for dealing with him better. But they also said that the reason why he's such a jerk to begin with is because he's never had anyone really care about him before, and has never had anyone to care about.”
The Crusaders shared a much more uncertain look. “That is pretty sad to think about...,” Apple Bloom said.
“Oh, I know!” Fluttershy replied. “And it just made me think about how Sunset and Twilight used to be before they became our friends. And even though I know he's a lot older than they are and so probably can't change as easily, I still can't help but thinking that he can if only someone would give him a chance.”
“And...you wanna be that someone?” Scootaloo asked, skepticism heavy in her voice.
Fluttershy looked at her, then down at her fiddling hands. “Umm...well, I guess so... I mean, nobody else thinks it might be a good idea to try. And I am supposed to have the Element of Kindness, I think, so why shouldn't I extend that kindness to him?”
The Crusaders shared another look. “That's also a pretty good point,” Scootaloo admitted.
“So...do you wanna show him kindness and try to be his friend?” Sweetie asked, looking Fluttershy in the eye.
A moment passed as Fluttershy thought before a determined look appeared in her eyes and she nodded. “I do. I just don't know if I can succeed, especially when everybody else seems to think it's impossible.”
“Well, I don't think it's impossible,” Sweetie told her. “Not for you, anyway. And besides, just because something is hard doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I mean, look at us!” She motioned to her two friends. “We've been trying for years to figure out what we're really good at, and we still haven't succeeded!”
“Hey, yeah!” Apple Bloom said as a bright smile formed on her face. “Crusadin's been some of the hardest stuff I've ever done, but I'm never gonna give up until we figure it out!”
“Yeah, me neither!” Scootaloo chimed in, also smiling now. “You know what, forget all that stuff about him being a jerk. He's not gonna stop being a jerk on his own, and if you think being nice to him will help then that's what you should do.”
“No matter how tough it might be,” Sweetie added with a nod, her partners following suit a moment after.
Fluttershy smiled and nodded as well. “You're right. I don't care how hard it is, I'm still going to do the right thing,” she declared, fists clenched as she looked up past the pet store ceiling to the metaphorical heavens. “Thank you for helping me,” she added, snapping her head back down to look at the younger girls. “I think all I really needed was someone to talk to and give me a confidence boost.”
“Glad we could help!” Scootaloo told her, hands behind her head.
It was then that the four heard a throat being cleared and they turned to see Big Mac standing behind Sweetie and Scootaloo, his brow raised and his sack of kibble over his shoulder.
“Well, uh, let us know how it turns out,” Apple Bloom said, stepping away from Fluttershy as her brother slowly began to lead his charges to the exit.
“Good luck!” Sweetie added with a parting wave.
“Thanks,” Fluttershy said, returning the gesture as she stepped aside to let them pass. “Good luck finding yourselves!”
“We will! Goodbye!” Scootaloo answered with one final, parting wave.
“'We will'?” Sweetie repeated with an air of disbelief as she and her friends piled back into Big Mac's truck.
“What?” Scootaloo shrugged. “It's all I could think of! And it's totally true, too!”
“I guess...,” Sweetie said, still looking profoundly uncertain as she and Scootaloo buckled up.
“Either way,” Apple Bloom said, “we finally really helped someone! Sure, it wasn't exactly the way we were expectin' to do it, but I got a really good feelin' that it's a sign of things to come!”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other for a moment, then smiled. “Yeah!” they said, and the three girls stuck their hands together.
“CRUSADERS FOR JUSTICE FOREVER!”
Their shout startled Big McIntosh, who had only just slid into the driver's seat. But it faded in just a moment, and he chuckled. A minute later he was driving the truck back onto the streets, the dog food secure in the back with the rest of their purchases.