//------------------------------//
// 17. Nothing To See Here 
// Story: Renaming Starlight's Village 
// by Brass Polish 
//------------------------------//

“Not all spiders make webs to catch prey,” Profesor Glomgold told his teenage students one day. “Some simply hide in dark spaces waiting to pounce, others dig holes, and some even go hunting.”
I hope Glomgold teaches this same lesson to his Primary School students as well, thought Scootaloo. Mussel would like that.
Suddenly, her cutie mark started glowing and vibrating; Apple Bloom’s and Sweetie Belle’s too.
“Well then, class dismissed,” said the Professor, who had noticed this.
The whole class started to leave their seats.
“Uh, Professor,” said Sweetie Belle, “remember, there are non-CMCs in class now.”
“Oh, right. Uh, Sweetie, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, you’re dismissed,” Glomgold corrected himself.
“Oh thanks, Sweetie,” groaned Puck, one of the other teenage students.

*****

The Crusaders could see a dark shape hovering in the sky towards them as they reached the mouth of the Cave. They couldn’t tell what the shape was from down on the ground.
“I think,” said Sweetie Belle, “that whoever’s cutie mark’s going off, it must go off earlier than ours, so they can get a head start. Ours only go off when the visitor’s getting close to the Village.”
“Makes sense,” nodded Apple Bloom, not taking her eyes off the approaching dark shape.
Closer and closer the floating image came, but still, Apple Bloom couldn’t tell what the symbol was.
“Are you coming?” Scootaloo asked as she and Sweetie entered the Cave.
Apple Bloom didn’t answer. The floating cutie mark was nearly above her head, but it was pitch black, blurry, and almost transparent.
“Come on, Apple Bloom!” called Sweetie as the indistinguishable mark hovered into the Cave. “We want all three of us to be in here when the visitor comes.”
But Apple Bloom could already see some strangers flying towards her; a mare and a colt. She gave a start when she noticed that the colt was a blank flank.

*****

“Hello,” said the Mare. “We’re following something that shot from my son’s flank.”
“Come on in,” Apple Bloom beckoned the two visitors into the Cave.
They entered.
“Wow,” said the Colt when he saw the Cutie Mark Grid.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were watching the dark shape enter the Grid and join Evensong Glisten’s cutie mark in navigating the Maze.
“I don’t believe it!” Sweetie exclaimed when she saw the Colt. “My Grid can even summon blank flanks!”

*****

“So you three are the Cutie Mark Crusaders we’ve heard about,” said the Mare with a grin.
“Yep. I’m Apple Bloom, that’s Scootaloo, and that’s Sweetie Belle.”
“I’m Powder,” said the Mare.
“And my name’s Oop,” said the Colt.
“So let me guess,” said Apple Bloom. “You don’t know what you want to do with your life?”
“Kind of,” Oop frowned.
“No need to be upset about it,” said Scootaloo kindly. “We’ve all been there.”
Oop went quiet.
“It’s not so much that he doesn’t know what he wants,” Powder spoke up. “He’s just prone to bad luck. He does try a lot of new things, but they always seem to go wrong.”
“Even when I try things again,” Oop found his voice again, “I fail. I’m a failure. I fail at everything. No matter what my cutie mark might be for when I get it, I’ll be terrible at whatever it tells me.”

*****

“Mind if I ask what you were doing when you were called to this Cave?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Oh. Well Mom had surprised me with my favourite snack,” said Oop with the merest trace of a smile. “Chocolate milk with ice cream in it.”
Inside, the Crusader’s felt uncomfortable. There was a time when they were younger that they also enjoyed sugary food like that, but by now, they were growing out of it.
“But I spilled it again,” groaned Oop.
“Oh, I thought I heard something after I’d gone into the living room,” said Powder. “And when I came into the kitchen to have a look, there was… wait, did you say again?”
Oop looked miserable. “I spill it every time.”
“I never knew that,” said Powder with wide eyes.
“I was always embarrassed about it and disappointed with myself,” Oop confessed, “so I always clean up the mess and put the glass away so no one would know. I just didn’t this time because I was distracted by that weird shape that came from my flank.”
He looked at the nondescript blob playing hide-and-seek with Evensong’s cutie mark, and his expression became more miserable.

*****

The Crusaders promised to help Oop discover what he can do, but Oop was still certain that whatever his cutie mark will be, he’ll never be able to live up to it.
“Everything I try, I louse up,” he said morosely.
“This might take a while,” sighed Scootaloo.
“How long do you think it’ll take?” asked Powder. “Will I have to pull Oop out of school until you’ve found a way to help him?”
Sweetie Belle grinned. “Not necessarily.”

*****

The Crusaders led Powder and Oop out of the Cave to show them around Starlight’s Village. Oop did not protest, but he maintained his pessimistic disposition as he followed the procession up the road.
“So,” said Powder when they reached the end of the road where the Tree and Schoolhouse was, “where will we be staying while you three help Oop find his cutie mark?”
None of the Crusaders answered. This sort of issue had never occurred to them. When Tree Hugger came to town, she pretty much just stayed in the Cave and watched hers and Evensong’s cutie marks chase each other around the Maze. There was no inn in town. Apple Bloom decided to ask Big Macintosh and Sugar Belle if they could put Powder and Oop up for a bit.
“Sure, we can let them stay with us,” said Sugar Belle.
“Eeeeyup,” Big Mac agreed, “but it might be worth holding a Town Meeting about this.”
“Yeah, maybe we should call for volunteers to build a hostel in this Village,” Sugar Belle nodded.
Apple Bloom informed the other Crusaders and the visitors about this.
“If the other Villagers approve and we start building a hostel,” Apple Bloom said to Oop, “will you pitch in?
Oop gulped. “Sure. If I can help, I will.”

*****

All went well when a Town Meeting was held the next morning, and soon plans were drawn up and materials were acquired. Work began on the hostel. Oop was on the volunteer roster for every day of construction. He was tasked with jobs ranging from arranging boxes of nails, to mixing cement, to hauling away wheelbarrows of excavated earth. Oop was by no means reckless or clueless, yet every time he attempted a job, things went wrong. First, a box of nails bottomed out and everypony within two meters had to stay still until Party Favour, the nearest unicorn, could magic all the nails back into their container. Next, while he was mixing cement for the hostel foundations, he tripped on something and fell into the mixer. Fortunately, Undercoat spotted this and was able to pull him out, but it took the rest of the day to clean him up. Then, while he was carting away some dirt, the wheelbarrow bounced, and some dust flew up and got into his eyes. He knew the load of dirt had spilled well before he was able to open his eyes again. Each time something went wrong for him, he was racked with embarrassment, and refused to continue on with the task at hoof, no matter how encouraging the Crusaders, his Mom, and the Villagers tried to be.

*****

On the final day of construction, after a mishap with a stack of roof slate, Oop ran off, red-faced and discouraged, to the Cave. He was surprised to find Apple Bloom there. She was looking at the black blurry blob criss-crossing it’s way along the Grid.
“Trying to figure out what it might be?” asked Oop.
Apple Bloom jumped. “Uh… well, yeah.”
Oop joined her.
“It doesn’t look like a nail, or a cement mixer, or a wheelbarrow,” he huffed.
“Any ideas what it could be?” Apple Bloom knew it was futile to ask, but couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Well, whatever that object is,” he said, “it feels like I’m looking straight through it.”
Apple Bloom looked harder. “Or maybe it’s more than one object.”
The two youngsters spent a few more minutes trying to decipher what the symbol was.
“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Apple Bloom conceded.
Oop did not look happy.
“Come on. The hostel should be almost finished now,” said Apple Bloom. “Let’s help with the bed sheets and drapes. Or maybe we could finish painting the door and window frames.”

*****

When Powder set hoof into the hostel for the first time, it was to find unpainted door and window frames.
“I take it Oop’s cleaned up whatever mess he’s made?”
“Uh, Oop wouldn’t actually try to help with the frames,” Apple Bloom frowned.
“There’s not much of a difference,” sighed Powder. “After Oop told me about how he always spills his chocolate milk with ice cream, I realised he’s always been trying to get rid of any evidence. Only last month, he tried to take up painting. When I left him in his bedroom, he’d set up an easel and canvas, and loaded a pallet with paint. But when I went back later that day, it was all gone. You’d never have guessed that there’d been anything in his room remotely related to painting.”
Apple Bloom’s face fell.
“I just wish I knew what happened,” Powder went on. “I don’t know if he spilled some paint on the floor, or if his painting didn’t turn out how he’d hoped, or if he broke the easel… I don’t even know where the easel went.”
She noticed Apple Bloom was looking downcast.
“I guess I shouldn’t complain. He does clean up after himself,” said Powder optimistically.
“But he’s so ashamed about making one little mistake, he tries to cover it up and pretend it never happened,” frowned Apple Bloom. “No one can move on with their lives when they whitewash their mistakes.”

*****

Summer was over, but mosquitoes were still a problem in the Village. Oop and Powder had enjoyed their overnight stay in the new Village Hostel, but when Oop attended Primary School class the next morning, he found it hard to concentrate on Professor Glomgold’s lesson on how dew is formed. He spent most of his time in that class scratching several mosquito bites.
“It’s too bad Mussel’s sick in bed today,” said Hawk Head, one of Mussel’s classmates.
“Who’s Mussel?” Oop asked quietly while the Professor went on talking.
“He’s pretty much the Village’s pest pony,” Hawk Head whispered. “He collects spiders and leaves them in people’s rooms so they can catch the mosquitoes. If he was feeling well, there’d be no mosquitoes in that new Hostel.”

*****

When Primary School class was over for the day, the students filed out. Oop saw the Secondary School students lined up; including the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He told them about what he’d heard about Mussel, and when they confirmed this, Oop’s face seemed to brighten a little bit for the first time since they’d met him.
“I want to try that,” he said. “I want to collect spiders and leave them in the Hostel.”
None of the Crusaders objected to this, as they were so pleased to see Oop taking initiative and showing enthusiasm. But after he scampered off, Scootaloo had concerns to voice.
“How would Mussel feel if somepony else has the same talent as him?” she wondered. “Or even the same cutie mark?”
“Oop doesn’t live in this Village,” Apple Bloom pointed out. “If he pulls this off, he can be a pest pony back in his hometown. Mussel will still be the top pest pony in Starlight’s Village.”

*****

When Secondary School class was dismissed for the day, the CMCs were greeted outside the Schoolhouse by Powder.
“Oop has been scrounging for spiders all afternoon,” she said. “And he’s dropping them off in the hostel to catch mosquitoes.”
“And… nothing’s gone wrong so far?” asked Apple Bloom.
“No,” said Powder, “but let’s have a look.”
She walked towards the Hostel, which was on the other side of the “road” from the Schoolhouse (both buildings were on the other side of the Tree), but instead of going through the front door, she went around the building and looked through the window of the room she and Oop were staying in.
“I don’t see him,” he said, “but there are still quite a lot of spiders in the room.”
“That was fun,” a voice piped up.
Powder jumped. Oop had come around the other side of the building.
“I think I might have solved the Hostel’s mosquito problem,” Oop smiled.
“Great,” said Scootaloo. “So, it’ll take a while for the spiders to make webs, so why don’t we hang out in the CMC Treehouse while we wait?”

*****

It was an enjoyable evening for the five of them. They mostly lounged about in the Treehouse, chatting, joking, and playing games. The Crusaders and Powder were pleased to see Oop relaxed and not stressed out; he didn’t even seem to mind when he didn’t do well playing their card game. Eventually, a game of hide-and-seek broke out. Oop, along with Powder, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, went to hide somewhere in the Village street, while Apple Bloom counted to 100 in the Treehouse. But while he was in his hiding spot, he was stricken by curiosity. After checking to see that Apple Bloom couldn’t see him, he went back to the Hostel to see how the spiders he’d collected were getting on with the mosquitoes. He entered the Hostel and opened the door to the room he and his Mom were renting. He could see a few spider webs, but there weren’t nearly as many spiders as he’d collected. Instead, there was just one spider, and it was much larger than average.

*****

After the CMCs had left class a few days ago, Professor Glomgold had gone on to explain that spiders were cannibalistic. Mussel was aware of this, and always made sure to deposit each spider in a different corner of the room he was in. Oop had simply released them into one spot. The sight of the large spider now standing before him might have frightened him, but he was more alarmed by the mistake he’d made. He quickly scooped up the large spider, and threw it out of the room through the window. Then he hastily cleaned away the few spider webs that had been constructed.

*****

Oop stood in the room for some time, lamenting his failed activity. Soon the door opened, and in came Apple Bloom and Powder.
“What… I could’ve sworn I saw spider webs in this room!” exclaimed Apple Bloom. “I saw some when I looked in here earlier.”
“Yeah. I got rid of them,” said Oop in a defeated tone. “The spiders…”
“Gosh, it’s like they were never even here to begin with,” said Apple Bloom, examining the corner where she knew a spider web had resided merely an hour ago; there wasn’t a trace of spider silk in sight.
“What did I tell you?” asked Powder. “He’s great at cleaning up after himself.”
There was a flash of light that illuminated the Hostel room. It was coming from Oop’s flank.
“You’ve got it!” cried Apple Bloom.
Oop turned to look at his cutie mark; a broom and a rug. It glowed some more and vibrated. Apple Bloom’s cutie mark glowed and vibrated too.

*****

They bounded outside and ran towards the Cave. Sweetie Belle forestalled them; her mark was glowing and vibrating too.
“I was hiding in the Cave, and just a minute ago, I saw the dark blur go into the center of the Grid!” she exclaimed. “And it turned into a…”
She spotted Oop’s cutie mark.
“A broom and rug!”
“You did it, Crusaders!” Oop called joyfully. “You helped me find out what I’m good at!”
He hugged Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and his Mom, and when he saw Scootaloo emerge out of hiding from behind a chimney, he flew up to the roof to hug her too.
“Thanks, Crusaders. You’ve helped him find his unique talent,” said Powder, looking and sounding torn between delighted and concerned. “Destroying the evidence.”
Sweetie Belle gulped, but Apple Bloom was not put off at all.
“It’s a start.”