//------------------------------// // The Sidekick's Crusade // Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// "Hello, brothers." Sigma greeted coolly as he walked up to O'Malley and Gary, who were in the midst of talking about future plans. "Sigma." O'Malley smiled stiffly. "A young horse, are you?" "Yes, Delta found it was necessary. Who am I to argue with logic?" Sigma asked pleasantly. "You never were one for logic." O'Malley muttered. "I could say the same for you, Omega." "Where's Theta?" Gary asked, looking around. "I thought he was supposed to come out with you." "He did and he is inside the barn, hiding from those young mares." Sigma chuckled dryly, then shook his head to get back on topic. "Now, it is to my understanding that both of you are working for the town?" "You understood right. I am the Mayor's new assisstant and O'Malley is the resident tax collector." "Sounds wonderful. I am happy to hear you are fitting in nicely. And with jobs that suit you as well. I hope you don't mind me asking, but why did you join up with the town. While you two fit in with it, it doesn't exactly fit in with you what with your spite towards all non-artificial intelligences." "What else? Power!" O'Malley boomed. "We have the ability to force changes upon other while they quake in fear beneath our hooves as they are forced to respect us. It is most gratifying to be able to do anything we wish. I even have these apple loving Apples wrapped around my finger. Figuratively speaking of course." "Ah, power." Sigma nodded to himself. "I know the feeling all too well." "Yes, but this time we did not fail at it." O'Malley said icily. "If you are referring to me, I did not fail. Maine's death was... troubling." Sigma sighed. "But I did not truley fail. It's only failure when one gives up." A high pitched yelp came from the barn and Sigma whipped around instinctively. He saw that the barn door was open and gazed around, unable to see the fillies. "Sounded like Theta." Gary remarked. "I apologize, but I must be on my way. Theta isn't going to help himself." Sigma said, darting towards the barn. He ran through the door and saw the girls surrounding a pile of hay that was on the ground, shaking and whimpering. "Theta, why don't you come out?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Maybe we're wasting our time." Scootaloo sighed. "He doesn't seem to understand that we aren't going to-" "Get away from him." Sigma barked "We weren't hurtin' him or nothin'." Applebloom said innocently. "Just by being here, yes, you are." Sigma disagreed as he pulled his brother out of the hay and to his hooves. "Can't you see that he doesn't wish to be talked to right now?" "But we just figured maybe if he had somepony to talk to other than you, he'd be an awful lot less shy." Scootaloo explained. "And, well, we also know what it's like to be picked on, and we didn't like seeing you guys getting the business." "That's very meritable of you, but as you saw I handled their remarks with-" "You guys get picked on too?" Theta asked, slowly going to Sigma's side. "Yeah, and not just because we're blank flanks either." Scootaloo muttered sourly. "Really? Do they make fun of your eyes too?" "What? No. Why, do you think something is wrong with my eyes?" Scootaloo asked. "N-no." Theta shook his head and looked away. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant why do they pick on you?" "I get made fun of because my parents aren't exactly the most reputable of ponies." Sweetie Belle sighed. "I get picked on by those two because my family ain't as rich as theirs." Applebloom added. "And they make fun of me because I don't know how to fly." Scootaloo smiled to show he wasn't alone. "That's not fair." Theta said angrily. "None of that stuff isn't your fault." "Yeah, but what are you going to do?" Scootaloo shrugged. "Sarge always says some ponies just want to watch the world burn." "That's stupid!" Theta mumbled loudly, staring out the door. "I know, right?" Scootaloo agreed. She turned to her friends and smiled. "Hey, why don't we show them around? Give them a feel for the area?" "Yeah!" Sweetie Belle and Applebloom chanted together. "You mean outside?" Theta gulped. "Yeah, but don't worry, we're just going into the orchard." Scootaloo chuckled as she walked next to Theta. Theta shrunk down and stepped closer to Sigma. "I for one think that sounds like a fine idea." Sigma said brightly. "You do?" Theta asked nervously, looking up at him. "Certainly." Sigma nodded, then looked at the girls. "Do you mind giving us a few seconds to ourselves?" "Sure." They nodded and walked out of the barn. "Why don't you want to go? It is a rather nice day." "I don't know..." Theta whispered. "I just don't like being the center of attention." "Then it would do you some good to be around them." Sigma said thoughtfully. "I can and will try to be there to help when you need it, but I can't promise that I'll be by your side all the time. When that time comes, it would be best if you had other friends as to not feel alone in the world. We're unfamiliar to this land as well, and could easily get overwhelmed by their culture." "I guess." Theta sighed reluctantly, looking past his brother and out the door. "But what if they don't like me?" "There is nothing for them not to like." Sigma insisted, making his way behind Theta to push him. "Actually-" "Don't argue with your older brother." Sigma tutted. "Well, you can argue with Gamma, Omega and Epsilon, but I would advise heeding Delta and I's words. Don't worry, I'll be there to help you become their friends." "Fine, I'll give it a try. But if I think it's not working, we stop, okay?" "That sounds acceptable." Sigma nodded. They nodded at each other and walked out of the barn. The three fillies smiled when they saw them and walked up to them, purposely moving as non-intimidatingly as possible so they don't make Theta feel threatened. "So why are we going into the orchard, exactly?" Sigma asked. "Well, we have our clubhouse out there and we were goin' t' show it to ya'll." Applebloom whooped. "You guys have a clubhouse?" Theta asked with surprise. "What kind of club is it?" "Well..." Sweetie Belle coughed. "It's a club for young ponies who haven't found out what they're best at yet." "Cool, what do you guys call it?" "We're called the Cutie Mark Crusaders." Scootaloo smirked. "We wanted you guys to join because of the way you handled those two snobs." "So you want us to join to defend you?" Sigma asked coldly. "No, we didn't mean it like that. I mean, that still really made us like you guys a lot, so we felt you guys oughta be in our group!" "The name sounds girly." Theta said as he pretended to shiver in disgust, then his eyes shot wide thinking he had crossed a line. "I didn't mean to sound mean, I just-" "Nah, that's okay. Sarge said the same thing. He still hates it when we say 'cutie mark' in front of him." "I can see why." Sigma said quietly. "It does not sound like the most masculine of names." "Sorry, but we're already kind of set on the name." "What if we make a second group for boys, but we become a collective of sorts?" Sigma asked. "We can still go under the same rules and guidelines and work together for our marks, but at the same time we don't sound silly." "That sounds good." Scootaloo said. "What'll you guys call yourselves?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Oh, how about the Cutie- wait, that still sounds girly." "What about the Colt Mark Crusaders?" Applebloom asked. "That still sounds kinda silly." Scootaloo noted, and the girls fell silent as they brainstormed for good names. "How about the Stud Stamp Sidekicks?" Theta piped after a minute of thinking. "I'm liking that idea!" Scootaloo laughed, lightly punching Theta's shoulder. "Way to be, Theta!" "Thanks." Theta blushed, purple cheeks adopting a soft glow. "Come on, the club house is not that far." Applebloom said, trotting into the orchard with the other Crusaders. "Right behind you." Theta said, matching their pace. Sigma smiled as he watched Theta try to catch up with them, then began to follow at his own, steady pace.