The Cutie Mark Crusaders were still in their tree house, thinking how in Equestria they were to make a rocket. As Scootaloo said earlier, it should be a cinch. How hard could a rocket be to make?
“Common’ girls,” Applebloom voiced, “it ain’t rocket science!”
The other two foals just looked at her funny, wondering if she was being serious or joking. They decided on the latter. “Applebloom is right! We just need to come up with a place to start!” Sweetie Belle was trying to keep the excitement of their meeting going. She didn’t want the other two to lose interest. “Ok, so what’s the first thing we need to build a rocket?” They all thought for a moment.
Scootaloo was the first to speak. “Well, aren’t rocket made of metal?”
Sweetie Belle quickly brought out a second sheet of paper and a quill from her saddle bag on the floor and placed it on the small table next to the other list that had been made as a reference for cutie-mark ideas. “Good, good,” she said, writing the item on the paper, “We need more! Applebloom, you are good at this kind of thing, what do you suggest?”
“Well,” Applebloom said, looking up in though, “Ah’ recon we need somethin’ to hold the whole thing together now, like that fancy super glue er’ somethin’ like that.”
“That’s a great idea, Applebloom,” Sweetie Belle said, jotting this onto the paper also.
Scootaloo perked up quickly with an idea. “Don’t we need glass too? I want to be able to see how awesome Equestria looks from space.”
Sweetie Belle wrote this thing down on the piece of paper also. “Anything else you can think of?”After thinking for something they could have missed, Sweetie Belle clapped a hoof to her forehead. “We need gas and food too, don’t we?” She put pen to paper once more. “Alright then! I think we have our list, girls!” She put the list they had just made back into her saddle bag and fitted it onto her back. “Let’s go then!”
“Wait justa’ second, Sweetie Belle,” Applebloom shouted, halting her friends at the door, “Just how do ya’ expect us to afford all o’ this?” This made Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo frown.
“I have no idea, Applebloom. Maybe we could ask my older sister to help us out,” Sweetie Belle said, “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind lending us a few bits!”
“Maybe we should make a price list,” Scootaloo said, “just so we can get a rough idea of the total cost of all of this stuff before we ask.”
“Lets go then Crusaders! We’re wastin’ time,” stated an eager Applebloom, ready to get the project started.
Then they set off. The first place they had decided to look was of course somewhere where metal was sold. After several different locations, they settled on the cheapest one, which happened to be a scrap-metal junk yard. The owner knew Applebloom’s older sister and agreed to give them a rather generous discount. Only 50 bits for all of the metal they needed.
They waved a cheery goodbye to him and left in search of their second item to price; super glue. They were not sure where to start looking for this. It was not like super glue was used very much around Ponyville. After several failed attempts at various shops in Ponyville, Sweetie Belle turned to Applebloom.
“We can’t find it anywhere, Applebloom,” she said, sounding downcast, “Any other ideas? I mean, we need something to hold our rocket together, don’t we?”
“Well,” Applebloom thought, “we could use some o’ Big Mac’s screws ah guess. Ah’m not sure if he’d let us though, he doesn’t like anypony, and ah mean ANYPONY, in his toolbox.”
“We could just borrow a few without him noticing, couldn’t we Applebloom,” Scootaloo asked, sounding mischievous. “I mean, what’s so bad about taking a few screws out? We wouldn’t have to spend any money either”
“Ah’ guess we could,” Applebloom said slowly, as if she thought this was a bad idea, “We should get a move on though, Big Mac is workin’ in the acres right now, so if we hurry, we might just be able ta’ get some o’ them screws without him noticin’.”
They began their way back to Sweet Apple Acres, discussing their plan of action as they went, in case anything went wrong, deciding that one should stand next to an open window in the barn and keep watch over Big Mac. Applebloom had told them of a small hole in the back of their barn they could crawl in and out of, so they wouldn’t draw too much attention to themselves by coming through the front.
Once they were at Sweet Apple Acres, the first part of their plan went without a hitch. They had entered the barn unnoticed and were able to place Scootaloo near a window where they were able to see the surly, red earth pony.
“Alright now, Applebloom, where is his toolbox in here,” Sweetie Belle whispered, looking around.
“Right over here, Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom led her around a few bales of hay, and to a large, red, metal toolbox, full of variously sized drawers. “We gotta make it quick though, Ah’m not sure how long Big Mac ‘ll be out workin’.”
The two foals began to open the drawers, first, starting on the bottom. Drawer after drawer, all they saw were a mixture of wrenches, oily bolts, and things they didn’t even knew the name of. Finally, after having no luck, they got to the top drawer.
“Ah’ hope this’ll be the one,” stated a weary Applebloom. They both had to stand on their hind hooves to even look over the top.
Sweetie Belle began to search around. “What’s this?” She pulled out a small picture frame and looked at it. “Why in Equestria does he have a picture of Cheerilee in here?!”
“Lemme’ see that!” Applebloom took the picture and looked at it. She began to giggle.
“What’s so funny?” Sweetie Belle was wondering why this was so funny to her. Sweetie Belle found it kind of creepy.
“He wrote ‘Pumpkin Pie’ in the corner,” Applebloom chuckled. They both began to giggle.
Once their girlish-giggling was over, Sweetie Belle looked at Applebloom, “Let’s keep looking in here.”
They kept their hooves in the top drawer, searching. Then Applebloom’s hoof found a cardboard box, “Ah’ found somethin’!” She pulled the box out and it was a box of the very thing they had been looking for. “There’s a couple more boxes in there, grab some Sweetie Belle.”
Sweetie Belle reached in and put 3 boxes into her saddle bag. Just in time too. Scootaloo began waving at them frantically and they saw that Big Macintosh was making his way toward the barn. They all quickly squeezed into the hole in the back of the barn and high-tailed it out of there.
Once they were well away from Sweet Apple Acres, they stopped to catch their breath. “Now that that is done and over with,” gasped Sweetie Belle, “let’s go see how much the last few items are.”
They commenced their descent into Ponyville, looking for any stores that could possibly sell them windows. After several uneventful minutes, Scootaloo perked up, looking at a sign overhanging on a shop. “What about there girls?” Scootaloo pointed at it with her hoof.
“What does that place sell,” Sweetie Belle asked, sounding unsure. She could see through the front glass of the shop from where they were standing. Inside were all sorts of gadgets and things that looked expensive. Nothing looked like a window or pane of glass besides the front of the shop.
“Ah think it one o’ those fancy computer shops, Sweetie Belle,” Applebloom answered, sounding just as confused as her. The two looked at Scootaloo.
“Why in Equestria would they sell windows in there?” Sweetie Belle was questioning her friend’s logic.
“It was just a hunch I guess. How about we try the store next to it?” Scootaloo and the other two shifted their gazes to a shop next to the technology store. It had an ancient sign overhanging the road below it reading “Crystal Clear’s Window Emporium”.
“Huh,” said Applebloom, matter-of-factly, “Ah’ wonder why we didn’t come here in the first place.”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders entered the shop. It had a small, run-down, look about it. Upon entering, a stout pony seemed to appear right before their eyes, showering them in dust. “What can I help ye’ with, young’ns?” It was clear to them that this aged pony was up in his 70’s or 80’s. The fillies just stood and stared.
Feeling that they might be being rude by staring, Sweetie Belle piped in, “Um, we would like to ask if-,”
The aged pony interrupted, “What’s that, sonny? I can’t hear ye’!”
Sweetie Belle spoke louder, “We want to know if you sell any really strong windows here!!”
“Well ‘course we do, young’n! What do ye’ take me for, an old fool?” He thought for a second, wobbling on his unsteady legs, “Well, ye’ got the old part right.”
More confident now, Sweetie Belle asked her second question. The one she was dreading the answer to. “How much will it cost?” She was shouting again.
“Well, young’n, how much do ye’ need, now,” the old pony asked.
Sweetie Belle drew a good-sized square in the dust of the floor. “About that much, sir!”
The clerk thought for a moment. “Hmmm. That ought’a be about, maybe…. 150 bits.”
There mouths dropped. “That’s mighty expensive, Sweetie Belle.” Applebloom sounded worried. “Ah’m not sure that your sister would lend us that kinda’ money.”
“I think you’re right, Applebloom,” said Sweetie Belle. She began thinking of ways they could get more money. After all, they still had fuel and food to buy. “Maybe we could ask Rarity’s friends! We only need 200 bits for the parts of our rocket! Maybe we could put our own savings aside for the fuel and food!” Sweetie Belle looked at the old pony, “Could you hold onto that glass for us, mister?”
The old pony chuckled, “Sure, young’ns, just don’t forget to come back, ya’hear!”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders left the shop, waving a goodbye to the ancient pony. “See ya’ later, mister,” Applebloom shouted behind her.
“Alright,” Sweetie Belle said as the door snapped shut behind them, “Who’s house do we go to first?”