//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5 
// Story: Cutie Mark Crusaders - Earning Your Keep 
// by DMDash71 
//------------------------------//

	Rarity paused in front of her workbench, her mouth drawn up into a moue of distaste.  “Oh no, these fabrics simply won’t do.  What was I thinking??”  The delicately curled horn on her brow sprang alight with a blue coruscating glow, and the sheaf of material before her lifted into the air and shot into a corner, joining a heap of others.  “Oh come now, there has to be something here…”
“Rarity!”  Sweetie Belle hopped up and down in place as she watched her sister trot back and forth.  “You said you’d think about it last night, remember?”
“I have been thinking about it.  Last night, and ever since I woke up this morning.”  The older unicorn peered over her glasses as she seized another roll of fabric with an enchanted grip.  “If I show up at at a fall fashions exhibition with a design clearly meant for a spring fashion exhibition, I’ll have everypony in four counties laughing at me.  Oh no no no, this simply…will…not…do.”
“Not that, I mean the chores!”
Rarity froze in place and turned to fix the little unicorn with a stare.
Sweetie Belle sighed in exasperation.  “Sorry.  The tasks.”
“That’s better, dear.”  Rarity turned back to examining the pastel blue sheaf of material hovering in mid-air before her.  “Ick…no.”  Pastel blue zoomed overhead to land next to teal, grey, and an alarming hue of pink.  “Nothing here has any fire in it.”
Her sister blinked.  “Why would you want to burn it?”
“That’s not what I mean, Sweetie.”  Rarity shook her head and offered a wistful shrug.  “Look, why don’t you go out and play, hmm?  Give your sister a chance to get her thoughts in order.  I don’t really have much cash on hand anyway, so I’m afraid there’s not much I can help you out with in regards to repairing your…fort.”
Sweetie Belle shot a well-practiced glare at her older sister.
“Clubhouse, then.”
The smaller unicorn continued to stare at her with a pout.
Rarity rolled her eyes.  “Oh for…fine, look.  Come back after lunch, and I’ll see if there’s something that you can all help me with.  I spent most of my free cash on the autumn show material that’s already late in getting here, but…oh, I’ll figure out something.”  She peered over her glasses again, meeting her little sister’s gaze.  “I promise.”
Sweetie Belle squealed and bounded over to give her a hug.  “Thanks, Rarity.  You’re the greatest!”
“You and I both know that, just remember to tell the fashion reviewers that when they look at the horrid mess I’m liable to end up cobbling together.”  Rarity watched her little sister as the filly grabbed a pouch containing her lunch and her earnings from the previous day and headed out the door at top speed.  “And try to stay clean this time!  Please??”





Scootaloo blinked her eyes sleepily, rubbing her face with a foreleg.  She yawned hugely and stood up, stretching out one leg at a time, a small hiss escaping between her teeth as her muscles complained.  Whatever chores they did today, she decided, would not be picking something.  Or hauling something.  Or anything that required too much movement, at least until her limbs loosened up some.
“Hey, kiddo, what’s up?” called a voice from somewhere above.
Looking up, Scootaloo’s eyes widened as she saw a multicolored blur zoom past the tree, circling it several times before alighting on the ground below.  “Rainbow Dash!”
“Yes, I know, thank you.  Sorry, no autographs today, please.”  The cyan pegasus grinned at her and then turned her gaze to the shattered clubhouse.  “Wow, this joint is a mess.  What did you kids do, let Pinkie Pie throw a party here?”
Scootaloo scrambled down the ramp from the clubhouse and trotted over to join her.  “Naw, the storm wrecked it.”  She glanced sadly up at the hulk in the tree above.  “All our stuff is gone, too.  Even our map.”  It was a super-duper top secret map, designed to help them find their cutie marks, but Scootaloo wasn’t worried about sharing this particular bit of intelligence with her hero.
“Shoot.  I’m sorry, Scoots.”  Rainbow Dash frowned unhappily.  “I wish I’d known.  I saw the storm on the schedule, but I was workin’ on the other side of town.  I didn’t think it would be this bad.”
“That’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.”  Scootaloo offered the older pegasus a timid pat on the foreleg.  And even if it was, the look in her eyes said, I’d never admit it.  “Besides, we’re gonna fix it up again, and it’ll be cooler than ever!”
“Sweet!”  Rainbow Dash looked over the wrecked clubhouse one more time, then glanced down at the filly beside her.  “You’re sure out here awful early, kiddo.  That’s pretty dedicated.”
“Yeah, well…”  Scootaloo felt her cheeks redden under her coat.  “I, uh, I have to plan out the repairs and all.  I mean, when we get the stuff to repair it.”
“Right.”  Rainbow took the hint and dropped the matter.  “So where you gonna get the stuff?  That’s a pretty big mess you got right now.”
“We’re gonna buy it ourselves!”  Scootaloo waved her forelegs in the air happily.  “We worked over at Sweet Apple Acres yesterday, and Applejack paid us and everything.  We need a lot more, though,” she added, her gaze returning to the clubhouse again as if drawn by a magnet.
“I’ll bet you do.  I’m sure you’ll get it lookin’ awesome again.”  Rainbow Dash grinned at her, then spread her wings out to their full breadth.  “I gotta fly, kiddo, I’ll catch you later, huh?”
“Sure thing!”  Scootaloo smiled back, and then suddenly jumped up and down.  “Hey, wait!”
Rainbow had crouched down, her haunches bunched up, preparing to launch herself into the air.  “What?”
“Maybe we could help you out!  I mean, um,” Scootaloo stammered, “that is, can we help you out with anything?”
The cyan pegasus straightened, folding her wings up to her sides again.  “With what?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Maybe we could help you work, or something, you know.”  The little filly fidgeted for a moment.  “Chores and stuff, like Applejack had, that we can earn stuff with.”  Scootaloo didn’t want to come out and ask her hero for money.  It seemed somewhat sacrilegious, like begging.
“You want me to give you chores, so you can earn enough moolah to knock this joint back into shape, huh?”
“Yeah, that’d be cool.”
Rainbow Dash fought to repress a laugh.  “Um, I appreciate the thought, kiddo, but…well, I’m a weather pony.  You can’t exactly help me haul clouds around, at least not yet, and your friends won’t have much luck, either.”
Hauling clouds around was possibly the most awesome chore Scootaloo could think of, but it was also not an option, she realized unhappily.  “Um…is there anything else?”
“You could clean house…my house is a mess.”  Rainbow Dash shrugged.  “It’s also a cloud.  Same problem.  Besides,” she said with a grin, “it’s my mess, and I like it like that.  No go.”
Scootaloo frowned.  “Sweetie Belle said that’s what Rarity always says when she tries to organize her stuff.”
The cyan pegasus laughed out loud at that.  “Oh, thanks kiddo.  I’m savin’ that one up for Miss Neatness one day.”
Unsure of what she’d said that was so valuable, Scootaloo just went with it.  “No problem!”   Her wings fluttered for a moment.  “Ummm…is there anything else?”
“Sorry, kiddo, I’m strikin’ out, here.”  Rainbow frowned.  “I still feel pretty bad about the mess, though.  I tell you what, I’ll keep an eye out, and if I think of anything or hear anything, I’ll drop in and let ya know, okay?”
“Okay.”  The little filly beamed at her.  “Thanks, Rainbow Dash!”
“Sure thing!”  The pegasus crouched down and launched herself vertically, zooming up through the canopy of leaves overhead into the sky.  “Catch you later!”
Scootaloo watched her go, her own wings spreading out and flapping rapidly for a moment, as if preparing to follow after her hero.  Not yet.  Someday, I won’t have to stay behind anymore, though.  Her gaze caught the glare of the sun as it slowly ascended in the eastern sky, and she started.  She had to get moving if she was going to meet up with the others and get an early start.  If she really dug in, she could zip down to the farm, pick up Apple Bloom, and then hit town to pick up Sweetie Belle.  They could grab a snack somewhere and then get to work.
Trotting over to where her scooter sat, she grabbed her helmet out of the wagon hitched behind and jammed it over her head.  Grinning hugely, she jumped on board her scooter, giving it a playful thwack on the handlebars with one forehoof.
“C’mon, kiddo,” she said in imitation of a certain sky-blue pegasus, “let’s see if I can beat my best time heading into town.”





After careful consideration, some trepidation, and not a little deliberation, the three fillies had headed over to Sugarcube Corner to pick up a snack, said snack being agreed upon as the best way to make their plans for the day ahead.  After several agonizing minutes of decision, they emerged in triumph, having spent only one of the precious coins in their possession to obtain the largest muffin they could get for the price.  Mrs. Cake had obligingly cut it up into three equal pieces for them, and they stood next to Scootaloo’s wagon outside, talking animatedly as they ate.  Several ponies smiling amusedly at the scene as they passed by the group; it was odd to see three young fillies looking so serious about something as tasty as a muffin.
“So did ya talk to Rarity?  What’d she say?”  Apple Bloom had perched herself in the wagon, a new hair bow bobbing about in her forelock.  “Will she help?”
“She just told me to come back after lunch, she’d figure something out.”
Apple Bloom gave her a gloomy look.  “That don’t sound good.”
“Don’t worry, she promised.”  Sweetie Belle took a huge chomp out of the muffin before her and then chewed daintily before swallowing.  “She’s my sister, and she always keeps her promises, honest.” 
“I saw Rainbow Dash this morning, before I picked you up,” Scootaloo said.  “She didn’t have anything we could do, but she said she’d tell me if she heard of anything.”
“Really?  That was nice of her.”  Apple Bloom tucked the last bit of her own muffin in her mouth and began chewing blissfully.  “Mmm, deesh are good!”
“Hey, chew slow.”  Scootaloo gave her a serious look.  “These are all we have until lunchti-“
Apple Bloom swallowed and emitted a tremendous belch in reply.  “What were ya sayin’?”
Scootaloo stared for a moment, then grinned and stuffed the rest of her muffin in her mouth, chewing rapidly.
Sweetie Belle stared in alarm.  “Uh oh…”  She flattened her ears as the little pegasus swallowed and then belched back at Apple Bloom, fluttering the yellow filly’s new hair bow in the blast.
“That ain’t bad.  Ah give ya about eight points.”
“Eight??”  Scootaloo shook her head.  “Come on!”
Waving a forehoof dismissedly at her, Apple Bloom looked over at Sweetie Belle expectantly.  “Your turn.”
“Do I have to?”
“Sure.  It’s for good luck.  C’mon!”
“Okay…”  Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and crammed the last of her muffin into her mouth.  Her friends watched her jaw working, and began to chant.  “Chew, chew, chew, chew…”
Swallowing heavily, the little unicorn hiccuped twice and coughed.  “Ugh…”
Apple Bloom blinked.  “You okay?”
Sweetie coughed again. “…went down…wrong way…”  She shook her head, then glanced up at them, leaning toward her with a concerned look on their faces.  Her eyes twinkled, and she stood up. “BRRRRUUAAAAAAAAPPPPP!”
Apple Bloom went tumbling back into the wagon, and Scootaloo stumbled backwards, tripping and falling over her scooter to land with a dull thwap!  The two stood up warily, eyeing Sweetie Belle as she stood beaming before them.  “How’d I do?”
“That was a wicked ten!”  Scootaloo laughed.
“Yah got that right.”  Apple Bloom shook her head, her red mane fluttering.  “Ah think ah got muffin bits in mah new bow.”
“Ewwwwwwwww!”  Scootaloo snorted and laughed again.  “Extra point for the gross out!”
Sweetie Belle giggled and jumped into the wagon next to Apple Bloom.  “So what’s next?  Whatever we do, I gotta stay clean.”
They mulled that one over for a minute.
“Hey, let’s go ask Fluttershy.  Maybe we can help out with her animals or something,” Scootaloo ventured.  “That should be easy.”
“An’ clean,” added Apple Bloom.  “She’s about the neatest pony ah ever saw, except for your sister, Sweetie.”
Sweetie Belle nodded.  “And she’s really nice.  She’ll help us out for sure!”
“Awesome!  Let’s do it!”  Scootaloo grabbed her helmet and clapped it on tight.  “Hang on, Crusaders!”





“Oh, that’s such a shame about your clubhouse, little ones.  I’m so sorry to hear it!”  Fluttershy’s expression was solemn for a moment, but then brightened again.  “Of course you can help me.  I know just the thing!”
“Really?  That’s great!”  Sweetie Belle looked at her hopefully.  “Is…is it clean?”
The sunyellow pegasus laughed gently.  “Oh yes, very clean.  In fact, it has to be.”  She was trotting about in the living room of her cottage, picking up items very deliberately and gathering them together in a pile on the low table next to her couch.  The fillies could see a variety of odds and ends already gathered there atop a neat, white cloth.  There was a large swatch of cotton padding, a bundle of what looked like small, regular sticks, and a small tape dispenser, among other things.  “I’m going to go out and check over all the little animals nearby, and make sure they’re okay.  And if any of them are hurt, or just need a little help, I bring them back here take care of them.”
“Awww,” Apple Bloom said.  “That’s so sweet!”
“And cool!”  added Scootaloo.
“And clean!”  Sweetie Belle agreed.  “Hey, I know!  If any of them are hurt, we can bring them back in the wagon!”
Scootaloo’s jaw dropped.  “I didn’t think of that.  We can bring back lots of animals in the wagon!”  She stuck her forehoof out, and her friends immediately clapped theirs together with her in unison.  “CUTIE MARK CRUSADER ANIMAL AMBLULANCE!”
Fluttershy crouched reflexively at the shout, gritting her teeth.  “Oh, my…”
The three fillies rushed outside, and Scootaloo made a beeline for the wagon.  She reached into the back and pulled out a stethescope, hooking it around her neck.  “I’m the doctor!”
Sweetie Belle blinked.  “Where’d you get that??”
“From the ambulance, silly.”
The little unicorn gave her a dubious look.  “It’s a wagon.”
“An AWESOME wagon.  Ambulance.”
“But I was just in there.  I didn’t see it in there!”
Scootaloo crossed her forelegs and leaned nonchalantly against the wagon.  “One day, when you’re as awesome as I am, you’ll figure these things out.”
“Girls!”  Fluttershy trotted out of her cottage, the bag of supplies slung round her neck.  “Remember, the animals might be hurt, or scared.  So we have to be nice and quiet.”
“Okay, Fluttershy!” they chorused, standing shoulder to shoulder.  The three fillies wore beatific expressions.  Scootaloo’s stethoscope swung slowly back and forth, almost dragging the ground.  “What do we do now?”
“Follow me, and be very, very quiet.”  Fluttershy beamed.  “Let’s go check on the bunnies!”