“Well, well, well! 500 bits, just like we agreed! Glad you returned so soon!”
We had stepped into Timber’s Lumber and proudly presented the store owner with the full jar, the girls beaming from ear to ear. However, I wanted to make sure this went off without a hitch, so the first thing we had done was fetch Sparkler to accompany us. She was thrilled that we had raised the money, and agreed to come with us to make sure Mr. Timber didn’t try to pull a fast one on our deal.
“Let me just get everything ready, and we’ll be good to go,” he said, though he couldn’t suppress a nervous twitch of the eye at seeing Sparkler. That must have been why he trotted off so briskly, making for the back of the store.
“You guys did an amazing job,” said Sparkler. “I knew you could do it, but I never imagined so quickly!”
“Me neither, to be honest. It was that little mix-up with Spike that gave us the final kick we needed.”
“And then some,” said Sparkler. “550, you said it was?”
“Yep!”
“What do you plan to do with the extra 50?”
“You know, I haven’t actually thought of that yet,” I said. “Maybe we’ll keep it on hand, or on hoof, in case something goes wrong. What do you think, girls?”
“Sounds good to me,” said Scootaloo.
“Ah’m good with that,” said Apple Bloom.
“Me too,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Uh-huh,” said Dinky.
A few minutes later, Mr. Timber returned, hauling a low wagon full of lumber, gears, wheel pieces, and everything else we’d need for the framework of the cart. He handed the handle of it off to me.
“Thanks for your help, sir,” I said.
“And thank you for your patronage,” he said. “I hope this race turns out well for you and your friends.”
“We’re hoping for it too.”
With that, the six of us exited the store, with me dragging the wagon behind me.
“So, where should we put all this?” I asked.
“Let’s keep it in the barn,” said Apple Bloom. “It’ll be the perfect place to start buildin’.”
“Good idea. We’ll get started tomorrow after school. Phase 1 of Operation Cart is complete: getting the materials. Phase 2 is building the cart itself.”
“And you know what this means, right?” asked Scootaloo.
“Er, no. What does it mean?”
“We get to be…”
(Uh oh, here we go.)
“Cutie Mark Crusaders Pit Crew! Yay!” they chorused together.
One of these days, I was gonna get the timing down on these Crusader cheers.
***
The Apples were more than willing to let us use the barn as a base of operations for the cart, so we dropped off the supplies in the middle of it. Apple Bloom told her sister what had happened.
“Ah’m proud of ya, little sis,” she said. “Ah hope y’all have learned just how rewardin’ an honest day’s work is.”
“Technically, it was about 2 weeks honest work,” I said.
“Same difference,” said Applejack, shrugging.
“Ah sure have, Applejack,” said Apple Bloom. “‘Course, it would have been nice if any of the jobs we did had landed any of us a cutie mark.”
The four fillies almost instinctively looked at their bare flanks.
“Ah know, Apple Bloom,” said Applejack, sympathetically, “but look at this way: you made a lot of folks in town happy with your busy-bee spirit and worker’s attitude, and that’s somethin’ to be proud of.”
Apple Bloom smiled and nuzzled against her sister’s side. The older mare then looked up at me.
“Thanks for helpin’ out the youngsters,” she said. “Means a lot to me to see you lookin’ out for them.”
“It was no big deal,” I said, “but we’re only half done. Now we’ve got to build the cart.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Big Mac and Ah can lend you a hoof, if ya want.”
“I’d appreciate that very much. We’re gonna make this a cart to be proud of!”
“You know it!” said Scootaloo. “Rainbow Avenger, all the way! We’ll show Diamond Tiara and her ‘professional’ mechanics.”
Applejack looked at me in puzzlement.
“Diamond Tiara hired ponies to make a cart for her.”
“That so? Ah should have guessed. Granny Smith is on good terms with her daddy, Filthy Rich, but even she knows they don’t do themselves what they can already pay for.”
Filthy Rich? Was that really her father’s name? I guess Diamond Tiara was just born to be wealthy.
“Well, even before I knew about how she was having things done,” I said, “I just felt it would be more genuine to do it by hand and hoof.”
Applejack smiled.
“That’s what Ah like to hear,” she said. “Anythin’ worth doin’ is worth doin’ right. Speaking of,” she added, turning to her sister, “Y’all better get a start on yer homework.”
“Aww, all right,” grumbled Apple Bloom. “Ah’ll see y’all tomorrow, when we can get started,” she added, to us.
We took our leave of Sweet Apple Acres, and while Sparkler took Scootaloo and Dinky home, I walked Sweetie Belle back to her house. I was just approaching home from doing so when I heard a voice call out to me.
“There you are, Dave! I’ve been looking all over for you.”
It was Rarity, and she looked like she had a bone to pick with me.
“Hey, Rarity. Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Yesterday, Sweetie Belle told me all about how you babysat for her on Saturday.”
“Well, yeah. Did you not approve?”
“It’s not that. She told me you did a wonderful job looking after her, and I’m very grateful.”
“Then why do you look like something’s annoyed you?”
“She also gave me a slice of that pie you let her make.”
“Oh! Tasty, isn’t it?”
“Tasty? I would prefer to call it suffocatingly sweet,” Rarity said, a rather fixed smile on her face. “But that’s not the point, my dear. She told me you let her fix it by herself, as in, without supervision.”
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. Rarity wasn’t yelling at me, but the sickly-sweet tone of her voice, as if she were trying to keep herself from punching me in the face, was unsettling.
“We had a deal,” I said, weakly. “If she listened for your parents’ delivery while I made lunch, I’d let her cook dinner.”
“Oh, a fine deal to make,” Rarity went on. “A grown man like you, allowing a little filly to make something so complex as a whole pie, all by herself, when she could very well have set the house on fire. How very, very wise of you.”
I gulped.
“But at least she didn’t burn the place down,” I said. “Right?”
Rarity stared hard at me for a moment or two, then sighed and seemed to come to herself again.
“Yes, that is fortunate. I will admit I was surprised she kept such an...unusual confection in an edible form. She has been improving lately, and I will say it was sweet of you to give her such a responsibility, but honestly, darling, do try to be more sensible about supervision. The girls mean well, but when they’re up to their usual tricks, you can’t just turn a blind eye.”
“I know, I know, it was stupid of me,” I said. “I was on tenterhooks the whole time she was working. I wanted to go in and make sure she didn’t mess anything up, but I promised her I’d let her do it herself. I couldn’t just betray her trust like that. It would have hurt her feelings.”
Rarity regarded me closely for a bit, then finally broke into a tender smile.
“You have a good heart, Dave, and I truly do appreciate you thinking of her feelings. While you may have had a judgement lapse, I can see why Mother and Father chose you to watch her.”
“Ah, well…” I muttered, modestly. “How did your trip go, by the way?”
“Very well, thank you. I went up to meet Fancy Pants and show him some of my latest projects.”
“Fancy Pants? I met him when I went to Canterlot!”
“So I’d heard,” said Rarity. “He told me you met outside a cafe and struck up a conversation.”
“Yeah. He seemed like a really nice guy, and he didn’t seem very quick to snub me.”
“I know the feeling, dear,” said Rarity, sympathetically. “But yes, Fancy Pants is one of Canterlot’s most important ponies: his word is law among the elite. I would have lost my respect among them if not for him.”
“Rarity, how could anyone in their right mind not respect you?” I asked, seriously.
Rarity smiled appreciatively.
“At any rate, he was very intrigued by the hat I’d made for you, with the phoenix feather, and so I showed him the drawing I had made for the full ensemble. He was quite impressed.”
“So, what does that mean? Phoenix-feather hats are gonna become chic in Canterlot?”
“Oh, I’m not too sure, honestly. We can’t just go plucking the feathers of Princess Celestia’s pet for every top hat in Canterlot. Still, he admired the ingenuity, as he called it.” Her cheeks briefly turned a shade of pink. “He’s a wonderful stallion, an example of how the wealthy should behave.”
“I quite agree.”
“Ah, but listen to me prattling on. Dave, we simply must get together again sometime. It feels like ages since our little spa day.”
“Funny, I was telling the same thing to Fluttershy earlier. Once this whole derby craze is over, we’ll find something to do.”
“Wonderful, darling! Just mind, the winter snows will be coming in the first week of the month. I’ll have a winter ensemble ready for you when that time comes.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“And by the way, sweetie,” Rarity added, “if I ever catch wind of anything like this pie escapade again, I will find ways to make you regret such a careless decision.”
I felt my heart slam against my ribs. That came right out of nowhere.
“Ta-ta!” she said, cheerily, and went on her way, as if nothing had happened.
“Lesson learned,” I muttered, as I went inside, “never make a pretty woman angry.”
***
Over the course of the next week, the five of us worked feverishly to get the Rainbow Avenger up and running in time for the race. When the girls were at school, I pored over the pages of Engineering for Beginners in the hopes of getting a head-start in building knowhow that could spare the kids some time. Probably the hardest part was going to be the engine: we had the parts needed for it, but the issue was going to be assembly. One piece out of place could mean the whole thing would go up in smoke.
I would be waiting in the barn by the time the girls arrived. Unfortunately, they couldn’t offer too much time on weekdays, since they had to be home in time for dinner and to do their homework. Sweetie Belle lived the furthest away from Sweet Apple Acres, so her time was the most limited, but it was quite a sight to see both her and Dinky pushing lumber into place, handing us extra nails, saws, hammers. For such a demure filly, she was quite industrious, though Apple Bloom didn’t seem to trust her with power tools. Still, she only had so much time to offer before she had to scamper home, but we were content. The true power of construction lay with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.
The little farm filly was more precise than I’d ever even imagined. Whatever measurements she made in cutting the wood, her sawing was right on the mark, not an inch off. Even with more angled cuts to give the proper aerodynamic shape, she was spot on. Now I could see just how she had managed to refurbish an entire tree house by herself.
Scootaloo, for her part, tinkered with the wheels, making sure they were fitted just right and that the tires were the proper size. She herself said that improper wheel size or placement could lead to an imbalance. She also took great pains to make sure the steering wheel was put in properly, so that the wheels would turn with it.
I had to admit, even I wasn’t doing too shabbily. I had never handled anything like this before, yet it was going rather smoothly with the fillies’ aid. Maybe that potion Zecora made still had some lingering effects.
Within just a few days, the basic frame of the Rainbow Avenger was born: a sleek, streamlined bullet of a car, kind of like an arrowhead, with a smooth fin on the back. By Scootaloo and Dinky’s drawings, It was going to be painted blue with rainbow colored streaks on the sides and tail fin, with the CMC emblem right in the middle. I wondered how Rainbow Dash would take seeing her colors displayed on a foal’s racing cart: would she be embarrassed or pleased?
The weekend rolled around, and I was ready for us to put our all into this. We just needed to complete the outer wood covering, install the engine, and then paint, and the Rainbow Avenger would be ready. However, Apple Bloom came to us with bad news.
“Ah can’t stay long to help with the buildin’,” she said. “Applejack wants me to help with the final harvestin’. This is the last weekend we have before the winter snows come in, and we need to get in all the crops we can before the cold wipes ‘em out.”
Her friends were disappointed to hear this, and I wasn’t feeling too good about it either, but there was no other way around it.
“We understand, Apple Bloom. We’ll pick up where you left off.”
Just as I hoped, she finally smiled again.
“Thanks, y’all. Ah hoped you’d understand. Just take yer time with the cuttin’. Don’t rush it, and you’ll get the right size and shape you need. Follow the frame.”
She trotted off to join her siblings after giving us these words of wisdom, and we set back to work.
She’d made cutting the pieces look easy, but it wasn’t. Each bit of wood for the outer paneling needed to be properly sized before it could be fitted in, and, try as I might, I could never seem to get it right the first time. It would either be too large and needed to be trimmed down, or too small and had to be redone. Applejack and Big Mac were busy tending the fields, too, so I couldn’t call upon their help. I won’t lie, it was frustrating, as I ended up hammering my thumb more than once, and it took an effort to hold back shouting in front of the girls. They were patient with me, however, and helped me through my stressed moments. All I could do was keep one thing on my mind: get the cart done for the derby.
It probably took longer than it should have, if Apple Bloom had been with us, but by Sunday afternoon, the outer wood covering for the Rainbow Avenger was finally completed. All that remained was the engine and the paint, and that was where the next issue sprang up.
Scootaloo had some tinkering prowess, but she had never constructed a whole engine before. Even looking at the guide book, we could see that the steps and processes were a complicated mishmash. She admitted that she could not make heads or tails of it, and apologized for it, but I wasn’t mad at her for it. If this was something made for beginners to understand, why shouldn’t we be able to do it ourselves? All we needed to do was follow the instructions to the note.
Even that, though, was a pain in the hindquarters. Bending over the book and over the engine-in-the-making made my back ache, and my hands were becoming sweaty from trying hard to concentrate on getting every piece in place. Scootaloo offered whatever help she could, but even then, by the time the next school week started, the engine was still little more than halfway done. There were so many thingamajigs, whatchamacallits, and doohickeys to work with that it was hard to tell which went where. I was beginning to feel at the end of my rope, but I couldn’t stop. Everything had to be ready before the big day. It was looming ever closer, and the realization of that was like a lump in my stomach. Anyone who had ever had a deadline for a school project, like an essay, approaching would know what I meant…
The girls were feeling too tired to continue on Sunday night, so I was left tinkering with the engine by myself. My fingers and back were aching, and my eyes were tired. My glasses were fogged with sweat, and every five minutes, I’d have to take them off and wipe them clear with my shirt. At last, however, I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I let out a huge yawn.
“I’ll get up early and get a head start on it, then,” I muttered to myself.
So saying, I got up, my body full of aches, and walked slowly home.
***
When I arrived in the wee hours of the morn, however, it was to find Scootaloo and Dinky, awake but smiling, standing by the Rainbow Avenger’s frame. The engine, and the remaining parts, were no longer sitting out!
“What happened?” I asked. “Where’s the engine?”
“Already in!” said Dinky, proudly.
“Huh?”
“Yeah! Check it out!” said Scootaloo.
She clambered into the driver’s seat and pressed down on the gas pedal. The engine roared to life. Well, probably not roar, since it was such a small car, but growled impressively. I felt my jaw drop.
“How the...when did…” I spluttered. “Girls, did you do this?”
“We wanted to,” said Dinky, “but somepony beat us to it. I guess they had the right screwdriver.”
“Wow…” I breathed. “Then that means-”
“The Rainbow Avenger just needs its avenging rainbow!” said Scoot, punching the air.
“Unbelievable,” I muttered. “How many times are we gonna be saved by lucky breaks?”
“I dunno,” said Scootaloo, “but we’d better get going. If Mom finds us up this early, she’ll have a cow.”
“But doesn’t your paper route start early?”
“Not this early,” said Scootaloo, grimly. “See ya after school, Dave. Get some rest. We’ll work on the paint job together.”
“Bye, Dave!”
The fillies trotted off, while I just stared at the Rainbow Avenger in bemusement. I wondered who this pony was that finished the engine for us. How would they have known we were building in this barn? Well, whatever the case, it meant more sleep for me, and I was not about to say no to that.
***
This time, Ironmane did come in person to deliver my fee, looking none the worse for wear, though still rather tired. I'd actually forgotten that he hadn't come around or sent my dues yesterday. I'd been too focused on getting the Rainbow Avenger ready to notice.
“I hope everything was all right last week, Minister,” I said.
“Just some tedious paperwork,” he said. “Always the most tiresome part of any profession, but it was routine business. Speaking of which, I shall be sending you a new written assignment in the near future, so be on the lookout.”
“Yes, Minister.”
“By the by, how is your project with the fillies faring?”
“Really well. We raised all the funds we needed, and the cart’s almost done. All it needs is a paint job and a test drive, and we’re good to go!”
“Impressive,” Ironmane said, stiffly. “I hope to see equal dedication to duty in future assignments.”
“I’ll try, sir,” I said, though I hoped I hadn’t just given him the idea to give me harder work.
“Well, with that, I should be on my way. Farewell, David, and good luck with your race.”
“Thanks, Minister.”
Ironmane walked off, while I put away my weekly payment. As soon as school was out for the day, we could move onto the final phase of completing the Rainbow Avenger. Kind of funny, actually: I didn’t have to go to school, and even I was anxious for it to end.
***
Just as Scootaloo said, the four Crusaders assembled back in the barn, and we set to work painting right away. This was much easier than the rest of the operation, especially with Apple Bloom helping once again. We first coated the entire cart in a sky blue, like Rainbow Dash’s fur, then, carefully, took turns applying streaks of paint along the sides and fin to make rainbow stripes. At last, Apple Bloom added the finishing touch: a Cutie Mark Crusaders emblem on both sides.
With that done, we stepped back to admire our handiwork.
It was finally done.
After a month of toil, the Rainbow Avenger was complete.
We were ready for the derby!
Somepony sniffled. I looked down and saw that Scootaloo had tears in her eyes.
“What’s the matter, kiddo?” I asked.
“It’s...it’s beautiful,” she said. “It looks even better than I hoped.”
Dinky put her hooves around her sister, hugging her.
“Thanks, all of you,” Scoot murmured. “You guys made it look great!”
“Tweren’t nothin’, Scoot,” said Apple Bloom.
“It was a team effort!” said Sweetie Belle.
“It is quite a sight, isn’t it?” I asked. “We’ll let the paint dry, and give it a test drive tomorrow. You up for that, Scoot?”
Scootaloo brightened back up once again.
“Heck yeah!”
“Good, cuz I can think of no other pony more qualified to be our representative driver. Right, gals?”
“Right!” said Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
“Scootaloo all the way!” squeaked Dinky.
Scootaloo’s little face split into a wide grin, and her wings buzzed excitedly.
***
By the next day, the eve of the big race, we carefully wheeled the dried Rainbow Avenger out of the barn. Scootaloo had already chosen the perfect spot to test drive it, so we followed her directions. She led us out to a clear field, devoid of trees, relatively smooth and uniform, with a long dirt track running through it. It looked almost like the racetrack of a school gymnasium, except with several twists and turns.
Scootaloo climbed into the front seat and put on her scooter helmet.
“You sure you can handle this, Scoot?” I asked. “This path makes a lot of twists.”
“No problem,” she replied. “We gotta make sure it can handle them. Just give me plenty of space.”
“Gotcha. Girls, step back, and let’s let Scoot work her magic.”
The four of us stepped away, and Scootaloo shifted the cart into its driving gear. With a growl from the engine, it shot forward, swift like as an arrow, wheels rolling smoothly along the dirt.
“Holy cow!” I shouted. “It’s working! It’s really working!”
“Go, Scoot!” cheered Dinky.
Scootaloo and the Avenger soared down the path, pulling off flawless turns and skids, while the little filly sat hunched in concentration over the steering wheel. It was too amazing to believe! The Avenger was holding together perfectly! It was obeying Scoots’ every command! It was well and truly complete!
The girls were going wild with excitement. Apple Bloom bounced up and down on all fours, much like Pinkie, while Sweetie Belle and Dinky danced about, clasping each other’s hooves. I, for my part, whooped and clapped, especially as Scootaloo pulled in beside us. She had barely taken off her helmet before I scooped her up into the air.
“Scoot, that was amazing! You’ve got the Avenger tamed on the first go! We’re gonna make heads turn tomorrow for sure!”
Scootaloo beamed and gave me a high-five, or high-one. What did ponies call them?
“We’re gonna win, Dave!” she said. “We’re gonna win!”
“No doubt about it, my little pony,” I said. “We’re gonna win!”