//------------------------------// // The Fourth Crusader // Story: My Little Caboose: Blue is Magic! // by DarkWing //------------------------------// Simmons was pacing back and forth, stopping every so often to glare at his cutie mark. "What? That's my special talent?" Simmons yelled. "What is the problem with it?" Rarity asked. "If any of the guys see this I will be a laughing stock." Simmons moaned. "I for one think it looks magnificent." Rarity said. "What did you think your talent would be?" "I assumed mine would be something... I don't know... good." Simmons said. "A needle and thread isn't exactly my definition of masculine." "I think that it describes you pretty well." Rarity said. "How do you figure?" Simmons asked. "Well for one, it shows that you have class." Rarity said. "Making garments is also a lot of hard work and requires you to think ahead. Most people can't handle that sort of workload." "Well when you put it that way..." Simmons said with a smile, then shook it off. "But if Sarge sees it I'll never hear the end of it..." "Do you really look up to him that much?" Rarity asked. "Well, not really." Simmons said. "It's just that he is my superior so I have to respect him." "He may have been your superior back where you came from, but here you two are equal." Rarity said. "Hey yeah!" Simmons said happily. "You're right." "Simmons, I just want to apologize for yelling back there." Rarity said sincerely. "I thought you ruined the suit, but it turns out you very well may have saved it." "Don't worry about it, I shouldn't have done that without running it by you first." Simmons said. Rarity looked in to Simmons’ eyes and smiled. "Say Simmons? You wouldn't be interested in..." Rarity started. "Never mind." "Interested in what?" Simmons asked, his curiosity aroused. "I was just curious if you would care to be hired here." Rarity said. "I could use somepony like you who could help around here." Simmons stared at her blankly until he grasped what she had said. "No. I mean, I don't know... we will have to go back to our world soon. I don't want to have a job just to be sent back right away." "Do you have to leave though?" Rarity asked. "What is stopping you from staying?" Simmons hadn’t thought of this. He was under the impression that he and the others would only be here briefly, and once they received their cutie marks they would be on their way. So in response he just shrugged. Rarity frowned slightly, noticing the tickets just off to the side. "Well, the offer is still open if you do decide stay." Rarity said. "I hope you are still available to go see the Wonderbolts though." "I think I might have some spare time." Simmons said. "Good." Rarity said, smiling at Simmons who was smiling in return. "But you may need something to wear when we go. After all we want you to look your best if Westhoof is going to be introducing us to other important ponies." "Sounds good." Simmons said with a smile. "Shall we get started?" Rarity asked. "I'd love to. Maybe I can help as well. After all, it is my talent." Rarity and Simmons shared a smile and walked upstairs to start on Simmons suit. Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Sarge was laying under a tree, watching Winona run after a ball that Applejack kept throwing. "There he is girls." Applebloom’s voice called out. Sarge glanced over to see Applebloom running up to him, closely followed by two other fillies. He sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, can I help you?" Sarge asked. "You're right Applebloom, he does kinda talk like your sis." The white filly said. "Woah, nice cutie mark." The orange pony with purple mane said. Sarge cringed when she said cutie mark. He was really starting to hate that name. "Thanks." Sarge grunted. "He seems grumpy." The white filly said. "He just doesn't like it when people call it a cutie mark." Applebloom said. "Who are your friends?" Sarge asked. "My name is Sweetie Belle." The white filly said. "I'm Scootaloo." The orange one said. "And together we're..." Applebloom started. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" They all chanted in unison. Sarge burst out with laughter and the girls looked at him. "What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked. "That is the stupidest name I have ever heard." Sarge said, wiping a tear out from his eye. "And I've heard Grif, so that is saying something." Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo glared at him. "I thought you said Sarge was nice." Scootaloo whispered to Applebloom. "Yeah, he seems like a big meanie to me." Sweetie Belle agreed. "Sorry, no offense was meant." Sarge grunted. "Well... at least he apologized." Sweetie Belle said. "Well, you must be here for a reason." Sarge said. "What can I do for you?" "Is it true how you got your cutie mark?" Scootaloo asked, kicking her back hooves into the air. Sarge smiled at the orange filly, he liked her attitude. "You heard about that, huh?" Sarge chuckled. "All of Ponyville is talking about it." Sweetie Belle added. "Well, it's good to see I'm building a good reputation here." Sarge said. "Yeah, that guy is so embarrassed that he hasn't left his house since you kicked him." Scootaloo said. "Yeah, well, if he hadn't been an ass, that wouldn't have happened in the first place." Sarge said, leaning back on the tree. "Anyways, we were just wonderin' if you could do us a favor." Applebloom said. "Oh?" Sarge laughed. "And what would that be?" "Well, we're always tryin' ta find ways to get our cutie marks..." Applebloom said. "But we never have any luck and always end up embarrassing ourselves..." "So what does that have to do with me?" Sarge asked. "You got your mark in no time so, well... we were just wondering if you could..." Sweetie Belle started. "We're wondering if you could help us find our cutie marks." Scootaloo said simply. Sarge looked at the girls who were staring at him intently. He let out a long sigh. "I don't know..." Sarge said, to which the girls started frowning. "I guess I could give it a shot." The girls muzzles broke into huge grins. "On two conditions." "That depends what they are." Scootaloo said. "One: you let me join your little group." The girls huddled in a circle and started whispering. They all then broke off and nodded in unison. "And two: you never let Grif join the group." Sarge said with a smile, putting his hoof forward. "Deal." The girls all said at once, all placing their hooves over his.