One week earlier...
The city of Manehattan, a bustling metropolis teeming with hard-working ponies by day and vibrant nightlife after sundown. Even the foals all across this island toil tirelessly, cutie marks or no cutie marks. Residents of Manehattan often say that those who don't have them yet are the most diligent in all of Equestria, stopping at nothing until their talents are known. Through trial, error and the bullying of their already cutie marked peers, they manage to stick together through thick and thin.
One such foal, a brownish orange filly with a short magenta mane that peered over her eyes and stubby tail, peeked out of a run-down abandoned wagon. She took a few seconds to see if the dark alley's coast was clear. Her clubhouse, upgraded from a simple soapbox, had done its job in sheltering herself and her expanding team from wayward bullies ready to tear it down. Her "two other foals" she told her favorite cousin Apple Bloom about last time had now grown to a total of five fillies, outnumbering the Ponyville branch that started it all. Cracking a small smile, she blew her mane out of her face, poked her head back in and picked up a scroll with her left foreleg. She shuffled into a seat on the wagon and reached for her toy gavel with her right foreleg
"I now declare this Cutie Mark Crusader Manehattan Chapter meeting open!" Babs Seed announced, slamming the gavel down. Her other club members stopped their daily gossip to pay attention. Babs tossed her gavel to the side, picked up her quill with her free hoof and dabbed it in an ink bottle.
"Let's have a roll call," Babs said. "Cirrus Curl?"
"Here," a dark blue pegasus with a short, curly double-toned light blue mane raised her hoof to Babs’ right.
"Sugar Lips?" Babs called.
"Here," a tan freckled earth pony with a straight yellow mane answered across from her.
"Nimbostorm?"
"Present," a grey slightly chunky pegasus with a thick black and streaked yellow mane replied, sharing her seat with Sugar Lips.
"And Middlemist?"
"I'm here," answered the last filly—a burgundy unicorn with a poofy green mane—who sat in between Sugar Lips and Nimbostorm.
"We're all here, that's great!" Babs Seed exclaimed tucked the scroll underneath her seat. "First order of business: Let's review what went wrong the last time we tried to get our cutie marks. What did we learn from miniature golf?"
"That we're not gonna get our cutie marks with putters?" Sugar Lips guessed.
"Well, sorta," Babs said with a shrug. "Mini golf isn't for everypony."
"Not if it isn't your talent," Middlemist sighed.
"I don't understand," Cirrus Curl said, shaking her head. "I must have gotten six holes in one yesterday."
"That one colt was just lucky," Nimbostorm sneered. "He got his after one."
"Come on, Nimbostorm," Babs interrupted. "There are still plenty of things we haven't tried. We haven't done half the things that my crusaders from Ponyville tried already."
"Like what?" she asked.
"Well, there's, uh..."
Babs froze like a snowpony on a cold winter's night. So many ideas her Ponyville friends could have given her and she wasted the opportunity the first time by letting off some steam. She also missed her chance to ask for help the second time she saw her cousin due to the reunion eating up valuable time. Babs hanged her head in shame with a huff, unable to process anything for her friends' benefits. She looked down at the floor of the wagon, her brain unable to come up with any other attempts.
"We need some ideas," she muttered in defeat.
The other four fillies exchanged awkward looks among each other at their leader drawing a blank.
"I've got two cousins who could help," Sugar Lips offered.
Babs picked up her head and leaned forward. "You have cousins, Sugar Lips? Are they blank flanks, too?"
"They still match their coats."
"Invite them over," Cirrus Curl nudged her, breaking into a smile. "After all, the more, the merrier, right?"
"What are they like?" Middlemist wanted to know, a quizzical expression forming on her face.
"Well, they're from Hay Ridge, they're ten years old and-"
"They're twins!" Cirrus Curl squealed, finishing her sentence.
Sugar Lips blushed slightly and nodded.
"Are they identical?" Nimbostorm queried.
"They look the same," Sugar Lips began to explain. "One of them's a—"
"Incredible!" Babs beamed. "Single-minded fillies are just what this club needs. They can be an asset to our flanks!"
"Babs?" Sugar Lips warned her leader. "There is something you should know about—"
"Aw, it can wait," Babs pushed it aside. "Bring 'em over, we're always looking for new members."
"Okay," Sugar Lips reluctantly agreed, hopping from her seat. "I'll be back in a little while."
"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Middlemist asked to her as she walked toward the wagon’s exit.
"I think so," she replied. "Their house is just a quick trolley ride across the Bucklyn Bridge. I'll be right back!"
Babs smiled as she watched her friend trot out of the alley and round a street corner. With the rate new foals were joining her club, she could organize her own Cutie Mark Crusaders baseball team! "Wait until Apple Bloom back at home hears about this!" Babs told her three remaining crusaders. "Two foals from Bucklyn about to be Cutie Mark Crusaders! Maybe we should branch out to the other boros or Long Bridleland or Neigh Jersey!"
"But we don't know what Sugar Lips' cousins are like yet," Cirrus Curl reminded her.
"Well, whatever we do, we have to be sure they're both welcome," Babs instructed. "We have to show them that we're willing to stand up for them if any bullies come our way. They'll have our support as long as we can get them their cutie marks."
"Do you still want to come up with ideas in case they don't have any just yet?" Nimbostorm asked.
"Yeah, that wouldn't hurt," Babs said as she reached for her quill and scroll again. "At least until Sugar Lips comes back."
With the slates for their club as blank as their flanks, the fillies discussed the few failures they had since the group formed. Babs sketched spider web diagrams for each failed attempt and stemmed suggestions for each on the scroll.
"Let's see," Babs put a hoof to her chin as she surveyed her work. "From our failed attempt at pigeon catching, we can try bird watching, bird feeding and mouse catching."
"Does it count if you own a cat?" Middlemist asked.
Babs shook her head. "I don't think so."
"You didn't mention when we tried to be zookeepers," Cirrus Curl said.
Babs facehoofed. "Don't remind me. That wasn't worth getting banned from the Broncs Zoo."
"No worse than our window-washing attempt," Nimbostorm recalled.
"How can I forget?" Babs asked, rolling her eyes. "Why bother getting rescued if the fire department's going to yell at you?"
"Babs!" Sugar Lips' voice found its way to the wagon, perking the crusaders' ears. "Hey, Babs! I'm back!" Babs’ friend trotted up to the archway and the leader stood in front with the rest of the group clasping their hooves in anticipation.
"That was quick," Middlemist remarked. "So, where are the twins?"
Sugar Lips stepped aside. "Fellow Crusaders, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Sundae Shake."
The other four fillies watched the archway and a heavyset bright blue earth pony with a brown and cream striped mane tied back with a pink bow walked up to her side. Cirrus Curl, Middlemist and Nimbostorm waved to her while Babs Seed trotted over and shook the new recruit's forehoof.
"Welcome aboard, Sundae Shake." Babs greeted her.
"Thank you," Sundae replied with a giggle.
"Now, you said you had a twin," Babs remembered. "How's about we meet your sister?"
"My sister?" Sundae said, wincing.
"Of course," Nimbostorm deadpanned. "We've heard so much about her."
"You mean Fudge?" Sundae made a face. "Oh, I'm sure Fudge would love to meet you all." She backpedaled out of the wagon, twisted her head and put a fore hoof to her mouth. "Come on in, Bro! Don't be shy."
"Bro?" Babs' stomach did a triple lutz though she froze her face in an attempt to not let it show. "That is a nickname, right?"
"No, Babs," Middlemist corrected her. "I think she means..."
She could not finish, stopping to stare at the upcoming intruder along the rest of the Manehattan crusaders. Babs Seed stood by the archway under the wagon, eyes wide with anticipation at meeting this second brand new club member. What she saw crossing Sundae Shake's path turned her unsure smile into a mouth agape with horror and shrank her half-welcoming pupils to the size of dust mites. Walking right in front of her was the beast who looked slightly shorter and chubbier than Sundae Shake with the same bright blue coat but a fuller face and broader snout. It shared the same brown and cream striped mane as its twin sister, only in the styles of a crew cut and bobtail.
"Hi," it said to Babs in its deeper voice and extended its foreleg. "Nice to meet you. I'm Fudge Cookie, Sundae's twin brother."