//------------------------------//
// Finding Their Purpose 
// Story: Ponies in a Half-Shell 
// by MetalJrock 
//------------------------------//

"Can't believe I agreed to do this..." Raph muttered under his breath, so his 'company' couldn't hear him. The turtle had agreed to help the Cutie Mark Crusaders in getting their cutie marks. Unfortunately for him, that meant babysitting a bunch of easily excited foals. 'I've never been good with handlin' kids.' he told himself.

Raphael quietly sat in their small clubhouse, trying his best to make sure he doesn't bump his head on the ceiling or his body into anything else. A few days have passed since Shredder attacked and retreated. And CMC wanted Raph to go with them after he rested. The three fillies circled one another, wondering what they should try next.

"I don't know..." Sweetie Belle said.

"Ah agree, Scootaloo. He doesn't look like he wants to do much." Applebloom mumbled to the orange pegasus, the pony turning around to see the grouchy turtle.

"It's worth a try." Scootaloo replied.

"Can't believe I skipped out on training for this." he muttered once again, making sure once more that the fillies did not hear him. He closed his eyes and sighed, keeping his temper in check for once.

"How about sky-diving?"

A vein popped in Raphael's head. He opened his eyes quickly and hunched upward, "Are ya stupid? Is this what 'crusading' is like for you three?!" he asked in sheer disbelief.

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Nope. We do this almost every week. Though...," the unicorn glared at Scootaloo. "Someponies try to go for the more risky activities."

Scootaloo smiled sheepishly. "I'm not gonna be as cool as Rainbow Dash if we stick to lame things like singing, or construction."

"What we wanted to know, is if ya can teach us to be ninjas." Applebloom butted in, hoping to change the topic of conversation. The turtle sitting down exhaled.

He looked at the young earth pony and smirked. "I think I got somethin' better in mind for you."





Outside the clubhouse, a bunch of wooden poles were standing in rows. Raphael perched himself on a pole in the center of the bunch, holding a stick of his own. "The game's simple. Ya have to balance on each of these poles without falling off, and remove the branch from my hand," he explained the rules. "Any questions?"

An orange hoof raised a hand. "Uh, yes. I got a question." Scootaloo began, her back on the ground. "How are we supposed to get to you if we can't even stand on five-inch poles?" after saying that she attempted to perch once again, only to fall on her back again.

"Ah agree with Scootaloo." Applebloom said, falling on her face after making yet another hopeless attempt. 

"Ugh. Why must you torture us?" Sweetie Belle whined, pressing her hooves on the sticks, trying her best to ignore the pain pressing her limbs causes.

Raph rolled his eyes. "Fine. We'll do somethin' ya want. If only if it'd get you to stop complainin'." he informed.





"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ANIMAL CARETAKERS!"

The three fillies had worn protection suits, ensuring thst they do not get stung. They even gave Raphael his own hat since he didn't fit in a suit, much to his chagrin obviously. The turtle groaned and decided to go with it. 'If it keeps their mouths shut and I can get this done quicker, then I can at least say it was worth it. Mostly. After all they probably only have like one idea today. Right? What's the worst that could happen?'

"AH! THE BEES!" Raphael yelled, running away from a large swarm of bees chasing after him because Scootaloo thought it was a good idea to whack a bee-hive with a shovel so they could start 'nurturing them'. Where she got the shovel and that idea, nopony knows. Sweetie Belle used her magic to life a bucket full of water and splashed it.

"Uh... Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom began, pointing the unicorn to Raphael, who was currently soaked in water while the bees continued to circle him without any sign of stopping.





CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BAKERS!" 

Michaelangelo gagged, forcing himself to swallow the muffin the filles made. The muffin in question was a sickly green and for some reason was glowing. Pinkie Pie's face turned the same shade of green upon tasting it, it according to her tasting like cardboard, paper, and hair.

Raphael managed a smirk at his brother's reaction. 'Yep. Worth it.'





"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS BOOK ORGANIZERS!"

Twilight twitched upon the sight of the bookshelf. The alicorn attempted to form a smile, albeit a very fake one. "N-Nice job... Girls..." she studdered to the CMC. Raphael shook his head at the annoyed Twilight. 'Where did I go wrong?' he wondered in his head.

When the four left, Donatello walked to the shaken alicorn. "Uh, what's wrong, Twilight?" he asked her.

Twilight used her magic to lift a book from the shelf the CMC organized earlier. Looking at the title, the turtle was confused, until Twilight explained. "They put the books out of order. They should be in alphabetical order."





Raphael rubbed his head, "Ugh. Are we done yet? I think we burned down a house after ya three became fire-fighters." he pointed to the slightly burned building behind him.

The fillies looked at each other. "Yeah. For now, anyway..." Sweetie Belle answered.

"Do ya want to join us again next time?" Applebloom asked.

"Ah, no for right now. I got to train with my brothers," Raph replied with the wave of a hand. He shrugged. "But if ya give Mikey more of your cupcakes, I might reconsider."

"Thank you, Raphael!" the three cheered, smiles beaming from their faces. Causing Raphael to smile also.





Luna's moon shone over the town of Ponyville, and everypony was back inside sleeping for the night. The turtles returned to the castle in their rooms.

Inside his mind, Raphael was having a conversation with a being he had encountered a few times before this very night. Solar, with her hood and cloak still covering her body, gestured to the turtle. The turtle shrugged. "What do ya want with me this time, huh?" he asked, not surprised by her presence.

'The time is near, Raphael. Very soon, you shall prove whether or not you can overcome the challenges that lie ahead.' Solar said cryptically to the confused turtle.

Raph shook his head. "Alright, I have no idea what the shell yer talkin' about. So cut it with the nonsense and spill the beans." he attempted to poke the mare, but his finger phased through her, as though she didn't exist.

'You will figure this all out soon enough, Raphael. Before I leave I will bid you one last hint. Always think of your brothers and those close to you. The light will appear at the end of the grim tunnel.'