What makes a Hero?

by Quillion9000

Honorary Crusader

Ponyville: Skies
Ever since being put up by Rainbow Dash, and deciding to stay in Ponyville, Gilda had decided to get a job. The way the griffon saw it, she was staying with Rainbow, so she should contribute to the house. In addition, she still had resentment towards the ponies.

Just because she was willing to give them a chance, and wanted to change, doesn’t mean the years of emotional pain vanished. As a result, Gilda picked a job she could do well while being around ponies regularly. Thanks to Rainbow Dash, she became Ponyville’s first weather griffon.

It was the perfect job since she worked with pegasi, was seen by the ponies on the ground, could do the work, and got to work with her best friend on occasions. That said, there was one problem in the form of a gray coated and blond maned pegasus mare with strange eyes.

Ditzy Do was rather accident prone. At first, Gilda had felt enraged as she was constantly struck by lightning or flew face first into clouds. She didn’t blow up and instead asked Rainbow about the mare. She learned this mare was a hard worker who constantly tried to improve herself.

Learning this had calmed the griffon, but it didn’t stop her from feeling peeved at times. Gilda was currently busting some clouds when a stray cloud ‘drifted’ into her path. The griffin ended up flying straight into it.

Ditzy flew over and chuckled embarrassed. “Oops, sorry Gilda.” She helped the griffon out and grabbed ahold of the cloud. “It got away from me.”

Gilda shook her head and sighed. “Apology accepted, but you really got to get this weather things down. Some of the fliers aren’t as strong as Rainbow or me. As such, accidents like this could cause some serious trouble.”

“Yeah, I’m working hard to get better.” Ditzy stated. “Believe me on that.”

Sweet Apple Acres: Day…
Applejack had asked for Goten’s help in repairing some old treehouse out in the middle of Sweet Apple Acres. While Applejack handled most of the repair work, Goten hauled around what she needed. Once they were done, the pair looked over the place.

"Oh yeah, you didn’t tell me what this was for Applejack." Goten commented.

“Sorry Goten.” Applejack laughed at that. "This was my clubhouse years ago, and I’m now giving it to Apple Bloom and her Cutie Mark Crusader friends."

"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Goten inquired.

"That’s right.” Applejack nodded. “She and her little friends don't have their Cutie Marks, so they formed this group to find their special talent."

"Huh, sounds like a fun time.” Goten crossed his arms with a smile. “Makes me really happy I could be involved, even in a small way, in helping them do that.”

"I always told her not ta’ rush this.” Applejack informed. “I mean, a Cutie Mark appears when the time is right and trying to force it won't help.”

“Maybe, but it’s not like she can wait around.” Goten looked at the clubhouse. “I think this is a nice, sensible compromise between your viewpoints.”

“Maybe.” Applejack stated. "By the way, thank you for pitching in Sugar Cube. I knew I could count on you."

“You kidding?” Goten chuckled good naturedly. “You did most of the work while I was the guy hauling things around. No need to thank me.”

Applejack smiled at him before walking off. "Now, if you could wait here for a few minutes, I'm going to bring my sister and her friends her.”

Goten didn’t have anywhere he needed to be, so he looked at the Clubhouse while thinking about the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "A group that dedicates itself to find their special talent. I bet that means they’ll try all kinds of things.”

Applejack returned accompanied by three fillies. Of course, Goten knew Apple Bloom, but the others were unfamiliar. One of them was a Pegasus with an orange coat and a purple mane while the other was a unicorn with a white coat and light purple mane. Applejack proudly presented the clubhouse to the fillies, who immediately ran inside to check it out.

"Looks like they like it." Goten whispered to Applejack.

"Yep.” Applejack whispered back. “Good to know our work wasn’t for nothing.”

The three fillies walked outside of the clubhouse to share their excitement.

"It is great Applejack!” Apple Bloom hugged her sister. “Thank you!"

"Now, save some thanks for Goten.” Applejack stated. “He helped in a big way."

Apple Bloom approached the Half-Saiyan and thanked him as well.

"It's still a little empty though.” The pegasus commented.

The unicorn filly poked her in the side implying that this was not a polite thing to say after they just got a brand-new clubhouse, but Applejack and Goten didn't take offense. They planned to get some furniture or anything else the three ponies wanted.

Goten leaned over to Applejack. “When we get the furniture, leave moving it in to me.” He smiled. “You’d be surprised how many ponies have furniture to move, so I’m kind of a pro at it by now.”

“That’d be mighty kind of ya partner.” Applejack stated sincerely.

Next Day…
Goten was finishing up with the furniture when the unicorn, Sweetie Bell, entered. Applejack told him the names of the other two fillies the day before. She was Rarity's little sister which explained why she looked familiar. The pegasus was Scootaloo if he remembered correctly.

She noticed Goten and waved at him with a smile. Goten nodded back to her with his own smile before getting back to work. Sweetie Bell approached and watched him; however, the Half-Saiyan wasn’t bothered by it in the slightest.

"What are you doing?" Sweetie asked curiously.

“I’m making sure the podium is set up correctly.” Goten replied.

“Oh.” Sweetie stated. "Is it fun to move things around?"

"Well, I am more of a fighter than day laborer, but I find joy in the random jobs I do for ponies.” Goten replied. “I like helping others, this gives me bits for myself, and it’s a pretty flexible job. Not to mention, it helps me be far less of a bother.”

Sweetie didn't say anything else and continued to watch him. Eventually, the other fillies arrived and happily greeted the unicorn. They talked about what they should do today to get their Cutie Marks. Eventually, he noticed all three of them looking at him.

"What are you doing?" Scootaloo asked.

“I’m hanging up the decorations for you girls.” Goten replied.

"Oh." Scootaloo replied.

"Is it fun to move things around?" Apple Bloom asked.

Rather than Goten answer, Sweetie did. "He says he’s more of a fighter than a day laborer, but he finds enjoyment in this.”

"Oh.” the two other fillies replied.

Goten noticed that the fillies were still watching him, and he didn’t want them to waste there whole day doing that. "Don't you have to find your special talents?"

This sentence seemed to get them moving. After a quick discussion, the Cutie Mark Crusaders rushed outside. They shouted that he should take care of their clubhouse in the meantime. That confused Goten since he figured they’d want him gone once he was done.

Speaking of being done, he had just finished not to long after they left. The Half-Saiyan contemplated leaving, but the three fillies had asked him to take care of the place. Eh, he guessed her could hang around for a bit.

Later…
Goten had kicked back with a good book and got about halfway when the Cutie Mark Crusaders returned. All three sported disappointed looks on their faces.

"I can't believe bug catching wasn't our special talent.” Apple Bloom commented.

"…Or cooking.” Sweetie Belle added.

"…Or hoof wrestling.” Scootaloo finished.

Goten closed his book and came to stand before the fillies. “So, no luck getting your Cutie Marks, I take it?"

"No." They sadly replied.

They quickly forgot their disappointment after seeing how their clubhouse looked.

"Hey, this is more like it." Scootaloo declared.

"Yeah!” Sweetie exclaimed. “This looks like a real clubhouse!"

Goten was glad to hear that, and since they were back, the guy prepared to leave. The only problem was that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were eager to thank him. Three tiny horses hugging you made the act quite difficult.

"Do you think we can earn our Cutie Marks by moving something?" Scootaloo asked.

"I’m not sure." Goten replied honestly.

"Do you think that we could tag along on your day labor and help out?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, I wouldn’t mind, but you should ask your families first." Goten replied.

"I wish I had a special talent in day laboring." Sweetie Belle commented.

After that sentence, Apple Bloom coughed to get her friend’s attention. She then made motions that seemed to indicate Goten wasn’t a pony. Since he wasn’t a pony, that meant he couldn’t get a Cutie Mark. Scootaloo and Sweetie seemed to have forgotten that, and the unicorn apologized.

“Whoa, it’s okay.” Goten wanted to reassure them. "I’m aware I can’t get a Cutie Mark, but I don’t long for one. I mean, going out there to discover it does sound fun if I’m being honest, but I don’t really have a need to be out there.”

“Goten, do you want to try the things we do?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Sure, I’d want to.” Goten admitted. “Those activities you listed did sound fun.”

"Do you want to join the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

Goten was confused. “What?”

He wasn’t the only one confused. Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo each gave her confused looks.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders secret meeting!" Scootaloo shouted.

"Secret meeting?" Apple Bloom asked in confusion.

"Just come over here for a minute.” Sweetie Bell stated.

The three fillies retreated to a corner of the clubhouse.

"What are you doing?” Scootaloo asked.

"What do you mean?" Apple Bloom inquired.

"You can't just invite him to join our club." Scootaloo replied.

"Why not?" Apple Bloom asked. “Goten’s a nice creature.”

Scootaloo struggled to come up with the right words.

Fortunately, Sweetie Bell had those words. "Apple Bloom, Goten can’t get a Cutie Mark, and that’s the whole point of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

"Well, we don’t really have a rule for that in place.” Apple Bloom replied. "Besides, you heard Goten. He doesn’t want one. He just wants to have fun, and I don’t think we should exclude him for that.”

Just listening to that made the other fillies feel bad. Goten knew he’d never get a Cutie Mark, and he genuinely seemed invested in having some fun.

"You do make a good point, and the main thing about being a Crusader is that you don’t have a Cutie Mark.” Scootaloo stated.

“As far as that’s concerned, Goten checks out." Sweetie Belle stated.

After a little more discussion, they finally approached Goten smiling.

"What’s up?” Goten asked.

“Goten, would you like to join us as a Cutie Mark Crusader?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Really?” Goten asked hopefully.

“Yeah.” Scootaloo nodded. “You aren’t able to get a Cutie Mark, but that’s not what the Cutie Mark Crusaders are about.”

“We’re about looking for our special talent and having fun along the way.” Sweetie added. “By those two requirements, you fit perfectly.”

“That sounds…” Goten was happy but looking around the clubhouse reminded him that he wouldn’t always be free for a commitment like that. “Oh, I’m not sure I can accept.” This made the fillies frown. “I want to, but I have other commitments. Learning with Twilight, training with Master Bardock, my odd jobs, and I have other friends.”

This explanation made the Crusaders happy and saw them huddle back up to discuss this. Once they were done, the fillies came to stand before him again.

"We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, hereby declare you as…" Apple Bloom began.

"… an Honorary Cutie Mark Crusader!" All three of them shouted.

"Honorary Member?" Goten asked.

“It means you’ll always be welcome in our clubhouse whenever you’re able to attend.” Scootaloo replied.

"That is a role I gladly accept." Goten hugged the fillies. “Thank you for including me.”

They hugged him back.

Next Day…
Goten walked into the clubhouse and took a seat on a stool. He sat in the middle, next to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, while Apple Bloom was climbing the podium to start the meeting.

"I am proud to announce our first Cutie Mark Crusader meeting inside our new Clubhouse." Apple Bloom declared.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YEAH!" Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Goten shouted.

"Of course, this meeting couldn't be possible without our newest member who helped repair and fill our clubhouse." Apple Bloom announced.

“It really was nothing.” Goten stated genuinely.

"Speaking about new members, honorary or otherwise, we should work on some sort of ceremony." Sweetie Belle suggested.

"I'm on it!" Scootaloo declared.

The meeting continued with talk about their respective days. While Goten could go to their school, he was content with how he lived on Equis.

Eventually, Scootaloo pulled out a hand drawn map of Ponyville. "This map will help us get our Cutie Marks for sure!"

"Yeah.” Apple Bloom agreed. “If we visit all these places, one of them is bound to get us a Cutie Mark!" They marched outside. "Are you ready Crusaders?"

"We’re ready!" Scootaloo, Goten, and Sweetie Belle shouted.

They rushed off to their first destination.

Sweet Apple Acres: Pig Feeding
Apple Bloom passed a bucket of slop to Goten. "Here's another one."

It was food for the pigs, and while Goten liked animals, he wouldn’t want a pig feeding Cutie Mark. Obviously, he couldn’t get one, but if he could, he wouldn’t want this one. The Crusaders kept at it filling the food troughs.

Once they were full, Scootaloo shouted, "Bring them in!"

Apple Bloom opened the gate, and several pigs ran towards the feeding troughs. The three fillies waited in front of the gate, so Goten rocketed over to them before getting the group out of the way. The fillies then looked at their flanks to see if they got their Cutie Marks. They didn’t earn one, but after overcoming their disappointment, the group moved to the next location.

Sugar Cube Corner: Taffy Making…
There was a giant mixer, so all the Crusaders had to do was put the ingredients in before activating it. There were all kinds of colors to the point that it looked like a rainbow. The Cutie Mark Crusaders hoof and fist bumped in celebration.

Then, Scootaloo's tail was caught up in the mixer. They all noticed and Goten managed to pull her out before she was drawn in. After seeing that they didn’t get a Cutie Mark, the group left the shop. Of course, the fillies haven't given up yet, so they went to the next location.

Carousel Boutique: Mane Dying
Goten wasn’t much into fashion, but he was ready for a new experience all the same. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were inside, doing the dying, while Goten and Apple Bloom were getting the customers inside. This quickly went south as the first customers ran out of the building.

Most were crying or shocked while all had ridiculous mane colors. Eventually, Sweetie and Scootaloo came out deciding to end this crusading session. The fillies looked at their flanks, but no Cutie Mark. Time to move onto the next location.

Mount Ponyville: Mountain Climbing
The mountain was barely bigger than a standard house, so Goten felt calling it as such would be a compliment. Still, the Half- Saiyan was having a blast. The four of them were connected by a rope to prevent them from falling.

Goten led the way and had no problem reaching the top; however, the fillers seemed to have more problems. Probably because their legs were shorter. All but Sweetie Bell, who had to be pulled up, reached the top. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had put too much strength into it.

They would have fallen if not for Goten pulling them back up. Once they were on the mountain with Goten, the fillies checked their flanks, but there wasn’t a Cutie Mark in sight. Once again, they marched to the next location on the map.

Lake Ponyville: Diving
The whole group was currently underwater. After some diving, Sweetie Belle seemed to have found something around a rock, so everyone followed her. To their surprise, it was an octopus almost twice their size.

It tried to attack them, but Goten scared it off. After getting back on dry ground, the fillies once again checked their flanks. They were met with the same result. With nothing left on the list, the group moved back to Ponyville.

Ponyville Streets
The fillies were walking slowly and with sadness on their faces.

“Don’t worry girls because tomorrow is another day.” Goten decided to try and cheer them up. “Naturally, there are still many things you can try to get a Cutie Mark, so don’t give up.”

His words seemed to cheer up the fillies and grant them a boost of energy.

“Well, Well.” An arrogant voice nearby caught their attention. “If it isn’t the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

Goten could see a filly with a pink coat, purple mane with white stripes, and a light blue tiara on her head. It strongly resembled her Cutie Mark. She was also accompanied by another filly with a gray coat, light gray mane, blue glasses, and a spoon as her Cutie Mark.

Goten’s friends seemed to know them as they greeted the pair, but judging from their manner of speaking, the opposing fillies weren't their friends. They were calling them Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"Still trying to fill those blank spots of yours?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"We three are.” Sweetie answered. “Our new friend here is along for the ride, and to have fun.”

The fillies seemed surprised before they noticed Goten.

"Oh, it’s that hairless ape." Silver Spoon stated.

"Well, that checks out.” Diamond stated. “Of course, the resident ape man would hang out with you three.”

Goten wasn’t sure how to respond, but the other Crusaders were.

"Why are you being mean to Goten?” Apple Bloom questioned.

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, he’s nice and helpful.”

“Not to mention, he’s a great protector.” Sweetie finished.

Silver rolled her eyes. “Sure he is.”

"I bet he only joined your stupid club to find acceptance.” Diamond added.

Sure, Goten called people out on being mean, but he could handle insults leveled against him. What he didn’t like was how they talked about the club his friend’s put together. They didn't have the right to ruin their fun in pursuing Cutie Marks.

"Actually, I’ll have you know the stories you heard about me are true." Goten spoke up. “I fought and defeated Nightmare Moon. I am the Champion of Equestria. I protected Ponyville from an Ursa Major. Not to mention, I know both princesses personally.

Honestly, I didn’t think I’d find a place with ponies my own age. Both because of my accomplishments and my appearance. Then, these three accepted me despite all that. They’ve been awesome friends, and I’ve had a lot of fun with them.”

Goten didn’t normally like to brag, but he had picked up a few tricks since coming to Equis. He figured it was a good way to get these fillies to leave.

"Come on Silver Spoon.” Diamond walked away. “Let's not waste our time here and do something else."

Silver Spoon followed. Both fillies seemed to have rather intimidated expressions. Once they were gone, Goten’s newest friends approached and excitedly asked about his accomplishments. While this isn’t how he wanted them to find out, he was happy to fill the girls in.

Skies
Gilda’s current shift was almost done when she noticed a stray rain cloud floating over her head. “That’s not right.” The griffon thought. “We’re supposed to make it rain at the end of the week.” That’s when the rain started prompting the griffon to move. “This has to be Ditzy.”

As if on cue, the pegasus in question flew on over. “Sorry about that Gilda.”

Gilda sighed as she worked to keep her anger in check. “It’s okay Ditzy, but why have you pulled out one of the rain clouds meant for the rain shower?”

Ditzy was working to corral the cloud, so Gilda flew alongside her. “We were a couple of clouds short for today, so I thought taking some of the extra from the rainstorm batch would work since we got extra. Honestly, I was just trying to help.”

“You had the right idea, but you forgot proper protocol.” They were over a lake now, so Gilda stopped the pegasus before working the water out of it. “If we’re low on clouds, and have extra of another, we can work the elements out to get a suitable replacement.”

“Oh, that’s what I did wrong.” Ditzy nodded. “Gilda, you think we couldn’t tell the supervisor about this. He’s understanding, but I’m starting to wear even his patience down.”

“You had good intentions, so I don’t see why not. It’s not like I’m a by the book kind of griffon anyways.” Gilda stated as the cloud now looked more like the ones they were working with. “Plus, it’s not like it’s a huge problem.”

“That’s a relief.” Ditzy sighed. “I think I’m on thin ice, and I can’t lose this job.”

“What, you couldn’t get back on your feet or something?” Gilda asked.

“I might be able to, but I don’t want to risk it.” Ditzy stated. “I have a little muffin to take care of back home and making sure she can live a good life is what matters to me.”

“A little muffin?” Gilda questioned. “Do you mean a kid?”

“Yeah!” Ditzy nodded as they got the cloud in place. “She’s my pride and joy and being a weather pony pays well.”

“What am I getting myself into.” Gilda shook her head. “Ditzy… if you wanted… I suppose I could give you some pointers.”

“Really?” Ditzy asked hopefully.

Gilda turned to face her. “I do mean it.” Ditzy moved to hug the griffon out of happiness, but said griffon held out her claws. “First rule of my lessons is that I don’t do hugs, understood?”

“I understand!” Ditzy backed off, but she was extremely happy. “Thank you, Gilda. I promise I’ll work hard.”

“I hope you do.” Gilda nodded. “Right now, I got somewhere to be, so I’m clocking out.”

The griffon flew off while Ditzy waved. “See you tomorrow!”