The Final Crusade

by Enfield

The Beginning Of Summer Vacation

Two days into the summer holiday the temperature had started to pick up, it had reached one hundred and three during the one day that James was working. For three hours James was standing outside in the heat and humidity, there was also a new guy at the gas station and James was working with him for the first time, as he was standing outside waiting for cars his phone started ringing.

“Can you handle yourself for a few minutes Terry?” James said to the new pump attendant.

“Nothing’s here,” Terry replied. James went inside and took his phone out, it was his mother calling him.

“Hello mother, what is it?” James said.

“I was just calling to tell you that Diane had opened up her pool and she said you and Seth can use it,” Katherine said. James was pleased to hear this.

“Fantastic,” said James, Seth was James' only friend who currently lived on the same street. Diane was Seth’s mother and Katherine’s friend. James then suddenly remembered Seth’s annoying little brothers.

“Before you go can I ask if the other two will be involved,” said James.

“Who? Dean and Chip?” James' mother asked, “No they both have a baseball game to go to. Why do you ask?”

“You know why,” James replied, “Remember to come and get me at two.”
James hung up and went back outside, Tony was just passing him when he stopped James.

“James, I just remembered, can you take out the trash in the bays?” Tony asked.
James looked toward the trash cans, they didn’t seem full and Terry could handle a few cars.

“Sure,” said James, “See if my trick will still work.”

“If it does then we’ll be swamped by cars,” Tony said going inside.

“What trick are you talking about?” Terry asked James.

“When ever I’m going to take out trash several cars show up,” replied James, “It’ll be less than what it used to be but it might work.”

Several minutes later James emerged from the back of the shop, he was coated in muck.

“Look, I’m a walking grease stain!” he said to his mother who had just pulled in to pick him up.

“Have you signed out and everything?” Katherine asked.

“It’s all good,” James said, “Ed just came in after I got back from the dumpster.”
James hopped into the car and waved at Terry who was now introducing himself to Ed.
Once James was home he bolted up the stairs and retrieved his swimming trunks.

“Hi James!” Apple Bloom said as he was rummaging through his closet, James was taken by surprise and he fell into the wall.

“Don’t scare me like that,” James said rubbing the side of his head.

“Sorry,” said Apple Bloom, she then saw the large beach towel and swimming trunks under James' arm, James noticed this as well.

“Going swimming,” said James as he put his 1911 back into the case.

“Can I come?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t see why not,” James said, “You did get swimming gear when you went shopping?”

“I think we all did,” replied Apple Bloom. James dropped his stuff on the bed and ran downstairs to find his mother.

“Mum, can the girls come?” James said once he found her.

“They might as well,” Katherine said, “Can you take them? I have to go out.”

“You’re going with Diane aren’t you?” James said slyly.

“Yes I am,” Katherine said, “By the way, Jenson won’t be at the house so it’ll just be you and Seth.”

“That’s perfect,” said James.
James then went back upstairs to change into his swimming gear, once he exited the bathroom he saw Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell standing in his room.

“What are you doing in here?” James asked them both.

“We’re waiting for you to leave so we can change,” Sweetie Bell said.

“So I’m thinking that one of you will use the bathroom while the other uses my room,” said James.

“Scoot is in the spare room,” said Apple Bloom.

“Okay then,” James said as he pick up his towel for his bed and left his room, “Keep the doors locked and curtains shut, I’ll wait for you downstairs.”
Just before he descended the stairs he knocked on the spare room door.

“You alright in there Scootaloo?” he said.

“I’m fine,” came the response, James heard the locks to the bathroom and his bedroom click shut. James then went downstairs and into the family room as he waited for the girls. Once the Crusaders had finished changing they went downstairs and found James tugging at the sleeves of his shirt.

“Getting too short on me now,” he muttered, he turned and saw the girls standing behind him, “Ah you’re done, wow you look amazing in those.”
James was commenting on the swimming apparel of the girls, Scootaloo had what looked like an orange and purple wet suit that had been shortened and separated into shorts and a t-shirt. Apple Bloom had the standard two piece bathing suit, ironically it had a floral pattern rather than what James had predicted to be an apple based pattern. Sweetie Bell’s swim suit looked rather like the dress she first wore when James had found her and the other two behind the shipping crate.

“Well yours matches your shirt,” Apple Bloom said.
James looked down at his swimming trucks, white and black colored urban camo pattern, he did see that it matched his gray shirt.

“Right you are,” James said, “Come on now, I’ve got to spray this sunscreen on you.”

“What’s it for?” Scootaloo asked.

“Keeps the sun from burning your skin from exposure to UV rays,” said James.

“Is that bad?” Sweetie Bell asked. James lifted up his shirt and placed his arm next to his stomach, his lower arm and hand were darker than the skin on his torso.

“Over time you will get sunburn, which is painful,” James said as he opened the door to the garage, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo followed James. James pressed a button to open the garage door, once the door had opened enough a gust of hot air hit all four of them.

“Cor, what a scorcher,” James said as he picked up the sun screen can.

“How hot is it?” Sweetie Bell asked wiping the sweat off her forehead.

“One hundred and four,” James said as he shook the can, “Hottest since three years ago, that was an interesting summer; People’s shoes melting, air conditioners exploding, a couple trees spontaneously combusted.”

“So how does this stuff work?” Scootaloo asked as she placed her towel off to the side.

“It just keeps the sun off of you for a bit,” James said, “Now hold your arms out and keep still.”

Scootaloo did as James instructed her to, she held her breath as James sprayed her arms, hands, legs, feet, the back of her neck and her ears. He then repeated the same thing with Sweetie Bell, ignoring her protests of the sunscreen being cold and her hair being hardened by it. James had to use a decent amount on Apple Bloom because her sides, shoulders, back and stomach were exposed to the sun, Apple Bloom had a hard time keeping still because she was getting impatient form James having to stop and shake the can every few seconds. After the Crusaders were coated in sunscreen James covered himself with the sunscreen, he sprayed himself without taking his t-shirt off. Just as he finished he noticed that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell were missing.

“Where have the others got to?” James asked Scootaloo.

“Apple Bloom went to get a shirt and Sweetie Bell went to find those sneakers she got,” Scootaloo replied.

“You’d best get some shoes on as well,” said James as he slipped his feet into a pair of sneakers, “The roads will be too hot to walk barefoot on.”
Scootaloo shrugged and put on a pair of sandals. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Bell came back into the garage after a few minutes of waiting, Sweetie Bell’s sneakers were brand new and James saw she hadn’t bothered to put any socks on, Apple Bloom had found a t-shirt and was wearing her boots, also without socks.

“Are we ready then?” James said as he grabbed the bag that contained his towel and a change of clothes.

“Ready,” said Apple Bloom.

“I’ve got everything,” Sweetie Bell said as she checked the bag she was carrying.

“Can we go now?” Scootaloo said impatiently.

“Well come on then,” James said motioning the girls to follow. James walked into the sun and immediately backed into the shade of the garage.

“Okay then,” he said, “It’s a little hotter than earlier.”

“It doesn’t look too hot,” Apple Bloom said.

“Why don’t you stand outside and find out,” said James.
Apple Bloom stepped outside, she stood in the sun for a few seconds, then she raced back behind James.

“You were right,” she said, “It’s hot out there.”

“We only have to go down to then end of the street,” said James.

“I have an idea,” Scootaloo said, “Why don’t we move from tree to tree so that we get shade?”
James stood dumbfounded at the edge of the garage, he hadn’t thought of that.

“That might just work,” James said, “Follow me.”

Several minutes of shifting from shaded areas paid off, James and the Crusaders were eventually walking down the street to Seth’s house. As they passed one house, Sweetie Bell noticed two small dogs behind a wire fence.

“Puppies!” she squeaked. James looked over to the two dogs and glared at them.

“Get behind me,” he said reaching into a pocket on the bag he was carrying.
The two dogs then started snarling at the Crusaders, James pulled a small pistol out of his bag and gripped it tightly.

“You dare come after these kids and I will mount your heads on my wall!” James shouted to the dogs which had started barking at him.

“What’s up with them?” Scootaloo asked, “They’re scary.”

“The family that got them have no idea about what they truly own,” said James, “Those little pests have attacked me twice, I had every right to kick them but that stupid family threatened to have us evicted because of those evil little monsters that they defend.”

“What happened afterwards?” asked Apple Bloom, picking up the pace so she could catch up.

“Every few weeks I get my revenge, whenever they set up those tents in their backyard, I go and fill them with bugs,” James said, “It’s mainly whenever I get my hands on a hornets nest.”
James put the pistol away and unshed the girls to walk faster lest the devil dogs escape.

They soon reached Seth’s house, James knocked on the door and put his ear to the wood. He could hear a scraping sound and someone walking over to the door.

“Open the door!” shouted James.

“No, not until you tell me the password,” the person behind the door said.

“You open the door or I will come in through the window and tear your skull out of your nose,” James said. The door was unlocked and opened, standing before James was his good friend Seth. Seth was a couple of years younger than James but the two got on very well together, Seth was shorter than James and had blonder hair than him. Seth was one of James' first friends when he moved to the US, the two had a lot of similarities and were always easygoing with each other.

“You change the secret greeting every time you come here,” Seth said, he was struggling to keep hold of a large golden Labrador.

“It’s so Rod can’t follow us,” said James stepping inside the house. Seth looked behind him and saw the Crusaders.

“So are these the actual kids you helped?” asked Seth.

“Abigail, Samantha and Susie,” said James, “Come on you three, no point standing in the heat when we have a pool all to ourselves.”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo followed James into Seth’s house and were then greeted by the Labrador.

“I see that Dune had taken a liking into you,” Seth said.

“He’s really friendly, just like Dart,” said James.
Apple Bloom was still uneasy about other dogs but she had almost warmed up to Dune after he looked up at her and sniffed her boots.

“So where is everyone else?” James asked Seth.

“They left only ten minutes ago,” replied Seth as he watched the Crusaders play with Dune.

“Nice,” said James, “Show the way to the oasis.”

Seth guided James and the Crusaders to the backyard where a small in ground pool shimmered in the sun, a chest high chain link fence surrounding the concrete confines of the pool prevented Dune from jumping into the pool. The pool shimmered in the sunlight that managed to penetrate the canopy of trees that shaded most of the backyard, the mere sight of the cool water was overwhelming.

“So how cold is the water?” James asked Seth.
Seth opened the gate and went over to the pool and put his hand into the water, then without hesitation Seth shed his shirt and jumped into the pool. He surfaced again after a few seconds and pushed his hair back.

“It’s alright,” said Seth.

“I want something a little more accurate than that, Seth,” James said as he knelt down next to Seth at the edge of the pool.

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?” Seth said as he grabbed James' arm. Before James could react Seth yanked his arm and pulled him into the pool, James was under the water struggling to get himself upright, once he did he swam up to the surface.

“You absolute pillock!” James shouted and splashed water over Seth, “You didn’t wait until I took off my shoes.”

“You wanted to find out the temperature of the pool,” Seth retorted.

“Yeah well thanks for putting a literal dampener on my new clothes,” James replied as he tossed his shirt and shoes onto a lawn chair next to the pool. James looked up at the Crusaders who had all shed their shoes as well and were looking uneasy.

“Are you coming in or not?” James asked them.

“We kind of forgot how to swim,” Apple Bloom said as she tossed the shirt she wore over her bathing suit aside. James and Seth looked at one another.

“I seriously didn’t know,” said James.

“Seems kind of pointless bringing them here,” Seth replied.

“Can you teach us?” Sweetie Bell asked, “It’ll probably refresh our memory.”
James turned back to Seth and gave him a “Should we?” look. Seth huffed and nodded.

“They might pick it up in a few minutes,” James said as he climbed out of the pool.

“Hopefully before Chip and Dean get back,” Seth muttered.

“They won’t be back for a few hours,” said James.

After James coxed the Crusaders out of their nervousness he guided them to the shallow end of the pool to see if they could swim, luck prevailed when the Crusaders managed to swim from one side of the pool to the other. Once they regained their memories on how to swim Seth, James and the Crusaders ended up playing in the clear, cool water. The girls found James and Seth’s tricks to be amazing and when James picked up Scootaloo and threw her into the water Scootaloo couldn’t resist asking him to do it again. Seth enjoyed pushing James into the pool when he wasn’t looking, but James had the strength to lift Seth off the ground and drop him into the pool. Soon after they all stopped to rest.

“So how did you find these kids anyway?” Seth asked.

“It’s an interesting story, I found them behind a shipping crate at the gas station I work at,” James replied.

“What were they doing back there?” asked Seth.

“We were hiding,” Apple Bloom said. James turned to Apple Bloom.

“Hiding?” he asked, “Who were you hiding from?”

“You, we were watching you while we were hiding,” said Sweetie Bell.

“Why were you hiding from me?” James asked.

“It because we saw something in you, something that we thought could help us,” Scootaloo asked.

“How did you end up there?” asked Seth.

“We had been wandering around for a couple of days, we didn’t know what we came across but it was open and we thought we could sleep in there,” Scootaloo said.

“You would have rather slept in a dirty garage bay than a couch in someone’s house?” James asked.

“We would of, until you helped us and let us stay at your house,” Apple Bloom said.
James was touched once he heard that, he really had helped the Crusaders and it seemed as if a part of him had been reborn.

“I always knew that you would do something for someone else,” Seth said to James.

“It was only right,” replied James, “But it’s entirely their choice to stay with me or to try and live with another family.”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo looked at one another and nodded.

“We choose to stay with you,” said Apple Bloom.

“We wouldn’t have never made it without you James,” said Sweetie Bell.

“You’re like the brother I never had,” said Scootaloo.

An hour later James, Seth and the Crusaders were worn out and were tired from playing in the pool, they got out and dried off, James had found a spare shirt in his bag since his shoes and shirt hadn’t dried. Seth led everyone back inside where they ended up lounging on the two couches watching TV. Their relaxation session was interrupted by an unexpected arrival, a short person had skidded into the room wearing a ski mask and wielding a large gun.

“Everyone down! This is a robbery!” the person said in a rather high pitched voice. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo span around and saw the person pointing the gun at them. As for James and Seth, they really couldn’t care less about what was happening because they knew what was going on.

“Go away,” James said sternly.

“Do as I say or die!” said the person.

“I thought I locked that door,” said Seth.

“I picked your door lock,” the person said.

“Get out Rod!” James said standing up and facing the assailant.

“You don’t know me,” said the person.

“We know it’s you Rod,” said Seth.

“NO!” Rod shouted pulling off his ski mask, “How did you know?”

“The mask for starters,” James said, “No home invader uses a Star Wars branded ski mask.”

“You really are dumb Rod,” said Seth, “Now you probably have just done the dumbest thing in your life.”

“My plan is not dumb!” Rod said, “You are!”

“Go away,” said James, Rod then pointed his gun at James' head.

“This is an air gun, the bullet in here can easily kill you,” said Rod.

“Put it down,” James said as he backed away.

“I won’t have to use it unless you be my friend forever,” said Rod. James had his hands up but then dropped them to his sides when he heard Rod’s demands.

“No,” said James, “Why do you always try and make me your friend through threats and intimidation. Don’t you get it? I will never be your friend, ever.”

“Then you die,” Rod said taking the safety off. Just as he did a loud click was heard, Rod looked to the couch and saw Scootaloo pointing James' pistol at him.

“You heard what James said,” said Scootaloo, “Now leave.”
Rod dropped his gun and raced out of the house, Scootaloo had frozen in place along with James standing stunned next to her.

“Wow,” Seth breathed.
Scootaloo dropped the pistol which James recovered and disarmed before he put it back in his bag.

“That was the greatest thing I’ve ever seen,” said James.

“Was it right?” Scootaloo asked.

“You did the right thing there,” said James, “I wondered if you would help me when I needed it and you proved that.”

“We would have too!” Sweetie Bell protested.

“I know you and Abigail would have helped me if you were in the right situation,” James said.

“Look here,” said Seth as he picked up the gun that Rod was using, “It’s only an Airsoft gun.”
James took the gun from Seth and took the magazine out of it.

“I should have known,” James said, “It wasn’t loaded.”

“So you just did all that for nothing?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Sadly yes,” replied James.

An hour later after Rod had tried to threaten James and invade Seth’s house, James decided to leave before Chip and Dean returned. He didn’t want the Crusaders mixing with those two in case Chip or Dean end up physically attacking them in order to be funny. Seth was allowed to keep the Airsoft gun so that Rod wouldn’t try and use it again. As they were walking down the street, Rod was standing in his bedroom window taunting James.

“Try and get me now!” Rod jeered at James.

“You leave us alone and I’ll do the same,” James shouted back.

“I’m never going to leave you alone until you be my friend!” Rod shouted.

“You’re a danger and a menace, Rod,” James said, “Give up your pointless quest.”

“I will get you James!” said Rod, “I’ll get you and your little friends too!”

“Stop butchering famous quotes!” James shouted back at Rod. Once James and the Crusaders got back home James got the girls inside and locked the door. The phone then started ringing and James picked it up and saw it was his mother.

“Yes what is it?” James asked.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” said Katharine.

“We all had fun,” said James.

“Make sure you shower off the chlorine and sunscreen later,” said Katherine, “I’m going to put all of your swimming stuff in the wash once I get back.”

“When will you be back?” James asked his mother.

“In a half hour,” replied Katherine. She then hung up and James put the phone down as well. James thought about what his mother had said and decided to get the shower out of the way rather than smell of a public pool and feel as if was covered in flour. As James started up the stairs he heard someone follow him, he looked behind him and saw Apple Bloom behind him.

“What are you up to?” James asked her.

“I’m going to change,” Apple Bloom replied, “I don’t like wearing this anymore.”

“Well if you are going back to normal clothes then you’ll have to shower first, gets all the muck off of you,” James said as he ascended up the stairs.

Comments

[midnightshadow1]

scootaloo a badass

[Hunter96]

Air soft vs 1911 who wins? Scootalo

[Godiswithus3]

Jeez, that was funny. Rod was a scared punk.