“What do you mean she’s not back yet?” I ask, looking at Sweetie Belle, bewildered.

The little white filly shrugged and looked at me. “She said there was something she needed to get from ‘out of town’, and then she hasn’t been back yet. She does this sometimes.”

Dang it, Rarity. You can’t hide from this forever... I thank Sweetie anyways, and get ready to head off, until Sweetie calls out to me.

“Wait, d’you want to go crusading with Applebloom, Scootaloo and I? I don’t really have anything to do, now that my chores are done, and it’s really quiet in here with Rarity out...”

“Sure... I’ll be right back.” I dash off to the library to retrieve my crusading uniform shirt. Sure I’ll never get a Cutie Mark, but I don’t mind helping these kids out, although I’ve mainly spent most of my time trying to veto some ideas and explain why it’s the most god-awful, stupid decision ever.

By the time I get the shirt on and get back to the boutique, there’s a piece of paper stuck to the door telling me they’re at the clubhouse.

Oh well, I guess I can make this quick. I decide to enter my Dynamo form and rush to the clubhouse. I’m not spending all that time walking to the other side of Ponyville.

‘skidding’ to a halt near the clubhouse, I power down, noting that my shadows when I do that have started turning to the nightscape, and I can’t seem to make that effect go away. Brushing off some stray dust, I walk up to the little clubhouse, and get a flying tackle from a pair of micro-ponies, Sweetie and Applebloom gripping me in tight hugs. Scootaloo stood at the top of the stairs, dramatically shrouded by the angle of the sun and the location, putting her just barely above my natural line of sight.

“Aw, come on Scoots, I don’t bite... much.”

For some reason, she seemed to put on what I can only explain as some sort of threat display, puffing up her feathers and putting her wings up. I guess I scared the kid somehow.

“Oh, alright, alright. Be that way. So, what do I need to save you from- I mean, what are we going to do first?”

Scootaloo puffs up even further, somehow. “We’re going to try being Cutie Mark Crusader Junior Electricians!”

Oh god, this is going to go... wait, Twilight said that even lightning in this world doesn’t normally reach lethal levels. And that there’s almost no wiring or electrical work for appliances... what are they electrifying anything?

“And, exactly how do you plan on doing that?”

“We pooled our allowances and bought two of these!” Scootaloo proudly pulled out a pair of Junior Arcane Circuitry sets.

“You know that’s all magic, right? I’m not sure how you three could...”

Scootaloo looks down at the set, her wings drooping. “Yeah, but... well, I thought it was a good idea...” Sweetie and Applebloom both charge back up the ramp to give Scootaloo a hug.

“Hey, come on, so you made a mistake. The smart and adult thing to do is learn from it and become better peo- ponies.”

Scootaloo looks back up at me, her ears perking up. And now she’s puffing up again. What is it that I’m doing to make her do that?

Anyways, The three of them quickly conscript me into helping them, especially with three major points:

- They need an adult’s supervision, so I guess that means me.

- They also need help getting the annoying little twist ties off of the the numerous things inside the boxes, something you usually ask a grown unicorn to help with. Fingers rock.

- They also need some finer control putting some of the parts together. Once more, fingers rock.

“You know, I wonder how my electricity mixes with this magic stuff. I bought one of these myself to find out, but I never got around to it.”

Sweetie gave a half-hearted ‘huh’, before nosing out little pieces of metal, and pushing around the big, ceramic base tiles.

Applebloom was holding the instructions, and I could see that the back side was labeled in ‘Prançais’.

...Prench? Wait... Prance!? Jesus Christ these ponies... I barely resist the urge to facepalm.

Applebloom begins rotating the instructions ninety degrees, while Scootaloo is sorting the pieces by shape. Sweetie Belle is eyeing a single piece, this one shaped like a bolt of cloth or a scroll inside a circle of symbols and runes.

“Magic runes, huh? So that’s how you get magical electricity...” I think for a second. “Hey, if it’s possible, let’s leave the energy input piece out, I wanna try something.” I hold up a finger and send a few sparks across it to demonstrate my idea. “You girls think it’ll work?”

Applebloom looks up. “Actually, Sweetie is supposed to be th’ ‘input’, ‘cuz she’s got magic.”

“Aww, come on, aren’t you a little curious? Magic isn’t the answer to everything.” I boop the yellow filly on the nose with the current in my finger, about seven volts. I don’t wanna hurt her after all.

Applebloom jerks back at the shock, and stares at her nose, cross-eyed. “Whut was that?”

“Electricity, you silly filly. I can make electricity. And I don’t mean the kind you ponies get from clouds or magic. This is a bit more... natural.”

Scootaloo looked over at me, poofing up again. Seriously, she looks like a koosh ball when she does that. “I can make lightning!”

“Sure, but is it enough to knock out a demon for about five minutes?” I hold up my hand and start generating more electricity. Much more than just my finger. My shadows are turning night-ish again, too.

Scootaloo deflated, looking utterly miserable for some reason. “N-no...”

“Good! Electricity like this is dangerous! I don’t want anything to happen to any of you! I don’t want you to get hurt.” I release the energy into the ground at my feet, sending the charge harmlessly into the wooden floor in ten-volt intervals. Didn’t want to burn anything.

The crusaders clustered around, and began to assemble the first set-up, on a big ceramic board with a bunch of concentric rings of pegs to hook the pieces onto. I had to intervene more than once when Scootaloo or Sweetie would try to wrestle the uncooperative pieces into spots they wouldn’t fit. I doubt that the arcane circuit would react any better to damaged parts than a normal, electrical circuit would.

“So, how does this work when all put together? Do you just... give it magic and it does it’s thing?”

Sweetie Belle nodded quickly, and I saw a flickering, weak glow from on her horn. Her face contorted in ways that could not possibly be natural or healthy. She grunted like she’d eaten five pounds of cheese, and grimaced like it’d turned into a kidney stone along the way.

“Holy crap, kid. Stop! You’re gonna have an aneurysm if you keep that up!”

“N- nuh... uh!” finally, she let loose a flurry of sparks... all two of them. They dribbled limply to the floor, fizzling out like wet pop rocks when they touched the floorboards. Sweetie looked winded, and her cheeks were red as a firetruck. “W- wow... what a rush!”

“Okay, never never do that again. I am not going to bury any of you! Seriously, let’s just try my way, alright? I’m here to make sure you stay safe.”

Applebloom looks back down at the instruction sheet. “Also, yer supposed ta touch yer horn to the ay-ray, Sweetie Belle.”

The little unicorn, still panting and looking around like someone who just ran a marathon on forty pots of coffee, nodded. “Okay! O- once Anthony goes, can I go again! Please!?” Sweetie bounced up and down a little, and I held back a giggle. Even if she may have just almost fried herself, it was still an adorable sight. Huh, and Scootaloo is puffing up again. I’m starting to think pegasi are just weird at that age.

I... also don’t know their ages. I should probably ask some time. After science, though.

“Well... maybe. I just don’t want there to be any accidents. From any of you! I know I’m being kind of a killjoy, but I’m going to try this ‘responsibility’ thing today, okay?” I pick up all three of them in a light hug. “You’re going to stay safe, alright?”

Even if they’re ponies, I could never let a child get hurt or worse while I’m around. I’d never forgive myself.

All three of them squirm for a moment in my grip, until they’re comfortable, and hugging me back. Even Scootaloo is joining in, holding me with her little wings as well as her forelimbs and pushing her face into my armpit. Weird child.

“So, we do this carefully, and safely. Yes Sweetie, you can try again, but don’t wear yourself out.” I put them down, find the array according to the diagram, and decide I should start with just two volts from my finger. Just a start.

I gently place my finger on the outer edge of the outer circle, and release, and suddenly...

Nothing happens. Judging from what the crusaders put together, it’s supposed to summon a miniature cloud. Or make a duck turn purple, it’s a little hard to tell.

“Well, fine, take fifteen volts!” I hold my finger away and return it to the plate after a quick charge. The filigree designs proceed to do fuck-all nothing, much to my frustration. Before I can simply unload a lethally-explosive level of cosmically-charged lightning, I sit myself in the corner and fume for a few minutes. “Razzin’ frazzin’ magic.”

I look over as giggles erupt from nearby the set, and see that there’s a little, pale green cloud now hovering over the circle, and Scootaloo is grabbing it and mushing it like clay.

“Oh come on! I know I put more electricity into that than any of you could! That’s so unfair!”

Applebloom looks over. “But it’s nawt eel-ec-trissity! It’s magic! That’s what ‘Arcanee’ means!”

Sweetie Belle looks up. “It’s pronounced ‘ar-cane!’”

“That doesn’t matter.” I sigh. “So, now what? None of you got your marks, and honestly, I think it’s because you need to do something special. I’m pretty sure this is intended for any unicorn to do.”

The three let out an ‘aww’ and looks at their hooves, Scootaloo stopping her molding of the cloud to do so. The other two began talking about what they could do next, but Scootaloo went back to messing with the cloud.

“Hmmm... Hey Scoots, You said you can make lightning. Can you use that cloud and zap the array? Maybe your electricity would work.”

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “It’s not that type of cloud, dummy!” She pokes it to make her point. A few moments later and she holds it up. “Lookit what I made!”

“It’s... a bowl.”

“With high sides!” she looks... pleased. I don’t know why, and she’s doing that poofy thing again. I think I need to hug that out of her, I don’t doubt she’s extra soft now that she’s doing that again.

“Sure, uh... good job.” I say and pick her up. I don’t have the heart to tell her that was probably the lamest thing I’ve ever seen done with a cloud.

She snuggles into me again, once more pushing her muzzle into my armpit. I wonder if there’s something wrong, and this is how pegasi deal with home issues.

“Anyway...” I just sit there holding the orange filly. “What else could we try?”

The other two look up, and seem a little awed by me holding Scootaloo, who has now curled up in my one-armed hold.

“Uh... we could... uh... usually, Scootaloo comes up with things to do.” Sweetie admitted. Scootaloo just yawned, and it felt almost like she was purring.

“Well, looks like she might be unavailable. You think she got enough sleep last night?”

Applebloom and Sweetie both start looking at other things in the room, not answering my question.

“What? Did I do something?”

Sweetie looks down at her hooves, and I could swear she’s even more flushed than before. Applebloom is just refusing to meet my eyes, but she’s also got a blush for some reason. Did my pants come undone, or something?

Nope, fly’s up and everything. Guess they’re just embarrassed because they can’t come up with anything. “Well, I guess I’ll go then, just... call me if you come up with something.” I place Scootaloo down gently, and crawl my way through the clubhouse door. Cute kids, but... strange.

Scootaloo appeared to be waking up as I left, and had a sad look on her face, but there’s only so much weirdness I can take at once. Maybe I can... wait, I haven’t even been to Applejack’s house in a while. I wonder if they need any help up there? The clubhouse is on the property, so it can’t be too far. Just past this hill of apple trees, right?

Next Chapter: Chapter 53 Estimated time remaining: 28 Hours