The CMC ran into the barn, their smiles almost too big for their little faces. Applejack appeared in front of them, a smile on her face too. "Hope it isn't another case of the Cutie Pox!" She chuckled while Apple Bloom shook her head no. " Let me see it, little sis!" She looked at the mark on Apple Bloom's still sparkling flank, two wrenches crossed over an apple. "Buildin', huh? You'll be useful when the barn needs fixin' up!" Apple Bloom beamed with pride. "Ah can't believe it!" Suddenly, her face fell. Apple Bloom looked at her two best friends and said, "Y'all, Ah just realized somethin'. With a cutie mark, Ah won't be able to be a Crusader anymore!" Sweetie Belle and
Scootaloo gasped. They hadn't thought of that! Sweetie Belle pointed out that they'd still be bestest friends, as she put it. Apple Bloom brightened up a little bit.
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At school, filies and colts formed a circle around Apple Bloom. "Wow, Apple Bloom! Thith ith great!" Twist was enthusiastic. Diamond Tiara was smirking. "Now you can hang out with us and not those baby blank flanks." Silver Spoon nodded her head in agreement. "Thanks for the thought, but Ah'll stick to mah friends." Apple Bloom bravely walked into the classroom as the bell rang. "Y'know, I'm a little jealous of Apple Bloom." admitted Scootaloo. "A little?" Sweetie Belle teased. "Okay, a lot. But I can tell you're jealous too." Yeah, I guess you're right." The girls sat down at their desks. Cheerilee, smiling as always, proceeded to talk to her pupils. "Class, a new student will be joining us today. Please welcome him and introduce yourselves to him. Button Mash, say hi!" A small colt Sweetie Belle hadn't noticed before stood up. "Hello everypony, my name is Button Mash and I come from Fillydelphia. I love to play video games and...and..." Sweetie Belle's eyes met with his. Both ponies flushed. "And what?" asked Featherweight curiously. "Oh, yeah. And I live with my parents and brother." Button hurriedly sat down, his face still red.
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After school, the three Crusaders walked home together. Apple Bloom blabbed on about her cutie mark, while the others tried to tune her out. When they dropped her off at Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo was relieved. Sweetie Belle's mind was on something, or should I say somepony else. Scoots was thinking about spending time with her idol, Rainbow Dash. "You know, Apple Bloom seems caught up in her cutie mark, nowadays it's all she talks about!" "I agree, Scoots. Maybe we can tell her how we feel about it. Maybe then she'll stop talking about it too much. " Scootaloo smiled. "I like that idea. We can tell her next morning when we pick her up." By this time they were at Rarity's boutique. Sweetie waved and galloped off. Scootaloo resumed her fantasies about learning to fly with Rainbow Dash.
As Scootaloo trotted toward Rainbow Dash's home, she thought about the various things that had happened that day. Everyone had fawned over Apple Bloom, ecstatic over her cutie mark. Scootaloo wondered if Apple Bloom was going to have a cute-ceanera to celebrate. Then a horrifying thought hit her. What if Apple Bloom would rather hang out with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon than herself and Sweetie Belle? She knew she was being ridiculous, but some part of her still fretted. As she came under the cloud, she called up "Hi Rainbow!" Rainbow looked over the side. She smiled and motioned for somepony to follow her. As Rainbow Dash flew down, another mare was close behind. Scootaloo's smile widened. It was Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of RD's best friends and Scootaloo's friend. Twilight grinned. "Hello, Scootaloo. How are you?" Scootaloo smiled and replied politely, "Fine, thanks Twilight. " Rainbow could tell she was upset. "What's up?" Princess Twilight offered they go back to her castle before they talked, and the three winged ponies trotted off.
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Once at the castle, Scootaloo let her story out. "Well, I came over for some flying tips, but since Twilight is here I need to tell you guys some other things as well.
"Anyway, Apple Bloom got her cutie mark-"
There was a gasp from Rainbow Dash. "Really? That's AWESOME!"
Twilight turned to Rainbow. "That was actually why I visited you at your cloud, to tell you that news, but I never got to."
"Sorry." Scootaloo said, apologetic. Twilight looked at her warmly to show her apology was accepted.
"Oh, okay!" said Rainbow.
"Yeah, and everyone at school keeps making a big giant deal out of it-"
"Well, it kinda IS a big deal, because you three have been waiting forever for them..."
"Shh, Rainbow, let her speak!"
"People don't have to make a supergiant deal out of it though! So I feel like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon will take me and Sweetie Belle's places as her best friends, but I know it won't happen because she told them she'd stick with us, but I still worry. I'm so confused!"
Twilight looked sympathetic.
"Scootaloo, I'm sure Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle will always be your best friends. You are inseparable, and a cutie mark won't change that. Maybe her cutie mark will even help you!"
Scootaloo smiled, comforted.
"And hey, if she deserts you, Sweetie and you can always hang out with me!" Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash sternly.
"Not that she will abandon you. I mean... um..." Twilight face hoofed.
"We've gotta work on that, Rainbow. Think about what you say before you say it. " She shot a look at Scootaloo, like 'What do I do with her?' Scootaloo laughed and started off, feeling much better.
Three young fillies trotted down a narrow road, brimming with excitement over their next attempt at getting their cutie marks. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were chattering away happily about what their cutie marks could be. Finally they got to where they wanted to be: Sweet Apple Acres. "Let's try everythin' that might give us our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom cried. "Okay!" Scootaloo made an effort to fly, but WHAM! She fell flat on her face."Whoops!" she said, a tiny smile forming on her flushed face. Chuckling,they ran over to some apple trees. "Um, Apple Bloom, what are we supposed to
do?" asked a confused Sweetie Belle."The way Ah do it, Ah just put a bucket there and kick the tree." So they tried it, but the apples kept missing the bucket. They looked at their flanks eagerly. Unfortunately they were all still blank. This continued for a while with different activities,then they heard a loud gasp. "Sweetie Belle! Your cutie mark!" Sweetie Belle turned to look at her flanks and saw a red burgundy splotch. The white filly laughed. "Guys, that's just a paint splotch from when we painted the barn a few minutes ago! See?" She wiped off the spot. Giggling, the girls returned to their work (fixing a broken barrel) Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were struggling with the tools, but Apple Bloom was happily working. She felt a slight tingling near her flank. She looked back eagerly. "GIRLS!" screamed the yellow filly."What, Apple Bloom?! You almost blew my eardrums out!" commented a frustrated Scootaloo. "Mah cutie mark!" The girls examined it to make sure it was real, then screamed."Applejack, we have awesome news! Apple Bloom got her cutie mark! " The girls ran to the barn. You could here their screams from a mile away.
