Master of All trades

Building New Relationships... Awkwardly

"Leader of the Cutie what capers?" Joat Mon, the curious stallion of no Cutie Mark, stood in an awkward limelight of three little fillies who, like Joat Mon, did not have a Cutie Mark.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders! Me, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle here have made it our mission to find our mysterious talents, and we want you to be the leader since you've been a Blank Flank the longest," the small orange pegasus shouted in excitement.

"Girls, Joat here can barely get settled in right now, why don't you wait-," Twilight had begun to say when Joat said, "Scooters."

A silence fell in the room, wondering why in Equestria Joat threw out such a random word.

"I think your head's been sun baked, darlin; care to explain what the hay you’re talking about?" Applejack cautiously pulled Applebloom away from Joat, and not being very subtle about it either.

"Your talent has something to do with scooters, and Sweetie Belle was it? Your's is singing. And I can see why you would be most frustrated, Applebloom. It was hard to see it at first, but your talent is either architecture or construction; you have an overlapped talent so I don't think you'll know what your Mark will be anytime soon. Hay, you might even get a Double Mark," Joat said rubbing his chin in deep contemplation. His tone was analytical and earnest, and the way his posture changed made it seem like he was temporarily somepony else.

No pony made a sound, completely speechless and wondering what kind of lunatic they accidentally brought into Ponyville. To them, it was painfully obvious what the girls’ Cutie Marks should be in, but this pony knew exactly what they were without any previous knowledge or introduction.

Suddenly, Joat's eyes went wide and he looked at the girls’ faces, immediately becoming terrified that he was about to be run out of Ponyville, realizing that no pony understood what he was talking about, "You are a very interesting pony, I think we should go see Princess Celestia later this week," Twilight finally said after a minute of silence.

"OH MY GOSH! SCOOTALOO! LOOK AT YOUR FLANK," Applebloom screamed, causing everypony in the room to visibly jump in fright. All eyes shifted to the orange pegasus filly who was staring at the ceiling with a look of determination before Applebloom had screamed and brought her out of whatever trance she was in.

Slowly, the orange filly, Scootaloo, turned her own gaze to her flank to see a scooter wheel with a wing in its bearing trailing fire just behind its path.

Scootaloo erupted into loud, shrilling shrieks, soon joined by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. And then the whole barn was alive with energy and congratulations to Scootaloo for finding her talent. Joat was laughing and smiling with the group when he felt something wrap itself tightly around his right hind leg, "Thank you so much. You're the bestest leader ever," Scootaloo hugged Joat's leg tightly, nuzzling her face affectionately into Joat's coat.

Unsure of how to respond to the filly's grateful gesture, on one had ever been so happy to have their Mark so bluntly announced like that before. Joat just chuckled and patted her head, "Yay! This is such a super-duper party! How come I wasn't invited? Or was I invited and just lost the invitation? Who are you Mr. Red Pony? I'm Pinkie Pie! Are you new in Ponyville? Is this why we're having a party? What's your name? Where you from? Wanna be friends?"

A pink mare, with a cotton candy-like mane and tail, let off a rapid fire of questions that Joat couldn't keep up with. She seemed to bounce with every syllable, putting Joat on edge before Rainbow Dash shoved her hoof in Pinkie's mouth, instantly muting the seemingly endless verbiage, "Hehe, sorry 'bout that. This is Pinkie Pie, and you can see she's a bit of a live wire. Pinkie Pie, this is Joat Mon; he's not from around here and isn't used to ponies being so crazy around him so pipe down would ya?"

Pinkie attempted to speak through Rainbow's hoof, but Rainbow didn't let go, "Pinkie promise that you'll calm down?"

Pinkie sang a muffled lullaby that ended with her shoving her hoof in her eye, "Alright then," Rainbow Dash slowly removed her hoof from Pinkie's mouth, "Hello, Joat Mon! I like your name, it's interesting. I know I promised no more questions but I have one you just gotta answer! Pinkie please," Pinkie Pie smiled an impossibly large smile.

"Um, alright. What did you wa-,"

"How did you find out those girls' talents?" Pinkie interrupted shoving her face into Joat's.

She didn't ask about his horn and wings, she didn't ask about why he didn't have a Cutie Mark, she just wanted to know how he was able to see something that is usually hidden from everypony, including the owner. It made Joat feel more normal then he'd ever felt before, "I don't know, I've always been able to see shadows on a Blank Flank that looks like a shape of whatever their talent is. I just have to guess what that shadow is," Joat shied away from this pony who didn't understand personal space.

"Come on, Joat. There's just one more pony you have to meet before I can give you a rundown of our town, and I think we should go straight to Canterlot right after," Twilight said and walked up to Joat's side. Joat nodded, and the whole group left the barn excluding the three ffillies and Big Macintosh.

Just as they walked out however, Twilight pulled Joat to the side, “Listen, Joat Mon, we appreciate what you did back there, but to go around and tell a foal what their Cutie Mark is going to be is—”

“Taboo. Trust me: I know,” Joat answered solemnly, “But I couldn’t help it; it always happens when I see a foal nearby. I’ve ruined that journey for so many and it’s part of the reason why I was locked up but it’s not my fault!” Joat’s voice began to rise and his breathing quickened as he began to panic, “It was just automatic! Like my mouth started working before I could tell my brain to shut up! I don’t know why I know what the Mark is going to be or how I know, but I do know that I don’t want to know!”

The girls all turned to stare at Joat in concern when they heard his panicked and raised voice. Twilight wasted no time in trying to assuage Joat’s distress, shaking her hooves rapidly in a dismissive gesture, “It’s alright, Joat! I understand, I understand! Sure, it’s not really supposed to happen that way, but like you said; it just happened.”

Slowly, Joat’s breathing leveled back to normal and he gazed up at Twilight. She stood there, back on all fours, with a soft and small, friendly smile on her face. In that instant he saw her smile, he felt a strange feeling within him. Something very tangible, however, and not sentimental like what was to be assumed. However, that same instant he felt that sensation, he became calm once more.

“I’m sorry,” Joat breathed out, almost inaudibly.

Twilight’s smile just grew and she gave Joat a gentle embrace over his shoulders, “Don’t be. Those girls deserved to know after so long, and they really look up to you.”

After a moment, Joat pulled away from the hug to find the other girls surrounding him. “Feeling any better, partner?” Applejack asked.

Joat just nodded. “Alright, then onwards to the Carousel Boutique!” Rainbow shouted than suddenly darted off.

With one more smile, Twilight gestured with her head to continue on. Joat watched Applejack turn and follow with Pinkie Pie bouncing at her hooves. With a soft smile of his own, Joat inhaled, letting it out slowly, and followed them as well.

They passed through more of Ponyville, with the girls pointing out the noticeable landmarks and naming the stores they passed by so Joat could familiarize himself with the layout.

After a few minutes, Joat felt like he should ask a question, "Any surprises with this last pony I should be aware of?" Joat asked innocently.

"I think it should be safe; Rarity's not some pony usually loud or bubbly like Rainbow or Pinkie," Applejack muttered more to herself more than to every pony else.

"She might be the most sensible pony of our circle, although sometimes a little obsessive," Twilight said with a friendly smile to Joat.

"Um, actually you guys, I think there could be a small problem. Um, with Joat Mon's mane," Fluttershy said in her always softer than normal voice.

"Whaddya mean Fluttershy? I don't see anything wrong with his mane,” Rainbow hovered closer to Joat to see what had the timid pegasus concerned.

“It’s just that, you know how she is when something’s out of order,” Fluttershy said.

“It looks just like mine except poofy-er and Rarity hasn't tried anything with me because of it," Rainbow Dash said while landing to walk with the group.

"Yeah! And my mane is even poofy-er-er than both of you guys together and Rarity doesn't have a problem with me," Pinkie shook her head viciously and her mane impossibly straightened and hung straight down, "and now both of you guys have a poofy-er-est mane than me! Heehee, I look funny like this, don't I?" Pinkie scrunched her face up and sneezed, and her mane magically poofed back into its cotton candy like state.

"Uh, how..." Joat stared, dumbfounded on how she just did that.

"Don't even try to make sense of it. I learned the hard way to just go with it," Twilight laughed with every pony else following shortly after. But while they were laughing, they missed the large floating stack of sewing supplies and cloth rolls directly in front of them and they collided.

The group was scattered and the floating stack of materials flew straight up in a geyser formation, "Oh no! My precious supplies!" A mare's voice called out just before they hit the ground... But they never did. They were all glowing with an orange energy and hovered about a hoof from the ground.

"We're very sorry! We weren't paying attention," Joat said. He had caught the supplies with his magic and clustered them back together before neatly and carefully placing them on the ground after conjuring a blanket to set them on to avoid getting anything dirty.

"Yes, well, thank you very much Mister... Um," A white unicorn mare with an elegantly curled mane, stood up from the collision and looked over at Joat with a slightly haughty attitude.

"Joat Mon, and I apologize again," Joat said and scratched his head, embarrassed.

"Oh, hello girls, what are you all doing," the mare asked as she saw the rest of Joat's group approaching after the crash, "Well, we came to meet you and introduce Joat Mon to Ponyville," Fluttershy spoke up.

"My word, such an outlandish name. Where did you say you were from, darling? And what on earth happened to your mane?" The mare asked.

"Sheesh, Rarity. You barely met the guy and all you can say is his name is wierd and his mane is messy?" Rainbow said crossing her fore legs and rolling her eyes.

"Oh my! I'm so terribly sorry, that was rather rude of me. Ahem, I am Rarity. Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Rarity said with a small bow.

"The pleasure is mine, Miss Rarity," Joat Mon replied warmly, returning the bow.

"That was really good magical maneuvering, Joat. That wasn't easy to catch all that AND conjure a blanket too," Twilight said with an approving nod of her head.

"And you're also very well mannered. You are indeed a very interesting pony, Mr. Joat. Please, I would love it if you all stopped by my boutique; I have something rather interesting to show you all," Rarity picked up all her things in her magic and continued walking with the group just behind her.

Joat was beginning to feel overwhelmed; Rarity had seen immediately that he had wings and a horn with no Cutie Mark and only simply remarked at his well practiced etiquette. How could these six mares so easily let him into their lives knowing he was so vastly different than any pony else? How could they so quickly call him their friend in only hours of knowing him when his own family shunned him ever since they saw that his Cutie Mark never budded?

"You alright, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

Joat snapped back to attention realizing he was trailing several steps behind. They were all watching him, not in concern, worry, disdain, or pity, but with friendly smiles plastered on their faces. And Joat finally gave in, letting a flood of tears rain from his eyes.

"Joat? What's wrong?" Everypony asked and gathered close by, genuinely worried for their newest friend. And Joat could feel the affection from every one of them, not the hate that he felt most of his life but... Love. In its truest and purest form, Joat Mon felt love directed towards him for the first time in a long time... Ponyville was now Home. These mares were his friends, his family.

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