Smelting a Cutie Mark

by MrAlterad

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Slice of Life
Length: 3409

The Cutie Mark Crusaders bother their local smith about her cutie mark, learning more than they intended in the process.

Oh look! Another escapade involving the Cutie Mark Crusaders and a recipe for disaster. In this edition, the filly-three approach their local blacksmith, who has a rather peculiar way of working her craft.
Will this mare help them get closer to their cutie marks, or will it simply be another example of the status quo at work?
Honestly, your guess is as good as mine!

Another tag would be the background character Mjölna. Poor mare doesn't even have a character tag. :fluttercry:

Published 2015-09-29 02:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-09-29 02:30:02 UTC

The Crusade Continues...

In the center of Ponyville, there was a flash of light, revealing four ponies! Well, one dark blue alicorn, and three fillies, but you get the idea. The four of them had a dirty look about them, as if they just escaped some manner of conflagration. Suffice to say, the three fillies were not going to get their cutie marks in astro-engineering.

“Forgive me, my little ponies,” Luna began, her mane a frazzled mess, “if I never see fit to invite you to the moon again.” She added, making Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle's ears drop. They looked to the ground for a moment, before looking to her.

“Sorry Princess Luna,” Sweetie began, “Thanks anyway.” She added, adopting a small smile.

“Yeah, that was amazing!” Scootaloo added, her eyes aglow as she looked to the moon.

“Though, I reckon it'd be better without them space rabbits.” Apple Bloom added.

“Or the explosives.” Luna interjected, “Now, if you'll excuse me, dawn's almost here.”

“Thanks again Luna, and sorry fer the mess.” Apple Bloom said, getting a small smile from the princess, before leaving to return to Canterlot.

“I think we were really close that time!” Scootaloo said, a sense of certainty in her voice, “Maybe we can get our cutie marks in something else that's just as awesome!”

“Maybe we should focus on something that doesn't involve exploding?” Sweetie suggested.

“Yeah, I'll try to keep that in mind.” Scootaloo said in a dismissive tone, making Sweetie eye her skeptically as the three of them started to return home.

“How 'bout bomb disarmin'?” Apple Bloom suggested, getting an exasperated look from Sweetie, “I mean, we seem ta be good at settin' 'em off, so why not try puttin' 'em out?”

“No! No more exploding.” Sweetie said in a tired voice, before letting out a sigh, “My sister's gonna kill me when she sees the mess I'm in...” She added, passing an earth pony with a tan brown coat with a light yellow mane and tail as she did.

“Oh! Top of the mornin' to ya, Apple Bloom.” The mare let out energetically, in spite of it being just before dawn.

“Uhhh,” Apple Bloom began as she looked to the mare, “Oh! Good morning Mjölna! Whatcha doin' up this early?”

“You know her?” Scootaloo asked as she appraised the mare, her eyes widening as she noticed her cutiemark. A squarish hammer, imposed over an impressive lightning-bolt.

“Mee-erna?” Sweetie whispered, “How do you even spell that?” She asked, her question ignored as the mare spoke up.

“I help Apple Bloom's family with farmin' materials. I'm a smith, after all.” She added with a nod, before her eyes widened, “And I'm gonna be late if I dilly-dally here, talk to ya later AB!” She let out as she galloped away.

“She's a blacksmith?” Scootaloo asked, “Why the lightning on her cutiemark?” She added energetically, her imagination picturing storm clouds being used to smelt metal.

“I... don't really know.” Apple Bloom admitted as she watched the mare run off. “Wanna find out?” She asked, getting an exasperated look from Sweetie.

“Can we do this later? I don't know about you two, but I'm tired.” She then eyed her slightly charred mane, “And, I need to clean up.”

“Okay okay,” Scootaloo said, failing to hide her disappointment, “You know where she works, right?” She asked Apple Bloom, who gave a quick nod, “Then let's meet up at the clubhouse at noon, then, we investigate!”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Me too.” Sweetie finished, and with that, the three went their separate ways, getting their rest and baths. After a scolding or two from their family, that is.

~~~~~~~~~~

The three of them stood before an unassuming home not too far from Ponyville's center. The only thing that set it apart from the others was the steam coming from the chimney, and the sign hanging over the door. A sign that matched Mjölna's cutiemark.

“This is the place?” Scootaloo asked, sounding a little disappointed, “I just, well, was expecting something less...”

“Quiet?” Sweetie offered.

“Homely?” Apple Bloom added.

“Boring.” Scootaloo finished.

“Maybe it's better on the inside?” Apple Bloom offered as she walked up to the door, giving it a solid knock. They waited for several seconds, before the door flew open, almost catching Apple Bloom as it did.

Mjölna stood there, her front covered by a large heat resistant apron. She had rubber covers on her forelegs, and had a thick, concealing welding mask on. After opening the door, she lifted the mask, revealing herself to be covered in grime and sweat. She also had a big smile on her face.

“Welcome to Mjölna's Thunder Forge! How can I-” the maresmith began, blinking as she saw nopony in front her, before looking down to see the fillies. “Oh, hi Apple Bloom,” she said in a warm voice, “Did ya need somethin' fer the farm?”

“Actually,” Scootaloo began, stepping in front of her friend, “We were wondering how you got your cutiemark. Did it involve lightning?” She asked excitedly, making Apple Bloom look to her friend, now realizing that somepony else that, Scootaloo really liked, also had a lightningbolt on her cutiemark.

“You wanna know 'bout my cutiemark?” She asked, a little surprised, and embarrassed, “I mean, well, sure! Just gimme a minute to finish this spade I'm workin' on.” She then stepped to the side, offering them in, but as Scootaloo was about to enter, she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Now, ya make sure not to touch anythin', ya follow?” She asked, making Scootaloo quickly nod as she gave an innocent smile.

“We won't touch a thing. Promise!”

“That's good. Wouldn't wanna get in trouble with yer kin fer settin' ya on fire, after all.” She said with a cheery smile, before walking inside, leaving them at the door exchanging worried glances.

“We're not gonna touch anything this time, right?” Sweetie asked, giving her winged friend a skeptical look, which earned a sheepish smile from her.

“How hard can that be?” She asked dismissively, before entering. The others followed after, and they all paused as they took in the mare's workshop.

In the half of the room closest to the door were barrels, scattered around almost haphazardly, filled with this and that. Nails of differing size, discarded horseshoes, finished farming equipment with tags of ownership on them, among other things. The second half of the room was blocked off by a counter, and what lay beyond drew their attention.

Behind a large opaque pane, were a number of glass containers, varying in size and contents. They were strapped to the far wall, part of some device that connected them all together to a large glass ball that stood on the floor, reaching all the way to the ceiling. From what they could tell, the tubes that connected them seem to have funnels built inside them, as well as the large ball.

The ball itself was currently filled with small blue beads of light, with lightning arcing between them at regular intervals. As Mjölna crossed to her workspace, she flipped a lever next to the ball. Immediately, lightning from the floating lights was drawn to two large metal receivers, the electricity following a line of wires up to a rubber coated table.

Using her hooves, she guided an electric wire to a large piece of metal resting on the table, and with amazing practice, lighting arced from one wire to the other, passing though the hunk of the metal as it did, making it quickly turn red.

“This'll only take me a minute.” She let out enthusiastically as she flipped the power off, taking off her welding helm before grabbing some tongs with her hooves, and placing the heated metal on an anvil. She then went to work on it, a hammer matching her cutiemark in her mouth, sparks sent flying with each hit.

The three of them watched wordlessly, caught in awe at how easily she made it look. She was sweating as she struck the metal, but she seemed to be enjoying it, as if each ring of metal on metal was nothing more then a soothing song to her. Every so often she would return the heated metal to the table, holding it over as she heated it with more lightning, before returning to the anvil.

After several minutes of working, she placed the now evident spade head into a large stone tub of water, sending steam up and out of a chute directly above it. She let out a happy sigh as she left the spade to cool off, walking over to the glassy contraption.

Flipping a switch, several vacuums activated, drawing the blue lights out of the large glass ball through the funnels, bringing the beads into the several surrounding jars, in the process, killing the lightning that arced between them. She then took off her gloves and apron, before wiping her face with an old, and slightly dirty towel.

“Now then, ya wanted to know 'bout my cutiemark?”

“Wait wait wait wait.” Scootaloo interjected, “What's all that!?” She asked, pointing at the elaborate series of glass containers.

“Oh, this?” Mjölna asked as her eyes glowed with pride, “It's my Thunder Forge! It uses lightnin' generated by twittermites to heat metal. It's far cheaper than usin' coal or wood, and cleaner!” She explained, before raising a cautionary hoof, “But, ya have to be very careful 'round it. Don't want them twittermites gettin' out. That's why they're separated into so many jars.” She added sagely, sounding as if she went through a lot of trial and error to make the Thunder Forge.

“Can we try-” Scootaloo began, before Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder, getting a confused look from the pegasus.

“So, how'd ya get yer cutiemark?” The young earth pony asked, prompting Mjölna to point to the wall around the entrance, which the fillies had failed to notice was lined up with old tan portraits.

Taking a closer look, they saw old scenes of Ponyville, back in the day. Some of these looked familiar, one even included Granny Smith when she was younger.

“My family has a history of smithin'.” She said, a sense of pride carried in her voice, “My grandpa came here a few years after yer family's orchard started bringin' in traders. The beginnins of Ponyville needed somepony ta make farmin' equipment, so my grandpa came to do just that. He taught my pa how to smelt, and my pa wanted to teach me the same.” She then adopted a brief frown, which shifted more to a bittersweet expression.

“I didn't like it. Ya know? Dealin' with all that smoke, cleanin' the chimney, burnin' all that wood. Seemed like a waste to me, why not use it fer building more homes?” She asked nopony in particular, looking to the fillies as she blushed. “Err, sorry, I'm ramblin' ain't I?”

“It's okay, keep goin'.” Apple Bloom said eagerly, Sweetie nodding in agreement as Scootaloo let out a bored sigh.

“Right, where was I? Oh! Ya see, I didn't like it one bit. But, I did like workin' with metal, I liked doin' the craft, just not how we did it.” She then let out a sheepish grin as she rubbed the back of her head, “I considered asking a unicorn fer help, but that didn't go over so well with pa, or gramps, fer that matter.” She then raised a hoof as her voice shifted to something more old and masculine, “Gotta do these things the earth pony way, yah hear?” She then rolled her eyes, “Thank the sun I didn't get a cutiemark like my father, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.” She then waved a hoof dismissively, “Anyway, after gettin' that lecture, I wandered off, right upset.” She then let out a short laugh, “Lookin' back, it was really foalish to run off like that. In my haste, I forgot that a storm had been scheduled. So, when it started porin', I naturally looked fer cover.”

“Are we getting to the good part yet?” Scootaloo asked impatiently, getting a nod from Mjölna.

“So, there I was, under a tree, when a bolt a lightning came down, splittin' another close by, right in two!” She then adopted a smug smile, “Not to gloat, but it didn't spook me in the least.” She said with a sense of certainty that left no room for skepticism, “So, after about a minute waitin' behind the tree, I took a look at the other one, seein' it had caught on fire, even though it was rainin'!” She said, getting wide-eyed reactions from the fillies, “I think ya can guess how the rest of the story goes.”

“You made the Thunder Forge and got your cutiemark?” Sweetie asked.

“What!? Not even close.” She replied with a small frown, “I had to ask a pegasus fer help, but pa saw that as bein' better then usin' unicorn magic.” She said with a nod, “After a couple of tries, using bottled lightnin' them pegasi use fer storms, I managed to heat up a lump of iron, and worked it! Without any chokin' smoke or any of that other nonsense!” She let out, as if it were the most important thing in the world. She then pointed to a crudely made horseshoe that was hanging over the door, “That was the first thing I made with lightnin', got my cutiemark when I finished it.” She explained, a happy glow in her eyes that made the fillies feel a little envious.

“So, you got your cutiemark by trying something different?” Scootaloo asked, making Mjölna nod. “But, we've been trying that for months!”

“Well, uh, sorry 'bout that.” Mjölna replied with an apologetic look, “If I had any advice to give, it'd be to do what feel's right. Follow yer gut.” She said, before her eyes widened in surprise. “Oh shoooot! I'm supposed to deliver this to Carrot Top, like, ten minutes ago!” She said, grabbing the now cool shovel, hopping over the counter before rushing to the door. “Oh erm, ya three promise not to touch anythin' till I get back? I can show ya how it all works if ya want.”

“Yeah sure, go do yer thing.” Apple Bloom replied, “We won't touch yer Thunder Forge, I promise. And ya can tell my sister if I break my word.” She said stalwartly, getting confused looks from her friends.

“Thanks a real bunch AB! Be back in a minute!” She said, before leaving her shop in the care of the three most dangerous fillies in Ponyville.

“So, are we actually not touching it?” Sweetie Belle asked skeptically, getting a short laugh from Scootaloo.

“As if. Just imagine it, getting our cutie marks in making things with lightning!” She said enthusiastically, approaching the divide that kept them from the Thunder Forge. However, she was stopped when Apple Bloom got in her way.

“Ugh, what's up?” Scootaloo asked in a confused manner.

“We're not touchin' the forge, that's all.” Apple Bloom said, giving her friend a considering look. “Trust me, we don't wanna break the glass an' let them twittermites loose.”

“That's not gonna happen.” Scootaloo assured.

“Yer right, because we ain't gonna touch it.” She replied, not budging, “I've seen what them critters can do, and we ain't got a pest pony around to deal with 'em if things get outa hoof.”

“Apple Bloom?” Sweetie asked, sounding a little impressed with her friend's stance on the situation.

“But, don't you want to get your cutiemark in being a lightning smith?” Scootaloo asked.

“I wanna get my cutiemark, but well, lightning smithin' is Mjölna's special talent.” She said, considering the notion for a moment as she eyed the old portraits on the wall. “I mean, well, it's not really special, if all of us have the same cutiemark, right?” She asked, making her friends blink in realization.

“Wait,” Sweetie began as she eyed the floor in thought, “then, doesn't that mean we shouldn't be tryin' to get all our cutie marks at the same time?” she asked, making Scootaloo frown, before shaking her head.

“Not at the same time.” Scootaloo said, “If a special talent is, well, special, then maybe we won't be getting our cutie marks at the same time.” She said, her ears falling at the prospect, before they popped back up, “But, at least one of us will, right?”

“Right!” Sweetie and Apple Bloom replied in unison.

“And together,” Sweetie began energetically, “we can keep working on finding our cutie marks, till each of us have ours.” She said, pulling her friends together into a hug, which they returned. Though, Scootaloo was quick to break off, acting as if it never happened.

“Still ... just waiting around is boring.” Scootaloo said, “I'm gonna take a look, and I promise, I'm not gonna touch anything.” She said, crossing a hoof over her chest, before covering her eye.

“Well, alright, I'll go with ya, just in case.”

“I'll stay here.” Sweetie said as she gave a small blush, “Or I might knock something over.” She added, getting a nod from her friends as they walked around the counter, eyeing the glass case that separated them from the twittermite jars.

Apple Bloom then paused when something caught her eye. Beneath the counter, hidden by a hanging cloth, was a glass display which concealed a number of thin books, as well as several figurines. The figurines were of a stallion with a golden mane, dressed in some sort of battle armor, with a hammer similar to the one Mjölna worked with.

“What's all this?” She asked curiously as she took a closer look, “'Odin Colt, the Stallion of Thunder'?” She said out loud, reading the name shared by many of the figurines.

“Huh!?” Scootaloo let out, turning to see the collection, her eyes widening at the sight. “I love that comic!” She let out as she looked to the sealed display, before letting out a small squee. “She's got first issues for every release!”

“Did you find something?” Sweetie asked curiously. She then heard the door open, prompting her to turn around, seeing Mjölna in the door way, breathing heavily.

“Sorry it took so long. I came back as quick as I could.” She said, “I'm not very good at being punctual-” She paused, her eyes widening as she noticed the fillies were eyeing her secret collection. “P-Please get away from those!” She let out as she blushed, making Scootaloo and Apple Bloom walk away hastily. “T-The shop's closed.” She added, her face deepening as she ushered them out, “Come back later, and don't tell anypony what you saw! Especially my pa!” She added, closing the door right after sending them out.

“W-What was all that about!?” Apple Bloom asked, a little confused and disappointed. Scootaloo looked to her, then the sign hanging over the door.

“I get the feeling, there was more to how she got her cutiemark then she let on.” Scootaloo said, briefly wondering if Mjölna was the smiths real name. She then adopted a small smile as she started down the road, getting confused looks from her friends as they followed after.

“Hey, wait Scootaloo,” Sweetie said, “What did you mean?”

“Oh, it's nothing.” She replied, before adopting a mischievous grin, “Hey, want try getting a cutiemark in comic-book reading?”

“Uhh, I don't really want one like that.” Apple Bloom admitted, getting an agreeing nod from Sweetie.

“Well, I wouldn't mind, and there's no explosions involved.” Scootaloo replied, giving her friends a wink. The two of them shared a brief look, their talk earlier coming to mind as they adopted a smile.

“Okay, let's try!” Sweetie let out, joining Scootaloo's side, which was mirrored by Apple Bloom, as the three of them marched towards their cutie marks. And, at least for today, there were no disastrous hijinks born from their crusade.

Author's Note

This story was brought on by a writing prompt my friends were working on, and thought I'd hop in!
The prompt was to write a story that explained Mjölna's cutie mark in about 3.4k words. Did this in one sitting and found it kind of fun to do!
Hope you enjoyed it. :twilightsmile:

Pretty sure I did something wrong with how electricity interacts with metal, but whatever, magical bugs were involved!