With a click, the stage lights came to life. Powerful rays beamed down and deftly pushed away the darkness below, revealing a set of cushioned chairs and a stately, albeit simple coffee table. There was a tiny commotion, almost inaudible with the excitement of the audience ponies slowly creeping higher. A few more seconds of inactivity, and then a mare trotted in from the left side of the stage. She settled into the chair closest to her and gave the audience a wide, companionable grin.
"Helloooo there, Manehattan! Chipper Chatter here, and it's an honor to be back tonight." A mass of hooves stomped their appreciation, and Chipper basked in it, for a while. Eventually, Chipper held up a hoof and the crowd fell silent. "I hope you all are as excited as I am. We've got a really special guest, tonight!"
Adjusting her tie, Chipper turned her attention toward something waiting just beyond the right side of the stage. "Honestly, I don't even need to introduce her. I'm sure we all know who she is." She glanced back toward the audience, still beaming. "But! Never let it be said I'm a bad host." Her expression shifted into one of comical sternness. "Seriously, don't say that."
A wave of chuckles drifted from the audience, and Chipper gave a pleased hum. "Alrighty, then! I'm absolutely ecstatic to introduce the Pony of Pop, the Sensational Blue Star, Equestria's very own Sapphire Shores!" Chipper threw an arm to her right, beckoning toward the pony awaiting her call.
The crowd broke into an uproar as Sapphire sauntered on stage. Hooves beat against the ground and a mix of woos and whinnies sprang into the air. Sapphire took a moment to turn toward the audience and struck a pose, lifting her foreleg high and tilting her head even higher. She then twirled, twirled again, and tromped over to the empty seat.
Chipper wasted no time. "I just have to say it again, I-- no, we are super happy to have you here, Ms. Shores! With your new concert right around the corner, I know you must be very busy. Taking time out of your schedule to do this can't be a small thing."
Sapphire snorted and waved a hoof dismissively. "Please, girl. I'm always happy to shoot the breeze every now and then. Besides, it lets me see all these lovely ponies!" She turned and flashed the audience a bright, warm smile. "All of you are the ones that oughta be thanked."
"Isn't she gracious, folks?" Chipper shifted in her seat and leaned forward. "Well, let's not dwell on the niceties. I want to talk shop. With your upcoming concert, what are some things we can look forward to? Can we expect similar amounts of spectacle as seen in Zigfilly Follies?"
"Right to business, hm? I can dig it." Sapphire lifted a hoof, adjusting her pristine white cap. "Well, I don't want to reveal too much, you know? Things aren't outright experimental, but it'll be different compared to my previous stuff, for sure. I think it's really gonna resonate."
"Wow. Just the bare minimum to get us super curious, huh?"
"Hah! I like you more and more, chick. Seriously, though. Me, my dancers, we've been working our tails off to really nail the choreography for each and every song. An absolute cartload of effort has been put into tying everything together all pretty and nice. Trying to explain it to you just won't hit in the same way as seeing it live, know what I mean?"
"Mmm. I suppose that's fair. That doesn't mean we can't be just a little disappointed though, am I right, folks?" The audience murmured in agreement. "It's just so hard to keep my interest in check," Chipper continued, "the whole thing has been so hush-hush. This isn't your going-away concert, is it?"
"Going away-- please! Come on, you all have to trust and let me simmer with this, alright? It's going to be absolutely phuh-nom-uh-nal, and that's why I want everypony to go in totally blind. What's the fun in expecting the unexpected?"
Chipper threw up her hooves in concession. "Well, you are the pop star... These next few weeks better hurry along, though!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Sapphire clapped her hooves together and shot a sharp look toward Chipper. The movement made the ruffles of her dress rise a little higher up her back legs. "Now, come on. I won't be in Manehattan for much longer, I'm sure there're some more questions you want to send my way. Hit me with the hard stuff!"
"Well..." Chipper coughed into her hoof and adjusted her necktie. Her gaze flickered downward, and then quickly returned to Sapphire's face. "There's one thing I really am curious about."
Sapphire shook her head but held her smile. "I guess it won't be about my favorite flavor of cupcake, huh?" A peal of laughter rose from the crowd, and even Chipper chuckled, but the faint hint of tenseness didn't fully leave Chipper's expression.
"I'm sure you've been asked about it a billion times, already."
Sapphire motioned with a hoof. "Come on, if that were an issue we wouldn't have talked at all about my concert. Go on, you're alright."
Again, Chipper's gaze shifted downward. Eventually, she steeled herself and locked eyes with Sapphire once more. "I'm sure you're tired of hearing this, but, well, Ms. Shores-- what's it like?"
"Being a pop star? Well, it's amazing, honey!"
Chipper let out another cough. "I'm sure it is! But, well, my question was about--"
Sapphire held out a hoof, stopping Chipper short. She winked at Chipper's look of confusion. "I know, I know. I'm just trying to be funny. You were asking about my cutiemark." Sapphire's expression sobered, then, and she looked at Chipper calmly.
"Or my lack of one, I should say."
"It's really hard to wrap my mind around. You're an incredible artist, a skilled dancer, so it always seemed obvious, you know? Then one day, bam! The big reveal; you don't have a cutiemark! Not a microphone or music note to be found." Chipper shook her head, briefly rubbing her own mark with her tail. "I'm sure everypony in the audience will agree, it was like a brick through a window."
"'Brick through a window', yeah, that fits. Ponies were absolutely dogging me once news started to spread. And I'll admit, it got-- annoying. Real fast. But I understand. It's a bit of a pill."
"I can imagine. Celestia knows I'd probably end up throttling somepony. You're a tougher mare than me, Ms. Shores."
"I got real close to it sometimes, for sure. You asked what it's like?" Sapphire rubbed her chin, then shrugged. "It is how it is."
Another wave of murmurs rose forth from the crowd. Chipper tilted her head. "That's a... very blasé approach to not having a mark, Ms. Shores. Commendable, but doesn't not having one leave your thoughts galloping all over the place sometimes?"
"Sure, I won't lie. I'll be getting outfitted, see all the lovely marks of my dancers, and I'll get to thinking- 'Sapphire, girl, why haven't you gotten yours yet? All these years and you're still rocking a blank flank!'" She pulled up a section of her dress to pat her hip for emphasis. "And then I'll be... I'll be a little down. But! I'll look around myself, and I'll see how far I've made it without one. How happy I am, to still be doing what I do even if it's not what I'm best at. Hah, somehow!"
"And I think that's what's really important. Okay, I haven't found my special talent. Lots of ponies are late-bloomers. Occasionally, it really isn't fun to think about me being later than most. Still, I'm out here! I'm strutting my stuff, getting my groove on, making ponies happy."
"So you're content? Even without having your mark?"
"I won't say I don't want it to show up, that'd just be straight dishonesty on my part, but until then..." Sapphire straightened up, holding her head high. "Until then I think I can manage. Performing may not be what I'm meant for, but I darn well sure wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. My mark'll come on out and shine whenever the time is right."
"You're a true inspiration, Ms. Shores. Whenever it comes, whatever it may be, I'm sure it'll be just as incredible as you are."
Sapphire smirked and leaped from her chair, swiping a hoof through her mane as she posed. "Hey now, that's a given! My mark's going to be stel to the lar! And when it comes I'll make sure nopony forgets it!" Sapphire and Chipper both grinned as the audience ponies shouted their cheers into the night.
"I'll bet we're all looking forward to it!" Glancing at her watch, Chipper took the opportunity to also rise from her chair. "But unfortunately, everypony, it seems to be about that time. Ms. Shores?"
"Oh," Sapphire said, settling back into a less dynamic stance. "Already? Dang, time just flew right by!" She turned around and moved back toward Chipper, sticking out a hoof once she'd gotten close enough. Chipper took it within her own and give it a firm shake.
"Thank you so much, again, for agreeing to come on Ms. Shores."
"Thank you all for having me! And please, call me Sapphire."
"Well then! How about another round of applause for Sapphire here, folks!?"
Sapphire turned back to the crowd as they fell into a frenzy of activity. She took a step toward the edge of the stage, glancing down at all the happy, colorful faces.
"Thank you!" Sapphire took another step toward the stage's edge and rose to her hind legs, splaying her forehooves wide. "I promise, whatever comes next is going to be amazing. If that's my cutiemark, your cutiemarks, just be ready, because it'll be beautiful!"
"The future's going to be dazzling,'" Sapphire sang, "just like all of you!"
Author's Note
So this was a super spur-of-the-moment story I got the idea for (and started on) a day or so ago. Sapphire doesn't have a CM in her first appearance, and the next time we see her she's dressed up so we don't see it then, either. Some merch did give her one (a really nice looking one to boot) but I just wanted to run with the idea of her being a blankflank because older ponies without CMs is a really fun thing imo. Just a simple fluffy thing in this case, though.
