The Ordinary Ponies

Chapter 6: Cutie Mark Crusaders

At noon, the day of Ponyville Schoolhouse was over. The little ponies walked out of the school building one after another, discussing the new knowledge they had learned today - the cutie marks.

Every pony looked very happy, except for one little pony, which was Apple Bloom. She walked side by side with Twist dejectedly, feeling down, and no matter how much Twist comforted her, it was of no help.

In front of them were two arrogant little ponies, one of which was light-magenta all over, with a wavy mane of light-purple interspersed with white stripes, and wore a small crown on her head; Another pony had a gray, pale-white mane tied in a small braid, wearing blue glasses and a pearl necklace.

They were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, both of whom had a lot of money and were also very ostentatious - the word Mr. Miracle used to describe them before.

“Waiting for cutie mark is so~ ‘last week’. You got yours, I just got mine. We all have them already.” Tiara, wearing a crown, raised her head and paced back and forth in front of Twist and Apple Bloom, intentionally or unintentionally displaying her cutie mark.

“Oh, sorry, I mean, ‘almost’ all of us have them already.” She and Silver both laughed after finishing.

Apple Bloom pursed her lips.

Tiara continued speaking as if she were giving a speech, circling around Apple Bloom and Twist as she spoke, “Don't worry, even though you don't have any cutie mark, I will still invite you to my cute-ceañera.”

“A luxurious and enjoyable party,” Silver agreed.

Apple Bloom couldn't stand their conspicuous behavior and suddenly remembered what Mr. Miracle had taught her.

After exposing Trixie, Apple Bloom became interested in Mr. Miracle's rhetoric. Mr. Miracle naturally didn’t ask her to memorize his specific words, but instead taught her by example and subtly shared his knowledge with her through interactions.

Now was the time to verify the results.

“Yeah, yeah, your cutie mark is definitely worth celebrating, Tiara,” said Apple Bloom with half closed eyes. “But Miss Cheerilee once said the cutie mark represents unique gift and distinguishes us from other ponies, but I don't know what your mark represents.”

Tiara's cutie mark was a crown, just like the one she wore. She turned her head to look at her flank, then turned back and opened her mouth for a moment before saying.

“My cutie mark is a crown...that, of course, means I can command other ponies like a princess,” she said unsurely.

“But you're neither a princess nor commanding the other ponies. All you did was show off in front of me and Twist.” Apple Bloom paused for a moment, pretending to be thoughtful. “Perhaps you don't actually know its meaning, otherwise how could you be idle all day long?”

Twist thought for a moment and agreed, lisping and saying, “Yes. Applejack's mark is an apple, so she often interacts with apples; Rainbow Dash's mark is a bolt with rainbow, so she often practices flying skills; Pinkie's mark is party balloons, so she often holds parties.”

Apple Bloom nodded and continued, “That's right, they often showcase their gifts. But Tiara, I've never seen you showcase your gifts. What does your mark represent? And Silver, your mark is a spoon, what does it mean?”

Upon hearing this, Tiara and Silver exchanged a glance, speechless. They have never thought about this issue before, and their memories of obtaining the mark were very vague. It was believed that they discovered their gift by chance, but didn’t continue to try on it, didn’t deepen their impression, and even forgot how they discovered it at that time.

“Uh, um... that's not important! Anyway, my party is on the weekend, it's up to you whether you come or not.” Tiara finally said and quickly left with Silver.

“Anyway...no matter what, it's better than blank flanks!” Silver turned around and added, and the two little ponies walked forward. Then an adult pony appeared in front of them – light-brown in color, with black mane and tail, no cutie mark, looking very ordinary, it was Mr. Miracle.

He just happened to pass by, so he simply waited a little longer in front of the school, waiting to talk to Apple Bloom about today's studies; Then he saw and heard the words that Apple Bloom had just said. The good news is she listened to his words, but the bad news is she only listened halfway.

He cleared a path for Tiara and Silver to pass, and then walked towards Apple Bloom.

“Mr. Miracle, why are you here?” Apple Bloom was a little surprised and then introduced, “Twist, this is my big friend I told you, Mr. Miracle; Mr. Miracle, this is my good friend, Twist.”

“Hello,” Twist greeted shyly, then whispered to Apple Bloom. “I thought you were just referring to a tall pony, I didn't expect it to be an adult pony!”

“Hello, Twist. Actually, I know you.” Mr. Miracle said, blinking at her. “If you're going to Tiara's party, I suggest you make some candy canes.”

“Candy canes? Good idea!” Twist nodded and hurriedly said goodbye to Apple Bloom before running away.

“Why did you suggest she make candy canes?”

“You're overthinking it. Do you remember? I said I could only predict ‘big events’,” Mr. Miracle said calmly. “Anyway, I need to talk to you about what you said to Tiara and Silver.”

“Did you hear that? Did I say it well?” said Apple Bloom happily. “You really should have seen their faces!”

Mr. Miracle shook his head and said, “Listen, words can be weapons, but before you use them, you should think carefully.”

“But I'm just fighting back,” Apple Bloom pouted, looking a bit aggrieved. “You have no idea about how nasty they are. When they laugh at me, can't I fight back?”

Mr. Miracle continued to patiently guide, “Of course you can fight back, but there are differences between wisdom and harshness. Now it doesn’t reach that point, so I just remind you so that you won’t cross the line in the future.”

Apple Bloom remained silent for a while before nodding.

“So repeat what I said to prove you have listened.”

“‘Words can be weapons, but before you use them, you should think carefully’...I understood.”

“Good. Will you go to Tiara's party?”

Apple Bloom immediately shook her head, like a tambourine. “Absolutely not! I don't have cutie mark, they will laugh at me!” But then she glanced at Mr. Miracle's body, which was also empty, and immediately smiled happily.

“Or you go with me, then I'm not afraid of them anymore.”

But Mr. Miracle refused, saying, “I would love to go. But after all, it’s Tiara's party, and without her invitation, I can't go. This is basic etiquette.”

“Ah, boring!”

“I suggest you go, maybe you can make new friends at the party. But whether you go or not, I will respect your decision,” he said, looking up at the sun. It was getting late now. “I have to help Rarity to dye fabrics this afternoon. See you later.”

“See you later.”

Apple Bloom looked Mr. Miracle running away, feeling depressed. She didn't even know what's good to go to that party, “may make new friends” didn't sound like a sufficient reason.

She could only ask Applejack again to know what she thought.

The next day, Saturday, was the day Tiara held the party. Early in the morning, Apple Bloom discussed this with Applejack and said that she didn't want to go, afraid of being laughed at by other ponies.

And Applejack mentioned that their families were always the last in the class to gain the marks, perhaps Apple Bloom would be the same; But what Apple Bloom was thinking was that since the entire families' marks were related to Apple, she just needed to work harder in this area, and quickly get the mark, then she could go to the party.

Unfortunately, the result was not as expected, as she seemed to lack talent in selling apples. Applejack had not yet started teaching her business knowledge, Miss Cheerilee had not talked about it too, and Mr. Miracle had not mentioned it either. Finally, Applejack suggested that she go with Twist, and told her she couldn’t get a mark in just one day.

However, when she found Twist, she suddenly noticed Twist had a mark - two crossed candy canes.

“I always wanted to make delicious desserts myself, and now I realize this’s my gift,” said Twist happily. “After listening to Mr. Miracle's advice, I suddenly became very excited, as if a passion was driving me...Just as I was making candy canes, bang! The mark appeared!”

“When making candy canes? He lied again, actually he knew!” Apple Bloom pouted.

“What?”

“Oh, nothing...I'm just worried about the lack of my mark.”

“We can still go to the party together. You will come, right?” Twist asked sincerely.

“Maybe. As long as I get the cutie mark first.” Then Apple Bloom left with her head down.

Mr. Miracle was very honest about many things, even willing to tell her shocking secrets like “not belonging to Equestria”; But only when it came to “predicting the future”, he always kept silent, either pretending not to know or explaining that he was afraid of unnecessary influence.

With just one word, he gave Twist a cutie mark...Wait, could he predict her cute mark too? He knew Twist’s, so he must know hers too. Just asked and did, bang! The mark would appear, and then she could attend Tiara's party.

So she was busy looking for Mr. Miracle all morning. He didn't say what he was going to do on the weekend, but she had searched for all possible locations and there was no trace of him. However, while she was searching for the last possible location, the Carousel Boutique, she couldn't find Mr. Miracle and instead found another young little pony of the same age.

She was white all over, with curly mane and tail in shades of light purple and pink. Her eyes were green, and she was a unicorn too. As soon as Apple Bloom entered the store, she saw the unicorn complaining next to Rarity, but Rarity seemed a bit busy and didn't listen very seriously.

“Tiara's party is this afternoon, but I haven't a cutie mark yet,” said the lovely unicorn dejectedly. “I have tried weaving, sewing, modeling... but none of them worked! They will definitely laugh at me!”

“Uh, my dear sister,” Rarity stopped and looked at the gruesome pile of “scraps” on her side, carefully considering her words. “Perhaps you should try something rather than clothing...I'm sorry I can't help you, because I have a set of clothing that I urgently need to work on.”

“Can't you do it tomorrow? Please, please, please!”

Rarity looked at her sister who was holding her hooves in distress, and suddenly looked up to see Apple Bloom. She couldn't help but be overjoyed and said, “Hey, Sweetie Belle, look who’s here!”

Sweetie Belle looked up and felt the young little pony with a bow in front of her looked very familiar; Apple Bloom also thought this unicorn looked familiar.

“I remember, we are classmates!” exclaimed Apple Bloom.

“Right!” Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

But Rarity was a little confused and asked, “As classmates, how do you feel like you just met?”

Actually, it wasn’t the fault of these two little ponies. On the one hand, the start of the school was in mid-August, and they had just started school, so it was normal for them to be unfamiliar with each other yet; On the other hand, Sweetie Belle had been living with her parents, so Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had hardly met before.

“Did Tiara invite you to the party?” Asked Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle replied, “She invited all classmates, that’s why I’m worried.”

“Great - I mean, turns out I'm not alone.” said Apple Bloom, revealing her flank, which were blank like Sweetie Belle.

“Oh my goddess! You don't have a cutie mark either!”

“Since neither of us has a cutie mark...I was thinking, can we both skip the party?” suggested Apple Bloom.

“Not going? Well, sounds good.”

“Not going? How can you do that?” interrupted Rarity. “See? You don't have cutie marks, so you can go together. It's also good to meet other ponies at the party and make some friends.” She paused for a moment, then whispered to herself, “Just let me quietly complete the order.”

“What?” Sweetie Belle asked innocently.

“Nothing!” said Rarity with a polite smile. “Anyway, I strongly recommend you go together.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance, both showing a worried expression. Obviously, they were all afraid of being ridiculed at the party.

Suddenly, Apple Bloom had an inspiration and said, “Maybe we can try some things with the remaining time. What if we can get the marks before the party?”

“Yeah, great idea!”

So the two young little ponies galloped out of the Carousel Boutique with their short hooves and rushed all the way. Rarity watched as they drifted away, took a deep breath and shook her sweat, then began to work hard to make the costumes.

……

An hour later, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sat down on the roadside dejectedly, and their disappointed faces were exactly the same. They tried many activities, but couldn't do them well. The more they tried, the less confident they became, and because of that, they couldn't do them totally. That was the end.

“There seems no hope, we can't get the mark today!”

“Then we’re not going to the party? But after hearing from Rarity, I want to go now.”

“Me too, but we don’t have cutie marks –”

“Wow, it seems like there are two little ponies here with dark clouds all over their heads.” Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared and said to them. “I'll clean-up for you.”

There was actually a dark cloud over their heads, and Rainbow Dash pushed it away and landed in front of them.

“What's up, little ones?”

Apple Bloom took a deep breath and said, “Tiara is having a cute-ceañera this afternoon and all ponies in the class will go because they all have marks and we also want to go but we can’t go to the party without marks and my sister said it will happen sooner or later but - we want them now!”

“Cutie marks? It isn’t any problem at all. I'll let you get them right now.”

“But…Applejack said it takes time.”

“Rarity said it’s coincidental.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and pursed, saying. “Why wait so foolishly for something you can really get right away?”

“But –” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said in unison.

“Hey, who are you listening? Applejack and Rarity? Or me, the first pony who gets the mark in the class?” Rainbow Dash said confidently.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance, reigniting hope.

Then they tried various projects under Rainbow Dash's guidance: juggling, gliding, karate, kite flying, short track speed skating...but made no progress.

“We've tried this, this, and this too...” Rainbow Dash checked each one on the writing board, and almost two-thirds of the activities on it were crossed out.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched helplessly as Tiara and Silver walked by. They had planned to avoid these two show-offs, but the long exercise had exhausted them.

“I’m doomed! I won't be able to get the mark in my lifetime!” Apple Bloom screamed.

“I’m doomed! I'll never find something I'm really good at!” Sweetie Belle followed and shouted.

“What are you good at?” Pinkie suddenly appeared in front of them from somewhere. “I think you’re good at eating cupcakes!”

“Good at eating cupcakes?” Both the little ponies and Rainbow Dash asked together.

Pinkie jumped up and repeated, “Eating cupcakes!”

“Hurray! I mean - we really appreciate your help, Rainbow Dash, you're a great coach...but, um...” Apple Bloom said as gently as possible.

But Sweetie Belle immediately said, “Now we have cakes to eat!”

Then the two little ponies bounced and followed Pinkie away. Rainbow Dash pondered suspiciously, “Is it really some gift to ‘eat’ something? I can't even imagine what kind of mark it is.” She then shook her head and left.

However, when Pinkie called them over, there was no ready-made cake, and they had to make it on the spot. The result was naturally a mess, with the entire kitchen filled with batter, flour, and beaten eggs, just like the scene when Mr. Miracle applied for a job.

“Now I know why you became friends with Mr. Miracle.” Pinkie smiled at Apple Bloom.

“That's it, Maybe I need accept my fate. I'll never be able to get my mark!”

“Is it that bad?” Sweetie Belle said slowly, looking at their outcomes. “I think our cakes are pretty good.”

She was referring to a bunch of dark, hard and mysterious food. In fact, both she and her parents are not sensitive enough to food.

Just then, Twilight walked in. Apple Bloom rushed up and explained, “Please help us for the cute-ceañera coming today and all ponies will go and we also want cutie marks but we don't know how to juggle, glide, Karate, fly kites, short track speed skating or make cupcakes and without marks we will definitely be ridiculed because they say marks can’t be made up in a day but - we want them now!”

“Um, calm down. How can I help you?”

“You can cast a spell to create our marks.” suggested Apple Bloom.

“Wait, can she do this? If I had known, I would have let Rarity do it for me.” Sweetie Belle said indifferently.

Twilight shook her head and said, “Of course not. All the ponies have to rely on themselves to discover the cutie marks.”

But she was plead by Apple Bloom and eventually agreed to give it a try. The mark that appeared would only exist for a moment and then disappeared without a trace.

“There's no hope! There's no hope!” Apple Bloom cried as she walked out of the kitchen, thinking she couldn't go to the party or else would be laughed at by other ponies. However, she saw lights and decorations outside the kitchen, with balloons, party hats, Poon fun liquor, ribbons, and cakes all available.

“How could I forget the time? How could I forget this party is being held at the Sugarcube Corner?” Apple Bloom said regretfully.

“I thought you knew! You should have asked, I can actually tell you.” Sweetie Belle said on the side.

Apple Bloom placed her two hooves on Sweetie Belle's shoulders and shook them back and forth, saying, “We have to leave immediately! We can't let them see our blank flanks!”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes were in circles and she said, “I think...this may be a bit difficult.”

Sure enough, the two little ponies were too big as targets and were stopped by Tiara before reaching the door.

“Well, well, well, look who’s here?” Tiara said in a sweet and artificial smile. “It seems you have found a companion, well, no wonder you can only make friends with the same unmarked pony.”

“Uh, um...I have a mark!” Apple Bloom insisted without blushing.

“What? When did you have it?” Sweetie Belle asked straightforwardly.

Tiara and Silver burst into laughter. “Your blank flank has already betrayed yourself, do you still want to lie?”

“Uh...this, this is...a cutie mark can be seen only by smart ponies.”

“What?” Sweetie Belle, Tiara, and Silver all asked in shock.

“I said, this is a cutie mark can be seen only by smart ponies.” said Apple Bloom confidently, recalling the fairy tale that Mr. Miracle had told before; However, she still learned only halfway as before, without carefully considering the underlying principles and meanings. “Did you see my mark? Or are you just not smart enough?”

After speaking, she blinked at Sweetie Belle and gestured for her to speak for her. Sweetie Belle was initially puzzled, but Apple Bloom's playful blinking still made her realize. So she helped by saying, “Ah...yes, that's right, this is a cutie mark only smart ponies can see...I saw - is it, um, an apple?”

“That's right, an apple! A golden apple only smart ponies can see!”

Silver exclaimed loudly, “You're lying, there's nothing at all!”

But Tiara hesitated a bit, and of course, being vain, she dared not admit she was not smart enough to see the mark. Indeed, she didn't believe in such a magical mark at all, but what if? She didn't want other ponies to think she's stupid.

“Uh, I saw...an apple. It's quite...pretty.” Tiara stuttered.

“Tiara, what are you talking about? There's clearly nothing.” Silver said incredulously.

“Enough!” Twilight's voice came from behind them. “It's one thing not to have a cutie mark, but it's another thing to lie. I believe many ponies, including myself, didn't see the mark. Aren't we all smart enough?”

“Uh, I...” Apple Bloom lowered her head and suddenly recalled Mr. Miracle's words yesterday – “Words can be weapons, but before you use them, you should think carefully.” then blushing with embarrassment.

Twilight wouldn't be strict with children, she just said gently, “Not having a mark is not a big deal. All ponies will eventually have it, sooner or later. You should try to be down-to-earth rather than satisfying yourself with lies.”

“I understood...Twilight, I'm sorry.” Apple Bloom lowered her voice.

“I also learned that I shouldn't help her lie...” Sweetie Belle followed.

“You're really bragging! You ‘blank flank’!” Silver and Tiara laughed again. Tiara's face changed so quickly that she completely forgot the way she had just admitted that the Apple Bloom had a mark.

“What's wrong without a mark?” Twilight took a step forward and asked in reverse. “Don’t be so nasty, Okay?”

“Yeah, what's wrong with blank flank?” Another voice said, coming from under the table. The ponies turned their heads and saw a little pegasus with a yellow body, flowing cherry colored mane and tail.

“Blank flank means she's not special at all!” Silver insisted.

The little pegasus climbed out of the table and said seriously, “No, this just shows they have potential. The future is infinite, they could be artists, writers, scientists, or even town mayors! Not like you, who have already been shaped.”

“Oh my goddess, what she said makes sense! I also want to say that,” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

Tiara felt a bit embarrassed and asked, “Who are you? Why do you speak up for them?”

“Because –” the pegasus revealed her flank, which were also empty.

“Oh my goddess, what Rarity said is true!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed again.

The pegasus smiled and said, “I thought I was the only one without the mark. Turns out I’m not.”

Twilight took a step forward and summarized, “I think they are very lucky to experience the surprise of finding gifts in the future.”

Applejack also arrived at the party venue at this moment and added, “And there's still a lot of time to discover, not just for an afternoon.”

The party's attention thus came to these three young little ponies. Tiara and Silver could only snort and walk to the other side in a bit madness.

“My name is Apple Bloom.”

“My name is Sweetie Belle.”

“My name is Scootaloo.” said the little pegasus.

Apple Bloom continued, “Since we are friends now and have been underestimated by Tiara and Silver...we can work together to find our cutie marks.”

“Good Idea! We can form a ‘secret society’!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed excitedly.

“Let's call it 'The Cutie Mark Three'!” suggested Scootaloo.

“Call it 'The Cutastically Fantastics'!” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“How about calling it ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’, abbreviated as 'CMC'?” Apple Bloom said.

“That's a great name!” The other two little ponies praised in unison.

Apple Bloom felt today was truly the happiest day. Despite many twists and turns, she had made two new friends and formed their secret society...and so on. Did all of this also in Mr. Miracle's expectations?

“Wait a minute, there is another pony without any cutie mark. Maybe he can join us.” Apple Bloom added.

“That's fine, let him join the 'Cute Mark Crusaders' too,” blurted out Scootaloo.

But Apple Bloom said a bit awkwardly, “Um…, just one small problem - he's adult.”

“What? Adult pony? No cutie mark?” The two little ponies asked in shock.

Apple Bloom nodded.

“This is a bit difficult to handle. After all, we are actually ‘scouts’, aren't we?” Asked Scootaloo.

“It doesn’t matter, he can become our 'honorary member'.” Sweetie Belle said. “And adults are usually very busy, just like Rarity, who may not be able to act with us often. ‘Honorary member’ may be the perfect fit for him.”

The three little ponies all agreed with the proposal and happily went to the party center to dance.

Twilight looked at their lovely figures and silently recited this week's weekly diary in her heart:

“Dear Princess Celestia, I’m very happy to report to you this week's experience - each of our ponies wants to know their gifts and uniqueness as soon as possible. Sometimes it is a long and hard journey, which may frustrate you and make you feel left out. But the most important thing is to be grounded and know you will never be alone. On this road, we will make true friends who share the same ideals with us. Your loyal student, Twilight.”