Cutie-Marked

Blitz Krieg hoisted her saddlebag onto her back. "That should be everything. Enough to last me a couple of days at least." Giving one last check as she exited the door.

"Mornin' there, Blitz! Headin' out I see!" Rolling Thunder shouted behind her, nearly scaring the mare right out of her skin.

"Oh, hey. Good morning. I didn't think you'd be awake this early." Blitz said after she regained her composure.

"Well after what happened last night; I wanted to check up on you." The purple pony explained. "Looks to me like you're well enough to go on a trip." Her eyes landing on the packed bags.

"Thanks, I went a little overboard didn't I? A little too much cider I guess." She laughed, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"He had it comin'. If things were different, I would have let you finish what you started, but beating him up wouldn't have solved anything."

"I dunno. I haven't tried getting my cutiemark in flank kicking, yet." The two laughed half-heartily at this joke. "But I thought I would clear my head a bit and take some time off work."

"Yeah, I get that. Do you want some company?" Rolling offered.

"Maybe next time. I think someplace quiet would be a nice change of pace." Blitz was quickly grabbed by her face as Rolling stared hard at her. "Are you feeling alright? Never thought the word 'quiet' was ever in your vocabulary." Her friend's voice loud and worried.

"Ok, Ok, I know it sounds a bit weird. Even I'm a bit surprised by what I just said. But maybe a change is what I need." Blitz brushed off her friend.

"Well if you think you need it. Who am I to stop you?" Rolling said, smacking Blitz's backside.

"Ow." The mare rubbed her flank as she glared at Rolling, who shrugged apologetically.

"Anyways, I was hoping the sooner I got away from here. The sooner I could start relaxing." Blitz finished.

"Not a bad way to put it." Rolling stated. "Make sure to tell me all about it when you get back."

"Will do." Blitz gave Rolling a hug before taking off.

"While you're at it! Try and make a friend!" Rolling shouted after her, causing the red pony to groan loudly in response.

XXXXX

Blitz saw Ponyville in sight; making a landing on the edge of town. "Well it looks like a nice place to take a break. Doesn't look like much happens here. At the very least, if there's nothing in the ruins. A few extra days here wouldn't be so bad." She critiqued as she checked the place out.

"Hmmm, now where to start my relaxation before this 'Ultimate Thrill' thing happens?" She thought out loud as she walked through the town. Not long into her search was she was lured by a very fragrant, flowery scent. She quickly followed the sweet odor to stand before the Ponyville Spa. "This looks like a good place to start."

XXXXX

"Ahhhh." Blitz purred as she was massaged by a cerulean mare with light rose hair. "This is perfect, Lotus Blossum. Why haven't I done this before? It feels like magic." She moaned as her shoulder muscles were kneaded back and forth. The soft music playing in the background and the aroma of various flowers and oils bringing about a calming atmosphere that really helped Blitz enjoy herself.

"Thank you very much. I can feel so much tension in your body. Just relax as the stress leaves your muscles." The pony advised as she continued to move her hooves lower. "And it appears that you have another form of stress here."

"Story of my life." Blitz stated with irritation, knowing what she was referring to.

"Then I will not ask. It is not my job to give you more stress. Just let your worries pass you by as my hooves take you away from whatever ails you." Her Swedish accent soothing to the mare's ears.

XXXXX

Blitz was then treated to a mud bath, followed by getting her mane washed and conditioned, along with a facial with cucumbers over her eyes. Her last treatment a steam bath that was quite refreshing.

"That definitely was worth the trip. I really should do this more often." She said to herself, feeling like a million bits. Her coat seemed to shine from the treatment and the curls of her mane and tail seemed more bouncy and full than before. After the bill was paid, she went out to see what the rest of the town had to offer.

She felt a little hungry after the lengthy spa and needed a quick boost of energy. So this Sugar Cube Corner could prove interesting, noticing it almost immediately.

Upon entering, her nose was bombarded with sweet smells of sugars, flavorings, and everything in-between. She knew right away that this was the place to recharge.

"Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner. I'm Mrs. Cake, owner, baker, confectioner and anything else you can think of." The plump blue pony giggled. "As long as it has to do with sweets, I can make it. What are you in the mood for?"

Blitz's eyes scanned the store, the large variety of treats practically overwhelming. Considering this was kind of a fresh start, she decided to go with that mentality. "I would like your most fresh baked goods please."

"Any particular kind or flavor?"

"Surprise me."

"You got it. One order, Pinkie Style!" Mrs. Cakes shouted to the back of the store.

"You got it!" A cheery high-pitched voice replied. The next few seconds were filled with the sounds of what could only be described as utter chaos before a bubbly pink pony came bouncing in with a tray of cupcakes on her head. "Half-dozen Fresh cupcakes coming through."

Blitz couldn't wrap her head around what just happened as she could see the heat rising from the baked goods. "I don't think they're supposed to cook that fast."

"Oh I wouldn't know about thaaaaat." Pinkie replied, before her eyes focused on the new pony before her eyes and dashed right into the mare's face. "You must be new to Ponyville! Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie." The mare offered a hoof.

"Uh, yes, Blitz Krieg." She answered with her own hoof. "I came to see the sights and watch the 'Running of the Leaves'. I'm visiting from Cloudsdale so… no trees to run through."

"Ooooh, so that means that you'll be here for a few days. That gives me plenty of time to make an extraultrasuperspecialawesomewithcherrychangaparty… with extra party cannon." The element of laughter rambled while hopping around excitedly.

"That's nice, but that's not necessary." Which appeared to be the wrong answer as Pinkie got uncomfortably close.

"Oh, but it is." Pinkie said with absolute certainty, making Blitz begin to sweat a little. The red pony was getting the feeling as if she was a mouse caught in the gaze of a hungry cat.

"Here's your cupcakes. Each one made with very special ingredients!" The scary feeling instantly gone as Blitz was given a container of the cupcakes in her wings. "Thanks?" She said, still a little confused by the ordeal.

"You're welcome, come again." Mrs. Cakes waved along with Pinkie as the door shut behind her.

"Strange girl." Blitz said, taking a bite from her batch. "Mmmm, orange chocolate." Quite pleased with the flavor choice, this made her curious about the other flavors of the remaining five.

She continued her tour of the town, enjoying each bite as she did, now on her second cupcake. This one had rainbow sprinkles with a juicy red center that dripped down her chin when she bit into it. What flavor was it she wondered? Raspberry? Strawberry? Cherry? All three? Whatever it was, it sure tasted good. That Pinkie made some nice combinations. Maybe she'll get another batch before she leaves town.

As she walked, she could feel eyes on her. It was a sensation that she has grown used to and had gotten used to ignoring it unless somepony had the gall to say something. Then she would have words or even hooves to make them regret it.

"Hey Miss!" The voice surprised Blitz as she stopped. It was a young voice from that of a filly with a peculiar accent. She wasn't used to foals talking to her as she turned around to see three little girls, smiling. One an orange Pegasus with light purple hair, a white unicorn with pink and purple curls, and a yellow earth pony with bright red hair topped with a large pink bow. One interesting thing of note was their near identical shield-shaped cutiemarks.

"Hello? Is there something I can help you with, girls?" She asked confused, but nicely since they were so little and possibly more curious than anything.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Apple Bloom. This is Sweetie Belle and this is Scootaloo. We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we were wondering if you are in need of our services?" The yellow filly asked, her voice a quelled excitement that was shared by her friends.

"It's very nice to meet you three. I'm Blitz Krieg, but I'm not sure what services you are talking about? I only just got here." She replied.

"Well we couldn't help but notice that you didn't have a cutie mark." Apple Bloom began as Sweetie Belle cut in. "And we really want to help."

"Yeah, there hasn't been anypony that we haven't been able to find their cutie mark." Scootaloo finished up their pitch. "We even helped Gabby the Griffon and they can't even get cutie marks."

The older pony couldn't help but smile at their sincere desire to help. Although she was quite doubtful of their capabilities in the matter of her cutie mark situation. Not because they were young, but because she has been trying her entire life and has yet to find her talent. It was not something she even wanted to toy with at the moment as her mind was on a different matter entirely.

"I really appreciate your concern girls, but you really don't have to."

"But we really want to help." They insisted.

"No, really, I'm fine. I'm not even trying to find it right now. Now if you will excuse me." She turned back and continued walking on her original path. Still she felt their eyes on her, even their hoofsteps as they kept pace with her.

"They won't take no for an answer, will they?"

She picked up the pace a little bit, but the fillies matched her. So she started to trot, again, they kept up with her. She began to run and still they pursued until it became a full on chase. Her annoyance turned into desperation as she bolted through the town, much to the surprise of the locals.

"Why are you running away? We just want to help?" The fillies shouted after her.

Blitz wasn't interested and even a little desperate, bowling over tables at the Ponyville's Café as a means of getting away.

"I told you I'm fine! Now leave me alone!" The pony cried over her shoulder.

"Wait! We can help you get your cutie mark! Come back!" They shouted in hot pursuit.

She jumped over carts, dove through bushes, hid in whatever was nearby, sprinted around corners of buildings and still the fillies were unrelenting in their charge. She felt like she was running out of options as the unfamiliar environment made it harder to find places to ditch her pursuers. Not to mention their knowledge of the area rendered her greater speed useless as they were able to quickly cut her off or find her hiding places.

She felt like she was in a tight spot as she turned a corner down an alley. Knowing she would be caught soon, she look down at her box of deliciousness. "Sorry little ones, but I have to let you go."

XXXXX

The girls turned the corner and gave momentary pause as they now stared at four remaining cupcakes that were placed on the ground. "Hey, look." They ran up to the box and inspected it.

"Do you think she dropped them?" Scootaloo asked.

"I doubt it. I think they were placed her so that she could get away." Sweetie Belle answered.

"Like some sort of distraction? We didn't mean to scare her." Apple Bloom stated, a little bit ashamed with her over tenacity.

"She said she's visiting so she probably going to be around a bit longer so I'm sure we can ask her again later. In the mean time..." Sweetie Belle levitated a cupcake and bit into the frosting. "Wow, Pineapple Pizza."

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had followed suit. "Cotton Candy Bubblegum." Scootaloo blew a big bubble as it popped on her face.

"I got…" Apple Bloom took another bite to confirm her suspicion. "Applepear?" A strange combination, but she had to admit that it tasted pretty good.

"Well I have to admit, it did buy her enough time to get away." Sweetie Belle said. "So what do we do now?"

"Well there's the 'Iron Pony' competition happing outside of town? Wanna go check it out?"

XXXXX

Blitz peeked around the corner as she watched the three pick up the box with the last cupcake and walk away. "Man, those flavors sounded really good too." She groaned as she leaned against the wall of the building she was hiding behind.

"WAhhh!" She yelped as she fell backwards, the wall actually a door which opened, causing her to fall inside.

"Oh, hey Blitz Krieg. Are you ok?" A familiar voice said from the swirling figure looking down on her.

"Muffins?" Blitz shook her head to clear it as she could now see the gray pony smiling. "Hey, what are the odds that I would find your house?" She said as she got back up.

"Oh no, I'm just helping the Doctor out." Muffins answered as she turned towards a brown pony wearing a bowtie and displaying an hourglass cutiemark.

"Muffins, who's at the door?" He asked as he approached. "Oh, hello there. Doctor Hooves at your service." He reached out a hoof, in which Blitz took with hers.

"Blitz Krieg. You must be the Doctor that Muffins talked about." She said, looking at the room she was in. The displays of strange contraptions were curious indeed. A lot of which she couldn't even begin to know what they were made for.

"Ah, yes. My many inventions that will revolutionize Ponykind and launch us into the future… As soon as I can get them to work." The Doctor said, rubbing his chin in contemplation.

"That's quite a dream you have there. Have you made any progress?" She asked, curiously.

"Not as much as I would like, but I know that I would not be where I am if it were not for my trusted assistant." Doctor said with a sense of pride.

"Oh Doc, you're being too nice." Muffins said, trying not to blush at the comment.

"Oh don't be modest. It was you who made the suggestion to use my Flameless Fireworks for Cranky and Matilda's wedding. Which led to the discovery of how they worked."

"Impressive." Blitz said, intrigued.

"Oh yes, science is the answer to every question. You just have to know what questions you want answered." He proclaimed.

"I doubt it answers anything about cutiemarks." Keeping that thought to herself, Blitz simply nodded reflexively at the pony's enthusiasm. "Sounds like you know what you want to do with your life."

"Well we all have to have something we strive for. I guess I'm a bit more of a renaissance pony. Ahead of my time or any other time it seems." He seemed to trail off for a moment. "Well that's all I need from you today Muffins."

"Ok Doc. See you later. Come on, Blitz." Muffins said as she walked out, with Blitz following her.

"He's an interesting guy." Said the red mare as the door shut behind them.

"I told you, didn't I?" Muffins replied. "So what brings you to Ponyville?"

"Figured I needed a change of pace. So I thought, why not Ponyville? I've never been there before. Could be a nice place to relax. Not to mention there's the 'Running of the Leaves'." Blitz replied, although making sure to hide her real reasons.

"Really? Well strange things do happen here. A lot actually now that I think about it." Muffin said. "But the 'Running of the Leaves' is a lot of fun. I watch it every year. Speaking of which, do you want to see the 'Iron Pony' competition outside of town?" The gray pony suggested.

Blitz nodded with a smile. "Sure. Let's go."

XXXXX

The two mares soon joined the crowd of other ponies as they watched lots of competitors fighting for the top spot. It was quite an enjoyable experience with stiff competition. She did wish she had shown up sooner and got to compete, but spectating had a different thrill to it that was surprising to her. It wasn't often she did anything but compete or find the next adrenaline rush.

"Hey look, there's a reporter taking pictures." Muffins pointed at a silver pony nearby.

"Really? Dang, I should have gotten here sooner. Then I could have gotten in the papers." Blitz groaned, but if the reporter is here today, then she must be here for the 'Running of the Leaves' so she should get some good pictures there as well.

"Say, rather than just watching. How about running it this year?" She recommended.

"Well, I don't know. It's hard enough just flying sometimes. I don't want to run into a tree by accident."

"Oh don't worry. Just stick with me and you'll be fine. Come on, It'll be fun." She persisted. Granted, it wasn't as exciting as what she was used to doing, but she wasn't one for sitting still for too long. Besides, she already had a bit of excitement earlier today. "What do you say?"

Muffins was a bit unsure, but Blitz was eager to include her so she nodded. "Ok, I'll do it."

"Alright!" Blitz thrust a hoof into the air. "This is gonna be fun!

"Hey look, it's her. I told you we'd see her again."

Blitz's attention snapped towards the voice as the trio of foals pointed at her.

"We gotta go. Right now." Blitz nudged Muffins urgently as they took off.

"Ok." The gray mare said, enjoying the strange moment and didn't bother asking questions.

XXXXX

Blitz and Muffins galloped down the street with now four fillies in pursuit. "By Celestia, they're multiplying!"

"Hey Blitz." The gray mare asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why are we running?"

"Because they don't know when the quit."

"But we can fly."

The realization hit her like a brick wall as she face-hoofed. In her panic, she didn't consider using her wings to escape. "I can't believe I forgot." She kicked herself as she began to flapping her wings.

"Time to get some air." The two quickly left the group, causing the posse to slide to a halt.

"Aww, man. No fair." The fillies groaned, forced to watch the two shrink in the distance.

XXXXX

"Thanks for reminding me. This would have been a lot easier if I did it the first time." Blitz thanked.

"No problem. I can get forgetful too sometimes. But it does make some days more fun when you forgot whose mail you delivered."

This got the two to laugh. "I guess everypony has their own way of getting excitement."

"So where are you staying while you're here?" Muffins asked, causing Blitz to face-hoof again.

"Nice job, Blitz. You're on vacation and don't even have a place to sleep." Regaining her composure as much as possible, she scratched her head in embarrassment. "I guess I kinda forgot to do that; being chased and all, haha." She laughed to cover her embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. You can stay with me. The Doctor was nice enough to let me have a room next to his place. I guess he really needs me close by in case he gets a new idea. Plus the rent is cheap."

"Really? That would be so great." Blitz got her spirits back to this news. "I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Muffins just smiled. "What are friends for?"

A/N

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far.

Did anyone catch the "Cupcake" reference?