Sora opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library to find Twilight sitting down with her back turned to the door and her forehead plastered on her desk.
"Hey, Twilight," Sora greeted. The purple unicorn did not leave her position.
"Go away..." She trailed off.
"C'mon, Twilight, it's been three days since the whole invasion thing. When are you gonna come out?" A few days ago, there was an epidemic in Ponyville involving a swarm of insects called parasprites. They were cute little animals, but they had an insatiable appetite and the ability to multiply quickly. Long story short, Ponyville was almost destroyed. Thankfully Pinkie was able to coerce the swarm with her one-pony band technique so Ponyville was not completely eaten. Still, the experience put a stressful strain on poor Twilight.
"Sora," Twilight responded, "I don't wanna talk about it..."
"Okay then," Sora relinquished, "Still, you're gonna have to leave eventually," Sora left the library, closing the door behind him.
While he was strolling through town in boredom, Sora noticed Apple Bloom trotting a few feet over. The yellow filly looked out of it, her head was hung low and her face was contorted into a sad frown. Sora decided his next course of action, right now Apple Bloom was down and needed cheering up. With his goal in mind, the caramel pegasus trotted over to the sullen filly.
"Hey, Apple Bloom," Sora initiated a conversation, walking adjacent to her.
Apple Bloom acknowledged Sora's presence, "Oh, Sora!"
"Yup, it's me," The caramel pegasus flashed a wide smile as they continued to trot forward. He dropped the smile when he saw that the yellow filly still looked sad about something, "Hey, is there something wrong?"
"Uh... It's nothin' really..." She brushed aside unconvincingly. Sora flew in front of Apple Bloom, blocking her path so she had no choice but to address him fully.
"C'mon, Apple Bloom," Sora ruffled the little filly's mane, "You can tell me. We're friends, aren't we?" Apple Bloom looked at the caramel pegasus, his supportive smile seemed to give her the courage to lay all of her fears down on display.
"Sora, ah really want mah cutie mark!" Apple Bloom glanced at her bare flank as if it was something to be ashamed of.
"Why's that?" He inquired. Apple Bloom sucked in a deep breath.
"There's a cute-ceañera tomorrow and everypony in mah class will be there and they have their cutie marks and ah don't have mine and if ah go to the party without a cutie mark ah'll die of embarrassment so I need to get a cutie mark... Right now!" Sora was hung up on Apple Bloom's tirade. Although, he was hold up on something she said at the beginning while everything else sort of blended in. This something was nagging at the back of his mind so much that he felt the need to ask:
"What's a cute-senairaa?"
Apple Bloom looked at him as if he were a space alien, "Ya'll don't know what a cute-ceañera is?!" Sora could only shake his head to respond, "Ya know, the party ya get when yer cutie mark shows up. Didn't you get a cute-ceañera when yer cutie mark appeared?"
"No, I can't say that I did..." Sora spoke the truth, though he would never reveal why that was.
"Oh... That's too bad..." Apple Bloom trailed off.
"Enough about me," Sora brought the conversation back on track, "Is not having a cutie mark that big of a deal?"
"Of course it is!" Apple Bloom shouted, "If ah don't have a cutie mark, then ah'm not special!" The little filly looked like she was on the verge of tears.
"Apple Bloom," Sora sat down and placed his hooves on her shoulders, "Don't you ever say that about yourself! Of course you're special."
"But ah'm not," Apple Bloom was practically crying at this point, "Ah don't know what ah'm good at. What if ah never get mah cutie mark?"
"Listen to me, Apple Bloom," Sora wiped away her tears, "So you don't have your cutie mark now. That just means you still get to discover what you're really good at. Cutie marks are supposed to show your special talent, right? Well, I bet that your talent will be amazing when you finally get your cutie mark!"
"Ya really think so?" Apple Bloom sniffled. Sora gave her a genuine nod. Suddenly, all of Apple Bloom's worries seemed to fade, "Thanks, Sora."
"Don't mention it," He ruffled the filly's mane, causing her to giggle in delight, "C'mon, let's go get some ice cream."
—
The two ponies traveled to Sugarcube Corner, with Apple Bloom ridding piggyback. They both got simple chocolate bars and were currently trotting through Ponyville with treats in hoof.
As Sora trotted on the path, a thought occurred to him, i"Maybe I should tell Pinkie about sea-salt ice cream,"/i She certainly would not pass up an opportunity to make a new delicious treat for everyone to enjoy. Unbeknownst to Sora and Apple Bloom, two certain ponies were nearby.
Trotting across the road with their heads held up high were two earth pony fillies. The first filly had pink fur, a lilac and white mane and tail, light blue eyes. Atop her head was a silver tiara adorned with numerous diamonds, she had cutie mark depicting this same tiara. The other filly was gray in color, sporting a two toned silver mane that was braided in the back. This filly wore blue rimmed spectacles over her violet eyes and a pearl necklace. Her cutie mark displayed a very ornate spoon made of silver. The gray filly glanced towards Sora and Apple Bloom. Instantly, her curiosity was peaked.
"Hey Di," The gray filly nudged her pink friend, "Isn't that the pony we keep hearing about?"
The pink one glanced over to Sora, making her eyes go wide, "Yeah, your right. What's his name? Zola?"
"You should go talk to him, Diamond Tiara," Silver Spoon suggested, "Imagine how much more popular we'll be if he shows up at your cute-ceañera."
The filly known as Diamond Tiara considered the suggestion, smiling devilishly, "That's not a bad idea. Everypony seems to like him. I'll just convince him to attend," Diamond Tiara then noticed that Apple Bloom was sitting atop Sora's back. Suddenly, her face contorted into a scowl, "Wait, what's he doing with that blank flank?"
"Who cares?" Silver Spoon advised, "It doesn't matter if he hangs out with blank flanks, he's still popular."
"I guess you could be right," Diamond Tiara admitted. With their goal set, the two fillies approached the ice cream eating ponies.
"Hey you!" Diamond Tiara spoke forcefully. Sora stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to the two fillies approaching him. Apple Bloom saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon and her attitude drastically changed; now she became fearful.
"Who, me?" The caramel pegasus asked.
"Yeah, you. Zola is it?"
"Zola? My name's Sora," He corrected.
"Yeah, whatever," Diamond Tiara brushed aside, "Listen, I'm inviting you to my cute-ceañera tomorrow so I expect you to be there."
"Uh... I'm sorry, what?" Sora was having a hard time discerning what Diamond Tiara was saying to him. Was she forcing him to go to a party?
"You daft?" Diamond Tiara insulted, "I said that you should go to my cute-ceañera tomorrow!"
Sora knew one thing for certain, he did not like this filly's attitude at all. Although, when Diamond Tiara mentioned the name of the event, something clicked in his head.
i"Didn't Apple Bloom mention something about a cute-se... Whatever it's called?"/i
"Oh and Apple Bloom," Diamond Tiara addressed the yellow filly, who seemed to shrink under the pink one's gaze, "You're welcome to come too, even if you don't have a cutie mark."
"It's not like being the only pony there without a cutie mark would be, like, the most embarrassing thing ever," Silver Spoon taunted.
"Blank flank!" The two of them shouted, bursting into laughter afterward. Apple Bloom, being under scrutiny, huddled behind Sora. The caramel pegasus in question saw this teasing and he reacted accordingly.
"Hey, that's not very nice," Sora scolded, crossing his fore-hooves.
"Yeah, so what?" Diamond Tiara brushed aside his comment.
"Like, having no cutie mark just shows how un-special you are," Silver Spoon argued, "You should really find some better company to hang around, Sora," The two fillies threw mischievous grins Apple Bloom's way. The farm filly wilted even further.
"Bump! Bump! Sugar-lump, rump!" Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon performed a joint dance where they clapped each other's hooves and then bumped their flanks together, perfectly showing off their cutie marks. Sora was not impressed, he saw how these fillies acted and their actions were not to his liking.
"You don't get to decide who I hang out with!" Sora defiantly stated, "Besides, Apple Bloom is special! So what if she doesn't have her cutie mark? She's still my friend, no matter what."
"Phhht... Whatever," Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, "I'll see both of you tomorrow," With that, she and Silver Spoon trotted off, their snooty dispositions clearly evident.
"Am ah glad they're gone," Apple Bloom seemed alot more comfortable all of a sudden.
"Apple Bloom," Sora addressed his young companion, "Have they been bullying you," He took a shot in the dark.
"Yeah..." She replied timidly, then she continued in a more heated tone of voice, "It's all because ah don't have mah cutie mark! Diamond Tiara thinks she's all special cause she just got hers! She thinks she's better than everypony else. Ah bet she wouldn't tease me if ah had mah cutie mark!"
"Apple Bloom, you can't just let those two push you around like that," Sora said, "They won't leave you alone unless you stand up to them!"
"That's easy for you to say," Apple Bloom replied, "Ah bet you never got picked on."
"Sure I did," Sora responded, causing Apple Bloom's eyes to go wide, "Of course I got picked on. But once I stood up to my bullies, they never bothered me again."
"Wow, that's really something," Apple Bloom said.
"Maybe I should've told Apple Bloom that Riku drove off those bullies." Sora thought
"Ah'm glad yer able to spend the day with me, Sora," Apple Bloom said, a genuine smile on her muzzle.
"Anytime," Sora replied. Just then, something clicked in his brain. Now all of a sudden, Sora was thrown into a panicked state, "OH NO!"
Apple Bloom jumped in surprise from Sora's reaction, almost dropping her ice cream in the process, "What's wrong?"
"Sorry, Apple Bloom, but I just remembered I need to be somewhere," Sora used his wings to lower the yellow filly on the ground.
"Where ya goin'?" She asked.
"Sorry, no time to explain," Sora rushed, "I'll see you later," With that, Sora galloped away, leaving Apple Bloom with with ice cream bar. Now that Sora was gone, Apple Blooms fears seemed to resurface.
"Maybe ah can get mah cutie mark before the party," She thought out loud.
—
"Sora," Rarity said, "Might I have a word with you, darling?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"Sorry to spring this on you out of nowhere, but I have a favor to ask you," Rarity informed.
"Okay, what is it?" Sora asked.
"Well, my parents will be out of town and my little sister is staying with me," Rarity explained.
"Wait," Sora interrupted, his eyes wide, "You have a little sister?" This was certainly news to Sora.
"Oh, yes," Rarity realized, "Apologies, I don't think I've ever mentioned Sweetie Belle to you before," She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Anyway, I need to be away Friday afternoon and I need somepony to look after Sweetie Belle for me while I'm away."
"Where are you going?" Sora felt the need to ask.
"It's nothing too serious," Rarity answered, "I just need to be away to assist a client. It's nothing to worry about," That was a sufficient enough answer. Still, there was something that Sora wished to know.
"Okay, but, why ask me?" Sora crossed his fore-hooves in curiosity, "Is everyone else busy?"
Rarity pursed her lips together, "You see, the thing is, Sweetie Belle is a big fan—Of you, I mean."
Sora cocked his head to the side in confusion, "She's a fan of me?"
"You are quite a talking point among foals, Sora," Rarity said, "The stallion who rescued a filly from a burning building, protected the town from heartless, defeated Nightmare Moon in a duel, among other feats. You're practically a super hero to them," Sora could not help but blush at that remark, "Anyway, I think Sweetie Belle would very much like to spend the afternoon with you."
Sora considered the request. It did seem out of nowhere, then again, Rarity does need help. Besides, he would not pass up the chance to make a potential new friend, "Okay, I'll be sure to swing by."
"Oh, thank you so much, Sora," Rarity lit up, "This will mean so much to Sweetie Belle."
—
That was what Sora agreed to yesterday. He needed to baby Rarity's little sister for a short time, and he almost forgot about it. Sora bolted his way towards Carousel Boutique. When he arrived, he took a moment to catch his breath. He opened the door to find Rarity already on the opposite side of the entrance.
"Oh, Sora, you're here," The fashion pony greeted, "I was worried you had forgotten this little play date."
"Of course I didn't forget," Sora lied unconvincingly, to which Rarity caught on to; however, she decided not to press the issue, "I'm just fashionably late."
"Ha ha, funny," Rarity responded dryly to Sora's attempt at humor, "Sweetie Belle is in the next room over. I'll be back in a few hours," With that, Rarity exited the Boutique, leaving Sora to look after her sister.
Sweetie Belle was a unicorn filly. She had a pristine white coat, a swirly pink and purple mane and tail, and cute lime green eyes. When she saw Sora enter the living room, her muzzle lifted into a wide smile.
"Hey there," Sora waved to the unicorn in his usual friendly demeanor, "You're Sweetie Belle, right?"
"I can't believe you're actually here," Sweetie gushed, her voice adorably squeaky, "I must be the luckiest filly in Ponyville right now!"
Something was nagging in the back of Sora's mind. For some reason, he felt as though he had seen this squeaky filly before, "Hey, have we met before?" Sora asked.
"We have, actually," Sweetie Belle answered. Sora rubbed his chin, trying to recall where he's seen her, but nothing was coming to mind, "A few weeks ago, you we're telling me and a few other kids about how you fought those monsters in town hall."
Something clicked inside Sora. He did remember telling that story to a group of kids, it was when smoke was starting to cover Equestria. Now he remembered, Sweetie Belle was part of that same group.
"Oh, yeah! I remember now," Sora nodded his head, "Yeah, you had this really big smile on your face when I was telling the story," Looking over at Sweetie Belle, she had that same smile on her muzzle.
"You are just the coolest pony!" Sweetie Belle hopped in the air to empathize her point.
"Say, Sweetie Belle," Sora addressed her, the little filly locked her eyes with Sora's, "If you like me this much, how come you never tried to talk to me?"
Sweetie Belle rubbed her hoof nervously, breaking eye contact with Sora, "Well... um—I didn't wanna bother you or anything."
"Where'd you get that idea?" Sora asked.
"I don't know," The filly looked away, her cheeks blushing.
"I guess Sweetie Belle's pretty shy," Sora thought to himself. Looking at the filly with her ears drooped down, the caramel pegasus was compelled to make her feel better, "Hey, Sweetie Belle, do you wanna be friends?"
"Really?!" She questioned, her pupils shrinking. Sora replied with a firm nod, "Wow, thanks!" Sweetie Belle jumped up and down in excitement.
"No problem," Sora ruffled Sweetie's mane the same way he did with Apple Bloom's. The white filly giggled in delight.
"Can I see your key thing?" Sweetie Belle asked with an expectant smile.
"Sure," Sora obliged, summoning his Kingdom Key in his maw. Sweetie Belle eyed
"You have all the coolest stuff," Sweetie complimented, "Like your jacket, it's so cool looking."
Sora smiled in appreciation, placing his keyblade in his hoof so he could rest it on his shoulder, "Thanks," The caramel pegasus then got an idea, "Say, wanna try it on?"
Sweetie Belle's pupils dilated, "Really, you'll let me wear your jacket?!"
"Sure, why not?" Sora affirmed, removing his jacket. Sweetie Belle squealed in joy as Sora handed her the garment, "Go on, try it on," Sweetie Belle did not have to be told twice. She immediately accepted the jacket and stepped into it with her little hooves.
"How do I look?" Sweetie asked excitedly. Looking over at the unicorn filly, Sora noted that the jacket did not fit her at all. It was covering up most of her body.
"Huh, that's pretty cute looking at it from the other side," Sora thought, noting how ridiculous Sweetie Belle looked. He must have looked just as strange when he was a colt. She was ecstatic nonetheless, "Well, maybe you'll grow into it."
Sweetie Belle looked herself over. The jacket was clearly meant for big ponies. Still, the material was soft while durable at the same time, "This is the best!" She exclaimed, bouncing in place to display her enthusiasm.
During her bouncing, her little hoof got caught on the sleeve of Sora's jacket, causing her tip trip. Sweetie Belle squeaked in fright as she fell down on her stomach with a thud. Sora reacted immediately, kneeling down and picking Sweetie Belle back up.
"Are you okay?" Sora asked with clear concern, gently untangling her hoof from the sleeve.
"I'm fine," Sweetie winced in pain. Rubbing the hoof that got caught.
"You need to be more careful," Sora said, gently stroking Sweetie Belle's head.
"I'm sorry," She apologized.
"Don't be," Sora comforted, "At least you're okay," Now that Sweetie Belle had calmed down a bit, she found herself glancing over at Sora's silver crown cutie mark.
"Hey, Sora, what's your cutie mark mean?" She inquired, leaning her head to get a better look at it. Sora widened his eyes, he remembered Apple Bloom asked him the same question on his first day in Equestria. Unfortunately, he did not have Applejack to bail him out of the question.
"Oh, uh... I'm not really sure," He answered truthfully.
"What?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked, "How could you not know what your cutie mark means? Don't you have a special talent?"
"Well, of course I do," Sora answered, breaking eye contact with Sweetie, "It's just, I'm not completely sure what my cutie mark is supposed to mean."
"How does that even work?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"I'm not sure what to tell you," Sora admitted, rubbing his head. Quickly wanting to change the subject, the caramel pegasus turned his head back to Sweetie Belle, "Say, what do wanna play? We got a few hours to ourselves."
The white filly perked up, eager to start playing, "Well, how about hide and seek?"
—
Rarity opened the door. A few hours away and she was finally home.
"Sweetie Belle, I'm back!" Rarity called out. She did not receive a response, but she did hear laughter in the next room. Curiosity taking over her, Rarity peered into the living room and was met with a startling sight.
"Oh, save me, brave knight!" Cried Sweetie Belle halfheartedly, sitting atop the couch wearing a pink dress that was far too big for her, likely a dress Rarity had lying around, "Please rescue me from the dreaded cat demon!"
Opalescence was lying on the couch as well. She looked absolutely bored, trying to fall asleep but these noisy ponies were just so loud.
"Fear not, fair princess," Sora held his keyblade up heroically, "I'll save from this foul beast!" Sora lowered his keyblade and used it to lightly prod Opal. The temperamental kitty glared at Sora, who continued to nudge her. Letting out a hiss, Opal leapt off the couch and left to go sleep elsewhere.
"You did it, brave knight," Cheered Sweetie Belle, "You defeated the evil cat demon!"
Rarity cleared her throat, bringing Sora and Sweetie Belle out of their little make believe session. The two of them turned their attention to find the fashion pony stifling a chuckle.
"Rarity, hey," Sora greeted awkwardly, "How long were you standing there?"
"Not too long," She answered, "Thank you so much for looking after Sweetie Belle, Sora. You may go now."
Sweetie Belle looked sad. She was having such a good time. Sora noticed this and ruffled Sweetie's mane again.
"Hey, we can play again sometime if ya want," Sora offered, to which Sweetie Belle nodded in affirmation, "See ya later."
Sora exited Carousel Boutique, leaving the two sisters alone.
"Did you have a great time, Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked.
"Sure did!" Sweetie nodded, "I still can't believe you're friends with a pony like that."
"Well, I am," Rarity then took on a stern expression, "Now, I do believe it's time for her majesty to return that dress back where she found it."
Sweetie Belle winced at being scolded by her big sister.
—
After having such a fun time with Sweetie Belle, Sora walked the streets of Ponyville in high spirits. Looking at the sky, Sora noticed that the sun was close to setting. He decided that he would make his way back to the farm. As he was trotting ahead, his ears picked up a few peculiar sounds. There was the sounds of a filly screaming and the sounds of plastic wheels barreling down. Sora turned his attention to find a filly speeding out of control on a wooden scooter. In her panicked state, the filly ended up colliding with a low wooden crate, sending her and the scooter flying.
Thinking quickly, Sora flew in the air and grabbed filly in his hooves. The scooter fell onto the ground, miraculously showing no signs of external damage. Sora gently placed the filly onto the ground, now getting a better look at her appearance. She was an orange pegasus filly with violet eyes and a messy purple tail. She had an equally messy mane underneath her blue helmet.
Sora breathed a sigh of relief, "That was way too close," The ponies who spectated this event shared a similar sigh of relief.
"Wow, nice save," The filly complimented. Her eyes then widened when she took note of his black jacket and his spiky mane, "Wait a minute! Are you that Sora guy everypony's talking about?" Sora softened his expression.
"Yup, that's me," The caramel pegasus placed his fore-hooves behind his head, a prideful smile etching across his face, "I guess you must have heard about all of my awesome feats."
"Yeah, you're pretty cool," The filly nodded her head, "But you're not as cool as Rainbow Dash," Sora doubled down, his face expressing complete bewilderment, "I'm Scootaloo, by the way."
"What? What do you mean I'm not as cool as Rainbow Dash?" He demanded to know, "What does she have that I don't?"
"I mean, you're cool and all, but there's no way you can fly as fast as Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said.
"Okay, maybe not," Sora admitted, trying to think of a way to get Scootaloo on his side, "But I can do other things. I rescued a little girl from a burning building after all."
"Rainbow Dash could've done that easy," Scootaloo argued.
"I fought Nightmare Moon!"
"Yeah, but you did need Rainbow Dash's help to beat her."
"I fight off the Heartless!"
"What's a Heartless?"
Sora slumped, there was no arguing with this filly. He figured there was one more thing he could show her to impress her. In a flash of light, he summoned his keyblade, leaning onto it like a cane.
"Is that the key thing you use?" Scootaloo asked.
"Sure is," Sora affirmed, "Pretty cool, huh?"
The way Scootaloo eyed the keyblade showed that she was not particularly impressed with the blade, "That's the least cool sword I've ever seen."
Sora slipped off from his keyblade, causing both him and it to tumble on the ground, "What?" Sora said, realigning himself, "It happens to be an ancient weapon that banishes darkness!"
"You'd think it look more cool than it is though," Scootaloo remarked, trotting over to her scooter and setting it back up.
Sora sighed in dejection. He gave up trying to impress Scootaloo. In the course of a few hours, he had his ego inflated and then dashed down.
"Isn't Rainbow Dash just the coolest?!" Scootaloo went into hyper fangirl mode at the drop of a hat, "The way she does all those stunts, she's just the coolest pegasus ever!"
"Yeah, sure..." Sora replied halfheartedly. Scootaloo did not catch Sora's saddened tone and continued on her tangent.
"I mean, I bet she got her cutie mark in the coolest way possible!" Sora perked up his ears, there was that phrase again, cutie mark. Looking over at Scootaloo, Sora noticed that she did not have a mark either, "She must know exactly what she wants in life. I hope I get to be just like her someday," She finished with a hopeful smile.
Sora noticed that Scootaloo casted a quick glance at her wings. It was faint, but he was certain that he saw her smile fade a little bit.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Sora asked.
Scootaloo widened her eyes, but quickly responded, "Nope, nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?"
"Are you sure?"
"Totally sure," Scootaloo forced a smile, "Anyway, cool meeting you, gotta go!" She hopped onto her scooter and used her small wings to propel herself forward. Sora was impressed that Scootaloo used her wings in such a creative manner. Still, he was curious why she seemed sad all of a sudden.
—
After his encounter with Scootaloo, Sora made his way back to the farm. Looking over the horizon, the sun was just about to set. While he entered the farm grounds, he was greeted by a brown and white furred collie dog with a red collar.
"Hey, Winona," Sora greeted the Apple family dog, who wagged her tail in excitement. The collie raced ahead, yipping in excitement. Sora took this as his cue to start chasing her. He ran after Winona, laughing the whole time. Tailing Winona to the Apple house, Sora saw Applejack at the front porch. Winona ran up to the farm mare and yipped in excitement.
"There ya are, Sora," The farm mare greeted, petting Winona to calm her down, "Ah haven't seen ya all day."
"Yeah, I had to look after Rarity's little sister today," Sora explained. Then his mind drifted towards Apple Bloom, "Hey, A.J, have you seen Apple Bloom lately?"
"Ah was talking to her this afternoon," Applejack explained, "She was carrying on about not having a cutie mark. Ah told her it was no big deal. Ah was the last in mah class to get her cutie mark, same with Big Mac and Granny."
"Actually, I think she's worried that she'll get picked on for not having one," Sora suggested.
"Ya talkin' about that party tomorrow?" She asked, to which Sora nodded, "It ain't healthy ah tell ya, worrying over your cutie mark like that."
"What'll we do?" Sora questioned, not exactly to Applejack but just in general.
"Sora, can ah ask ya a personal favor?"
"Sure, what is it?" Sora replied immediately.
"Ah want ya to go to that cute-ceañera tomorrow and be with Apple Bloom," The farm mare requested, "Ah'll be goin' too, but ah bet she'll feel alot better if you're there, if she decides to show up that is."
"Sure thing," Sora agreed without hesitation, "I'll make sure Apple Bloom is okay."
"Thank ya, Sora, yer a true friend."
The family and Sora had dinner, apple based of course. Apple Bloom was there but she seemed very distant, a far cry from her usual cheery self. Any attempts to initiate conversation were met with one word responses. Even when Sora said he'll go to the party with her tomorrow, Apple Bloom did not pay him much mind.
Now it was time for bed, Sora sat down on his bed in the Apple house's spare room. The family showed them so much hospitality, Sora was so grateful for all their kindness. One day, he'll find a way to repay them.
While he was lying on his bed, Sora took a glance at his flank, taking note of the silver crown emblazoned upon it. This was his cutie mark. He did not know much about cutie marks, only that they were meant to represent a pony's special talent. The only problem was that Sora did not know what his cutie mark represented.
"What would be my special talent?" Sora pondered, sitting on his haunches with his fore-hooves crossed, "I guess my talent would be my skill with the Keyblade, but if that's the case, then wouldn't my cutie mark be my keyblade?" He took another look at the mark, a silver crown. That same icon was on a chain around his neck. For many years, he wore necklaces with this crown charm. Sora did not know what it meant, he always just thought it looked cool. Sora has seen this symbol before, on his keyblade. Brandishing the mystical weapon in his jaw, Sora took note of the teeth of the blade, seeing that it formed the outline of a crown. It was clear that this crown symbol represented Sora in some way, but he had no idea how.
Sora sighed, this whole cutie mark business was so confusing. He decided that it would be easier to just sleep in his bed, and that's what he did.
—
The next day, Sora had a rather uneventful morning. Strangely, ha had not seen Apple Bloom during that whole time. It seemed as though she got up early (or at least earlier than six-o-clock). Sora spent the morning searching for Apple Bloom, but he was not able to find her.
The party was being held in Sugarcube Corner, planned by Pinkie Pie of course. Sora only went to see if Apple Bloom would be there and support her if need be. Judging by how Diamond Tiara, who wore a fancy pink and yellow dress along with Silver Spoon, acted towards the yellow filly yesterday, Sora suspected that Apple Bloom needed all the help she could get. Looking over the party, another excellent job done by Pinkie, Sora could not see Apple Bloom anywhere. Maybe she decided not to go after all.
Sora saw a tray of cupcakes nearby. With his stomach doing the thinking at the moment, the caramel pegasus picked up a delicious looking cupcake with pink frosting. As soon as he took a bite, his mouth immediately protested for him to stop. Sora's pupils shrunk, this did not taste like a cupcake at all; it tasted burnt and terrible. Upon closer inspection, Sora noticed that the inside of the cupcake looked like black charcoal, even the inside of the frosting. With his tase buds revolting against him, Sora dropped the cupcake and made his way to a nearby trash can, where he spat out the contents in his mouth and wiped his tongue free of the offending substance. He received a few odd looks as he did this, but he did not not notice.
After eating the worst treat he ever had in his life, Sora turned his attention to the front entrance, where he found Apple Bloom of all ponies nearby. Forgetting about his terrible cupcake experience, the keyblade wielder trotted to the yellow filly.
"Apple Bloom, there you are," Sora said. The yellow filly jumped in surprise and turned to find Sora was right behind her.
"Sora?!"
"Yeah, I said I'd be here last night..." Sora continued talking but Apple Bloom tuned him out. She saw that Diamond Tiara had noticed her. Thinking fast, Apple Bloom bite down on a nearby pink table cloth, "...I'm glad you're—hey, what're you doing?" Apple Bloom quickly tied together the table cloth to create a makeshift dress, thereby covering her flank.
"Well well well, look who's here," Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon approached Apple Bloom. Sora steeled himself when he saw the two fillies.
"Nice outfit," The gray filly sarcastically stated, taking note of the table cloth Apple Bloom was wearing.
"Just sumt'n ah, uh, pulled together last minute," Apple Bloom lamely stated.
"It really shows off your cutie mark," Diamond Tiara teased, "Oh wait, that's right, you don't have one," Sora glared at Diamond Tiara, who payed him no mind as she chortled along with Silver Spoon.
"Uh, ah have a cutie mark," Apple Bloom said. The three ponies in the farm filly's presence all reeled back in shock.
"Wait, when did—" Sora did not get a chance to finish his sentence as Apple Bloom kicked his shin to shut him up, much to his displeasure.
"Oh really?" Diamond was calling Apple Bloom's bluff, "Let's see it."
"Ah shouldn't. Ah couldn't," Apple Bloom quickly thought of an excuse, "My cutie mark is so unbelievably amazing, Ah'm afraid that if ah show it off, everyone will start paying attention to meinstead of you. Outshined at yer own cute-ceañera. Can ya imagine how embarrassing that would be?"
Apple Bloom's mind game seemed to be effective, as Diamond Tiara scrunched her face in uncertainty, "Uh, forget it, I didn't really want to see it anyway."
"Okay, well, ah'm gonna go mingle," Apple Bloom lied. In truth, she was going to leave first chance she got, "Enjoy yer party."
"Wait, Apple Bloom," Sora reached out to her as she was making her way towards the exit. The caramel pegasus, in his haste, accidentally stepped on the hem of Apple Bloom's "dress," causing the filly to tumble over. The table cloth unfurled, leaving Apple Bloom on the floor with her blank flank on full display. Apple Bloom falling caught the attention of everpony present. All of a sudden, the farm filly was the center of attention, and not in a good way.
"Oh, nice cutie mark," Diamond Tiara sarcastically remarked, she and Silver Spoon carrying evil expressions.
"Blank flank!" They both teased, throwing Apple Bloom on the spotlight. The two bullies laughed their heads off while Apple Bloom looked like she was about to cry. Sora stepped forward, intending to give Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon a piece of his mind. That is, until somepony spoke up.
"You got a problem with blank flanks?!" Spoke a filly's voice. Sora stopped, he recognized that voice.
"What was that?" Diamond Tiara spoke to no one in particular.
"I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?" The ponies all turned to where the voice was coming from. It was from Scootaloo, who was hiding underneath a table along with Sweetie Belle. The two fillies, huddling out of their hiding place, glared at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"W-what are you two doing here?!" Sora questioned.
"The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special," Silver Spoon answered, though she did not sound very convincing.
"No, it means she's full of potential," Sweetie Belle counter-argued.
"It means she could be great at anything," Scootaloo added, "The possibilities are, 'like, endless,'" She finished with a mock impression of how Silver Spoon talks.
"She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer," Sweetie Belle continued to She could even be mayor of Ponyville someday.
"And she's not stuck being stuck-uplike you two," Scootaloo fired, resulting in a round of laughs from the party goers.
"Hey, this is myparty!" Diamond Tiara yelled, "Why are you two on herside?" She gestured accusingly at Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle lowered their fierce confidence, "Because..." They revealed their secret, they did not have cutie marks.
"You don't have your cutie marks either?" Apple Bloom gasped, "Ah thought ah was the only one."
"We thought wewere the only two," Scootaloo replied. Sora looked over this scene with great interest. Three fillies who were self-conscious about their lack of cutie marks meeting together in the same place? There was no way this was mere coincidence, this must have been fate.
"Ya know what?" Sora chimed in, "I think the three of you are really lucky."
"Lucky?" Diamond Tiara screeched, her teeth gnashing in anger, How could they possibly be lucky? They're just a bunch of worthless blank flanks!"
"Tough talk from somebody who's hiding her cutie mark!" Sora fired back. Diamond Tiara reeled back in shock, glancing over at her expensive dress, which did indeed hide her cutie mark, "They still have their own adventure ahead of them, the adventure of finding out who they really are. And the best part is, they don't have to do it alone."
The three mark-less fillies looked at Sora with wide eyes.
"And they got all the time in the world to figure it out," Sora continued. All of a sudden, the foals at the party started to coerce around Apple Bloom.
"Wow, Apple Bloom, I wish I could be a scientist."
"Do you really think you could be mayor?
"Maybe I got my cutie mark too soon."
Suddenly, Apple Bloom's worries seemed to fade away. Now she was brimming with newfound confidence. Now she had two friends to go on this journey with.
Diamond Tiara looked over at this scene "Hey, what's everypony doing? This is myparty, everypony is supposed to be paying attention to me!"
"Whatever," Silver Spoon attempted to brush off, "We still think you're losers, right, Diamond Tiara? Bump, bump, sugar... lump..." The gray filly tried to initiate the special dance she had with Diamond Tiara, but she was not reciprocating the movements.
"Not now, Silver Spoon!" The spoiled filly denied. She found herself glaring at Sora, "Stupid, spikey maned dolt!" With that, Diamond Tiara was storming away up the stairs. Silver Spoon dutifully followed after. With that, the three fillies addressed one another.
"Name's Scootaloo."
"And I'm Sweetie Belle."
"Apple Bloom," With the introductions out of the way, the three new friends all shared wide smiles. Sora looked over the three fillies, it almost seemed like fate that the three would meet up like this. In a spur of the moment action, Sora scooped up the three fillies and pulled them all into a big hug. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle giggled in delight while Scootaloo just sighed.
—
The party continued to go on, even without Diamond Tiara. In fact, the party became far more lively after she left. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo sat at the same table, discussing a pivotal moment in their lives.
"Ah was thinking," Apple Bloom initiated the conversation, "Now that we're friends, what if the three of us work together to find out who we are and what we're supposed to be?
"Ooh! Ooh! We could form our own secret society for cutie mark finding!" Sweetie Belle suggested.
"Secret society?" Scootaloo repeated, "Okay, I'm liking this idea."
"Yeah. We need a name for it though," Apple Bloom pointed out. The three fillies pondered for a minute to
"The Cutie Mark Three?" Scootaloo suggested.
"The Cutastically Fantastics?" Sweetie Belle just threw that one out there.
Apple Bloom smiled, having come up with the perfect name, "How about... The Cutie Mark Crusaders?"
"It's perfect!" Scootaloo stated.
"This is gonna be great!" Sweetie Belle showed her excitement.
"We're gonna be unstoppable!" The now dubbed Cutie Mark Crusaders all put their right fore-hooves down, a moment to engrave their new-found friendship. Sora was watching this scene from a distance with a smile on his face.
"Good for them," spoke a mare's voice. Sora turned his attention to see Twilight standing next to him.
"Hey Twilight, finally decided to leave your cave?" He jested with a sly grin.
"Very funny," Twilight dryly replied, "I heard what you said earlier. You certainly have a knack for inspiring others."
"I just said what my heart was telling me to say," Sora Rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, you do that alot, do you?" Twilight responded.
"Is there something wrong with that?" Sora asked.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," Twilight clarified, "Look, I'm gonna go mingle. See ya."
After Twilight trotted off, Sora looked over to the newly formed Cutie Mark Crusaders. All of a sudden, he thought back to a chance meeting he had years ago, a chance meeting with two people who changed his life for the better.
"All for one, and one for all," Sora whispered, a sad smile forming on his muzzle.