The Misadventures of Ponified Friends

Chapter 16: You'll Get There (Call of the Cutie)


(Silver's POV)

To start things off, I was walking my way towards Ponyville's schoolhouse for two reasons.

Firstly, Applejack asked me to fetch Apple Bloom in her school when she forgot to tell her sister to help her out in their stall back in town.

The second was to find out if Robert's interview with the teacher had gone well. In case you were wondering why he was there, well, it was because he was trying to land an internship spot for his training to become a teacher.

That blew my mind when he told us a month ago. I mean, I could never imagine him, no offense, to stand in front of a crowd willingly. Heck, I never even expected him to want to become a teacher!

I guess we did change a lot since we arrived here. In more ways than one.

I was near the school as I observed the quaint scenery. The building was surrounded by white picket fences, healthy and green trees, and a playground placed beside it. A cool breeze passed by, making the red flag in the pole gently wave. It would've been a nice kindergarten back in the day if only it weren't so cute looking.

The school bell rang, signaling the kids to make their way out. I kept an eye out for Apple Bloom, and she was the last filly to exit the door. She looked glum.

"Want some sweets? I got the peppermint sticks!" Twist, a friend of Apple Bloom, offered. "I made them myself."

Apple Bloom shook her head.

"It'll make you smile~!"

"No…"

I made my way to her, curious why she was sad. "Hey, Apple Bloom. Why the long face?"

"Oh, hi, Silver. It- It's nothin'."

I gave her a look. "Come on, AB. Spill it out."

"Seriously, I don't know why we had to sit through a lecture about getting a cutie mark." A bratty sounding voice began to draw near our way. I turned and saw a purple and gray little pony discussing something. "I mean, waiting for your cutie mark is so last week. You got yours, I just got mine, and we all have them already. I mean, almost all of us have them already."

Wait, was that shot meant for Applebloom and Twist?

"Don't worry, you two. You're still invited for my cute-ceanera this weekend." She told them arrogantly.

"It's going to be amazing." The gray one followed.

"It's a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark. How can it not be?" Man, this kid sounds like she's super-rich or something for her to brag about it. And what the heck's a cute-ceanera?

"Bump-Bump, Sugar lump-Rump!" The two little ponies did a dance where they end up hitting their butts. The gray one had a silver spoon mark, while the pink one had a tiara.

"Gimme' a break…" I heard Apple Bloom mutter, her face long.

"See you this weekend, Blank Flanks!" They said before taking their leave. Now that sounded like an insult. And they didn't even acknowledge my presence when they were making fun of the two!

I think I found out why Apple Bloom was upset.

"Don't listen to them, Apple Bloom. I guess I'll see you later. Bye, sir!" Twist bid farewell, waving at us before trotting away.

"So, what are you doing here, Silver?"

"Your sister forgot to tell you to help out with the stall." I then trailed. "and uh… who are those two?"

"It's the ponies I keep telling you about. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon." she reminded me.

"Man, what did they do to you this time?" I asked, remembering AB's stories about them.

"It's nothing important!"

"Alright, alright." I raised my hooves in submission. "But you better not let them get into your head."

"I try not to," she groaned in exasperation. "It's not fair. It's just not fair!"

"Settle down, Apple Bloom. Why don't we talk about this back home? This is about the cutie mark again, isn't it?"

"Applejack and Granny Smith always say that I'll get it eventually, but I want one right NOW! I can't go to Diamond Tiara's cute-ceanera without my cutie mark. I just can't!" Applebloom declared.

I pushed her along to get moving. "You will, kid. It's nice to wait sometimes and let it happen when you least expect it. Who knows, maybe it's related to apples like your family."

"I guess," she said, finally calming down. "Hey, maybe I'll get it today while I'm helping Applejack with the stall!"

"Uh yeah, sure, but-"

"Why didn't I think of it before? My unique talent must have had something to do with apples!" she suddenly began jumping up and down while she chanted in excitement.

"Hey, hey, slow down, kid. You're going to hurt yourself." I told her.

She threw her saddlebag in the air towards me from out of the blue. I caught it on impulse then noticed she started heading back to town.

"Bring my bag home, Silver! I'm gonna get me a cutie mark!" she announced before completely disappearing in my sight. I chuckled at her innocent enthusiasm. It must be nice. You could do and try out lots of things to find out what your calling is.

With Apple Bloom gone, I made my way to the schoolhouse to see if Robert was still around. It was confirmed as the door opened, and he and a dark pink pony exited the school, talking to each other with smiles.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity, Miss Cheerilee." Star Blast said. (I'm never gonna get used to calling him and Lemuel their pony names.)

"Oh, it's an honor for a student of the Princess to decide to train here in my schoolhouse." Miss Cheerilee replied. "Though, it might take a while for your application to be processed."

"It's no trouble at all. I just can't wait to get started, Ma'am."

Miss Cheerilee giggled. "My, what a nice young stallion. You're welcome to visit us here anytime."

"Definitely, Miss Cheerilee." Blast said, a genuine smile with him. They waved at each other before the teacher went back inside. Robert made a sigh.

"Hey, Rob!" I called. "How'd the interview go? Did you get it?"

He nodded. "I did. It might take weeks for the paperwork to be done, though."

"That's good to hear, man. Congrats!"

"Thanks," he said. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

I then told him the reasons as we walked back to the library.

"Yeah, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are quite a duo." Blast said. "They actually got Apple Bloom in trouble. I saw everything."

"Well, when the time comes that you're finally around, they wouldn't have the chance." I said. "and they kept going on and on about a cute-ceanera and how it's going to be perfect and everything. What the heck's a cute-ceanera, anyway?"

"Ever heard of quinceanera?" Blast asked. I shook my head in response. "It's a Hispanic tradition where they throw a party for a girl when she turns fifteen. Since it's a cute-ceanera, they're probably throwing a party because Diamond Tiara just got her cutie mark."

"Ah, so that explains why Applebloom is itching to get hers. Once she got out of school, she zoomed away to sell apples with AJ."

Star Blast laughed. "Why don't we check how she's doing?"

We went past the busy crowd in the market. The Apples' stall was near Sugarcube Corner, so it was just a few walks away. When we arrived, Apple Bloom was already selling the fruits the best in her ability heartily.

"Get your delicious, nutritious apples here!" Applejack called to the folks.

"Delicious and nutritious! And so many uses!" Apple Bloom balanced a green apple on her nose before eating it. "You can eat 'em! Play with 'em-!" She threw an apple into the air, then hit it with a tennis racket, causing the debris to hit some ponies from afar.

Star Blast and I turned to each other.

"Create fine art in your home with 'em!" This time she bucked an apple in the direction of a Unicorn trying to paint, hitting his art canvas. He glared at Apple Bloom while she kept trying to sell. "You have to be crazy not to get a bushel of your very own-!"

Applejack wisely pulled her back. "Heh… She's so creative."

"Looks like you're selling apples… pretty well." Hey, I don't like to hurt the kid's feelings.

"Howdy, Silver! Howdy, Star Blast!" AJ greeted us brightly.

"Hello, Applejack." Robert greeted back.

"Say, I heard yer tryin' to become a teacher in Apple Bloom's school. How'd it go?"

"It's just an internship so that I can become a teacher, and yeah, it went great. I might start next month."

"That's wonderful!" she packed a dozen of apples, then she gestured him to take it. "Here, on the house!"

"Wow, thanks." he appreciated the gift, taking it from Applejack. "Look's like it's apple pie again tonight, Silver."

I chuckled. "I'll take care of it, dude. Wanna try potato-apple pancakes next morning?" I slung the bag full of apples on my back.

"Well, you're the cook."

"Wanna buy Snapdragons with that? It's crunchy!" Apple Bloom told Robert.

"Sure, Apple Bloom. I'll take five." He popped out bits with his magic and gave it to Apple Bloom.

"Thank y'all kindly!"

"Anytime." Blast said.

"Woohoo! That's how you sell some apples and get a cutie mark!" She proclaimed happily. She walked around in a circle all of a sudden, like a dog chasing its tail.

"So, what does my cutie mark look like? A shopping bag full of apples? A satisfied customer eating an apple?" She stopped once nothing appeared in her flank. "Hmm… maybe I need to increase my sales figures first…"

Apple Bloom noticed a pony checking for fresh apples in the stand. As she approached the mare, me, Applejack, and Star Blast watched her.

The mare noticed Apple Bloom, making her stop from searching. The little filly shouted, "You touch it, you buy it! We take cash or credit."

The mare was startled as Applejack tried to approach her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." She apologized before the pony ran away, freaked out. "Ma'am!"

"Apple Bloom! That's no way to treat a cu-" My eyes widened when she placed most of the stall's stock of apples in someone's bag.

"That'll be four bits!" she said to the pony.

"I didn't put those in my bag!" the pony retorted.

"Likely story. Four bits, lady!" Before she did any more damage to the stall's reputation, her sister stepped in.

"Apple Bloom!" She placed her hoof over her sister's mouth, almost squishing her face. "I am really sorry about that. She's new." She threw some apples into the pony's bag. "Here, take these. No charge. And these. And these…"

Satisfied, the mare walked, at least tried to, away, barely pushing the sacks of apples with her. That leaves the stall out of apples to sell.

"Y'all come back again, you hear?" she called to the mare who left.

"She will if we keep giving her things for free." Applejack glared at me. "Sorry."

She then turned to Apple Bloom angrily.

"What?" the filly questioned innocently.

"Sorry little sis, but your apple sellin' days are over." Applejack practically ripped off Apple Bloom's apron to make her point.

"What? But how else am I gonna get my cutie mark?" she snatched her apron back.

"Home. NOW." Applejack warned, but Apple Bloom resisted. AJ sighed. "Listen, sugarcube. I know it's hard to wait for your very own cutie mark, but you just can't force it."

"Your sister's right, you know." Star Blast stepped in. "Besides, you're still in that age where you can't get your cutie mark just yet. Aren't there other colts and fillies in your class without one?"

"Well, Twist doesn't have hers yet…" she answered.

"Do you think you'd feel better if you go to the party with her?" Applejack questioned. Apple Bloom nodded. "Well, there you go! I bet you and Twist will have a great time together. Now run along and find your friend."

Apple Bloom turned to leave us before she thought of something. "You sure you don't want me to stick around 'til the end of the market?"

"Hey! Who's been using my racket?" a goateed pony demanded in the middle of the street. He was holding the racket that AB used earlier.

"We're pretty sure," I concluded, gesturing Apple Bloom to go meet up with Twist.

Applejack chuckled as she watched her sister. "My, I remember when I was a lil' filly, I was the last one in my class to get a cutie mark."

"You did? That's surprising." Star Blast admitted.

"Mmhmm, and I couldn't be prouder of it. I knew my future was to run Sweet Apple Acres, and these shiny apples sealed the deal." She rubbed her cutie mark with her elbow, making it shine like a normal apple. "Huh, kinda think of it, Granny Smith was the last one in her class, too. Same with Big Mcintosh."

"Then it runs in your family?" I asked.

"I guess so," she laughed. "Say, how'd you fellas get your cutie mark?"

I shrugged when I couldn't say something to her. "I don't know. It's just there when we got here." Look, I know that cutie marks meant that you found your unique talent. I learned a lot too, you know.

"Really? You don't have cutie marks in your world?" AJ asked.

"We don't have such things." Blast answered.

"Then, how will you know that you found that something that makes you special?"

"Well, I guess when we feel like it's the one? It's really complicated to explain, really. Us humans tend to have the same kind of talent and ability, and the only difference is how we do it at our own pace and how we reached it in the first place." Blast explained.

"Well, I'll be. You humans really are complicated," AJ commented. I agree with that. "Anywho, I do need to clean up shop and go home early."

"Want me to help you?" I offered.

"Nah, I can handle it." She replied. She reached for AB's bag that was slung in my back, and she took it. "Thanks for fetchin' Apple Bloom from school."

"Don't mention it. See you tomorrow."


I was already bored out of my mind. Rarely do I go home early from work, and boy was this place quiet. It never hurt to read books that Rob recommended for me, though, but only a few caught my time and enjoyment.

Blast and I were the only people in the library. Um, ponies I mean. Spike and Twilight have gone somewhere, and Lemuel still has his weather duties. Pretty boring time, indeed.

If only there were some sport in here that was like basketball. I miss waking up early in the morning, walking my way to the nearest court to just have fun with the sport I love. With that in mind, I glued my eyes to the empty trash bin near the door, and it just so happens that there were sheets of paper on the desk.

I smirked as I grabbed one sheet, rolling it into a ball. Then, I tried to form my hooves into a shooting position, with the crumpled paper between my imaginary hands. I calculated the arc of my shot, and I let it fly.

I smiled as I splashed it.

Thirsty, I went down to the kitchen, hoping there was some soda left. Blast was reading again, with very thick books beside him.

"Watcha reading now?" I asked him to break the silence.

"Well, when Applejack asked us about how we got our cutie marks, it got me thinking." He said. "If there were cutie marks on Earth, when did we get them, and why did it look like this? I went deep in some books, and I believe that cutie marks represent more than just a pony's talent."

"You know, I never questioned why my cutie mark looked like this after we settled our identities awhile back. I thought mine was a spur because San Antonio is my favorite team in the NBA, and I dreamt of playing for them."

"Me neither. I noticed that most Unicorns have heavenly bodies as cutie marks, especially in Canterlot. Mine is a supernova, but I'm sure as hell not talented in or even cast magic when we're still human." he sighed. "Add this to the list of things I want to figure out. I don't even know why Lemuel's cutie mark looks like the smiley emoji on fire."

"Hah. At least it makes you productive. Once I finished helping out the Apples, there's literally nothing else for me to do." I complained.

"Why don't you just hang out with Lemuel like you usually do? I've known Lemuel for most of my life, but you two hung out more times than we did."

"How? He doesn't exactly have his PlayStation and PC in here. That's all we ever do when it was just us." I mean, seriously, one of the few things I like about Lemuel was his gaming room. And he's got ALL the CONSOLES. I never met someone that rich.

Blast turned to me. "… You do know that he has a JoyBoy, right?"

"A Joy-what?"

"JoyBoy? Kind of like the version of the GameBoy in here? He's had it for months."

"What? And that guy hid it from me? Why didn't he hide it from you?"

"Because he knows I'm not fond of video games."

Hmph! That sneaky son of a-! Huh? Was it raining?

I looked out the window, and the day was normal, yet I smell rain.

"Is it just me, or did it rain for one second?" I wondered.

Blast shrugged. "Lemuel's probably home and messing around clouds again."

"Alright, I'll check this out."

I marched my way out and looked for the yellow flying twig, but he was nowhere around. I was about to go back inside until I saw a glimpse of dark gray near the well next to the library. I was surprised to see Apple Bloom sitting beside it, and she looked a bit under the weather, and I don't know if I just punned that.

I stopped for a moment when Rainbow Dash appeared from inside and out of the cloud, making me know why it was there in the first place. She had blown it away with her weather powers and settled next to the sad filly.

"-I want it NOW!" Apple Bloom was ranting something fast to Rainbow, so that was the only thing I heard.

"Cutie mark? I can get you a cutie mark like that!" Rainbow snapped her tail.

"Hey, hey. What's this?" I intervened.

"What's up, Silver? Apple Bloom was feeling down, so I asked how she's doin'." Rainbow said.

"Why are you lonely, Apple Bloom? Weren't you going to ask your friend Twist to come with you in the cute-ceanera?" I asked.

She sighed, gloomy. "I did, but when I met her… she got her cutie mark."

My eyes widened. "Really? That's… that's tough. I'm sorry, AB."

She frowned more than ever. I shouldn't have said that.

"And that's why I'm gonna help YOU get your cutie mark!" Rainbow declared.

"Star Blast said these things take time," said Apple Bloom. "I just have to wait for it to happen."

"Why wait for it to happen when you can make it happen?"

"But, he said that-"

"Hey, who are you gonna listen to? Star Blast?" Okay, that mocking tone was unnecessary. "or the pony who was first in her class to get a cutie mark?"

I stepped in between the two. "I have trouble believing that. You can't force something like a cutie mark to just appear."

"Oh, come on, now." she slung her left hoof (I don't know the equivalent of arms to ponies, so I'll just call it that) over my shoulders. "Look, we may not talk to each other a lot, but that doesn't mean you can't trust me. Let me tell you a story. I always like flying and all, but I was going nowhere in a hurry."

"Okay, so?"

"So, it wasn't until my very first race that I discovered a serious need for speed. Then kazam! This sweet baby appeared as fast as lightning."

Apple Bloom looked at Rainbow Dash in awe, watching her fly away like a bullet. I knew that she wanted Rainbow to help her, and there was no way I could change her mind now.

I really had a bad feeling as I let the small apple go.


It had been a few hours passed since Apple Bloom left with Rainbow. I paced around the town cause I was really concerned about the young pony and how she was doing. I didn't notice that I was becoming anxious than I shouldn't be. One way of dealing with it was to eat something sweet, so I decided to stop at Sugarcube Corner.

I could hear bouncy music, and Pinkie was singing something about cooking cupcakes while making my way. That pink pony and her songs.

And I smell… something burning?

Before I stepped inside the building, I was surprised to see Twilight in the kitchen's back door.

"Hey, Twilight. What's going on?" I asked.

"Oh, It looks like Pinkie and Apple Bloom are baking cupcakes inside," she answered.

"Apple Bloom? I thought she was with Rainbow Dash." I wondered.

Twilight shrugged. "They've been baking for quite a while now. What's the matter?"

"You see, Apple Bloom's been itching to get her cutie mark because of a cute-ceanera. She says that she won't go until she gets hers." I said. "Apple Bloom went with Rainbow Dash to try and get it as fast as possible, but I'm guessing she didn't."

"Then she must be seeking help from Pinkie Pie. I was going to check what the commotion is about inside the kitchen. Wanna come with me?" I then nodded at her offer.

Twilight opened the door as she leads the way inside. The kitchen was a complete mess. Ingredients and equipment were scattered everywhere.

"Woah! What's been going on around here?" Twilight questioned.

"We've been making cupcakes!" Pinkie literally slid towards us, with a tray of uh… cupcakes?

"Want to try one?"

"No, thank you. Not that they don't look… delicious." Twilight, it's okay to be honest occasionally.

"How about you, Silver?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, not really in the mood for cupcakes."

"Oh well, your loss." Pinkie began to eat the charcoals. What a strong stomach she has.

I cringed as I watched her, then turned my attention to Apple Bloom.

"Twilight! You HAVE to help me!" the green filly begged.

"What is it, Apple Bloom?"

She took a deep breath before spitting a tirade to Twilight.

"I… don't follow." I don't blame her. Even I couldn't.

"AB, we talked about this, didn't we? You can't force your cutie mark to appear by doing random stuff." I told her.

"Yeah but, I bet Twilight can use her magic to make my cutie mark appear!"

"Oh no, Apple Bloom." Twilight quickly opposed. "A cutie mark is something that a pony has to discover for herself."

"Please, Twilight. Just try?" AB begged.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"Oh please, please, please, please~!"

"Alright! Alright!" Amazing, even Twilight couldn't stand her.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" AB said gratefully.

Twilight charged her magic, making her horn glow purple as she concentrated it on Apple Bloom's flank. In an instant, a cutie mark DID appear! A cart full of apples! My jaw dropped when it happened.

"Yay! I knew you could do-" but the cutie mark disappeared midway. "-it."

I sighed sympathetically. "I'm sorry, kid, but we told you-"

"Try again! Try again!" she asked once again. Twilight and I looked at each other, but she continued to give AB what she wanted as she sighed in submission. She tried again and again, and again but the artificial cutie marks always vanish. I noticed that Twilight's breathing was beginning to look heavy. This was taking a lot out of her.

"Told you that not even magic can make a cutie mark appear before it's time," Twilight replied, regaining herself.

"It's hopeless, hopeless!" AB cried.

"Apple Bloom, how many times do we have to say to you that your cutie mark WILL appear when it's time?" I stressed.

"If that's the case, then I won't go to the party!" she walked away, her head down droopily. "I can't go! Everyone will just laugh at me and make fun of me and call me names. It'll be the worst time of my life!"

"Who cares about what they think? You will go to that party, and you're gonna have LOTS of fun." Woah. That sounded too much like an order.

"I'm sure it won't be as bad as all that," Twilight added, her voice reassuring.

"Forget it. There's no way I'm going to that-" she suddenly paused.

"Bloom? What's wrong?" I asked, but I couldn't reach her. I began hearing a lot of noise in the store. Wait a second…

Was this the site of the cute-ceanera?

"What the- Where did they all come from?!" I exclaimed in shock. The décor, the presents, the food, the ponies, they just appeared! This is bad.

Apple Bloom was still wide-eyed at the unexpected occurrence. She hid behind a chocolate pony statue in a flash. I made my way to her while avoiding the ponies along the path.

"How could I have forgotten the time? How could I forget that Pinkie Pie was hosting the party? How could I have forgotten it was in Sugarcube corner?" AB was mumbling in silence.

"You know that hiding there can make you stand out, right?" I asked.

"YOU'RE making me stand out! Stop following me!" Hmm, gotcha.

"Don't forget your party hats, forgetty-forgettersons!" Pinkie made us wear those paper cone party hats. Clearly didn't help Apple Bloom.

"You've gotta get me outta here! I can't let anypony see me!" Apple Bloom dashed around, trying to find a good hiding spot.

More and more guests had come to the party, which meant more crisis for her. The little colt called Snails took a huge bite of the cake, where Apple Boom was currently hiding

"Hey! It's my cute-ceanera! I'm supposed to take the first bite from the cake!" Diamond Tiara stomped her way to the cake as she complained, and Apple Bloom swiftly ran away behind a bundle of balloons before she got noticed. Unfortunately, a Unicorn was dancing mindlessly near the balloons and managed to pop all of them that exposed Apple Bloom again.

She gave up at last as she rushed behind me.

"You're making yourself look miserable."

"I just wanna go home…"

I sighed. Well, the kid must be pretty exhausted after trying out a lot of things just to get a cutie mark. I was not gonna force her to stay if she kept going like this.

"Alright, stay by my side, and I'll escort you home. Sound good?" she responded with a nod gladly.

I did my best to hide her, especially from Diamond Tiara and her friend's sight, as I guided her to the exit.

Then, at this moment, Applejack decided to make her entrance.

"Apple Bloom! You made it." I tried to shush her big mouth. I turned back, and Diamond Tiara's attention was making it's way to us.

"After I heard about Twist, I was afraid you wouldn't show up. I sure am glad you came to your senses about this whole cutie mark thing." While AJ was yapping about cluelessly, Apple Bloom tried to push her sister back, reaching for the exit that was going away far from her reach. I felt so bad for her.

"These things happen when these things are supposed to happen! Trying to rush it will just drive you crazy." AJ kept on yapping. I followed and tried to stop her, but she just made the situation a whole lot worse…

"I'll let you be, It looks like your friend's wanna talk to you." She lightly pushed Apple Bloom forward, and the friend AJ referred to was Diamond Tiara, who was grinning maliciously.

I face-hoofed as AJ sat next to me as if nothing she did happen.

"Please tell me you're not that clueless…"

"Silver, Apple Bloom's not gonna learn if she always tries to sneak out of her problems. I know what I'm doin'. Just watch." she said. I don't know why, but I was reassured.

Apple Bloom started to panic at Spoon and Tiara advancing, and in the last second, she pulled a pink table cloth, and with it, she covered her flank, acting as a dress.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here." Arg, this pony was getting on my nerves.

"Nice outfit." Spoon and Tiara shared giggles. Anyone could tell they didn't mean all that with the tone they're using.

"Just something I, uh, pulled together the last minute." Apple Bloom replied.

"It really shows off your cutie mark. Oh, wait, that's right! You don't have one." Diamond Tiara said that made my blood start to boil.

"Breathe, Silver. Just trust in Apple Bloom." AJ advised.

"I- I have a cutie mark." Apple Bloom lied.

"Eh, what? Since when?" Silver Spoon questioned.

"Since…Um, earlier today."

"Oh, really? Let's see it." Diamond Tiara proclaimed, driving Apple Bloom into a corner.

"I shouldn't. I couldn't." Apple Bloom started. "My cutie mark is so unbelievably amazing. I'm afraid that if I show it off, everyone will start paying attention to ME instead of YOU. Outshined at your own cute-ceanera? Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"

She managed to strike a nerve inside Diamond Tiara, who looked lost and no composure at all.

"Oh, forget it. I really didn't want to see it anyway." Diamond Tiara huffed.

Apple Bloom's face brightened up. "Okay! Well, I'm gonna go mingle. Enjoy your party." And with a relieved sigh, she walked away.

I was impressed. AB handled it fairly well, but she dug herself a deeper hole of lies and managed to get out of it.

Apple Bloom's dress was getting in her way, and as she tried to walk, she accidentally stepped on the cloth, making her trip. She bumped into the gramophone, making the music stop and everyone from dancing.

Everyone in the room gasped, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon looked like predators ready to pounce on their prey when they saw Apple Bloom with a blank flank.

Now that Apple Bloom's worst fear had finally come to fruition, I was worried. I was confused about why Applejack hasn't done anything to help her sister. What was she expecting?

"Wow, that is an amazing cutie mark." Silver Spoon said sarcastically.

"Nice try, Blank Flank." Diamond Tiara added the insult as they shared a triumphant laugh. The crowd began murmuring.

At this point, I needed to cover for poor Apple Bloom. These two had gone far enough.

"You got a problem with Blank Flanks?" A raspy voice hollered somewhere in the room. I heard a few fillies gasped when two young ponies emerged from underneath a table. The first one was a Unicorn, with curly pink and lavender-like hair and a white coat that reminded me of Rarity's. The other one was a Pegasus, with an orange coat and a wild, magenta mane.

"I said, you got a problem with Blank Flanks?" Thank goodness these two stepped in when I was about to.

"The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special." Silver Spoon retorted.

"No, it means that she's full of potential." the Unicorn filly said.

"It means she could be great at anything!" the Pegasus added. "The possibilities are like, endless."

"She can be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Ponyville someday!" the marshmallow looking filly continued.

"And she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two." The orange one said even further, which made the ponies of their age laugh.

"Hey, this is my party! Why are you two on her side?" Diamond Tiara asked in protest.

"Because…" The two turned around and showed everyone in the party their blank flanks as an answer. No wonder they were defending Apple Bloom!

Apple Bloom gasped. "You two don't have cutie marks either? I thought I was the only one!"

"We thought we were the only two!" the orange Pegasus said.

"I, for one, think you are three very lucky fillies." This time Twilight decided to join in. Was she in the kitchen this whole time?

"Lucky? How can they be lucky?" Diamond Tiara wondered.

"They're lucky because they still have the chance to experience and discover the thrills of who they are and what they're going to be," I announced suddenly.

"And they got all the time in the world to figure it out," AJ said. "Not just in the afternoon." she winked at Apple Bloom, making her smile back at her sister.

Just like that, all the attention was turned to the three fillies, bombarding them with questions about the things they said earlier about being a mayor and an artist.

Twilight, Applejack, and I sat around together, watching the three.

"Man, those two are a saving grace. I don't know what I would've done if it weren't for them speaking up." I said.

"Eeyup, I bet Rarity's gonna be real proud of her sister once she's heard of this." I turned quickly to Applejack.

"Wait, what?"

"Sweetie Belle? Rarity's lil' sister?"

"…HUH?!"

"You don't know she has a sister?" Twilight looked dumbfounded at my innocence.

"No! How come I'm only knowing this now?!" I was really frustrated.

"Sheesh, we always assumed you'd knew, since you have a thing for Rarity and all."

My eyes went wide with what I just heard. How did they-?

… Lemuel.

Oh my god, the things I keep finding out today!

I sighed, "Let me guess. Speedy told you, didn't he?"

"Well, yeah," Twilight said, but it looked like she didn't want to talk about it based on my mood right now.

"Even if he didn't, it was really obvious, though. You turn bright red shinier than a tomato when you're right next to her." Applejack told me.

I hid my face with my hooves as I groaned. "It's just you two, right? Please tell me you haven't told anyone about it."

"Don't worry, Silver. We haven't told a single soul." Twilight said, putting her hoof in my shoulders comfortingly.

I smiled gratefully. "What about the orange Pegasus? She Rainbow's relative?"

"Scootaloo? She's a huge fan of Rainbow Dash. Practically worships her sometimes." Applejack answered.

"Oh." That kid is right in the mind, right? Rainbow Dash of all people- I mean, ponies? Really?

Setting that bizarre thought aside, I gazed back to the three fillies who were now introducing themselves to one another. I smiled when it reminded me of something.

"You know, the way they met each other reminds me of how I became friends with Speedy and Blast," I said.

"Really? How so?" Twilight asked.

I shrugged, my grin still there. "I dunno, the same scenario, I guess?"


The party died down eventually. Oh, the miserable look on that Diamond Tiara's face was priceless to see. Still, to get owned by someone in your own party? That's cold. Call me mean all you want for wishing the kid misfortune, but she kinda deserved it. It was a lesson for her to look back on.

Apple Bloom, now friends with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, went through some kind of meeting about how they were gonna try out different things together to earn their cutie marks. They also talked about a name for their trio. Some examples were Cutie Mark 3, Cute-tastically Fantastic, but in the end, they all decided that it was going to be the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Kind of catchy, if you ask me.

"Dearest Princess Celestia, I am happy to report that one of your youngest subjects has learned a valuable lesson about friendship. Sometimes, the thing you think will cause you to lose friends and feel left out can actually be the thing that helps you make your closest friends, and realize how special you are." Twilight finished reciting while we were on our way home. "How was that, Silver?"

I nodded in approval of it, balancing the left-over desserts that Pinkie packed for us. "I think it's great."

"Brilliant! I'll have Spike send it to the Princess once we get back." She sighed. "So, how was your day?"

I entertained her with that question. "Oh, you know, the usual."

"I see. I wonder how Star Blast's interview with Ms. Cheerilee went?"

"Oh, he got the internship. It'll just take a month for it to be finalized."

"Really? That's amazing!" I jumped at Twilight's sudden cheerfulness.

"Woah, what was that all about?"

"Why? Can't I be happy for a friend?"

"Well, it's not that, but I saw an extra spring in your step there," I asked.

"Wh-what are you implying?" Twilight said.

I decided to tease her for now. THIS was payback for keeping a secret from me. "I don't know, you've been acting strange around Star Blast recently… Are you sure you only see him as a friend?"

I noticed Twilight was turning beet red. "Of course, I only see him as a friend!" then she started rambling about how she just sees Rob as a friend.

"Hey, hey! Chill! I was just teasing you!" I stopped her. I didn't know she would overreact like that.

"Oh my gosh, that was embarrassing…" Twilight said, her face still red. "Promise me you won't tell anyone about this?"

"Of course!" I raised my right hoof. Well, now I know that she had a crush on Robert.

Oh, and speaking of secrets, Lemuel was playing with that JoyBoy Rob was talking about outside the library so joyfully. That was about to change.

"Uh, Twilight? Can you hold on to these for a second?" I requested, dropping down the left-overs right next to her.

"Silver… What are you going to do to Speedy?" Twilight questioned as I readied myself in a charging position, pawing my hooves on the ground as if I was like a bull.

"Oh, don't worry, this is just how I show my brotherly love!" I kept my sadistic grin within me.

And then, I pressed forward, charging at Lemuel with all my might.

"LEMUEL!" I yelled, grabbing his attention.

"Yo! What's up, dude?"

"CLENCH YOUR TEETH!"

"Clench my wha-OOF!"

And after that, I uh… I'll leave it to your imagination.


Author's note!

Ah yes, the rare 'two chapters in a month' update. It feels so gooooood.

Anyway, this chapter was a bit difficult to write for some reason. Probably because I'm still exploring what style I would use when it's in Silver's point of view.

I'm also planning to make the trio a role model for The Cutie Mark Crusaders in future chapters. I dunno.

And yeah! Leave a favorite and a follow, review if you have the time, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter! (Hold your breath!)

- Super Bright Brat


DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT MY THREE OCs!