The Cutie Mark Temp

by Brass Polish

1 Skyward

“Scootaloo?”

“Here.”

“Sweetie Belle?”

“Here.”

“Apple Bloom? … Here. OK, we’re all here. Now… Sweetie Belle, what are you doing?”

Sweetie Belle had a glazed look in her eyes, which didn’t bode well when one was standing beneath the CMC clubhouse good idea bulb.

“Oh. I just like pretending Button Mash finally decided to join us and he’s on the roll call sheet,” Sweetie Belle frowned.

“Sweetie, he’s just not interested,” Scootaloo told her for the umpteenth time. “And he definitely won’t join if you keep pestering him.”

“I haven’t been pestering him!” Sweetie Belle insisted. “Anyway, you’re just mad because of Zipporwhill.”

“Can you blame me?” grumbled Scootaloo. “She’s a year younger than us and she got her cutie mark. And she can fly! It’s so embarrassing. I wish we could sign up all the foals in the grade under us, but everypony says the same thing. ‘Zipporwhill’s just an early bloomer’.”

“It is kinda funny,” Apple Bloom said, looking at the same old roll call scroll. “We’ve been at this forever and not only have none of us gotten our cutie marks, but we also only ever met one of the three foals we managed to recruit.”

“Well, that’ll be different soon,” said Sweetie Belle, perking up.

“That’s right,” said Scootaloo. “Now that those school ponies from Manehattan are field tripping to Ponyville for the Festival of Flora, we’ll finally get to meet Babs Seed’s members.”

“I just hope we don’t have to talk to those foals who’d been picking on her before we first met her,” Apple Bloom groaned. “The last thing we need around here is more Diamond Tiaras.”

When the day came for the train from Manehattan to come to Ponyville, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were the first ones on the station platform to welcome Babs Seed and her two fellow crusaders. Soon enough, in came the train and out came about twenty foals. Apple Bloom and Babs Seed were delighted to see each other again, and Babs’ friends were happy to meet Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. It was a nice feeling to be amongst so many foals who were wearing the same capes.

“So, once your chaperone’s done gettin’ y’all situated, we can show ya our Ponyville headquarters,” Apple Bloom smiled.

“Might take a while,” said Babs, looking around at the foals being herded into the station house. She and her friends would have to join them. “But you guys can hang ‘round here and wait for the next train.”

“The next train?” asked Scootaloo. “You mean your school needed two trains two get its students here?”

“No, no. Didn’t your teacher tell ya?” asked a very amused Babs Seed. “There are three schools field trippin’ here for the flower show.”

“Three?!”

“Yeah. Ours from Manehattan, one from Clopley Hill, Steeds, and one from Barrow in Harness.”

After Babs Seed and her two mates had been ushered into the station house by the school appointed chaperone, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got in trouble from the station master a few times for jumping around all over the platform in excitement.

“How did we miss that?!” cried Apple Bloom. “Do either of you remember Miss Cheerilee saying anything about Clopley Hill or Barrow in Harness?”

“Nope,” said Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle together.

“Guess we got distracted when she said Manehattan,” suggested Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo giggled. “We thought that was exciting, but now…”

“We shoulda known more schools would come,” said Sweetie Belle. “I mean, look.”

They peered around the station house. The streets of Ponyville already did look festive. There were a few kiosks set up in advance and bunting was strung between buildings, lampposts and trees. It looked lovely, especially in the bright sunny day the pegasi were making. Not even the dandelion seeds lying all over the grass could spoil the view. Sweetie Belle spotted some dandelions growing in the ballast on the tracks. One of them still had all of its seeds on it. She magiced it off the tracks and held it in front of her.

“I wish for more blank flanks to come to Ponyville,” she said excitedly before blowing the seeds away.

The prospect of meeting and recruiting more blank flanks was making the three of them a station hazard. They managed to occupy a bench and wait patiently until the station master announced that the 8AM from Steeds Central to Ponyville Station was now arriving.

“Make sure to let them all see our capes,” said Sweetie Belle as the passengers began to disembark.

There were about the same number of Clopley Hill school foals as Manehattan school foals. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked around. Every foal who exited the coaches had a symbol on their flanks. A colt with a hammer for a cutie mark approached the caped fillies grinning.

“Cool. Superheroes.”

“Actually, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” said Apple Bloom, posing with her friends.

“You still sound like superheroes,” said the colt, still grinning.

“We’re not,” retorted Sweetie Belle. “We’re a club for foals who don’t have cutie marks.”

“Oh. Well, everyone at Clopley Hill Primary has one,” the colt told them. “You three don’t need to be here.”

As he trotted away, his smile not fading, Scootaloo got the feeling that the hammer on his flank didn’t represent carpentry skills.

When Babs Seed returned with her friends, Apple Bloom told them that no blank flanks had come from Clopley Hill, Steeds. She was about to ask the other two Manehattan crusaders about themselves when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo started rambling, alternating between complaining about the time they wasted waiting for the Clopley Hill train and freaking out over the possibilities the next train would bring.

“We coulda ran back to the clubhouse and grabbed more capes.”

“I sure hope we six aren’t the only blank flanks in Equestria. Well, for our age anyway.”

“Can you believe that colt? Thinking we were supposed to be superheroes?”

“What if all the foals in Barrow in Harness have cutie marks and Diamond Tiara finds out we had a recruitment drive that didn’t go anywhere?”

“The 8:30AM from Barrow in Harness is now arriving! Please stand well away from the edge of the platform!”

The brakes squealed, the engine hissed, hooves thumped, and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle squealed.

“There’s one!”

A blue filly strolled onto the platform gazing around. She nearly ran into Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed, who had run right up to her as soon as they spotted her.

“Hi! Who are you?!”

“Um, I’m Skyward. Who are you? And what are you wearing?”

“We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” said Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed together.

“We’re a club for foals who don’t have their cutie marks yet,” Apple Bloom said after approaching Skyward herself.

Skyward’s eyes widened, then she turned around and called into the carriage she had come out of.

“Hey guys, you don’t have to worry! There’s lots of other blank flanks here!”

“Really?!” came an ecstatic voice.

“Yeah! Six of them!” Skyward replied.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Babs Seed could hardly contain themselves as three more cutie markless fillies exited the coach.

“Are you really a club for blank flanks?!” asked one of them.

“Yep!” answered Apple Bloom.

“Any chance the four of us can join?!” Skyward asked.

“A chance?!” spluttered Babs Seed. “You guys are practically already in!”

Of course, the only thing stopping the ten of them from running to the clubhouse right then and there was the Barrow in Harness chaperone needing all her students present for roll call and introduction to the Mayor.

At last, they were all sprinting through the partially decorated town heading for Sweet Apple Acres. The Barrow in Harness fillies wouldn’t stop talking about how nervous they had been about being the only blank flanks at the festival. Sweetie Belle was already practising her initiation speech.

“We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are proud to welcome its newest members… um… what are your names again?”

“I’m Castaway,” one of them reminded her. “That’s Flotsam and that’s Washout.”

“Right! Right.” said Sweetie Belle. “And that first one?”

“Skyward,” said Scootaloo.

At the mention of that name, Apple Bloom looked around. Skyward must have broken stride because she wasn’t in the group. Apple Bloom stopped and looked back. There was Skyward looking up at the Ponyville weather crew hard at work cloud busting. As Apple Bloom backtracked, she thought Skyward looked like she was having the time of her life even though she wasn’t with the group of blank flanks.

“I hope we didn’t come on too strong and turn her off,” groaned Apple Bloom.

“Oh, sorry about that,” said Skyward when Apple Bloom attracted her attention. “I was just… well, to put it in a nutshell, I really love weather.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I think it would be really cool to work in the weather industry,” Skyward smiled, watching Rainbow Dash, Flitter and Cloud Chaser clearing the sky.

“Oh, so, you’ve already got some idea of what you wanna do with your life?” asked Apple Bloom.

“Pretty much,” said Skyward dreamily.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment, and then said “Well OK. So what kind of weather work would you like to do? Making snowflakes? Measuring cloud gaps? Balancing rainbow colours? Have you had any practise in the sky? Have you learned how to fly yet?”

Skyward grinned. “Um, I can’t fly. I’m an earth pony.”

Apple Bloom went red. “Oh. That’s embarrassing. I don’t think I ever noticed.”

“It’s OK,” said Skyward. “We just met.”

“Um, Castaway’s an earth pony too, right,” Apple Bloom was trying to remember what the other fillies looked like.

“Uh huh,” nodded Skyward.

“And Flotsam’s a pegasus and Washout’s a unicorn?”

“Other way around,” corrected Skyward.

“Right,” said Apple Bloom, face still red.

“Hey, at least you remembered their names,” said Skyward.

Skyward started looking around again.

“Did the weather team make yesterday windy?” she asked.

“How’d ya guess?” asked Apple Bloom.

Skyward pointed at the dandelion seeds all over the grass. “It was either that or all the pegasi in town have dandruff. Huh. Dandelions or dandruff.”

They both chuckled.

“I love weather, but everypony tells me to leave it to the pegasi,” said Skyward. “Still, I wasn’t as nervous as those other tree. All I had to do was not mention my hobby to anyone and I wouldn’t have to be embarrassed.”

“You’re not really bothered about not having your cutie mark, are ya?” inquired Apple Bloom. “All you’re worried about is your special talent having nothing to do with weather.”

“You’re right,” Skyward sighed. “If I can never do anything weather related, whatever cutie mark I’d end up with would be a total lie.”

“Well then, let’s get you a weathery cutie mark!” said Apple Bloom confidently. “I know just who to go to.”

Skyward had heard about the Everfree Forest, and couldn’t believe her eyes when she realised that Apple Bloom was leading her there.

“What in Luna’s bib are we going in there for?” she demanded.

“There’s an herbalist zebra named Zecora who lives there,” Apple Bloom told her.

“OK, and what would a zebra know about weather?” asked Skyward. “Did your teacher tell you about a species of flying zebra that our teacher didn’t bother to mention?”

“No, but the Everfree Forest is a self-contained ecosystem,” said Apple Bloom. “The weather isn’t controlled by ponies. It rains and shines however it wants.”

Skyward was intrigued enough to allow herself to be guided to the hut in the Everfree Forest by Apple Bloom.

“Hot air is sent up by the sun’s rays. Then cold air comes to take its place,” Zecora told Skyward and Apple Bloom. “The cold wind blows the rain clouds along. The plants get watered and grow before long.”

Skyward got more and more invested as she, Zecora and Apple Bloom wandered around Zecora’s garden.

“So since it’s hot right now,” Skyward guessed, “it’ll get windy soon, and then it’ll rain?”

“That is the ordinary pattern of weather,” Zecora nodded. “And all done without someone lifting a feather.”

“Does it ever snow in this forest?” asked Skyward.

“Every winter just like everywhere else. And it’s somewhat a result of Celestia’s spells,” Zecora answered. “At that time of year, the sun is moved back. It’s further away from the ground and the pack. This makes the rain in the forest freeze. The snow here is not made with artistic expertise.”

Nothing in the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse could make Skyward happier than what Zecora was telling her.

“And do rainbows exist here?” she pressed.

“They will appear after rainstorms. They are not rare. The sunlight shines through water vapour in the air.”

“All my life, I thought weather was an invention of ponykind,” Skyward beamed. “Now I know they just control when it happens.”

Author's Note:

Inspired by finding my front lawn covered in dandelion seeds one day.