A Shake at Sugarcube Corner
A MLP:FiM Fanfiction by c001dud3
Scootaloo caught word of Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera like everypony else, as if anything that had to do with Diamond Tiara didn't go around. The thought of going to the party made her cringe, especially because she didn't know any other blank flanks.
As for trying to get her cutie mark before the party, she knew she couldn't cram enough things to try and succeed at, and the only advice she had heard come out of an adult pony were: "These things come with time", "Cutie marks are something that you must discover for yourself", or some other namby-pamby baloney like that. Neither trying new things nor new advice was going to help. Scootaloo was in a jam, and she needed to do something about it.
A shake at Sugarcube Corner should surely get the egghead side of me going, thought Scootaloo.
At that moment in time, Sweetie Belle was very intimidated at the notion of going to the party. She was in fact so intimidated that she felt she was going to burst into tears right on the spot.
Knowing no other ponies without their cutie marks was going to make the party seem like a celebration aimed towards mocking her lack of a mark. The only logical thing she could do would be to ask an adult what to do, but all of the advice she was given wasn't going to help her for the party or would cause even more dreadful embarrassment and humiliation than there was to begin with.
Surely a shake at Sugarcube Corner would cheer me up, thought Sweetie Belle.
Both fillies walked into Sugarcube Corner, and each ordered a shake. Scootaloo ordered her usual, luscious chocolate shake, while Sweetie Belle went for her creamy vanilla shake. After ordering, they situated themselves at opposite ends of the bakery, so they could think of possible solutions to their dilemmas.
But no matter how hard they tried to think of ways to deal with the party, they couldn't.
Of course,
That's probably because they could only think of waiting for their shakes.
Since Scootaloo was the first to order, Mrs. Cake came up with her order first.
"Here's your"— Mrs.Cake stopped, looking at Scootaloo, a saddened face looking towards the floor—"What's the matter sweetie?"
"There's going to be a cute-ceañera that's coming up, and I'm the only one who doesn't have her cutie mark," Scootaloo told with a look of despair.
"Im sorry to hear that." Mrs.Cake felt pity for her. "There's bound to be somepony who still doesn't have their cutie mark."
"Not that I've seen."
"I'm sure you'll figure something out honey," Mrs. Cake said as she dropped the shake onto the table.
After a few Minutes, Sweetie Belle's order was coming out, also supplied by Mrs. Cake.
As she was walking up to Sweetie's table, she saw another forlorn face. What is up with all the sadness today?, she thought. "Everything ok?", she asked Sweetie Belle.
"Things aren't good."
"Well, how so?"
"You see, there's a cute-ceañera that is going on and I'm literally the only one who DOESN'T have her cutie mark!"
At that moment, gears turned, cogs revolved, and the machine that was Mrs. Cake's mind whirred to life. She now knew what had to be done.
"Actually, there's a filly over there who seems to be having the exact same problem. Maybe you should go over there and talk to her!" Mrs. Cake said with an upbeat inflection.
"Huh?" Sweetie Belle looked up and over at the young pegasus and sure enough, no cutie mark. She got up, took the shake from Mrs. Cake—thanking her of course—, and walked over to the pegasus. When she got to the table, she said, "Hi, my name is Sweetie Belle"
Scootaloo replied with a tinge of sadness in her voice, "My name is Scootaloo."
"I heard you don't have a cutie mark"
Scootaloo suddenly got defensive, "No I don't. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, not at all! I actually don't either."
Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle's truly blank flank "Huh? I thought I was the only one!"
"Me too!"
They both knew that ahead of them lay a long friendly conversation because that moment made them click together like pieces to a puzzle, correct to the very atom.
At first, they talked about the mutual feelings they had about their lack of cutie marks, Diamond Tiara's party, and the fear of both together. After agreeing about the injustice of this cutie mark conundrum, they really started to hit it off. they talked about various hobbies, school, and most everyday things, while getting to know each other. From that point on, words ebbed and flowed, ideas ran free, and the two fillies were forging an epic bond, not to be broken until the very end.
This deep conversation was only ended by one thing. The thing that both ponies feared.
Dreaded.
And loathed.
The cute-ceañera.
"Quick, under the table!" Scootaloo blurted out to save the two of them.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sauntered into Sugarcube Corner, Diamond Tiara's butler Randolph not far behind.
"Set up all the decorations!", Diamond Tiara harshly ordered her butler. We pay him too much for doing absolutely nothing!, she thought.
I'm not getting paid enough for this, Randolph thought.
A few minutes later, it was all set up since the old butler worked as hard as his frail body let him. All the decorations, food, and party activities were set out as well as a party about Diamond Tiara needed to be.
Meanwhile, under the table, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were whispering about Diamond Tiara's various cruelties, especially the ones she shoved in their faces—even though she didn't know the two were there.
They tried to escape from the party before it started, but every time an opening showed itself, something else prevented escape. Once there was smoke billowing out of the kitchen that distracted them from a hasty departure.
At that point, the first guests were arriving into the bakery, making stealthily escaping impossible. It seemed as though everypony in Ponyville was packing into the quaint Sugarcube Corner. Mares and stallions. Fillies and colts.
"There's no way she knows ALL of those ponies," Sweetie Belle remarked.
"But all of them sure know her, " Scootaloo murmured as she rolled her eyes.
The party went on, conversations were had, and ponies had a good time.
That is,
Until the music stopped.
"Oh no, look!" Sweetie Belle whispered with a impending tone
Diamond Tiara was bullying another blank-flank in the most embarrassing of ways, in front of what seemed like everypony.
Scootaloo was now teeming with rage. Seeing somepony without a cutie mark get bullied was as bad as herself getting bullied for the same reason. She was going to stop this horrible injustice when the time was right.
Diamond Tiara gave a snide "Nice try, blank flank!" as the poor filly was laying on the ground on the verge of tears.
Thats it!, Scootaloo thought. She said in a heavily demanding tone:
"You got a problem with blank flanks?"