Permanent Vacation

by Apple_Crack

The Cutie Pox or The Heart Gets What It Wants

“Permanent Vacation”

The Cutie Pox or The Heart Gets What It Wants

Hmm… What to do, what to do? I couldn’t possibly include that in this album, not until I can gauge public opinion of the current album. But then again, it does fit the theme… Gah, who knew creating an album would be some hard right now? I mean, the last two albums just came to me like that, but this? This is just a pain in the ass. I groan and cup my head in my hands, running them up my face and through my hair.

I hear Sonja whimper, and feel her nuzzle up against my leg. I can’t help but smile, reaching under the table to rub her head. I power down my laptop, figuring that I can get some better ideas later. It’s decent enough weather today for me to get some extra exercise, so I might as well, right?

“Hey, so… It’s been pretty quiet around here lately.”

“Yeah, and? Isn’t that a good thing considering what our… My job is?” I reach into the fridge and pull out a bottle of water.

“Yes, but I could do with a little excitement around here. You know, nothing life threating, but enough to get the blood pumping, feel your adrenal glands spike, that sort of thing.”

A knock on the door draws my attention. I raise an eyebrow. I’m not expecting any visitors today. I set the bottle on the counter and head to the door. “I swear to God that if you jinxed my day to not be peaceful, I’m gonna find a way to beat your ass.”

“It’ll be worth it to alleviate this boredom. Come on, world or Ponyville threating crisis that we need to help with!”

“Be quiet you.”

I open the door, and on the other side are two ponies I don’t recognize. There’s a bright flash, making me groan as I try to blink away the spots in my vision. As my vision clears up, I make out the image of two mares giggling while looking at a camera. “Uh… Can I help you?”

The one, a unicorn with skin the color of cream and wearing a baby blue shirt with a black skirt, looks up from the camera. “Oh my Celestia, I can’t believe we get to see you in person!” She squeals, and that’s when I catch her holding the Rejects most recent album.

The other, a pegasus with skin the color of seafoam green and wearing a white crop top and blue shorts, also looks up from the camera. “See, I told you he lives here! This is a dream come true!”

“I know! Can you believe it?! Somepony pinch me!” Again, she squeals. At this point, I’m leaning against my doorframe and waiting for one of these two to get to the point. I know they’re fans of the Rejects and what they’re after, but I’d be rude for me to cut them off.

They manage to calm themselves after some time. “We’re such huge fans of you, and we traveled all this way from Manehatten to ask if you’d sign our CD’s!” The pegasus holds out her copy of our CD, her friend doing the same.

I smile. “Well, I can’t say no if you traveled all this way.” While they squeal, I levitate a pen out from the kitchen. With a click of the pen, I sign my name on their CD’s. “Enjoy, ladies.”

They babble out a stream of thank you’s as they walk away… On a direct course towards Golden Oaks. Most likely going to hit up Spike, which means they’re probably going to hit up Lyra and Mac too. But at least they’re out of my hair. I head back inside and shut the door behind me, levitating the pen back into the kitchen.

“Aw, and I was hoping for something a bit more exciting. Universe, you have failed me!”

“Well, looks like the universe doesn’t favor you this time.”

I go and change into a pair of basketball shorts and a loose fitting white t-shirt. On my way back to the front door, I grab the water bottle I had from the kitchen. With Sonja on my heels, I open the front door again, only to see a grey stallion with his hand raised on the other side. He pauses. “Uh, can I help you?”

He lowers his hand. “Uh, sorry to disturb you, but I was wondering if you’d…” He looks down and shuffles his feet. He reaches behind his back and holds out something towards me. “Sign my album, please?”

I have to smile. “Sure.” I levitate the pen back out from the kitchen and sign my name.

He clutches the album to his chest. “Thank you!” He walks away, going straight towards Golden Oaks. Eh, it’s no secret where I live, so a few fans here and there don’t bother me. Hmm… Maybe I should suggest to Vinyl after the next album to hold a publicity event somewhere to push some more merchandise and increase our public presence. No matter, it’s a problem for later. Time to get back to my run.

---

The normal route for my runs is to make my way through the town and then either branch off to the left or right and circle back around on the outskirts. This time, I decided to mix it up a bit, starting on the outskirts and coming back through town. It’s on this trip back through town that I see Fluttershy struggling to carry a sack of something through town.

I come up behind her and casually lift the sack up with my magic. She hasn’t noticed me yet, but she has noticed the bag rising in the air, and her along with it since she hasn’t let go. She glances around. “Oh my… This is new. Could somepony help me, please?”

I refrain from rolling my eyes. “That’s what I’m trying to do, but you refuse to let go.”

She looks over her shoulder. “Oh, I didn’t see you there, Blake. And you too, Sonja.” I raise an eyebrow and jerk my head towards the sack. She follows my gaze, and then looks back at me. “Oh, right. Sorry.” She lets go, landing lightly on the ground. I float the sack over to me and heft it onto my right shoulder. “It’s not too heavy, is it?”

I shake my head. “Nah. It’s got some weight to it, but nothing I can’t handle. Besides, it’s good strength training.” I lift the sack up and down a few times to emphasize my point. “The better question is why you’re trying to lift something heavy like this. No offense, but…”

“None taken. I know I’m not the strongest pony around.”

“And why are you carrying this thing to, I assume, your home?”

She sighs. “I always carry it home. I have to get the bird seed home somehow.” Ah, so it’s bird seed in here.

I raise an eyebrow. “You’ve done this before?” She nods her head. “From now on, you need to get something heavy home, you come to me. I’d be more than happy to help you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you. I’m sure you’re very busy with other, more important, things.”

I grab her hand and gently pull her as I start walking towards her home. She stumbles, but keeps her balance and keeps walking, so I let go of her hand. “Nonsense, Shy. I’m always willing to help a friend, and I wouldn’t be able to call myself your friend if I watched you struggle and potentially hurt yourself trying to do this.”

“But… Oh alright, if you insist.” We walk to her cottage, chatting about what’s been going on in our lives the past couple of days and just enjoying each other’s company. Once we get there, I follow her inside and set the sack down where she instructs me to do so. “Thank you again.”

I wipe some sweat off my brow. “Anytime, Shy. Got anything else you need done?”

“Hmm… I don’t think there’s anything else I need help with. But if you aren’t in a hurry, would you care to stay for some tea? It’s the least I could do to say thank you for helping me.” Well, I did kinda want to get back to planning for our album…

“I could take care of it.”

“You take care of it? Not sure if I should be worried or… Nope, just worried.”

“Relax, will ya. This is our career I’m gonna be working on here. Not like I’m purposely gonna ruin it just for shits and giggles.”

“Fine, whatever. Just—”

“Yeah, I know what you want. Part of you, remember? I’ll take care of what I can. Enjoy yourself.”

“Well… I can’t say no to that, can I?”

I smile. “Yeah, I’d like that very much, Shy.”

She smiles. “Oh, how wonderful! And Sonja could play outside with my animal friends too!”

I reach down and pet Sonja. “You hear that, girl? You get to run around outside for as long as you want.” She barks and wags her tail, running behind Fluttershy into some part of the cottage I can’t see.

Fluttershy giggles. “Please, make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.” She turns and heads in the direction Sonja went.

I find myself a nice spot on the couch and relax. I close my eyes and sink further into the couch, feeling as if some weight is easing its pressure on me. I feel something patting my leg, making me sit back up and open my eyes to see the little furry devil himself on the floor. I casually regard him for a moment. “Angel. I suspect our truce is still holding.” He nods his head and hops off. Standing up, I head over to the window that overlooks the field outback that stretches to the edge of the Everfree. I watch the myriad of animals out there for quite some time, questioning how it can feel so peaceful here when we’re so close to the Everfree.

“The tea is almost ready, but I have some biscuits here if you want some.”

“That’d be perfect. After all, what’s a little tea without something to snack on?” I turn around and walk over to the little table where she’s placed a tray of biscuits neatly arranged into a circle. I ignore them for now and instead retake my seat on the couch.

“Enjoy.” She smiles and heads back through the room she left. As I sit there, I hear a high pitched whistling sound that swiftly stops. My best guess as to the source would have to be a tea kettle. Shortly after that, she comes back with two cups with an intricate floral design on them. She hands me one before sitting down on a chair across from me.

I idly take a sip from my cup, smacking my lips afterwards at the taste. Hmm… I taste the cinnamon, and the hint of ginger, but there’s something else there that I can’t put my finger on. Whatever it is, it’s good, but natural curiosity gets the best of me. “What type of tea is this?”

“It’s a special blend of cinnamon, ginger, and almonds that I get from the tea shop here in Ponyville.” She frowns. “Is there something wrong with it?”

I shake my head and reach for one of the biscuits. “Quite the opposite in fact. It’s got a unique flavor to it that I cannot argue against.” I take a bite of the biscuit. I’m not surprised that it’s good too. After swallowing, I continue. “And where did you purchase the biscuits? I may have to get some for myself.”

She smiles. “I made them myself, actually.”

I smile as well. “Then they taste fantastic.” We sit there in silence for some time. “You know, I never really mentioned how much I like this cottage. It’s very quaint and down to Earth, just like you.”

She smiles, and I catch the tinge of a blush on her cheeks. “Thank you. It’s nice and quiet here, just the way I like it.” She giggles. “But you knew that already.”

I smile and look out the window. “I wouldn’t mind living out here like this, but I don’t think Scootaloo would agree.”

“How is Scootaloo doing? I haven’t seen the Crusaders in a while.”

I chuckle. “That might be a good thing, all things considered. They’ve been up to their usual antics, always trying the next thing to get a Cutie Mark. Maybe one day they’ll understand to not rush that.”

She giggles. “Yes, I hope they do too, but you have to admire their dedication. I’ve never seen fillies so determined to get a Cutie Mark before.”

“Yes, I have to agree with you there. But you know as well as I do that once the heart gets set on something, nothing can stop it till it gets it.”

---

After chatting some more with Fluttershy, I head back home. Thanks to Fluttershy, I got some new ideas for songs. Whether they are on this album or not remains to be seen, but I doesn’t hurt to write them down. Opening the door, Sonja runs into the house and goes right to the kitchen for her water while I head straight to my room to jot down my ideas.

It’s as I’m jotting down my last idea on a sticky note that I hear the front door slam. “Dad! Dad!”

I smile. She sure is excited for some reason. “One sec, be right there!” I leave my room and head right to the kitchen to start making dinner.

I don’t even get to cross the threshold before Scootaloo is already hovering around my legs. “Dad, you’re not gonna believe this!”

I chuckle and lean down to tousle her hair. “Slow it down now.” I sidestep around her while she’s busy fixing her hair and open the fridge to get ingredients. “I take it something exciting happened today?”

“You bet it did! Apple Bloom came to school today with a Cutie Mark.”

I pause. “…I’m sorry, but it sounded like you said Apple Bloom—”

“Got her Cutie Mark! It’s amazing!”

I slowly shut the fridge door and turn around. “She got her Cutie Mark for what exactly?”

She pauses for a sec. “Umm, she called it loopty-hooping or something.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And what exactly is that?”

“She basically does loop tricks with a rope and sometimes a hoop. You should have seen it! Cheerilee even made the whole class listen to Apple Bloom and try to teach us how to do the stuff she was doing!” She grins. “It pissed off Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon to no end. And that’s not even the best part!”

“There’s more? What else? Pinkie suddenly showing up and throwing a party right there… Which in all likelihood, probably happened.”

She shakes her head. “No, but I wish she did. Apple Bloom got a second Cutie Mark!”

“…I thought you only got one Cutie Mark in your whole life?”

She shrugs her shoulders. “So did I, but apparently not!”

“And what was the second one for?”

“Plate spinning!”

I sigh. “Okay, take a seat at the table.” She does so, and I sit down across from her. “Okay, try to calm down and let’s look at this logically.”

With a sigh, she leans forward and places her elbows on the table. “What’s wrong? She got her Cutie Mark, and you aren’t as excited as I thought you’d be.”

I shake my head. “Oh, I’m happy… If she got it for the right reasons. Let’s go back a bit. She showed up to school with a Cutie Mark for,” I clear my throat, “Loopty-hooping, correct?”

She nods her head. “Yeah, she did. Everypony wanted to see it.”

“Okay, good. A Cutie Mark. Good for her. Then you said she was trying to teach the class. Right again?” She nods her head. “Okay. The last thing you said was she got another Cutie Mark, this one for plate spinning.”

“Yeah, and then Snips and Snails threw her some plates and sticks and she was spinning them and keeping them balanced while still doing hoop tricks!”

“…And you don’t see a problem with that?”

“Why would I? This means that anypony can get two Cutie Marks for different talents! Think of the combinations!”

“There’d be a lot of good combinations, yes. But something doesn’t add up with all known logic for Cutie Marks. When did she get her second Cutie Mark?”

She tilts her head. “Huh? Why’s it matter when she got it?”

“You’ll see. Now, when?”

“She was doing an advanced loopty— You know, that name is weird to say. Can I just say loop trick thing or something?” I nod my head. “Okay, she was doing a loop trick where she was spinning a loop with her tail and hovering in the air when it showed up.”

I smile. “And tell me what you know about when a Cutie Mark shows up.”

“They show up when a pony discovers their special talent, which normally happens when the pony finds something they’re really good at doing.”

“And have you heard of anybody ever having it just suddenly appear without doing the thing the Mark represents?”

She shakes her head. “No, I was always told and taught that a pony normally gets one when actually… Doing the… Thing…” She slams both hands on the table and leans forward in her seat. “Hey, wait a minute! How’d she get the second one for something she wasn’t doing?!”

I smirk. “Exactly. Something doesn’t add up. Could she have faked it?”

“The first one, maybe, but I was there when she got the second! No way is that one fake!”

I lean back in my chair and rub my chin. “Hmm… This requires some investigation.” I know full well what it is already, but sometimes a lesson needs to be learned the hard way.

“Hell yeah it does!”

“Yes, it does, but not tonight.”

“Why not? She knows the truth and she’s hiding it for some reason! The sooner we get answers, the sooner we can know the truth!”

“And charging in headfirst will get you nowhere. What happened today is over and done with, no changing that, so there’s no reason to get worked up over it. Instead, relax the rest of the night by playing games or something and we can start finding the truth tomorrow morning with clear and calm heads.” She mumbles something under her breath. “What was that?”

“I said fine. But I get to yell whatever I want at the games I play tonight!”

I smirk. “Deal.” She probably picked that habit up from me, but it’s a nice stress reliever when it works, so I can’t fault her.

---

“Come on! Can’t you move faster?!”

After getting Scootaloo to wind down her eagerness somewhat last night, we had both went to bed. What surprised me when I had awoken today was the smell of pancakes cooking and coffee brewing. She had woken up before me and was impatient to get to the truth of Apple Bloom’s multiple Cutie Marks, so she made breakfast. And for the record, the pancakes weren’t terrible, but she won’t be winning any cooking awards. After eating and going through our morning routines, she was practically ready to break down the front door just to get on with the investigation.

I shake my head as I tie my shoes. “No, but what’s the rush? Not like her Cutie Marks are going anywhere without her.”

“But this is serious! She got a Cutie Mark without her fellow Crusaders! She broke, like…” She pauses and scratches her chin, “Was it the fourth or fifth rule?” She shakes her head. “Whatever rule it was, she broke it!”

I raise an eyebrow. “You are allowed to do things that don’t involve the other Crusaders all the time. I don’t see them playing video games with you every night.”

She slumps somewhat. “Okay, point taken. We’ll have to change the rule.” I stand up from the chair, prompting her to open the front door and head right for her scooter. I have to smile at her boundless energy. Sonja is quick to go out after her, leaving me as the last one out. “Okay, where do you think Apple Bloom’s at?”

I shut the door behind me. “No idea.”

“What do you mean no idea?!”

I shrug my shoulders. “It means I have no idea where she might be right now.” I catch Applejack’s hat through one of Golden Oaks ground floor windows. “But Applejack’s right inside the library. She should know.”

Scootaloo’s wings buzz. “Great! Let’s go ask her!” She takes off towards the library’s front door with Sonja, as I run to catch up to them.

I put a hand on the front door as Scootaloo parks her scooter off to the side. “Now, be patient. You can’t just go in there and start assaulting Applejack with questions. We’ll figure out where Apple Bloom is.” I push open the door. “…Or she’s right here.”

The incessant sound of taping is coming from Apple Bloom as she taps away, while spinning two plates balanced on sticks on her head and a metal hoop with her tail. Twilight, Spike, and Applejack stand off to the side and watch, Twilight jotting down something on a scroll as well. “Hey everybody, what’s going on? Oh, congrats on the Cutie Marks, Apple Bloom.” I catch the Cutie Mark of a tap shoe on her left leg, a little under where her pants stop.

“Oh come on!” Scootaloo walks right up to Apple Bloom. “Three Cutie Marks?!”

Apple Bloom chuckles weakly. “Yeah, aren’t ah one lucky filly? Now would somepony help me stop tapping?!”

I raise an eyebrow and look at Applejack and Twilight. “Three now? I heard about the other two from Scootaloo.”

Applejack nods her head. “Ah just don’t know where she got the third one from. She didn’t have it when she got home yesterday. Then I wake up this morning ta find her tapping in the middle of her room and she can’t stop! I’m hoping Twilight can help, because ah don’t know what to do!”

Twilight shakes her head. “I don’t know what’s going on. I was reading a book recently about unusual equine illnesses and I think I remember something similar to this, but what was it?” She goes over to a bookshelf and starts pulling out some books.

Spike, however, climbs a ladder and grabs a single book. “Perplexing Pony Plagues, perhaps?” Oh boy, alliteration.

Twilight looks at the book in his hand as he slides down the ladder. She smiles. “Yes, that’s exactly it! Spike, you’re amazing!”

“Well, I do have some talents.”

I glance at Applejack and then at Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “And the second and third Cutie Marks just appeared?”

Apple Bloom nods her head, while Scootaloo frowns and glares at her. “Yeah, and having more than one isn’t normal. Anything you want to tell us, Apple Bloom?”

“Ah just wanna know what’s happening to me! Honest!”

I sigh and shake my head. “This confirms my suspicions.”

Applejack’s eyes light up. “You know what’s going on?”

“Wait, you knew how Apple Bloom got more than one Cutie Mark? Then why didn’t you tell me last night?!”

I hold my hands out and motion for them to calm down. “Easy now, both of you. I had a hunch, but needed to confirm it before saying anything. I didn’t want to provide false info nor get your hopes up.” I look at Twilight. “During my own reading of that book, I came across an entry for something called Cutie Pox.”

Twilight flips through the pages. “Ah ha, here it is.” Her eyes widen as she internally reads the entry. “That isn’t good.”

“Twi, what’s it say? Is it what Apple Bloom has?”

She looks up from the book at all of us before sighing. “It says here that Cutie Pox is when random Cutie Marks start appearing all over the body without any logical reason and would force the pony to perform whatever talent the mark represented. It used to plague prehistoric ponies before mysteriously vanishing. No known cases have been reported since then.”

“So it’s exactly what Bloom has! Hear that, Bloom?” Apple Bloom nods her head, still keeping the plates balanced. If the situation wasn’t so drastic, I’d be impressed.

Scootaloo eyes Apple Bloom. “Jeez, how did you get that?”

“I don’t know! Ah didn’t do anything!”

I jerk my head towards Twilight. “Keep reading, Twilight. What else does it say?”

She looks back at the book. “It says that with the amount of Cutie Marks that would appear, it was only a matter of time before the pony would collapse from exhaustion.”

“So I’m just gonna get really tired?”

Scootaloo rolls her eyes. “All this worry just to say she’s gonna get really tired? Sounds dumb.”

Spike nods his head. “Yeah it does. Although I wouldn’t mind a pox that makes me tired.”

I sigh and look at Twilight and Applejack. We all know what it really means, but none of us have the heart to break it to them. “Well, what’s the cure for this, Twi? Let’s get it whipped up and taken care of.”

Twilight sighs and shuts the book. “I’m afraid that’s just it. There’s no known cure.”

“What?!” Everybody save for Twilight and I say.

“How is there no cure? How’d the ancient ponies get rid of it then?” Spike asks.

I sigh and close my eyes. “They didn’t, Spike.”

“Well that’s just great then. Now what do we do?” There’s a bright flash from Apple Bloom. When it fades, there’s a fleur de lis on her left cheek. “Oh super, une autre marque Cutie!” She gasps. “Qu'est-ce que c'est ça? Pourquoi suis-je parler Phrench maintenant? C'est un Mark Cutie en parlant Phrench, n'est ce pas?”

“Great, now Bloom’s speaking all fancy!”

I nod my head and point to the Cutie Mark. “Yeah, another one. It’s a fleur de lis this time. You got a mirror around here, Twilight?”

“Already on it.” Spike holds a little mirror up to let Apple Bloom see her mark.

“You can understand her?” Twilight asks.

“Tu peux me comprendre? Ah, je ne pense pas que je puisse contrôler de parler normalement maintenant.”

I rock my hand from side to side. “Eh, maybe. My French is a little rusty, but I can do my best translation.”

“Si vous êtes le seul à pouvoir me comprendre en ce moment… Putain! …S'il vous plaît ne dites pas Applejack, je n'ai pas besoin d'avoir plus de problèmes.”

I have to stifle the laugh in my throat. “Noted, Bloom.”

“What’d she say? Ah heard my name in there.”

I shrug my shoulders. “First part is a jumble, but the second part has something to do with problem and you getting her help now? Am I right with that part?” I look to Apple Bloom for confirmation, and she nods her head.

“Ah just don’t know how to help you, Bloom! There’s no known cure in ponykind for this!”

Apple Bloom snaps her fingers. “Qu'en est-il de demander de l'aide à Zecora? Elle pourrait connaître un remède!”

I smile. “Ah, good idea! Scootaloo?”

She’s already heading for the door. “I may not be the smartest pony in the room, but I understood a few of those words! Don’t worry, I’ll be back with Zecora before you know it!” She opens the door with her wings already buzzing.

“Of course! Zecora might have a cure that ponies don’t know about yet!”

“We’ll be right behind you!” I call out to Scootaloo before turning back to everyone else. “Sonja, go with Scootaloo.” With a bark, Sonja heads out the door. “Yeah, it’s basically what Bloom just said.”

“Then what are we waiting for ya’ll?! Let’s get going!”

Twilight grabs the book and heads out the door, Spike right on her heels. Applejack and I slowly make our way out with Apple Bloom. With her tapping nonstop, she’s not going to win any footraces right now. I look at Applejack. “I’ll catch up to Twilight and Spike. You stay with Bloom.”

“Like ah was gonna leave her side.”

I nod my head and run after Twilight and Spike. We keep a fair distance ahead of Applejack and Apple Bloom but never stray too far from their line of sight. At this rate, Scootaloo will be back with Zecora long before we even reach the edge of town.

“Uh… Ya’ll?!” We stop and look back. There’s a new Cutie Mark on Apple Bloom in the shape of a hammer and chisel. As much as she tries to resist her body pulling her, she ultimately gives in and rushes over to a statue of an Earth pony. She moves like a gust of wind around the statue, which is an accurate metaphor based on how much dust she’s kicking up. The dust settles, and what was once a simple Earth pony statue is now a beautiful sculpting of a mare with long hair covering her naked body in just the right places, standing on a pedestal situated in half a clam shell.

I give a whistle of appreciation. “Nice.”

“Heh, heck yeah it is.” I hold my fist out to Spike, who bumps it.

Another Cutie Mark shows up on Apple Bloom. Before I can get a good look at it, she’s clambering up to a roof with a long handled brush in her hands. Ah, chimney sweep. Mark after mark appears on her, and with each mark, a crowd slowly grows.

“She’s hexed!” A mare says.

“She cursed!” Another mare says.

“She enchanted!” A third mare says. Ah, the flower trio. What were their names again? Roseluck, I know, but the other two I’m drawing a blank on.

I shake my head. “Ladies, please. It’s nothing like that.”

Spike climbs on top of a pile of hay. “Yeah, Apple Bloom’s just got an incurable disease known as Cutie Pox that ancient ponies used to get.” The crowd eyes him before one of flower trio screams and runs into a building, the rest of the crowd following suit.

I sigh. “You know, Spike, sometimes I think you live just to cause chaos.”

The sound of something buzzing alerts me to the return of Scootaloo and Sonja with Zecora in tow. Still don’t know why she wears that ratty traveling cloak, but whatever works for her I guess. “Found her!”

“What’s this I see? I thought ponies had got over their fear of me?”

“Well, they did, but—”

“Talk later! We gotta help mah sister right now!”

Zecora nods her head and smiles warmly. “Young Scootaloo has already briefed me of what ails this young filly.”

Twilight holds the book out towards Zecora. “Zecora, please tell us you know how to cure Cutie Pox.”

Zecora slowly pushes the book back towards Twilight. “I have seen this affliction before, for which there is a cure that’s simple and pure.”

Applejack smiles. “Great! What is it?!” I catch some of the town slowly coming out of the buildings. Seems curiosity has overtaken their fear.

I shake my head. “One second. I wanna know how in the world did Apple Bloom even get Cutie Pox? As far as that book in concerned, there’s been no reported cases in ages.”

“Yeah, cause as much as I want a Cutie Mark,” Scootaloo glances in the direction of Apple Bloom, currently lifting weights like they’re nothing, “I don’t wanna be like… That.”

“The answer to that is simple as well, but it comes with a tale to tell.”

“No time!”

I put my hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “We need to know, Applejack, just to prevent this spreading to others. If it was gonna get worse, Zecora would be doing something to fix it by now.”

Applejack sighs. “Alright, fine. What’s the deal with how Bloom got Cutie Pox?”

Zecora looks at Apple Bloom, who matches her gaze. “After Apple Blooms last visit was through, I noticed some ingredients missing for my brew. A flower called Heart’s Desire, which is very hard to acquire.”

Twilight tilts her head. “Heart’s Desire? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that before.”

“You probably wouldn’t, Twilight. I’ve heard mentions of it from my own studies, and from my time with Zecora, but it essentially gives whoever ingests it whatever their heart desires, as the name implies.”

Applejack’s eyes widen. “Wait, so ya mean that—”

“Apple Bloom took the flower to get a Cutie Mark cause it’s what she desired!” Scootaloo finishes for Applejack.

Zecora looks away from Apple Bloom and back to us, nodding her head. “That is true, and Apple Bloom knows this too.”

“But you said there’s a cure for this, right? What is it?” Spike asks.

Zecora reaches into her cloak and rummages in a pouch strapped to a belt around her waist. She pulls out some seeds and holds them out for us to see. “These Seeds of Truth are what you seek. They will bloom only when the truth speaks. The flower that blooms will provide a cure, so long as the truth is honest and pure.”

I snap my fingers and point at the ground. “Sonja, dig!” She listens and starts digging a small hole in the ground. With another snap of my fingers, she stops and sits beside me.

Applejack snatches the seeds from Zecora’s hand and drops them into the hole before using her foot to cover them up with dirt. “Now somepony tell the truth, please!”

Applejack looks around at the crowd, her eye silently pleading with someone to help her. “Okay, I admit it! Yesterday I told Mrs. Cake that I ate two corncakes, but I really ate three!” It’s not hard to recognize the voice of Pinkie, as all eyes turn to her at the front of the crowd. “Okay six! I ate six corncakes!” Zecora bends down to look at the where the seeds are planted. A tiny stem pokes up from the ground, but nothing more. Zecora stands back up and shakes her head.

I look at the crowd. “Alright, listen up! Nobody else here has to tell the truth! There’s only one that needs to do so, and she’s currently lifting weights!” All eyes turn to Apple Bloom. “Bloom, listen to me. You need to tell the truth, no matter the consequences. You need this cure, and you need it soon. And try not to say it in French, please.”

She gulps and eyes us. She finally closes her eyes and puffs out her chest. “Okay, okay! All the Cutie Marks are fake! After I learned from Zecora what Heart’s Desire does, ah took some and mixed it into a special potion to get a Cutie Mark! I didn’t know it would turn out like this! Ah’m sorry, but I wanted a Cutie Mark so badly that I did anything to get it!”

All eyes turn back to the seeds as a white and pink flower shoots up from the dirt. Applejack yanks the flower out of the ground and hands it to Apple Bloom, who promptly stuffs the thing in her mouth and swallows. One by one, the Cutie Marks disappear as everything she’s been carrying drops in a heap around her before she collapses in the center of it all. A quick look at the visible parts of her body reveal she’s as blank as the day she was born. Scootaloo’s the first to her side, gingerly helping Apple Bloom to her feet.

Apple Bloom looks at herself. “Oh thank Celestia, I’ve never been so happy ta be a blank flank in my life!”

Applejack scoops up Apple Bloom into a hug. “Oh sugarcube, I’m glad yer alright!” She lowers Apple Bloom back to the ground, but keeps her hands firmly on her shoulders. “But just what in Equestria were ya thinking, taking a flower like that?”

I nudge Twilight. “Friendship lesson time.” Her eyes widen, a quill and scroll floating in front of her after a quick pop from teleportation.

Apple Bloom hangs her head. “Ah’m sorry, everypony. I was just so impatient that I didn’t want to wait for my Cutie Mark to appear.”

“I’ll say! You didn’t even wait for your fellow Crusaders!”

“That too. Sorry bout that.”

Scootaloo pats her on the back. “It’s cool. You make it sound like I wouldn’t have done the same thing.”

“I should have just listened to everypony else when they said ah need ta be patient and wait. Ah’m truly sorry for lying to everypony and for not listening to what ah was told.”

I nod my head. “As long as you know what you did was wrong, I’d say there’s no need for a punishment, considering what she just went through. Right, Applejack?”

Applejack steps back and crosses her arms.“Well… Ah don’t know. Ah mean, she did lie to practically everypony in town…” She smirks, “But yeah, ah don’t see any reason ta punish ya. This time.”

Apple Bloom smiles. “From now on, I’m gonna be patient and wait for my Cutie Mark! After all, good things come ta those who wait!”

“That sounds like an excellent Friendship Lesson to—”

“Okay, I’ve waited long enough!” Apple Bloom checks her flank, but it’s still bare. “Darn it!”

“So… ready to get back to Crusading, now that you no longer got a Cutie Mark?” Scootaloo is already strapping on her helmet and rolling her scooter over.

“Are ya kidding?! I’ve been ready! Let’s go get Sweetie too!” Her and Scootaloo head off to somewhere else in town, the crowd slowly dispersing now that the commotion is over.

I shake my head and chuckle. “Ah, the eternal wellspring of youthful energy.” I turn to Zecora. “So, what brought you into town today?”

“A shopping trip to a little known store that sells ingredients that are hard to procure.”

I raise an eyebrow. “There’s a store in town that sells rare alchemy ingredients?” Zecora nods her head. “This news to any of you?”

Applejack shrugs her shoulders. “Not like I care about such places, but ain’t never heard of anyplace like that here.”

Twilight shakes her head. “I’ve never heard of such a place either. Granted, I haven’t been in Ponyville long enough to know everything about it.”

“Same here.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Eh, not like I’m concerned with its location right now.” I stretch, feeling a couple of joints crack. “Now that the current situation is resolved, I’m gonna head home and workout for a bit. See you all later then.” I snap my fingers, and Sonja heels at my left side. “Also, spread the word to everyone else, including Trixie and Derpy. Movie night at my place tomorrow for anyone interested.” With that, I snap my fingers and teleport home with Sonja.

Comments

[Skye787]

Cool another movie night chapter.

[falconstrings]

great chapter hope to see more soon

[Pinkie_Keen]

8891768
For shame author, tsk tsk you really should make time for them sometime, they're really good movies and books

[ChiKazeNoKira]

Do you have any plans for the CMC's cutie marks? Will you make them the same as in the show or will you give them more diversity and uniqueness?
I think Welcome to the Black Parade could be a good song for the band to play in case you were struggling on the songs for the album.

Also I know this is late, but I'm guessing the Ponies are on number 3 or 4 on the chart yes?
derpicdn.net/img/2013/5/23/331824/large.jpeg

[Rathorc Lemenger]

9111269
When's the next update?

[Resadur164]

I get the feeling this is a dead story

[Apple_Crack]

9504656
Not dead... Yet. I'm putting the final touches on the next chapter and hope to have it out soon.

[JOEBLACK]

Spike climbs on top of a pile of hay. “Yeah, Apple Bloom’s just got an incurable disease known as Cutie Pox that ancient ponies used to get.” The crowd eyes him before one of flower trio screams and runs into a building, the rest of the crowd following suit.

Did anyone (besides Spike) not see this coming?

[JOEBLACK]

I shrug my shoulders. “Eh, not like I’m concerned with its location right now.” I stretch, feeling a couple of joints crack. “Now that the current situation is resolved, I’m gonna head home and workout for a bit. See you all later then.” I snap my fingers, and Sonja heels at my left side. “Also, spread the word to everyone else, including Trixie and Derpy. Movie night at my place tomorrow for anyone interested.” With that, I snap my fingers and teleport home with Sonja.

Oh no, Blake has been replaced by Discord. Do you think anypony will notice?