The Life of Princess Skyla

by Stardom Freedom

Searching and Getting a Mark

Mrs. Bell took us to a tree house. She said it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse.

We were all in awe of it. This would be where we would plan to find our marks!

Mrs. Bell stood at the front of the room. "Okay! I now put this meeting of the Cutie Mark Crusaders in order! Please introduce yourselves to me."

"I'm Princess Skyla of the Crystal Empire, but call me Skyla."

Mrs. Bell bowed down. I blushed.

"I'm Sun Burn,"

"I'm Shooting Star, but just call me Star,"

"I'm Magnum,"

"And I'm Radiant Jewel, but just call me Jewel,"

"Great! Now that I know your names, we can begin thinking about what we want to do to earn our marks. The creators of the CMC, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom, tried lots of things to get their marks, but that never happened. When they did things they did like, they got them. So, Skyla, what are your interests?"

"Um... I like drawing. It helps me understand a lot. I paint lots of things. I also like writing." I said.

"Nice. Sun Burn?"

"I like to learn. So I'm known as a... nerd."

I giggled quietly. I find male nerds cute.

Mrs. Bell shrugged. "I was a nerd too. Okay, so, Star?"

"I like making wishes and shooting stars! Oh, and standing up for my friends. I'm pretty tough."

Mrs. Bell chuckled. "Nice. Magnum?"

"I like to flirt,"

Radiant tilted her head in pretending to be confused. "What does a cutie mark in flirting look like?"

Magnum shrugged. "I dunno,"

"Okay. And last but not least, Jewel?"

"I like shiny things, like jewels!"

"As do I. Now, since we don't have much time today, we will do these crusading activities tomorrow. Bye, my little ponies!" Mrs. Bell left my home.

***

It was recess, and my friends and I were talking about the CMC when Royal and Bronze approached us.

"Hi, blank-flanks! Whatcha talking about? Your stupid attempts to get a mark?" Royal teased. And not in the friendly way of teasing.

Star approached them fiercely. "Two things, you spoiled brats: one, they aren't stupid. And two, when we get our marks, you can make sure that they'll be better than yours."

"No. They'll be as stupid as you." Bronze argued.

I stomped my hoof. "Well, yours are stupid too! In fact, what are your talents? Making ponies feel sorry for you because you're brats?"

"Ooh!" My friends' eyes widened.

"Just got burned!" Sun Burn exclaimed.

Royal scoffed. "Come on, Bronze. Let's go hang out with the cool ponies. I heard that Peace Sign filly that's a total hippie actually had the sense to arrange a game of basketball for the ponies that actually have a mark. I'll be a great cheerleader."

"And I was the best player back in Ponyville. Ponies actually started comparing me to LeBronze James!"

Royal giggled. "Let's see if the ponies here have good taste," Our enemies trotted away, leaving us, anger boiled inside of us.

***

We got settled in the Crusader Clubhouse. I slammed down my saddlebag and looked up to Mrs. Bell. "Let's get this show on the road! I'm ready!"

Mrs. Bell laughed. "Why are you so eager?"

"Because there are two foals in our class who keep bullying us for not having a mark!"

"Just ignore them. You'll get your marks eventually. Now, time to crusade!"

***

We started with Sun Burn's idea with learning.

We all entered in the Crystal Empire Library. The librarian, Mrs. Amethyst Maresbury, smiled at us. Mrs. Amethyst is a sweet and kind mare that's a Crystal Pony (Earth Pony as well) with a light purple coat and pink mane and tail. She always wears both in a bun.

"Hello, foals. What brings you here?"

Mrs. Bell stepped forward. "I am the troop leader for the Crystal Empire Cutie Mark Crusaders troop. The kids want to see if they can get a mark in learning."

Mrs. Amethyst looked at the chart behind her. "Well, we have "Learn It!" in one minute. You can come to the back for that."

"That would be lovely," Mrs. Bell led us to the back where a bunch of fillies and colts were sitting. In one minute, a stallion walked in with a bright smile on his face.

"Welcome, fillies and colts of ages five to eight! I'm Yellow Bird, and welcome to "Learn It!", where we read a non-fiction book, and then we play a game called, Test Your Smarts! I'll explain the rules to Test Your Smarts when it's time to play, but right now I'll read our book, Dino Quest!"

Mr. Yellow Bird read the book and then he explained the rules for Test Your Smarts. First, he gets two five-year-olds to answer questions about the book. Whoever gets the most right competes against a six-year-old. And then the age level keeps going up until it gets to eight. Whoever wins "wins the pleasure of winning." Ugh.

"Okay, I need two five-year-old volunteers!"

Hooves shot up everywhere, mine too. Mr. Yellow Bird pointed to Sun Burn and a Crystal Pony Pegasus colt.

Mr. Yellow Bird turned to Sun Burn. "What is your name?"

"Sun Burn,"

"And what is yours?"

"Clear Flight,"

"Okay, Sun Burn and Clear Flight, here is the first question: were dinosaurs cold-blooded or warm-blooded?"

"Cold-blooded," Sun Burn answered.

"Correct! Next question: which period did the T-Rex live in?"

"The Trisic!" Clear Flight exclaimed.

"I think you mean the Triassic, and that is incorrect. Sun Burn?"

"The Cretaceous!"

"Correct! And here is your last question: which continents did dinosaurs live in?"

"All of them!" Sun Burn said.

"You are... correct! Sun Burn wins this round!"

Clear Flight began to cry and he flied out of the room. "Mommy! There was this boy, and he beat me in the game! Now he's gonna win!" I tried to stifle a laugh.

Sun Burn played against the six-year-old and won. He beat the seven-year-old, and I wasn't surprised. That seven-year-old was really stupid. The eight-year-old was really smart. I thought Sun Burn would lose. But then, the eight-year-old got the last question wrong, and then Sun Burn won!

"Congratulations to Sun Burn!" Then Mr. Yellow Bird's eyes widened. "Well, would you look at that,"

"Look at what?" Sun Burn looked at where Mr. Yellow Bird was looking, which was his flank. My crush gasped. On his flank was a picture of a sun burning a closed book.

"I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!" Sun Burn hollered.

"What's your talent?" the stupid seven-year-old asked.

I rolled my eyes. "His mark is showing that he's smarter than the information in a book. That's why it shows the sun burning up the book, because he is smarter."

"Who would want a cutie mark in being smart? He's a nerd."

"Well, at least he's not a stupid slacker like you!"

"Ooh!" everypony (except Mr. Yellow Bird) exclaimed.

"Just got burned!" Sun Burn exclaimed.

The seven-year-old rolled his eyes and left the room.

My friends and I left the room and went to Mrs. Bell. She gasped when she saw Sun Burn. "Congrats, Sun Burn! Now it's time for the next activity!"

***

Next, we did Shooting Star's idea: wishing. I thought it was a pretty... stupid idea, but I didn't tell Star.

We all stood by the fountain and threw bits in it. Eventually, I got tired and sat down. "This is hopeless! I'm not even gonna try!" I exclaimed.

Sun Burn smirked as he took my bits. "Hey!" I hollered.

"You said you were done," He threw some of my bits in the fountain.

I tried to keep in a laugh.

"Hey guys, watch this!" Star said. She closed her eyes to use her Unicorn magic. Using it, she got a small piece of a cloud and formed it into a star. She flew it across the sky. "Make a wish!" she encouraged.

Jewel gasped. "Whoa, Star, look at your flank!"

Star looked down and saw a star on her flank. "I did it! I did it! I got my mark!"

Mrs. Bell smiled. "Good job, Star! Now, let's go to the next activity!"

***

"No way, Magnum! Sky and I are not getting cutie marks in flirting!" Jewel insisted.

"But it'll be fun..." Magnum persuaded.

"NO!" Jewel and I said at the same time.

"Fine!" Magnum approached Jewel and she blushed.

"So, cutie, how's it been?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she giggled. I gave her a look saying, Where did you get 'the usual' from?

She mouthed back, "I got it from Shine,"

Shine is Jewel's big, 16-year-old sister. Shine is popular, pretty, and really nice. She always helps us with stuff and gives us advice whenever we come to Jewel's house.

Jewel and Magnum continued flirting when all of a sudden, Star shouted, "WATCH OUT FOR THE EXPLOSION!"

Jewel fainted as Magnum grabbed her and rushed her out of the area. "Where is the explosion?" he asked, looking around, clearly worried.

Star began to laugh. "There was no explosion! I just did that to trick ya. And it worked! Oh, and by the way, Magnum, look at your flank."

Magnum looked down to see a picture of an explosion on his flank. "Wow! What a cool cutie mark! And it's mine! All mine! That is so cool!"

Mrs. Bell said, "What great heroism, Magnum! Let's go see if Jewel and Skyla can get their marks!"

***

"I DON'T GET IT, JEWEL!" I hollered at my friend.

"You're supposed to make the gems shine. Shine taught me how to do it with magic."

"WELL, I DON'T GET IT!"

"Whatever," Jewel kept on shining jewels until I noticed a flash from her flank.

"A cutie mark!" Her mark was a diamond.

I was the only pony left without a cutie mark. Embarrassed, I hid my flank with my tail. "It's okay, Skyla. I'm sure you'll be good at the next activity." Mrs. Bell assured me.

***

Lastly, we did my activity. Since everypony else had already gotten their marks, I was the only one. I drew a snowy mountaintop with a polar bear and a pony fighting the bear to get to the top. Then I wrote about it.

Mrs. Bell and my friends looked at it. "What a work of art, Skyla! I think you may get your cutie mark in this!" Mrs. Bell complimented.

I gasped excitedly and looked at my flank. There was no mark. I kept my eyes on my flank for a few more seconds. A picture never appeared. "What?!"

My friends stood gaping. "That doesn't make any sense!" Star protested.

We all kept hollering shouts of protest about my failed attempt of getting a cutie mark when Mrs. Bell broke the silence. "Girls and boys, Skyla may be good at this, but it doesn't she'll get her cutie mark in it. Clearly, this isn't her talent, and that's okay. She just needs to keep looking."

I hung my head and fought back tears. All my friends had a cutie mark, but I didn't. I felt like an outcast. It was only a matter of time before they ditched me to become friends with Royal and Bronze. Upset, I flew home, leaving my friends and troop leader without me.

Because they didn't need me.

Author's Note:

Ugh, it took me so long to write this chapter! I'm so relieved it's done!

And you may think that these are stupid whys to get a cutie mark, but keep in mind that the foals are in kindergarten.

Originally, I was going to add in some extra stuff, but decided to put that in a separate chapter.

Anyway, I hoped you like this part!