The Elemental Manipulation

by GalaxyEmpire

Chapter 18: Mortify to Indulge (S1E18)

Author's Note:

WARNING! THERE'S A SINGING WORD IN HERE! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Show Stopper

Apple Bloom continued to survey the wreck that was now their wreck as she continued to jot down what she might need for repairs. Sweetie Belle just watched quietly, though she was getting rather bored waiting. Scootaloo had taken off to do something for the time being.

Today they restoring a treehouse who once owned by Applejack. But it requires plenty of resources to do, so the apple filly make a list. Not long until she has done.

"Okay, so we need plenty of wood, hammers, nails, etc...and some paint," said Apple Bloom to Sweetie Belle as she showed her the list.

"It's gonna take us all day to get that stuff!" said Sweetie Belle.

"Most of it is back at the barn," said Apple Bloom, "the problem is gettin' everything we need from there ta here." It was just then a familiar lion zoomed by and Sweetie Belle gasped.

"Oh, Leo!" Sweetie Belle called out in a sweet tone. Not even a second later, Leo had returned and stopped before the two fillies.

"You called Sweetie Belle?" said him, giving a smile that made the little filly giggle.

"We need to gather some stuff so we can fix up this ol' clubhouse," said Apple Bloom, "Can you give us a hoof? Or rather a paw?"

"Sure thing," said the cub, "Umm..."

"I already wrote down what we need and I have another paper of what I want to do," said Apple Bloom, showing a second paper with some very precise drawings featuring her projects for their clubhouse. Leo was impressed.

"Well, in that case," said him, "you girls wait here. I'll go bring over what you need. Just make sure you put it away what you don't use when you're finished alright?"

"Okay," they said together as he switches to Lightning Form before took off at high speed.

"Woah, being so fast must be helpful." The filly Unicorn awe for the action he made while the earth pony nodded. She has been seeing Leo helping everypony in this town, looks like he like it a lot. This is why he been running around in the fields full of an apple tree.

It didn't even have to complain about what was taking so long as he arrived right away with everything Apple Bloom requested in a train of freight cars. Once everything was unloaded, the two fillies said thank you and sent Leo on his way. He did offer to help, but they insisted they could manage on their own. Despite their attempt with rebuilding a side table, or don't want him to over-helping so much.

---

Eventually...

---

"We're gonna go out in the world and discover our talents." Said the apple filly.

"A new adventure!" Scootaloo said boldly.

"And earn our cutie marks," Sweetie Belle added excitedly.

"We'll leave no stone unturned!" Apple Bloom declared.

"No mountain unclimbed!" Scootaloo added in the same tone.

"No meal uncooked!" said Sweetie Belle with determination.

"No sock unworn!" Apple Bloom added.

"Well, okay then!" said Applejack, leaning back from all the declaration and determination, "Sounds like you have a plan. I gotta, uh...leave no apple unpicked! See y'all later. Come on, Leo!"

"Ponies wear socks?" He remarked innocently as he followed Applejack downstairs. Applejack glared as a nervous chuckled to himself before they headed back towards the Apple orchard.

"Are we ready to get our cutie marks, ponies?" Scootaloo asked as the grown-up disappeared.

"Ready!" said the three fillies together. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were ready for action!

...Only to find out nothing is working.

You see, the trio has done many things and place in Ponyville such as be a Pig Feeder, at the Sugarcube Corner, be a Beauty Parlor, testing if they have a mind power or something, climbing a snow mountain only the mountain was a few feet tall and even deep-sea swimming. Or deep lake diving to be more precise.

Nonetheless, all of it is not working for them. With that idea crossed out, the three fillies finally made their way towards the library. Twilight and Miss Cheerilee were making their way inside. Twilight was the first to enter the library when she gasped.

"I had nothing to do with this," said Spike as he crossed his arms indignantly.

"What is going on here?" The librarian asked as she saw the three fillies in a large pile of books.

"Hmm...Well, we sure aren't gettin' our cutie marks for bein' librarians," said Apple Bloom as she closed another book.

"Huh. I should think not," said Spike, earning a few glares, "What?"

"Moo-moot mmmmphing!" said a muffled voice from under the books.

"Wait...where's Leo?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Mmmm...mmm more!" the muffled voice said again. Scootaloo began to dig through the books a bit and Leo popped his head out of the pile.

"I should expect you to get involved, Leo," Miss Cheerilee teased as Twilight smirked.

"No, I just love being buried in my studies," said the lion sarcastically as the two adult ponies giggled to each other, "I was trying to show them where to put some books away when they tried to carry stacks that were too tall and too heavy and I was buried alive." His sister just shook her head.

"Girls," Twilight addressed the three fillies, "I think you're going about this the wrong way. Instead of trying to do things you are not familiar with, why not try doing things in areas that you already like?"

"And I have the perfect place to start," said Cheerilee as she placed a poster on the floor for the three fillies to look at.

" "Showcase your talents..."," Apple Bloom read aloud.

" "...for all to see"," Scootaloo continued.

" "Perform in the Ponyville School Talent Show"," Sweetie Belle finished.

"There'll be all sorts of awards," said Cheerilee, "Best dramatic performance, the best magic act, best comedy act...Surely you can find your talent."

"This would be the perfect place to discover our talents," said Apple Bloom, "Jugglin'!"

"Acting!" Scootaloo suggested.

"Magic tricks!" added Sweetie Belle.

"Square dancin'!"

"Tightrope walking!"

"Or a lion taming!" said Sweetie Belle. As the three fillies glance with a devious smile at the cub, who just felt a sense of danger coming on as he slowly sank back under the books.

"My little ponies," said the adult unicorn, "You're missing the point. Think about the things you already enjoy doing. Think about what you're already good at."

"Sure! We can do that."

"Yeah! Sure we can."

"Well, whatever we do, we'll do it as..."

"...The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" they all shouted at once and then made their way out of the library. Leo was worried as he poked out of the books again.

"Why do I get this feeling that your lesson went through one ear and out the other?" He asked.

"Quit goofing around and get those books to put way?"

"What!? Why me?!"

"Because your the last one who touches it."

"B-but..." He sighs, then turned toward his brother with a soft voice. "Spike~"

The Drake, try to sneak away but can't help but feel guilty for leaving him, and so he groans. "Ugh... Fine, I guess I own your one back at the tower."

---

Later...

---

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were busy collecting materials and supplies from a familiar place. Once they had collected their supplies. The Pegasus filly pulled over to check off their items before stormy off with her scooter, her passengers in it and their suppliers.

" "Ghosts, Goblins, and Ghoulish Figures"?" said Twilight as she handed them the book, "Good heavens, girls. What do you need a book like this for?"

"You'll see," Scootaloo answered simply, "Thanks, Twilight. We'll give it back as soon as we're done with it." Twilight and Spike watched them take off with concerned looks on their faces.

"What do you think they're up to?" Big Sister asked.

"Probably something we should be excited or be scared to find out," Spike answered.

The driver continued to pick up her speed when she noticed that she needed to stop as some larger wagons were passing by. She had searched for a launch ramp, but couldn't find anything that would let her jump over the wagons with her friends riding the attached wagon. As she waited impatiently, Leo chuckled at the annoyed faces the young Pegasus was making while in his Lightning Form. He was waiting for his small train of freight cars loaded with dry items and vegetables from the market for Applejack and the rest of the Apple family.

"Leo, aren't you have enough help somepony for a day?" Scootaloo said.

"What can I say? It's my business."

"Oh yeah? Since you in that form, bet I could go faster than you," said Scootaloo, "You are the second fastest po-"

"Creature"

"Creature in Equestria."

"It's a race," Lightning said. They waited for the final wagon to just get out their way before he said.

"Alright, ready, set...hey Rainbow Dash is giving autographs!" Leo called out excitedly.

"Where?" Scootaloo squealed until she realized that he had taken off. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sighed.

"She walked into that one," Sweetie Belle remarked as the pegasus scowled to herself.

"You can say that...AHH!" The farm filly was startled as her driver take-off was so fast they nearly lost some of their items in the wagon. She tried hard to catch up but Leo was too fast. He gave her a big grin as he increased his lead, leaving the poor Pegasus far behind.

Poor Scootaloo was out of breath by the time she reached the clubhouse. She just rolled off her scooter onto the grass nearby and panted heavily when the yellow lion towered over her.

"Second fastest huh?" He remarked as Scootaloo glared.

"You were amazing!" Both the passenger said, who's luckily were able to hold onto them. Scootaloo protested bitterly though.

"I'm glad I have at least a fan. Anyways, I better get these goods to Applejack so I'll see you later." Switch back to regular form, he walked off.

"I'm glad we're doin' this as a team," Apple Bloom remarked as they set the materials inside the clubhouse.

"Me too," said Sweetie Belle as she lay the tall fabric rollers against the corner of the clubhouse, "Um...so what are we doing again?"

"A super awesome dramatic song for the talent show, of course," Scootaloo answered.

"Right!" Sweetie Belle nodded, "With super-cool scenery. And amazing costumes!"

"This is gonna be soo amazing!" Scootaloo said excitedly.

"Sweetie Belle, I think you should be the singer," Apple Bloom suggested.

"What?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, "No way I'm singing in front of a crowd. Twilight said to do something we like to do, and I'd like to be like my big sister, and she's a designer."

"Fine then," said Scootaloo, "You can do the costumes and the scenery."

"And Scootaloo, you're great in manoeuvres on your scooter," said Apple Bloom, "So you should do all the choreography. Y'know all those dance moves." Scootaloo nodded but then her eyes widened and she shook her head.

"Nah, I'd rather sing a wicked rock ballad," Scootaloo answered, "Why don't you come up with a dance routine, Apple Bloom?"

"Hmm...I'm not much of a dancer...but I do like kung-fu," said Apple Bloom, "That's kinda like dancin'. Hi-ya! Hah! Hah! Yeah!" Apple Bloom demonstrated a few moves to prove her point.

"Then it's settled!" said Sweetie Belle as she stood on her hind legs, "Let's get started!"

---

A Few Days Later...

---

"Oh! Sorry, Scootaloo."

"That's okay, ugh!"

"Oops! Sorry, Scootaloo."

"Oh, my bad, Sweetie Belle," Scootaloo replied, "Let's sing the chorus again!"

Applejack and Leo had seen enough and walked away with frazzled looks on their faces. Both of them come to the treehouse to see the trio filly progress so far, but after seeing those...

"Good to try new things huh?" The manipulation asked, feeling too stunned to be sarcastic about it.

"Well, gosh," said Applejack, "Sure wasn't expectin' that."

"I think that sounded pretty good," said Apple Bloom. Both ponies could hear the three fillies from outside.

"Me too," said Sweetie Belle, "you think we're ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," said Scootaloo. Applejack and Leo cringed. The earth pony then motioned for the lion that they should get out here before they were forced to tell them the truth about their performance.

"Hey! Did you see us practising?" Scootaloo asked as they all rushed outside before either anyone could disappear.

"Uh...Yeah," the big sister answered simply while the golden lion silent and didn't make eyes contact with them.

"Speechless!" Scootaloo said excitedly, "See, girls? I told you that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna leave them speechless."

"Yay!" the three fillies cheered as they dashed away, leaving a distraught bottom behind.

" "Speechless" is right," Applejack muttered.

"Those three are setting themselves up for a big fall," Leo added, "Should we..."

"I doubt they would listen if we told them, sugarcube," said Applejack, "Sometimes the best lessons in life are the hard ones." She just hummed and started walking away.

"Where in tarnation do you think you're going?" The bandana lion asked curiously.

"Better stock up on tissues," She said. "Rarity isn't the only one who goes through multiple boxes when she cries."

Soon, the day of the talent show had arrived and lots of ponies had arrived just outside the Schoolhouse grounds to watch the show. At the moment, Snips and Snails were both doing a magic act routine.

"And on the count of three," Snips explained as he lowered the heat over a rabbit, "this rabbit will disappear, and something tasty will reappear in its place. A one, a two, and a three!" Snips lifted the hat. The rabbit had disappeared, but there wasn't anything underneath the hat.

"Hey! Where are they?" Snips wondered, "Snails, where are the...carrots. SNAILS!" Snails had put the carrots in his mouth and were munching on them dumbly before Snips took after him.

"Uh, how about a round of applause for the S&S magic act," said Cheerilee as some applause was made in the crowd, "Now for our next act, we have Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie reciting their favourite poem...on roller skates!"

Backstage, the three fillies were dressed and ready to go as they wore some black cloaks over their costumes and sat on a large crate waiting for their turn as Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie went skating by them.

"Break a leg!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom exclaimed in shock, "What a thing to say!"

"No, no, no," Sweetie Belle explained, "You see, in the theatre, it's considered bad luck to say "good luck". So you say "break a leg" instead."

"My little ponies!" said Twilight as she appeared next to them with Leo alongside her, "how are you doing?"

"Nervous..." said the three fillies at once.

"Don't worry," said Twilight cheerfully, "You're gonna be amazing. Remember, just stick to what you know best. I can't wait to hear you sing, Sweetie Belle."

"Why does everypony always think I'm gonna sing?" Sweetie Belle whined.

"Because you have a singing voice," Leo muttered worried before Twilight jabbed him hard in the side.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders, you're up on next," said Cheerilee as she walked by, "Break a leg!"

"Break a leg-"

"Ugh!" said Apple Bloom annoyed at Twilight as the three fillies zipped away as they tossed their black cloaks behind them.

"Uh...good luck!" Twilight called out but was worried. She then saw her brother still looking at her.

"I hope you're not expecting me to admit you were right," Twilight remarked as he sulked.

"Would've been nice," Leo remarked under his breath. It didn't take them long before Sweetie Belle had their props set up and the entire stage went dark. Soon three lights were shining on the three fillies heads. They had spiked their manes and put on makeup and reggae style outfits to make them look like punk rockers. Their background music resembled a fusion of both late 1980s rock n roll and pop music.

[Scootaloo]

Look, here, are three little ponies,
Ready to sing for this crowd,
Listen up, 'cause here's our story
I'm gonna sing it

[Cutie Mark Crusaders-literally yelling]

Very loud!

The lights shined, showing some very amateurish backdrops and scenery. The ponies in the audience just stared at them with their faces hanging out. Poor Applejack tips her hat forward and ducks her head, feeling embarrassed for both herself and the three fillies.

[Scootaloo]

When you're a younger pony
And your flank is very bare
Feels like the sun will never come
When your cutie mark's not there

So the three of us will fight the fight
There is nothing that we fear
We'll figure out what we'll do next

As she sang, Sweetie Belle single-handedly tried to pull up various types of props from the sun to some hanging spiders. Apple Bloom just continued to stand in place, using kung fu kicks and chops to dance.

[Cutie Mark Crusaders]

'Til our cutie marks are here!

We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders
On a quest to find out who we are
And we will never stop the journey
Not until we have our cutie marks

Things began to go wrong at this point. For starters, as Scootaloo sang, the fog machine went on the fritz, spreading the smoke around Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom found she couldn't see and bumped into Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom then made a chop, causing her hind leg to get stuck in the scenery. The yellow filly smiled sheepishly before she tried to get her leg out of the hole she had made.

[Scootaloo]

They all say that you'll get your mark
When the time is right
And you know just what you're supposed to do
And your talent come to light

But it's not as easy as it sounds
And that waiting's hard to do
So we test our talents everywhere

Sweetie Belle was supposed to cover a hanging spotlight with a blue visor to make the light beam turn blue. But her visor was too small for it to cover the entire light. So Scootaloo had to move for only her face to be bathed in the blue spotlight.

[Cutie Mark Crusaders]

Until our face is blue

Things went from bad to worse as one of the dropped props from above hit the giant fan they had borrowed, blowing the three fillies off the stage while they were singing. Some of the props began to teeter about as they continued to sing. Sweetie Belle rushed to try and prevent one prop from falling, but soon the others were wobbling about as well.

We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders
On a quest to find out who we are
And we will never stop the journey
Not until we have our cutie marks

We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders
On a quest to find out who we are
And we will never stop the journey
Not until we have our cutie marks!

As they finished their song, all the back props fell into the three fillies, smashing into pieces on top of them. The crowds were silent for another second...before they burst out laughing at them. The three fillies popped out of the mess and saw everyone laughing. Their laughter didn't make them feel good at all. It wasn't much longer before the broken props and other items were cleared from the stage. The three fillies were feeling glum and embarrassed.

"Wow," said Scootaloo, "That did not go as well as I expected."

"I can't believe they're laughin' at us," said Apple Bloom.

"Was it that bad?" Sweetie Belle asked out of the blue when Miss Cheerilee arrived.

"Back on stage, girls," said Cheerilee, "It's time for the awards."

"Back on stage? No," Sweetie Belle protested.

"They'll just laugh some more," Apple Bloom added sadly.

"Yeah, what's the point?" Scootaloo replied.

"Now girls, let's be good sports," said Cheerilee, "you made a great effort. You should be proud. Now come on!" The three girls just exchanged worried glances with each other before sneaking into the stage behind the other ponies who had participated in the talent show.

"Let's hear it for all our talented fillies and colts," said Cheerilee as the ponies all stomped their hooves to make it sound like they were applauding.

"Our first award goes to...Snips and Snails for the best magic act," Cheerilee announced as the two unicorn colts made their way to the stage.

"Hey! Mine's at least shinier!" said Snips smugly.

"Well, mine's bigger," said Snails as they walked away.

"Oh yeah, well...Well, mine is, um...heavier," Snips shouted back. Spike and Cheerilee just roll their eyes at them before moving on.

"The next award goes to...Sunny Daze and Peachy Pie for best dramatic performance," Cheerilee announced. The two fillies smiled excitedly as they went to claim their medals. The three fillies quivered nervously as they waited for the next announcement.

"And finally, the last award of the night goes to..." Cheerilee announced. The three fillies continued to quiver nervously. Even Applejack was looking very nervous, unsure of what to do if the three fillies were left with no award despite their performance.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders!" said Cheerilee as she rose off her fore-hooves.

"What?" said the three fillies in complete shock.

"For best comedy act," said Cheerilee as they gave them their three medals. The ponies cheered for them as the three fillies smiled. They still couldn't believe that they had won an award.

"Can you believe it?" said Apple Bloom once they were backstage, "We won!"

"I knew our act was awesome," Scootaloo replied.

"You know what would be the best?" said Sweetie Belle, "If we won and we got our cutie marks." The three fillies smiled as they tore off their costumes and checked their flanks. They were still blank and they let out a long moan.

"Congratulations, ponies!" said Twilight happily as she and Leo stood before them, "Job well done."

"Thanks," the three ponies said rather sadly.

"Hey, you don't sound too excited," said Twilight concerned.

"We worked hard and won a prize, but we still don't have our cutie marks," said Scootaloo with a sigh.

"Which is the prize we really wanted," said Sweetie Belle in a dreary tone.

"Oh, girls..."

"But we think we know why," said Apple Bloom.

"Yes. We know why," said Sweetie Belle.

"Oh? Tell me," said Twilight, "I'd love to make a special report to the princess." Leo smile in agreement.

"Well, maybe we were trying too hard," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yes? And?" said Twilight, hoping to hear more.

"And instead of forcing ourselves to do something that is not meant for us...," Scootaloo added.

"Yes? Yes?" said Twilight growing more excited.

"We each should be embracing our true talent!" Apple Bloom finished.

"And that is...?" Twilight asked them with a smirk on their faces. Leo was eager to hear their answer.

"Comedy!" the three fillies said aloud.

THUD

Leo loss his balanced as he collapsed to the floor on his stomach. He shows knew it that this filly is still a kid, but the way ponies are is such knowledgeable and smart. Maybe he wrongs after all. Their all weird...

"Apple Bloom! You did it!" said Applejack excitedly as Rarity and Rainbow were standing next to her.

"Did you see our award?" the three fillies asked excitedly, "weren't we funny?" They took off to speak to the three ponies, leaving a stunned lavender pony behind.

Her siblings got up before looking at her. "Hey, Sis. Does pony wear socks?"