How I earned my cutie mark
Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Calendar
Previous Chapter Next ChapterWhen she was younger, your aunt Twilight earned her cutie mark, thanks to the help of Rainbow Dash.
"Well miss Sparkle?"
"We don't have all day..."
Those last words spoken by one of the mare unicorn examiners had been echoing through Twilight's head. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't focus her energy on the purple spotted egg that lay in a barrel of hay before her. It was a simple task... but she was too anxious to pull it off. And so Twilight did the only thing she thought she could do... admit defeat. "I'm sorry I wasted your time..." Twilight hung her head in shame.
The examiners disappointingly wrote on their clipboards, when all hope was lost, suddenly then came the biggest most colorful explosion, filling the once dim sky with a huge rainbow blast. At that precise moment several ponies lives changed at once. Rainbow Dash's sonic rainboom helped her five friends find their destiny, as well as earning her own cutie mark too. The intense noise startled Twilight, causing her true magic to prevail and allowing her to pass her exam. Twilight was very powerful even at a young age.
The point is that's an amazing story, and I'm sure you've been told it over and over again. But Twilight's side of the story always fascinated me, because I was so sure my cutie mark would be magic related. So one day in the club house a few days after the party, it was the start of a new month, and what a month it was.
"This month will be awesome, Rainbow Dash is giving me flying lessons in two weeks!" Scootaloo said placing our calendar back on the wooden wall.
"Maybe this will be the month one of us finally earns our cutie marks!" Apple Bloom hopped excitedly.
"It'll be me," Scootaloo proclaimed proudly. "Once Rainbow Dash shows me her awesome moves!" This month Rainbow Dash was at the wonderbolt academy, when she got back she promised to help teach Scootaloo some of her skills.
"Hey wait...when one of us gets our cutie mark we'll still help the rest of us on the journey right?" I spoke unsure of the answer that would follow.
You see I'd never thought what one of us one day finding our cutie mark would mean for the rest of us. We were the crusaders, a group with a bond but what would happen when one of us finally earned our cutie mark?
"Of course cousin we'll still be the cutie mark crusaders until we've all gotten our cutie marks!" Sweetie Belle reassured me.
"Yeah, once I get my cutie mark before all of you, I'll still help you all" Scootaloo winked.
"Bab's is visiting at the end of the year for hearths warming! We'll all have our cutie marks by then," Apple Bloom beamed. "Maybe she'll have hers too,"
You Kids met Babs once at a party Applejack had once, but you were both too young to remember, Bab's funnily enough lived in Manehatten, I never met her when I lived there, but she'd become a new member of the crusaders not long before I came to Ponyville, she comes in to the story a little more later.
I looked up at the calendar on the wall "We're already halfway through the year now, I wonder what life will be like at the start of the new year," I pondered.
"One more free milkshake please miss Pinkie Pie!" I spoke confidently resting my hoof on the bar of Sugarcube corner.
"Oh! Of course! Anything for you Flick, the most amazingly talented magical unicorn saviour of Equestria!" Pinkie Pie gasped and hurriedly started pouring my favourite flavour, strawberry with chocolate sprinkles. "I can't believe you saved the entire of Canterlot using just your magic skills from all those changelings last week! I read about it in that super popular magazine, that interview with you was amazing! You're so modest!"
"Oh please miss Pinkie, it's just what I do. I could do with a day off without being stopped in the street being told what an amazing hero i am," I smiled smugly looking at my cutie mark, a blue star surrounded by sparks of yellow lightning. "But hey keep talking about it!"
"Well you are the greatest hero in all of Euqestria! So how've you been Flick?"
"Well It's been a busy day, defeated some bad guys, having lunch with Princess Celestia,
same old, you know," I winked to Pinkie.
"Oh wow not another ambitious made up story," Scootaloo's voice groaned with boredom.
"Oh come on Flick, you the saviour of Equestria?" Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.
"Hey knock it off, I'm going to be the next Twilight! I'll save Equestria from something some day, for sure!" I rambled, trying to convince my friends that my stupid ambitious goal was plausible.
"Yeah right and seriously Flick, as if you'd be the one getting free milkshakes," Scootaloo scoffed.
"Coming through!" Scootaloo burst through the door of sugarcube corner.
"Oh! Scootaloo the most amazing flyer and captain of the wonderbolts!" Pinkie dropped my milkshake and the glass smashed, she quickly poured a different flavour. "Here have a milkshake!" She beamed, "Um, Flick could you make some space for Scootaloo? I mean she's literally the greatest thing to grace Equestria."
"Why thank you Pinkie!" Scootaloo smiled smugly. "Oh, it's been an awesome day, I was just teaching some Wonderbolt wannabes some of my moves, maybe one day they'll be as awesome as me and my awesome best friend honorary sister for life Rainbow Dash." Scootaloo looked at me grinning boasting her success.
*****
"Okay, you can't even fly yet and six months from now you'll be captain of the wonderbolts?" I argued at Scootaloo.
"Oh come on Flick you can only do basic spells and suddenly you'll be as powerful as Twilight?" Scootaloo shook her hoof at me and sarcastically laughed "We all know what you'll be like in six months."
*****
"Sorry about dropping the milkshake Flick, but seeing how amazing Scootaloo is compared to you took me by surprise, do you still want one?" Pinkie Pie asked sympathetically.
I coughed and cleared my throat. "Blah derp blah, something about how much I like Fluttershy and how great at magic I am, blah derp." I spoke over enthusiastically waving my hooves around exaggeratedly.
Pinkie just stood staring puzzled at me from behind the Sugarcube bar.
"Ignore him, he's just a little crazy, my awesomeness has that effect on some ponies." Scootaloo chuckled smugly.
"I can do did a done magic trick!" I grinned happily.
*****
"Stop it Scootaloo! I don't always talk about that stuff." I blushed.
"Come on guys, want to know what would make this story even better? Sweetie Belle bounced and took a deep breath.
"No but I think you're about to tell us..." Scootaloo's voice growled with annoyance
*****
"Flick, let's just agree we're both nowhere near as talented as our beautiful successful friend Sweetie Belle okay?" Scootaloo patted me with her hoof.
"Blah" I nodded in agreement.
"That's right!" Sweetie Belle entered the room. I'm beautiful, multitalented, and just look at my fabulous mane and incredible singing voice... and did I mention I'm rich?" she flicked her head and her long luscious mane flowed graciously.
"Oh Sweetie Belle!" Pinkie shoved me and Scootaloo aside, "I have all your posters! And love your songs... oh and the brand of shampoo you sponser, it's just made my mane sparkly! Not as much as yours though..." Pinkie blushed.
"Oh you use my shampoo? You're a valued customer Pinkie," Sweetie Belle sat at the bar, "And all that money I've made... oh I can afford all the hoof manicures I want," Sweetie grinned.
"Well Sweetie Belle you're not nearly as rich as me, I own all of sweet apple acres now I'm the most talented in mah whole family!" Apple Bloom appeared behind Sweetie Belle pushing her aside. "Just look at my golden apple cutie mark! it means I'm the true talent of my family no wonder everypony is so proud of me!"
"Blah derp blah!" I beamed.
"WelI I'm more talented then all of you! I'm the captain of the wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash is more proud of me than your family are of you Apple Bloom!" Scootaloo boasted.
"Well my sister is proud of me! besides Rainbow Dash isn't even your sister Scootaloo!" Sweetie Belle edged closer to Scootaloo, her eyes locked on to hers aggressively.
"Rainbow Dash is my honouary sister, you shut up Sweetie Belle!"
"I don't need to hear these stupid arguments, I have a farm to be running!" Apple Bloom shook her head and faced away from us.
"Everypony please just-" Pinkie started.
*****
The Clubhouse
"Be quiet!" I finished. I took a deep breath. "I think we're getting a little carried away here and for the record my story was fine before you lot butted in and changed it all!"
The other three looked at me sternly.
"Sorry Flick I can't understand you, blah derp what now?" Scootaloo retorted.
I sighed and rolled my eyes, putting my hoof to my face. "Okay, maybe I'm being a little ambitious about where I'll be in six months time." I took a deep breath and looked out the clubhouse window. "But having ambition is important, I might not get my cutie mark for my magic talents but I really want to. I don't care about being successful and saving Equestria really, I just want to do what I love, we can try to find our talents and do anything we can but I really need this... I really need to hold on to this hope right now." my last few words caused my voice to break slightly.
The atmosphere had changed then, I knew what I'd just said had probably really hit home on the others. The room remained silent for a moment, nopony saying a word, as if for a moment we were all lost in our own world, we were all young and we all had ambitions. Yet we had to face the facts, none of us would probably be anywhere near having our cutie marks in six months time.
"I wont be captain of the wonderbolts." Scootaloo's voice was also broken much like mine had been, the sound of her voice ended the silence. "I just want to make Rainbow Dash proud."
"We just want to make our sisters proud too." Apple Bloom looked to Sweetie Belle and the two shared an apologetic look.
"Maybe we shouldn't think so far ahead, let's just take this one month at a time." Sweetie Belle forced out some laughter, trying to ease the tension.
You should never try to think too far ahead, we had a whole new month ahead of us.
"Yeah, come on guys, we have a new month to try out lots of new things, one of us might get our cutie marks. Maybe none of us will, but I know nothing can go wrong this month!" I tried to lift everyponies spirits. I had a positive attitude towards this month, and I honestly believe nothing would go wrong at all
What a load of garbage.
Because the fourteenth day of that month has so unbeliveably bad, so bad in fact the whole of Ponyville was plunged in to chaos all because of the - You know what, I'll get to that bit.
"Yeah, one month at a time sounds good." I nodded slowly realising how important it was to value each day. "When I'm older and I tell the story of how I earned my cutie mark, I'm gonna tell it one amazing month at a time". I proudly insisted, hoping one day this very moment in my life would be told as part of that story.
"Same here! But our stories won't be as amazing as when Rainbow Dash got all her friends to earn their cutie marks, that story beats all" Scootaloo's mind wandered off again, thinking about the sonic rainboom.
"Hey Flick did ya parents ever tell you how they earned their cutie marks?" Apple Bloom questioned.
Now that was an interesting question, I looked away awkwardly avoiding eye contact. "My parents are often busy working." I tried to cover the disappointment in my voice.
Truth is, they were, my mother was busy running her store and selling all the flowers and decorative items she could in the busy city of Manehatten, While my dad was always caught up in finance work, having a dad who works as the head of finance for some huge company and a mother who runs a store meant I never really got to talk to them much growing up.
"But eh, I know the basic story" I laughed nervously. But I didn't, I had no idea.
"Well, it's been a long morning and it's a new month!" I gently changed the subject. "Who wants to go to Sugarcube corner for some not so free milkshakes?" I smiled.
The others beamed in unison.
"Awesome idea!" Scootaloo jumped with excitement.
"Sure thing I'd sure love a cool drink right now!" Sweetie Belle grinned.
"Great idea Flick!" Apple Bloom's eyes lit up.
"I need to get back afterwards though, I'm still helping Rarity design a dress for that fashion show." I chuckled nervously.
The others suppressed their laughter. Yeah I loved fashion, I told Rarity that at the sleepover at Twilight's the other day, well that ended up being a mistake. But now was the time for milkshakes. So that morning in the clubhouse made me realize there and then I wanted to one day tell my story of how I earned my cutie mark and not leave out any detail.
The worst times were still to come, yet so were the best times, I'd eventually see my three best friends earn their cutie marks and I'd go on to earn mine afterwards.
"Come on Flick, ya coming?" Apple Bloom called from outside the clubhouse. I hadn't noticed the other three leave, I was too caught up in my own thoughts.
I stared at the calendar, the number '1' was circled, the first day of the month. "I'm going to make each of those days an amazing story to tell one day." I smiled to myself, before heading off to join the others.
Oh and what was life really like in six months time?
"Come on Scootaloo stop playing in the snow we need to get going!" I called.
The snowy city of Canterlot was the most amazing sight to behold.
"This is sure gonna be one amazing adventure!" Apple Bloom hopped happily through the snow. "I can't wait to get to Manehatten!"
"It's been a really eventful day!" I struggled to walk through the heavy snow. " I might fall asleep on the train."
"Well I guess it's time to head off!" Sweetie Belle squeaked happily walked next to me.
"Come on then everypony, we've got a train to catch!" I smiled enthusiastically starting to make my way towards the train station in the distance. "You guys are going to love Manehatten, you really are!"
Six months from now life was pretty adventurous.