Call of the Cutie

Call of the Cutie is the twelfth episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, season one. In this episode, Apple Bloom's concern about her missing cutie mark sparks her to find a way to earn it before an upcoming party. The episode title is either a play on the phrase "call of duty", or on the title of the classic novel The Call of the Wild, in which a dog has an internal struggle against his domestication in order to find itself as how he was meant to be. This episode focuses on Apple Bloom and puts the main characters in a supporting role. It is the first episode to switch the cast's roles in this manner.

Production and airing
Although they introduce themselves to each other in this episode, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have a shot where they huddle in fear around 20:23 in the first episode, Friendship is Magic, part 1, when Night Mare Moon appears for the first time. A layout artist working on the show explained that this was an error on his part.

On the Canadian television channel Treehouse, the word "losers" was muted out, the same as it was on Party of One. On Verizon FIOS cable service TV schedule, Apple Bloom's name was stated incorrectly as Apple Blossom.

Cutie mark lesson
The episode begins at a school for young ponies, with Cheerilee, the school's teacher, explaining about curie marks: when she was born, her flank was blank, and one day around the age of the students in the class, her cutie mark appeared. Cheerilee explains that her cutie mark, smiling flowers, is symbolic of her desire to make her students bloom and learn cheerfully. She then asks the class when cutie marks appear, and Twist answers that it appears when a pony discovers what makes them special. While Cheerilee carries on with her explanation, Diamond Tiara whispers to Apple Bloom so she'll pass a note. Cheerilee catches Apple Bloom passing the note and exclaims in surprise that it's blank, to which Diamond Tiara quips "reminds you of any pony?", and the scene fades with Apple Bloom looking at her blank flank, embarrassed.

Invitiation to the cute-ceñera
The scene fades in to school bells ringing and students exiting the schoolhouse. Twist invites Apple Bloom to various activities, but Apple Bloom mopes and quietly refuses. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, who made Apple Bloom pass the note and teased her, keep bragging and teasing about Apple Bloom's and Twist's lack of cutie marks. They invite them to Diamond Tiara's "cute-ceañera", which Diamond Tiara explains is "a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark."

Runs in the family
Back in Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom discusses her problem with her big sister Applejack, who tells Apple Bloom that it all takes patience. She and her family all received their cutie mark after finding their place in the farm, but were always last in the class to do so. Apple Bloom is upset about this, believing that being last for this "runs in the family". Realizing her last words, she believes her future cutie mark could be based on her namesake. Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Applejack all have apple-related marks, which means she would have to do something apple-related to get hers. And so begins a quest to find her mark before the party.

In the Ponyville town square, she helps her sister with the apple market. She shows the townsfolk the versatile uses for apples,such as eating, playing and creating art, while getting a few "customers" to buy some. Unfortunately, her poor marketing skills drive away the customers. Apple Bloom calls the currency in this scene "bits", the same as the currency is called in other episode. Two of the chased-away customers, Bon Bon and Doctor Whooves make their first speaking appearance in this episode.

Applejack ultimately tells her sister to go home, then asks her if there are other ponies without a cutie mark so she won't be left out at the party. Apple Bloom heads to find Twist to ask if she wants to go to Diamond Tiara's party since they both have something in common. To her dismay, Twist has already managed to get her cutie mark, a two candy-cane symbol, after discovering her skill with creating candies. Practically the only one of her age in Ponyville with no mark now, a distraught Apple Bloom sulks during the afternoon.

Next, she meets Rainbow Dash to ask her about her problem. Dash tell her that she earned her cutie mark after discovering her need for speed, as well as being the first in her class. She then says that the secret to finding her mark was "trying as many things as possible, as quickly as possible". From hang-gliding to karate to kite-flying, nothing seems to work. The inside of the dojo where Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash practice karate has pictures of silhouettes of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on the walls, as they are illustrated in the prologue of Friendship is Magic, part 1.

The little filly then helps Pinkie Pie with baking cupcakes in the Sugarcube Corner shop, hoping that her cutie mark would involve baking (as opposed to her contrary belief of getting it by eating cupcakes). Try as she might, she only makes a mess in the kitchen and burns her share of the treats.

She resorts to begging Twilight, who had been passing by to see the commotion, to magically create a cutie mark before the party, despite Twilight warning her that it was impossible. They give it a shot and, as expected, one fake cutie mark after another appears and instantly disappears. Finally giving up, Apple Bloom decides to not show up to the party. To her horror, however, she remembers that Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera is set up right in the snack shop, before walking right in the middle of it. The scene fades to black then back to Apple Bloom at the party. The music that plays during Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's cute-ceañera party is the same music that plays during the montage of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' attempts to earn their cutie marks in The Show Stoppers and during Pinkie Pie's birthday party toward the end of Party of One.

Apple Bloom tries to hide herself and her flank from the ponies at the party, covering herself with a table cloth, and bumps into the two guests of honor. She lies that she'd already gotten her cutie mark earlier. When Tiara calls her bluff, Bloom saves face by saying she doesn't want to show off and overshadow the guest at her own party. Unfortunately, as she prepares to leave, her disguise becomes caught and her bare rear is exposed for all the party attendants to see.

Just as she is being ridiculed, two other "Blank Flanks" arrive out of a nearby hiding spot to defend her. Neither of them have a cutie mark, saying that it just means that they still have the endless potential to find their calling. With all of the marked ponies in the party to support them, Diamond Tiara loses their attention to her own party.

The episode ends with Apple Bloom and her new friends, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, forming the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with a purpose of finding their talents to earn their cutie marks.

In her private quarters in Canterlot, Princess Celestia reads Twilight's latest report: Apple Bloom had learned that sometimes, the things she thinks will cause her to lose friends and feel left out can actually be the thing that helps her make her closest friends and realize how special she is.

Quotes

 * Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon: Bump! Bump! Sugar Lump Rump!


 * Silver Spoon: See you this weekend...
 * Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon: Blank flanks!


 * Apple Bloom: I really don't see how that's supposed to make me feel better. It probably means that being last one in your class to get a cutie mark runs in the family. Runs in the family... Runs in the family! Runs in the family! You got apples for your cutie mark... Granny Smith has an apple pie... Big Macintosh has an apple half... My unique talent has something to do with apples! Apples! Apples! Apples!


 * Apple Bloom: So, what does my cutie mark look like? A shopping bag full of apples? A satisfied customer eating an apple? Hmm... Maybe I got to increase my sales figures first...


 * Apple Bloom: You touch it, you buy it! We take cash or credit...


 * Apple Bloom: That'll be four bits.
 * Bon Bon: I didn't put those in my bag!
 * Apple Bloom: Likely story. Four bits, lady!
 * Applejack: Apple Bloom! I am really, really sorry about that... she's new.


 * Rainbow Dash: Looks like somepony's got a dark cloud hanging over her head. Let me take care of that for you...


 * Rainbow Dash: What's the matter, kid?
 * Apple Bloom: There's a cute-ceañera this afternoon and everypony in my class will be there and they'll all have their cutie marks and I wanna get my cutie mark but I'm no good at selling apples but I really wanna go to the party but how can I go to the party if I don't have my cutie mark which my big sister says I'm gonna get eventually but... I want it nooooow!


 * Apple Bloom: Twilight, you have to help me!
 * Twilight Sparkle: What's the matter?
 * Apple Bloom: [inhales] Tiara's Cute-ceañera is today and everypony in my class will be there and they'll all have cutie marks and I wanna get my cutie mark but I'm no good at selling apples or sports or making cupcakes but I wanna go to the party but how can I go to the party if I don't have my cutie mark which Pinkie Pie says I can't just make appear but I need it to appear... riight nooooow!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Uh... I don't follow...


 * Apple Bloom: How could I've forgotten the time? How could I forgot Pinkie Pie was hosting the party? How could I forgotten it was at Sugarcube Corner?!
 * Pinkie Pie: Don't forget your party hat, Forgetty Forgetson!


 * Scootaloo: I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?
 * Silver Spoon: The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special.
 * Sweetie Belle: No, it means she's full of potential.
 * Scootaloo: It means she could be great at any thing . The possibilities are, like, endless.
 * Sweetie Belle: She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer, she could even be mayor of Ponyville some day...
 * Scootaloo: ...and she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two.


 * Scootaloo: What do you say we celebrate with these delicious cupcakes?
 * Apple Bloom: Not the cupcakes! Trust me...

Gallery



 * Call of the Cutie image gallery