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 lack of a cutie mark sparks an interest for 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. This episode also marks the establishment of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Production and airing
Although Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo introduce themselves to each other in this episode, they appear together in the first episode when they huddle in fear around 20:23 during Night Mare Moon's entrance. A layout artist working on the show explained that this was an error on his part, and that the ponies huddling together were supposed to be different ponies.

On the Canadian television channel Treehouse, the word "losers" was muted out, the same as it was on Party of One. On the Verizon FIOS cable service TV and AT&T U-Verse schedule, Apple Bloom's name is 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 cutie 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.

Invitation to the cute-ceañera
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, calling them "blank flanks." They invite them to Diamond Tiara's "cute-ceañera", which Diamond Tiara explains is "a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark." The event borrows its name and purpose from the Latin American quinceañera, a coming-of-age party for a girl's 15th birthday.

Runs in the family
The scene cross-fades to Sweet Apple Acres, where Apple Bloom gripes about her problems to her big sister Applejack, who tells Apple Bloom that every pony gets their cutie mark eventually. Applejack says that Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and herself all received their cutie mark last in their class. Apple Bloom is upset about this, believing that the delay in getting a cutie mark "runs in the family". She excitedly repeats the phrase and concludes that, like her family, her special talent must be apples.

Hard sale
In the Ponyville town square, Applejack and Apple Bloom operate an apple stand and call on passersby to buy their apples. Apple Bloom exclaims and demonstrates that "you can eat 'em, play with 'em, create fine art for your home with 'em", but her pitch only upsets and angers the potential customers. She then aggressively badgers Time Turner until he buys some apples. Apple Bloom excitedly checks for her cutie mark, but when none appears she says she has to "increase her sales figures". She frightens away Berry Punch with "you touch it, you buy it", then spills apples into Bon Bon's bag and accuses her of taking them, then demands four bits. Applejack has to apologize to the customers and appease them, then asks Apple Bloom not to try forcing her cutie mark to appear. Applejack ends up loading Bon Bon's bags and setting a full bushel on her back with the rest of the apples for free to keep her happy (although as Bon Bon struggles away, the look on her face suggests that she might be regretting demanding that many). Apple Bloom calls the currency in this scene "bits", the same as the currency is called in other episodes. Two of the chased-away customers, Bon Bon and Time Turner, make their first speaking appearance in this episode.

A twist
Applejack asks Apple Bloom 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 and asks her if she wants to go to Diamond Tiara's party together since they both don't have a cutie mark. To her dismay, Twist has already got her cutie mark after discovering that making sweets is her "super special talent." Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara walk by and continue to taunt Apple Bloom for her lack of a cutie mark.

Searching for a special talent
The scene cuts to a gloomy Apple Bloom sitting by a well. Rainbow Dash pops from above and says she looks like she's got a dark cloud hanging over her head, then the shot zooms out to show a literal dark cloud hanging over Apple Bloom's head, which Rainbow Dash pushes away. Apple Bloom tells Rainbow Dash all about her problems, and Dash tell her she can make the cutie mark appear. She tells Apple Bloom that she was the first in her class to earn her her cutie mark, after discovering her "need for speed."

The scene cross-fades to Apple Bloom doing exercises, and Rainbow Dash tells her that the key is "trying as many things as possible, as quickly as possible". A montage of various activities follows: juggling, hang-gliding, karate, kite-flying, and "ultra pony roller derby", but Apple Bloom fails at each of these. 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. After the montage, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walk by, and Apple Bloom ducks into a bush to hide from them. While Rainbow Dash is going over a checklist saying "...tried that one..." over and over, Pinkie Pie appears and suggests that Apple Bloom might be good at eating cupcakes.

Cupcakes
Apple Bloom thanks Rainbow Dash and the scene wipes to Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie volunteers Apple Bloom to help her make some cupcakes. A song sequence follows, where Pinkie Pie describes the preparation process and exults cupcakes, and appears in multiple places at once, popping from unexpected places.

After the song, Apple Bloom pulls a tray of burnt cupcakes out of the oven, and Pinkie Pie comments that "those look much better than the last batch." Apple Bloom decides she's not cut out to be a baker and whines at the idea of being a blank flank forever. Pinkie Pie points to something on Apple Bloom's flank, who tries to identify it, but it turns out to simply be a spot of flour.

Trying magic
Twilight Sparkle walks into the messy kitchen and inquires about it. After politely declining an offer to try the cupcakes, she listens to Apple Bloom reciting her woes, then asks how she can help. Apple Bloom asks Twilight to use her magic to make her cutie mark appear, but Twilight tells her she has to discover it on her own. Apple Bloom begs her, and she reluctantly agrees. The first try makes a cutie mark appear, but it quickly disappears. Apple Bloom begs her to try again, and a series of cutie marks appear and disappear on her flank. Exhausted, Twilight tells Apple Bloom that "not even magic can make a cutie mark appear before its time."

At the party
Apple Bloom bemoans her fate and decides not to go to the party, but she walks right into the party that's being held in Sugarcube Corner. The scene fades to black and back to 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.

At the party, Apple Bloom tries to hide and get out before anybody sees her. She scampers from hiding place to hiding place until she ducks under a table with a long tablecloth, and she carries it over to the exit. Right as she tries to exit she bumps into Applejack, who unwittingly pushes her all the way back into the room.

When Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara spot Apple Bloom, she grabs a tablecloth and turns it into a dress to hide her flank. She lies to them 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 Diamond Tiara at her own party. Unfortunately, as she prepares to leave, she stumbles over her dress and bumps into a phonograph, which makes the needle skip and sounds a record scratch, calling the attention of all the guests.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders
Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara quickly approach Apple Bloom and mock her for being a blank flank. Out from under a table, Scootaloo calls out "You got a problem with blank flanks?!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle come out from under the table and defend Apple Bloom, saying she's full of potential and she could become anything. Twilight Sparkle joins them and says they're three very lucky fillies, who still get to discover who they are. All the guests crowd around the three fillies and Diamond Tiara gets aggravated that she's not getting all the attention.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom introduce themselves to each other, and the scene fades to the three sitting around a table, discussing the formation of a secret society. They agree on The Cutie Mark Crusaders. The episode ends a voiceover of Twilight's friendship report, which starts with Twilight's narration and ends with Princess Celestia's narration at her quarters, fading out on a shot of her cutie mark, a stylized sun.

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: Woo-hoo! That's how you sell some apples and get a cutie mark! So, what does my cutie mark look like? A shoppin' bag full of apples? A satisfied customer eating an apple? Hmm... maybe I gotta increase my sales figures first. 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: Wow, looks like some pony's got a dark cloud hanging over her head. Let me do something about that. 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 sellin' 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 now!


 * 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 Forgetorson!


 * 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 anything. 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