Transcripts/On Your Marks


 * [banging]
 * Apple Bloom: Hear ye, hear ye! The first post-cutie mark meetin' of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is now in session!
 * [long pause]
 * Apple Bloom: [clears throat]
 * Sweetie Belle: Oh! I'm sorry, Apple Bloom. I was distracted by the radiance of my cutie mark... Did you say something?
 * Scootaloo: I mean... it's pretty amazing how the colors just pop off your flank. It's kinda hard to look aw—
 * [thump]
 * Apple Bloom: Look, I know our cutie marks are amazing, but is that all we're gonna do now? Just spend our days starin' down at our own flanks?
 * Sweetie Belle: [sighs] I guess not.
 * Scootaloo: Yeah, I suppose that could get real boring...
 * Apple Bloom: [wistfully] Yeah... [beat] This is ridiculous! We need to go out and do somethin'!
 * Sweetie Belle: Wow, you're right!
 * Scootaloo: Yeah, we need to go try new stuff like we used to!
 * Apple Bloom: Exactly.
 * Sweetie Belle: Like square dancing!
 * [square dancing music]
 * Scootaloo: Or mountain climbing! [stock yodel]
 * Apple Bloom: Or square dancin' on the mountain we just climbed! [same yodel over square dancing music]
 * Cutie Mark Crusaders: Yeah!
 * Apple Bloom: And the more things we try, the more chances we'll have to finally get our cutie marks! Come on!
 * Sweetie Belle: Um... Apple Bloom?


 * [theme song]


 * Apple Bloom: Wow... Did we really only ever do things just to get our cutie marks?
 * Sweetie Belle: I don't know. Maybe?
 * Scootaloo: Aw, come on! We did lots of stuff that didn't have anything to do with getting a cutie mark.
 * Sweetie Belle: Of course we did!
 * Apple Bloom: Absolutely!
 * [montage music]
 * Sweetie Belle: Huh. So now that we don't have to do stuff to get our cutie marks, what is it that the Cutie Mark Crusaders actually do?
 * Apple Bloom: We do exactly what we got our cutie marks in!
 * Cutie Mark Crusaders: Helping other ponies!
 * Scootaloo: Ponies without cutie marks!
 * Sweetie Belle: Or ponies who've forgotten their special purpose!
 * Apple Bloom: Exactly! We just have to find ponies who need our help! Come on!


 * Sweetie Belle: But are you sure you feel content?
 * Big McIntosh: Eeyup.
 * Scootaloo: Not even a tinge of dissatisfaction?
 * Big McIntosh: Nnnope.
 * Apple Bloom: Not even the slightest naggin' sensation that you don't really know what your purpose is in life or why you have a big apple as a cutie mark?
 * [thump]
 * Big McIntosh: [grunts] [spits] [annoyed] Nnnope.


 * Apple Bloom: The important thing to remember is that there is no rush.
 * Scootaloo: The three of us tried for the longest time, but it just comes when it comes!
 * Sweetie Belle: And it's totally normal to feel confused and maybe even a little lost. But being a blank flank is nothing to be ashamed of.
 * Scootaloo: So if you're having even the slightest problem...
 * Sweetie Belle: ...or concerns or questions...
 * Apple Bloom: ...we want you to know that we are here to help.
 * Mrs. Cake: I... don't think they're too worried about it yet.
 * Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake: [babbling]


 * [montage music]


 * [scrolls unrolling]
 * [door opens]
 * [door shuts]


 * [bits jingling]


 * [bubblegum popping]


 * Apple Bloom: This is gonna be a lot harder than I thought.
 * Sweetie Belle: Who knew there were so few ponies worried about their cutie marks?
 * Scootaloo: Kinda makes you wonder why we made such a big deal out of it for so long.
 * [beat]
 * Scootaloo: What?
 * Apple Bloom: The point is, helpin' ponies with cutie mark problems is what makes us special.
 * Sweetie Belle: But if we can't find anypony with a problem...
 * Scootaloo: ...Maybe we're not special.
 * Bulk Biceps: Yeah! I know exactly what you mean. You can't find a cutie mark problem. I have a cutie mark problem. It's so confusing, and I feel like the solution is staring me right in the muzzle.
 * [beat]
 * Bulk Biceps: What?


 * Bulk Biceps: I see why you guys hang out here! It's cozy!
 * Scootaloo: [straining] The Crusader Clubhouse is a safe place, Mr... um... Bulk.
 * Sweetie Belle: A place where we faced all kinds of cutie mark problems!
 * Apple Bloom: A place where we'll go on to solve even more! Startin' with yours!
 * Scootaloo: No matter how long it takes!
 * Sweetie Belle: Or how hard it is!
 * Apple Bloom: We'll solve it because that's what we do!
 * Cutie Mark Crusaders: Yeah! [straining]
 * Bulk Biceps: Yeah!
 * Sweetie Belle: So... what's your cutie mark problem?
 * Bulk Biceps: Oh, right. Uh, well, my cutie mark is a dumbbell, but I've lifted every dumbbell in Ponyville!
 * Scootaloo: [nervously] Have you tried lifting other things?
 * Bulk Biceps: You mean, not dumbbells?
 * Sweetie Belle: Yeah!
 * Apple Bloom: Yeah!
 * Bulk Biceps: Yeah!
 * [crunch]
 * Bulk Biceps: Oof! I mean... no. I hadn't thought of that. You guys are awesome!
 * [crunch]
 * Bulk Biceps: But... what happens when I run out of other stuff?
 * Sweetie Belle: ...I guess you could teach other ponies to lift things?
 * Apple Bloom: Yeah!
 * Scootaloo: Yeah!
 * Bulk Biceps: Yeah! Wow, you three really have a knack for this!
 * Sweetie Belle: That was easy!
 * Apple Bloom: Maybe too easy.
 * Scootaloo: What do you mean?
 * Apple Bloom: Well, it's lookin' like cutie mark problems are few and far between.
 * Sweetie Belle: And...?
 * Apple Bloom: And what if we never find another one?
 * Scootaloo: Well...
 * Apple Bloom: And even if we do, we could solve it so quick, it'll be like it never happened in the first place!
 * Sweetie Belle: So...?
 * Apple Bloom: So... then the Cutie Mark Crusaders don't have any reason to exist!


 * Sweetie Belle: The problem boils down to this – we don't need to go out and do things anymore to get our cutie marks.
 * Apple Bloom: Right! And—
 * Scootaloo: Ponies with cutie mark problems are hard to find.
 * Apple Bloom: Exactly. But even when we find problems, we're so good at solvin' them that most of the time there's nothin' for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to do. So...
 * [map unfurling]
 * Apple Bloom: I thought we should start figurin' out ways to search all of Equestria for cutie mark problems!
 * Scootaloo: That kinda seems like a lot.
 * Sweetie Belle: I don't think Rarity would let me travel to the far reaches of Equestria looking for cutie mark problems.
 * Scootaloo: Yeah, I'm sure we'll come across them in Ponyville. And when we do, we'll totally solve them because we are so awesome at it!
 * Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle: Hoof!
 * Apple Bloom: But... what do we do until then?
 * Sweetie Belle: Maybe whatever we want?
 * Apple Bloom: What do you mean?
 * Sweetie Belle: Well, we used to only do stuff to get our cutie marks or fulfill our destiny, but now we don't have to.
 * Apple Bloom: So... we can do things just for fun? Are you girls thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?!
 * Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle: Sure am!


 * Scootaloo: Just remember – stomp, kick, and roll! After this, you two are gonna love scootering as much as me!
 * Apple Bloom: If you say so.
 * Scootaloo: Ready? Stomp, kick, and roll! Whooo!
 * [tires screeching]
 * Scootaloo: Ta-da!
 * [thump]
 * [thump]
 * Apple Bloom: [nervous laugh] I don't think I did it right.


 * Sweetie Belle: [blows pitch pipe] Do... Mi... So... It's just a simple harmony.
 * Scootaloo: Harmony, huh?
 * Sweetie Belle: [tapping with baton] And a-

Benson: One and-a two and-a three and-a four, Sweetie Belle: One, and a-two, and a-one two three!
 * Scootaloo: Wow, that was simple!
 * [snap]


 * Apple Bloom: It's just a dash, and a drop, and a drip!
 * [clink]
 * Apple Bloom: Just a dash, and a drop, and a drip!
 * [poof]
 * [clink]


 * Apple Bloom: ...and even though Scootaloo thinks bungee jumping is the bee's knees...
 * [pen squeaking]
 * Apple Bloom: ...Sweetie Belle would rather keep bees.
 * [pen squeaking]
 * Apple Bloom: [spits] Of course, I'm allergic. Who'd've thought it'd be so hard to find somethin' for us all to do together?
 * Scootaloo: Well, I know this might sound crazy, but what if we didn't?
 * Apple Bloom: Didn't what?
 * Scootaloo: Do things together. Well, do everything together.
 * Apple Bloom: But we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!
 * Scootaloo: And we always will be! But I really wanna bungee jump! The speed, the height, the fall!
 * Sweetie Belle: And I know you two aren't interested, but I wanna try crochet.
 * Scootaloo: Isn't there something you've always wanted to do on your own?
 * Apple Bloom: I don't know... I guess I figured we'd always do stuff together. But bungee jumping sounds just as scary as crochet sounds borin'.
 * Scootaloo: That's okay. Sweetie Belle and I can do the things we like, and you can do whatever you like!
 * Sweetie Belle: Just as soon as you figure out what it is.
 * Apple Bloom: I guess...
 * Scootaloo: Great! Then we can meet back here and talk all about what we've done!
 * Apple Bloom: But I don't know what it'll be.
 * Sweetie Belle: You'll find something!
 * Scootaloo: Something awesome!
 * Apple Bloom: [sighs] Well... I guess now I have to.


 * [Apple Bloom]
 * I never imagined myself out on my own
 * Tryin' to find out what's next for me
 * The Cutie Mark Crusaders have always been my home
 * Maybe now there's more that I could be


 * I guess as time goes by
 * Everypony has to go out on their own
 * And maybe someday I'll have to try
 * Somethin' new that's just for me
 * A little somethin' that could be
 * Just my own and I won't feel so left behind


 * We used to say that we'd be always side by side
 * Maybe things are changin' and this could mean goodbye
 * I always thought our friendship was all I'd ever need
 * We've always been crusadin' – what else is there for me?


 * I guess as time goes by
 * Everypony has to go out on their own
 * And maybe someday I'll have to try
 * Somethin' new that's just for me
 * A little somethin' that could be
 * Just my own and I won't feel so left behind
 * Hoofer Steps: [muffled] And one, two, three, four, two, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, two, two, three, four—
 * [door opens]
 * Apple Bloom: Whatever kind of dancin' y'all are doin', you're doin' it together, and I want in! [beat] I-I mean, uh, [clears throat] Would it be okay if I enrolled in this dance class?
 * Hoofer Steps: Well, let's see what you can do. We have a recital at town hall tonight, and a spot just opened up! [hushed] Tender Taps is a little too shy to perform. But if you're ready to step into a partnered routine...
 * Apple Bloom: That sounds an awful lot like friendship! And I'm ready for anything I don't have to do by myself!
 * Hoofer Steps: Well then! Dancing with partner will be perfect. [claps]
 * [slow tango music]
 * Apple Bloom: Whooooooa!
 * [faster tango music]
 * Apple Bloom: Whoa, whoaaa!
 * [sound of skittles being knocked over]
 * [thump]
 * Apple Bloom: Whew! I feel like that went pretty good, but let's give it one more whirl, because it's important that I do a good job partnering with my new group of friends.
 * Hoofer Steps: Eh... Now I'm think of it, you might be better as soloist.


 * Hoofer Steps: Uh, partnering is a little advanced for you. But there's still lots you can do on your own.
 * Apple Bloom: I'm sorry, but doin' stuff on my own is exactly what I don't want.
 * [door opens]
 * Tender Taps: Sorry it didn't work out.
 * Apple Bloom: Tryin' different things with my friends is always fun, even when we were terrible. Now it's justterrible.
 * Tender Taps: You weren't that bad. You just need to learn a few things on your own. Being a soloist can be fun! [tap dancing] Ha. Haha! You just have to do it with feeling!
 * [beat]
 * Apple Bloom: [sighs] Thanks, but... without my friends, I don't think I'll ever feel again. Good luck at the recital.
 * Tender Taps: Oh, I'm not gonna do that. I mean, I want to. It's kind of all I think about. I bet some day my cutie mark will even be about performing! But I could never dance in front of an audience the way I do in class. That's t-t-t-t-terrifying!
 * Apple Bloom: [deadpan] Yeah, okay. Nice meetin' you.
 * Tender Taps: You, too. [tap dancing]


 * Scootaloo: Sweetie Belle! You are not gonna believe this, but I think I like bungee jumping even more than scootering!
 * Sweetie Belle: Seriously?! That's amazing! Look what I did!
 * Scootaloo: Wow, uh, that's, um...
 * Sweetie Belle: Horrible! But it was so much fun! Rarity showed me how, even though she says [imitating Rarity] "Crochet is knitting's poorer cousin", [normal] but I loved it!
 * Scootaloo: Awesome!
 * [door creaks open]
 * Apple Bloom: Oh, hello, girls. Have fun pursuing your own interests?
 * Scootaloo: Apple Bloom? What are you doing sitting in the dark?
 * Sweetie Belle: Yeah, we thought you'd be out looking for things you like to do.
 * Apple Bloom: [laughs] I did. I looked all over town. I looked... and I looked... and I looked... and you know what I found? Nothin'!
 * [blind snaps up]
 * Scootaloo: You tried every one of these?
 * Apple Bloom: And each one just made me feel more alone than the next! I don't see how I'm supposed to be happy that we're not hanging out anymore!
 * Scootaloo: Wait, I never said that. I just said we don't have to do everything together.
 * Sweetie Belle: Like when there's something one of us wants to do that the others don't.
 * Apple Bloom: Oh. [beat] Well, I guess that changes things.
 * Scootaloo: I can't believe you thought we didn't want to hang out anymore.
 * Sweetie Belle: I can't believe you tried all this stuff and didn't find one thing you liked!
 * Apple Bloom: Well, I kind of liked dancin', mainly because it looked like somethin' you couldn't do alone, but... I wasn't very good at it.
 * Sweetie Belle: Well, you don't have to be good at something to have fun!
 * Scootaloo: And being good doesn't always mean you will.
 * Apple Bloom: I know... I met the best dancer in the world, but he was so shy, he couldn't bring himself to perform, even though he really, really wanted to.
 * Sweetie Belle: I don't suppose this dancing pony had a cutie mark, did he?


 * [door opens]
 * Apple Bloom: You're here!
 * Shoeshine: Shhhh!
 * [audience cheering]
 * [door opens]
 * Tender Taps: What are you doing here?
 * Apple Bloom: You told me that you wanted to perform more than anythin', but I was too caught up in myself to listen. You're the best dancer I've ever seen, and I'm here to convince you to get out on that stage!
 * [piano playing]
 * Tender Taps: Um, didn't I also tell you that dancing in front of other ponies is t-t-terrifying?! I don't know if you noticed, but that auditorium is full of other ponies! I can't go out there! What if I'm bad?!
 * Apple Bloom: We can go on together! No matter what, you'll look good dancin' next to me.
 * [audience cheering]
 * Tender Taps: [sighs] All right, I'll do it. But I don't have my costume, and the backdrop is all wrong, and we don't have time to change it!
 * Apple Bloom: Leave everything to us.


 * Tender Taps: [nervously] I don't know about this...
 * Sweetie Belle: Don't worry, you'll be just fine!
 * [piano stops playing]
 * Apple Bloom: Here goes nothin'...
 * [clunking]
 * [audience member coughs]
 * Tender Taps: [gulps]
 * [jazz-type music starts]
 * Apple Bloom: [clunky tap dancing]
 * [thump]
 * [audience laughing]
 * Apple Bloom: Can't be any worse than I was!
 * Tender Taps: [tentatively, then progressively more confident tap dancing] [heavy breathing]
 * [pause, then audience cheering]
 * [cutie mark zap]


 * Tender Taps: I can't believe it! It's just what I always imagined it would be! And if it weren't for all of you, I wouldn't even have it.
 * Scootaloo: No problem!
 * Sweetie Belle: It's what we do.
 * Apple Bloom: I only wish I'd realized what you needed right away instead of mopin' around for no reason...
 * Tender Taps: Well, either way, I hope you keep dancing. [short tap-dancing burst]
 * Apple Bloom: [taps] You know, I just might! It sure is a lot of fun, and I'm pretty confident I can only get better. [to the Crusaders] I'm sorry I was so silly about us all doin' our own things. If we hadn't, I might never even have tried dancin'!
 * Tender Taps: Or find out I needed help!
 * Sweetie Belle: With each of us going out and trying things on our own, we'll be three times as likely to find ponies to help!
 * Scootaloo: And trying new stuff might even make us better at helping them, like how I used my bungee jumping to change the sets!
 * Sweetie Belle: Or my crochet to make the costumes!
 * Apple Bloom: Well, one thing is for sure. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will never be the same. We'll be better!
 * Cutie Mark Crusaders: Yeah!


 * [jazz-type music over credits]