Call of the Cutie

Call of the Cutie is the twelfth episode of the first season of Legend of the Multiverse: Friendship is Universe. In this episode, Sheriff Mulan becomes concerned about her lack of a cutie mark and tries to earn it before an upcoming party. At the party, she ends up befriending Alicia Acorn and Aurora Amano, and they form the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Production and airing
In a storyboard by Sabrina Alberghetti for this episode, Max Kanté and either Nathaniel, "Marc Anciel", or S04E22 Unnamed Red Squirrel #3 appear instead of Le Chien Kim and "Felix Agreste", respectively. Margo Roberts was also to appear in the episode.

Although Sheriff Lonnie, Aurora Amano, and Alicia Acorn introduce themselves to each other in this episode, they appear together in the first episode when they huddle in fear around 20:23 during Nightmare 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, Silver Spoon saying "We still think you're losers" was muted out, the same as it was on Party of One. The Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse schedules inaccurately use Apple Bloom's alternate name Apple Blossom.

Invitation to the cute-ceañera
In the Multiville Schoolhouse, Caline Bustier begins a lesson on cutie marks. She explains that her cutie mark, a trio of smiling flowers, represents her wish for her students to bloom and learn cheerfully. She asks the class when a animal’s cutie mark appears, and Tootie Goldman answers that it appears when the pony discovers what makes him or her special. Chloe Bourgeois whispers to Sheriff Lonnie and passes her a note. Caline catches Sherif Lonnie passing the note and finds it to be blank. Chloe Bourgeois quips, "Remind you of anybody?" and Apple Bloom sheepishly looks down at her blank flank.

After class, Tootie invites Lonnie to various activities, but Lonnie, who appears downcast, declines. Chloe Bourgeois and Bonnie Rockwaller show up and start teasing Lonnie and Tootie for not having cutie marks, calling them "blank flanks." They invite the blank flanks to Chole Bourgeois's "cute-ceañera", which Chloe says is "a party celebrating me and my fantastic cutie mark."

Sheriff Mulan helps
The scene cross-fades to the Sweet Imperial City Acres orchards. Sheriff Mulan reassures Lonnie, telling her that every pony gets their cutie mark eventually. Mulan says that Grandmother Fa, Li Shang, and herself were all the last animals in their class to get their cutie marks. Lonnie is upset about this, believing that the delay "runs in the family.” She excitedly repeats the phrase and concludes that her special talent, like those of her family, must be related to apples.

In the town square, Mulan and Lonnie have set up an apple stand. Lonnie’s sales pitch is "You can eat 'em, play with 'em, create fine art for your home with 'em!" but her antics only annoy nearby animals. She aggressively badgers Dr. Fox into buying apples. Lonnie excitedly checks her flank, but no cutie mark is there. She becomes determined to "increase her sales figures". She frightens away Lila Rossi by snarling "YOU TOUCH IT, YOU BUY IT!" She then loads Aurore Beauréal’s bag with apples and accuses her of taking them, then demands four bits. Mulan apologizes to the animals and tells Lonnie to not force her cutie mark to appear. Mulan ends up filling Aurore's bags with sushis and gives her a bonus basket of sushis, all for free.

Following Mulan’s suggestion, Lonnie goes to Tootie and asks her if she wants to go to Chloe's cute-ceañera together since they both don't have a cutie mark. However, Tootie has already gotten her cutie mark after discovering that making sweets is her "super-special talent." Bonnie and Chloe walk by and continue to tease Lonnie for having a blank flank.

Sally Acorn helps
The scene cuts to a gloomy Lonnie sitting by a well. Sally Acorn shows up and pushes away a literal dark cloud over Lonnie's head. After listening to Lonnie’s complaints, Sally claims that she can make the cutie mark appear. She tells Lonnie that she was the first in her class to earn her cutie mark after discovering her "need for speed."

The scene cross-fades to Lonnie doing exercises, and Sally tells her that the key is "to try as many things as possible as quickly as possible.” Lonnie tries juggling, hang-gliding, karate, kite-flying, and "Ultraanimal Roller Derby", but she fails at each of these. After the sports montage, Sally and Lonnie are resting when Chloe and Bonnie walk by. Lonnie ducks into a bush to hide from them. As Sally reviews a list of sports and activities, Rapunzel shows up and suggests that Lonnie might be good at eating cupcakes.

Rapunzel helps
Lonnie thanks Sally Acron and the scene wipes to Corona Sugarcube Corner, where Lonnie volunteers to help Rapunzel make some cupcakes. Rapunzel sings the Cupcake Song to teach her how to make cupcakes. During the song, Rapunzel cartoonishly appears in multiple places at once and pops out from behind unexpected places, like a ceiling lamp.

Lonnie takes a tray of burnt cupcakes out of the oven, and Rapunzel comments that "those look much better than the last batch." Lonnie decides she's not cut out to be a baker and whines at the idea of being a blank flank forever. Rapunzel points to something on Lonnie's flank, but it turns out to be just a smudge of flour.

Kairi Sparkle helps
Kairi Sparkle enters the bakery and Rapunzel offers her some burnt cupcakes, which she declines. Lonnie asks Twilight to use magic to make her cutie mark appear, but Kairi tells her she has to discover it on her own. Lonnie begs her, and she reluctantly agrees. Each of the cutie marks that Kairi conjure last for only a fraction of a second. Kairi gives up and says: "Told you that not even magic can make a cutie mark appear before its time."

- Kairi Sparkle

The cute-ceañera
The scene cuts to Lonnie at the cute-ceañera at Corona Sugarcube Corner. She ducks under a table with a long tablecloth and carries it to the exit. As she tries to sneak out, she bumps into Mulan, who unwittingly pushes her all the way back into the room. When Bonnie and Chloe spot Lonnie, she grabs a tablecloth and turns it into a dress to hide her flank. She lies and says that she got her cutie mark earlier. When Chloe calls her bluff, Lonnie claims she didn’t want to outshine Chloe at her own cute-ceañera. Unfortunately, she stumbles over her dress and bumps into a phonograph, which makes the needle loudly scratch the record, drawing the attention of the guests.

When Bonnie and Chloe point out Apple Bloom’s exposed blank flank, Alicia Acorn calls out from under a table: "You got a problem with blank flanks?" Alicia Acorn and Aurora Amano come out from under the table and defend Lonnie, saying she's full of potential and could become anything. "She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Multiville some day."

- Aurora Amano

Twilight says they're three very lucky fillies who have yet to discover who they are. The guests crowd around the three fillies and Diamond Tiara is aggravated because she's not getting all the attention.

Alicia, Aurora, and Lonnie introduce themselves to each other, and they discuss the formation of a secret society dedicated to getting their cutie marks. They agree on the name “the Cutie Mark Crusaders”. The episode ends with a voiceover of Kairi's friendship report, which starts with Kairi's narration and ends with Princess Palutena's narration, fading out on a shot of Palutena’s cutie mark, a stylized sun.

Song

 * Rapunzel's Cupcake Song

Quotes

 * Chloe Bourgeoisand Bonnie Rockwaller: Bump! Bump! Sugar-lump, rump! [laughing]
 * Sheriff Lonnie: Give me a break.


 * Sheriff Lonnie: 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 boxes of shusis? A satisfied customer eating an sushi? Hmm... maybe I gotta increase my sales figures first. You touch it, you buy it! We take cash or credit.


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


 * Sally Acorn: Wow, looks like somebody's got a dark cloud hanging over her head. Let me do something about that. What's the matter, kid?
 * Sheriff Lonnie: There's a cute-ceañera this afternoon and everybody 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!


 * Sheriff Lonnie: Kairi, you have to help me!
 * Kairi Sparkle: What's the matter?
 * Sheriff Lonnie: [inhales] Chloe's cute-ceañera is today and everybody 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 sushis or hang-gliding 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 Rapunzel says I can't just make appear but I need it to appear... right now!


 * Sheriff Lonnie: How could I've forgotten the time? How could I forgot Pinkie Pie was hosting the party? How could I forgotten it was at Corona Sugarcube Corner?
 * Rapunzel: Don't forget your party hat, Forgetty Forgetterson!


 * Alicia Acorn: I said, you got a problem with blank flanks?
 * Bonnie Rockwaller: The problem is, I mean, she's like, totally not special.
 * Aurora Amano: No, it means she's full of potential.
 * Alicia Acorn: It means she could be great at anything. The possibilities are, like, endless.
 * Aurora Amano: She could be a great scientist, or an amazing artist, or a famous writer. She could even be mayor of Multiville some day.
 * Alicia Acorn: ...and she's not stuck being stuck-up like you two.


 * Alicia Acorn: Name's Alicia. Alicia Acorn!
 * Aurora Amano: And I'm Aurora.
 * Apple Bloom: Sheriff Lonnie.