These stories are about Cutie Marks and the ponies that have them. Icon and his wife Emo study Autoeikonology which is the “Study of Cutie Marks”. They travel across the lands of Equestria, Finding themselves on adventures.
Inspired by anime/manga series such as, Blackjack from Osamu Tezuka’s Blackjack and Ginko from the Mushishi series.
Introduction,
These stories are about Cutie Marks and the ponies that have them. Icon and his wife Emo study Autoeikonology which is the “Study of Cutie Marks”. They travel across the lands of Equestria, Finding themselves on adventures of the strange and the soul. Each day bringing a new mystery to discovery.
Icon has the official title of Eikonpsychologist. The basics of Eikonpsychology is, understanding the meaning of a Cutie Mark by understanding the ponies who make them. Since there are so many ponies in the world it’s a daunting task.
An Eikonpsychologist’s goals are to understand how and why Cutie Marks form, Why two ponies with the same talents have different Cutie Marks? How do names affect the development of a pony’s Cutie Mark since a lot of Cutie Marks are reflectal of a pony’s name as well as their talents? Do Cutie Marks have a magical power over a pony’s mental state and actions?
Emo is often called an Eikonphile and would gladly take that title. She also acts as the pair’s photographer and dictation sectary to Icon. Helping him write for the Cutie Mark Science Society (CMSS) who are known for publishing the Cutie Mark Registry Index as well as other Cutie Mark related text published through Canterlot Publishing Co.
My name is Icon Starsketcher. It’s ironic how names and Cutie Marks work out. Because of this from a young age I knew or I thought I knew what my Cutie Mark was going to be. At least within a reasonable idea.
My father was named Shooting Stars and his name was his Cutie Mark. He had an obsession with meteor showers. He knew when all the meteor showers happen and would take me out to watch them.
I myself loved looking at the constellations, would spend a lot of these times out in the field with an astrology text book. I would use it to find constellations and draw them in my sketch book.
The accident happened around the age one gets their Cutie Mark. Me and my father were watching the sky that night, The meteors arcing across the sky. When to our shock, two of the streaks of light crash into the earth not far from us.
The image that whizzed by me before the bang reminded me of my father’s Cutie Mark. In retrospect perhaps it was fate. Our images seem to haunt us if we look hard enough.
“Starsketcher!” My father’s voice knocked me out of my daze.
“Let’s check it out!” My farther starts running across the field.
“Wait up!” I shouted chasing after him.
We soon came to the edge of a smoking crater. A bright orange glow from the center of the crater pierced the night air. The heat of the ground came up through my hooves.
“Stay here,” My father orders.
“But dad!” I protested, I felt like shaking my feet to cool them off from the heat.
My father slid down the steaming soil. From there he slowly approached the glowing stone. The thing was making a creaking groaning sound.
I started to fallow by father down the hill. That's when I heard the pop. Then something hard hit me.
I don’t know when, but I managed to get to my feet. My ears were ringing and my right eye felt like it was on fire.
My mind was in too much of shock to cry. My body was in some kind of echoing numbness. As through the smoke and red in my vision, I saw the body of my father laying there on the ground covered in his own blood.
My next memory was of me waking up in a hospital bed. The doctors told me that I had lost my right eye. They had covered the empty socket in bandages. That by now had to be changed. It took me a few days to gather the courage to look at it in the mirror.
It took my mother to tell me my father was dead. Her name was Venus Glow, An orange mare with a red mane. A yellow green streak was in her mane. Her Cutie Mark was of a fireball wrapped in five green thorny vines looking like a claw grabbing.
Later she would be arrested for treason and executed. I’m still haunted by the image of her swinging from that rope. Even more so by the words she said to me in that interview I made with her. But that’s another story.
My mother met my father well planet gazing. She was also an expert of night blooming flowers. She didn’t go night gazing as much as my father did but when she traveled out with us she would always point out the sweet smelling moon blooming flowers.
After my mother told me about my father, I became ill for quite a long time and it slowed my rate of recovery.
Before my accident, I could draw. I still could draw, but not as good as I could before I lost my eye and now with the one eye I felt motion sick bobbing my head around. Worst looking up at the deepness if the night sky with no visual references to keep my mind from whirling.
Regardless it’s hard to draw constellations with one eye. Or perhaps I was trying to find an excuse to forget about the starry skies. My fate was changed and I was lost.
A day near the end of my recovery, One of the interns left an anatomy text book on the table. There were pictures of ponies with labels on all the parts. What struck me was the Cutie Mark of the blank looking sketch of a pony. It was a star.
Now I’ve seen this depiction of a Cutie Mark before but this was the first time I looked at it and it made me think of my father’s star Cutie Mark.
“Little colt, may I have my book back?” A brick colored mare with a spring green mane spoke to me in a kind tone. She reminded me a little of my mother but her first impression was much nicer them my mother's.
“Do you know why the Cutie Mark is a star?” I asked the mare.
“What?” The mare replied with a blush.
“Most text books whenever they show a nameless, faceless pony it's Cutie Mark is a star." I pointed out.
“Umm… You know I don’t know,” The mare replied, “Maybe stars are a common symbol found in Cutie Marks.”
This talk of Cutie Marks made me check out the mare’s flank. She had a green box with a bush in front of it for a Cutie Mark.
“That’s a cute Cutie Mark but I'm not sure what that has to do with becoming a doctor?” I noted.
“I’m training to be a concierge doctor,” The mare answers.
Being a foal I looked at her confused.
The mare sighs, “It means I’m going to become a doctor that sees ponies at their homes instead of them going to a hospital.”
“Oh I understand,” I nodded my head.
“The name’s Green House,” The mare told me.
“Icon,” I answered then double taked at Green House’s flank, “Really shock that didn’t end up being something abstract like healing herbs instead of something literal like a green house. Heck why do names seem to have an effect on Cutie Marks.”
“Yeah, it’s strange how names and Cutie Marks work out,” Green House smiles, “But I’m not an Eikonpsychologist.”
“Eikonpsychologist?” I asked.
“Someone who tries to understand Cutie Marks buy trying to understand the ponies who have them,” Green House answers, “My grandmother was an Eikonpsychologist. It was never my thing. There are books on the subject if you are interested in it?”
“I suppose,” I smiled back at the mare.
The next day Green House wheeled me down to the hospital’s library. I also had a spanking new eye patch that made me look like a pirate so I was in a very cheerful mood that day.
“Why are you taking me down here?” I asked the mare.
“I did a little looking up and I found out about that illustration you were looking at,” Green House smiles.
“What is it?” I asked curious.
“Wait here a minute,” Green House left me in front of the librarian. By librarian I mean one of the longtime resident nurses who was heavy set, butchy looking and a scowl on her face.
After a little over a quiet minute of this goblin mare looking at me, Green House came back with a book. She gave me the book and I looked at the cover.
It read “Auto Eikon Nomicon”. The cover had the golden image of a lion’s head shaped like a sprocket or gear. Below that a name, “Leo Victorious”.
“Who’s he?” I pointed at the name.
“Leo Victorious is the greatest earth pony philosopher ever known,” Green House said proudly. “He invented plans for machines before their time. Painted great art works. Figured how equine anatomy works when no pony knew anything. He helped usher in the great renaissance.”
Green House opened the book for me and continued to talk. “He personally illustrated many Cutie Marks.”
Put randomly between two pages about a half a dozen monochrome illustrations of Cutie Marks. Next to them were writings in a font I did not understand, but under that was a writing I did understand. This was a translated diction for the Cutie Marks with included the name of the pony who had it and possible meanings of said Cutie Mark.
“I never thought about drawing Cutie Marks,” I said cheerfully with a smile on my face. I still couldn't look up at the sky but my motion sickness was starting to go away.
“The “Auto Eikon Nomacon,” is said what was to inspire the Cutie Mark Registry,” Green House points out.
“Cutie Mark Registry?” I asked.
“It's a record of all the Cutie Marks in Equestria. Well technically they are divided by towns and or counties,” Green House told me before turning to the troll at the front desk. “Miss Balm Thorn, could you take out the registry?”
Without changing expression Miss Balm slams a thick tome on the table. Green House gave me the book.
The inside had rows and rows of photographs of flanks of ponies and the Cutie Marks on them. Every once in a while there was a brake with a word. These words was related to a shape or object in the Cutie Mark. Example, of Cloud, Heart, Lighting, Star. I noted there where many stars. Next to each photo a name of the pony the Cutie Mark belonged to.
“Can I check this out?” I asked the goblin looking Balm Thorn. I wanted to try my hoof in drawing Cutie Marks.
Over the next few days as I recovered I continued to go to the library. I came across the magical yet vague prophet Maresayer journals on Cutie Pox’s and how Cutie Pox made ponies compulsively play out actions.
I came across another book that talked about the beginnings of Eikonpsychology written by Ego Joy witch theorized that Cutie Marks had effects on ponies that had them. Every action a pony makes is related to their Cutie Mark. What they liked, hated, virtues, flaws. All guided by their Cutie Mark.
He theorized that names give young ponies something to react too. Names are the first thing that makes a pony special. The second being a Cutie Mark which was better than a name. As somepony grows up they might like or dislike something because it’s related to their names. But until their Cutie Mark flares up they are unbound by their magic. Of course these were just theories.
It happened after that I found another book by Leo Victorious. This book was of sketches of his machines. I seen his anatomy text books but I never seen his mechanical ones before now.
It was like seeing two sides of the same coin. Biological and mechanical, his Cutie Mark made complete sense now. This was the moment I truely understood Eikonpsychology.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash and I looked at my flank. There was a star, Not just a star but a sketch of a star drawn with a blue pencil with one half shaded.
I wish I could say my origin was as interesting as my husband’s. But it is not. I was a unicorn raised in farm land. My parents were land barons of the town of Neigh High.
Neigh High is an Earth Pony village between Appaloosa and Ponyville. We are mostly known for growing squash.
My family it’s self started off as bankers. As what happens with farmers there are good years and bad years. Farmers asked us to loan them money. Some could pay and others couldn’t. New farmers buy the lands from us. An unpleasantness I never wished to think too deeply on.
I met Icon at the Summer Wrap-up Festival. I was always an Eikonphile. Although to call myself an Eikonphile would be an understatement. So when it came to being a judge for a Cutie Mark beauty contest I was well enthusiastic.
Of course I was judging more things than just Cutie Marks. Grown foods, baked goods, craft, riddles.
My sister Spoken Melody was as deep into riddles and riddling contests as I Cutie Marks and was vastly disappointed that being a judge couldn’t enter. One thing that excited her about being judge challenging new comers with her own zingers.
Well my sister was trying to stump me with a riddle witch answer was “Opal”. I spotted the one eye pony wearing a blue rim hat. Stallion had a blue cotton candy coat. Much like in a way that my coat is cotton candy orange.
Icon was looking around like gockers do with that look in his eye. This was odd because I tend to care more about a pony’s Cutie Mark then again not many ponies have eye patches. That’s not I didn’t look at the Cutie Mark on his flank.
His Cutie Mark was a single star with the coloration of an old book page with pencil marks. Remarkable detail I must say.
Since I am on the subject of Cutie Marks mine is a triple heart prom, the prom being one of the hearts bigger then the others and colored gold with the two normal color hearts in the formation that help feature the gold heart.
My sister by the way had a music script Cutie Mark spun into a funnel. It looked fantastic with the white flank of hers. I have a very nice photo in my book of her ebony and hickory tail warped around her Cutie Mark.
Icon was talking very cheerfully to a foal that just got his Cutie Mark. A pair of yellow dice with black smiley faces. I recognized the pony as Happy Chance. A green thing with a blond mane. Fantastic example of a Cutie Mark.
“Who’s that?” I asked my sister pointing at the one eyed stallion.
Spoken Melody turned and looked the stranger up and down. She scanned him more extensively then I would have taking notes of the bits she liked. Feeling self conscious at how superficially I looked at his face and Cutie Mark I checked out the stranger’s sheath since his butt was nowhere in view at the moment. I saw it and I rolled my eyes away and blush. My sister smiled at me.
“Let say hi,” She remarks.
We walked up to the stallion sniffing the air to get a measure of him. I approached him from the front, well my sister approached him from the side putting her closer to the smelly bit. I personally found his musk a little soapy when compare to the farm ponies I was used to with a hint of salt.
“High,” I blushed.
“Hello miss and miss,” Icon takes a few nervous steps from my sister. Half because she approached him from his blind side, the other half was she was getting a little close. At this point he noticed our judge badges.
“You work for the fair?” Icon asks.
“We’re part of the Feelfeild family,” My sister answers.
“That’s the family that runs this town,” Icon notes.
“Very good,” Spoken Melody said with a hint of flirt in her voice.
“I’m Emote Goldheart, that’s my sister Spoken Melody.” I told the stallion.
“Icon Starsketcher,” He answered, “I’m an Eikonpsychologist, on a journey of discovery.”
“Ooo, My sister is quite the Eikonphile as well,” Spoken Melody smirks.
“By looking at her Cutie Mark she must be passionate about what she loves,” Icon remarks looking at my flank.
“That’s what you do right?” I noted, “Look at Cutie Marks and make guesses about a pony.”
“More or less,” Icon answered, “You have a very loose and vague Cutie Mark that could mean a lot of things.”
“Like what?” I smirked.
“Your talent is passion which is more of an abstract concept probably means it took you a while to get your Cutie Mark,” Icon answers.
I blushed, Spoken Melody starts laughing.
“It’s true,” She sucked in some air, “She’s the older sister and we got our Cutie Marks at about the same time.”
“Okay, what can you say about my sister,” I boasted.
Icon looked at her flank and Spoken Melody replied by wagon her butt and a little tail flick.
“Something to do with music, It's trying to show how you use it since those aren't individual notes but a script,” Icon said thoughtfully. "Your name is Spoken Melody that implies that music isn’t the important part of your talent. It has to do with the words you say not your singing ability.”
“I speak riddles,” Spoken Melody boasts, ”But my singing ability isn't half bad sir."
“Ah, yes,” Icon nods his head.
Suddenly there was a scream. Our group of three trotted for the horrific noise.
Now I should tell you that Icon is the second pony I met with an eye patch. The first is my uncle Miss-it Wrong who happen to be an earth pony. Remember now that I and my sister are unicorns but this isn’t odd giving the number of unicorns when compared to earth ponies in the area. But that’s a whole other thing.
My uncle Miss-it lost his first eye at a young age as an accident involving a right hoofed pick axe being used by a left hoofed pony.
He lost his second eye just now. By just now I mean the general time this story takes place as described. Not at the moment you are reading this and the even the moment I’m writing this many years have passed.
Two ponies helped my uncle to his feet. About this time I noticed his eye was gone. There was no bloody socket. You would be amazed how many times you'd think you'd see blood but there is no blood to be seen. In his socket was a black void. Later I was also shocked to find out the milky remains of his patched eye have been removed for some strange reason.
“Magic,” Icon stated with a look of somepony that have seen many such sights in his eye.
“Human!” Miss-it shouts.
“Is he mad?” Spoken Melody remarks.
For a moment just then I thought I saw a hooded figure slip away turning its flank to me to reveal a lion’s tail. Spoken Melody noticed my look.
“What’s the matter,” She asked me.
“Nothing just a strange Griffon,” I shook my head half in reply and half to clear my head.
“What attacked him?” I cried.
“That’s a matter for the sheriff,” Spoken Melody told me, “We need to keep face.”
“What’s going to happen now?” I remarked, “Uncle Miss-it was going to help us judge some of our competitions.”
“I don’t think dad or mom is going to find time to do it?” Spoken Melody sighs.
“You said you need a judge?” Icon spoke up.
“Yes,” Spoken Melody answered him.
“Well I’m out of town so I would be impartial,” Icon points out. “And I have no important work to do so depending on…”
“Well, We do have a Cutie Mark contest witch you are more than well equipped for,” Spoken Melody remarks circling the one eyed pony. “Then how are you at riddles?”
“Riddle?” Icon answered in a questioning tone.
“You would have to judge a riddling contest,” Spoken Melody told him.
“I see,” There was a level of understanding on Icon’s face at the time that passed the notice of both me and my sister.
“Let me put you to the test,” Spoken Melody smirked, “I’m like a gate each one a different color, from behind me a treasure is hid.”
Icon stops to think for a moment then answers. “Pony Tail.”
“Not bad,” Spoken Melody said approvingly.
After about an hour it was time for the Cutie Mark judging contest with nine entries.
The first entry was a young colt with a single type Cutie Mark of a wonderfully detailed blue toad. Icon was very questionative to the colt about his Cutie Mark. This gave the contest a heighten sense that made my heart race a little.
Second was a young filly with a foreground background Cutie Mark. A red rose was the back ground object. The foreground object was a fern with red markings. At the end of the markings, where the tip of the leaves were at little red heart shaped dots. Nice touch. I made sure to ask her if she used any Cutie Mark makeup or that was natural detail. Icon of course had his set of intense questioning.
The third was a unicorn filly with a single of a white lily flower. White isn't the best choice of words to describe this thing. It was white with a milky glow. Also little sparkle accents were around the flower with the same kind of glow.
“So, your name is Blood Moon?” Icon remarks to the filly.
“Yes sir,” The filly Blood Moon answered nervously.
“Your Cutie Mark is a nice replation of a unicorn’s magical abilities but whow does your Cutie Mark relate to your name in anyway way?” Icon asked
“It’s a moon flower,” Blood Moon told us.
“Umm, I would think would be a red flower,” Icon remarks.
The cream colored filly blushed. “It turns orange when I’m in heat.”
My sister blushed at this revelation. I parked up and spoke. “Wow! Really? I would love to see that! A color changing Cutie Mark!
“Sorry my summer breading cycle is over,” Blood Moon blushed putting her head down. “It also glows a little on the dark.
“How did you get such a Cutie Mark,” Was Icon’s reaction.
“Well, I always was good at mixing herbs and I came up with a good mixture that relieves Estrus symptoms,” Blood Moon answered.
“You say that glows in the dark,” Spoken Melody spoke up. “Could somepony bring a blanket over here?”
A pony did, and the blanket was placed over the flank of the filly. Each of us one by one stuck our heads under the blanket and looked at the Cutie Mark in the dark. It did indeed have a glow.
We moved to the next pony. A colt with a black and orange salamander Cutie Mark. It was in a sort of tribal style.
The next colt had a single of a well detailed dinosaur skull. Icon’s question shown that pony was a fossil and rock hunter and the skull on his flank was a pterodacty skull.
Next was a filly with two seeds in a background foreground formation. The foreground object had a spout sticking out of it. Icon questioned her about what kind of seeds they were.
Then came a filly with some nicely detailed ivy vine leaves with some blackberries growing from them.
After that a colt with a pair of sparklers crossed for a Cutie Mark. A couple of years later I found out that he blew himself up making fireworks.
The last was a filly with a shimmering lavender dragon skin patch. The flank the Cutie Mark was on was orange and the filly was a unicorn with a mane the same color and shine as her Cutie Mark. She was also heavy makeuped. She also admitted to using a little Cutie Mark makeup on her Cutie Mark.
Afterwards we gave out our ribbons. Third place was the salamander Cutie Mark. Second the dragon skin Cutie Mark. First was Blood Moon’s amazing Cutie Mark. We gave a honorable mention to the filly with the rose fern Cutie Mark.
When the whole ordeal was done Icon and Spoken Melody walked off together. Part of me felt a little jealous. Through the whole judging contest I found myself liking the stallion more and more. I mean he and I both had an interest in Cutie Marks.
I sighed and walked off to find the dragon skin Cutie Mark pony so I could ask her if I could take a photo of her flank for my collection.
An hour later and the riddle judging contest started. Now to tell you the only reason I ever really care about riddles is because my sister cared about riddles. Now having lived away from her for a few years. How much I care about riddles significantly dropped. Also you’re not reading this to hear about random riddlers. You’re here to read about Cutie Marks. So I’ll skip over a good deal of these events except the important bits.
You should know that Happy Chance entered in the riddling contest and he reached the finals. This was the point my sister been waiting for since she starts spouting out her own riddles. Well we each had to give a riddle too.
Eventually Happy Chance ended up winning, got his reward and then him and everybody else went to their evening festivities.
By now the evening’s sun was coming down. I decided to grow a back bone and ask Icon if he wanted to walk down the fair’s board walk arcade. We played some games and rode some rides. At one point I nestled my head into his chest well riding the ferris wheel. Later we went to the petting zoo.
“Get away from me!” A colt’s voice shouts.
“It’s about time,” Was Icon’s rather odd reaction to such a cry for help.
He runs for a nearby barn with me fallowing him. Inside the barn I saw the hooded figure with the griffon tail. It had Happy Chance cornered.
“You stop!” Icon shouted.
The hooded figure turned to us his hood falling away. To my shock what looks at us appeared to be a human's face. No not a human. This was a sphinx.
“Riddle,” The human like creature demanded in a both menacing and happy tone.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Answer my riddle,” The sphinx demands.
“Don’t say a thing until your sister comes,” Icon barked.
“You know about this thing?” I said in a shout.
“We are seekers of talent,” Icon answered me.
“What has four legs in the morning, Two in the afternoon, Three in the evening?” The sphinx told us his riddle.
Both Icon and I give each other a look of "Really?" and replied with the same answer.
“Human!”
“Good you know my story,” Suddenly the sphinx grabs Icon by the neck with one claw and with the other opened a pouch.
“Leave him alone!” I shout ripping away the pouch. The contents spill out over the hay covered floor. Eyeballs rolled everywhere. This is the point Happy Chance screams the loudest I heard him scream.
“My wisdom!” The sphinx shouts letting Icon go to grab the eyes. A moment later the thing gives us an angry look and lunges at us both.
“You like riddles?” Spoken Melody shouts as she steps into the barn.
“Yes,” The sphinx replied in a way there should be a smirk but the lips remain expressionless.
“Then solve mine,” Spoken Melody said in a stern tone.
“Very well then I’ll take your eyes,” The sphinx answers.
“Once there was a pony, a beautiful mare,” My sister started, “Her true love long ago passed away. One day the mare stops her heart only for a moment with a poison. For but a moment is a life time in Tartarus. The mare sees many ponies in the after life. She asked one of these once living ponies what was Tartarus like? The pony answers “Boring,” The mare said she was lucky because she was only planning on visiting. The pony wished her luck and told her not to eat hell’s fruit.
Now the ruler of Tartarus saw this recently dead mare roaming his land and instantly falls in love. He was that kind of male. Anyway he offers to bring her lover back to life, But only if she could guess hell’s fruit and the mare would have to eat her guess. She asks, that fine and dandy but can I have a clue. So the ruler of Tartarus answers it’s full of red rubies but if you want to look inside you have to bite in it first.”
“Fascinating riddle,” The sphinx replied. “The mare has plans of returning to life and she was warn not to eat the fruit. I suppose she would have to guess the fruit first that maybe the key to figure this out. So the fruit has rubies. There must be other clues-!”
Well the beast was distracted I floated up a heavy board with unicorn magic and dropped it on his head. We jumped the unconscious beast and tied him up.
The eye balls had some kind of spell on them so all we need to do is to slip my uncle's eye back in his socket. To track down the other eyes we sent out a press release which was written up by me.
“You’re a writer?” Icon asked me when he found this out.
“Well somepony has to do this job,” I shrugged.
“How you like to be my assistant?” Icon suggested.
“Beg pardon?” I replied.
“Unicorns write faster than earth ponies,” Icon points out, “I'm slower than most earth ponies, always having to push back my deadlines and you like Cutie Marks, so I think you’d love to work for the CMSS. Well you'd be working for me and I'll be working for the CMSS.”
“What! Really!” I jumped up.
“Say yes,” Icon smiled.
“Yes, yes, yes,” I hugged the stallion.
Afterward I let loose my grip of the stallion. “So you where planning on capturing that sphinx from the beginning? Did you put the colt in danger?”
“Well there was risk,” Icon sighs, “Happy Chance’s talent is good luck. Now that can only go so far. Living beings make their own choices but they are pushed in the direction fate has planned for them. No amount of luck would stop someone from wanting to hurt you if they really have the mind for it. Happy Chance would win the riddle contest and the sphinx will go after him. I told your sister that.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked offended.
“She is the only one that could do something about the creature,” Icon told me, “Our Cutie Marks like to give us opportunities to show our abilities and skill. Because of this no matter where I go my skills of an Eikonpsychologist will be tested. So I knew your sister will have to be the one to face the sphinx at some point.”
“I see,” I went home told my family I was leaving and packed my saddle bags.
The next day Icon was waiting for me at the edge of town.
“Ready?” Icon asked with a smile.
I looked back at my home town for one last time. “Yes,”
Green House walked down the hallway to her patient. Many years had passed since she first met Icon and she been a concierge doctor for a few years now.
Just as she was reaching the bed room at the end of the hall the door opens. Out walks the owner of the house. A Pegasus named Smoke Boss. A fat teal stallion with an olive colored mane.
Beside Smoke Boss was his son also pegasus. He was an orange colt with a purple mane. He had a shooting star with a rainbow tail and a cloud at the end for a Cutie Mark. His name was Sky Skipper.
Behind them a gray earth pony in a bowler hat and wide rim glasses. I didn’t recognize him.
“Miss Green,” Smoke Boss spoke to the mare, “Here to give him his medication.”
“Yes,” The mare doctor nodded at her client.
“Carry on,” Smoke Boss continued to walk and the others fallowed.
Green House walks into the room and continued to her normal routine. The patient was a young pegasus colt with an orange coat and mane. An IV drip that administered drugs that brought the poor thing fluids he needed to live.
A thought that never occurred to her until now popped into Green House’s head. This colt looked like Smoke Boss’s son. The face was off but his coloring was the same. But two ponies with the same coloring isn't uncommon but odd enough to take note.
It was this moment another thought crosses Green House. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of the name of her patient.
A bunch of other red flags goes off in Green House’s mind. One for example, she has no memories of Smoke Boss’s son being around the house until now. But she knew she met him but couldn’t think of where and she been treating this strange colt for the last few weeks but the details were drawing blanks.
Green House’s heart races, being a mare she was afraid of being snarled in what ponies call date rape spells. Spells that warp a ponies mind or perceptions, spells that are usually used to trick a pony into sex. There were other reason somepony would use this kind of magic. But being a mare, this was why Green House had to be ever vigilant for this kind of magic cast on her and she could now tell something was wrong.
She had to escape this house before she gets a refresher spell cast on her. The doctor mare finished her normal routine then walked out the room.
On her way out the door, Green House bumped into the bowler hat pony. She let loose a little jump scream.
“Sorry if I scared you miss,” The pony replied.
“It's okay,” Green House answered her hoof over her heart.
The two of them left the house at the same time. The bowler pony walked one way and Green House another. She walks around the block and hysterically runs down a Manehattan beat cop walking by.
As the police pony called for reinforcements from the nearby police box, Green House noticed something posted on a telephone pole. A missing poster of the young colt she was taking care of.
I got off the train at Manehattan’s Central Station. Emo got off behind me her face a little green from motion sickness.
You know I had a reason to be motion sick?
Let’s not get a head of our selves dear.
Okay but I should start the explanation at this point.
Yeah you should,
Okay, you may have noticed that difference in text color. Since there are two of us, It helps you know who’s narrating. We will try to focus on one of us. Be we both are experiencing these events but sometimes not at the same place and time. Also I’m using narration to text spell and may decide to keep in some of our commentary and conversations. Not all but some.
Green House had call me in a few days ago. She told me there was something she needs my skills for.
“You think he switched their Cutie Marks,” I said in shock to Green House once we met and sat down for lunch.
Is that possible?” Emo remarks with the same look on her face.
“Well Twilight in recent history did the same thing,” I told Emo. “Cutie Marks holds powerful cosmic magic’s that if messed with can change reality it’s self.”
“How so?” Emo asks.
“They didn’t switch Cutie Marks,” I answered, “The Cutie Marks staid in place. The ponies who they belonged to switched. On top of that almost every pony’s memories were changed.”
“I suspect this happened with me,” Green House answers, “It’s the most logical answer. But we can't know for sure until you check him out.”
“Is there a cure to Cutie Mark switching?” Emo asks.
“You have to get a pony to rediscover his or her talent,” I answered. “This is where Eikonpsychology comes in.”
Icon got up and left the room leaving me with Green House. Two of us looked at each other for a moment. Green House spoke first.
“So, how long have you known Icon?” She asked me.
“Long enough,” I put my hoof to my belly imagining the small foal inside.
Green House smirks which was followed by a frown. “Damn, he’s younger then me. I really need to get going on that.”
The two of us laughed.
“How about you?” I asked, “When did you meet Icon?”
“It was right after he lost his eye and just before his Cutie Mark appeared,” Green House had a reminiscent smile on her face. I was an intern at the hospital taking care of him.”
“I guess you kept in touch.” I smiled, “Why do you think they did that thing? You know switch Cutie Marks?”
“Well I can’t trust my memories,” Green House sighs, “But I suspect that Smoke Boss was trying to bring his son back. I think there was some kind of accident. He fell in a coma because of it.”
“I see,” I nodded my head.
The orange colt was sitting in a ceil room when I walked in.
Where is my father!” The colt calling himself Sky Skipper cried.
“Are you sure he’s your father?” I asked the scared colt.
“It’s not true you’re not the only one who said that to me,” The colt snaps pulling on his cuffs which were connected to the table.
I put down some photos. One of a middle age mare and another of a Cutie Mark belonging to a pony named Speed Run. The mark was of a smoking tire.
“This is your mother,” I told him.
“No, It’s not!” The colt shouts.
“This was your Cutie Mark,” I told the colt.
“It was never!” The colt snaps.
I decided to change the direction of my efforts. “Okay then tell me about your Cutie Mark? How did you get it? What does it mean to you?”
The colt gives me a helpless look. “I don’t remember, why does it matter! I know who I am!”
“I see,” I walked over to the door and knocked on it with my hoof signaling the guard to let me out.
Waiting in the hall was a middle aged mare who was crying into a handkerchief.
“Miss Olive,” I spoke to the mare, “You know how your son got his Cutie Mark?”
“He snuck out of the house without my permission and went cart racing,” Olive answered.
“Then we must let him go cart racing.” I shrugged.
“You can’t be serious,” The guard spoke up, “If he bolts we could never get him back.”
“He must experience the act his natural Cutie Mark is fix to.” I told the pony guard.
I pedaled my legs and hit the brakes. I turned the wheel. The box cart drifted across the pavement. It stopped a few feet from Icon.
“Yeaha,” I shouted jumping out of the cart taking off my helmet. “They didn’t have this stuff back home at my town. Of cores we don’t have hills like this there too.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t wipe out doing that,” Icon remarks adjusting his hat.
“Concerned,” I walk by Icon tickling his nose with my tail.
The police guard led the orange colt to one of the box carts. I really like his Cutie Mark wish he didn’t have to get rid of it. Him and the guard got into the box cart.
They push down on the pedals and the box cart started to move. The vehicle moved half a block before the colt struck at the officer. The police pony passed out and the colt kicked him out of the cart. Then he zoomed down the block.
“Excellent!” Icon shouted smiling and headed for an extra box cart.
“I’m driving,” I cheered dashing ahead of him. Icon made a sighing growl and sat next to me.
The machine had twin pedals and with the two of us working together it went even faster. We hit bumps and the cart started bouncing up and down.
“Weeeee!” I squealed as I got that buzzing on gets in their anus when moving really fast.
The colt made a turn and I turn after him. We quickly caught up rubbing against his bumper.
“Sweetie, We need to slow down to keep up with his pace,” I told Icon.
We soon lined side by side to the escaping colt. We hit our wheels together causing both our machines to spark. Then something on the colt’s machine made a loud snap and it went out of control.
The cart stopped, and we hit the brakes on our cart and we screeched to a halt.
“Wow, I think the baby even liked that one,” I giggled.
Icon replied by holding his hoof over my head and dropping it down with a loud clop.
“Ouch!” I cried rubbing my head.
“You’re an idiot,” Icon replied coldly.
There was a flash of light as the colt stumbles out of his cart laughing with joy.
I made my report coming to the conclusion that the colt was really Sky Skipper and his miraculous healing was not caused by Cutie Mark switching. Afterwards he was put in jail for a year for attacking the police guard. Smoke Boss got five years for foalnapping.
When Sky Skipper was released from jail he contacted his family’s attorney and got control over all of his father’s accounts. Soon after that the accounts were emptied and Sky Skipper disappeared. Speed Run’s mother Olive disappeared too leaving her son in hospice care.
Some say that Sky Skipper was really Speed Run. That he somehow found himself even after my efforts failed meaning I was wrong in my conclusion. Some even questioned if my stated conclusion was a lie and Emo and I helped Speed Run remain hidden as Sky Skipper so he could steal the money from Smoke Boss. My reply to that is, “Prove it,”.
The air was fresh, the plants of this valley just so bright. Munching on them they were juicy and tasteful.
Icon and I was summoned to a small house at the base of the mountain. Waiting there was a family. A couple and their son living in a well crafted wood house. The kind of house that I would like to live out a quiet retirement someday. If I ever felt like retiring, *I smirk.
The father, an earth pony had a set of playing tiles on his flank. Three of them from left to right, A row of green diamonds, Black spiral and round red stamp. He had a cream coat and a light blue mane. The stallion was named Zen Game
The mother, a pegasus had twirling set of water spouts. Her coat light blue with a sky and cloud mane. Her name was Whirl Spouts.
The son was well. When I met him, he had no Cutie Mark. Him, and his parents said he had a Cutie Mark. But they insist the thing had ran away. This was what we were doing here. The CMSS sent us to investigate.
The colt had a tan coat with a yellow mane. He was named Panwood.
These ponies were part of the Solitaire family and the Solitaires looked at us gravely.
“We are here to talk about your son,” Icon said to the family.
“Yes,” Zen Game answers.
Whirl Spouts was making tea on the stove. She looked tired and stressed.
“You said your son’s Cutie Mark appeared but then disappeared,” Icon said chewing on the end of his pencil. He wasn’t going to use it. I been trying to get him to stop smoking. It’s a neat trick to roll and light your own cigarettes with only your mouth. But is still wasn’t healthy. For him, me and the baby growing in me.
“It comes and goes as if it’s alive,” Zen Game continued, "It haunts us like a ghost."
“A living Cutie Mark!” I chimed in, “I would love to take a picture of a moving Cutie Mark. Wait, I can only take photos. What’s the point if I can’t take video.” I started to ponder, “I think I have a rapid fire setting.”
“Do you have any idea where this missing Cutie Mark is?” Icon asked.
“Oh it’s not missing,” Panwood answers with a nervous smile, “My Cutie Mark is right here.” The colt that wasn’t yet a stallion points at his shadow.
Panwood’s parents respond by rolling their eyes and blushing at their son's foolishness. Icon responds with a curious raise of the eye. He quickly glances around the room. Then holds his hoof up to the lowering sun and tilts his head.
“Do you have room and board for us tonight?” Icon asks.
“There is an inn in the cattle town five to ten minute trot down the road.” Whirl Spouts answers.
That’s three to four miles at trot speed. For those of you that are not equine, I’ve also been told that for some creatures a mile is pretty far to walk. Ponies are range creatures built to cover many miles over a day. So yeah this distance is nothing to us and why what Icon is about to say sounds a little imposing to some.
“No, we should stay here tonight,” Icon told her.
“Are you sure,” Whirl Spouts gives a nervous look to Zen Game.
“I need to study the subject,” Icon remarks, “I can’t do that miles away.”
“Well we do have a guest room for family,” Zen Game sighs.
“We promise we be decent,” I hugged my hubby around the neck and with a big smile across my mouth kiss him on the cheek.
The sliding door of the family guest room makes a cracking sucking pressure equalization sound as it open. Whirl Spouts coughs as the stale air hits her lungs.
“As you see we haven’t used this in a while,” The pegasus gives a nervous smile.
The room had a layer of dust over it. I swipe my hoof across the dresser and inspected the gray fuzz that collected on the under hoof. This caused Whirl Spouts to blush even more as she felt embarrassed that strangers saw that she allowed the room to reach such a state. It didn’t help that Icon started hitting the dusty mattress with his hoof stirring the room in a smoky haze.
“I could take that outside and smack that out for you,” The pegasus mare suggests.
“Na, its okay just put some clean sheets over it,” Icon replied giving a sideways glance at me to see if I objected to this. I didn’t make a response.
Whirl Spouts nods her head and left to get some sheets. We didn’t use the bed. We were use to standing when we slept since we often traveled along the planes and did this under the stars. Beside sleeping like this was more restful since ponies aren’t build for sleeping on their sides waking up every thirty minutes or so to turn around to keep the pressure off our ribs or in my case baby belly all be it as small as it was at the moment.
It was the sense of a living presence that awoke me. Most likely another part of being a creature who evolved out in the openness of the plains.
I saw the shadow move across the floor sticking out in the moon light. The shadow was of a horse figure. I instinctively look for the window to see nothing standing in front of it.
“Icon!” I shouted in a loud whisper.
“Umm,” Icon awakes knocking the blue hat back away from his eyes. He instantly spots the shadow pony walk across the floor. He smiles, “Ah it’s true.”
“Why do you never tell me what you are planning,” I glare.
“Why do you never plan?” Icon smirks back at me.
I sigh because this was true.
Icon had kept his saddle bag on him. He now took out a stone from it using his mouth. He drops it and the thing sparks. The stone being connected to Zebra magic cause some powder Icon had placed around the room to ignite in a bright glow.
All the shadowy places in the room had disappeared in light but one. The horse shape shadow on the floor. It didn’t stay there long and the thing shrieked and runs out of the room. We chased after it.
Zen Game and Whirl Spouts stick their heads out of their room as we chased the shadow to their son's room. In retrospect no surprise there.
The shadow crept up Panwood’s leg. It then reached his flank and for a quick moment the thing looked like a normal Cutie Mark. The thing moved across his belly.
“No!” Panwood demands to his Cutie Mark in a commanding tone.
The shadow lowers its head and slinks back to where it belonged. Panwood turned around looking at his flank. The black horse figure somehow put its self on both sides now. Icon might have been able to explain why better.
I don’t have the foggiest idea. I would have expected two shadow ponies running around but it was just the one.
Oh, well then you have it fog thoughts.
He he,
”Now we talk,” Icon smiles at Panwood then turning to his parents.
Soon we again sat across from the Solitaire family at the same table we were talking at when we first came. Whirl Spouts yawns and starts cooking coffee on the stove. Panwood spotted his Cutie Mark trying to sneak away his stare making the thing stop.
“Now first of all let’s start with the obvious,” Icon remarks with a smile. “Panwood have you messed with any magical artifacts or maybe a unicorn cast a spell on you?”
Panwood shook his head, “No, and there’s only one unicorn in the area. A mile from here deeper in the woods.”
“Contact with any strange plants or water your parents didn’t have contact with?” Icon suggests, “Do you know what Poison Joke looks like? It's a bluish flower.”
“Well I don’t think I seen Poison Joke but there is this spring I found not long after my Cutie Mark appeared.”
“Take me to it,” Icon demanded.
We waited until morning to head out side. I was eager to see where this adventure goes but I wasn’t going to walk around in the middle of the night. Not that ponies didn’t have good night vision we do. But night vision isn’t in color.
So, the sun rose and Panwood lead us out into the woods. Icon was behind him, then me, Whirl Spouts and Zen Game
The spring looked like water. Completely normal and mundane water at least to me. Icon taps me on the shoulder and speaks in my ear.
“Yep, magic spring,” He said to me.
“How do you know?” I asked him.
Icon points at mushrooms around the pool. “Those things only grow around magic waters.”
I poked the mushroom with my hoof.
“Oh they are edible,” Panwood remarks with a smile.
I give the foal a dubious look. Then I look back at Icon.
“What now-!” I asked as he started drinking the water.
Everypony stood there for a moment staring at Icon waiting for the stallion to kill over or something.
What happened was rather anticlimactic. His Cutie Marks become star shaped pieces of paper that fall to the ground.
“Neat,” Icon grabs the paper stars and put them in his saddle bag.
“So this makes the objects of Cutie Marks into the real thing?” I noted.
“Yes,” Icon answers.
“Ooo! What happens if my Cutie Mark becomes real!” I jump in and drinks some water. As I did so Icon gives a look of shock and rolls his eyes.
There was a loud thunk as something heavy hit the ground by my rear. I turn to see my Cutie Marks were gone. At my hindhooves was a large gold heart.
“What happened to my other hearts?” I asked.
“They are there,” Zen Game points at a pair of reddish pink heart shaped seeds.
“Seeds?” I scratched my head.
“That's what hearts are,” Icon remarks, “When consumed they stop a creature form conceiving.”
“Oh, then you can make all the love you want,” I smiled.
“They are extinct now or was,” Icon adds, “I’m going to have to call this pond in so it can be quarantined.” He points at Whirl Spouts, “Imagine the chaos that would happen if she accidently drinks this water. This pool is a dangerous weapon.”
Whirl Spouts makes a sad look and turns to Zen Game. “He’s right what if it corrupts our well water and I drink it. It would kill us all.”
I push forward the chunk of gold to the Solitaire family. “Would this buy your land?”
Zen Game gives a nervous swallow. “What about you’re Cutie Mark?”
I replied with a shrug.
“It’s illegal to sell gold produced from magic like that,” Icon adds, “For all we know the spell wares off and the gold disappears. I’m sure the CMSS will pay you just fine for this land’s usage.
After three days our Cutie Marks returned and the objects we summoned disappeared. We drank the water again and our Cutie Marks disappeared again summoning new objects.
So the Solitaire family sold us their land. We capped off the spring with a well, Rented it out to magical researchers and expanded the original home to make lodging for the researchers there. A section of the house was reserved for us but the two of us were always traveling so we only ever come back to the house a few times a year.
I decided to plant my heart seeds in a garden even though I knew they would disappear. The next time we came back to the house, A rather large an abnormal Silphuim plant grew in the place I planted my seeds.
I followed Icon down the dirt road. My legs were getting tired. I have been walking more than I can remember. Because of this he was several feet ahead of me.
He passes by an old blue stallion, the stallion had a graybeard to his withers and wore biggie overalls over his hind legs and a straw hat atop of his head. He was chewing on a strand of wheat.
Icon turns to the stallion, “Mister do you know where the trading outpost is?”
The old stallion took out the piece of wheat from his mouth. “About a mile or so that way.” He pointed up the road.
“Think you,” Icon tipped his hat at the pony.
The conversation gave me a chance to catch up to the blue pony. I was sweaty and thirsty so when I did reach him I pulled out a canteen from my saddle bag and begun to drink.
“You look exhausted,” Icon turn to me and smiled.
“They say we ponies are built for walking, but today I’m having my doubts,” I sighed.
Icon smiled back at me, “You get used to it.”
I looked around, beyond the fences I could see fields of hay grass growing being whipped around by the wind.
It didn’t take us long to reach the trading outpost. It was a simple wooden structure with three rooms. The first room or main room had goods displayed out for sell. The second room was a common room for travelers to rest or even sleep. All that room had was some blankets and some mats. The third room was the outpost keeper’s personal room. Slightly better than the common room by the fact that it had a thicker mat on the floor, a dresser with a lamp and a few decorations.
The pony working at the outpost named Growlily was an earth pony mare not quite young but not quite old either. Her coat was orange with cream colored hair. If one examined her closely they could see that the sensitive whiskers on her face were jet black. The mare’s Cutie Mark was a black lily prom.
It should be important to note that the lily on Growlily is a reverse lily. Instead being orange with black spots it was black with orange spots. A possible sign of nonconformity or a rebellious streak. Flowers usually means a gentle streak or caring nature. Given that this is a reverse flower the opposite could be true. But any number of interpretations can be given to a Cutie Mark. The best way to find the meaning is to talk with them.
“You must be Growlily,” I introduced myself, “Icon Starsketcher, My publisher should of have sent you a message?
“You’re from the Cutie Mark Science Society,” Growlily replied, “Hard to believe it’s already been a year. Got the short stick this time?”
I pointed at Emo, she had her face in a shelf examining some items that were covered in dust. She gets some dust on her nose and sneezes throwing up more dust.
“She’s new and the new ones always get this short stick, unfortunately I took her underneath my wings so I get the stick too.” I told the counter mare.
“They should be coming back around tomorrow,” Growlily said, “You can stay in the backroom over there for the night.”
“So where are you from?” I asked casually.
“From?” The mare replied.
“You can’t be from here, this is the middle of nowhere,” I answered.
The counter mare gave me a glare. “I wouldn’t call this place nowhere!” She snaps.
“You’re from one of the tribes aren’t you?” I realized.
“Tribal pony?” Emo’s ears perked up. She walks over to me and Growlily. “You don’t look any different than a normal pony?”
“That’s because there is no difference,” Growlily tells her.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” Emo said astutely.
“It’s not your fault,” Growlily sighs, “Sometimes I can be more defensive than I should be. I sort of chose to be in both worlds.”
“How that end up happening?” I asked.
“Suppose I just wanted more,” Growlily answered, “I walked around the outside world for a few years. After a while I wanted to return to my people. But living amongst the town ponies made it so I couldn’t acclimate back with them. Sitting up this outpost was a compromise of both worlds.”
“What are your people like?” Emo wondered.
Growlily sighs, “I suppose you would call them simple.”
“Simple?” Emo repeated.
“Yeah simple is a good word,” Growlily nods her head, “Do you know how ponies used to live?”
“In herds that roam the planes,” Emo answered.
“And what did they eat back then?” Growlily asked.
Emo squinchs her face as she thinks, “Grass I suppose, straight from the ground.”
“You see that’s the point,” Growlily points out, “What is the point of civilization when any pony can simply live by stepping outside of town in live off of the grass they find there for the rest of their lives.”
“So your people abandoned civilization?” Emo asked.
“They live like they feel like they should,” Growlily answered, “Like the sheep or the cows they roamed the land grazing off of any plans they find. Sleep huddled together at night. No buildings, no wagons, no luxuries. Just eating, sleeping and breeding.”
Emo blushed,
“They need to do something to pass the time,” I point out.
Emo dug through her saddle bags and pulled out our camera. “You don’t mind if I take a picture of your Cutie Mark do you?”
“Eikonphile,” I explained with a smile, “That’s how she got this job.”
“I don’t mind,” Growlily nods her head.
After a while we retired for the night. I laid down to get some sleep, I felt something nestled up against me in the dark. It was Emo smiling back at me.
“What?” I asked.
She kisses me on the lips.
The next morning a group of wild ponies came to the outpost. All of them were earth ponies. Some of their kin were sick and they wanted to try to trade for some medicine. The ponies took jewelry out of makeshift saddle bags they had on their backs and traded them for the medicine.
Growlily explained that these weren’t the ponies of the tribe that she was from. Her tribe didn’t even carry saddle bags. Apparently each side took their nomad lifestyle in a different way. Some kept nothing, some kept a few belongings in bags that they carried with them, others carried tents on their backs and would settle down in a place for a few days after pitching their tents.
Icon and I took note of these ponies Cutie Marks. Most of these Cutie Marks were simple, a lot of triples. There were things like beads, rocks, plants, whether. Icon would say that ponies of simple minds or lived simple lives tend to have simple Cutie Marks.
They said that they had their Cutie Marks in the Registry, we used the outpost’s copy of the regional Cutie Mark Registry Index to confirm. Icon also set with some of these ponies to ask them how they got their Cutie Marks.
The most interesting story came from a colt named Stormchaser. Like his namesake he liked to chase after storms. One day he saw tornado touchdown and destroy half a field. His heart raced with so much excitement, a tornado appeared on his flank.
The tribe told us that there were more of them waiting out in the planes and that they had some foals that just got their Cutie Marks within a year. So they led us to the rest of the tribal group. The tribe had about a hundred individuals. It seemed like the mares had one foal for every year after they became breeding age.
There were a half a dozen foals who had gotten their Cutie Marks. I took photos of each of their flanks as Icon interviewed them. After he was done talking with the foals he sat down with the other ponies. This being the first time they ever talked to a Eikonpsychologist.
We stayed there talking with the tribe until the evening. To my surprise as the sun was going down they cleared off a section of the grassland and built a campfire. It was about this time that the wild ponies took out some plants from their saddle bags.
Icon and I was offered some of these plants. Icon took a little, I took a lot. The plants tasted bitter but also sweet. After a while I started feeling tingly in both my body and mind.
“Are you okay?” Icon asked me.
“I think there is something wrong with those plants,” I said my legs twitching.
“Of course there is, you don’t think that they would have taken the time to pick and carry it with them if there wasn’t,” Icon smiles.
“You can be an ass sometimes you know that,” I snapped at the stallion.
I lifted my head up to look around and was shocked by the site of two ponies fornicating in front of everybody. I blushed and turned away.
“They do that in public here?” I whispered to Icon
“There isn’t really a private place to do something like that unless you want to walk away for a mile,” Icon told me. “I guess with the fire light hitting everyone’s eyes one could sneak off into the dark if they wanted to.”
I leaned over and kissed Icon on the cheek. “When in Rome I suppose.” I stood up and showed him my backside swishing my tail back and forth. “But how about away from the fire? So we have the night as our cover?”
Icon nods his head and I leads him away from the campsite.
Over the next few days, we located three more tribes and registered down the new Cutie Marks of the foals. One of them was another earth pony tribe. This tribe being the one that Growlily came from.
In some nearby woods we found some unicorns living like deer. A lot of them had different kinds of leaves and flowers for Cutie Marks.
We managed to reach some nearby foothills where we found some wild pegasus using a local water fall to make clouds to sleep on. Their Cutie Marks were mostly whether based which was typical for pegasus in general.
Icon told me that wild pegasus tribes can be the hardest to find for ground based ponies due to their ability to fly and to live on clouds.
After a week we found ourselves back on the same dirt road we walked on walking to the outpost. We passed by an old blue stallion who nods his hat at us as we walked back to civilization.
It was the news paper article that brought me and Emo to the village. A story about a blind filly haunted by a poltergeist.
We arrived at the Dog Days family home. A small home with a self sustain garden. We found and talked to the parent ponies of the filly.
The father was a pegasus named Whirl Wag. A dark blue fellow his undercarriage a light teal with a black mane. He had a red two tailed cyclone weather symbol as a Cutie Mark. This was a good indication that he was a weather pegasus or even a scientist.
The mother and earth pony Nyan’s Wrath was a satin black coated mare her mane Irish red. The mare’s Cutie Mark was of a bright red bleeding claw slash. Her body was built like a tank. A scar was a cross her eye and from the looks of it it maybe blind. It looked like there were other scars but those where covered up by a yellow robe she wore.
Emo fell in love with the couples bright red Cutie Marks. “That’s amazing, you know how rare red Cutie Marks are?” She cheered, “The fact that the two of you are together must be fate.”
The couple blushed.
“We met when I needed a consultant on how to deal with some wyvern,” Whirl Wag told him.
“I is or was a professional monster hunter,” Nyan’s Wrath answered, “Now I’m a consultant for the area’s protective force. Don’t get me wrong I can still scrap with the worst of them. But those days are behind me.”
“I noticed your Cutie Mark is there a story to that?” I asked.
“When I was a filly I had to take down a rampaging bear I still wear the scars of that battle,” Nyan’s Wrath answered.
“And you are proud of those scars right?” I suggested.
“They make me physically ugly but they remind me of my achievements my victories,” Nyan’s Wrath replied.
“Enough of this pleasant chat, he said your here about our daughter Arcane Wisdom,” Whirl Wag spoke up.
“Yes a colleague of mine pointed out your story from a local newspaper,” I looked around, “Where is your daughter?”
The parent ponies looked away from us shamefully. “We didn’t know how to handle her so we locked her away in the stone shed outside.” The mother said.
“That’s horrible,” Emo said in shock.
“You don’t understand it was driving us crazy this smell, the sounds, the emotions,” Whirl Wag shouted, “But what I want to know is how an Eikonpsychologist fits into this?”
I sighed and prepared myself to give the explanation, “Do you know what Cutie Mark Sensenosis is?
Whirl Wag shakes his head, “The phrased does sound familiar.”
“Cutie Mark Sensenosis is when someone experiences a Cutie Mark through more than visual means,” I explained, “Sometimes through sounds and smells does this sound familiar?”
“That’s what’s happening to our daughter,” Nyan’s Wrath gasped.
“Yes,” I nodded my head, “Your daughter has been blind since birth?”
“Yes,” Nyan’s Wrath replied.
“Cutie Marks are normally visual,” I point out, “Maybe this is because most ponies expect them to be visual because most ponies can see. What happens when a Cutie Mark appears to a pony that has never seen an image in her life.”
“Is there any way you can help her?” Whirl Wag begged.
“I may, but I’ll have to talk to her to know where to go,” I told them.
“Why has she manifested so strongly?” Nyan’s Wrath asked.
“As you should know, while pony is blind the other senses heightened to make up for it,” I answered, “The effect of Arcane Wisdom’s Cutie Mark Sensenosis is much stronger to make up for the lack of a visual Cutie Mark.”
The mother mare looked deep in thought. “Now that I think about it I suppose I have experienced my own Cutie Mark Sensenosis. I would smell blood and hear the sounds of monsters and battle. Sometimes I feel exhausted for no reason as if I was just in a fight.”
I nod my head. “Yes sometimes Cutie Marks may affect one’s emotional state and thought processes. Cutie Mark effected cognition is called Destin Vu.”
We were led to the shed outside. A large stone structure with a wooden door on one side.
“You keep her in there!” Emo points out.
“The smells are really strong and the sounds are really loud,” Whirl Wag explains.
“Open it!” I shouted.
Nyan’s Wrath pushes the door open and a wave of air hits us as well as a wave of sound. The sound was the cacophony of a forest gone mad. The smell that hits our nostrils was that of pine trees and dirt in the morning dew.
I walked inside the light from the outside had illuminated the room. The first thing I notice was the dull lavender pegasus filly with a red mane like her mother’s. Around her were lots of books, I noted that a lot of them had to do with nature and animals.
“Who are you?” Arcane Wisdom spoke softly so softly I almost couldn’t hear her over the sounds of the birds calling.
“My name is Icon I’m here to help you!” I shouted over the noise the smell making my eyes water.
“Help me how?” Arcane Wisdom asked a frightened look on her face.
“I’m here to help you get your Cutie Mark,” I answered.
It took us a few days to prep. Icon had me look up a memory transfer spell. I told him I wasn’t sure if I was able to do magic like that. But he replied to me saying that I was a wonderful pony that puts her heart into things passionately. My inherent magic will allow me to do almost anything if I put my heart into it.
On top of having to try to learn the memory spell, he also had me look up images of nature especially plants and animals. He emphasized on finding recordings of samples of animals and memorize each creature that made those sounds.
The day came when we came back to the house. The little filly Arcane Wisdom was waiting outside for us, the cacophony of sounds and smells were still around her.
Icon asked the filly if she was ready. The filly nods her head then he turns to me and asks me if I was ready as well. I nodded my head.
“Okay Emo, think of the memories and images that I told you about and touch your horn to Arcane’s head,” Icon instructed me.
I step forward and gently placed my horn onto Arcane’s head. I relaxed my breath and slowly brought images and sounds to my mind. At the same time I tried to focus my emotions, thoughts and mental color palette attuning them to the proper frequency I needed to cast the spell.
Like a drain I could feel copies of my memories slip inside the filly. Then the draining feeling started rushing faster from me. I could feel my memories, not the copies but the memories themselves rushing out of my head uncontrollably. In a panic and afraid that I’ll lose my mind, I tried pulling the spell back.
“No I want more!” A defiant filly’s voice said in my head shouted at me.
I screamed and try to pull away but a magical tether connected me and my horn firmly to Arcane Wisdom.
“Let me go!” I shouted horrified and in a panic.
“Emo what’s the matter!” Icon called out to me.
“Too much! too much!” I cried.
“Let go!” Icon shouted.
“I can’t!” I screamed back.
I reached into my well of magic deep inside me and it extended outward. This caused a magical backlash that reacted in an explosion. The magical tether between me and Arcane Wisdom snapped as the both us was thrown back by my magical light.
Everything went quiet.
“Emo!” Icon rushed over to me. I look at him weekly and smiled and he kisses me on the lips. He puts his hoof on my pregnant belly. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting it to be so dangerous.”
“It’s okay,” I said weekly pointing my head at the filly laying on the ground. On her flank was a Cutie Mark of an owl between two pine trees. “Don’t you hear it? Now that she has a visual Cutie Mark the Cutie Mark Sensenosis she was causing has disappeared.”
Arcane Wisdom stands up. “Is it true I have a Cutie Mark!” She cheers.
“It’s true dear!” Whirl Wag called out to his daughter crying.
Arcane Wisdom ran to both of her parents and they all gave each other a hug.
Nyan’s Wrath turns to Icon and I. “We can’t thank you enough,” She told us.
Icon tipped his hat and smiles, “It ain’t nothing. But keep in mind, the Sensenosis isn’t completely gone. But with a visual medium to express its magic the Cutie Mark shouldn’t manifest itself as it has been as strongly.”
“Speak for yourself that was trouble” I snapped jokingly pulling his hat over his good eye. All of us started laughing.
