Throughout Equestrian history, tales have been shined down of those with amazing talents. Such talent that made ponies have unique talents that make them who they are over generations that give them purposes. For countless years, ponies from a very young age earn what is now called, Cutie Marks.
Cutie Marks are marks a pony receives at a point where they find their calling in life, mostly during a young age, while still in school. Through the many of years since Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have ruled Equestria, ponies who earn their marks are happy and immediately are overjoyed at what their destiny means...or so every pony thinks..
.
Legends spoken through the old Equestria speak of some instances where ponies who received their cutie marks aren't happy, even leading to the point of something giving them curses. Over the years, cursed Cutie Marks were thought to be some sort of urban legend that was made up to be a campfire story....that is, until some ponies ended up with a mark that caused bad things to happen.
Upon research of these marks, ponies who have acquired them were permanently cursed. As more ponies began receiving these curse marks, those who were knowledgeable of such curses began to dub them... Faux Marks, fake cutie marks that are curses.
As time went on, the knowledge of Faux Marks and the curses they bear began to fade and slowly became nothing but urban legends, forgotten history buried in the old age of Equestria and no one spoke of the curse marks or what types of curse one will bring, or so they thought....
Present Day,
Ponyville
Morning swept the nation of Equestria and ponies began to prepare for a new day. While all of the fillies, colts, and those who have days off of their jobs began to prepare for a day of activities and simple fun, those who have to work began preparation to open up their stores for the day.
Within Ponyville, ponies were walking around; some preparing to go to work, some going to hang out with their friends.
As was usual on summer mornings, it was quite busy since the fillies and colts were out of school and in the summer mood. However, in a house within Ponyville, one pony was and has always been nervous about working.
In such a house lived a dark blue mare, with a light blue and purple mane and who beared what seemed to be a group of party balloons as a cutie mark, who was waking up, looking not happy, while her mane looked in disarray.
As she looked at herself in her mirror, however, she wasn't looking at herself; she was gazing at her cutie mark with a look on unease and joylessness.
Within her head, she hears herself crying and visions of the fateful day she obtained her cutie mark haunt her mind. The unexpected and unnatural events that unravelled that day haunts her to the point as if it's one thing she can't let go. Since that fateful day, her life was ruined, even to the point that she refuses to accept her cutie mark as a legitimate mark.
"Stardust, that cutie mark is your destiny, you have to face it. Be happy, you are a party pony."
As it was every day, these words lingered in Stardust’s mind while she prepared for her day off. Ever since that horrible day, she had become a party pony at a balloon and party store. A job deep down she refuses to accept as her talent and job, but...over the course of time, she knew nothing could change it. Among it all, no matter who she spoke to, she always got the same answer, "It's your cutie mark".
All prepared, Stardust took a deep breath, and walked out the door. Normally, she would be walking when the coast was clear due to the embarrassing nature of her “cutie mark”. However, due to how busy the town of Ponyville was right now, she decided to give walking around town a try. However seeing the town’s ponies, all happy and filled with a drive for life, made her feel that she is different due to that fact she will never get to know her true talent.
While walking around town, she saw lots of ponies happily interacting, having conversations, working, even the little fillies and colts of the town were having fun. Despite feeling different, Stardust couldn't help but smile at the fact the fillies and colts were having fun.
However, no matter how she looks of it and whatever brief joy it would bring, it always makes her remember the fact that her fillyhood was ruined.
While walking around the town, it felt peaceful, even relaxing for her, to clear her mind after the hard nights that always occur with what always transpired during the course of everyday life for her. Usually during the day, either heading to work, or deciding to walk to clear her mind, ponies would try to bring her into conversations, but, due to what all the ponies can't see, she was always anti social, for her sake due to something she does want the town to know.
Within minutes of walking in town to Ponyville park, the thoughts of what usually happens to her appeared in her head. A thought that has always happening to her ever since Stardust was a filly and gotten her so called Cutie Mark. "I can't let that bug me...Please Celestia, don't make me inflate in public." Stardust thought as she denied the previous thought.
Right when reaching the park, out of nowhere, she felt a usual sensation coming from her stomach, as if it was beginning to inflate. From Fillyhood to present day, Stardust knew what this sensation meant.
"Oh no," Stardust whimpered as she began to freak out.
As the Inflating continued, her chest began to grow round as it began to fill with what seemed to be magic air. Although Stardust was very used to it, it never stops her from being very afraid of it, since she becomes inflated and due to such rendered immobile for some time.
She never expected it to happen this early. Knowing she didn't want to draw attention with it, she began to run to try and find somewhere safe, with her slowing down as the magic air begins to increase her infatuation. Her only hope was is that no pony would notice.
_____
Outside of Sugar Cube Corner, Twilight and Starlight were walking out of the town’s main bakery after having a morning snack purchased a morning snack. Since Starlight completed her first friendship problem, Twilight had decided to treat Starlight to a nice congratulations snack the following day as she promised.
While they walked, eating the snacks, they chatted about how Starlight managed to trust her gut, along with Twilight informing Starlight that she was quite lucky at the fact that she managed to get excused from switching Celestia and Luna cutie marks. Even discussing various topics and gossip once they had run out of things in relation to the now non-existent problem.
"So...Twilight, have you been noticing some...strange things with that new mare that moved into Ponyville?" Starlight asked as she took a bite of the cookie levitating next to her as they walked.
"You mean the mare that sadly turned down Pinkie Pie’s usual Welcome to Ponyville Party for some reason?" Twilight asked a little dejectedly.
Starlight swallowed and didn’t meet her eyes. "Yeah."
A few weeks ago, when Starlight and Twilight had returned from the Crystal Empire for a special visit to see Flurry Heart, and King Thorax who was visiting to play with Flurry, Twilight and Starlight met a mare who had recently moved to Ponyville. However, to their surprise, the mare wasn't all happy and smiling like how ponies are usually. To both Twilight and Starlight when they first met her, she was completely anti-social and scared of something.
When Pinkie kept following her, Twilight had to step in and get Pinkie away from her to make sure she didn't make her feel any more uncomfortable than she already seemed.
However, when Starlight went to her shop to get balloons for a special birthday party for Trixie, Starlight saw that, no matter how hard the pony smiles, she could sense something was bothering her, even showing she refused to talk about it.
Starlight sadly was good at spotting such, having forced her old village to do the same.
But the icing on the cake was the every now and then, the mare would take breaksas if something was terribly wrong that she is hiding trying to hide from others.
"Doesn't it seem....like something is bothering her?" Starlight pointed out.
Twilight gave an odd look. "I don't follow."
"Ugh, what I mean is..."
Right when Starlight was going to finish her sentence, she and Twilight heard sobbing coming from a back alley. Stoping, looked for the source of the sobbing and found it was very close in the alley. Although they could just ignore it and bring the cookies back, they felt that they shouldn't do that since it would be heartless, not to mention it was not in many ponies nature to simply ignore the sounds of anypony in distress.
Turning into the alleyway, both mares noticed the sobbing growing louder and, surprisingly, it wasn't the cry of a lost or hurt filly, but, the cry of what seemed to be a mare. With every step in the alley, they heard the crying become coming closer.
However, both of them don't know why a pony would go into a back alley and cry, unless if it was something serious, like a mugging occurred and it being a cry of pain. Though the first was not too likely, as Ponyville wasn’t a place where such things were likely. But, to them, it didn't seem to be a cry of pain, but rather a cry of sorrow.
"Are you okay?" Twilight called gently as she walked through the ally.
"Pl-please...g-go away."
At that moment, when hearing that reply, they turned down the alley and saw something that made them gasp. Right in front of their eyes was something that wasn't usually seen every day. In front of them, was a pony round as a ball, completely immobile, crying. However, the most unexpected thing was the fact that by seeing the mark in the place one would guess the rounded pony’s flank was, they could clearly see the Cutie Mark of the new resident, Stardust.
"Oh my gosh. Ma'am, are you alright?" Twilight Sparkle asked worriedly as she walked up to the pony. She’d never seen something like this before in all her life.
"D-don’t look at me! I-I’m a freak."
As Twilight went to the mare to talk to her, Starlight, who was curious, began to feel around the mare’s inflated body, to make sure if she was alright. However, upon examining the mares inflated body, she sensed that something was not right. However, Starlight knew that, although she and Twilight were here, she had to make sure no one else came to the back alley. Whatever was wrong, this mare didn’t deserve everypony in town just finding out about it like this, so she began to look down the alleyway to ensure no pony else came down.
Looking the mare over, Twilight could tell the mare was scared, but somehow, showing signs she was used to what had happened to her. Of everything Twilight studied, body inflation wasn't one of them, since she found it too weird. But, for some reason, in the eyes of the mare, who's face was somewhat looked as if melted in her inflated body, were a look of worry and fear. Twilight’s mind was filled with questions.
"What happened to you?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"P-please, y-you wouldn't understand," the mare sobbed fearfully.
"Please, I want to help,” Twilight tried to reassure the mare. “Trust me, I am the Princess of Friendship after all."
_____
“Trust me, I am the Princess of Friendship after all."
When Stardust heard this, the smallest fragment of hope, a pin prick sprouted. Usually, she was scared how others would react upon seeing her life this and would go to a places she’d called safe zones whenever she inflates to the size of a round balloon pony ball.
However, in all this time since coming to Ponyville, this was the first time some pony had found out. While she would just get up and move along if possible, there was no way out. Her legs were immobile due to her body being round and inflated and it would be some time before she would return to normal.
When she first moved to town, she thought that Twilight wouldn't be able to help since this is far beyond something Equestria could understand and she was still certain of that.
Twilight Sparkle may be the Princess of Friendship, but friendship had nothing to do with her problem.
"... I... I just want to go somewhere safe."
With a nod, Twilight began to cast a teleportation spell to teleport herself, Stardust and Starlight to the palace. From seeing something like this, to seeing fear in Stardust’s eyes, Twilight seemed to understand that Stardust could not bear to let others see her like this.
Stardust knew that Twilight could tell there was a story behind it all. Little does she know, it will be one story...that is hard to believe.