//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Conundrum // Story: The Young Prince // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// A young pony would face many challenges growing up, even if that pony was a prince. One such challenge was getting a Cutie Mark. Dusk had just celebrated his tenth birthday, yet he had still not discovered his special talent, to his great frustration. His friends had all gained their Cutie Marks; Crab Apple had proven himself a whizz at making apple pies, Honeysuckle came into her own as an aspiring florist, Rainbow Flash and Thunder Storm discovered their talents in acrobatics and stunt flying (In that order), Purple had found a talent for comedy, and Dazzle had gained her Cutie Mark from modelling her mother's clothes. Even Gold Chain and Silver Plate had gotten their Cutie Marks, and they delighted in reminding Dusk of it every time they saw him. "Some prince." Gold sneered. "Doesn't even have his Cutie Mark yet." Silver added. "Knock it off, you jerks!" Dusk snarled. "Easy there, pardner." Crab held him back. "They ain't worth it." "So true." Dazzle sniffed disdainfully. "All the money in the world, and not an ounce of refinement. What is the upper class coming to?" "Whatever." Gold smirked, as he and his sister walked away. "Have fun with the blank flank prince!" Silver yelled back. "Meanie-weenies." Purple growled. "They're right though." Dusk sighed. "I still don't have my Cutie Mark. What kind of prince am I?" "Don't talk like that." Honeysuckle admonished. "Cutie Mark or no Cutie Mark, you're still a great colt." "And definitely more awesome then those jerks." Thunder added. "Way more awesome!" Rainbow agreed. "Thanks, guys." Dusk smiled, feeling a little better. "You'll get your Cutie Mark soon enough." Dazzle assured him. "And I bet it'll be the greatest Cutie Mark of all time!" Purple cheered. Dusk's mood was lifted by his friends' words of support. However, by the time dinner came around, he grew depressed again. "What's wrong, champ?" Flash asked. "Nothing." Dusk sighed. "It's just... I'm tired of waiting for my Cutie Mark to show." "It'll come, dear." Twilight assured him. "You just have to be patient." "But I'm sick of being patient!" Dusk groaned. "Hey, now." Flash remarked. "I was older then you when I got my Cutie Mark." "No offense dad, but that really doesn't make me feel better." Dusk facehoofed. "What's the big deal about Cutie Marks, anyway?" Starlight asked innocently. "You'll see when you're older." Dusk told her. "What I wouldn't give to be able to get mine to appear right now..." "Getting your Cutie Mark isn't something you can force." Twilight told her son. "It could come at any time. It could even come tomorrow." "I sure hope so..." Dusk sighed. The next day at school, Cheerilee had an announcement. "Over the next two days, you will be all taking part in a school project to keep Ponyville clean." She declared. "You will be split into teams, and each team will have to clean a area of Ponyville. Picking trash, cleaning windows... You can do whatever you can to help keep our little town beautiful." "Work?!" Gold gasped. "For free?!" Silver groaned. "Lame!" Ignoring them, Cheerilee divided the class into groups. To their delight, Dusk and his friends were all put in the same group. Their task was to clean Ponyville park. On their arrival, they saw some weeds, patches of dug up earth (Brought about by a combination of foals playing "treasure hunt", and the canine population of Ponyville), and a small amount of litter, punctuated by downed trash can. "This is gonna be a breeze." Thunder said confidently. "No doubt." Rainbow agreed. "Let's get to work, then." Dusk smiled. The friends starting cleaning. It was a tougher job the they thought it would be, but by the end of the afternoon, the park looked much better. "Not bad, huh?" Crab admired their handiwork. "We might not even need another day fer this!" "We should check back before school tomorrow, though." Dusk declared. "Just to make sure we didn't miss anything." "Good idea, Dusk." Dazzle nodded. "It never hurts to be thorough." The next morning, the kids took a small detour to take another look at the park. To their horror, it was even worse then it was yesterday. There were more weeds, more trash, and more holes. "What the...?" Dusk gasped. "Is this some kind of joke?" Purple growled. "Because it's not a very funny one. And I know funny..." "Oh, look at that." Gold's sneering voice drew their attention. "You're not doing a very good job, are you?" "Butt out!" Thunder snarled. "Yeah, beat it!" Rainbow added. Something was off about this. Dusk knew that Gold and Silver never came to school by way of the park. They lived on the other side of town. So why would they go another way, and on that day? "Wait..." Dusk suddenly released. "You did this!" "Huh?" Crab frowned. "They probably payed somepony to mess up the park, just so we'd look bad!" Dusk accused. "You can't prove that." Silver smirked, as she and Gold headed to school. "You really think they caused this?" Honeysuckle asked. "Who else would be that inconsiderate?" Dusk posited. As they made their way to school, Dusk and his friends came across the area Gold and Silver had been tasked with cleaning. It was a street in Ponyville's business area. All the windows were perfctly clean, and the walls had brand new coats of paint. Dusk and his friends stared, aghast. "There's no way they did all this themselves." Dusk snarled. "They must have paid ponies to do it for them." "The same ponies who ruined the park, no doubt." Dazzle seethed. "We have to tell miss Cheerilee." Crab suggested. "Without any proof?" Honeysuckle groaned. "She'll never believe us." Before class began, Cheerilee took a moment to congratulate the students on the work they'd done. "i have to say, Gold and Silver, you've far exceeded my expectations." She smiled. "Wonderful work." "It was nothing, miss." Gold chuckled. "Way too easy." Silver boasted. "'Course it was easy." Thunder blurted out. "When you have somepony else do all the work for you!" "Cheaters!" Rainbow yelled. "You can't prove that." Gold sneered. "You're just jealous that we're doing better then you." "Alright, that's enough." Cheerilee said sternly. "Dusk, you and your friends' efforts have been very disappointing. I went by the park this morning, and it almost looks worst then it did before. You have one more afternoon to clean up the mess, and I'll coming by to inspect your work. If that park isn't clean, I'm afraid you'll all get a failing grade. Is that clear?" "Yes, miss Cheerilee." Dusk nodded. That afternoon, the kids returned to the park. "Look at this mess." Crab groaned. "How're we gonna clean all this up by the time miss Cheerilee gets here?" "It's hopeless." Dazzle sighed. "Come on, guys." Dusk stepped. "Don't give up. I know it looks bad, but we can turn this around." "Oh, yeah?" Thunder asked. "How?" Rainbow demanded. "By working together." Dusk told them. "Like my mom always says: As long as you have your friends beside you, anything is possible." "You really think we can do it?" Honeysuckle asked. "Trust me." Dusk smiled. "Okay, first things first: Thunder and Rainbow, you use that that impressive wingpower of your to blow all the litter into one place. That'll make it easier to clean up." "You got it!" Thunder and Rainbow chorused. "Honeysuckle and Purple, you can work on the weeds." Dusk continued. "No prob, Dusky!" Purple saluted. "I brought along some flower seeds to help perk the place up." Honeysuckle revealed. "I'll put them in the holes left behind when we pull up the weeds." "Good thinking." Dusk nodded. "Now, Crab, Dazzle and I will work on filling in those holes." "Sure thing, pardner." Crab smiled. "We're just waiting on you." Dazzle joked. The kids went to work. Even with Dusk's instructions, it was a long, hard job. "We're doing great, guys." Dusk encouraged them. "Keep it up!" They managed to finish mere seconds before Cheerilee was scheduled to arrive. "Oh, my." Cheerilee gasped, looking around the pristine park. "Well done, children!" Gold and Silver, who had come by to gloat, dropped their jaws in shock. "How'd they..." Gold choked. "They couldn't have..." Silver gaped. "Fantastic work, fillies and colts!" Cheerilee beamed. "I'm happy to say I underestimated you. You've all done so well, and in so little time!" "It was all down to Dusk, miss." Crab declared. "Me?" Dusk asked. "Of course." Dazzle nodded. "You're the one who spurred us on to keep going, even when it seemed hopeless. You're the one who led us to success." "She's right, pal." Thunder agreed. "You are awesome!" Rainbow added. "It seems you have excellent leadership abilities." Cheerilee told Dusk. "For a prince, that's quite fitting." "Leader?" Dusk mused "Me?" "Dusk, look!" Honeysuckle pointed. A flash of light erupted on Dusk's flank, leaving a unique symbol behind; A purple comet, followed by some smaller white comets. "My Cutie Mark..." Dusk whispered. "Yes!! Finally!!" Gold and Silver's jaws dropped once again. "Way to go, Dusky!" Purple cheered. "Ooh, I've got to tell mom. She'll throw you a fantastic party!" "Congrats, pal." Crab smiled. "Very stylish, I must say." Dazzle chuckled. "Well done, Dusk." Cheerilee declared. "You really earned it." "I guess I did, didn't I?" Dusk smiled modestly. "You sure did." Thunder slapped him on the back. "I repeat: You. Are. Awesome!" Rainbow cheered. "Hard to argue with popular opinion, isn't it?" Honeysuckle giggled. As soon as he got home, Dusk showed off his brand new Cutie Mark to his proud family. "I told you you just had to be patient." Twilight hugged him. "You should be proud, kiddo." Flash chuckled, ruffling his son's mane. "You got your Mark a whole year before I did!" "Will my Cutie Mark be as cool as yours?" Starlight asked. "Who knows?" Dusk shrugged. "We'll just have to wait to see." "Ooh, but I don't like waiting!" Starlight pouted. "Be patient, squirt." Dusk winked at his little sister. "Just be patient." "Like you?" Starlight teased. "Maybe just a little more patient than that." Dusk shrugged playfully. Dusk had finally done it. He had reached one of the greatest milestones of a young pony's life. Whatever else the future had in store him, he was confident he could handle it.