//------------------------------// // Night Glider // Story: Chronicles of the Cutie Markless // by StoryDragon //------------------------------// Being a Pegasus pony is awesome. Sure, unicorns get the magic, and earth ponies get all the nature skills, but I wouldn’t trade my wings for the world. The feeling of the wind against my feathers as I soar through the sky is simply irreplaceable. I was at the top of the class at Flight School, closely followed by my best friend Dusk Diver. She was a little quiet compared to me, but equally as cool and ambitious. Whilst I was all about speed and efficiency, Dusk Diver was really into precision and aerodynamics. We balanced each other out amazingly, and were pretty inseparable. Every night after school, me and Dusk Diver would stay out late honing our skills. We supported and encouraged one another, certain that some day all of these private sessions would majorly pay off; perhaps in the future, we would even become Wonderbolts! I was one of the first in my class to get a cutie mark; it was a partially eclipsed moon, with two silver feathers surrounding it. I had a lot of fun showing it off at Flight School. The other fillies and colts thought my cutie mark was so cool. I still remember the way they all gathered around excitedly, as the majority of them still didn't have their own cutie marks yet. “What does it mean?” They asked excitedly, “It means that I’m destined for greatness.” I bragged, “It represents my greatest passion in life, and the dedication I put into developing this passion. Dusk Diver and I practice flying every night after school until after dark. We might even become Wonderbolts some day!" Most of the class were pretty impressed, but then one kid had to ruin it; “B…but if you and Dusk Diver have been training together every night…” he asked, “then how come she still doesn’t have her cutie mark yet?” Suddenly all ponies eyes turned to Dusk, who blushed and remained silent. I flew over and put a hoof around my friend, “Ponies get their cutie marks at different times.” I explained, “Dusk will get hers soon, I’m sure of it!” Dusk Diver smiled gratefully at me, “Thank you.” She whispered. Over the next few days I noticed the other young pegasi suddenly became really motivated. They started trying harder in classes, and even taking up optional activities to try and figure out their special talents. At first I was happy to be such a good influence on my fellow classmates, but when Dusk Diver started missing out on our night-flying sessions to work on various projects herself, I started to wonder if perhaps I had gained my cutie mark a little too soon. This didn’t matter for long however, as one day Dusk turned up to class with a huge grin on her face, and a wonderful cutie mark. It was a beautiful swirling silver cloud with a white glowing outline. Dusk Diver couldn't stop beaming with delight as she explained it to me. She had recently discovered the art of cloud shaping and decided to give it a try, soon realizing she had a natural knack for the craft. Her cutie mark appeared after she had completed her latest mini-cloud sculpture, which was a challenging pattern using delicate alto-cumulus clouds. It wasn’t long before the other ponies in our class all started to receive their cutie marks, by the time we had finished Flight School, we all had a clear idea of what we wanted to do with our lives. Dusk Diver had a very structured plan. She had decided to become a weather pony. “It’s so cool how they collect the water, create and transfer the clouds, then break them down accordingly.” She told me, "I'd love to be able to do that." “You’d make an incredible weather pony, they’d be lucky to have you.” I smiled supportively, but secretly felt a little lonely; life would be pretty weird without my friend by my side every day. Dusk must have picked up on this; I've never been much good at hiding my feelings. “You should apply for the weather team too, Night Glider.” She suggested, “we could work together!” “I’m not sure…” I replied, “I see myself as more of an athlete than a worker pony.” “But you can learn so much!” Dusk tried to convince me with her enthusiasm, “We could really push our limits. And next summer, we can try out for the Wonderbolt Academy together!” At that moment, my mind was made up. The Wonderbolt Academy was a cool training camp for ponies who wanted to someday join the greatest flyers in Equestria. I wished I could have gone straight from Flying School Graduate to Wonderbolt, but only the best of the best get accepted into the Academy; I could definitely use more practice. So me and Dusk Diver tried out for the weather team, and of course we both got in. I enjoyed the job far more than I expected to, and became a natural in no time, getting my tasks completed at the speed of light and helping the other ponies with their own duties. Dusk Diver was exceptional at breaking down the big bulky clouds, and creating delicate stratus clouds in the evening, she had a tender touch and her work really stood out. The months went by, and then one day I was called into the office by the boss, and just like that... I got promoted to Supervisor. It was awesome; the other weather ponies really respected me. Every morning I would fly over to each team, announce the weather schedule and assign the ponies to their duties. I would salute them and wish them luck, being sure to check in and lend a hoof from time to time. I was pretty busy, and often stayed up late fixing the skies. A few month's passed by, and then one night after work, Dusk Diver tapped me on the shoulder timidly and handed me a piece of paper. It was an application for the Wonderbolt Academy, which started in three month's time. I hugged my friend and thanked her; due to all of my new responsibilities on the weather team, I had completely forgotten about applying for the Academy. The two of us immediately filled out the forms, and posted them the following morning. Three months later, I was pacing up and down outside my cloud home, when the mail pegasus arrived. He handed me a large letter, and I instantly recognised the iconic seal. My heart pounding, I teared the letter open and my heart filled with joy; I had been accepted! Excitedly, I flew over to Dusk Diver’s place. We lived close by, so the mail pegasus had probably already delivered her own acceptance letter. However, when I arrived, Dusk was scrunching up a piece of paper, and crying her eyes out. I didn’t have to ask what was wrong. “Dusk.” I held out my hoof to try and comfort her, but she turned away. “I’m clearely not good enough to be a Wonderbolt.” She sobbed. For a moment, I didn't know what to say. I glanced around silently and noticed all of the clouds surrounding Dusk Diver's home were sculpted or arranged beautifully; she was an incredibly talented pony. Then, I said it. “Maybe... you’re not supposed to be a Wonderbolt.” My friend turned back to me, “How could you say that?" She broke down, "you’ve always been so much better than me at everything. You were top of the class at school, you were the first to get your cutie mark, you’re a supervisor weather pony, and now you’re going to become a Wonderbolt. It’s not fair!” “But… Dusk… you can do all kinds of things that I can’t do…” I started to explain, but she wouldn't listen. “I don’t need your pity, Night Glider.” She wept, “Pity? What do you mean? I’m your friend!” I tried to put a hoof around her, but Dusk Diver just pushed me off. “Well, maybe I don’t want your friendship either.” She threw the letter into the wind, and flew away. Those words hurt. Me and Dusk Diver had been friends almost all of our lives; just how long has she been feeling this way? The more I thought about it, the more I realised how I would feel if it was the other way around. Dusk Diver was the one who always paid attention during lectures, she was the one who always wanted to become a weather pony, she was the one who knew when to apply for the Wonderbolt Academy. Yet I had breezed through life, without even trying. For the first time in my life, I didn't feel like flying, or like being around my fellow pegasi. I glided down to the ground, to be alone. "Night Glider... what are you doing down here?" An unfamiliar voice addressed me, I turned to see a pinkish unicorn following behind. "Who are you?" I asked her, "and how do you know who I am?" "Of course I know who you are!" She chuckled, "you're the supervisor of the weather ponies. I see you racing through the skies all the time, you do an amazing job." "T...thanks." I mumbled, "but I never wanted to be a weather pony, it was a stupid mistake." "Oh?" She looked surprised, "Then... why did you?" I thought about it for a moment, and when I realised the answer, I broke down and started to cry, spilling my heart to this complete stranger. I guess I just needed to get things off my chest... after all, there was no harm in telling this unicorn my problems, right? "I wanted to be close to my friend." I explained through tears, "but I got sidetracked. I was always one step ahead and never gave her time to catch up. She was far more important to me than flying ever was, I was just too dense to see that before, and now it's too late." "You can't help it if you're naturally better than some pony else." The unicorn told me, "it's in your nature. I see ponies like you every day; ponies who lose their friends because their differences drive them apart. Their destinies take them in opposite directions. Woudn't it be much better if every pony was matched, in skill and talent? If our destiny was simply to live together peacefully. No pony outshining any pony else, no pony crushing any other ponies dreams?" I nodded, "yeah." "I can make it happen." She winked, ”I have a special rod which can remove a ponies cutie mark, replacing it with a symbol that represents equality, and unity." "What?" I gasped, "that's... incredible. Do you think that Dusk Diver would like me again if I was the same as her?" The unicorn shook her head, "You will never be the same as her," She answered, "Dusk Diver still has her special talent, she will never be your friend again, but if you come with me, I can promise you a life of peace and happiness. You will be surrounded by friends who will never be envious of you, because you will all be one big family. Friendship is far more important than special talents, after all." I dried my eyes and considered the option, "I've already lost my best friend," I concluded, "if I stay the way I am, I may never be able to hold onto another friend for as long as I live. I'd rather lose my skills, than be alone for the rest of my life." "I promise you, you will not regret your choice." The unicorn patted me on the back, "my name is Starlight Glimmer. Please, let me take you to our town, where you will make many, many new friends."