Cutie Scars: Darker Marks

by shifter_goddess

Cutie Marks? Yaaa-- oh, no.

"It's lovely, darling, but don't you think it's a bit...um, dark?"

"It's a crossbow! It's the coolest! I can't believe I finally got my Cu-- GAAASP." Sweetie Bell froze, and then - to Rarity's horror and distress - started hyperventilating. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what was upsetting the filly, either: her blank-friends.

"Sweetie Bell - Sweetie Bell!", Rarity said, sternly, grabbing onto the young filly's shoulder and shaking, gently.

"Oh no. This is bad. Awwwww, they're gonna - Applebloom's gonna hate me!", the white young mare cried, tears brimming in her large eyes.

"My dear, Applebloom is not going to hate you, why would you ever think that? She knew you were going to get your Mark one day - and so is she and Scootaloo. Just because you got yours first doesn't mean--"

"Scoot got hers first.", sniffled the filly, hoof wiping at her eyes.

"Oh. I didn't know - you haven't mentioned anything..." Rarity trailed off, eyeing her sister. The pink-and-purple maned filly was looking at the ground as if it held the secrets of the universe, her ears flicked down and a front hoof kicking lightly at the dirt.

"Um, she - it's..." Sweetie Bell grimaced, still looking concerned - and awkward.

"Dear, whatever her Cutie Mark is, it's nothing to be ashamed of! It's her true talent, after all - nopony should ever be ashamed of that!", Rarity coaxed. "Now, why didn't you tell me? I'd have thought you'd be excited for your friend!"

"It's...it kinda looks like a stain.", Sweetie Bell muttered.

Rarity blinked. "A...a stain?", she repeated. She'd never heard of a pony whose talent was staining things. "Perhaps her talent is in staining wood, or glass...maybe both.", she suggested, though it was clearly guesswork. Usually Cutie Marks were, well, a bit more on-the-nose, to be honest. Rarity hoped Scootaloo's Cutie Mark wasn't just staining things in general - she'd hate to have to ban the filly from her Boutique.

"Ummm, not - not that kinda stain." Sweetie Bell hedged, glancing at the door, praying that somepony would come through - anypony. Twilight, or Rose, even Celestia herself.

"I suppose it could be ambiguous, but wouldn't Scootaloo, at least, know what it was? She was doing - whatever it was when she got her mark, wasn't she?", Rarity prompted.

"Well - Applejack took us hunting with her..."

"She what!?" Rarity gasped, swooning. "You could have been hurt! She could have been hurt! Oh, I'm going to have words with that little pony...!", the white mare promised, face promising that dire threats would be involved, indeed, whenever she got her hooves on the orange Earth mare.

"We were bored, and ran out of stuff to try...And we caught somethin'!", Sweetie Bell protested, motioning at her flank to indicate how. "I - I shot it, and Scoot skinned it."

Rarity, still feeling light-headed from her swoon, fainted with a cry onto the floor.

-------------------------

'--nd then she fainted!", came Sweetie Bells' voice, becoming clearer as the white mare recovered - physically - from her shock.

Rarity groaned, eyes fluttering open to see her friends gathered in the Boutique, Sweetie Bell sitting next to her.

"Rarity, you alright?", Applejack asked, peering closely at her friend.

Finding a surprising stash of sisterly strength, Rarity let out an outraged "YOU!" before lunging at the blonde mare with her front hooves. Letting out a startled yelp, Applejack fell backwards onto her hindquarters as the rest of the Six stepped back - Fluttershy darting behind Twilight as Rainbow Dash swooped in to hold Rarity back from attempting to strangle her friend.

"What is your problem!? AJ didn't even do anything!", the blue pegasus shouted, tugging at the enraged fashionista's shoulders.

"She gave my sister an awful C--!", Rarity cried out, then stopped herself, glancing around to find the filly in mention. Sweetie Bell's lower lip trembled, and Rarity felt her anger vanish as guilt brought her, weak-kneed, slumping onto the floor. "Oh, darling, no - don't, don't cry. I didn't mean - your Mark is fine, Sweetie, really, it's just...I'm not used to it yet. It was a shock.", she explained, pleading, hushed.

"Ooooh, Sweetie Bell got her Cutie Mark! That's great! We should throw a party!", shouted Pinkie Pie, jumping in a wide circle around the others.

Sweetie Bell sank to the floor completely, face pressed against it, front hooves covering her face. "No!", she wailed. "I don't want a party! It's an awful Cutie Mark, my sister's right! I'm never gonna be able to do anything now!"

As Pinkie skidded to a halt - nearly knocking over a dress-dummy in the process - the adult Ponies, sans Rarity, looked at each other in shock. Twilight was giving Rarity a disappointed look, disbelieving the Element of Generosity could say such a thing about her little sisters' Cutie Mark. Having let go of Rarity's shoulders, Rainbow Dash was trying to peer around the mare at the filly's flank, with no success - her tail, pressed tightly against the small ponys' body, hid whatever her Mark was.

"Sweetie Bell, it can't be that bad.", soothed Fluttershy, trotting forward to lay a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah! I mean, there's gotta be somethin' you can do, no matter what your Mark is! Look at Derpy, she delivers mail and her special talent is...uh..." Rainbow Dash trailed off, confused.

"Making bubbles?", Twilight guessed, scratching her mane with a hoof.

"Blowing bubbles?", Rainbow shrugged, squinting in thought.

"Oh oh oh, that reminds of a pony I met once. Her Cutie Mark was a smiley face, she was suuuuper good at making ponies happy! I guess she had other talents too, though, 'cause all her customers seemed really happy when they came out of her room at the Rosey Hooves!", Pinkie gushed. Rarity groaned and pressed her hooves against Sweetie Bells' ears, glaring at her excitable friend.

"Sweetie Bell does not need to know about the time you made friends with a prostitute, Pinkie!", the white mare snapped, blushing faintly.

"Oh my Celestia, that's what the Rosey Hooves was?", gasped Twilight. Everypony stared at the purple mare, who blushed deeply. "I, uh, I thought it was a good place to study! It was broad daylight and almost nopony was inside, and -"

"We also don't need to know about the time you mistakenly visited a brothel, Twilight!", Rarity shouted. "What we need to do is change my little sisters' Cutie Mark!"

Author's Note:

My first MLP story! I've always liked the CMC, and I wanted to do some world-building while including them and the Mane Six. Right now we've just got Sweetie, but we'll pick the other two up along the way...

Comments

[I love you Dashie]

Good Stuff!! Keep Writing Please!!
twilight.ponychan.net/chan/arch/src/130649728613.gif

[shifter_goddess]

3286662

Thank you so much for your kind review! I'll definately keep writing!

[lightningcharger19981010]

I have to agree its a nitce story and whout like to now what Will happen next

[shifter_goddess]

3287108

Thank you! I'll have the next chapter up sometime this week, I should think, if my planning goes accordingly.