The Filly Who Hated Cutie Marks

by Deep

Chapter Three

Ms. Blossom sat in her desk and waited. The classroom was empty of students and the setting sun gave its last rays through the windows. She stared at the closed door to the outside in silence.

The door opened. A middle aged Earth Pony couple walked in and sighed. They were none other than Orange Picker’s parents. Her dad, Orange Planter, stood tall with his orange and green body and mane, and a trio of orange seeds for a cutie mark. His rodeo hat shook as he walked. Her mom, Orange Juicer, kept her face pointed down and frowned. Her body and mane were a combination of light orange and a hard white, like the color of orange pulp. “So what did she do this time?” Planter said. He kept his eyes fixed on Blossom’s as he talked and had a permanent glare on. He stood completely erect and didn’t even hunch a degree. His wife frowned.

Blossom laughed. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves now.” She pointed to the many desks in the room. “Have a seat first at least.”

Orange Picker’s parents walked to a pair of desks and sat down. Planter lay back in his seat and crossed his hooves. His glare was still on. Juicer looked around the room. “I love what you did with the room. Back when I was young our classrooms never had paintings or such beautiful designs or-.”

Planter put his hoof over his wife’s mouth. “Just stop it honey. She obviously didn’t call us to talk about the room.” He raised his voice and faced Blossom. “So just tell us what she did so I can be done with it. I’m wasting time I could’ve been using back at the fields.”

Blossom chuckled. “Fine. We’ll skip the small talk then. I actually prefer it that way.” She glared back at Planter. “But I can assure you that you won’t be leaving so quickly this time,” she said in a firm tone. Planter growled with his mouth closed and clenched his jaw.

“She couldn’t have done anything that bad?” Juicer said.

“I wish.” Blossom sat tall. “Your daughter went too far this time, and frankly I’ve reached my breaking point with her.”

Orange Picker’s parents looked at each other in silence. Juicer put her head down, frowning.

Blossom cleared her throat. “I had a presentation about cutie marks planned today, since the class is now at the age that they should be getting them. I felt that it was important that Orange Picker get the opportunity to learn about them from a proper source and sent a filly to get her. When she finally came in she was covered in even more cuts and bruises than usual and was visibly mad. She kept on giving me a stare, like she was going to attack me, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time and proceeded to the presentation.” She paused and exhaled. “What happened next was…bizarre, to say the least.”

Planter sat unaffected. His hooves remained crossed. Juicer was on the verge of gasping and had her hooves over her open mouth. Blossom continued. “It happened at the end of the presentation. The class became excited about getting their cutie marks and discovering themselves, as was my intention. Your daughter…” Blossom looked down and away from Planter and Juicer. Her sense of failure was too great. “She broke her desk and started going off about how the presentation was brainwashing, conditioning, and other equally bizarre things. She told me that she didn’t want her cutie mark and made it seem like I was some sort of villain for teaching the class about them. And as if that wasn’t enough, she even cursed in front of the class and went so far as to disrespect the Princess.”

Juicer froze. Her hooves were still over her open mouth. “We had no idea she was like this. Attitude problem, the cuts, yes—but not this.”

Planter chuckled. “Can’t say I’m surprised. I was actually expecting something worse.”

Blossom slammed her desk. Planter stopped laughing. “This might be funny to you, but I’m not going to let her poison the minds of my other students. She’s confused. She even went off about 'changing things'. Yes, she said that.” Blossom stood up and leaned towards Orange Picker’s parents. The expression of anger on her face made Planter look like a smiling foal in comparison. “My students are more confused about cutie marks than ever before, and I have to spend all of next week fixing the damage done with more presentations. One student even said that he's worried about getting his cutie mark now. Fix her behavior and get these crazy ideas out of her head. And no more excuses this time.”

Planter slammed both of his hooves on his desk. Cracks rippled out from the point of impact. “What do you mean excuses?” he yelled. “Me n my wife have tried everything. We’ve talked to her, grounded her, took her stuff away. She just won’t change.”

Juicer nodded. “You have to understand, there’s nothing we can do. One time we even hired this special disciplinary instructor from Canterlot that used to work with one of the Princes, but even she failed.”

Blossom calmed herself. She smiled. “I do understand, but Orange Picker has to be reformed, for her sake and her peers. I’m tired of seeing her skip class and spend all day alone doing Celestia knows what. I miss the sweet little filly she used to be. Whenever I see her covered in blood and cuts I nearly vomit. I’ve kept my mouth shut to her this long because I’ve been hopeful that she could change, but I’ve had enough of this.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “This is your last chance. One of the Princess’s special appointees on these issues is coming here in the next few days to evaluate Orange Picker. If she isn’t reformed by then…then I’m not responsible for what’ll happen to you.”

Juicer’s jaw dropped. Her eyes dried up and turned red. Planter’s right eye twitched. He shook. “That’s it. I’m finishing this,” he screamed. He got up and stormed to the door.

Juicer ran after him. “Just calm down. Please.” She put her hoof on him. He slapped it away.

“Not this time. I’ve had it with these meetings, the stress, our daughter.” He pointed at Blossom. “I’m not gonna let this self-righteous joke threaten us anymore.” He opened the door and stepped out of the building. “I’m gonna ‘reform’ Orange Picker so good we’re never gonna hear about her again.”

He slammed the door and they both left.

Comments

[Jixstun]

"One of the Princess’s special appointees on these issues is coming here in the next few days to evaluate Orange Picker. If she isn’t reformed by then…then I’m not responsible for what’ll happen to you.”

This suddenly got very ominous. It sounds like disagreeing with the establishment about Cutie Marks & Destiny is treated very seriously rather than dismissed as childish rebellion.

Perhaps there being some kind of threat might explain why Miss Blossom is so willing to wash her hooves of the matter & foist it off on the parents instead of even attempting to understand where Orange Picker is coming from, you know, like a teacher probably should.

[Deep]

4086742
"On these issues" is referring to OP always being hurt and late for school. Basically Equestria's version of CPS, not an agency to deal with ponies who go against the status quo. Sorry for the confusion.

[Jixstun]

4086848

Ah, right.

Miss Blossom's attitude still seems a little strange though. The conversation with her parents implies that this is a long running problem that she's tried to sort out with them, so why would she still be ignorant of what OP's real problem is? Have they just never found that out? And is her 'threat' about something happening to them just a potential worst case scenario predicated on neither her nor the officer knowing the facts?

I look forward to finding out.

[Deep]

4087159
They don't know what OP's problem is since she's always out doing her own thing. It's like that kid who acts out so much you don't even care what's wrong with him anymore; you just want him gone. And the threat to OP's parents (I think that's your question?) is the dungeon/to the mooooooooon/whatever.

[Moonlit Oasis]

Why would they be so worried about her not wanting her cutie mark? Are you placing this story in more of a dystopian setting?

Btw, I think this chapter is the best written one so far.

[Arcane Howitzer]

4087227
So they haven't tried asking her what she does to get so beat up? Or does she just blow them off like teenagers are wont to do?
"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME!"
"Duh! You never tell us anything"

[son_of_heaven176]

Obvious abusive father is obvious. Why hasn't the teacher noticed that perhaps HE is the source of the acting out? If a child is using curse words and also using vocabulary that is way too advanced for her age, the first suspect is always the parent, and Planter might as well have "GUILTY" written all over his face.