• Published 4th Dec 2017
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Field Notes from Equestria - Admiral Biscuit



A modern-day explorer gets his chance to visit Equestria, and writes down notes about the ponies he meets.

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Amorosa

Amorosa
Admiral Biscuit

Nobody was really sure how cutie marks worked. The ponies said that a pony got hers when she realized her special talent or what set her apart from everypony else, and maybe that was true. But were they granted by some kind of all-knowing being, or were they an outward manifestation of an internal epiphany? Could a pony really, really wish for one and get it?

And if she did, would it be a cutie mark for having her wish granted?

It was something that I often thought about at night, and I wasn't the only person who did, I was sure.

I had come up with a few general rules. Earth ponies tended to have obvious marks, typically of some kind of plant or rock. Pegasi most often had weather-themed marks, although that wasn't an always rule. I'd also learned that nearly all pegasi had earned their marks while flying, although there were some exceptions to that.

Unicorns usually had the most symbolic marks.

I still hadn't figured out if it was polite to study a pony's mark before we even spoke, but I could never help myself.

I was at my usual bar, and a mare I'd never seen before came in beside me. I could tell right away that she was either high-class, or perhaps aspiring to be. Her mane was well-styled, with highlights on the tips, and her coat was silky-smooth. When she set a hoof on the bar, the glossy shine of hoof paint was smooth enough to show reflections. She was also the first earth pony I’d seen with earrings—not just a pair, but a whole arc of diamonds glittered in the dim light of the bar.

I glanced down at her flank.

Maybe I'd had a little bit too much to drink, because I could have worded my question better. Or else just kept my stupid mouth shut.

"Is that a hot dog eating cutie mark?" It didn't seem likely; she was really slender, especially for an earth pony. Of course Takeru Kobayashi was, too. . . .

She snorted. "Sure it is, champ."

Author's Note:

WIth apologies to naturalbornderpy.