The Teacher
Moving to Ponyville was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Everypony here is so accepting and kind. It’s almost impossible to find any kind of hate. If there is an argument or a disagreement, it is met with open arms from anypony around. Life here was nice, and it just kept getting better…
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I enjoyed the walk to the market in the morning. I got to see parents with their children, the mail mare delivering letters and packages to the local residents, and many other ponies going to their early jobs. Today was like any other day, until I heard the speeding of a scooter in the distance. I thought nothing of it, for some fillies and colts got out this early to enjoy a full day of excitement.
“WATCH OUT!” I heard behind me. Curious, I looked to see a trio of fillies losing control of their small vehicle, a scooter with a wagon attached to the back. I attempted to jump out of harm’s way, but the scooter was too fast.
"OOF!" I shouted in unison with the trio of ponies as we landed in a heap on the ground.
“Ah’m sorry, sir. Are y’all okay?” one of the passengers of the wagon in tow of the scooter asked me. This young earth pony had a red mane and a cream coat with a big pink bow holding her hair into a pony-tail. I knew I’ve seen this pony somewhere before…
“Hey, dude. We didn’t hurt you, did we?” came the voice of the driver, a little pegasus with an orange coat and purple mane. Her expression a mix of worry and irritation.
“Yeah,” I finally decided to say. “I think I’ll be alright. You three need to watch where you are going. You could hurt somepony.”
“It wasn’t out fault,” came the voice of the second passenger, a white unicorn with a pink and purple mane. “One of the wheels on our wagon came loose.”
I couldn’t help but grin at this. If there is one thing I’m good at, it’s doing odd jobs, and what’s more odd then aiding three fillies with fixing a wagon that had previously crashed into you? “Here, let me take a look at that.” After a good examination, I determined the problem. “It looks like somepony who didn’t know exactly what they were doing replaced the tires on this wagon,” as soon as I mentioned this, the young unicorn and earth pony looked at their pegasus counterpart with glares that could turn a pony to stone. “It’s an easy fix, I just gotta get an extra peg out of my saddle bag.” As I was reaching into my saddle bag for the peg, I noticed all three fillies watching while I fixed the broken wheel. It’s a good thing that the peg that I had fit their little wagon.
“Hey mister,” began the young white unicorn. “Where’s your cutie mark? You’re very good at fixing that peg, why aren’t you a mechanic or something?”
I smiled. I never expected to get to tell my blank flank story. “You really want to hear my story?” I asked, and all three fillies nodded with enthusiasm. “Okay. Once upon a time, one not too long ago, I lived in the city of Cloudsdale. I attended Junior Speedster Flight Academy there in my school years. Around the time, probably about 3 or 4 years older than you three, I was still a blank flank. I never enjoyed not being told that I had a special talent that made me unique. Eventually, I quit school and went to the grand capitol of Equestria, Canterlot.”
“Wait,” the little pegasus interrupted. “You left school to go to a different city? Is that the only reason?”
“Well…” I began. “I was getting picked on almost every waking hour of my life in Cloudsdale. I also went to Canterlot so I could have an audience with the princess. I asked her ‘Princess Celestia, is there something wrong with me? Why do I not have my cutie mark by now? I’m good at many things.’ She merely smiled at me and told me in a voice both soothing and strong, the way a ruler should sound, ‘My child, you are very special. You are good at so many things and have so many skills that you do not require a cutie mark. Very rarely does this happen, but you must cherish your gift, for it is what makes you special.’”
“So y’all have lived yer whole life without ah cutie mark?” the young earth pony asked quizzically.
“Yes, because not having the label of a cutie mark to tell me what I can and can’t do means I have a wide range of possibilities open for me. Remember that, my little ponies. Remember that you don’t need any fancy label to tell you how to live your life. You can live your life to the fullest and not have to worry about being tied down to one thing.” After I had said that, the three ponies had questioning looks on their faces.
“That… is so cool!” came the orange pegasus with a bright smile on her face.
“That was probably the best cutie mark story ever, and you don’t even have your cutie mark. You’re awesome!” The white unicorn said this and had almost a bigger smile than her pegasus counterpart.
“Well, if you three don’t mind, I need to get to work.” And with those final words, the group of fillies hopped back onto their scooter and rode away as I continued my trek to the market. Even though I may have taught those fillies something important, they also taught me something equally important; I don’t have to be afraid of being a blank flank.
I later learned that those three fillies called themselves The Cutie Mark Crusaders and spent most of their free time trying to find their cutie marks. The reason I had recognized the young earth pony was because she was my boss’s sister, Applebloom. I also learned that those three took a break from their crusading adventures to learn more skills that could help them in the future. I saw more of them over the next few months to teach them different skills that will benefit their lives in the future, cutie marks or no cutie marks. Eventually, I was summoned by Princess Celestia to teach Cutie Mark Studies at her school for gifted unicorns. Many things have happened since I’ve moved here, most recently the attack by the changelings, but nothing I can’t overcome. I still keep in contact with the three young fillies to this day. Why, you may ask? Well, it’s simple really, they’re my students.