How I Got My Cutie Mark

HeartShine stumbled through the door in a dazed state, the tip of her curly tail singed and smoking.

"I'm guessing horse-shoe making isn't your special talent." I smiled and pulled a brush out of the cupboard.

"I guess not." HeartShine managed a weak smile. I sat her down in front of me and began brushing the ash from her blonde mane.

"You'll get your cutie mark eventually, sis." I told her. "Everypony does."

"But what if I never get it, CloudShine?" She sniffed. "What if I'm doomed to be a blank flank forever?"

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe your special talent is being a drama queen."

She rewarded my joke with a small smile and looked down at my flank. My cutie mark, a simple pencil, stood out against my purple coat.

HeartShine jumped up, yanking the brush from my hoof. "You never told me!"

"Told you what?"

"How you got your cutie mark!" She grinned and flapped her tiny wings, to small to hold her aloft.

I picked up the brush and smiled. "You might want to sit down. This'll take a while."

She sat down obediently and I began my story: