Cutie Marks At Last

"So, girls, we've done just about EVERYTHING on our list... and still no cutie marks!" Apple Bloom threw the long list to the ground. A few foals running past stomped on the list, rendering it unreadable.

Scootaloo picked at her hooves. "I wish recess lasted longer so we could do more brainstorming... have we tried alligator wrestling?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "Rarity said if she ever caught me trying to wrestle alligators, I'd be banned from leaving the boutique for a month, not even for school."

"You do know she's lying, right?"

"Yeah, but Rarity can be so overprotective... not like Mom and Dad are any better, but still."

"Guys, FOCUS!" Apple Bloom stamped her hoof. "We need our cutie marks, and soon! I don' wanna be a blank flank forever!"

"Too bad you probably will be, loser!" The voice all foals had come to dread came from behind the group of fillies. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stepped forward, as if they needed to be closer to the ponies to maximize the bullying effect.

"Not this again..." Scootaloo groaned. Sweetie Belle bit her lip and looked at the other crusaders.

"Diamond Tiara, we aren't botherin' you! Why don't you go... stick your head in a hole, or somethin'? Go somewhere where you won't bother ponies!"

Sweetie Belle giggled. "Yeah! Like... um... where would that be?"

"I dunno. Maybe... the dump?" Scootaloo suggested.

"You mean back where they came from?" The crusaders all giggled.

"HEY! Shut UP, you big babies!" Diamond Tiara stamped her hoof. "You're just jealous that YOU don't have your marks yet!"

"Yeah, you KNOW we're better than you guys are!" Silver Spoon sneered at the fillies.

"No, you're not! We aren't mean old bullies like you!" Scootaloo sneered right back as she spoke.

Cherilee stuck her head out the school door. "Children! Recess is over now! Come inside!"

The two groups made faces at each other, then trotted inside obediently along with the others. As they took their seats, the tension still hung thick in the air, even though nopony besides the fillies involved could really tell. They didn't even have to look at each other; they all knew what was to come when class was over.

"Now, class, today we're going to study history." Cherilee's joyful announcement was met with disappointed groans from around the room. "Class, today we're learning about how kingdoms and royalty would get revenge on one another for wrongdoings and how they would punish subjects. Now, as I mentioned yesterday, this lesson will be a bit graphic. I trust you all remembered you permission slips." From some parts of the class, even louder groans were emitted. The rest of the class burst into cheering and trotted to the front of the class, waving slips of paper.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo quickly met up with each other. "I've been so excited for this lesson! I forgot it was today! Good thing I had it signed the day we got it!" Sweetie Belle was beaming.

"Yeah! I bet it'll be awesome!" Scootaloo was every bit as excited.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment, then gasped in excitement. "Guys! I know this sounds crazy, but... what if we get our marks for revenge or something?"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo simply stared at each other for a moment. "Not very likely..."

"Yeah, I know." Apple Bloom sighed and trudged up as the line moved forward. Cherilee took their permission slips.

Cherilee looked over the slips. "All right... Featherweight, Sunny Daze, Cotton Cloudy, Lickety Split, Rumble, and Tootsie Flute, I'm afraid you cannot be here for today's lesson. Instead..." she passed out worksheets to the foals she had mentioned. "Go down to the printing room for the newspaper and work on the math worksheets I passed out. And don't touch any of the equipment."

The foals trudged out of the room, some grumbling. Cotton Cloudy seemed especially angry. "But I DID bring it, I really did! It couldn't have just disappeared..."

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon exchanged looks. Diamond Tiara held up a slip of paper. Apple Bloom looked over and recognized it immediately: It was Cotton Cloudy's permission slip.

Apple Bloom threw little bits of paper at the other crusaders. and hissed, "Look!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo saw the paper just before Diamond Tiara put it back in her desk. The crusaders all exchanged looks.

Cherilee started the lesson as soon as all the foals who didn't bring their slips to her had left the room. "Now, let's begin with some things a pony could do to get them in trouble. Take out a piece of paper and we'll list those things out."

Apple Bloom took out a piece of paper and wrote down everything Cherilee listed. "If you spoke badly against the ruler, which was only during a short period a long time ago; if you stole; if you killed somepony without a good reason, and the death wasn't thought of as an accident; even refusing to work for the ruler could get in you in trouble, depending on when you lived."

Apple Bloom's head was practically spinning. Diamond Tiara suddenly yelled, "Get to the good stuff!" The entire class laughed. Even Apple Bloom couldn't resist giggling a bit.

Cherilee rolled her eyes. "Diamond Tiara, if you don't keep quiet, you'll join some of the other students in the printing room. Would you like to go there instead?"

Diamond Tiara slunk down into her desk. "No, ma'am," she said, barely loud enough to hear.

"Very good. Now, get out another piece of paper, and we'll try to think of some other things that could get you in trouble." There were groans from all around the class. It seemed that everypony agreed with Diamond Tiara's train of thought.

After many more lists of how to get in trouble, Cherilee sighed and picked up a few different books, putting them on her desk. "Now, class, I'm about to read some passages from a book that describes many old methods of punishment. They're very, VERY graphic in some cases, so if you ever feel disgusted or sick, pick up one of the worksheets and go to the printing room."

"Oh, yeah right," Diamond Tiara muttered loud enough for the class to hear. Her remark was met by a few giggles.

Cherilee rolled her eyes. "Diamond Tiara, next time you do that, you're going to the printing room."

"Yes, ma'am..." Diamond Tiara sighed.

"Now, one method of punishment for speaking out against Princess Platinum- and let me remind you, children, this was very, VERY long ago, even before Celestia's reign- was that the accused pony would have their body stretched out, then their stomach torn open, emptied, filled with hot coals, and sewn back up."

There were some gasps, laughs, and even a few retching noises.

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. That sounded horrible. She waved her hoof in the air. "Ms. Cherilee?"

"Yes, Apple Bloom?"

"Did they kill the pony first, or were they alive during the punishment? 'Cause then that would probably really, REALLY hurt..."

"Well, no DUH!" Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes and laughed at Apple Bloom. "Your brain is as blank as your flank!"

Silver Spoon laughed just as hard. "I didn't even know she had a brain!"

Cherilee's voice was sharp. "Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon! Both of you can go to the printing room... NOW!"

The two fillies took the worksheets and trotted away, grumbling something about unfairness. Apple Bloom felt like it was now easier to concentrate on Cherilee's words.

Cherilee watched the girls go, then went back to the book. "Also, it says... ugh, I'm not sure if I even want to read this..."

Scootaloo put her hoof in the air. "I can read it for you, ma'am!"

"Well... alright..." Cherilee gave the book to Scootaloo and pointed to the passage she was supposed to read. "Don't be as graphic as the book..." She trotted back to her desk up front.

Scootaloo scanned the passage, then as if ignoring what the teacher had said, she read directly out of the book. "Whoa... 'If you offended Commander Hurricane, you were sentenced to have every one of your feathers plucked out, or if you were a unicorn, your horn slowly sawed off, or if an Earth pony, then your mane was plucked out strand by strand. Most who were punished were obviously pegasi, as subspecies didn't see  the other subspecies as much back in those times.

" 'For a pegasus' punishment, it didn't end with your feathers being plucked from your wings, your wings were also sawn off, and you were dropped in some remote location, left to starve or die, and often they would purposely find a wild animal and unleash it on said pony, to make sure they die a violent and brutal death for speaking against their leader. Every now and then they checked the general are if the pony's dead carcass wasn't found, then they took the body, cut off the head, and posted it on columns as an example to all others. This was done to Earth ponies and Unicorns as well, although without the wing-cutting-off part.' Ms. Cherilee, are you SURE we're allowed to read this stuff?"

The entire class stared at Scootaloo blankly. Even Cherilee was stunned. "Er, Scootaloo, I don't think you quite heard me when I said not to be as graphic as the book."

Scootaloo blushed. "Oops..."