Doodle Dot's Journey

It was the day after Dot was told by the princesses about what would become of her in the future. When she got home, she tried to digitally paint pictures, but nothing came to her head. What was inspirational? How could she inspire other ponies who are markless to get their cutie marks in new things? She couldn't paint an autobiography of her life, that wasn't interesting enough. It would be about herself, and she didn't feel comfortable flashing her life in front of a insecure audience. She hovered her pen above her tablet for hours, the use of magic to hover the pen gave her a headache. She missed supper with Rarity and Sweetie Belle, and just decided to go to bed early.

The ordeal of the new found pressure put on her created some dreams that Dot didn't normally dream. Dot's dreams never made sense, always creating wild stories, either fun or dangerous, but this time, the dream became a series of flashbacks. She was in her classroom. She sat in the back row with seven other foals. The filly on her left was purple with a light brown mane, and the filly in front of her was light green with a dark green mane. The green filly and Dot were the only unicorns in the class. The fact that they weren't unicorns wasn't abnormal. Every class had at least one unicorn or one Pegasus. But the majority was Earth pony. The purple filly beside her was an earth pony. These were the only ponies Dot felt comfortable sitting beside. The green filly, Emerald Shine, or Emmy, was the smartest in her class, and it was expected, since she was a unicorn and unicorns were usually good at academics. She was the first in the class to get her cutie mark, which was three small emeralds on her flank. She wanted to be a teacher, just like Mrs. Heart, a unicorn as well. She and Dot got along well, but they didn't consider each other best friends. She was more a unicorn companion. The purple filly, Dapple Hooves was Emmy's cousin. Dapple Hooves was a confusing pony. One day she was Dot's friend, the other she ignored her. She also had her cutie mark, a hay bail and a heart. She wanted to be a mom and work on the ranch. These were the only tolerable ponies Dot got along with as a foal.

Although Dot was different, she wasn't bullied until that day came, the day when Shadow Mug moved to Hoofington. Although she would be the brunt of the jokes occasionally, Dot got along with her classmates. She was very shy, but she would play with them once she got her confidence. That day, when the foals were seated in their seats, a knock on the door sounded. Mrs. Heart announced that they were going to have a new student. Mrs. Heart opened the door with her magic and a small, grey filly walked into the door. She had a jet black mane and deep magenta eyes. At first, she was shy. She had a blank flank, just like five other foals in the class. She seemed lonely, and Dot wanted to say hello and befriend her, but her shyness stopped her. That recess, Dot was minding her own business, drawing on a notepad, when she noticed that the gray filly, who's name was Shadow Mug, came up to her. She had immediately befriended Redtag, a red filly with a brown mane and brown eyes. She approached Dot and Dot could feel those magenta eyes staring at the white spot on her flank.

"What is that?"

"Um... well... it's my marking" Dot stammered. Her shyness kicked in and she tried to back away.

"A marking hey?" Shadow Mug replied. "What, did you fall into a bucket of paint butt first? Only stupid ponies do that."

"I... I did not do that."

"Silly unicorn, paintings are for canvases, not butts."

Redtag then spoke, "She's always been like that. And get this. You know that unicorns are smart. Well this unicorn isn't." Dot was immediately hurt. She had always wanted to be Redtag's friend. Redtag was very pretty, as well as popular. She had a good sense of humour and she was a fun pony. The hurtful words from Redtag stabbed her hard. Dot was not an academic pony and felt pressured to be academic because of her race. Compared to Emmy, Dot was average, and average was not tolerated well to young Earth Ponies. All of the unicorns in the school were one of the tops in the class, and Dot wasn't top.

"I am smart," Dot whimpered.

"That thing on her butt kind of looks like a target, doesn't it, Red?" Shadow Mug asked her.

"I never thought of it like that, Shadow." Redtag replied. Dot watched in fear as Shadow Mug picked up a rock and threw it at her flank. The rock stung her flesh and Dot let out a sharp cry. She forgot her notebook and pencil and ran off, tears streaming down her face.

She hid behind the school, rubbing her hoof on the spot where Shadow Mug hit her. Why would Shadow Mug do that? No pony was every that mean to her. She was used to the occasional joke, but never was anypony physical to her. She hated Shadow Mug from that point on.

Another flashback came, and Dot was at home. Her mom was pregnant with her soon to be brother, and her younger brother and sister were playing outside. Her dad was working on the wheat fields while her mom held a duster in her mouth, dusting the house. Though she was heavily pregnant, it didn't stop her from cleaning. Dot was older now, Shadow Mug had been in the class for one year. Almost everyone got their cutie marks, except for her and a colt. Shadow Mug's teasing of her marking had started dying off, but Dot still felt lonely. That remark about her not being smart still hit her. And she never realized how being a unicorn was pressuring, especially when she was the only unicorn in her family.

"Mom."

"Yes, Doodles?" her mom asked. Only Dot's family called her Doodles.

"Why do I have a horn?"

Her mom was almost shocked by the answer, but calmly answered, "What do you mean? You were born with a horn."

"But why do I have a horn when Diesel and Daisy don't have one?"

"It's the way you were born. We have unicorn on our blood. You know your Nana is a full blood unicorn."

"Yeah, but why don't you and my aunties have horns, and what about Dad? Why doesn't he, uncle Blueprint and Aunty Petal have a horn, or Grandma and Grandpa?"

Dot's mother sat down beside her daughter. Her orange body contrasted with Dot's blue body. "It's hard to explain, Doodles. When it comes to me and my sisters, horns skip a generation. But horns aren't guaranteed. You are more likely to be born an Earth pony than a unicorn. You happened to be special and be born a unicorn. Do you feel lonely?"

"Yeah. Diesel and Daisy are Earth ponies. Does that mean that your baby will be an Earth pony too?"

Dot's mother put her hoof around the blue filly. "It's possible. It is more likely that this foal will be born an Earth pony, but because of unicorn in our blood, it also means that this little baby can be a unicorn, just like you."

"So why aren't Grandma and Grandpa unicorns?"

"Because their unicorn blood goes far back into the past. I think Grandpa's grandma, you're great great grandmother, was a unicorn.   They don't have any unicorns in their family because they married Earth Ponies, and if the Earth ponies have no unicorn in them, it also hinders the ability to have a unicorn child. But the blood is still in them. And because both Dad and I have unicorn blood, you came into the world."

Dot put her head on her mother's large belly, feeling the small movements of her new sibling. "I hope this baby is a unicorn."

Another year passed, and Dot was the only one felt without her cutie mark. Mrs. Heart had called her parents, saying she was concerned because every pony had their cutie mark by that age. Dot's brother, Diesel Wheat was in school, and her sister, Daisy Dots had just started school. All the rest of her classmates had their cutie marks. Redtag recieved a graph cutie mark with an arrow shooting up. Twin siblings got a sports cutie mark and a barley cutie mark. One got a roll of film cutie mark, and one got a lightning bolt for a cutie mark. Shadow Mug had even gotten her cutie mark, an ale mug. They all knew what they wanted to be. Redtag wanted to be a salespony. The twins wanted to be a coach and a barely farmer. The film pony wanted to become a film maker. The lightning bolt wanted to be an electrician. Shadow Mug wanted to be a bartender. And Dot wanted to be an artist... but she didn't have her cutie mark.

One day, she sat outside under a tree. Dot was drawing some kittens that were recently born at her farm. Dot loved drawing animals, especially kittens and puppies. She had her pencil crayons and was colouring them with her magic. She was lost in her own world, until she noticed a pair of gray hooves by her notebook. She looked up to see Shadow Mug, by herself. Redtag didn't join her in the bullying since last year. She teased Dot, but never bullied like Shadow Mug did.

"Hello, blank flank."

"Hello Mugs," Dot responded, going back to colouring her kittens.

"I've seem to recall the teacher talking to your parents about your flank. Seems you're a little slow."

Dot had been trying to break her shyness, and so she sat up and looked Shadow Mug squarely in the eye. "Mom told me that my time will come, and it will be perfect. I just have to be patient and seek out other forms of art."

"Have you maybe considered that maybe art isn't what you're meant for?"

"Art is for me, Mugs. I just haven't found which art I'm talented in."

Shadow Mug swiped the notebook out from under Dot's nose. "Hey, give that back!"

"Hmm, kittens. You seem to draw kittens all the time."

"I draw dogs too."

"Hmm, an unintelligent unicorn who spends her time drawing only cats and dogs. Seems to me you haven't found your calling."

Dot clenched her teeth. "Please. Give me back my notebook."

Shadow Mug brought the notebook up to her mouth, and she ripped the page out of the book. Dot stood up and her purple eyes narrowed, and blurred with tears. "Don't you dare."

Shadow Mug smiled, and then ripped up the picture. Dot was devastated. Her picture of her favourite animal was destroyed after working hours on it. She stood silently as the pieces of the drawing fell to the grass.

"Face it, Doodle Dots. You don't have your cutie mark and you have an alien stain on your butt. You know who doesn't have a cutie mark and abnormal markings? Retarded ponies."

Dot was offended at the word "retarded". Her Aunt Valentine was handicapped, and the word retarded aggravated her very deeply. "Don't say that!" Dot shouted. "That is rude, and I am not handicapped." Tears were streaming down Dot's face.

Shadow Mug turned around, whipping her black tail into Dot's face. "The facts don't lie. You're not smart, you have an abnormal marking on your butt and you have no cutie mark when a pony your age is supposed to. You're retarded." Shadow Mug turned away. Dot started crying. The tears slid down her cheeks as the ripped up paper started blowing away. The thoughts raced through her head. Was she handicapped? Could that explain why she wasn't as smart as Emmy? Could it explain why she has tried various different art mediums and yet her cutie mark hasn't come? And could it explain the marking on her flank? Her sobs got louder and louder.

Dot jerked out of bed, tears rolling down her face. She had a nightmare. Shadow Mug's influence had hurt her deeply, and she had almost forgotten about Shadow Mug's taunting. Dot pulled the covers over her head as she tried to relax. She thought about where Shadow Mug was now. Shadow mug worked as a bartender, but also ended up becoming Hoofington's regular drunks. Shadow Mug's drunkenness got her pregnant. She was addicted to smoking and had very little money. But here was Doodle Dots who just moved to Ponyville, one of the most racially mixed towns in all of Equestria. She has a cutie mark that no one has, while Shadow Mug shares her cutie mark with hundreds of other ponies in the land. She befriended the Princesses, as well was Princess Twilight Sparkle. She is dating a team member from the Rain Cyclone Basketball team. Her life turned out great, and there was nothing Shadow Mug could do about it. Her marking was just a harmless genetic mutation that happened to one in ten thousand ponies, and Hoofington only had 500 ponies. But like Rain Rider has always said to her in the past, "Your white marking is what makes you special, and I love that so much about you. You're unique and you have something that is uncommon to a lot of ponies. Learn to love yourself, because how can I love a mare who can't love herself?" Comforted by those thoughts, she went back to sleep, and her regular, crazy dreams came back.