Art Class

The afternoon was clear and sunny, courtesy of Rainbow Dash and the weather squad. Perfect weather for some outdoor exercise.

Phillip hung by one foreleg from a tree branch, barely even sweating as he completed his fifth set of alternating one-hoof pull-ups (thirty on each leg). After his last rep, he dropped to the ground and started to jog again, heading through the park. His vest, even with all the gear, barely weighed him down at all. Easily vaulting and surmounting various obstacles in his path and zipping past other ponies, he headed towards the center of the park.

Might shave a couple more seconds off of my time today, he thought, taking pleasure from the idea. But even as the thought crossed his mind, he felt a small tightness in his chest that slowly began to grow. He did not react--he'd long ago learned to ignore pain--but couldn't stop himself from feeling a small depression. The simple fact was, he was not getting any younger.

Doesn't mean I'm gonna let myself get out of shape. He picked up the pace, pushing himself even harder.

But a voice brought him to a halt.

"--blank flanks! You're just wasting your time!"

"We ain't! We'll find our cutie marks eventually!"

"Oh, please. You've been working on them for months now, and you still haven't got them!"

Walking around a bush, Phillip spotted seven young foals before him. He recognized all of them. There was Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, the three founding members of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. With them were the two recent additions to the ranks: Dinky Do, the daughter of Ditzy and Time Turner, and Tootsie Flute, the daughter of Bon Bon and Lyra Heartstrings. With them were their chief tormentors: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

"So? That just means we'll keep working on them!" Dinky said.

"Oh, right," Diamond said with a small sneer. She and Silver Spoon began circling the five younglings like a pack of timberwolves might circle a scared lost doe. "Right up until you're old and wrinkled up like a bunch of prunes!"

"You were already loserly enough when it was just the three of you," Silver Spoon said. "But now you're even more loserly with the freak's daughter and the queer's daughter!"

"You take that back!" Dinky said, looking like she might launch herself at the bully. "My mom's not a freak!"

"And just because I have two mommies doesn't mean that that's wrong!" Tootsie Flute says.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong with that," Diamond Tiara said in a sickeningly fake apologetic voice. "There's just everything wrong with being a bunch of blank flanks!"

The last two words reached Phillip's ears and began to echo inside his head, Diamond Tiara's words awakening a memory:

"Little orphan blank flank! Little orphan blank flank!" the trio of schoolchildren chanted, prancing around him in the yard as he sat in the middle of their circle, clinging to his books. Outside of the circle, he could see other children standing, watching...not doing anything! Why weren't they doing anything?! His eyes began to burn and water...

Just like their's were right now. Phillip approached the two bullies, silently creeping up behind them. They were not aware of his presence until he cleared his throat loudly. The two fillies turned to see a grown stallion giving them the evil eye beneath windswept, black-as-midnight bangs.

"I suggest you two go home and think about your attitudes," he said in a voice he usually reserved for criminals. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both backed up a little, then turned and ran away.

Phillip relaxed his gaze as he turned to the fillies. "Don't listen to those wombats. Ponies like them are about as useful as a waterproof towel."

The five fillies grinned at his joke. "Thanks, mister," Scootaloo said.

"Call me Phil," he replied.

"You're that detective that Rarity told me about, right?" Sweetie Belle asked in her distinctive squeak. "I love your hat! It goes with your eyes! And your hair! How did you get that cool, casual, out-for-a-run look?"

"I went out for a run," Phillip said with a small smile.

"We were just off to do some more crusadin'!" Apple Bloom said proudly. "Today we're trying--"

"Leaf-printing?" Phillip guessed, noticing the books, ink and roller pads.

"Cutie mark crusaders leaf-printers!" the five cheered.

"Say," Apple Bloom said. "You got any advice for getting cutie marks?"

"How'd you get yours?" Scootaloo asked.

Once again, a memory flew, unbidden, to Phillip's mind...

"I was selfish."

The rain dripped down his head, mixing with his tears. He stood before the tombstone, his hooves sinking into the mud. A name stared balefully back at him: Bobby Baseline.

"So selfish. So stupid. So arrogant. And you paid the price for that. I will never, ever forgive myself for that. I will never, ever forget that I could have stopped it.

"But I promise you, dad...I won't fail you again. You told me that our talents are more than what made us unique; that they're a responsibility to others. To use our abilities to help others. I never listened...I didn't want to hear it." He choked on a sob. "But now I'm listening, dad. I see clearly for the first time now what I'm here for, and I swear...I will not allow anypony else to get hurt. Not when I can do something to prevent it."

He felt something on his flanks, a slight tingling. Turning, he saw that both of his flanks were shining with a bright light that slowly faded, revealing a black magnifying glass on his sides.

That was it, then. For better or for worse, this was his life. Placing his father's former hat on his head, he turned and walked away, heading for his new life.

"I made a promise," Phillip said. The five fillies looked confused, but Phillip's tone and face made it clear that he did not wish to elaborate.

"Trust me," he said. "Keep working at it. You'll get your cutie marks. But in my experience, it'll happen at the moment when it's the last thing on your mind."

"Okay. Thanks for helping! Bye!" Tootsie Flute called as the group headed out.

Phillip turned back to go to his run, but was distracted by the giggling from the group. Turning, he saw the group dashing about, collecting leaves and setting up their equipment, all the while chatting happily.

It reminded him of so many recesses as a child, when he would sit alone, sometimes with a book, sometimes not, watching the other children run and play at their games, and every one of them with a smile on their face and a laugh on their lips.

He'd never understood why they'd never asked him to come over and play. Wasn't that what they were supposed to do? Wasn't that what they were taught in school?

"Do you want to try it?"

The voice, which belonged to Dinky Do, snapped him out of his reverie. Several seconds passed before he realized that she was talking to him. Another few seconds passed, during which she continued to smile up at him, while he decided what to do.

Why not? that little voice in the back of his head asked.

Yes, why not?

He shrugged and allowed himself to be herded towards the group and placed before a sheet of paper and an ink roller.

Some time later, Applejack came down to the park, looking for her sister and her friends. As she headed towards the center of town, she was attracted by what she recognized as a saxophone, playing The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady. And some familiar voices singing to it.

Walking towards the source of the sound, she saw Phillip sitting amongst the five CMC (who, as usual, were covered in tree sap), playing his sax while they sang and danced around him, their enthusiasm making up for what they lacked in talent. Applejack felt a smile cross her face at the sight.

The song and dance was interrupted by a crashing. Ditzy fell out of a nearby tree and landed on her back amidst a bunch of branches and leaves.

"Hi, muffin!" she said cheerfully, locking eyes as best as she could with Dinky, who giggled and bounced over. "Silly mom!"

Bon Bon and Lyra both trotted up. "Oh, there you are!" Bon Bon said. "It's time to get home. You need a bath!"

"I'm all sticky!" Tootsie Flute said.

"I'm Lyra Heartstrings," Lyra replied, tussling her daughter's mane. "Ew! You're tootsie flute, All Sticky!" She grinned. "Get it?"

Bon Bon and Tootsie both laughed. "Yes, I get it," Phillip said flatly. Everypony else groaned, rolled their eyes, or both; Lyra fancied herself a comedian, but most of her jokes fell flat on their faces.

"In fact, it's time for all of you to get along home," Applejack said. "It's getting late."

"Awww," the fillies sighed, but obediently began to trudge off.

"Thanks for keeping an eye on them," Bon Bon said to Phillip.

"No worries," Phillip said, packing back up. He exited the park and headed for B Boulevard.

Even if he'd never admit it, he'd enjoyed his time with the fillies. There was just something oddly refreshing about their enthusiasm, their approach to life. He wondered what their cutie marks would be.

Meanwhile, in another part of Ponyville, somepony opened a letter.

"Good news," they said. "The package is on it's way and will be here tomorrow."

"Excellent," said the other pony in the room. "We'll put the message out tonight."

"Are you sure it safe?"

"Nopony's figured it out. Nopony in this town is smart enough to figure it out. Our little black market operation is quite safe."