Starlight trotted next to Sunburst, they had started out racing each other home. Now they were tired of running, it was several miles back. They constantly hung out after school, spending time together, playing, doing homework, and snuggling. The two were inseparable, stuck together like glue.

Starlight smiled at her friend, leaning against him, feeling the beat of his steady heart, the warmth coming off his hide. Starlight thought about their situation, “I’m happy he’s here. I couldn’t imagine living this way without him.”

All those foals ganged up on them, day in and out, neither of them seemed to ever catch a break, not from them, not from the teachers. It was as if the whole world was against them. Like the fact that they were the last blank flanks of their class and they were unusually old to be blank flanks. It brought them closer together in the end but some days it was just so hard, hard to believe it would get any better.

“Maybe it's worth it, maybe this is a sign we’ll be best friends forever.” Starlight thought as she stared at the ground, watching her small purple hooves kick up dust. All Starlight could do is hope, hope that this meant something. Maybe they had to get their cutie marks together and that's why it was so hard. Was that possible? Twin cutie marks?

“Destined friends,” she thought with a smile. Wouldn't that be something? Starlight closed her eyes and stayed in this wonderful fleeting moment of hope, faith, belief. Her heart fluttered, and it felt like she was walking on clouds. Starlight’s hide was prickling the same way if she were to loafi under a warm summer sun. All she had to do was trust in her friendship, and that's what she did.

“HEY!”

As soon as Starlight heard her voice, that wonderful feeling was gone. Starlight went from walking on clouds to treading on burning hot coals. She trembled in place and looked up at the three worst foals she knew. Starlight gulped down hard, voice caught in her throat and she pressed herself into Sunburst.

“It’s the blank flanks! Didn’t get your cutie mark today either? What a surprise!” The leader of the three young foals spat at Starlight. Light pink, purple hair, earth pony with a chef hat cutie mark. She stood several feet away on the dirt road, her muzzle painted with smug satisfaction.

“Yea,” her entourage yelled back in unison. Two other earth ponies, one blue and green one with a spoon cutie mark. The other red and yellow with a rolling pin cutie mark. They stood behind the pink earth pony with that same expression.

Sunburst trembled next to Starlight, wrapping a hoof around her as he yelled. “W-w-w-we W-w-w will!” He stuttered, a condition he was born with.

“N-n-n-o, No. No, you won't!” The pink earth pony, Icing, mocked then laughed a hearty but malicled laugh. “You won't because you're sick!”

“What, no- we're fine, see” Starlight yelled as she trotted in place, muscles below her hide shifting, in unison, her breath steady. “See we’re perfectly fine, meany.” SHe stated, spotting a smug grin, she wasn't gonna let this bully get the best of her so easily.

“No, you're sick, that's why no pony goes near you! You're infecting ponies with Blankflankis and every pony knows it.”

“What,” Starlight and Sunburst asked, eyes widening, heart thudding in their ears.

“That’s your special talent, being losers, blank flanks forever.” Icing laughed harder, “no cutie marks for looser ponies.”

Starlight trotted toward her, one purple hoof in front of another, shaking as she made her way to the bully. If she could prove them wrong, maybe they would leave them alone, “that's not true, let me show you-” She planned on arguing that there was no such talent but was quickly interrupted.

“NO, GET AWAY.” Icing squealed as she trotted the other way, so fast it would have given onlookers whiplash. Her posey practically on her tail as they followed her.

“You got everyone around you sick, you’ll get us sick. You’ll make our cutie marks go away.” Icing’s voice trailed off as she and her crew bolted down the old dusty road leaving behind a tear-stained Starlight and a shaking Sunburst.

“Do-do -don’t listen to them Star-star-star-light, they are just big b-b-bullies, jealous b-b-bullies. We have true fr-fr-friendship, not like them. We’ll be fr-fr-friends no matter what happens. We’ll always be fr-fr-friends.” Sunburst said as he wiped the tears from Starlight's muzzle.

Starlight leaned against the only pony who meant anything to her life. Her mother had passed and her father never home, it only left her Sunburst. She wrapped her hooves around him so tightly, like he'd float away if she let go. Starlight didn’t need a cutie mark, she didn't need more friends, she didn’t need to be popular. All she needed was Sunburst to be happy.

She didn’t care who they would become, what they did. As long as they were together, living life with each other. Cutie marks were overrated anyway, just look at how they drove her and Sunburst apart from others, maybe that was her future cutie mark. To bring those together, to bring equality, love, and understanding back into pony's hearts.

She smiled at the thought. What a world that would be, what a destiny, bringing creatures together through love and understanding and magic. She could see a future in that, and Sunburst would help her accident that future, she was sure of it.

Author's Note

Written by Buttery Bisuit.