Cutie Marks Are Confusing

Sunset propped herself up at her desk, reading a new book she had gotten in the mail from her favorite book store in Canterlot. Sunset leaned forward and sniffed the pages, closing her eyes and sighing contently at the new book smell.

Sunset opened her eyes at a knocking on her door and she looked up, tilting her head curiously before stealing a quick glance at her calender on the wall. She had specifically canceled at her meetings today just to read her book.

“Enter!” Sunset called out and closed her book, sticking a red book mark on her page before sticking it aside. Sunset raised an eyebrow as Dinky pushed the door open and trotted inside. Sunset glanced at Silverspeed outside the door and the pegasus shrugged with an equally confused expression. “Hey Dinky. What’s up?”

“Hi. Are you busy?”

“A bit,” Sunset admitted before shrugging and winking at Dinky. “But for you, I’d make all the time in the world available.”

Dinky gave a faint smile as she sat down on Sunset’s chair and the older unicorn levitated a cookie from a nearby jar onto a napkin in front of the filly.

“So what’s going on that has you skipping school to be in my office?” Sunset asked pointedly and Dinky gulped. “Yeah, I know. You’re not the only pony in this room to have skipped school once in her life as a filly.”

Dinky picked up the cookie and took a small bite before setting it down with a frown.

“It’s about my cutie mark,” Dinky answered and glanced at her flank. “Or well, lack of one I guess.”

“I see,” Sunset replied and shut her door with her magic. “Carry on.”

Dinky sat silently and stared at her flank as Sunset frowned slightly. Dinky normally was a lot more energetic than this.

“Did somepony say something to you?”

Dinky nodded and Sunset growled softly to herself.

“Who and what?”

“Diamond Tiara,” Dinky answered and traced a hoof on the wooden surface of the desk in front of her. “I’ve been hanging out with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle more recently. Apple Bloom came over to my house the other day.”

“Having more friends is always a good thing,” Sunset commented and Dinky nodded as the orange unicorn rolled her hoof in a carry on gesture.

“Diamond Tiara saw us hanging out on the playground and said something along the lines of me finding my group of misfits to be with,” Dinky answered and made air quotes with her hooves. “She’s really mean. I don’t like her and I like everypony. It’s my thing. She’s rude. What does that even mean? I fit in with everypony, don’t I? Is something wrong with me?”

“No,” Sunset shook her head firmly. “There’s not a thing in this world wrong with you. You’re a perfect filly. Or well, you are when you have enough sleep according to Derpy.”

Dinky felt her cheeks burn as she looked away with a guilty frown. She admittedly wasn’t the best behaved when tired.

“Anyway. You’ll get your mark and I can wholeheartedly assure it’ll be just as perfect and important as you are to us,” Sunset reassured her and placed her hooves on her desk. “You know, I wasn’t the first pony to get my cutie mark in my class.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Sunset confirmed and nodded solemnly as she leaned back in her chair.

“But you’re you! You’re awesome and the daughter of Princess Celestia. You’re a literal hero. If anypony should have been first, it’s you,” Dinky pointed at her.

“I’m just like everypony else. Even I’m bound by rules of nature like cutie marks. I got mine by- well, the story isn’t important. The first pony to get his mark in my class was a colt called Sapphire Spirit. Then Twilight Sparkle, my rival. Then Moondancer and Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, Lyra. Minuette. Sea Swirl. Your sister, Sparkler even got hers before mine. I was there in our class when she got it.”

“That’s cool. I never knew that.”

“Yeah. Granted, I’m a bit older than Sparkler is but still. The point I’m attempting to make is it’ll happen to you too. The likelihood of you not getting a cutie mark is actually very slim. According the census from the last ten years, only five percent of adult ponies in Equestria don’t have a cutie mark. That’s a very small amount compared to the ninety five percent of ponies that do have cutie marks,” Sunset told Dinky and started opening drawers with her magic. “I think I actually might still have that report laying around somewhere. Granted, I didn’t get to pack much when I left Canterlot for here, but-”

“That’s okay,” Dinky interjected hastily and Sunset paused her searching. Dinky didn’t want to induce a head ache from reading some charts she didn’t understand. “I couldn’t really go to my mom about Diamond Tiara. You were the first pony I could think of. Trixie was next.”

“I’m honestly kinda touched,” Sunset admitted and rested a hoof against her chest.

“Did you have any bullies in school when you were my age?” Dinky asked and Sunset chewed her lip before nodding finally.

“Yeah, of course I did. There wasn’t many because of who my mom is, but there was some who bullied the heck out of me. Mainly because they thought it was favoritism of me getting in the school and all. I wasn’t a bully myself per se, but I definitely didn’t tolerate any disrespect. I used to shut down ponies hard publically in the most humilating way possible. Within reason, of course,” Sunset answered and levitated a cup of coffee to her lips. “Which I do not recommend.”

“Why didn’t you just have your mom kick them out? She had the power, right?”

“That’s exactly the problem. Ponies thought me being her daughter controlled their lives like if I didn’t like them, I could have them expelled. Or if I did like them, I’d make their lives easier in class. I chose to do neither.”

Dinky hummed to herself as she wrapped her jacket around her tighter and Sunset stood up, tossing her own scarf and hat on.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to school. And you can point out anypony giving you problems,” Sunset trotted around the desk and briefly nuzzled Dinky.

“Really?”

“Really, now let’s go.”