Accursed Mark.

The transition from past to present was as velocious as the blink of an eye. Taking in their surroundings once more, the ponies couldn't quite tell if anything had changed in Vanhoover. The only way to confirm if their actions had brought about any altercations to their present was to return to see the very teenage colt the map had sent them to help. Taking the short cut this time, the four ponies made it to Sour Grapes' home in no time. When Starlight knocked on the door for what would be the third--and possibly last--time, they were greeted by Sea Worthy, who was perplexed to see these four ponies on his doorstep.

"Can I help you ponies?"

Figuring that their tampering with the past may have resulted in Sour Grapes' parents forgetting about them, Starlight thought up of a plausible explanation for their presence. "I'm Starlight Glimmer, I work at the School of Friendship in Ponyville. I've been sent by Princess Twilight to have a one-on-one interview with your son, who has been selected for a scholarship."

"Princess Twilight wants our son to attend her school? Well that might just be the best news I've heard in a while. He's in the kitchen eating breakfast, come on in."

Accepting his permission to enter, the four ponies followed Sea Worthy into the kitchen, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders were the first to notice how Happy Grapes appeared to smile in every family portrait. "Happy, there's somepony who wishes to speak with you."

Getting off of the chair, the pony formerly known as Sour Grapes experienced a sense of DeJa'Vu when he got a clear look at the four ponies standing before him. "My word, it's you again!" Wrapping Starlight Glimmer with a surprise hug, Happy had the biggest smile on his face as if he became reunited with an old friend that he hadn't seen in a long time.

"You know this pony, Happy?" His mother inquired.

"Not just her, I also know the three fillies accompanying her." Happy toned down his excitement a tad. "These were the same ponies who stood up for my friends and I back at the first day of kindergarten."

His parents did a doubletake at one another before his mom nervously chuckled while saying to Starlight, "This is going to sound a little silly, but when our son was a foal, he went on about how a grown mare and three fillies saved him and his friends from a gang of bullies; the four of you couldn't possibly be those same ponies seeing as how it was ten years ago and you all would've aged by now."

"Has your son been experiencing bullying ever since that day?" Starlight asked.

"No, in fact, he tells us that the same ponies who tried giving him a hard time have been nothing but nice to him ever since." Sea Worthy replied. "As a matter of fact, many ponies in Vanhoover have been a lot more involved in helping others lately."

"He's right," said Sea Breeze, "like Buck once helped carry in and install a new dishwasher for me after some filly held a door open at the pharmacy for him, and I heard Skittles had taken time to provide food at the Soup Kitchen after two fillies complimented her peanut brittle, and I also heard that Miss Jenkins adopted enough fillies and colts to fill every room in her mansion after she was rescued from getting run over by a train by three fillies, and how Savant got to meet his wife by stopping her from trotting into a mud puddle when a unicorn mare saved him from walking under a ladder. But I'm just prattling on, what brings you to Vanhoover?"

Processing the information that was relayed to her, Starlight shook some sense into her head before saying, "I'm a teacher at the School of Friendship in Ponyville, and Princess Twilight sent me for an interview with Happy Grapes, whom she is considering offering a scholarship."

Sea Breeze almost fainted when she heard Starlight's statement. "Princess Twilight really wants our son to attend her school?"

"Absolutely, she's heard nothing but great things about Happy Grapes."

"Any parent would be proud to have a sone like Happy." Sea Worthy gave his son a prideful pat on the back. "Always helping other ponies without expecting anything in return, getting good grades at school; shoot, the boy hasn't earned his cutie mark yet and he's already getting the attention of a princess."

Discreetly eyeing his flank, the four ponies were astonished to find that Happy has indeed remain a blank flank due to never becoming a bully victim. Using his magic to levitate his saddlebags full of his schoolbooks and homework, Happy looked Starlight right in the eye as he said, "I'm honored that Princess Twilight wishes for me to attend her school, but I'm going to be late if I don't get out of here. Can you reschedule our interview?"

"Why don't I accompany you to your school as we talk to each other?" Starlight suggested. "If it's all right with your parents."

"Certainly, Sea Worthy and I don't mind one bit." After receiving warm hugs from their son, Sea Breeze and Sea Worthy watched him depart for school with nothing but pride for the pony that he has grown into.

...

As the four ponies travelled alongside Happy Grapes, each of them took the time to finally discern how the townsponies are performing more than the bare minimum of common courtesy with one another; before altering the future the townsponies would only greet one another when passing by, now they take the time to ask the other about his/her day and even offer to help with whatever problem is ailing them.

Upon reaching the fountain in the center of town, Happy Grapes seated himself upon the concrete before saying, "OK, my parents may not believe it, but I know that you're the same ponies who stood up for me and my friends back at kindergarten. The fact you're still the same age as you were ten years ago is truly astonishing, and I expect an explanation for it."

"We do have an explanation," Starlight confirmed the colt's suspicions, "but it would be better if your three friends are here to listen to this. You are still friends with Blitz, Violet Pride, and Lovely Smooch, right?"

"Of course they're still my friends, why else would I be waiting for them here?"

As if on cue, the aforementioned comrades of Happy Grapes appeared to greet him--with his girlfriend, Lovely, planting a tender smooch on his cheek. Blitz was the first to notice and recognize the four ponies who accompanied Happy. "Holy smokes, you guys are seeing what I'm seeing, right?!"

"You're not hallucinating us," Starlight cleared up, "and we are the same ponies who helped you in kindergarten. If you have time to spare, we'll gladly explain everything to you."

As promised, Starlight and the Cutie Mark Crusaders divulged to the four teenagers knowledge of a previous timeline where the three of them abandoned Happy at the mercy of their bullies, resulting in him succumbing to pent up hatred for the ponies in his community and thus becoming a dark reflection of the way everypony treated him, and how the four ponies changed their future for the better with the assistance of Princess Luna. As was expected, the four teenagers were dazed and shocked upon hearing this bleak alternate life.

"I just can't believe that Happy would've turned into a bitter pony had we not remained his friends." Violet said.

"And I can't believe that my hidden talent was spreading hate and pain to everypony." Happy added.

"Does this mean nopony has been bullying any of you since kindergarten?" Sweetie inquired.

"It's actually a funny story," Lovely started. "When Firecracker explained how he got diarrhea for being mean to us, everypony thought he was being ridiculous and just laughed it off, but they must've secretly believed it since everypony else went out of their way to be kind to each other just so none of them run the risk of ending up like Firecracker."

"And how did your teachers react?" Scootaloo asked.

"They were confused by it all," Blitz answered, "but none of them tried to discourage it and just accepted it as if things were always like this."

"Hey Happy!"

Following the direction of the voice, Happy Grapes smiled when he saw Zuzu Petals galloped towards him into a hug that he gladly reciprocated. "I'm always happy to see you Zuzu, but shouldn't you be at school?"

"I took your advice and made a get-well card for my teacher, and I got my cutie mark! Look!"

Proudly presenting her flank to Happy, he--and the others--got a clear view of her cutie mark which is in the form of a get-well card. "That's great Zuzu." Happy commended the filly. "I had a feeling that was your calling."

"YOU!" Everypony were disrupted by an enraged Firecracker who stomped up to Starlight as Cherry Bomb and Peony tried their best to hold him back. "You're the one who tricked me into eating those tainted bonbons ten years ago!"

"So nice to see you too, Bush Pooper." Happy remarked snidely as he and his friends chuckled.

"Did you just call him Bush Pooper?" Apple Bloom tried not to burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah, apparently he once pooped behind a bush when he was in second grade." Zuzu informed the yellow filly. "You can even still smell the stench from the same bush to this day."

Firecracker--or Bush Pooper as virtually everypony in Vanhoover has permanently dubbed him--forgot about his anger towards Starlight and directed it to Zuzu. "You better shut that little hole before I...!"

"Ahem," Starlight interjected, "need I remind you of what befallen you the last time you were a jerk to somepony?"

Regaining vivid images of him rushing behind a bush to unload a massive diarrhea dump, Firecracker begrudgingly patted Zuzu on the head and said, "Sorry for yelling at you."

"Have a good day." Cherry Bomb replied.

"What they said." Peony spoke for herself in a truly rare occurrence.

Once the former bullies made their departure, Sweetie Belle spoke up. "Well Happy, it seems like everything has turned out well for you. And you're not at all bummed out for being the only pony in Vanhoover without your cutie mark?"

"After everything you all told us, not getting my toxic cutie mark might very well be the best thing to ever happen to me. Besides, all that I really need to be happy is friends and family who will always be by my side."

Upon hearing those words, the four pony's cutie marks began to flash in recognition of their accomplished mission. "Woohoo, we solved another friendship problem!" Apple Bloom declared triumphantly. "I guess this means we'll have ta go back ta Ponyville; but before we go, Happy, we'd be honored if you could represent the Vanhoover branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, considerin' how much of a knack you have in helpin' ponies discover their hidden talents."

"I'd be glad to continue helping ponies earn their cutie marks, and I hope I'll get to see you all again someday." After receiving a group hug from the three fillies, Happy--along with his friends--waved off to their four ponies who are now making their way to the train station, while Happy wrapped his hoof around his special somepony as he went about his day.

...

The return journey to Ponyville was rather uneventful, as the Cutie Mark Crusaders had nothing better to do than watch the passing scenery speed by the locomotive that carried them, while Starlight was busy scribbling some notes.

"What are you writing down, Starlight?" Scootaloo curiously prodded.

"This whole ordeal got me thinking about other parts of Equestria who adhere to the same traditions as Vanhoover." Starlight enlightened the filly. "So I'm jotting down the names of every location I can think of to see if there are other ponies experiencing the same dilemma as Happy did and try to get them enrolled in the School of Friendship."

"Do you really believe that Happy will grow up to inspire other blank flanks like him to be treated better like Princess Luna showed us?" Sweetie wondered.

"Considering how much Vanhoover improved for the better because of what we did it's safe to say that Happy will indeed go down that path years from now. Of course, I'll talk Twilight into accepting him--and his friends--into the School of Friendship so they can bring what they've learned back to Vanhoover and pass it down to their children."

"That's a great idea!" Apple Bloom optimistically agreed. "What better way ta inspire them ta further change their lives than havin' them learn from friendship experts?"

"Well I'll be, I thought I heard familiar voices!"

Directing their gazes to the seats across from them, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were surprised to find the red coated colt, Biscuit, along with his brown coated cousin, Spur, right next to them.

"Biscuit! Spur! We didn't think we'd see you on this train." Scootaloo happily exclaimed.

"Likewise." Spur agreed. "And I see the three of you remembered ta bring a grown up with ya."

"Girls, do you know these two?" Starlight asked.

"This is Biscuit and Spur," Apple Bloom made the introduction, "we met them at the County Fair that time the girls and I made ourselves turn inta grown-ups. By the way, how's Bloofy doin', Spur?"

"See fer yourself." Picking up the wooden box, the pegasus teenager held up the box close enough for the three fillies to look upon her pet Whirling Mungtooth. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gently pet him without over exciting him, while Sweetie Belle was silently pondering to herself with a noticeable frown. "What's the matter?"

"We helped a pony in Vanhoover by preventing him from earning his cutie mark." Sweetie explained. "I know the map made it clear that we solved his friendship problem, but I still feel like I failed as a Cutie Mark Crusader for essentially ensuring that he'll remain a blank flank forever. Do you think a pony can be happy without a cutie mark?"

"Absolutely." Spur replied. "Biscuit and I have an uncle who's still a blank flank."

"He runs his own private animal shelter," Biscuit elaborated, "he's also the one who gave us Bloofy as a pet."

"And he doesn't have a cutie mark for taking care of animals?" Said Sweetie.

"That's right." Spur confirmed. "When we asked him about why that's the case fer him, he simply said that he doesn't need a mark on his flank ta dictate what he chooses ta do with his life."

"And what about this pony y'all helped?" The blue maned colt inquired. "Was he content with not havin' a cutie mark?"

"He did tell us that he only needs his friends and family to be happy." Sweetie acknowledged.

"Then it sounds like y'all did a good job of helpin' him out." Biscuit commended them.

"So where are you two headin' fer?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Ta Ponyville." Spur answered. "Biscuit and I were accepted ta the School of Friendship."

"Then it's a good thing we've met." Starlight declared. "I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you have."

As Starlight spent the rest of time on the train answering Biscuits' and Spurs' questions, she found herself feeling more optimistic about succeeding Twilight Sparkle as Headmare. When the day she gets to teach Happy Grapes and other ponies like him the magic of friendship, she knows without a shadow of a doubt that they will be able to use the knowledge she passed on to them to help make kindness and decency the new normal in communities that have tolerated bullying and indifference to other ponies suffering for too long. Because just like a seed, reform grows over time and it's worth waiting for it to fully bloom, even if it takes a hundred years.