Babs Seed stretched and yawned. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and glanced over the bed. Apple Bloom's pathetic attempt at a makeshift bed on the floor was empty. The filly must have gotten up early to avoid seeing Babs again. Babs shrugged and dragged herself out of the big bed.
She'd been at Sweet Apple Acres for a week now, and had extended her trip for another week. It was such a needed vacation from Manehatten. The bullying had become too much for her there. Every day was torture, all of the foals in her class teased her constantly for being a blank flank. She had absolutely no friends there.
But here in Ponyville, she finally had friends. The teasing had stopped. She had made friends in Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sure, it had been at the expensive of her cousin, the filly she was supposed to be visiting and spending time with, but the pain had stopped. She was accepted here, despite being a blank flank.
Babs made her way to the bathroom. Just as she reached it, the door opened and Apple Bloom stepped out. A frightened look crossed her face as she saw Babs, and the yellow filly quickly sidestepped out of the way and ran down the hall and out of sight. Babs rolled her eyes and slammed the door behind her.
She felt bad about what she was doing to her cousin and her friends. She really did. She knew what it felt like, being a blank flank and having somepony tease you about it. But Apple Bloom was strong. She had friends, something Babs didn't have back in Manehatten, and they had even formed a club around celebrating the fact that they didn't have a cutie mark. They had even invited her, right away, into the club. Babs had felt very touched over the offer. Nopony had ever invited her into a club before. They even had little capes.
But Babs didn't want to accentuate the fact that she didn't have her cutie mark. She wanted to hide her blank flank until a cutie mark appeared and then pray that the bullying would stop. So when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon showed up and accepted her into their group, despite the fact that they had cutie marks and she didn't, Babs just... jumped at the opportunity. And so now, even though she felt bad whenever she saw her kind cousin sleep on the floor, or dodge her in town, another part of Babs felt really good because she was accepted by the cool foals. Sure, it wasn't Manehatten cool foals, but it was cool foals nonetheless.
Babs stepped up to the sink and splashed some water on her face. She stared at herself. Another day. You can do this, she thought to herself. She feared that at any second, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon would drop her like a sack of flour. And because of it, Babs had found herself being meaner and meaner towards her cousin and her friends.
Babs turned to leave, when something caught her eye. She flicked her tail, staring at her flank in the mirror. Surely her eyes were playing a trick on her. There was no way that it was possible. But as she continued to stare, it started to settle in. She'd gotten her cutie mark. Her cutie mark! Babs jumped around the bathroom in victory. Her cutie mark had finally arrived! Finally, she would stop being bullied back home!
She stood closer to the mirror, a huge smile on her face, to get a better look at the cutie mark. Then her smile faltered, and her heart began to beat more rapidly, as an uneasy feeling began to sink in.
A cutie mark was the representation of a pony's special talent, the one element that made them who they were. Their top characteristic, what made them special. But now, looking at her cutie mark, Babs Seed didn't feel special at all. As a matter of fact, she wished the mark would go away. She actually wanted her blank flank back.
The cutie mark was the silhouettes of two ponies. One pony was smaller and cowering, the other silhouette towering over it, as though it were about to punch. It was a depiction of bullying. Babs special talent was being a bully.
Tears started to well in her eyes, as she continued to look at the cutie mark. She couldn't believe it. How could her special talent be bullying? Had she really become that bad since visiting Ponyville? It had only been a week! One week of bullying, and now it was branded permanently on her body as her special talent. There was no hiding it now. Everyone would figure out what her cutie mark was, and once they knew she was a bully, she'd be friendless again. Nopony wants to be friends with a bully, except other bullies. And Babs didn't want to be friends with bullies.
But aren't Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullies? They tease and mock Apple Bloom and her friends all the time, and you're "friends" with them, aren't you? a small voice in the back of her head said.
"But I don't want to be a bully... I came here to not be bullied, not to turn into a bully," she whispered quietly to herself, tears spilling.
How could this have happened?
"Babs? You alright in there? Breakfast is waitin'," came Applejack's voice from outside of the bathroom.
"Uh... thanks, I'll be right down," Babs said, as she wiped the tears away. What was she going to do? Her tail was too short to cover the whole cutie mark. All of her family downstairs was going to notice. There was no hiding it.
Slowly, she crept out of the bathroom. She checked the hall, ensuring that nopony was out there. She quietly went down the stairs and hesitantly rounded the corner into the kitchen. Granny Smith had her back to the doorway, baking something in the oven. Applejack was taking some juice out of the fridge. Big Mac and Apple Bloom weren't there.
"Oh, mornin' Babs! Apple Bloom said there was somethin' she had to do before school, so she left early," Applejack said. Babs backed up slightly, so her cutie mark was still around the corner and out of sight. She glanced towards the backdoor.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I forgot about that too," Babs said.
"Oh? You were helpin'? I didn't realize that Cheerliee was givin' you homework as well, since you're just visitin' n' all," Applejack said.
"Uh, well, uh, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, uh, wanted me to contribute to their project, so, uh, I'd better get goin' too," she said, slowly backing out of the kitchen. She continuously glanced at the backdoor.
"Don't you want any breakfast?" Applejack asked.
"Uh, no thanks, Diamond Tiara said she was bringing us all something to eat," Babs said, "So, I'd better get going. Don't want to keep 'em waiting."
Before Applejack could say another word, Babs ran out of the house.
Babs walked up to the clubhouse, her shoulders slumped, her feet dragging. How could this have happened to her? If anything, she was going to get bullied even more back home about her cutie mark. Did other ponies in Equestria have cutie marks that marked them as bad ponies? Murder cutie marks? Rape cutie marks? Did foals that young realize how bad they would become?
Tears began to well up in her eyes again as she pushed the door open. She stepped inside before she noticed Apple Bloom and her friends huddled in the corner. Their conversation cut short immediately as they saw Babs enter.
"Oh, uh, hi Babs," Apple Bloom said, her voice shaking slightly.
"We were just leaving," her unicorn friend, Sweetie Belle, said.
"Is that a cutie mark?" the brash pegasus, Scootaloo or something-or-other said.
Before she could stop it, Babs began to sob. She nodded her head and put her hooves to her face and slumped to the ground. So much for finding privacy in the clubhouse for crying.
"What's wrong? You got your cutie mark," Scootaloo said again, a slight harshness to her voice, "You should be celebrating, not crying. Now you have reason even more to bully us."
Babs sobbed harder. She figured the little pegasus was acting so brave because she saw that Babs was in no shape or mood to fight with them.
"Babs? Are you alright?" Apple Bloom asked. She took a hesitant step forward. The concern in her voice was genuine.
"I-I'm so sorry," Babs sputtered, "I'm so sorry I've been bullying you all."
Apple Bloom turned to her friends, sharing a look of confusion. She then turned back to her bubbling cousin.
"What?" was all she could manage in response.
"I'm bullied a lot at home—that's why I came to visit you in the first place to escape it all. I'm bullied for being a blank flank. I was the only one left in my class who didn't have a cutie mark," Babs said.
"You were bullied at home? Bullied bad? And then you come here, and bully us?" Scootaloo said, "We wanted to be your friends! We were inviting you into our club because you were a blank flank!"
"Hold on, Scootaloo, let her explain herself," Sweetie Belle said.
"I just jumped at the chance to be with friends with the cool foals here. I didn't want them to bully me here, because I came to escape the bullying in the first place," Babs said.
"I think I understand," Apple Bloom said, "but then why are you upset about your cutie mark? You don't have to be bullied any more for being a blank flank."
"B-Because I got my cutie mark by bullying! My special talent is being a bully!" Babs said. She began to sob uncontrollably.
Apple Bloom hesitantly approached her and patted her on the shoulder.
"It's because I turned into a bully. I started bullying you guys so bad, that now it's my special talent and it's branded on my flank forever!" Babs said, "It's just a big mistake! I'm not a bully, I swear. I'm so sorry Apple Bloom, for the way I treated you and your friends. I'd give anything to be a blank flank again. I'd do it all over. I wish I had never started to bully you guys in the first place."
"A cutie mark in bullying?! That's crazy!" Sweetie Belle said. She came closer and began to inspect Babs cutie mark.
"There has to be something we can do. That's not fair. You make one mistake and you're branded by it for life?" Scootaloo said.
"Why don't we go talk to my sister about it? She might know what to do," Apple Bloom suggested.
Babs sniffed loudly and wiped the tears off of her face.
"Y-Yeah ok, that might be a good idea," Babs said.
Apple Bloom led her friends and her cousin back to the house. She couldn't help but exchange uneasy looks with her friends. A cutie mark in bullying? Who knew such a thing was possible! It was as though it had been a warning for Apple Bloom and their friends. They had tried to sabotage their float in the parade a few days ago, in order to humiliate Babs Seed, but it hadn't worked. And ever since then, even though it failed, she had been feeling terrible about it. She and her friends had gotten together this morning to try and come up with new ways to get Babs to be their friend, or at least to stop bullying them, without turning into bullies themselves. Apple Bloom started to realize that they were starting to turn to bullism, and had told her friends that they needed a new approach. Her friends had enthusiastically agreed. They had begun to feel the same way themselves.
After one week Babs had gained a cutie mark in bullying. Apple Bloom got the impression that Babs hadn't ever bullied anypony back in Manehatten, and yet it took her only one week to get a bully cutie mark in Ponyville. What if Apple Bloom and the CMC had gone through with some of their other plans and received cutie marks in bullying as well? Apple Bloom could understand why Babs was so upset. She'd be upset if she got a cutie mark in bullying as well.
Applejack was still in the kitchen when they entered the house. She was putting dishes away and didn't notice the group of fillies quietly file into the kitchen.
"Applejack, we need to talk to you," Apple Bloom said.
"Y'all finish that school project already?" her sister responded.
"Uh, yeah, sure," Apple Bloom said.
Applejack turned and looked at the girls. Once she saw their faces, she put her pile of dishes down and turned to them fully. "What's wrong?"
Apple Bloom explained the situation, Babs jumping in here and there. When they were finished, Applejack walked over to Babs and examined her cutie mark. She frowned and sighed.
"I really don't know what to say. I don't know if anythin' can be done about it. A cutie mark is a cutie mark, it's permanent and shows a part of your personality, your special talent," Applejack said.
"B-But I'm not a bully, I swear it," Babs blubbered, "Deep down, I'm not a bully. There has to be something that can be done. I can't get a cutie mark from making one mistake."
"Maybe Twilight will know what to do," Applejack said, as she scratched her head, clearly stumped.
"W-Who's Twilight?" Babs asked.
"Twilight Sparkle! She's one of Applejack's closest friends! And she's the smartest pony in town, if not all of Equestria! She'll know what to do!" Apple Bloom said.
Apple Bloom and the girls raced to the library. Apple Bloom pounded on the door and prayed Twilight was home. She now couldn't help but feel terrible for her cousin. Sure, Babs had bullied them terribly, but it was only because she didn't want to be bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon while on her vacation. And now Apple Bloom was determined to help her cousin. Maybe she'd get a cutie mark in kindness. Either way, the prospect of gaining a cutie mark over a mistake was one that she wanted to ensure wouldn't happen, and wanted to see if something could be done in the event it happened.
Twilight opened the door, a smile on her face.
"Hello girls. What brings you to the library today?" she asked.
Apple Bloom inhaled a big gulp of air and then told the story to Twilight, barely taking another breath in between. Once she was done, she exhaled loudly. Twilight blinked, and slightly cocked her head to the side. She looked over at Babs and glanced at her cutie mark.
"I don't know what to say girls. A cutie mark is a cutie mark. It's permanent and there's no changing it once it's there," Twilight said.
"You're sure, Twilight? There's nothin' you could do?" Apple Bloom asked.
"Oh yes, I'm quite sure. I wrote one of my dissertations on cutie marks, so I know all about them," Twilight said, "As terrible as it is, I've heard of other ponies who received cutie marks from doing one act. Whether you like it or not, it looks like you have a talent related to bullying."
Babs broke down again. Sweetie Belle put her foreleg around her shoulders.
"But I'm not a bully!" Babs cried.
"You're positive there's nothing you could do, Twilight? What about Princess Celestia? You sure she couldn't make the cutie mark disappear?" Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm sorry girls. Even the princesses couldn't change their own cutie marks if they wanted to," Twilight said. Her face then lit up slightly, "I know, why don't you write to Princess Celestia, Babs? I'm sure she'd have some insight on how you could make light of the situation."
Apple Bloom had convinced Babs to take up Twilight's advice and write a letter to Princess Celestia. She had wrote it once they had gone back to Apple Bloom's house and they had sent it right away. Now, with only one day left before she had to go back home, there was still no reply from the princess.
Babs had stayed indoors, hiding from all of Ponyville, especially Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Apple Bloom's friends would come over after class, and they'd play in their clubhouse. Even though she had never formally accepted their invitation and even though she now had a cutie mark, Apple Bloom insisted that Babs Seed had been a Cutie Mark Crusader and they gave her a cape. Babs liked to wear it, not only because it made her feel like she belonged somewhere, but because it covered her cutie mark.
On the morning of her last day in Ponyville, a letter was waiting for Babs on the kitchen table. She took a deep breath and ripped it open.
Dear Miss Babs Seed,
I am sorry to hear about your situation. I know many ponies who have received their cutie marks due to one act, and although not all of them had been terrible, most of them had been something the pony did not think would be related to their special talent. Most of the times it had resulted from something silly, and it some cases, like yours, it had resulted from something bad.
Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do about it. Twilight Sparkle was right, a cutie mark cannot be changed once a pony has it. A cutie mark is always true to the pony, whether the pony likes it or not.
But just because you cannot change your cutie mark, does not mean that you can change the meaning behind it. Just because it shows one pony bullying the other, does not mean that you are the bullying pony. If you truly feel that you are not a bully, and had not participated in such events until this week, then surely, that is not your special talent. Your special talent simply revolves around bullying.
As you told me in your letter, you yourself have been bullied quite a lot. Perhaps you could help bring advice and support to other ponies who are victims of bullying and change the meaning of your cutie mark to revolve around that.
I hope that this thought brings you comfort. A cutie mark may be permanent and may be one out of your control, but the meaning behind it is what you make of it.
All the best,
Princess Celestia
Babs held the letter close. The princess was right.
"And you promise you'll start a branch of the CMC in Manehatten, right?" Apple Bloom said.
She and Babs were hugging at the train station. Babs nodded.
"Yup! I have a neighbour who's a blank flank, but goes to a different school than me. We can start a branch there and she can make more capes," Babs said, her own cape neatly packed in her bag.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Babs. Where have you been the past couple of days? Not hanging out with these blank flank babies," Diamond Tiara said, "Please tell me that's not where you were."
"Actually, yeah, that's where I was. And they aren't babies. They're my friends," Babs said, as she turned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"Ohmygosh, is that a cutie mark? You got your cutie mark?!" Silver Spoon said.
Babs felt her cheeks redden. She automatically went to go hide her flank with her tail, but then stopped herself.
"Yeah, I got my cutie mark," she said.
"Ohmygod, is that a bullying cutie mark? You got your cutie mark in bullying!?" Diamond Tiara said.
Babs felt her cheeks grow hotter. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon burst into laughter, and pointed at Babs' cutie mark. Babs felt as though she were about to cry, but then took a deep breath. She stood tall and walked towards the mean fillies.
"No; it's a cutie mark in preventing bullying," she said firmly, "My special talent is helping victims of bullying. And I've started with my cousin and her friends. They're victims of your bullying. And now I'm here to prevent it."
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stopped laughing. They looked at each other uneasily.
"Oh yeah? And just how are you going to do that?" Diamond Tiara snorted.
"By telling your mothers about your bad attitudes."
That seemed to scare Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon off. And as she boarded the train and waved good-bye, Babs Seed took a deep breath and smiled. It felt good to stick up to those bullies. And she couldn't wait to help other victims of bullying back home.
The End.
