Argumedies 1,748 April 4, 2015 Share April 4, 2015 (edited) So cutie marks are stuck on like velcro? Well when Tirek absorbed their magic, the cutie mark disapeered. And in that, i can understand why. But this episode has left me with more questions then answers But here, we have a regular unicorn with the ability to just suck the mark right off anyone, even an alicorn. So does that mean that cutie marks are not permanent? Can an individual change their own cutie mark? If the magic in the cutie marks is so connected to the individual, is this a kin to stealing one soul? If the loss of a cutie mark is so powerful it disrupts a ponies natural state, why are those who do not have one uneffected by not haveing one? And they just let this soul sucking cutie mark vampire get away? Edited April 4, 2015 by Argumedies 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPFanatic34 3,234 April 4, 2015 Share April 4, 2015 I did find that rather interesting that Starlight Glimmer knew a spell that could remove a ponie's cutie mark, wouldn't that be considered dark magic to some degree? I mean I suppose anyone could learn that spell, but still that's unsettling. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argumedies 1,748 April 5, 2015 Author Share April 5, 2015 (edited) The evil thought is that this pony could render virtually any pony helpless just by removeing their cutie mark and thus makes her one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestria and has already proven her lack of scruples in useing this ability Edited April 5, 2015 by Argumedies 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 Thinking back: Twilight (unintentionally) swapped all of their Cutie Marks in my not-favorite episode "Magical Mystery Cure." BUT, despite the emphasis on the significance of Cutie Marks and the correlation between Mark and passion / ability / "destiny," Fluttershy wasn't suddenly the life of the party. Applejack wasn't suddenly an expert dressmaker. And Rainbow Dash still retained her weatherpony / cloudbusting abilities. The ponies never gained the abilities of the original bearers, nor did they lose the abilities they had prior to the swap. There's too much emphasis on Cutie Marks; particularly when you consider that each of the Mane Six are standout ponies that have repeatedly proven that they are more complex and adaptable than their Cutie Marks would imply. And I'm seriously still stuck on how the Cutie Marks could be kept inside jars. o_O Like Zelda fairies. 9 "It uses the faculty of what you call imagination. But that does not mean making things up. It is a form of seeing." - from "The Amber Spyglass" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Dreamer 884 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 A foal who has yet to earn their cutie mark is different to an adult pony who has, then has it stolen away. The foal is simply in its natural state, and the magic inside them which will become their cutie mark hasn't 'settled' yet. Presumably that magic could still be stolen by a being like Tirek, but Starlight Glimmer's spell is probably cutie mark specific. The shock of being stripped of your cutie mark was shown to be extremely traumatic. It actually reminds me of the intercision process in The Golden Compass. Basically, Starlight had stolen an intrinsic part of that pony's soul, which explains the personality change. Twilight's botched spell just switched their appearances. Starlight ripped them off. As for the spell, yeah, probably dark magic. A very dark magic. The fact Starlight could perform a spell like that indicated a talent for magic almost on par with Twilight's. I can almost see her in a position much like Twilight feared in Boast Busters; she might have had an extremely powerful talent for magic, which ended up inspiring envy in others and caused her to be ostracised. That would explain her motivation for building a village with 'no special talents', and why she thought she was justified in what she was doing. She actually thought, despite the lies and oppressive atmosphere, that she was doing the right thing. 6 The Crystal Minstrel Pony Tumblr Kay Dreamer's Roleplay OC and Cast Character Archive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchandMLPlover 930 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 (edited) These questions popped up as I was watching, why can magic be used to remove cutie marks but not make them appear? Does the = cutie mark remove all magic like what Tirek did? Is it "magic transfer"? If so why can the pegasus ponies still fly(or fly a little anyway)? Isn't flight a form of magic? Can the other unicorns do magic in the village or not??? My theory is that the equal mark is a spell itself(we saw them glow) that sucks out identity unlike with the other cutie mark swaps/disappearances. Edited April 5, 2015 by StitchandMLPlover 1 My short independent films about physical disability! http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkamena-Pills 6,839 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 Down with the cutie marks! They make no sense! Let's end confusion and create true equality by eliminating them all -- and wear the equal cutie mark instead! Because reasons i don't care to explain! You'll be happy regardless. Don't question me us! Stop The Confusion. Become Equal. (im so enjoying this too much mwahahah) On topic: I found it equally puzzling TC. 6 Oatmeal, are you crazy?! "Silly, you are already under my control."- Pinkie Pie Signature made by me, because resistance truly is futile, silly. Currently still undergoing maintenance. Yes, i can do that, im a program, silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashen Pathfinder 16,161 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 I smell a hint of dark magic in Starlight's spell, and it might very well be something Twilight isn't entirely familiar with; even differing from the dark magic that we attach to Sombra. The mentioning of eastern unicorn magic is an interesting concept, and I have to wonder if that plays into this. In any case Starlight is very acclimated to this magic; so much so that she could be a good rival to Twilight as things go on. 2 Pathfinder I Sojourner I Corsair | Zu'hra I Autumn | Scarlet Willow | Gypsy | Silverthorn | Crystal Whisper | Radiant Historia | And many other OCs~ Matching signatures with mah Bestie MOONLIGHT <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sazama Ichida 2,367 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 I thought the power of the staff combined with Starlight's magic was what could remove cutie marks. That does seem like a pretty scary power now that you mention it though. That seems like an ability that only somepony like Discord or the ruler of Tartarus should know. 1 The White Shinigami Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Horse 12,961 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 I thought it was pretty interesting how from before we've seen that it's nigh impossible to forcibly make a cutie mark appear, but it seems like removing them is a relatively easy feat. Of course we don't know just where it was Starlight learned that spell, or how long it took to perfect, but if a seemingly normal enough Unicorn like herself can pull it off then it probably ain't something too taxing to achieve. I doubt it's something anypony would have ever really considered trying to learn before, forcibly taking someone's, well.. essentially their personality away from them. Not something that would commonly cross a pony's mind I'd wager. Regardless, the episodes did a job keeping Starlight's background shrouded, so it's really all just wild guessing and theories for the moment until she appears again. I wonder if she's working alone or has some kind of benefactor? Someone who helped her out with that spell. It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing you'd find in a textbook unless you really delved deep, or knew where to look already. 2 "Always watching - Always lurking." Signature by @Kyoshi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPFanatic34 3,234 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 A foal who has yet to earn their cutie mark is different to an adult pony who has, then has it stolen away. The foal is simply in its natural state, and the magic inside them which will become their cutie mark hasn't 'settled' yet. Presumably that magic could still be stolen by a being like Tirek, but Starlight Glimmer's spell is probably cutie mark specific. The shock of being stripped of your cutie mark was shown to be extremely traumatic. It actually reminds me of the intercision process in The Golden Compass. Basically, Starlight had stolen an intrinsic part of that pony's soul, which explains the personality change. Twilight's botched spell just switched their appearances. Starlight ripped them off. As for the spell, yeah, probably dark magic. A very dark magic. The fact Starlight could perform a spell like that indicated a talent for magic almost on par with Twilight's. I can almost see her in a position much like Twilight feared in Boast Busters; she might have had an extremely powerful talent for magic, which ended up inspiring envy in others and caused her to be ostracised. That would explain her motivation for building a village with 'no special talents', and why she thought she was justified in what she was doing. She actually thought, despite the lies and oppressive atmosphere, that she was doing the right thing. Yeah now that you mention it seeing Starlight basically ripping the cutie marks off Twilight and her friends was horrifying. I mean they're in pain when the marks are removed. Also I sort of knew later on in the episode Starlight didn't remove hers because she wasn't gray in appearance and didn't have the same characteristics the equal marked ponies did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlutterDash4072 189 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 I thought the power of the staff combined with Starlight's magic was what could remove cutie marks. That does seem like a pretty scary power now that you mention it though. That seems like an ability that only somepony like Discord or the ruler of Tartarus should know. The staff doesn't have any power. Starlight Glimmer said it was a stick she found somewhere. That dark magic was all her. And that makes her way more threatening if you ask me. 2 Signature made by Wheatley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin_Case001 4,891 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 Okay, so I'd like to believe that Starlight's spell is a talent suppresant. My headcanon is that she can't "steal" cutie marks, but simply supress a pony's talents. Evidence for my theory is shown by Pinkie's ability to fight against Starlight's spell. But the problem is the whole marks in jars business. That's where my theory doesn't hold up. I'm not sure how to get around that one. Yeah, that's weird, but I still prefer my theory. :S This gave me a great idea, though. If I were a pony in Equestria, I'd start a company that sells rub-on cutie marks for blankflanks that are embarrassed. I'd clean up. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchandMLPlover 930 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 Okay, so I'd like to believe that Starlight's spell is a talent suppresant. My headcanon is that she can't "steal" cutie marks, but simply supress a pony's talents. Evidence for my theory is shown by Pinkie's ability to fight against Starlight's spell. But the problem is the whole marks in jars business. That's where my theory doesn't hold up. I'm not sure how to get around that one. Yeah, that's weird, but I still prefer my theory. :S This gave me a great idea, though. If I were a pony in Equestria, I'd start a company that sells rub-on cutie marks for blankflanks that are embarrassed. I'd clean up. The = mark itself could be a talent suppressant spell but the original cutie mark must be removed first in order for it to work. I think your right about it being a talent suppressant because all of the ponies like the mane 6 and Sugar Belle still have their real personalities peak through until the = mark glows gray and slowly makes them more bland. I'm surprised the CMC haven't tried something like roll on cutie marks yet. Could make for another good Applebloom/CMC episode. 2 My short independent films about physical disability! http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nameless Knight 1,001 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 (edited) I think it was less that they lost their cutie mark that made them loose their personality, but it was what their cutie mark was replaced with. = This cutie mark made them change, that is why ponies without cutie marks still have their own personalities. Also she said she had studied her entire life, that could be why she could remove the cutie mark Down with the cutie marks! They make no sense! Let's end confusion and create true equality by eliminating them all -- and wear the equal cutie mark instead! Because reasons i don't care to explain! You'll be happy regardless. Don't question me us! Stop The Confusion. Become Equal. (im so enjoying this too much mwahahah) On topic: I found it equally puzzling TC. Communist! Everyone is equal but the leader! that is Communism!!! Down with Equality long live the absolute monarchy! Edited April 5, 2015 by Delta-62 Scorch 3 "I had a name... forgot it many, centuries ago. It faded away like many things, but me. I'm still here, still here trying to find something. What is that something? I don't know, I forgot." -The Nameless Knight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Argumedies 1,748 April 5, 2015 Author Share April 5, 2015 Okay, so I'd like to believe that Starlight's spell is a talent suppresant. My headcanon is that she can't "steal" cutie marks, but simply supress a pony's talents. Evidence for my theory is shown by Pinkie's ability to fight against Starlight's spell. But the problem is the whole marks in jars business. That's where my theory doesn't hold up. I'm not sure how to get around that one. Yeah, that's weird, but I still prefer my theory. :S This gave me a great idea, though. If I were a pony in Equestria, I'd start a company that sells rub-on cutie marks for blankflanks that are embarrassed. I'd clean up. Ya, I'll buy that logic and take my bits lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowking58 1,137 April 5, 2015 Share April 5, 2015 (edited) This actually has me thinking. I noticed something interesting while rewatching the Season 5 Premiere. Starlight Glimmer, in the second episode, rubs her Cutie Mark off with a brush, and replaces it with the equal sign. Does this mean that anypony can just wipe off their cutie mark with a rag, sponge, and some soap? Or was it just plot convenience? Edited April 6, 2015 by Shadowking58 1 All My OCS Quote “The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StitchandMLPlover 930 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 (edited) This actually has me thinking. I noticed something interesting while rewatching the Season 5 Premiere. Starlight Glimmer, in the second episode, rubs her Cutie Mark off with a brush, and replaces it with the equal sign. Does this mean that anypony can just wipe off their cutie mark with a rag, sponge, and some soap? Or was it just plot convenience? She painted over her cutie mark with pink paint then inked in the equal mark over the paint. She did not wipe off anything. Edited April 6, 2015 by StitchandMLPlover 1 My short independent films about physical disability! http://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wind Chaser 4,768 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 So cutie marks are stuck on like velcro? Apparently, some sort of magical Velcro. The pony and the cutie mark are not one and the same, but are so harmoniously connected to them that removing it would be that kind of dangerous. So does that mean that cutie marks are not permanent? Can an individual change their own cutie mark? If the magic in the cutie marks is so connected to the individual, is this a kin to stealing one soul? If the loss of a cutie mark is so powerful it disrupts a ponies natural state, why are those who do not have one uneffected by not haveing one? If they can be removed, then they aren't. Like any part of the body. It's akin to removing a leg or an eye to them; it can be removed, but you surely don't want it to be. Nothing is permanent. It apparently is like doing so. Stealing a pony's cutie mark kills all of their drive to do the things that made them unique. The last is a question that is hard to answer, because there has never been an adult blank flank or a pony who has voluntarily avoided getting a cutie mark (both of which would make great concepts for this show). There are fillies and colts under Starlight's influence, which may imply that even younger ponies before their cutie marks can fall to her influence as well, so it seems that not having one doesn't make a difference in that department. Mostly, ponies without cutie marks are fully occupied with getting one, for all of the symbolic things it represents; their individuality and talents. There is such a high value on self-concept in this world because of it. Dealing with the downsides of such a regime is something the show hadn't really explored until the premiere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bird Mom 900 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 The episodes themselves gave me chills up my spine. It was actually kind of painful to watch a ponies' cutie marks be ripped off. It got me thinking, is this even a children's show anymore? xD But yes, I find it quite odd that a simple unicorn could participate in such a devious spell. But wait.. where exactly was Discord? "Pay attention to these petals, Steven. The petals' dance seems improvised, but it is being calculated in real time based on the physical properties of this planet. With hard work and dedication, you can master the magical properties of your gem and perform your own dance!" What do you think of me?: http://kevan.org/johari?name=bird+mom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Espurr 449 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 Okay, so I'd like to believe that Starlight's spell is a talent suppresant. My headcanon is that she can't "steal" cutie marks, but simply supress a pony's talents. Evidence for my theory is shown by Pinkie's ability to fight against Starlight's spell. But the problem is the whole marks in jars business. That's where my theory doesn't hold up. I'm not sure how to get around that one. Yeah, that's weird, but I still prefer my theory. :S This gave me a great idea, though. If I were a pony in Equestria, I'd start a company that sells rub-on cutie marks for blankflanks that are embarrassed. I'd clean up. What if Starlight's special talent is taking their cutie marks? She couldn't find a purpose in stealing them so she decided to brainwash herself into thinking that it was ok to take them because it was for a good cause. Starlight's special talent came with side effects that would help brainwash the ponies. I mean, think about it. We all saw her cutie mark, but what is it? What does it mean? It's a little downward spiral of blue with a small pink or purple diamond. It could mean anything, but what if taking the cutie marks isn't some high level spell, but if it's her special talent? Just a thought. 1 I don't care what pony you like because I like everypony! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrifCannon 102 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 I'm betting she possibly was a late bloomer in terms of getting her cutie mark and became jealous of those who already had there's so she decided that if she couldn't have her's nopony should have one. She set about studying the spell to steal others' marks away and in doing so earned her own cutie mark, which just happens to represent stealing the marks of others. At that point the damage was already done and her mind was made up. Other ponies even refer to their cutie marks as their "Destiny" so she belevied that her destiny was to liberate other ponies of their cutie marks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLPFanatic34 3,234 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 I wonder why the heck there's a spell that someone can use to remove a cutie mark from another pony, I mean WTH O.o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twilight Frost 271 April 6, 2015 Share April 6, 2015 I have a theory where at the end of this series when Starlight Glimmer returns, she will target other ponies who's special talent was magic in order to gain enough talent to defeat Twilight Sparkle who foiled her plans from before! Their cutie marks will be on starlight, adding their talent and powers to her with starlights cutie mark removal powers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adorkable 2,737 April 7, 2015 Share April 7, 2015 With what happened in the Season 3 and 4 finales, then the premiere of Season 5, it's fair to say there's much more to cutie marks than meets the eye. Since Season 5 is seemingly centered around a cutie map, maybe we'll have some of these unanswered questions solved?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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