The nature of the Cutie mark

[skylights 127]

I've been thinking a lot lately about cutie marks. Everypony knows that they come when a pony finds that thing that makes her or him special, but is that really all there is to it? Suppose a pony like Rainbow Dash had had her wings removed before she earned her cutie mark (perhaps an evil unicorn uses Twilight's time-frame spell to do this). She could never have flown and would never have learned that flying is what set her apart. I see two possibilities from this situation: one, she has to focus her efforts elsewhere and finds that she's special in some other way too, and earns a different cutie mark. Or two, she never earns a cutie mark (something never known to have happened).

 

Now, in Magical Mystery Cure, it is very strongly suggested that a cutie mark ties into a pony's destiny. This would imply that a pony couldn't ever fail to earn a cutie mark. A destiny is by definition immutable, so if ponies are bound to some sort of ultimate truth that physically manifests on their flanks, how could a pony deal with their inability to ever meet this destiny? Would they even realize what they were missing? Would they enter a spiral of depression and madness, eternally seeking something they can never have?

 

your thoughts?

 

(note: some of this ties into a fanfic I'm slowly slowly slowly working on. No stealing or I'll be a sad pony :3)

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

It's not really a forced thing. It comes when someone manifests something in them. Destiny is perhaps, a little too strong of a word. I'd prefer the use of talent, but in the case of Magical Mystery Cure, it would be destiny. If Twilight hadn't figured out the spell, her friends would be stuck like that forever in misery. 

 

In the beginning, once a cutie mark is earned, it cannot be changed. However, ponies can manifest other talents and MAY be able to earn more than one cutie mark. 

[Scootalove 10,689]

It's not a forced thing. It's when someone finds out their talent and finding out who they are. In Magical Mystery Cure, it's more of Twilight's destiny than finding her talent. When you earn your cutie mark, your talent can not be changed unless you have more than one talent.

[Noodles 109]

Destiny that's a word repeated a lot in that episode.

The spell effected their cutie mark and not the talent changing the ponies perceived place in life. because once you get your cutie mark your destined to follow its calling. changing the cutie mark changed their calling or Destiny. your true cutie mark is tied to a combination of talent and effort. once the two come together do you earn you cutie mark.

Talent that's not honed with practice is useless.

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

Your cutie mark represents your special talent.

But what you DO with that talent is up to you as an individual.

 

I think what cutie mark you end up with could be altered depending on the experiences you go through. I read a comic where a character when back in time and accidentally altered her future. She wound up with a different personality and a different cutie mark. I imagine if Rainbow had never been about to do the Sonic Rainboom (like say due to lack of wings like you supposed), her talent could still have been something tied to winning and racing, but she'd be grounded. And yeah, I think she would have ended up with a different cutie mark.

[Declen 118]

Compare two episodes: "Cutie Pox" and "Magical Mystery Cure".

In "Cutie Pox" Apple Bloom gets multiple cutie marks. And each cutie mark gives her the ability to do a corresponding activity perfectly. Despite she never even tried most of them before. But she remembers who and what she really is, and why does it happen to her.

In "Magical Mystery Cure" we see just the opposite. Ponies have got somepony else's cutie marks, but it didn't affect their skills. The majorly sucked at what they tried to do. But they believed what they do is what they had to do, what they were ment to do. And for some reason they called it "destiny", although the word "duty" were more apropeate. So, change of cutie marks affected their self-perception according their place in life and socium.

How do cutie marks actually work?

My guess is that cutie mark is a sort of control mechanism for the purpose of social harmonization. In both episodes it became broken, with one aspect of it enormously inhenced and another completely supressed. Normally, cutie mark does a little bit of both: it slightly inhences ponie's skill and makes him/her convinced that the occupation in question is his/her "destiny", say "social duty".

 

I've planned to write a text called "Equestria as a socialist utopua" where I would talk more about this.

[ALIS 38]

I think an interesting concept for an episode would be the Alicorns creating Cutie Marks to keep order as the tribes combined and ponies began to abbandon their social roles for more fulfilling careers. This way ponies would know what they are best at and fit in with efficiency. But at the behest of the Unicorn Nobility to keep the Earth Ponies farming, the Pegasus manipulating the weather and the Unicorns as artisans and nobles in a position of authority she tilted the board and made the spell force cutie marks that keep an unbalanced playing field for the favor of the few. It is no secret that Celestia is somewhat biased towards unicorns even today.

 

Realizing her mistake now that many ponies can't get jobs doing what they truly love and feeling shoehorned into positions they don't belong Celestia has slowly over centuries has been trying to undue the magic that forces ponies into their old social orders which is slowly allowing ponies to earn their true Cutie Marks. Over the centuries most of her meddling has been undone. Twilight now becoming a more controlling and pushy princess is approached by a group of unhappy ponies who comes asking for their new princesses help to change their cutimark like she did in MMC. At first she refuses but then she discovers the truth the Alicorns have been hiding.

 

Twilight's faith in them is deeply shaken and she confronts them. The Princesses then teach Twilight a valuable princess lesson about how being a leader that tries to control everyone can lead to devestating consequenses that she will regret it like they do. The episode ends when Twilight, Luna and Celestia figure out a way to finally end the curse she put on her subject causing the thousands of Cutimarks still manipulated across Equestria to change. Including perhaps a few on known background ponies.

 

The princesses tearfully admit their mistake to their subjects and ask forgiveness which for many will be a slow process.

Edited December 10, 2013 by ALIS

[applejock 358]

I still wanna know why some but not all races get them.

 

Ponies do, duh.

But so do Zebras!! Coughzecoracough!

 

So why not Mules? Or Griffins? Dragons?

 

You can argue a Dragon is too far from the path of ponydom, sure. Same with a Griffin (we miss you Gilda!!).

 

But how in the name of Luna are you going to sit there and tell me that a ZEBRA gets a Cutie mark but not a Mule? Four hooves, muzzle, tail, two ears, barrel and flank....eeyup, seem they fit right into the mix with Ponies. Celestia knows we see enough of them around. What, are they second class citizens? And the ONE Zebra we know has a Cutie mark but the 3 differnt Mules we have seen (two of which are prominent in episodes) notta, nothing?

 

I know its hard to market jack-ass toys, which again the show is partially built to do. But it just almost feels like an oversight. Or again, like they are on a lower rank then Ponies and Zebra, I seem to recall a few differnt "mule" jokes with a side pan to a Mule going "none taken" to the polite "no offense".

 

Hey don't complain at this topic thruster, we are a fandom that over analyze the crap out of this show for no reason or point other then personal interest and in some casses internet-ego. 

 

[Noodles 109]

No love for them poor Mules.

[Malinter 3,064]

Also the Royal Guards ponies. I've only seen guard captains with cutie marks. The rest seem to be blank-flanks

 

I've a bit of a head cannon that guards-ponies are bred specifically for the role as they are all similiar in size and colour and forgo the aqcuistion of a cutie mark to serve the princess.

 

This idea also comes from the fact that Bat-Pegesi have so far been seen in Luna's service as Night Guard.

[skylights 127]

Also the Royal Guards ponies. I've only seen guard captains with cutie marks. The rest seem to be blank-flanks

 

I've a bit of a head cannon that guards-ponies are bred specifically for the role as they are all similiar in size and colour and forgo the aqcuistion of a cutie mark to serve the princess.

 

This idea also comes from the fact that Bat-Pegesi have so far been seen in Luna's service as Night Guard.

My thought on that is that they dye their fur to cover up the cutie marks. Being a part of a military hierarchy would sort of require that a cutie mark be covered up in order to maintain uniformity, and possibly to prevent undue preference (a guard whose cutie mark is a sword and shield might be taken more seriously than a guard whose cutie mark is a candy cane and shield). Ponies like Shining Armor of course are exempted from this rule due to their rank.

[Malinter 3,064]

My thought on that is that they dye their fur to cover up the cutie marks. Being a part of a military hierarchy would sort of require that a cutie mark be covered up in order to maintain uniformity, and possibly to prevent undue preference (a guard whose cutie mark is a sword and shield might be taken more seriously than a guard whose cutie mark is a candy cane and shield). Ponies like Shining Armor of course are exempted from this rule due to their rank.

 

But surely they can't all have a talent related to being a guardspony. Given how that guides the ponies into their adult positions in pony society. 

 

Still. my point remains with the bat ponies as we've yet to see one 'off-duty' in ponyville or anything.

[Nature's Spell 526]

But surely they can't all have a talent related to being a guardspony. Given how that guides the ponies into their adult positions in pony society.

 

Still. my point remains with the bat ponies as we've yet to see one 'off-duty' in ponyville or anything.

Well if there is ever an episode to see bat-guards it will be in the 4.7 "Bats" episode. If they, and Luna, don't show up it be a crying shame. As far as their cutie marks I agree with them being covered up. Celestia running a clone lab is a bit to corny and creepy. Edited December 10, 2013 by Nature's Spell

[Malinter 3,064]

Well if there is ever an episode to see bat-guards it will be in the 4.7 "Bats" episode. If they, and Luna, don't show up it be a crying shame. As far as their cutie marks I agree with them being covered up. Celestia running a clone lab is a bit to corny and creepy.

 

well not quite a clone factory, but rather a group of ponies that have maintained an unbroken chain between them and Celestia's original royal guard. 

[Nature's Spell 526]

well not quite a clone factory, but rather a group of ponies that have maintained an unbroken chain between them and Celestia's original royal guard.

You mean like the male line of certain families? Interesting theory. That would mean Twilight's family is part of this hypothetical warrior caste.

 

Of course the mundane answer is that the artists don't want to be bothered making them up.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Nature's Spell

[Noodles 109]

now I cant quote.

the Sparkle line would be part of the Guard line and strong in Magic.

 

as for the mundane answer true added is the fact that at least part of this fandom loves to overanalyze the show.

[Malinter 3,064]

now I cant quote.

the Sparkle line would be part of the Guard line and strong in Magic.

 

 

 

That would depend. How hard is it for a unicorn to cast a shield over a whole city? We know twilight can cover a single structure when she was a unicorn. It must be something not every unicorn can do.

 

Bloodline Magic Traits... pretty sure most folks OC have powers along those lines.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Malinter

[Noodles 109]

well lets see twilight Sparkle is strong in magic being the sprit of magic and all plus able to create new magic.. and her Brother Shining Armor did put up a shield over and entire city so yes it would seem that line is strong in magic. I will admit that twilight being the current holder of the sprit of magic kind of puts an odd spin on things, I think because of this her talent is magic. who knows what her talent might have been if she wasn't the sprit of magic made flesh so to speak.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Noodles

[Miz-Jynx 14]

well lets see twilight Sparkle is strong in magic being the sprit of magic and all plus able to create new magic.. and her Brother Shining Armor did put up a shield over and entire city so yes it would seem that line is strong in magic. I will admit that twilight being the current holder of the sprit of magic kind of puts an odd spin on things, I think because of this her talent is magic. who knows what her talent might have been if she wasn't the sprit of magic made flesh so to speak.

Bookkeeping.  She'd be a librarian.

[DubWolf 17,203]

Sounds like one of those predestination debates.

 

Let's think of it this way:

 

Scenario 1: Rainbow Dash loses her wings. However, she was never destined to be a great flyer, so this would not get in the way of her receiving her cutie mark because of some other talent.

 

Scenario 2: Rainbow Dash's talent is flying, so there is no reason that the universe would determine her future would be wing-less.

 

So either way, she would get a cutie mark in a certain special talent.

 

I don't know if I explained that very well.