Could a Ponies Cutie Mark change?

[Binary Blast 27]

So say a pony gets there Cutie Mark at a young age when they were into sports or something, but a few years later he decides he wants to go to law school, he studies for years and his special talent changes, would his cutie mark change? Please speculate.

 

Just to clarify I'm talking a destiny changing event to change it, and without some sort of spell or illness, such as Cutie Pox or Vampirism

Edited December 29, 2013 by frank_da_tank99

[Sweet Dreams 1,892]

Well, the cutie mark only appears when it's the pony's destiny. It appears at the very moment a pony realises what they're supposed to be doing for the rest of their life. That's the whole specialty of it. I doubt a cutie mark could change.

[That One Pone 584]

If a cutie mark could change then it would destroy the point of it being there.

That is like saying that an artist finds their destiny doing art, then suddenly going to video game design and they suddenly realise their destiny is video game design.

 

I think the main purpose is to find something you love doing and stick to it.

[Malinter 3,064]

on its own I don't think it would, ofcourse that doesn't mean something else could not change it.

[Princess Lona 381]

No, because in the pony universe THERE IS NO FREE WILL.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Princess Lona

[Tigerpop198 696]

This is what your doing for the rest of your life.Communist ponies, are the best ponies.

[Bucky McGillyCuddy 956]

 

 

and they suddenly realise their destiny is video game design.

One could argue that video game design is art  

[hawkflame 3,308]

So say a pony gets there Cutie Mark at a young age when they were into sports or something, but a few years later he decides he wants to go to law school, he studies for years and his special talent changes, would his cutie mark change? Please speculate.

 

The problem here is the inherent assumption that a pony's special talent *can* change.  I would think that the implication is that it can't. 

[That One Pone 584]

One could argue that video game design is art

 

It is, in a way, but imagine they were different, anyway.

[Gone Airbourne 21,969]

No I do not think that is how it would work out. 

 

A cutie mark seems to be one of those special talents each person is born with. You know what I mean too like some people are naturally drawn out to music, art, and many other things. One person may be much better at something than someone else as that was their special talent so on and so forth. 

 

If a ponies cutie mark represented something that they were naturally good at, I do not think it would just go away. Sure they may want to try and get better at other traits but in the end they are always going to best at what they were born to do if you get what I mean by that?! 

[jish55 20]

Honestly, no, because a cutie mark is based on what a pony is most talented at, as well as what makes them feel most in place. It's their identity, and only appears after they discovered their talent. If it were to change, the pony would feel lost, unable to function properly (ala season 3 finale). 

[Callisto 1,873]

No, I don't think so. A cutie mark represents a pony's destiny. What they're meant to be doing for the rest of their lives. You can't exactly change what the universe has set up for you.

[That One Pone 584]

Honestly, no, because a cutie mark is based on what a pony is most talented at, as well as what makes them feel most in place. It's their identity, and only appears after they discovered their talent. If it were to change, the pony would feel lost, unable to function properly (ala season 3 finale). 

I did not even think about the S3 Finale on this topic. You have a good point that should be taken into consideration.

[Riddle 102]

I think it might be a good idea a bit,  given

a cuite mark shows a talent or something a bit.  I just

don't think a Mark defines the whole of what a "pony" 

is and such,  Twilight is good at Magic right?  But

at the same time she is nerd who seems to look

into science a lot which as nothing to do with magic.

 

AJ got her mark when she went home and knew this is 

were she belong, but shes a high drive and well has

a way with roping also as a talent which also took training

to and such.

 

I just don't think well a ponies life in what they

do is set in stone.  A cuite mark just shows maybe their

strongest strengths. 

[Binary Blast 27]

I think it might be a good idea a bit,  given

a cuite mark shows a talent or something a bit.  I just

don't think a Mark defines the whole of what a "pony" 

is and such,  Twilight is good at Magic right?  But

at the same time she is nerd who seems to look

into science a lot which as nothing to do with magic.

 

AJ got her mark when she went home and knew this is 

were she belong, but shes a high drive and well has

a way with roping also as a talent which also took training

to and such.

 

I just don't think well a ponies life in what they

do is set in stone.  A cuite mark just shows maybe their

strongest strengths. 

I think you're right, when I read this I thought of how Rarity makes dresses, but she got a rock finding cutie mark.

[Scootalove 10,684]

A pony's cutie mark can not change, because it is their special talent that is connected to their destiny and who they are meant to be. You can't just change it even if you try to find other things that you're good at.

[Keypassion 232]

Okay, see I had a theory about this months ago. I'll put what I can remember.

 

Basically, it can, if something destiny changing happens.

Like meeting and marrying your soul mate, or becoming a princess, which I thought of before season two had even ended.

To sum it up, basically only an outside force, one that is essentially harmony magic, which is something only element bearers can ever use, changing it in a major or minor way.

[Princess Lona 381]

Most of us seem to agree that a cutie mark can't change because it is connected to a pony's destiny, which by definition, also can't change. This brings up an interesting point about the metaphysics of the Equestrian universe. In our world, it is still debated as to whether or not destinies exist, but in Equestria we have proof that they do. Ponies get cutie marks, cutie marks don't change, therefore destinies exist. This fits in well with the show's tendency to borrow from Ancient Greek mythology which is also based on the idea that all mortals have a destiny which can't change (King Edopus being the most famous example).

 

But I also think that in the pony universe the destiny thing only goes so far. The meaning of pony's cutie mark varies. For most ponies, it shows only what a pony is destined to be good at. Rainbow Dash was destined to be fast, Rarity was destined to magically locate precious stones, and their cutie marks reflect that and nothing more. For certain other ponies, the mark shows their talent, but also ties in loosely to other parts of their character or destiny. Applejack is good at apple farming, but she also shares a cutie mark theme with her family because family is so important to her. Twilight's mark represents her penchant for magic, but also contains symbols of her friends and the elements which would play a part in her later destiny, not to mention the fact that her cutie mark is also later discovered on the Tree of Harmony. But even for those few ponies whose mark shows more than their talent, what they do with their talent is still up to them. So Equestrian metaphysics contains a mixture of destiny and free will (I was joking above when I said they don't have free will).

 

Something else I just thought of is the fact that every single pony seems to not only be talented at the activity that their cutie mark represents, but to love it as well. So maybe the destiny has less to do with talent and more to do with passion. Once a pony realizes how much they love something, they will pursue it until they are quite talented. So if a pony is destined not to be talented at something, but to be passionate about it, and they can choose how far they pursue that passion, this is another example of the mingling of destiny and free will.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Here are some things to think about:

 

1. Unicorn Magic cannot create or reveal a cutie-mark, as demonstrated by Twilight in "Call of the Cutie" however:

2. in "Magic Duel", Trixie ages Snails with the Alicorn Amulet, and his cutie-mark changes to gain a beard.

3. The Cutie Pox, in the episode of that name, causes cutie-marks to randomly appear all over Apple Bloom and forces her to perform actions relevant to the mark.

 

But most importantly:

 

4. In nearly all cases we are aware of, the cutie-mark is not a direct and obvious link to their special ability/destiny, but requires considerable interpretation. We are *told* what the symbols mean after-the-fact, but without the pony interpreting the mark based on the event that revealed it, we'd be a bit clueless. Best example: Cheerilee's smiling daisies representing happy students.

 

5. Twilight's cutie-mark representing a destiny that she was effectively unaware of. She believed her mark represented her talent with magic, where it appears it represented her destiny of being the Princess of Friendship.

 

From this, I conclude that a cutie-mark may be able to be changed by truly extreme circumstances, but it would be highly unlikely to occur, requiring alicorn-amulet-level power. However, there may be diseases similar to the Cutie Pox that may be able to modify an existing cutie-mark, with similar bad end-effects.

 

However, it might be more common that a pony can *misinterpret* what their cutie-mark means, being misled by the circumstances that revealed the mark. Probably this misunderstanding will be corrected over time, but still lead the pony to think they were destined to do something that is simply incorrect for a time.

[DokiLoki 518]

My definite answer would be a big no. A cutiemark represents who you are and your special talent. It gives you a chance to show yourself to the whole world that you are one kind of a pony. Say I did play this game which does show the fact you can change somepony's cutiemark by mixing a potion:

 

[Miz-Jynx 14]

YES!

 

WARNING:

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 EPISODE 7

 

The most recent episode (Bats!) proved that!  Fluttershy's cutiemark changed from three butterflys to three bats when she became a batpony!

 

It's too early after the episode to find any pics of it right now, but when it eventually ends up on youtube, pay close attention to her thigh when she is transformed.     

[Binary Blast 27]

A pony's cutie mark can not change, because it is their special talent that is connected to their destiny and who they are meant to be. You can't just change it even if you try to find other things that you're good at.

I don't like the use of the term destiny here, and this implies that there is no free will in equestria, a ponies special talent is different from there destiny, it's one thing to be really good at something, and another to have to do that something for the rest of their lives. Also a cutiemark being a ponies destiny would also throw concepts for characters with more obscure cutie marks, like rarity, twilight, pinky pie, minuette and derpy hooves out the window.

YES!

 

WARNING:

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 4 EPISODE 7

 

The most recent episode (Bats!) proved that!  Fluttershy's cutiemark changed from three butterflys to three bats when she became a batpony!

 

It's too early after the episode to find any pics of it right now, but when it eventually ends up on youtube, pay close attention to her thigh when she is transformed.     

So to put a logical spin on what I read to be somewhat of a joke comment (I'm really sorry if I was reading wrong and you weren't trying to be funny) something destiny changing happened to Fluttershy and her cutie mark changed, I'm going to have to agree with you and keypassion here, and say that a ponies cutie mark could change, given the right (destiny altering) circumstances.

[Miz-Jynx 14]

So to put a logical spin on what I read to be somewhat of a joke comment (I'm really sorry if I was reading wrong and you weren't trying to be funny) something destiny changing happened to Fluttershy and her cutie mark changed, I'm going to have to agree with you and keypassion here, and say that a ponies cutie mark could change, given the right (destiny altering) circumstances.

Yeah you DID read it wrong,    I was excited and typed that immediately after watching the new episode.  Have you even seen the newest episode?  What I typed was accurate in every way to the episode so how the hell could it have been a joke?  Excuse my implied tone and I know determining the way something is meant to be taken is difficult to some when only given text, but having my enthusiasm mistaken for a JOKE of all things quite frankly felt insulting.

I saw her cutiemark change in the episode and this topic was the first thing to enter my mind, I couldn't wait to share what I had learned.  I didn't realize I wouldn't be taken seriously.

 

As for 'DESTINY', maybe constantly mentioning destiny in the season 3 closer DOESN'T refer to what a pony will be doing, without choice, for the rest of his or her life, but instead a pony's destiny is to get a cutiemark in general.

 

"It's got to be my destiny!" TRANSLATION: "Having this particular cutiemark has got to be my destiny!"

And

"And its what my cutiemark is telling me!"  TRANSLATION: "This is how i'm going to interpret my cutiemark!"

Notice how they all interpreted their cutiemarks incorrectly(or differently than the original cutiemark owner had seen it) and as a result ended up miserable.  It wasn't their passion.

 

It's all about how a pony views their cutiemark.

 

As a related note, Rarity's love of gemstones and the resulting cutiemark could have led her to believe she was supposed to be a jeweler or gemologist, but instead she chose to stick with something she enjoyed and incorporated her new-found talent into her life, instead of trying to incorporate her life into her talent.

Examples:

Twilight could have thought her talent had something to do with stars even though that somewhat conflicted with how she obtained said cutiemark.

Pinkie pie might have been led to believe it wasn't her PARTIES that had made her family happy but instead the balloons she had brought along to the party.

 

What these other two cutiemaks could represent:

Minuette(assuming we're going with her fan given talent of dentistry) is pretty accurate if you think about it.  Ever got that little 'goodie' bag from a dentist after a check up or routine cleaning?  Ever receive a small minute glass to help you learn how long to brush?(two minutes usually)  Well there you go.  Not that obscure.

 

Ditzy/Derpy's cutiemark, if taking the explanation given in 'Doctor Whooves and Assistant', could well imply her so called 'bubbly personality'.  Or in other words, her ability to take things in stride.  If we were to say Derpy has her own life going on that is not depicted in the show we could assume she was born with those silly yet debilitating eyes.  Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have shown us that ponies, especially young ponies, can be quite cruel to others despite what their culture is based and founded on.(Harmony and the elements that make it up) 

Ditzy's cutiemark is bubbles.  She has a 'bubbly personality'.  The result of keeping a positive attitude in the face of adversity.  Adversity caused by her noticeably different eyes.

As obscure and unrelated as her cutiemark SEEMS and as unlikely as it sounds, Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo's special talent(to me) is resilience.

But we could just as easily say she's meant to blow bubbles or make soap for the rest of her life.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Miz-Jynx

[Fhaolan 4,468]

YES!

Well I guess I was *sorta* right, in that it was an alicorn that pulled it off, plus vampirism is often portrayed as a magical disease in the same line as lycanthropy.

 

Okay, so it's a bit easier than I expected, but sure, fine.

[Binary Blast 27]

Yeah you DID read it wrong,    I was excited and typed that immediately after watching the new episode.  Have you even seen the newest episode?  What I typed was accurate in every way to the episode so how the hell could it have been a joke?  Excuse my implied tone and I know determining the way something is meant to be taken is difficult to some when only given text, but having my enthusiasm mistaken for a JOKE of all things quite frankly felt insulting.

I saw her cutiemark change in the episode and this topic was the first thing to enter my mind, I couldn't wait to share what I had learned.  I didn't realize I wouldn't be taken seriously.

 

As for 'DESTINY', maybe constantly mentioning destiny in the season 3 closer DOESN'T refer to what a pony will be doing, without choice, for the rest of his or her life, but instead a pony's destiny is to get a cutiemark in general.

 

"It's got to be my destiny!" TRANSLATION: "Having this particular cutiemark has got to be my destiny!"

And

"And its what my cutiemark is telling me!"  TRANSLATION: "This is how i'm going to interpret my cutiemark!"

Notice how they all interpreted their cutiemarks incorrectly(or differently than the original cutiemark owner had seen it) and as a result ended up miserable.  It wasn't their passion.

 

It's all about how a pony views their cutiemark.

 

As a related note, Rarity's love of gemstones and the resulting cutiemark could have led her to believe she was supposed to be a jeweler or gemologist, but instead she chose to stick with something she enjoyed and incorporated her new-found talent into her life, instead of trying to incorporate her life into her talent.

Examples:

Twilight could have thought her talent had something to do with stars even though that somewhat conflicted with how she obtained said cutiemark.

Pinkie pie might have been led to believe it wasn't her PARTIES that had made her family happy but instead the balloons she had brought along to the party.

 

What these other two cutiemaks could represent:

Minuette(assuming we're going with her fan given talent of dentistry) is pretty accurate if you think about it.  Ever got that little 'goodie' bag from a dentist after a check up or routine cleaning?  Ever receive a small minute glass to help you learn how long to brush?(two minutes usually)  Well there you go.  Not that obscure.

 

Ditzy/Derpy's cutiemark, if taking the explanation given in 'Doctor Whooves and Assistant', could well imply her so called 'bubbly personality'.  Or in other words, her ability to take things in stride.  If we were to say Derpy has her own life going on that is not depicted in the show we could assume she was born with those silly yet debilitating eyes.  Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara have shown us that ponies, especially young ponies, can be quite cruel to others despite what their culture is based and founded on.(Harmony and the elements that make it up) 

Ditzy's cutiemark is bubbles.  She has a 'bubbly personality'.  The result of keeping a positive attitude in the face of adversity.  Adversity caused by her noticeably different eyes.

As obscure and unrelated as her cutiemark SEEMS and as unlikely as it sounds, Derpy Hooves/Ditzy Doo's special talent(to me) is resilience.

But we could just as easily say she's meant to blow bubbles or make soap for the rest of her life.

K Sorry, I knew you weren't joking on the fact the fluttershys mark did change, I sorta just mistook the enthusiasm in the paragraph you wrote as laughter. My bad. anyway you bring up some good points but maybe I should update my original question, we kind of already knew that a ponies cutie mark could change through some sort of disease, such as Vampirism or Cutie Pox, but I do like your explanation of the use of the term destiny in Magical Mystery Cure, and it's helped me see my favorite episode in a new light.