The foals were just starting school that morning, and Extra Credit took her usual place at the front of the classroom. The teacher entered the classroom and they started their morning lessons: a fun lesson, history, and then math. Their fun lessons that morning were cutie marks.
"Ok, so can somepony tell me what cutie marks are?" Mrs. Cheerilee asked. Extra Credit raised her hoof and Cheerilee called on her.
"Extra Credit?"
"Cutie marks are often related to the personality, proclivity, or talent of a pony," Extra Credit answered.
"Very good, Extra Credit," Cheerilee smiled, "Now, who can tell me when a cutie mark appears?"
"Cutie marks are obtained when ponies discover a unique characteristic that sets themselves apart from others," Extra Credit answered after being called on again.
"Correct," Cheerilee said. She went on with the lesson.
After history and math, all of the questions which were answered correctly by Extra Credit, the foals headed outside for lunch.
"Today's lessons were exilerating," Extra Credit said as she used her magic to levitate her carrots into her mouth.
"They were so hard!" Speeding groaned, "Why can't I just go to flight camp like my mom?"
"That's a question you'd have to ask your mother," Extra Credit said, "Ponyaly, I adore all the lessons! I really don't think the day is long enough for all the knowledge."
After eating they headed back inside to the next lesson. At the end of the day, Cheerilee continued her lesson on cutie marks, asigning the last homework of the day.
"Tonight I'd like you to write one essay on one of your parents and how they got their cutie mark," Cheerilee instructed as the bell rang, "Have a nice day!" Extra Credit walked up to the teacher's desk, "Ah, hello. Here for your daily extra credit, are you?" Extra Credit nodded and Mrs. Cheerilee gave her more work, "And if you'd like, you can write two essays, one for each parents."
"Thank you," Extra Credit said, running home. She found Pocket, her dad, doing some work in his study. He was a famous scientist, but liked to work from home to spend some time with his family.
"Father?" Extra Credit said quietly. Pocket looked up from his papers.
"Hello, Extra Credit," Pocket smiled, "Home from school already?"
"Um, yes," Extra Credit nodded, "Our homework for tonight is to write an essay about one of our parents, and how they acquired their cutie mark."
"Oh, that story," Pocket sighed happily, "Come here, and I'll tell you."
After Pocket's story, Extra Credit went to talk to her mother, Rarity. She was sewing up a dress for a customer.
"Mother?" Extra Credit spoke quietly and Rarity jumped slightly, "Oh, I-I didn't mean to interupt."
"Oh, no, it's quite all right, darling," Rarity said, "You just startled me. What may I help you with?"
"Well, our homework for tonight is to write an essay about one of our parents and how they acquired their cutie marks," Extra Credit explained.
"Oh, what a lovely story it is," Rarity sighed, "Why, I told the exact same story to your aunt when she was your age."
"Really?" Extra Credit asked, walking over and sitting beside her mother.
"Oh, indeed," Rarity said, "She and her friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Well, let me repeat it to you."
Extra Credit was in awe after her mother's story. She wrote down both stories, decided with ease which one she would read aloud tomorrow.
The next day at school, Extra Credit was the second pony to read their essay. She gave the teacher her extra essay and levitated the one she was to read in front of her.
"This is a story about how my mother earned her cutie mark," Extra Credit said. She took a deep breath and began to read.
My mother, Rarity, was just a young filly. She was in school, and that night was the school play. The foals were practicing, but Mother was sitting off to the side with the teacher, for Mother was not in the play, but she had designed the costumes the foals were wearing.
"Good job, Rarity," The teacher had said, turning to Mother, "Your costumes are very nice."
It was a complement, but Mother took it a different way.
"Nice?" She asked, "They need to be spectacular!"
Mother rushed home to work on the costumes, but she couldn't get them just right. Suddenly, her horn glowed and tingled with magic, but Mother wasn't doing anything. Her horn dragged her across the land, over hills and fields, until it stopped at a big rock.
"A rock?!" Mother had yelled at her horn, "You dragged me all the way out here for a rock?! What is your problem, horn?!" But before Mother could turn away for home, a BOOM sounded, and a rainbow graced the sky, breaking the rock down the middle, revealing gemstones! Hundreds of gemstones!
Mother took them home and worked them into the fabric, delivering them to her teacher before the play. As the foals danced on stage, the gems glittering in the stage light, the teacher turned to Mother, speechless, but with a huge smile on her face. Mother smiled back, and a flash on her flank appeared, as did her cutie mark: three diamonds, arranged in a perfect triangle.
Extra Credit looked up from her paper, beaming with pride, to look at her classmates, who were in awe. They slowly clapped their hooves and Extra Credit went to sit down.
Excellent essay, Extra Credit!" Mrs. Cheerilee smiled, "I'll be sure to read your other one later."
After school, the foals headed home, and Extra Credit trotted swiftly home, beaming with pride. She was tucking her essays, both of which got 100 percent, neatly into her organized satchel. She looked up to see Speeding flying quickly into the sky, up to her cloud house.
"Your essay way really cool!" Word Smith said to Extra Credit.
"Well, yours was, too," Extra Credit smiled at her BPFF, "I mean, your mom went to Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns!"
"I'm sure your dad would have gone, too, if he had wanted to," Word Smith said.
"I still find it cool that it was Speeding's mom that helped our moms get their cutie marks!" Ranger said, doing a flip in the air, "If it wasn't for her, our moms might still be blank flanks! Word Smith's mom never would have went to CSFGU!"
"Well, I don't think they'd still be blank flanks," Party said, "They would have found their talent anyway."
"Even if it had taken a while," Tux said.
"Oh, yeah," Ranger said, "But still, think how different their lives would have been!"
Tux and Extra Credit arrived home and walked inside.
"Mother! Father!" Extra Credit called.
"Welcome home, darlings," Rarity trotted into the room, "I'm afraid Father isn't with us tonight. He's off on a trip for his job, so he'll be gone for a while."
"Aw," Extra Credit frowned. Father was always gone on job trips.
"But not to worry, we'll see him in a few days," Rarity said, "So, how was school?"
"Oh, I got 100 percent on both of my essays!" Extra Credit said, taking them out and showing her mother.
"These are very good, Extra," Rarity smiled. She quickly read the essay on Pocket's cutie mark, "So that's how he got his cutie mark. Well, these are going on the fridge." Rarity trotted swiftly into the kitchen, levitating the essays in front of her. She pinned them on the fridge with a magnet. Extra Credit smiled and turned back to do her homework, but spotted something on her flank.
"Huh?" Extra Credit gasped, "My cutie mark!" There, on the filly's pink flank, was a white work sheet with 'A+' in the corner.
"You got your cutie mark!" Tux cried.
"Oh, congratulations, darling!" Rarity smiled, giving her daughter a hug, "I wish Father could know."
"Let's send a letter!" Extra Credit said, taking up a quill and paper with her magic.
Dear Father,
You won't believe what happened! I earned my cutie mark! It's a worksheet with an 'A+' in the top right corner, indicating my knowledge, I believe.
I knew you'd be so proud! Please write back as soon as you can!
Your young filly,
Extra Credit
