It had been a couple of days since the Masquerade Ball. Rarity was being helped by her sister to load up the carriage back to Canterlot, Twilight was busy catching up on her studies, Applejack and her family were preparing for Cider Season, Fluttershy was really busy with her animals, and Rainbow Dash needed to prepare the clouds for a rainstorm tomorrow.

Looks like it was just me and Pinkie Pie, I thought. Not that there's anything wrong with her. It's just that I live somewhat far away from Sugarcube Corner. It'd be a hassle to get there, unless….

"Delivery!" Some mail pony shouted from outside. I opened the door to see an orange Pegasus with orchid hair, with a box in her hooves. She was a bit younger than me, probably a teenager. She explained "This is for you. More art supplies, I presume."

"You're not Derpy," was my only response. She sighed, "Yeah, all the Pegasus that were free were called in to help with the storm. I'm the delivery pony when Derpy's absent."

"Wait…if all free pegasi were called in….why are you still here?"

"I'm…handicapped." She opened up her wings. "These things couldn't take me off the ground if they tried." The orange mare started to leave when I noticed she had a scooter. I exclaimed, "Wait! Um….how much would I have to pay to get a lift on your scooter to Sugarcube Corners." The Pegasus did the math in her head before answering, "3 bits." I paid the teen and she started to rev the scooter's small engine. I hopped on, and we started our slow peddling way to the bake shop.

It was silence as we went through the main part of town. Then I noticed she had her scooter as her cutie mark. I asked, "Hey, about your mark-!"

"Yeah, I know," she groaned. "I don't have one. It's hard enough being ridiculed for not being able to use your wings by your peers, but it's even tougher being the only blank flank at school."

"Didn't anypony else at your school not have cutie marks?"

"Yes, actually. We called ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders: Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and me." That one name struck a chord in my mind. I asked, "Isn't Sweetie Belle-!"

"One of the most talented teenage singers around? Yeah, I've heard that. She didn't even know it when we were fillies! But she's way better than I ever was. It started a couple of years ago. It was time for the talent show, but we decided we should do separate acts this time. I did tricks on my scooter, Applebloom did some rope tricks her sister taught her, and Sweetie Belle got the nerve to sing in public. She heard the cheers of the crowd, and I immediately noticed what the expression on her face said: 'Hey, I'm good.' The award for best singing performance went to Sweetie Belle, and that's how she got her cutie mark."

"So, how did your other friend get hers?"

"Applebloom was a good carpenter. Working with tools came natural to her hooves. Too bad she didn't realize it until crisis came. A big storm came in, and their main barn's roof fell in; really bad. So, Applebloom, with the help of her older brother, Big Macintosh, fixed up the place. But it turns out it was mostly Applebloom. She earned her cutie mark through hard work and honest effort, just like her other relatives." She laughed. "I can't believe we were so oblivious to our talents as kids. They were staring us in the face, and we didn't even look."

"Sounds like you have the same problem," I said, pointing down to her flank. She stopped the scooter, looked at where I was pointing, and gasped, "My cutie mark! It's finally here!"

"It was there all along. You just deluded yourself so much because you thought you'd never get it. When did you think you got it, anyway?"

"Well, I guess it's when I realized that I'd have this scooter for the rest of my life. Oh, look! We're here!" The orange Pegasus pointed a hoof to the bake shop, Sugarcube Corner. I asked, "Do you want to stop inside?"

"Actually, I have a better idea." The teen started up her scooter once again, and handed me a helmet. "Hold on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride." She made the scooter go faster than I ever thought something with such a small motor could go. I could tell that we'd have to walk the way back. She then stopped when we got to a nice tree house. "Here we are, the Cutie Mark Crusaders hideout."

"It's very nice to see somepony's kept it in shape after you and your friends split up."

"Thank you." She then walked into the clubhouse, and I followed suit. There were many pieces of paper scattered around, some had random doodles, some jotted down ideas, and some had drawings of Rainbow Dash. I said, "You must've spent a lot of time here."

"I did, and still do. I thought myself as a blank flank all of my life, and never thought anymore than that. I…and my friends had a falling out about a year ago. We met up here one last time, and Applebloom, who was sort of always our leader, explained, 'We can't have this group forever. I've already got my cutie mark.'

"'Me too,' Sweetie Belle cut in. 'and I've already got somepony who's willing to be my agent once I hit it big.' I asked, 'Well, what about me? I still don't have one.' Sweetie replied, 'Don't worry, you'll find yours soon enough.' I retorted, 'And what if I don't? What if I'm destined to be a blank flank….for the rest of my life?'

"'Well, then….I guess it's the end of the Cutie Mark Crusaders,' our valiant leader answered. The other two left, but I stayed behind. There was no way I was going to give up on my friends just because I didn't have a cutie mark, but it happened anyway. I went to my scooter that night as I returned home, and sighed, 'Looks like it's just you and me.'"

"Wow. Have you and your friends made up since then?"

"No. Though that wasn't our worst or loudest fight, it spoke volumes to all of us." I looked around, seeing a crudely drawn map of Ponyville on the wall, and a lyrics sheet. The sheet, of course, caught my interest. I pointed to it, and asked, "What's this?"

"This was sort of our theme song."

"Can-can I sing it?"

"Sure, I guess," the teen mare answered. I looked at the faded lyrics, mad out what I could, and sang:

"Look, here are three little ponies

Ready to sing for this crowd

Listen up, 'cause here's our story

I'm gonna sing it very loud…"

"When you're a younger pony

And your flank is very bare

Feels like the sun will never come

When your cutie mark's not there…" Another voice joined in. The orange mare looked out the window to see one of her friends, and exclaimed, "Applebloom!" The yellow teenage pony explained, "Me and Sweetie Belle saw you come over here, and realize it was so stupid to disband over such a little fight. We're sorry." A white unicorn came out from the shadows, since the sun was starting to set, and joined in with the next verse.

"So the three of us will fight the fight

There is nothing that we fear

We'll have to figure out what we'll do next

Till our cutie marks are here…" The two on the ground came into the treehouse and embraced in a warm hug. They started to talk about things, and I was left in the corner. The orange Pegasus noticed me, and asked, "So, how'd you get your cutie mark?"

"I believe that's a story best saved for another time…" I picked up a pencil and piece of paper and began to write a letter to my parents. It read:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today, I learned that we all have a purpose on this place we call Equestria. Whether it's to be hard workers, strong singers, humble messengers, or just draw what we feel in our hearts every day. We're all meant to do something, but it's not the marks on our flanks that show it. It's in the thoughts, feeling, and actions we make everyday that do.

Your Loving Daughter,

Doodledraw

With that, I gently placed down my pencil, and noticed the three teen mares were asleep. I sang to them, as soft as a lullaby:

"We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders

On a quest to find out who we are

And we will never stop the journey

Not until we have our cutie marks…"