Bright Marks by Pan

 

(12/07/2021)

 

 

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Every pony's cutie mark is bright when they first get it. This is an adaptation developed over countless generations. Grown ponies discipline foals with spanking. Each spanking harmlessly damages the cutie mark. Although the corporal punishment hurts a great deal while administered (that is the point!), once healed, the only lasting change is the imperceptible dimming of the cutie mark.

 

In time, little ponies who are spanked more develop a more natural cutie mark that matches the rest of their coat, tail, and mane.

 

Ponies with the most faded marks are investigated by Development Defenders to ensure no abuse is happening. This may be another reason the gene was passed on: foals raised in loving homes go on to have more children, and those foals are more likely to make it to reproductive age. In rare cases, a faded cutie mark is simply a sign of a firm, but loving, hoof. Once the investigation finds nothing of concern, these foals get teased at school for being "tan hides", named after the common expression.

 

Borderline cases are strongly advised to spank less intensely. Pamphlets offer advice such as combining with other punishments (corner time, grounding, loss of privileges) that don't wear out one's cutie mark. Case workers revisit at-risk foals and ensure the punishment is within reason. It should light a fire in the backside, but not be so intense that it imparts no lesson.

 

Little ponies with the brightest cutie marks also endure teasing and advice. Foals call them goody-four-horseshoes or spoiled rotten. The name-calling depends on whether the little one is generally well-behaved, or simply not punished hard. Adults encourage their guardians to "roast their rumps" more often and "get that cutie mark looking normal". When they act up at school, they are dragged by the ear to the front of the classroom with a promise to "wipe that cutie mark off your backside". Scientists believe the bright marks came into existence because most ponies were physically punished. Punishment dulls the cutie mark, but bright cutie marks are more attractive to mates. A "natural" level of brightness will be too dim after a foal undergoes a typical level of spankings by pony parents.

 

A bright cutie mark is now considered unattractive; a sign of a naughty pony who never took well-earned bruisings, or a pony who never took risks to get in trouble. Poniatricians advise parents to spank more when they see a bright cutie mark. The attitude is similar to doctors suggesting braces or posture correction. Braces are sometimes needed for medical reasons, but are also employed for aesthetic reasons with no underlying medical need. If such things are fixed while the pony is still in adolescence, they have a chance at a normal adulthood free of scorn.

 

Some parents argue that bright cutie marks are natural, and that they will never spank their foals no matter what. "Bright is beautiful" remains a minority opinion. Most ponies believe either that brightness is an evolutionary trait meant to be counteracted to the "proper hue", or put there by their creator to encourage parents to keep their offspring in line.

 

Off the record, a small number of adult ponies with bright marks attend remedial sessions to bring their marks in line with societal expectations. Their dedication cannot be questioned, for each session is quite similar to a school or home with traditional views of discipline. With blushing faces, each pony is called up to the disciplinarian to be spanked. The only difference is that adults are punished on special punishment racks that tie down their legs and force their tails out of the way. The treatment can be stopped at any time, but for efficiency reasons, quitting a session partway through incurs a huge fine.

 

One pony is punished, rump out, with the next pony "on deck" also tied down in a rack and awaiting their slaps. Once strapped in, you take your spanking or chicken out and pay the fine. The ponies in line are able to see the rumps of the ponies up front. This semi-public setting was found to have less mid-punishment cancellations. The adults who truly want a duller cutie mark grit their teeth and watch what their rumps will soon endure. Those made of weaker stuff trot a hasty retreat out the back door.

 

It is extremely rare for an employer or government agency to cover this treatment. It is similar to the challenges centuries prior with getting mental health treatment. Humorously, that means most of grown-up ponies spanked like little foals are rich. They walk around Canterlot high and mighty 6 days a week, but on the last day, they trade a bright cutie mark for a bright red rump. Imagine what ponies would think, knowing that their bosses and trust-fund friends are still getting spanked at 20, 25, even 30! The lower classes would revolt.

 

They don their cloaks and dresses, and head back home to sit on some ice. Eventually, they will be normal. The process is so gradual, week by week, spank by spank, that their friends and family don't notice. But when they hit the local watering holes and bowling alleys, subconsciously, potential mates will see them differently.

 

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Small extra by asd