[school bell ringing]

[chatter]

Cheerilee: Let's quiet down, please. We have a very important lesson to get to. [class quiets down] Thank you. Today we are going to be talking about cutie marks.

Diamond Tiara: Bo-ring. [sigh]

Cheerilee: You can all see my cutie mark, can't you? Like all ponies, I wasn't born with a cutie mark. My flank was blank.

Twist: Aww...! She's so precious!

Cheerilee: Then one day, when I was about your age, I woke up to find that a cutie mark had appeared.

[offscreen: Look at her hair!]

Cheerilee: Yes, I know, but honestly, that's how everypony was wearing their mane back then. I had decided to become a teacher, and the flowers symbolized my hope that I could help my future students bloom if I nurture them with knowledge. The smiles represented the cheer I hope to bring to my little ponies while they were learning. Now, can anyone tell me when a pony gets his or her cutie mark?

Twist: Oh! Oh! Oh! When she discovers that certain something that makes her special!

Cheerilee: That's right, Twist. A cutie mark appears on a pony's flank when he or she finds that certain something that makes them different from every other pony. Discovering what makes you unique isn't something [Diamond Tiara: Pssst!] that happens overnight, and no amount of hoping, wishing, [Diamond Tiara: Pssst!] or begging will make a cutie mark appear before its time.

Diamond Tiara: Pssst! Lizzy: What?!

Cheerilee: lizzm! Are you passing a note? Lizzy: Uh, I... Um...

Cheerilee: What could be so important that it couldn't wait until after class? [gasp] It's blank.

Diamond Tiara: [laughter] Remind you of anypony? [laughter]

[students whispering]