This was originally drawn for the 2023 Newbie Artist Training Grounds.

Day 18: Draw a pony experiencing a miracle / Draw a pony forging their own destiny.

While thinking about a drawing that might fit either option for this prompt, I settled upon one that I believe fits both: the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally earning their cutie marks, in the Season 5 episode, Crusaders of the Lost Mark.

Earning a cutie mark is already a momentous occasion, but for the Crusaders, it was a long time coming, and well-earned and very satisfying when it finally did happen, after nearly five whole seasons of anticipation and speculation. The way it came about was so poetic as well. After helping Diamond Tiara understand a better way to use her talent for authority and seeing where it led, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo unanimously agreed how good it felt to help other ponies, and for once, didn’t care about getting their cutie marks anymore, so long as they could help ponies together. And as it turned out, that’s exactly what they were destined to do: help ponies earn their cutie marks, or better understand what their cutie marks mean. I can’t think of a better talent for the three of them to share, and I’m still so proud of them for how far they’ve come, as I know so many others are. =)