That Rainbow Mane

by Dragomena

I: Welcome to Ponyville!

The little pink filly stared wistfully at the trees on the edge of her family's farm and the gray, cloud-smothered horizon above them. Her mane, straight as a yardstick, swayed gently in the wind. It was another early autumn day, just like any other. Just herself and her sisters, her mother and father, in their own obscure little plot of land where their rock farm sat. Each day was the same, the five of them working tirelessly to make ends’ meet. Every night was the same as well, she and her sisters sitting idly by the fireplace while Mother cleaned the dishes and Father... well, she never really understood just what he did, but it was important enough that they usually never saw him unless he was telling them it was time for bed.

The best thing she could say about this life was that it could always be worse. It was as dull to her as the rocks she pushed about every day. She took solace in those scarce few moments in life where things... changed. When Granny Pie would come visit them and the nights would be filled with laughter and joy, or when Father would come out of his room early one night and one of her sisters would get him to read them a story. Those little moments were the important ones, and each day was a slog through unending work until one such moment would arrive again.

She sniffled. Granny Pie hadn't come by in weeks. She'd heard her mother reading some letter out loud the day before. The old mare had broken a leg and had to be taken to the hospital. Granny Pie was a tough one, her mother always said, and little Pinkamena knew well enough just how strong she was, but... she hadn't seen or heard from her in weeks. Granny Pie would always at least send letters, which Mother would read aloud for them, but lately Mother hadn't read one letter to them at all. They stopped coming, because if they hadn't, Mother would have read them.

With a sigh far too heavy to have come from the little pink filly's mouth, she lowered her head and began pushing the nearby rocks into a pile. Father needed them to rotate the "crop" from the south field to the east field that day. For the most part they'd finished, but little Pinkamena had been falling behind constantly, earning her the stern, disapproving gaze of her father as he called them back into the house for the night. Heavy rain was scheduled for today, and there was no way he'd force them to work through that.

The little pink filly almost turned to head into the home. She almost went inside, and almost had a quiet afternoon and evening, sitting by the fire while her sister Inky read their favorite story, because Father was busy and couldn't do it himself. She almost did just that, but she didn't.

Instead she sat perfectly still, her eyes lighting up in awe. A huge rainbow-colored explosion appeared on the horizon. At first it was tiny, but it grew huge, pushing far over her head and nearly knocking her over as it blew across the landscape. Her straight little mane twisted and twirled in the wind, curling upon itself until it resembled a big fluffy lump of hair. By the time the explosion stopped, the gloomy rain clouds overhead had been blown clear away, revealing the bright blue sky that had been hiding behind them. A rainbow swiftly formed across the sky where the explosion had started.

Little Pinkamena stared at it in amazement, a little grin forming on her face. It grew steadily, until it ceased to be a grin and instead became a big, warm smile. She'd never been this happy before. Not even Granny Pie made her this happy when she came to visit. Not even the stories Father would read had ever made her this happy.

As the rainbow slowly faded, a quiet fear rose in the back of her mind. This was just another little moment, and as soon as that beautiful rainbow was gone, she knew she'd be miserable again. It faded and faded, until there was nothing but blue skies.

She was still happy. Even as the pegasi overhead brought the clouds back, griping and moaning about how much extra work it was, she was still happy.

A thought occurred to her; She'd never been this happy before, and it stood to reason that if she could feel like this, then her family should too. Inky and Blinky had always been more accepting of how life on the farm was, but she knew they were unhappy. Mother and Father seemed distant these past few weeks, and she could tell they weren't happy either.

She sat there outside, rubbing her chin. She thought to herself, 'How can I bring this happiness to my family? I can't make them see that rainbow, it's gone now. How do I make them happy?'

~~~

Three days.

It had been three days since Pinkamena Diane Pie had set out with her parents' blessings; she was little Pinkamena no longer. The little filly had grown into a fine young mare, practically the spitting image of her Granny Pie right down to the bouncing curly mane and tail. They knew she was old enough to make her own decisions in life and when she told them that she wanted to leave the farm and make some friends, they gave her everything they could to help her out.

It wasn't much. Their family had never been too big on personal possessions. The farm had always struggled to make ends’ meet, and what few possessions the young mare owned had filled her bindle. Thankfully she didn't have to pack any food; grass and flowers were plentiful on the road. There was one other thing they'd given her, of course, and thankfully she could carry that in her head.

Sugarcube Corner, a bakery in a town called Ponyville, was her destination. All she needed to do was tell the owners that she was the daughter of Susanna and Clyde Pie and that she was looking for a place to stay and work to do. They'd take her in. The Cakes were like family to the Pies. That's what her mother told her, at any rate.

A quiet fear sat in the back of her mind. Her mother had never talked about the Cakes like that before. It wasn't that she didn't believe Mother, but all she had to go on was her word that they'd accept her. It was a fear quickly dismissed, however. It wouldn't matter if the Cakes weren't like family. She'd just have to do her best to win them over regardless. To do anything else would just be lazy, and her father never raised her to be lazy.

As she arrived on the outskirts of Ponyville she scanned the town, looking for any signs of Sugarcube Corner. While there were certainly many distinct looking buildings, from the houses to the farms on the edge of town, and everything in between, none of them said "Sugarcube Corner" to her. It didn't help that she had no idea what Sugarcube Corner even looked like, but she was hardly about to let that stop her. If she didn't know where it was, then there was only one thing to do.

With a trot that looked more like a hop than anything else and a sweetly hummed tune, the pink earth pony headed off into town. Somepony in town had to know where Sugarcube Corner was and, as soon as she found them, she'd know too.

~~~

Bon Bon pressed her pillow against her ears, trying to get back to sleep in spite of the loud pounding coming from her front door. She glanced briefly at the grandfather clock across the room from her bed. She shouted, "What kind of crazy pony goes around slamming on their neighbor's door at four in the morning?!"

The knocking ceased for a moment, much to her relief. Then it picked up again, causing her to throw her pillow across the room. She stormed out of bed and down the stairs of her house, arriving at her front door in a huff. Whoever was on the other side of that door was going to get a piece of her mind. She slid the bolt keeping her door locked in place, then swung it open, glaring angrily at the pony on the other side.

The young pink-maned mare staring back at her caught her off guard. "What do you want?" Bon Bon asked, trying her best to sound irate. But if the strange new pony had any idea that she was mad, she certainly didn't show it.

The pink earth pony beamed a warm smile. "Good morning, new neighbor! I was just wondering, do you know where I can find Sugarcube Corner?"

Bon Bon tried to remain angry. She tried to chew out the pony who had so rudely disturbed her sleep. She just couldn't manage it, though, and instead found herself pointing to the large gingerbread-esque building by the town square.

"Thank you!" The pink-maned mare said, and with that she was off, leaving a dumbstruck Bon Bon behind.

"What in the world..." She began. She shook her head and closed the door, locking it back up. As she trudged back upstairs to go to sleep she muttered to herself, "That pony is such a weirdo."

~~~

Pinkamena stopped just a few yards short of the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, taking in the whole of the building. It was, by all accounts, a giant gingerbread house. What appeared to be white frosting decorated the rooftop, on which a large pink-frosted cupcake tower sat. Windows were plainly visible on them, too; they weren't just decorations, they were part of the living space itself.

She stared at it for a little while longer, then began laughing. This was amazing! She was expecting something far more like home, where the buildings needed to be practical and there was no room for a little creativity. But this place... whoever designed it was a genius. She could just stand out here forever, admiring that pony's handiwork...

"Excuse me," said a voice from the now empty doorway, "but are you here to buy something?" The pink earth pony turned her attention towards the owner of it, an older mare with hair like the frosting on top of the bakery's cupcake tower. "If you are, we won't be opening for another six hours."

Pinkamena tilted her head to the side. "Oh? Wait, are you Mrs. Cake?" As the older mare nodded, she smiled hopefully. "I came all this way to meet you and Mr. Cake! My parents told me all about you and your bakery in Ponyville and I knew I just had to come out here and meet you two and maybe you could help me find my own place here in Ponyville oh my gosh I can't believe this is happening can you believe it oh look is that Mr. Cake what's he carrying it's a tray of-"

A solid blue hoof clamped itself over her mouth. "Slow down, dearie. Start from the beginning, okay?"

She nodded, and when Mrs. Cake removed it, began to speak again. "My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie. I've come here all the way from my parents' rock farm to see you two."

The older mare turned her attention to the lanky stallion by the front counter of their store, waving him over. Then she turned back to her guest. "Pie, you said? As in-"

"Susanna and Clyde Pie! They're my parents." Pinkamena beamed earnestly. If they really were friends of the family, that'd be more than enough.

The two older ponies turned to look at each other, whispering things Pinkamena couldn't make out. A quiet fear crept up from the back of her head, but it was silenced immediately. If that wasn't enough, she'd just do her best to prove herself to them. That's what she'd told herself before she even got here, and it wasn't about to stop being true now.

When they finished, Mr. Cake turned his attention to the young mare. "We could always use another hoof around the store. Can you bake?"

"Of course," Pinkamena exclaimed, "my Granny Pie and my parents taught me everything they know about baking!"

The orange-maned stallion smiled. "Follow me to the kitchen, then. I'll give you the tour and get you started right away."

~~~

Pinkamena grinned with anticipation as she watched the little egg timer on the kitchen oven. It was almost time. Just one more minute...

The voice of Mr. Cake came from behind her. "You've been watching that oven this whole time. You don't really have to just wait in front of it, you know."

She shook her head, her eyes staying focused on the oven. "I want to make sure you two know I'm definitely worth hiring! These cupcakes need to be perfect for that."

"I'm just saying," the lanky stallion began, but was cut off by a loud ding. Within an instant she'd removed the cupcake tray from the oven and placed it on the countertop. He'd never even seen her grab a hot pad, but one sat in her mouth despite that. His mouth hung agape while he tried to process just what had happened.

The pink earth pony beamed a huge grin as she turned to look at Mr. Cake. "Done! Let 'em cool off before you try one, okay? Oh, but we should probably frost 'em first! Where do you keep the frosting?"

Mr. Cake eyed the cupcakes, then motioned towards to a cupboard at the far side of the kitchen. "Don't worry so much about making them perfect. Mrs. Cake and I aren't expecting perfection from a filly fresh off the rock farm." He cleared his throat, then stepped to the side and pulled a bundt cake pan out of the cabinet beside the oven. "Anyways, you've got the job. We're opening in about three hours, so we need to keep working. Once we open, we'll see about letting you work the front counter with Mrs. Cake."

Pinkamena nodded her head in approval; she'd get to meet lots of new friends that way. "Okey dokey! I'll just frost the cupcakes, then we can get right to baking!"

~~~

Applejack groaned as she walked down one of Ponyville's may streets. All she'd wanted to do was go to Sugarcube Corner and explain the situation to the Cakes. The night before a section of their roof had caved in and, since the Weather Patrol had a heavy thunderstorm planned for tonight, they'd need to cancel the birthday party they'd planned at Sweet Apple Acres for her little sister. The rest of the day would have to be spent patching up the Apple family's home, and if there was time for it they'd try to have a little picnic on the farm.
It wasn't a big responsibility, really, but this was important to her. And yet, Granny Smith had insisted on coming along. No matter how much she'd wanted to do this herself, there was just no arguing with granny. Once the old mare set her mind to something, there was no shaking her from it.

The voice of her granny snapped her back to reality, and as she lifted her head she just barely stopped herself from walking into a street lamp.

"Don't look so down in the dumps," Granny Smith said, patting the blonde mare on the shoulder. "You'll give somepony the wrong impression."

Applejack turned her head back and forth, looking around the street. The citizens of Ponyville were all going about their business, like it was any other day. "Nopony's even lookin', Granny. Ah'm not sure ah follow, anyways."

"If folks see you moping about like that," the elderly mare began, her face serious and her tone deadpan, "they might think we're going to a funeral."

That got a chuckle out of Applejack. "Sorry granny. Ah'm just... a mite frustrated. Ah was really hopin' ta do this alone. Ah'm a grown mare now, an' part a' bein' a grown mare is handlin' important responsibilities like..."

She paused, having just noticed that they'd already reached Sugarcube Corner. They're already gotten halfway through their trip; there wouldn't be much of a point in asking granny to head home now. "Well," she said, pushing the door open with a hoof, "let's get this finished, then."

As the two stepped into Sugarcube Corner, they were greeted by two ponies. The first was definitely familiar to the young mare; she'd recognize Mrs. Cake's mane from a mile away. But the second was an enigma to her. She'd never seen a pony who looked like that.

The pink-maned earth pony beamed a huge grin as she leapt over the counter towards the two of them. "Good morning," she shouted as she closed the distance between them, "and welcome to Sugarcube Corner!"

Applejack leaned backwards, just barely avoiding the young mare's muzzle rubbing into her own. "Uh... good mornin'? Do ah know you?" The pink mare shook her head from side to side vigorously. "Well then, it's... nice ta... meetcha..."

"Give her some space, Pie, you're scarin' her!"

The two young mares both turned their heads to look at the elderly Granny Smith. Their mouths opened simultaneously, each asking nearly the same question.

"You know who I am?"
"You know who she is?"

Granny Smith nodded sagely. "'Course I do! It's been a long time, Pinkamena Mary-Anne Pie, but I'd recognize that face anywhere. What're you doin' back in Ponyville? And why are you so young?"

That got a giggle and a snort out of the pink-maned mare. "No no no, that's my Granny Pie's name! I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie. What's your names?"

Applejack looked back and forth between her granny, Mrs. Cake at the counter, and the strange newcomer, then sighed. "Ah'm Applejack, and this here's Granny Smith. We're here ta pick up a cake for my little sister's birthday. We'll be cancelin' the party though. Y'see our roof sorta caved in a mite bit last night, an' there's gonna be a big thunderstorm tonight, so we'll be spendin' all day fixin' it up an' can't really-."

There was a spark in her pink counterpart's eyes, and she regretted saying it almost immediately. Pinkamena's mouth opened, and from that point on it seemed to Applejack that it would never stay closed again. "Ooh, a birthday! How old is she? What's her name? How many ponies are invited? Hey, maybe I could help you! I'm great at throwing parties, that's my special talent! If you're inviting a lot of ponies, I could get to meet more of them too, and-."

Applejack jammed a hoof in the pink earth pony's mouth. "Woah! Slow down sugarcube. It's just a private family thing back at the farm. We'd love ta have some more ponies over, but Apple Bloom just wanted to invite her friends. 'Sides, we really need ta get that roof fixed an' havin' all sorts a' ponies runnin' around, gettin' in the way... better to just let us be, ah think." As she finished talking, the pink mare's shoulders sagged in defeat. She'd regretted saying that, too.

"Actually," a voice from the back of the room said, "we could always host the party here, if you're willing. I know it's on short notice, but between the three of us, we could definitely put something nice together for the night."

"Really?" The blond earth pony asked as she turned towards Mrs. Cake. She continued, "We don't want ta impose," but before she could even finish her sentence, her granny spoke up again.

"That'd be lovely, dear!" The elderly mare patted Applejack on the shoulder. "Come on, Applejack, let's go back to the farm and get Big Macintosh and little Apple Bloom, okay?"

Applejack's jaw dropped. They'd walked all the way here to pick up a cake, and now they were going to go back home just to walk all the way back again? But there was no arguing with granny, and no Apple family mare would refuse such a gracious offer. She chuckled and tipped her hat to Mrs. Cake. "Thank ya kindleh. It means a lot ta us. As fer you," she said, turning towards the pink earth pony standing before her, "what's yer name again? Pinkasomethin'?"

The pink earth pony exclaimed, a big smile forming on her face as she did, "Pinkamena Diane Pie!"

~~~

Rainbow Dash groaned and rolled over onto her belly. "Never again," she muttered, staring down at the bark of the apple tree she'd taken her nap in, "unless I have a pillow on me." Then she stood up and stretched her legs, gazing into the sky as she did so.

Clear skies. Her own hoofwork, of course. The other mares in the Weather Patrol just weren't fast enough to keep up with their latest recruit, so she'd started taking on more and more of their work to ease her own boredom. Not even Cloudkicker, the team's "best flier", could manage it. It hadn't done either of them any good that she couldn't; with the old team captain retiring soon Cloudkicker was in line for a promotion, and it hardly looked good for her if the rookie was outperforming her every day. And as for Dash...

It didn't matter to her what they said about her. Not to her face. Not behind her back. None of them mattered as much as Fluttershy, and that was who this was all about. As soon as that crazy pony got situated or gave up on this backwater town, she'd be free to go back to Cloudsdale where she belonged. And yet...

It wasn't that she didn't miss home. She left Cloudsdale for a reason other than her friend's safety, though she'd never admit it to anyone if they'd asked. She hardly needed the education, but there wasn't a pegasus alive who wouldn't feel even some shame if they dropped out of flight school. She could still hear the jeers of her classmates whenever her thoughts drifted back towards the pegasi city.

She shut her eyes and spat at the ground, trying to force her thoughts somewhere else. A voice from down below shouted, "What in the hay?!" She turned her head down to see who it was, catching sight of the female earth pony who usually worked the farm.

As she jumped down from the tree and landed beside the blond mare, she said, "Sorry," her tone belying her sincerity. The mare glowered at her, then shook her head and smiled.

"Ah was about ta buck that tree mighty hard. If anythin' ah ought to be apologizin' ta you fer that." The earth pony bowed slightly, crossing her legs as she did so. "Name's Applejack, stranger. An' you are?"

The rainbow-maned pegasus rolled her eyes at the gesture. She probably thought that cute little bow was impressive or something. "I'm Rainbow Dash," she said, unfurling her wings as she did so. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a cloud to find so I can get back to sleeping."

"We got beds in the house," Applejack offered, her smile never once leaving her face, "if you're just lookin' fer a place ta crash fer a while. Don't mind the hole in the roof, Big Macintosh'll be back with some boards an' nails fer that. We won't trouble ya much after that anyways. The Apple family's headin' ta Sugarcube Corner in a few hours fer my little sister's birthday party."

"Have fun with that." Dash turned to leave, but stopped before she could even get off the ground. "Hold up, how old is your sister?"

Applejack's eyebrow went up. "Hardly a filly. Why?"

Rainbow Dash smiled, trying her best not to make what she was about to say sound creepy. "Is it alright if I come and bring a friend? I've been trying to get her to come out and mingle more often, and I think it'd be less... intimidating for her if she isn't just dealing with ponies her own age."

"Well," the earth pony began, her eyebrow still raised, "ah suppose it wouldn't hurt. Lots a' the colts an' fillies here in Ponyville have older siblings they'd probably bring with."

"Great!" Dash shouted, pulling the earth pony into a hug. "Thanks, AJ. You're not so bad for an earth pony, y'know? I'll see you at the party!" With that she flew off into the sky, leaving Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres behind her.

"... that was a compliment, right?" Applejack asked out loud, her face a mix of perplexity and mild irritation.

~~~

"But sis," Scootaloo cried as she pulled away from the purple-maned pegasus pony beside her, "I don't even want to be here! I heard the caterer is a total weirdo and the birthday girl is just some farmhand!"

"Come on, Scoots," the older mare began, "there's plenty of other ponies your age here. And besides, the caterer can't be that bad if she was willing to throw a party for a family of total strangers at the drop of a hat, right?"

The little filly's eyes rolled. "Yeah, she can. Why are we even here, anyways?"

Dizzy Twister groaned. She knew exactly what she'd need to say to get this filly going. That pony was all she seemed to care about these days, ever since she'd come to town. "Because Rainbow Dash is my co worker and the boss told me to keep an eye on her. She's a real troublemaker, you know. Last week she-."
Before she could even finish her sentence, the little filly had leapt up into her face, her hooves wrapped around the sides of her head. "Woah, she's here?! Where is she? Come on sis, I wanna meet Rainbow Dash!"

The older mare shook her little sister off her face. "Later. She's not here yet. Go inside and have fun, okay? I'll introduce you to Dash before the night's over." It seemed that was all she needed to convince that filly this party would be worthwhile; Scootaloo had already run right through the open doorway to Sugarcube Corner. Dizzy breathed a sigh of relief, then headed on in herself. At the very least she'd wanted to see this "weirdo" herself, and since Dash hadn't arrived yet she definitely had the time...

As she entered the building, she was accosted by a fast-moving pink blur of hair and pony. "Good afternoon," it shouted, nearly knocking her off her hooves, "and welcome to Sugarcube Corner!"

The purple-maned pegasus smiled, gently brushing the earth pony off of her. "Um, hi. You must be this caterer I've heard so much about." As the earth pony nodded, she continued, "So you're this... Pinkamena, then?"

Again, the earth pony nodded. "Pinkamena Diane Pie, at your service! Welcome to the party! Oh hey, was that your sister just now? Scootaloo, was that her name? Are you Dizzy Twister? Would you like a cupcake?"

Dizzy cocked her head to the side. "What? Oh, right. Um, sure. Yes. That's her. Look, I'm kinda waiting for somepony, so I really should be getting back outside. You have a good day, okay?"

The pink earth pony grinned. "Okey dokey lokey! Don't worry, I'll be greeting ponies out there, too! Oh, and before you go, the cupcakes are over on the counter. Help yourself! Everything by the counter is free!"

~~~

Pinkamena smiled as she headed outside of Sugarcube Corner. They'd set up a few tables here and there by the front of the building for customers who wanted to eat without having to deal with the two dozen or so fillies and colts running about inside the store. And of course they'd want some free cupcakes too, she thought.

Over by the tables were a group of pegasus ponies. The pink earth pony recognized Dizzy Twister, but the rest were all new to her. Without a moment to spare, she began hopping her way over, taking care not to throw off the tray of cupcakes on her back as she did so. She needed to pick out a target; somepony had to be greeted first and the most obvious one was the closest. There were two of them. The closer of the two was a yellow-bodied pony with a long, face-hiding pink mane. And the one just behind her, chatting with somepony two tables down, was a sky blue pegasi with a long, disheveled mane the color of the-.

She stopped right where she stood. The entire world seemed to fade away as her sight locked onto that rainbow mane. Childhood memories began filling her head. The day everything stopped seeming so gray and dull came flooding back, and a huge grin crept its way onto her face. She needed to know this pony. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind, not even a quiet fear whispering from the back.

She moved closer and closer, her eyes never leaving that rainbow mane. The sky blue pegasus turned her head, and the mane swished with it; Pinkamena's eyes followed it as if she'd been hypnotized by the way it moved. She was almost there. She opened her mouth and tried to shout, "hello".

Instead she screamed and fell over, having ran right into the pink-maned pegasus pony in front of her. Her tray of cupcakes flew off her back and into the air, then hit the ground not too far away, smushing the baked goods into the grass.

She sat there, pinning the terrified yellow pegasus to the ground. She needed to do something fast, but her confidence had left her in that moment. Instead she sat, utterly petrified, even as the pegasus she'd knocked over threw her off and ran away until she'd vanished from sight.

She heard a voice, very close by, shout "What the hay is your problem?!" Her head pivoted upwards on its own, looking right into a pair of bright violet eyes just under that rainbow mane. They glowered back down at her. "Do you have any idea how long it took to get her out of that rat hole of a cottage?! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've been able to hang out with my friends without having to worry about her?! You ruined everything! You stupid, clumsy... ugh!"

The sky blue Pegasus stormed off in a huff, leaving her and her pegasus pony friends behind.

Quiet fears... that's what her Granny Pie had always called 'doubts'. They were just little voices in the back of her head, and they were easy to shut out when that's all they were.

Pinkamena turned her head, looking at the cupcakes she'd ruined on her way out. Her quiet little fears weren't so quiet or little anymore.