Prologue
Rainbow Dash’s mane flew behind her as she pushed harder into the wind. As she began to speed up, the velocity made her eyes water fiercely. Rainbow Dash’s ears flicked as she heard a powerful sound fill the air. Rainbow Dash vigorously turned her head to see what had happened. Her eyes widened in wonder when she caught sight of a bright array of light shining in the sky. She had heard many legends about the Sonic Rainboom, but she didn’t know that it was actually possible. Rainbow Dash grinned in excitement as she thought about how she was the first one to accomplish the seemingly unattainable feat. The roaring of the crowd reached her ears. A burst of pride rushed through her as they cheered. Rainbow Dash looked back to see a picture of a rainbow lightning bolt coming down from a cloud on her flank. Her cutie mark!
As Rainbow Dash swooped in for landing, she was awarded with a polished blue ribbon. First in the race again, Rainbow Dash thought to herself with a smirk. I’m on a roll!
Many ponies rushed up to her and clamored for her attention. They wanted to know how she did such an unbelievable task. Rainbow Dash looked up to the sky where her Sonic Rainboom had taken place. The remnants of the blast had vanished now, but she knew it had changed the lives of many.
Applejack stared out the window of her Aunt and Uncle Orange’s apartment. The sky was almost black and stars had begun to twinkle brightly in the heavens. Her heart ached terribly for her life back on Sweet Apple Acres. Tears stung her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks. Applejack prayed for something or someone to take her back to Sweet Apple Acres. She regretted leaving behind her loving Granny Smith and her brave older brother, Big MacIntosh. Most of all, she regretted not being there for her newborn little sister, Apple Bloom. She promised her mother before her passing that she would take care of her and be the best older sister she could be.
Applejack let out a sorrowful sigh. She knew there was nothing she could do now. She made this decision and there was no turning back. Applejack drew the curtains sadly and slowly got into her rather uncomfortable bed. The mattress was sturdy and the pillows were firm. She shut her eyes and eventually fell into an uneasy slumber. What she didn’t know was just as she had closed the curtains, a blast had sent a bright, beautiful rainbow pointing her straight back to her home.
Fluttershy screamed as she fell from the sky. The ground was nearing and Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut ready to embrace her fate. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a swarm of magnificent butterflies seemed to break her fall. Fluttershy hesitantly opened her eyes and her jaw dropped at the sight she was witnessing.
Fluttershy looked around the marvelous landscape and saw many fascinating creatures and plants. There were so many wondrous things and Fluttershy never wanted to leave this place. She had found the place she wanted to call home. The adorable, little creatures seemed drawn to Fluttershy like a moth was to a light. They playfully chirped and chittered as Fluttershy laughed joyfully.
Suddenly, a burst of light and a deafening sound filled the sky. The animals around her were severely frightened and they quickly ran for cover. Fluttershy’s heart dropped in her stomach and she took a cue from the poor animals. Fluttershy looked around frantically for a place to hide in case there were any aftershocks. She dove into a bush and shook in fear, sheltering herself from any additional blasts. After she decided it was safe to show herself, she gradually crawled out of the bush and looked for her animal friends again. They were nowhere to be found. Fluttershy’s face fell as she realized they would not be returning to her any time soon.
Suddenly, Fluttershy’s ears flicked as she heard another sound.
“Fluttershy! I’m so sorry!” There was sobbing from back in Cloudsdale. Fluttershy recognized the voice of her friend, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy’s heart pounded as she realized that Rainbow Dash thought she had accidentally ended her life.
Rainbow Dash sounded devastated. She thought that she would never see Fluttershy again and that it was all her fault.
“I’m okay, Rainbow Dash! I’m down here!” Fluttershy attempted to shout out as loud as she could, but didn’t find it in her to call to her loudly enough.
Fluttershy gave up and began to cry. Her wings were frail and she knew that she couldn’t carry herself back up to Cloudsdale on her own. Soon, Fluttershy’s wails grew louder. She was terrified and the sun began to set. She would soon have to face the somber, chilling night by herself.
Fortunately, Fluttershy’s wails grew loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear. Rainbow Dash was so devastated that she hadn’t bothered to leave the spot that she had knocked Fluttershy off of. Rainbow Dash looked up hopefully.
“Fluttershy, is that you? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It is me!” Fluttershy wailed. “Can you please come and get me? I’m afraid I can’t fly back up to Cloudsdale on my own.”
Rainbow Dash exhaled in relief. Fluttershy was alright! “Hang on, I’m coming to get you!”
Fluttershy sniffled and wiped her tears away as she saw Rainbow Dash gently landing next to her. A small smile tugged at the corners of Fluttershy’s lips.
Rainbow Dash threw her arms around Fluttershy. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I’m sorry that I knocked you off the cloud! I didn’t mean to!”
“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy replied as she scrubbed a few extra tears away. “It wasn’t your fault. I know how much you love to win.”
“I’ll take you back up to Cloudsdale,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “Hang on!”
Fluttershy climbed upon Rainbow Dash’s back and gripped onto her tightly. As Rainbow Dash began the ascent back to Cloudsdale, Fluttershy began to squeal with fright. She despised heights which was ironic for the little pegasus. When Rainbow Dash returned her to her house, it was almost night. The sky was red as the sun just barely touched the top of the mountain peaks in the distance.
“I’ve gotta get home,” Rainbow Dash told her. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy responded. She turned and went inside of her house.
Little did Fluttershy know was back down on the ground, panicked critters were huddled together in their shelters, wondering where the shy pegasus was.
“Pinkamena! Didst thou move rocks to where I asked thee to?” Igneous Rock asked. His eyes were as cold as stone.
Pinkamena sighed. Another day on the desolate, lifeless rock farm. Pinkamena had never once smiled in her life. The sun never reached beyond the endless cluster of clouds that hovered over the farm constantly.
Pinkamena looked over to her three sisters, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie. Limestone’s hard, determined gaze never failed to frighten Pinkamena. Limestone always claimed that the rock farm was hers alone and she would be the one to protect it until the end of her days. Maud’s stoic gaze confused Pinkamena. Other members of the family occasionally came to visit the rock farm and they would crack jokes. Nopony in Pinkamena’s family laughed, especially not Maud. Maud would keep a straight face and Pinkamena wondered how she did it. One day, Pinkamena even considered the fact that Maud was born without emotions. Marble was so terribly shy that she barely even spoke a word. Pinkamena had grown accustomed to her sisters and her parents being this way.
However, the family member that visited the rock farm most was Granny Pie, Igneous Rock’s mother. Granny Pie even called Limestone the angry one, Maud the rock expert, and Marble the shy one. Granny Pie called Pinkamena, the sad one. Pinkamena knew for herself that was true. She was always the awfully depressed one in the family and she never knew why. Pinkamena never found happiness in the rocks that she was forced to farm every day. In fact, Pinkamena didn’t know what true happiness felt like. She had never experienced joy before.
“Pinkamena! Are ye working earnestly? Lo and behold, I find thee lost in the thoughts of your mind. What is thou thinking?” Igneous Rock exclaimed.
“Sorry, Dad,” Pinkamena exhaled wistfully. “I promise not to do it again.”
Igneous Rock only nodded as he walked away.
The hours of the day seemed to move as fast as a snail. Pinkamena kept looking towards the sky as beads of sweat trickled down her face. Please take me away from here, Pinkamena pleaded silently.
“Children, come forth!” Cloudy Quartz, Pinkamena’s mother, called from the door. “Lunch shall be served.”
Pinkamena dropped her pickaxe and ran for the door. The hunger gnawing at her stomach ushered her forward towards the lunch her mother had prepared. She knew it was another meal made from stone, but it didn’t matter to her. It was all she had ever eaten and she didn’t know anything tastier.
When all of the Pie sisters arrived, Cloudy Quartz shut the door behind them. After the door was closed, a burst of light cleared away the dreary clouds and a rainbow shined brightly on the farm. Pinkamena hadn’t seen any of it.
Rarity stared at the rock ahead of her with bewilderment. Her horn had lit up and dragged her miles and miles away from her home only to bring her to a massive boulder. Rarity kicked it with her hoof. Once. Twice. Nothing happened.
Rarity just stared at the boulder for a second longer. As she looked at the towering boulder, anger began to boil up inside of her. It spilled out of her as she shouted, “A rock?! That’s my destiny?! What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?!” Rarity let out a groan. “Dumb rock!”
Shortly after her rant, an array of lights shone from above followed by the sound of an explosion filling the air. Rarity screamed and backed away from the sight, startled. However, the rock just sat there as if the explosion had never taken place.
Rarity stared at it for a moment longer before turning around and going home.
Twilight swallowed nervously as she stared ahead at the purple dragon egg. The judges looked at her with bored expressions upon their faces. How am I supposed to use my magic to hatch that?, Twilight thought with alarm. Twilight stood there as she looked at the lavender egg hesitantly.
One of the judges grew impatient. “Well, Miss Sparkle?” she said, arching her eyebrow.
Twilight laughed nervously and swallowed another stream of saliva. She flinched as she looked at the judges again.
The judge said it again, a little more forcefully this time. “Well, Miss Sparkle?”
Another one of the judges coughed urgently. Twilight groaned. I have to do this, Twilight told herself.
Another judge yawned as the first judge that had spoken told her, “We don’t have all day.”
Apprehensively, Twilight lit her horn and aimed her focus at the oval-shaped egg in front of her. It seemed as if her magic continued to fail her each time she tried to hatch it. Again and again, Twilight tried to hatch the egg using what little magic would spill from her horn. It was futile. Her magic wouldn’t obey her wishes and the egg sat there as still as ever.
Twilight fell to the ground as sadness washed over her. “I’m sorry I wasted your time,” she whispered softly.
The judges weren’t impressed as they scrawled notes on their clipboards.
“Miss Sparkle, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you do not qualify for this school,” the judge told her.
“I know,” Twilight said, her voice breaking. A lump formed in her throat and tears streamed down her face. “I’ll go home. I’m so sorry.”
Twilight turned and looked at her parents, ashamed of herself. She shrunk back afraid to see them disappointed in her. To her relief, her parents weren’t disappointed in her. However, they looked incredibly sad that she wasn’t accepted to the school. It had been one of her goals for quite some time now and it had crashed down before her eyes.
Twilight rushed over to her parents and threw herself into their embrace. Twilight let out all of the tears she had been holding back and sobbed in their arms. Her mother stroked her mane in an attempt to comfort her daughter as her father just hugged her tighter. None of them said anything.
“I-i-it’s not fair,” Twilight sobbed. She inhaled a raspy breath and exhaled as more sobs rang out around the room. “BBBFF got accepted into guard school. He gets to follow his dreams.”
“I know, sweetheart,” was all her mother could reply. “I know.”
As they walked out of the room, an extraordinary sight filled the air from outside, but Twilight had given up too soon. The poor little egg sat there unhatched. Another little filly came into the school and had succeeded in hatching the egg. She was given the little dragon for a personal assistant. The little drake looked up at her fearfully. The little filly tried to calm him down, but he felt no connection with the filly who was taking him home.
Applejack continued to grow up in Manehattan with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. She continued to be taught their lessons and heeded their advice. Soon, Applejack was a true city pony. Applejack always wore a dress and was never seen in public without one. Everyone thought she had a great sense of style, but she really wore the dress to hide her most shameful secret. She had never earned her cutie mark.
Fluttershy grew up in Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was Fluttershy’s only friend. Since Rainbow Dash always stuck up for Fluttershy, Fluttershy never felt the need to stick up for herself. She was afraid of mostly everything. Fluttershy hated stepping hoof two inches outside of her house. When Rainbow Dash convinced her to go outside, Fluttershy clung to Rainbow Dash as if she couldn’t survive without her. Every bird sent Fluttershy soaring into her house and every mysterious sound gave her a heart attack. However, Fluttershy stayed inside her house most of the time not because she was afraid. She stayed inside her house because she never found out what her destiny was. She didn’t have a cutie mark.
Pinkamena continued to grow up on the rock farm with her family. Pinkamena found comfort in her oldest sister, Limestone, since she seemed to not be afraid of anything and she hardly cried. Pinkamena began looking up to Limestone and she grew up to be almost identical in personality. Pinkamena had grown up to be protective of her rock farm and her family name. Pinkamena was always angry, but it was only because Pinkamena couldn’t seem to earn a cutie mark like the rest of her sisters.
Rarity was never inspired by the gemstones hidden in the boulder and never grew up with her sense of fabulousness. She wasn’t into the fashion industry and she preferred to spend time with her little sister, Sweetie Belle. Rarity never made the Carousel Boutique and nopony knew her for her sense of fashion. Rarity always wore a cloak because she was embarrassed by the fact that she couldn’t earn a cutie mark.
Twilight was saddened by the fact that she wasn’t accepted into Celestia’s School, but this sadness turned into bitterness. She didn’t like spending time with her brother, Shining Armor anymore and stopped calling him, BBBFF. She no longer cared when her foalsitter, Princess Cadance, came over and never made any playground chants with her. All Twilight wanted to do was study. She became extraordinarily amazing at magic, but she never knew it was her destiny. There was no way she could. No one told her she was great at magic or told her that she had a special talent for it. She never earned her cutie mark.
Spike grew up with a different filly who was especially talented in magic, Amber Hazel. Amber Hazel was very kind and treated Spike very well. Although, Amber Hazel never viewed Spike as a family figure and Spike never felt welcome despite Amber Hazel’s kindness. Amber Hazel did not name him Spike. His name was Asher. Spike was still a loyal assistant and friend, but he always felt like he was missing something.
Nightmare Moon was still to return and the destinies for the heroes of the Elements of Harmony were altered. Fate had seemed to tear them apart, but fate has a funny way of doing things.