Magical Mystery Marks

by bdoubleowo

Fluttershy's Story

When Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike entered Sugarcube Corner, the first thing they saw were many ponies standing around none other than Fluttershy, who was singing:
“I try to keep them laughing, put a smile on their face.” Fluttershy was blowing balloons, but suddenly, she let go of one and it blew around her. Then, she put on a pair of gag glasses. However, since nopony responded, she took them off. “But no matter what I try, it seems a bit of a disgrace.” The ponies around her suddenly started laughing, and Fluttershy turned toward where they were looking. “I have to entertain them, it's there for all to see.” Spike had taken the gag glasses and put them on, and was now dancing. Twilight waved her hoof at him, nonverbally telling him to stop. Fluttershy looked sad and looked down at her flank, which now featured three balloons – Pinkie Pie’s old cutie mark. “It’s got to be my destiny, and it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.”
Twilight went up to Mrs. Cake, smiling nervously. “Could I have a blueberry muffin, please?”
“Sure thing, dear!” Mrs. Cake took a muffin from under the counter and hoofed it to Twilight, who took it in her magic. “That’ll be three bits.” Twilight hoofed over the bits, and Mrs. Cake smiled.
Sitting down at a table, Twilight watched as Fluttershy’s viewers slowly dispersed, and soon Fluttershy was standing all alone. She sighed.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow flew over to the yellow Pegasus, and she made a small “eep!” in response. “What’s going on?”
“Um. . . hi, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy smiled at her friends. “Hi, Twilight. Hi, Spike.” Spike waved.
“Hey, so, we have a question for you!” Rainbow told her, landing on the ground. “Twilight’s going around asking her friends for their cutie mark stories.”
“Really?” Fluttershy looked at Twilight, who nodded. “You know, I wouldn’t have gotten my cutie mark if it weren’t for Rainbow Dash."
“What?” Twilight was shocked, and Rainbow Dash nodded. “What happened?”
“Well. . .” Fluttershy sat down at a table, and Rainbow and Twilight joined her. Spike went over to Mrs. Cake and ordered a plate of cupcakes for the table. “It all started during the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp, where both Rainbow Dash and I went when we were fillies. . .”

“Well, first of all, I might want to ask... how much do you know already?" Fluttershy asked.
"We know about the bullies and the cloud fall... But not much after," Twilight replied. "We're wondering about the rest."
Spike returned with the cupcakes, and Twilight took a bite out of one. “So, what happened in your story?"
“Yeah!” Rainbow punched the air. “Tell ‘em what happened next, Fluttershy!”
“Oh. . . okay,” Fluttershy said, a bit surprised by Rainbow’s eagerness. “So, the bullies and Rainbow Dash told me to be the flagpony for their race, and I agreed, though by the time I was actually doing it I was really regretting that decision. This feeling intensified when I waved the flag and the three racers—Rainbow Dash, Hoops, and Dumb-bell—shot past me. They were really fast! So fast, in fact, that I spun around a couple of times, and fell off the cloud where I had been standing!” She shuddered, remembering.
Twilight clapped her hooves to her muzzle. “Oh my Celestia! How awful!”
“I saw Rainbow Dash turn towards me, but she turned back around and continue to race.” Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, and Rainbow giggled nervously.
“Sorry.” Rainbow rubbed her hoof behind her head. “I thought you could fly well enough to at least slow your fall.”
“You were right, Rainbow. Don’t worry about it. I flapped my wings, and somehow, I managed to slow my fall enough that I didn’t faceplant into the ground. I did fall on my belly, however. I looked around, and saw the most beautiful sight–a forest that was filled with animals. I started singing to them, and they trusted me.” Fluttershy repeated her fillyhood song for her friends:
“What is this place, with its so many wonders? Casting a spell, that I am now under! Squirrels in the trees, and the cute little bunnies! Birds flying free, and the bees with their honey! Honnnnnn-ney!” This last note was belted out, for a moderate amount of time. Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Twilight leaned in, listening.
“Oh! What a magical place. And I owe it all to the Pegasus race! If I knew the ground had so much to achieve, I’d have come here sooner, and never leave! Yes, I, love, eve-ry-THINNNNNG!” She spun around a couple of times, stopped, shook her head, then smiled at her friends. Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike all clapped, and Fluttershy blushed a little.
“Um. . . thank you.” She smiled. “Anyway, after the song, I waved good-bye to the animals and walked into town, which I soon learned was called Ponyville. I was a little scared, for I had never seen any non-pegasi before. However, nopony seemed to be mean or rude to me.” Fluttershy bit into her cupcake, and swallowed before she continued her story. “I walked into a building that seemed to be the center of Ponyville. I thought it would be the town hall, but instead, it was a bakery. Mrs. Cake was there, and she asked me if I needed anything, for she thought I was lost.”
“That I did!” Mrs. Cake trotted over, and rubbed Fluttershy’s mane. “Just came over to ask if you’d like anything else.”
“No, thank you,” Rainbow said. “Thanks for the cupcakes!”
“No problem, dear! If you’d like anything else, just ask!” Mrs. Cake smiled, and walked back behind the counter.
“I explained that I had fallen from Cloudsdale and couldn’t go back, and she reacted almost like you did, Twilight, when I told you that I had fallen off a cloud.” Fluttershy looked at Twilight, and she made the connection.
“Oh, she went like this?” Twilight gasped and clapped her hooves to her muzzle again.
Fluttershy nodded. “Yep. She offered me a place to stay upstairs, and I accepted it. I also asked Mrs. Cake if I could help at the bakery, so that I could earn money for myself. She told me that I could, and so I’ve been working and staying here to this day!”
“Wow!” Twilight blinked, surprised. “Wait, so how’d you get your cutie mark?” 
“Well, a few minutes after that, I was baking. I found a cake recipe in Mrs. Cake’s book. I started to bake it, and was just finishing up when there was a huge BOOM! sounding from outside. I jumped, throwing the bowl that I was using to mix the ingredients. The cake mix fell right on top of me- in front of an unusually-packed Sugarcube Corner. There was a moment of silence, and then everypony burst out laughing. I smiled, and laughed also, for I recognized the humor in the situation, but the other half of me wanted to get the Tartarus out of there- oh, I’m sorry. . . please, excuse me.” Fluttershy blushed.
Twilight put her hoof around Fluttershy. “You’re excused. So, what, you got your cutie mark at that exact moment?” 
“Yes, I did.” Fluttershy nodded. “It represents laughter, and baking.”
“That’s really cool!” Rainbow flew over to them. “Awesome story!”
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy blushed again.
Twilight thought back to Rarity’s and Rainbow’s stories, and then compared them with Fluttershy’s. The Sonic Rainboom had still occurred, although Rarity probably didn’t realize that the explosion from the lightning bolt that split the rock was actually from the Sonic Rainboom, even though the lightning bolt probably did cause some sort of noise. Twilight kept thinking, and she realized that in this timeline, Fluttershy was a pretty good baker! She was one in the old timeline, as well, but she didn’t do it much except for the occasional tea and cookies with her friends. Then Twilight realized something, something that made her gasp.
If Fluttershy’s cutie mark was the three balloons. . . what was Pinkie Pie’s cutie mark?