It was another lovely day in Ponyville, and out in the forest, Three of the seven Cutie Mark Crusaders had set up a zip-line, and they were getting ready to slid down to the other end, hoping that this would help them get their cutie marks. These three were Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo
Sweetie Belle peered over the edge of the platform they were standing on, wearing helmets and were strapped into harnesses, and she wasn't looking too keen on doing the zip-line. "Are you sure about this, Scootaloo?" she asked uncertainly. "I've never even heard of a pony zip lining before."
"Neither have I." Scootaloo admitted excitedly. "but Chad told me it was awesome!"
Apple Bloom looked down and saw Chad with a mattress for them in case something went wrong. There was a Colossal Mellivora Badger (a sabertooth honey badger the size of a border collie) with, a purple left eye and a green right eye, next to him. This is was Ace. He waved at her, she waved back, only for Scootaloo to jump off the platform, dragging her friends with her since they were roped together. They made it halfway down when the rope suddenly stopped in the middle where they got stuck, and the catches had gotten hot enough that they burned through the rope. The three fillies screamed when the rope snapped. They fell into a tree. Chad moved the mattress below the tree, which they landed on, covered in tree sap and leaves.
“Thanks Chad.” Scootaloo said.
“See anything?” Sweetie Belle asked him. Chad looked at her flank and saw it was still blank.
“Tree sap and Pine needles, but no cutie mark.” Chad answered. Apple Bloom looked at his flank.
“You didn’t get your cutie mark in being a safety changeling either.” Apple Bloom said. Chad sighed.
“I wonder how the guys are doing at log sledding.” Sweetie belle said. Spike walked over with the three colts covered in splinters.
“They didn’t do too well.” Spike said. Spike’s harpy eagle, Achilles, was pulling some of the splinters of the colts.
“I take it it’s time for us to go for plan B?” Rumble asked.
“What’s Plan B?” Skeedaddle asked.
“Yes. The cannon idea.” Scootaloo brought up. Chad tapped his chin.
“I wonder if Pinkie has a cannon big enough for the rest of us.” Chad said. The other crusaders, bar Scootaloo, looked a bit shocked. Scootaloo instead took her helmet off and tossed it to the side. Ace walked over to it and batted it around.
"It's no use! No matter what we try, we always end up without our cutie marks." Scootaloo complained.
“And covered in splinters and tree sap.” Rumble said as Achilles pulled out another splinter.
"Maybe we should do something less dangerous, like pillow testing or flower sniffing." Sweetie Belle suggested, taking off the harness. Apple Bloom and Chad brought pails full of water with washrags for everyone to clean themselves off.
“Hey, I got an idea.” Spike suggested as everyone washed themselves off. "This town is full of ponies who have their cutie marks. Why don't we ask them how they did it?" Spike said.
"Spike. You're a genius!" Chad exclaimed as he placed Ace on his back. “We’ll go around and ask how ponies got their cutie marks.”
“And I know exactly who we can start with.” Scootaloo began as she turned to the group. “The coolest pony in all of ponyville.”
"Applejack!" Apple Bloom suggested.
"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle said eagerly.
“Bandit!” Chad said.
“Coolest pony Chad. That was the keyword there.” Rumble pointed out. “Also, Bandit doesn’t have a cutie mark.”
“But he hasn’t given up, maybe he could give us some advice on never giving up.” Chad said.
“Come on, guys, I said "cool"!" Scootaloo said as she began flapping her wings so that she buzzed around her friends. "You know who I'm talking about. She's fast. She's tough. She's not afraid of anything!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle exchanged a look. "Pinkie Pie?"
"No!" Scootaloo said. "The greatest flyer ever to come out of Cloudsdale."
"Fluttershy?" They both asked. Rumble facehoofed.
“Don’t worry Scootaloo, I know who you mean.” Skeedaddle said.
“You do?” Rumble asked him.
“Of course he does.” Scootaloo smirked.
“Lightning Sprint.” “Rainbow Dash.” The two said at the same time, not on the same page. They quickly glared into one another.
“Both are good ideas.” Chad said before they could start argue. “We could just ask all of them.”
“Or skip straight to Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo suggested.
“We’ll put it to a vote. All those in favor of asking all we know?” Chad asked. Everyone but Scootaloo and Skeedaddle raised their hooves. “Vote tallied, everyone we know it is.”
“I want a recount.” Scootaloo said. Ace growled at her, making her flinch. “On second thought, everyone it is.”
My Little Pony,
My Big Changeling too
Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahhh…
[Bandit]
(My Little Pony)
We used to wonder what friendship could be
(My Big Changeling too)
[Twilight Sparkle]
Until you all shared its magic with me
[Rainbow Dash]
Big adventure
[Pinkie Pie]
Tons of fun
[Rarity]
A beautiful heart
[Applejack]
Faithful and strong
[Fluttershy]
Sharing kindness!
[Lightning Sprint]
Motivate the team
[Bandit]
Heroics makes it all complete
You have my little ponies
Do you know you're all my very best friends?
Chad was pulling the CMC plus Spike in a wagon that he was hooked to. Achilles was flying near the wagon and Ace was on Chad’s back. They were traveling at a good pace when they almost ran into three rabbits, who were racing away from Sweet Apple Acres with apples clutched in their paws. Chad slid to a stop and the rabbits looked grateful.
"Get back here, you thievin' varmints!" Applejack shouted, leaping out of the bushes. The rabbits ran off. Chad’s shell shook and unhitched his harness to roll out of the way with Ace lifted in his magic so he wouldn’t roll him over, and Spike jumped. Applejack landed crashed into the other crusaders. Applejack grunted and peered at her little sister, who was sprawled on her back.
“Apple Bloom?” She asked. Apple Bloom raised her head and spotted her sister's cutie mark. "Hey sis! How'd you get your cutie mark?" She asked. Chad sent Ace after the apples that the rabbits were stealing. Spike sent Achilles to help him.
"I never told you that story?" Applejack asked as they all got up and dusted themselves off.
“Dang it. I thought we’d get to Lightning Sprint first.” Skeedaddle said as he kicked a little dirt around.
“You’ll get your chance fanboy.” Rumble nudged. The crusaders plus Spike sat down to listen to Applejack’s cutie mark story, and Applejack was more than willing to tell it.
"Why, shoot. I was just a little filly. Even littler than y'all."
"I didn't want to spend my life on a muddy old apple farm." Young Applejack left the farm with her bag on a stick, and both Granny Smith and Young Big Macintosh watched her leave with tears streaming down their cheeks, sad to see her go. Comforting one another as she continued on her way. "I wanted to live the sophisticated life, like my Aunt n' Uncle Orange. So I set out to try my luck in the big city, Manehattan! The most cosmopolitan city in all of Equestria."
Young Applejack went in search of her aunt and uncle's home and almost ran into a dark grey stallion named Count Caesar, who snapped at her.
"Hey! Outta the way, you rube!" He yelled, making Applejack move out of the way.
"I knew I'd find out who I was meant to be in Manehattan."
Soon young Applejack found the right apartment building and went up to the corrected floor, knocking on a door that had an orange on the front. The door opened and two ponies were on the other side. A marigold colored stallion with a lime green mane and an full orange cutie mark and a light orange mare with an orange mane and orange slices for a cutie mark. "Aunt Orange! Uncle Orange! Thank y'all so much for lettin' me stay!"
Aunt Orange led her further into the building. ""Y'all"." Aunt Orange repeated in a Posh accent, laughing. "Isn't she just the living end?"
Uncle Orange closed the door behind them before also talking in a posh accent.
"How quaint."
"Don't worry," Aunt Orange assured her niece. "We'll have you acting like a true Manehattanite in no time."
After a couple of nights, Young Applejack was seated at a long table with her relatives and their friends, who were chatting and sipping sparkling drinks through straws. She had her mane up in a fancy hairdo and she was doing her best not to sound like she was from the country.
"And how are you finding good old Manehattan?" Tall Order inquired.
"Oh, it's simply divine." Young Applejack answered in a posh accent, doing her best to keep her country accent underwraps.
"Very well said, my dear." said Aunt Orange with approval.
"Although, I must admit the city noise took some getting used to." Young Applejack continued. "Where I'm from, nights are so quiet, you seldom hear a peep until the roosters wake you." She fought back a sigh when she earned confused looks and her aunt pushed some loose strands of hair back into the hairdo.
Dane Tee Dove blinked, confused. "The… what?"
"I say, my dear, what in the world is a "rooster"?" Tall Order inquired.
'What's he talking about?' Young Applejack began to think to herself. 'What do I say? I don't wanna look like a fool.' She was saved from answering when the waiters came in with the food.
"Dinner is served."
"Thank goodness." she said, relieved as a covered plate was placed before her. "Being a city pony's hard work. I'm so hungry I could eat a…" she trailed off when the cover was removed to reveal a very small amount of fancy food. 'This is it?'
The next morning, Young Applejack got up before sunrise and went to the window to watch it rise. "Cock-a-doodle-doo…" she said before resting her chin on her forelegs, feeling very homesick. "Oh, I wonder what Granny Smith and Big Macintosh are up to," she said wistfully. "I bet they're applebuckin' their way through the Red Delicious trees. Oh, what I wouldn't give for just one bite…"
`"I never felt so homesick in all my days as I did right then."` Applejack narrated.
Just then, there was a massive explosion that made Young Applejack look up and her jaw dropped when she saw the most amazing rainbow arch through the sky with lightning Sprouting from it, and she watched as it disappeared in the direction of Ponyville. A wide smile appeared on her face.
`"It was amazin'! A rainbow pointin' right back to… home. In that moment, it all became clear. I knew right then just who I was supposed to be.”’
Young Applejack made her way back to Sweet Apple Acres and ran through the trees to get back to Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, who were happy to see her again. She ran to them and hugged them both happily. During the embrace, her cutie mark appeared on her flank.
“That's when this here appeared." Applejack said as she smiled at her cutie mark. "I've been happily workin' in the farm ever since.”
Ace walked over with an apple in his mouth and Achilles flew over with 2 apples in his talons. They placed the apples at her feet, and all three had teeth marks and talon holes in them. Applejack cringed slightly at the condition of the apples. She then smiled at the two.
“You know what, keep the apples.” Applejack told the two before heading back to the farm. Ace ate the apple in front of him and Achilles rolled the apples over to him as he perched on Spike’s arm.
"Aw." Sweetie Belle said, having enjoyed the story. "That was such a sweet story!" Apple Bloom nodded in approval
"Sweet? Try sappy," said Scootaloo, mock-gagging and hopping back in the wagon while the others joined her. "Come on! We've got to find Rainbow Dash and hear the cool way to get a cutie mark."
“If we see her next then we’ll ask her.” Chad said as he placed the harness back on and began pulling the wagon. Ace got on Chad’s back and Achilles flew along side the wagon.
As the wagon was being pulled, the CMC colts and Spike were talking about the story.
“I do have to wonder what that explosion was.” Pipsqueak said.
“I gotta say, that part explosion sounds a bit familiar.” Chad commented.
“It does?” Spike asked.
“Yeah. I feel like I should recognize it, but-” Chad looked ahead and saw Fluttershy in his way and he slid to a stop, which nearly flipped the wagon and sent the other members of the CMC and Spike over his head and the seven landed before Fluttershy.
“Thanks for the warning Chad.” Spike groaned as he stood back up.
“What do you want from me? I barely saw her.” Chad said as he walked over to help everyone up. As he helped his friends back up, Fluttershy continued to assist the ducklings.
"All right, little ones." She said to the ducklings. "This way. This way.” The ducklings cross to the otherside, she turned to the six foals plus Nymph and Baby Dragon, who were either helping up or helped up. "You really should be more careful." She advised. "Somepony could get hurt. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"
"We're trying to find Rainbow-” Scootaloo tried to say before Chad shoved a hoof in her mouth.
“Actually, we’re trying to find Lightning-” Skeedaddle tried to say before Spike closed his mouth with his claw.
“We’re learning how everyone else earned their cutie marks.” Rumble spoke up.
"Oh, it’s interesting that you bring up those two." Fluttershy remarked, smiling. "You know, I wouldn't have gotten my cutie mark if it weren't for Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash?!" Scootaloo asked excitedly. "Really?!"
“Oh yes.” Fluttershy said. Scootaloo shot Skeedaddle a sly look before they at sat down to listen to Fluttershy’s story. “It all started at Summer Flight Camp."
”You'd never guess, but when I was little I was very shy. And a very weak flyer." Fluttershy narrated.
“Noooooo.” Rumble sarcastically said before a smack from Apple Bloom made him yelp.
Young Fluttershy watched the other fillies fly through the cloud loops on the course before trying herself. Flapping her wings she struggled to lift herself up and just as she started passing through the nearest loop, her hoof caught on the edge and she went tumbling through the air, down a cloud slope, collided with a flag, and then crashed into a cloud, yelping the whole time.
Young "Dumb-Bell" was flying by when he saw the whole thing and laughed cruelly before landing before her. "Nice going, "Cluttershy"!" he teased. "They oughtta ground you permanently."
Young Hoops joined his friend to mock the young yellow pegasus. "Ha! My baby brother can fly better than you!"
`"It was the most humiliating moment of my life. And then, out of nowhere…"`
Just then, Young Rainbow Dash flew by and landed between Young Fluttershy and the bullies. "Leave her alone!" he snapped.
"Ooh, what are you gonna do, "Rainbow Crash"?" Young Hoops sneered when he saw the young blue pegasus.
"Keep making fun of her and find out!" Young Rainbow Dash challenged.
"You think you're such a big shot?" Young Dumb-bell demanded. "Why don't you prove it?"
Young Rainbow Dash looked forward to any challenge they could suggest. "Whaddya have in mind?" She asked.
After a few moments later, Young Rainbow Dash, Young Dumb-bell, and Young Hoops were waiting at the starting line of the ariel course, preparing to race, and Young Fluttershy was standing on a cloud with the black/white start flag in her mouth.
"You're going down!" Young Hoops sneered.
"In history, maybe," Young Rainbow Dash retorted, smiling. "See you boys at the finish line!"
Young Fluttershy waved the flag and the three racers took off, zooming past her so fast, she spun off the cloud and plunged toward the ground far below.
Young Fluttershy screamed as she continued fall, unable to get her wings to work, and the ground was growing closer and closer and-
Suddenly, she was no longer falling and she blinked. "Huh?" She then realized that she was being carried by a large flock of colorful butterflies, which she had only read about in books, and how she was seeing them for the first time. She was further amazed as they deposited her in the middle of a meadow, and she was greeted by various other animals, insects, and even frogs.
`"I had never seen such beautiful creatures. Butterflies don't fly as high as my cloud home. And I'd never been near the ground before."`
Amazed by the animals, Young Fluttershy rose into the air and began to sing as she explored the meadow and the nearby forest while the animals followed her around.
“What is this place
Filled with so many wonders?
Casting its spell
That I am now under
Squirrels in the trees
And the cute little bunnies
Birds flying free
And bees with their honey
Hooooonneeeeeeey!
Oooh, what a magical place
And I owe it all to the Pegasus race
If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve
I'd have come here sooner, and never leave
Yes, I love ev-er-ythiiiiing!"
Just as Young Fluttershy finished singing, there was a massive explosion, and the sky was filled with a rainbow-colored shockwave and lightning coming out of the shockwave. This scared the animals and they scattered, fleeing back to their homes and other hiding places. Concerned for the well-being of the creatures, she went to some bushes, where she found a family of rabbits hiding.
"Shhh. It's okay." Young Fluttershy reassured them, convincing them to come back out. "You can come out. Everything's okay. There's nothing to be afraid of." She then went around, convincing all of the creatures to come out of hiding, and soon enough, they were gathered around her. Seconds later, her cutie mark appeared on her flanks.
`"Somehow I had the ability to communicate with the animals on a different level."`
"Wait, wait, wait." Scootaloo interrupted, trying to make sense of how the story went from the race to creatures and singing. "What happened to Rainbow Dash? What about the race?" she asked.
Fluttershy blinked a few times. "Oh. Well, I wasn't there, so I don't really know what happened." She confessed.
“Thanks for your story Fluttershy.” Pipsqueak said as he got back in the wagon. Chad was still tapping his chin before feeling the wagon get heavy again. He was trying to piece this together.
“Where to next Chad?” Apple Bloom asked. He didn’t answer so Ace patted his head to get his attention. Chad looked back at them. “Where are we going next?”
Chad pulled out a deck of cards and shuffled them he presented the deck to Apple Bloom.
“Pick a card Apple Bloom.” He said. Apple Bloom picked one up and looked at it.
“Six of blue diamonds?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Rarity.” Chad said as he began pulling the wagon.
“Yes!” Spike exclaimed happily as Chad began to pull off. Scootaloo and Skeedaddle groaned as Chad pulled the wagon.
“Bye Fluttershy!” Sweetie Belle said as she waved to her.
"Bye, girls!" Fluttershy waved.
Chad pulled the wagon to the boutique and knocked on the door. As they waited, they began talking again. Chad ‘parked’ his wagon and unharnessed himself as the others got off.
“So after we hear everything, what should we do for our cutie marks?” Apple Bloom asked.
“We could try filmmaking. Or book writing.” Chad said.
“We should totally try filmmaking.” Sweetie Belle said. Then the crusaders got to thinking.
“What should the movie be about?” Skeedaddle asked. Before they could answer, Rarity opened the door, having heard them talk as she opened the door.
“Are you all still obsessing over your cutie marks?” Rarity asked as she opened the door.
“Yes. Yes we are.” Chad answered. Rarity opened the door and let them in.
"Most of the fillies at school already have theirs.” Sweetie Belle said as she walked in.
“Foals. Colts are in that class too.” Skeedaddle pointed out. Sweetie Belle looked at him unamused.
“Most of the foals at school already have theirs.” She emphasised that time.
"Mmm, I know how you feel." Rarity remarked, recalling the events that lead to her getting her own cutie mark and setting her on the path to be an fashion designer. As she did, Opal began stalking Achilles and then pounced for him. He flew out of the way and avoided her before the two began playing. "For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I didn't have mine."
On a stage not far from the school, music was playing, and three fillies were wearing costumes and dancing on the stage. Off to the side, Young Rarity and the teacher were watching the performance.
"Well done, Rarity." Rarity’s teacher said. "Your costumes are very nice."
"Nice?!" Young Rarity repeated, alarmed. "They need to be spectacular! And the performance is tomorrow!"
“I tried every trick I could think of, but nothing seemed to work. The costumes just weren't right. And the play opened that night." Rarity narrated.
“Nice rhyme.” Spike was heard saying.
“Quiet Spike.” The female Crusaders said.
Young Rarity sat at the sewing machine, trying to improve the costumes, but she couldn't figure out how, and she sighed in defeat. "Maybe I'm not meant to be a fashionista after all.” She said with her held down. Then her horn lit up, causing her to yelp when the magic dragged her out of the room. "What's going on?!"
"I had no idea where my horn was taking me. But unicorn magic doesn't happen without a reason. I knew this had to do with my love of fashion and maybe even my cutie mark!" Rarity continued to narrate.
Young Rarity grunted as she was dragged through the countryside and yelped in pain when she collided with something large.
“I knew that this was… My destiny!” Rarity added. Young Rarity recovered, rubbing her sore head, she looked up and saw that there was a large black rock towering over her.
"A rock?!" Young Rarity shrieked. "That's my destiny?! What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?!" She groaned in frustration. "Dumb rock!"
Young Rarity heard a massive sonic boom, making her stumble back, and she stared at the massive rainbow shockwave that shot through the sky. A lightning bolt came out of the rainbow hue and struck the rock, cracking it open and revealing the inside. Inside, there were gems of all shape, size, and color. "Ooh!"
That night at the play, the music played and the three fillies dances in their gem-studded costumes. Off-stage, Young Rarity and the teacher watched as the ponies awed, and then Young Rarity blinked when her cutie mark appeared on her flank.
"Ugh!" Scootaloo groaned, standing back up. "These namby-pamby stories aren't getting us any closer to our cutie marks! They're all about finding who you really are and boring stuff like that."
“That’s….that’s the point of a cutie mark.” Chad said as he turned to her.
“Come on everyone. We need action! We need Lightning Sprint!" Skeedaddle said as he ran out.
“No! We need Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo argued as she ran out. Chad groaned before looking at Achilles, pinned by Opal, trying to ‘fight’ her off.
“Achilles, it’s time to go.” Chad said. Achilles got onto his talons and flew over to Spike’s arm and perched again. Chad carried Ace on his back again as he walked outside.
Skeedaddle and Scootaloo face planted onto the table in front of them, having run into Twilight before getting to Rainbow Dash or Lightning Sprint. Skeedaddle flopped his hood onto his head as Twilight spoke.
“As a young filly in Canterlot, I always wanted to go to the Summer Sun Celebration, where Princess Celestia raises the sun.” Twilight began to narrate.
“And I saw the most amazing, most wonderful thing I've ever seen.” Twilight Narrated. It was an early morning at the Summer Sun Celebration, the sun was only a few minutes away from being risen. Trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of Celestia. Young Twilight carefully pushed her way through the crowd in order to get a good view.
Soon the tall and graceful Alicorn arrived, folding her wings to reveal her sun cutie mark, and Princess Celestia smiled at the crowd before rising back into the sky and used her golden magic to raise the sun. The crowd cheered and Twilight was excited since that was the most wonderful display of magic she’d ever seen.
"I poured myself into learning everything I could about magic."
Young Twilight concentrated hard, managing to turn the page of her book with her magic.
"My parents decided to enroll me in Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. It was a dream come true!” Night Light and Twilight Velvet showed an approved certificate to Young Twilight, which made her dance in celebration. “Except for one thing... I had to pass an entrance exam!"
Young Twilight stood before four unicorns. Apple Polish, Crystal Clear, Arpeggio, and Top Marks. She looked back at her parents, who gave her the gesture to smile. She smiled back at the unicorns, still nervous. A stallion wheeled in a wooden cart bearing a lavender egg with dark purple spots, and a sign attached to the side of the cart. She looked at the sign and saw that she was tasked with hatching the egg.
“I got so nervous that I cowered behind my parents.” Twilight narrated. Young Twilight ran back to her parents and hid behind them. At that moment, Celestia walked in. She enters the room and four unicorn ponies with clipboards bowed to her.
“Greetings everypony.” Celestia said. Twilight looked up and saw Celestia in the middle of the room. Twilight Velvet looked back at Young Twilight and gestured to have her go talk to her. Hoping that would help her with her nervousness.
“Celestia came to witness my entrance exam and I went to tell her how nervous I was. She encouraged me to try my best. Then, I met Bandit.” Twilight narrated.
After finishing talking to Celestia, Young Bandit leaned out from under Celestia’s legs and waved at her, She smiled and waved back. She placed her hoof behind Young Bandit and pushed him forward.
“Bandit and I only met each other for 3 minutes, but he encouraged me and believed in me or than I did in myself.” Twilight narrated. Young Twilight, now filled with a little more confidence as she looked at the egg.
“You can do it Twilight!” Young Bandit silently encouraged. Young Twilight gave it her best, but it her horn barely even lit up. Nothing happened. She tried again, only for the same thing to happen. She began to get nervous. She kept trying, straining as she did so. Although this had no effect, Young Bandit was encouraging her.
“Come on Twilight, you can do it.” He encouraged.
“No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much Bandit encouraged me, nothing I tried worked. My entire future depended on the outcome of this day. But I couldn’t do it.”
Young Twilight then hung her head in shame. She looked up and saw that Young Bandit wasn’t facing her. She sighed and turned back to the four unicorns. This is when a loud sonic boom was heard. Young Twilight gasped and her horn lit up. She shot a beam of magic at the dragon egg.
Both eggs hatched at the same moment, revealing a lavender dragon with a light green underbelly and green spikes, and a changeling nymph with purple eyes and white iriuses.
Then Young Twilight’s magic went haywire. Her magic made the four unicorns levitate, turning her parents into plants and turning Spike into a gigantic dragon.
Celestia places a hoof on Young Twilight, which managed to calm her down. The judges were dropped and landed on Young Bandit’s magic, who did so to let them have a soft landing. Twilight’s parents turned back to normal, and Spike turned back into a baby and began to suck on his tail. Chad crawled to Young Bandit’s chest and fell asleep. Young Bandit held him with an excited smile.
"Momma! Did you see that?! Did you see it?" Young Bandit asked her with excited hops.
“Sounds like Bandit was more excited about your accomplishment than you were.” Chad was heard saying.
“For a moment he was.” Twilight narrated.
“Does this mean she can get into the school?” Bandit asked with a tail wag.
"That's not the only thing she's got" She pointed toward the young unicorn's flank.
Twilight gasped and looked seeing her own cutie mark "Oh my gosh oh my gosh Oh my gosh I've got my cutie mark. Mom! Dad! Look!"
“So not only did I get a cutie mark, and became Celestia’s protege on the same day, but I got my very own BGCFF.” Twilight said. The crusaders, minus Chad and Spike looked confused.
“Best Giant Changeling Friend Forever.” Chad clarified.
“Ooooooooh.” The group said.
“Something about all these stories feels familiar.” Chad said, tapping his chin.
“That was a nice story Twilight, but we gotta go find Lightning Spri-, I mean, we gotta hear the other stories.” Skeedaddle said. Twilight smiled and nodded her head.
“Okay, be safe. And Good Luck.” She told them. Chad walked off harness himself onto the wagon.
Chad was pulling the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike through the town again, and Scootaloo was becoming frustrated. As was Skeedaddle, who was looking annoyed with folded hooves.
"Ugh!" she groaned. "Why don't we ever smash into Rainbow Dash?!"
“Or Lightning Sprint.” Skeedaddle commented.
“You know, I read somewhere that the more you try to make something happen, the harder it is to happen.” Spike told the two.
“That explains your Rarity situation.” Chad muttered.
“What!?” Spike exclaimed.
“Nothing.” Chad said as he and Rumble snickered. Spike glared at him.
"You're looking for Rainbow Dash and Lightning Sprint?" Pinkie asked from her seat behind Spike, and seven in the cart were startled since she hadn't been there a second ago. "If I were them, I'd be at Sugarcube Corner. Of course, if I was anyone, I'd be at Sugarcube Corner. Hey! I have an idea! Wanna go to Sugarcube Corner?" She suggested brightly, leaning back and almost falling off the wagon. Spike grabbed her to keep her from falling.
"Well, we're sort of looking for Rainbow Dash and Lightning Sprint, so we can hear how she got her cutie mark," Sweetie Belle informed her.
Pinkie considered this. "Cutie mark?" she repeated and then smiled brightly. "Come with me and I'll tell you how I got mine!"
Scootaloo sighed, having already heard stories from Four of the Seven with Cutie Marks. "Why not?"
“How did you earn your cutie mark?” Skeedaddle asked defeated.
"All right!" Pinkie squealed.
"My sisters and I were raised on a rock farm outside of Ponyville. We spent our days working the fields. There was no talking. There was no smiling."` Young Pinkie Pie, whose mane and tail were straight instead of curly, sighed as she rolled a rock across the ground until she could add it to one of the piles. While her parents and sisters went inside, she looked toward the sky wistfully. `"There were only rocks. We were in the south field, preparing to rotate the rocks to the east field when all of a sudden…" Pinkie narrated.
Young Pinkie Pie jumped when there was a loud explosion and a rainbow shockwave shot through the sky, creating a serious wind that left her mane and tail all curly and tangled. She then saw a rainbow that was left behind and she smiled widely for the first time, happy by the beautiful sight.
`"I'd never felt joy like that before! It felt so good I just wanted to keep smiling forever! And I wanted everyone I knew to smile too, but rainbows don't come along that often. I wondered, how else could I create some smiles?"`
Getting an idea, Young Pinkie Pie ran to the barn and went to work.
The next morning, a rooster crowed and her family came out of the house to go to work, unaware of what was happening in the barn.
"We better harvest the rocks from the south field.” Igneous Rock Pie said before he stopped hearing music come from the barn.
"Pinkamena Diane Pie!" Cloudy Quartz called. "Is that you?"
Young Pinkie Pie poked her head out of the barn, letting out a ballon and some confetti. "Mom! I need you and dad and the sisters to come in. Quick!" And she duck back inside.
The Pie family entered the barn and their jaws dropped when they saw the decorations, the cake, and listened to the happy music that was being played.
"Surprise!" Young Pinkie Pie said happily. "You like it? It's called… a party!" and she blew on a party tweeter. When her family didn't react, except for their mouths to start trembling, she became sad, positive that they didn't like her party. "Oh. You don't like it." Her sad face turned into a happy face and she gasped when her family all smiled brightly. "You like it! I'm so happy!" And they danced and had fun for the entirety of the part.
Chad parked the wagon in front of Sugar Cube Corner.
"And that's how Equestria was made!" Pinkie Pie concluded, confusion most of the group.
"Wha… huh?" Scootaloo asked.
“Oh look at that we’re here. Let’s head inside.” Skeedaddle said as he tried to get out of the wagon, only to face plant. Rumble laughed at him as Pipsqueak helped him up.
Pinkie hopped out of the cart and headed for the door. "Maybe on the way home I can tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark," she said cheerfully. "It's a gem!"
"Oh, come on," Sweetie Belle said while Scootaloo was still looking a bit confused. "She's just being Pinkie Pie."
Skeedaddle went inside and was soon followed by the others. As they walked in. They saw Seven Members of the Mane 8. The only one who wasn’t there was Lightning Sprint. And as a result, Skeedaddle pouted again, but Scootaloo was thrilled to see Rainbow Dash at the counter.
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed when she saw the blue pegasus, and she was relieved to see her. "You're here!"
Beaming, Rainbow Dash walked over to the three fillies. "I hear you're looking for my cutie mark story," she remarked.
Scootaloo sighed and nodded. "You have no idea what I've been through today to hear that story." She admitted, sitting down on the rug, looking forward to hearing about the pegasus race. But Rainbow Dash looked at Skeedaddle.
“Hey, what’s the matter champ?” Rainbow Dash asked. Skeedaddle sighed.
“I just wanted to hear Lightning’s story on how she got her cutie mark.” He told her. Lightning arrived at that moment before smirking and standing behind him, giving the shush signal to Rainbow Dash, who smirked and looked at Skeedaddle.
“What if I told you she’s the reason I got my cutie mark in the first place?” Rainbow Dash asked. THat got his attention. He looked up at her.
“She was?” He asked, now willing to hear the story.
"It all happened during the race at Flight Camp…" Rainbow Dash began, recalling the race.
"…where I stood alone against all odds to defend Fluttershy's honor."
Young Rainbow Dash, Young Dumb-bell, and Young Hoops were waiting at the starting line of the ariel course, preparing to race, and Young Fluttershy was standing on a cloud with the black/white start flag in her mouth.
"You're going down!" Young Hoops sneered.
"In history, maybe," Young Rainbow Dash retorted, smiling. "See you boys at the finish line!"
Young Fluttershy waved the flag and the three racers took off, zooming past her so fast, she spun off the cloud and plunged toward the ground far below.
"I've never flown like that before! That freedom was unlike anything I've ever felt! The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane… I liked it… a lot! That was until…." Rainbow Dash narrated.
Young Rainbow Dash flew through the course, having the time of her life while Young Dumb-bell ended up crashing into a cloud, and she was going faster then ever before when she was suddenly knocked off course by Young Hoops. "Ow!"
"Ha!" Young Hoops laughed. "Later, Rainbow Crash!" He shot through the course.
“That jerk knocked me out of the race, and he was way too far ahead for me to catch up.” Rainbow Dash told the group.
“How did you catch up?” Scootaloo asked.
“A certain someone gave her a helping hoof.” Lightning Sprint said from behind the group. Skeedaddle snapped around happily and hugged her. She hugged back.
“So when Rainbow Dash landed on my cloud, I knew it was because of a cheap move.”
Young Rainbow Dash landed on the cloud of Young Lightning Sprint, who gasped and looked at her.
“Are you okay?” She asked. Young Rainbow Dash got up and looked at the course.
“Those jerks knocked out of the race!” Young Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Young Lightning Sprint looked at the culprit and glared.
“Not yet they didn’t, come on!” Young Lightning Sprint encouraged as she began flying.
“There’s no way I’ll catch up now!” Rainbow Dash said as she followed Lightning Sprint.
"Hey! You can do anything you set your mind to!" Young Lightning Sprint continued motivating. "Hey, I'll race with you. Come on!"
The two of them took off at very high speeds to catch up, They were right behind Young Hoops during the dive and were gradually picking up speed.
“Rainbow and I discovered what we had in common that day. The only thing we loved more than flying fast-.” Lightning Sprint narrated.
“Was winning.” Rainbow Dash added.
The two fillies bolted forward, an explosion of Rainbow and Lightning charging it. Several pegasi were watching in absolute awe as the sky filled with Rainbows and the Lightning omitting from it. As the two pegasi were flying, the two of them earned their cutie marks.
“A sonic Rainboom was already rare.” Rainbow Dash said.
“A hypersonic Lighting Strike was even more so. Ponies didn’t even believe that either existed.” Lightning Sprint added.
“But together, the two of us made the impossible happen.” They both said.
"And that, little ones, is how you earn a cutie mark," Rainbow Dash concluded proudly, folding her wings so that they could see her cutie mark.
"Whooooaaaa…” The CMC and Spike, bar Chad said. Some gears got to turning in his head before it finally clicked.
“Wait. I see the connection now.” Chad said, getting everyone’s attention.
“Connection?” Bandit asked.
“Fluttershy heard the explosion that scared the animals. Pinkie heard it before seeing the rainbow that taught her to smile, A lightning bolt shattered the rock revealing the gems for Rarity, a rainbow pointed Applejack home, and Twilight’s exam would have been botched if that explosion didn’t awaken the power she truly had.” Chad said. Rainbow Dash squinted.
“What are you getting at?” She asked.
“I think he’s saying that if it weren’t for the two of you, none of the group would have their cutie marks. We have a special connection with one another before we even met.” Bandit said as he walked over with Klaw and Fang sitting on his hoof as if he was perched.
Pinkie slid in front of the two of them.
"We all owe our cutie marks to you!" Pinkie Pie squealed, hugging the two. Lightning Sprint looked at Bandit.
“Well, almost everyone.” She said. Applejack bonked her in the head. Bandit smiled and walked over.
“Meh, I don’t need a cutie mark to know I got some fantastic friends. Come here you!” Bandit said as he hugged the seven. They all giggled as they were picked up.
Chad walked over to Bandit and tapped him. Bandit placed the others down and looked at Chad.
“So what did you-” Ace walked over and cuddled under Chad. “Dang it Ace, I was talking.”
Ace curled under Chad and sat there. Chad looked back at Bandit.
“What did you do when the Hypersonic Rainboom went off?” Chad asked. Bandit smirked and winked at Chad.
“Never stopped trying. Even if my attempts are a bit more subtle nowadays.” He noogied him. Chad smiled and looked back at the CMC, where Scootaloo was hugged against her will by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
Back at the library, Chad was writing the letter as Twilight spoke.
"Dear Princess Celestia,Today I learned something amazing. Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she's met them. If you're feeling lonely and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows? Maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow." Twilight wrote.
"Gross!" Spike complained, staring at her with a disgusted expression. "When did you get so cheesy?"
“Oh, that was cheesy huh? How about I recite your pickup lines you were practicing in the bathroom.” Bandit teased from behind. Spike gasped and turned to him and jumped to close his mouth.
“Nono Please! I’m sorry!” Spike panicked. Bandit smirked and held him in one hoof.
“Relax Spikester, I was kidding.” He began to noogie him. Spike sighed from relief, laughing at the noogies.