//------------------------------//
// 02 - Bright Colors, Dreary Memories 
// Story: The Spectrum Chronicles: Dashes of Spectra 
// by SonicRainbowDashie 
//------------------------------//

	The next morning, Spectra woke as usual. Except she didn't feel the same. Was she sick? 'No I feel fine..' What was it then? It wasn't anything she felt since... Since I worked THERE...

She went to her bathroom to get ready, trying to push the thoughts from her mind. She took a shower, shook her mane out, and brushed her teeth. Her usual routine. She then reviewed herself in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. Her eyes glanced to the reflection of her cutie mark. The last thing reminding her of her time at that place. Three gears with a rainbow lightning bolt striking through them.

Spectra sighed in sorrow as the memories crept back into her mind. Getting your cutie mark as a Rainbow Factory worker isn't the most wanted way, but she tries her best to keep high hopes that her life isn't truly meant to work at that horrid place.

As guilt kept growing upon her. It had become too much. She turned quickly to vomit into the toilet.

"Ugh..." She groaned as she pulled herself back to the bathroom sink. I gotta get myself together. It's my first day being away from home. New job, new opportunities.

She was able to push the thoughts and the guilt out of her head enough to be able to clean herself up and finished getting ready. She packed a bag, seeing as she had no idea how long she was going to be there. And she looked back from her door and sighed as she said farewell to her home.


**********


She started off for the train station, finally able to get her mind off the guilt. But now she had anger on her mind. She was mad at herself for getting relocated.

"That Spectranado was my worst idea yet," Spectra scolded herself as she flew towards the train station, "and now I'm going to be stuck with a bunch of rookies in some one-hoofed town that I've never heard of!" Spectra finished her rant with a buck to the air.

Spectra just sighed in defeat as she had finally made it to the station. She had fallen into the line of ponies that were waiting to board the train. When she had boarded the train she sat in the only open seat. It was next to another pony. The pony had an orange coat, blonde mane, and a stetson sitting atop her mane. Spectra sat down.

The orange mare was first to greet Spectra, "Howdy!"

"Hi." Spectra replied back to the mare.

The other pony stuck out her hoof for a hoofshake, "The name's Applejack."

Spectra went to shake the pony's hoof, "Spectra."

"Well how ya doin' Spectra?" Applejack asked with much enthusiasm.

"I'm alright..." Spectra said, looking around nervously.

"First time ridin' a train?" the cowpony had asked chuckling.

Spectra snapped back to reality, "Huh? Oh no. Just the first time I've been away from home."

"Ah, so ya'll livin' here in Manehatten?"

"Yeah, I've been here most of my life."

"Alrighty sugar cube."

The train eventually departed from the Manehatten train station. The two mares talked to each other all the way to Ponyville, meanwhile Spectra was slowly becoming more comfortable in leaving her home behind.

"Ya know, Ah hadn't mentioned it earlier, but ya remind me a lot of my marefriend back home. With the rainbow mane an' all. Even down to the cutie mark." Applejack finished looking down to the other mare's cutie mark.

"Really?" Spectra asked covering her flank with her hoof.

"Now don't ya worry sugar cube. Like Ah said, Ah already have me a marefriend." Applejack said with a chuckle, "Ah'm not lookin' for another. My Dashie is enough trouble." She finished with a smile.

"Oh no, it's not that. I'm just a little embarrassed of my cutie mark..."

"How come?" Applejack asked with a concerned look.

"Just how I got it-" Spectra was cut off.

"Hey! Look over here, we're already at Ponyville!" The orange mare said pointing a hoof out the window. "Oh Ah'm sorry sugar cube. Go on."

"No no, don't worry about it. It's not an interesting story."

"Ah'm sure anyponies story of how they got their cutie mark is an interesting one."

"Not mine..."

"Alright sugar cube. Ah'm not gonna pester it outta ya. But it seems to be botherin' you, so if ya need to. Ah'll be here to talk 'bout it."

"Okay. Thanks Applejack." Spectra replied smiling.

Applejack smiled back, "Now let's go sugar cube. I bet Dashie is out there waitin' for me. ah can introduce you two." Applejack said getting up outta the chair as the train came to a stop.