Derpy, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were next to inseparable from that day on. They did everything together, including flight practice. Within 6 months, Derpy and Fluttershy were unrecognizable when they flew thanks to Rainbow. They stayed close together over the summer, even going to the same flight camp together. And when they came back after summer break, I got a very nice surprise.
All 3 of them had earned their Cutie Marks. Though I had happened to already glimpse them getting their Cutie Marks, I still let them regale me with their respective stories.
It turns out that the colts who had bullied Derpy into running away had also attended this camp. And while they were insulting Derpy and Fluttershy, Rainbow had come along to defend them. She had then challenged them to a race for Derpy and Fluttershy’s honour. During the race, not only had Rainbow won, she had achieved victory by performing a legendary Sonic Rainboom. After crossing the finish line, she turned and discovered that she’d also won herself a Cutie Mark.
Little did she know, I had been there to actually witness said Rainboom. I’d asked for Aunt Celestia’s help in disguising myself so I could watch over my favorite fillies during summer break without them knowing. I was quite certain I’d never let any of them know that little tidbit though. I then was treated to Fluttershy’s story.
I’ve often believed that friends have intertwined destinies. Fluttershy’s story truly helped prove that. It turns out that during the race where Rainbow had gotten her Cutie Mark, Fluttershy had also gotten hers. She had been a little too enthusiastic in her cheering, and ended up falling from the stands. Nopony else had noticed and, in her panic, she had forgotten how to correct herself out of a fall. That turned out to be a good thing however. When she got to the ground, instead of hitting hard ground, she had instead come into contact with a swarm of butterflies that had saved her. Then, in the resulting boom from the Sonic Rainboom, she had learned of her gift to communicate with wildlife and earned her Cutie Mark.
Even Derpy’s story related somewhat to the Sonic Rainboom. It turns out that Rainbows race wasn’t exactly a planned event. They had just raced through all the natural obstacles in Cloudsdale. Including the houses and roads. And during that race, they had crossed several Postal Ponies, startling them and causing them to drop much of their mail. Derpy was quick on the uptake though. She not only quickly recovered the lost mail, but even managed to take it where it was needed. Although, she hadn’t liked the shapes of the mail box clouds, so she reshaped them into balls, making them look like bubbles. Very appropriately, her Cutie Mark reflected that. Several close “bubbles” as it would appear to somepony not in the know.
I was extremely proud of my 3 little favorites, and not just because they had earned their Cutie Marks. I had been worried they might drift apart without school to keep them close. I saw now that my fear was entirely ungrounded.
Hearing their Cutie Mark stories also made me reminiscent of my own. I had never even truly noticed when I had gotten mine. All I knew was that after a great flight session, where I also had my first vision, I touched down and it was there. A large pink heart with wind lines blowing through it. Although most Cutie Marks are achieved when you realize your true talent, I had the strange feeling I wouldn’t understand mine until much later in my life. I was still overjoyed to have it. I later looked back on it with different feelings.
My first vision still baffled me no matter how much I thought of it or tried to see more. All I had seen, or rather simply heard and felt, was a large, overwhelming pain, and then I had heard myself say “I love you.” I had tried to see more once I had realized my power and learned to control it. I had been unable to gleam anything more, making me believe I was still a long ways away from experiencing it. I did not fear for when my vision would come to pass, but simply accepted the fact that it would one day become reality for me rather than just an uncertainty. I had a different vision to think about now.