Three and a Half Mares

by SurprisePinkiePinkiePie

120/10: Sonic Rainboom

Author's Note:

POV's, in order:
3rd person, Rainbow Dash, StarSong, Toola-Roola, Pinkie Pie, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Cheerilee, Minty and Clover.
And the idea is that this is stuff they're saying out loud

Legend says that if a group of ponies are truly destined to be heroes, best friends and bearers of the Elements of Harmony, then they will discover an important part of theirselves through the same event.

Another legend says exactly that except it specifies that this event will be the result of a pony with a rainbow mane travelling in the air so fast they cause a Sonic Rainboom.

Other legends expand on that and say that the pony will always be blue and named Rainbow Dash, or Rainbow, or their last name will always be Dash. Many say that according to every book or play ever, legends are extremely vague so that they don't give away the plot when you reveal them, and therefore the name and colour of the pony aren't important.

The second legend, however, proved true.

When I was young, I used to remember playing dress-up as a foal and cringe. I hate to say it, but I barely ever played with the other fillies.

I had witnessed Sweetie Belle's...err...birth? Creation? Anyway, I had witnessed that, but once we got into kindergarden it became taboo to play with foals not your age unless they were related to you, or a friend of the family. Once I had seen her, when she was sleeping at Scootaloo and Cheerilee's place at the same time as I was coming over, but their parents learned after the chaos that ensued and from then on, either Scootaloo had friends over or Cheerilee did. I saw her sometimes at the park, but I barely ever played with her.

I had played with Scootaloo sometimes when I went to Cheerilee's house. She doesn't like being alone, and since Sweetie Belle wasn't allowed to come over at the same time as us, she normally hung out with us, although after we grew apart she started arranging to go to her friend's house when Cheerilee was busy.

Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie were still friends with me, but not my best friends. I preferred to go on adventures with Rainbow Flash, but if she was sick or busy or we needed more than two ponies for our game then we went to them.

This was all before I met Toola-Roola, StarSong or Minty.

I used to play with Rainbow Flash a lot. We liked going exploring and sometimes doing things we knew were too dangerous simply because our parents were busy and we could get away with it. Well, she did, anyway. I didn't realise it at the time, but the main reason I did it was because our names were too close or us to not be friends and friends had to do things together.

At one point, she had talked me into climbing the tallest (and only) mountain in Ponyville. It was some two hundred feet above the ground, and more of a cliff than a mountain; one side was almost a perfect slope, but the other I could easily jump down and reach the ground.

"Okay," I had muttered once we were at the top. "Here we are. Now let's get down."

She had giggled. "You chicken? Let's stay up here."

"I don't know, it's pretty scary up here....."

"Lighten up! What's the worst that can happen?"

I had sighed and started pacing around, failing to notice one of the holes in the ground until I was trying to lift my hoof out of it without tearing my leg off. After a few seconds I had almost given up and practically thrown myself away from the hole senselessly.

I never claimed to have an ounce of brains as a filly.

The next thing I knew I was falling.

I remember that I was screaming. I was convinced I was going to die. I was falling for so long it wasn't funny. I swear I saw my life flash before my eyes.

And then I heard the loudest noise I've ever heard.

Boom.

Then I remember seeing a really bright light in all the colours of the rainbow. Well, the colours of my mane. Same thing. I saw something purple, and the next thing I knew I wasn't falling.

I had opened my eyes to see that I seemed to be floating in the air. After a few seconds I had realised I was slowly descending. Once I reached the ground I realised that a Pegasus had carried me down.

When I saw the wings I assumed they would belong to an adult stallion, maybe wearing some sort of uniform. But when I looked properly, the pony who had saved me was a filly, probably even a younger one than me. "Th-Th-Thanks," I had stammered. "What's- I- err- Do you have a name?"

Like I said, I never claimed to have an ounce of brains as a foal.

She had giggled and introduced herself as StarSong, and I had told her my name and trotted off. Of course I had rushed home to tell my parents, and the next thing I knew I was expected to find her and have her come over. After we had finished playing Snakes and Ladders together, my parents came to talk to us about how we felt about being on the news.

I was thrilled! Of course, at the time I hadn't realised how much work it would be. I had to prepare a speech, and arrange a time with the newsponies, and- worst of all- I had to pick an outfit.

At the time I had HATED fashion. Hated, hated, hated it. Yet at some point I found myself choosing dresses for StarSong and I. Of course, I had been sure I would never do it again. But a few days later I found myself shopping for clothes again, this time just for fun.

Who knew it could be so fun?

Clover, darling? Where are you going?

When I was a little filly, one day I found myself flying around for no real reason. I didn't really have any friends in Ponyville, and I was pretty much just being alert in the hope that somepony would notice me and come play.

Instead I saw something much more interesting.

There was a loud boom, and then I had seen all the colours of the rainbow in a flash of light. Of course, being a curious filly, I had flown straight towards it and seen a little Earthpony filly falling from the sky, screaming her head off.

I was about to go and call somepony to help when I suddenly realised I could end up hailed as a hero. The next thing I knew I was carrying her down.

We had introduced ourselves and parted ways, and a few days later she had found me and demanded I go to her house. When I got there we had had a quick game of snakes and ladders and then her parents had come down to tell us about going on the news!

Of course, I was thrilled. Rainbow Dash picked out the most wonderful outfit, and I got to talk toe everyone! I had loads of friends after that, mostly foals of ponies who watched the news and knew about me. But as things do, my fame died down as soon as they stopped showing it on the news after a few weeks.

What can I say? I liked the attention. I tried singing and dancing in the talent quest, and there I met a few real friends, friends who liked me for more than my fame. Among them were Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Cheerilee, Toola-Roola, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. And in that talent quest I found I have a real knack for singing! I thought it was fun, so I kept doing it after that. Why do you ask?

Eh? Clover? Come back here!

Do I have to talk about this?

Ugh, fine. But if you want more detail, I'm not giving it.

Okay, so, I was a little foal, and for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to go into the forest with my cousin. She said she knew the place off by heart and that it would be fine. When it started to get dark, we both galloped. At one point I tripped over a tree root. "Wait for me!" I had yelled.

She didn't.

And so I was in the middle of the forest, lost, and it was getting dark. This was before my parents had drilled 'the rules' into my head- stay where you are and wait, call for help without moving, blah blah blah. So the second I realised I was lost, I galloped after my cousin, thinking that if I was fast enough I could catch up.

I know, I was an idiot.

Anyway, after chasing after my cousin I was more lost than ever. I was absolutely convinced I would be stuck there forever when I heard a boom and saw a bright light in all the colours of the rainbow. It was just bright enough for me to see properly. I galloped, finding my way out of the forest with the light and getting home.

Of course, I told my parents, and of course they didn't believe me at first. For some reason I thought that I could make them believe me by painting the rainbow light, and the second I showed them they forgot I had ever gotten lost. "This is amazing!" mother had yelled, I remember.

And so I had ended up learning to paint. Happy now?

Hey, where are you going? Clover?

I'm not anthering you. My name ith Rothamena Diane Pie. I don't know anypony called Pinkie Pie.

Okay! Tho, Clover, what wath it you wanted to know?

What do you mean, how did I get my Cutie Mark? Ponieth aren't going to earn their Cutie Markth for another two chapterth! Did you read ahead, or did the narrator tell you?

Oh, what made me dethide to be a party planner? That maketh more thenthe. Tho, one day all of my friendth were buthy, tho I dethided to go for a walk. Or more like a thkip. Ahhh, back when I wath ignorant, before I knew of the fourth wall and before I knew of how Equethtria will be made. It'll thtart with my granddaughter Pinkie Pie, and one day she'll be working on the rock farm, and she'll thee a really bright light, and then she'll decide to throw a party!

Hey, now that I think about it, that rainbow light she'll thee......I've theen it before. Yeth, I remember, when I wath thkipping around, like I told you. Then I thaw the rainbow and heard a boom, and it blew thome balloonth towardth me! I wath thuper bored at the time and the balloonth were pothitively pink, tho I tried to fly on them! That didn't work, tho I dethided to throw mythelf a party! I wath going to jutht be on my own, but then a bunch of ponies thaw me through the window and dethided to join in!

And that'th how Ponyland was made!

Hey, where are you going?

Clover?

I always loved playing games! Even when I was a tiny little baby I liked catching butterflies! Although now that you ask, there was one thing that made me even more fun.....

Once, when I was little, Cheerilee was off playing with somepony and I had Sweetie Belle sleeping over. We were thinking of fun games to play when we heard a really really really really really loud boom noise! I galloped over to the window and saw a really bright rainbow light!

Of course, at the time I was only just learning to read, so it didn't take much to scare me. I had stared at the light for a few seconds and jumped under my bed like a scared little baby. Sweetie Belle had been braver; she had just flinched and jumped off the bed, crouching down to look at me. "Scoots! Come out! It's fine!"

I had shook my head, saying it was too scary. She had sighed and trotted off. A few minutes later she had come back with a plate of cookies and asked me to come out again. Of course I had jumped out and wolfed down all of them.

Did I mention I get kiiinda crazy when I eat too much sugar?

Yeah, I kind of sort of ended up a liiiiitle bit sugar high. I still reckon my parents made a big deal out of it. I only jumped around like a maniac for ten minutes! And then I thought it would be a good idea to jump onto the kitchen bench with a scooter in my mouth. And a butterfly net on my head.

You think that's bad? I haven't even told you about the time I almost ruined the Winter Wishes festival...Anyway, at that moment, an orange butterfly flew in through the window. Of course in my sugar-high state, I had jumped onto the scooter and jumped off the bench, grabbing the butterfly net and swinging it as I landed.

That was the day I learned that taking risks is okay, because it always works out in the end. So, do you wann hear about the time I- oi! Come back! Clover!

Oh, you want to hear about the time I learned to cook? Sure thing!

Okay, so when I was little I slept over at Scootaloo's house once. We were in the middle of deciding what game to play when we heard a really loud boom noise. We had galloped over to the window and saw a bright rainbow light in a circle. Poor Scootaloo, she was terrified! She jumped under the bed and wouldn't come out.

So I decided to make some cookies for her! The second she ate them, she got an exteme sugar rush and did all sorts of crazy stuff. I didn't like that. I thought it was because my cookies were bad, so I tried one. They were amazing! I decided to make some more. Then I made some cake. Turned out, I was really good at it?

Clover? Where are you going?

Storytelling? I've been doing that as long as I remember. Although I remember, there was that one time.......

Two words: Writer's block. I hadn't thought of any story ideas for months and Scootaloo eas getting bored of me telling the same tales every night. But I just couldn't think of anything to make into a story. I needed inspiration, ideas, fuel- Gee, no wonder Mayor Flitter Flutter liked me, apparently I talk like her now.

Anyway, once I had gotten home after a playdate one day, Scootaloo had told me a story about how she saw a rainbow light when I was gone. At first I was ready to start storyboarding, but then I realised that Scoots had probably made it up herself, and if I used it then I would be stealing it from her.

I had laughed. "Yeah, Scoots, sure. You have one wild imagination!"

The next day Rainbow Dash had invited me to a slumber party. Pinkie Pie was there, along with Toola-Roola and another filly I hadn't seen before. She had a purple coat and wavy hair in all shades of pink. But the first thing I noticed were the small, clear wings on her sides.

I had known that there were Pegasi in Butterfly Island, but I had never seen them before! I had always thought that for some reason they had to stay in Butterfly Island. She quickly introduced herself as StarSong and we started playing games. Eventually it was story time. I gulped.

Apparently they were all true stories. I noticed a pattern. Pinkie Pie mentioned a rainbow light and the wind from that pushing balloons towards her. Rainbow Dash told me about how she had fallen from a mountain and somehow caused a rainbow light, which had made StarSong notice and save her. Toola-Roola had been stuck in the forest and seen a rainbow light.

Scootaloo hadn't made it up.

Instantly I had my storytelling mojo back. I had a new story for everypony- and by the time they got sick of it, I had another.

Clover? Where are you going?

Err, I was always a weirdo. What special talent? I like socks and green. Come on, get realistic!
Sonic Rainboom? Yeah, I saw one. That was when I realised I was les- umm, privacy! This is extremely personal!
Phew, she's gone. Thank the stars I didn't mention Rainbow Dash is lesbian too- you're still listening! Are you ever leaving? Get out before I mention Rainbow Dash's secret crush on Fiesta Flair- doh! Well, at least I didn't tell you about- oh, now you leave? Probably for the best, I guess. RD is gonna kill me......

Right......guess I'm not that unique after all.....