It was a dark morning at the Pie Family Rock Farm, the plants were all dead, and the ground all dirt. The place lay on the outskirts of Ponyville, the only unfriendly place for miles around. The Pie Family was never very successful but they were the only rock farm near Ponyville so they did get some attention. The family living there was a group of five. The children were all girls, only three of them in all. Their parents were very strict and followed traditional values.
The youngest of the three, Pinkamina Diane Pie stood alone towards the edge of the rock farm, she pushed a small rock up the farm field and to the house. It was another long day of working the fields. There was no talking or smiling for little Pinkamina, she was miserable, all she ever had was the rocks. She was a grayish pink little filly, with pink hair and bright blue eyes. She was alone in the south field preparing to rotate the rocks to the east field for harvest. Pinkamina looked up into the sky with her bright blue eyes hoping something would give her life meaning. Nothing was in that sky but gray clouds. Pinkie began her shift once again, rotating the rocks. She was called in to dinner shortly later.
"Now, Pinkamina Diane, you are late again. What am I going to do with you?" her mother scolded as she rushed to the house.
"Sorry Ma. I didn't mean to," Pinkamina sighed, looking back into the sky one last time, nothing was there, she walked into her house, knowing nothing ever would be.
Years Later
Pinkamina stood in the doorway to the little cottage she and her family owned. A pearly white mare stood in front of her. She had set up this meeting, the pony was supposed to be one by the name of Rarity, and she was looking for a job.
"Hello, my name is Pinkamina Diane, welcome to the family, your cutie mark is all the credentials we need," the mare stepped out, a pebble cutie mark on her flank, and long straight pink hair pulled back in a bun.
"Oh, okay, when can I start work?" Rarity asked, surprised at the sudden acceptance.
"Today is good, just go out and start movin' rocks to the other field and we'll pay you 20 bits an hour," Pinkamina said firmly.
"Okay mam' I'll get . . . right on . . . it" Rarity sighed.
Pinkamina stared at her new worker, since her family left her to run the rock farm and expand their horizons as a Pie family. She glared at Rarity, her lack of enthusiasm for her own talent reminded her of herself. She didn't like to remind herself of the way she felt about the farm. She walked into the house and sat at the table watching Rarity using her magic to move the rocks. She turned to face her own friend, her only friend, a rock by the name of Rocky.
Pinkamina glanced down her nose at the rock, she sighed. She felt so pathetic, having a rock as her only close friend. She'd bet her flank that the mare outside had lots of great friends, she couldn't be more wrong.
It was a bright sunny day in cloudsdale, all the fillies were in training to graduate flying summer camp. The camp was yet to see many promising students, nothing interesting had happened in quite some time for them. A pale yellow filly with light pink hair and gorgeous aqua eyes was the worst of the bunch, she was older than most of the others yet she could scarcely fly at all. Fluttershy stood by herself on a puff of cloud, looking into the air. She watched the other fillies and colts fly above her through hoops and racing each other at insane speeds. She sighed longingly, she wished she could join them. She fluttered her wings weakly trying to get through a hoop, but floundered, not even reaching the cloud at all. She tried once more and found herself sliding down the fluffy clouds, her mane flying behind her. She gasped as she was launched into the air, getting caught on a flag and falling into another bed of clouds. Two colts flew above her laughing hysterically at her lack of talent. They continued to taunt and laugh at the poor filly until she burst into tears.
She huddles herself into a cloud and passively let them taunt her until it was very late. Then she stood up and hid.
"Why . . . why . . . why . . ." Fluttershy sobbed into her hooves, she didn't understand why she was so useless.
She stayed there all night, not moving or sleeping. Her sobs drowning out any noise that sounded far below.
Years later
Fluttershy sat alone in the clouds, she watched the other pegasi flying overhead, a thing she had never learned to do. She wished she had, but she hadn't. Fluttershy walked into her cloud home, her cutie mark was non-existent, she was a pony without a talent, something rare in fully grown ponies. She looked out the window and glared up at those who had sent her into this downward spiral.
She was a very lonesome Pegasus, one who had never left her home. She was afraid of everypony. They all bullied her and still treated her like dirt they scraped off their hooves. She heard a knock on her door. She walked to the door, feeling droopy, knowing it was somepony who would mock her.
"Hi Fluttershy, here's your mail . . ." Derpy Hooves said, handing her a letter before flying off.
"Oh . . ." Fluttershy answered, reading her letter.
'Dearest Fluttershy, We have been observing your behavior for the past several years, since you are unaware how to or refuse to fly, we request that you consider moving to Ponyville. As, without a functioning ability to fly, you could easily fall and get injured. We hope you consider moving to the ground, as it would be safer for you and we need the space your home takes up to house those who are on the weather team.'
Fluttershy dropped the letter and sobbed, she was a failure and everypony knew it.
It was the day of the dress rehearsal for the little Ponyville School play. Five little fillies danced on stage, wearing clothing designed by a pure white filly with dark purple hair and blues eyes by the name of Rarity. She stood backstage staring at the outfits in mild unease. Her teacher put her hoof on Rarity's shoulder and smiled.
"Rarity, your costumes are very nice," she said with a grin.
"Nice? They need to be spectacular and the performance is tomorrow!" Rarity whined, wanting something amazing to show her talent.
When Rarity reached home that evening she spent all her time sewing. She couldn't think of a single thing to do to make them perfect. The costumes weren't right. She was begging to lose all hope when her horn glowed brightly, dragging her out of the house and all across Ponyville to a mountain top. Where she spotted a large rock perched at the ledge. She stared at it in anger. Her talent was rocks? How could this be. Her horn couldn't be lying, that wasn't how it worked. She stared at the rock hoping something would happen. She sat down and touched it with her hoof. Nothing happened. Her talent was rocks, that was that. She decided the best thing to do was mine the rock to find whatever it was tht her horn had led her to.
Years later
Rarity stood at the doorstep of the Pie Family rock farm, she was here for a job interview today. She looked down at the pick and rock cutie mark she had grown so used to. A dark pink mare stepped through the doorway.
"Hello, my name is Pinkamina Diane, welcome to the family, your cutie mark is all the credentials we need," the mare stepped out, a pebble cutie mark on her flank, and long straight pink hair pulled back in a bun.
"Oh, okay, when can I start work?" Rarity asked, surprised at the sudden acceptance.
"Today is good, just go out and start movin' rocks to the other field and we'll pay you 20 bits an hour," Pinkamina said firmly.
"Okay mam' I'll get . . . right on . . . it" Rarity sighed, remembering her childhood aspirations that had never really hit.
She walked to the largest rock and began to push it to the far field, Pinkamina watched slowly, her eyes narrowed. Rarity was quite strong for her size, she had done a lot of movers work in Ponyville and was used to pushing heavy objects. But she still wanted most desperately for another chance, if only she hadn't given up her dream.
It was the day of the Summer Sun Celebration. The day where Princess Celestia would raise the sun. A young filly with a lilac colored fur and mane, by the name of Twilight Sparkle, stood at the front of the stage. She was enthralled at the event and wanted to be just as magically talented as Celestia. She did her very best to learn everything she could about magic to become like her dear hero. Her parents enrolled her in The School For Gifted Unicorns, where rules stated that young unicorns must pass an exam before entering.
Twilight Sparkle smiled nervously at her parents as she stood in front of the judges waiting for her exam. Her challenge, to hatch a dragon from an egg. Twilight gazed fearfully at the egg waiting for magic that never seemed to come. She laughed and concentrated her energy on the egg. The judges, unimpressed, wrote down their rulings as she gazed at the egg. The young filly, covered in sweat concentrated as hard as she could, but nothing more than a spark emerged from her horn. She knew this was important, but she just couldn't pull together the power. After failing several more times she accepted defeat and collapsed.
"I'm sorry I wasted your time . . ." she sniffled standing up to leave.
The judges wrote their comments down. Twilight turned to go, glancing at the window as she left.
"I'm sorry Miss Sparkle, but you just are not going to cut it," one of the judges said.
Twilight Sparkle sniffed and rushed to her parents.
"Twilight, we're sorry, we really are, but maybe we can try again next year?" Velvet Sparkle, her mother, suggested, giving her a tight hug.
They exited the building, trotting slowly. Her father giving her a ride on his back to give her comfort. Celestia stood near the castle gates thinking of her sister; she would need a protégé but alas no such pony had been found. Twilight's family trotted back to their small house. Twilight ran up to her bedroom and sobbed into her pile of magic books.
"I guess, this isn't my talent after all . . ." she sniffed pushing them all aside.
Years later
Twilight Sparkle cleared the last of the spell books from her old library. Her cutie mark, an inkwell, showing easily under her robes. She was a librarian, the head librarian of Canterlot. She needed to move these books to the new location quickly, before nightfall. She had only mastered one major spell, levitation, she held the books aloft into the air and trotted to the Canterlot library to work.
Upon reaching her destination she sat upon her desk and waited for patrons who would never arrive. The library was failing. Twilight sat up and dusted off the shelves once more.
"Sorting, sorting, nothing but sorting, but for what? Nopony ever comes here anymore," she griped, clenching her teeth as she dusted a very hard to reach spot.
Twilight Sparkle was an introvert, she had no friends, nopony had ever really spoken to her, she was known as the book lady across Canterlot and never saw anypony except the occasional gifted unicorn student come in to her library. Her books WERE her friends, and that's all she needed. Since her brother had gone to work in Canterlot castle as a guard, Twilight hadn't even spoken to him. He was always very lonely since he spent most of his time comforting her when he was young, he never met anypony special.
Twilight walked back to her seat at the library desk, hoping somepony would come and give her something to do.
It was a bright day at Sweet Apple Acres when little Applejack left her aged grandmother and brother to tend to the apple trees herself. She wanted to go places with her life, and so she would, the little orange coated filly was on her way to Manehatten to live with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. She wanted to be sophisticated like them.
When she reached the home of her relatives, she was welcomed. They laughed at her quaintness and trained her to be sophisticated. She sat at the dinner table with her family's friends and work associates and discussed her life in the big city. They scarcely understood her and Applejack felt lost.
That night, the little filly looked out her bedroom window at her old home. She sighed thinking of her family wondering if she should stay or go. She felt homesick as she watched the sunrise without the normal rooster cry to go with it. She wished she could go home, but she had to be sophisticated. The farm was holding her back. She shook her head and turned her back to the window she would stay here.
Years later
Applejack trotted down the streets of manehatten, shopping for the Orange family. Her cutiemark, a container of orange juice shone brightly on her flank as she walked, she absentmindedly wondered if the Apple family were doing well without her. She smiled brightly, she had long since gotten used to the busy streets of the big city.
"Maybe I could visit my dear kin, yes, I do believe that would be a delightful choice," she turned to the direction of the Apple farm and began walking.
Upon arrival in Ponyville, she noted a a small looking filly who looked very familiar. She was alone. She had pale yellow fur and a dark velvet red mane. She looked up at Applejack and backed away nervously.
"Its allright little filly, I wont hurt you. Whats your name?" she asked.
"My . . . My . . . Name is Apple Bloom . . ." the filly responded nervously.
Applejack gaped. "Apple Bloom? I thought you looked familiar, remember me? I'm your big sister."
"My big sister lives in Manehatten, my brother told me. She don't live 'ere in Ponyville."
"I swear, I am your sister."
"Sure ya' are. I'm sorry miss but my brother said not to talk to strangers," Apple Bloom said running off.
Applejack shrugged and walked toward Sweet Apple Acres. She faced the place she remembered the apples growing, the trees hanging over the fence. She trotted to the rusted gate and pushed it open. She looked around for the barn, it was nowhere to be seen. She tilted her head, she could have swarn it had been here.
"Hello? Is anypony in here?" she asked the empty air.
"Applejack!? Is that you!?" called a deep voice from farther along the fence.
Applejack rushed over to join him. Big Macintosh stood sighing, looking at the wilting apple trees sadly.
"Yes, its me! I came to visit," she said, throwing her hooves up for a hug.
The two siblings hugged for a moment and face the wreck. "What happened to this place?"
"Well, after you left, me and Granny were doing all the work by ourselves, since she died ah' wasn't able to keep it going . . . So I took Apple Bloom and we lost the farm," Big Mac sighed.
"What! Granny Smith is-" Applejack exclaimed.
"Eeyup . . . Without you we couldnt keep production goin' and we couldnt afford any treatment for her."
"Oh, Big Mac, I-"
"It ain't your fault. Dont beat yourself up, you went and found a life for yourself."
Applejack was ashamed of herself, she took the nearest train back to Manehatten trying to forget her selfishness and what it had caused. She wished something had told her to go back home, but the past was the past, she only hoped she could find a way to start over again.
Celestia stood at her window, she sighed deeply, she had not found a single pony to harness the elements, even now, when her sister would return tonight, she hoped she could find somepony. The only pony she had found even close to ready for the job was only good in stage magic. She was untrustworthy and unable to harness the elements. Celestia was terrified that she would be unable to fight back.
"Oh Luna, why must you do this to me?" Celestia whispered, looking up at the moon.
She turned from the window, she was to go through the curtain in moments for the sun celebration. She heard a noise emerge from the window.
"Hello dear sister, I see nopony has missed me."
"Luna please listen-"
"You betrayed me! And my name is Nightmare Moon!" she cried. "You will have the same torment as I!"
Nightmare Moon lit her horn and in a flash of light, in an instant Celestia herself being sucked into darkness. She tried to cast a spell but it was to late, Luna was already gone. The birds began to chirp. The Mayor began her speech, ready to introduce the Princess for which they hadn't forgotten. The curtain was pulled, and nopony was there. A cloud of mist appeared on the stage.
"Oh hello, my subjects, its been so long since I've seen you. Have you forgotten me?" Nightmare Moon asked.
Nopony answered. "Well, just as I thought, nopony remembers me, I am Nightmare Moon, and for now until the end of days, the night will last forever!"
Years later
Nightmare Moon sat on her throne, she had ruled her kingdom of dark alone for such a long time. The last of the food the ponies had prepared was near gone. She had watched so many of the ponies die. It was what they deserved, they had all forgotten her.
A single tear fell down Celestia's cheek. She hoped that Luna would have a change of heart before everypony died from lack of light. She wished she had done something to make her sister understand, to keep her sane. But it was too late now, after a thousand years of life in solitude, there was no stopping her without the elements. She would now face the same fate as her once dear sister, and a thousand years was much too long to live in a world with no sun.
Scootaloo stood alone in Ponyville, she was friendless and alone. She was the only blank flank she knew. She had nopony to look up to. She walked to the Ponyville Schoolhouse that day. There had once been a blank flank at this school, Apple Bloom, but she had vanished after the Apple Family Farm went out of business.
Scootaloo sighed and walked to school. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon stood menacingly at the gate.
"Hey blank flank," Diamond Tiara said.
"Hi Diamond Tiara," Scootaloo said weakly, she was such a meek pony without anypony to show her to be brave.
The two fillies laughed at her as she walked into the small building.
Scootaloo was a filly without a cutie mark, family, or even friends. She had never even met anypony who she had ever liked. They were all so mean to her. She sniffled softly to herself.
She had always felt so alone, the wonderbolts were never in Ponyville, the only role model she had lived far off in Canterlot, she wished she could see them one day, she wished she could fly away, she wished she could find somepony to be her friend.
Years later
Scootaloo hid under a tree as the sun disappeared. Nopony was around. The remains of what was once the Apple Acres was nothing more than dry ground now. The other ponies of Ponyville had stolen all the apples, rotting or not, as without the sun, there was no food. Scootaloo, being alone, was starving, she wished desperately that Celestia would come back and stop this. Scootaloo thought of her wings, she had never been able to fly, no matter how much she wanted to fly all over equestria looking for food, she doubted that even if she could fly she would not have energy to do so.
She sobbed softly, knowing she, like everypony else in Equestria would soon starve to death in this new world of darkness.
