How I Got My Cutie Mark

The lake was perfect for skating; large and round with thick, smooth ice. I sat down on a large rock and pulled my skates on.

My first few steps were wobbly, but I was soon gliding along smoothly. Skating came naturally to me; I had been doing it every since I was old enough to walk. I whizzed around the lake in meaningless circles, not bothering with any fancy tricks or spins. I skated for speed.

I pushed myself forward, going faster and faster, loving every moment of it. It all felt wonderful: the wind rustling my feathers, the smooth ice beneath my skates.

This is what it must feel like to fly, I thought to myself, flapping my too-small wings as if I could take off right then and there. I smiled to myself and looked up at the sky.

A midnight blue pegasus flew overhead. She had long, graceful wings and... a long horn.

It was Luna. Princess Luna.

Gaping upwards at the radiant alicorn princess, I lost my concentration and leaned backwards too far. The corner of my skates caught in the ice, and I was thrown backwards. My head hit the frozen lake at full speed, and black spots danced before my vision. I stood shakily, and watched as a spiderweb of cracks spread from the spot where I had collided. The ice beneath my hooves shifted, and I plunged into the icy depths.

A dark shadow passed over me just as the world began to fade into blackness.