The Shadow Collectiveby Rainbrony19ChaptersJust an Average PonyGraduation DayThe TrainPonyvilleReleasedThe PrincessJust an Average Pony"Don't be scared Cloud." That's what my parents always told me when I tried something new. I never really knew what they meant by that, I always just assumed it was one of those things parents say to little fillies and colts. It's not like I ignored them, trust me I was a good colt. At least I like to think so. I went through Elementary School in a flash, my parents were so proud. Every time we'd see any other family member my mother would pull me into her arms with a big smile, look my family members in the eye, and go on and on about how successful I had been, how many awards I had gotten and how many times I was recognized by the principal herself. My cheeks would always go red and I'd bashfully tell her to stop. Then Middle School came along, it felt like nothing. Finally High School came, and with it, trouble. As any teenage colt would, I started to notice fillies my age. I got distracted and let my family down. My parents barely even noticed me anymore. Then came the week before graduation, last week. The whole reason I'm here in the first place. Both my parents were killed in cold blood. I don't know who did it or really how it happened and honestly, I'm not out for vengeance, ponies die, it happens, even to my parents. It had to, right? "Cloud? Cloud Spark? Are you there? You seem kinda spacy." I turned to see my sister staring me in the face to my right. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I just looked at her and turned away. "Cloud, it's your turn to speak." She said softly. All I could think to do was walk away, and that's exactly what I did. Yes, I walked away from my own mother and father's funeral. One funeral, two people, i know. But it saved bits. Bits that I need. Think of me as selfish if you want but I know what I need to do. I think. I walked for miles and eventually came to a train station. I looked at the train docked at the station and saw all the couples and families walking onto the train and scoffed. Okay so maybe I felt a little cheated that my parents were just taken from me like that. I walked into the station to check where the train was going. Ponyville. That hodunk, tashy ass, horrible excuse for a town. "Excuse me?" said the older unicorn in front of me. "Ponyville happens to be my hometown." "I-I'm so sorry sir, I meant no offence. Wait, I said that out loud?" I said nervously. "Who are you to judge kid? Have you ever been to Ponyville?" He said turning to face me directly and ignoring my question. "Um...no not once actually. I've never left home." I said looking at the floor. The older pony scoffed and turned away to the desk where he took both of his tickets with his magic. He turned to face me once again. "These tickets are cheep, maybe you ought to pay a visit some time soon, kid." He said walking away. I started to speak but I figured it was best not to continue with this stranger. I walked out of the train station and watched him board his train. I sighed and walked away, towards home. The only place I could think to go. As I walked home my thoughts turned to the older pony at the station. I thought of how he defended Ponyville like that. I'm 21 I should be out exploring. Yes, 21, I got held back a bit. I would never defend my hometown like that. I would defend it, just not with such, how do I put it, anger? Furiosity? If that's even word. Hoof Falls never really seemed like a place to get all emotional about. I finally approached our property. A wide open field with a small house in the very center of 16 acres. I looked up from the ground to the house and saw my sister galloping towards me. "Cloud! Where the hell did you go?" My sister screamed across the field. I knew she was mad, I knew the second I walked away from my own parents' funeral. She finally got to me and tackled me to the ground. I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me. I looked into her rage filled eyes with a calm demeanor. "Star Fuzz. What can I do for you?" I said softly to her. "What can you do? You can start explaining why you left Mom and Dad's funeral." Tears began forming in her eyes as she spoke. "Why would Mom and Dad even want me there? They knew I was a failure. I'm 21 and I'm just now graduating High School." "Cloud, it doesn't matter what they thought of you. They're your parents." "Were. They were my parents Fuzzy." I said, pushing her off of me. "H-How can you even say that Cloud?" "Because they're dead, that's how. I know it's not their fault for dying but you and I just have to accept that we no longer have parents, and the sooner we do that the better." I regained my composure from being knocked down and looked back at my sister, now laying on the ground, tears now slowly cascading down her cheeks. I took a deep breath and spoke a few last words to her, possibly the worst words I could say at this point, aside from what I just said of course. "Fuzz, after tomorrow I'm leaving." She sat up with a look of terror on her face, tears now flowing more often. "You're leaving? To go where?" Fuzz asked me, devastated. "I-I don't know." I said, turning away from her. She merely responded by collapsing back on the the ground and covering her face with her hooves. I walked away without another word. I pushed the door open to our rickety little house and I walked slowly up the stairs, the only sound at all being my hooves hitting the floor. I sat on my bed, facing my window and looking across the field. I saw my sister still laying in the grass. She was too far away to tell if she was still crying or merely looking at the clouds. I decided she was old enough to know when to come inside on her own. I rested my head on my pillow and shut my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling but I think it hurt. Pain would be my best guess. Sleep it off Cloud. Just sleep it off. Graduation DayAre dreams supposed to tell you something? What do they mean? Last night the older pony from Ponyville spoke to me. "You know what Hoof Falls is?" He said to me angrily."Nothing, and you know what kind of ponies come from it? Horrible, trashy ponies who have nothing going for them!" I burst into tears and attacked him. I went right through him and hit the ground hard. I got up again and turned to attack him again. "You're so worthless that you cant even attack me!" I tackled him again, same result. This time when I fell to the ground I just kept falling. Down further and further into the abyss. I never hit the ground, I just kept on falling hearing words of my parents flow right through me. "You're 21! Do something with your life!" My dad would say. "Why are you even still here? You'll never graduate." My mom said through tears. I knew Iet them down every second I was in school and that's why I need to leave. I hit the ground in my dream and I woke up in a cold sweat. I got out of my bed and walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Tears were steaming down my cheeks and my mane was a mess. I ran the shower and got in and let the water pour over me. I began crying again and I didn't know why. My only thoughts were focused on not crying, not why. I ran the shower for 5 minutes longer and then I shut it off. I got out and wiped the tears away. I gathered all my strength and left the bathroom to walk to my sisters room. She was sound asleep and she had dried tears on her cheeks I put a hoof in and then I thought of how she would really feel if I woke her up after what I said yesterday. I took my hoof out of the room and shut the door. Walking down the stairs I realized how bad of a brother I had been to her. I'm just leaving her all alone to fend for herself. I made breakfast for both me and her. I walked her plate up to her room and I woke her up. "Fuzzy, I made you breakfast." I said quietly. "What do you care Cloud? I'm just your sister." She responded keeping her eyes closed. "Star, I'm not leaving you all alone. I'm bringing you with me. You're 16 I can't leave you alone." "What? Cloud I'm not coming with you, I want to stay home." "You need to realize that this isn't home anymore. Mom and Dad are what made this place home and they're gone, forever. Besides, we aren't the ones inheriting the house." "Cloud I know that's not true, Mom and Dad would never do that to us. They know that we loved this house...they know." She began crying and I set her breakfast aside. "Sure they knew, but they also knew that we have to move on at some point, and that we couldn't just stay home all our lives and just be trapped in our memories." I finished talking and I hugged her tightly. "How do you know all of that? You sound so sure." She said releasing the hug. "I don't." I looked down and spread a confused look on my face. She rested her head on mine and she nodded. "What? What does that mean?" "It means that you're right and we should move out, leave this house as far behind us as possible. I need to pack. Get out." "What?" "I'm serious Cloud, get out. I'll see you at your graduation okay?" I just stared at her then got to my hooves and walked out of her room and closed the door behind me. I walked back to my room and began packing. Clothes, bed roll, knives, anything I could find that was useful. Shoving things in bags and rolling cases and I took everything downstairs and put it all by the front door so I was ready to leave this all behind me. I opened the door and left the house without a second thought. I trotted to the school with my cap and gown under my wing. I trotted through town avoiding the judgmental looks from all the ponies that were at my parents funeral. My only goal was getting to the school, finishing this stupid graduation ceremony and getting the hell out of Hoof Falls. Where am I gonna go? No idea, Canterlot? Manehatten? Or maybe I can take that old ponies advice and go check out Ponyville. I doubt I could afford Canterlot and Manehatten so it looks like Ponyville might be my only option. I entered the front door of the school and saw all the ponies in their caps and gowns. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I lost all of my friends once they graduated and I never bothered to make more. Who wants to be friends with a pony who got held back three years any way? I stepped in line and slipped on my gown and put on my cap. I raised my head to see all the ponies looking at me with judgmental stares and head shakes. I stepped in front of everypony else and went to talk to the Principal. "Ma'am, with all due respect can I just have my diploma and go? I can't take all of these looks I'm getting." I said barging in front of the pony she was talking to. "You won't go through with the ceremony? After three years of being held back and finally getting through it you won't even walk down the aisle and receive it just like every other pony?" She asked with a smile. "Of course not, I'm clearly not like everypony else." I held my hoof out to receive my diploma. She smiled and dug it out from the boxes they were in. "Clearly you are a special case Cloud Spark. Congrats. Now get out of here and get a life." She said with a cheesy wink. I gave her a confused look and took my diploma and left. I tore my cap and gown off and threw it on the ground. I didn't need them anymore, not for my new life. As the Principal said I'm supposed to go out and get a life. I guess my new life is going to be in Ponyville. The TrainAs I entered the house the door creaked open and fell off it's hinges. "Huh, looks like I'm lucky I'm not getting the house after all." I said to myself. I left the door where it fell and trotted up the stairs to get my sister. I opened her door and all of her stuff was gone. No suitcases or clothes or anything. I called out for her but I got no response. I checked all the rooms but she was no where to be found. Classic twist I guess. I trotted down the stairs and grabbed my stuff to head for the train station. I threw everything in a cart and hooked myself up to it. I ran to the train station with the cart tapping me every once in a while and finally unhinged it and opened the door to the station. "One ticket to Ponyville." I said between breaths. "A please might help, sir." The pony behind the counter said. "Besides, don't you mean two tickets?" A pony behind me said. I turned to see my sister standing behind me. "Planning on leaving with out me Cloud?" "N-No I wasn't. You weren't home and all of your stuff was gone. I figured you took off on your own." "Why would I do that? I'm 16, as you said I can't live on my own. I thought you might leave the graduation ceremony early to try and ditch me." "I wasn't trying to ditch you. I'm not going anywhere without you sis." I said with a smile, giving her a hug. "Sir I'm gonna need the bits for these tickets, I've got a line of ponies waiting." The impatient pony behind the counter said with a snap. "I'm sorry." I said placing the bits on the counter and taking the tickets. My sister and I walked out of the door and boarded the train. I sat down and my sister sat next to me. I looked out the window and saw the clear grass fields of Hoof Falls and thought about how much I would really miss it. "Cloud I'm gonna miss Hoof Falls maybe just as much as you. But aren't we leaving all of this behind us?" My sister said resting her head on me. "Of course we are Fuzzy. We're moving on in our lives. Let's just try and get some sleep. It's a 7 hour train ride after all." I said closing my eyes. Within a moment I was asleep. I was falling into the abyss again, just a continuation of my last dream. All the hurtful words from my parents and all the judgmental looks from today. "Come on cloud." My mother said to me. "It's just calculus, in Elementary and Middle School you went through it all with flying colors." "What does Flying Colors have to do with this Mom? She and I aren't together anymore." I said to her. "No Cloud, stop thinking about mares, you need to concentrate on your school work." "Mom I don't want to do this any more. I'm done with school for the rest of my life." As I said those words I stormed out of the house and ran into the woods. I just kept running and I didn't stop, I couldn't stop. I don't know why. I saw a tree coming my way and I didn't stop. I ran straight into the tree and fell to the ground. I don't remember this from my past. I fell in a daze and heard the tree creaking. I watched it fall towards me and I rolled out of the way. As I stood back up I watched the day turn to night quickly. A shadowy figure stood in front of me, my height and my physique by the looks of it. He held a knife and wore a cape over his body and his face. This couldn't be me, I'm nothing like this. The pony rushed me and stabbed me with his knife. I looked down and watched the blood leak out of my chest and onto his knife and onto the forest floor. He twisted the blade but I felt nothing. His hood fell off to reveal my face, I was staring into my own eyes for 5 minutes. By far the most terrifying experience. The dark expression on his face turned to a devilish smile and he pushed all the way through my chest. This time I could feel the pain and I woke up to the train roughly tossing me around. "W-What's going on? What's wrong with the train Star?" I yelled hitting my head on the window with force. "I don't know! Are we gonna die?" Star yelled back with closed eyes. Before I could respond the train threw my head into the window again and knocked me out. I woke up laying next to a train piece on fire in the grass. "Ah great Celestia what happened?" I yelled out loud in pain. "Star? Star Fuzz? Where are you?" I looked around and I couldn't find her anywhere. I got up onto my hooves and looked at the carnage. Dead ponies everywhere. Tears filled my eyes. "Oh Celestia no. No no no. This isn't happening. I saw a few ponies gathered around one piece of burning train. My first thought was that they were survivors but as I got closer I saw that none of them were injured. Coincidence? I think not. I took a mental not of what I could see of their faces and began to sneak around them. Ponyville couldn't be more than an hours walk. I could see it in the distance, if Star Fuzz is alive then she'd be there or at least heading in that direction. I successfully got passed the suspicious looking ponies and looked to Ponyville. I took a deep breath, wiped a tear away and began trotting towards Ponyville. PonyvilleWith Ponyville getting closer with each step I could see the street lights getting brighter and the few ponies walking around at this hour getting closer. I could almost hear all of their hoofsteps, but of course that could also be my imagination, and probably this aching headache I have. None of that mattered though, all that was important to me right now was getting into Ponyville and finding my sister. I'd like to say my first step into Ponyville was a nice one, I'd like to say that, but if i did I would be lying. I tripped and fell on my face and hit the dirt. "Gahhh dammit." I yelled as I hit the ground. "Well howdy there stranger, looks like you just had quite a fall. You need a hoof up?" A mysterious voice said to me from a short distance away. I looked up and I saw an orange pony with blonde hair and a stetson hat on reaching her hoof in my direction. "Um sure, thank you." I said taking her hoof in mine and having her pull me back on all four hooves. "I'm Applejack, always a pleasure meetin' new folk 'round here. Not exactly used to meetin' them in this fashion however." "Well then I'd call this a special situation, especially considering the circumstances." I said looking back in the direction I came from. "Why? What happened?" She said looking past me. "I was on a train, coming to Ponyville, and train rustled around and flew off the tracks, train crashed and I got away, only a few survivors as I could see." "Where are they?" She said with a panicked look on her face. "I don't know, maybe back at the crash? Going back to where they came from? Or heading this way as we speak." "I'll go get some help, there's a hospital about two blocks west of here. You might wanna get your self checked out, partner." She said trotting away in the direction she came from. "Thank you." I told her, but she was already gone. I began walking towards the hospital Applejack told me about, least I could do is get this headache checked out. Everything went black and I hit the ground. I woke up after what seemed like years later in a hospital bed. The lights were as bright as a thousand suns and the monitors beeped like any song I've ever heard from DJ-Pon3. Sorry to get all poetical. I could hear nurses talking in medical speak not that far away from me. I raised my head to see three nurse ponies gathered around their clipboards just outside my room. I put my head back down on my pillow and watched the monitor beside me and it beeped along with my pulse. It's been less than a minute and already I feel like blowing my brains out due to sheer irritation. One of the nurses appeared from what seems like out of nowhere. "Looks like someone's finally awake. Good morning, sir." The nurse said to me with a warm smile. "Good morning? I thought it was late at night." I said in response. "You slept through the night sir. First time anyone's seen you wake up since you were found blacked out in the dirt." "Blacked out in the dirt huh? Doesn't seem like something I would do." "Well you did have a concussion and a few broken ribs, I think it's safe to say you're lucky to be waking up this early. Usually if you fall asleep with a concussion as bad as yours you have a very high risk of losing consciousness. Looks like you're a special situation." The nurse said walking away. "Special situation. That's one way to put it." I said to myself. I turned onto my side and felt a sharp pain in my ribs. I could see what she meant when she said I had a few broken ribs. I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. First day in Ponyville and I'm spending it in a hospital. That pony I met. She seemed sweet, friendly, cute even. I wonder if all the mares in Ponyville are like that. Sweet and friendly would be nice for the stallions. I chuckled to myself and winced from the pain. My head still pounding from the train, tripping and blacking out. My thoughts turned to my sister. What happened to her? I didn't check any of the bodies at the wreckage. She could have easily died in the crash or walked in the opposite direction. I don't remember her being with those strange unharmed ponies, if she was I would've galloped straight for them like an idiot. Luckily I didn't, I stuck to the shadows and made it to Ponyville like I planned. "Sir?" One of the nurses asked me. "We need your name." "My name? Cloud Spark." I responded, using only my eyes to look in her direction. "Thank you." She replied walking away. "You're very welcome." I said sarcastically to myself. There's always something about being in an urgent care facility that makes me cranky. "Makes you talk to yourself too." a stallions voice told me. I looked to where the voice was coming from and I saw the older pony from the train station the day of the funeral. "What? Now I know I didn't say that out loud." I said, questioning his accusation of me thinking out loud. "You decided to come to Ponyville like I suggested did you?" "Yeah, I had no where else to go and I can't exactly afford Canterlot." "Canterlot isn't the only other place in Equestria, but it's nice of you to compare Ponyville to Canterlot." "I wasn't compari-, that's not the point. What are you doing here?" "I heard about the train wreak and I decided to check on the patients, see if there was anything too serious." He picked up the clipboard at the end of my bed. "Doesn't look too bad. Mild concussion and some broken ribs. Didn't you say you had a sister on board too?" "I did have a sister on board. I never said anything about it though." "Sure you didn't kid." He said, walking away. I sat up and flinched at the pain in my head. I'm gonna find out what that guys secret is if it's the last damn thing I do. I just hope he didn't hear that, however he does that thing he does every time he sees me. ReleasedReleased. That's the best word I've heard today. Being in that Urgent Care Facility for 3 days was the worst. The pudding wasn't bad though. Always look at the bright side Cloud that's what you're good at. I walked out of the facility and into the bright light of the sun shining down on Ponyville. The sun on my face is the best feeling I could ask for at this point and that's exactly what I'm getting. Something tells me Ponyville was a good choice. Ponyville, such a simple name, it's just the type of beings that live in it and ville at the end. Really? Creativity and originality at it's finest. "I'd say so." said an older voice behind me. Of course I knew who it was, the older pony from the train station who had been coming to see me in the facility ever since the crash. "I think Ponyville is a fine name, don't you?" "I don't have a problem with it." I said, turning to face him. "Who are you anyway?" "That doesn't matter." "I think it does, why did you keep coming back to check on me?" "I was simply worried, my friend." "Why? All I am to you is a pony you saw at a train station criticizing your home town." "This isn't my hometown." "That's what you told me though." "Did I now?" As the stallion said that, he trotted off in the opposite direction. I began to follow him but I figured it was pointless to keep prodding the bull. I walked on towards an Inn I could stay at till I got my own place. As I walked I looked around, the scenery was great, a nice, quiet, peaceful town. Canterlot doesn't look far away either. If I find Star Fuzz she could go to college in Canterlot as she always dreamed. First of all, I need a job. Even before that, though, I need a place to stay. I opened the door to the inn and walked in. "Hello, and welcome the the Ponyville Inn." said the Pony at the front desk. "Hi there, I need a room, for 3 days." I replied. "Sure thing." She said excitedly. I never understood how these ponies could ever have such pep and spunk. I don't know if spunk is the word for it, but at least I know what I mean, and that's what matters. I handed her a flimsy sack of bits, enough to cover the price of the room. I took my key, thanked the pony and walked up to my room. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. It was nice to have the feeling of having somewhere to stay, and now that I had that I decided I would take a walk around Ponyville, after a shower of course. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. After being in a hospital it was nice to have my own restroom to clean off and such. I ran the water for a few minutes and stared at it. Watching water flow was so soothing in a way. It keeps me so calm. I stepped into the water and let it run down my fur, my mane, and my tail. I shampooed myself, rinsed of and got out. I dried off and sat on the bathroom floor wrapped in a towel. So warm. I looked at my hooves and ran them through my mane. I heard a knock at the door to my room. "Just a minute!" I yelled through two sets of doors. No way who ever it was heard me. I cursed to myself and unwrapped the towel around me and proceeded to open up the bathroom door, just to see that the older pony from earlier already made his way in. "How did you get in?" "The door was unlocked." He said looking around at my room. "This is a nice room. How could you afford this with only what your parents left behind." "How do you know that?" I said, approaching him slowly. "Come now, doesn't it seem kind of obvious?" "No, not really." "Then I guess I'm just smart, huh?" "That's one way to put it," I said under my breath. "Why are you here? "I want to offer you a deal." "A deal? What kind of deal? Sell my soul to get a fiddle of gold?" "No nothing like that. It's very simple. You do something for me and I'll give you bits, you need bits don't you?" "Yeah, I do." "Perfect! I'll see you out at the edge of the Everfree forest tomorrow morning at dawn then!" He said, shutting the door behind him before I could speak another word. I opened the door once he left and looked around for him but he was no where to be found. "Dammit, I got to stop letting him get away. That pony is gonna get on my last nerve." I locked the door and grabbed my key. I decided I really needed that walk. I left the Inn and immediately bumped into another pony, literally bumped into. I fell to the ground and looked up. I saw a huge red pony pulling a cart full of apples. Me bumping into him didn't phase him for even a second. He looked down at me and spoke. "Sorry." He said offering me a hoof up. "It's okay." I took his hoof and got on all four hooves. "Big Mac! Consarnit! Didn't I tell you to look where you were going?" A familiar voice said in the distance. "Cloud Spark is that you?" "Applejack? Yeah, it's me. How'd you know my name though?" "Well I had to visit my favorite patient didn't I? The nurses told me they found you out cold in the dirt. I asked them your name and they told me it was Cloud Spark. Before I tried making sense of it through your cutie mark but i couldn't make much from six circles and colored dots on each of them." "You're telling me. I don't even know what it means, or what it has to do with my name." "Well that seems like quite a situation you've got there. I think I might know some one who can help you out there, if you'd like." "I suppose it couldn't hurt." "Good. Big Macintosh, take these to the market and get them ready for selling." "Yup!" The larger pony replied and walked off, hauling the cart like it's nothing. "That pony is quite the stallion isn't he?" I said watching him walk off. "Yeah, that's my big brother, Big Macintosh." Applejack said watching him as well. "Well anyway, about this friend of yours." "Oh! Sure thing partner! She's just a few blocks from here." "Shall we then?" The Princess"So who is this friend of yours anyway Applejack?" I asked the orange country pony leading me to her friend that she said could help me figure out my cutie mark. "I have a feeling once you see her you'll know exactly who she is." She replied not looking in my direction whatsoever. What she said sent my mind on a rat race. Star Fuzz? Maybe someone from Hoof Falls? Only time will tell. We came up upon a big tree with a door and windows. "This is where she lives?" "Sure is, don't look to cozy from the outside but it's fixed up real nice on the inside." I looked up and saw a rainbow trail across the sky following a pegasus. "Wow, that's quite the rainbow." I said, looking up. "Oh that's no rainbow, that's just Rainbow Dash." "She can make that just by flying? That's incredible." "She really is isn't she?" She said looking up with me and smiling warmly. I looked at her. "Applejack? You there?" "What? Oh yeah, let's keep going." She said looking ahead and walking up to the tree's door. She tapped her hoof on it several times. I looked up and the sky, the pegasus turned around and was heading straight for us. "Applejack? I think Rainbow whatever is coming this way." "Huh?" Before she could say anything, Applejack was tackled to the ground by the Rainbow pegasus. They both regained their composure and smiled. "Rainbow? What was that for?" Applejack said with a half angry look on her face, but I knew that she was happy to see her. "Oh you know me AJ, that's just how I get ponies' attention." "I should know that by now shouldn't I?" Applejack said with a sigh. "Anyway, I need your help Applejack! Like, right now." "What? Why?" "Just come on!" She said flying off. "I guess I gotta go help Rainbow Dash, I'll stop by a bit later to see how ya'll are doing. Twilight should be out in a minute." Applejack said as she galloped off. Twilight? As in Princess Twilight? Whoa, regain your complexion Cloud Spark. The door swung open in front of me and there, standing in front off me, was Princess Twilight Sparkle. Sure, her mane was messy and she looked like she just pulled an all nighter. I got down before her, being a princess and all, it's the right thing to do to her. "Uh. Hello. Who are you?" She said, confused. "My name is Cloud Spark, your friend Applejack brought me here and then a rainbow pegasus scooped her up." I replied, getting back on my hooves. "That would be Rainbow Dash, those two are always getting into all sorts of trouble. Why'd she bring you over here?" "My cutie mark, she told me you might know what it means. I have no idea and I want to know. It could be helpful for my future or something you know?" "Um, yes I can understand that. I'm sure I can help you out. Come in." She said, stepping aside for me to enter. "Sorry I'm such a mess and there are books are all over the place. I had a late night study session." "Study session? Study for what?" I replied looking around at all the books. "There doesn't seem to be a general theme these books are sticking to. 'History of the Wonderbolts and Their Tricks,' 'Star Swirl the Bearded's Guide to Defensive Magic,' 'Daring Do and the Army of Snakes.' Daring Do?" "Oh yeah, um just some light reading." She said taking the Daring Do book from my hooves. "Come down to the basement, I'll check out your cutie mark down there." She said opening the door to the basement and walked down the stairs, as we walked, I couldn't help but notice that Princess Twilight didn't really act like a princess at all. Not letting royalty get to your head. Now that's admirable. We reached the bottom and there were various machines and wires all over the place. "Go ahead and put this thing on your head." Twilight said lifting up a large dome of a helmet with multiple lights flashing on top of it. I took the helmet and looked inside it. I couldn't help but notice 2 strands of pink hair in it, I put the helmet on any way and she got on a computer. "So how is putting this on gonna tell you what my cutie mark is." I asked her looking up at the helmet on my head and back at her. I got no response as she kept tapping the screen. "You're gonna feel a slight pinch." She said still looking at the screen. The helmet tingled my brain a little. I twitched from the feeling. "Hm, I'm not really getting much. Getting Derpy's was so easy, same with Time Turner. I'm getting nothing here. Go ahead and take it off. Let me just have a look at it." She put some sort of machine on my flank. I jumped slightly in surprise. "I know it's cold, it'll only take a minute." Twilight said returning to her computer. The machine made some whirring noises and my cutie mark appeared on her screen. She walked over to me and removed the machine from my flank. "Okay let's see here. 6 rings they start small and get bigger. All inside the big one and they continue like that. That could mean anything. What's really curious is the dots on each of the rings. They're all different colors, one for each circle." She stopped talking and looked at me. "What's your name?" She asked me. "It's uh, Cloud Spark." I replied, not looking her in the eyes. "Is it? Okay then Cloud Spark I tell you what, I'm gonna keep looking into this. You've got me curious." She said, returning to her computer. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose, especially on a princess." "Oh please it's no imposition, I'm just a normal pony like you. I don't even let my friends call me princess and I almost never wear my crown." Twilight said walking back up the stairs. "Come on, Cloud Spark I'll fix you something to eat." I followed her up the stairs and into the kitchen where she fixed me up a sandwich. "I want to hear all about our new friend."
Just an Average Pony"Don't be scared Cloud." That's what my parents always told me when I tried something new. I never really knew what they meant by that, I always just assumed it was one of those things parents say to little fillies and colts. It's not like I ignored them, trust me I was a good colt. At least I like to think so. I went through Elementary School in a flash, my parents were so proud. Every time we'd see any other family member my mother would pull me into her arms with a big smile, look my family members in the eye, and go on and on about how successful I had been, how many awards I had gotten and how many times I was recognized by the principal herself. My cheeks would always go red and I'd bashfully tell her to stop. Then Middle School came along, it felt like nothing. Finally High School came, and with it, trouble. As any teenage colt would, I started to notice fillies my age. I got distracted and let my family down. My parents barely even noticed me anymore. Then came the week before graduation, last week. The whole reason I'm here in the first place. Both my parents were killed in cold blood. I don't know who did it or really how it happened and honestly, I'm not out for vengeance, ponies die, it happens, even to my parents. It had to, right? "Cloud? Cloud Spark? Are you there? You seem kinda spacy." I turned to see my sister staring me in the face to my right. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I just looked at her and turned away. "Cloud, it's your turn to speak." She said softly. All I could think to do was walk away, and that's exactly what I did. Yes, I walked away from my own mother and father's funeral. One funeral, two people, i know. But it saved bits. Bits that I need. Think of me as selfish if you want but I know what I need to do. I think. I walked for miles and eventually came to a train station. I looked at the train docked at the station and saw all the couples and families walking onto the train and scoffed. Okay so maybe I felt a little cheated that my parents were just taken from me like that. I walked into the station to check where the train was going. Ponyville. That hodunk, tashy ass, horrible excuse for a town. "Excuse me?" said the older unicorn in front of me. "Ponyville happens to be my hometown." "I-I'm so sorry sir, I meant no offence. Wait, I said that out loud?" I said nervously. "Who are you to judge kid? Have you ever been to Ponyville?" He said turning to face me directly and ignoring my question. "Um...no not once actually. I've never left home." I said looking at the floor. The older pony scoffed and turned away to the desk where he took both of his tickets with his magic. He turned to face me once again. "These tickets are cheep, maybe you ought to pay a visit some time soon, kid." He said walking away. I started to speak but I figured it was best not to continue with this stranger. I walked out of the train station and watched him board his train. I sighed and walked away, towards home. The only place I could think to go. As I walked home my thoughts turned to the older pony at the station. I thought of how he defended Ponyville like that. I'm 21 I should be out exploring. Yes, 21, I got held back a bit. I would never defend my hometown like that. I would defend it, just not with such, how do I put it, anger? Furiosity? If that's even word. Hoof Falls never really seemed like a place to get all emotional about. I finally approached our property. A wide open field with a small house in the very center of 16 acres. I looked up from the ground to the house and saw my sister galloping towards me. "Cloud! Where the hell did you go?" My sister screamed across the field. I knew she was mad, I knew the second I walked away from my own parents' funeral. She finally got to me and tackled me to the ground. I hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me. I looked into her rage filled eyes with a calm demeanor. "Star Fuzz. What can I do for you?" I said softly to her. "What can you do? You can start explaining why you left Mom and Dad's funeral." Tears began forming in her eyes as she spoke. "Why would Mom and Dad even want me there? They knew I was a failure. I'm 21 and I'm just now graduating High School." "Cloud, it doesn't matter what they thought of you. They're your parents." "Were. They were my parents Fuzzy." I said, pushing her off of me. "H-How can you even say that Cloud?" "Because they're dead, that's how. I know it's not their fault for dying but you and I just have to accept that we no longer have parents, and the sooner we do that the better." I regained my composure from being knocked down and looked back at my sister, now laying on the ground, tears now slowly cascading down her cheeks. I took a deep breath and spoke a few last words to her, possibly the worst words I could say at this point, aside from what I just said of course. "Fuzz, after tomorrow I'm leaving." She sat up with a look of terror on her face, tears now flowing more often. "You're leaving? To go where?" Fuzz asked me, devastated. "I-I don't know." I said, turning away from her. She merely responded by collapsing back on the the ground and covering her face with her hooves. I walked away without another word. I pushed the door open to our rickety little house and I walked slowly up the stairs, the only sound at all being my hooves hitting the floor. I sat on my bed, facing my window and looking across the field. I saw my sister still laying in the grass. She was too far away to tell if she was still crying or merely looking at the clouds. I decided she was old enough to know when to come inside on her own. I rested my head on my pillow and shut my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling but I think it hurt. Pain would be my best guess. Sleep it off Cloud. Just sleep it off.
Graduation DayAre dreams supposed to tell you something? What do they mean? Last night the older pony from Ponyville spoke to me. "You know what Hoof Falls is?" He said to me angrily."Nothing, and you know what kind of ponies come from it? Horrible, trashy ponies who have nothing going for them!" I burst into tears and attacked him. I went right through him and hit the ground hard. I got up again and turned to attack him again. "You're so worthless that you cant even attack me!" I tackled him again, same result. This time when I fell to the ground I just kept falling. Down further and further into the abyss. I never hit the ground, I just kept on falling hearing words of my parents flow right through me. "You're 21! Do something with your life!" My dad would say. "Why are you even still here? You'll never graduate." My mom said through tears. I knew Iet them down every second I was in school and that's why I need to leave. I hit the ground in my dream and I woke up in a cold sweat. I got out of my bed and walked to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Tears were steaming down my cheeks and my mane was a mess. I ran the shower and got in and let the water pour over me. I began crying again and I didn't know why. My only thoughts were focused on not crying, not why. I ran the shower for 5 minutes longer and then I shut it off. I got out and wiped the tears away. I gathered all my strength and left the bathroom to walk to my sisters room. She was sound asleep and she had dried tears on her cheeks I put a hoof in and then I thought of how she would really feel if I woke her up after what I said yesterday. I took my hoof out of the room and shut the door. Walking down the stairs I realized how bad of a brother I had been to her. I'm just leaving her all alone to fend for herself. I made breakfast for both me and her. I walked her plate up to her room and I woke her up. "Fuzzy, I made you breakfast." I said quietly. "What do you care Cloud? I'm just your sister." She responded keeping her eyes closed. "Star, I'm not leaving you all alone. I'm bringing you with me. You're 16 I can't leave you alone." "What? Cloud I'm not coming with you, I want to stay home." "You need to realize that this isn't home anymore. Mom and Dad are what made this place home and they're gone, forever. Besides, we aren't the ones inheriting the house." "Cloud I know that's not true, Mom and Dad would never do that to us. They know that we loved this house...they know." She began crying and I set her breakfast aside. "Sure they knew, but they also knew that we have to move on at some point, and that we couldn't just stay home all our lives and just be trapped in our memories." I finished talking and I hugged her tightly. "How do you know all of that? You sound so sure." She said releasing the hug. "I don't." I looked down and spread a confused look on my face. She rested her head on mine and she nodded. "What? What does that mean?" "It means that you're right and we should move out, leave this house as far behind us as possible. I need to pack. Get out." "What?" "I'm serious Cloud, get out. I'll see you at your graduation okay?" I just stared at her then got to my hooves and walked out of her room and closed the door behind me. I walked back to my room and began packing. Clothes, bed roll, knives, anything I could find that was useful. Shoving things in bags and rolling cases and I took everything downstairs and put it all by the front door so I was ready to leave this all behind me. I opened the door and left the house without a second thought. I trotted to the school with my cap and gown under my wing. I trotted through town avoiding the judgmental looks from all the ponies that were at my parents funeral. My only goal was getting to the school, finishing this stupid graduation ceremony and getting the hell out of Hoof Falls. Where am I gonna go? No idea, Canterlot? Manehatten? Or maybe I can take that old ponies advice and go check out Ponyville. I doubt I could afford Canterlot and Manehatten so it looks like Ponyville might be my only option. I entered the front door of the school and saw all the ponies in their caps and gowns. I don't know if I mentioned it, but I lost all of my friends once they graduated and I never bothered to make more. Who wants to be friends with a pony who got held back three years any way? I stepped in line and slipped on my gown and put on my cap. I raised my head to see all the ponies looking at me with judgmental stares and head shakes. I stepped in front of everypony else and went to talk to the Principal. "Ma'am, with all due respect can I just have my diploma and go? I can't take all of these looks I'm getting." I said barging in front of the pony she was talking to. "You won't go through with the ceremony? After three years of being held back and finally getting through it you won't even walk down the aisle and receive it just like every other pony?" She asked with a smile. "Of course not, I'm clearly not like everypony else." I held my hoof out to receive my diploma. She smiled and dug it out from the boxes they were in. "Clearly you are a special case Cloud Spark. Congrats. Now get out of here and get a life." She said with a cheesy wink. I gave her a confused look and took my diploma and left. I tore my cap and gown off and threw it on the ground. I didn't need them anymore, not for my new life. As the Principal said I'm supposed to go out and get a life. I guess my new life is going to be in Ponyville.
The TrainAs I entered the house the door creaked open and fell off it's hinges. "Huh, looks like I'm lucky I'm not getting the house after all." I said to myself. I left the door where it fell and trotted up the stairs to get my sister. I opened her door and all of her stuff was gone. No suitcases or clothes or anything. I called out for her but I got no response. I checked all the rooms but she was no where to be found. Classic twist I guess. I trotted down the stairs and grabbed my stuff to head for the train station. I threw everything in a cart and hooked myself up to it. I ran to the train station with the cart tapping me every once in a while and finally unhinged it and opened the door to the station. "One ticket to Ponyville." I said between breaths. "A please might help, sir." The pony behind the counter said. "Besides, don't you mean two tickets?" A pony behind me said. I turned to see my sister standing behind me. "Planning on leaving with out me Cloud?" "N-No I wasn't. You weren't home and all of your stuff was gone. I figured you took off on your own." "Why would I do that? I'm 16, as you said I can't live on my own. I thought you might leave the graduation ceremony early to try and ditch me." "I wasn't trying to ditch you. I'm not going anywhere without you sis." I said with a smile, giving her a hug. "Sir I'm gonna need the bits for these tickets, I've got a line of ponies waiting." The impatient pony behind the counter said with a snap. "I'm sorry." I said placing the bits on the counter and taking the tickets. My sister and I walked out of the door and boarded the train. I sat down and my sister sat next to me. I looked out the window and saw the clear grass fields of Hoof Falls and thought about how much I would really miss it. "Cloud I'm gonna miss Hoof Falls maybe just as much as you. But aren't we leaving all of this behind us?" My sister said resting her head on me. "Of course we are Fuzzy. We're moving on in our lives. Let's just try and get some sleep. It's a 7 hour train ride after all." I said closing my eyes. Within a moment I was asleep. I was falling into the abyss again, just a continuation of my last dream. All the hurtful words from my parents and all the judgmental looks from today. "Come on cloud." My mother said to me. "It's just calculus, in Elementary and Middle School you went through it all with flying colors." "What does Flying Colors have to do with this Mom? She and I aren't together anymore." I said to her. "No Cloud, stop thinking about mares, you need to concentrate on your school work." "Mom I don't want to do this any more. I'm done with school for the rest of my life." As I said those words I stormed out of the house and ran into the woods. I just kept running and I didn't stop, I couldn't stop. I don't know why. I saw a tree coming my way and I didn't stop. I ran straight into the tree and fell to the ground. I don't remember this from my past. I fell in a daze and heard the tree creaking. I watched it fall towards me and I rolled out of the way. As I stood back up I watched the day turn to night quickly. A shadowy figure stood in front of me, my height and my physique by the looks of it. He held a knife and wore a cape over his body and his face. This couldn't be me, I'm nothing like this. The pony rushed me and stabbed me with his knife. I looked down and watched the blood leak out of my chest and onto his knife and onto the forest floor. He twisted the blade but I felt nothing. His hood fell off to reveal my face, I was staring into my own eyes for 5 minutes. By far the most terrifying experience. The dark expression on his face turned to a devilish smile and he pushed all the way through my chest. This time I could feel the pain and I woke up to the train roughly tossing me around. "W-What's going on? What's wrong with the train Star?" I yelled hitting my head on the window with force. "I don't know! Are we gonna die?" Star yelled back with closed eyes. Before I could respond the train threw my head into the window again and knocked me out. I woke up laying next to a train piece on fire in the grass. "Ah great Celestia what happened?" I yelled out loud in pain. "Star? Star Fuzz? Where are you?" I looked around and I couldn't find her anywhere. I got up onto my hooves and looked at the carnage. Dead ponies everywhere. Tears filled my eyes. "Oh Celestia no. No no no. This isn't happening. I saw a few ponies gathered around one piece of burning train. My first thought was that they were survivors but as I got closer I saw that none of them were injured. Coincidence? I think not. I took a mental not of what I could see of their faces and began to sneak around them. Ponyville couldn't be more than an hours walk. I could see it in the distance, if Star Fuzz is alive then she'd be there or at least heading in that direction. I successfully got passed the suspicious looking ponies and looked to Ponyville. I took a deep breath, wiped a tear away and began trotting towards Ponyville.
PonyvilleWith Ponyville getting closer with each step I could see the street lights getting brighter and the few ponies walking around at this hour getting closer. I could almost hear all of their hoofsteps, but of course that could also be my imagination, and probably this aching headache I have. None of that mattered though, all that was important to me right now was getting into Ponyville and finding my sister. I'd like to say my first step into Ponyville was a nice one, I'd like to say that, but if i did I would be lying. I tripped and fell on my face and hit the dirt. "Gahhh dammit." I yelled as I hit the ground. "Well howdy there stranger, looks like you just had quite a fall. You need a hoof up?" A mysterious voice said to me from a short distance away. I looked up and I saw an orange pony with blonde hair and a stetson hat on reaching her hoof in my direction. "Um sure, thank you." I said taking her hoof in mine and having her pull me back on all four hooves. "I'm Applejack, always a pleasure meetin' new folk 'round here. Not exactly used to meetin' them in this fashion however." "Well then I'd call this a special situation, especially considering the circumstances." I said looking back in the direction I came from. "Why? What happened?" She said looking past me. "I was on a train, coming to Ponyville, and train rustled around and flew off the tracks, train crashed and I got away, only a few survivors as I could see." "Where are they?" She said with a panicked look on her face. "I don't know, maybe back at the crash? Going back to where they came from? Or heading this way as we speak." "I'll go get some help, there's a hospital about two blocks west of here. You might wanna get your self checked out, partner." She said trotting away in the direction she came from. "Thank you." I told her, but she was already gone. I began walking towards the hospital Applejack told me about, least I could do is get this headache checked out. Everything went black and I hit the ground. I woke up after what seemed like years later in a hospital bed. The lights were as bright as a thousand suns and the monitors beeped like any song I've ever heard from DJ-Pon3. Sorry to get all poetical. I could hear nurses talking in medical speak not that far away from me. I raised my head to see three nurse ponies gathered around their clipboards just outside my room. I put my head back down on my pillow and watched the monitor beside me and it beeped along with my pulse. It's been less than a minute and already I feel like blowing my brains out due to sheer irritation. One of the nurses appeared from what seems like out of nowhere. "Looks like someone's finally awake. Good morning, sir." The nurse said to me with a warm smile. "Good morning? I thought it was late at night." I said in response. "You slept through the night sir. First time anyone's seen you wake up since you were found blacked out in the dirt." "Blacked out in the dirt huh? Doesn't seem like something I would do." "Well you did have a concussion and a few broken ribs, I think it's safe to say you're lucky to be waking up this early. Usually if you fall asleep with a concussion as bad as yours you have a very high risk of losing consciousness. Looks like you're a special situation." The nurse said walking away. "Special situation. That's one way to put it." I said to myself. I turned onto my side and felt a sharp pain in my ribs. I could see what she meant when she said I had a few broken ribs. I took a deep breath and let out a sigh. First day in Ponyville and I'm spending it in a hospital. That pony I met. She seemed sweet, friendly, cute even. I wonder if all the mares in Ponyville are like that. Sweet and friendly would be nice for the stallions. I chuckled to myself and winced from the pain. My head still pounding from the train, tripping and blacking out. My thoughts turned to my sister. What happened to her? I didn't check any of the bodies at the wreckage. She could have easily died in the crash or walked in the opposite direction. I don't remember her being with those strange unharmed ponies, if she was I would've galloped straight for them like an idiot. Luckily I didn't, I stuck to the shadows and made it to Ponyville like I planned. "Sir?" One of the nurses asked me. "We need your name." "My name? Cloud Spark." I responded, using only my eyes to look in her direction. "Thank you." She replied walking away. "You're very welcome." I said sarcastically to myself. There's always something about being in an urgent care facility that makes me cranky. "Makes you talk to yourself too." a stallions voice told me. I looked to where the voice was coming from and I saw the older pony from the train station the day of the funeral. "What? Now I know I didn't say that out loud." I said, questioning his accusation of me thinking out loud. "You decided to come to Ponyville like I suggested did you?" "Yeah, I had no where else to go and I can't exactly afford Canterlot." "Canterlot isn't the only other place in Equestria, but it's nice of you to compare Ponyville to Canterlot." "I wasn't compari-, that's not the point. What are you doing here?" "I heard about the train wreak and I decided to check on the patients, see if there was anything too serious." He picked up the clipboard at the end of my bed. "Doesn't look too bad. Mild concussion and some broken ribs. Didn't you say you had a sister on board too?" "I did have a sister on board. I never said anything about it though." "Sure you didn't kid." He said, walking away. I sat up and flinched at the pain in my head. I'm gonna find out what that guys secret is if it's the last damn thing I do. I just hope he didn't hear that, however he does that thing he does every time he sees me.
ReleasedReleased. That's the best word I've heard today. Being in that Urgent Care Facility for 3 days was the worst. The pudding wasn't bad though. Always look at the bright side Cloud that's what you're good at. I walked out of the facility and into the bright light of the sun shining down on Ponyville. The sun on my face is the best feeling I could ask for at this point and that's exactly what I'm getting. Something tells me Ponyville was a good choice. Ponyville, such a simple name, it's just the type of beings that live in it and ville at the end. Really? Creativity and originality at it's finest. "I'd say so." said an older voice behind me. Of course I knew who it was, the older pony from the train station who had been coming to see me in the facility ever since the crash. "I think Ponyville is a fine name, don't you?" "I don't have a problem with it." I said, turning to face him. "Who are you anyway?" "That doesn't matter." "I think it does, why did you keep coming back to check on me?" "I was simply worried, my friend." "Why? All I am to you is a pony you saw at a train station criticizing your home town." "This isn't my hometown." "That's what you told me though." "Did I now?" As the stallion said that, he trotted off in the opposite direction. I began to follow him but I figured it was pointless to keep prodding the bull. I walked on towards an Inn I could stay at till I got my own place. As I walked I looked around, the scenery was great, a nice, quiet, peaceful town. Canterlot doesn't look far away either. If I find Star Fuzz she could go to college in Canterlot as she always dreamed. First of all, I need a job. Even before that, though, I need a place to stay. I opened the door to the inn and walked in. "Hello, and welcome the the Ponyville Inn." said the Pony at the front desk. "Hi there, I need a room, for 3 days." I replied. "Sure thing." She said excitedly. I never understood how these ponies could ever have such pep and spunk. I don't know if spunk is the word for it, but at least I know what I mean, and that's what matters. I handed her a flimsy sack of bits, enough to cover the price of the room. I took my key, thanked the pony and walked up to my room. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. It was nice to have the feeling of having somewhere to stay, and now that I had that I decided I would take a walk around Ponyville, after a shower of course. I walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower. After being in a hospital it was nice to have my own restroom to clean off and such. I ran the water for a few minutes and stared at it. Watching water flow was so soothing in a way. It keeps me so calm. I stepped into the water and let it run down my fur, my mane, and my tail. I shampooed myself, rinsed of and got out. I dried off and sat on the bathroom floor wrapped in a towel. So warm. I looked at my hooves and ran them through my mane. I heard a knock at the door to my room. "Just a minute!" I yelled through two sets of doors. No way who ever it was heard me. I cursed to myself and unwrapped the towel around me and proceeded to open up the bathroom door, just to see that the older pony from earlier already made his way in. "How did you get in?" "The door was unlocked." He said looking around at my room. "This is a nice room. How could you afford this with only what your parents left behind." "How do you know that?" I said, approaching him slowly. "Come now, doesn't it seem kind of obvious?" "No, not really." "Then I guess I'm just smart, huh?" "That's one way to put it," I said under my breath. "Why are you here? "I want to offer you a deal." "A deal? What kind of deal? Sell my soul to get a fiddle of gold?" "No nothing like that. It's very simple. You do something for me and I'll give you bits, you need bits don't you?" "Yeah, I do." "Perfect! I'll see you out at the edge of the Everfree forest tomorrow morning at dawn then!" He said, shutting the door behind him before I could speak another word. I opened the door once he left and looked around for him but he was no where to be found. "Dammit, I got to stop letting him get away. That pony is gonna get on my last nerve." I locked the door and grabbed my key. I decided I really needed that walk. I left the Inn and immediately bumped into another pony, literally bumped into. I fell to the ground and looked up. I saw a huge red pony pulling a cart full of apples. Me bumping into him didn't phase him for even a second. He looked down at me and spoke. "Sorry." He said offering me a hoof up. "It's okay." I took his hoof and got on all four hooves. "Big Mac! Consarnit! Didn't I tell you to look where you were going?" A familiar voice said in the distance. "Cloud Spark is that you?" "Applejack? Yeah, it's me. How'd you know my name though?" "Well I had to visit my favorite patient didn't I? The nurses told me they found you out cold in the dirt. I asked them your name and they told me it was Cloud Spark. Before I tried making sense of it through your cutie mark but i couldn't make much from six circles and colored dots on each of them." "You're telling me. I don't even know what it means, or what it has to do with my name." "Well that seems like quite a situation you've got there. I think I might know some one who can help you out there, if you'd like." "I suppose it couldn't hurt." "Good. Big Macintosh, take these to the market and get them ready for selling." "Yup!" The larger pony replied and walked off, hauling the cart like it's nothing. "That pony is quite the stallion isn't he?" I said watching him walk off. "Yeah, that's my big brother, Big Macintosh." Applejack said watching him as well. "Well anyway, about this friend of yours." "Oh! Sure thing partner! She's just a few blocks from here." "Shall we then?"
The Princess"So who is this friend of yours anyway Applejack?" I asked the orange country pony leading me to her friend that she said could help me figure out my cutie mark. "I have a feeling once you see her you'll know exactly who she is." She replied not looking in my direction whatsoever. What she said sent my mind on a rat race. Star Fuzz? Maybe someone from Hoof Falls? Only time will tell. We came up upon a big tree with a door and windows. "This is where she lives?" "Sure is, don't look to cozy from the outside but it's fixed up real nice on the inside." I looked up and saw a rainbow trail across the sky following a pegasus. "Wow, that's quite the rainbow." I said, looking up. "Oh that's no rainbow, that's just Rainbow Dash." "She can make that just by flying? That's incredible." "She really is isn't she?" She said looking up with me and smiling warmly. I looked at her. "Applejack? You there?" "What? Oh yeah, let's keep going." She said looking ahead and walking up to the tree's door. She tapped her hoof on it several times. I looked up and the sky, the pegasus turned around and was heading straight for us. "Applejack? I think Rainbow whatever is coming this way." "Huh?" Before she could say anything, Applejack was tackled to the ground by the Rainbow pegasus. They both regained their composure and smiled. "Rainbow? What was that for?" Applejack said with a half angry look on her face, but I knew that she was happy to see her. "Oh you know me AJ, that's just how I get ponies' attention." "I should know that by now shouldn't I?" Applejack said with a sigh. "Anyway, I need your help Applejack! Like, right now." "What? Why?" "Just come on!" She said flying off. "I guess I gotta go help Rainbow Dash, I'll stop by a bit later to see how ya'll are doing. Twilight should be out in a minute." Applejack said as she galloped off. Twilight? As in Princess Twilight? Whoa, regain your complexion Cloud Spark. The door swung open in front of me and there, standing in front off me, was Princess Twilight Sparkle. Sure, her mane was messy and she looked like she just pulled an all nighter. I got down before her, being a princess and all, it's the right thing to do to her. "Uh. Hello. Who are you?" She said, confused. "My name is Cloud Spark, your friend Applejack brought me here and then a rainbow pegasus scooped her up." I replied, getting back on my hooves. "That would be Rainbow Dash, those two are always getting into all sorts of trouble. Why'd she bring you over here?" "My cutie mark, she told me you might know what it means. I have no idea and I want to know. It could be helpful for my future or something you know?" "Um, yes I can understand that. I'm sure I can help you out. Come in." She said, stepping aside for me to enter. "Sorry I'm such a mess and there are books are all over the place. I had a late night study session." "Study session? Study for what?" I replied looking around at all the books. "There doesn't seem to be a general theme these books are sticking to. 'History of the Wonderbolts and Their Tricks,' 'Star Swirl the Bearded's Guide to Defensive Magic,' 'Daring Do and the Army of Snakes.' Daring Do?" "Oh yeah, um just some light reading." She said taking the Daring Do book from my hooves. "Come down to the basement, I'll check out your cutie mark down there." She said opening the door to the basement and walked down the stairs, as we walked, I couldn't help but notice that Princess Twilight didn't really act like a princess at all. Not letting royalty get to your head. Now that's admirable. We reached the bottom and there were various machines and wires all over the place. "Go ahead and put this thing on your head." Twilight said lifting up a large dome of a helmet with multiple lights flashing on top of it. I took the helmet and looked inside it. I couldn't help but notice 2 strands of pink hair in it, I put the helmet on any way and she got on a computer. "So how is putting this on gonna tell you what my cutie mark is." I asked her looking up at the helmet on my head and back at her. I got no response as she kept tapping the screen. "You're gonna feel a slight pinch." She said still looking at the screen. The helmet tingled my brain a little. I twitched from the feeling. "Hm, I'm not really getting much. Getting Derpy's was so easy, same with Time Turner. I'm getting nothing here. Go ahead and take it off. Let me just have a look at it." She put some sort of machine on my flank. I jumped slightly in surprise. "I know it's cold, it'll only take a minute." Twilight said returning to her computer. The machine made some whirring noises and my cutie mark appeared on her screen. She walked over to me and removed the machine from my flank. "Okay let's see here. 6 rings they start small and get bigger. All inside the big one and they continue like that. That could mean anything. What's really curious is the dots on each of the rings. They're all different colors, one for each circle." She stopped talking and looked at me. "What's your name?" She asked me. "It's uh, Cloud Spark." I replied, not looking her in the eyes. "Is it? Okay then Cloud Spark I tell you what, I'm gonna keep looking into this. You've got me curious." She said, returning to her computer. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose, especially on a princess." "Oh please it's no imposition, I'm just a normal pony like you. I don't even let my friends call me princess and I almost never wear my crown." Twilight said walking back up the stairs. "Come on, Cloud Spark I'll fix you something to eat." I followed her up the stairs and into the kitchen where she fixed me up a sandwich. "I want to hear all about our new friend."
