The Shadow Collective

"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."