Of Rainbooms and Destiny

by Sapphire Rose 12

Rating: everyone
Tags: Adventure, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Nightmare Moon, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 5195

The first Sonic Rainboom happened... The rest of the Mane 6 were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. What happens in a universe where Rainbow Dash is who she's supposed to be, but her friends aren't?

Rainbow Dash is the first pony ever to accomplish a Sonic Rainboom, only thought to exist in legends. She even earned her cutie mark that day. But...

Applejack closed her window before witnessing the Rainboom that led her home.

Fluttershy was also scared away by the Sonic Rainboom and never comforted the animals.

Pinkie Pie went inside before witnessing the Rainboom that taught her what joy was.

The Rainboom wasn't powerful enough to split open the rock that was full of jewels causing Rarity to abandon it and return home.

Twilight gave up on hatching the egg at the entrance exam long before the Rainboom caused her magic surge.

But fate has a funny way of doing things. It bring the six mares together in adulthood, but their lives have been drastically different. Only one of them has ever earned their cutie mark.

When Nightmare Moon returns on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration, can these six mares find a way to be friends and wield the Elements of Harmony? Or will Nightmare Moon take control of Equestria because of the Mane 6's altered destiny?

Published 2018-02-11 02:40:11 UTC
Last updated 2018-02-17 03:47:37 UTC

Prologue

Rainbow Dash’s mane flew behind her as she pushed harder into the wind. As she began to speed up, the velocity made her eyes water fiercely. Rainbow Dash’s ears flicked as she heard a powerful sound fill the air. Rainbow Dash vigorously turned her head to see what had happened. Her eyes widened in wonder when she caught sight of a bright array of light shining in the sky. She had heard many legends about the Sonic Rainboom, but she didn’t know that it was actually possible. Rainbow Dash grinned in excitement as she thought about how she was the first one to accomplish the seemingly unattainable feat. The roaring of the crowd reached her ears. A burst of pride rushed through her as they cheered. Rainbow Dash looked back to see a picture of a rainbow lightning bolt coming down from a cloud on her flank. Her cutie mark!

As Rainbow Dash swooped in for landing, she was awarded with a polished blue ribbon. First in the race again, Rainbow Dash thought to herself with a smirk. I’m on a roll!

Many ponies rushed up to her and clamored for her attention. They wanted to know how she did such an unbelievable task. Rainbow Dash looked up to the sky where her Sonic Rainboom had taken place. The remnants of the blast had vanished now, but she knew it had changed the lives of many.

Applejack stared out the window of her Aunt and Uncle Orange’s apartment. The sky was almost black and stars had begun to twinkle brightly in the heavens. Her heart ached terribly for her life back on Sweet Apple Acres. Tears stung her eyes and began to trickle down her cheeks. Applejack prayed for something or someone to take her back to Sweet Apple Acres. She regretted leaving behind her loving Granny Smith and her brave older brother, Big MacIntosh. Most of all, she regretted not being there for her newborn little sister, Apple Bloom. She promised her mother before her passing that she would take care of her and be the best older sister she could be.

Applejack let out a sorrowful sigh. She knew there was nothing she could do now. She made this decision and there was no turning back. Applejack drew the curtains sadly and slowly got into her rather uncomfortable bed. The mattress was sturdy and the pillows were firm. She shut her eyes and eventually fell into an uneasy slumber. What she didn’t know was just as she had closed the curtains, a blast had sent a bright, beautiful rainbow pointing her straight back to her home.

Fluttershy screamed as she fell from the sky. The ground was nearing and Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut ready to embrace her fate. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a swarm of magnificent butterflies seemed to break her fall. Fluttershy hesitantly opened her eyes and her jaw dropped at the sight she was witnessing.

Fluttershy looked around the marvelous landscape and saw many fascinating creatures and plants. There were so many wondrous things and Fluttershy never wanted to leave this place. She had found the place she wanted to call home. The adorable, little creatures seemed drawn to Fluttershy like a moth was to a light. They playfully chirped and chittered as Fluttershy laughed joyfully.

Suddenly, a burst of light and a deafening sound filled the sky. The animals around her were severely frightened and they quickly ran for cover. Fluttershy’s heart dropped in her stomach and she took a cue from the poor animals. Fluttershy looked around frantically for a place to hide in case there were any aftershocks. She dove into a bush and shook in fear, sheltering herself from any additional blasts. After she decided it was safe to show herself, she gradually crawled out of the bush and looked for her animal friends again. They were nowhere to be found. Fluttershy’s face fell as she realized they would not be returning to her any time soon.

Suddenly, Fluttershy’s ears flicked as she heard another sound.

“Fluttershy! I’m so sorry!” There was sobbing from back in Cloudsdale. Fluttershy recognized the voice of her friend, Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy’s heart pounded as she realized that Rainbow Dash thought she had accidentally ended her life.

Rainbow Dash sounded devastated. She thought that she would never see Fluttershy again and that it was all her fault.

“I’m okay, Rainbow Dash! I’m down here!” Fluttershy attempted to shout out as loud as she could, but didn’t find it in her to call to her loudly enough.

Fluttershy gave up and began to cry. Her wings were frail and she knew that she couldn’t carry herself back up to Cloudsdale on her own. Soon, Fluttershy’s wails grew louder. She was terrified and the sun began to set. She would soon have to face the somber, chilling night by herself.

Fortunately, Fluttershy’s wails grew loud enough for Rainbow Dash to hear. Rainbow Dash was so devastated that she hadn’t bothered to leave the spot that she had knocked Fluttershy off of. Rainbow Dash looked up hopefully.

“Fluttershy, is that you? Are you okay?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“It is me!” Fluttershy wailed. “Can you please come and get me? I’m afraid I can’t fly back up to Cloudsdale on my own.”

Rainbow Dash exhaled in relief. Fluttershy was alright! “Hang on, I’m coming to get you!”

Fluttershy sniffled and wiped her tears away as she saw Rainbow Dash gently landing next to her. A small smile tugged at the corners of Fluttershy’s lips.

Rainbow Dash threw her arms around Fluttershy. “I’m so glad you’re okay! I’m sorry that I knocked you off the cloud! I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy replied as she scrubbed a few extra tears away. “It wasn’t your fault. I know how much you love to win.”

“I’ll take you back up to Cloudsdale,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. “Hang on!”

Fluttershy climbed upon Rainbow Dash’s back and gripped onto her tightly. As Rainbow Dash began the ascent back to Cloudsdale, Fluttershy began to squeal with fright. She despised heights which was ironic for the little pegasus. When Rainbow Dash returned her to her house, it was almost night. The sky was red as the sun just barely touched the top of the mountain peaks in the distance.

“I’ve gotta get home,” Rainbow Dash told her. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy responded. She turned and went inside of her house.

Little did Fluttershy know was back down on the ground, panicked critters were huddled together in their shelters, wondering where the shy pegasus was.

“Pinkamena! Didst thou move rocks to where I asked thee to?” Igneous Rock asked. His eyes were as cold as stone.

Pinkamena sighed. Another day on the desolate, lifeless rock farm. Pinkamena had never once smiled in her life. The sun never reached beyond the endless cluster of clouds that hovered over the farm constantly.

Pinkamena looked over to her three sisters, Limestone Pie, Maud Pie, and Marble Pie. Limestone’s hard, determined gaze never failed to frighten Pinkamena. Limestone always claimed that the rock farm was hers alone and she would be the one to protect it until the end of her days. Maud’s stoic gaze confused Pinkamena. Other members of the family occasionally came to visit the rock farm and they would crack jokes. Nopony in Pinkamena’s family laughed, especially not Maud. Maud would keep a straight face and Pinkamena wondered how she did it. One day, Pinkamena even considered the fact that Maud was born without emotions. Marble was so terribly shy that she barely even spoke a word. Pinkamena had grown accustomed to her sisters and her parents being this way.

However, the family member that visited the rock farm most was Granny Pie, Igneous Rock’s mother. Granny Pie even called Limestone the angry one, Maud the rock expert, and Marble the shy one. Granny Pie called Pinkamena, the sad one. Pinkamena knew for herself that was true. She was always the awfully depressed one in the family and she never knew why. Pinkamena never found happiness in the rocks that she was forced to farm every day. In fact, Pinkamena didn’t know what true happiness felt like. She had never experienced joy before.

“Pinkamena! Are ye working earnestly? Lo and behold, I find thee lost in the thoughts of your mind. What is thou thinking?” Igneous Rock exclaimed.

“Sorry, Dad,” Pinkamena exhaled wistfully. “I promise not to do it again.”

Igneous Rock only nodded as he walked away.

The hours of the day seemed to move as fast as a snail. Pinkamena kept looking towards the sky as beads of sweat trickled down her face. Please take me away from here, Pinkamena pleaded silently.

“Children, come forth!” Cloudy Quartz, Pinkamena’s mother, called from the door. “Lunch shall be served.”

Pinkamena dropped her pickaxe and ran for the door. The hunger gnawing at her stomach ushered her forward towards the lunch her mother had prepared. She knew it was another meal made from stone, but it didn’t matter to her. It was all she had ever eaten and she didn’t know anything tastier.

When all of the Pie sisters arrived, Cloudy Quartz shut the door behind them. After the door was closed, a burst of light cleared away the dreary clouds and a rainbow shined brightly on the farm. Pinkamena hadn’t seen any of it.

Rarity stared at the rock ahead of her with bewilderment. Her horn had lit up and dragged her miles and miles away from her home only to bring her to a massive boulder. Rarity kicked it with her hoof. Once. Twice. Nothing happened.

Rarity just stared at the boulder for a second longer. As she looked at the towering boulder, anger began to boil up inside of her. It spilled out of her as she shouted, “A rock?! That’s my destiny?! What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?!” Rarity let out a groan. “Dumb rock!”

Shortly after her rant, an array of lights shone from above followed by the sound of an explosion filling the air. Rarity screamed and backed away from the sight, startled. However, the rock just sat there as if the explosion had never taken place.

Rarity stared at it for a moment longer before turning around and going home.

Twilight swallowed nervously as she stared ahead at the purple dragon egg. The judges looked at her with bored expressions upon their faces. How am I supposed to use my magic to hatch that?, Twilight thought with alarm. Twilight stood there as she looked at the lavender egg hesitantly.

One of the judges grew impatient. “Well, Miss Sparkle?” she said, arching her eyebrow.

Twilight laughed nervously and swallowed another stream of saliva. She flinched as she looked at the judges again.

The judge said it again, a little more forcefully this time. “Well, Miss Sparkle?”

Another one of the judges coughed urgently. Twilight groaned. I have to do this, Twilight told herself.

Another judge yawned as the first judge that had spoken told her, “We don’t have all day.”

Apprehensively, Twilight lit her horn and aimed her focus at the oval-shaped egg in front of her. It seemed as if her magic continued to fail her each time she tried to hatch it. Again and again, Twilight tried to hatch the egg using what little magic would spill from her horn. It was futile. Her magic wouldn’t obey her wishes and the egg sat there as still as ever.

Twilight fell to the ground as sadness washed over her. “I’m sorry I wasted your time,” she whispered softly.

The judges weren’t impressed as they scrawled notes on their clipboards.

“Miss Sparkle, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you do not qualify for this school,” the judge told her.

“I know,” Twilight said, her voice breaking. A lump formed in her throat and tears streamed down her face. “I’ll go home. I’m so sorry.”

Twilight turned and looked at her parents, ashamed of herself. She shrunk back afraid to see them disappointed in her. To her relief, her parents weren’t disappointed in her. However, they looked incredibly sad that she wasn’t accepted to the school. It had been one of her goals for quite some time now and it had crashed down before her eyes.

Twilight rushed over to her parents and threw herself into their embrace. Twilight let out all of the tears she had been holding back and sobbed in their arms. Her mother stroked her mane in an attempt to comfort her daughter as her father just hugged her tighter. None of them said anything.

“I-i-it’s not fair,” Twilight sobbed. She inhaled a raspy breath and exhaled as more sobs rang out around the room. “BBBFF got accepted into guard school. He gets to follow his dreams.”

“I know, sweetheart,” was all her mother could reply. “I know.”

As they walked out of the room, an extraordinary sight filled the air from outside, but Twilight had given up too soon. The poor little egg sat there unhatched. Another little filly came into the school and had succeeded in hatching the egg. She was given the little dragon for a personal assistant. The little drake looked up at her fearfully. The little filly tried to calm him down, but he felt no connection with the filly who was taking him home.

Applejack continued to grow up in Manehattan with her Aunt and Uncle Orange. She continued to be taught their lessons and heeded their advice. Soon, Applejack was a true city pony. Applejack always wore a dress and was never seen in public without one. Everyone thought she had a great sense of style, but she really wore the dress to hide her most shameful secret. She had never earned her cutie mark.

Fluttershy grew up in Cloudsdale with Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash was Fluttershy’s only friend. Since Rainbow Dash always stuck up for Fluttershy, Fluttershy never felt the need to stick up for herself. She was afraid of mostly everything. Fluttershy hated stepping hoof two inches outside of her house. When Rainbow Dash convinced her to go outside, Fluttershy clung to Rainbow Dash as if she couldn’t survive without her. Every bird sent Fluttershy soaring into her house and every mysterious sound gave her a heart attack. However, Fluttershy stayed inside her house most of the time not because she was afraid. She stayed inside her house because she never found out what her destiny was. She didn’t have a cutie mark.

Pinkamena continued to grow up on the rock farm with her family. Pinkamena found comfort in her oldest sister, Limestone, since she seemed to not be afraid of anything and she hardly cried. Pinkamena began looking up to Limestone and she grew up to be almost identical in personality. Pinkamena had grown up to be protective of her rock farm and her family name. Pinkamena was always angry, but it was only because Pinkamena couldn’t seem to earn a cutie mark like the rest of her sisters.

Rarity was never inspired by the gemstones hidden in the boulder and never grew up with her sense of fabulousness. She wasn’t into the fashion industry and she preferred to spend time with her little sister, Sweetie Belle. Rarity never made the Carousel Boutique and nopony knew her for her sense of fashion. Rarity always wore a cloak because she was embarrassed by the fact that she couldn’t earn a cutie mark.

Twilight was saddened by the fact that she wasn’t accepted into Celestia’s School, but this sadness turned into bitterness. She didn’t like spending time with her brother, Shining Armor anymore and stopped calling him, BBBFF. She no longer cared when her foalsitter, Princess Cadance, came over and never made any playground chants with her. All Twilight wanted to do was study. She became extraordinarily amazing at magic, but she never knew it was her destiny. There was no way she could. No one told her she was great at magic or told her that she had a special talent for it. She never earned her cutie mark.

Spike grew up with a different filly who was especially talented in magic, Amber Hazel. Amber Hazel was very kind and treated Spike very well. Although, Amber Hazel never viewed Spike as a family figure and Spike never felt welcome despite Amber Hazel’s kindness. Amber Hazel did not name him Spike. His name was Asher. Spike was still a loyal assistant and friend, but he always felt like he was missing something.

Nightmare Moon was still to return and the destinies for the heroes of the Elements of Harmony were altered. Fate had seemed to tear them apart, but fate has a funny way of doing things.

Author's Note

Hey, everypony! It's been awhile since I posted a story, so I thought I'd go with posting a brand new one!

I've seen a few different versions of this concept before, but I thought to myself, "What would happen if the Rainboom happened, but Rainbow Dash's friends never became who they were meant to be nevertheless?"

Please tell me what you think! I'd love to hear from you guys and it would be good to see those who used to read my stories in the comments again. :heart:

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash exhaled in bliss as she felt the sunshine beating down on her face. A tug on her tail startled her and snapped her out of her peaceful state. “What is it, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash questioned in annoyance.

“I'm still not sure about this,” Fluttershy replied with a small voice. “I love it on the ground, but Cloudsdale is all I’ve ever known. Change scares me, Rainbow Dash.” She shivered and swallowed nervously.

“Everything scares you, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash retorted. “Trust me. You’ll like it here in Ponyville.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had decided to move to Ponyville. When they were old enough to begin living on their own, Fluttershy's parents urged her to look for a place to live independently. Fluttershy couldn't cling to them forever. Fluttershy reluctantly agreed when Rainbow Dash promised to move wherever she went. After exploring Ponyville, the two mares agreed that it felt like home and found houses to reside in. Fluttershy had chosen a peaceful cottage in a nearby field. Rainbow Dash decided to hire some pegasus construction workers to build her a house in the sky. As much as she loved Ponyville, Rainbow Dash could never stay on the ground for long.

“Just relax, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash instructed. “Nopony will hurt you.”

Hesitantly, Fluttershy began to move forward. However, she still stayed as close to Rainbow Dash as possible.

Suddenly, a great smell reached Rainbow Dash's nose. It was the smell of apples and cinnamon. Rainbow Dash turned her head to find the source and saw an apple stand nearby.

“Doesn't that smell good, Flutters?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy only squeaked in reply.

“They might have cider there!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She could almost taste the sweet, tangy cider on her tongue. “Come on! Let's go get some! We need to stock up on food anyway.”

Rainbow Dash almost dragged Fluttershy over to the stand. She found three ponies over by the stand. One of them was an elder pony with a light green coat. Wrinkles made her face sag, but there was a youth in her orange eyes. Her mane had gone white and she wore it in a tight bun upon her head. An apple pie was her cutie mark. The pony standing by her was helping to collect bits. He was a tall, red stallion with white freckles on his cheeks. His mane was an orange-yellow color and his eyes were similar to a grassy green field. A working harness was worn around his neck. He looked healthy, big, and strong. His cutie mark was a green apple cut so that its seeds were shown. The last pony was only a filly. She had a bright sunshine yellow coat and an eagerness in her orange eyes. She wore a big pink ribbon in her pink-red mane. She had no apparent cutie mark yet.

As Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy approached the stand, the elder pony turned to face them and smiled, “Why, hello, young’uns! My name is Granny Smith. What can we get for you young fellers today?”

“Hi, name’s Rainbow Dash. Are you selling cider by chance?” Rainbow Dash wondered hopefully.

Granny Smith chuckled. “Sorry, you’ll have to wait until cider season rolls around. We make the best darn apple cider in all of Equestria. But can we interest you in some apple pie? We're great at making pies too.”

Rainbow Dash wrinkled her nose in disgust at the mention of pie. Rainbow Dash had never liked any type of pie. It had never been appetizing to her. “Uh… n-no thanks. But I would like it if you had some apple fritters.”

“We sure do!” Granny Smith said. “How many would you like?”

“Can I get a sample for me and my friend, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Your friend?” Granny Smith was confused. “I don't see anypony.”

Rainbow Dash whirled around to look for Fluttershy. The poor pegasus was hidden behind Rainbow Dash's tail. Rainbow Dash grumbled. “Fluttershy, get up.”

Fluttershy shakily rose to her hooves and looked at Granny Smith cautiously. Granny Smith smiled and her eyes crinkled. “Can I get ya a sample?”

Fluttershy nodded. Granny Smith prepared a sample for both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash tasted the sweet apple fritter. The sweet apple treat was baked to perfection. The outside was satisfyingly crunchy and the insides were creamy and sweet.

“Wow! This is delicious!” Rainbow Dash marveled.

Granny Smith was delighted. “Glad ya like it! Would you like a whole dozen? Just three bits!”

“Hay yeah!” Rainbow Dash replied.

“We're glad that ya like them, but things would go much smoother if we still had Applejack around to help,” Granny Smith said.

“Who’s Applejack?” Rainbow Dash wondered. “Is she their mother?”

The stallion and the filly burst out laughing.

“Eenope,” the stallion said through tears of laughter.

“Oh, heavens no,” Granny Smith told them. “Applejack is another one of my grandchildren. She's the second oldest of these two.”

“Oh,” Rainbow Dash said, a bit embarrassed. “Where is she now?”

“She went off to Manehattan as a filly to live with her Aunt and Uncle Orange,” Granny Smith replied. “The poor filly could never move on after her parents passed away. Big Mac and Apple Bloom here are all I got left.”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac chimed in sadly.

“I never really knew my older sister, but I wish I had,” Apple Bloom added. “I’ve always wanted another amazing sibling like Big Mac. When I heard that I had one, I’ve been dying to meet her ever since.”

“I… I hope you get to see her again someday,” Rainbow Dash said.

“We do too,” Granny Smith said.

Rainbow Dash placed three bits on the table and took the apple fritters. “Thanks for the fritters. See ya around.”

“Bye!” Granny Smith said. “It was nice meeting you both!”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac agreed.

“Bye, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Please stop by the orchard in the middle of town, so I can see you again! It's impossible to miss.”

“You know what? We will!” Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began to stroll around town again.

“Look at that, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash told her. “New friends already! Isn't it awesome here?”

“Um… it’s nice,” Fluttershy whispered.

Rainbow Dash sighed. Fluttershy really needed to gain some bravery if she couldn't take a simple stroll around town.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stopped by an orange stand farther along the road. The tangy smell was enticing and lulled many customers in.

The pony working at the stand turned around. She wore a big, poofy red and green dress that brought out her grassy green eyes. Her coat was a bright orange and white freckles were upon on her cheeks. She wore her blonde mane in a fancy updo that looked like it took hours to do. A pink and red clip held it together.

“Good afternoon,” the mare said in a posh voice. “What can I do for you?”

“Hey there, I’m Rainbow Dash and that's my best friend, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “The food at your stand smells awesome. What do you have?”

“Today's special is an orange dream cake,” the mare replied. “My aunt's speciality.”

“We’ll have two of those,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Splendid,” the mare said. “That’ll be fifteen bits.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Fifteen?” Rainbow Dash cried. “No deal! That's not good for business!”

“What would you know about business, young mare?” she snapped. “We're visiting from Manehattan which means all of our food is authentic Manehattan food. Manehattan food costs a lot of money, so I’m going to need fifteen bits from you if you want the cakes. Take it or leave it.”

“This isn't Manehattan!” Rainbow Dash retorted. “This is Ponyville! Ponies here don't have that kind of money. I’m not wasting fifteen bits on cake! I’ll give you ten. How's that? That's way more than I need to spend on your food.”

“That's simply not going to happen,” the mare sneered. “My name may be Applejack, but I take business with the Oranges very seriously. Good day to you, ma’am. Good day.”

“Yeah, I bet that cake doesn't even taste good anyway!” Rainbow Dash hollered. “Come on, Fluttershy! We're wasting our time!”

“Bye,” Fluttershy squeaked nervously.

“Come on,” Rainbow Dash repeated.

They walked away from the stand.

“Ugh, I can't believe her!” Rainbow Dash complained. “What did she say her name was again?”

“Applejack,” Fluttershy replied.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened and she looked back and forth between the orange and apple stand, realizing where she had heard the familiar name.

“Can we get going, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy pleaded. “I really don't want to be out here for longer than we have to.”

Giving in, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy moved on.

A short time later, Rainbow Dash felt herself bump into another pony. They stumbled and tripped over each other.

The other mare grumbled. “Ugh, watch where you’re going.”

“Hey, it was an accident, I swear,” Rainbow Dash claimed.

Rainbow Dash got a good look at the mare before her as they rose to their hooves. The other mare was a royal purple unicorn with rich violet eyes. She had a deep violet mane with a red-violet streak flowing through it like magma. She wore a black cloak with white stars on it to cover herself. Her mane was tied up in a messy bun and some strands of her mane hung down on the sides of her face. Her nose was stuck in a book titled 'Magic and Mysteries: A History of Strange Magic.’

“This is a library book,” the mare said. “I can't bring this back ruined or I’ll have to pay for it. So, be careful next time!”

“I said I was sorry!” Rainbow Dash cried. “If anything, you were the one not watching where you're going. Maybe it would help if you got your nose out of that book of yours.”

The mare glared daggers into her. “At least, my books don't try to insult me. If you’ll excuse me, I must be going. I'm going to be late to my seminar and they don't call me Twilight Sparkle to be late. Serves me right for choosing a seminar in Ponyville.”

Twilight flicked her tail and trotted away in frustration.

“Some ponies,” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “She's not the only grump I’ve met today. I swear if I meet one more--!”

“Hey, you're in my way!” a new voice from behind her growled.

Rainbow Dash almost exploded, but she reeled herself in. She growled to herself. She was done with all of the mares being rude and inconsiderate.

“Rainbow Dash, why don't we try to make friends with this one?” Fluttershy nervously asked from behind Rainbow Dash's tail.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “My name is Rainbow Dash and that's Fluttershy. What's your name?”

The mare sighed. “Pinkamena.”

“What?” Rainbow Dash asked.

The mare repeated it, more forcefully this time. “Pinkamena. Pinkamena Diane Pie.”

Pinkamena had a straight pink mane that she constantly had to brush away from her cotton candy blue eyes. Her pink coat was dull and gave off an ominous vibe.

“Cool!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Wanna be friends?”

“Look, I don't have time for this,” Pinkamena snapped. “Now, move out of my way. I'm starting to get impatient.”

Rainbow Dash felt her anger starting to bubble up inside of her once again. “Pinkamena, I’m not going to put up with---!”

“Rainbow Dash, please! You're scaring me!” Fluttershy whimpered.

Rainbow Dash sighed and put her anger aside. “I'm sorry,” she mumbled.

Pinkamena trotted away, looking around. “Ugh, where is it? The sooner I find that cave, the sooner I bring home the granite.”

Fluttershy gasped in realization. “Rainbow Dash, look at her flank.”

“What about it?” Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

“She doesn't have a cutie mark yet,” Fluttershy replied.

Rainbow Dash looked closely at it in shock to find that it was true. Pinkamena didn't have a cutie mark. Rainbow Dash was at a loss for words. She didn't have a cutie mark just like Fluttershy. There had to be a connection somehow, right?

Rainbow Dash decided to shrug it off for now. It wasn't her concern and it wouldn't be polite to inquire about it.

“Rainbow Dash, I’m tired,” Fluttershy claimed. “It's too loud out here and I’ve had enough social time for today.”

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Alright, Fluttershy. Let's go. Now, what did you say your new address was again?”

“I’m not sure,” Fluttershy admitted. “I just know that it's a lovely little cottage somewhere in the east of town.”

“Then, I’ll help you look for it,” Rainbow Dash offered. “Come on, let's go.”

Without another word, Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash, keeping closely behind her tail.

While they searched for Fluttershy's new house, Rainbow Dash's mind was running wild. Applejack was visiting Ponyville, selling her goods not far away from her closest family members. Though, Rainbow Dash wasn't certain if it was too late to do anything about the matter. She certainly didn't seem joyful in her predicament. But then again, neither did the other two mares she had ran into that day. Twilight seemed to be bitter about something Rainbow Dash didn't know about and Pinkamena just seemed to be upset for no good reason at all.

Thoughts like this kept flooding Rainbow Dash's mind, making her wonder if they were ever going to stop. But she knew that it kept plaguing her mind for a reason. She just couldn't quite put her hoof on it.

Author's Note

Hello! If you have any feedback for me, I'd love to hear back from any readers who have great advice! Thank you!