Magical Mystery Marks

by bdoubleowo

Rating: everyone
Tags: Random, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7091

During the events of Magical Mystery Cure, Twilight asks her friends how each pony got their new (new to Twilight, at least) cutie mark.

When Twilight wakes up one day, she sets out to have a wonderful morning- only to find that Rarity has Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. Confused by this, Twilight asks her how she got "her" cutie mark, and Rarity's story leads to wondering about her other friends' stories.

Inspiration taken from "Magical Mystery Cure" and "The Cutie Mark Chronicles."
"What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me" written by Daniel Ingram and sung by Ashleigh Ball, Andrea Libman, and Tabitha St. Germain.

Edit 11/27/22: Somehow this story has exactly 7000 words. That's cool.

Edit 4/8/23: Featured in "It is Recommendsday, My Dudes #107" :yay:
Edit 6/12/23: Reviewed by Ghost Mike ^^ Score was Weak but that's fitting, this is one of my first fics.

Published 2020-02-05 16:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2020-02-28 16:19:57 UTC

Rarity's Story

Magical Mystery Marks

Rarity's Story

“Morning in Ponyville shimmers! Morning in Ponyville shines! And I know for absolute certain, everything is certainly . . . AAUGH!” Twilight Sparkle’s song was suddenly cut off at the end as the purple unicorn mare was drenched by a rain cloud. Twilight shouted angrily at the sky, “Rainbow Dash! That’s not funny!”

“Terribly sorry, darling,” said a voice. This was the very last voice Twilight expected to hear. “I’m afraid I’m not good with the thundery ones.” Twilight stared at the pony who was moving the clouds in the sky. Normally, cloud control was a pegasus job, but this pony was using her magic to move them! She was a unicorn – and not just any unicorn. It was Rarity! With Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark?! Twilight gasped.

“Rarity?!” She couldn’t believe her eyes. “How is this possible? Your cutie mark- it’s changed!”

“Whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity stared at her, confused. “This has been my cutie mark ever since it appeared.”

“Ever since it- Really?” Twilight was admittedly curious. “How did you get your cutie mark, anyway?”

“I never told you this story?” Rarity looked shocked. “I thought for sure I had!”

“Nope.” Twilight shook her head. “I think you told the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but you never told me.”

“Ah! That explains it. Come along, and I’ll explain it to you!” She headed toward the Golden Oak Library. “I need to pick up a book as well, for there must be something that explains how to deal with storm clouds. May I borrow one?”

“Sure, Rarity!” Twilight said. “But after the story, okay?”

“Of course, darling.” Rarity opened the door with her magic and stood to the side. “After you!”

Twilight smiled gratefully and walked in, Rarity following. Closing the door behind them, Rarity asked, “Would you like to hear it now, or later?”

“Well, Spike is still asleep, but…” Twilight levitated a pair of earmuffs and walked upstairs. She placed the earmuffs over Spike’s ears, and he turned over, mumbling to himself. Twilight walked back to Rarity, smiling. “He’ll be fine. I didn’t want to wake him just yet.”

“Very kind of you, darling.” Rarity smiled as well. “Now, where to begin? Ah, yes! It all started a few days before my school had their annual play, when I was a young filly…”

*****************

“Back in those days, I was obsessed with fashion!” Rarity said. “I guess you could say I was good at it, but I wasn’t sure. I was the last in my class to get my cutie mark – most of the other foals already had theirs – and I thought fashion would be my special talent! Anyway, I had been making the outfits for the school play, and my classmates loved them!”

“That’s fantastic, Rarity!” Twilight said, though she was wondering how this story had changed from the timeline that she remembered.

“I agree. The outfits were fabulous. However, I thought they needed something, well… more.” Twilight blinked, confused at Rarity’s words.

“Like what?” she asked.

“That was the problem. I wasn’t sure! I sewed for hours, days even. Soon, it was a day before opening night, and I still wasn’t sure what to add! That was when an event happened that would change my life.” Rarity smiled fondly in remembrance.

“What was it?” Twilight moved her chair closer, eager to hear more. Even though Rarity had the wrong cutie mark, even though she had no idea if her friends’ cutie marks had changed, she still was interested in Rarity’s story.

“Well, my horn suddenly glowed! It was surprising, and I had no idea what would happen! Unicorn magic is very unpredictable, darling,” Rarity said, and Twilight nodded.

“I agree,” she said. “Many things could happen if your horn glows suddenly, like what yours did.”

“Exactly.” Rarity nodded. “However, I trusted my magic, and I let my horn take me where it wanted me to go. It took a while, but eventually I ended up at the final destination, which was…” Here, Rarity paused for effect, and Twilight leaned closer. “A rock!”

Twilight blinked. “What?”

“That was my reaction, too. I stared at the rock, sure that something was wrong. My magic certainly wouldn’t have brought me to a rock for inspiration, would it? It wasn’t even an interesting rock – just a gray, ordinary, boring rock.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Anyway, I got annoyed. I started shouting at the rock. I yelled, ‘A ROCK?! That’s my destiny?! Dumb rock!’ I just couldn’t fathom it.”

“Then what happened?” Twilight asked.

“I was so caught up in yelling at the rock – ridiculous, I know, but it’s true – that I didn’t notice that my horn was glowing. Suddenly, a lightning bolt flashed from the sky, cracking the rock in two, and showing that the inside was filled with fabulous gemstones! I looked up at my horn, and saw that it was indeed glowing. Then I looked at the sky and saw that I had controlled the clouds to shoot a bolt of lightning at the rock! That was when I felt a weird sensation on my flank. I looked down, and saw the image of a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt on it. I gasped, shocked. I had gotten my cutie mark! The cloud was the clouds I had controlled, and the lightning bolt was the one that had split the rock. It was rainbow colored because of all the gems inside the rock, which were in all the colors of the rainbow! I had found my destiny – cloud controlling!” Rarity squealed in excitement, smiling at the memory. “However, I brought the gems back to my house, sewed them onto the costumes, and gave them to my teacher. She was happy to have them, congratulated me on getting my cutie mark, and we had one of the best plays I’ve ever seen!” Rarity smiled again. “So? Did you like the story?”

Twilight’s mouth was hanging open. “Wow! That was a really good story, Rarity!” She levitated a book on cloud control over to Rarity, and smiled. “You said you wanted to borrow this?”

“Yes, I did! Thank you so much, darling!” Rarity stood up and hugged her friend, then turned around. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must be going to finish my job. The weather’s not going to control itself, you know!” With a laugh, she started heading for the door.

“Wait, Rarity!” Twilight called. “What about your love of fashion?”

“My love of fashion? Oh, it’s still here, darling!” Rarity smiled. “It’s still a fantastic subject, and I love looking at other ponies’ work. But making clothes is not for me anymore, I’m afraid!” She waved to Twilight. “See you soon, darling!”

As Rarity left the library, Twilight reflected on the story she had just been told. “That’s incredible! The Rarity I know told me her story, but she had gotten her cutie mark after the play! This timeline’s Rarity got it before the play! The lightning bolt on her new cutie mark is rainbow because of gem colors, not because of a Sonic Rainboom! There are so many differences! But wait . . .” Twilight stopped as a thought suddenly occurred to her. “If Rarity’s cutie mark is different . . . what is Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark?!”

Rainbow Dash's Story

Magical Mystery Marks

Rainbow Dash's Story

“I still don’t know what you had to wake me up for,” Spike grumbled to Twilight as they walked toward a small cottage on a hill near the Everfree Forest.

“This is important, Spike. Rarity had Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, and she said that this was Rainbow Dash’s cottage! Something’s very wrong here…” By now, they had reached the cottage, and Twilight knocked on the door. The door opened, and Rainbow Dash peeked out.

“Oh, hi, Twilight,” the light blue pegasus said, moving aside so that Twilight and Spike could enter. Once they had, Rainbow closed the door.

Twilight’s jaw dropped. The cottage was full of animals, and they were all going crazy! A cat was sharpening its claws on the drapes, an eagle was flying around with a mouse in its talons… “What’s going on?!” she asked Rainbow.

“Well…” Rainbow sighed, then, to Twilight’s surprise, began to sing.

“These animals won’t listen, no, not one little bit! They run around, out of control, and throw their hissy fits!” Rainbow tried to get the cat off the drapes, and it hissed and swiped a paw at her. “It’s up to me to stop them, ‘cause plainly, you can see…”

Twilight watched as Rainbow flew after the eagle, trying to rescue the mouse, but instead slammed into the wall and fell to the ground.

“It’s got to be my destiny…” Rainbow lifted a wing sadly, revealing a cutie mark of three pink and blue butterflies on her flank. “’Cause it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.”

Twilight gasped involuntarily. “So Rarity has Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark, and Rainbow has Fluttershy’s cutie mark! Of course, I should’ve guessed that when Rarity said that this was Rainbow’s cottage. . .” Twilight thought to herself. Out loud, she said, “Rainbow, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bruised wing.” Rainbow stood up and spread her wings, stretching. She winced a little, but other than that she seemed to be fine.

“Rainbow, if you don’t mind me asking. . . Could you tell me your cutie mark story?” Rainbow looked up at Twilight, surprised by her request.

“I’ve never told you that story?” Twilight shook her head. “Okay, then sure!” Rainbow trotted over to the couch and lightly pushed Angel Bunny over to the side. “Sorry, Angel. But we need to sit down too.” To this, the bunny just glared at Rainbow.

“Alright then. Where to begin?” Rainbow Dash sat down, and Twilight sat next to her. Spike sat next to Twilight. “Ah! It all started at flight camp, when I was a filly. . .”

************************

Rainbow took a breath and began. “Back in those days, I was fast. Not, like, Wonderbolt fast, but still fast. So fast, in fact, that sometimes I didn’t see where I was going. These incidents gave me the nickname ‘Rainbow Crash.’” Twilight winced in sympathy.

“Anyway, the ones who gave me that nickname were two flight camp bullies named Hoops and Dumb-bell. They loved to pick on other foals and make fun of them. But they had two favorite targets: me, and Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy?!” Twilight gasped.

“Yep, Fluttershy. They would call her ‘Klutzershy,’ for back then she was a really weak flyer, and even shyer than she is now. Nopony ever risked the wrath of the two bullies by sticking up for either me, Fluttershy, or any other foal that was being bullied by them. But one day? One day I just, well…” Rainbow paused, trying to think of a word to use in this context.

“Snapped?” Twilight offered.

“Exactly!” Rainbow nodded in thanks. “I was sick of them bullying me, and sick of them bullying others, and especially sick of them bullying Fluttershy. So on this day, I noticed them bullying her. I was really mad.”

Twilight listened intently as Rainbow Dash continued. “Hoops was saying things like, ‘My little brother can fly better than you!’ Of course, I didn’t know his little brother, but it didn’t matter. So, as fast as I could, I shot down toward them and landed in front of Fluttershy, shouting, ‘Leave her alone!’”

“’Hey, Rainbow Crash!’ Hoops told me. I rolled my eyes at that. I forget how the conversation went, exactly, but it ended up with Hoops, Dumb-bell, and I racing each other around the track at Junior Speedsters Flight Camp.”

“Wow!” Spike said, shocked. “You raced those two? What was the outcome? Who won?!”

Rainbow laughed and rubbed Spike’s head. “I’m getting to that. Fluttershy was the one who waved the flag, and we were all watching her intently so that we wouldn’t miss a millisecond of time to get into the lead. She waved the flag, and we were off – so fast, in fact, that she spun around a couple of times and then fell off the cloud! I was torn between wanting to save her and winning the race, but I realized that Fluttershy could still fly well enough to at least slow her fall. I’m not proud of it, but that’s what I thought. Anyway, Hoops flew around a cloud column, and I followed close behind. Dumb-bell missed the turn and slammed into the wall. It was just me and Hoops now – and I was thinking of this when I was suddenly hip-checked to the side. I looked at who my attacker was, and it was Hoops, yelling ‘Smell ya later, Rainbow CRASH!”

“How rude!” Twilight said indignantly.

“I know, right? I was so mad. I flapped my wings and shot after him, soon overtaking Hoops. But I didn’t stop there. I kept flying so fast – I was so mad about that Rainbow Crash comment. I wanted to show Hoops that I was not Rainbow Crash. I was Rainbow DASH! The pony who beat him in a flight race – and who, at that moment, was flying fast enough to have some sort of wind tunnel form around her hooves. I didn’t even notice the tunnel, until suddenly, there was a giant BOOM! I shot across the finish line, a rainbow trailing behind me. I gasped, realizing that I had just done a Sonic Rainboom, which was supposed to be just an old mares’ tale. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I realized too late that I had overshot Cloudsdale and was now about to land in the middle of a forest – on the GROUND. I had never been to the ground at that point. I quickly tried to stop but was falling too fast. Then, all of a sudden, a group of winged creatures flew under me – supporting my weight! I was saved! I had no idea what had saved me until later, for butterflies (that was what those creatures were) don’t fly as high as Cloudsdale. Once they set me down, I thanked them. Suddenly, I realized that the forest around me was filled with animals – and I could, somehow, understand them! Or, well, kind of. I had to practice a lot after I discovered that fact.” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, a little sheepish. “But, anyway, that’s how I got my cutie mark!”

“And what about your Sonic Rainboom?” Twilight asked. “What did you do about that?”

“Well, believe me, I was pretty psyched. But flying fast isn’t my talent, I guess. Sure, I’m still really fast. But it’s not what I’m meant to do.” Rainbow smiled at her friend. “I take care of these guys now.” Angel glared at Rainbow from his spot on the couch.

“Well. . . thanks for telling us your story!” Twilight jumped off the couch, Spike following behind. “Hey, um. . . Would you happen to know where Fluttershy is at this moment?”

“Yeah, she’s probably at Sugarcube Corner.” Rainbow suddenly gasped a little. “Mind if I come with? I just remembered I need to pick up some cupcakes.”

“Sure!” Spike told her. “It’s cool!”

“Awesome!” Rainbow hoof-bumped his claw and trotted over to the door. “Come on!” She opened it, smiling at her friends. “Let’s go see Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy's Story

Magical Mystery Marks

Fluttershy's Story

When Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike entered Sugarcube Corner, the first thing they saw were many ponies standing around none other than Fluttershy, who was singing:

“I try to keep them laughing, put a smile on their face.” Fluttershy was blowing balloons, but suddenly, she let go of one and it blew around her. Then, she put on a pair of gag glasses. However, since nopony responded, she took them off. “But no matter what I try, it seems a bit of a disgrace.” The ponies around her suddenly started laughing, and Fluttershy turned toward where they were looking. “I have to entertain them, it's there for all to see.” Spike had taken the gag glasses and put them on, and was now dancing. Twilight waved her hoof at him, nonverbally telling him to stop. Fluttershy looked sad and looked down at her flank, which now featured three balloons – Pinkie Pie’s old cutie mark. “It’s got to be my destiny, and it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.”

Twilight went up to Mrs. Cake, smiling nervously. “Could I have a blueberry muffin, please?”

“Sure thing, dear!” Mrs. Cake took a muffin from under the counter and hoofed it to Twilight, who took it in her magic. “That’ll be three bits.” Twilight hoofed over the bits, and Mrs. Cake smiled.

Sitting down at a table, Twilight watched as Fluttershy’s viewers slowly dispersed, and soon Fluttershy was standing all alone. She sighed.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow flew over to the yellow Pegasus, and she made a small “eep!” in response. “What’s going on?”

“Um. . . hi, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy smiled at her friends. “Hi, Twilight. Hi, Spike.” Spike waved.

“Hey, so, we have a question for you!” Rainbow told her, landing on the ground. “Twilight’s going around asking her friends for their cutie mark stories.”

“Really?” Fluttershy looked at Twilight, who nodded. “You know, I wouldn’t have gotten my cutie mark if it weren’t for Rainbow Dash."

“What?” Twilight was shocked, and Rainbow Dash nodded. “What happened?”

“Well. . .” Fluttershy sat down at a table, and Rainbow and Twilight joined her. Spike went over to Mrs. Cake and ordered a plate of cupcakes for the table. “It all started during the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp, where both Rainbow Dash and I went when we were fillies. . .”

************************

“Well, first of all, I might want to ask... how much do you know already?" Fluttershy asked.

"We know about the bullies and the cloud fall... But not much after," Twilight replied. "We're wondering about the rest."

Spike returned with the cupcakes, and Twilight took a bite out of one. “So, what happened in your story?"

“Yeah!” Rainbow punched the air. “Tell ‘em what happened next, Fluttershy!”

“Oh. . . okay,” Fluttershy said, a bit surprised by Rainbow’s eagerness. “So, the bullies and Rainbow Dash told me to be the flagpony for their race, and I agreed, though by the time I was actually doing it I was really regretting that decision. This feeling intensified when I waved the flag and the three racers—Rainbow Dash, Hoops, and Dumb-bell—shot past me. They were really fast! So fast, in fact, that I spun around a couple of times, and fell off the cloud where I had been standing!” She shuddered, remembering.

Twilight clapped her hooves to her muzzle. “Oh my Celestia! How awful!”

“I saw Rainbow Dash turn towards me, but she turned back around and continue to race.” Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, and Rainbow giggled nervously.

“Sorry.” Rainbow rubbed her hoof behind her head. “I thought you could fly well enough to at least slow your fall.”

“You were right, Rainbow. Don’t worry about it. I flapped my wings, and somehow, I managed to slow my fall enough that I didn’t faceplant into the ground. I did fall on my belly, however. I looked around, and saw the most beautiful sight–a forest that was filled with animals. I started singing to them, and they trusted me.” Fluttershy repeated her fillyhood song for her friends:

“What is this place, with its so many wonders? Casting a spell, that I am now under! Squirrels in the trees, and the cute little bunnies! Birds flying free, and the bees with their honey! Honnnnnn-ney!” This last note was belted out, for a moderate amount of time. Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Twilight leaned in, listening.

“Oh! What a magical place. And I owe it all to the Pegasus race! If I knew the ground had so much to achieve, I’d have come here sooner, and never leave! Yes, I, love, eve-ry-THINNNNNG!” She spun around a couple of times, stopped, shook her head, then smiled at her friends. Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike all clapped, and Fluttershy blushed a little.

“Um. . . thank you.” She smiled. “Anyway, after the song, I waved good-bye to the animals and walked into town, which I soon learned was called Ponyville. I was a little scared, for I had never seen any non-pegasi before. However, nopony seemed to be mean or rude to me.” Fluttershy bit into her cupcake, and swallowed before she continued her story. “I walked into a building that seemed to be the center of Ponyville. I thought it would be the town hall, but instead, it was a bakery. Mrs. Cake was there, and she asked me if I needed anything, for she thought I was lost.”

“That I did!” Mrs. Cake trotted over, and rubbed Fluttershy’s mane. “Just came over to ask if you’d like anything else.”

“No, thank you,” Rainbow said. “Thanks for the cupcakes!”

“No problem, dear! If you’d like anything else, just ask!” Mrs. Cake smiled, and walked back behind the counter.

“I explained that I had fallen from Cloudsdale and couldn’t go back, and she reacted almost like you did, Twilight, when I told you that I had fallen off a cloud.” Fluttershy looked at Twilight, and she made the connection.

“Oh, she went like this?” Twilight gasped and clapped her hooves to her muzzle again.

Fluttershy nodded. “Yep. She offered me a place to stay upstairs, and I accepted it. I also asked Mrs. Cake if I could help at the bakery, so that I could earn money for myself. She told me that I could, and so I’ve been working and staying here to this day!”

“Wow!” Twilight blinked, surprised. “Wait, so how’d you get your cutie mark?”

“Well, a few minutes after that, I was baking. I found a cake recipe in Mrs. Cake’s book. I started to bake it, and was just finishing up when there was a huge BOOM! sounding from outside. I jumped, throwing the bowl that I was using to mix the ingredients. The cake mix fell right on top of me- in front of an unusually-packed Sugarcube Corner. There was a moment of silence, and then everypony burst out laughing. I smiled, and laughed also, for I recognized the humor in the situation, but the other half of me wanted to get the Tartarus out of there- oh, I’m sorry. . . please, excuse me.” Fluttershy blushed.

Twilight put her hoof around Fluttershy. “You’re excused. So, what, you got your cutie mark at that exact moment?”
“Yes, I did.” Fluttershy nodded. “It represents laughter, and baking.”

“That’s really cool!” Rainbow flew over to them. “Awesome story!”

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy blushed again.

Twilight thought back to Rarity’s and Rainbow’s stories, and then compared them with Fluttershy’s. The Sonic Rainboom had still occurred, although Rarity probably didn’t realize that the explosion from the lightning bolt that split the rock was actually from the Sonic Rainboom, even though the lightning bolt probably did cause some sort of noise. Twilight kept thinking, and she realized that in this timeline, Fluttershy was a pretty good baker! She was one in the old timeline, as well, but she didn’t do it much except for the occasional tea and cookies with her friends. Then Twilight realized something, something that made her gasp.

If Fluttershy’s cutie mark was the three balloons. . . what was Pinkie Pie’s cutie mark?

Pinkie Pie's Story

Magical Mystery Marks

Pinkie Pie's Story

Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike waved goodbye to Fluttershy, who waved back, and headed towards Rainbow’s cottage. Rainbow needed to get back to caring for the animals, and Spike wanted to help, so Twilight dropped them off and headed off on her own.

Fluttershy had said that Pinkie could probably be found at Sweet Apple Acres, so Twilight headed in that direction. The path to the orchard, although familiar, seemed different and strange now that everything had changed. Twilight’s thoughts swirled around her mind as she trotted along the road. Why had her friends’ cutie marks changed? How did this happen in the first place? Who was responsible? Twilight made a mental note to check as soon as she returned to the library.

Soon, the familiar sight of Sweet Apple Acres appeared. Twilight reared up and galloped through the open gate – only to be greeted with the sight of Pinkie Pie, of all ponies, bucking an apple tree while singing a song. The song had a tune that Twilight had heard twice before, but with a slight change:

“I don’t care much for pickin’ fruit, and plowin’ fields ain’t such a hoot!” Pinkie sang, while running like a bullet all over the place, ending by pushing the plow with her head. Then, in the blink of an eye, she ran back to the barn and started strangling a gutter. “No matter what I try, I can’t FIX THIS BUSTED WATER CHUTE!” Suddenly, the gutter broke off and Pinkie fell into a puddle of water.

Twilight blinked at this sight, and when she looked up again Pinkie was pulling a cart full of chickens in cages. She raised an eyebrow at this too.

“I have so many chores to do, it’s no fun being me!”Pinkie sang, and tears sprung to Twilight’s eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them. Remembering how Pinkie was with her three-balloons cutie mark, comparing with that one statement from Pinkie’s own mouth, made Twilight’s heart hurt. She rubbed her eyes with her hoof, clearing the remaining tears.

“But it’s got to be my destiny…” Pinkie bucked a tree, then held a bucket underneath it. Instead of landing in the bucket, the apples that fell hit Pinkie right on the head, knocking her over. “’Cause it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.” Pinkie rubbed her head while lying on her back, showing her cutie mark. Twilight blinked again, wondering if her eyes were deceiving her. Pinkie’s cutie mark had changed as well, from three balloons to three apples.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. Pinkie blinked, and looked over at her unicorn friend.

“Oh, hi, Twilight!” Pinkie looked happy to see her, and Twilight smiled. “What’s up? Want some apples?”

“Um…” Twilight did feel rather hungry, as she had missed breakfast in order to talk to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “Sure!”

“Awesome!” Pinkie picked up the apples that had fallen on her head, and Twilight helped. When they were done, the two went into the barn to put them away.

“Thanks for your help, Twilight!” Pinkie smiled and hoofed Twilight a bucketful of apples. “Here’s your apples! Free of charge, ‘cause you helped me!”

“Pinkie. . . no. . . I can’t. . .” Twilight was already going through her saddlebag for her payment.

“No buts!” Pinkie said, pushing her hoof into Twilight’s mouth. “I insist!”

“Mmph. . .” Twilight said, levitating Pinkie’s hoof out of her mouth. She coughed twice, then nodded. “Alright.”

“So! Did you want anything else?” Pinkie asked.

“Actually, yes. I was just wondering; how did you get your cutie mark?” Twilight asked her. Pinkie blinked, confused.

“I never told you? Wow!” She smacked her forehead. “How did I forget to tell you?! Never mind. The point is, you’re in for a story!” Pinkie sat down on a hay bale, and Twilight sat down next to her.

Pinkie inhaled, then exhaled. “It all started when I was a filly, working on my family’s rock farm. . .”

***********************

“The Pie family rock farm was probably the last place that you would think a pony like me would grow up! It was gray, dreary, and hard work; but for Igneous Rock, Cloudy Quartz, and their four foals Maud, Limestone, Marble, and I, it was home. Their days consisted of moving rocks into the barn and making them into things like sidewalk plates, gravel for walkways, and many other items. However, this one day would change the life of one of the Pies forever!” Twilight sat silently, listening intently. Pinkie smiled at this, and continued her story.

“I was hard at work, pushing a rock towards the barn. It was tough work, but somepony had to do it! I had stopped pushing for a second so that I could catch my breath – and that’s when it happened!” Pinkie stopped talking for dramatic effect. Suddenly, she shouted “BOOM!” Twilight jumped back, and Pinkie laughed nervously. “Sorry. Anyway, that noise was made by something that caused rainbow light to extend outward from a point in the sky. I didn’t learn until much later that that ‘something’ was called a ‘Sonic Rainboom.’”

Twilight sat back on her hay bale. “Wait, a Sonic Rainboom? Really? You saw it too?!”

“Yeah! It was really cool. The shock wave sent me straight into the ground! Looking up, I noticed that my mane had become really frizzy, as opposed to my mane’s usual straightness.” She shook her mane, which indeed was straight.

Twilight cocked her head. “So, what happened?”

“Suddenly, another huge rainbow shot across my vision! For some reason, it seemed that the rainbow ended at some place in Ponyville, the neighboring town for the rock farm, and where we are now, obviously. My eyes grew wide, and I gasped. At that moment, I realized that rock farming was not what I was meant to do!”

“That’s true!” Twilight said. “Rock farming wasn’t your destiny at all! But how did you find what your destiny was?”

“Well. . . I was very sad, but I knew my family wouldn’t accept that my destiny wasn’t rock-related. I left the rock farm, following the path until I reached Ponyville. Once in Ponyville, I went to Sugarcube Corner. Inside, a yellow pegasus filly was working behind the counter. She said her name was Fluttershy, and I asked her where I could get a place to stay.” Pinkie smiled at the memory. Twilight blinked.

“You met Fluttershy as a filly?” Twilight asked. “She didn’t mention that.”

“Yep! Well, I met her after she earned her cutie mark. She had three balloons on her flank, and she was baking a cake. I asked her where I could get a place to stay, and she said that there was a farm that had an open room since one of the family’s foals had left for Manehattan. I thanked her, and then ran up here to Sweet Apple Acres, where Granny Smith told me that I could have the room. I’ve been earning my keep by bucking apples and by doing chores, and after bucking apples for a while on my first day, I felt a peculiar sensation on my flank.”

“You got your cutie mark?!” Twilight asked, excited to hear the answer.

“Exactly! I got my cutie mark!” Pinkie showed Twilight her flank, and Twilight blushed a little. “My cutie mark was three apples, showing my apple-bucking prowess! Nowadays, that’s my job, and actually, I’ve made up with my family! They accept my cutie mark and my destiny, rock-related or not. And that’s how Equestria was made!”

Twilight had been listening so intently, the last sentence threw her for a loop. “What?”

“Maybe one day I’ll tell you how I got my cutie mark, Twilight!” Pinkie jumped off her hay bale, and shook Twilight’s hoof. “It’s a real gem! Sadly, though, I gotta get back to work. It was great to see you!” She smiled. “Enjoy the apples!” Pinkie ran off towards the fields, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.

Twilight’s thoughts once again swirled around her mind, and she shook her head to clear them. Blinking once, Twilight cleared her head, and trotted in the direction Pinkie went. However, she was heading back to the center of Ponyville.

While there, Twilight’s thoughts returned. She remembered that Pinkie had stated that she had only received the room in Sweet Apple Acres because one of the Apple Family’s foals had left for Manehattan. She also remembered that in Applejack’s original cutie mark story, she had headed for Manehattan to live with her aunt and uncle Orange. Twilight stopped in her tracks, annoying a passing Shoeshine who had turned to trot behind the purple unicorn right at that moment.

If Pinkie had achieved the room at Sweet Apple Acres because Applejack was in Manehattan. . . where would Applejack be now? Would she be in Ponyville, or in Manehattan? Twilight rubbed her head, clearing the impending migraine. That’s when her earlier thought returned to her: what would Applejack’s new cutie mark, and new cutie mark story, be?

Applejack's Story and the Final Lyrics

By this time, Twilight really was getting confused. She was slowly losing track of where the original cutie mark stories ended, and where the new ones began. Twilight slowly trotted towards the one place where she needed to be at that moment: the Carousel Boutique.

When she opened the door, Twilight’s jaw dropped. Instead of the usual beautiful made-by-Rarity dresses, there were dresses in all sorts of styles, some that looked pretty cool and others that looked like they would fall apart at any moment. As she looked around, Twilight noticed an orange earth pony, wearing a brown Stetson hat, working on a light green dress that at the moment was under the sewing machine. It was none other than Applejack! This now answered Twilight’s question about where Applejack would have been. The purple unicorn trotted over to her friend, but before she could say anything, Applejack began singing.

“Lookie here at what I made, I think that it's a dress,” Applejack sang, holding the green fabric up for Twilight to see.“I know it doesn't look like much, I'm under some distress.” She went over to a plaid dress that was featured on a mane-equine. However, the plaid was ripping at one part, and Applejack looked through it.“Could y'all give me a hand here and help me fix this mess?” Placing a leafy crown on the head of another mane-equine, Applejack struck a sort-of dramatic pose, placing her hoof over her head. “My destiny is not pretty!” She went back to the sewing machine and began working with the light green fabric again, but accidentally jammed it. Applejack sighed. “But it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.” Twilight gasped at seeing the cutie mark on Applejack’s flank – it was an image of three diamonds; an image that Twilight usually glimpsed on a certain white unicorn’s flank.

“Applejack!” Twilight said, stopping the song. Applejack blinked, and smiled nervously.

“Sorry about that, sugarcube. I forgot you were here for a minute,” Applejack told her. “I’ve been really busy. . . The fashion industry never rests, it seems!” She laughed, then trailed off. Twilight walked closer to the pony, hoping to help in some way, but was suddenly jumped by the former apple farmer.

“Twilight, I need help! Please help me with this! I just can’t believe that other ponies do this all the time!” Applejack cried, then realized she had jumped her friend. Releasing her grip on Twilight, Applejack rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. “Sorry about-“

Twilight cut her off. “It’s fine, Applejack. Believe me, I know a lot about overworking. Just ask Spike!” The two of them giggled. Twilight soon composed herself and continued. “As for helping with your fashion, of course I’ll help you!”

Applejack sighed in relief. “Thank you kindly, Twilight. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t show up just now.”

“I actually didn’t know where to find you,” Twilight replied. “Pinkie told me you had moved to Manehattan as a filly. I wasn’t sure if you would be here in Ponyville, or there in Manehattan.”

“Oh! Well, I did live in Manehattan once, but I ended up moving back home.” Applejack said. “I moved back a couple of years ago. Probably one or two before you arrived here.”

“Interesting!” Twilight exclaimed. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you. How did you get your cutie mark? I’ve been asking all our friends about theirs, and now I’m asking you.”

Applejack blinked. “This old thing?” She raised her back hoof, causing her haunch to extend out and, by extension, her flank did too. “I got this when I was a filly. Weirdly enough, it happened in the very town we had just been discussing: Manehattan!”

**********************

“When I was a little filly,” Applejack began, “I got disillusioned with farm life. My family lived at Sweet Apple Acres, which you must have seen if you’d gone to see Pinkie.”

“Yep! It was as nice as ever!” Twilight said. “I didn’t see much of your family, though. They must’ve been busy.”

“Probably. Whenever I’ve gone to visit, they’ve been outside working.” Applejack replied. “They work pretty hard. Anyway, I left the farm and traveled to Manehattan, to live with my aunt and uncle Orange. The trip was pretty long, but when I got there, it was worth every second.”

“Why’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, for starters, my aunt and uncle took me in happily. They let me stay, and they taught me how to be a high-class filly. I wore Manehattan mane-styles, I went to Manehattan dinner parties... I was a Manehattanite pony! At the time, I was okay with it. But soon, I began to miss Ponyville.” Applejack took her hat off and held it to her chest. “However, I didn’t want to leave just yet. I enjoyed making fashion with Aunt Orange, and although the dinner parties’ food portions were way too small for my tastes, the parties themselves were at least tolerable. One day, I was staring out the window in the morning – I hadn’t broken the habit of waking up at the rooster’s crow at that time, so I had been up for about two hours by then – and suddenly, there was a giant explosion noise. I looked up, and there was a huge rainbow, pointing straight towards home, to Ponyville!”

“Wow! You were lead home by a rainbow? That’s cool!” Twilight told her friend, and Applejack nodded.

“Yep. That rainbow, to me, was a sign. It led straight to Ponyville, after all, and I had been missing home. I took it as a sign that I had to leave Manehattan!” Applejack’s face suddenly turned sad. “My aunt and uncle were sad to see me go, but I told them that I’d never forget what they taught me. They waved goodbye as I headed to the train station.”

“That’s nice of them,” Twilight said.

Applejack nodded. “When I got off the train in Ponyville, I headed toward Sweet Apple Acres. However, once I got home, I found that my family had given my old room to another pony – one named Pinkamena Diane Pie. At the time, I was pretty upset, but I left to find another place to stay.” Twilight frowned.

“That’s not fair. They should’ve let you stay!” Twilight said indignantly.

“Well, I get it. They had no room for me.” Applejack shrugged. “I walked around Ponyville until I found a building that at the time was vacant. I entered, and it was huge! I knew I was only a filly, so I had to make rent somehow to earn the bits for this place. With the skills I had learned from Aunt and Uncle Orange, I created my own fashion line, AJ Apparel.”

“Wait, really?!” Twilight was not expecting this piece of information.

“Yeah! I sold my clothes on the Ponyville streets. I admit it wasn’t the best quality, but it worked. Ponies bought them! I earned enough bits to buy this place, and here it is!” She waved a hoof around the room. “The Carousal Boutique!”

Twilight smiled, looking around. “Looks pretty great!”

“Thanks! However, I hadn’t gotten to the best part. Once I opened the store, I was creating clothes after school. I had just finished a light blue dress, and when I put it out in the window, ponies started congregating around. They loved it! I felt so happy. Suddenly, I felt a weird sensation on my flank. I looked at it, and there it was: my cutie mark! Three diamonds, just like it is now!” Applejack kicked her back hooves in the air. “My family was so proud! To this day, I’ve lived here and made clothes for all of Ponyville. Never expanded, though. Never saw the need to.”

Twilight smiled. “Well, that was a really interesting story. Also, do you mind if I buy a scarf? I got soaked earlier, and I’m still a little cold.”

“Sure!” Applejack took a scarf from around a mane-equine’s neck and hoofed it to Twilight. “That’ll be 2 bits.”

Twilight hoofed Applejack the bits, put the scarf around her neck, smiled, and waved goodbye as she trotted out of the Carousal Boutique. She looked at the horizon, and noticed Rarity still trying to control the clouds. From where she was, Twilight could hear a song coming from Rarity’s direction.

As Twilight trotted closer, the song’s lyrics became clearer. Rarity was singing a song that had the same tune as the rest of her friends’ songs.

“I’m in love with weather patterns, but the others have concerns! For I just gave them frostbite, over top of their sunburns. . .” Rarity sang, when suddenly a group of ponies nearby with burning-red skin got snow dumped on them. Both Twilight and Rarity winced. Rarity continued her song: “I have to keep on trying, for everyone can see…” Rarity sighed, and Twilight noticed Fluttershy coming up behind the white unicorn. Fluttershy was followed by Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, in that order.

“It’s got to be…” sang Rarity.

“It’s got to be…” sang Fluttershy, standing near Rarity.

“My destiny…” sang Pinkie Pie, standing in between Rarity and Fluttershy.

“My destiny…” sang Applejack, standing to Fluttershy’s right.

“And it’s what my cutie mark…” sang Rainbow Dash, who stood to Rarity’s left. Twilight ran up to them, and stood to Applejack’s right, wondering what would happen.

That’s when all five of her friends started singing in unison.

“It’s what my cutie mark… Yes it’s what my cutie mark is telling me!” The five ponies all stamped the ground at the same time, ending the song. Twilight blinked, and turned around toward the Golden Oaks Library. She needed to do some research.