My Little Pony Multiverse Magic

It was a bright and sunny day in Ponyville, and three little fillies stood atop a wooden platform high among the trees. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle—otherwise known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders—were gearing up for their latest crazy stunt to earn their cutie marks.

This time? Zip-lining.

Scootaloo adjusted her helmet, her tiny wings buzzing with excitement.

"Alright, girls, this is it!" she declared. "Cutie Mark Crusader Zip-liners!"

Sweetie Belle gulped, nervously tugging at her harness. "Are you sure about this, Scootaloo? I’ve never even heard of a pony getting a cutie mark for zip-lining before."

"Neither have I," Scootaloo admitted with a grin. "But Spike told me it was awesome. And I mean, hey, how hard can it be?"

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. "Are ya sure we tied these ropes right?"

Scootaloo scoffed. "Of course! I triple-checked them!"

"But didn’t we just learn how to tie knots this morning?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo ignored her, instead giving the signal.

"Alright, Crusaders! On three!"

"ONE! TWO! THREE!"

The three fillies leaped off the platform, expecting a thrilling ride…

Instead, disaster struck immediately.

As they zoomed forward, the rope suddenly jerked to a stop in the middle of the two trees, suspending them midair. Their makeshift zip line wasn’t strong enough for the friction—the rope heated up, caught fire, and snapped in half.

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

The three Crusaders went tumbling downward, hitting branch after branch.

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

"Gah!"

They landed in a heap, groaning as leaves, twigs, and sticky tree sap clung to their coats.

Scootaloo pushed herself up first, shaking her head to clear the dizziness. She checked her flank, hope rising… only to frown in disappointment.

"Tree sap and pine needles… but no cutie marks."

Apple Bloom sighed, wiping sap from her bow. "That’s the third time this week we got covered in tree sap."

Sweetie Belle groaned. "Maybe we should try something less dangerous… like pillow testing. Or flower sniffing?"

Scootaloo shook her head. "No way! We just need a new plan."

Apple Bloom’s face lit up. "Wait a minute! This town’s full of ponies who already got their cutie marks. Why don’t we just ask them how they earned ‘em?"

Sweetie Belle’s eyes sparkled. "That’s a great, safe idea!"

Scootaloo grinned. "**Yeah! And we can start with the coolest pony in Ponyville—Rainbow Dash!"

Sweetie Belle scoffed. "Pfft, I was thinking Rarity."

"I was thinkin’ Applejack," Apple Bloom admitted.

Scootaloo flashed a mischievous grin. "Well, why not ask all of them? Then we’ll have tons of ideas!"

The three fillies high-hoofed each other in excitement.

SQUELCH.

The sticky sap on Scootaloo’s hooves stuck to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Aah! Eww! We’re stuck!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, struggling to pull free.

The three groaned in unison, realizing they were stuck together… again.

"We really gotta stop getting covered in tree sap," Apple Bloom muttered.

Scootaloo sighed. "Alright, new plan: First, we wash off all this sap. Then—cutie marks!"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADER INTERVIEWS, YAY!"

As the three fillies struggled to pry themselves apart, their next adventure was just beginning.

And knowing them… things were bound to get crazy

After cleaning off all the sticky tree sap, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were back on the move. Scootaloo rode her scooter down the dirt path at top speed, pulling Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle behind her in the wagon. The three fillies were determined to find out how everypony got their cutie marks—starting with the coolest pony in town, Rainbow Dash!

Scootaloo was so focused on her speed that she nearly missed three small bunnies carrying apples across the road.

"Whoa!"

She slammed on the brakes, causing the scooter and wagon to screech to a halt—just inches away from the bunnies.

Before they could catch their breath, a blur of orange and a cowboy hat suddenly burst out of a bush.

"YEE-HAW!"

Applejack lunged, trying to pounce on the bunnies. But her aim was off, and instead of catching them, she crashed headfirst into the three fillies.

POOF!

When the dust settled, Apple Bloom found herself sitting on Applejack’s back, while Sweetie Belle had landed on top of Scootaloo.

"What in tarnation—?!" Applejack groaned, rubbing her head.

Apple Bloom blinked, then gasped. "Hey! Sis! How did you get your cutie mark?"

Applejack looked surprised. "Well, I’ll be! I don’t reckon I ever told y’all that story before!"

The three fillies leaned in eagerly as Applejack dusted herself off and began her tale.

"When I was just a young filly, I thought maybe farm life wasn’t for me. So I packed my things and headed for the big city—Manehattan."

"Manehattan?!" Sweetie Belle gasped.

Applejack nodded. "I wanted to live with my fancy Aunt and Uncle Orange. Thought I’d be a real city pony. But… things didn’t quite work out like I planned."

She explained how she tried to fit in—learning fancy manners, wearing elegant dresses, and talking with a high-class accent. But deep down, she felt out of place.

"I missed home something fierce," Applejack admitted. "Then, one day, somethin’ amazin’ happened."

A bright rainbow suddenly streaked across the sky, pointing straight toward Sweet Apple Acres.

"That’s when I knew, clear as day, where I belonged."

She galloped back home as fast as she could, bursting through the front gate into the loving embrace of her family.

"And that’s when this here appeared," Applejack said, proudly showing her cutie mark. Three shining red apples decorated her flank. "Turns out, my special talent was right at home all along."

The Crusaders awwed, touched by the heartfelt story.

…And then the apple-stealing bunnies from before stuck out their tongues and blew raspberries at Applejack.

Applejack’s eye twitched.

"Why, you little—GET BACK HERE, YA THIEVIN’ VARMINTS!"

She bolted after the bunnies, disappearing into the orchard.

The fillies giggled.

"Aw, that was such a sweet story!" Sweetie Belle sighed dreamily.

"Sweet? Try sappy," Scootaloo grumbled, making a grossed-out face. "Come on! We still gotta find Rainbow Dash!"

They zoomed down the path again, determined to find their next storyteller. But before they could get far, Fluttershy suddenly landed right in front of them, blocking the road.

"Aah! Brakes! Brakes!" Scootaloo yelped.

SCREEEEECH!

The scooter skidded to a stop, launching all three fillies into the air.

"Wahhh!"

They crash-landed into a pile just a few feet away from the yellow pegasus.

Fluttershy blinked. "Oh my goodness! Are you three okay?"

The Crusaders groaned, pulling themselves up.

"What was that for?!" Scootaloo huffed.

Fluttershy pointed. "I just didn’t want you to hit these little ones."

The fillies looked to see a tiny family of ducks waddling across the road.

"Ohhh."

Once the ducks were safely across, Fluttershy turned back to them. "Why are you girls in such a hurry?"

"We’re looking for Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo said. "We wanna hear how she got her cutie mark!"

Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, that’s a wonderful story! You know, I wouldn’t have gotten my cutie mark if it weren’t for Rainbow Dash."

Scootaloo’s eyes widened in excitement. "Wait—Rainbow Dash helped you get your cutie mark?!"

Fluttershy nodded. "It all started at Summer Flight Camp…"

As a filly, Fluttershy wasn’t a strong flyer. She was shy and quiet, always avoiding attention.

One day, two bullies started picking on her, making fun of her weak flying skills.

Then, a brave filly with a rainbow-colored mane swooped in.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Rainbow Dash stood up for her, defending her from the bullies.

Fluttershy’s eyes sparkled. "She was so fearless! She challenged those mean colts to a race right then and there!"

The race started, and Fluttershy waved the checkered flag… but as the racers zoomed past, she was knocked off her cloud!

"AHHHH!"

She tumbled down… and down… and down—until a swarm of butterflies caught her just in time.

For the first time, Fluttershy was on the ground. She looked around, amazed by all the adorable creatures around her.

"Then—BOOM!"

A massive rainbow explosion shook the sky.

"The animals got scared, so I helped calm them down. That’s when I discovered my special talent—I could understand them!"

She smiled, looking at her cutie mark—three pink butterflies.

"That’s how I got my cutie mark."

Scootaloo crossed her hooves, looking impatient. "Okay, okay, great story—but what about Rainbow Dash?! What happened in the race?!"

Fluttershy blinked. "Oh… I wasn’t there, so I don’t know."

Scootaloo groaned in frustration. "Come on, Crusaders! We gotta find her! I bet she’s off practicing cool moves somewhere."

"Maybe my sister knows where she is," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Good idea!"

With that, they sped off toward Carousel Boutique, eager to continue their quest for Rainbow Dash’s story.

"Bye, girls!" Fluttershy called after them, waving.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were one step closer to learning the greatest cutie mark story of all.

Somehow, they had gone from searching for Rainbow Dash to being stuck standing on stools inside Carousel Boutique—wearing half-finished dresses while Rarity fussed over them.

"How did we get roped into this?" Scootaloo groaned, her wings twitching in frustration.

"I know, I know," Sweetie Belle muttered, holding still as Rarity adjusted the hem of her dress. "But we can't just leave in the middle of her work…"

"Ugh! We'll never hear Rainbow Dash's story at this rate!" Scootaloo dramatically flopped over, nearly knocking over a mannequin.

Rarity barely raised an eyebrow as she continued her sewing. "Are you three still obsessing over your cutie marks?" she asked curiously.

"Of course!" Apple Bloom said. "Most of the fillies in school already have theirs!"

Rarity hummed, stepping back to admire her work. "Mmm, I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Sweetie Belle blinked.

"Oh, absolutely, darling!" Rarity nodded. "For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t have mine."

The three fillies perked up, sensing another cutie mark story coming.

"Really? What happened?" Sweetie Belle asked eagerly.

Rarity began her tale, reminiscing. "When I was your age, I was already quite talented in fashion design. Why, for a school play, I created the most marvelous outfits for my classmates."

The Crusaders leaned in as she continued.

"But… something was missing. The dresses were nice, yes, but they weren’t… spectacular. I tried everything, racking my brilliant young mind for ideas. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t make them feel truly special!"

Apple Bloom gasped. "What did ya do?!"

"Well, I didn’t have to do anything." Rarity smirked. "My horn did it for me."

She described how, one day, her horn began to glow all on its own—pulling her out of her house, across fields, through the woods, and into the mountains.

"I had no idea where I was going! Unicorn magic doesn’t just happen for no reason, so I knew it must be leading me toward something important! My destiny, even!"

"So where did it take you?" Scootaloo asked, eyes wide.

Rarity sighed dramatically. "Straight into a giant rock."

The Crusaders blinked.

"Wait, a rock? That’s it?!" Scootaloo blurted out.

Rarity huffed. "At first, I thought the same thing! I was terribly frustrated!"

But then, something amazing happened.

"Suddenly—BOOM!"

A massive rainbow explosion filled the sky—the result of Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom. The shockwave shattered the rock, splitting it open like an egg.

Inside?

A dazzling collection of gemstones.

"That’s when inspiration struck!" Rarity beamed. "With these gems, I could make my dresses truly shine!"

That night, the young ponies performing in the play were dressed in dazzling outfits, each one decorated with the beautiful gems Rarity had found.

The audience gasped in awe, and her teacher smiled proudly.

"And that’s when my cutie mark appeared!" Rarity finished, turning to proudly display the three diamonds on her flank.

Sweetie Belle clapped her hooves together. "Wow! That’s amazing!"

Apple Bloom nodded. "And all this time, I thought ya always wanted to be a designer."

"It wasn’t just about fashion, darling. It was about discovering my true passion—"

"Ugh!" Scootaloo groaned, flopping over dramatically.

"What now?" Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

Scootaloo scowled. "These namby-pamby stories aren’t getting us any closer to our cutie marks! They’re all about ‘finding who you really are’ and boring stuff like that!"

Rarity pursed her lips. "Well, actually, darling, that’s exactly—"

But Scootaloo wasn’t listening.

"Come on, girls!" she groaned, already pushing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle toward the door. "We need action! We need Rainbow Dash!"

SLAM!

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving Rarity standing there, speechless.

"Well, I never!" Rarity huffed, flicking her mane. "Some ponies simply don’t appreciate the finer things in life."

Outside, Scootaloo sped off on her scooter, a determined look on her face.

"Okay, that’s it! We are finding Rainbow Dash right now!"

"Scoots, we been lookin’ all day!" Apple Bloom protested. "What if she’s not even in town?"

"Then we’ll check the sky!" Scootaloo grinned. "I bet she’s out practicing some awesome tricks!"

"Well… okay. But if she’s not, we’re taking a break!" Sweetie Belle huffed.

With that, the Crusaders zoomed off once again—determined to finally track down Ponyville’s fastest flyer and hear the greatest cutie mark story of all!

The Cutie Mark Crusaders zipped through Ponyville at top speed, still on their never-ending quest to find Rainbow Dash.

But instead of finding her, they skidded to a stop right outside Ponyville Café—where they spotted Twilight, Eda, Luz, and King relaxing at an outdoor table.

Apple Bloom perked up. "Hey, Twilight! How’d you get your cutie mark?"

Twilight, always eager to share knowledge, smiled. "Oh! I’d be happy to tell you!"

Scootaloo groaned loudly, slumping over. "Ugh, another story? Seriously?"

But Twilight ignored her and launched into her tale.

As a filly, Twilight Sparkle had always been fascinated with magic. But it was seeing Princess Celestia raise the sun at the Summer Sun Celebration that ignited her true passion.

"From that day forward, I buried myself in every book I could find about magic!" Twilight explained.

When she was finally accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, she was thrilled—until she found out she had to pass an entrance exam.

"My test was to hatch a dragon egg," Twilight continued. "I tried and tried, but no matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t do it."

King raised an eyebrow. "So what happened?"

Twilight smiled. "A miracle."

At that very moment, a massive explosion shook Canterlot—a sonic boom of rainbow energy spreading across the sky.

The shock startled Twilight so much that her magic flared uncontrollably, sending out a burst of raw magical energy.

"Before I knew it, I had hatched the egg—"

"And that’s when Spike was born, right?" Luz interrupted excitedly.

"Exactly!" Twilight nodded. "But my magic didn’t stop there. I accidentally turned my parents into potted plants, levitated the examiners, and even made baby Spike grow into a giant!"

At that moment, both Eda and Princess Celestia had noticed the massive dragon sticking out of the school.

"Twilight was panicking, completely losing control," Eda added. "So I stepped in to calm her down."

Twilight blushed slightly. "Yeah… You and Omi helped me focus, and I finally got my magic back under control."

After zooming all over town, the Crusaders were growing frustrated.

Scootaloo groaned. "Ugh! Why don’t we ever smash into Rainbow Dash when we actually need to?!"

"You’re looking for Rainbow Dash?"

The voice came from right behind them.

The three fillies turned—and gasped.

Somehow, Pinkie Pie had appeared in their wagon, wearing a helmet and grinning wildly.

"If I were Rainbow Dash, I’d be at Sugarcube Corner!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "Of course, if I were anypony, I’d be at Sugarcube Corner. Ooh! I have an idea! Wanna go to Sugarcube Corner?!"

Scootaloo sighed deeply. "We’re looking for Rainbow Dash so we can hear how she got her cutie mark."

"Ooooh! Cutie mark stories?! I have one of those!" Pinkie said excitedly.

Scootaloo groaned again. "Why not?" she muttered sarcastically.

Princess Celestia, impressed by Twilight’s raw magical talent, took her on as her personal student.

"And that’s when I got my cutie mark," Twilight finished, smiling at the Crusaders.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle clapped excitedly, but Scootaloo facehoofed.

"Ugh! Why is every cutie mark story about ‘finding yourself’?! Where’s the action? The excitement? The awesomeness?!"

She revved up her scooter, eyes burning with determination.

"That’s it! We’re gonna find Rainbow Dash, and we’re gonna hear the best cutie mark story ever!"

Before Twilight could respond, the Crusaders were gone in a cloud of dust.

Eda chuckled, taking a sip of her drink. "That kid’s got a one-track mind."

Luz nodded. "Yup. But I get it. If my hero had an epic cutie mark story, I’d want to hear it, too."

Pinkie launched into her story, explaining how she grew up on a rock farm outside of Ponyville.

"There was no talking. There was no smiling." Pinkie said dramatically. "There were only rocks."

Scootaloo slammed the brakes on her scooter, skidding to a stop right in front of Sugarcube Corner.

"Wha… huh?" Scootaloo blinked in confusion.

"Look! We’re here!" Apple Bloom said excitedly.

"Maybe on the way home, I can tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark!" Pinkie Pie bounced past them, humming a tune. "It’s a gem!"

Scootaloo deadpanned.

Sweetie Belle chuckled. "Oh, come on, she’s just being Pinkie Pie."

Scootaloo sighed. "Ugh… let’s just get inside."

The three fillies entered Sugarcube Corner, removing their helmets—only to spot Rainbow Dash sitting with their friends.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo gasped.

Rainbow turned, flashing a confident grin. "I hear you’ve been looking for my cutie mark story?"

Scootaloo plopped down dramatically. "You have no idea what I’ve been through today just to hear that story."

Rainbow chuckled, then stood tall. "Well, get ready, because this is the coolest cutie mark story you’ll ever hear."

She described how, one day, a massive explosion shattered the sky—sending a beautiful, colorful rainbow across the horizon.

The sight filled her with so much joy, her normally straight mane and tail poofed out, taking on their iconic cotton-candy shape.

"I had never felt joy like that before!" Pinkie beamed. "And I wanted everypony else to smile, too! But how? Rainbows don’t come every day…"

That’s when she got an idea.

"I threw a party!"

Pinkie described decorating the family silo, filling it with balloons, streamers, and cake.

When she called her parents and sisters inside, they were completely speechless.

"At first, I thought they didn’t like it!" Pinkie gasped. "But then… they smiled."

As her family started dancing, Pinkie’s cutie mark appeared—three bright balloons.

"And that’s how I knew! I was meant to make ponies smile!" Pinkie finished, throwing confetti in the air.

The Crusaders stared.

Apple Bloom smiled warmly. "Well, that was mighty sweet, Pinkie."

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed.

Scootaloo, however, looked unimpressed.

"It’s nice and all, but come on! We still haven’t found Rainbow Dash!"

She revved her scooter again, speeding off.

Pinkie shrugged. "Okie-dokie-lokie! Good luck!"

As the Crusaders disappeared into the distance, Pinkie bounced away cheerfully, humming a tune.

"It all happened during a race at Flight Camp…" Rainbow began.

She explained how, as a young filly, she had stepped up to defend Fluttershy from two bullies—and in doing so, she ended up in her first-ever race.

"Something just... clicked inside of me," Rainbow continued, eyes gleaming with excitement. "I always loved flying fast, but that day? I realized I loved winning even more!"

As she raced, she pushed herself harder than ever before—until, suddenly, she felt herself breaking through something unseen.

"BOOOOOM!"

A massive rainbow explosion blasted through the sky—the legendary Sonic Rainboom!

Rainbow had always thought the Sonic Rainboom was just a myth—but in that moment, she proved it was real.

She soared across the finish line, victorious, and when she turned to look at her flank, there it was—her cutie mark.

"And that, fillies, is how you earn your cutie mark!" Rainbow finished proudly, flexing her wings.

The Crusaders sat in stunned silence.

Then, in perfect unison, they gasped:

"WHOOOOAAAAA!"

"Wait a second!" Fluttershy suddenly said, eyes widening. "I heard that explosion! And I saw a rainbow, too!"

She turned to Rainbow.

"If you hadn’t scared the animals, I never would have realized I could communicate with them! I wouldn’t have gotten my cutie mark!"

Pinkie Pie gasped dramatically. "I heard the boom, too! And right after that, I saw a rainbow that made me smile for the first time ever!"

"Same here!" Applejack exclaimed. "When I got my cutie mark, I saw a rainbow that pointed me home! I bet that was your Sonic Rainboom!"

"I also remember hearing an explosion!" Rarity added, her eyes widening in realization. "It was right before my magic led me to my gemstones!"

Twilight’s eyes practically sparkled with understanding. "That’s uncanny! If that explosion hadn’t happened when it did, I would have failed my entrance exam!"

She looked at Rainbow, amazed.

"Rainbow Dash... I think you helped me earn my cutie mark, too!"

Rainbow sat there, completely stunned. "W-Whoa…"

Then, all at once, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Twilight rushed forward and tackled her into a group hug.

"We all owe our cutie marks to you!" Pinkie beamed.

Sonic, Eda, Luz, King, and Omi stood to the side, watching the heartwarming moment with dropped jaws.

"Are you serious?" Sonic finally spoke. "All your cutie marks are connected because of Rainbow’s Sonic Rainboom?!"

Eda rubbed her chin. "Well, well… I gotta admit, I didn’t see that coming."

"This means..." Omi said, folding his arms. "The six of you were destined to be best friends long before you ever met."

Twilight gasped. "You’re right! The Sonic Rainboom connected all of us—even before we knew each other!"

Luz grinned. "Whoa, that’s crazy! It’s like fate literally brought you guys together!"

Meanwhile, far away at Dragon’s Keep, an ominous figure watched through a magical portal.

It was Emperor Belos.

His cold blue eyes narrowed as he observed the ponies celebrating their newfound connection.

"Disgusting," he muttered, his voice dripping with contempt.

He then turned his gaze toward Luz and King, his lips curling into a dark smirk.

He knew that Chase Young would be furious if he acted out of turn—but Belos didn’t care.

"You’ve evaded me for too long, Eda," Belos murmured, his fingers tightening into a fist. "You turned your sister against me... and now, you’ve surrounded yourself with more family."

His eyes darkened, his smirk widening.

"Let’s see what happens when I start taking away the things you care about the most…"