Somewhere in Equestria, a young pegasus is racing for the honor of her campmate. In another universe, as she races, she reaches such a high speed that she creates a "Sonic Rainboom", which has far reaching effects across all of Equestria. This does not occur.

At the same time, a promising young unicorn is struggling on her entrance exam to Celestia's Academy. The proctors look on with disapproval as she exhausts all avenues to succeed in her task. Something is missing. She fails her exam, and runs away from home to become the apprentice of a traveling unicorn.