Short Stories

by Catalysts Cradle

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Cutie Mark Crusaders
Length: 9579

A collection of flash fiction pieces.

A collection of short stories written for the Thirty Minute Pony Stories Blog. My favorites are "Obsolete," "Wingmares," and "Just Like You."

Descriptions:
1. "Obsolete" – Prompt: Applejack falls
Summary: Apple Bloom challenges Applejack to an apple harvesting contest.

2. "Anxiety" – Prompt: Your mind makes it real.
Summary: Fluttershy has a panic attack during her date with Twilight.

3. "Quantum Leap" – Prompt: This is the last line of a story: She closed the gate behind her, confident she would never need to open it again. Your prompt is to write the sequel.
Summary: Twilight finally returns home after getting lost in a series of alternate universes.

4. "Wingmares" – Prompt: Write a story in the second person in which the perspective character (i.e. “you”) is one of the Mane Six or Spike.
Summary: Rainbow Dash asks for Fluttershy's help fighting against a storm.

5. "Invisible Mare" – Prompt: Twilight Sparkle disappears, and only one pony remembers she was ever there at all.
Summary: Ponyville moves on after Twilight leaves for Canterlot

6. "Rainbows over Manehattan" – Prompt: Three ups and three downs of three ponies being in love.
Summary: The Cutie Mark Crusaders move to Manehattan and adjust to life in the Big Apple.

7. "With Some Help from my Friends" – Prompt: Explorers of the Sky.
Summary: Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom help Scootaloo realize her dreams.

8. "Taken for Granite" – Prompt: Ship one of the mane six with someone who isn’t a pony.
Summary: Pinkie surprises the girls with the identity of her new lover.

9. "Seven Minutes in Heaven" – Prompt: Two are stuck in a room.
Summary: Unabashed Twishy shipping :yay:

10. "Love in the Time of Changelings" – Prompt: The only way out is if someone dies.
Summary: Pinkie and her changeling coltfriend, Instar, must escape from the Canterlot dungeons.

11. "Just Like You" – Prompt: All good things must come to an end.
Summary: To Scootaloo, Ponyville just isn't the same without Rainbow Dash around.

Published 2013-05-17 08:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-16 02:08:05 UTC

1. Obsolete, feat. Applejack, Apple Bloom

Prompt: Applejack falls.

“It ain’t right I tell ya’!” Applejack shouted as she stormed out of the orchard. “This is the way our family has been bucking apples for generations and ain’t nothing’s gonna change that!”

“C’mon, AJ,” pleaded Apple Bloom as she followed her sister. “The times are changing. Apple farming is a big business an’ we gotta take advantage of all of the technology we can to keep up.”

Applejack turned her head to look back at her sister. “Sugarcube, I know yer cutie mark says you’re a tinkerer—”

“I’m an engineer,” Apple Bloom said pointing to her cutie mark: a hammer and screwdriver crossed across her flank.

“And I’m the farmer here,” Applejack replied, pointing to her own cutie mark, “so I’ll leave the engineerin’ to you and you leave the apple bucking to me!” She turned and resumed walking away from the orchard.

Apple Bloom sighed and lowered her head. “Applejack, you’re not even thirty and you’ve already got a bad back. Are you just gonna keep bucking apples ‘till your hip’s give out like Granny’s?”

“That’s just what us farm ponies do.”

“But think of how many more apples we could harvest with my invention!”

“Bloom, there ain’t no pony – and especially no machine – that can harvest an orchard faster than your big sister.”

Apple Bloom knew a challenge when she heard one. She ran out in front of her sister, and stared Applejack in the eyes. “You sure about that?”

Applejack returned her glare. “I’d bet the farm on it.”

“Then I’ll take you up on that bet!” Apple Bloom leapt up excitedly. “You take that row of trees and I’ll take this one. Whoever can harvest their row faster wins. It’ll be my brains,” she sneered at her sister, “versus your brawn.”

“An’ what happens when you lose?”

“If I lose, I’ll scrap this project and I’ll never speak of it again. If I win, I get to start callin’ the shots around here.”

“If that’s what it’ll take to get you off of this nonsense, then it’s a deal.”

Applejack made her way over to her row of trees and waited for Apple Bloom to wheel her machine over. Apple Bloom gave a signal and the competition began. Applejack reared her hind legs back and let out a powerful kick. Her hooves impacted solidly against the supple trunk of the tree, sending the tree swaying. Amid the shower of apples softly thudding against the dirt, she could hear the roar of a diesel engine as Apple Bloom fired up her machine.

The nerve of that mare, thought Applejack. Ma’ n’ pa’ would be turning in their graves if she ever let Apple Bloom have her way. She looked back at Apple Bloom, but saw that her sister was slightly behind. Ah still got it, she thought to herself.

At first, Apple Bloom’s invention had worried her. A machine that could do her job – some lifeless bucket of bolts that could make her special talent obsolete – was a scary thought, after all. But all was right with the world. Mare would once again triumph over machine and they could put all this nonsense behind them.

Just two trees away from finishing out her row, Applejack gave her tree a solid buck. Either the tree wasn’t very strong or her kicks were more powerful than she thought because her kick had knocked loose one of the top branches, and it came crashing down on her back.

“You okay Applejack?” a concerned voice came from the next row.

“You worry about your own self,” Applejack shouted back as she threw the branch aside and got back to her feet.

She made her way over to the next tree and let out a buck. She felt her muscles spasm and a jolt of pain traveled through her back. Worse, barely a handful of apples fell from the tree. Fighting against the pain, she gave another kick, this time managing to loose a greater number of apples, but some apples still remained in the branches above.

Nervously, she looked over to the other row to see her sister finish harvesting the last tree and hop off of her machine. Dejected, Applejack just lay down on the grass.

“Um, if you want a do-over, that would be okay with me,” said Apple Bloom. “You were beating me before that branch fell on you.”

“Naw,” replied Applejack. “I know when I’ve been beat. You win.”

“So we can use my invention?” Apple Bloom's eyes widened in excitement.

“You’re the boss now,” replied Applejack. “I reckon it’s time this old cowpony get put out to pasture anyway.”

“Actually, about that,” began Apple Bloom, “you were right. I am just a tinkerer—”

“Engineer,” Applejack corrected.

“Well, either way,” continued Apple Bloom. “I don’t know anything about running a farm. I could sure use somepony whose special talent is doing that.”

“Wait a sec, are you sayin’—”

“Applejack, you’ve been running the farm since you were barely a teenager,” Apple Bloom said. “There ain’t no pony that can run a business better than my sister.”

2. Anxiety, feat. Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle

Prompt: Your mind makes it real.

It all started with a few butterflies in her stomach.

Sure, she was in an unfamiliar situation so nerves should be expected, but Fluttershy had never really been good at dealing with her nerves. In fact, she was pretty much horrible at it.

Fluttershy squirmed in her seat, drawing the attention of her companion. She quickly ducked her face behind her long pink mane, hiding it from Twilight’s view. Oh Celestia, of all the times for this to happen, why did it have to happen now? The roiling mass of butterflies in her stomach continued churning.

“Fluttershy?”

At this point, Fluttershy knew what was going to happen next. She could already feel her heartbeat quickening, and pretty soon her hooves would start shaking. She glanced back up at Twilight, who had already picked up on the fact that something was wrong. Oh, no, no, no, no, I can’t let her see me like this!

Fluttershy began taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She tried thinking happy thoughts, like how happy she had been after Twilight had asked her out on a date. Except that maybe this wasn’t a date after all. Maybe she had misread her because why would Twilight – the beautiful alicorn princess – ask her out on a date in the first place? Or worse, what if it was actually a date! Because then, Fluttershy was completely ruining it by being a crazy spaz at the moment!

Fluttershy let out a squeak and ducked under the table.

By then the handful of tiny butterflies had become a swirling torrent of doubt and worry, all surrounding her and buffeting her with their gigantic wings. Fluttershy hid her face under her forelegs, just wishing for it to all be over.

A hoof on her shoulder brought her out of it.

“Fluttershy...” Twilight’s voice filtered through the pounding of butterfly wings against her ears. Or maybe that was just the thumping of her heart? “Is everything okay?”

Fluttershy looked up into a concerned set of violet eyes. She could only squeak in response.

Unphased by Fluttershy’s lack of response, Twilight scooted over and laid next to her friend.

Finally, Fluttershy spoke. “Twilight, do you think I’m crazy?”

Twilight gave Fluttershy a funny look. Oh Goddess, it’s true. “Now why would I think that?”

Fluttershy could see through Twilight’s attempts at being nice. “Because we’re here on a date and all I can do is worry, or worry while trying not to worry, or worry about not being able to stop worrying, or worry that my worrying over worrying will make me freak out and—”

“Breath,” said Twilight. Fluttershy paused and took a couple of deep breaths. “Maybe you have a tendency to be a little anxious,” Twilight continued, “but that doesn’t make you crazy. You just get worked up because you don’t want to let anypony down.”

“Everypony says that it’s just in my head.” Fluttershy stared down at the ground.

“Just because it’s all in your head, doesn’t mean that it isn’t real.”

Fluttershy looked back at Twilight.

Twilight stretched out and laid a wing gently over Fluttershy's back. “Look, sometimes ponies get sick, like the time a bunch of our pegasus friends came down with the feather flu. Sometimes we get sick in other ways too, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Twilight said. ”Should Rainbow Dash act ashamed whenever she crashes and sprains a wing?”

“Well, maybe a little since she was probably doing something dangerous.”

Twilight laughed. “Okay, maybe that was a bad example. But you get my point right?”

Fluttershy nodded in response.

“Do you feel like continuing our date?” Twilight asked.

“Um, actually can we stay down here for a bit longer," Fluttershy replied scooting closer to Twilight. She looked up at her date and blushed, "I mean, if that’s okay with you,”

"Anything for you, Fluttershy."

3. Quantum Leap, feat. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy

Prompt: This is the last line of a story: She closed the gate behind her, confident she would never need to open it again. Your prompt is to write the sequel.

“Wow, so you mean that somewhere out there, there’s a version of me who’s not so timid and shy?” Fluttershy asked. She leaned across the table enthralled by Twilight’s story. Her hooves idly grabbed a carrot from the table, feeding it to the bunny rabbit in her lap.

“Yeah. but...” Twilight paused to take a sip of tea, trying to decide how much to tell Fluttershy, “you were kind of a jerk in that dimension.”

“Oh.” Fluttershy whimpered, dreading what her alternate self may have done. “Was it as bad as after I went to Iron Will’s seminar?”

“It was worse.”

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind her mane.

“That was one of the sadder dimensions that I visited,” Twilight continued. She sighed, remembering the conversations she had will all of her friends’ alternate selves. “In that reality, the popular fillies and colts in flight school didn’t bully you; you all bullied Rainbow Dash.”

“I was a bully to Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy cringed, clutching her pet rabbit close to her chest.

“Yeah,” replied Twilight. “It really destroyed her confidence. She was never able to do the sonic rainboom. And without that, Pinkie never left the rock farm, Applejack never worked up the nerve to leave Manehatten, and Rarity gave up designing dresses.”

“That’s horrible,” replied Fluttershy. “If being bullied meant that we all could become friends, I guess I’m sort of glad that everypony picked on me instead of Rainbow Dash.”

Twilight smiled. “That’s why you’re my favorite Fluttershy out of all the ones I’ve met.”

Fluttershy blushed, returning Twilight’s smile. “Were all of the different universes that bad?”

“No, some were just slightly different from our reality, and in some, we were even happier and more successful that we are in this universe.” Twilight paused again, looking out of the window at the setting sun. “But, they just weren’t the same.

“Traveling through all of those dimensions made me realize how lucky we were to find each other. There were so many alternate realities where just some minor change stopped the six of us from coming together. In one, Rainbow Dash didn’t get kicked out of flight school, so instead of moving to Ponyville, she realized her dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. In another, Rarity dedicated herself to her work and earned an internship with Hoity Toity in Canterlot. Then there was the one where Pinkie became the CEO of a rock farming empire.

"Lost out in those alternate realities, jumping from dimension to dimension trying to find my way home, I just," Twilight paused and looked up into Fluttershy's eyes, "I really missed you girls. This reality isn't perfect. If it were, I wouldn't have tried that dimensional travel spell to fix some silly mistake. But for all its flaws, it's my home.

“What I guess I’m saying is that, the events we all look back on and regret – getting bullied, being expelled from flight school, losing out on an opportunity of a lifetime – well, those events are an important part of who we are, and without them, we don’t grow up to become the ponies we were meant to be. It’s not that we should be proud of our failures or anything, just that maybe we shouldn’t dwell on them too much.”

“As one gate closes another one opens?” added Fluttershy.

Twilight laughed. “Yeah, I guess you could put it that way,” she replied. “But I’m done opening any gates to new dimensions. I’m just glad to finally be home.”

The sound of the door being struck loud enough to rattle the hinges interrupted their conversation.. Fluttershy got up from her seat to answer.

“Who’s knocking so loudly?” asked Twilight, following her friend toward the back door.

“Oh, that must be Angel,” replied Fluttershy.

“Angel?” Twilight looked back at the small bunny following them. “But I thought—”

As soon as Fluttershy opened the door, a giant grizzly leapt across the threshold, tackling her to the ground.

Twilight screamed and readied her magic, until she heard the sound of Fluttershy’s laughter.

“Aw, I love you too, Angel Bear,” Fluttershy said as she playfully wrestled with the giant beast. The bear licked her face then sat back on its hind legs, towering over the two ponies.

“Isn’t he so cute when he begs,” Fluttershy said to Twilight. She turned back to the grizzly. “Okay, since you’ve been such a good boy today, you get a snack.”

Fluttershy trotted over to the bunny rabbit, and cradled it in her arms. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bun-Bun,” she whispered softly as she twisted her hooves, snapping the little one’s neck. She carried the limp body over to the bear, who swallowed the carcass in one bite.

Twilight looked at the entire scene aghast. Maybe I need might need to open that gate again after all, she thought.

4. Wingmares, feat. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy

Prompt: Write a story in the second person in which the perspective character (i.e. “you”) is one of the Mane Six or Spike.

Your name is Rainbow Dash, and you are the most awesome pegasus in Ponyville. You’re the fastest pony around – the reigning best young flyer in Equestria – and the only pony to ever pull of a sonic rainboom. You’re the bearer of the Element of Loyalty, and with your friends, you’ve saved Equestria on numerous occasions, having faced dragons and changelings and an immortal Goddess of darkness and lived to tell the tale. You’re even the only pony in town with her own fan club, led by your number one fan in the world, Scootaloo.

And yet, none of that makes this feel any better.

You should have known better. Fluttershy just isn’t like you. Where you see a challenge, she sees danger. Whereas you’d rather be speeding through the sky feeling the icy bite of the upper atmosphere rushing through your wings, she’d rather spend her days on the ground, surrounded by the warm embrace of her animal friends. When adversity pushes you to perform your best, it drives her to tears.

You knew all of this and yet you still asked her to help fending off the rogue lightning storm from Everfree. Yeah, you certainly needed the help, especially with most of the weather team occupied with the storms in the west, but there are so many other pegasi you could have asked to be your wingmare. You might have even been better off trying to fight through the storm all by yourself. But, the dark thunderheads looming over the horizon, the fact that everypony was talking about it as the storm of the century, the thoughts of the potential damage such a large storm could do to Ponyville, it had you worried. You weren’t afraid, of course – Rainbow Dash is not afraid of anything – you just didn’t want to face that alone.

You guess that fighting through torrential rain and gale force winds, there’s no other pony you’d rather have at your side than Fluttershy.

But now Fluttershy probably hates you. You push her too hard. You got frustrated at her and said some things you shouldn’t have. And then she just turned around and rushed off, heading back towards the woods surrounding Ponyville.

Your wings flap hesitatingly through the moist, heavy air. The distant roar of thunder reminds you that the clouds continue their slow creep toward the town you’ve come to call home and the friends you’ve come to love, You contemplate turning back to rejoin the fight, but the thought of Fluttershy alone and crying out in the woods compels your wings to maintain their course.

You see her off in the distance, her pink mane a bright beacon against the greens and browns of the woods. You slowly float to the ground and trot carefully toward her. You open your mouth and hesitate. She probably doesn't want to see you right now. But you need to see her, so you finally call out her name.

She turns, but instead of tear filled eyes, you see her smiling, displaying a confidence she rarely shows. At this point, you notice that you two aren’t alone in the woods. Behind her, an army of birds sits perched across every branch, their heads all erect and waiting. Fluttershy flashes you a smile and points a hoof forward. The birds take flight, and eagles, falcons, pigeons, owls – every species of winged creature you’ve ever seen – speed past you.

Fluttershy comes forward, and you immediately turn your attention to her.

“I knew I couldn’t generate as much wing power as you, so I decided to invite a few friends.” She smiles, then with a sweep of her yellow wings, takes to the air. You watch in awe as Fluttershy and her winged friends charge forward to face the storm.

Your name is Rainbow Dash and you are the second most awesome pegasus in Ponyville.

5. Invisible Mare, feat. Twilight Sparkle

Prompt: Twilight Sparkle disappears, and only one pony remembers she was ever there at all.

(written with apologies to Ralph Ellison)

I am an invisible mare.

Now I know what you’re thinking: Twilight, what have you and your magic gotten yourself into this time? Have you rendered yourself invisible and forgotten to look up the spell to reverse your predicament? Did your magic go haywire again, zapping you to an alternate plane of existence where you can see around the world but not interact with it? Were you performing some cockamamie science experiment that went wrong?

Well, no my invisibility is not a trick of magic or some failed science experiment. My invisibility isn’t even my problem; I just have to deal with the consequences. You see, my invisibility stems from the problems of everypony else.

I am invisible because ponies refuse to see me.

Okay, you’re probably laughing at that statement right now. How can one of the Princesses of Equestria – one of the almighty alicorn rulers of our kingdom – be invisible? Everypony knows Princess Twilight Sparkle! Well, that’s just the problem: everypony knows Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Ponies recognize me everywhere I go. Every day, I meet amazing ponies from all across Equestria and the lands beyond. They are some of the most talented magicians, knowledgeable scholars or wisest ambassadors, all ponies that I would have loved to get to know when I was a student. Yet, when all of these ponies come to me and look me in the eye, they do not see me. All they see is the crown upon my head.

This terrible condition has even affected some of my closest friends. When I visited Ponyville last month, I stopped by Fluttershy’s cottage. It broke my heart that we could barely even hold a conversation as Fluttershy just couldn’t stop bowing or apologizing for not exhibiting the proper etiquette befitting tea with royalty. My trip to the Carousel Boutique was no better as all Rarity did was to try and get me to leverage my connections to get her invited to various high society events in Canterlot.

But, perhaps the saddest part of my visit to Ponyville was the fact that everything is fine without me. Okay, maybe that’s a bit selfish. It’s wonderful that Spike is now Rarity’s assistant. I’m really proud of how well of a job Dinky Doo has done running the library. And they couldn’t have picked a better organizer for the Winter Wrap up than Apple Bloom.

It just seems like nopony realizes that I’m gone. Nopony, perhaps, except for you.

Maybe it’s because you had the free time, but you were my most frequent visitor after I left Ponyville. Our correspondence was the last to fade before life slowly consumed any time for letter writing. Although I have had to regrettably put my duties above my friendships at some times, you were always the most understanding. I’ll have to admit that I expected you to have the least patience of all my friends, but you proved me wrong. Perhaps, I shouldn’t be surprised; you of all ponies know the most about persevering and hanging onto dreams. I envy how you manage to balance your career and your relationships.

But when you visit is when I feel most at peace. You regale me with stories of our times in Ponyville, never letting me forget how much of an awkward dork I was back then. You indulge my conversations about my favorite books, even if you think they’re all boring. You barely even notice the way the royal guards bristle when you call me egghead. When we’re together, I can barely even feel the weight of that crown on my head.

I love you Rainbow Dash. You make me feel like I am not a princess.

6. Rainbows over Manehattan, feat. the Cutie Mark Crusaders

Prompt: Three ups and three downs of three ponies being in love.

Dear Rarity,

It feels like only yesterday that the three of us packed our bags for Manehattan, but I guess it’s already been over two weeks (!!!) so I wanted to send you a letter to let you know how we’re doing.

I never imagined moving away from Ponyville, but when Apple Bloom got her acceptance letter to the Manehattan Institute of Technology, Scootaloo and I knew that we wouldn’t let that break up the Cutie Mark Crusaders – not even getting out cutie marks could do that. And it made sense for us to follow Apple Bloom, too. Manehattan has a Wonderbolts academy, so Scootaloo could train for tryouts, and if I really wanted to pursue a career singing, Manehattan would be the perfect place.

So, here we are now. We’ve got a small apartment on the Upper East Side. It’s… cozy. When you’re living with two other fillies, one of whom grew up on a farm and the other who doesn’t particularly care about cleaning, well you could say the apartment is a bit of a mess. Or a disaster.

But on a happier note, guess what?

I GOT A GIG!

I’m so excited, and even though it’s just a small show at a coffee shop, small gigs like this can lead to bigger ones in the future. I was so nervous when I went to audition, and I never would have been able to go through with it without Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pushing me on and encouraging me. I’m so lucky to have a pair of friends like them. Maybe next time I write, I’ll be famous!

Love,
Sweetie Belle

~~~

Hiya Rainbow Dash,

Thank you soooooooo much for you package. I don’t care what Sweetie and Bloom say – you can never have enough Wonderbolts swag decorating the apartment.

Anyway, life here in Manehattan has been great. Sweetie Belle introduced me to a dance instructor she knows, so now I’ve got a job teaching young fillies and colts how to dance. It doesn’t pay much, but it’s enough to cover the bills while I train for the entrance exams in the spring. Plus, I gotta admit, it’s kinda fun to work with all of the little foals.

But man, Rainbow Dash, living in Manehattan is just awesome. There’s so much going on all of the time. I just wish we weren’t so busy. Bloom’s got classes during the day, I teach dance lessons in the evening, and Sweetie’s got her gigs at night, so you can imagine how big a pain it is to try and juggle all of our schedule. I mean, I like doing stuff with Sweetie and I like doing stuff with Bloom, but it’s just not the same when one of us is missing.

I’m also kinda worried about Apple Bloom. She just keeps studying, and studying, sometimes even pulling all-nighters at the library. Sweetie Belle and I have tried to get her away from the library to do something fun, but she just gets annoyed at us, saying how we should just go on without her. Sometimes I wonder if she’s not coming back to the apartment at night because… well, Sweetie and I kinda hooked up together (oh, okay, we totally hooked up. With crazy makeouts and um, yeah I think that’s about as much detail as I’ll go into there). I mean, with Apple Bloom studying so much, Sweetie and I were spending so much more time together that things just happened. I’m worried that Apple Bloom might be jealous of the two of us, but the thing is, I feel the same way about Apple Bloom as I do about Sweetie Belle.

tl;dr relationships are complicated. They’re also totally worth it, especially when you got two hot pieces of plot like Sweetie and Bloom. At least, I hope.

Your #1 fan,
Scootaloo

~~~

Howdy AJ,

I know better than to lie to you, sis: the past couple of weeks had been real rough. Back in Ponyville, I was used to being one of the smart ones in class. I may not have been the prettiest pony in class or the most popular, but I knew I could tackle any math problem Miss Cheerilee or any of the other teachers could throw at me. But here, every single student was like that back home. I used to think my cutie mark – the mark of an engineer, a pony who could build things – made me special, but now I’m surrounded by other ponies who got their cutie marks building machines that were much more impressive than my dinky little apple picking machine. In class, I’d just look around at all the geniuses around me and wonder what a redneck farmpony like me was doing at a place like MIT.

It didn’t help that Sweetie Belle and Scoots had started dating. Now, that didn’t surprise me much given the way Scoots was always staring at Sweetie’s flank (and who could blame her), but it still hurt a little. I was happy for them, but at the same time, I had feelings for the two of them as well, so I was kinda jealous as well. It was a confusing time, and it sure didn’t help that I didn’t have my priorities straight either. I kinda started avoiding them, partly out of jealousy but partly because I was so worried about classes.

It took them dragging me out of the library and sitting me down for a talk us to finally settle things. There was a lot of yelling, a lot of crying, a lot of hugging, and eventually a lot of kissing too. As it turns out, the two of them felt the same way about me and wanted me to join in their relationship, but I was just being too stubborn to let it happen. They reminded me why the three of us moved to Manehattan in the first place: we’re three little fillies with big dreams, and we’re going to do everything we can to help each other reach those goals.

Back in those lonely nights at the library, I used to wonder whether I’d see a rainbow like you did, pointing my way back to Ponyville. But now, when I wake up in the mornings, I see the violets and oranges of Scootaloo’s mane and coat, the pink streaks of Sweetie Belle’s hair, and the greens of her pretty little eyes. In their own way, those two are my rainbow showing me where I belong.

Your sister,
Apple Bloom

7. With Some Help from my Friends, feat. the Cutie Mark Crusaders

Prompt: Explorers of the Sky.

In biology, they taught us that your genes define your destiny.

“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?”

Sweetie Belle’s voice fell dead against the still air of the clubhouse. She took a few steps forward, hooves clicking against wood the only sound audible.

“Please, Scootaloo, say something. This isn’t like you!” Sweetie Belle continued as she approached her friend. Scootaloo remained motionless, just staring into a corner of the treehouse. “W-we didn’t do anything to upset you did we?”

Scootaloo shook her head.

Sweetie Belle let out her breath at the sign of her friend’s movement. “Was it something that happened at school?” She paused for a bit. “No wait, you weren’t at school today, you had something else you had to do, a doctor’s appointment was it?”

“I can’t fly.”

Sweetie Belle cocked her head. “Yeah well, we know that.”

“No!” Scootaloo turned and flared her wings. “I can’t fly as in I’ll never be able to fly, as in these stupid wings are—” Scootaloo lowered her head and turned away from Sweetie Belle again. “—defective.”

Sweetie Belle wrapped her forelegs around her friend, and buried her nuzzle against the crook of her friend’s neck. “I’m so sorry,” she choked.

It was only then that Scootaloo allowed herself to cry.

In chemistry, they taught us that you can’t create something out of nothing.

Apple Bloom watched as Scootaloo tossed the screwdriver to the ground.

“I quit!”

Apple Bloom crossed the workshop and grabbed Scootaloo before she could storm out.

“So that’s how it is?” asked Apple Bloom. “After all that reading’, all that plannin’, all that work you put it, you’re just gonna up and quit?”

Scootaloo glared back at Apple Bloom.

“What happened to the Scootaloo who said she was going to fly no matter what, the filly who was always pushing us to get our cutie marks no matter how many times we failed?” Apple Bloom looked her friend in the eye. “What happened to the friend who wouldn’t let me quit when I was after my own cutie mark?”

Apple Bloom pulled Scootaloo into a hug. “You don’t have to do this alone. Sweetie Belle and I are here for you, just like you’ve always been there for us.”

“Thanks,” Scootaloo whispered back.

Apple Bloom led Scootaloo back to her bench and took a look at the piece of machinery that Scootaloo had been working on.

“A ha,” Apple Bloom said, pointing to a misplaced capacitor, “now there’s your problem.”

In physics, they taught us that what comes up must come down.

As Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle wheeled the capsule out of the barn, Scootaloo ran through her checklist for the umpteenth time that morning. She took a deep breath as she looked out at giant collection of helium balloons floating above a metal sphere. Only a few weights tied to the side kept the entire thing from floating off into the heavens.

“Perfect day for a launch, right girls?” said Apple Bloom once they got the capsule situated.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo replied, her voice betraying her uncertainty.

She felt a hoof on her shoulder. “You okay, Scootaloo?”asked Sweetie Belle.

“Oh, yeah I’m fine,” replied Scootaloo brushing the hoof off. “It’s gonna be awesome, right?”

Scootaloo stepped forward and inspected the capsule, checking again that everything was in place.

“Hey, girls.” Scootaloo turned to face her two friends. “In case I don’t make it back—”

“Oh, you’re comin’ back,” replied Apple Bloom. “Pinkie Pie’s already got the party planned.”

“Yeah, you’ll be amazing,” said Sweetie Belle, pulling the three fillies into a big hug. “We believe in you Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo smiled at her two friends then turned to enter the capsule. As she got situated, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cut the weights holding the rig down. Scootaloo looked out the viewport to see her friends staring up and waving. Scootaloo waved back until they were but two tiny specks on the brown and green landscape below. Soon, Scootaloo could see the huge blue oceans surrounding Equestria and the curvature of the planet as she floated higher into the atmosphere.

She closed her eyes and ran through her checklist one more time. She re-opened them and made sure all of her equipment was ready. Finally, her eyes turned toward a corner of the capsule where she had taped a picture of herself and her two best friends. They were covered head to tail in tree sap and pine needles, yet all wearing broad smiles for the camera. Her eyes lingered on the photo, remembering the day it was taken. Maybe it was only there at the edge of the world where nopony could hear her, that Scootaloo whispered, “I love you girls.”

A beep from the altimeter indicated that it was go time. Donning her space helmet and strapping on her parachutes, she took a deep breath, tasting the canned oxygen filling her lungs.

Scootaloo opened the airlock, and stepped out onto the platform. At 128,000 feet the descent would take her to speeds of over 800 miles per hour, producing her own sonic scootaboom. This would make for one hell of a cutie mark story.

In biology, they taught us that your genes define your destiny.
In chemistry, they taught us that you can’t create something out of nothing.
In physics, they taught us that what comes up must come down.
But with the help of my friends, I learned that science isn’t about defining our limitations – it’s about expanding them.

8. Taken for Granite, feat. Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle

Prompt: Ship one of the mane six with someone who isn’t a pony.

As Twilight entered the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie leapt up dragged her inside with a giant, welcoming hug.

“Sorry I’m late,” said Twilight as she extracted herself from her friend’s warm embrace. “So where is this special somepony you’ve been telling us all about?”

Pinkie giggled. “Well he’s kinda shy, so he’s waiting up in my room. But now that everyone is here, I can finally introduce you all.”

“Ooh, I’m so excited to meet this new coltfriend of yours, darling,” Rarity said, eagerly following her friend up the stairway.

“Oh, he’s not a colt,” replied Pinkie.

“Aha!” Rainbow Dash swooped over to Twilight. “I told ya’ she was a fillyfooler. Pay up Twilight!”

“Oh no, Dashie, I didn’t mean that,” Pinkie replied. “I meant that he’s not a pony.”

The comment piqued Raritiy’s interest further. “Ooh, is he a donkey? I know you’ve always had a soft spot for them.”

Pinkie shook her head.

“Is he a griffin?” asked Rainbow Dash, “‘Cause you know what I always say – ‘till you go griffin, you don’t know what you’re missin’.”

“Please don’t be a dragon. Oh please don’t be a dragon,” whispered Fluttershy.

“Girls, you’ll find out soon enough. I bet you’re all in for a big surprise!” Pinkie said with a smile as she reached the door to her room. With a dramatic flourish, Pinkie swung open the door, leapt inside and yelled, “Tada, everypony meet Rocky!”

She was met with silence. The room was empty except for a sizeable boulder sitting in the middle of the room.

“Um, where is he?” asked Applejack.

“He’s right there, silly,” Pinkie replied motioning to the large granite stone.

“You mean he’s behind that rock?” asked Rainbow Dash. Pinkie shook her head.

“You mean to say that Rocky,” Rarity paused, the room filled with stunned silence as everyone came to the same realization, “is a rock?”

“What else could he be with a name like that?”

Rainbow Dash was rolling on the floor laughing. “Looks like you bagged quite a hunk! A hunk of stone!”

“Wait a second, sugarcube. You’re datin’ a rock? How is that even possible?”

“He’s not just any rock. He’s the sweetest, most kindest, most loveable rock in all of Equestria! He’s been to so many places and tells me all these exciting stories about his travels around the world!”

“Can rocks even talk?” asked Fluttershy.

“Well, most ponies can’t understand rockish, but I just happen to be fluent!”

Twilight buried her face in her hoof. “Let me get this straight: you can talk to rocks.”

Pinkie nodded her head. “Just like Fluttershy can talk to animals, and Applejack can talk to trees.”

“Pinkie, I think when Applejack ‘talks’ to tree’s she doesn’t actually think they understand her,” replied Twilight.

“Speak for yourself, sugarcube!”

Twilight gave Applejack a confused look before turning back to Pinkie. “What I’m trying to say is that at least plants and animals are alive. Rocks aren’t alive, Pinkie They’re inanimate objects, made of clay, dirt, and minerals.”

“Don’t say that Twilight,” said Pinkie. “You’re hurting his feelings.”

“Rocks don’t have feelings, Pinky. They—” Twilight stopped as Rainbow Dash stuck elbowed her in the ribs. Pinkie was tearing up, hugging the rock closely and whispering to it.

Apologize, mouthed Rarity. Twilight rolled her eyes at the suggestion.

“Now,” Rarity insisted, nudging her toward Pinkie.

Twilight sighed, then took a few steps forward toward her friend. “Pinkie, I’m—”

“Rocky thinks you should all leave now,” Pinkie said, her voice low and flat.

“Ugh, this is ridiculous!” said Twilight as she turned and left. The four others looked at each other, at a loss.

“It was nice meeting you Rocky,” said Fluttershy. “I’m sorry about Twilight. She’s normally a lot more friendly than this. She’s just overly skeptical.”

Rainbow Dash stepped forward, “Hey, Pinks, we’re—”

“Rocky’s very angry,” said Pinkie. “And I need to calm him down before he does something he regrets.”

***

Twilight descended the staircase to the main reading room the library. She yawned, blinking in the soft purple light of her horn as it illuminated the way.

“Spike, is that you? What are you doing making so much noise in the middle of the night?” As she reached the bottom of the staircase, she cast a spell to illuminate the entire room.

Twilight shrieked when she saw the giant boulder sitting in the middle of the library floor.

“Okay, Twilight, calm down. It’s just a dumb rock. An inanimate object. There’s nothing creepy about it. It’s just sitting there. Menacingly.” Twilight shook her head, to clear her thoughts. A stupid prank, that's all it is, Twilight thought to herself. Pinkie will jump out, yell surprise, and we'll share in a good laugh and a lesson in friendship.

“Ha ha, very funy Pinkie,” Twilight called out. Her words echoed through the empty library.

Twilight groaned and closed her eyes. “I’ll deal with this in the morning,” she said with a yawn. “Hopefully, this is all just a bad dream.”

When Twilight opened her eyes, she was face to face with Rocky. Startled, she reared back fell on her haunches.

A deep, rumbling voice filled the room. “This is not a dream, and I am not a rock.” Rocky towered over Twilight, raised up on a thick pair of clay legs. He sprouted a pair of clay arms, and she could see a magical inscription glowing on his forehead. “I am a golem, and you made Pinkie Pie cry.”

9. Seven Minutes in Heaven, feat. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy

Prompt: Two are stuck in a room.

“Now have fun you two.” Rarity gave me a wink before her magic grabbed onto the doorknob and shut the closet door. The latch clicked shut leaving us in total darkness. Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak as the last sliver of light disappeared behind the solid oak door. I blinked my eyes a couple of times, but I really couldn’t tell whether my eyes were open or shut.

“I’m sorry Twilight,” Fluttershy’s soft voice wavered from behind my left ear. “I have a very small closet.”

“Just be glad we’re not stuck in Rarity’s closet,” I replied. “Or else we’d be drowning in a pile of dresses.” I let out a small laugh to lighten the mood. I tried to listen for any response from Fluttershy but only silence filled the small space. Wait, did I offend her? “I mean, not that you don’t have a lot of really pretty dresses yourself...” My voice trailed off into the void of sound filling the closed.

Oh Celestia, this is not how I wanted this to go. I knew perfectly well what Rarity was doing and I should have suspected as much the minute she suggested a game of truth or dare. Remind me never to tell Rarity when I have a crush on anypony ever again.

Fluttershy shuffled her feet, but wasn’t able to move around much in the cramped space. Our bodies were pressed together tightly, and in our infinite wisdom, we hadn’t even thought of facing the same way. Still, the feeling of warmth radiating from her body, the softness of her feathers, the slow rhythm of her sides moving in and out with every breath – it calmed my anxieties a little. I closed my eyes and focused on the feeling of her downy coat gently tickling my side.

I felt the nervous tick of her primaries in the moment of hesitation before she spoke.

“Um, Twilight, if you wouldn’t mind, could you please stop swinging your tail. It keeps getting in my face.”

“Oh sorry.” I stiffened up, instantly stopping any motion. “Maybe one of us should try turning around.”

“That sounds like it might be hard.”

“Well, if I just get up on my hind legs—” I reared up pressing my front hooves against the wall of the closet. I leaned over trying to shuffle my feet around but being the uncoordinated klutz that I am, I slipped and came crashing down onto Fluttershy.

My face was buried against something warm and soft. I quickly lifted my head. “Oh gosh, oh gosh, I’m so sorry, Fluttershy.” I scrambled around with my hooves to orient myself, searching for the ground but finding nothing but Fluttershy’s soft curves beneath me. She squirmed underneath my touch and I felt a wing fly up and slap me in the face.

“Uh, Fluttershy, do you mind folding up your wings?”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

Her reply was barely audible. “It’s sort of, um, involuntary.”

“How is it invol—” I began to say then stopped, my cheeks warming when I came to realize what she meant. My own wings began to unfurl.

“I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me Twilight.”

“Fluttershy, I...” I paused. Okay Twilight, you can do this. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.

I leaned my head forward, guiding myself by the sounds of her soft, tense breaths and the gentle puffs of air they made. I breathed in, the wonderful floral aroma of her perfume filling my nose. Puckering my lips, I leaned forward and planted kiss straight on her… nose.

Fluttershy giggled slightly as my lips brushed against her nostrils.

“What was that?”

So much for the romantic, perfect first kiss. “I was trying to kiss you.”

“You were?”

“Yes,” I replied. “I like you Fluttershy. I mean, I really like you as something more than a friend.”

I heard Fluttershy squeal in excitement before feeling a hoof smack me in the face.

“Sorry, I just so excited, I just wanted to hug you.” Her voice dropped a bit. “That probably wasn’t such a good idea.”

I chuckled, and grabbed her hooves, guiding them around my neck. “No, it’s the perfect idea.”
I felt her weight shift underneath me as she leaned forward, wrapping her forelegs more tightly against me.

“I like you too, Twilight,” she said softly, her voice now mere inches from my face, her warm breath encircling me. I puckered my lips only to feel her give me a kiss right on the eyeball.

“Oops,” Fluttershy said.

Before we could continue, light flooded the closet, blinding me temporarily.

“Okay, you two, the seven minutes are up, you can come out now.” Rarity’s voice stopped as soon as she caught sight of the two of us. “Oh my.”

I blinked a few times and my eyes adjusted to the bright lights to see Rarity standing frozen at the doorway, one hoof on the doorknob and one hoof over her mouth.

“Way to go Fluttershy!” called out Rainbow Dash’s voice from behind her. I could feel my cheeks blush and I saw Fluttershy’s do the same.

“Er, Rarity. How ‘bout we give them a bit more time in there,” said Applejack.

Rarity nodded as the door slowly closed shut, leaving us in darkness once again.

But not before I could take advantage of the light to give Fluttershy a proper peck on the lips.

10. Love in the Time of Changelings, feat. Pinkie Pie

Prompt: The only way out is if someone dies.

Instar had always expected to end up in one of the dungeons beneath Canterlot. He was never as talented at lying and deceiving as most other Changelings, so it was only a matter of time before he was caught. No, his one regret as the pair of guardsponies led him down the dark prison corridor was that he had gotten Pinkie Pie caught up in all of this. He glanced over at the mare to see her walking through the dark corridors, head lowered and mane deflated.

Pinkie Pie was the one pony in all of Equestria who was willing to look past his black exoskeleton, the one pony who had enough love in her heart to give him a chance. She didn't deserve to be here, and it broke his heart to see such a free spirit in shackles.

Instar sighed and shifted his shoulders under the weight of his own restraints. Around his neck hung an enchanted, silver shackle, meant to negate his shapeshifting abilities, and a magical barrier surrounded his horn preventing him from casting any spells.

The guards paused at an empty cell. They motioned for Instar to enter.

“Wait!” shouted Pinkie. “Can I say goodbye?”

The two guards looked at each other and shrugged.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Instar whispered as Pinkie approached him.

She remained silent, placing a hoof on his chest, and leaned forward, eyes closed. Her lips met Instar’s, and he instantly felt a tingle spread throughout his body.

No! Stop! his mind shouted as he attempted to pull away, but Pinkie wrapped her arms around him, locking him into the kiss. The tingling throughout Instar’s body grew as the pain from his injuries dulled and strength returned to his muscles. It’s only when his horn began glowing that the guards realized what was going on.

Pinkie Pie – the pony who held more love than any pony in Equestria – was feeding it all to Instar. The magical barrier restricting Instar’s horn shattered.

“Stop them!” shouted the pegasus guard, drawing his spear. The unicorn guard fired a magic bolt at the prisoners while the pegasus charged forward.

Pinkie’s grip had loosened enough for Instar to push her off of him. She fell limply to the floor as Instar raised a shield. The magic bolt splashed harmlessly into the shimmering green field surrounding them.

Instar lowered his horn and launched the barrier forward. The pegasus dove to the side, avoiding the wall of energy, but the unicorn was not so lucky, being swept up by the energy field and slammed into the stone wall behind.

The pegasus launched himself forward at Instar, but Instar leapt up into a flying kick. A satisfying crack of hoof against helm against skull filled the room, followed by the clattering of armor as the pegasus’s unconscious body spilled onto the floor.

Instar rushed to the Pinkie’s side. “Pinkie, say something!”

“I owe you a daring-escape-from-jail party.” Her voice was weak. Instar smiled and picked Pinkie up onto his back, feeling her shallow breaths as she lay on his smooth exoskeleton.

“We’ll have a big party as soon as we return to Ponyville,” said Instar as he galloped up the flight of stairs.

As he burst from the dungeons, Instar felt a searing pain that knocked Pinkie off of his back and sent the two of them slamming into ground.

Instar looked up to see a powerful unicorn mage aiming her horn at them. “You shall go no further, Changeling. I won’t let you two threaten Equestria ever again!”

A powerful burst of magic surged toward the two escapees, but instar raised a shield to protect the two of them. His horn straining as he struggled to maintain the barrier against the unicorn’s attack, he quickly lifted Pinkie onto his back, and charged toward their attacker.

Instar roared as he galloped forward, his legs burning and his magic fading. He could feel the jade energy field surrounding him weaker as he plowed against the stream of crimson magic, but just as his barrier was about to break, he summoned one last ounce of strength and leapt forward.

Instar landed on the soft grass of a meadow, skidding across the fresh dew as Pinkie tumbled off of his back. His teleportation spell had worked, sending the two safely to freedom. The silver shackle around his neck was the only thing that remained of his imprisonment.

“Pinkie, we’re free!” Instar shouted, leaping into the air. “We made it!”

He turned only to see Pinkie laying motionless on the grass.

“No!” he shouted as he ran toward the still pink mare. He nudged her onto his back and felt around for a pulse. But no, Pinkie, once a mare with such a joie de vivre that she could barely stay still, now lay lifeless in his hoofs.

“Pinkie Pie…” Tears streamed down Instar’s cheek as he stared at the calm smile on her face. She didn’t deserve this. It was all his fault that this happened to her. She would still be alive if she had ran away from him like all of the others. She would still be alive if she had seen him as a monster and not as another pony deserving of love. She would still be alive if she wasn’t the most loving mare in all of Equestria.

Instar leaned forward and closed his eyes. He poured his heart into his last kiss with Pinkie Pie.

***

Pinkie felt warm, the kind of warmth you feel you’re wrapped in the arms of your special somepony. Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself in the middle of an open meadow surrounded by flowers. She sprung to her feet as she remembered the events of the past few days.

“Instar, we’re free!” she shouted. She looked around for her changeling friend, but saw nothing else in the meadow aside from a broken silver shackle laying at her feet.

“Instar?” Pinkie stared up toward the cloudless blue sky, the gentle breeze kissing her cheeks as it wafted off toward the horizon.

11. Just Like You, feat. Scootaloo

Prompt: All good things must come to an end.

When Scootaloo closed her eyes, she could almost see the spectacle as the Wonderbolts pulled off their new trick to the delight of the stadium full of cheering ponies below. She pictured Rainbow Dash punching through the sound barrier, filling the sky with an explosion of color as the other trailed her, wrapping flames and lightning around her rainbow wake. She could just imagine herself being there, staring up at the sky as her hero flew by. Upon opening her eyes, however, the teenage filly was met only with the sight of the the blank ceiling tiles above her bed. She picked up the letter which she had been clutching to her chest and read through it letter once again, even though she practically knew it by heart already.

Scootaloo always knew Rainbow Dash was destined for greatness. Rainbow Dash was the most awesome pony in all of Equestria, and Ponyville could only contain so much awesome. But now, as a member of the Wonderbolts, she could travel all around the world and wow ponies everywhere with the high-flying, death-defying stunts. The Wonderbolts gave Rainbow the opportunity to share her greatness with the rest of Equestria, and Scootaloo couldn’t be happier for her.

With a sigh, she rolled off of her bed and slid the letter into a drawer in her desk. Dreams of Wonderbolts and sonic rainbooms still in her mind, she trotted down the stairs and grabbed her helmet and scooter.

Stepping out onto her porch, she donned her helmet, and took off down the streets of Ponyville, the warm summer air rushing past her wings as she sped down the main thoroughfare. Scootaloo looked up at the clear blue sky. These days used to be her favorite; with no clouds for the weather pegasi to clear, it would have been the perfect day to catch Rainbow Dash practicing her stunts.

Yeah, Ponyville was a different place without Rainbow Dash. No accidental rain storms, fewer silly pranks, no days where she could just lay on the cool grass and watch her idol soar through the skies, no post-flying-session trips to Sugarcube Corner...

Scootaloo skidded to a halt, nearly passing her destination, the local skate park. She and the rest of the crusaders help build it after she got tired of getting yelled at for riding through the market. It wasn’t much – a halfpipe, a few ramps, and a couple of rails – but she held fond memories of the place. After all, this is where she got cutie mark here so many years ago. She recalled how excited she was that day to show Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo made her way over the the halfpipe and, positioned herself at the lip with her scooter. If there’s one thing Rainbow Dash her instilled in her, it was that being awesome didn’t come easy. It was something you had to practice at everyday. And today, awesome was trying to finally perfect the triple backflip, 540 twist. She launched herself down the halfpipe, and coming up the other side, she kicked off the ramp, launching herself into the air. She buzzed her wings to and tucked her body inward to speed her rotation. As she felt herself reaching the apex of the jump, and then coming back down, she extended her body, and shuffled her hooves to line her wheels up with the ramp.

“Yeah!” she shouted as she touched down, the adrenaline of landing a new trick, rushing through her veins.

“Wow, that was so cool!”

Scootaloo turned to see a little teal pegasus filly clapping her hooves. Scootaloo smiled and waved at the kid, then went back through her practice routine, with some standard jumps and grinds. With every trick she landed, she could hear the small filly cheer. After a few minutes, Scootaloo stopped, wiped some sweat from her brow and turned to the filly.

“Hey kid,” said Scootaloo. “Not that I don’t mind the audience, but don’t you have anything better to do on a day like this?”

“Well, um, you see,” the filly paused. “I just moved here from Los Pegasus, and I saw the skate park, and thought, wow, I haven’t ever seen anything like that, but I’ve never seen anyone use it even though I come by everyday, but then today I show up and see you and wow! You’re like this, and zooming over there, and—”

Scootaloo let out a laugh. “Okay, I get it.”

“But I can leave if you don’t want me here,” the filly replied, her eyes lowering to the ground.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea,” said Scootaloo. “Catch!”

The filly caught Scootaloo’s bright red helmet in her hooves, and gave it a puzzled look.

“You wanna learn how to ride a scooter?”

“Do I ever!” she shouted and she ran over to Scootaloo.

***

“Hey, you did great, kid,” said Scootaloo. “Keep working at it and someday, you’ll be as good as me.”

The filly’s eyes widened. “You think so?”

“If you practice, yeah.”

“Oh, I will, everyday!” she responded. “When I grow up I wanna be just like you!”

Scootaloo smiled. “You know, when I was your age, I said the exact same thing about an older friend who used to live around her.”

“Did it happen?”

“Huh?”

“Did you grow up to be just like her?”

Scootaloo looked off at the clear blue skies, and then back down at her new friend. With a smile, she wrapped a foreleg around the filly’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”