The Cutie Mark Chronicles

Pony's Log Number 123: Whoever thought that the very ponies I've become so close with where actually meant to be a part of my life in the first place...

On a clear sunny day, three familiar fillies found themselves at the top of a tall tree. They were all linked together by a rope that was connected to another tree. They were also donning some helmets for safety.

"Are you about this, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle gulped, "I've never even heard of a pony zip lining before. I mean...I know Mario can actually rail grind with just his hind hooves. Don't get how he does it without overheating his horseshoes though..."

"Never mind your boyfriend," said Scootaloo, "as for zip lining, neither have I, but Spike told me it was awesome." The three then took off down their zip line, but soon realized that they had tied the rope to the other side a little too high since they came to stop in the middle of the two trees. Another mistake they had made was using a proper rope that was made for zip lining. The rope they used became heated as their metal connectors grinded on it, making the rope catch fire and break.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The three fillies screamed.

"Whoa!"

"Oh!"

"Wah!" Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle said in succession as they honked, bonked, and tumbled through several trees branches until they all crashed onto the ground, covered in leaves and sticky tree sap.

"Ow!" The three fillies groaned.

"See anything?" Apple Bloom asked before either of them had gotten back onto their hooves. Scootaloo was the first to get up and checked her flank.

"Tree sap and pine needles, but no cutie marks," Scootaloo reported.

"Plan B?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah," Scootaloo answered, "You know where we can find a cannon at this hour?" The other two fillies just looked at with fearful eyes. Scootaloo then removed her helmet and slammed it onto the ground.

"It's no use," said Scootaloo angrily, "No matter what we try, we always end up without our cutie marks. And, surprisingly often, covered in tree sap." Apple Bloom had wasted no time providing the three girls with some buckets of water so they could wash off the leaves, twigs, and tree sap.

"Maybe we should do something less dangerous," Sweetie Belle proposed as she finished cleaning herself off, "like pillow testing or flower sniffling?"

"This town is full of ponies who have their cutie marks," Apple Bloom pointed out, "Why don't we ask them how they did it?"

"That's a great safe idea," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah!" said Scootaloo in agreement, "And we can start with the coolest pony in Ponyville."

"Applejack!" said Apple Bloom.

"Rarity!" said Sweetie Belle, "oh, oh...let's not forget...Mario!" Sweetie Belle sighed happily to herself as Scootaloo made a face.

"Come on, guys, I said "cool"!" said Scootaloo as she flapped her small wings so she was hovering a few inches off the ground, "You know who I'm talking about. She's fast. She's tough. She's not afraid of anything!" Scootaloo hovered about trying to fly like the sad pony before returning to the group and stood on her hind legs.

"Pinkie Pie?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle guessed.

"No!" said Scootaloo, "The greatest flyer ever to come out of Cloudsdale."

"Fluttershy?" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle guessed next.

"No!" Scootaloo snapped, "Rainbow Dash!"

"Oh! Yeah, that makes much more sense," said Apple Bloom.

"Of course," said Sweetie Belle.

"Let's do it," said Scootaloo, "Let's find out how Rainbow Dash earned her cutie mark!"

"Yeah!" said Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle together as they high-hoofed each other. Only to realize that the young Pegasus's fore-hooves were still covered in tree sap.

"Aah! Uuh!" Sweetie Belle grunted as she and Apple Bloom tried to pull their hooves apart, but the sap was too stick. The three fillies just groaned as they were not stuck together...for the moment.

(theme song)

With the sound of a motor revving, Scootaloo rode her scooter down a dirt path the Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle being pulled in a wagon behind her. Scootaloo was rather focused on keeping up her speed when three bunnies carrying apples appeared in the middle of the road. Scootaloo gasped as she applied the brakes, causing her scooter and the wagon to screech to a stop just a foot away from the apple carrying bunnies.

"Get back here, you thievin' varmints!" That was the sound of Applejack. Apparently the three bunnies had taken the apples from her and she was chasing them down.

"Thievin' what now?" Apple Bloom said out of the blue. Applejack popped out of a nearby bush and tried to pounce on the bunnies. But her aim and timing was off and she ended up crashing right into the three fillies. When the dust had settled, Apple Bloom was on top of Applejack and Sweetie Belle somehow found herself on top of Scootaloo.

"Hey sis!" said Apple Bloom, "How'd you get your cutie mark?"

"I never told you that story?" Applejack asked her little sister in surprise.

"Hey! I thought we were gonna ask Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo protested as Applejack just smirked to herself.

"We need all the help we can get," said Apple Bloom as she and Sweetie Belle waited eagerly to hear Applejack tell her story.

"Ugh, fine," said Scootaloo with much reluctance.

"Why, shoot," Applejack began, "I was just a little filly. Even littler than y'all."

Flashback

Young Applejack leaves the Apple farm carrying a small sack on a stick as a younger Big Mac and Granny Smith watch her off. Both of them are shedding tears as they see her leave.

"I didn't want to spend my life on a muddy old apple farm," Applejack continued, "I wanted to live the sophisticated life like my Aunt n' Uncle Orange. So I set out to try my luck in the big city, Manehatten! The most cosmopolitan city on all of Equestria.

Young Applejack is amazed at all the tall buildings and a ponified version of the statue of liberty.

"Hey! Outta the way, you rube!" said a pony named Count Caesar rather rudely as young Applejack simply stepped out of his way.

"I knew I'd find out who I was meant to be in Manehatten," said Applejack.

Young Applejack then stood before an apartment door that had an orange on it and knocked on it. It wasn't long before both her Aunt and Uncle opened the door and invited her inside.

"Aunt Orange! Uncle Orange!" young Applejack said excitedly, "Thank y'all so much for lettin' me stay."

"Y'all," said Aunt Orange with a laugh, "Isn't she just the living end?"

"How quaint," Uncle Orange added with a chuckle of her own.

"Don't worry," said Aunt Orange as she began to rub Young Applejack's mane with a fore-hoof, "We'll have you acting like a true Manhattanite in no time." Young Applejack just smiled. Soon she was placed before a dinner party with her mane now done in an updo. She sat between her Aunt and Uncle as they were chatting with their dinner guests and sipping some sparkling juice (could say orange juice but not sure).

"And how are you finding good old Manehatten?" said a pony named Tall Order.

"Oh, it's simply divine," said young Applejack, trying to sound proper.

"Very well said, my dear," said Aunt Orange.

"Although, I must admit the city noise took some getting used to," young Applejack continued, "Where I'm from, nights are so quiet, you seldom hear a peep until the roosters wake you up." Tall Order and another pony sitting nearby named Dane Tee Dove just looked stunned.

"The...what?" Dane Tee Dove asked, giving young Applejack a weird look.

"I say, my dear," Tall Order replied to Dane Tee Dove, "what in the world is a "rooser"?" Aunt Orange just smiled sheepishly and nuzzled young Applejack's mane with a fore-hoof.

"What's he talking about?" young Applejack asked nervously, "What did I say? I don't want to look like a fool." Young Applejack didn't have to ponder long before some ponies arrived placing some dinner plates on the table covered with a round top.

"Dinner is served," said the pony.

"Thank goodness," said young applejack, "Being a city pony's hard work. I'm so hungry I could at a..." Young Applejack was surprised to see just a tiny morsel of food no bigger than her hoof was sitting on the plate. She just sighed to herself.

The next morning, young Applejack was sitting quietly leaning against the outside border of her city bedroom window.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo...," said young Applejack quietly, "Oh, I wonder what Granny Smith and Big Macintosh are up to. I bet they're applebuckin' their way through the Red Delicious trees. Oh, what I wouldn't give for just one bite..." Young Applejack sighed to herself as a small tear left her eyes.

"I never felt so homesick in all my days as I did right then," said Applejack.

Suddenly...

BOOOOOOOOM!

Young Applejack was startled as she looked out of her window.

"It was amazin'!" said Applejack, "A rainbow pointin' right back to...home. In that moment, it all became clear. I knew right then just who I was supposed to be."

Young Applejack then runs all the way back home. Big Mac and Granny Smith are there waiting for her as she embraces them happy. As she does, a flash of light appears on her flank as her cutie mark appears.

End Flashback

"That's when this here appeared," said Applejack pointing at her cutie mark, "I've been happily workin' in the farm ever since." Then the moment was spoiled at the apple carrying bunnies gave Applejack a raspberry.

"There they are!" said Applejack, "Get back here, ya thievin' varmints!" Applejack then took off towards the bunnies, leaving the three fillies alone.

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

"Sweet? Try sappy," said Scootaloo as she made a grossed out face and climbed onto her scooter, "Come on! We've got to find Rainbow Dash and hear the cool way to get a cutie mark." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle climbed into the wagon and Scootaloo took off right away. It wasn't long before they were racing down the path again when Fluttershy suddenly landed in front of them. Scootaloo immediately tried to put on the brakes as Fluttershy stood on her hind legs to get them to stop. Scootaloo stop so quickly that the three fillies were all sent flying off and landed in a pile just a few feet away from the yellow Pegasus. That was when they saw why Fluttershy had stopped them. A small family of ducks needed to cross the road and get to the other side.

"All right, little ones. This way. This way," said Fluttershy before turning to the three fillies, "You really should be more careful. Somepony could get hurt. Why are you in such a hurry anyway?"

"We're trying to find Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo answered, "so we can hear how she earned her cutie mark."

"Oh, that would be interesting," said Fluttershy, "You know, I wouldn't have gotten my cutie mark if it weren't for her."

"Rainbow Dash?! Really?!" said Scootaloo excitedly as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stood beside her.

"Oh yes," Fluttershy answered, "It all started at Summer Flight Camp."

Flashback

Fluttershy's story takes place at the Summer Flight Camp grounds. Where the young yellow Pegasus was just alone watching some other Pegasi fly through some cloud shaped rings.

"You'd never guess, but when I was little I was very shy," Fluttershy told the three fillies, "and a very weak flyer."

Young Fluttershy slowly tried to fly up to one of the cloud rings. Taking her time she slowly rises off the ground and goes through. She smiles at her little accomplishment until she accidentally trips over the bottom of the ring. Young Fluttershy yelped as she tumbled forward, slid down a steep cloud slope, launches into the air, tearing off a flag as she flies into it and crashing into some cloud below with the flag on top of her. It was then two familiar, but much younger Pegasi colts started laughing at her.

"Nice going, "Klutzershy"!" said a young Dumb-Bell, "They outta ground you permanently."

"Ha! My baby brother can fly better than you!" added young Hoops. The two colts continued to laugh at her as poor young Fluttershy just cowered back.

"It was the most humiliating moment of my life," Fluttershy continued, "And then, out of nowhere..."

It was just then a familiar blue Pegasus appeared, zooming through the sky. Her high speed flying caught the attention of the other two colts as they looked up and then saw the young Rainbow Dash make a landing in front of them.

"Leave her alone!" said young Rainbow sternly.

"Ooh, what are you gonna do, "Rainbow Crash"," young Hoops jeered.

"Keep making fun of her and find out!" young Rainbow threatened as she got into the colt's face.

"You think you're such a big shot?" young Dumb-Belle sneered, "Why don't you prove it?"

"Whaddya have in mind?" young Rainbow asked curiously. It wasn't much longer before the three Pegasi were lined up at the starting grid for a race around the Flight Camp Obstacle course. Some other adult and younger Pegasus ponies had arrived to watch the race. Fluttershy was already on her own cloud, holding a checkered flag.

"You're going down!" said young Hoops.

"In history, maybe," said young Rainbow, "See you boys at the finish line!" It was then Fluttershy lowered the flag and the three Pegasi took off. They flew so close to young Fluttershy that she was spun about out of control...and right off her cloud towards the ground below. Young Fluttershy screamed as she tumbled towards the ground below, flailing her legs for dear life. As she got closer to the ground, a large migration of butterflies appeared below and caught her.

"Huh?" said young Fluttershy as she realized she wasn't falling anymore and saw the large collection of butterflies underneath her as they carried her about what appeared to be a woodland area. She couldn't help but smile.

"I had never seen such beautiful creatures," said Fluttershy, "Butterflies don't fly as high as my cloud home. And I'd never been near the ground before."

It was then young Fluttershy began to sing.

[Young Fluttershy]

What is this place
Filled with so many wonders?
Casting its spell
That I am now under

(It was then each creature she sang about began to appear around her as she flew just above the butterflies. Some squirrels poked their heads out of a tree, three bunnies stopped hopping to look at her, three birds flying in the air came down to see her.)

[Young Fluttershy]

Squirrels in the trees
And the cute little bunnies
Birds flying free
And bees with their honey

(Some bees were buzzing through some flowers when she sang that part.)

Hooooonneeeeeeey!

(All the creatures surrounded her as she continued to sing.)

Oooh, what a magical place
And I owe it all to the Pegasus race (She looked up to the sky where the Flight Camp Obstacle course was and the three Pegasus ponies were still racing.)
If I knew the ground had so much up its sleeve
I'd have come here sooner, and never leave

Yes, I love ev-er-ythiiiiiiing!

The creatures were now just swaying to her singing and the view panned around the area just as young Fluttershy finished her little song.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Suddenly, a loud explosion and a large ring of color appeared in the sky. All the creatures and birds began to run for cover. Fluttershy watched as three bunnies ran by before she narrowed her brow and went to go find them.

"Shhh, it's okay," young Fluttershy said to the frightened bunnies.

"You can come out," young Fluttershy told some frightened squirrels by knocking lightly on their tree. Fluttershy then stuck her head underwater to see some startled frogs.

"Everything's okay," she told the submerged frogs. She then flew up towards some startled birds.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," young Fluttershy told some birds in the sky and soon all the birds and animals were surrounding Fluttershy as she smiled and sat down in the middle of them.

"Somehow I had the ability to communicate with the animals on a different level," said Fluttershy.

It was then Fluttershy's flank was decorated with her well known three butterflies cutie mark. A young bunny just looks at it curiously.

End Flashback...abruptly

"Wait, wait, wait," Scootaloo interrupted as Fluttershy was now sitting on the grass near the road, "what happened to Rainbow Dash? What about the race?"

"Oh, well, I wasn't there," Fluttershy answered, "So I don't really know what happened." By now Scootaloo was already back on her scooter.

"Come on Crusaders," said Scootaloo, "We've gotta find her. Besides, I can't take anymore singing."

"Maybe my sister knows where she is," said Sweetie Belle as she and Apple Bloom climbed back into the wagon, "Bye Fluttershy!" Apple Bloom waved as well as Scootaloo just began to accelerate on her scooter.

"Bye, girls!" said Fluttershy as the three fillies made their way down the road to the Carousel Boutique. It wasn't long before Scootaloo had a long face as she and the other fillies were now acting as models for Rarity as she was creating some filly sized dresses.

"How did we get roped into this?" Scootaloo complained, "Oh, we'll never hear Rainbow Dash's story."

"Are you girls still obsessing over your cutie marks?" Rarity asked them curiously.

"Of course," said Sweetie Belle, "Most of the fillies at school already have theirs."

"Mmm, I know how you feel," said Rarity, "For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I didn't have mine."

Flashback

Just outside of the Ponyville schoolhouse, a stage has been set up for what appears to be some sort of play. As some music plays in the background, several young ponies are dancing and wearing some handmade costumes made by the young fashionista...at this time...in training.

"Well done Rarity," said the teacher, "your costumes are very nice!"

"Nice?!" young Rarity exclaimed, "They need to be spectacular! And the performance is tomorrow!"

Back in her old bedroom, which looks similar to the interior decor of her Boutique, she was busy working at her sewing machine.

"I tried every trick I could think of, but nothing seemed to work," Rarity continued, "The costumes just weren't right and the play opened that night."

Young Rarity sighed to herself.

"Maybe I'm not meant to be a fashionista," young Rarity said sadly. Suddenly, her horn began to glow brightly and she suddenly found it pulling her out of the house, through the woods, and beyond. Young Rarity tried to stop herself from being pulled, but the magic was too strong for her to control.

"I had no idea where my horn was taking me," said Rarity, by now her younger self had giving up resisting the pull and was just apathetically enjoying the ride as she was pulled through the desert and up and down some hills, "but unicorn magic doesn't happen without a reason. I knew this had to do with my love of fashion and maybe even my cutie mark. I knew that it was...My destiny!"

It was just then Rarity arrived in a rocky area and crashed right into a large tall rock.

"A rock?!" young Rarity exclaimed angrily, "that's my destiny?! What is your problem, horn? I followed you all the way out here for a rock?!" Young Rarity groaned.

"Dumb rock!" she muttered when...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Young Rarity screamed as she saw the ring of color from the Sonic Rainboom. Suddenly the rock in front of her began to crack and then split down the middle. Inside the rock was a large collection of...precious gems.

"Ooh!" said young Rarity. Soon the night of the play had arrived and the costumes the young ponies were dancing in were now decorated in the beautiful gems she had discovered. Every pony in the audience smiled and awed in amazement, even her teacher. Young Rarity smiled, feeling very pleased with herself, as her three diamond cutie mark appeared on her flank.

End Flashback

"Ugh!" Scootaloo grumbled, "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."

...

Am I the only one after hearing her say that feel like screaming at her: No duh! That's the whole meaning of a cutie mark!

Is this just youth ignorance or she just dense? I'll let you decide...

"Yes Scootaloo, that's exactly..." But Rarity was cut off as the young Pegasus was already pushing her two best friends right out of the Boutique.

"Come on, girls!" said Scootaloo, "We need action! We need Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo loudly slammed the door shut. But she was going to have to wait a little longer. With much reluctance and irritation, she found herself sitting at a table getting ready to listen to how Twilight got her cutie mark. Mario was sitting beside her.

"As a young filly in Canterlot, I always wanted to go see the Summer Sun Celebration," Twilight began, "where Princess Celestia raises the sun." Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle listened eagerly as Scootaloo rolled her eyes and faceplanted the table.

"And I saw the most amazing, most wonderful thing I've ever seen," said Twilight.

"Mario?" Sweetie Belle guessed as Scootaloo groaned loudly and Apple Bloom snickered. Mario was a little surprised to hear Sweetie Belle say that.

"No, silly," said Twilight, "I didn't meet him until after I got my cutie mark."

"It was the very moment to be precise," Mario corrected. Twilight looked puzzled.

"Was not," said Twilight, "anyway back to my story..." Mario just rolled his eyes, when she got to a certain part. He would correct her so called long term memory.

Flashback

The stage is set for the opening of the Summer Sun Celebration. The royal guards blow their trumpets. The crowd gathered around as young Twilight pushed her way through some ponies to get a better look and smiles excitedly. It was then Princess Celestia rose high into the air majestically and raised the sun. Everyone cheered and young Twilight smiled in amazement.

"I poured myself into learning everything I could about magic," Twilight continued.

Twilight is now in her bedroom with stacks of various books. As she is reading one, she grunts a bit to make her horn spark. Then used her magic to turn the page of her book. She gasped excitedly and keeps reading, and reading, and reading. She was clearly enjoying herself in her books.

"My parents decided to enroll me in Princess Celestia's School for gifted Unicorns," said Twilight, "It was a dream come true."

Young Twilight sees the paper with her acceptance that her parents were holding and jumps up and down excitedly.

"Except for one thing..." said Twilight, "I had to pass an entrance exam!"

Young Twilight was now standing at the bottom of what appeared to be a lecture hall, looking rather nervous as a pony rolled in a cart with a giant purple spotted egg. Her parents kept encouraging her smile from the sidelines as Twilight gave a shakey smile.

"Well, Miss Sparkle?" said one of the administrator ponies named Crystal Clear. Twilight simply looked at the purple spotted egg and giggled nervously.

"Well, Miss Sparkle?" Crystal Clear repeated. Another pony named Arpeggio just coughed in reply as they waited impatiently for young Twilight to begin. The purple filly groaned as she tried to light up her horn, but she wasn't able to get anything to happen. Another administrator pony named Top Marks yawned to himself as the others started taking notes.

"We don't have all day," said Crystal Clear. Young Twilight was now sweating nervously.

"I knew it was the most important day of my life," said Twilight, "my entire future would be affected by the outcome of this day and I was about to blow it!"

As present Twilight spoke, her younger self was trying various poses and stances to try and get her magic to do something. But after all her efforts, all she could generate was a small spark from her horn before she plopped onto her stomach in exhaustion. She felt very sorry for herself as she rose to her hooves.

"I'm sorry I wasted your time," said young Twilight when...

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A sudden explosion and a giant ring of color appeared outside the classroom window. The explosion startled Twilight so much that her horn began to glow brightly. Her inner magic begins to grow dramatically as she fires a magic blast that hatches the egg into what was actually baby Spike. Young Twilight just yelps in panic as her eyes glow white and she is surrounded by a powerful magic bubble. Her overcharged magic causes her to levitate the administrators into the air while also turning her parents into potted plants (the mother became a regular house plant while the father became a cactus). Her magic also causes Spike to become a giant fully grown dragon. He became so big in size that his head breaks through the roof. Princess Celestia noticed the giant dragon head in the distance. Poor Twilight was fearfully trying to regain control but failing miserably...until a gentle hoof is placed on her shoulder. She turned her head to see none other than Princess Celestia herself. Twilight is finally able to calm down, which puts the instructors back on the ground, restores her parents back to being ponies again, and Spike reverts to being a baby dragon, now sitting on a destroyed wagon and sucking his tail innocently.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said formally.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said young Twilight nervously, "I didn't mean..."

"You have a very special gift," said Princess Celestia, "I don't think I've ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities."

"Huh?" said young Twilight puzzled.

"But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study," Princess Celestia continued.

"Huh?!" Young Twilight repeated again.

"Twilight Sparkle, I'd like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school," said Princess Celestia.

"Huh?!" said young Twilight, still unable to process what was happening.

"Well?" Princess Celestia asked as young Twilight finally put two and two together, she looked at her parents, who were nodding excitedly for her to accept.

"Yes!" said young Twilight as she jumped high into the air.

"One other thing, Twilight," said Celestia, stopping her in mid-air.

"More?" young Twilight exclaimed with big eyes before landing on the floor. Twilight looked at her curiously as Princess Celestia pointed to her flank. Twilight smiled excitedly when she saw her magenta sparkle star cutie mark.

"My cutie mark!" said young Twilight as she bounced in circles around Princess Celestia, "yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes..."

End Flashback?

"...yesyesyesyes..." Twilight was still chanting "yes" as she was hopping about excitedly around the three fillies. Mario just covered his mouth to avoid laughing as the other fillies were rather embarassed for her and for being around her.

"Okay, okay," said Apple Bloom.

"We're happy for you, Twilight," Sweetie Belle added.

"Yeah, thrilled," said Scootaloo with a tone dripping with sarcasm, "Let's get out of here while we still can." It was then Mario saw them leaving.

"Hey! What about my cutie mark story?" he asked.

"Not interested!" Scootaloo answered for herself and her friends as they took off in the distance.

"Well thanks alot!" Mario snapped, feeling rather hurt as Twilight just continued bouncing about.

"...yesyes...yeees!" Twilight soon stopped her bouncing once she saw the three fillies were gone and several other ponies were not staring at her. Twilight felt rather embarassed.

"Are you okay?" asked a pony named Cherry Fizzy. Twilight just giggled to herself.

"Um...yes," said Twilight shyly. Mario chuckled.

"Ease off every pony," said Mario, "She's just being cute." The other ponies just chuckled to each other and walked away. Twilight felt her cheeks turn pink and glared at him.

"Did you have to say that?" Twilight asked annoyed. Mario looked at her plainly.

"What? You did look cute jumping around like that," said Mario honestly. Twilight blinked and then giggled to herself.

"If you keep saying things like that, ponies are gonna think you have a crush on me or something," Twilight pointed out. Mario looked indignant.

"Perish the thought," he remarked sarcastically with an eye roll.

"Exactly," said Twilight with a chuckle, "Now come on. The others are probably waiting for us." Mario said nothing but followed behind her, but deep down, he was feeling rather blue. As if being declined to tell his cutie mark story wasn't bad enough, now Twilight was laughing at the idea of him having a crush on her.

Meanwhile, the three fillies were still zooming about the town. But their effort to find Rainbow Dash was proving fruitless and as more time passed, Scootaloo was getting grumpier and grumpier.

"Ugh!" Scootaloo groaned loudly, "Why don't we ever smash into Rainbow Dash?"

"You're looking for Rainbow Dash?" said a familiar bubbly voice. The three fillies looked behind themselves to find Pinkie wearing a helmet as she sat in the wagon. She had apparently invited herself for a ride.

"If I was her, I'd be at Sugarcube Corner," said Pinkie, "Of course, if I was anyone, I'd be at Sugarcube Corner. Hey! I have an idea! Wanna go to Sugarcube Corner?" Pinkie raised her fore-hooves and nearly fell out of the back of the wagon. Fortunately, both Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom grabbed a hoof to keep her from falling.

"Well, we're sort of looking for Rainbow Dash," Sweetie Belle answered, "so we can hear how she got her cutie mark."

"Cutie Mark?" said Pinkie excitedly, "come with me and I'll tell you how I got mine." Scootaloo just sighed in irritation.

"Why not?" she replied sarcastically.

"All right!" said Pinkie as Scootaloo kept driving.

Flashback

Pinkie's old home was actually a dark and gloomy farm where the sky was cloudy for most of the year. Her two sisters, Limestone and Marble were both still young fillies in this story, were hard at work loading rocks into a cart as their father, Igneous Rock Pie was supervising them from a distance.

"My sisters and I were raised on a rock farm outside of Ponyville," Pinkie explained, "We spent our days working the fields. There was no talking. There was no smiling. There were only rocks."

Her younger self just sighed as she moved a rock with her nose, her hair and mane straight and her face looking rather glum.

"We were in the south field, preparing to rotate the rocks to the east field when all of a sudden...

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

Young Pinkie is rattled a bit as a huge gust of wind blows away all the grey clouds, causing Pinkie's straight mane and tail to gain its now trademark cotton candy appearance. Though it was alot messier in her younger days. As a rainbow graced the sky, young Pinkie's eyes widened in amazement as her frown slowly curved in a joyful smile.

"I'd never felt joy like that before!" Pinkie told the fillies, "It felt so good that I just wanted to keep smiling forever. And I wanted everyone I knew to smile too, but rainbows don't come along that often. I wondered, how else could I create some smiles?"

As the rainbow in the sky faded, young Pinkie pondered to herself before she got an idea. She quickly took off to who knows where for the moment as the sun set, the moon rose, then set, and the sun rose into the sky once again. The rooster crowed as Igneous Rock Pie, his wife, Cloudy Quartz, and Limestone and Marble came outside.

"We better harvest the rocks from the south field," Igneous Rock Pie told his family when they all suddenly heard some accordion like music from inside the silo.

"Pinkamena Diana Pie!" said Cloudy Quartz from outside, "Is that you?"It was then Pinkie opened the silo door as some confetti and two balloons came floating out.

"Mom! I need you and dad and the sisters to come in," said young Pinkie excitedly, "quick!" The music continued to play as the family walked inside. They all gasped in shock at what was inside. The interior of the silo had been decorated with a giant cake sitting on a table.

"Surprise! You like it?" young Pinkie asked, "It's called...a party!" She then blew a party tweeter as the family was left in a state of shock. Igneous Rock Pie's jaw dropped, causing the piece of wheat he was sucking on to fall out of his mouth. They just looked at the decorations as their mouths quivered. Pinkie looked worried, assuming that their twitching mouths meant they were not pleased.

"Oh. You don't like it," she said sadly, until she gasped when she saw that what their mouths were struggling to do was...smile! They were now all smiling excitedly.

"You like it!" said young Pinkie as she and her mom began to dance together, "I'm so happy!" As their dance continued, Pinkie's yellow and blue balloon cutie mark appeared on her flank.

End Flashback.

"And that's how Equestria was made!" said Pinkie out of the blue.

"Wha...huh?" said Scootaloo in confusion as she brought her scooter to a stop...right in front of Sugarcube corner.

"Look! We're here!" said Apple Bloom.

"Maybe on the way home I can tell you the story of how I got my cutie mark," said Pinkie as she casually made her way inside, "It's a gem!" Scootaloo just had a weirded out look on her face.

"Oh, come on," said Sweetie Belle, "She's just being Pinkie Pie."

"Ugh..." said Scootaloo with an eye roll as the three fillies removed their helmets and headed inside. They found all of the Mane seven inside, including the one pony Scootaloo had been looking for.

"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "You're here!" The blue pony turned around and gave them a confident smile as she stood before them.

"I hear you're looking for my cutie mark story," Rainbow said to the three. Scootaloo sighed.

"You have no idea what I've been through today to hear that story," said Scootaloo as she sat down. Rainbow just smiled shyly for a moment before recomposing herself.

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

Flashback

Young Rainbow stood at the starting line for a race against young Dumb-bell and young Hoops.

"...where I stood along against all odds to defend Fluttershy's honor," Rainbow continued.

The two colts began to drags their hooves on the cloud surface and leaned forward. Young Rainbow looked at them as they did so. Fluttershy was just standing on her own cloud with the checkered flag raised. The two colts repeated their little hoof dragging. Young Rainbow did the same, leaning forward, licking her lips as sweat began to form on her brow. They all raised their wings. Young Fluttershy then waved the flag for the race to start. The three young ponies take off and flew past young Fluttershy so fast that she yelped, spun about, and fell off her cloud.

Young Rainbow just gritted her teeth as she pulled ahead with the two colts right behind her as they flew through one cloud ring after another. Young Rainbow begins to increase her speed. As they reached a turn, she and young Hoops made the turn without any problem. However, young Dumb-Bell missed the turn completely, crashing into a cloud, which later disintegrated and showed that the young colt had crashed head first into a denser cloud pillar.

"I've never flown like that before," Rainbow told them, "That freedom was unlike anything I've ever felt. The speed, the adrenaline, the wind in my mane...I like it."

As present Rainbow described the moment, her younger self was just embracing the rush and adrenaline with a smile on her face...until young Hoops bashed her out of the way.

"Ow!" young Rainbow groaned.

"Ha! Later, Rainbow Crash!" young Hoops teased as he flew ahead.

"Hey!" young Rainbow shouted as she chased after him. It was then the race track started to descend downward at a sharp angle. Rainbow flew past Hoops so fast that he was sent into a tailspin and left far behind. It was then young Rainbow began to pour down on her speed, going faster and faster as a slipstream appeared around her body. Soon she was pushing herself to the limit and her slipstream began to form a V shape.

"Turns out that only thing I liked more than flying fast...was winning!" said Rainbow.

It was then her younger self reached a cloud ring just a few yards above the forest below. As she went through and headed upward...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"Most people thought that the sonic rainboom was just an old mare's tale," said Rainbow, "But that day...The day I discovered racing...I proved that the legends were true. I made the impossible...happen!"

Young Rainbow looks back and smiles excitedly at making a sonic rainboom and gives a determined look on her face a she zooms across the finish line, creating a large rainbow as she flew by. The other young pegasi ponies are left surprised and soon cheer for her. As young Rainbow continued to fly, her flank was graced with her cloud n lightning bolt cutie mark.

End Flashback

"And that, little ones, is how you earn your cutie mark," said Rainbow proudly, showing her cutie mark to the three fillies.

"Whoooaaaa..." said the three fillies in amazement.

"Wait a second," said Fluttershy as she stood beside Rainbow, "I heard that explosion. And I saw a rainbow too. Rainbow Dash, if you hadn't scared the animals, I never would have learned I could communicate with them and gotten my cutie mark." Rainbow just looked at Fluttershy in surprise.

"I heard that boom!" Pinkie Pie added, "And right afterwards, there was an amazing rainbow that taught me to smile." Rainbow was starting to feel a little frazzled.

"When I got my cutie mark," said Applejack, "I saw a rainbow that pointed me home. I bet it was your Sonic Rainboom!" The three fillies smiled excitedly as Rainbow is still too stunned at everything being said. Before she can react, Pinkie happily tackles Rainbow to the floor.

"There was an explosion I could never explain when I got my cutie mark," Rarity added as she stood above the blue pony.

"This is uncanny!" said Twilight in surprise as she put two and two together, "If that explosion didn't happen when it did, I would have blown my entrance exam. Rainbow Dash, I think you helped me earn my cutie mark too!"

"Whoa!" said Rainbow, still overwhelmed at the idea.

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

"Do you realize what this means? said Fluttershy, "all of us have a special connection before we even met."

"We've been BFFs forever and we didn't even know it!" said Rarity.

"You sure about that?" said a dreary voice. Everyone turned their heads to see Mario just sitting in a corner looking rather glum.

"What do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked curiously. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave Scootaloo a death glare, knowing exactly why Mario was so upset.

"Ugh...okay, okay!" Scootaloo bellowed, "Mario, can you tell us your cutie mark story?" Mario perked up a little but was still unsure about doing so.

"Ya know, sugarcube," said Applejack, "just because you didn't get your cutie mark from the sonic rainboom doesn't mean..."

"I did," Mario interrupted in a plain tone. The others gasped.

"Really?" said Pinkie, "Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" The other nodded as well, wanting to hear his story. Mario couldn't help but chuckle as he sat beside Sweetie Belle. The little filly couldn't help but rest her head on his fore-leg.

"Alright," said Mario, "thought I will admit, it's hard to follow up after a story like Rainbow's. Mine's more on the...emotional side."

"We still wanna hear it," said Apple Bloom before glaring at Scootaloo, "Don't we?"

"Yes..." Scootaloo replied through her teeth. Mario just rolled his eyes.

"As I told you three fillies before," Mario began, "I kind of went about finding my cutie mark the same way you did. Trying different things to see what I was good at. I tried baking, collecting model trains, building and crafting, artistic drawing, dancing and theatrical performances, and so much more..."

Flashback

Young Mario is shown baking a huge cake about three times his size and wins first prize for it. He is later showcasing his own model train set that expands a good chunk of the royal gardens. He displays various types of wooden furniture and tables for people to buy to raise money for a fund raiser. Same is done for a collection of sketches he did of some Canterlot ponies, including a large drawing of Princess Celestia at his own art expo. He even had the starring role at a school performance and gets a standing ovation. After each accomplishment, he checks his flank, only to find it bare.

"It seemed that no matter what I tried, I just wasn't going to get my cutie mark," said Mario, "and I was feeling very frustrated."

"UGH! It's not fair at all," young Mario complained as he and Princess Celestia were taking a walk about the castle grounds, "I just don't get it, Mom. I'm good at so many different things, but yet my flank is as bare as the dinner table after the royal guards finish their lunch! Everyone else has their cutie mark in my class except for me and I'm always getting teased about it!"

"Some ponies just seem to take pleasure in putting others down," said Princess Celestia, "You just can't let them get to you my little pony."

"But I'm still a blank flank and my first day at magic school is starting soon," said Mario, "making friends is hard enough as it is without people teasing me for not having a cutie mark. It doesn't help that the elite keep labeling me as..."something you pitied"..." Mario felt his eyes water as Celestia came to stop and hugged him close with one of her wings.

"You would think I'd have proven myself with all my talents," Mario whimpered, "I mean...who has ever heard of someone my size pulling the Big Canterlot Express? Yet they still look down on me..." Mario couldn't help but shed a few tears.

"I know Mario," said Princess Celestia, "but being good at something should never focus on getting others to accept you, neither should that be the reason for a cutie mark. Your cutie mark will come when the time is right and when you understand that you should be good at something because it allows you to make you and others happy."

"Okay..." said young Mario...doubtfully, "but what about friends? I can barely talk to ponies, let alone defend myself against bullies...I'm always so...shy..." Princess Celestia chuckled.

"When the time is right," said Princess Celestia, "You'll find what you need to be strong." Mario sighed to himself when... (You all know what's coming by now...)

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Young Mario yelped and ducked under Princess Celestia's legs fearfully when he heard the explosion and then gasped when he saw the huge wave of colors dance against the sky.

"Whoa!" said young Mario in amazement until he heard a crash of some sort behind him. He then noticed the giant dragon head in the distance as well as the sparks coming from inside the room.

"Mom! Look!" young Mario shouted as Princess Celestia noticed the giant dragon head and sparks as well.

"Mario, get on," Princess Celestia ordered. While young Mario hadn't learned to spin jump yet, he did already known how to jump high into the air, which allowed the young colt to hop onto Celestia's back as she flew towards the building. It wasn't long before Princess Celestia landed inside the classroom from the hole in the roof. Young Mario hopped off and gasped. There was a purple filly trapped in a magical surge, struggling to break out of it.

"Is she okay Mom?" young Mario asked worried.

"Stay here," said Princess Celestia as she slowly made her way towards the overwhelmed purple filly. However, young Mario was afraid and stuck to keeping near Princess Celestia's hind legs as Celestia put a fore-hoof on the young filly. Mario watched as Princess Celestia helped the purple filly calm down.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said formally to filly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said young Twilight, "I didn't mean..."

"You have a very special gift," said Princess Celestia, "I don't think I've ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities." Young Mario was stunned. Princess Celestia had said the same thing to him not too long ago when he suffered a magical surge.

"Huh?" said young Twilight puzzled.

"But you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study," Princess Celestia continued.

"Huh?!" Young Twilight repeated again.

"Twilight Sparkle, I'd like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school," said Princess Celestia.

"Huh?!" said young Twilight.

"Wuh?!" Young Mario exclaimed quietly, "Mom is...making Twilight her...own personal protégé?!"

"I felt heartbroken," said Mario, "I really thought Princess Celestia was going to replace me with Twilight. I suddenly felt like I really wasn't good enough, especially after she pointed out that Twilight had gotten her cutie mark and was now hopping around Mom and I happily."

As much as young Mario wanted to feel sorry for himself, the sight of young Twilight bouncing around just...brought a warm smile to his face. He suddenly didn't feel jealous of her anymore.

"Look how happy she is," said Mario, "Getting to be the student of Princess Celestia herself is a great honor. Here I am thinking only of myself while Twilight has the opportunity of a lifetime. Maybe that is what Mom was telling me earlier. I need to stop focusing on myself and trying to get others to accept me. I need to stop focusing on what makes me happy and spend more time making others happy and trying to help them."

"Very wise words, my son," said Princess Celestia since she had heard him, "Are you sure you're willing to surrender your position as my student so Twilight can have the opportunity?" Young Mario smiled as he felt warmth inside of him.

"Yes Mom," said young Mario, "I care more about her happiness than mine." Princess Celestia chuckled.

"What's so funny?" young Mario asked.

"Because I was never going to replace you, I'm taking you both as my students," Princess Celestia remarked, helping young Mario feel better as he smiled, "but I am proud of you for willing to give up your right as my student for Twilight. I can see she wasn't the only one who got her cutie mark today."

"Huh?!" said young Mario as he looked at his flank and there it was! Young Mario gasped.

"My...my cutie mark!" said Mario excitedly and began dancing on his hind legs, "I finally got my cutie mark! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Uh-huh! Uh-huh! O..." Mario was cut off when he saw Twilight, her parents, and administrators all starting at him.

"Eh...heh...got my cutie mark...heh...," young Mario replied sheepishly, showing it to them before he dashed behind Princess Celestia's tail and hid himself.

"He's weird," young Twilight remarked as Princess Celestia chuckled to herself.

End Flashback

Mario had a long face as Rainbow was now in the floor laughing herself silly.

"I can't believe you actually made a fool of yourself meeting Twilight for the first time," Rainbow laughed.

"I still can't believe how shy you were as a young pony," Fluttershy remarked.

"I still can't believe I had forgotten I said that about you when we met for the first time," said Twilight, "you were a little weird."

"Hey!" said Mario indignantly.

"Well, why would you give up your right to be Celestia's protégé to somepony you didn't even know?" said Twilight, "unless you had a crush on me..." Twilight suddenly froze and slowly turned to her head to Mario with large eyes. Try as he might, Mario's cheeks betrayed him as they turned bright pink.

"You had a crush on me didn't you?" Twilight asked. Mario just looked at her nervously and nodded. The others just watched quietly. They had all known. Twilight just stared and then laughed.

"Well, we all have our little crushes when we're young," said Twilight, "still surprised it was over me, but we all grow out of them as we get older right? Right." Mario just smiled sheepishly as she nudged his shoulders, but was still stunned that Twilight just dismissed the truth so easily like it had been a stage of his youth.

"In the end, our friendship is something special because all seven of us were meant to be friends before any of us ever knew it," said Twilight and everyone smiled.

"Come here, y'all," said Applejack as she gestured for everyone to gather for a group hug, "come on, Mario, you're gonna be in the middle!" With Mario in the middle, they all held each other happily.

"AWWW!" said the seven ponies together.

"I'm so glad we're friends!" said Fluttershy.

"Me too," said Mario.

"I love you guys!" said Pinkie.

"Awwww..." said Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle happily, touched by the moment. Scootaloo was just irritated and grossed out.

"Ewwww...Gimme a break," said Scootaloo as she got to her hooves, "Come on, Crusaders! Maybe we just need to try zip lining again." Scootaloo was then pulled back and sandwiched between Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom for a group hug. Scootaloo just looked rather annoyed.

"Hey, How about a song?" Fluttershy proposed. Everyone gave some cries of approval, except for Scootaloo grew rather uneasy.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Scootaloo screamed as Fluttershy began to sing another tune. Mario just listened quietly with a smile on his face as Applejack approached him.

"Are you alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked Mario quietly.

"Yeah," said Mario, "I mean. I wasn't expecting Twilight to react like that but...I'll clear things up...another day. For now, let's just enjoy the fact that we have a special friendship bond with each other."

"Atta boy," said Applejack as she side hugged him and they and the rest of the ponies continued to enjoy Fluttershy's singing.

Except for Scootaloo, who was having a mental breakdown in a corner of the room, but recovered soon afterward.

Later at the Grand Oaks Library, Twilight was having Spike write down their latest letter to Princess Celestia. Mario was there as well, putting some books away on the shelves.

"Dear Princess Celestia," Twilight recited,

"Today we learned something amazing. Everypony everywhere has a special magical connection with their friends, maybe even before they've met them. If you're feeling lonely and you're still searching for your true friends, just look up in the sky. Who knows? Maybe you and your future best friends are all looking at the same rainbow." Twilight had started pacing about as she began to recite the letter but then finished by sitting against her window and look out of it to see a rainbow in the sky. Spike was a little disgusted.

"Gross!" Spike remarked, "When did you get so cheesy?" Twilight just continued to look out her window.

"Just write it, Spike," said Twilight with her fore-hooves to her face as Spike just shrugged his shoulders and wrote her letter.

"Mario," said Twilight as she continued to stare out her window.

"What's up?" Mario asked as he set another book on the shelf.

"Take a break and sky-gaze with me for a bit," said Twilight. Mario smiled as sat next to her and put his fore-hooves to his face and looked out the window.

"I wanted to tell you that I forgot to say something when I said you were weird," Twilight told him.

"Oh?" said Mario, glancing at her. Twilight just kept smiling.

"You're weird, but I like you," said Twilight as Mario just sighed happy as they continued to look at the sky quietly together.

He didn't know if she meant that only as friends or something more, but being able to hear just those three words...

...I like you...

...Mario was on cloud nine.

Could this be a sign of hope for Mario Star?

Stay tuned!

Peace Pony Fans!