Them: Part 1by Chaotic DreamsChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 4Chapter 1Them Chapter 1 Run. Cloud Buster complied. He didn’t know who had spoken. He didn’t care either; it seemed like a good idea, especially since he was in the middle of a dark wood and...something... seemed to be chasing him. The setting wasn’t exactly helping matters; the dark, dead trees tried to scratch and trip him at every turn with their sharp, clawing, skeletal branches. What little he could see of the sky above was blood red, and he couldn’t even properly see the ground through all the dead leaves littering it. The crunching of said leaves with every hoofstep was definitely not helping him lose the attention of whatever it was that was chasing him. He couldn’t see it, but that was mainly because he refused to turn around and risk a glance. He could certainly hear it, though. It snorted, it cried, it released sounds the stallion didn’t have a name for. Worst of all, though, was that each unearthly scream, or whatever they were, was louder than the last. Run, or They will have you. Cloud Buster didn’t know who ‘they’ were, but he didn’t want to find out. Increasingly, though, it was looking like he wouldn’t have much choice. The sharp, black, spiky arms of the dead trees above prevented him from simply flying away. No flight; it was like his worst nightmare come true. Perhaps that’s exactly what this was? Run, or They will change you. Cloud Buster’s brow furrowed. No! Flee, for They are almost upon you! What was he so afraid of? Why was he bothering to listen to some voice in his head when he didn’t even know who was really speaking? Cloud Buster didn’t run from fights, he made fights run from him! That’s the way he had always operated, so why would that have suddenly changed now? There was only one explanation for it. For the ethereal disembodied voice, the nightmarish black woods, and the rampant fear that had thus far gripped his heart. He was dreaming. Or, rather, he was having a nightmare. But nopony made Cloud Buster turn tail and flee in fear. He wasn’t afraid of anything! The stallion skidded to a halt and declared as much to the woods, turning to face whatever was chasing him and daring it to trot closer. Run away, Cloud Buster, while you’re still you! While he was still himself? What kind of malarkey was that? “I’m not afraid of you!” the pegasus boldly proclaimed, stamping his thick, strong hooves and snorting threateningly. “And nopony tells me what to do!” I’m not ordering you, I’m warning you! “Warning me against what?” he chuckled, convinced now that this was all a dream. He was probably conked out on his bed of clouds right now, safe and snug in his cumulo-nimbus home, floating just outside the south end of Ponyville. Perhaps he had fallen asleep reading one of the creepier Daring Danger novels? No, that couldn’t be right; Cloud Buster distinctly remembered finishing his last book a while ago—in all likelihood, he was snoring under the latest issue of Sports Weekly’s swimsuit edition. “Whatever it is, I can take it on!” That’s just it... It’s the one thing you can’t take on... ...it’s you... ...or rather, who you’ll become... “Huh?” Cloud Buster wondered aloud. “What are you—” Too late! The otherworldly roars and sinister cries were almost deafening now. If this wasn’t a dream, it was too late to run, not that the proud pegasus would have done so in real life anyway. Instead, he braced himself, planting his hooves firmly in the dirt and instinctively flaring his wings. “Come on, then!” he roared right back at the oncoming monstrosity. “You want to do this the hard way? Then we’ll do this the hard way!” The screams reached an overwhelming crescendo, and just like that, silenced instantly. The quiet proved to be more deafening than the sound had ever been. Cloud Buster looked around uncertainly, confused. “Is that it?” he laughed after a moment. “...Is...that...it...?” echoed a voice. “Who said that?” Buster demanded, his eyes narrowing as he crouched, ready to spring into an offensive maneuver. “Who said...that?” the voice mimicked. Odd, it sounded vaguely familiar, yet so alien at the same time. It was almost as if it was his own voice, yet stretched and spoken at an incredible speed, like one of those high-pitched distorted sounds he sometimes heard on records. It was very scratchy, but definitely lighter than anything his deep vocal cords could ever manage. “Why are you copying me?” “Why are—” Cloud started to say before cutting himself off with a gasp. “How did you know I was—” “—about to say that?” the scratchy voice interrupted. “Because I am you.” Something was approaching through the darkness, emerging from the shadows of the dead, dark wood. It was an equine figure, but the further it stepped into the light and the more details it acquired, the more it became clear that it definitely wasn’t another Cloud Buster. In fact, it looked like anything but Cloud Buster. Instead of a muscular stallion, this newcomer was a lithe mare. A vibrant, vivacious multicolored mane flowed down her neck and hung low over her magenta eyes. A similar explosion of color made up her tail, and a pair of sky-blue wings covered her curved form with the softest feathers Cloud had ever seen. However, none of that was what drew Cloud’s attention the most. It was more surprising than finding that a mare, rather than a monster or some nightmare version of himself, had been chasing him. It was even more striking than her sultry beauty. What drew his attention the most was the look he saw in her eyes, that glare of determination... ...it was the same look he saw whenever he looked in a mirror. “Who are you?” Cloud asked, thoroughly confused. This wasn’t the first time he’d dreamt of mares, though those dreams usually involved the scenes in the magazine that was probably resting on his sleeping face back up in reality. Or, when he was particularly lucky, his mare-related dreams would drift to a certain creamy yellow, pink-maned childhood friend of his agreeing to be something more than just a friend. However, this dream was neither wet nor heartwarming. Instead, it was beginning to make him feel uneasy. He almost would’ve preferred to face a nightmare monster than see his very essence reflected back at him in the eyes of some alien mare. “My name is your name,” she replied almost mockingly in her scratchy, high voice. “Your name is Cloud Buster?” he wondered, suspicion riddling his voice. What was her game? What was this dream supposed to mean? Because whatever it meant, it was seriously starting to freak him out. “No,” the mare chuckled, shaking her head and sending her light-burst of a mane swishing back and forth. “My name is Rainbow Dash.” “My name isn’t Rainbow Dash,” Cloud Buster asserted, still ready to pounce into an attack should she try anything tricky. “It will be,” the mare laughed. Quicker than Cloud Buster could react, the mare leapt at him like a streak of multicolored lightning. Buster braced for impact, but it was in vain. He felt an electric jolt as the thunderbolt zapped into his chest, wracking his entire frame with horrific pain. He screamed, his voice rising higher and higher, squeaking and scratching as he could never have managed. Finally, everything fell apart, shattering into darkness. . . . Cloud Buster awoke with a gasp, checking his hooves as cold sweat slid down his forehead. After a moment of staring at them, he put them down, shaking his head. What had he expected to find? They were the same thick hooves he’d always had, clad in a blue coat as dark as the sky before dusk. Swinging his hind legs over the side of his cloud bed, Buster stretched his forelegs before falling forward and trotting shakily to the window. What was that dream all about? he wondered to himself as he watched the first tendrils of dawn come shining over the horizon. Well, whatever it was, Cloud Buster knew he certainly didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Thankfully it wasn’t the middle of the night; the pegasus did begrudge getting up this early on his day off, but now at least nopony could blame him for sleeping in so late. Trotting back over to his bed, Cloud used his wing to scoop up the issue of Sports Weekly that had indeed been open on his face, having fallen off in his startled awakening. Perhaps somepony in here had given him the idea for that mare in his dream? No, Buster didn’t even want to know. He could do without ever seeing that nightmare of a rainbow-maned menace ever again. The odd thing was that she hadn’t really done anything except zap him at the end, so why had she been so... unnerving? The stallion shuddered, shoving the unpleasant memory to the back of his mind. He’d rather not think about that now, or ever, for that matter. After giving a salute to his Wonderbolt poster, Buster retreated to the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and fully shook the sleep from his sky-blue eyes, checking his square jaw for any signs of stubble. There was a bit, but not enough to bother with at the moment. As quietly as he could, Cloud Buster trotted out into the hall, passing his little sister’s room. Peeking in through the cracked doorway, he saw Scootaloo still sleeping soundly, cozy in her cloud covers. A soft smile appeared on Buster’s face, and he silently moved on. He’d let her sleep in for now. Today was Saturday, and her day off as well, though she’d probably have some homework he’d have to help her with later. Cloud Buster would be the first to admit he wasn’t the best tutor, but even the horrors of math and science weren’t enough to prevent him from helping his sister. Strolling into the kitchen, the stallion beheld with a sigh all the empty cupboards. He’d intentionally left them open so he wouldn’t bother rummaging through them, searching for something to eat. He knew he should have gone shopping a while ago, but when was there time in a busy pegasus’s life for shopping? Well, there would be time today, he supposed, but he didn’t want to waste the whole day shopping... perhaps just a quick trip to Sweet Apple Acres to pick up some breakfast for Scootaloo? He could always munch on a few of the delicious treats himself on the flight back home, of course, and then he would do some actual shopping later in the day. He picked up his saddlebags and slipped them on. Trotting to the front of his modest yet beloved home in the sky, Cloud Buster threw open the cloud door and launched himself into the air. As he soared over the slowly waking Ponyville below, he remembered teaching Scootaloo how to fly, a nostalgic smile creeping onto his face once more. She’d had some trouble at first, but now she could give even the best fliers at her school a run for their bits. According to her, she still held the record for flying the highest out of all of her classmates... and she had brought home the teacher’s detention note she’d earned to prove it. He’d never been more proud of her. All across the town square below, ponies were slowly and often still drowsily shuffling out of their homes and setting up market stalls. Pleasant scents were wafting up from Sugar Cube Corner, where Ponyville’s own party pony Pinkie Pie was sure to be baking sweets. Maybe he could buy one as a special treat for Scootaloo on the way back home? Then again, it would involve dealing with Pinkie Pie, and Cloud wasn’t so sure he was ready to listen to her incessantly random rambling this early in the morning. He brushed his wispy cloud-white mane out of his eyes as he flew on and passed over the Ponyville library, wondering idly what crazy magical experiment Twilight Sparkle would be working on today. He’d even met the famous student of Princess Celestia and the hero of Equestria a few times, but they were acquaintances at best, as he really only knew her through Fluttershy. Who would have guessed that his childhood friend from Cloudsdale would wind up being friends with the Bearer of the Element of Magic, as well as being a Bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony herself? If anypony deserved to represent kindness, though, Cloud Buster knew it was Fluttershy. He felt butterflies flittering about in his stomach just thinking about her. How fitting that butterflies also graced her flank. He never would have told her that to her face, of course; she was much too sensitive for that. But maybe today was the day he should tell her something about how he’d been feeling about her lately... and maybe, just maybe, she’d reveal that she felt the same way. Sweet Apple Acres finally came into view, and Cloud Buster glided down to the dirt pathway leading up to the barn and the Apple family farmhouse. Technically, apple business was conducted at the market in a few hours, after Big Macintosh had collected enough for Applejack to take to town. However, he knew the sturdy red stallion wouldn’t mind his unannounced visit. They went way back, after all. Not as far back as he and Fluttershy, but he’d been best buds with Big Mac practically since his first day in Ponyville, when they had hoof-wrestled and Cloud lasted longer against the crimson powerhouse than anypony who’d previously challenged him. Cloud wouldn’t give up until he’d bested Big Mac in something, though, and the friendly rivalry born that day had soon become a genuine friendship. Consequently, Buster spent almost as much time on the farm as any of the Apples, and he sometimes felt as if he was part of the family anyway. “Hey, Big Mac!” Cloud Buster called after spotting the crimson stallion bucking an apple tree and nearly uprooting it. He galloped over to his friend, and they knocked hooves in greeting. “Good morning.” “Eeyup,” the workhorse agreed. Big Macintosh may not say much, but he made up for that with his character. “You’re up early.” “I had the weirdest dream,” Cloud Buster explained as his friend began collecting the barrels which had caught the falling apples. Cloud pitched in and helped load them onto the waiting cart. “There was this crazy mare, and... I don’t even know how to describe it. I didn’t much feel like going back to sleep after that.” “You, Cloud Buster, didn’t want ta’ go back ta’ sleep because of a dream about a mare?” Big Mac chuckled, trotting over to another tree. “Ah never thought Ah’d see the day.” “It wasn’t like that!” Buster protested. “It was all... freaky. Definitely not a mare I’d want to meet in real life. And mind if I take a swing at this one?” “Be mah guest,” Big Mac agreed, stepping away from the tree and gesturing at it with a hoof. Backing up to the tree, Cloud Buster gave it his best buck, his powerful hind legs sending a reverberation through the trunk. Scores of apples fell into the waiting barrels. Not all of them, as when Big Mac had done it, but more than half. Another buck and the tree was empty. He’d have to work on that, but there would probably be plenty of time to practice when the actual applebuck season came and he pitched in. After all, Big Mac had years of practice bucking nothing but apple trees, and the pegasus spent his days busting clouds. Still, it was hard enough work in its own right; when on duty with the weather team, he had to fly all over town and buck storm clouds into nothing. “Speakin’ of mares,” Big Mac noted as they moved the barrels into the cart. “Have you worked up the nerve to talk ta’ Fluttershy yet?” “I was thinking about doing that today, actually,” Cloud Buster replied, gulping slightly and trying not to look nervous. “Glad ta’ hear it,” Big Mac replied with an encouraging smile. “It’s about time. You’ll do fine.” “Thanks, bro,” Cloud Buster acknowledged. “Anyway, is it cool if I buy a few apples? I should probably be getting back home before Scootaloo wakes up.” Big Mac nodded, and Cloud slipped out a bit from his saddlebags with his wing, flipping it towards the other stallion. The workhorse caught it in his mouth, and Buster scooped a few apples from the cart into his bags. “Hey, if you have some time after work today, we should hang out,” the pegasus noted. “Maybe grab some cider down at Berry Punch’s place?” “Sounds good,” Big Mac agreed. “I’ll see ya’ then. Maybe you could even bring Fluttershy?” “Here’s to hoping,” Cloud Buster announced sheepishly. He took wing, leaving his friend to his work. Here’s to hoping I don’t chicken out asking her out again, he thought as he soared back over Ponyville. No, you’ve waited too long, Cloud Buster. You can do this, and you’re going to do it today. While flying over Sugar Cube Corner for the second time, Cloud gave into the alluring scents and descended to the town plaza. A few other shops and vendors’ stalls were already open by now, but only the Cake’s bakery actually had a line built up. Thankfully it wasn’t out the door this early in the morning, but it probably would be sometime today. So how should I ask her? Buster thought to himself as he waited in line. Simply pop over there and say “Hey, Fluttershy, I just thought I’d say hi, see how you were doing, and ask if maybe you wanted to, you know...go out sometime?” He imagined her reaction to such a direct approach, and it didn’t end well. Perhaps he should ease into things far more subtly. He wanted to grow closer to her, after all. He didn’t want her timid nature to end up pushing him father away. Maybe if I get her talking about animals for a while, she’ll open up more, and then when I finally do ease into the question she’ll say— “Hiya, Cloud Buster! What’ll it be?” “Huh?” Cloud uttered confusedly, shaking his head. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize he’d reached the front of the line. Pinkie Pie was staring at him expectantly, her bright blue eyes almost unnerving in their piercing focus. “Oh, hey, Pinkie. I’ll just have a cinnamon swirl for Scootaloo, please. Actually, make it two; I’ll have one myself. they smell extra-good this morning.” “Sure thing!” the pink party pony announced, bagging two of the sweet-smelling treats and handing him the bag. He passed over two bits, and was about to leave, when she asked “Are you sure you don’t want something else? Because you know we do have just the most scrumdidlyumptious cupcakes in Ponyville and they’d make a great gift and if you want I can even do it up extra-special, maybe even with a sweetly-worded message, and I don’t know about you, but I think that would be just the perfect way to ask a certain special somepony, whose name starts with ‘F’ and ends with ‘-luttershy,’ if they want to be your special somepony, and—” “Pinkie Pie!” Cloud gasped. “How do you know about that?! Did Big Mac tell you?” “Don’t be silly, you silly!” Pinkie laughed. “I felt with my Pinkie-sense that something big and romantic was going to happen to you soon, and it’s not like you’re very good at hiding the blatantly obvious, even if Fluttershy is oblivious, or maybe she isn’t, maybe she’s just nervous about the whole thing and wants you to make the first move, but once you do I’m sure she’ll say—” “That’s enough!” Cloud Buster declared, stuffing the treat bag in his saddlebags and quickly trotting towards the door. “The Pinkie-sense is never wrong!” the party pony called after him. “Good luck, casanova!” If she knows, then who else knows?! Buster wondered worriedly as he hastily exited the bakery and trotted towards home, as flying would’ve disturbed the pastries too much. His feelings for Fluttershy weren’t exactly something he wanted publicized, at least not until he had a chance to break the news to her himself. But if Pinkie was right, then what if the creamy yellow pegasus already did know something was up? Would that make her more agreeable to his question, or harder to ask because of it? “Cloud Buster!” a voice he didn’t recognize interrupted his thoughts. “Thank Celestia I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He turned, seeing a unicorn mare come galloping over to him. He’d never seen her, though she clearly knew who he was, as relieved recognition shone in her eyes. But who was she? He knew he would remember meeting somepony like her. She had nothing on Fluttershy, but she was gorgeous in her own right, with a gleaming off-white coat and a shock of electric-blue striped mane. Her cutie mark was a simple music note. “Hello?” he said, trying not to let on that he didn’t recognize her. He’d been in situations like this; everypony had. However, that didn’t make it any less awkward trying not to be rude despite the fact that he had no recollection of her. “Um... how have you been?” She skidded to a halt in front of him, all the relief draining from her eyes in an instant. “You mean you really don’t know who I am?” she asked, distress rising in her voice. “I didn’t say that!” Cloud claimed, trying to salvage the situation. “I mean, not off the top of my head, but I remember you... vaguely.” “It’s me, Bass Blaster!” she asserted. “I’m your best friend! We’ve known each other ever since you moved to Ponyville! We saw each other just yesterday!” “I... think you must have me mistaken for somepony else,” Buster said. “Sorry, miss.” “Don’t call me ‘miss’!” she snarled, making him jump at her sudden flash of anger. “I’m a stallion!” He begged to differ. She definitely looked like a mare, and pretty one at that. “Are you alright?” he inquired. “Maybe you’re confused.” “I know what I look like right now, but you’ve got to believe me!” she insisted. “If I was lying, then how would I know that you used to sing Sapphire Shores songs to Scootaloo when she was afraid of the dark, even though you always thought they were too girly? Or how it’s your secret dream to get into the Wonderbolts despite thinking that you’re too slow and bulky to be accepted? Or how you’ve been in love with Fluttershy for nearly forever?!” “Does the whole town know about that?!” Cloud exasperated. “Is Pinkie blathering my private life to everypony she meets? Did she use her freaky ‘Pinkie-sense’ to tell you the rest of that stuff as well?” “Surprise didn’t tell me anything!” the mare pleaded. “I mean, Pinkie didn’t. Well, she used to be Surprise, but then she was changed too, but that’s beside the point. Please, Cloud, you have to help me! I don’t want to be stuck like this!” “I’m sorry, whoever you are,” Buster sighed, giving up all pretense of trying to be polite. “But I’ve had enough of Pinkie’s craziness today, and craziness in general. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home.” “At least help me for the sake of helping yourself!” she demanded, her anger spiking again. “When They were doing this to me, I overheard Them talking about how They were going to change you next! You’re going to turn into a mare named Rainbow Dash, and pretty soon that’s how everypony will remember you!” Cloud Buster had by now turned and poised himself to fly away, regardless of whether or not he was carrying delicate cargo. However, the mention of that name gave him pause. He shuddered as he remembered the pony from his nightmare. How in Equestria did this zany unicorn know about that? To be honest, he didn’t want to know. Before she could say anything else, he launched himself into the air and sped back home, leaving the very distressed-looking mare watching him flying away. “Scootaloo, I’m home!” Cloud announced as he soared back into his house, trying his best to shove the episode with Pinkie and the unicorn into the back of his mind with the nightmare. He trotted into the kitchen and plopped the apples and treat bag onto the table. “Scoots?” “I’m coming, I’m coming,” announced a young and slightly irritated voice from the hallway. The tiny orange-and-lavender filly trotted into the kitchen wiping the sleep from her eyes, her mane a tangled rat’s nest. She hopped up into her seat and smiled as she smelled the breakfast, taking a bite out of a particularly luscious-looking apple. “Thanks for breakfast. Can I go see if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle can play afterwards?” “Sure,” Buster replied, snagging another apple for himself. “Just don’t forget to do your homework sometime today. I can help if you need me to.” “How about we make a deal?” Scootaloo inquired slyly after tapping her chin in thought for a moment. “I’ll promise to do my homework all by myself—and I’ll work extra hard at it—if you promise to ask Fluttershy out today.” Cloud Buster nearly choked on his apple. “How do... Pinkie told you, didn’t she?” he spluttered. Scootaloo nodded, smiling cheekily. “I’m going to have to have a serious talk with that mare,” he sighed. “And you’ll be happy to know that I had already planned to do that today anyway. Ah, no take-backs on the deal! But just make sure you don’t forget to do your homework. You can always ask for help if you need it.” “Thanks, big brother,” Scootaloo laughed. After finishing breakfast, Scootaloo flew into town to seek out her friends. Cloud Buster, meanwhile, tried not to let his nerves get the best of him as he readied himself for a visit to Fluttershy’s. He showered, preened his feathers, and brushed his mane and tail. After putting on some cologne, he showered again to wash it off, deciding it was too much. The odd scent might scare her off, making her think it was too big of a deal. It was a big deal, at least to him, but he didn’t want the enormity of that to make Fluttershy nervous. Deciding he should simply settle on the casual approach, Cloud dried off, combed his mane and tail again, and preened his wings once more. Thinking it was now or never, he then flew out into the warm blue sky of late morning—only to fly back in to remedy the fact that he’d forgotten to brush his teeth. Finally convinced all was ready, he took the air once more. The butterflies seemed to have multiplied in his stomach as he soared over town for the third time that day, and then beyond it, towards a lonely little cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. He gulped as he touched down outside Fluttershy’s door, hoping desperately that he wouldn’t fumble his words, or start sweating from nervousness, or— Calm down, Cloud Buster, he commanded himself, taking a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay. He knocked on the door. After a few moments, hoofsteps approached from the other side, and the door opened. “Oh, hello, Cloud Buster,” Fluttershy greeted, smiling in her small way, looking up at his taller form. “Please, come in. I was just about to feed Angel.” “Thank you,” Cloud said, trotting in after her as she disappeared back into the cottage, trying his best to hold himself together. He was more nervous than he’d ever been in his life. “So, what brings you here today?” she inquired, lifting a bag of rabbit food and pouring it into the bowl next to Angel Bunny, who was impatiently tapping his foot as he watched it fill. “I, uh... um...” Cloud Buster stammered. Then, unable to stop himself, he blurted “Fluttershy, I’ve liked you ever since we both moved to Ponyville. I think you’re the kindest, most amazing pony I’ve ever met, and I was wondering if you might... want to... go out with me?” The only sound that could be heard throughout the cottage was the pitter-patter of rabbit food falling into, and overflowing, and forming a small mountain over Angel’s bowl. The bag fell from Fluttershy’s mouth as she raised her head, facing away from the other pegasus. Angel, meanwhile, bore a gigantic smile as he literally dove into the pile of rabbit food and promptly began stuffing his face. Other than Angel’s chowing, the silence was deafening. After what seemed like an eternity, Fluttershy turned back to face Cloud, peeking out from under her waterfall of a pink mane. “Do you... really want to... go out with me?” she squeaked. Terrified of what might come next, or rather, what might not, Cloud Buster nodded. “I...” Fluttershy uttered. Buster almost fell forward as he leaned closer to hear. “...I like you too. I was always too nervous to say anything. I thought you might not like me back.” “How could I not like you?” Cloud asked, relief and elation lighting up his eyes as he trotted over to Fluttershy and put a wing around her, pulling her close. She nuzzled against him, clearly nervous, but smiling all the same. He thought his heart might explode, and he nuzzled her back. “But...” Fluttershy stated hesitantly. Buster’s bliss almost broke. “...can we start small? I’m... I’m afraid I’m new at all this...” Cloud Buster mentally released a heavy sigh of relief. “Of course,” he answered. “Say, I was going to see Big Mac at Berry Punch’s this evening. Would you like to come? Maybe you could bring a friend too, if you want? An informal gathering?” “That sounds lovely,” she replied. They stood there for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s presence. A loud belch interrupted the serenity, causing Fluttershy to gasp as she saw Angel Bunny sitting in his now empty bowl, stuffed with every last bit of rabbit food. “Angel!” she scolded. “You know you’re not supposed to eat that much!” She rushed out from Cloud’s wing and scooped up the now very pudgy rabbit, who belched again in her face, looking quite content. “Don’t worry, Momma will make it all better,” she soothed. Then, turning to the rather dazed Buster, she apologized “I’m so sorry, Cloud, but I need to take care of Angel or he’ll be terribly sick. He should be fine by this evening; can I meet you at Berry Punch’s at sunset?” “That sounds great,” Buster affirmed. “I mean, about meeting at sunset. Not about Angel’s, uh, condition. I’ll see you then!” Fluttershy nodded and flew into the other room, whispering soothing things about medicine and Momma’s love to the bunny as she did so. Cloud Buster quietly trotted to the door and let himself out. He looked up at the blazing golden sun, the bright blue sky, and the birds flitting between the trees and seeming to sing his victory anthem. “YES!” he cheered, zooming off into the sky. “She said yes!!” The sun warmed his wings, and the breeze ruffled his mane as he soared high up over the countryside separating Fluttershy’s cottage from Ponyville proper. His spirit soared as well, rapt with glee. He had done it. He had actually done it, and she had said yes. At that moment, Cloud Buster was the happiest he’d ever been, and his life felt complete. Fate, however, seemed to have an ironic sense of interpreting just how complete his life felt. Cloud wasn’t paying attention, his eyes closed as he flew freely, simply enjoying the rush of the air. Thus, he didn’t see that air coalesce in front of him, thickening and shimmering like the air above hot pavement. However, this patch of space was just as high in the sky as Buster was, and it had appeared right in front of him. He flew through it, and his body shimmered with the air. For just a moment, his heart skipped a beat. Though he later couldn’t find words to describe it, at that moment he felt as if he had been somehow pushed just a fraction out of sync with the rest of the universe, before reality readjusted itself. His wings faltered as images, sounds, and sensations rushed through his mind, and he fell a few feet before righting himself. It had all happened so quickly that it took him a moment to sort through everything that had just been pushed into his head. It had mainly consisted of hushed whispers, and he had only been able to make some of them out. Is he the one? Yes. Is now the time? Yes. And he shall be she? Yes. And she shall be Rainbow Dash? Yes. And she will have always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Then it shall be so. Cloud shook his head, trying to clear it from... whatever had just happened. What had just happened? He’d never heard whispers from the air. He’d never even heard of anything like it. But, more importantly, there was that name again. Rainbow Dash. It seemed to be following him everywhere he went. What was going— Cloud gasped as he fell sideways, his left wing suddenly unbalancing him. He turned to see why, having only ever had this problem once when his wings had begun molting at slightly different times, but he saw that he wasn’t losing feathers. Instead, his feathers appeared to be...no, that was impossible... they were shrinking. His entire wing was following suit. His feathers slimmed down and shortened, as did the wingbone supporting them all, slightly pulling into his back. He began falling, flapping his wings desperately, but only managed to slow his descent into a slow spiral as his larger right wing struggled to compensate for its newly shrunken counterpart. Then his right wing began to shrink. “What the—” Cloud Buster exclaimed, stopping when he heard a scratch in his voice as it jumped an octave. “What’s happening to me?!” His wings were both smaller now, and unable to support his bulky frame. He descended faster despite flapping harder than he ever had, though at least by this time he was low enough to land relatively safely, if ungracefully. He brought a wing forward for inspection but had to pull it forward with his hooves, as they were no longer long enough to adequately present themselves to his front. That’s when he noticed that his hooves were shrinking as well. They constricted, pushing in on themselves, and his legs were following suit. His muscular mass simply faded in on itself, transforming into smaller, thinner, more wiry muscle. Cloud’s body was now too large for his legs, which struggled to hold it up, before it too slimmed down and narrowed. He became almost skinny as what mass remained rearranged itself, moving to his hips, his bulkier body smoothing out and bending into a more curvaceous form. Oh, no! Cloud thought frantically, not daring to speak again lest he hear how high his voice had become. I’m turning into—but that’s not possible! None of this is possible! His body seemed to disagree. Buster’s coat was already lightening, transitioning from a dark blue to a bright cyan. The cutie mark on his now noticeably fuller flank mutated as well, changing colors from a storm cloud with a thunderbolt to a white puffball with a multicolored streak striking out of it. His mane and tail were next, six colors racing along the wispy white hair from the roots until they reached the tips and then continued on further, his mane and tail growing out full and long. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening! Cloud repeated endlessly in his mind as he watched the final changes, unable to do anything to stop them. His thick neck had scrunched into something much thinner, and now his squarish snout was pulling in and shrinking, making his head almost spherical save for a short muzzle. He could no longer see his nose. “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!” Cloud Buster demanded, his eyes widening when he heard his fully changed voice. It was much, much higher, and riddled with scratches. That confirmed it. It was happening. He fell back onto his new rump, which now felt considerably more plush, as he stared at his smaller, sky-blue hooves. He closed his eyes—hard—and opened them again, only to find that his hooves were still small and cyan. He did it again, with the same result. He began to hyperventilate, his tinier chest breathing in and out at an incredible pace. If there were anymore changes, he didn’t experience them until after, because he fainted. When Cloud Buster he woke up, he wouldn’t be a ‘he’ anymore, and he definitely wouldn’t be Cloud Buster. Is he a she? Yes. Is she Rainbow Dash? Yes. Has she always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Does everypony know she has always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Does she know she has always been Rainbow Dash? ...Error. . . . Chapter 2Them Chapter 2 “...Rainbow Dash...” “Rainbow Dash...?” “Rainbow Dash!” “Wha—?!” she gasped, jerking awake and coming face to face with Fluttershy. Her mind still fogged by the haze of unconsciousness, she didn’t immediately register all that her senses, as well as her simple physiological sensations, were telling her. However, her face did split into a relieved smile when she saw Fluttershy. “Oh, Fluttershy, I just had the weirdest dream—” And then it hit her. Not him, but her. The scratchiness in her high-pitched voice, the absent feeling left behind by her disappeared bulk, the new distribution of what bodily mass remained—it all came rushing back. She stared down at her small, sky-blue hooves, and screamed in her light voice, wisps of rainbow mane falling over her eyes. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy inquired worriedly, watching the new mare with distress. “You’re awake now, the dream is over. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” “The dream is over?!” spluttered Cloud Buster—no, she wasn’t Cloud Buster anymore. As far as she could tell, she had the same thoughts, mind, and personality. Only her body was different. Well, almost only her body was different. She knew her name had once been Cloud Buster, but try as she might, she just couldn’t force her thoughts to form into the knowledge that that was still her name. Now, her name was Rainbow Dash, whether she liked it or not. And she definitely didn’t. “What do you mean, ‘the dream is over’?! This isn’t a dream, it’s a nightmare, and it’s just begun!” Wait a minute, Rainbow Dash wondered, shuddering as she realized she was having to refer to herself as ‘Rainbow Dash’ in her own mind. Maybe this isall just a dream...just more of that same nightmare from earlier. She desperately hoped so. “I just have to wake myself up,” she murmured to herself. Wasn’t pain supposed to wake you up from dreams? She raised her hoof to her mouth and gave it a small nibble. “Ow!” Rainbow Dash rubbed her sore hoof, the tiny bite already leaving a red mark. “Rainbow, don’t bite yourself!” Fluttershy gasped. “What’s wrong?” “I’m not Rainbow Dash!” she asserted, turning to face Fluttershy again. “I’m C... I’m Clou... I’m Cl-ou-d Bus-ter!” Surprisingly enough, Rainbow had to catch her breath, having had to physically struggle to even say her old name. “Oh, come on!” she exasperated. “Even that unicorn got to say that her name used to be Bass Blaster! Wait, the unicorn! She knew this would happen! I’ve got to find her!” Rainbow prepared to launch herself into the air, but a tug on her wing held her back, sending her plopping onto the ground again. “Rainbow, where are you going?” Fluttershy asked, her concern only having grown, after she spat out the cyan pegasus’s wing. “We’re supposed to go meet Big Macintosh at Berry Punch’s, remember? I thought I would meet you there... why were you sleeping out here on the ground?” What? Rainbow looked up at the sky to see the sun low in the horizon. How long had she been out? More importantly, though, how could Fluttershy not remember that Rainbow’s name used to be Cloud Buster, but still remember their date? Wait, how was Dash supposed to date Fluttershy in this body in the first place?! She didn’t think Fluttershy was into that sort of thing, and Rainbow definitely would rather date Fluttershy as the male Cloud Buster, not as the female Rainbow Dash. And furthermore, did she even... no, no, that couldn’t be... could it? “Hey, Fluttershy, uh... look, there’s a cute bunny over there!” the multicolored mare announced, pointing a slender foreleg. Fluttershy expectantly turned to look, and Rainbow risked a glance at her flank. She stared at it intently, breaking contact only when the creamy yellow pegasus began to turn back around. She couldn’t believe it. As hard as she’d tried—she’d never even had to try until now, it just happened naturally—she hadn’t felt anything when she saw Fluttershy’s rear. No attraction whatsoever. “I didn’t see any cute bunny,” Fluttershy noted, sounding disappointed. “But please, Rainbow, tell me why you’re acting like this. You’re starting to scare me.” How do you think I feel? Rainbow thought frantically. More important than just feeling attracted to Fluttershy, though, was whether she remembered anything about Cloud Buster at all. “I’m not Rainbow Dash!” she repeated, preparing herself to force the next words out if necessary. “My name is... Cloud...Buster! Please, tell me you remember me! We’ve been friends ever since Flight Camp back in Cloudsdale! I was at your cottage this morning! I... I even... asked you out...” Fluttershy simply stared at Rainbow, her head tilted. “Are you okay, Rainbow?” the creamy yellow pegasus asked again. “I think you’re confused... that must have been a scary dream you had, but don’t worry, it’s alright now.” Rainbow finally had to concede that she wasn’t getting anywhere with this line of action. What had she been expecting, really? The unicorn had known this would happen, presumably because, as she claimed, something similar had happened to her, and Rainbow hadn’t believed her back when she had still been Cloud Buster. Why then would Fluttershy believe her if she tried the exact same approach that the unicorn had used? But if Fluttershy didn’t remember any Cloud Buster, then what, and who, did she remember? Who exactly was Rainbow Dash? “What do you remember happening today?” the cyan pegasus inquired nervously, dreading what she might hear. “Did I really not ask you out?” “You came over a little while ago, and you asked me if I wanted to come with you to meet Big Macintosh at Berry Punch’s,” Fluttershy responded, her voice still laced with worry. Rainbow was beginning to have a cruelly ironic sense of deja vu mixed with empathy for the unicorn. “You didn’t ask anypony out.” The world seemed to darken. She hadn’t asked anypony out. She had finally, finally worked up the courage to ask Fluttershy out, and not only did she become a mare, Fluttershy didn’t even remember anything about when she was Cloud Buster! What else had changed? Hanging out with Big Macintosh still seemed to be on, and Fluttershy was even accompanying her. In a twisted sort of way, those plans were still mostly the same. But what if there was more to what had happened to Rainbow than just becoming Rainbow and a change in her relationship with Fluttershy? Rainbow needed to find out. However, she really needed to find out if this was permanent. Horseapples, it didn’t even matter if this was permanent, or at least meant to be. She was going to find out what was going on, and she was going to reverse it, or die trying. She had not just become committed to the most amazing pony in Equestria to have it all ripped away from her, along with any other aspects of her life that might have changed. She would find whoever or whatever had done this, and whoever ‘they’ were, she was going to make them set things right. But maybe—hopefully—the changes weren’t as extensive as she feared. If the meeting with Big Mac was still on, then maybe only Fluttershy didn’t remember who Cloud Buster was. It would be hard to convince her best friend that she had inexplicably turned into a mare, but as long as he remembered the stallion she once was, it was well worth a try. “Are you feeling well enough to go to Berry Punch’s place?” Fluttershy queried. “Maybe it would be best if you got some rest at home...” “I... I’m sorry for, uh, confusing you like that,” Rainbow apologized, at last accepting that if Fluttershy only remembered her as Rainbow Dash, then for now she’d have to play the part. She wouldn’t get anywhere if she kept insisting on being somepony who Fluttershy didn’t remember had ever existed. To her, Cloud Buster wasn’t even a memory... it was a dark and scary thought. No, more than that, it was saddening—Rainbow’s old identity was essentially more than dead in Fluttershy’s mind. Fluttershy, her oldest friend, didn’t even remember a thing about who Rainbow really was... it was enough to make the new mare’s eyes water. But no, she couldn’t give in to that feeling, not now. She wasn’t willing to accept total defeat and surrender her old identity that easily. If everything played out well, then this would prove to be nothing more than a bad memory. Maybe she’d even get lucky and this part of her life would be erased just as much as her life as Cloud Buster now was in Fluttershy’s eyes. Yeah, that would be it... nopony would even remember this. Rainbow Dash would be Cloud Buster again, and everything would be alright. This would all be nothing more than an unfortunate hiccup in reality, a forgotten typo on the pages of eternity. Everything would go back to the way it was. She had to keep telling herself that, had to believe it was true. Because if she didn’t... no, she refused to think about that. “I must have still been dreaming a little when you woke me up,” Rainbow continued, trying to laugh sheepishly and ease the situation. “I remember now. My head must just been all muddled from the nightmare.” “Okay...” Fluttershy conceded uncertainly. “...If you’re sure you’re alright...” Rainbow nodded, and Fluttershy began trotting towards town, Rainbow following suit beside her. She would have preferred to fly, but she didn’t quite trust these new hooves yet, much less her new wings. The worst she could do with unfamiliar hooves was stumble. With unfamiliar wings, it could be a long way down. The sun was just setting when they arrive at Ponyville’s central plaza. What ponies were left milling about were either making their way home, packing up their stalls, or heading to the same place the two pegasi were now seeking. As Rainbow looked around at the passing ponies, she felt a new kind of discomfort, something that had never been an issue when she had been a towering stallion. She felt small. Most of the stallions trotting about, and even some of the other mares, were considerably taller than she now was. They also had more substance on them, easily outweighing her. As a stallion, Rainbow had usually never even bothered to think about what would happen if she accidentally ran into somepony, or somepony stepped on her hoof, or if she somehow became involved in a fight. When one of these things happened, she would have been able to shrug it off without a scratch. Now, she feared she might be knocked to the ground just by accidentally bumping into one of the burlier ponies. Thankfully, the crowd was thin enough so that Rainbow didn’t have to confirm this fear, and she and Fluttershy reached Berry Punch’s place without incident. The crowded, dimly-lit, smoky atmosphere of the bar was a welcome sight. All throughout the establishment, ponies were drinking merrily, laughing at embarrassing stories about one another, and generally having a good time. At least this place hasn’t changed, Rainbow thought to herself with a small smile. Hopefully Big Mac hasn’t changed either, and he’ll be able to help me figure out what’s going on. Spotting the crimson stallion in a booth, Rainbow’s smile grew wider as he waved at them. She rushed over, Fluttershy trotting close behind. To the multicolored mare’s surprise, Big Mac’s eyes glinted with recognition when he saw her. Oh, no, Rainbow thought. He remembers this version of me! If that was true, then Cloud Buster had never existed to him either. But he at least still knew who she was, and that meant that perhaps there was something worth salvaging...perhaps something to get him to believe her true past, or at least get him to help her get back to normal. Adding to the strangeness, Big Mac actually got up from the booth to greet them, something he had never done when she was a stallion. It’s not like they hadn’t been friendly when greeting each other before all this, but they had always greeted each other casually. Before, she would have simply slid into the seat opposite Big Mac and they would have knocked hooves in greeting. So what was with this standing up? Uncertain, but still happy to see her best friend all the same, she raised her hoof, prepared to knock his in their traditional greeting. Strangely enough, he actually looked surprised this time, glancing at her hoof uncertainly before returning the gesture. Had he been expecting something else? Were they supposed to hug or something, like she sometimes saw friends do when both were mares? But he was a stallion, and even if she was a mare now, stallions didn’t commonly hug their friends in greeting even if the friend was a mare...right? This was all very confusing, not knowing what had changed and what hadn’t, and what all the conventions were in this new body. Putting her hoof back down and leaving Big Mac still looking like he had been expecting something more, Rainbow turned to slide into the opposite seat in the booth. However, Fluttershy had already done so...and she was sitting on the end, leaving a whole unoccupied space to her right. Seeing Rainbow’s confused expression, she smiled sweetly and ever so slightly nodded her head back towards Big Mac. Thoroughly uncertain of what was going on now, Rainbow turned to see the red workhorse standing to the side, leaving her space to slide into the seat on his side of the booth. Still uncertain, but at least understanding that she was expected to sit there, Rainbow slid into the far side of the seat, followed by Big Macintosh. He seemed to be sitting awfully close to her. She could even feel the heat radiating from his body. It was almost as if... wait... Rainbow’s eyes widened. She was still set to meet with Big Macintosh, but she hadn’t asked anypony out today. That couldn’t mean... could it...? “What’ll it be?” inquired a familiar voice, and Dash looked up to see the deep violet form of Berry Punch, waiting with a notepad. Her face split into a smile when she saw Rainbow. “Well, hello miss Dash! I didn’t see you back there. And I see you and the big Apple himself are sharing a booth at last. Did he finally work up the courage?” Rainbow said nothing, a look of horror freezing on her features. “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied sheepishly after a moment, when it became clear that Rainbow wasn’t going to answer. It was hard to tell due to his natural hue, but if she looked hard enough, Dash could see he was blushing. “Good for you, big fella,” Berry Punch laughed good-naturedly. “It was about time. And good for you too, Rainbow. You two make such a cute couple.” “...Cute...Couple...?” Rainbow uttered quietly, her blood turning to ice. She hadn’t asked anypony out today. She had been the one asked out. “I...uh...I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!” Rainbow blurted, climbing frantically onto the table and leaping into the air, flying like a shot out of a cannon towards the front door. “Rainbow, wait!” Fluttershy cried after her, but Dash didn’t care. She was not dating her best friend, no matter how much reality had changed! Whoever had done all this hadn’t just cursed her with a different body and erased her past identity from existence, they were trying to control her future as well! She was not about to accept that. “Where are you going?!” Dash bolted through the front doors, knocking over some ponies who were about to enter in the process. It seemed she could still be forceful in this form if she had to be. Soaring up into the sky, Rainbow zoomed as quick as she could in the direction of home...or at least, where she hoped her home would still be. The wind screamed as it rushed past her, her multicolored mane flying back at the speed, a rainbow streak stretching out behind her. She had never felt this fast as a stallion—she had always had strength, not speed—but right now, her considerably increased speed was the last thing on her mind. Right now, all she cared about was getting as far away from Big Mac as possible. How could they do this?! she thought furiously. How could they ruin my life like this, and then just expect me to go along with it?! How could they rip me away from somepony I was head-over-hooves for and try to force me into the forelegs of somepony else?! A stallion no less, and I’m supposed to bea stallion! She wouldn’t stand for it, but if she had any hope of setting things right, then she knew she had to find that unicorn from earlier. Hopefully she would know something about how to reset things... if she didn’t, Dash didn’t know what she would do... but she’d do something! She’d go to the princesses themselves if she had to! For now, though, the unicorn would be impossible to find. Rainbow would have to wait until morning, when ponies were out and about. She wouldn’t get anywhere by going door to door, just hoping she’d find the right pony. As much as she hated to admit it, Rainbow would have to spend the night in this body. At least when she was asleep, if she could ever manage to get to sleep after everything that had happened, she wouldn’t have to think about the nightmare her reality had become... at least, she hoped she wouldn’t. As she usually did this late at night, Rainbow skipped the front door and flew into her room’s open window. She didn’t want to wake up Scootaloo, who should by now be fast asleep in her own room. Rainbow wanted to avoid confronting her little sister in this form and having to explain it as long as possible. She’d feel bad about having been absent in case Scootaloo had needed any help with her homework, but right now, existential crisis trumped schoolwork. But wait, Scootaloo probably only remembered her as Rainbow as well. Her own sister... most likely didn’t remember anything about who she truly was. Now that was a stab in the heart. If there was ever a motivation to set things right, that was it. Sighing in near defeat, Dash flopped down on her cloud bed, exhausted from the events of the day. There, she glimpsed the upside-down image of something that, thankfully, hadn’t seemed to change. Her Wonderbolts poster was still there. She gave a small smile and saluted before drifting off into a fitful sleep. . . . Has she accepted her existence as Rainbow Dash? No. Will she accept her existence as Rainbow Dash? Unknown. Will we work to make her accept her existence as Rainbow Dash? Yes. Will the Deleted One prove troublesome in this matter? Unknown. . . . As Cloud Buster, Rainbow Dash had never entered a dream knowing right away that she was dreaming. If she figured it out at all, it took a while. This time, though, it seemed that somepony had done the figuring out for her. ‘THIS IS A DREAM,’ proclaimed a giant sign in glowing neon letters. And, apart from the sign and the small patch of grassy ground it illuminated, there didn’t seem to be much more to his dreamscape. Darkness encapsulated all else, if there even was anything else at all. The sky and the ground all blended into one big blackness, not even leaving a horizon. There was no sun, no moon, not even any stars. Just a dark nothingness. “Hello, Cloud Buster,” announced a soft yet slightly scratchy voice, not so different from the one Rainbow now bore. Speaking of which, if this was a dream... She looked down, only to see her small cyan frame. It seemed that even in sleep she couldn’t escape this body. She sighed, and turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. Out of the darkness, a shape was emerging. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t a doppelganger of the dream that had introduced Rainbow Dash and pushed him off his comfortable perch into this new reality. The newcomer did rather look like Rainbow Dash, but only in height and build, as well as her possession of wings. Her coat was a hot pink, and her mane and tail were a bold blue, though they were cut in the same way Rainbow’s were. Her eyes were a much lighter blue, almost the same hue Dash had had as Cloud Buster. “You said ‘Cloud Buster’,” Rainbow pointed out, wondering what her subconscious was trying to tell her through this phantasm. Or, perhaps this was somehow real, as the dream where she first got a glimpse of her new body had been? But then, how would she know? Wait a minute... that voice! It was the same that had warned her to run from ‘them!’ “Who are you?” Dash asked, her attention rapt on the other pegasus. “Technically, I’m nopony,” the pink mare sighed. “But before They deleted me, I was Firefly.” “Firefly?” Rainbow echoed questioningly. “And who’s ‘they’?” “They are Them,” she answered, only confusing Rainbow further. “They don’t have any other name than ‘Them.’ I don’t know where They come from, but I do know that They change things, only They change everypony’s memories too so that everypony thinks that the changes are the way things have always been.” “Then how come I remember being Cloud Buster?” Dash wondered, relieved to find that she could say her old name without any trouble in a dream. “Because sometimes They make mistakes,” Firefly replied. “That’s how I found out about Them. They were trying to change something about me, but They messed up everything, so nothing changed at all. From then on, though, I could see whenever They tried to change things, and I tried to stop them. I tried to get everypony to remember the way things were before the changes, and it started messing up Their plans. So, They deleted me. That’s why I can only interact with you when you’re asleep.” “How do you delete somepony?” Rainbow wondered, horrified. Dash’s past identity might not exist anymore, but she herself still existed. However, Rainbow had no recollections of anypony named Firefly, and how gone from the world must this other pegasus be if she had to appear in somepony’s dreams rather than meet them in the waking world? “They pushed me out of the natural flow of the universe,” Firefly explained, sitting down and looking melancholy. Dash did the same, and was reminded once again of her new gender by the still-unfamiliar plushness of her rear. “They can’t get rid of me entirely, but from here I can only interact with reality in limited ways, like through this dream. They’ll reintegrate me into reality if I want, but only if I agree to accept Their changes and have my memory wiped. That’s the catch to their power; if you realize They’re there, you can resist Them.” “That’s terrible,” Dash said. “I’m so sorry... but there has to be a way to stop Them, right?” “Thank you for your concern,” Firefly responded, smiling slightly. “I’m not giving up yet, but I’m afraid that I can’t stay outside of reality forever. Sooner or later, I might just give in, or else go mad from an eternity in nothingness. However, there is something you can do to fight Them, and even to help me. I can’t do anything against Them from where I am, but if you can find a way into Their otherworld, you have a chance at stopping them. They change reality by writing in some kind of special book, and if you change that book, They’ll have to change reality to match it. You can go back to being Cloud Buster, and I can be real again.” “Perfect!” Rainbow cheered. “Where is Their otherworld? I’ll go there right now! But, wait... what if They just delete me too before I can get there?” “Thankfully, They can only delete one pony at a time,” Firefly told her. “If They get rid of more than one pony, They’ll throw reality out of order, and order is all They’re after. They’re trying to make the world perfectly orderly, no matter what They have to change to do so, and They’re always slowly making progress towards that goal. “As for where the otherworld is, I’m afraid I don’t know,” Firefly lamented. “I learned all I know about Them from overhearing Their whispering voices whenever They changed something, but I was never actually able to find the entrance to the otherworld. I do know, though, that though it is well hidden, They can’t close it or move it. All you have to do is find it, and if you get to the otherworld, They won’t be able to change you while you’re there. You just have to make sure they don’t catch onto the fact that you’re looking for the entrance, or They’ll try and change things to stop you. Now that you know They exist, They can’t change your mind against your will, but They can influence it and everything around it.” “That sounds... incredibly hard,” Rainbow gulped. “How in Equestria am I supposed to find a secret door without letting Them know I’m looking for it?” “I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” the pink pegasus said. “That’s exactly what I tried to do, and I failed, and ended up here. At least They can’t delete you.” Rainbow gulped again. This was sounding more like an unfair fight every moment. “Do you know why They changed me?” Dash asked after a moment. “Why would making me a mare make Equestria more orderly?” “That’s something I have to apologize to you about,” Firefly spoke, looking like she was dreading what she was about to say. “They changed you to turn you into a replacement for me. Because I wouldn’t stop messing with Their plans, They deleted me, and had to fill the spot. You were deemed a worthy replacement because we were close in personality, and They can’t change that.” “You mean...” Rainbow gasped, shock and anger bubbling behind her eyes. “This is all your fault?! What makes you so important that They had to erase my old life just to make me the new you?!” “I was the Element of Loyalty,” the pink pegasus told her. “Now you are.” . . . Rainbow awoke with mixed emotions. She couldn’t exactly blame Firefly for what had happened, though she was still directly tied to causing Dash’s transformation into who she now was. The pink pegasus had only been trying to stop Them from messing up other ponies’ lives, and Dash knew she would certainly have done the same thing. But, still... if it hadn’t been for Firefly... No, Rainbow told herself. It wasn’t her fault. It was Their fault. Just remember that; Firefly’s life has been messed up far more than yours has. The multicolored mare stretched and rose from her bed, glancing out the window at the rising sun. She was beginning to make a habit of getting up this early, it seemed. As Cloud Buster, she had usually stayed up until late into the night, which necessitated sleeping in until late into the morning. She hadn’t needed to sleep late this morning because she’d gone to bed practically right after sunset, after... ...after her date with Big Macintosh. No! she mentally screamed. I am notgoing out with my best friend! Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, Rainbow slipped out of bed and trotted down the hall, turning to take a peek in Scootaloo’s room to see if she was still asleep. But, instead of Scootaloo’s door, her eyes met nothing but wall. Panic filled her heart. No, no, no... she repeated over and over in her mind. Rainbow stuck her head all the way through the cloud, but met with nothing but the outside world. Scootaloo’s room just wasn’t there anymore. No, no, NO!! “Scootaloo!” Rainbow cried. “Where are you?!” Where did They take her?! she thought, terrified. Where is my little sister?! “Scootaloo?” echoed a confused, and rather annoyed, country twang from down below. Rainbow looked down, only to see Big Mac’s sister staring angrily up at her. She had known Applejack well as Cloud Buster, just as she had known the whole Apple family. Spending so much time at Sweet Apple Acres hanging out with Big Mac had seen to that. However, Rainbow had never seen AJ look quite so heated. “Why in tarnation would ya’ be lookin’ for her? Ya’ know she was sleepin’ over with Apple Bloom last night!” “You mean she’s okay?” Dash breathed a sigh of monumental relief. Scootaloo was alright. But, if Scootaloo’s room was gone from Rainbow’s house, then where did her little sister live? Never mind; she could find that out from Scootaloo herself once she picked her up. “Thanks for, uh, reminding me, Applejack! I’ll head over to the farm and pick her up right away!” “Now wait just a minute!” Applejack snarled. “Ah didn’t come all the way over here just so ya’ could fly away!” “Why are you here, anyway?” Rainbow asked, already knowing the answer as a feeling of uncomfortable dread welled up in her stomach. “You know plum-well why, Rainbow Dash!” the farmpony snapped, stamping a hoof. The multicolored mare winced as she heard her full new name. “Now get down here! Ah got somethin’ ta’ tell ya’ and Ah ain’t leavin’ until you’ve heard it!” Rainbow reluctantly nodded and stepped fully out of the cloud wall, hovering while she patched the hole back up and then slowly descended, light as a feather on a breeze. “I know what you’re going to say, and I just want you to know that—” the cyan pegasus began. “Then you’re gonna’ know it twice as well!” Applejack interrupted. “Big Macintosh has had eyes for ya’ ever since ya’ moved to Ponyville, and everypony knew it, even if he didn’t say nothin’ about it. Ah know that you knew it too, ‘cause Ah’m the one who told you! Ya’ know how gentle he is under all that muscle, and ya’ know how hard it was for him ta’ finally ask ya’ out. So why in tarnation did ya’ say yes ta’ him if you were just gonna’ bolt on your very first date?! And don’t try and tell me ya’ didn’t, ‘cause Fluttershy told me herself, not that I needed her to when Big Mac came home in such a state last night. He’s heartbroken like I ain’t never seen, and it’s all thanks ta’ you!” Rainbow looked incredibly uncomfortable, taking refuge in the silence after AJ’s outburst, until the orange earth pony snapped “Well, what do ya’ have ta’ say for yourself?!” As much as Rainbow wanted it to all be lies, Applejack was right, if only partially. In this version of reality, everypony involved must remember that Big Macintosh had asked her out, and she had said yes. The fact that that was all Their doing and had nothing to do with Rainbow herself didn’t prevent everypony thinking it was all her fault for not going along with it, as she knew nopony in a million years would believe some freaky beings messing with reality were behind all this. Dash knew that she certainly wouldn’t have believed such an explanation if Fluttershy had bolted on their first date, if they had ever had the chance to have it. Rainbow knew that if that had happened, she would have felt betrayed and hurt beyond belief. If Big Mac now felt the way about her that she had felt about Fluttershy, then he really would be heartbroken at such a feeling of betrayal. It wasn’t Rainbow’s fault for not wanting to go along with this, but that didn’t mean she should have bolted without an explanation as she did. That didn’t give her the right to make Big Mac feel the way he did now. “...I’m sorry,” Rainbow uttered. “I shouldn’t have ran out on him, and I know that. I can’t explain why I did it... you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But that still doesn’t mean what I did was right. If he’ll let me talk to him after what happened, I’d like to apologize to him in person.” “You’re darn right it wasn’t right what you did!” Applejack agreed angrily. “And you’re gonna’ apologize ta’ him, alright. We’re marchin’ over to Sweet Apple Acres right now, and you’re gonna make sure you try your best ta’ make things right!” Rainbow nodded, and Applejack turned and set off at a brisk trot towards down, smacking Dash with her tail as she passed. The multicolored mare glared after her for a moment, but she couldn’t blame AJ anymore than she could blame Firefly. It wasn’t anypony’s fault but Theirs. That didn’t exactly make it easier to bear, though. What could she say that would make it right? She wasn’t sure she could make it right. She knew she couldn’t go with the truth... nopony would believe that. She had proof of that in herself, as when she’d still been Cloud Buster she hadn’t believed Bass Blaster. But if Rainbow couldn’t tell Big Mac the truth, then what could she tell him that would make any sense? ‘I’m so sorry that I agreed to go out with you and then snubbed you, but for reasons I can’t explain I suddenly have no interest in you whatsoever other than being best bros, even though that doesn’t make sense since I’m a mare, and in fact the very thought of being with you disgusts who I really am?’ The sooner Rainbow found that entrance into Their otherworld and set things right, the better. First Big Mac, then checking on Scootaloo to find out where in Equestria her little sister was supposed to live if not with her, and then look for the secret doorway. Rainbow sighed. This was going to be a long day. They finally made it to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow knew she could have made it there in ten seconds flat if she had flown due to her new speed, especially when she didn’t even know how fast she could go with this new form. However, she really didn’t feel like flying right now, and she doubted Applejack would have allowed for it anyway. “He’s in the barn, looking at his favorite picture of Mom and Dad,” AJ informed her. “He always goes there when he’s upset. Now you march your little blue butt up there and don’t come out until you’ve both made peace!” Rainbow nodded (even if her ‘blue butt’ didn’t feel all that little, at least to her unaccustomed mind) and silently complied, trotting briskly up to the barn. Dash could feel AJ’s eyes burning holes in the back of her mane the whole way until she finally slipped inside the barn and carefully closed the door behind her. “Big Mac?” she called out, hating just how high her voice sounded now more than when she had first heard it. Did stallions like mares with voices like hers? Big Mac must have. Come to think of, what did he like about her? It was the creepiest train of thought to have ever crossed her mind, but once it started, she couldn’t derail it. Did he like her multicolored mane? Her magenta eyes? Her curvaceous form? Her plush rear? The creepier question was what he liked about her personality, which was the same one she’d had as a stallion. Was the same thing that had made them best friends before what made him attracted to her now? She shuddered, trying her best not to think on it further. “You in here?” “Ah know AJ put ya’ up ta’ this,” the crimson workhorse’s voice called from behind some hay bales. The hurt he must be feeling was like a sword cutting through every word. “You don’t have ta’ apologize. You can go, if you like.” “I... don’t want to go,” Rainbow made herself say, though she would have leapt at the opportunity to flee if she didn’t understand the hurt he must be going through. She wouldn’t have wished that kind of inner pain on anypony. He definitely wasn’t going to make his best friend suffer through it, especially on his account, even if Big Mac didn’t remember her as his best friend. “I want to make things right, and I really do want to say I’m sorry for leaving like that last night.” He didn’t reply, and she trotted over to where his voice had been coming from. Dash found him sitting down on the floor, staring up at a faded photograph of two ponies she had never seen. Even as Cloud Buster, Big Mac had never shown her a picture of his parents. As a stallion, she had known that Big Mac didn’t want to talk about his parents as he never brought them up, and so she never had either. Now, though, she was peering into something that was immensely special and private, and she felt like she was intruding on sacred ground. They looked a lot like Big Macintosh and Applejack, honestly. The colors were hard to discern due to the faded image, but the familiar builds and telltale freckles were unmistakable. If it were any other stallion, Rainbow would have felt nervous for her safety right now. She was so small compared to his hulking, muscular form, but she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t harm a parasprite. She only wished that he was just as thick-skinned as he looked, though; his gentility came with a sensitive heart... a heart that she had broken. “Big Mac...” she began, wondering how in the world she was going to make this right. “I know that I agreed to go out with you, and I can’t really explain why, but I... I just can’t anymore. I really am sorry, and I wish there was something I could do, but... oh, you have no idea how hard this is.” “Ah believe Ah have a good idea,” he snorted sarcastically. “You’re right,” Rainbow sighed. “You’re totally right. What I did was wrong, and I know it. I also know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, not that I’ve given you any reason to want to give it in the first place—” “How could Ah not forgive you?” Big Mac sniffed, turning to look at her. “You’re the most amazing pony Ah’ve ever met. In fact, Ah already forgave you hours ago. Ah figured ya’ had your reasons. Ah thought that somethin’ was wrong with me.” “What?!” Rainbow gasped. He was blaming this all on himself? “But you didn’t do anything wrong! It was all my fault. Big Mac, there’s nothing wrong with you, and any mare would be lucky to have you, but...” “...But it can’t be you?” the red stallion finished with a sad sigh. She nodded, smiling regretfully. “And you really can’t explain why?” “I want to, believe me, I do!” Rainbow asserted. “It’s just that... well, I don’t think you’d believe me. I know I wouldn’t believe it if anypony tried to explain this to me. But even if we can’t be... each other’s special someponies... I want you to know that I’ve always thought of you as my best, er, one of my best friends. You’re an amazing guy, you’re kind, you’re gentle, you’re honest, and you never give up on doing what you think is right. If any other mare can’t see that, then it’s her loss.” “Thank you, Rainbow,” Big Mac sighed again. She could see tears in his eyes. “But Ah’ve never met anypony who can even compare to you. Everypony else just falls short. It’s not just that you’re the most beautiful pony Ah’ve ever seen, it’s that you’re loyal, you have such spirit, such big dreams, and you never quit on them or ponies you care about. But if you don’t want to be with me, even if you can’t explain why, Ah’m sure you have your reasons. Ah trust you, Rainbow Dash, even if sometimes Ah don’t know why.” He hung his head, and a single tear dropped to the ground. This isn’t setting things right! Rainbow lamented in her head. If anything, it’s making them worse! “Hey, it’ll be alright,” Dash promised lamely, moving to his side and patting his back supportively. She hadn’t been this close to him since last night, though at least now she didn’t have to worry about the unfortunate implications of their proximity. Still, she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. Had they been this close when he had asked her out? How had that gone, exactly? Had it been like when she, as Cloud Buster, had asked Fluttershy out? Had they... gotten even closer than this? Had they leaned against each other, touching sides? Had Big Mac put an affectionate foreleg around her withers, drawing her to him? Had she... had she nuzzled under his neck, and he nuzzled back? Rainbow was pulled out of her thoughts by two realizations. The first was that she had begun to feel pleasantly warm, almost... no, it couldn’t be! But... but it was there, all the same... she felt the way she had felt when, as a stallion, she had looked at Fluttershy, only this time it was different. No less pleasant, but definitely different. What was causing this? Was it the thought of having... cuddled with Big Mac? Why did she... why did she like it?! She was a stallion at heart, not a mare! Her current body seemed to disagree, and it was tickling her mind with its unwanted yet still pleasant notions. The second realization that had pulled Dash out of her thoughts, though, was the look Big Mac was giving her. It was a look of thorough confusion, but a hidden happiness lurked just beneath the surface, despite the fact that he obviously had no idea why he should be happy. And why should he be happy? She had broken his heart and failed at setting things right, and now... ...now she was no longer patting him supportively on the back. Instead, during her imagining of what it would be like to get even closer to the strong stallion, she had, without even realizing it, switched to rubbing his back muscles. And no matter how much it freaked her out, no matter how much she didn’t want it to, she was enjoying it. And he was too! . . . Chapter 3Them Chapter 3 Rainbow Dash didn’t think she could have taken her hoof off of Big Mac’s back any faster if she had tried. Not that she planned on ever trying to, because she never planned on touching Big Mac at all ever again, not after this terrifying revelation. “I’m, uh, sorry about that,” she said quickly. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to bolt from the crimson stallion’s presence, but she had come here to set things right, not to reenact the same mistake all over again. As much as she hated to admit it, she would have to stay until she knew her friend was alright. And a friend is all he’ll ever be, she asserted to herself. “Like Ah said before,” he stated gently. “Ya’ don’t need ta’ apologize.” “I do, though,” Rainbow disagreed. “I just want you to know that, even though I can’t go out with you, I’ve always thought of you as a great friend. I know this is the cheesiest thing a mare ever says to a stallion in situations like this, but I really do hope we can still be friends?” “Of course,” Big Mac consented. “I’d rather have ya’ as a friend than nothin’ at all.” “So... are we good?” Dash wondered with baited breath. She did not want her best friend to feel this way because of her, but she also didn’t want to have to stay this close to him longer than necessary. As pleasant as it was being near him, it was a pleasantness she definitely hoped to never feel again. Even if it was nice... No! Don’t think like that! she thought frantically. Remember who you were—who you are! “We’re as good as we’ll ever be,” Big Mac agreed, smiling sadly. “Thank ya’, Rainbow. Ah want ya’ to know that Ah don’t hold any ill will against ya’.” “Of course, neither of us thinks that way about the other,” Dash affirmed. “We’re best bros, remember?” He gave her an odd look again, and she smiled sheepishly when she realized she’d let the phrase slip. He finally let out a chuckle, and stood up. “We better go tell AJ she don’t have ta’ blame ya’ for what happened,” he noted, trotting towards the barn door with Rainbow in tow. “Though I gotta’ warn ya’, she may be the Element o’ Honesty, but she sure can hold a grudge. Might be best if ya’ gave her some space till she cools off a bit.” Rainbow gulped, nodding. They found Applejack right where the multicolored mare had left her, tapping her hoof a mile a minute, as she stared into the sky with a mixture of anger and worry. She whirled around at the sound of their approach, and blurted “Well? What’s goin’ on?” “Nothin’s goin’ on,” Big Mac replied evenly. “Rainbow apologized, and said it weren’t mah fault she left. She can’t tell me why she did, but Ah trust she has a good reason. We’re still friends.” “Ah hope Ah can say the same ‘bout Rainbow and mahself,” Applejack noted, eyeing Dash somewhat angrily, somewhat warily. “But... Ah suppose if Big Mac can forgive ya’, then so can Ah. Ah’ll need some time to think ‘bout things, though.” “Take all the time you need,” Rainbow told her. “I’ll be sure to get out of your manes now, but first, could you please tell me where Scootaloo is?” “She and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all headed up ta’ their clubhouse this mornin’,” Applejack answered, pointing a hoof towards the trees that hid the treehouse from most angles. “Though Ah gotta’ warn ya’, Scootaloo might not be in the best o’ moods. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t exactly on the best o’ terms when I saw ‘em leave this mornin’.” “What?” Rainbow uttered in confusion. She’d never known Scootaloo to have any serious disagreements with her friends, aside from that field trip to the Royal Canterlot Sculpture Gardens. “Why?” “Ya’ best find that out for yourself,” AJ responded curtly, trotting away towards the farmhouse with what might have been a sympathetic look. Worried now, Rainbow said an awkward goodbye to Big Macintosh and galloped off towards the clubhouse. Hopping over some bushes and ducking under some low branches, Dash came out into the clearing where the old treehouse rested, her ears perking up at the sound of heated arguing emanating from within. What in the world? Rainbow thought as she snuck up to the base of the tree, cocking an ear to listen in. “...Guys, please, stop fighting!” squealed a voice. That must be Sweetie Belle, little sister of one of Fluttershy’s friends. “This doesn’t have anything to do with us!” “It has everythin’ ta’ do with me!” disagreed a much younger southern drawl, presumably Big Mac’s youngest sibling Apple Bloom. “If it weren’t for Scootaloo’s precious Rainbow Crash, mah big brother wouldn’t be all down in the dumps!” Oh, no... Dash groaned inwardly. It seemed her conundrum with her best friend had seeped even down to the youngest family members of those involved. Scootaloo didn’t really have any friends other than Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, and the cyan pegasus definitely didn’t want her little sister’s few friendships damaged because of her! “Don’t you dare call her Rainbow Crash!” scolded the familiar, slightly scratchy voice of Scootaloo. “She’s Rainbow Dash, and she’s the most awesome pony in Ponyville! I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t her fault! It must have been Big Mac who drove her away!” “You take that back!” Apple Bloom demanded. “Make me!” Scootaloo snarled. A sound that might have been Apple Bloom’s battle cry erupted from the clubhouse, and suddenly Rainbow’s ears were assaulted by the sounds of hooves hitting wood and—most shocking of all—other ponies. Dash lived up to her name as she darted into the air and dove through the treehouse window, putting herself between the two brawling fillies and holding them apart at foreleg’s length. Scootaloo looked like she had a few bruises, but Apple Bloom... were those bite marks on her hide?! “What’s going on here?!” Rainbow demanded. “Ah think Ah could ask you the same question,” Apple Bloom muttered, not looking the multicolored mare in the eye. “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo gasped, ironically cheerful despite the bruises adorning her small body. The cyan pegasus winced at hearing her own little sister refer to her by her new name, but that didn’t hurt nearly as much as seeing her bruised from a fight. “Tell them! Tell them how it was all Big Mac’s fault!” “It wasn’t Big Mac’s fault,” Rainbow announced, earning a surprised look from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo, meanwhile, looked like she’d been smacked across the face—far more forcefully than anything Apple Bloom could have managed. “But it wasn’t my fault either. It wasn’t anypony’s fault. Things just didn’t work out between us.” “See?” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “It wasn’t anypony’s fault. Now can we please still all be friends?” “But AJ said ya’ broke mah big brother’s heart,” Apple Bloom stated, puzzled. “She said he asked ya’ out and ya’ said yes, and then ya’ ditched him on your first date!” “I... well, I did,” Rainbow sighed. “You what?” Scootaloo uttered, a look of betrayal crossing her features. That one look broke the multicolored mare’s own heart. “But... but why?” “I wish I could explain,” Rainbow answered lamely. “But I can’t. It’s... complicated.” “Ah told ya’,” Apple Bloom snorted at Scootaloo, though seeing the look on the orange pegasus’s face, the insult only seemed half-hearted at worst. “But... but...” Scootaloo repeated, unable to get her words out. Finally, she managed to say “But you always told me how much you wished Big Mac would ask you out. And now when he finally does, you turn him down on your first date? I... I don’t understand, Rainbow... Did you lie to me?” “Of course not!” Dash asserted instantly before mentally smacking herself, already knowing what Scootaloo would say next. “Then why did you break up with Big Mac?” the little pegasus wanted to know. “Can’t you at least tell your honorary little sister?” “I wish I could, but...” Rainbow responded, before a look of fear filled her eyes. “Wait, what did you just call yourself? Did you say you were my honorary little sister?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed, still looking on the verge of tears. “Aren’t I?” “You mean you aren’t my related sister?” Dash pressed, needing absolute clarity, even if she dreaded what it might be. “I wish,” Scootaloo sniffed. “Then I wouldn’t have to live at the orphanage anymore.” Something deep, deep within Rainbow’s mind snapped at that moment. She felt fury bubbling up inside her like a volcano about to erupt. They hadn’t just messed up her life; that she could at least deal with. If it was an affront to her, then though it was undesirable, it could at least be seen as a pony versus an enemy. But They hadn’t just messed up her life. They had messed up Scootaloo’s as well. They had ripped her away from the only relative she had, and made her an orphan. That settled it; They weren’t just enemies... They were monsters. Rainbow wasn’t just out to reset her reality and regain her life anymore. She was out to save Scootaloo’s reality as well, and that was something that elevated this to a whole new level. But she couldn’t let that show, not now. Scootaloo couldn’t see her anger; it would only add to the unexplainable nature of this crazily rewritten reality. There was, however, one thing she could do to make the situation at least a little better until it was fixed entirely. “Hey, Scoots,” Rainbow announced, drawing the orange filly close and giving her an affectionate noogie. “How would you like me to officially adopt you?” The tiny pegasus’s face lit up like a firework. “You mean it?!” she squealed in utter delight. “Yesyesyesyes!!” She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow and squeezed her as tight as her small frame would allow. The tears in her eyes were definitely born of happiness now, and Dash couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed herself, though for mixed reasons. One the one hoof, she had never seen her little sister quite this happy. On the other, the reason behind this happiness—that she had to be adopted rather than have been with Rainbow all along—was like salt to the wound of all that had happened already. “That’s great, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle cheered, and even Apple Bloom had to give a small smile. “I guess if you’re adoptin’ Scootaloo, then ya’ can’t be all that bad,” the little yellow earth pony admitted. “I’m sorry for callin’ ya’ Rainbow Crash.” “That’s okay,” Dash assured her, continuing to hold Scootaloo tightly. Things might be bizarre and completely messed up right now, but her little sister was happy, and that definitely counted for something. Rainbow had been thus far fighting for herself, but if she was fighting for Scootaloo as well, she felt like nothing could stop her. Finally pulling away from the ecstatic little pegasus, Rainbow announced “I’ll head over to the orphanage right now. Why don’t you and Apple Bloom make up properly, and I’ll come back as soon as I have the good news?” “Okay,” Scootaloo agreed, nodding her head eagerly. Giving her little sister one last smile, Dash trotted over to the treehouse’s entrance and took wing, zooming towards town. It seemed looking for the secret doorway to the otherworld was going to have to wait a while. Scootaloo was definitely coming first. Even if Rainbow’s ultimate plan was to undo this so that her little sister would never have been an orphan in the first place, she couldn’t stand to see Scootaloo like this until then. The only problem now was, where was the orphanage? Rainbow didn’t ever remember Ponyville having one when she had still been Cloud Buster. Perhaps it was a new addition that had come with all the other changes? That was a distressing thought; that They had created an orphanage in Ponyville just to separate Scootaloo from her. The alternative was even more distressing. If there were other orphans there as well, then where had they come from? What families had they been ripped away from without ever realizing it? Rainbow shivered. The sooner They were defeated once and for all, the better. She landed in the town’s central plaza, scanning the surrounding buildings for any sign that read ‘ORPHANAGE.’ If it wasn’t here, she’d sweep the whole town looking for it if she had to. Perhaps she could simply ask for directions? “...And that’s when I said, ‘oh, it’s nothing special, just my BASS CANNON’!!” announced a familiar voice. Rainbow’s eyes widened, and she turned to see none other than the unicorn who had claimed to be Bass Blaster. She was sitting at an outside table at one of the plaza’s cafes, chatting animatedly with... was that a stallion? Rainbow trotted slowly closer, listening intently. She promised herself she would zoom to the orphanage as soon as the unicorn told her where she lived, and then later they could talk about this crazily changed reality. However, as Rainbow approached, it became clear that something definitely sounded...different about Bass Blaster than the first time Dash had seen the unicorn. “You should have seen the look on their faces,” Bass Blaster laughed. “It was priceless!” “Sounds like it,” chuckled the earth pony stallion she was with. It wasn’t anypony Rainbow had ever seen. Was this an old friend of Bass Blaster’s who somehow remembered her from before her changes? Or was this what Dash feared it was, being something else entirely? She stopped approaching and perked her ears to find out, pretending to be studying the menu posted in the cafe’s window, but instead watching the two ponies’ reflection. “I wish I could have been there to see it. Maybe I can next time?” “Totally,” Bass Blaster agreed. “But I don’t really think I’ll be putting on anymore raves any time soon.” “Are you kidding?” the stallion asked. “What about those fliers all over town for your next gig? Isn’t that coming up soon?” “O-oh, those,” Bass stuttered, clearly trying to cover up the fact that she had been unaware of such fliers. It seemed that she too was dealing with commitments written into her past that she didn’t remember. “Well, I’ve been thinking about cancelling that—” “But you can’t!” the stallion cut in, sounding shocked. “What about all your fans? They’ll be so bummed; I know I would be. I’ve loved your music ever since you started playing in Ponyville. In fact, I was really psyched that I finally got to meet you in person. You’ve proven to be just as amazing a pony as you are a DJ.” “Thanks,” the off-white unicorn giggled, blushing. Wait, giggling and blushing?! Either she had always been into stallions, or she was headed down the same path Rainbow had almost gone down with Big Mac. “You’re pretty awesome yourself.” This was worse than Rainbow had feared! She galloped over to the table, desperate to stop this before it went any further. Bass Blaster couldn’t help her if the unicorn was actually accepting her new life! “Say, maybe we could hang out some more some time?” the stallion inquired. “I know this great restaurant—” “That’s enough!” Dash declared, all but running into the table. “Sorry, Romeo, but she’s got plans! Plans on every night you’re planning on getting romantic!” “Who are you?” the stallion asked, surprised and more than a little annoyed that his potential date had been interrupted. “Cloud Buster?” Bass Blaster queried. “What are you doing here?” “Saving you from being Their slave,” the multicolored mare answered, attempting to grab the unicorn’s hoof and drag her away from the would-be casanova. “Now come on, we’ve got some reality to rewrite!” “What are you talking about?” the unicorn wondered, stubbornly refusing to move and sounding plenty angry herself. “You were about to agree to go out with this guy!” Rainbow told her, not about to let this fellow victim of Them fall into the same trap she did. “Can’t you see what’s happening?” “What?” Bass Blaster uttered, her eyes going wide. “You’re right! I can’t believe They almost got me! I’m sorry, Mosh Pit, but I have to go!” Without another word, and leaving the earth pony stallion with a look of utter perplexity and disappointment on his face, the two mares rushed from the cafe. Bass Blaster seemed to be headed somewhere in particular, so Rainbow followed her. They galloped around a few buildings and up a flight of stairs to a second-story apartment. Bass Blaster didn’t seem like she could slip inside fast enough, and urged Rainbow to follow her. The multicolored mare complied, thankful to have saved the unicorn as well as finally find out where she lived. However, just because Rainbow had saved Bass, that didn’t make what she had seen any less worrisome. Rainbow had agreed to go out with Big Mac in a past she’d never lived through, but it had looked very much like Blaster was about to willingly agree to a date of her own free will. Would she have done so if Rainbow hadn’t been there to stop her? Rainbow knew she would have never done such a thing, but due to how freaked out Bass had been when she realized what was going on, the unicorn wouldn’t have normally done so either. Did that mean that she was slipping into her new role in this changed reality, whether she liked it or not? Would this get worse? Was this a portent of what was to come for Rainbow as well? Dash shivered, desperately hoping it wasn’t. “Thanks for the save,” Bass said gratefully, trotting into the apartment and flopping down on a couch. Rainbow joined her, eager to get away and adopt Scootaloo, but wanting to check and see if this changed reality was getting worse first. Rainbow didn’t want to outright avoid Big Mac, as well as every other stallion in Ponyville, but she would if she would otherwise soon be openly accepting dates with them. “I never thought it would happen, but it just kind of crept up on me, you know? I mean, I was always a mare’s stallion, back when I was a stallion. I really hope that doesn’t end up going the other way around.” “Glad I could help,” Rainbow asserted. “So, you really didn’t know he was about to ask you out?” “I guess a part of me knew, in the back of my mind...” Bass Blaster admitted. “...And a part of me wanted him to. I realized pretty quickly in this new changed reality that even if I didn’t want to, as a mare, I liked stallions. I’ve been trying to fight it, but I... I think I’ve been losing. It’s not like the attraction has gotten any stronger, it’s like I just find it increasingly hard to care about not giving into it. It’s the same with other things...” “What other things?” Rainbow wondered, gulping. What else could this change take from them? “Well, for one thing, I can’t say my old name anymore,” the unicorn sighed. “I can’t even think of myself as that name. I’ve been renamed Vinyl Scratch, whether I like it or not.” “You can’t say Bass Blaster anymore?” Rainbow gasped. Then that might mean... She instantly tried to say, to yell, to scream her old name, but all that came out was a whispery hiss. “I can’t believe this! I can’t say my old name either!” “I figured as much,” commented Bass Blaster, or rather, Vinyl Scratch. “I’m afraid this is only going to get worse until we find that door.” “Firefly told you too,” Rainbow stated, and Vinyl nodded. It was good to have a friend with the same goal, but that had come at the price of knowing the situation was going to get worse until they figured out how to stop it... if they figured out how to stop it... No! Rainbow mentally scolded herself. Do NOT think like that! “I’d love to get started searching right away,” Rainbow told her. “But I’ve got something to do first. Now that I know where you live, can I swing by here as soon as I get the chance, and we’ll start then?” “Please do,” Vinyl agreed. Rainbow thanked her, promising to get back as fast as possible, and left the apartment. Leaping into the air and ascending to look down at the building from above, Dash marked the location on her mental map of Ponyville and zoomed off, planning to give the town an aerial sweep for the orphanage. She could have asked Vinyl for directions, but then again, the other new mare probably didn’t remember an orphanage being in Ponyville either. When Dash finally found the place, she was pleased to see that at least it wasn’t a sagging, run-down, broken building like she had feared. The establishment looked fairly nice, if humble, though that wasn’t any reason for Scootaloo having to stay there longer than she had to. Rainbow marched right into the lobby and past the receptionist before the other pony had time to protest. Barging into the door marked ‘HEAD OFFICE,’ Dash announced “I’d like to adopt Scootaloo.” The mare sitting behind the desk, a wizened old thing, looked quite surprised at the intrusion, but smiled pleasantly enough all the same. “You must be Miss Rainbow Dash,” she said, and the multicolored mare nodded. “Scootaloo talks about you quite often. She even claims you’re her honorary big sister.” “I am,” Rainbow affirmed. “And I’d like to be her official guardian.” “I thought you might show up here for that very reason sooner or later,” the elderly mare told her. “I’d be very happy to see Scootaloo go to a good home, and I know she’d love to have you as her official family. However...” However?! Rainbow thought. There isn’t supposed to be a ‘however!’ “I didn’t realize you were so young,” the mare went on. “I’m afraid regulation won’t allow me to allow you to adopt Scootaloo without certain other factors in play.” What?! Nopony had complained when she had taken care of Scootaloo as Cloud Buster! “Why is that a problem?” Rainbow asked, getting a little worried. Surely this couldn’t stop her from getting Scootaloo back, could it? “I’ve seen plenty of ponies my age taking care of foals. And what ‘certain other factors’?” “Those ponies had the foals themselves, and thus aren’t covered by the regulations concerning orphaned foals,” the older pony explained, looking genuinely sorry. “As Scootaloo isn’t related to you, we can’t allow the adoption at this time. However, if ponies meet certain qualifications, they can adopt even at your age. For instance, if you were to become married—” “Hold it!” Rainbow gasped. “Why is that a requirement?!” “A variety of reasons,” the other mare said after flinching at Rainbow’s outburst. “It would show that you’re seriously planning on starting a family, that there would be two potential sources of income to support the adoptee, and the list goes on. There are other qualifications, but I’m afraid they’d take a few years to acquire, by which time you would be old enough to adopt anyway.” “So what you’re saying is, is that if I want to adopt Scootaloo anytime soon, I would have to get...married...” Rainbow uttered for clarity. The elderly pony nodded her affirmation. No, no, NO!! Rainbow thought. I am NOT getting married!! At least, not as a mare! But what about Scootaloo? Rainbow had promised the filly that she would have a new home and family, and the orange pegasus would be more heartbroken than Big Mac ever was if she didn’t come through on that promise. Nevertheless, Rainbow wasn’t going to sacrafice whatever part of her former male identity she had left by wedding a stallion! She outright refused! Wouldn’t that mean refusing Scootaloo a family too, though? the multicolored mare thought, her mind torn. I can’t let Scootaloo down, but I can’t get married either! Oh, this is going to drive me crazy! “Why don’t you take some time to think things over?” the older mare suggested, seeing Rainbow’s torn state. “Please know that the orphanage doesn’t encourage you to marry just so you can adopt Scootaloo. In the event that you had already planned to do so, you can come back later. In the meantime, though, why don’t you just keep it in mind in case a special somepony crosses your path?” “Yeah, I think I need to... think things through...” Rainbow breathed, looking out of breath. “Thank you for your time.” The other mare nodded and they said their goodbyes. Dash trotted out of the office in a daze. What in Equestria was she going to do now?! She didn’t think Big Macintosh was going to want to get married so soon even if she had been open to the idea herself. They’d only just (almost) gone on their first date, after all! No, marriage was definitely out. Besides, planning a wedding would take far too much time away from potential door-hunting excursions. She would simply tell Scootaloo that she couldn’t get married, and the little filly would surely understand...right? Rainbow gulped, knowing all too well that she didn’t at all want to test that hypothesis...even if her little sister was waiting for her reply later that day. Rainbow couldn’t stand this. She needed somepony to talk to about what was going on. She needed help to form some kind of plan. Of course, there was only one pony in Ponyville who had any idea what she was going through. Rainbow crouched, preparing to launch into the sky and zoom back to Vinyl’s, when somepony called “Rainbow! It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages! How have you been, darling?” The multicolored mare recognized that voice, and turned to see Rarity, one of Fluttershy’s closest friends. The fashionable unicorn was wearing saddlebags that seemed to be stuffed with thick fabric, and was already trotting over to her. It would be rude to simply fly away, even given the situation. “Oh, uh, hey, Rarity,” Rainbow greeted. “I was actually just about to go somewhere, but maybe we can catch up some other time...” “I didn’t expect to see you in this part of town,” the unicorn noted, seemingly oblivious to Dash’s hint. “I was just on my way to drop off some of my excess sweaters to the orphanage—they’re such little dears, you know, and everypony deserves a little warmth come winter—but what brings you here?” “I actually just came from the orphanage myself,” Rainbow answered. “But right now I need to—” “But why would be in the orphanage?” Rarity wondered, again seeming to be almost intentionally cutting the cyan pegasus off. Perhaps she did recognize the hint, but just didn’t want to allow Rainbow to leave without a chat first? “Unless... oh, Rainbow! I knew you had a big heart, but this is phenomenal! You just adopted Scootaloo, didn’t you!” “I tried to,” Dash sighed, seeing she wasn’t going to get out of this anytime soon. “But they said I couldn’t adopt her unless I got married, so—” “Married?!” Rarity exclaimed, her face lighting up. “You’re getting married as well?! I knew you and Big Macintosh always had a thing for one another, but I didn’t realize things were that serious already! Oh, this is wonderful—I’ll design you the absolutely perfect dress, free of charge, of course! Do you have a minute? I’d love to get measurements down right away—” “Rarity!” Rainbow all but shouted. “I’m not getting married to Big Mac!” “...what?” the unicorn uttered, deflating. “But I thought you just said...” “I said they wouldn’t let me adopt Scootaloo unless I got married,” Rainbow explained with an exasperated sigh. “But that doesn’t mean I am getting married. Besides, Big Mac and I are just friends.” “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Rarity admitted. “What do you mean ‘just friends’? I thought you and Big Macintosh were supposed to have gone on a date just last night... wasn’t Fluttershy supposed to go with you?” “Didn’t you here?” Rainbow inquired, hanging her head, really not wanting to talk about this but knowing she had no choice. “We did, but it didn’t work out. I had to leave. And please, don’t ask why. It’s not Big Mac’s fault. It’s not anypony’s fault. I just can’t explain it.” “Are you alright?” Rarity queried, deep concern lacing her voice. “Is something going on? If so, please, Rainbow, you know you can trust your friends with whatever you’re going through. We’re all here for you, through thick and thin, remember?” “Thanks, I appreciate it,” Rainbow noted, giving a small smile. “But this is something I’m afraid you all can’t help with.” “If you’re sure...” Rarity trailed off, looking downcast. “I really am sorry; I had thought you two were so good for each other. You even told me a while ago that if all went well you were going to make him your special pick to see that Wonderbolts show coming up...” “I have tickets to an upcoming Wonderbolts show?” Rainbow gasped, pleasant surprise crossing her features until she saw the exact opposite fall over Rarity. “What, what’s wrong?” “N-nothing, darling,” Rarity assured, trotting briskly away. “I’ll see you around, Rainbow. Take care!” Not entirely sure what had just happened, Rainbow shrugged it off as just another notch on the weirdness of this changed reality and launched herself into the sky. She was so quick to head off towards Vinyl’s apartment that she didn’t even see Rarity bypass the orphanage completely and gallop straight towards the library. By the time the multicolored mare reached her newfound friend’s apartment, she had had to admit to herself that she wasn’t really sure if Vinyl could provide any real help in this matter. Dash didn’t see what the off-white unicorn could do, but Rainbow supposed asking was worth a shot. Anything that bought her some time before having to face Scootaloo was a welcome distraction. Rainbow had just raised her hoof to knock on the door when she heard the whispers again. Is this the place? Yes. It shall be relocated? Yes. And Rainbow Dash shall not know where? Yes. Then it shall be so. “What?!” Rainbow exclaimed, furiously pounding on the door, hoping desperately that she wasn’t too late. “No! That’s not fair! You can’t stop us from helping each other!” “Who’s making that racket?!” yelled a very cranky-sounding voice from within. A few hoofsteps later, a wrinkly old donkey had poked his head outside the door, snapping “What do you want, youngster? I was taking my nap!” Rainbow simply stared at him, agitation boiling over to anger within her. Without a word, she turned tail and launched herself back into the sky, leaving a very confused donkey wondering just what in the world had occurred. Flying high over Ponyville, Dash scanned the citizens trotting or flying about their business below, searching for one shock of electric blue mane in particular. She didn’t see it. “Gah!” she exasperated, zooming down and flying aimlessly through the buildings, earning quite a few odd looks as she did so. “Why does this have to be so hard?!” At last, Rainbow had to land, finally admitting to herself that she wasn’t going to find Vinyl by simply random searching. They wouldn’t allow for that anyway; They’d probably just relocate her apartment all over again if Dash found it. So how could she find the off-white unicorn? Wait, hadn’t the stallion who had been chatting her up said something about fliers for a rave? Maybe she could reach Vinyl at the event, unless They erased that too... but Firefly had said They couldn’t change a pony’s mind once they had caught on to Their existence, hadn’t she? And, even if Vinyl had been about to cancel the rave, she’d be looking for Rainbow as well. Hopefully, she would keep the rave on regardless of what They did to try and stop it. Like a lighthouse to a ship lost at sea, perhaps the rave could be the beacon that led them to each other again? Rainbow only hoped that once they found each other once more, they could stay together. But where would she find a flier to such an event? It would have had to be posted at a very public place. Perhaps Sugar Cube Corner? Rainbow all but bolted to the bakery. There was a bulletin board inside the sweet shop where the Cakes allowed ponies to post notifications about upcoming events. With any luck, there would be a flier there. Finally reaching the bakery, Dash made for the door before it opened and a pink blur all but ran over her. “Dashie!” squealed the unmistakable voice of Pinkie Pie. “I’m so glad I found you! I was just headed over to the library, because Twilight wanted to call a meeting, and one of use was supposed to come and find you, and look! I found you! So now we can go over there together!” “What?” Rainbow wondered. “I don’t have time to go to Twilight’s right now; I need to get a flier from the bulletin board!” “Oh, you mean this flier?” Pinkie inquired slyly, pulling a sheet of paper seemingly out of thin air. She showed it to the cyan pegasus, who gasped at seeing it. Though Vinyl’s name wasn’t on it, there was a picture of her at a turntable blasting music. The caption read ‘DJ PON3 PERFORMING LIVE!’ and listed a place and a time just a few days away. “How did you know I was after that?” Rainbow asked, incredulity and suspicion sneaking into her scratchy voice. How would Pinkie Pie know, unless... was the pink party pony somehow connected to Them? “Vinyl Scratch came by just a few minutes ago and asked me to make sure you got one,” the earth pony replied, eliciting a sigh of relief from Dash. “She also told me to tell you not to bother looking for her house, because it’ll probably just keep moving until the rave. She said the same thing might happen if you agreed to meet up at a public place. Now why would she say something like that? Does she think buildings have legs or something? That sounds really neat! I wish Sugar Cube Corner had legs, because then it could follow me around, and I would never be too far from my supply of sweets, and—” “Thank you, Pinkie,” Dash cut her off, taking the flier from the earth pony and memorizing the date and time before tossing it into a nearby trashcan. She had hardly been able to stand the party pony’s incessant rambling as Cloud Buster; it seemed that trait had carried over to her new life as Rainbow Dash. “By the way, I didn’t know you were friends with Vinyl Scratch,” Pinkie noted. “Is she okay? She seemed really worried when she told me to give you the flier. She barely even cheered up when the stallion she was with bought one of my special cupcakes for her.” “She was with a stallion?!” Rainbow gasped, the color draining from her face, and given her natural colors that was saying something. “Yeah,” Pinkie agreed, seemingly oblivious to Dash’s distressed shock. “Speaking of which, how’s your stallion doing, Dashie? I never got a chance to ask how your date with Big Mac went last night.” Rainbow simply groaned. She did not want to go through with this again. And, on top of that, had Vinyl slipped right back into the trap that Rainbow had just saved the unicorn from? Was her willpower deteriorating that quickly? Would Rainbow be next? “Dashie, what’s wrong?” the pink earth pony wondered. “Did the date not go well? Don’t worry, you can tell Auntie Pinkie all about it on the way to Twilight’s!” Not seeing what else she could do and welcoming the prolongment of facing Scootaloo, Rainbow trotted after Pinkie Pie. She refused to say anything on the way over, but that didn’t prove to be a problem anyway. The party pony blathered on enough for two ponies, filling the silence with whatever happened to pop into her mind. Dash didn’t have to say a word. At last, they arrived at the Ponyville Library. Rainbow hadn’t the slightest idea why Twilight was calling her friends to a meeting, but anything was better than facing Scootaloo sooner rather than later. It may have been prolonging the inevitable, but Rainbow reasoned that that was better than nothing. Perhaps Twilight regularly called meetings with the other Elements of Harmony? Fluttershy had never mentioned anything like that. Maybe one of them had a birthday coming up and this was going to be a surprise party for them? For all Dash knew, the surprise birthday could be hers. Then again, she was still the same age, wasn’t she? The other four of Fluttershy’s closest friends, as well as Fluttershy herself, were all talking amongst themselves when Rainbow and Pinkie arrived. They weren’t jumping out from behind the furniture and there weren’t any decorations, so that ruled out a surprise party. In fact, they all looked rather worried, Fluttershy in particular. Applejack, meanwhile, simply tried her best to avert her eyes from Rainbow’s gaze. “Rainbow’s here!” Pinkie Pie called cheerily as she bounced into the room and took her place amidst the circle of friends. What? Why would Dash’s appearance be announced? “We’re glad you could make it, Rainbow Dash,” greeted Twilight Sparkle, motioning for the multicolored mare to join them. Uncertain, Rainbow reluctantly complied, taking a seat next to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the two ponies she knew the best. She had known Fluttershy since nearly forever, and she had been hoping to get to know her even better before all of this happened. Hopefully that could still happen if Rainbow—no, when Rainbow reset this version of reality. As for Pinkie Pie, well, everypony in Ponyville knew Pinkie Pie. “We’ve been waiting for you.” “What’s this about?” the cyan pegasus inquired, feeling nervous. Why were they all gathered for her? “We’ve all heard about how your date with Big Macintosh went last night,” Twilight answered. “We know it’s your business what happened between you two, but we’ve all had to admit that we were rather surprised to hear you left the date so early. You used to talk about Big Macintosh all the time. But that’s not the only thing; you’ve been acting different in other ways. You’ve got us all worried, Rainbow Dash, and as your friends we’re here to help in any way we can.” “Is this supposed to be an intervention or something?” Rainbow wondered with a sigh. She welcomed the distraction from Scootaloo, but she did not need to come up with yet more lies to hide the truth, which would undoubtedly label her as crazy. “Not unless you’ve become addicted to something,” Twilight responded, sounding genuinely concerned. And why shouldn’t she be? To the other Elements of Harmony, Rainbow was one of their best friends. Dash knew that she would have been worried if one of her friends had acted like she was now back when she had been Cloud Buster. “Is that why you’ve been acting so strange?” “What’s so strange about me not wanting to date Big Mac?” Rainbow wondered, pondering how she would get out of this situation. “I changed my mind; it’s as simple as that.” “We can understand that,” Twilight stated, glancing at Applejack, who still refused to look at Rainbow. It seemed the farmpony did still cared for the cyan pegasus, though, as she had come here in the first place. “But Rarity tells us you forgot you had tickets to the upcoming Wonderbolts performance. That has to be a sign that something’s wrong; we all know you’d never forget something like that. “In fact, I’ve been doing a little bit of research on your recent behavior,” Twilight went on. Her horn lit up, and she levitated a book over from a desk, opening it in front of her. Rainbow managed to catch a glimpse of the cover. It was a catalogue of... behavioral disorders? They thought she was sick? “And, after careful analysis, I think I’ve discovered that you may be experiencing something called ‘acute affection apathy.’ It’s a rare disorder, but sometimes it crops up when a pony is entering into a relationship. It happens when somepony is so afraid of commitment that they become disoriented, and deny that they were ever interested in somepony, claiming to feel the opposite about them. It can even affect other areas of their lives, making them feel the opposite about things than they usually would.” Rainbow did not like where this was going. “Are you saying I’m crazy because I don’t like Big Mac?” she asked. “No, we just believe that what happened recently with Big Macintosh, as well as how you’ve been acting in general, is the result of an unfortunate condition you may have developed,” Twilight answered, smiling encouragingly, but with worried eyes. “So, in order to help you in this situation, we’ve contacted an expert on all things related to love and affection.” Who said anything about love? Rainbow thought. It was just a date! And who in the world could be a ‘love expert?’ “We know you’ll be hesitant to accept this help, Rainbow,” Twilight finished. “We know you’re too independent for that. But we’re all really worried about you. So, for us, will you please do this? If you don’t have this condition, and we hope you don’t, then our expert will simply confirm that. Plus, it gives me a chance to use the latest spell I’ve been working on.” Rainbow really, really wanted to say ‘no.’ Out of all of these ponies, she was really only truly friends with Fluttershy, whatever the others thought in this version of reality. However, if Rainbow did refuse this help, then it would look like she was turning down Fluttershy’s help as well as the rest of the Elements, and that was something she couldn’t bear. Reluctantly, and reflecting with much annoyance on how much she was having to concede things recently, Rainbow nodded her head. “Excellent!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming. “I’ve been waiting for a reason to use my portal spell.” Portal spell? How far away did this ‘love expert’ live? Twilight’s horn sparked and shone with more magic than Rainbow had ever seen a unicorn use before a burst of light erupted from its tip. The light swirled into the center of the room and spun faster and faster, finally growing almost blinding in its brilliance. Finally, with a final flash, reality itself seemed to be torn open. Out of the portal trotted Princess Cadance, alicorn of love. . . . Chapter 5Chapter 5 Chapter 6Chapter 6 Chapter 7Chapter 7 Chapter 8Chapter 8 Chapter 4Chapter 4
Chapter 1Them Chapter 1 Run. Cloud Buster complied. He didn’t know who had spoken. He didn’t care either; it seemed like a good idea, especially since he was in the middle of a dark wood and...something... seemed to be chasing him. The setting wasn’t exactly helping matters; the dark, dead trees tried to scratch and trip him at every turn with their sharp, clawing, skeletal branches. What little he could see of the sky above was blood red, and he couldn’t even properly see the ground through all the dead leaves littering it. The crunching of said leaves with every hoofstep was definitely not helping him lose the attention of whatever it was that was chasing him. He couldn’t see it, but that was mainly because he refused to turn around and risk a glance. He could certainly hear it, though. It snorted, it cried, it released sounds the stallion didn’t have a name for. Worst of all, though, was that each unearthly scream, or whatever they were, was louder than the last. Run, or They will have you. Cloud Buster didn’t know who ‘they’ were, but he didn’t want to find out. Increasingly, though, it was looking like he wouldn’t have much choice. The sharp, black, spiky arms of the dead trees above prevented him from simply flying away. No flight; it was like his worst nightmare come true. Perhaps that’s exactly what this was? Run, or They will change you. Cloud Buster’s brow furrowed. No! Flee, for They are almost upon you! What was he so afraid of? Why was he bothering to listen to some voice in his head when he didn’t even know who was really speaking? Cloud Buster didn’t run from fights, he made fights run from him! That’s the way he had always operated, so why would that have suddenly changed now? There was only one explanation for it. For the ethereal disembodied voice, the nightmarish black woods, and the rampant fear that had thus far gripped his heart. He was dreaming. Or, rather, he was having a nightmare. But nopony made Cloud Buster turn tail and flee in fear. He wasn’t afraid of anything! The stallion skidded to a halt and declared as much to the woods, turning to face whatever was chasing him and daring it to trot closer. Run away, Cloud Buster, while you’re still you! While he was still himself? What kind of malarkey was that? “I’m not afraid of you!” the pegasus boldly proclaimed, stamping his thick, strong hooves and snorting threateningly. “And nopony tells me what to do!” I’m not ordering you, I’m warning you! “Warning me against what?” he chuckled, convinced now that this was all a dream. He was probably conked out on his bed of clouds right now, safe and snug in his cumulo-nimbus home, floating just outside the south end of Ponyville. Perhaps he had fallen asleep reading one of the creepier Daring Danger novels? No, that couldn’t be right; Cloud Buster distinctly remembered finishing his last book a while ago—in all likelihood, he was snoring under the latest issue of Sports Weekly’s swimsuit edition. “Whatever it is, I can take it on!” That’s just it... It’s the one thing you can’t take on... ...it’s you... ...or rather, who you’ll become... “Huh?” Cloud Buster wondered aloud. “What are you—” Too late! The otherworldly roars and sinister cries were almost deafening now. If this wasn’t a dream, it was too late to run, not that the proud pegasus would have done so in real life anyway. Instead, he braced himself, planting his hooves firmly in the dirt and instinctively flaring his wings. “Come on, then!” he roared right back at the oncoming monstrosity. “You want to do this the hard way? Then we’ll do this the hard way!” The screams reached an overwhelming crescendo, and just like that, silenced instantly. The quiet proved to be more deafening than the sound had ever been. Cloud Buster looked around uncertainly, confused. “Is that it?” he laughed after a moment. “...Is...that...it...?” echoed a voice. “Who said that?” Buster demanded, his eyes narrowing as he crouched, ready to spring into an offensive maneuver. “Who said...that?” the voice mimicked. Odd, it sounded vaguely familiar, yet so alien at the same time. It was almost as if it was his own voice, yet stretched and spoken at an incredible speed, like one of those high-pitched distorted sounds he sometimes heard on records. It was very scratchy, but definitely lighter than anything his deep vocal cords could ever manage. “Why are you copying me?” “Why are—” Cloud started to say before cutting himself off with a gasp. “How did you know I was—” “—about to say that?” the scratchy voice interrupted. “Because I am you.” Something was approaching through the darkness, emerging from the shadows of the dead, dark wood. It was an equine figure, but the further it stepped into the light and the more details it acquired, the more it became clear that it definitely wasn’t another Cloud Buster. In fact, it looked like anything but Cloud Buster. Instead of a muscular stallion, this newcomer was a lithe mare. A vibrant, vivacious multicolored mane flowed down her neck and hung low over her magenta eyes. A similar explosion of color made up her tail, and a pair of sky-blue wings covered her curved form with the softest feathers Cloud had ever seen. However, none of that was what drew Cloud’s attention the most. It was more surprising than finding that a mare, rather than a monster or some nightmare version of himself, had been chasing him. It was even more striking than her sultry beauty. What drew his attention the most was the look he saw in her eyes, that glare of determination... ...it was the same look he saw whenever he looked in a mirror. “Who are you?” Cloud asked, thoroughly confused. This wasn’t the first time he’d dreamt of mares, though those dreams usually involved the scenes in the magazine that was probably resting on his sleeping face back up in reality. Or, when he was particularly lucky, his mare-related dreams would drift to a certain creamy yellow, pink-maned childhood friend of his agreeing to be something more than just a friend. However, this dream was neither wet nor heartwarming. Instead, it was beginning to make him feel uneasy. He almost would’ve preferred to face a nightmare monster than see his very essence reflected back at him in the eyes of some alien mare. “My name is your name,” she replied almost mockingly in her scratchy, high voice. “Your name is Cloud Buster?” he wondered, suspicion riddling his voice. What was her game? What was this dream supposed to mean? Because whatever it meant, it was seriously starting to freak him out. “No,” the mare chuckled, shaking her head and sending her light-burst of a mane swishing back and forth. “My name is Rainbow Dash.” “My name isn’t Rainbow Dash,” Cloud Buster asserted, still ready to pounce into an attack should she try anything tricky. “It will be,” the mare laughed. Quicker than Cloud Buster could react, the mare leapt at him like a streak of multicolored lightning. Buster braced for impact, but it was in vain. He felt an electric jolt as the thunderbolt zapped into his chest, wracking his entire frame with horrific pain. He screamed, his voice rising higher and higher, squeaking and scratching as he could never have managed. Finally, everything fell apart, shattering into darkness. . . . Cloud Buster awoke with a gasp, checking his hooves as cold sweat slid down his forehead. After a moment of staring at them, he put them down, shaking his head. What had he expected to find? They were the same thick hooves he’d always had, clad in a blue coat as dark as the sky before dusk. Swinging his hind legs over the side of his cloud bed, Buster stretched his forelegs before falling forward and trotting shakily to the window. What was that dream all about? he wondered to himself as he watched the first tendrils of dawn come shining over the horizon. Well, whatever it was, Cloud Buster knew he certainly didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Thankfully it wasn’t the middle of the night; the pegasus did begrudge getting up this early on his day off, but now at least nopony could blame him for sleeping in so late. Trotting back over to his bed, Cloud used his wing to scoop up the issue of Sports Weekly that had indeed been open on his face, having fallen off in his startled awakening. Perhaps somepony in here had given him the idea for that mare in his dream? No, Buster didn’t even want to know. He could do without ever seeing that nightmare of a rainbow-maned menace ever again. The odd thing was that she hadn’t really done anything except zap him at the end, so why had she been so... unnerving? The stallion shuddered, shoving the unpleasant memory to the back of his mind. He’d rather not think about that now, or ever, for that matter. After giving a salute to his Wonderbolt poster, Buster retreated to the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face and fully shook the sleep from his sky-blue eyes, checking his square jaw for any signs of stubble. There was a bit, but not enough to bother with at the moment. As quietly as he could, Cloud Buster trotted out into the hall, passing his little sister’s room. Peeking in through the cracked doorway, he saw Scootaloo still sleeping soundly, cozy in her cloud covers. A soft smile appeared on Buster’s face, and he silently moved on. He’d let her sleep in for now. Today was Saturday, and her day off as well, though she’d probably have some homework he’d have to help her with later. Cloud Buster would be the first to admit he wasn’t the best tutor, but even the horrors of math and science weren’t enough to prevent him from helping his sister. Strolling into the kitchen, the stallion beheld with a sigh all the empty cupboards. He’d intentionally left them open so he wouldn’t bother rummaging through them, searching for something to eat. He knew he should have gone shopping a while ago, but when was there time in a busy pegasus’s life for shopping? Well, there would be time today, he supposed, but he didn’t want to waste the whole day shopping... perhaps just a quick trip to Sweet Apple Acres to pick up some breakfast for Scootaloo? He could always munch on a few of the delicious treats himself on the flight back home, of course, and then he would do some actual shopping later in the day. He picked up his saddlebags and slipped them on. Trotting to the front of his modest yet beloved home in the sky, Cloud Buster threw open the cloud door and launched himself into the air. As he soared over the slowly waking Ponyville below, he remembered teaching Scootaloo how to fly, a nostalgic smile creeping onto his face once more. She’d had some trouble at first, but now she could give even the best fliers at her school a run for their bits. According to her, she still held the record for flying the highest out of all of her classmates... and she had brought home the teacher’s detention note she’d earned to prove it. He’d never been more proud of her. All across the town square below, ponies were slowly and often still drowsily shuffling out of their homes and setting up market stalls. Pleasant scents were wafting up from Sugar Cube Corner, where Ponyville’s own party pony Pinkie Pie was sure to be baking sweets. Maybe he could buy one as a special treat for Scootaloo on the way back home? Then again, it would involve dealing with Pinkie Pie, and Cloud wasn’t so sure he was ready to listen to her incessantly random rambling this early in the morning. He brushed his wispy cloud-white mane out of his eyes as he flew on and passed over the Ponyville library, wondering idly what crazy magical experiment Twilight Sparkle would be working on today. He’d even met the famous student of Princess Celestia and the hero of Equestria a few times, but they were acquaintances at best, as he really only knew her through Fluttershy. Who would have guessed that his childhood friend from Cloudsdale would wind up being friends with the Bearer of the Element of Magic, as well as being a Bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony herself? If anypony deserved to represent kindness, though, Cloud Buster knew it was Fluttershy. He felt butterflies flittering about in his stomach just thinking about her. How fitting that butterflies also graced her flank. He never would have told her that to her face, of course; she was much too sensitive for that. But maybe today was the day he should tell her something about how he’d been feeling about her lately... and maybe, just maybe, she’d reveal that she felt the same way. Sweet Apple Acres finally came into view, and Cloud Buster glided down to the dirt pathway leading up to the barn and the Apple family farmhouse. Technically, apple business was conducted at the market in a few hours, after Big Macintosh had collected enough for Applejack to take to town. However, he knew the sturdy red stallion wouldn’t mind his unannounced visit. They went way back, after all. Not as far back as he and Fluttershy, but he’d been best buds with Big Mac practically since his first day in Ponyville, when they had hoof-wrestled and Cloud lasted longer against the crimson powerhouse than anypony who’d previously challenged him. Cloud wouldn’t give up until he’d bested Big Mac in something, though, and the friendly rivalry born that day had soon become a genuine friendship. Consequently, Buster spent almost as much time on the farm as any of the Apples, and he sometimes felt as if he was part of the family anyway. “Hey, Big Mac!” Cloud Buster called after spotting the crimson stallion bucking an apple tree and nearly uprooting it. He galloped over to his friend, and they knocked hooves in greeting. “Good morning.” “Eeyup,” the workhorse agreed. Big Macintosh may not say much, but he made up for that with his character. “You’re up early.” “I had the weirdest dream,” Cloud Buster explained as his friend began collecting the barrels which had caught the falling apples. Cloud pitched in and helped load them onto the waiting cart. “There was this crazy mare, and... I don’t even know how to describe it. I didn’t much feel like going back to sleep after that.” “You, Cloud Buster, didn’t want ta’ go back ta’ sleep because of a dream about a mare?” Big Mac chuckled, trotting over to another tree. “Ah never thought Ah’d see the day.” “It wasn’t like that!” Buster protested. “It was all... freaky. Definitely not a mare I’d want to meet in real life. And mind if I take a swing at this one?” “Be mah guest,” Big Mac agreed, stepping away from the tree and gesturing at it with a hoof. Backing up to the tree, Cloud Buster gave it his best buck, his powerful hind legs sending a reverberation through the trunk. Scores of apples fell into the waiting barrels. Not all of them, as when Big Mac had done it, but more than half. Another buck and the tree was empty. He’d have to work on that, but there would probably be plenty of time to practice when the actual applebuck season came and he pitched in. After all, Big Mac had years of practice bucking nothing but apple trees, and the pegasus spent his days busting clouds. Still, it was hard enough work in its own right; when on duty with the weather team, he had to fly all over town and buck storm clouds into nothing. “Speakin’ of mares,” Big Mac noted as they moved the barrels into the cart. “Have you worked up the nerve to talk ta’ Fluttershy yet?” “I was thinking about doing that today, actually,” Cloud Buster replied, gulping slightly and trying not to look nervous. “Glad ta’ hear it,” Big Mac replied with an encouraging smile. “It’s about time. You’ll do fine.” “Thanks, bro,” Cloud Buster acknowledged. “Anyway, is it cool if I buy a few apples? I should probably be getting back home before Scootaloo wakes up.” Big Mac nodded, and Cloud slipped out a bit from his saddlebags with his wing, flipping it towards the other stallion. The workhorse caught it in his mouth, and Buster scooped a few apples from the cart into his bags. “Hey, if you have some time after work today, we should hang out,” the pegasus noted. “Maybe grab some cider down at Berry Punch’s place?” “Sounds good,” Big Mac agreed. “I’ll see ya’ then. Maybe you could even bring Fluttershy?” “Here’s to hoping,” Cloud Buster announced sheepishly. He took wing, leaving his friend to his work. Here’s to hoping I don’t chicken out asking her out again, he thought as he soared back over Ponyville. No, you’ve waited too long, Cloud Buster. You can do this, and you’re going to do it today. While flying over Sugar Cube Corner for the second time, Cloud gave into the alluring scents and descended to the town plaza. A few other shops and vendors’ stalls were already open by now, but only the Cake’s bakery actually had a line built up. Thankfully it wasn’t out the door this early in the morning, but it probably would be sometime today. So how should I ask her? Buster thought to himself as he waited in line. Simply pop over there and say “Hey, Fluttershy, I just thought I’d say hi, see how you were doing, and ask if maybe you wanted to, you know...go out sometime?” He imagined her reaction to such a direct approach, and it didn’t end well. Perhaps he should ease into things far more subtly. He wanted to grow closer to her, after all. He didn’t want her timid nature to end up pushing him father away. Maybe if I get her talking about animals for a while, she’ll open up more, and then when I finally do ease into the question she’ll say— “Hiya, Cloud Buster! What’ll it be?” “Huh?” Cloud uttered confusedly, shaking his head. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize he’d reached the front of the line. Pinkie Pie was staring at him expectantly, her bright blue eyes almost unnerving in their piercing focus. “Oh, hey, Pinkie. I’ll just have a cinnamon swirl for Scootaloo, please. Actually, make it two; I’ll have one myself. they smell extra-good this morning.” “Sure thing!” the pink party pony announced, bagging two of the sweet-smelling treats and handing him the bag. He passed over two bits, and was about to leave, when she asked “Are you sure you don’t want something else? Because you know we do have just the most scrumdidlyumptious cupcakes in Ponyville and they’d make a great gift and if you want I can even do it up extra-special, maybe even with a sweetly-worded message, and I don’t know about you, but I think that would be just the perfect way to ask a certain special somepony, whose name starts with ‘F’ and ends with ‘-luttershy,’ if they want to be your special somepony, and—” “Pinkie Pie!” Cloud gasped. “How do you know about that?! Did Big Mac tell you?” “Don’t be silly, you silly!” Pinkie laughed. “I felt with my Pinkie-sense that something big and romantic was going to happen to you soon, and it’s not like you’re very good at hiding the blatantly obvious, even if Fluttershy is oblivious, or maybe she isn’t, maybe she’s just nervous about the whole thing and wants you to make the first move, but once you do I’m sure she’ll say—” “That’s enough!” Cloud Buster declared, stuffing the treat bag in his saddlebags and quickly trotting towards the door. “The Pinkie-sense is never wrong!” the party pony called after him. “Good luck, casanova!” If she knows, then who else knows?! Buster wondered worriedly as he hastily exited the bakery and trotted towards home, as flying would’ve disturbed the pastries too much. His feelings for Fluttershy weren’t exactly something he wanted publicized, at least not until he had a chance to break the news to her himself. But if Pinkie was right, then what if the creamy yellow pegasus already did know something was up? Would that make her more agreeable to his question, or harder to ask because of it? “Cloud Buster!” a voice he didn’t recognize interrupted his thoughts. “Thank Celestia I found you. I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He turned, seeing a unicorn mare come galloping over to him. He’d never seen her, though she clearly knew who he was, as relieved recognition shone in her eyes. But who was she? He knew he would remember meeting somepony like her. She had nothing on Fluttershy, but she was gorgeous in her own right, with a gleaming off-white coat and a shock of electric-blue striped mane. Her cutie mark was a simple music note. “Hello?” he said, trying not to let on that he didn’t recognize her. He’d been in situations like this; everypony had. However, that didn’t make it any less awkward trying not to be rude despite the fact that he had no recollection of her. “Um... how have you been?” She skidded to a halt in front of him, all the relief draining from her eyes in an instant. “You mean you really don’t know who I am?” she asked, distress rising in her voice. “I didn’t say that!” Cloud claimed, trying to salvage the situation. “I mean, not off the top of my head, but I remember you... vaguely.” “It’s me, Bass Blaster!” she asserted. “I’m your best friend! We’ve known each other ever since you moved to Ponyville! We saw each other just yesterday!” “I... think you must have me mistaken for somepony else,” Buster said. “Sorry, miss.” “Don’t call me ‘miss’!” she snarled, making him jump at her sudden flash of anger. “I’m a stallion!” He begged to differ. She definitely looked like a mare, and pretty one at that. “Are you alright?” he inquired. “Maybe you’re confused.” “I know what I look like right now, but you’ve got to believe me!” she insisted. “If I was lying, then how would I know that you used to sing Sapphire Shores songs to Scootaloo when she was afraid of the dark, even though you always thought they were too girly? Or how it’s your secret dream to get into the Wonderbolts despite thinking that you’re too slow and bulky to be accepted? Or how you’ve been in love with Fluttershy for nearly forever?!” “Does the whole town know about that?!” Cloud exasperated. “Is Pinkie blathering my private life to everypony she meets? Did she use her freaky ‘Pinkie-sense’ to tell you the rest of that stuff as well?” “Surprise didn’t tell me anything!” the mare pleaded. “I mean, Pinkie didn’t. Well, she used to be Surprise, but then she was changed too, but that’s beside the point. Please, Cloud, you have to help me! I don’t want to be stuck like this!” “I’m sorry, whoever you are,” Buster sighed, giving up all pretense of trying to be polite. “But I’ve had enough of Pinkie’s craziness today, and craziness in general. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get home.” “At least help me for the sake of helping yourself!” she demanded, her anger spiking again. “When They were doing this to me, I overheard Them talking about how They were going to change you next! You’re going to turn into a mare named Rainbow Dash, and pretty soon that’s how everypony will remember you!” Cloud Buster had by now turned and poised himself to fly away, regardless of whether or not he was carrying delicate cargo. However, the mention of that name gave him pause. He shuddered as he remembered the pony from his nightmare. How in Equestria did this zany unicorn know about that? To be honest, he didn’t want to know. Before she could say anything else, he launched himself into the air and sped back home, leaving the very distressed-looking mare watching him flying away. “Scootaloo, I’m home!” Cloud announced as he soared back into his house, trying his best to shove the episode with Pinkie and the unicorn into the back of his mind with the nightmare. He trotted into the kitchen and plopped the apples and treat bag onto the table. “Scoots?” “I’m coming, I’m coming,” announced a young and slightly irritated voice from the hallway. The tiny orange-and-lavender filly trotted into the kitchen wiping the sleep from her eyes, her mane a tangled rat’s nest. She hopped up into her seat and smiled as she smelled the breakfast, taking a bite out of a particularly luscious-looking apple. “Thanks for breakfast. Can I go see if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle can play afterwards?” “Sure,” Buster replied, snagging another apple for himself. “Just don’t forget to do your homework sometime today. I can help if you need me to.” “How about we make a deal?” Scootaloo inquired slyly after tapping her chin in thought for a moment. “I’ll promise to do my homework all by myself—and I’ll work extra hard at it—if you promise to ask Fluttershy out today.” Cloud Buster nearly choked on his apple. “How do... Pinkie told you, didn’t she?” he spluttered. Scootaloo nodded, smiling cheekily. “I’m going to have to have a serious talk with that mare,” he sighed. “And you’ll be happy to know that I had already planned to do that today anyway. Ah, no take-backs on the deal! But just make sure you don’t forget to do your homework. You can always ask for help if you need it.” “Thanks, big brother,” Scootaloo laughed. After finishing breakfast, Scootaloo flew into town to seek out her friends. Cloud Buster, meanwhile, tried not to let his nerves get the best of him as he readied himself for a visit to Fluttershy’s. He showered, preened his feathers, and brushed his mane and tail. After putting on some cologne, he showered again to wash it off, deciding it was too much. The odd scent might scare her off, making her think it was too big of a deal. It was a big deal, at least to him, but he didn’t want the enormity of that to make Fluttershy nervous. Deciding he should simply settle on the casual approach, Cloud dried off, combed his mane and tail again, and preened his wings once more. Thinking it was now or never, he then flew out into the warm blue sky of late morning—only to fly back in to remedy the fact that he’d forgotten to brush his teeth. Finally convinced all was ready, he took the air once more. The butterflies seemed to have multiplied in his stomach as he soared over town for the third time that day, and then beyond it, towards a lonely little cottage on the edge of the Everfree Forest. He gulped as he touched down outside Fluttershy’s door, hoping desperately that he wouldn’t fumble his words, or start sweating from nervousness, or— Calm down, Cloud Buster, he commanded himself, taking a deep breath. Everything is going to be okay. He knocked on the door. After a few moments, hoofsteps approached from the other side, and the door opened. “Oh, hello, Cloud Buster,” Fluttershy greeted, smiling in her small way, looking up at his taller form. “Please, come in. I was just about to feed Angel.” “Thank you,” Cloud said, trotting in after her as she disappeared back into the cottage, trying his best to hold himself together. He was more nervous than he’d ever been in his life. “So, what brings you here today?” she inquired, lifting a bag of rabbit food and pouring it into the bowl next to Angel Bunny, who was impatiently tapping his foot as he watched it fill. “I, uh... um...” Cloud Buster stammered. Then, unable to stop himself, he blurted “Fluttershy, I’ve liked you ever since we both moved to Ponyville. I think you’re the kindest, most amazing pony I’ve ever met, and I was wondering if you might... want to... go out with me?” The only sound that could be heard throughout the cottage was the pitter-patter of rabbit food falling into, and overflowing, and forming a small mountain over Angel’s bowl. The bag fell from Fluttershy’s mouth as she raised her head, facing away from the other pegasus. Angel, meanwhile, bore a gigantic smile as he literally dove into the pile of rabbit food and promptly began stuffing his face. Other than Angel’s chowing, the silence was deafening. After what seemed like an eternity, Fluttershy turned back to face Cloud, peeking out from under her waterfall of a pink mane. “Do you... really want to... go out with me?” she squeaked. Terrified of what might come next, or rather, what might not, Cloud Buster nodded. “I...” Fluttershy uttered. Buster almost fell forward as he leaned closer to hear. “...I like you too. I was always too nervous to say anything. I thought you might not like me back.” “How could I not like you?” Cloud asked, relief and elation lighting up his eyes as he trotted over to Fluttershy and put a wing around her, pulling her close. She nuzzled against him, clearly nervous, but smiling all the same. He thought his heart might explode, and he nuzzled her back. “But...” Fluttershy stated hesitantly. Buster’s bliss almost broke. “...can we start small? I’m... I’m afraid I’m new at all this...” Cloud Buster mentally released a heavy sigh of relief. “Of course,” he answered. “Say, I was going to see Big Mac at Berry Punch’s this evening. Would you like to come? Maybe you could bring a friend too, if you want? An informal gathering?” “That sounds lovely,” she replied. They stood there for a moment, simply enjoying each other’s presence. A loud belch interrupted the serenity, causing Fluttershy to gasp as she saw Angel Bunny sitting in his now empty bowl, stuffed with every last bit of rabbit food. “Angel!” she scolded. “You know you’re not supposed to eat that much!” She rushed out from Cloud’s wing and scooped up the now very pudgy rabbit, who belched again in her face, looking quite content. “Don’t worry, Momma will make it all better,” she soothed. Then, turning to the rather dazed Buster, she apologized “I’m so sorry, Cloud, but I need to take care of Angel or he’ll be terribly sick. He should be fine by this evening; can I meet you at Berry Punch’s at sunset?” “That sounds great,” Buster affirmed. “I mean, about meeting at sunset. Not about Angel’s, uh, condition. I’ll see you then!” Fluttershy nodded and flew into the other room, whispering soothing things about medicine and Momma’s love to the bunny as she did so. Cloud Buster quietly trotted to the door and let himself out. He looked up at the blazing golden sun, the bright blue sky, and the birds flitting between the trees and seeming to sing his victory anthem. “YES!” he cheered, zooming off into the sky. “She said yes!!” The sun warmed his wings, and the breeze ruffled his mane as he soared high up over the countryside separating Fluttershy’s cottage from Ponyville proper. His spirit soared as well, rapt with glee. He had done it. He had actually done it, and she had said yes. At that moment, Cloud Buster was the happiest he’d ever been, and his life felt complete. Fate, however, seemed to have an ironic sense of interpreting just how complete his life felt. Cloud wasn’t paying attention, his eyes closed as he flew freely, simply enjoying the rush of the air. Thus, he didn’t see that air coalesce in front of him, thickening and shimmering like the air above hot pavement. However, this patch of space was just as high in the sky as Buster was, and it had appeared right in front of him. He flew through it, and his body shimmered with the air. For just a moment, his heart skipped a beat. Though he later couldn’t find words to describe it, at that moment he felt as if he had been somehow pushed just a fraction out of sync with the rest of the universe, before reality readjusted itself. His wings faltered as images, sounds, and sensations rushed through his mind, and he fell a few feet before righting himself. It had all happened so quickly that it took him a moment to sort through everything that had just been pushed into his head. It had mainly consisted of hushed whispers, and he had only been able to make some of them out. Is he the one? Yes. Is now the time? Yes. And he shall be she? Yes. And she shall be Rainbow Dash? Yes. And she will have always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Then it shall be so. Cloud shook his head, trying to clear it from... whatever had just happened. What had just happened? He’d never heard whispers from the air. He’d never even heard of anything like it. But, more importantly, there was that name again. Rainbow Dash. It seemed to be following him everywhere he went. What was going— Cloud gasped as he fell sideways, his left wing suddenly unbalancing him. He turned to see why, having only ever had this problem once when his wings had begun molting at slightly different times, but he saw that he wasn’t losing feathers. Instead, his feathers appeared to be...no, that was impossible... they were shrinking. His entire wing was following suit. His feathers slimmed down and shortened, as did the wingbone supporting them all, slightly pulling into his back. He began falling, flapping his wings desperately, but only managed to slow his descent into a slow spiral as his larger right wing struggled to compensate for its newly shrunken counterpart. Then his right wing began to shrink. “What the—” Cloud Buster exclaimed, stopping when he heard a scratch in his voice as it jumped an octave. “What’s happening to me?!” His wings were both smaller now, and unable to support his bulky frame. He descended faster despite flapping harder than he ever had, though at least by this time he was low enough to land relatively safely, if ungracefully. He brought a wing forward for inspection but had to pull it forward with his hooves, as they were no longer long enough to adequately present themselves to his front. That’s when he noticed that his hooves were shrinking as well. They constricted, pushing in on themselves, and his legs were following suit. His muscular mass simply faded in on itself, transforming into smaller, thinner, more wiry muscle. Cloud’s body was now too large for his legs, which struggled to hold it up, before it too slimmed down and narrowed. He became almost skinny as what mass remained rearranged itself, moving to his hips, his bulkier body smoothing out and bending into a more curvaceous form. Oh, no! Cloud thought frantically, not daring to speak again lest he hear how high his voice had become. I’m turning into—but that’s not possible! None of this is possible! His body seemed to disagree. Buster’s coat was already lightening, transitioning from a dark blue to a bright cyan. The cutie mark on his now noticeably fuller flank mutated as well, changing colors from a storm cloud with a thunderbolt to a white puffball with a multicolored streak striking out of it. His mane and tail were next, six colors racing along the wispy white hair from the roots until they reached the tips and then continued on further, his mane and tail growing out full and long. This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening! Cloud repeated endlessly in his mind as he watched the final changes, unable to do anything to stop them. His thick neck had scrunched into something much thinner, and now his squarish snout was pulling in and shrinking, making his head almost spherical save for a short muzzle. He could no longer see his nose. “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!” Cloud Buster demanded, his eyes widening when he heard his fully changed voice. It was much, much higher, and riddled with scratches. That confirmed it. It was happening. He fell back onto his new rump, which now felt considerably more plush, as he stared at his smaller, sky-blue hooves. He closed his eyes—hard—and opened them again, only to find that his hooves were still small and cyan. He did it again, with the same result. He began to hyperventilate, his tinier chest breathing in and out at an incredible pace. If there were anymore changes, he didn’t experience them until after, because he fainted. When Cloud Buster he woke up, he wouldn’t be a ‘he’ anymore, and he definitely wouldn’t be Cloud Buster. Is he a she? Yes. Is she Rainbow Dash? Yes. Has she always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Does everypony know she has always been Rainbow Dash? Yes. Does she know she has always been Rainbow Dash? ...Error. . . .
Chapter 2Them Chapter 2 “...Rainbow Dash...” “Rainbow Dash...?” “Rainbow Dash!” “Wha—?!” she gasped, jerking awake and coming face to face with Fluttershy. Her mind still fogged by the haze of unconsciousness, she didn’t immediately register all that her senses, as well as her simple physiological sensations, were telling her. However, her face did split into a relieved smile when she saw Fluttershy. “Oh, Fluttershy, I just had the weirdest dream—” And then it hit her. Not him, but her. The scratchiness in her high-pitched voice, the absent feeling left behind by her disappeared bulk, the new distribution of what bodily mass remained—it all came rushing back. She stared down at her small, sky-blue hooves, and screamed in her light voice, wisps of rainbow mane falling over her eyes. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?” Fluttershy inquired worriedly, watching the new mare with distress. “You’re awake now, the dream is over. You don’t have to be afraid anymore.” “The dream is over?!” spluttered Cloud Buster—no, she wasn’t Cloud Buster anymore. As far as she could tell, she had the same thoughts, mind, and personality. Only her body was different. Well, almost only her body was different. She knew her name had once been Cloud Buster, but try as she might, she just couldn’t force her thoughts to form into the knowledge that that was still her name. Now, her name was Rainbow Dash, whether she liked it or not. And she definitely didn’t. “What do you mean, ‘the dream is over’?! This isn’t a dream, it’s a nightmare, and it’s just begun!” Wait a minute, Rainbow Dash wondered, shuddering as she realized she was having to refer to herself as ‘Rainbow Dash’ in her own mind. Maybe this isall just a dream...just more of that same nightmare from earlier. She desperately hoped so. “I just have to wake myself up,” she murmured to herself. Wasn’t pain supposed to wake you up from dreams? She raised her hoof to her mouth and gave it a small nibble. “Ow!” Rainbow Dash rubbed her sore hoof, the tiny bite already leaving a red mark. “Rainbow, don’t bite yourself!” Fluttershy gasped. “What’s wrong?” “I’m not Rainbow Dash!” she asserted, turning to face Fluttershy again. “I’m C... I’m Clou... I’m Cl-ou-d Bus-ter!” Surprisingly enough, Rainbow had to catch her breath, having had to physically struggle to even say her old name. “Oh, come on!” she exasperated. “Even that unicorn got to say that her name used to be Bass Blaster! Wait, the unicorn! She knew this would happen! I’ve got to find her!” Rainbow prepared to launch herself into the air, but a tug on her wing held her back, sending her plopping onto the ground again. “Rainbow, where are you going?” Fluttershy asked, her concern only having grown, after she spat out the cyan pegasus’s wing. “We’re supposed to go meet Big Macintosh at Berry Punch’s, remember? I thought I would meet you there... why were you sleeping out here on the ground?” What? Rainbow looked up at the sky to see the sun low in the horizon. How long had she been out? More importantly, though, how could Fluttershy not remember that Rainbow’s name used to be Cloud Buster, but still remember their date? Wait, how was Dash supposed to date Fluttershy in this body in the first place?! She didn’t think Fluttershy was into that sort of thing, and Rainbow definitely would rather date Fluttershy as the male Cloud Buster, not as the female Rainbow Dash. And furthermore, did she even... no, no, that couldn’t be... could it? “Hey, Fluttershy, uh... look, there’s a cute bunny over there!” the multicolored mare announced, pointing a slender foreleg. Fluttershy expectantly turned to look, and Rainbow risked a glance at her flank. She stared at it intently, breaking contact only when the creamy yellow pegasus began to turn back around. She couldn’t believe it. As hard as she’d tried—she’d never even had to try until now, it just happened naturally—she hadn’t felt anything when she saw Fluttershy’s rear. No attraction whatsoever. “I didn’t see any cute bunny,” Fluttershy noted, sounding disappointed. “But please, Rainbow, tell me why you’re acting like this. You’re starting to scare me.” How do you think I feel? Rainbow thought frantically. More important than just feeling attracted to Fluttershy, though, was whether she remembered anything about Cloud Buster at all. “I’m not Rainbow Dash!” she repeated, preparing herself to force the next words out if necessary. “My name is... Cloud...Buster! Please, tell me you remember me! We’ve been friends ever since Flight Camp back in Cloudsdale! I was at your cottage this morning! I... I even... asked you out...” Fluttershy simply stared at Rainbow, her head tilted. “Are you okay, Rainbow?” the creamy yellow pegasus asked again. “I think you’re confused... that must have been a scary dream you had, but don’t worry, it’s alright now.” Rainbow finally had to concede that she wasn’t getting anywhere with this line of action. What had she been expecting, really? The unicorn had known this would happen, presumably because, as she claimed, something similar had happened to her, and Rainbow hadn’t believed her back when she had still been Cloud Buster. Why then would Fluttershy believe her if she tried the exact same approach that the unicorn had used? But if Fluttershy didn’t remember any Cloud Buster, then what, and who, did she remember? Who exactly was Rainbow Dash? “What do you remember happening today?” the cyan pegasus inquired nervously, dreading what she might hear. “Did I really not ask you out?” “You came over a little while ago, and you asked me if I wanted to come with you to meet Big Macintosh at Berry Punch’s,” Fluttershy responded, her voice still laced with worry. Rainbow was beginning to have a cruelly ironic sense of deja vu mixed with empathy for the unicorn. “You didn’t ask anypony out.” The world seemed to darken. She hadn’t asked anypony out. She had finally, finally worked up the courage to ask Fluttershy out, and not only did she become a mare, Fluttershy didn’t even remember anything about when she was Cloud Buster! What else had changed? Hanging out with Big Macintosh still seemed to be on, and Fluttershy was even accompanying her. In a twisted sort of way, those plans were still mostly the same. But what if there was more to what had happened to Rainbow than just becoming Rainbow and a change in her relationship with Fluttershy? Rainbow needed to find out. However, she really needed to find out if this was permanent. Horseapples, it didn’t even matter if this was permanent, or at least meant to be. She was going to find out what was going on, and she was going to reverse it, or die trying. She had not just become committed to the most amazing pony in Equestria to have it all ripped away from her, along with any other aspects of her life that might have changed. She would find whoever or whatever had done this, and whoever ‘they’ were, she was going to make them set things right. But maybe—hopefully—the changes weren’t as extensive as she feared. If the meeting with Big Mac was still on, then maybe only Fluttershy didn’t remember who Cloud Buster was. It would be hard to convince her best friend that she had inexplicably turned into a mare, but as long as he remembered the stallion she once was, it was well worth a try. “Are you feeling well enough to go to Berry Punch’s place?” Fluttershy queried. “Maybe it would be best if you got some rest at home...” “I... I’m sorry for, uh, confusing you like that,” Rainbow apologized, at last accepting that if Fluttershy only remembered her as Rainbow Dash, then for now she’d have to play the part. She wouldn’t get anywhere if she kept insisting on being somepony who Fluttershy didn’t remember had ever existed. To her, Cloud Buster wasn’t even a memory... it was a dark and scary thought. No, more than that, it was saddening—Rainbow’s old identity was essentially more than dead in Fluttershy’s mind. Fluttershy, her oldest friend, didn’t even remember a thing about who Rainbow really was... it was enough to make the new mare’s eyes water. But no, she couldn’t give in to that feeling, not now. She wasn’t willing to accept total defeat and surrender her old identity that easily. If everything played out well, then this would prove to be nothing more than a bad memory. Maybe she’d even get lucky and this part of her life would be erased just as much as her life as Cloud Buster now was in Fluttershy’s eyes. Yeah, that would be it... nopony would even remember this. Rainbow Dash would be Cloud Buster again, and everything would be alright. This would all be nothing more than an unfortunate hiccup in reality, a forgotten typo on the pages of eternity. Everything would go back to the way it was. She had to keep telling herself that, had to believe it was true. Because if she didn’t... no, she refused to think about that. “I must have still been dreaming a little when you woke me up,” Rainbow continued, trying to laugh sheepishly and ease the situation. “I remember now. My head must just been all muddled from the nightmare.” “Okay...” Fluttershy conceded uncertainly. “...If you’re sure you’re alright...” Rainbow nodded, and Fluttershy began trotting towards town, Rainbow following suit beside her. She would have preferred to fly, but she didn’t quite trust these new hooves yet, much less her new wings. The worst she could do with unfamiliar hooves was stumble. With unfamiliar wings, it could be a long way down. The sun was just setting when they arrive at Ponyville’s central plaza. What ponies were left milling about were either making their way home, packing up their stalls, or heading to the same place the two pegasi were now seeking. As Rainbow looked around at the passing ponies, she felt a new kind of discomfort, something that had never been an issue when she had been a towering stallion. She felt small. Most of the stallions trotting about, and even some of the other mares, were considerably taller than she now was. They also had more substance on them, easily outweighing her. As a stallion, Rainbow had usually never even bothered to think about what would happen if she accidentally ran into somepony, or somepony stepped on her hoof, or if she somehow became involved in a fight. When one of these things happened, she would have been able to shrug it off without a scratch. Now, she feared she might be knocked to the ground just by accidentally bumping into one of the burlier ponies. Thankfully, the crowd was thin enough so that Rainbow didn’t have to confirm this fear, and she and Fluttershy reached Berry Punch’s place without incident. The crowded, dimly-lit, smoky atmosphere of the bar was a welcome sight. All throughout the establishment, ponies were drinking merrily, laughing at embarrassing stories about one another, and generally having a good time. At least this place hasn’t changed, Rainbow thought to herself with a small smile. Hopefully Big Mac hasn’t changed either, and he’ll be able to help me figure out what’s going on. Spotting the crimson stallion in a booth, Rainbow’s smile grew wider as he waved at them. She rushed over, Fluttershy trotting close behind. To the multicolored mare’s surprise, Big Mac’s eyes glinted with recognition when he saw her. Oh, no, Rainbow thought. He remembers this version of me! If that was true, then Cloud Buster had never existed to him either. But he at least still knew who she was, and that meant that perhaps there was something worth salvaging...perhaps something to get him to believe her true past, or at least get him to help her get back to normal. Adding to the strangeness, Big Mac actually got up from the booth to greet them, something he had never done when she was a stallion. It’s not like they hadn’t been friendly when greeting each other before all this, but they had always greeted each other casually. Before, she would have simply slid into the seat opposite Big Mac and they would have knocked hooves in greeting. So what was with this standing up? Uncertain, but still happy to see her best friend all the same, she raised her hoof, prepared to knock his in their traditional greeting. Strangely enough, he actually looked surprised this time, glancing at her hoof uncertainly before returning the gesture. Had he been expecting something else? Were they supposed to hug or something, like she sometimes saw friends do when both were mares? But he was a stallion, and even if she was a mare now, stallions didn’t commonly hug their friends in greeting even if the friend was a mare...right? This was all very confusing, not knowing what had changed and what hadn’t, and what all the conventions were in this new body. Putting her hoof back down and leaving Big Mac still looking like he had been expecting something more, Rainbow turned to slide into the opposite seat in the booth. However, Fluttershy had already done so...and she was sitting on the end, leaving a whole unoccupied space to her right. Seeing Rainbow’s confused expression, she smiled sweetly and ever so slightly nodded her head back towards Big Mac. Thoroughly uncertain of what was going on now, Rainbow turned to see the red workhorse standing to the side, leaving her space to slide into the seat on his side of the booth. Still uncertain, but at least understanding that she was expected to sit there, Rainbow slid into the far side of the seat, followed by Big Macintosh. He seemed to be sitting awfully close to her. She could even feel the heat radiating from his body. It was almost as if... wait... Rainbow’s eyes widened. She was still set to meet with Big Macintosh, but she hadn’t asked anypony out today. That couldn’t mean... could it...? “What’ll it be?” inquired a familiar voice, and Dash looked up to see the deep violet form of Berry Punch, waiting with a notepad. Her face split into a smile when she saw Rainbow. “Well, hello miss Dash! I didn’t see you back there. And I see you and the big Apple himself are sharing a booth at last. Did he finally work up the courage?” Rainbow said nothing, a look of horror freezing on her features. “Eeyup,” Big Mac replied sheepishly after a moment, when it became clear that Rainbow wasn’t going to answer. It was hard to tell due to his natural hue, but if she looked hard enough, Dash could see he was blushing. “Good for you, big fella,” Berry Punch laughed good-naturedly. “It was about time. And good for you too, Rainbow. You two make such a cute couple.” “...Cute...Couple...?” Rainbow uttered quietly, her blood turning to ice. She hadn’t asked anypony out today. She had been the one asked out. “I...uh...I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!” Rainbow blurted, climbing frantically onto the table and leaping into the air, flying like a shot out of a cannon towards the front door. “Rainbow, wait!” Fluttershy cried after her, but Dash didn’t care. She was not dating her best friend, no matter how much reality had changed! Whoever had done all this hadn’t just cursed her with a different body and erased her past identity from existence, they were trying to control her future as well! She was not about to accept that. “Where are you going?!” Dash bolted through the front doors, knocking over some ponies who were about to enter in the process. It seemed she could still be forceful in this form if she had to be. Soaring up into the sky, Rainbow zoomed as quick as she could in the direction of home...or at least, where she hoped her home would still be. The wind screamed as it rushed past her, her multicolored mane flying back at the speed, a rainbow streak stretching out behind her. She had never felt this fast as a stallion—she had always had strength, not speed—but right now, her considerably increased speed was the last thing on her mind. Right now, all she cared about was getting as far away from Big Mac as possible. How could they do this?! she thought furiously. How could they ruin my life like this, and then just expect me to go along with it?! How could they rip me away from somepony I was head-over-hooves for and try to force me into the forelegs of somepony else?! A stallion no less, and I’m supposed to bea stallion! She wouldn’t stand for it, but if she had any hope of setting things right, then she knew she had to find that unicorn from earlier. Hopefully she would know something about how to reset things... if she didn’t, Dash didn’t know what she would do... but she’d do something! She’d go to the princesses themselves if she had to! For now, though, the unicorn would be impossible to find. Rainbow would have to wait until morning, when ponies were out and about. She wouldn’t get anywhere by going door to door, just hoping she’d find the right pony. As much as she hated to admit it, Rainbow would have to spend the night in this body. At least when she was asleep, if she could ever manage to get to sleep after everything that had happened, she wouldn’t have to think about the nightmare her reality had become... at least, she hoped she wouldn’t. As she usually did this late at night, Rainbow skipped the front door and flew into her room’s open window. She didn’t want to wake up Scootaloo, who should by now be fast asleep in her own room. Rainbow wanted to avoid confronting her little sister in this form and having to explain it as long as possible. She’d feel bad about having been absent in case Scootaloo had needed any help with her homework, but right now, existential crisis trumped schoolwork. But wait, Scootaloo probably only remembered her as Rainbow as well. Her own sister... most likely didn’t remember anything about who she truly was. Now that was a stab in the heart. If there was ever a motivation to set things right, that was it. Sighing in near defeat, Dash flopped down on her cloud bed, exhausted from the events of the day. There, she glimpsed the upside-down image of something that, thankfully, hadn’t seemed to change. Her Wonderbolts poster was still there. She gave a small smile and saluted before drifting off into a fitful sleep. . . . Has she accepted her existence as Rainbow Dash? No. Will she accept her existence as Rainbow Dash? Unknown. Will we work to make her accept her existence as Rainbow Dash? Yes. Will the Deleted One prove troublesome in this matter? Unknown. . . . As Cloud Buster, Rainbow Dash had never entered a dream knowing right away that she was dreaming. If she figured it out at all, it took a while. This time, though, it seemed that somepony had done the figuring out for her. ‘THIS IS A DREAM,’ proclaimed a giant sign in glowing neon letters. And, apart from the sign and the small patch of grassy ground it illuminated, there didn’t seem to be much more to his dreamscape. Darkness encapsulated all else, if there even was anything else at all. The sky and the ground all blended into one big blackness, not even leaving a horizon. There was no sun, no moon, not even any stars. Just a dark nothingness. “Hello, Cloud Buster,” announced a soft yet slightly scratchy voice, not so different from the one Rainbow now bore. Speaking of which, if this was a dream... She looked down, only to see her small cyan frame. It seemed that even in sleep she couldn’t escape this body. She sighed, and turned to look in the direction the voice had come from. Out of the darkness, a shape was emerging. Thankfully, though, it wasn’t a doppelganger of the dream that had introduced Rainbow Dash and pushed him off his comfortable perch into this new reality. The newcomer did rather look like Rainbow Dash, but only in height and build, as well as her possession of wings. Her coat was a hot pink, and her mane and tail were a bold blue, though they were cut in the same way Rainbow’s were. Her eyes were a much lighter blue, almost the same hue Dash had had as Cloud Buster. “You said ‘Cloud Buster’,” Rainbow pointed out, wondering what her subconscious was trying to tell her through this phantasm. Or, perhaps this was somehow real, as the dream where she first got a glimpse of her new body had been? But then, how would she know? Wait a minute... that voice! It was the same that had warned her to run from ‘them!’ “Who are you?” Dash asked, her attention rapt on the other pegasus. “Technically, I’m nopony,” the pink mare sighed. “But before They deleted me, I was Firefly.” “Firefly?” Rainbow echoed questioningly. “And who’s ‘they’?” “They are Them,” she answered, only confusing Rainbow further. “They don’t have any other name than ‘Them.’ I don’t know where They come from, but I do know that They change things, only They change everypony’s memories too so that everypony thinks that the changes are the way things have always been.” “Then how come I remember being Cloud Buster?” Dash wondered, relieved to find that she could say her old name without any trouble in a dream. “Because sometimes They make mistakes,” Firefly replied. “That’s how I found out about Them. They were trying to change something about me, but They messed up everything, so nothing changed at all. From then on, though, I could see whenever They tried to change things, and I tried to stop them. I tried to get everypony to remember the way things were before the changes, and it started messing up Their plans. So, They deleted me. That’s why I can only interact with you when you’re asleep.” “How do you delete somepony?” Rainbow wondered, horrified. Dash’s past identity might not exist anymore, but she herself still existed. However, Rainbow had no recollections of anypony named Firefly, and how gone from the world must this other pegasus be if she had to appear in somepony’s dreams rather than meet them in the waking world? “They pushed me out of the natural flow of the universe,” Firefly explained, sitting down and looking melancholy. Dash did the same, and was reminded once again of her new gender by the still-unfamiliar plushness of her rear. “They can’t get rid of me entirely, but from here I can only interact with reality in limited ways, like through this dream. They’ll reintegrate me into reality if I want, but only if I agree to accept Their changes and have my memory wiped. That’s the catch to their power; if you realize They’re there, you can resist Them.” “That’s terrible,” Dash said. “I’m so sorry... but there has to be a way to stop Them, right?” “Thank you for your concern,” Firefly responded, smiling slightly. “I’m not giving up yet, but I’m afraid that I can’t stay outside of reality forever. Sooner or later, I might just give in, or else go mad from an eternity in nothingness. However, there is something you can do to fight Them, and even to help me. I can’t do anything against Them from where I am, but if you can find a way into Their otherworld, you have a chance at stopping them. They change reality by writing in some kind of special book, and if you change that book, They’ll have to change reality to match it. You can go back to being Cloud Buster, and I can be real again.” “Perfect!” Rainbow cheered. “Where is Their otherworld? I’ll go there right now! But, wait... what if They just delete me too before I can get there?” “Thankfully, They can only delete one pony at a time,” Firefly told her. “If They get rid of more than one pony, They’ll throw reality out of order, and order is all They’re after. They’re trying to make the world perfectly orderly, no matter what They have to change to do so, and They’re always slowly making progress towards that goal. “As for where the otherworld is, I’m afraid I don’t know,” Firefly lamented. “I learned all I know about Them from overhearing Their whispering voices whenever They changed something, but I was never actually able to find the entrance to the otherworld. I do know, though, that though it is well hidden, They can’t close it or move it. All you have to do is find it, and if you get to the otherworld, They won’t be able to change you while you’re there. You just have to make sure they don’t catch onto the fact that you’re looking for the entrance, or They’ll try and change things to stop you. Now that you know They exist, They can’t change your mind against your will, but They can influence it and everything around it.” “That sounds... incredibly hard,” Rainbow gulped. “How in Equestria am I supposed to find a secret door without letting Them know I’m looking for it?” “I’m afraid I can’t answer that,” the pink pegasus said. “That’s exactly what I tried to do, and I failed, and ended up here. At least They can’t delete you.” Rainbow gulped again. This was sounding more like an unfair fight every moment. “Do you know why They changed me?” Dash asked after a moment. “Why would making me a mare make Equestria more orderly?” “That’s something I have to apologize to you about,” Firefly spoke, looking like she was dreading what she was about to say. “They changed you to turn you into a replacement for me. Because I wouldn’t stop messing with Their plans, They deleted me, and had to fill the spot. You were deemed a worthy replacement because we were close in personality, and They can’t change that.” “You mean...” Rainbow gasped, shock and anger bubbling behind her eyes. “This is all your fault?! What makes you so important that They had to erase my old life just to make me the new you?!” “I was the Element of Loyalty,” the pink pegasus told her. “Now you are.” . . . Rainbow awoke with mixed emotions. She couldn’t exactly blame Firefly for what had happened, though she was still directly tied to causing Dash’s transformation into who she now was. The pink pegasus had only been trying to stop Them from messing up other ponies’ lives, and Dash knew she would certainly have done the same thing. But, still... if it hadn’t been for Firefly... No, Rainbow told herself. It wasn’t her fault. It was Their fault. Just remember that; Firefly’s life has been messed up far more than yours has. The multicolored mare stretched and rose from her bed, glancing out the window at the rising sun. She was beginning to make a habit of getting up this early, it seemed. As Cloud Buster, she had usually stayed up until late into the night, which necessitated sleeping in until late into the morning. She hadn’t needed to sleep late this morning because she’d gone to bed practically right after sunset, after... ...after her date with Big Macintosh. No! she mentally screamed. I am notgoing out with my best friend! Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, Rainbow slipped out of bed and trotted down the hall, turning to take a peek in Scootaloo’s room to see if she was still asleep. But, instead of Scootaloo’s door, her eyes met nothing but wall. Panic filled her heart. No, no, no... she repeated over and over in her mind. Rainbow stuck her head all the way through the cloud, but met with nothing but the outside world. Scootaloo’s room just wasn’t there anymore. No, no, NO!! “Scootaloo!” Rainbow cried. “Where are you?!” Where did They take her?! she thought, terrified. Where is my little sister?! “Scootaloo?” echoed a confused, and rather annoyed, country twang from down below. Rainbow looked down, only to see Big Mac’s sister staring angrily up at her. She had known Applejack well as Cloud Buster, just as she had known the whole Apple family. Spending so much time at Sweet Apple Acres hanging out with Big Mac had seen to that. However, Rainbow had never seen AJ look quite so heated. “Why in tarnation would ya’ be lookin’ for her? Ya’ know she was sleepin’ over with Apple Bloom last night!” “You mean she’s okay?” Dash breathed a sigh of monumental relief. Scootaloo was alright. But, if Scootaloo’s room was gone from Rainbow’s house, then where did her little sister live? Never mind; she could find that out from Scootaloo herself once she picked her up. “Thanks for, uh, reminding me, Applejack! I’ll head over to the farm and pick her up right away!” “Now wait just a minute!” Applejack snarled. “Ah didn’t come all the way over here just so ya’ could fly away!” “Why are you here, anyway?” Rainbow asked, already knowing the answer as a feeling of uncomfortable dread welled up in her stomach. “You know plum-well why, Rainbow Dash!” the farmpony snapped, stamping a hoof. The multicolored mare winced as she heard her full new name. “Now get down here! Ah got somethin’ ta’ tell ya’ and Ah ain’t leavin’ until you’ve heard it!” Rainbow reluctantly nodded and stepped fully out of the cloud wall, hovering while she patched the hole back up and then slowly descended, light as a feather on a breeze. “I know what you’re going to say, and I just want you to know that—” the cyan pegasus began. “Then you’re gonna’ know it twice as well!” Applejack interrupted. “Big Macintosh has had eyes for ya’ ever since ya’ moved to Ponyville, and everypony knew it, even if he didn’t say nothin’ about it. Ah know that you knew it too, ‘cause Ah’m the one who told you! Ya’ know how gentle he is under all that muscle, and ya’ know how hard it was for him ta’ finally ask ya’ out. So why in tarnation did ya’ say yes ta’ him if you were just gonna’ bolt on your very first date?! And don’t try and tell me ya’ didn’t, ‘cause Fluttershy told me herself, not that I needed her to when Big Mac came home in such a state last night. He’s heartbroken like I ain’t never seen, and it’s all thanks ta’ you!” Rainbow looked incredibly uncomfortable, taking refuge in the silence after AJ’s outburst, until the orange earth pony snapped “Well, what do ya’ have ta’ say for yourself?!” As much as Rainbow wanted it to all be lies, Applejack was right, if only partially. In this version of reality, everypony involved must remember that Big Macintosh had asked her out, and she had said yes. The fact that that was all Their doing and had nothing to do with Rainbow herself didn’t prevent everypony thinking it was all her fault for not going along with it, as she knew nopony in a million years would believe some freaky beings messing with reality were behind all this. Dash knew that she certainly wouldn’t have believed such an explanation if Fluttershy had bolted on their first date, if they had ever had the chance to have it. Rainbow knew that if that had happened, she would have felt betrayed and hurt beyond belief. If Big Mac now felt the way about her that she had felt about Fluttershy, then he really would be heartbroken at such a feeling of betrayal. It wasn’t Rainbow’s fault for not wanting to go along with this, but that didn’t mean she should have bolted without an explanation as she did. That didn’t give her the right to make Big Mac feel the way he did now. “...I’m sorry,” Rainbow uttered. “I shouldn’t have ran out on him, and I know that. I can’t explain why I did it... you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. But that still doesn’t mean what I did was right. If he’ll let me talk to him after what happened, I’d like to apologize to him in person.” “You’re darn right it wasn’t right what you did!” Applejack agreed angrily. “And you’re gonna’ apologize ta’ him, alright. We’re marchin’ over to Sweet Apple Acres right now, and you’re gonna make sure you try your best ta’ make things right!” Rainbow nodded, and Applejack turned and set off at a brisk trot towards down, smacking Dash with her tail as she passed. The multicolored mare glared after her for a moment, but she couldn’t blame AJ anymore than she could blame Firefly. It wasn’t anypony’s fault but Theirs. That didn’t exactly make it easier to bear, though. What could she say that would make it right? She wasn’t sure she could make it right. She knew she couldn’t go with the truth... nopony would believe that. She had proof of that in herself, as when she’d still been Cloud Buster she hadn’t believed Bass Blaster. But if Rainbow couldn’t tell Big Mac the truth, then what could she tell him that would make any sense? ‘I’m so sorry that I agreed to go out with you and then snubbed you, but for reasons I can’t explain I suddenly have no interest in you whatsoever other than being best bros, even though that doesn’t make sense since I’m a mare, and in fact the very thought of being with you disgusts who I really am?’ The sooner Rainbow found that entrance into Their otherworld and set things right, the better. First Big Mac, then checking on Scootaloo to find out where in Equestria her little sister was supposed to live if not with her, and then look for the secret doorway. Rainbow sighed. This was going to be a long day. They finally made it to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow knew she could have made it there in ten seconds flat if she had flown due to her new speed, especially when she didn’t even know how fast she could go with this new form. However, she really didn’t feel like flying right now, and she doubted Applejack would have allowed for it anyway. “He’s in the barn, looking at his favorite picture of Mom and Dad,” AJ informed her. “He always goes there when he’s upset. Now you march your little blue butt up there and don’t come out until you’ve both made peace!” Rainbow nodded (even if her ‘blue butt’ didn’t feel all that little, at least to her unaccustomed mind) and silently complied, trotting briskly up to the barn. Dash could feel AJ’s eyes burning holes in the back of her mane the whole way until she finally slipped inside the barn and carefully closed the door behind her. “Big Mac?” she called out, hating just how high her voice sounded now more than when she had first heard it. Did stallions like mares with voices like hers? Big Mac must have. Come to think of, what did he like about her? It was the creepiest train of thought to have ever crossed her mind, but once it started, she couldn’t derail it. Did he like her multicolored mane? Her magenta eyes? Her curvaceous form? Her plush rear? The creepier question was what he liked about her personality, which was the same one she’d had as a stallion. Was the same thing that had made them best friends before what made him attracted to her now? She shuddered, trying her best not to think on it further. “You in here?” “Ah know AJ put ya’ up ta’ this,” the crimson workhorse’s voice called from behind some hay bales. The hurt he must be feeling was like a sword cutting through every word. “You don’t have ta’ apologize. You can go, if you like.” “I... don’t want to go,” Rainbow made herself say, though she would have leapt at the opportunity to flee if she didn’t understand the hurt he must be going through. She wouldn’t have wished that kind of inner pain on anypony. He definitely wasn’t going to make his best friend suffer through it, especially on his account, even if Big Mac didn’t remember her as his best friend. “I want to make things right, and I really do want to say I’m sorry for leaving like that last night.” He didn’t reply, and she trotted over to where his voice had been coming from. Dash found him sitting down on the floor, staring up at a faded photograph of two ponies she had never seen. Even as Cloud Buster, Big Mac had never shown her a picture of his parents. As a stallion, she had known that Big Mac didn’t want to talk about his parents as he never brought them up, and so she never had either. Now, though, she was peering into something that was immensely special and private, and she felt like she was intruding on sacred ground. They looked a lot like Big Macintosh and Applejack, honestly. The colors were hard to discern due to the faded image, but the familiar builds and telltale freckles were unmistakable. If it were any other stallion, Rainbow would have felt nervous for her safety right now. She was so small compared to his hulking, muscular form, but she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn’t harm a parasprite. She only wished that he was just as thick-skinned as he looked, though; his gentility came with a sensitive heart... a heart that she had broken. “Big Mac...” she began, wondering how in the world she was going to make this right. “I know that I agreed to go out with you, and I can’t really explain why, but I... I just can’t anymore. I really am sorry, and I wish there was something I could do, but... oh, you have no idea how hard this is.” “Ah believe Ah have a good idea,” he snorted sarcastically. “You’re right,” Rainbow sighed. “You’re totally right. What I did was wrong, and I know it. I also know that I don’t deserve your forgiveness, not that I’ve given you any reason to want to give it in the first place—” “How could Ah not forgive you?” Big Mac sniffed, turning to look at her. “You’re the most amazing pony Ah’ve ever met. In fact, Ah already forgave you hours ago. Ah figured ya’ had your reasons. Ah thought that somethin’ was wrong with me.” “What?!” Rainbow gasped. He was blaming this all on himself? “But you didn’t do anything wrong! It was all my fault. Big Mac, there’s nothing wrong with you, and any mare would be lucky to have you, but...” “...But it can’t be you?” the red stallion finished with a sad sigh. She nodded, smiling regretfully. “And you really can’t explain why?” “I want to, believe me, I do!” Rainbow asserted. “It’s just that... well, I don’t think you’d believe me. I know I wouldn’t believe it if anypony tried to explain this to me. But even if we can’t be... each other’s special someponies... I want you to know that I’ve always thought of you as my best, er, one of my best friends. You’re an amazing guy, you’re kind, you’re gentle, you’re honest, and you never give up on doing what you think is right. If any other mare can’t see that, then it’s her loss.” “Thank you, Rainbow,” Big Mac sighed again. She could see tears in his eyes. “But Ah’ve never met anypony who can even compare to you. Everypony else just falls short. It’s not just that you’re the most beautiful pony Ah’ve ever seen, it’s that you’re loyal, you have such spirit, such big dreams, and you never quit on them or ponies you care about. But if you don’t want to be with me, even if you can’t explain why, Ah’m sure you have your reasons. Ah trust you, Rainbow Dash, even if sometimes Ah don’t know why.” He hung his head, and a single tear dropped to the ground. This isn’t setting things right! Rainbow lamented in her head. If anything, it’s making them worse! “Hey, it’ll be alright,” Dash promised lamely, moving to his side and patting his back supportively. She hadn’t been this close to him since last night, though at least now she didn’t have to worry about the unfortunate implications of their proximity. Still, she could feel the warmth radiating off of him. Had they been this close when he had asked her out? How had that gone, exactly? Had it been like when she, as Cloud Buster, had asked Fluttershy out? Had they... gotten even closer than this? Had they leaned against each other, touching sides? Had Big Mac put an affectionate foreleg around her withers, drawing her to him? Had she... had she nuzzled under his neck, and he nuzzled back? Rainbow was pulled out of her thoughts by two realizations. The first was that she had begun to feel pleasantly warm, almost... no, it couldn’t be! But... but it was there, all the same... she felt the way she had felt when, as a stallion, she had looked at Fluttershy, only this time it was different. No less pleasant, but definitely different. What was causing this? Was it the thought of having... cuddled with Big Mac? Why did she... why did she like it?! She was a stallion at heart, not a mare! Her current body seemed to disagree, and it was tickling her mind with its unwanted yet still pleasant notions. The second realization that had pulled Dash out of her thoughts, though, was the look Big Mac was giving her. It was a look of thorough confusion, but a hidden happiness lurked just beneath the surface, despite the fact that he obviously had no idea why he should be happy. And why should he be happy? She had broken his heart and failed at setting things right, and now... ...now she was no longer patting him supportively on the back. Instead, during her imagining of what it would be like to get even closer to the strong stallion, she had, without even realizing it, switched to rubbing his back muscles. And no matter how much it freaked her out, no matter how much she didn’t want it to, she was enjoying it. And he was too! . . .
Chapter 3Them Chapter 3 Rainbow Dash didn’t think she could have taken her hoof off of Big Mac’s back any faster if she had tried. Not that she planned on ever trying to, because she never planned on touching Big Mac at all ever again, not after this terrifying revelation. “I’m, uh, sorry about that,” she said quickly. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to bolt from the crimson stallion’s presence, but she had come here to set things right, not to reenact the same mistake all over again. As much as she hated to admit it, she would have to stay until she knew her friend was alright. And a friend is all he’ll ever be, she asserted to herself. “Like Ah said before,” he stated gently. “Ya’ don’t need ta’ apologize.” “I do, though,” Rainbow disagreed. “I just want you to know that, even though I can’t go out with you, I’ve always thought of you as a great friend. I know this is the cheesiest thing a mare ever says to a stallion in situations like this, but I really do hope we can still be friends?” “Of course,” Big Mac consented. “I’d rather have ya’ as a friend than nothin’ at all.” “So... are we good?” Dash wondered with baited breath. She did not want her best friend to feel this way because of her, but she also didn’t want to have to stay this close to him longer than necessary. As pleasant as it was being near him, it was a pleasantness she definitely hoped to never feel again. Even if it was nice... No! Don’t think like that! she thought frantically. Remember who you were—who you are! “We’re as good as we’ll ever be,” Big Mac agreed, smiling sadly. “Thank ya’, Rainbow. Ah want ya’ to know that Ah don’t hold any ill will against ya’.” “Of course, neither of us thinks that way about the other,” Dash affirmed. “We’re best bros, remember?” He gave her an odd look again, and she smiled sheepishly when she realized she’d let the phrase slip. He finally let out a chuckle, and stood up. “We better go tell AJ she don’t have ta’ blame ya’ for what happened,” he noted, trotting towards the barn door with Rainbow in tow. “Though I gotta’ warn ya’, she may be the Element o’ Honesty, but she sure can hold a grudge. Might be best if ya’ gave her some space till she cools off a bit.” Rainbow gulped, nodding. They found Applejack right where the multicolored mare had left her, tapping her hoof a mile a minute, as she stared into the sky with a mixture of anger and worry. She whirled around at the sound of their approach, and blurted “Well? What’s goin’ on?” “Nothin’s goin’ on,” Big Mac replied evenly. “Rainbow apologized, and said it weren’t mah fault she left. She can’t tell me why she did, but Ah trust she has a good reason. We’re still friends.” “Ah hope Ah can say the same ‘bout Rainbow and mahself,” Applejack noted, eyeing Dash somewhat angrily, somewhat warily. “But... Ah suppose if Big Mac can forgive ya’, then so can Ah. Ah’ll need some time to think ‘bout things, though.” “Take all the time you need,” Rainbow told her. “I’ll be sure to get out of your manes now, but first, could you please tell me where Scootaloo is?” “She and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all headed up ta’ their clubhouse this mornin’,” Applejack answered, pointing a hoof towards the trees that hid the treehouse from most angles. “Though Ah gotta’ warn ya’, Scootaloo might not be in the best o’ moods. The Cutie Mark Crusaders weren’t exactly on the best o’ terms when I saw ‘em leave this mornin’.” “What?” Rainbow uttered in confusion. She’d never known Scootaloo to have any serious disagreements with her friends, aside from that field trip to the Royal Canterlot Sculpture Gardens. “Why?” “Ya’ best find that out for yourself,” AJ responded curtly, trotting away towards the farmhouse with what might have been a sympathetic look. Worried now, Rainbow said an awkward goodbye to Big Macintosh and galloped off towards the clubhouse. Hopping over some bushes and ducking under some low branches, Dash came out into the clearing where the old treehouse rested, her ears perking up at the sound of heated arguing emanating from within. What in the world? Rainbow thought as she snuck up to the base of the tree, cocking an ear to listen in. “...Guys, please, stop fighting!” squealed a voice. That must be Sweetie Belle, little sister of one of Fluttershy’s friends. “This doesn’t have anything to do with us!” “It has everythin’ ta’ do with me!” disagreed a much younger southern drawl, presumably Big Mac’s youngest sibling Apple Bloom. “If it weren’t for Scootaloo’s precious Rainbow Crash, mah big brother wouldn’t be all down in the dumps!” Oh, no... Dash groaned inwardly. It seemed her conundrum with her best friend had seeped even down to the youngest family members of those involved. Scootaloo didn’t really have any friends other than Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, and the cyan pegasus definitely didn’t want her little sister’s few friendships damaged because of her! “Don’t you dare call her Rainbow Crash!” scolded the familiar, slightly scratchy voice of Scootaloo. “She’s Rainbow Dash, and she’s the most awesome pony in Ponyville! I’m sure whatever happened wasn’t her fault! It must have been Big Mac who drove her away!” “You take that back!” Apple Bloom demanded. “Make me!” Scootaloo snarled. A sound that might have been Apple Bloom’s battle cry erupted from the clubhouse, and suddenly Rainbow’s ears were assaulted by the sounds of hooves hitting wood and—most shocking of all—other ponies. Dash lived up to her name as she darted into the air and dove through the treehouse window, putting herself between the two brawling fillies and holding them apart at foreleg’s length. Scootaloo looked like she had a few bruises, but Apple Bloom... were those bite marks on her hide?! “What’s going on here?!” Rainbow demanded. “Ah think Ah could ask you the same question,” Apple Bloom muttered, not looking the multicolored mare in the eye. “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo gasped, ironically cheerful despite the bruises adorning her small body. The cyan pegasus winced at hearing her own little sister refer to her by her new name, but that didn’t hurt nearly as much as seeing her bruised from a fight. “Tell them! Tell them how it was all Big Mac’s fault!” “It wasn’t Big Mac’s fault,” Rainbow announced, earning a surprised look from Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo, meanwhile, looked like she’d been smacked across the face—far more forcefully than anything Apple Bloom could have managed. “But it wasn’t my fault either. It wasn’t anypony’s fault. Things just didn’t work out between us.” “See?” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “It wasn’t anypony’s fault. Now can we please still all be friends?” “But AJ said ya’ broke mah big brother’s heart,” Apple Bloom stated, puzzled. “She said he asked ya’ out and ya’ said yes, and then ya’ ditched him on your first date!” “I... well, I did,” Rainbow sighed. “You what?” Scootaloo uttered, a look of betrayal crossing her features. That one look broke the multicolored mare’s own heart. “But... but why?” “I wish I could explain,” Rainbow answered lamely. “But I can’t. It’s... complicated.” “Ah told ya’,” Apple Bloom snorted at Scootaloo, though seeing the look on the orange pegasus’s face, the insult only seemed half-hearted at worst. “But... but...” Scootaloo repeated, unable to get her words out. Finally, she managed to say “But you always told me how much you wished Big Mac would ask you out. And now when he finally does, you turn him down on your first date? I... I don’t understand, Rainbow... Did you lie to me?” “Of course not!” Dash asserted instantly before mentally smacking herself, already knowing what Scootaloo would say next. “Then why did you break up with Big Mac?” the little pegasus wanted to know. “Can’t you at least tell your honorary little sister?” “I wish I could, but...” Rainbow responded, before a look of fear filled her eyes. “Wait, what did you just call yourself? Did you say you were my honorary little sister?” “Yeah,” Scootaloo agreed, still looking on the verge of tears. “Aren’t I?” “You mean you aren’t my related sister?” Dash pressed, needing absolute clarity, even if she dreaded what it might be. “I wish,” Scootaloo sniffed. “Then I wouldn’t have to live at the orphanage anymore.” Something deep, deep within Rainbow’s mind snapped at that moment. She felt fury bubbling up inside her like a volcano about to erupt. They hadn’t just messed up her life; that she could at least deal with. If it was an affront to her, then though it was undesirable, it could at least be seen as a pony versus an enemy. But They hadn’t just messed up her life. They had messed up Scootaloo’s as well. They had ripped her away from the only relative she had, and made her an orphan. That settled it; They weren’t just enemies... They were monsters. Rainbow wasn’t just out to reset her reality and regain her life anymore. She was out to save Scootaloo’s reality as well, and that was something that elevated this to a whole new level. But she couldn’t let that show, not now. Scootaloo couldn’t see her anger; it would only add to the unexplainable nature of this crazily rewritten reality. There was, however, one thing she could do to make the situation at least a little better until it was fixed entirely. “Hey, Scoots,” Rainbow announced, drawing the orange filly close and giving her an affectionate noogie. “How would you like me to officially adopt you?” The tiny pegasus’s face lit up like a firework. “You mean it?!” she squealed in utter delight. “Yesyesyesyes!!” She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow and squeezed her as tight as her small frame would allow. The tears in her eyes were definitely born of happiness now, and Dash couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed herself, though for mixed reasons. One the one hoof, she had never seen her little sister quite this happy. On the other, the reason behind this happiness—that she had to be adopted rather than have been with Rainbow all along—was like salt to the wound of all that had happened already. “That’s great, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle cheered, and even Apple Bloom had to give a small smile. “I guess if you’re adoptin’ Scootaloo, then ya’ can’t be all that bad,” the little yellow earth pony admitted. “I’m sorry for callin’ ya’ Rainbow Crash.” “That’s okay,” Dash assured her, continuing to hold Scootaloo tightly. Things might be bizarre and completely messed up right now, but her little sister was happy, and that definitely counted for something. Rainbow had been thus far fighting for herself, but if she was fighting for Scootaloo as well, she felt like nothing could stop her. Finally pulling away from the ecstatic little pegasus, Rainbow announced “I’ll head over to the orphanage right now. Why don’t you and Apple Bloom make up properly, and I’ll come back as soon as I have the good news?” “Okay,” Scootaloo agreed, nodding her head eagerly. Giving her little sister one last smile, Dash trotted over to the treehouse’s entrance and took wing, zooming towards town. It seemed looking for the secret doorway to the otherworld was going to have to wait a while. Scootaloo was definitely coming first. Even if Rainbow’s ultimate plan was to undo this so that her little sister would never have been an orphan in the first place, she couldn’t stand to see Scootaloo like this until then. The only problem now was, where was the orphanage? Rainbow didn’t ever remember Ponyville having one when she had still been Cloud Buster. Perhaps it was a new addition that had come with all the other changes? That was a distressing thought; that They had created an orphanage in Ponyville just to separate Scootaloo from her. The alternative was even more distressing. If there were other orphans there as well, then where had they come from? What families had they been ripped away from without ever realizing it? Rainbow shivered. The sooner They were defeated once and for all, the better. She landed in the town’s central plaza, scanning the surrounding buildings for any sign that read ‘ORPHANAGE.’ If it wasn’t here, she’d sweep the whole town looking for it if she had to. Perhaps she could simply ask for directions? “...And that’s when I said, ‘oh, it’s nothing special, just my BASS CANNON’!!” announced a familiar voice. Rainbow’s eyes widened, and she turned to see none other than the unicorn who had claimed to be Bass Blaster. She was sitting at an outside table at one of the plaza’s cafes, chatting animatedly with... was that a stallion? Rainbow trotted slowly closer, listening intently. She promised herself she would zoom to the orphanage as soon as the unicorn told her where she lived, and then later they could talk about this crazily changed reality. However, as Rainbow approached, it became clear that something definitely sounded...different about Bass Blaster than the first time Dash had seen the unicorn. “You should have seen the look on their faces,” Bass Blaster laughed. “It was priceless!” “Sounds like it,” chuckled the earth pony stallion she was with. It wasn’t anypony Rainbow had ever seen. Was this an old friend of Bass Blaster’s who somehow remembered her from before her changes? Or was this what Dash feared it was, being something else entirely? She stopped approaching and perked her ears to find out, pretending to be studying the menu posted in the cafe’s window, but instead watching the two ponies’ reflection. “I wish I could have been there to see it. Maybe I can next time?” “Totally,” Bass Blaster agreed. “But I don’t really think I’ll be putting on anymore raves any time soon.” “Are you kidding?” the stallion asked. “What about those fliers all over town for your next gig? Isn’t that coming up soon?” “O-oh, those,” Bass stuttered, clearly trying to cover up the fact that she had been unaware of such fliers. It seemed that she too was dealing with commitments written into her past that she didn’t remember. “Well, I’ve been thinking about cancelling that—” “But you can’t!” the stallion cut in, sounding shocked. “What about all your fans? They’ll be so bummed; I know I would be. I’ve loved your music ever since you started playing in Ponyville. In fact, I was really psyched that I finally got to meet you in person. You’ve proven to be just as amazing a pony as you are a DJ.” “Thanks,” the off-white unicorn giggled, blushing. Wait, giggling and blushing?! Either she had always been into stallions, or she was headed down the same path Rainbow had almost gone down with Big Mac. “You’re pretty awesome yourself.” This was worse than Rainbow had feared! She galloped over to the table, desperate to stop this before it went any further. Bass Blaster couldn’t help her if the unicorn was actually accepting her new life! “Say, maybe we could hang out some more some time?” the stallion inquired. “I know this great restaurant—” “That’s enough!” Dash declared, all but running into the table. “Sorry, Romeo, but she’s got plans! Plans on every night you’re planning on getting romantic!” “Who are you?” the stallion asked, surprised and more than a little annoyed that his potential date had been interrupted. “Cloud Buster?” Bass Blaster queried. “What are you doing here?” “Saving you from being Their slave,” the multicolored mare answered, attempting to grab the unicorn’s hoof and drag her away from the would-be casanova. “Now come on, we’ve got some reality to rewrite!” “What are you talking about?” the unicorn wondered, stubbornly refusing to move and sounding plenty angry herself. “You were about to agree to go out with this guy!” Rainbow told her, not about to let this fellow victim of Them fall into the same trap she did. “Can’t you see what’s happening?” “What?” Bass Blaster uttered, her eyes going wide. “You’re right! I can’t believe They almost got me! I’m sorry, Mosh Pit, but I have to go!” Without another word, and leaving the earth pony stallion with a look of utter perplexity and disappointment on his face, the two mares rushed from the cafe. Bass Blaster seemed to be headed somewhere in particular, so Rainbow followed her. They galloped around a few buildings and up a flight of stairs to a second-story apartment. Bass Blaster didn’t seem like she could slip inside fast enough, and urged Rainbow to follow her. The multicolored mare complied, thankful to have saved the unicorn as well as finally find out where she lived. However, just because Rainbow had saved Bass, that didn’t make what she had seen any less worrisome. Rainbow had agreed to go out with Big Mac in a past she’d never lived through, but it had looked very much like Blaster was about to willingly agree to a date of her own free will. Would she have done so if Rainbow hadn’t been there to stop her? Rainbow knew she would have never done such a thing, but due to how freaked out Bass had been when she realized what was going on, the unicorn wouldn’t have normally done so either. Did that mean that she was slipping into her new role in this changed reality, whether she liked it or not? Would this get worse? Was this a portent of what was to come for Rainbow as well? Dash shivered, desperately hoping it wasn’t. “Thanks for the save,” Bass said gratefully, trotting into the apartment and flopping down on a couch. Rainbow joined her, eager to get away and adopt Scootaloo, but wanting to check and see if this changed reality was getting worse first. Rainbow didn’t want to outright avoid Big Mac, as well as every other stallion in Ponyville, but she would if she would otherwise soon be openly accepting dates with them. “I never thought it would happen, but it just kind of crept up on me, you know? I mean, I was always a mare’s stallion, back when I was a stallion. I really hope that doesn’t end up going the other way around.” “Glad I could help,” Rainbow asserted. “So, you really didn’t know he was about to ask you out?” “I guess a part of me knew, in the back of my mind...” Bass Blaster admitted. “...And a part of me wanted him to. I realized pretty quickly in this new changed reality that even if I didn’t want to, as a mare, I liked stallions. I’ve been trying to fight it, but I... I think I’ve been losing. It’s not like the attraction has gotten any stronger, it’s like I just find it increasingly hard to care about not giving into it. It’s the same with other things...” “What other things?” Rainbow wondered, gulping. What else could this change take from them? “Well, for one thing, I can’t say my old name anymore,” the unicorn sighed. “I can’t even think of myself as that name. I’ve been renamed Vinyl Scratch, whether I like it or not.” “You can’t say Bass Blaster anymore?” Rainbow gasped. Then that might mean... She instantly tried to say, to yell, to scream her old name, but all that came out was a whispery hiss. “I can’t believe this! I can’t say my old name either!” “I figured as much,” commented Bass Blaster, or rather, Vinyl Scratch. “I’m afraid this is only going to get worse until we find that door.” “Firefly told you too,” Rainbow stated, and Vinyl nodded. It was good to have a friend with the same goal, but that had come at the price of knowing the situation was going to get worse until they figured out how to stop it... if they figured out how to stop it... No! Rainbow mentally scolded herself. Do NOT think like that! “I’d love to get started searching right away,” Rainbow told her. “But I’ve got something to do first. Now that I know where you live, can I swing by here as soon as I get the chance, and we’ll start then?” “Please do,” Vinyl agreed. Rainbow thanked her, promising to get back as fast as possible, and left the apartment. Leaping into the air and ascending to look down at the building from above, Dash marked the location on her mental map of Ponyville and zoomed off, planning to give the town an aerial sweep for the orphanage. She could have asked Vinyl for directions, but then again, the other new mare probably didn’t remember an orphanage being in Ponyville either. When Dash finally found the place, she was pleased to see that at least it wasn’t a sagging, run-down, broken building like she had feared. The establishment looked fairly nice, if humble, though that wasn’t any reason for Scootaloo having to stay there longer than she had to. Rainbow marched right into the lobby and past the receptionist before the other pony had time to protest. Barging into the door marked ‘HEAD OFFICE,’ Dash announced “I’d like to adopt Scootaloo.” The mare sitting behind the desk, a wizened old thing, looked quite surprised at the intrusion, but smiled pleasantly enough all the same. “You must be Miss Rainbow Dash,” she said, and the multicolored mare nodded. “Scootaloo talks about you quite often. She even claims you’re her honorary big sister.” “I am,” Rainbow affirmed. “And I’d like to be her official guardian.” “I thought you might show up here for that very reason sooner or later,” the elderly mare told her. “I’d be very happy to see Scootaloo go to a good home, and I know she’d love to have you as her official family. However...” However?! Rainbow thought. There isn’t supposed to be a ‘however!’ “I didn’t realize you were so young,” the mare went on. “I’m afraid regulation won’t allow me to allow you to adopt Scootaloo without certain other factors in play.” What?! Nopony had complained when she had taken care of Scootaloo as Cloud Buster! “Why is that a problem?” Rainbow asked, getting a little worried. Surely this couldn’t stop her from getting Scootaloo back, could it? “I’ve seen plenty of ponies my age taking care of foals. And what ‘certain other factors’?” “Those ponies had the foals themselves, and thus aren’t covered by the regulations concerning orphaned foals,” the older pony explained, looking genuinely sorry. “As Scootaloo isn’t related to you, we can’t allow the adoption at this time. However, if ponies meet certain qualifications, they can adopt even at your age. For instance, if you were to become married—” “Hold it!” Rainbow gasped. “Why is that a requirement?!” “A variety of reasons,” the other mare said after flinching at Rainbow’s outburst. “It would show that you’re seriously planning on starting a family, that there would be two potential sources of income to support the adoptee, and the list goes on. There are other qualifications, but I’m afraid they’d take a few years to acquire, by which time you would be old enough to adopt anyway.” “So what you’re saying is, is that if I want to adopt Scootaloo anytime soon, I would have to get...married...” Rainbow uttered for clarity. The elderly pony nodded her affirmation. No, no, NO!! Rainbow thought. I am NOT getting married!! At least, not as a mare! But what about Scootaloo? Rainbow had promised the filly that she would have a new home and family, and the orange pegasus would be more heartbroken than Big Mac ever was if she didn’t come through on that promise. Nevertheless, Rainbow wasn’t going to sacrafice whatever part of her former male identity she had left by wedding a stallion! She outright refused! Wouldn’t that mean refusing Scootaloo a family too, though? the multicolored mare thought, her mind torn. I can’t let Scootaloo down, but I can’t get married either! Oh, this is going to drive me crazy! “Why don’t you take some time to think things over?” the older mare suggested, seeing Rainbow’s torn state. “Please know that the orphanage doesn’t encourage you to marry just so you can adopt Scootaloo. In the event that you had already planned to do so, you can come back later. In the meantime, though, why don’t you just keep it in mind in case a special somepony crosses your path?” “Yeah, I think I need to... think things through...” Rainbow breathed, looking out of breath. “Thank you for your time.” The other mare nodded and they said their goodbyes. Dash trotted out of the office in a daze. What in Equestria was she going to do now?! She didn’t think Big Macintosh was going to want to get married so soon even if she had been open to the idea herself. They’d only just (almost) gone on their first date, after all! No, marriage was definitely out. Besides, planning a wedding would take far too much time away from potential door-hunting excursions. She would simply tell Scootaloo that she couldn’t get married, and the little filly would surely understand...right? Rainbow gulped, knowing all too well that she didn’t at all want to test that hypothesis...even if her little sister was waiting for her reply later that day. Rainbow couldn’t stand this. She needed somepony to talk to about what was going on. She needed help to form some kind of plan. Of course, there was only one pony in Ponyville who had any idea what she was going through. Rainbow crouched, preparing to launch into the sky and zoom back to Vinyl’s, when somepony called “Rainbow! It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages! How have you been, darling?” The multicolored mare recognized that voice, and turned to see Rarity, one of Fluttershy’s closest friends. The fashionable unicorn was wearing saddlebags that seemed to be stuffed with thick fabric, and was already trotting over to her. It would be rude to simply fly away, even given the situation. “Oh, uh, hey, Rarity,” Rainbow greeted. “I was actually just about to go somewhere, but maybe we can catch up some other time...” “I didn’t expect to see you in this part of town,” the unicorn noted, seemingly oblivious to Dash’s hint. “I was just on my way to drop off some of my excess sweaters to the orphanage—they’re such little dears, you know, and everypony deserves a little warmth come winter—but what brings you here?” “I actually just came from the orphanage myself,” Rainbow answered. “But right now I need to—” “But why would be in the orphanage?” Rarity wondered, again seeming to be almost intentionally cutting the cyan pegasus off. Perhaps she did recognize the hint, but just didn’t want to allow Rainbow to leave without a chat first? “Unless... oh, Rainbow! I knew you had a big heart, but this is phenomenal! You just adopted Scootaloo, didn’t you!” “I tried to,” Dash sighed, seeing she wasn’t going to get out of this anytime soon. “But they said I couldn’t adopt her unless I got married, so—” “Married?!” Rarity exclaimed, her face lighting up. “You’re getting married as well?! I knew you and Big Macintosh always had a thing for one another, but I didn’t realize things were that serious already! Oh, this is wonderful—I’ll design you the absolutely perfect dress, free of charge, of course! Do you have a minute? I’d love to get measurements down right away—” “Rarity!” Rainbow all but shouted. “I’m not getting married to Big Mac!” “...what?” the unicorn uttered, deflating. “But I thought you just said...” “I said they wouldn’t let me adopt Scootaloo unless I got married,” Rainbow explained with an exasperated sigh. “But that doesn’t mean I am getting married. Besides, Big Mac and I are just friends.” “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Rarity admitted. “What do you mean ‘just friends’? I thought you and Big Macintosh were supposed to have gone on a date just last night... wasn’t Fluttershy supposed to go with you?” “Didn’t you here?” Rainbow inquired, hanging her head, really not wanting to talk about this but knowing she had no choice. “We did, but it didn’t work out. I had to leave. And please, don’t ask why. It’s not Big Mac’s fault. It’s not anypony’s fault. I just can’t explain it.” “Are you alright?” Rarity queried, deep concern lacing her voice. “Is something going on? If so, please, Rainbow, you know you can trust your friends with whatever you’re going through. We’re all here for you, through thick and thin, remember?” “Thanks, I appreciate it,” Rainbow noted, giving a small smile. “But this is something I’m afraid you all can’t help with.” “If you’re sure...” Rarity trailed off, looking downcast. “I really am sorry; I had thought you two were so good for each other. You even told me a while ago that if all went well you were going to make him your special pick to see that Wonderbolts show coming up...” “I have tickets to an upcoming Wonderbolts show?” Rainbow gasped, pleasant surprise crossing her features until she saw the exact opposite fall over Rarity. “What, what’s wrong?” “N-nothing, darling,” Rarity assured, trotting briskly away. “I’ll see you around, Rainbow. Take care!” Not entirely sure what had just happened, Rainbow shrugged it off as just another notch on the weirdness of this changed reality and launched herself into the sky. She was so quick to head off towards Vinyl’s apartment that she didn’t even see Rarity bypass the orphanage completely and gallop straight towards the library. By the time the multicolored mare reached her newfound friend’s apartment, she had had to admit to herself that she wasn’t really sure if Vinyl could provide any real help in this matter. Dash didn’t see what the off-white unicorn could do, but Rainbow supposed asking was worth a shot. Anything that bought her some time before having to face Scootaloo was a welcome distraction. Rainbow had just raised her hoof to knock on the door when she heard the whispers again. Is this the place? Yes. It shall be relocated? Yes. And Rainbow Dash shall not know where? Yes. Then it shall be so. “What?!” Rainbow exclaimed, furiously pounding on the door, hoping desperately that she wasn’t too late. “No! That’s not fair! You can’t stop us from helping each other!” “Who’s making that racket?!” yelled a very cranky-sounding voice from within. A few hoofsteps later, a wrinkly old donkey had poked his head outside the door, snapping “What do you want, youngster? I was taking my nap!” Rainbow simply stared at him, agitation boiling over to anger within her. Without a word, she turned tail and launched herself back into the sky, leaving a very confused donkey wondering just what in the world had occurred. Flying high over Ponyville, Dash scanned the citizens trotting or flying about their business below, searching for one shock of electric blue mane in particular. She didn’t see it. “Gah!” she exasperated, zooming down and flying aimlessly through the buildings, earning quite a few odd looks as she did so. “Why does this have to be so hard?!” At last, Rainbow had to land, finally admitting to herself that she wasn’t going to find Vinyl by simply random searching. They wouldn’t allow for that anyway; They’d probably just relocate her apartment all over again if Dash found it. So how could she find the off-white unicorn? Wait, hadn’t the stallion who had been chatting her up said something about fliers for a rave? Maybe she could reach Vinyl at the event, unless They erased that too... but Firefly had said They couldn’t change a pony’s mind once they had caught on to Their existence, hadn’t she? And, even if Vinyl had been about to cancel the rave, she’d be looking for Rainbow as well. Hopefully, she would keep the rave on regardless of what They did to try and stop it. Like a lighthouse to a ship lost at sea, perhaps the rave could be the beacon that led them to each other again? Rainbow only hoped that once they found each other once more, they could stay together. But where would she find a flier to such an event? It would have had to be posted at a very public place. Perhaps Sugar Cube Corner? Rainbow all but bolted to the bakery. There was a bulletin board inside the sweet shop where the Cakes allowed ponies to post notifications about upcoming events. With any luck, there would be a flier there. Finally reaching the bakery, Dash made for the door before it opened and a pink blur all but ran over her. “Dashie!” squealed the unmistakable voice of Pinkie Pie. “I’m so glad I found you! I was just headed over to the library, because Twilight wanted to call a meeting, and one of use was supposed to come and find you, and look! I found you! So now we can go over there together!” “What?” Rainbow wondered. “I don’t have time to go to Twilight’s right now; I need to get a flier from the bulletin board!” “Oh, you mean this flier?” Pinkie inquired slyly, pulling a sheet of paper seemingly out of thin air. She showed it to the cyan pegasus, who gasped at seeing it. Though Vinyl’s name wasn’t on it, there was a picture of her at a turntable blasting music. The caption read ‘DJ PON3 PERFORMING LIVE!’ and listed a place and a time just a few days away. “How did you know I was after that?” Rainbow asked, incredulity and suspicion sneaking into her scratchy voice. How would Pinkie Pie know, unless... was the pink party pony somehow connected to Them? “Vinyl Scratch came by just a few minutes ago and asked me to make sure you got one,” the earth pony replied, eliciting a sigh of relief from Dash. “She also told me to tell you not to bother looking for her house, because it’ll probably just keep moving until the rave. She said the same thing might happen if you agreed to meet up at a public place. Now why would she say something like that? Does she think buildings have legs or something? That sounds really neat! I wish Sugar Cube Corner had legs, because then it could follow me around, and I would never be too far from my supply of sweets, and—” “Thank you, Pinkie,” Dash cut her off, taking the flier from the earth pony and memorizing the date and time before tossing it into a nearby trashcan. She had hardly been able to stand the party pony’s incessant rambling as Cloud Buster; it seemed that trait had carried over to her new life as Rainbow Dash. “By the way, I didn’t know you were friends with Vinyl Scratch,” Pinkie noted. “Is she okay? She seemed really worried when she told me to give you the flier. She barely even cheered up when the stallion she was with bought one of my special cupcakes for her.” “She was with a stallion?!” Rainbow gasped, the color draining from her face, and given her natural colors that was saying something. “Yeah,” Pinkie agreed, seemingly oblivious to Dash’s distressed shock. “Speaking of which, how’s your stallion doing, Dashie? I never got a chance to ask how your date with Big Mac went last night.” Rainbow simply groaned. She did not want to go through with this again. And, on top of that, had Vinyl slipped right back into the trap that Rainbow had just saved the unicorn from? Was her willpower deteriorating that quickly? Would Rainbow be next? “Dashie, what’s wrong?” the pink earth pony wondered. “Did the date not go well? Don’t worry, you can tell Auntie Pinkie all about it on the way to Twilight’s!” Not seeing what else she could do and welcoming the prolongment of facing Scootaloo, Rainbow trotted after Pinkie Pie. She refused to say anything on the way over, but that didn’t prove to be a problem anyway. The party pony blathered on enough for two ponies, filling the silence with whatever happened to pop into her mind. Dash didn’t have to say a word. At last, they arrived at the Ponyville Library. Rainbow hadn’t the slightest idea why Twilight was calling her friends to a meeting, but anything was better than facing Scootaloo sooner rather than later. It may have been prolonging the inevitable, but Rainbow reasoned that that was better than nothing. Perhaps Twilight regularly called meetings with the other Elements of Harmony? Fluttershy had never mentioned anything like that. Maybe one of them had a birthday coming up and this was going to be a surprise party for them? For all Dash knew, the surprise birthday could be hers. Then again, she was still the same age, wasn’t she? The other four of Fluttershy’s closest friends, as well as Fluttershy herself, were all talking amongst themselves when Rainbow and Pinkie arrived. They weren’t jumping out from behind the furniture and there weren’t any decorations, so that ruled out a surprise party. In fact, they all looked rather worried, Fluttershy in particular. Applejack, meanwhile, simply tried her best to avert her eyes from Rainbow’s gaze. “Rainbow’s here!” Pinkie Pie called cheerily as she bounced into the room and took her place amidst the circle of friends. What? Why would Dash’s appearance be announced? “We’re glad you could make it, Rainbow Dash,” greeted Twilight Sparkle, motioning for the multicolored mare to join them. Uncertain, Rainbow reluctantly complied, taking a seat next to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the two ponies she knew the best. She had known Fluttershy since nearly forever, and she had been hoping to get to know her even better before all of this happened. Hopefully that could still happen if Rainbow—no, when Rainbow reset this version of reality. As for Pinkie Pie, well, everypony in Ponyville knew Pinkie Pie. “We’ve been waiting for you.” “What’s this about?” the cyan pegasus inquired, feeling nervous. Why were they all gathered for her? “We’ve all heard about how your date with Big Macintosh went last night,” Twilight answered. “We know it’s your business what happened between you two, but we’ve all had to admit that we were rather surprised to hear you left the date so early. You used to talk about Big Macintosh all the time. But that’s not the only thing; you’ve been acting different in other ways. You’ve got us all worried, Rainbow Dash, and as your friends we’re here to help in any way we can.” “Is this supposed to be an intervention or something?” Rainbow wondered with a sigh. She welcomed the distraction from Scootaloo, but she did not need to come up with yet more lies to hide the truth, which would undoubtedly label her as crazy. “Not unless you’ve become addicted to something,” Twilight responded, sounding genuinely concerned. And why shouldn’t she be? To the other Elements of Harmony, Rainbow was one of their best friends. Dash knew that she would have been worried if one of her friends had acted like she was now back when she had been Cloud Buster. “Is that why you’ve been acting so strange?” “What’s so strange about me not wanting to date Big Mac?” Rainbow wondered, pondering how she would get out of this situation. “I changed my mind; it’s as simple as that.” “We can understand that,” Twilight stated, glancing at Applejack, who still refused to look at Rainbow. It seemed the farmpony did still cared for the cyan pegasus, though, as she had come here in the first place. “But Rarity tells us you forgot you had tickets to the upcoming Wonderbolts performance. That has to be a sign that something’s wrong; we all know you’d never forget something like that. “In fact, I’ve been doing a little bit of research on your recent behavior,” Twilight went on. Her horn lit up, and she levitated a book over from a desk, opening it in front of her. Rainbow managed to catch a glimpse of the cover. It was a catalogue of... behavioral disorders? They thought she was sick? “And, after careful analysis, I think I’ve discovered that you may be experiencing something called ‘acute affection apathy.’ It’s a rare disorder, but sometimes it crops up when a pony is entering into a relationship. It happens when somepony is so afraid of commitment that they become disoriented, and deny that they were ever interested in somepony, claiming to feel the opposite about them. It can even affect other areas of their lives, making them feel the opposite about things than they usually would.” Rainbow did not like where this was going. “Are you saying I’m crazy because I don’t like Big Mac?” she asked. “No, we just believe that what happened recently with Big Macintosh, as well as how you’ve been acting in general, is the result of an unfortunate condition you may have developed,” Twilight answered, smiling encouragingly, but with worried eyes. “So, in order to help you in this situation, we’ve contacted an expert on all things related to love and affection.” Who said anything about love? Rainbow thought. It was just a date! And who in the world could be a ‘love expert?’ “We know you’ll be hesitant to accept this help, Rainbow,” Twilight finished. “We know you’re too independent for that. But we’re all really worried about you. So, for us, will you please do this? If you don’t have this condition, and we hope you don’t, then our expert will simply confirm that. Plus, it gives me a chance to use the latest spell I’ve been working on.” Rainbow really, really wanted to say ‘no.’ Out of all of these ponies, she was really only truly friends with Fluttershy, whatever the others thought in this version of reality. However, if Rainbow did refuse this help, then it would look like she was turning down Fluttershy’s help as well as the rest of the Elements, and that was something she couldn’t bear. Reluctantly, and reflecting with much annoyance on how much she was having to concede things recently, Rainbow nodded her head. “Excellent!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming. “I’ve been waiting for a reason to use my portal spell.” Portal spell? How far away did this ‘love expert’ live? Twilight’s horn sparked and shone with more magic than Rainbow had ever seen a unicorn use before a burst of light erupted from its tip. The light swirled into the center of the room and spun faster and faster, finally growing almost blinding in its brilliance. Finally, with a final flash, reality itself seemed to be torn open. Out of the portal trotted Princess Cadance, alicorn of love. . . .
