Chapters It was another bright and cheerful day. Feather Wish and Cloud Dash were chatting excitedly.
"Today are the annual Pegasus Races! Not only am I in it for the trophy, but with Big Jock and Tumbleweed going, I'm going to race in your honor!" Cloud Dash exclaimed excitedly.
"Wow! you'd do that for me? Thanks!" I'd love to watch, but...Rarity wants me at the boutique immediately." Departing with farewell, Cloud Dash dashed off to the tournament, while Feather Wish flew down to Carousel Boutique.
At the boutique, Rarity was racing all over the place. Three newly made outfits lay out, the finishing touches being set out on the cloud themed fabric. Each one was labeled fir, second, or third.
"Are those for the winners of the Pegasus Race?" Feather Wish asked.
"Yes. Now hurry along dear, I need to get these done! They were ordered TODAY!"
Suddenly, Spike ran through the door. "A letter for Feather Wish here!"
Anxious, Feather Wish read: Dear Feather Wish, Rarity's praise for you has come farther than it seems! Twilight Sparkle speaks of you as a wonderful student of politeness. I would love to see your skills put to work; they are surprising for your age! How would you like to make a dress for me, themed for the Pegasus Races that are held today? I know it is on short notice, but I think you could pull it off! I'd love to have it done before I appear at the end of the race. Good luck, Feather Wish! Love, Princess Celestia~
Feather Wish trembled the last phrase out. Rarity paused, too.
"This...This changes everything! THIS TRULY IS THE WORST POSSIBLE THING!!!" both Rarity and Feather Wish exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Cloud Dash was given her race number. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were there as well.
"Ready, Cloud Dash?" Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically.
"I was born ready! What about you, Scootaloo?" Cloud Dash called over to the two of them.
As the gun sounded, Cloud Dash took off, lifting her wings faster each time. "I can do this!"
At the boutique, Rarity forced herself to let Feather Wish do Princess Celestia's dress herself. Hurriedly finishing, she glanced over at Feather Wish, who seemed to be managing fine. Feather Wish, after five minutes, started struggling with terrible flaws. When "finished," she looked down and cried in frustration.
"This IS the worst possible thing!!" Feeling she had failed, she ran outside and sat under the sunlight, upset. Suddenly, a white feather fluttered out of the sky. A light seemed to click on inside her, and her eyes beamed with hope. That was when she finally created the ultimate dress.
It was 15 minutes into the race, and with a terrifying realization, Cloud Dash realized she was in last place! The race was almost over. She didn't know what came over her, but a song came to mind, so she sang it: "Fly faster, fly faster, each cloud is my fate! Go higher, Go higher! And create my rainbow's gate!" There was a flash of color then everything blurred as she flew through this magical rainbow, musical notes dancing at the edge. She had come in first. It was unbelievable. She had won. Cloud Dash had won!
The end of the race was here. Feather Wish met Princess Celestia with her new dress shining on the Princess. Cloud Dash was being given the trophy, and congratulated for being the youngest flyer ever to win! As they both stood by the Princess's side in front of the crowd, they both looked down with a gasp as a magical feeling filled their blank flanks. Cloud Dash had a cloud with a rainbow emerging, ending with some musical notes. Feather Wish had a white feather with a blue diamond on either side. The answer was clear.
"OUR CUTIE MARKS, OUR CUTIE MARKS!" they shouted The crowd applauded for them and that's when they knew this was the best day ever!
I can't believe it! After all this time, all this waiting...We finally got our cutie marks! It's Friday now, and nothing out of the normal has happened. But I have to admit, there's been an anxiety creeping through me, growing each day. I feel...as if I am being watched, or like something is calling to me. I never really noticed before, but there's been a piercing feeling on my forehead. Cloud Dash agrees that her forehead feels strange too. For these couple nights, I hear a faint voice at the back of my head repeating, "Go out to the back." Of course I'm not going to that voice; I hear creaking sounds over there! I'm really scared and I don't know why it is so nerve-wracking. My head tells me to go out there and find out what's wrong. Cloud Dash says it's nothing, but I'm not too sure about that. There's that creaking. It's night now. I feel I am positively being watched. Cloud Dash is awake now...
Cloud Dash looked wide-eyed over at Feather Wish. "W-What's that?"
"I...don't know..."
They gasped as a blue figure with a large, dark hat emerged from the shadows..
"Cloud Da--" Feather Wish never got to finish.
It was pitch black. There was tape on Cloud Dash's mouth. This was the first time she had ever been scared. She was trapped in cloth. All she heard were murmurs and a laugh. She knew that laugh. She heard it when she was at that magic show.
Trixie.
"Mmm! Pfmm-mrm-mmshf!" Cloud Dash cried out to her sister. It was her job to stick up and protect her twin, technically the youngest. They protected each other, and now, it seemed impossible.
And...They were gone.
Rainbow Dash awoke with a start. That was more than enough sleep for her! Flying downstairs to her living room, where Feather Wish and Cloud Dash were sleeping, she stopped cold in her tracks.
They were gone. She would've shrugged it off if it weren't for the fact that it was strangely quiet, their stuff was out in a mess, and a strange scuff mark led to the door.
Those two don't make black scuff marks and dirty messes, do they? She thought.
Curious, she stopped at Rainbow Shine's door.
"Huh? Oh, yes, is there something wrong, Rainbow Dash?"
"Uh...kind of. You know, have you seen those two colts of yours? When I went downstairs, they weren't there and their stuff was all over the place."
Rainbow Shine had a worried expression on her face. "That's strange...Even when Cloud Dash makes a mess, 'Wish is always there to clean up...and Cloud Dash is a tight sleeper. Did you look around nearby?"
"Yeah, but they aren't there. Maybe they're at Rarity's?"
By this time, Thunderlane also came over. Thunderlane, Rarity's supposedly step-brother, thought for a moment.
"I'll go over and check, and give you the news, if you'd like, Shine."
"Yes dear, that's very sweet of you. Go on."
~Into the evening~
"Dash! Feather?"
"Feather Wish! Cloud Dash!
"Cloud, where are you?"
"Wish, come back!!! Feather Wish!"
In only a couple of hours it seemed that the whole of Ponyville was calling and searching for the lost twins. Twilight Sparkle sent a note to the princess stating what was going on, and assembled Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie in a search party to investigate.
Now that Twilight had wings, she could fly up with Rainbow and Fluttershy to investigate Rainbow's house. Hoofing at the dark scuff marks on the white cloud floor of Dash's house, she looked up.
"It's some sort of substance...Soot, maybe?"
"That's weird. Why would there be soot in my house? Rainbow asked.
"That's just the thing...Soot comes from fire, smoke, things like that..."
Just then, a pegasus charged through the door. "We heard something in the Everfree Forest!" he said.
"What? The Everfree Forest!?" Fluttershy exclaimed quietly.
~~
Twilight and the others ran to the edge of the Everfree Forest. The same soot-like substance was here, along with a blue feather. "The girls were here!"
Roaming farther into the gloomy forest, the day was coming to a close. They would have to go back soon.
"Twailight, it's gettin' darker. Shouldn't we y'all be headin' back now?" Apple Jack commented.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash both turned around and at the same time said, "No!"
"We can't head back yet, right Twilight?" Rarity pleaded.
Sighing, Twilight paused. "I'm afraid Apple Jack's right...If we don't head back now, we might run into something that we don't want to!
Heading back, Rainbow looked down. This is all my fault! If I had kept my eye on those two than maybe this wouldn't have happened! Wait...Why would I have to keep an eye on those two? So it's not my fault they disappeared! ...Right?
Cloud Dash whirled around to face the queen. "W-What do you want from us!?"
The queen laughed. "Only your participation and cooperation, dearest." Too late to make a move, Feather Wish and Cloud Dash were surrounded by changelings. Guided out of the room, Feather Wish gasped. This hallway...the floor was like the material of a wasp hive bit it was a dark green with mixed shades of blue. Basically, it was all the colors of the changelings.
"Feather Wish, stay with me!" Cloud Dash whispered. Feather Wish nodded, uncertain of what Dash had in mind. They were being led to a large room with tall windows. Light had finally claimed Feather Wish's eyes. The floors here were hard and flat, aside of the steps leading to Queen Chrysalis' throne.
The queen guided the two fillies with her wing, and they followed relentlessly. Standing in front of one the tall windows, the twins stared out into the foggy swamp terrain. Queen Chrysalis smiled. "It seems your true selves have come to show A reflection on who you are has dawned, young children. It would be so easy to take your powerful love to feed my changelings, bu I have something else in mind. My magic has grown weak with no love to feed on. But you two are perfect. And you have an ultimate power that even I can't control." She frowned.
Trixie had walked into the room and nodded at the queen, who continued.
"Trixie can help with the proper training of the magic I need you to perform. Your goal is simple. With your love combined, you can create a funnel that takes anypony's love and feed it to my changelings. Then I will become unstoppable...my little slaves!"
Cloud Dash flinched. She leaned over to Feather Wish. "Wish, when I say now, get out of here as fast as you can. Find...find Twilight and the others," She whispered.
"But I'm not a hero..."
"Just do it!" Cloud Dash looked up. "Without love, there is nothing! We will not fall into your hooves to do such a bidding! We will find a way out!"
The queen laughed. "And how, I ask, will you, a meek little filly ever managed to do that?"
"That's just the question. Cloud Dash braced herself. "Feather Wish! NOW!"
Soon after Feather Wish had fled, Cloud Dash had been put in a magic weakening “bubble’ that prevented her from doing anything. The more she tried to fly, kick, or attempt any magic, Cloud Dash would get weaker. She was panting with determination.
“Don’t worry, young one, I’ll have your sister soon enough…and everyone she brings with her.” Queen Chrysalis smiled.
“You…will never…get away with…” Cloud Dash struggled the words though her exhausted breaths. Queen Chrysalis laughed and turned to look out the window.
“Ah. There.”
Feather Wish and the mane 6 charged across the swamp. Queen Chrysalis focused carefully and with a zap of her gnarled horn, the seven ponies were standing in the middle of the room surprised.
“Cloud Dash, I—I’m so—Oh, I’m just so sorry, I let you down!” Feather Wish looked down, teary eyed. “We’re trapped…”
Chrysalis’ eyes glinted with delight. Charging her magic, they were all transported to two different rooms. The mane 6 were together, and Cloud Dash and Feather Wish were in a room. The doors were locked with a magic seal.
Feather Wish opened her eyes. “Cloud Dash, I’m—”
“It’s alright. You tried, and you did bring back help.
“ Dash brought her twin closer with a rainbow colored wing.
“But I let you down…”
“No you didn’t. You showed me how brave you really are!”
They sat quietly as Trixie came into the room. Her expression was unreadable.
“It will only be a matter of time before you have learned basic magic. I am here to speed up that process. Then it should be easy to do the tasks ahead.”
Feather Wish looked up at her and thought. There was only one way to heal Trixie’s confused heart.
“Yes, ma’am. We shall listen carefully.”
It was another bright morning in Cloudsdale, and Cloud Dash awoke with a start.
"Feather Wish, Feather Wish! Wake up! No flight school today!"
Feather Wish's blue head popped up, her mane in a hysterical mess. "No school!?" Her purple-pink eyes glowing with excitement.
"Yep! For the whole week! It's teacher in-service days!" Cloud Dash jumped up and down. "That means...To Rainbow Dash's!!!"
Feather Wish shot her head down. "O-Oh...Are you sure? Jock and Tumbleweed live out that way..."
"Ah, no worries! Rainbow Dash is waiting outside the door!"
"Wait, what?" Feather Wish and Cloud Dash peered out the window. Rainbow Dash was talking to Rainbow Shine, their mother.
"RAINBOW DAAAAASH!!!" Cloud Dash hurtled out the window to greet her.
"I'll...Take the steps." Feather Wish commented, shifting her wings shamefully aware of what a terrible flyer she was.
"Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here!?" Cloud Dash ask asked excitedly.
"Your mom said that she and Thunderlane wanted a break from you guys, so she asked if I could borrow you." Rainbow Dash replied with a smile.
Cloud Dash gasped. "SLEEPOVER AT RAINBOW'S!"
Rainbow Dash had a worried look on her face. "Uh...Well...yeah, right...So--who wants flying lessons?"
"MEEE! ME!" Cloud Dash shouted.
"Oh, I'd love to! I want to be just like you someday!" Feather Wish exclaimed, trying to make Rainbow think she really did.
Rainbow Dash smiled with sympathy. "Really? Awesome! I just thought you were more into what Rarity does."
Feather Wish shifted her hooves on the ground. "Oh, I do love making dresses, but I'd rather have my cutie mark in flying, like you!" She gulped.
"Well, that's awesome! Come on, you on you two, race ya!"
The three of them trained all that day, and Feather Wish had gotten a much faster flying rate than she had before! Before they knew it, it was time to sleep.
"A perfect day indeed," Feather Wish thought. "But I should spend time with Rarity tomorrow." and they all fell asleep.
Cutie Marks and Hurricanes
It was now Wednesday, and Cloud Dash and Feather Wish were hanging out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who they'd been members in for quite some time. The twins were a year older than the Crusaders, but that didn't matter.
"I say we earn our cutie marks in deep sea diving!" Apple Bloom announced.
"But where'd we get the equipment? Hmm...We should earn it by going mountain climbing!" Scootaloo proclaimed.
Feather Wish giggled, thinking the conversation as funny. "Sillies, a cutie mark can only be earned by finding out who you really are!"
"But we want them now, just like you! How would we do that?" Sweetie Belle questioned.
"Well, Sweetie Belle, haven't you heard your singing? It's amazing! And you, Scootaloo, you're always on your scooter. Apple Bloom, you are great at making things, and your heart blooms with love and kindness!"
"Hm...OH! I know! We can get our cutie marks in construction working!" Apple Bloom beamed. I Feather Wish couldn't believe it! What a goose!
Later, Rainbow Dash asked Cloud Dash and Feather Wish what they wanted to do. Cloud Dash smiled. "We should get some major payback on Big Jock and Tumbleweed! Yee-haw! Giddy up, cowgirl! Let's round 'em up and put 'em down!" Cloud Dash few up, Rainbow Dash coming after her.
Feather Wish thought of those mean bullies, who called Cloud Dash Loud Smash and Feather Wish Record-Miss (after she got the lowest flying score in class). "Um....cowgirl? Round up? Put down? Oh..." Following after them, she came up beside her; she was looking at Jock and Tumble's house.
"What're we gonna do? What'dya say, Dash, the classic storm cloud house renovation?" Rainbow Dash asked, humored.
"That'd be awesome! Ready? Watch this!"
"Cloud Dash, this isn't very nice..." Feather Wish frowned at her, uncertain.
"Swirling clouds pile up, rumbling thunder starts to erupt! Jock and Tumble, you better watch out! Hurricane rain is pounding about!" Cloud Dash sang. The clouds making up the house turned black, and a small hurricane swirled above. "Ha! Take that, Big Mouth and Stumblesteed!"
Rainbow Dash looked up in amazement. "W-Woah! H-How'd you do that!? That...was...AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
Feather Wish found to be enjoying herself. It WAS funny.
It was dark. Cold and damp. It was just five minutes ago Cloud Dash and Feather Wish were released from the burlap bags, which were now laying on the floor underneath them. Feather Wish was shivering, but not with cold. It was fear.
"What do you think is happening, Dash?"
Before she could answer, the creaking door swung open. The dim light from the lantern ripped into the room, exposing the two shivering bodies. Before them was Trixie.
"Trixie!? You're behind all this!?" Feather Wish gasped.
"Oh no, children. It is I." A disturbingly rotting black horse stepped into the room, her teeth sharp and her wings decayed. Her glowing green eyes stared deep into the two ponies. "Queen--"
"Chrysalis." Feather Wish spat the word out with a threatening glow in her eyes. This horse fed off of the thing she treasured most--love.
Queen Chrysalis laughed. "Oh, so you do know who I am."
"...Not precisely. I just know." She didn't want to admit that the name was whispered in her mind by instinct. But how could that be possible?
Trixie stepped forward. "What shall we do with them?"
Thoughtfully, the queen smiled. "They provide something we need. But not yet. It has not yet begun, so we must wait. Until then, they are prisoners. Treat them like it." She padded past Trixie, who looked hesitantly down, unsure. "Don't worry, Trixie. You'll get what I promised you as soon as you've completed the tasks I've layed out for you." She said, her voice hushed to barely a whisper. But Cloud Dash's good hearing didn't let the words escape.
Trixie looked upon the two ponies and sighed.
Cloud Dash looked over at Feather Wish.
"What do you think Queen Chrysalis is planning?"
Feather Wish only looked down angrily. "She wants something. But something bad." She patted her head with her hoof, the pain sharpening. "I think there's something bigger to this mess. And...it may be bad, or good..."
White Feathers and Rainbows
"Ouch!" Cloud Dash exclaimed. It had been almost 20 minutes now, and the strange pain in her forehead had returned. Feather Wish was far back in the room, examining it. The room seemed to be for storage. And judging by the items and colors of the room, this was changeling territory. Old miscellaneous items scattered across shelves collected duct in the medium-sized room.
"Cloud Dash, I've been doing some digging in this old book I found." Feather Wish said.
"How can you dig in a book if there's no dirt?" Cloud Dash wondered.
Feather Wish blinked. "...Never mind. Anyways, it seems that love is what feeds the changelings. The queen takes control of one's mind by taking the form of who the pony loves most. If it has taken effect long enough, the pony will become one of her slaves. The more love she gets a hold of, the stronger her army is. Cloud Dash...If she gets a hold of our sisterly love and connection, she will be able to use us to do her bidding! What do we do?"
Cloud Dash pondered this. What would Rainbow Dash do? Hm, no, they can't be that wreckless. Hmm... "We take a stand! We'll have to outwit them! Since they feed off of love, we'll have to...hate to...separate...But it will be worth it if we can meet up together somewhere when we escape!"
Feather Wish signed. If only it was easier than it seemed...
--It had been days now. However, the mane 6 could not find the girls...--
Cloud Dash woke up with a start. "Ouch! Hey, what the--?" Shaking her head, she looked down at the sleeping Feather Wish. The dim light from the closed door shined in through the darkness to show her slumbering body. Her longer end feathers were not blue, but white! And...was that a HORN on her her forehead!?
Feather Wish slowly opened her eyes. "Cloud Dash, what's the--Oh my! Cloud Dash, your wings! And...and...you have a HORN!"
Cloud Dash gasped. "W-What!? Y-Your end feathers a-are white and YOU have a horn! W-What...H-How..."
"Y-Your end wings are...rainbow colored...W-Wait! Look, there's a mirror in that corner! L-Let's grab it!" Gasping, they looked into the the mirror. Feather Wish's end wings were white, with blue gemstone icons below each feather's tip. Cloud Dash's wing tips were rainbow, with small musical notes on the tips. Each of them had a horn. Where they...Alicorns!?
The door slammed open. Queen Chrysalis appeared.
"Hahahahaha! The time has BEGUN!"
Feather Wish's eyes shot to the way they came in. Panic flooded her mind as she sprinted down the hallway, changelings on either side of her. Was she going to blow it and let Cloud Dash down? There was no way out. And then she remembered. The floor! Surely if it was the material of a wasp's nest or close to it, she could go down! Feather Wish jumped. On the second try, she heard a trembling crack, and she pounded her hooves onto the ground.
The next thing she knew was that she was in mid-air, a sudden burst of light erupting towards her. At least two or more cracks. Finally, a shudder went through her body as she found herself in cold, mucky water.
Feather Wish looked up and gasped. She had fallen from just a tiny part of the hive. It was huge, stretching high into the sky. A black swarm of changelings flew out of the hole she had made during her long fall. Running, covered in muddy swamp water, she hollered out.
"Twilight! Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Help! Help!" Feather Wish saw in the distance some dark forest trees. The Everfree forest! Charging faster, Wish flapped her wings. Almost about to take off, she tripped, and her wing hit a branch of a tree. "Ouch!" Now it was silent. Feather Wish kneeled there looking behind her. Changelings were turning around and going back.
"Must’ve been summoned back," She wondered aloud. "Somebody! Help! Heeelp!"
15 minutes later---
"Twilight!" Feather Wish called out as she rounded a tree.
The mane 6 looked towards her.
"Feather Wish! There you are! What happened to you? Where's Cloud Dash?" Twilight asked.
"Queen Chrysalis! Changelings! Love, h-horns, our wings, Trixie, funneling magic! Twilight, Cloud Dash sent me to get help! Come on!"
Wait! W-What A-and..." Rarity gasped. "Your WINGS! And y-you have a horn!"
But Feather Wish was already running back through the way she came.