Chapters Once, in a generic autumn night, Fluttershy went from her house through the western part of Ponyville, at the edge of Everfree. She wanted to reach Sweet Apple Acres, to walk in there for some time at night, because she used to do that. Not afraid even of the guarding Winona waking up, she was prepared to blast anything coming from the forest at her with her stare. She kept her magical ability prepared and precharged. Not that she expected her trip to be interrupted this time, because it almost never had been.
But nevertheless, passing by two isolated small houses quietly, she heard a hissing sound from the sky. A bright flash flew to her from south-west at low altitude, accelerating. Not knowing what that was, she automatically used the Stare, decharging her magical power by half. But then, realizing that there was an alcove below a wooden porch of a cottage, she instantly jumped there.
She hit something already lying there, in the darkness.
She was too frightened to come out to see what had been chasing her, but she experienced something awkward hiding in the nook. Something else alive was in there, that wasn't her.
"Hello?" - she asked.
Nothing responded. She saw a strange warm lump beside her that she felt before. It wasn't moving. It was somehow familiar.
She wondered what kind of animal would be sleeping in such place. Deciding not to disturb it, she just gave it some of her remaining magical care energy, and left a hole.
And then, she saw Rainbow Dash, her head and legs glowing brightly yellow. She got scared, thinking that she'd seen a ghost.
"No!" - cried the ghost, confirming her fear.
Fluttershy darted back into the dead end, her head hitting the suspicious object again.
"Fluttershy, I'll explain! Calm down!" - Dash shouted.
Looking back, the yellow pegasus saw Rainbow's face, its outlines still lit with fading light.
"Rainbow Dash?" - Fluttershy said, worried. Rainbow seemed to be crawling towards her, using her forelegs.
"It's nothing. Please come out." She stopped, pointing at the way out.
"What are you doing here? You scared me."
"I'm just flying. Speaking of that, why aren't you at home?" - Dash asked, her voice still suspiciously loud.
"I was apples to the orchard, and... aah!" - Fluttershy screamed, seeing her friend in yellow light. Or, more accurately, half of her. Her rear half was replaced by a jet engine, a rainbowy orange trail was still visible behind it.
"Apples? What are you talking about?" - "eh, I guess you're afraid now. Of this. Nopony... no one was supposed to know!" - Dash began. "I'm a jet pony, I didn't want you to see..." - she dove into the black hole, "I'm an experiment. I'll tell you later, just don't be afraid."
With that, she slowly pulled her other half from the sand under the house, pushed something on its sides, and connected it to herself. The engine disappeared in the slot in the back part. "Connection."
Later at Fluttershy's cottage, they had an emergency tea party. With special, fear recovery herbal tea. "And that's why I like speed," - Rainbow confessed. " And sorry that I haven't told you, and for what I made you to go through, but, please don't tell... the others? ...I'm just a little bit... not ready for this to come out."
Fluttershy said nothing. Something near the wooden wall creaked quietly.
"And don't worry that I'll fly at night again. I'll pick another place if you want" - Rainbow offered, drinking.
"No, I'll pick another route," - she replied, "I don't have to go to the orchards anyway."
Rainbow fell silent for some time. She knew she'd go there too, sometimes. And she knew several other ponies who liked apples, especially at full moon.
"No, alright, or... can we go together next time? I used to go there too."
"You're one of us?" - Fluttershy spoke, surprised.
"...Not exactly. But I like apples" - Dash replied.
Author's Note
Music: Sonic 3 Marble Garden theme
Another time, at dusk, exceptionally tired but happy, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were returning home from Pinkie's party. Luna's darkness had been slowly claiming the whole sky, despite Pinkie's wish for their way to be easier, in the rain that was happening because of pegasus holiday the day before. They went on through multiple town districts, where street lights were lighting up slightly where Twilight wanted to go. And so they were destined to eventually reach Rarity's shop. But something happened.
In the area among broken street lights, Rarity stepped into a sinister hole that they didn't remember ever being there. The hole didn't give any warning before that happened. Rarity fell into the dirt.
Then, with Twilight's magic, weakened from tiresome partying, she was back. Twilight prepared to seal the hole using transformation spell. But Rarity ran away without a word. It wasn't too far from Boutique, so Twilight expected to be there shortly. Twilight wanted to say curse words addressed to the hole, but it might already be cursed. It was more practical to terminate it.
Then, after quickly passing some streets in the rain, Twilight saw the destination. Of course, the door was open, because it's convenient for this story.
She just went inside.
And then she heard a sound from upstairs. It went on continuously. Twilight thought it was a washing machine. "I'm here" - purple unicorn announced.
"Wait in there!" - Rarity shouted.
And then some time passed. Then some more. "Ouwww!!" - in a hurry, Rarity accidentally fell. "i-iits alriight!.."
Then Twilight came. Rarity would shout, but it was too late. To prevent That from happening.
Twilight found Rarity. Without skin or hair. Not even on face. She stood up by now, but looked like a horrific ghoul.
"What in Celestia's dominion is happen-ing!" - Sparkle whined. "Rarity! It's you, and where is-"
"It's being washed," - Rarity said with sadness. "I would blame you for being here now, because you shouldn't ever be and see this," - she admitted, "but I should be blaming myself for not being able to stand that much dirt. It's the cursed hole that did this to me." - "But this is how I work. The other set is completely torn, otherwise I would instantly wear it. I was unlucky this whole week. I'll need two days to weld it."
"Maybe you're cursed," - Twilight deduced, - "Let's go to Zecora?"
"No, that's it. We had an argument, and she cursed me."
"In such way?" - Twilight protested, "She would never..."
"Unless she was cursed herself; ... though, you don't understand. I live like this for a decade already. I'll have you know that it gets dirty very easily, much harder to clean than regular skin. It's quality skin substitute. I have to buy material about every year, and it's very expensive. A fourth of my gems goes for that. It hurts that half a country thinks I live a happy life and have no problems. I have. Sewing this. Replacing hidden zip lines. And keeping it from Sweetie Belle."
"I'm sorry. So I... should I wait for you outside and then we go fix the curse?.."
"That's not tonight. But you can stay tonight in the Boutique while I try to fix this, if you want."
Roughly a year since that happened, Twilight, who was now an alicorn, and Applejack, who was still an apple farmer, were going around the barn at Applejack's farm, talking about apples and water.
Suddenly, Twilight glitched. She froze. In the middle of sentence she was telling.
A second later, Applejack turned. Twilight had a frozen rolling eyes expression on her face. "Are you alright, sugarcube?" - Applejack asked.
No response. But a minute later, her horn lit up, and begin casting a spell, which continued on for a minute, and then another minute for another minute for another spell. And after that, she started moving again, but fell on the ground, utterly tired.
"Do you need help?" - Applejack asked. "No", a quiet answer came instantly.
Twilight faded into unconsciousness.
And then Applejack decided to carry her. No one from Apple family had cellphones, so her destination would be either Spike's Library, or the hospital. And she chose the former, realizing how light Twilight was. No normal pony would be that light. Examining her, she found stitches on her head and belly.
Then she realized, that Twilight Sparkle might be a zombie. Only a few ponies in Ponyville still didn't believe in them, and Apple Family wasn't among them. Last time, zombie ponies all went into the orchard to pick apples, apple zombies they were, and Applejack herself had to defend the buildings.
They began going to town, and then through town, where Rainbow Dash noticed them from the sky. Applejack was glad she did. "What's with Twilight? Do you need help?" - Rainbow shouted.
"No!" - was the answer. "No! Yes!" - was the correction. "Could you help carry Twi somewhere, I rackon she might've become a zombie."
"Again? No" - Dash made a loop in the air, preparing to carry, " where does it come from?" She landed. "Seems normal..." - she noted. "Let's go."
On their way to Spike, Twilight woke up. She thought for a minute, what to do, while they still carried her. "*cough* How long I was out?" - she spoke slyly.
"Half hour," - Applejack said simply. "Can I stand up?" - she asked. "No", - Applejack replied coldly. Twilight was quiet in three next minutes.
"We'll cure you," - Applejack said when they came to the tree. "I don't need cure!" "You don't?"
"I don't"
"Then explain, what are the stitches on your body!" - angry Applejack said.
Then Twilight went really sad.
"I'll explain."
"This is my experiment. When I became an alicorn, I got an overwhelming magic boost that was making me nervous for weeks after. Magic was replacing my other senses. Sometimes even, when waking up, I casted a vision spell instead of opening my eyes! Later, when I mostly understood how much different I was, ...I tried to find a way to fix the problem without restraining my power, which was certainly a bad solution. It wouldn't even work. And for fixing that, I would need to understand what those other senses were. That proved to be useless, too. I would only drive myself insane. I gave up. I have accepted that I was Magic, not so much a pony, and the source of my life force was my horn, and my magical trail. I Realized that everything I would need to talk with you, was my interface, so to speak, a visual representation of my body; the rest I would do with just magic. My real body, my heart and brain are home, magically connected to this body. What you see now is part of my clone, my magical interface."