Twilight inspected the various vials and tubes on the shelf before her. Goggles and lab coat on, she was prepared to begin her experiment, with this being the final step. Tapping her hoof on the glass floor below, her thoughts wandered back to the installation of her newest room. Beneath her was a stark white chamber, severed from the basement with a thick veil of glass. It had taken months to install, but aside from the countless questions and noise complaints she had received, it was an easy operation.
Horn alight, she levitated a vial down to her, spun on her hooves, and trotted to the center of the room. Here was a desk, fixed with a small spout and an EEG, the same one used on Pinkie. The needle swung idly as paper slowly spilled out of it. Twilight slid the vial beneath the spout, then checked the EEG, before turning and looking down. Rainbow Dash was shuffling from hoof to hoof below her.
“Are you okay down there?” asked Twilight.
Rainbow Dash looked up and gave her a weak smile and a nod. “Just, uh, are you sure you’re gonna be able to get it back on me?”
With a chuckle, Twilight said, “Rainbow Dash, of course I can. Magic is my area of expertise. Now check your electrodes to make sure they’re sticking.”
“My what?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “The sticky things.”
Rainbow Dash patted the various suction cups across her body, then looked back up to Twilight. Biting her lip, she said, “Yeah, they’re fine.”
After double checking her equipment, Twilight sat and gave her friend a soft smile. “Dash, I can’t thank you enough for doing this.”
“Um, yeah, sure, but why does it have to be me? Why not Applejack, or Pinkie, or you?” Dash asked, scratching her neck.
“Because,” Twilight said, “Everypony is busy today, except for Pinkie, and my tranquilizers aren’t in yet. As for me, I’m the one running the experiment, and with Spike out with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, you’re the only one free! And besides, who else has a rainbow mane? You’re the perfect subject.”
Rainbow Dash gulped. “S-subject?”
“Oh calm down. Now hold still, I’m going to hit the lights.” In a pink flash, the switch on the wall flipped down, and everything went dark, with the exception of the lights in the chamber below. “Alright, now everything is in place. Are you ready?”
“No,” Dash muttered.
“You know, I had expected you to think that this would be, you know, awesome or something,” Twilight said as she sauntered to the wall, where a large switch was locked upright.
“Nothing about this is awesome,” Rainbow Dash said. “I’m only doing this because I feel bad about accidentally blowing up your bedroom that one time.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Rainbow, I was doing an experiment with fire rubies up there.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I crushed it and packed it into a tube, then mixed it with an ice diamond. Seconds later, you crashed into my burning bedroom,” she said, placing a hoof on the switch.
Rainbow Dash sat and frowned. “What’re you getting at?”
“Dash, that was my fault.”
Her eyes went wide. “I-it was? Then can I get out of here?”
Twilight flipped the switch. “Nope.”
The chamber below erupted in a white flash, blinding Twilight. She blinked rapidly, but no matter what she tried, she could not disperse the brightness of the flash and the deafening roar of the spell. The ground shook, rattling her teeth. Jaw clenched, she tightened her stance and glanced to the table. The machine’s needle was in a frenzy, slashing and sputtering thick ink lines across the paper.
The spout began to vibrate and rumble. Through the bright light, Twilight watched as a thick rainbow liquid poured from its mouth. As soon as the stream died to a drip, Twilight spun on her hooves and quickly flipped the switch. She threw her goggles to the floor and rushed to the table.
The glass beneath her was frosted, chilly even, making it impossible to see beneath it. “Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?”
There was silence for a moment. Twilight felt a chill run down her spine. Still as a statue, the needle was dragging a straight line down the still running paper. “Oh dear Celestia,” Twilight mumbled, “No, no, no...”
Then, suddenly, there was a cough. “Yeah. No. Maybe?”
With a sigh and a giggle, Twilight smiled and stood. “Get up here,” she said, turning her attention to the table, where a vial of thick, glowing rainbow liquid was swirling around in a vial. Poking it, she found it to be icy cold. Her magic enveloped it, levitating it close to her face as she sloshed it around. The colors refused to mix. Instead, they bent and slid around each other. “Fascinating...”
Rainbow Dash stumbled out of a door on the wall. After setting the vial down, Twilight rushed to her side, leaning on her so that she could remain standing. Dash’s eyes were rolling around and her speech was jumbled. Carefully, Twilight brought her to the table and sat her down, stroking her mane. Both it and her tail were stark white, devoid of all color. Inspecting it closely, she grinned and played with it in her hooves. It felt softer, fluffier, even though it still held its shape.
“Is this it?” asked Dash, picking up the vial.
“Yeah,” Twilight said. “Your mane and tail are now completely colorless.”
Slowly, she looked over her shoulder. A long, white streak of hair landed in her sights. As soon as she recognized it as her tail, she froze. “I-I look like toothpaste...”
“No, I think it fits you,” Twilight said with a smile. Colgate would be proud.
But Rainbow Dash hid her face in her hooves and groaned. “My name is Rainbow Dash, not Paste Dash.”
“Well...” Twilight paused and rubbed her neck. “At least we can get it back on you.”
“Why did we do this again?” asked Dash, poking the vial.
“Because I want to understand exactly what the princesses manes are. The easiest way to do that is to, well, drain them, just like I did to you,” Twilight explained with a grin. “And, if their manes are as magical as I hypothesize, we may finally understand their connection with their celestial bodies!”
Scuffing at the floor, Rainbow Dash sighed. “So can we put it back on me now?”
Twilight hummed and scratched her chin. “Well, so long as it’s still off of you, I think it’s a perfect opportunity to learn a thing or two about you. I mean, honestly, how many ponies have rainbow manes?”
“Not many, I guess.”
“See? There we go!” Outstretching her forelegs, Twilight pull Rainbow Dash into a hug.
She shook her head. “How am I supposed to go out though? I-I have things to do, a job to get to--”
“Oh, you’re telling me that the most awesome, cool, amazing pony in Ponyville is afraid to go out because she’s having a bad mane day?”
There was a moment of silence. Eventually, Twilight nuzzled her and said, “C’mon, it’s about lunchtime. It’s on me.”
“Alright,” Rainbow Dash grumbled as she headed towards the stairs.
“Hold on. We should put this in the fridge, keep it cool.” She stuffed a cork into the vial and levitated it alongside her with her magic. Joining Rainbow Dash on the stairs, she grinned and nuzzled her friend again. Dash’s frown lifted as they entered the library. Twilight quickly set the vial in the kitchen fridge, then after a small pep talk, they exited the library for a midday sandwich.
Pinkie hummed to herself as she bounced down the street, greeting everypony she saw. The library was straight ahead of her, and this was good. She hadn’t hung out with Twilight in two days. At the library door, she knocked a few times. “Twilight!” she sang. “Are you in there?”
After hours of waiting, she huffed and pushed open the door. Peering inside, she found it to be empty. “Twilight? Huh, she must still be doing that sciency stuff with Dashie,” she said, opening the door fully. She stepped inside and began to look around.
She first checked under the table, then the chairs, and even in the chimney. She was sure Twilight would be there. With a frown and a sigh, she crossed her forelegs and stuck her tongue out with disdain. Then she licked her lips. It felt as though she had licked sandpaper.
“Well fine. I’m just gonna get something to drink. Twilight won’t mind,” she told herself, hopping up and cantering into the kitchen. She took a quick look around, and when it was obvious that Twilight was not here either, she sighed and popped open the fridge door.
“Ooh, what’s this?” she asked as she forcibly scooped the glowing rainbow vial into her hooves. “It looks like a drink but it’s glowing and drinks don’t glow though its all water but it’s still kinda thick so it must be liquid rainbows which means--” She gasped. “Twilight found a new kind of drink! Oh this is so cool.”
She raised it to her lips, but paused. Was this stealing? She stuck her lip out and pouted. After a moment of contemplation, both she and the vial entered the main library.
The liquid swirled and whirled in the glass, and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her mouth watered and her throat grew dryer and dryer by the second. Biting her lip, she set the vial down, stomping her hoof, walking in a circle, and weighing her options.
“I know! It’s a drink, that means she can buy it, so...” She reached into her mane and pulled out a hoofful of bits. They flew onto the table, and she gave a firm nod. “Twilight can buy more.”
After picking the vial up, she paused. The memory of her last experience with rainbows flooded her mind, making her turn a slight shade of green.. “Hmm... ooh! Applejack’ll know what to do! She has zapapples and those are rainbow and this is rainbow and--oh! This might be zapapple juice. Though the zapapples aren’t done yet...”
She rubbed her chin sagely, but shrugged and spun on her hooves, darting out the door.
The day outside was sunny and warm, with a cool breeze, which meant that Applejack would be in the orchard, tending to her apples. Pinkie knew she would be busy, but she shrugged it away and trotted out of ponyville, down the long path that led to the farmhouse on the hill.
When she arrived, Applejack was, just as she thought, in the orchard tending to the grey apples. Pinkie galloped to her, stopping and bouncing on her hooves as Applejack finished conversing this years harvest with Big Macintosh. Her eyes landed on Pinkie, and she sighed, turning away from her brother.
“Well howdy Pinkie. What can Ah do ya for? Best make it quick, Ah my lots of work cut out for me,” Applejack said.
“Hey AJ,” Pinkie said through the corked vial. “Check this out!” She spat the vial out and slid it over to Applejack.
Applejack picked it up and inspected it. “Heavens to Betsy, I ain’t never seen nothin’ like this before. Reminds me of zapapples. Where’d ya get this?”
“Twilight’s fridge,” she said with her huge smile.
“Well why’d ya bring it to me?” Applejack asked, giving the vial back to Pinkie.
Pinkie sucked in deeply, and Applejack’s ears fell flat. “Oh, because Twilight wasn’t there and I wanted to drink it but I didn’t know if I should or not but it looked like a drink but it was rainbows and I remember the last time I tried rainbows so I was like ‘Gee, who knows stuff about rainbows? And then I remembered you do because you have the zapapples and this is rainbow and those are rainbow and I figured you could tell me if I could drink it or not--”
“Pinkie!” Applejack shouted.
Pinkie stopped and said, “Yeah?”
“Ya sound like Big Mac tryin’ to cover up that smarty-pants doll of his. Ah get why ya came here, but listen, if it was in the fridge, it’s probably a drink right? Now Ah got my work to get back to, and these here trees ain’t gonna water themselves, so Ah’m sorry Pinkie, but Ah gotta go.” She turned around and trotted off into the forest.
Pinkie shrugged. She popped the cork off and pressed the vial to her lips, taking a quick swig of the rainbow liquid. An explosion riveted her tongue, bouncing around inside her mouth. It was sweet, yet sour, and fruity and spicy. Her eyes went wide as she swished it around. As soon as she swallowed, she took another sip.
After corking the vial, Pinkie darted off after Applejack. Her sweaty friend was pouring a bucket of water on the roots of a tall tree, wiping her brow and huffing. “Applejack!”
“Oh dear Celestia... yes Pinkie?” she asked, turning around.
“Applejack, you gotta try this! It’s all boom and kapow on your tongue!”
Applejack arched her eyebrow. “What’re you sputterin’ on about?”
“This stuff! Twilight invented something awesome!” Pinkie said, holding the vial out with a hoof. “Try it!”
Applejack rubbed her temples. “Pinkie, if Ah try this, will ya let me do my work?” She nodded. “Good. Then gimme that thing.” She took the vial in her hoof and inspected it closely. Chewing on her lip, she watched it swirl around in the glass. “Are ya sure this ain’t poisonous?”
“Well I’m still standing you silly filly!” Pinkie said with a wink.
“Pinkie, there ain’t nothin’ in the world that can take you down, I’m afraid,” Applejack said as looked into the vial one last time. With a sigh, she shrugged and took a quick sip. It popped and fizzed in her mouth, making her eyes shoot wide as a rainboom thrust out her cheeks. “That’s... delicious. It’s like a rainboom in your mouth. Dang Pinkie, this here drink is amazing!” She quickly took another sip.
“I know right?” Pinkie said with a bounce. She took the vial, and took a swig as well, the rainbow thundering in her mouth. “I’m gonna have to show it Fluttershy and Rarity.”
Applejack licked her lips. “Where’d ya say ya got this from?”
“Twilight’s fridge,” Pinkie said again, grinning. “Don’t worry though, I left her some bits to replace it. Don’t think she’ll mind.”
There was a pause. Applejack’s gaze skittered over the vial. “Hold on just one minute... that there’s a vial. Pinkie, why’s it in a vial?”
“I dunno. Cuz it’s Twilight, and she’s all kooky and stuff. Anyway, I’m off! See ya later Applejack!” Pinkie said, spinning around and trotting off with a wave.
Applejack sighed and rubbed her neck. “Ah guess it makes sense... ah who am Ah kiddin’? Gal’s gonna pop one day.” She turned and poked her head around the tree. “Big Mac!”
A large, burly stallion appeared. “Eeyup?”
“How ya doin’ over there?”
“Almost done,” he said with a smug nod.
“Same here. Ah think we may need some more water, and--” A loud gurgling interrupted her. Her stomach growled and churned. Then suddenly, her stomach thundered, making her leap with a yelp. An icy flash swam through her, racing up her spine and to her brain. “Hey Big Mac...”
“You okay?” he asked as he stepped forward.
Applejack waved her hoof and nodded. “Yeah, Ah’m fine. Listen, Ah need ya to take over. Ah’m gonna go find Twilight.”
He eyed her over slowly, with an arched eyebrow. “Why?”
“Cuz Pinkie’s doin’ somethin’ weird again.”
Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash returned any looks she received with a piercing glare. Slowly chewing on her sandwich, Twilight looked away. Warm and sunny, they decided to sit in the sun at the local restaurant. Rainbow Dash had complained that the waiter was giving her funny looks, and it took a few minutes for her to explain that he was trying to take their order.
She sunk down into the cushion and took another small bite out of her lunch. Tedious was the progress, but she had managed to eat half of it by now. “They’re still staring,” she muttered.
Twilight looked around and found that everypony around them was busy conversing and eating their own meals. Only one or two passing pegasus would even glance at her. “They’re not staring Dash.”
“Yes they are. Look, look at her,” she said, glaring at Colgate, who sat one table over. She was idly munching away at a daisy salad.
“She’s eating,” Twilight said, giving her a blunt look.
“She keeps looking at me,” Dash said, crossing her forelegs. “It’s creepy.”
Giggling, Twilight said, “Keep staring and she’ll use you to brush her teeth.” Rainbow Dash only huffed.
After wiping her mouth with a napkin, Twilight asked,“Would you like to get going back to the library?” Dash looked away, but nodded. “Alright then, come on.”
They stood and left the restaurant, dropping a few bits on the table as a tip. Dash stuck close to Twilight as they made their way back, hiding behind her and shooting daggers to passerbys. After watching a few ponies they passed, Twilight noticed only a few really took note of her white mane. The ponies of Ponyville had gotten quite adjusted to strange things happening around her, and this was no different.
They soon approached the library, and Rainbow Dash scurried inside, followed by a calmer Twilight. Shutting the door behind her, she chcukled. “Dash, calm down.”
Rainbow Dash was shifting from hoof to hoof, her eyes rolled up and locked on her white mane. “So... what kind of tests do you have to do? ‘Cuz this is not cool.”
“Jeez, I never knew how much pride you had in your mane,” Twilight said, heading for the kitchen with rollinng eyes.
“Again, Twilight, my name is Rainbow Dash. Rainbow! My cutie mark is a rainbow lightning bolt for Celestia’s sake!” she exclaimed. Her hooves took her to the kitchen as her mind wandered.
Twilight sighed, resting her hoof on the fridge handle. “Look, I just want to figure out why it’s rainbow to begin with. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t take long. I’ll just take a few samples, study them, and figure out how to duplicate the liquid color. Simple. Then you can have your normal mane back.”
She tugged the fridge door open and reached inside, pushing around the milk and bread. “Where is it?” she mumbled.
“Where is what?” Dash asked, rushing to her side. Her hooves thrust into the fridge, throwing aside the various chilly articles. “Is it gone?”
“Um, well, it’s not here, per se...”
Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. “It’s gone. Somepony stole it! Somepony stole my rainbow!”
Twilight closed the fridge and gripped the shaking Rainbow Dash. “Okay, okay, calm down. We’ll find it.”
Rainbow Dash pushed her away. “This is your fault Twilight!”
“Hey now, I didn’t think it would just disappear like that!” she said, frowning. With a groan, Rainbow Dash marched out into the main library. Twilight followed, only to find her sitting in the center of the room, her head resting sullenly in her hooves.
Twilight sat beside her and gingerly ran a hoof down her back. “It’ll be fine. We just need to, um...”
Rainbow Dash took in a deep breath and sighed it out. Her water eyes met Twilight’s own. A soft sigh was all it took for Twilight to pull her into a hug, nuzzling her sweetly.
“Let’s think,” she said. “The only ponies that would dare go in the kitchen are ponies we know, somepony who feels comfortable here, but would still push the boundary...”
Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Um... well Rarity would do it.”
“Yes, but from the way she scolds Sweetie Belle for taking her fabric without asking, I doubt she’d take a vial of rainbows... but... oh dear,” Twilight said, her expression falling grim. “This is bad.”
Rainbow Dash watched her in silence, until her own eyes grew wide. “She wouldn’t.”
“You honestly think so?” Twilight asked, arching her eyebrow.
“She’s my best friend...”
“She wouldn’t know any better,” Twilight said dryly. “But you’re right. Let’s not jump to conclusion. I’m sure the Cakes would know where she was, so let’s just go ask them, alright?”
Rainbow Dash looked to the door and groaned, but stood and joined Twilight before it. “I always knew Pinkie was gonna be the end of me.”
Pinkie hopped along the road to Fluttershy’s house, the vial firmly in her mouth. Outside and tending to the various animals around her home, Fluttershy was humming a light tune. With a toothy smile, Pinkie trotted up to her and wrapped her into a deep hug..
Fluttershy shrieked and jumped, dropping a basket full of carrots. Squirming and thrashing, Fluttershy and Pinkie rolled in the dirt for a moment, before Pinkie pressed her nose to the mare below her. Locked eyes and hooves, they froze. “Fluttershy, it’s me!”.
“O-oh... Pinkie, you s-scared me...”
She gasped and said, “I’m sorry! Sometimes I scare the Cakes, and this one time I scared Rainbow Dash. It was funny. But oh! Here, look at this!” She spat the vial out onto the ground and pushed herself off of Fluttershy.
She helped Fluttershy to her hooves, then lifted the vial into her face. It took all her focus to stop her hoof from shaking as she took the vial. “W-what is it?”
“No no, no questions, you just gotta drink it! It’s so cool!” Pinkie said.
Fluttershy bit her lip. “I-I don’t know... where did it come from?”
“Twilight bought it! It’s safe, I swear!” Pinkie said, tapping it. “Take a sip!”
Fluttershy groaned, but pressed it to her lips and carefully and slowly took a small sip. Immediately, her eyes shot wide as her cheeks puffed. Quickly, the vial traded hooves. “P-Pinkie, w-what did you say that was?”
“Oh, it’s a drink, duh. Remember that time we were in Cloudsdale? Yeah, it’s like that except with less eww and more mmm!”
Chewing on her lip, Fluttershy said, “Is that a vial? Pinkie... did you say you got this from Twilight? My belly feels weird”
Pinkie rolled her eyes and drawled a raspberry. “What, no. I said Twilight bought it! I actually took it from Twilight’s fridge, but don’t worry! I left some bits for her. As for your belly, don’t worry about that, my belly feels funny and--”
“Oh... oh Pinkie... I don’t feel so good--” A long belch erupted from deep within Fluttershy. Rainbow sparkles flew forth, spraying Pinkie with a glittering mist. Fluttershy’s eyes flew wide. Sunk behind her mane, she let loose a tiny ‘eep’ as her cheeks flushed crimson.
Pinkie, on the other hoof, burst into a fit of laughter. “Hey, I can do that too!”
She sucked in her stomach, and a loud burp roared free. Pinkie wiped her mouth and inspected the rainbow stain on her hoof with a toothy grin. “See? Wasn’t that fun?”
Fluttershy was as red as a cherry. “Oh my, oh my, oh my, I need to go.” She spun on her hooves and darted into her house, slamming the door behind her.
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie shouted. She picked up the vial and inspected it. A surprising amount of it was already gone. Over half of it, actually. She frowned as she swirled the contents around. “If I don’t stop drinking then Rarity’s gonna be sad,” she mumbled, her eyes fixed on the vial.
With that, she spun around and hopped away.
Twilight and the white-maned Rainbow Dash stepped into Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie was nowhere to be seen, but luckily, the Cakes were busy tending to the store. But when their sights landed on Rainbow Dash, they froze.
Ms. Cake stepped up from behind the counter. “Oh dear,” she said, “What happened?”
Rainbow Dash’s cheeks burned crimson as she looked away. Stepping forward, Twilight said, “We were performing an experiment and we think Pinkie took something that we needed.”
With a sigh, Mr. Cake set down the rag that he was using on a table. “What’d she do this time?”
“We don’t really have time to explain,” Dash said, her white mane falling over an eye. Twilight wrapped her foreleg around her and gave her a warm little shake.
A light smile on her lips, Twilight said, “Right, we just need to know if she stopped by the library.”
Ms. Cake rolled her eyes up in thought. “Hmm, yes, I think she did say something about stopping by.”
Twilight’s expression fell as she facehoofed. “Right, thanks. C’mon Dash,” she said, trotting out of the store.
Rainbow Dash followed and asked, “Now where are we going? Preferably somewhere... quiet.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said, looking skyward. Eyes squinted, she noticing that the sun had begun its descent into the afternoon. “We need to ask around, find out where she went. There’s deduction to do, investigating to be done, questions to ask--”
Rainbow Dash stuck a hoof in Twilight’s mouth. “Look, right there. What... just what the hay.” She pointed down the street where a scowling Applejack was dragging her hooves. Wide-eyed, Twilight looked her over. Her mane was a vibrant spectrum of many colors, just like Rainbow Dash’s was the day before.
“Applejack!” Twilight called. Her green eyes locked onto them, and she galloped through the bustling street.
“Twilight, Ah’m so glad to see ya. What happened to you, RD? Did Pinkie make ya drink somethin’?” she asked.
Face paled, Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped. “D-did you say drink?”
“Well yeah. She had this jar of rainbow stuff, and she was drinkin’ it. Gave me a swig. That stuff explodes in your mouth, Ah tell ya. Tastes mighty fine too, but... my mane...” She frowned and stomped a hoof. “It’s like RD here rainboomed on my head!”
Twilight exchanged a knowing glance with Rainbow Dash. “Applejack,” she said, “we need to know exactly where Pinkie went.”
Applejack sighed and scratched her neck. “Well shoot, let me think for a sec, but first, what is that stuff?”
“That was my color,” Dash muttered.
“What?” Applejack asked, shooting a questioning glance at her. “Your color? Well how in the hay did that happen?”
A purple hoof shot into the air. “My fault. I was doing research.”
Applejack closed her eyes and shook her head. “Well, Ah think Ah heard Pinkie say somethin’ about Fluttershy and Rarity.”
“Oh boy, we need to get to Fluttershy first,” Dash said.
“Why? It’s more effective to check Rarity’s first,” Twilight said.
Shooting Twilight a daring glare, Rainbow Dash said, “If Fluttershy drank, well, me, then she’s probably freaking out right now.”
Twilight and Applejack looked to each other. Rainbow Dash did have a point. They nodded, and followed Dash out of town and onto the path leading to Fluttershy’s cottage.
The walk was brisk and silent, with Twilight pulling the rear and inspecting Applejack’s rainbow mane, and Rainbow’s white one. The day had taken an... odd turn. The thought of Pinkie drinking it...
She shook her head as Fluttershy’s cottage came into view. It was oddly quiet, so she kept a keen eye on the area, scanning the surrounding hills and forest. The soft sound of a rushing creek filled the air as they crossed the bridge. Other than its hum, everything was silent.
They slowly approached her door and exchanged looks. After a few nods, Rainbow Dash knocked and was instantly met with a, “Go away! Nopony’s home!”
“Fluttershy?” she called. “It’s me, Rainbow Dash. We’re coming in, okay? It’s important.”
The door swung inward, and Angel appeared. Face blunt leg tapping, he pointed into the living room, then hopped away. Twilight bit her lip as they slipped through the doorway.
She froze. Fluttershy was on the couch, a mirror in her hoof as she inspected her mane, which had succumbed to the same symptoms as Applejacks. Rainbow Dash rushed to her side, jumping up on the couch and immediately throwing questions at her. “Did Pinkie make you drink my mane?”
The mirror dropped, and Twilight barely caught it with her magic, setting it on Fluttershy’s coffee table. “W-what?”
“Did Pinkie give you a vial of rainbow fluid to drink?” Twilight asked. She sat beside Fluttershy, and Applejack sat in front of her. “It’s safe, don’t worry.”
“Y-yes, yes she did,” Fluttershy said, hiding her face.
Twilight sighed. “Alright... if this reaches Rarity, it’s going to be a disaster. And if we run out of that liquid...”
Rainbow Dash swallowed harshly and looked at her, only to receive a reluctant nod.
“Oh man...”
“C’mon guys, we need to get there, fast.”
Left open, the door swung idly on its hinges as Pinkie slipped into the boutique. “Rarity?” she sang through the vial’s neck. Fabric laced the boutique today, rendering it completely unready for business.
“In here! Please hold on a moment, I’ll be right there!” Rarity called out from her workroom. Pinkie rolled her eyes and opened the door, stepping into it. Here was a mess that would belittle Pinkie’s parties.
“Hey Rarity,” she said, getting a quick glance and smile in return. She walked up to the desk where Rarity was furiously sketching a new fashion design. A hollow clank sounded as the vail landed atop them.
“Pinkie dear, what’s this?” she asked. Her red work glasses fell from her face as she levitated the vial up to her face and swished it around. “It’s so colorful and vibrant.”
“It’s a drink made by Twilight! Wanna help me finish it off?” she asked. “It’s really super good and it goes kapow on your tongue!”
Rarity arched an eyebrow. “It goes ‘kapow’?”
“Yeah, like kaplewie!” Pinkie said, pretending to explode. “You gotta try it! There’s not much left, but don’t worry, everypony else tried it, and I’m sure Twilight knows where to buy more!”
“But why in Equestria is it in a vial?” Rarity asked.
Pinkie shrugged. “Pfft, I dunno. Just drink it!”
Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes, but pressed the the rim to her lips. She took a quick gulp, then slammed it down onto the desk as her cheeks puffed out. Gasping, she set the vial down and said, “That’s absolutely amazing!”
“Isn’t it?” Pinkie asked. She picked up the bottle and brought it close to her face. Only a little bit remained, sloshing around in the bottom rim. “Aww, darn, we’re almost out. Here, have the last sip. I’ve been drinking it all day.” She pushed it over to Rarity.
“Well thank you Pinkie, that’s very generous of you,” she said. Up the vial went, tipping back and sending the last bit of the rainbow down to Rarity. She swallowed after the boom and let out a sigh with a smile.
Right at that moment, a voice from the door rang out, “Rarity! Don’t drink my mane!”
Rainbow Dash burst into the boutique, followed by the other three mares. “Rarity!” she shouted, “Don’t drink my mane!”
Twilight watched from behind as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, all with their discolored manes, darted into the boutique. Out of the room first was Rarity, followed by, who else but Pinkie Pie. “Darling, what is going on here?”
Before Rainbow Dash could answer, Twilight stepped forward. “Pinkie, did you take a vial of rainbow liquid form my fridge?”
Pinkie nodded and smiled. “Yep! That was one sure tasty drink Twilight! Can you get more, ‘cuz we’re out, and it was all boom and--”
“Y-you drank it all?” Dash stammered.
Twilight sighed. “Rainbow Dash, hold on a minute.”
A hard look glared from Rainbow. “She drank my mane!”
“I didn’t drink your mane you silly! Look, it’s right there,” Pinkie said, touching Dash’s white mane. “It’s all white though... Dashie, did you have another toothpaste accident?”
“Oh my, this is odd. Rainbow Dash, what happened to your mane?” Rarity asked, inspecting it with a hoof.
She was about to respond, but Twilight held up a hoof and silenced her. “We were doing an experiment, and long story short, you all drank Rainbow Dash’s color. And now that you drank it, you’re going to end up like Applejack and Fluttershy here.” Behind her, the two mares sheepishly waved.
Silence overtook the room. They all looked at each other with sidelong glances.
Suddenly, Pinkie began to glow. She glowed every color of the rainbow, in fact. Twilight backed away, and soon, the others did as well, watching with wide eyes. “Pinkie...” Twilight said, “How much of the liquid did you drink?”
She looked up and thought. “Hmm, like, a lot. Like a lot a lot. It was really tasty and--”
“Pinkie dear, your mane...” Rarity said, pointing at her. Everypony watched as Pinkie glowed more and more vibrant, until suddenly, it flashed rainbow. When the flash died down, Pinkie’s mane and tail were not pink anywhere at all. Every inch of them was a vibrant array of rainbow colors.
“What in tarnation? Pinkie, ya drank way too much of that stuff,” Applejack said.
Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno--ooh, lookie! Rarity’s mane is just like Applejack’s!”
A chuckle escaped Rarity. “No offense Applejack, but mine has much more style.”
Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed. “She was talkin’ about your color, ya apple-brain.”
There was a moment of silence as Rarity inspected her mane, which was streaked with rainbow. Then, she screamed, her hooves pounding the floor. “Oh by Celestia! Rainbow is not my color! No, no, no, no, no!”
“Hey, what’s wrong with rainbows?” Rainbow Dash asked, huffing.
Frozen, Rarity said with a forced smile. “N-nothing.”
Fluttershy, hidden behind her mane, stepped up. “So, um, what do we do now?”
Twilight sighed. “Well while we were walking, I did some thinking, and... you’re not going to like what I’ve come up with...”
The others all exchanged glances. A few minutes passed, with Twilight simply chewing on her lip and scuffing at the floor. Eventually, Applejack groaned and said, “Well spit it out already.”
“Well,” she said, scratching her neck, “We need to get the color off of you, and onto Rainbow Dash. But that’s not the only problem, you see...”
Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Well what else?”
A lump formed in her throat. “W-we, uh, have to get the color off of you, then back onto you gals...”
“So?” Rarity asked. “We just go through whatever Rainbow Dash did, then drink our own colors. Simple, right?”
“No,” Twilight said. “If we did that, then your color would be tainted with rainbow--”
Frowning, Rainbow Dash glared at her. “Tainted?”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Mixed with the rainbow. That means that this won’t be a simple process.”
Another silence took the room. “So...” Fluttershy began. “What does that mean?”
Head tilted high, Twilight let out a long, drawn sigh. “That means we have to separate your manes and your tails. Ergo... I have to shave you.”
Lucky to not be in a bodybag yet, Twilight gathered her friends in the basement and went through the tear-jerking process of shaving them with a razor. A spectrum of manes littered the floor, and Rainbow Dash was busy separating them, one color at a time. Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy all passed harsh glances at Pinkie, who was too busy singing along with the razor to notice.
When Pinkie’s mane and tail were finally on the glass floor, Twilight went through the clumps and cut off the rainbow tips. Rarity was busy rubbing her maneless head, tears welling in her eyes. Applejack was busy rubbing her maneless neck, and Fluttershy was struggling to find something to hide behind.
When she was done, Twilight tossed the rainbow tips away and separated the four shaved manes and tails on the table. They all were in a line, with violet, yellow, pink, and finally rainbow. Twilight looked her friends over, then looked to Rainbow Dash, who had a hoof pressed firmly to her mouth to hold in her laugh. A bead of sweat trickled down her reddening cheeks, and Twilight couldn’t hold back a grin.
“So... Twilight...” Rarity said, wiping her eyes. “How long do you think it’ll take for our manes to grow back?”
“Not too long, I don’t think. Now, we need to get the hair down into the chamber. Then I’ll flip the switch, and the color should leak right into these jars,” she said, levitating some of the jars off of the shelves and bringing them to the table.
“Are ya sure this is gonna work? Ah don’t wanna find out Ah shaved my mane for nothin’...” Applejack said, running a hoof down her bare head..
Twilight placed the jars down. “Well, there’s about a fifty percent chance of success, so... let’s get started, shall we? Everypony put on your goggles. Rainbow Dash, if you could take Rarity’s mane down to the chamber.”
She scooped up the violet, swirling mane with a hoof and said, “Got it.”
“Everypony else, get ready,” she said, placing a hoof on the switch. Her gaze wandered over her hairless friends one last time. Dash darted down to the chamber, set the mane down in the center of the chamber, then hurried back up, giving a nod to Twilight.
She did not hesitate to pull the switch, lighting the room up in a bright flash and a deafening roar. Within seconds, the jar beneath the spigot was filled with swirling violet liquid. Twilight flipped the switch up, and the flash disappeared.
Rarity rushed up to it and chugged it, and slammed it down. “Well I say, I taste like candy. When does it work?”
“When your darned mane grows back,” Applejack said. A grin on her lips, she looked to Twilight. “So Twi’, me next?”
She nodded. Gripping the long strands of golden hair, Rainbow Dash took the mane and tail into the chamber, taking the curly white hair back up with her. Twilight flipped the switch, and in a flash, the yellow-orange liquid poured into the vial. Applejack too chugged it, sighing with a smile.
“Mmm, Ah taste like zapapple jam.”
Then was Fluttershy. The poor mare was hidden behind her hooves, a deep blush on her face. The process was repeated, and she quickly devoured the pink liquid, mumbling something about lilacs.
“Ooh, me next!” Pinkie exclaimed.
Twilight bit her lip and looked away. “Actually Pinkie... we don’t have any pink...”
A silence overtook the room. Sidelong glances were exchanged, and Twilight began to scuff at the ground. Pinkie frowned and looked down for a moment, then rubbed her bald head and tail. Suddenly, her ears shot up and she smiled and giggled. “Well... that’s okay you silly ponies. I don’t need it!”
Twilight’s ears fell. “But Pinkie...”
“Nu-uh!” she said, waving a hoof. She clamped her lips together and puffed her cheeks, her face turning red. For a moment, all eyes were on her, watching with raised eyebrows and soft frowns. The others began to whispered amongst themseves. Then, amazingly, pink strands of hair began to sprout out of her neck and rump, eventually forming her bouncy mane and puffy tail.
Twilight’s jaw hit the floor, as well as the others. “What did you just... wait, no...” She shook her head with vigor. “Alright girls, one last time. Let’s do this and get this over with.”
Rainbow Dash held Pinkie’s rainbow hair in her hooves gingerly, holding it close. Then her eyes rolled up and locked on her white mane. “Y’know, I don’t really mind the white anymore. It’s actually really soft, and it doesn’t look too bad.”
The air grew heavy as glances were passed all around. “You want to keep it?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, then to Twilight, smiling to them all. Then she burst out laughin. “No way. Let’s get this started.”
“Alright, let’s do this,” Twilight said, grinning. Rainbow Dash grinned as well, taking her mane into the chamber below, then hurrying back up. “A countdown?”
After a nod from Rainbow Dash, Twilight closed her eyes, taking in one last deep breath.
“Three... two... one...”
The cider mug slammed down on the table, splashing foam off the sides. Rainbow Dash wiped the froth from her lips and grinned. She and Twilight sat in the library, warm despite the cold night outside. “I still can’t believe Spike’s face when you told him,” she said, chuckling.
Twilight giggled and took a long gulp of her own cider. “He couldn’t speak all day.”
Sharing the laugh, Rainbow Dash turned around and scooped her tail in a hoof. With a long sigh, she said, “It’s good to have my color back. I’m Rainbow Dash again.”
“Don’t get too used to it,” Twilight said, nudging her with a hoof. “I still have to figure out what was going on with the rainbooms everypony was experiencing. Mmm, speaking of which...”
Rainbow Dash gave her a quizzical look. Then her eyes shot wide as she burst into a fit of laughter. “When Rarity let out that long belch! By Luna that was hilarious! Err, no offense!”
There was a shifting sound from the kitchen. Luna popped her head out, a grin plastered on her lips. “Tis fine.”
Twilight smiled to her. “I’ll be done in a moment!”
“Take your time, I am immersed in the joys of cider,” Luna said, disappearing back into the kitchen.
Rainbow Dash turned back to Twilight. “You know, this wasn’t all bad. We had some fun, and you’ve got a new science project, so really, I enjoyed it a bit. Never doing it again, though,” she said, giving Twilight a hard smirk.
“Ah, come here.” A foreleg stretched out and pulled Rainbow Dash into Twilight for a hug.
“Don’t get all sappy on me,” Dash said, playfully pushing her away. “Well, I gotta get going. Tank’s gonna be mad me for not feeding him this morning.” She stood and chugged the rest of her cider. They exchanged farewells with another soft nuzzle, then Dash left Twilight alone.
“Princess?”
Luna popped out of the kitchen again, wiping a moustache of bubbly froth from her lip. She stepped out and joined Twilight with a toothy grin. “Are you ready? Everything’s set up and ready to go.”
“Indeed I am. I must say, I’m excited to aid you in one of your experiments,” Luna said. “You did say this was reversible, yes?”
“Done and proven,” said Twilight with a nod. Standing, she yawned and motioned for Luna to follow. She led her in the descent to the basement, flicking on the lights and illuminating the glass floor and machine. “Thanks again for this. I hope to finally understand why your mane is astral like it is. Such magic would be amazing to understand.”
A red hue burned in Luna’s cheeks. “I am flattered,” she said. Beneath them now was the glass, and Luna bent low and inspected it. “So how does this machine work?”
“Well, you’ll be hit with a magical wave that will simply suck your mane dry of anything and everything, pumping it into this jar here,” Twilight explained, tapping on the jar beneath the spout. A set of goggles and a lab coat levitated down from a hook on the wall, finding their place on Twilight. “It’s relatively painless, I think.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “So where am I to go now?”
Twilight looked up from her equipment and pointed to the wall. “Right through that door.”
The princess slipped through the doorway, closing it behind her. Horn aglow, Twilight made sure it was firmly shut. Soon, below her, Luna appeared in the center of the room. “Are you alright down there?”
Looking up, Luna nodded. “Tis cold here, but I shall be fine.”
Twilight grinned. After lighting up the jar with her magic and readjusting it beneath the spout, Twilight said, “Good. Now hold still, this should only take a second.”
She trotted over to the wall, where the same switch was stuck upright. A hoof on the cold steel handle, she locked her eyes on the vial, and tugged the switch down.The blaring roar filled the basement, accompanying the blinding light.
Shuttering and riveting, the spout soon began to flow, pouring out a discolored liquid. Twilight flipped the switch as it ran dry, and rushed to the table. Hurriedly she levitated the vail to her face and inspected it. Something was wrong. It should have been a pure blue with specks of glistening stars, but instead, it was almost... rainbow.
Twilight’s heart fluttered as she noticed thick streams of rainbow morphing and molding with the blue. “I forgot to clean the pipe...”
“Huzzah! It has worked!” Luna said as she reentered the basement, her mane and tail now flat and white, not flowing in the intangible breeze. Twilight quickly stuffed the vial beneath the table, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. Luna noticed and arched an eyebrow. “Twilight? Twilight, is something wrong?”
She forced a weak smile. “N-nope, no, nothing. Uh, um...” She paused. “Can I treat you to dinner?”
