Ponyville was a strange place, and no one would ever bother arguing otherwise. Even the individuals who lived there wouldn't waste their breath trying to deny something so obvious. With such a reputation you might expect everyone to hate it there, to want to leave, and to be saving up to do so. But Ponyville’s population had steadily increased since its founding, and that didn't seem likely to change anytime.
You see, the thing about strange, about weird, and different is that it's not necessarily bad. It just isn't normal. Sure one day you may wake up and half your house is destroyed but chances are within twenty-two minutes or so it will be back as though it was never destroyed in the first place. And in the meantime you get to enjoy that skylight you always talked about putting in.
Thus Ponyville tended to acquire the types of people that took change in stride and were able to adapt to what life threw at them without complaint. None of whom were more adaptable then Spike the dragon, who had spent his entire life at the side of a pony who could only generously be called sane. Was Twilight a genuinely good pony who always did her best to help others and exemplify the virtues of harmony? Of course, she was crazy, not evil.
In a lot of ways Twilight was a citizen of Ponyville before she ever even moved there.
But we're getting off-topic.
You see, living with the type of pony who may hear your midnight mutterings and misinterpret that as a case of demonic possession gave Spike a unique outlook on life. Unless he was dead, irreversibly injured, or in a position that he couldn't simply talk his way out of, life was pretty alright. Minor injuries healed, change could be changed back if necessary, and everything tended to work out in the end, one way or another.
So it was that he stood before the mirror, pondering if this was going to be one of those days where everything would go back to normal, or if he was going to raid Twilight’s secret wine stash she hid behind the biography section of her personal library. What might have changed so dramatically that he wasn't outright panicking, but still made him consider the wonders of alcoholism? Well, to start he wasn't so much a he anymore. In fact, the person looking back at him in the mirror wasn't even male in the slightest, something he had already checked, just to make sure.
“This is really me, huh?” Spike asked herself, the dragon prodding her face with a claw.
The voice that came out of his mouth wasn't hers, yet it didn't sound too bad, all things considered. Sure it wasn't the one he had yesterday, but it was not such a dramatic change that it was rendered unmistakable. Why if she closed her eyes he bet that a casual listener would guess that it was him, Spike the dragon.
Though he wasn't sure if that name fit him anymore, or at least right now anyway. He wasn't a he, and although the name Spike wasn't tied to a specific gender, it still left her with an odd feeling to refer to himself as such. Furthermore, it was getting a little confusing referring to him/herself in such a muddled manner, even in their head.
Giving her reflection one last look at the mirror Spike decided to give up his name for the moment, and become a girl. At least for the next twenty-two minutes, plus or minus commercial breaks, depending on the platform, of course.
“What should I call myself?” The now nameless female dragon asked herself.
He was never proud of his gender like some other male dragons, or some female ponies, so its departure was oddly easy for the former male. Besides, this was probably one of those things that were going to get fixed, so for now, she might as well have fun with it, right?
Giving her head a quick shake, the female dragon inspected herself, trying to find a name in her new reflection, one that fit her as well as Spike had done so. Oh sure, she was still a baby dragon so her proportions weren't exactly overly feminine, as dragons didn't really develop like mammals did until their late twenties. So the only reason she even knew what gender she was, other then shock she got after stumbling into the bathroom in the morning was the longer eyelashes and slightly elongated fins on the side of her face.
Her crest was also a little more feminine for lack of a better word, the green scales curving backward more than normal. Other then that she had a little more weight on her hips, a little less definition to her chest, and her face was generally a lot girlier than the day before. After taking stock of her new appearance the dragon formerly known as Spike considered the name Barb, for all of three seconds anyway.
“To cliche.” She muttered, while continuing to stare into her reflection’s eyes.
Barb was just a slightly more effeminate version of Spike after all, and that wasn't what she was. This dragon standing in the mirror was a different being than the one that had looked into it a day ago. This was a chance to be someone else, someone completely different, just for today anyway, or for the next half hour to an hour, depending on if this was a special or not.
So with all that in mind, the female dragon straightened her shoulders, looked herself in the eye, and declared. “I am Luster.” Only to stop when she realized that you couldn't spell luster without lust. “Wait, no.”
Tapping her chin, the dragon pondered her name a little longer. “Shimmer, no that's taken, so is Sparkle, Twinkle, and Glitter, but that's not cannon.” She paused. “Glitter Scale.”
If it was good enough for that comic then it was good enough for her, right?
Glitter Scale didn't want to think about the possible ramifications of that thought right now. She had a whole new world to explore, and a whole new her to try out.
As the dragon pushed her way through the door and walked down the hall she realized she was walking not like Glitter Scale, but like Spike. The dragon was determined to enjoy this sudden change of pace, and opportunity to experiment, and thus she stopped in place. After thinking about it for a minute she decided to walk a little more gracefully, her steps a little longer, more exaggerated, but not so much that it looked like she was ‘doing a walk’.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs and entered into the library proper, Glitter Scale had nailed her new walk and felt better for it. With a smile on her face, she entered the never before depicted kitchen area of the treebrary (tree + library), only for her smile to immediately vanish. Twilight Sparkle sat in their breakfast nook, a pile of syrup covered pancakes on one side of them, and a pile of books on the other.
Glitter Scale blinked, and looked a little closer, only to find that yes, the unicorn was now male, though it was such a small change that it was hardly noticeable. He was still a little chubby, a little out of shape, and a little short for someone her age, meaning the actual differences between male Twilight, and female Twilight were almost invisible. Sure the jaw was a little more defined, but with the chub, he carried on his cheeks meant that didn't exactly stick out much.
“Hey, Twi.” Glitter Scale greeted, careful to not accidentally make her voice sound like Spike’s.
“Hey, Spike.” Twilight muttered before flipping a page, tapping his hoof on the table a few times before stopping suddenly. “Wait, Spike!”
Glitter Scale managed to make it to the door of the fridge before she found her body gripped by her caretaker’s magic and her entire being turned around to face him. Tapping a foot in irritation, Glitter Scale fixed the unicorn with a disapproving glare, making Twilight’s words die in his throat. His magic vanished, and shame bloomed across his face.
“I did it again didn't I?” He remarked while wincing.
Glitter Scale nodded. “You did.”
The unicorn sighed and hung his head. “I’m sorry about that Spike. I should know not to manipulate you like some sort of doll.”
The dragon nodded slowly. “Gimme some of those pancakes and were even.”
Twilight blinked, and glanced over at the mound of food he had evidently made, and forgotten. “Oh, of course, go right ahead. Have them all. I’m not hungry.”
Glitter Scale hopped up into the booth and grabbed the fork before digging in, ignoring the oddly intense look Twilight was giving her.
“How are you not freaking out?” Asked the baffled pony.
Shrugging, the dragon swallowed her food. “Do you remember six months ago when half the town got turned into horrible squid monsters?”
Twilight winced, and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. “I said I was sorry about that.”
Glitter Scale rolled her eyes. “I’m not bringing it up to shame you Twilight. I’m asking if you remember it, and how everyone reacted.”
“Panic, lots of panic.” Twilight muttered, before shrugging. “And plenty of frantic searching through arcane tomes, something aided by having additional limbs.” He waved his forelegs in emphasis. “I kinda miss my noodles.”
Glitter Scale nodded. “Do you remember what Pinkie Pie did?”
Twilight blinked before turning her head slightly. “Oh right. She went into the sea and pretended to be a squid for three days.”
“She didn't pretend to be a squid, she was a squid.” Glitter Scale corrected.
“I suppose in a manner of thinking you are correct, yes.” Twilight conceded. “Where are you going with this Spike?”
“I’m being Pinkie and just enjoying it and for now its Glitter Scale.” Declared the female dragon before biting into her pancake.
Twilight seemed ready to say something, only to stop herself, and get ready to say something else only for no words to leave her mouth. This went on for a few seconds before she did her breathing trick and relaxed a little bit and settled a little deeper into her seat.
“That's totally understandable. Though I would have never thought you were curious about this kind of thing before.” Twilight commented.
“I wasn't.” Glitter Scale declared. “But now that the opportunity has been thrust upon me it seems like a waste of an opportunity to not at least try it out.”
“That's very grown-up of you Spi- I mean Glitter Scale.” Twilight replied with a smile.
An expression Glitter returned. “So, whats the cause of all this anyway? Don't tell me Discord’s back from vacation.”
The unicorn shook his head. “No, he's still away. Said something about this reality not needing him for a few days so he went to some M.C.U place to make a little chaos there.”
Glitter Scale raised an eyebrow and glanced at the book Twilight was reading. “Interdimensional magical bleed? I thought that was just theoretical.”
“Oh it is, but I think it explains what happened.” Twilight tapped her book in emphasis. “I’ve already talked to Princess Celestia, her top wizards, and did my own field work. This phenomenon isn't caused by any bad guy, ancient forgotten artifact, experiment gone awry, or some really potent poison joke in the town’s water supply.”
“So you're saying it was pure chance?” Glitter Scale replied before pouring a bit more syrup onto her pancakes.
“I’m saying that its the most likely scenario at this point.” Twilight replied.
The dragon nodded slowly. “So what are you going to do about it?”
Twilight tapped the book. “I should be able to shunt the magic back into its correct dimension, but it's going to take a few hours, and I’m going to need the elements of harmony.”
“Right, we function on a floating timeline.” Glitter muttered. “Do you want me to find them while you work on whatever it is you need to work on?”
“That would be great help. If you don't mind.” Twilight declared.
“Nah, I’ll just finish these up and head out. I’m assuming everyone is at home like usual?” Glitter asked before shoving an entire pancake into her mouth.
“They should be. I don't think today is anything unique, in the grand scheme of things.” Twilight added.
Glitter nodded, gulped down the last of her food, hopped out of the booth, and placed her dishes in the sink. “Sounds good boss. Oh and should I keep calling you Twilight for today?”
The unicorn stopped mid-page turn and seemed to think about it for a moment. “I will, actually. Now that you mention it.”
Glitter grinned. “Alright then, be back in time for lunch.”
“It was just lunch!” Twilight shouted after her.
The dragon shrugged. “Tea time then!”
The walk to Sweet Apple Acres did wonder to wake Glitter Scale up, and left her with plenty of time to think. Not like that time was spent productively mind you, but it was nice to have a moment to consider how she was going to act. As Glitter Scale most definitely wasn't the same person Spike was, but how different was she exactly?
Was she more confident, less confident? Was she haughty, perhaps she might even be shy.
In the end she found herself leaning toward confident and self-assured, the rest she would figure out as she went. Though now that she thought about it, shy was definitely right out, as Spike had spent a lot of years being shy, and that wasn't a fun time. The sweet scent of recently fallen fruit brought Glitter Scale from her reverie, and she looked around to find that she was nearing Sweet Apple Acres.
Knowing what was coming next, Glitter Scale searched the trees for the familiar shape of Applejack, or perhaps the crusader’s treehouse. In the end, she found neither, but what she did find was a pair of voices echoing from somewhere deeper in the orchard. Both male, but also not quite, like one was trying to not sound male, while the other was unashamedly so.
She paused, just listening to the voices before finding that there was another sound, this one a distinct thumping sound followed by numerous smaller thumps, signaling that she had also found Applejack. For a moment she considered going straight to Applejack, but the two other voices sounded stressed, so being the good friend that she was, Glitter Scale ignored her mission for now.
Looking at the fence, the dragon decided that Glitter Scale was more athletic then lazy old Spike, and promptly attempted to leap the short wooden barrier. Only to land on her face when she found out that she didn't even have a six-inch vertical. After tripping over the fence, Glitter Scale quickly hopped back up and dusted herself off, silently hoping no one had seen that.
With the fence behind her, she proceded in the direction she assumed the treehouse was, and came upon two of the cutie mark crusaders, both of whom were banging on the door to their clubhouse. Both Scootaloo and Apple Bloom appeared to have suffered a similar fate as Glitter Scale had, and were both male. Scootaloo didn't seem to mind this, but Apple Bloom wore a bigger bow than usual, as well as a cumbersome dress Glitter Scale, had never seen before.
“Come out Sweetie Belle! Think of this as an opportunity to do stallion stuff! Maybe we could get our cutie marks in cat calling, or not asking for directions while lost!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Or football!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Actually I’m pretty sure that particular stigma is more or less gone.” Scootaloo quietly replied. “Plus we did that one already, remember?”
“Oh yeah…” Apple Bloom muttered in her half fake sounding voice.
“Hey, girls, or should I say, guys?” Glitter Scale greated.
“Spike? I see you got rule sixty threed as well.” Scootaloo pointed out.
The dragon shrugged. “It's no big.”
“No big? A part of who you are just got taken away!” Apple Bloom hissed.
Again, the dragon shrugged. “I’ve never really taken pride in being a guy before, it was just a small part of who I was ya know?”
“Whose out there?” Shouted a voice from inside. “Whoever they are tell them to go away! I don't want to be seen like this.”
“Is that Sweetie Belle?” Glitter Scale asked.
Scootaloo sighed. “Yeah. We convinced her to come out to do guy stuff, but after she heard about what exactly we had planned she locked herself in the treehouse.”
“And I’m not coming out!” Sweetie Belle shouted in a forced feminine voice.
“We should just give up.” Apple Bloom whispered. “Were probably already to the first commercial break. It won't be much longer.”
“Let me handle this.” Glitter Scale stated before stepping up to the door. “Sweetie Belle, can you hear me?”
“Spike, is that you?” Sweetie Belle whispered back.
“Yes, but its Glitter Scale for right now. Why don't you come out?” Asked the dragon.
“It's just… I don't want to be seen like this.” Sweetie Belle muttered, her voice nearly inaudible. “I don't want people to think that this is who I am.”
“Sweetie Belle, this is a random magical nonsense event. It probably won't even last all day.” Glitter Scale shouted through the door.
“Which is why I’m going to spend that time in here. Where no one can see me.” Sweetie Belle replied.
“Think of it like a play.” Glitter replied.
“Like a play?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
“You're just playing a role for today, and soon you’ll go backstage and change back.” Glitter Scale added.
There was silence, and the three beings stood there staring at the door, each one silently wondering if the dragon’s words had worked.
“Okay.” Whispered a soft voice a second before the door opened and Sweetie Belle stepped out into the world.
“I can't believe that worked.” Muttered Scootaloo.
Glitter Scale smiled as she looked over Sweetie Belle’s now distinctly male form. “Twilight’s already got this whole thing figured out, so just chillax and enjoy it.”
The unicorn nodded. “Your right. You know what girls. I’m going to have to cancel crusading for today.”
“What, why?” Apple Bloom asked.
“My dad always wanted a boy, and I think he’d like to play a little catch.” Sweetie Belle explained.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom stepped back, allowing Sweetie Belle to hop off the landing and begin trotting home, with Glitter Scale leaving a second later.
“You two have fun. I’m off to fix this mess.” Shouted the dragon.
A pair of weak goodbyes followed her as she left.
“Hey, Applejack!” Shouted Glitter Scale as she rounded a corner and came upon the farmer who was mid buck.
Stopping, the now very male Applejack turned to Glitter. “Hey there Spike. A wonderful day were having aint it.”
“It is, isn't it?” Glitter Scale replied, briefly glancing at the clear summer sky which hung above them. “Oh and its Glitter Scale.”
“Alright.” Applejack remarked before pushing his hat a little further up on his head. “Well I reckon you're here about this whole magical nonsense event, ain't cha?”
The dragon nodded. “I am.”
“And I reckon Twilight needs the elements of harmony to fix whatever mess she got us into,” Applejack added.
“Actually it wasn't her fault this time.” Glitter Scale corrected.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Really? It ain't Discord’s doing, otherwise, he would have been by already to tease me and make some terrible joke about apples.”
“Apparently it's just some random phenomenon, like solar flares or the aurora borealis.” Glitter Scale explained.
“Huh. Well, ain't that a change of pace?” Applejack muttered. “Well, when does she need us?”
“Well I need to gather the rest of the girls, and your the first, so an hour?” Glitter Scale half asked, half stated.
The farmer nodded. “Sounds about right. Five minutes to find what cloud Rainbow’s nappin on, five minutes to find wherever the heck Pinkie’s gone off to, and the rest of the time to coax Rarity and Fluttershy out of their shared depressions.”
Glitter Scale frowned. “I didn't think about it like that.”
“Well, I don't envy you partner.” Applejack rolled his shoulders. “I’ll be at the library in about an hour. I gotta get some more buckin done since Mac is busy trying on all the dresses in the house.”
That made Glitter Scale pause for a moment before silently dismissing it as not her problem. “Sounds good, I’ll see you later A.J.”
The farmer tipped his hat. “Best of luck.”
“Rainbow Dash!” Glitter Scale shouted, the dragon cupping her claws around her mouth in order to amplify the sound. “Hey Rainbow Dash, down here!”
The cloud stirred, and a familiar, bleary-eyed face peeked over the side. “What do you want? Can't you see I’m napping here?”
Glitter Scale paused, silently considering the fact that Rainbow Dash didn't look or sound much different, unlike Applejack. “Twilight needs your help fixing this magical whatchamigger.” Shouted the dragon.
“The what and the who now?” Rainbow Dash asked before cleaning her ear out with a hoof.
“You know, the thing that changed everyone’s gender!” Glitter Scale shouted.
That made the pegasus pause, and peer down at the dragon a little more intently. “Hey would ya look at that, you're a lady dragon! Lookin good.”
Glitter Scale resisted the urge to blush. “And you're a dude!”
The pegasus paused, looked down between his legs and blinked. “Well, would you look at that. I knew something was different during my morning dump.”
“So would ya mind going to the library? Twilight needs your help to fix everything.” Glitter Scale shouted.
“Yeah sure! Maybe I can give her a piece of my mind while I’m there. I bet Fluttershy is pissed.”
“It wasn't actually her fault this time.” Glitter Scale corrected.
“Really? Huh.” The pegasus shrugged. “Well whatever. I’ll do ya favor and grab Fluttershy for ya. Trust me, your gonna thank me later.”
“Why is that?” Glitter Scale pressed.
The pegasus hopped off the cloud and glided to the ground before leaning in close. “Well just between you and me she has never been a fan of having a well, you know.”
“I’m not following.” Glitter Scale deadpanned.
Rainbow Dash sighed and scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Keep this between you and me but let's just say shes already gone through this once and isn't going to be a fan of it happening again.”
The dragon blinked before her eyes suddenly went wide and she nodded profusely. “Consider her secret safe with me.”
“It's not exactly a secret, Flutters just doesn't like talking about it.” Rainbow Dash remarked with a shrug. “Just don't bring it up around her and its all good.”
“Got it.” Glitter Scale declared before giving the pegasus a quick salute.
“Atta girl. Whelp, I better get moving. This is probably going to take a while.” Rainbow Dash muttered before sighing and leaping into the air.
Glitter Scale watched her go for a few seconds before turning to town. “I wonder where Pinkie Pie is at?”
Walking through Ponyville gave Glitter Scale an odd sense of Deja Vu, as it felt a lot like every other time the town went through a crisis. Lyra and Bonbon didn't seem to notice a difference, Cheerilee was so numb to it at this point that she didn't seem to care. Some of the newer residents of the town were freaking out, and some were even forming a mob, one that Mayor Mare was doing her best to disperse.
The flower trio was surprisingly not starting trouble, panicking, or lying inert on the ground somewhere. Instead, they seemed to be hugging the red-maned one whose name eluded Glitter Scale at the moment. The red-maned one was sobbing and didn't look much different while the other two were very clearly male, and seemed weirdly proud for some reason.
Pushing that aside, Glitter Scale focused on finding Pinkie Pie before the town tore itself apart, though that wasn't super likely. Thankfully it didn't take long to find Pinkie Pie, who was happily bouncing up and down while talking animatedly to a former Mrs. Cake who was now Mr. Cake and seemed oddly put off by something. Coming in closer, Glitter Scale was able to discover that Pinkie Pie looked surprisingly different, complete with more visible muscles and a less bouncy mane.
If the former female was bothered by this change, she certainly didn't show it, and was grinning from ear to ear.
“So can we play it? Huh huh huh?” Pinkie Pie pressed.
“Play what?” Glitter Scale interrupted.
Mrs (Mr?) Cake sighed. “Oh thank goodness your here Spike. Please help me talk Pinkie Pie out of playing roshambo.”
Glitter Scale blinked, temporarily confused as to what the former mare was talking about, only for the titular nut kicking game to immediately come to mind and make the dragon wince, even though she didn't have male parts anymore. “Why on earth would you want to do that for?” Glitter Scale asked, turning to Pinkie Pie.
Who looked confused. “What's the big deal? I’ve played every game under the sun with my other friends but no one would let me play this roshambo game because I wasn't a stallion. Well, now I am!”
“Its a joke game.” Glitter Scale declared. “It's not something people really do.”
“Oh I love jokes and joke games sound like super duper fun!” Pinkie Pie declared.
Glitter Scale sighed and ran a clawed hand down her face. “Let me guess, this is exactly how this conversation was going before I got here?”
Mrs Cake nodded and straightened her now poorly sized frilly pink and purple apron. “Pretty much. No matter what I say Pinkie Pie just dismisses it and claims it couldn't hurt that bad and trust me, I now understand exactly why no one plays that.”
Glitter Scale shook her head slowly. “Look, Pinks. Just promise me that after you finally peel yourself off the pavement that you’ll come by the library to help Twilight fix all this.”
“Daww, but being a dude is totally fun! Next I was going to go to that gentlemen's club I’m not allowed in for some reason!” Pinkie Pie declared with a grin.
“A lot of other ponies aren't exactly happy about this change.” Glitter Scale cautioned.
Pinkie Pie sighed and nodded slowly. “I guess not everyone would be happy that they got their bits swapped. Alright Spike, I’ll be there in a jiffy.”
“Great. Oh and Pinkie? I told you so.” With that, Glitter Scale turned and began to walk away.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Okay Dokie Lokey. Ready when you are Mrs Mr Cake!”
Glitter Scale beat a hasty retreat, putting her far enough away that she didn't hear the rest of the conversation. That was until she heard Pinkie Pie’s cry of anguish followed by the pink pony shouting “I regret everything!” At the top of his lungs.
Wincing in sympathy, Glitter Scale made a beeline for Rarity’s boutique and did her best to ignore what had just happened.
“Rarity, are you in there?” Glitter Scale shouted as she knocked on the door. “Its Spike!”
The name sounded oddly wrong as it left the dragon’s mouth, but she didn't have time to think about that right now. Not while there was work to be done. Pushing her way into the interior of the boutique Glitter Scale looked around, noticing that although the open sign was prominently displayed, no one was around.
Pausing mid-step, the dragon tried to listen for a response, only for none to come. Shrugging, Glitter Scale made her way toward the kitchen, leaning into the room and looking around. Bread was laid out on the counter, as were a few stray bits of lettuce, half a tomato, and a mostly empty bottle of mayo.
“Huh.” Glitter Scale muttered before turning and walking away.
Heading towards the back of the boutique, the dragon heard what could only be described as someone sobbing while eating something. The muffled crying made the dragon’s pace increase, and she quickly threw open the door to Rarity’s workshop to find the former mare sprawled out on her fainting couch. The fashionista was as fabulous as ever and although the differences were minimal, they were noticeable, with this version of Rarity having a slightly more pronounced jawline.
Glitter Scale was glad Rarity hadn't bothered to put on any makeup this morning, as it would likely be a mess considering just how much she was sobbing. The rivers of tears threatened to drip onto the sandwich which was half in her mouth, but the pony didn't seem to notice or care. Sighing to herself, Glitter Scale slowly walked over to the couch, Rarity not noticing the dragon’s appearance until he was only a few feet away.
Rarity stopped, gulped, and placed her food on a plate. “Spike, is that you?”
“Its Glitter Scale.” The dragon corrected.
Rarity nodded without questioning the former male. “What are you doing here? Or did you come just to gawk at my disgusting face.”
Glitter Scale sighed and sat down at the edge of the couch. “You know that's not why I’m here.”
Rarity sniffed, and wiped away a tear. “I know darling. It's just hard to think otherwise when you look like… this.”
Glitter Scale nodded. “Twilight needs your help to fix this, and before you ask this is not one of hers.”
Rarity nodded slowly. “I understand, but I’m afraid I can't go out like this. I’m absolutely hideous and I refuse to let anyone see me while in such a state.”
“But if you go there, Twilight can fix this whole thing.” Glitter Scale pressed.
The unicorn gulped and looked away. “Then just tell her to come over here and teleport me to the library. I shan't be going out in public. Unless… Do you still have that absolutely dreadful dragon disguise we used to um, spy on you that one time?”
Glitter Scale rolled her eyes. “No Rarity. We did not keep that weird thing.”
“Darn.” Rarity cursed.
“Why don't you just put on a little makeup and wear something covering?” Glitter Scale offered.
Rarity scoffed, opened her mouth to speak and scoffed again. “That would never work! My entire face is different, as is my entire body shape! Absolutely none of my outfits would work, and it would take hours to find a good style that would even suit me anymore.”
“It can't be that bad.” Glitter Scale pressed.
“Oh but it is darling!” Rarity lifted a hoof in emphasis. “My fetlocks would need to be trimmed, my mane is completely different and absolutely none of my eyeshadow would work with this face. Why if I knew I was stuck like this I would have to give away my entire wardrobe!”
“You're the great Rarity though, surely you could think of something.” Glitter Scale continued. “You made a dress out of a pile of garbage during that impromptu trip to Yakyakistan for crying out loud!”
Rarity nodded slowly. “I suppose I did do that, didn't I?”
“You did! And there was that time when you had twenty minutes to make something presentable for princess Celestia when we were visiting the capital and the griffon king showed up out of nowhere.” Glitter Scale reminded.
Rarity smiled wistfully. “That was a rather inspired use of drapery, wasn't it?”
“You started a trend for long flowing dresses and muted colors.” Spike exclaimed.
Rarity looked off into the distance for several long seconds before suddenly wiping away the tears which stained her cheeks. “Thank you Glitter. I needed that.”
“No problem.” The dragon stood up. “So can I expect you to come by the library within about an hour?”
“Oh no no no darling. It will take at least two if I’m going to do this properly.” Rarity replied, the fashionista already trotting over to her sewing table.
“What about with an extra pair of hands?” Glitter Scale asked.
Rarity turned to the dragon and smiled. “Then we’ll have enough time to get you something nice to wear as well.”
“We have arrived!” Declared Rarity as the unicorn and her dragon escort stepped into the library.
Rarity herself wore a striking black suit with an electric blue undershirt and a white tie, the fashionista’s mane was pulled back and to the right before being bound into a single braid. Glitter Scale did her best to mimic the unicorn’s self-confidence and strode into the room with what she hoped was at least half of Rarity’s grace. Her own dress was no less striking, though it was a little more subdued, the white, purple and green outfit being a little frillier then what Spike would have been comfortable with, but to Glitter Scale it was perfect.
Inside the library, the gathered ponies sat in collective shock before Applejack grinned. “Well would you look at that. You two sure clean up good.”
“Did you stop to make new outfits before you came over?” Pinkie Pie asked, the bubbly pink pony appearing before Rarity. “Because they are absolutely splendiferous!”
“Yes well, I couldn't go out in public without something and I couldn't let poor Glitter Scale do the same.” Rarity declared before running a hoof over her mane.
“That's great, now would you close the door before someone wanders in?” Rainbow Dash demanded, a wing laid over the back of what was presumably Fluttershy, who was covered in an enormous blanket, with only the pegasus’ eyes visible.
Glitter Scale hastily did so, before looking around the room. “Wheres Twilight?”
“I’ll be right there!” Shouted a voice from downstairs. “I just need to hrk, get this rock up these hrk, stairs!”
“I got it.” Glitter Scale declared, pushing past Applejack before the farm pony could even stand.
Pulling open the basement door, Glitter Scale looked down at Twilight who was doing her absolute best to haul what looked like a small boulder up the flight of stairs. “What in Equestria is that?” Asked the dragon.
Perching the rock precariously on a stair, Twilight leaned her body weight against it and wiped her forehead free of sweat. “This is a piece of granite I was going to use to carve our tombstones before I realized how stupid that was.”
“I’m glad you didn't need me to tell you that.” Muttered Glitter Scale.
“Yeah, I know. It was silly, but after finding it I kinda had to come up with a good reason to keep it, and hey. Now it's coming in handy!” Twilight exclaimed, before lighting her horn and hefting the rock in her magical field.
“I’ll guide it up the stairs, you just keep pushing, or pulling, however telekinesis works.” Glitter Scale explained.
Twilight grunted as the rock began to levitate up the stairs, into the hall and finally into the main sitting area before being unceremoniously deposited into the center of the library. “There.” Twilight declared before nearly falling over.
“So uh, what's the rock for Twi?” Applejack asked.
“I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that with it as a focus I should be able to send all this foreign magic back to its original dimension by putting it in this rock.” Twilight exclaimed.
“Wait, but how would that wo-” Began Rarity, only to have Glitter Scale forcibly close the unicorn’s mouth.
“Don't ask unless you wanna be here for another three hours.” Cautioned Glitter Scale.
“Err right. What do you need us to do darling?” Rarity inquired, turning to Twilight.
Who thankfully didn't notice the question the fashionista was about to ask. “Nothing. Your presence brings with it enough harmonic energy that I should be able to cast the necessary spell.”
“Before you do, I was hoping to talk to you about something.” Glitter Scale interrupted.
“What about?” Twilight asked, not looking up from her inspection of the rock.
“Well uh you see…” Glitter Scale’s voice trailed off and she gripped the hem of her dress tightly.
“Go on darling. You can do it.” Rarity encouraged, the unicorn squeezing Glitter Scale’s shoulder.
“R-right.” The dragon cleared her throat. “I was hoping you could change the spell so I wouldn't get changed back.”
That made Twilight pause.
“Ho nelly. What brought that on?” Inquired Applejack.
“Its only been a couple of hours. Surely you should give such an important decision more time than that.” Twilight interjected.
“There are others who are not quite as enthused about this as I am.” Glitter Scale began, the dragon doing her best to sound as eloquent out loud as she did in her head. “I couldn't ask you to stop this spell while I thought about it, and frankly I don't think I need any more time to consider things.”
“Why do you say that?” Pressed Twilight, who seemed confused, and slightly annoyed. “You’ve only been a girl for half a day at this point. You couldn't have had enough time to make such a life-altering decision.”
“Your right. I know it wasn't a long time, but like I said, I didn't need a long time to figure this out.” Glitter Scale felt the urge to speak a little softer, to avoid Twilight’s gaze but she refused to listen to that meak urge. “All my life I’ve felt like something was off, that something was wrong but I never knew what that was. After today though, I understand what I was missing out on.”
Twilight’s frown deepened. “Think about this carefully Spike. Normal magic can't just flip you back and forth, this was a one-time event. I could change you back again, but it would be hard.”
Glitter Scale spared a glance at Fluttershy, who with wide eyes, peeked out from their cocoon of blankets. “I know, but trust me. I won't regret this.” Glitter Scale declared.
The purple unicorn glared at the dragon for a few seconds before all the anger and confusion he felt billowed away. “I may not understand, but I don't have to. This is your choice.”
Glitter Scale smiled. “And I’m not the only one who may wish to remain in their new body.”
“Yeah, about that.” Applejack muttered. “I’m not so sure I can help ya without asking that you exclude Big Mac from this whole thing.”
Twilight nodded slowly. “It will take a few minutes, but it shouldn't be too hard to work something into the spell given that it's using a fifth-dimensional magical shunt slash replacement technique. Provided I add another few layers I should be able to exempt everyone who holds a genuine desire to keep their current body. But that would mean I might have fluctuation issues not necessarily fixed by a simple adaptive circle...”
Glitter Scale smiled. “Thank you Twilight.”
“Thanks, Twi.” Added Applejack.
The unicorn hardly even heard the words of thanks though, as she had already received a pad of paper from somewhere and was hard at work inventing a new spell.
Smiling to herself, Glitter Scale thought about her decision and what it might mean for her life going forward. Sure there would be some confusion, maybe even a few ponies who disagreed with her choice, but in the end, everyone in this room approved, and that was enough for her.
Author's Note
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