Hidden Wings

Deep in the most isolated areas of White Tail Woods, right on the border of the Everfree sat a young unicorn filly, she had a dull green coat and a ginger mane and tail, her cutie mark displayed a cartoonishly drawn ladybug above three leaves, her eyes were shut in concentration and her horn was aglow with an emerald green aura as she practiced levitating several stones around her.

Suddenly she felt something thump against the side of her head. Cracking one eye open and looked down to see an acorn laying on the ground next to her, assuming it fell from the tree she resumed concentrating on her magic... Then she felt something else hit her.

Dropping the stones, she looked up to see a non descript white pegasus foal sitting in a tree.

"Anisoptera, what are you doing?" the unicorn asked her friend, her voice tinged with annoyance.

"Chrysi I'm bored, when are we gonna do something cool?" Anisoptera asked.

'Chrysi' gave a huff, mainly for the use of that nickname. "Firstly don't call me that you know I hate it, call me Crackle Cosette or by my actual name." Anisoptera gave a smug grin in response. "Secondly I told you I was just coming out here to practice my magic."

Anisoptera flared their wings and swooped down from the tree. "Hey you just used my name while I'm disguised so I get to use yours."

'Chrysi' rolled her eyes. "I used it because you haven't made a disguise yet, I don't have anything else to call you by."

Anisoptera landed on the ground and crossed her forelegs, a grumpy look plastered across their face.

"Why did you come with me? You probably knew you were going to be bored, you barely use your magic"

Anisoptera's face softened as they looked at their friend. "Well... It sometimes doesn't feel like we're friends."

'Chrysi' looked at her companion with a confused expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well with all our other friends they do something when its just two of them, like Acromyrmex and Hymenopus work on ways to mix magic and technology, Pheropsophus and Heteropoda have sparing sessions, and Cocoon and Belgica look after animals together. But with us... there isn't anything."

'Chrysi' stared at her friend, this might have been the most thought Anisoptera has put into anything, not to say they were stupid, they just always worked off of their gut instincts. "Well me and Cocoon don't really do anything together."

"Well yeah, but you two are sisters, you spend way more time with each other even if you don't do much." Anisoptera countered.

"Exactly! We don't need to do anything to be close to each other."

Anisoptera huffed. "But with us it doesn't feel like there is anything keeping us close, and I still want to be your friend Chrysalis."

Chrysalis was taken aback by this statement, it was true that her and Anisoptera weren't particularly close amongst their group of friends, but hearing those words made her realise that despite that their friendship was still something that she cherished and wouldn't want to see falter.

After thinking for a moment, Chrysalis felt that the right words came to her. "Alright, let's think of something we can do together, but on one condition."

"What?" Anisoptera asked with bated breath.

"If you keep calling me Chrysi, then I also get to call you by a nickname you hate as well."

"Uh... sure. But why?" Anisoptera asked.

"It's simple, either you have to stop using that name, or endure the one I give you." Chrysalis explained as she explored her mind and surroundings for inspiration.

Then she remembered, Anisoptera hated things that they considered 'overly cutesy' or anything romantic. Upon remembering this, as well as spotting the fresh morning dew still covering many of the leaves on the surrounding trees Chrysalis had the perfect nickname. "How about... little dew drop~."

Anisoptera could taste the glee radiating from Chrysalis, and Chrysalis could taste the disgust coming from her friend upon hearing the proposal. "Ugh that's awful." Anisoptera said while trying to scrape the taste off of their tongue.

"Then it's perfect!" Chrysalis said triumphantly.

"Fine," Anisoptera huffed. "lets just think of something for us to do."

(2 hours later)

"Bird watching?" Chrysalis asked.

"Too boring." Anisoptera replied. "Racing?"

"I'm the slowest of all of us, it wouldn't even be a challenge for you."

"Ugh this is impossible!" Anisoptera shouted into the air before flopping down on the ground.

Chrysalis hummed in thought for a moment. "Maybe we could practice our shapeshifting?"

"That..." Anisoptera raised their head to look at their friend. "... Actually sounds kinda fun, lets do it." she said as she got up from the ground.

"Alright, well I guess the first thing we can do is make you a primary disguise."

"Do we really have to do that now?" Anisoptera groaned.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "We both know if someling doesn't make you, you'll never do it. So stop complaining, it won't even take that long."

"Fine, how did you do it then?"

"First I picked a tribe, but we both know you want to be a pegasus."

"Well duh, what else would I be?" Anisoptera asked with a chuckle.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes again in a display of annoyance, but her body betrayed her as a smile grew across her face. "Alright next is gender, what do you feel like you lean more towards?"

Anisoptera's eyes squinted in contemplation and stayed that way for a good 30 seconds. "I guess I've always felt more comfortable disguised as fillies then colts." The white pegasus was then suddenly engulfed in red flames, once the flames cleared they revealed the same pegasus but with a much more feminine build.

"Huh." Was all Chrysalis had to say.

"What?"

"I honestly would have expected you to go for a colt, considering how much you act like one."

Anisoptera gave a laugh in response. "Hey it's not my fault I like things like sports instead of dressing up in frilly dresses."

Chrysalis chuckled along with her friend. "Well alright. Next is your coat, mane, and tail colour."

Anisoptera hummed in thought for a moment before the perfect Idea came to her. "Rainbows!"

"Rainbows?" Chrysalis said in confusion.

"Rainbows!" Anisoptera said excitedly. "All rainbows, mane, tail, and coat."

Chrysalis facehooved. "Dew Drop-" Anisoptera gaged at the use of the name."- You can't just cover yourself in rainbows, it would be way to suspicious."

"Hey my brother has a rainbow mane, why can't I?"

Chrysalis brought her other hoof to her face "Bow only has a rainbow mane and tail, he doesn't also have a rainbow coat. If you really want to have a rainbow mane and tail you can, just pick a different coat colour, like blue or something."

Anisoptera groaned. "Fine." And with that the red flames erupted around the pegasus filly again, once they subsided there stood a blue pegasus filly with a rainbow mane and tail and a set of magenta eyes.

Chrysalis hummed in approval. "Good work on the eyes, the magenta looks nice."

"Thanks, Cocoon always talks about colours and character design and stuff so I might have picked some stuff up." Anisoptera said proudly.

"Alright." Chrysalis said as she clapped her hooves together "The next step is the Cutie Mark, make it represent your actual special talent so it's less suspicious, have any ideas for it?"

"Uhh... I don't really know what my special talent is yet." Anisoptera said in embarrassment, a light blush covering her face.

Chrysalis shrugged her shoulders. "Well that's not much of a problem, you can make one later when you figure it out." Anisoptera breathed a sigh of relief as she heard this.

"Alright, the last step is the name, think carefully on this." Chrysalis stated.

Anisoptera looked down in contemplation and stayed that way for several minutes, she took so long that Chrysalis started practicing her levitation again. "I've got it!" Anisoptera shouted, her voice dripping with excitement. "Rainbow Dash."

"Hmm.. that's pretty good, so I guess were done now what else do you want to-" Chrysalis was suddenly cut off by a voice calling out to her over the hive mind.

"Chrysalis, mother called us home, we have to go"

"Alright I'm coming Cocoon." she replied to her sister. "Sorry 'Rainbow Dash', mother has called me home, I will see you later, be sure to tell your mother about your new disguise." Chrysalis said as she began to walk away.

"Alright see you later Chrysi." 'Rainbow Dash' called out to her friend.

"See you later little Dew Drop."