Chapters Author's Note
This is the map of the ship, all areas adjacent have doorways between them unless noted with X:
Wakeup
Out in space near a reddish planet half the size of the familiar blue marble, a solitary metal ship resembling a turtle with three large engines in a triangular configuration coasted along. Inside the sleeping compartment, a light came on, illuminating a statue of Twilight, her friends, and Spike, in various poses stuck between the bunks.
Suddenly, Twilight's face cracked, and in moments, cracks spread across the statue, and out emerged Twilight, then Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, AJ, and Spike, all blinking groggily.
Rainbow coughed. "Ugh, rock dust. Well, at least we woke up. As nice as those dreams Luna gave us are, I feel like I haven't flown in months !"
Twilight giggled. "Technically, we've been flying through space the whole time. Granted, the engines have been off. Hopefully their nuclear reactor starts up again fine."
Rainbow winced as a white hoof poked out from behind her, then shoved her away. "Pteh, pteh, ugh, Rainbow Dash!" spat Rarity. "Did you have to put your derriere right in my muzzle as we got petrified?"
"Yep, I warned you before we got onboard not to hold us up on the launchpad, and well, how could Mr. Hiney not smooch a pretty mare who spent an extra 15 minutes on makeup! So how's it taste, like pure awesomeness?" Rainbow asked with a smirk as Pinkie giggled and high-hoofed her.
AJ promptly did the same.
"Blegh, absolutely not!" replied Rarity. "I need to wash out my mouth!"
Twilight stifled a giggle with her hoof. "Good to see the petrification hasn't affected our personalities. Now before you do that, Rarity, I need to remind us all of what we need to do."
Rarity groaned as Spike patted her hip, then hopped up on her back and gave her a massage.
Twilight cleared her throat. "So, this ship is bound to have issues after 9 months in space, and there's no rescue out here. We've all got tasks to complete to make sure everything important works. Checklists are available in the administrative office for each of you. We should have plenty of time before the insertion burn tonite, as the last automated report suggested only some minor malfunctuh...functions." Twilight grabbed her head as she swayed a little. "You're probably all feeling what I am, the aftereffects of long-term petrification. It messes mainly with the brain and nervous system, and can be highly variable. We'll all be back to normal within an hour or two, so don't rush. Make sure you understand what you need to do before you do it. You can go now, Rarity."
As soon as Twilight finished talking, Rarity rushed to a nearby doorway into an area with sinks, squat toilets, a bathtub, and showers, with Spike gripping tightly, barely staying atop her.
Applejack giggled slightly. "Ya know, I bet Rarity, bein' stubborn as a mule, didn't listen 'bout usin' the toilet before we left and is just sayin' she needed water as a cover! Anyways, ya think Equestria's doin' alright. Ya know, without us around?"
Twilight sighed. "I'm fairly sure that between the Pillars and the students, nothing too bad will happen. Anyways, there's no use worrying about it now, we just need to focus on dealing with the space changelings."
Pinkie popped up in front of Twilight. "And throw them a party!"
Rainbow facehoofed. "Yeah, I'm sure that'll work real well , Pinkie, way better than just kicking their rumps until we hear cracking noises."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Remind me again why you were opposed to taking Garble and Lightning Dust? We're gonna be going up against some pretty powerful enemies if Luna's right."
Rainbow snorted roughly. "They're unreliable! All that talk about improving was just so they could impress Smolder and Ocellus. Besides, we've fought tons of tough stuff, we'll be fine."
AJ stretched like a cat, rump up as she straightened out. "Well then, let's get a move on instead of just chattin' all day. Some chores will do us well to get our heads cleared. And we'll need that like a tree needs sunlight if we wanna actually try and stop these space changelings."
Twilight nodded. "I don't know about that, but we'll need at least two sets of eyes on everything. Try to stick to what you know and focus on things we need right away, like oxygen and the electrical wiring. I'll be in comms to check messages and update you on problems I can see. We've probably got a message backlog, and hopefully it has some info on the threat we're facing."
Everypony trotted out of the room.
In admin, Fluttershy looked over the status lights on the ship's program units. "Finally..."
Twilight trotted into the doorway nearby from comms, and knocked a few times on the wall.
Fluttershy turned to face her. "Oh, what is it, Twilight?"
Twilight smiled. "Just wondering how you're feeling, 'cause I've got a headache."
Fluttershy frowned. "Oh I'm sorry. Well, I'm pretty tired of staring at computer memory and looking over folders of our files. Um...oh, I'm just having a bit of a tummyache." Fluttershy blushed and crossed her legs.
"I catch your drift. There's some potions in tiny little vials. I think the mild emetic is the one you want."
"Oh, but, it's not serious..."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "We've got plenty, Fluttershy, and I'd rather you do tasks a little later in ship shape than miss something."
Fluttershy nodded and trotted off through the bunk area, hearing a loud squealing that sounded like Rarity.
As she approached the bathroom area, there then came sounds of a fight.
Soon, Rarity ran out, spitting out water. "Ugh..."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"Let's just say...that that very strong bidet, has ruined my day, darling." Rarity turned and trotted away.
Fluttershy peeked in, and saw Pinkie on the floor wincing in pain. "Um..."
"I'm okay! Hey Fluttershy. Wanna chat?" Pinkie smiled.
Fluttershy rubbed one foreleg with the other. "Um...okay, I suppose I could use a buddy for support. I'm not feeling all that well."
"Aww, I'll do my best!" Pinkie said with a smile as she jumped up.
A while latere, AJ whistled as she washed her hooves in one of the bathroom area's sinks in the doorway, while Fluttershy nearby was squatting over one of the floor's squat toilets, with Pinkie to her side.
Fluttershy closed her eyes. "Okay...be the bat...be the bat...easy peasy lemon squeezy... Mmm, I think it's working, Pinkie."
Pinkie meanwhile was giving Fluttershy a back and flank massage. "That's the spirit! Go Fluttershy!" Pinkie pulled a foam finger from her underside, put it on her left hoof, and waved it around a moment.
Fluttershy cooed. "Oh, thanks. The comedy earlier helped too, hehe."
AJ chuckled as she dried her hooves with the air blower. "Well it's good you're feelin' alright now, sugarcube. I'll be figurin' out why this newfangled algae system wants to kill us."
Pinkie threw out the foam finger and returned to massaging Fluttershy's backside. "Probably Rarity's bad mojo." She blew a raspberry.
Fluttershy's rear made a similar noise, and she sighed in relief.
Pinkie giggled. "See, Fluttershy's rump agrees! Rarity's been a total meanie since we woke up. She didn't appreciate my jokes, and then just because I helped her wash up, she gave me a three bruises for it! I can hardly sit down or hug anypony now!"
AJ snorted. "There's cranky, and then there's bein' outright unfriendly, and we ain't got time or space for it right now. I'll have a li'l chat and try to untwist her britches. I don't care if there's still rocks in her head, she can't just go around bein' saltier than a hippogriff sailor who only comes ashore when the drinks are free and the fillies are half-off." She stomped out.
Fluttershy sighed. "Uh, you should go with her, Pinkie. I'm fine now, and the last thing we need is a fight..."
Pinkie gasped, stopping the massage to hug Fluttershy. "You're right! And...ow. On it!" She trotted on out.
A few minutes later, Fluttershy hummed a merry tune as she inspected the spider habitats between their bunks and the oxygen area.
Pinkie bounced over behind her. "Ooh, what task's this?"
Fluttershy sighed. "Just making sure our little pest-eating friends AJ brought are alright. It...looks like poor little Gerald here didn't make it."
Pinkie gasped. "Oh no, what did him in? Was it aliens? A bug mafia? An ALIEN bug mafia?"
Fluttershy blinked a moment, then brought the curled-up form of the spider up for inspection under a magnifying glass. "Um, just dehydration from a dry area of the enclosure, I think. Poor little guy, we could've saved him."
Pinkie put her ears down. "That's sad. Well, only one thing to do...plan a spider funeral!" She popped up with a sound of a party horn as confetti flew out every orifice and hopped into oxygen and around the corner. "I'll go get Applejack!"
Fluttershy blew a piece of confetti off her snout, and trotted out behind, heading across past oxygen and into comms around the opposite corner.
Twilight was sitting there deep in concentration.
Fluttershy knocked on the wall.
Twilight's ears perked up, and she turned around. "Yes?"
Fluttershy squeaked. "Um, sorry to bother you. Anything interesting?"
Twilight gulped. "We um... Look, don't freak out, but the link with Equestria went down shortly after we unpetrified, so I can't send any reports, and we may have an intruder aboard."
Fluttershy froze. "An...intruder?"
Twilight nodded. "Something...gooey and weird was on the outer hull. Celestia didn't catch it in the cameras until well after we were in petrosleep. Their best guess is it's Ocellus, since she went missing the day of the launch, and her dreams involve being a blob that can't maintain shapeshifts. About the only other likely possibility is the CMC did it somehow...they're in our storage somewhere, try to keep that one quiet around their sisters."
"Oh no. I hope they're all okay. Y-you don't think Ocellus got it in her head that because she's a changeling, she could fight these ones on her own, do you?" Fluttershy asked, shaking a little.
"That's Luna's working theory. At any rate, Luna's pretty sure she's okay, so we can worry about finding them and talking her out of whatever she's doing after the critical tasks are done. I'm sure she'd be useful fixing certain things."
Fluttershy nodded. "Alright, where am I needed?"
Twilight rubbed her chin. "Oxygen can always use another look-over, since none of us are really experts in growing algae, and it's the most critical. If that all looks okay...maybe check up on Rainbow. She was eager to see the cockpit and I'm a little worried she touched something. If there are no warning lights and everything matches what mission control has sent, we should be fine. I'm going to go find Spike and Rarity and make sure they aren't slacking off...you know how those two can get together."
Fluttershy giggled. "I do...it's pretty cute."
"Yeah yeah, but it's wasting time, and she's broken his heart before. I wouldn't be a good big sister if I didn't intervene..." Twilight said as she hurriedly trotted out.
Fluttershy went the other way, back the way she came, spotting Rarity looking out the observation window at the rust-red planet Marēs, and then turned to take a look at the massive green glowing tanks. All the status lights showed green. Fluttershy opened up a drawer and flipped open the basic manual, but was distracted as she heard what sounded like AJ and Dash arguing.
Suddenly there was a loud SLAP and Dash crying out.
Fluttershy peeked over one of the tanks. "Um, are you okay?"
Dash groaned as she rubbed her flank, which was bright red on one side. "Y-y-yeah...um...best of three? Ungh..."
AJ snorted as she trotted over Dash, giving a hard kick to the other cheek that turned it the same shade while smacking Rainbow into the wall. "I win, sugarcube. Now come along Pinkie, we got actual work to do now that that troublemaker's gotten a nice butt-kickin'. You know, Maud might want to know 'bout all these space rocks, and Twi said our comms are down..."
Pinkie sprung along as the two walked past Fluttershy.
Fluttershy went over to Dash. "Oh my...are you sure you're okay?"
Dash snorted loudly. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll get her back when me and her are alone. Maybe a nice prank when I call in a favor to get her on a date, after I can sit down again..."
Fluttershy put on a look of concern. "Um...I don't know if that's a good idea to trick a special somepony li-"
Rainbow jammed a hoof in Fluttershy's mouth. "Look, get off my case and back to your precious algae, okay." Dash stomped promptly into the cockpit, and shut the door behind herself.
Fluttershy sighed and went back to reading the manual. "Hmm, light levels are a little dim, probably just buildup...oh, the wiping cycle's stuck, of course! Let's see...a few things need power-cycling for sure..."
Within a few minutes, the efficiency meter on the algae returned to its normal 80%.
Fluttershy promptly smirked, and shook her rear around in a circle, doing a little dance. "No carbon dioxide buildup for us, hehe! All fresh as the forest, yippee! All thanks to lovely algae!" She repeated this a few times as somepony could be heard trotting towards, then quickly away from her, only stopping as she bumped into the cockpit door.
Rainbow's voice from inside the cockpit, sounding rather alarmed.
Fluttershy blinked, and put her ear against the door. "Huh? Rainbow, is somepony else in there?"
"Lightning, wait, you don't have t-" Rainbow shouted.
There was a sudden series of thuds.
Fluttershy gasped. "RAINBOW!" She immediately grabbed the manual door handle and tried to turn it, but it was stuck. She bashed with all her might, and it finally gave way...
A chair went flying across the room and onto the console. In front of Fluttershy, Rainbow's rear legs and tail were dangled from the overhead vent a moment before dropping down.
As Fluttershy put a hoof to Rainbow's side, preparing to turn her over, but noticing a distinct lack of wings or forelegs. She looked in the direction of a bit of rainbow mane well away from Rainbow's rear end...
She shrieked and slammed the alarm button next to the door.
Fluttershy shivered in the medbay. "Oh, it was awful! She even tried t-to tell me something. If I had just come sooner..."
Twilight put a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "It's okay...I think I preserved her in time, so she's not dead yet, and I've got a plan..." She stared down at Rainbow's petrified head, which had a tongue sticking out and a derped expression.
Spike meanwhile was busy tinkering with a lavender crystal platform, similar to the cutie map's, on a golden stand atop a large brain-like grey crystal, in a box.
Everypony else sat on medbeds facing the three. AJ was covering her head with her hat, while leaning against Rarity. Pinkie's hair was fully deflated as she stared at a wall while slowly crying.
Twilight sucked on her own lips a moment. "...I know this is going to be hard for all of us, but let's just be calm and rational." She put up some notes on the medbay wall. "The stuff covering where Dash's midsection and neck were cut, as well as her waste exits, is clearly changeling goop. The only logical reason for it to be all of those places is to prevent any blood or waste from leaving evidence behind."
Rarity patted AJ before hopping up off the medbed. "Hmm, so Ocellus hasn't gone feral. She's still able to plan"
Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof. "Not necessarily... You see, I have a spell that detects changelings. Impractical to cast continuously, but I made sure to use it a bit earlier, and...it only showed me traces in the rock that came off us when we woke up, and some residue in the toilet system. The spell ignores inorganic matter, so..."
Rarity gasped. "She's...she's become a parasite in one of us? That's ghastly ."
Pinkie jumped up. "There's an impostor among us!" She then sat back down and rocked back and forth rather violently while a tear rolled down her cheek.
Twilight nodded solemnly. "That's correct, and for all we know, Ocellus isn't even conscious, and just acting on instinct while whichever pony she's in figures out how to accomplish things. Now, I don't know how Rainbow calling her 'Lightning' fits into all this just yet, but my best guess is whoever was controlled either let Ocellus out for a bit, or was enveloped by her, to take the form of Lightning Dust to catch Rainbow off-guard. I know one way to find out for sure...we ask Rainbow."
AJ huffed as she threw her hat down to the floor, and wiped her eyes. "And how the hay ya expect to do that, sugarcube?"
Twilight cleared her throat as she gestured towards Spike. "Ready?"
Spike blew a bit of dragonfire on a part of the golden stand and saluted. "I think so, but this seems...wrong."
Twilight groaned. "Wrong is a pony being killed for no good reason. I don't know how much this will undo, but...I have to try. Now stand back everypony, this is gonna get weird. First, gotta undo this..." She lit her horn and zapped Rainbow's head, which unpetrified. "And bring it back to life for a moment..." Another zap left Rainbow's eyes and tongue moving, making Rarity whine.
Pinkie swooped in and held up Rainbow the head. "Hey Dashie, you really got ahead in life! You're way more aerodynamic now! Ahahah. Ooh, and the monster didn't want some Rumpbow Desert to go with its wings, foreleg fries, and shoulder shake! Haha." Pinkie shook a bit as she smooched Rainbow sloppily.
Rainbow's eyes went wide, and blinked a few times.
Twilight rubbed her temples. "I suppose that's one way to keep Dash conscious...now...one max power mindflayer spell..." She shot an intense pink beam into Rainbow's head. "Then a linking spell, a come-to-life spell on the crystal..." She hit some magic onto the brain-like crystal. "...then a project form spell with some custom scripting..." She shot a blue beam into the box, and suddenly it formed a hologram of Rainbow as the crystal turned brain-pink.
Rainbow's head suddenly glowed brightly, then poofed into magic sparkles.
Pinkie was left with her eyes spinning around and spiky hair. She burped. "Mm, that tongue was like spicy skittles!"
The hologram blinked, gasped for air, then smacked its lips. "Mmm, bubblegum Ponk!" She looked at her hoof. "Ooh, glowy..."
Pinkie gasped loudly. "Rainbow's a ghost! Is she gonna fly through walls and possess us now?"
Twilight rolled her eyes as she levitated Rainbow's rear into a storage locker nearby. "Not exactly. I've copied her mind from her brain into this setup based on the Cutie Map to give her a sort of second life. Unfortunately...her brain degraded a fair bit, from what I saw in the mind copy...so I don't think all her wits are there."
Holo-Dash picked her nose. "What's a wit?"
Applejack slowly took her hat off. "S-sugarcube? Ya alright? Ya know my name?"
Holo-Dash giggled. "Uh duh! You're Applejerk, my fave pony to compete with! Ooh, how fast can I go as a box ghost?"
Applejack put on a puzzled expression and hugged Rarity. "Good enough for me..."
Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "Unfortunately, the projection area is pretty small, and the crystals are too fragile to be moving around, so you're stuck where you are. Anyways, um, do you remember what happened? I tried to peek myself, but your memories are a mess, no offense."
Holo-Dash flew a bit, bouncing around a sort of invisible box barely three ponies wide and four tall, then crossed her forelegs, huffed, and nodded. "Horseapples. Okay, fine...first I checked the soda and snacks, then I went around burpin' up a storm, then I went to have some fun playing giggles and grab-apples, but Rarity was a fuddy-duddy, and AJ was a bad sport, even though it's one of her favorite sports! So then I went to make sure the ship was all vroom vroom, but then uh...the yellow uh, Buttershy, was there, and she hates going fast, but then Lightning Dude was there, and she...wanted faster, and...uh...she did a sick move with some kind of blade on her wing!"
Twilight, Rarity, and Spike all stared at Fluttershy.
Fluttershy blinked. "Uh, Rainbow, my name is Fluttershy , and I uh...I wasn't in the room until after that uh, 'sick trick'."
Holo-Dash shrugged. "Well sorry, but that's how I remember it, Flittershy. You were actin' all sorts of suspace, susfishuh, uh...sussy! Actin' sussy!"
Pinkie's eye twitched. "Fluttershy..."
Fluttershy eeped and hid her face with her wings.
Twilight stepped in between them. "Whoa whoa whoa, before any accusations get thrown around based on half a pony's memories, let's take stock of everypony's story. I'll use a spell to record memories onto a book, so we can all check them."
Pinkie crossed her hooves. "Okay, but I'm telling you, first it was Gerald the spider, then it was Rainbow, that butter coat hides a greasy changeling!"
Twilight cleared her throat. "Conspiracy theories aside, Spike and Rarity, you two go first. You were the only ones I didn't see after we unpetrified."
Rarity's eyes went wide. "Uh, well darling, m-most of our time together was rather private you see. After a bit in the little mare's room, and s-some time to ourselves, not much really happened except for a brief encounter with the others."
Spike walked over in front of her. "Sorry Rarity, but this is too serious to be so vague. So...Rarity has a bit of a sensitive stomach, and the petrification just really messed up her whole digestive system."
Pinkie giggled. "He means Rarity had the trots. Like, the screamin' trots. It was like Mount Vehoovius eruptin' in there."
Holo-Dash snickered.
Spike cleared his throat. "Anyways, once I had her all cleaned up, she wasn't exactly feeling alright, so we went to the medbay and, well, she wanted to reward me while doing something that would make her feel good too, so...we kissed here instead of doing our tasks." Spike gritted his teeth as he locked eyes with Twilight. "Uh, and then the alarm sounded, and I noticed Rarity had left while I took a nap."
Twilight stood with her jaw wide open, and glanced down at the book, then to Rarity, staring with a scowl. "Rarity, I'll spare you the third degree for now while we deal with all this, but I want your assurance that if you're going to actually reciprocate my little brother's romantic advances, you're treating him less like a servant and more like an equal, and understanding that he has trouble saying no to a mare, especially one twice his age ."
Rarity nervously chuckled. "Y-yes of course, you have my word, darling! Consensuality is paramount, and I would never dream of hurting Spike ."
Twilight gave a clearly-fake smile. "Excellent. Now, think of the same events so I can check they match."
Rarity closed her eyes and concentrated. "Okay...so after my alone time with Spike, I had to freshen up and get decent, and had the misfortune of meeting Pinkie, who seemed to think it appropriate to interfere with my hygiene, and...you got all you needed to know from when I encountered Fluttershy, darling." She shuddered. "So I went to clear my head by gazing down at the lovely planet Marēs..."
Holo-Dash piped up. "I told her part of it looked like poo, heh."
Rarity scoffed. "Thankfully when Rainbow's shenanigans came to ruin the moment, AJ was there to put her in her place, even if in a rather uncouth manner. Anyways, a bit later when I went back to check on Spike, and that's when the alarm sounded, as you know when I met you in the bathroom, darling."
Twilight. "Okay..." She looked to Applejack. "So...you seem quite central to this, what's your story?"
Applejack stared a moment at Holo-Dash, then took a deep breath. "Well, I was doin' my tasks just like ya asked. No fussin', no wastin' time lovin', and no drama. Just had to stop to pee and had a task to make sure the toilets were doin' alright anyways, and met up with Fluttershy an' Pinkie. After that, I went to make sure the algae was growin' right for our oxygen, but Pinkie kept talkin' that nonsense about funerals for our eight-legged pest-eaters, and Dash was slackin' off with horseplay, and Rarity was slackin' off stargazin'. I was ready to blow...and that's when Rainbow made the mistake of testin' me with a wing to my rump, so I returned the favor by makin' her rear red as an apple ready for harvest and leavin' her a flanksore loser, just like Fluttershy an' Rarity said. Pinkie thankfully had a lick of work ethic, so me and her went to electrical to get comms workin', but before we could fix it, the alarm sounded."
Twilight turned to Holo-Dash. "Well?"
Holo-Dash shrugged. "Nuh-uh, Rearity was the one who was flanksore! She begged me not to touch her flank. Somethin' about Pinkie makin' it sore when she was tryin' to make it unsore. And how I'd mess up her precious cutie mark makup! Bawk bawk, scaredy little chicken Rarity! Sussy bawk-a!"
Rarity snorted. "Call me what you will, I refuse to partake in such childish games. Now Twilight, must we listen to this half-Rainbow's prattling on? The uncouthness I can handle, but she has no respect either!"
Twilight sighed. "Rarity, it's her murder, it's only right we let her give her side of it, and you know even half a mind might have vital clues, even if they're buried. Now...Pinkie?"
Pinkie sat with her forelegs crossed. "Well first I zipped to grab my task list and get some snacks, but I ate too fast or somethin' and went to throw up in the bathroom, and boy Rarity and Spike were a tough crowd in there, so I went back to eating snacks I could keep down, but my tasks still made no sense, and I went back to the bathroom to wash up my sticky hooves, and then I saw Rarity struggling to really push a pedal properly, and helped her, but I kinda helped too much and she became like a pony-shaped water balloon, and then when she deflated, she beat me up! And Fluttershy was there too, then AJ, and they were way more fun! We went to do our tasks, then I found Fluttershy all sad about a spider by oxygen, so I began trying to explain to AJ the importance of a spider funeral, and then I saw Rarity at the big window, who would absolutely understand the plight of poor Gerald even if she is no fun, but then I got to see AJ use her HOOVES OF STEEL on Rainbow, and AJ insisted we needed to go fix comms so I could tell Maud all about the rocks in space, and I was all 'oh these two pink wires must connect', and I really got in the groove. Soon, I was shakin' my groove thing to the beat of the music with my whole front stuck in a panel and...well then Applejack slapped my groove thing's party pudge silly and told me that wasn't music, it was an alarm! So I popped in a vent and right out here!"
Spike cocked an eyebrow. "Popped in a vent? Those aren't supposed to be wide enough for ponies, especially ones with 'groove things' the size of yours!"
Twilight put a hoof on Spike's shoulder. "It's Pinkie... And that all lines up." She stared at the book. "Hmm, some incidental memories have been showing up, but...all clearly show you to be yourselves. Whoever's got Ocellus inside them must be deeply controlled or even unaware. Rarity, can you look over the book while I recount my perspective?"
Rarity nodded and took it.
Twilight shrugged. "It really wasn't eventful. As you know from Fluttershy, I had her go deal with her constipation, then I spent a while sorting through messages until Rainbow swung by to belch the alphabet, not listening to a word I said about Ocellus and a possible intruder. I'm pretty sure at this point that her brain had a particularly bad reaction to the petrification... Well anyways, then Fluttershy came to actually listen, and I had her check up on Rainbow, while I went to find Spike. I took a pit stop in the bathroom, which turned out to be a huge mistake, as you all caught me with my tail up with an urgent need to cast a spell before I was even done."
Rarity examined the book carefully and sighed. "Yes, quite uncouth, darling, and...you seem to check out too. That leaves only really two ponies of interest...myself, and Fluttershy."
Author's Note
Claimed location timeline:
2 (Sparity):
3 (Spike falls asleep):
4 (Rainbow the troublemaker):
5 (Alarm):
Pinkie jumped up. "Rarity's suggesting Fluttershy did a self-report! Classic impostor play, lets you avoid any suspicion from being near the body. Trust me, I play Changeling Amidst Us at parties a ton. You know this spaceship is a lot like the one on the game board... Hey...Fluttershy was the only pony near! And she's really good at being the Changeling Impostor...it's always the quiet ones." Pinkie glared at Fluttershy while rubbing her own chin.
Fluttershy gulped.
Rarity sighed. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but she's right, as much as I hate to accuse you. Rainbow's memory may be faulty, but it's our only clue, and simple logic should tell everypony here that I was further from the cockpit when Rainbow was, well, Dashed , darling."
Twilight put a hoof around Fluttershy. "Calm down, everypony. Now, I'd love to do tests on the both of you, but a changeling blob could easily dodge probing inside a pony, and look normal on scans. There's gotta be something else, some way we can systematically rule out ponies..."
Spike tapped on Holo-Dash's projection surface. "Um...what if you used the spell you did on Rainbow to look over the memories in depth?"
Twilight shook her head. "At that intensity, the spell's mostly used to recover important secrets ponies would otherwise take to their graves. You saw what happened to Rainbow's head, and that wasn't all that unusual...the best I can guarantee is that the pony's mind will be more intact than hers."
An avocado appeared in Holo-Dash's projection area at her hooves, and she drooled a bit while staring at it for several seconds.
Rarity grimaced. "Darling, if we do nothing, the impostor may strike again. I...I think I can get by being a projection, I'll just glow a little in my permanent beauty. The hard part would just be being unable to touch Spike, and having to...put up with Dash's antics."
Holo-Dash raised her eyebrows repeatedly suggestively while noisily munching the avocado, making Rarity shiver.
Applejack grabbed Rarity's shoulder with her hoof. "Sugarcube, I could too, but it ain't about sacrificin' yourself. We're supposed to get the impostor. Now, is anypony actin' suspicious?"
Holo-Dash waved a hoof in front of Fluttershy, who was staring at a wall. "Fluttershy! Hey Equestria to sussy flutt butt! Scared of bein' the chicken we chop? Bawk bawk, bawk-a!" She started dancing.
Fluttershy blinked, coughed, and all eyes turned to her. She immediately gulped. "Um...do I g-get a say in this?"
Twilight took a deep breath. "Let's just do this organized, first arguments, then a vote. Each of us will say who we think the...procedure should be done on, simple majority wins...er, loses I guess."
Holo-Dash giggled. "I vote me!"
Spike facepalmed and flipped a switch on the box, turning Dash's projection off. "I think we can all agree that she's no longer worth keeping on..."
Twilight nodded. "Let's go in a circle, and keep your pre-vote arguments simple. Spike, you start."
Spike grimaced. "Well, first off, I know Rarity, and there was nothing off about her. Plus, she would've done something to me if she was the impostor. Uh...that's it I guess. Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy breathed shakily. "I um...I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done it unless Ocellus has my own memory fooled. And Rarity having unusual bodily issues could mean a foreign body got inside her. And um, please, if I'm a projection, I can't be with the animals, I don-"
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. "That's enough. arguments should be strictly about who did it. I...I don't know, but we need to vote someone. Rarity?"
Rarity nodded. "I've already explained my reasoning. Applejack?"
Applejack breathed in. "I'm with Rarity. Pinkie?"
Pinkie bit her lip. "Oh I don't know! I just want all this over with... I...do we vote now?"
Spike nodded. "Yep, everypony's given an argument. So, let's do it going the opposite direction. I vote...Fluttershy. Pinkie?"
Pinkie looked between Fluttershy and Rarity, sweating and hyperventilating as she pulled a paper bag from behind herself and breathed into it. Finally, after several seconds, she squeaked out "Rarity..."
AJ scowled. "Fluttershy." She closed her eyes and crossed her forelegs.
Rarity gave a glare to Pinkie. "Fluttershy. Now you decide, Twilight, darling." She closed her eyes and turned her nose upwards.
Twilight sighed. "...Rarity. I guess we have a tie."
AJ and Rarity opened their eyes.
Spike slotted in a second brain-pink crystal to the box, then stepped forward. "Uh...we could flip a co-"
Fluttershy coughed. "I uh...didn't vote yet..."
Twilight gasped. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you were h-uh, nevermind, sorry. And you vote is...?"
Fluttershy hung her head. "No vote."
Rarity's jaw slowly dropped.
Twilight stammered. "F-Fluttershy? B-but that means..."
Fluttershy nodded. "That I'm the one voted. Do it. I can't walk around knowing I can't trust my own mind. Turn Rainbow back on so she can see it, um, if you wouldn't mind."
Twilight levitated over Fluttershy's space suit. "Put this on...trust me."
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow, but put on the bulky outfit. "Okay...ready."
Spike flipped Holo-Dash's switch as Twilight unloaded a spell that passed through the suit and went directly into Fluttershy's ear, making her go googly-eyed.
Holo-Dash blinked. "Whoa, we meltin' her? Buttershy into Butterspread?"
Twilight then shot a beam at the brain-pink crystal, and Fluttershy began to stammer incoherently as smoke came out her ears, filling up the helmet.
Pinkie covered her eyes with her hooves.
Rarity put on a look of disgust. "Darling, this is dreadful...are you sure this'll keep her intact?"
Twilight shook her head as Fluttershy began to inflate suddenly while flailing her legs, the suit barely holding her back. Various squeaky and odd noises came as the swelling slowed.
Spike poked her. "So is she gonna...?"
Fluttershy's front half suddenly glowed brightly, and exploded into a yellow liquid and sparkling magic, knocking Spike back with the front half of the suit, leaving only a rear half, deflating with a sputter as it fell forward.
A projection of Fluttershy then appeared next to Rainbow's with an expression of extreme discomfort, while a belch came out her mouth, and a squeaky sputter sounded from her rear.
Holo-Dash burst out into laughter. "Bwahahaha, she melted and let out all her gas! Welcome to ghost box, Fartershy!"
Holo-Shy's face went beet red as she then covered it with her wings.
Twilight smirked. "Haha, continuity of consciousness and even bodily functions into the simulation! Suck on that, DEATH!"
Pinkie uncovered her eyes slowly and looked to Fluttershy's holographic form, then to the remaining rear end of Fluttershy's body. "Huh, okay, Dash was one thing, but again? Maybe Changeling Amidst Us having just rear halves for dead players had more to its design choice than bein' easy to make..."
AJ looked queasy as she looked at Fluttershy's projection. "Weird coincidences aside...Twilight, I don't think it's wise to spite death itself. This just ain't right."
Twilight shrugged.
Rarity looked to the suited back half of Fluttershy, and a yellow puddle around it. "Ew, is tha-"
Spike sniffed. "Nope..." He scooped some of the liquid onto his hand. "Butter..." He went to lick his fingers, but stopped as he looked at Rarity's twitching eye.
AJ burst out laughing. "Well, butter my buns with that and call me a biscuit, somehow Dash was right!"
Pinkie promptly scooped up some butter off the floor and actually buttered AJ's buns, making AJ's eyes go derped. "Biscuit!"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Spike, please put her remains in a bio waste locker. Uh...the back half, not the butter. This room won't smell so nice in a moment if you don't, the suit just buys some time on that front."
Spike nervously chuckled. "Hehe, right, on it!"
Holo-Shy slowly pulled away her wings from her face. "Um...thanks, Twilight, for making my simulation so...accurate, but um, the butter smell...I mean, I know it was my own demise, but I'm getting really hungry. How d-did Dash get an avocado earlier?" She blushed.
Pinkie jumped up and down. "Ooh ooh, just think of your favorite food!"
Holo-Shy blinked a moment, and a grilled cheese sandwich with a bowl of tomato soup appeared as part of the projection, in front of her. "Oh my." She hesitantly brought up the soup to sip.
Holo-Dash spanked Fluttershy with a wing, making her drop the soup and spill it on the projection's floor. "So if you're really all here...you remember how awesome, I am, huh?"
Holo-Shy groaned as she rubbed her backside. "Yeah, sure do...and that just really helps the headache I've got from blowing up. Wait...she can touch me?" Holo-Shy looked to Holo-Dash. "Um...hug?"
Holo-Dash gave Holo-Shy a big bear hug, making Holo-Shy smile. "Thanks."
Twilight giggled. "Hopefully that helps you two a little considering your...situation. Now...bad news: Fluttershy's memories clear her."
Holo-Shy gulped. "B-but then...it's Rarity?"
Twilight sighed. "It's possible , but I was able to dig deeper than you can consciously, and...you clearly saw Rarity heading away right before you heard anything from Rainbow. If she's the impostor, she can move incredibly fast. Furthermore, my horn's gonna need a while to recharge before I can do this to any of the three of them."
Pinkie bounced around the medbay as Spike tossed the other half of Fluttershy's suit in with the rest of her. "We're doomed! Doomed, dooomed. Did I mention we're doomed? Should I sing the doom song? Doom doom doom, doom doom, doom do-"
AJ shoved a hoof into her mouth. "We ain't doomed. We just...had a little hiccup is all. Twi, what's the new plan?"
Twilight sighed. "We can't sit around and wait for my horn, so it's back to tasks. The insertion burn is going to happen in only three hours, and electrical's still a bit of a mess. Pinkie, AJ, get back to that. I'll check the engine room, since it's my design, then be back here to work on a way to safely check the rest of you, and Spike, I want you watching my back. As for Rarity...stay in medbay to make sure Fluttershy's alright until I'm done. After that, I'll have you with the other two. Now, I'm gonna be real stern here and say that lollygagging will be met with being given the Fluttershy treatment. And Rarity..." She locked eyes with Rarity. "...if I catch you with Spike, and I don't have the mind spell ready, you're gonna be one burnt marshmallow."
Rarity gulped.
Aj nodded. "I'll make sure to check up on our here lover-mare for ya, sugarcube."
Twilight giggled. "Sounds good. Now remember, it's the buddy system, everypony, do nothing alone, not even private things, no matter what. Oh, and I want everypony wearing their helmets as much as possible; the ship's antenna is jamming our radios, but they might help in a confrontation given Ocellus clearly goes for the head. Everyone got it?"
They all nodded.
Twilight opened her visor and wiped some sweat from her brow as she came out of the engine area. "I need to design better cooling systems if we ever make more of these ships..."
Applejack strolled along past. "Oh hey Twi. Got everythin' sorted out back there?"
Twilight quickly closed her helmet's visor and latched it. "Uh...yeah. Where are you going?"
AJ rolled her eyes. "Oh just gonna make sure a certain saddle-sore whiney hiney ain't gettin' a dragon tongue snack."
Twilight nodded. "Hmm...oh darn, Spike was by me just a moment ago... Good idea. Um, also, are you...alright?"
AJ blinked. "Whaddya mean?"
Twilight frowned. "It's just...well, I know you and Dash were close, and what I rescued from her brain is uh...not great. I have an idea involving Starswirl's time travel spell, and the mirror pool to-"
AJ put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I know you'll come up with some insane solution to put Rainbow right as rain, Twi. Ya always do. The thing I gotta worry about is just stoppin' this Ocellus or Lightning Dust or whoever from doin'...whatever her plan is."
Twilight nodded. "Hmm, well, we could chat for just a bi-YIPE!" Something slammed into her rear with a slapping noise, making her eyes go wide. "Ngh...nyeeh-heh, uh..."
Spike's hand came out from behind and grabbed onto her cutie mark, before pushing from it. His head then came out with a pop, and he scooped up his helmet. "Uh...hey guys."
AJ smirked. "I reckon ya weren't excited to come kiss your sister's behind more literally than usual, so...lemme guess: Ya came runnin' when ya heard she noticed ya were gone, huh? Or has Rarity the impostor revealed some outer ugliness to go with her inner ugliness?"
Spike panted a bit. "Heh-heh, real funny. Um, sorry Twilight, I was worried about Rarity, and I went to check on her and um...I realized I should be back with you or else...you know, she could be..."
Twilight patted his head, then levitated his helmet onto it. "No, I'm sorry Spike, I should've been paying more attention. Now just stick with me and everything'll be alright."
"Did somepony say my name?" Rarity asked from down the hallway before trotting over. "Oh Spike, Rainbow keeps prattling on about very uncouth topics, and trying to...romantically advance upon poor Fluttershy. I think it's best I help in electrical, at least, after a few minutes in the washroom to get decent."
AJ spat loudly, making Rarity dodge it with her hooves. "Ya ain't walkin' off alone, so you're just gonna have to walk your indecent behind to electrical where it belongs." AJ pulled out a meat fork from under her hat and gestured back the way she'd come with its two long prongs. "Now go on!"
Rarity scoffed as she turned and trotted slowly. "Why I-"
AJ prodded Rarity's rear end with the meat fork, making her jump and whine. "Go ON!"
Twilight put a hoof to her mouth as she chuckled a bit, making Spike glare at her. "Sorry...but I do seem to recall a time Rarity did that to me with her horn, when Rainbow entered the Best Young Flier Competition, so she kind of deserves it."
Spike sighed, then hopped on Twilight's back. "So...just back to medbay, then?"
Twilight waited a moment, as AJ and Rarity went out of earshot. "Yeah...and I think I'll pull Rarity's mind out when my horn's charged, which should be in just a few minutes. If it's not her...then I'll cast a mass-petrification spell immediately."
"Won't that...hit me?" Spike asked as he put his index fingers together.
Twilight looked back to him. "I trust you, but in theory, it could still be you. It's a last resort anyways, since petrifying us all again so soon could cause serious medical issues, and it wouldn't exactly leave me in a good spot." She opened the medbay doors to see Holo-Dash growling in a guarding pose, with Holo-Fluttershy's rump sticking out below, shaking, as Holo-Dash's wing held one side of it. "...um, is something wrong?"
Holo-Shy eeped. "S-something ate our rears out of storage. I-it was in the vents!"
Holo-Dash nodded and pointed to a few pelvises with their tails still on, and assorted bones with greenish-gray goop on them. "That's what it left behind! And it was green! No blue! No green! It was mean and wouldn't let me fool around with Fluttershy in peace! Let me at it!"
Twilight rushed over to inspect the bones. "Hmm...the stuff on these is possibly guano or chyme. Spike, keep an eye on the vents while I analyze this. It might tell us what exactly we're up against. And ready a third crystal...we need to cast that spell again soon ."
Spike saluted, but then noticed Rarity smiling wide in the doorway, beckoning him over with a hoof.
Pinkie hummed as she trotted past the bunks.
Rarity was speaking faintly. "So...let's act like it's our last few hours we'll ever see each other, my Spikey-Wikey."
"Ooh.." shouted Pinkie from the doorway, putting her helmet's visor up. "How romantic! I'm betting on seeing some dragon-pony hybrids if we all make it, baby!"
Rarity's eye twitched. "Pinkie, you're going to leave and not come back or I Pinkie Promise you the only thing you'll be seeing for the very short rest of your life is the darkness of the inside of your own colon. OUT! "
Pinkie blinked and zipped so fast into electrical it left flaming skid marks.
AJ squinted at her. "Ya okay, sugarcube?"
Pinkie laughed nervously. "Fine, fine...just uh, need to use the bathroom real quick and I'll get right to replacing bad boards."
AJ scratched her head. "But...the bathroom's the way ya just came from."
Pinkie nodded. "Yep, I know!" She bounced back the way she came.
AJ shrugged and stuck her head back into a panel carefully, as her helmet scraped on the sides a bit.
"Aha!" Twilight shouted as she stood up. "Just as I suspected! Spike, could you..."
Holo-Dash looked over to her eating an apple, while Holo-Shy was napping.
Twilight squinted. "Um...where is Spike?"
Spike ran in, panting a bit, holding his helmet in his left arm. "Um, hey..." He clutched Twilight's leg with his right arm.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Hey there..." Twilight opened her visor and breathed in deeply. "Well first of all, you should turn your radio on, Pinkie said she got it working again. Low volume, she's currently singing very loudly about twerking, 'sussy bawk-as', and I think something to do with eggplants... Now...is something wrong?"
"Oh, I was just uh, I got distracted by Rarity, and um...she didn't seem herself, and her tongue was...a little long. Could you scan me?"
Twilight held him close, then lit her horn and let out magic into his body, and looked him over. "Hmm, your upper intestines seem a bit crowded."
Spike put his fingers in his mouth and shook. "Oh no, I don't wanna lay changeling eggs!"
"Now calm down, Spike, it's probably just that big meal you insisted on before launch, and if it's not, we should have plenty of time to examine it. Now as for something I'm done examining, the digestive goop here is absolutely swimming with unstable dark magic, and has a bit of potion binder in it. Someone unscrupulous must've used a changeling to become some kind of monster, and they needed to eat for extra fuel."
"B-but you said Luna noticed Ocellus having dreams!" Spike's voice cracked slightly.
Twilight shook her head. "That was shortly after launch. There may be part of Ocellus still in there, but this much dark magic could easily melt someone's mind in a few months... No wonder her form's so unstable. It's a bit odd though that it can stay in a pony host, especially if it can take another pony's form, or even jump between ponies."
Spike put his finger to the bottom of his helmet and rubbed it as he walked over to Holo-Shy. "Any insight here?"
Holo-Shy turned away a moment. "You'd be surprised what parasites can fit in a pony. Mammals have a lot of empty space."
Spike tapped his helmet again. "Right, really not helping my fears here, but..."
Holo-Shy's eyes went wide. "S-s-s-spike..."
Holo-Dash hissed. "GREEN MEANIE! IT'S EATING HER, AND THEN IT'S GOING TO EAT ME! OH MY CELESTIAAAA!"
He shook and slowly turned around to see Twilight's rear end flailing as she was being pulled up into a vent with a green tongue running between the cheeks. "NO! TWILIGHT!" He grabbed her tail and pulled as hard as he could.
After a few moments, Twilight's rear came down atop him.
He panted. "Phew." He stood up, pushing Twilight's rear end over and dislodging his arm from the goop under her tail. "I thought I lost y-" He looked from her rear sticking up, to the floor.
There was no front half of Twilight, only some changeling goop now sticking it in place.
He then looked up at into the darkness of the vent, horrified, as a burp echoed from within along with some muffled shouting and various wet noises.
Holo-Shy screamed. "The alarm! Sound it! We won't have long!"
Spike rushed to the button on the wall, lifted the cover, and slammed it in. Sirens blared as he sat in horror, clutching the wall.
Suddenly there were loud sounds of magic, and then a bang as a flash of magic shot out from the vent and swirled around.
Spike stood up. "T-twilight? A-are you alive?"
The magic funneled rapidly into the brain-like crystal next to Fluttershy's, and a projection of Twilight appeared as it turned brain-pink. "From a certain point of view..."
A moment later, with a squelchy sputter, an open-visor helmet with a familiar purplish blue and magenta mane sticking out the bottom shot down onto Fluttershy's crystal, cracking it, with a small shower of goop and crackling dark magic sparkles.
Holo-Dash put her hoof to her mouth, but giggled anyways.
Holo-Shy started breathing heavily as her form developed glowing cracks all over, while the brain-pink crystal glowed brightly. "Oh no, oh no, I feel like I'm about to explode ag-" Her form popped with a short sputter, then shattered along with the brain crystal, sending grey bits outwards.
Holo-Twi retched, twitched her eye, then laughed like a maniac as her helmet rolled in front of her, revealing her cleaned skull. "Hahah, hahah, hahah...not every day ya get to see your own remains just plop down from something and finish off your friend!"
A few rib bones, leg bones, and vertebra then rained down next to Holo-Twi's own crystal. "I guess you could say we're 'boned', hahahaha!" She gasped for air as she continued cackling.
Spike sat staring up at the empty vent with the projections for over a minute, flinching at the slightest noise of rattling or squelches as Twilight's laughter slowly petered out.
Eventually, it was silent, but then AJ and Pinkie ran into each other, bumping helmets together, as they burst in through the doorway.
"D-darlings?" Rarity, helmetless, said as she uncowered and pulled the alarm button, disarming it. "That was...truly repulsive. Could one of you dears please remove Twilight's remains before they uh, make this room smell any more unpleasant?"
AJ groaned as she set threw Twi's back end into a trash chute. "Got it..."
Holo-Twi gasped. "Hey, that's my rear, not garbage!"
AJ glared. "Ya ain't usin' it, and I'm pretty sure we ain't starin' up your butt while it's on display for an open-casket funeral while you're still kinda alive, either, sugarcube. So...how's it bein' a magic ghost with Rainbutt Dash-hole there?"
Rarity gasped. "Language!"
Holo-Dash slapped Holo-Twi on the cutie mark. "'sup. Sucks Fluttershy's gone, but at least I won't get lonely!"
Holo-Twi shot Holo-Dash a glare before looking back to AJ. "Uh, could be worse I suppose...I could be like Fluttershy. Pretty sure she'll be a ghost haunting the ship with the way I did the magic. May she rest in peace...eventually. But uh...I can't think as well as I used to..."
Spike squinted. "Meaning...?"
Holo-Twi sighed. "None of my uh, plans or smart things really make sense to me now. I must've lost something. The uh...uh...front part of the brain? Part of that. Emotions are all here, and personality...I think. Hard to tell when the smart part of me's gone."
Holo-Dash smirked. "Welcome to the club, baby!"
Spike squealed. "Oh no, not your intelligence! Tell me we can get it back..."
Holo-Twi shrugged. "Starlight should be able to do it when we get back. So um...I think we have to vote...for who gets thrown out the airlock or...however else they can be dealt with."
Holo-Dash raised a hoof. "I vote Rearity!"
Rarity scoffed. "First of all, it's Rarity , and second, you don't get a vote once you're dead, ghost! Spike, turn her off!"
Spike promptly went over and flipped the switch, making Holo-Dash disappear. "Okay...so...we know it's not me , which one of you is it? Rarity...you lured me out, and your tongue was way too long when we um...were together. And...I didn't hear you come in after I hit the alarm, and you're missing your helmet too!"
Rarity gasped. "Look, Spike, I did not lure you away...whatever thing did wasn't me! I came here to check up on you, but I was frozen in fear on seeing that ghastly sight! And my helmet is right there on the floor, I just...didn't want to draw attention to myself fumbling with that unfashionable thing, and I had to take it off because Pinkie wouldn't stop babbling on the radio the moment it wasn't jammed! Spike, you've got to trust me..."
Spike gulped and hung his head low. "...Pinkie, AJ, what about you two?"
Pinkie bounced over to Twilight's helmet, then pulled out the skull and gave it a lookover. "Alas, poor Twilight, I knew her well..."
Holo-Twi very loudly cleared her throat.
Pinkie tossed the skull behind herself, nailing the trash chute as AJ opened it. "Score! Oh, right, the alibi. Uh...well I went with AJ, but then I had to go to the bathroom, but then I heard Spike and Rarity being all romantic, and I asked about dracony babies, but Rarity was SUPER mean AGAIN. Anyways, then I zipped to AJ and the bathroom and back and soon I had all the wiring done, so I went to get a snack with AJ. The alarm sounded while I was having a second helping of brownies, just after she headed out of the room. I can't believe this place has no cupcakes!" Pinkie closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Unacceptable."
Rarity gasped. "Me and Spike?! But..."
AJ rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well cupcakes are all nice and good, but it was all about what fits nicely in. Anyways, I had just had a glass of cider and wanted to take a shower since I was all sweaty 'fore I checked on Rarity again. Before that, well, you saw me and Rarity in the hallway, and I'm dang sure Pinkie was in electrical that whole time 'cept for when she went to the bathroom."
Spike took off his helmet and scratched his head. "Rarity...um, before the alarm, where were you? I mean...when we were in the bunks, your tongue uh..."
Rarity breathed deeply. "Look, darling, that wasn't me! I don't know what sick game this monster is playing, but I am a mare of my word! After I helped AJ coordinate some wires, I realized there was an emergency light on the circuit for the oxygen system. I tried to get the attention of the other two while they went for snacks, but alas... Anyways, no big deal, I suppose . It's not like it would've caught fire without me. I'm sure one of those two would've eventually got off their fat rumps from having sugary sweets to notice. Surely. AJ didn't even say hi while I was making sure we didn't all die!"
Spike closed his eyes and exhaled. "I vote...Applejack."
Applejack stomped. "Now what in TARNATION? I bust my rump for ya'll, and I'm accused...on WHAT?"
Spike scuttled over to Holo-Twi. "It's just...you left electrical. That wasn't part of the plan! And it can't be Pinkie, she'd have done us all in by now. I'm sorry, okay...I vote you."
AJ scowled. "Well I think we all know how I'm votin'. Send that dang hussy usin' her tongue in your ear right into the dang engine exhaust path when it does the burn!"
Rarity huffed. "And I vote you, you ungrateful and uncouth mud pony ."
Pinkie gasped loudly. "I vote Rarity! That was uncalled for, missy!"
AJ growled. "indeed it was. Well then...Twilight, tiebreaker."
Holo-Twi looked back and forth between the two. "Applejack."
AJ froze. "Y-ya wanna say that again, pardner?"
Holo-Twi stared her in the eyes. "I tried to reason it out, but I can't...but it doesn't matter, because I can't ask Spike to kill Rarity. Even if he's willing, he'd probably go crazy or something from it. So...there's no choice. Um, if you want, we could all say our goodbyes and craft a eulogy fo-"
AJ shoved her hoof into Twi's mouth, but fell over as it didn't stick. "Oh, right, hologram. Uh...ya get the point. Shut up and get this over with, I'm ready to face the dang music. Ya ain't gonna hear any fussin' from me. All I need's a moment to make sure I don't make a dang mess for ya to clean up..." She took off her helmet, and threw her hat into the trash chute, then grabbed a potion labeled "PRE-SURGERY EMETIC. WARNING: EXTREMELY FAST-ACTING", chugged it, then trotted over to the bathroom area and squatted over a hole in the floor with her rear end just barely out of view.
Holo-Twi gestured towards her with her head. "Pinkie, keep a close eye on...that. We don't want any funny business."
Pinkie saluted and bounced over behind AJ. "Aww, but funny business is my game!"
Spike turned to Rarity. "So...read any good books lately?"
Rarity put on a strained smile and whispered. "Just one about a handsome dragon who went on to live happily ever after after a total nightmare. It was sweet. I just wish I could read it with Applejack...she would've loved it."
Spike hugged her leg.
AJ then trotted back as a flush sounded. "Phew, that stuff packs a whallop, I feel a whole bushel lighter. Now as my Granny likes to joke, just stick an apple in my mouth and roast my rump!"
Pinkie promptly pulled an apple out from behind herself, stuffed it in AJ's mouth, re-buttered her rear, then spun her into the hallway.
AJ went googly-eyed a moment as her pupils spun around, then blinked, and looked to Pinkie with a weak smile and talked around the apple. "Uh, thank ya kindly."
Holo-Twi blinked. "Well...okay then. Um, the brain crystals don't like heat, so we'll need to be careful."
Spike nodded. "Right, Twi, if I connect the ship's controls to you..." He opened up a panel and brought a cable, then lightly touched it to her crystal brain. "...can you close the door right on cue?"
Holo-Twi shrugged. "I...whoa, this is weird. Yep, I can tell doors to close! Yay!"
Spike turned towards AJ, then huffed, and puffed...and just stood there a moment before coughing up smoke. "Uh...performance anxiety, sorry."
AJ spat out the apple. "Typical. Rarity, can I have a quick li'l chat with you, dead mare to dead mare?"
Rarity blinked. "What ever do you mean, darling? Um...not to be disrespectful to your...sacrifice, but I'm quite sure I'll be..."
AJ shook her head. "Ya ain't gettin' spared by this. In fact, Spike...ya might as well roast both of us, since the moment I'm gone, she'll just kill you and Pinkie...so it's now or never. Pinkie, grab 'im and let 'er rip!" AJ suddenly grabbed Rarity close. "NOW!"
Rarity struggled, lighting her horn only for it to get smacked. "No, AJ, please, I'll accept my fate in a dignified manner somehow, please don't make poor Spikey-Wikey do this!"
Spike screamed out and tried to run over.
Pinkie grabbed him like he was a flamethrower, opened his mouth, and pushed his tail up like it was a trigger as she aimed for Rarity's head...but as he spewed fire, her aim drifted all over.
AJ and Rarity were untouched except a slightly-singed top of one of Rarity's ears, making her wince.
Rarity breathed heavily. "S-spike...j-just make sure there's nothing left, I want to go from pretty to just smoke and ash, please!"
AJ growled. "Consarnit...you threw off her aim, Well...there's two ways to fire that there gun..."
Spike went wide-eyed as Pinkie turned him around.
Pinkie then lifted his tail and pulled his finger, making him wince as pressure could be heard building.
Rarity gasped. "Wait, ANYTHING BUT THA-"
A loud sputter and FWOOSH of flame went out for a second, before Holo-Twi closed the door and Pinkie let go of Spike's finger.
Spike slid from Pinkie's grasp, clutching his mouth. "I-is there anything left?"
Pinkie grimaced as she looked through the door window. "Uh, well I see both their back halves...wow, still standing somehow. Oh wait, there they go. Ooh...Rarity really should've really gone to the bathroom first too, it's like a fountain..." Pinkie stuffed her hoof in her mouth, stifling a giggle. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry, so sorry...I'm talking about a dead friend, but...look, I'm just a little broken."
Holo-Dash shimmered back on. "Bwahahaha...ahaha, man, yep, Rearity ! That's the most hilarious one yet!"
Holo-Twi groaned. "Not the time, Dash... Spike, I am so sorry. I don't know what cruel joker put a spell on this ship making ponies' rear ends be left behind as remains, but I'm sure Rarity is uh...in a better place now. Or a ghost cursed to haunt us. One of the two. ...sorry."
Spike slumped to his knees, practically catatonic.
Holo-Twi put out a hoof, but was nowhere near Spike.
Pinkie stepped in, creating a chain to pat Spike's shoulder. "Hey, maybe we get ice cream after this? I'm sure this ship has ice cream..."
Holo-Twi sighed. "I don't remember... I really should remember, but I don't. Anyways, uh, we need to figure out from their ashes if one of them was it. I...don't know how to do that. Oh Celestia, is this what it's like to be Rainbow Dash?"
Holo-Dash raised an eyebrow. "Figure out? What, you don't know it wasn't Rarity? For an egghead, you really don't pay attention!"
Author's Note
Claimed location timeline:
2 (Meetup):
3 (Splitup):
4 (Alarm):
Holo-Twi cocked an eyebrow. "Dash, can you...turn yourself on?"
Holo-Dash nodded. "Yep, and I can watch and listen while off too. See, the problem with eggheads is they always want to test things instead of just listen. Like come on, AJ wasn't a good actor! She got over me gettin' chopped way too fast. I'm the one with half a mind missin', not her!"
Holo-Twi breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, for a moment I was worried it was Pinkie."
Pinkie nodded. "Yeah, come to think of it, I'm a total noob voting Rarity. It should be obvious that Rarity couldn't vent from O2 to Medbay. Pfft, I pretty much forgot how to play."
There was a sudden banging on the door.
"Help!" came Rarity's voice. "It was AJ! My horn can barely cast anything, darlings!"
"RARITY!" Spike yelled as he slammed on the door controls.
Holo-Twi gasped. "Spike, no."
The door controls sparked as the door slid open, and Rarity fell in.
Spike gasped as he looked her over. Her mane was nothing but a scorch mark across her head, her horn was cracked and sparking, her one unsinged ear had been replaced with a scorch mark, and she was covering one eye with a forehoof...her only forehoof. Her back end fared better, with only a bit of scorching from one leg's hock to the tailbase in an arc.
Rarity got her breath as a green tentacle crept towards her, then blasted it, knocking herself back as well. "Well...it's a good thing Pinkie's flamethrower aim isn't great and my mane is...er was quite large to take the brunt of it..."
The green monster stomped down as it formed first Lightning Dust's face, then AJ's. "Urgh, yeah, really hit me harder...but thankfully for me, I had just gotten past needing that body..."
Holo-Dash growled. "Was there anything left of her in there?"
AJ chuckled with a disturbing mixed voice of both ponies. "Oh, all of her is in here, just...twisted like a good lassoin' rope. We were once Lightning Dust and Ocellus, and Applejack. Now we are...much more . It's a shame you denied us the chance to add Twilight to the mix..."
Holo-Dash spat. "I'm breaking up with you!"
AJ smirked as her mouth formed an unnaturally-wide grin. "Oh, I'm sure ya are breakin' up, sugarcube..." She spat out a bone at Holo-Dash's crystal, which cracked.
Holo-Dash looked down. "Oh horseapples, you little wit-" She looked at her hooves forming glowing cracks and screamed as her brain crystal exploded and she poofed.
Holo-Twi screamed. "Ah! I don't wanna end up like the other two holograms! Spike, Pinkie, stop staring and help Rarity kill the thing!"
Rarity tried to shoot a blast from her horn, but it fizzled out as she winced in pain. "Darlings...I'm afraid I can't keep this up with all the pain I'm in..."
Pinkie kicked over one of the treatment beds, revealing a party cannon on a pivot, and a switch set to 'auto'. Within seconds, she had it pointed at AJ and blasted her repeatedly. "On it, sister! Get on the bed and hold still, that thing won't keep the impostor off us for long!"
Spike hurriedly applied wet rags to Rarity's burned areas, and grabbed bandages and anesthetic, trying not to look as Pinkie got to work.
Pinkie hummed a tune. "Hmm hmm hmm, patching up a pretty pony..." She soon had Rarity bandaged up, and gave her a potion. "Drink this. Spike, um, clean up her rear, I may not be a doctor, but I know that stuff meant for the toilet doesn't belong in bandages!" Pinkie then carefully put an eyepatch over Rarity's bandaged eye, and strapped a peg leg to her foreleg stump.
Rarity made some pained noises as Spike cleaned her, then took a swig and weakly chuckled. "This...ungh, should do for now. Thanks..."
AJ jumped forward as the cannon's salvo ended with only smoke and a sputter.
Spike gulped. "Um...got anything else to stop her? You kind of...emptied me out, completely!"
"Emergency dragon fuel, go!" Pinkie shouted before pulling a 2 liter bottle of diet cola and a can of beans out of her tail and shoving them into his mouth. "Uh, Twilight, Rarity, got anything to make his tummy work extra hard? I don't know if mentos will work with dragonfire."
Holo-Twi nodded. "Rarity, uh, I think knows a spell to deal with a full belly fast..."
Spike flailed, barely breathing as his belly swelled.
Rarity gasped. "But my horn can't focus...I mean, the magic can form, but I can't direct it, and this spell needs direction to hit his digestive system!"
Pinkie pulled the bottle and can out of Spike's mouth, then slammed his mouth down onto Rarity's horn. "Problem solved!"
Rarity groaned in pain, but then closed her eyes and flared her horn.
Spike whined as his stomach glowed, then belched off of Rarity's horn, leaving it further singed.
Pinkie then cartwheeled over to a storage locker, and pulled out a party bazooka. "That should do it. Now, I'll hold her off while your tummy gets bubbly! EAT CONFETTI YOU JERK!" She fired as AJ's long tongue lashed out at her, knocking it away.
Spike soon retched, then promptly unleashed three belches in a row as fireballs right at AJ's side.
The long tongue ballooned and swatted at the fireballs, getting singed in the process. AJ started sweating like crazy, and panting.
Spike let out another fire belch, sending AJ scampering down the hall. "I think she can't stand the heat, we just need to hold her down for another big burn!"
Pinkie wiped some sweat from her brow. "Sorry, but I'm not exactly fireproof, mister. I can only pin her from far off. Let me get my emergency decoration artillery while you two get her to the garbage area's airlock."
"On it!" Spike chased after AJ into the garbage area, and managed to grab her tail, pulling her back while blasting fire onto the panel for the hallway door.
AJ snarled and extended out the tongue into a central mouth with four branching tentacles that lashed at him.
Spike belched fire at the mouth, making it whine, but was taking a beating from the tentacles, and now pinned down.
Suddenly, a present embedded itself in one tentacle, and then burst into streamers.
Pinkie came to the doorway of the Medbay with a colorful artillery piece, now wearing her helmet. "Somepony call for a tentacle party and not invite Pinkie? How inconsiderate! At least Maretime Bay has the excuse of being in the future!"
Rarity rushed over to Spike's side, stumbling on her peg leg, and panting, as she put a shield between them and AJ. "Spike...I can't...do this for long with my horn like this!"
AJ giggled. "Somepony could use a pick-me-up..." She then melted into a puddle, and slithered around the shield as presents sailed overhead.
Rarity blasted magic in the direction of the goop, but a bit of it flew onto her face, and the rest soon followed, going down her throat. She then breathed heavily as she looked at Spike. "Spikey-Wikey, darling..."
Spike gulped. "Y-yeah?"
"Finish the job, please..." Rarity retched violently, and turned her head away. When it came back, it was Lightning Dust's smug grin, then AJ's. "Oh but you can't...and now...I have a horn. Ooh baby, do I have a horn, darling!" Rarity promptly put up a shield in front of Pinkie, and charged her horn. "Bye-bye, Spikey Wikey!"
Spike then let loose a pillar of fire, and the shield separating Pinkie disappeared.
When it cleared, Rarity stood cross-eyed. Her horn was nothing but a charred base. She panted a moment.
Spike gritted his teeth as he kicked her in the stomach and between the legs as hard as he could.
Rarity grunted in pain and wheezed. "Ooh...ow...I appreciate wanting her out of me, but...it may be too late, darlings..."
Spike rolled away towards Pinkie and started to tear up a bit. "No, it can't be! Please, Rarity, fight it!"
Pinkie put down her helmet's visor and latched it just before a blastwave hit them, knocking them over. Pinkie laid on her back, while Spike was on his stomach.
Rarity retched. "Hurt...yourself too...did you, fiend?" The goo creature emerged as Rarity's tongue, barely holding its shape and not just becoming a puddle. "Spike...help..."
Pinkie stood up quickly and looked around. Her party artillery was toast, and her singed legs weren't cooperating. She looked to Spike and slammed a hoof down on his back while raising his tail with the other.
A torrent of green flames sputtered out at as Rarity ducked to the side, and the creature was blasted clear away, leaving only a thread connecting it to Rarity.
Rarity began trudging slowly towards the reforming mass of creature, stopping to wheeze at the airlock controls. "Pinkie...get me over and blow me out of here!"
Pinkie looked at her a moment, then sighed. "Rarity, I might be able to do that but...I can't leave Spike without you! So...." She grabbed Spike and gave him a deep smooch. "Pass it on to a white pony we both love." She flung him onto Rarity. "HIT IT, SISTER!" She then grabbed onto the reforming creature's main mass and began wrestling with it.
Rarity gasped, then coughed around the thread in her mouth, and breathed heavily as she looked at a nearby storage crate. "I...goodbye, Pinkie." She grabbed a nearby hose, and tied herself to the heavy crate, then stared a moment to Pinkie with a tear forming, before slamming down on the open button and hugging Spike tightly.
An alarm blared for a moment before the doors flew open, and the air rushed out around everyone.
Pinkie and the creature were flung out as Rarity watched in horror, crying as her tears flew away and the rushing sound died down, replaced with silence.
The creature wrapped around Pinkie. Then, the thread connecting it to Rarity went taut, making her cry out.
Spike weakly moved, gasping for air as he watched the air rush out. He finally turned away, and weakly shot out a small fireball from his rear that struck the thread connecting the main creature body with Rarity...and out it went into the void.
Rarity looked on as the thing rushed away, and she fell onto her side.
The airlock doors suddenly closed.
Spike grabbed Rarity and dragged her to medbay. "Come on...please don't die..."
The door closed behind them as Rarity began to gasp for air.
Spike threw off his helmet. "Twi...?"
Holo-Twi smiled at him. "Yeah, oxygen's back to normal. Are you okay?"
Spike shook his head. "We got the creature out. That's it, right?"
Rarity weakly stood up, and puked over the edge of a medbed.
Holo-Twi shook her head. "I'm...getting something from Pinkie's helmet..."
Pinkie's voice, laden with static, came in over the comms. "Twilight, Spike, Rarity! I, UNGH, don't have much time..."
Rarity gasped. "Pinkie? Oh dear Celestia, is the creature...?"
"Eating me?" Pinkie chuckled. "No! And that's the, GAH, problem! This thing's tryin' to, urngh, hack my system! My helmet's keeping it out of my head for now, and, AGH..." Pinkie breathed heavily for a moment. "I'm typing on my belly to put up firewalls, but...it found the backdoor, so, grah...it'll be in my maneframe soon!"
Rarity snarled in disgust. "This monster knows no bounds of dignity!"
Spike bit his fingernails. "Rarity, never mind that, if that thing has control of Pinkie's powers...Pinkie, you need to make it go near the engines, then we could burn it!"
Pinkie shrieked. "It's getting in! It's in my head! Wow it's HUNGRY. And its tentacles are like my tail...I can almost get them to do things, I think. Um...but I need a distraction. Anything you guys can do?"
Holo-Twi grunted. "Sorry, but as much as I'd like to say otherwise, the ship's hull doesn't have any cannons like you wanted...Pinkie, now's a good time to think of some final words..."
Spike put up a finger. "Pinkie, I've got an idea! Think...about food, about that hunger, about digesting food! Maybe you can make it digest you!"
There was a short pause, before Pinkie replied. "Yeah, it's lights out, right...okay, done, OUCH, OUCH, ungh...I got it movin' to the ship's thrusters, but...OW! Oh gosh, I'm just a head on a skeleton now, love you all, and Spike, remember to kiss Rarity EXTRA hard for me since I can't, b-buh..." Her voice trailed off, and then was cut off by static.
Holo-Twi blinked. "Okay, that was disturbing, but...the creature's just about in position, and this might be a little early, but I know we have nearly twice the fuel we need! BURN BABY BURN!"
The ship shook as the engines roared to life, a stream of a bright blue glow of superheated hydrogen blasting directly into the creature.
Holo-Twi grinned as she saw a satisfying explosion behind the ship. "Phew..."
Rarity suddenly slumped and faceplanted.
Spike gasped. "I-is she gonna be alright?"
Holo-Twi put on a grimace. "I think so, but she needs a doctor, and you're the only one who can operate on her now. I'll get out the medical info and try to guide you...I have faith in you, but don't expect us to save everything she still has attached..."
Spike saluted and gulped. "Understood..."
Rarity trotted into Medbay, sporting a stylized mohawk of what little hair she had left, a purple eyepatch with her cutie mark on it, a patch over her horn, two prosthetic legs on one side, and no tail. "Twilight, darling...my tests came back negative, I hope?"
Holo-Twi nodded. "Yep. Sorry about all the sample-taking and digging around Spike has had to do in the last week or so, but it should only be a few more days before I can declare your system clear."
"It's no problem dear, Spike is an excellent nurse with a gentle touch and great dexterity." Rarity tapped her hoof. "But what exactly are you and Spike doing with the bits you've collected?"
Holo-Twi gave a nervous chuckle. "Studying this stuff might tell us how to combat the space changelings, since it seems like Lightning Dust used a seed they had sent to Equestria."
"So...you don't think Applejack's mind is...salvagible anymore?"
Holo-Twi looked away. "I'm afraid I still don't have the smarts to understand that part, but Spike thinks that even if we did manage to find AJ's mind fully in there...she'd just be evil, or something. He can describe it a lot better than I can, but it sounded like the creature's instincts completely replace a moral compass."
"Well, darling, that's...quite sad to hear. I still feel so sorry for her and Pinkie, to be just launched out like that, even if we had to. Now, um, on a lighter note, Spike has mostly regained his cheery attitude, and so...I would like to discuss him and me."
Holo-Twi bit her lip. "I know I've been lenient while we've been grieving, but I can't let you date him."
Rarity sighed and closed her eyes as they teared up. "He doesn't want me anymore, anyways."
"WHAT? W-why?"
"Twilight, I shouldn't have to point this out, but I suppose you truly did lose your wit... Without my tail, most of my mane, and half my face... Darling, I hate to impugn his character, but were he still interested in me, he'd be a lot less clinical when probing my most intimate areas. I...I do admit I tried to rekindle things during one of our sessions, perhaps inappropriately, but he insisted I wear a bag over my head with a photo of me attached... I'm sorry to say that while he has a heart of gold, well...you know what pure gold is like, darling?"
Holo-Twi pondered a moment. "Uh...resistant to rusting? Sorry, I'm still not as smart as I used to be."
Rarity facehoofed. "Clearly not, darling. It's soft as Sweetie's bottom, but it doesn't bounce back from a hit."
"Oh..." Holo-Twi frowned. "Um, well, at least he saved you. Most of you, anyways. Sorry about your tail and rear leg."
"It's okay, darling, I...suppose I can fashion a new tail. Any ideas how to attach it?"
Holo-Twi chuckled nervously. "Only one you won't like..."
"That's fine... I...really will miss certain things, but at least I'll have the chance to see Spike grow to see beyond my surface one day. I'm truly fortunate to be alive after this... I owe so much to Pinkie for making the ultimate sacrifice for us, to become a monster's dessert... Darling, we will need to do funerals for them."
Holo-Twi sighed. "Right... Spike's talking with the princesses right now about something they think could potentially bring back Fluttershy..."
The door opened, and Spike stepped in with a smug smile and a scroll in one hand. "Someone call for a revive?"
Holo-Twi smiled. "Ooh, I miss her so much, and I could definitely use the company."
Spike put in the crystal brain, and applied his dragon breath to the scroll.
In moments, it lit up bright pink, and drew in sparkles from around the area.
Spike rubbed his hands together. "Yes, yes, it's working!"
With an arcing noise, the sparkles all coalesced into the brain, and then a projection formed, of Rainbow Dash...and then it turned into a real pony .
Dash smirked. "'sup. Holo-Dash back and now in the flesh!" She then slapped Rarity's cutie mark. "Miss me?"
Rarity cried out from the slap to her burned area, then loudly made sounds like she was crying while speaking. "This is the worst possible outco-o-ome!"
Holo-Twi facehoofed. "Well...so much for a holo-buddy, but...I can't complain, we did get one friend back."
Spike sighed. "Luna said this might happen... But wait, that would have to mean something happened to Fluttershy's ghosts!"
Dash chuckled. "Yep, both ghost Fluttershys and ghost Pinkie got pulled away by Discord to be his wives. Apparently his realm counts as an afterlife or something. Load of horseapples if you ask me, don't know who approved that."
Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Wait...both ? Darlings, do you mean that Fluttershy both became a hologram and a ghost?"
Spike gritted his teeth. "Yeah, kind of only made copies, like Dash here..."
Dash snorted. "Hey, I'm not just some dumb copy! Well, not anymore . See, there can only be one pony this awesome, so I challenged my other ghost to a race, and she lost trying some nerdy strategy ghost Twilight gave her, then I ATE THE INFERIOR ME!" Dash burped loudly. "Mmm, seems like since I became real, I can taste her again! Tastes like awesome. And skittles. And ectoplasm. And kinda sappy. Hey, I don't mind havin' all the memories of awesome friends like Scoots, but yuck, original me was such a softy!"
All the other three stared, blinking, with their jaws halfway to the floor.
Dash raised an eyebrow. "You guys okay? Well anyways, I figure you should know that Lightning Jerkellus is really saddlesore about gettin' roasted. I told her to just cry me a river, build me a bridge, and get over it, but wow, she did not take that well and kept rambling about how the demons of Marēs will help her and something about a 'family connection'. Oh well, I'm sure we'll be fine."
Holo-Twi cackled. "Of course. Of course. I'm just going to pretend there isn't a bad ghost around us that might have big evil allies I don't even understand the evilness of. We'll all sleep better that way."
Dash giggled. "That's how I do it!"
Rarity bit her lip and put a hoof around Dash. "I...suppose I can get used to you being like this, but is the original Dash truly gone? I wasn't the closest with her, but I do miss her..."
Dash shrugged. "I dunno. Ghost Twilight said ghosts can't be destroyed, so she thinks there's a way for her to come out of me, but even she didn't know how. Who knows, maybe I'll just fart her out one day."
Rarity grimaced. "Of course...how...comforting."
Holo-Twi sighed. "At least we know Pinkie and Fluttershy are doing okay...maybe Discord can have us meet them."
Dash smiled. "Speaking of, could you go wake up the CMC? They're in crate C3."
Spike bit his lip. "Let's wait on that a while. I do not think it's gonna end well."
Dash shrugged. "Pinkie thought it'd be fine. Discord too."
Holo-Twi rubbed her temples. "This is gonna be a long week."
Author's Note
Since this is the only real chapter where they've had time to grieve, I hope I got that part reasonably right. I did some touchups quite a bit after original publishing to try to improve it.
