Rainbow Dash has a secret. Its been eating at her for the past five months now. Ever since that train ride home from the Crystal Empire. You see, she wants to tell everypony what the secret is but shes afraid she might lose Twilights love and the others friendship. She has been keeping this secret for so long, ever since she was a filly in Flight school. This secret is so important to her the only ponys that know are her parents. And soon you, but not just yet.
Rainbow Dash walks up to Twilights house and stars to knock before she remembers its HER house now too. She sighs and walks in. Twilights reading her books at her desk, as usual, and Spike is busy re-shelving all the books that had been returned to the library today. "Hey Twilight, hows the studying going." Twilight looks up long enough to give you a kiss before she goes back to reading. "O, you know, Same Stuff Different Day. How was the weather today?" Rainbow smiles as Twilight continues to read while talking. "We had a rogue thunder cloud strike town hall but this time Derpy was the one who stoped it, not the one who released it." "Other then that, it was just a matter of clearing the skys." Twilight nods and continues reading. Rainbow frowns. "Im going out for a walk ill be back later." Twilight just nods saying "Cya later." Dash walks out the door before Twilight realizes what she said. She looks over at Spike. "Did she just say shes going for a 'walk'." Spike nods with a confused look "Yep, a walk."
Rainbow Dash walks through town ignoring all the other ponys around her. 'Who am i supposed to talk to? I'm the element of loyalty, so im the only one of my friends i can trust not to tell anypony else. Well, besides Pinkie but i don't think i want to confide that in her.' Dash sighs, realizing Pinkie was the only one she could trust to keep her secret, so she heads towards Sugar Cube Corner. When she arrives she finds Pinkie in the back making some cupcakes. "Hey Pinkie, do you have a minute?" Pinkie smiles at Dash and puts the last tray of cupcakes in the oven. "Sure Dashy, OOOO you have to try my cupcakes when their done baking. They have a secret ingredient that you'll never guess." Dash looks at all the ingredients scattered around the kitchen. "Maybe later Pinkie. I want to talk to you about something, but you have to pinkie promise not to tell anypony else." Pinkie does with her usual jesters. [Dash then turns towards the readers] "Don't think I've forgotten about you. YOU have to pinkie promise not to post spoilers in your comments." Dash turns back to Pinkie. "OK Pinkie. I'm about to show you something that might scare you, you just have to remember that no matter what you see, i'm still the same Rainbow Dash you first met in ponyville all those years ago." Pinkie nods and Dash takes a breath to calm her nerves, readying herself for what she was about to do. There's a flash of green light and Pinkie nearly screams. Her eyes go wide for a few moments and her hair instantly deflates. She takes a nervous gulp and remembers what Rainbow Dash said. She slowly calms down enough to walk over and examine the pony standing in front of her. "Wha... what happened to you?" Dash takes a breath and says three words Pinkie will never forget. "Pinkie, I'm a changeling.
Pinkie gasps. "Your a changeling? If your a changeling, where is the real Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie starts to look worried and scared, so Dash quickly explains. "I am the real Rainbow Dash. I've always been a changeling, well part changeling. You see, my father was a Pegasus while my mother was a changeling. I am only half changeling. I have all the powers of a normal changeling, but i don't feed off the emotions of other pony's. Instead i get nourishment from food, just like everypony else." Pinkie's hair starts to re-inflate and she starts to walk around your unfamiliar changeling body. "But why did you tell me all of this?" Dash changes back into her 'normal' self. "Ever since me and Twilight fell in love on that train back from the Crystal Empire, I've been dying to tell her. But i cant bring myself to do it. What if she tells the Princess and i get treated like every other changeling and get banished. What if she shuns me. What if she doesn't love me anymore." At that last statement Dash breaks down and starts crying. Pinkie grabs her in a hug and Dash bury's her face in Pinkies shoulder.
Dash finally gets control of her emotions again. "Thanks for understanding Pinkie. Im sorry for keeping this a secret for so long, but would any of you have excepted me as a friend when we first met if you knew?" Pinkie looks like shes about to start crying. She hangs her head in shame. "No, we would have been to scared to go near you, like we were with Zecora. We never would have given you a chance." Dash hugs Pinkie to cheer her up. "I understand. If our places were reversed, i would have done the same thing. Ever since my mother left me and my father all I've wanted was to be a normal pony. When i enrolled in flight school, i was prepared with a disguise. I loved flying and rainbows were the most beautiful thing to me back then. It was only natural i made myself blue like the sky with a rainbow mane. After flight school when my father passed, i decided to move here to be near Fluttershy. Ever since then this form became me and the other form became a shadow." Pinkie nods in understanding. "What are you going to do about the others?" Dash thinks about it. "Nothing for now. Im going to need alot of time to think this through." With that she said goodbye to Pinkie and flew to her cloud house to think in private.
Rainbow Dash jumps out of her cloud bed as a huge bang erupts under her cloud house. "What the hay was that!" She fly's out the front door and looks down to see Pinkie firing her party cannon straight at her cloud house. Dash lands next to Pinkie and grabs her. "What are you doing!"
Pinkie gets a worried look. "I just heard from Twilight. Apparently she put up a spell to detect when a changeling changes form. She says its been there since the attack on Canterlot. Dash, SHE KNOWS THERE'S A CHANGELING IN PONYVILLE."
Dash shoves a hoof in Pinkies mouth. "Quiet pinkie."
Pinkie pushes Dash's hoof away. "But Dash, she plans on using that reveal spell she used in Canterlot to discover who it is. If she uses it you'll be exposed and nopony will believe you when you try to tell them the truth because you've been hiding this secret so long and you didn't reveal yourself so Twilight had to force you to." The pink pony's face had turned blue and she starts gasping for breath. The realization of what Pinkie slowly dawns on Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash thanks Pinkie for telling her about Twilight's plan and fly's off towards the library. As soon as she arrives she bolts inside and finds Twilight concentrating, her horn glowing. Fear floods her body as she tackles Twilight "NO DON'T DO IT YET."
Twilight jumps up. "Whats wrong with you Dash!!"
Dash runs up and grabs Twilight in a hug. "Don't use the reveal spell to find the changeling. Please just don't."
Twilight looks at Dash like shes crazy. "What are you talking about? That was a locating spell to find Spike. I havent figured out how to make the reveal spell spread throughout Ponyville yet. That's why I need him."
A look of relief passes Dash's face. "Phew. That's a relief."
Twilight does a double take of sorts. "Wait, why don't you want me to reveal the changeling?"
Just then Pinkie runs into the room. 'Thank Celestia for Pinkies perfect timing.' Dash sighs.
Pinkie walks up to Twilight. "You can't use it yet because me and Dash think we know who it is, but we want to try to figure out what they want before we get rid of them. Besides, if they've taken the place of somepony here, shouldn't we get them to spill the beans on where their hiding the pony before we chase them out of town. If they had kidnapped a pony to take their place and hidden them where only they know where to look, We could lose them forever."
Twilight thinks about this for a moment "Your right Pinkie. We don't want to lose a friend forever just because i was hasty in casting a spell."
Dash and Pinkie breath a sigh of relief. Dash walks over and kisses Twilight. "Thank you Twilight. I promise well get to the bottom of this fast."
"You had better, because if somepony gets hurt i'm casting the spell." Twilight kisses back. "Now go and find the changeling."
Dash and Pinkie run out of the library and back to Sugar Cube Corner. When they arrive, Dash manages to pant "Ok, now what."
Pinkie just shakes her head. "You have to tell her Dash. There's no other way.
Dash shakes her head. "No, i just cant do that. But i do have a plan. I need you to gather up the other three and bring them back to the library. Don't tell them anything, just that Twilight knows their's a changeling in Ponyville. Ill explain when i get there." She turns to leave
Pinkie grabs her and spins her around. "Where are you going?"
Dash gives her a huge hug. "I'm going to pack, just in-case. Ill see you there Pinkie." Dash walks outside and jumps into the air to head back to her cloud home. Once she arrives she packs her gala dress and her few belongings that she left when she moved into the library with Twilight. Just thinking about her mare friend causes Dash to break out in tears again. She strokes a picture of her "I'm going to miss you so much. I hope you will accept me for who i am, otherwise I don't know how ill go on living without you."
A few hours later, Rainbow Dash walks into the library after having packed everything. When she enters she's peppered with questions from the others (excluding Pinkie of course). She holds up one hoof. "Twilight, is the spell ready?" Twilight just nods. "Ok, i have the answer you seek, but before you hear it, everypony form a line and face Twilight." As soon as they were all facing Twilight Dash continues. "I have discovered the identity of the changeling, however before i tell you i want you to know that they haven't replaced any of our friends. In fact, they are one of our friends. They have been living as a pony since they were a foal. So i want everypony to think about this. If we use this spell we will be removing a great friend from our life forever. Do you really want to do that?"
Twilight looks just as shocked as everypony else, but she snaps out of it. "I don't want to do it, but i believe it has to be done.
Dash looks around at everypony nodding their head. "In that case, the changeling is standing in this very room." All heads turn to look down the line, wondering who it could be. All the heads besides Pinkie's and Dash's, who just reach over and hug each other. They both say "goodbye". When the other four see this they realize it is eater Dash or Pinkie. They all take a step away from the duo as Dash ends the hug. "Ok Twilight, were ready."
Twilight nods." The spell will take a few moments to take effect after i finish casting it."
Dash and Pinkie nod. Twilight's horn lights up and flashes, then goes dark. Twilight closes her eyes, as does everypony there except Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. Dash feels a tingling running through her body and looks at her hooves, their covered in green sparks, a byproduct of her changeling magic trying to battle Twilight's. Making one last move as Rainbow Dash, she rush's towards Twilight, who still has her eyes closed, and grabs her in a hug while kissing her. Twilight opens her eyes just enough to see Dash's eyes turn green, then her whole body changes in an instant. "I love you Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight breaks the kiss and hug as the others open their eyes and gasp. Twilight starts a circle around Dash as the others start to back away. Fluttershy looks about to cry. "I always knew there was something weird about you. You would always disappear into the bathroom in a rush. You never talked about your mother AT ALL. You just ignored any questions about your past. I even GUESSED you were a changing once, but i thought you would tell me if you were so i dismissed it."
Pinkie walks over and comforts Fluttershy while Twilight finishes her circle around Dash. "That's not right. Your not a full blown changeling are you? I've seen you scarf food like candy and changelings hate all food."
Dash nods her head. "I'm a half changeling on my mothers side. She left me and my father when i was a filly. Ever since then my only wish was that i could be a true pony. I couldn't so i gave up on that. When i went to join flight school, i made a disguise for myself. Every once in a while my concentration would slip and i would feel myself start to change back. That's why i went to the bathroom so often those first few days. Eventually i got so used to it i could remain a pony in my sleep. Since then i haven't changed back until this week."
Twilight looks away. "What else was a lie? Do you actually love me?"
Dash walks up to Twilight and puts a hoof under her chin. "I do and always will love you Twilight." Dash wipes her tears away before turning towards the rest. "Now that you know, if you want me to leave Ponyville, i will. But I will never forget any of you, my closest friends." She turns to leave.
"NO. Don't you dare leave."
Dash turns to see Twilight crying openly.
Twilight looks into Dash's green eyes. "Don't you ever leave me, I love you Rainbow Dash." She runs forward and tackles Dash to the floor in a hug. Pinkie runs over and joins the hug as well. Rarity and AJ join in too, leaving only Fluttershy, still laying on the floor crying.
Eventually Fluttershy gets up and joins the hug, still crying. "I forgive you Dash."
Rainbow Dash, surrounded by all her friends and her mare friend, changes back into her rainbow maned pony form. And never changes again.
A/N <I hoped yu enjoyed this as much as i enjoyed writing it. Keep a look out for some of my other stories. I'm currently working on three others, including a Soarindash ship. A Spitfiredash ship. and a spin off of the Blue Thunder story, this time involving the colt of Blue Thunder.
