“I am more committed to finding a cure to the Swap now than I ever was before,” Twilight Sparkle told Princess Celestia.

Celestia’s expression was very briefly surprised, just long enough for Twilight to catch it. “That… is a relief, my student. Might I ask why?” Her expression shifted back to a more neutral interest. Twilight had seen it before, one when the princess didn’t want to give away her feelings. It felt… odd seeing it directed at her.

She inhaled a deep breath. “Because of all these other ponies,” Twilight explained. “The ones who fell afoul of those prototypes I created. I mean… certainly it’s awful enough that my five friends should suffer. But all of us Element Bearers… after all we’ve been through, we’re kind of like soldiers. ...Maybe heroes is a better word. We can take it. But now… it’s like a monster that’s broken free of its cage, running amok among the general public. Ruining the lives of defenseless ponies.”

Twilight shut her eyes momentarily.

“The Swap is heartless and soulless. It doesn’t care. It’ll switch a mother with her son. It’ll switch a beetle with a dog. Anything with anyone. It’ll be trickier than ever, coming up with something to reverse the effects of all these different versions of Starswirl’s unfinished spell. Both my own prototypes, and these new ones crafted by these desperate fools. But I swear on… on the very Element of Magic, that I will triumph over the Swap! I don’t care how long it takes, or even if you, Celestia, were to tell me to stop! All I need is the right insight!”

Celestia relaxed to hear these words, almost smiling again.

“Honestly, that is a relief to hear… If you had no wish to continue… I would have had to take on the burden myself for that very reason. I’m uncertain whether I could come up with anything, but for my little ponies, I would need to try. But that does leave one question…”

“...Yes?” Twilight asked after a moment of Celestia leaving the question in air.

Celestia paused, letting out the tiniest sigh, as if she dreaded asking the next question. “Once you do discover the Cure, will you be using it on your fellow Element Bearers?”

Now Twilight faltered. “I… I… that is to say...” Her thoughts went to Rarity in particular. They ate together. Fell asleep in the same bed. Shared the same stallion. Shared each other. And now, today… this talk of marriage… But was it really what she wanted?

Marriage. To uncaring, self-serving ponies such as her mother, Star Sparkle, it amounted to nothing beyond a silly, overpriced party. Not her, though. With marriage, she was of the same school of thought as her brother. Twilight Sparkle believed in the sanctity of marriage; the sacred vow of eternal devotion. Holding yourself to a higher standard of faithfulness and love.

She had told Fluttershy that she’d wanted nothing more than to live out the rest of her life with Rarity, but now Twilight found herself second-guessing herself. Was this really what she wanted her life, her home, her family to be like, ‘til the end of her days? Being compelled to play the role of Rarity’s herdsister was one thing, when it was in the name of keeping her sane. Growing to love her was forgivable. But could she bear to keep this great and terrible truth from Rarity and Rainbow Dash unspoken, even to her last breath? Was it even right? What did she want?

“...And what if she won’t?” Celestia and Twilight both turned at the sound of Lero’s voice.

The human strode forward, stopping right beside Twilight Sparkle. Glaring at Celestia with eyes like frozen, hazel-colored steel. Blinking much less than normal.

“What if Twilight Sparkle feels that her five fine friends simply do not require any ‘curing?’ What will you do then, princess? Banish her to outer space?”

Lero’s tone was like silk on fire. Smooth yet with a hotness that most of Lero’s party guests would’ve found outright terrifying. It was certainly frightening Twilight Sparkle.

In the past, Twilight had stood beside Celestia in diplomatic summits and watched foreign ambassadors threaten war upon Equestria with the same quiet and refined fury that Lero was showing now. Celestia’s response was just the same as it was with those ambassadors: straightening herself to her tallest, and looking down her muzzle at Lero without outright frowning.

“I would never ask her to act against her conscience,” she told Lero.

Lero also held himself straighter. “We bent over backwards, we jumped through hoops of fire to bring those five to this state of happy equilibrium.”

“And I thank you for your efforts toward helping relieve their suffering.” She nodded softly to him. “But all I wanted to do was to remind Twilight that this is merely a treatment of the symptoms of a larger syndrome, not a cure… and leaves us with a more complex moral quandary to deal with.”

“Syndromes?! Symptoms?! Is that what you think of them as?!” Twilight knew when Lero was barely able to hold himself back from attacking someone else… and thank all goodness, this was NOT such an occasion. Enraged as Lero Michealides was, he stood with his feet planted like a defense attorney in the court of law, contending against the royal prosecution.

“None of them behave as their true selves.” Celestia clarified. “As much as they behave much like unique people, it is the effect of a spell.”

“So what?” Lero retorted. “They’re all living, thinking individuals! Capable of love and thought and emotional growth! Doesn’t matter that they were born of magic! They have as much right to life as anypony conceived by a mother and father!”

Celestia let out a long sigh, and nodded. “This is very much true, which is what makes this situation so vexing. If they had been conjured into existence from a stockpile of magical ingredients, or indeed, pure raw magic… I would never even think to bring this possibility up. But those five exist entirely at the expense of their original selves, which is the problem we now face.”

“Waaaaaaait…” Twilight remembered Fluttershy saying, “If I focus, I can hear something through the balloons. A voice… It sounds like… my own.”

“Twilight?” Celestia asked.

She shook herself out of her reverie. “Yes?”

“I know you must not be completely comfortable with things being like this, yes? Otherwise, you would have cast Soul Synthesis.” reasoned Celestia, turning towards Twilight.

“...Soul… Synthesis?” repeated Twilight in a daze.

Celestia frowned ever-so-slightly. “Yes,” she replied. “After her visit with you, my sister informed me that you learned Soul Synthesis from our dear old friend.” She leaned down, looking her in the eyes; Twilight realized there was genuine concern in them. “Twilight, if… If you truly do prefer these versions of your friends over their original selves, why keep their sanity at risk and not cast Soul Synthesis upon them?”

It had been months since Twilight had even given half a thought to the Soul Synthesis spell. Yet for such an arcane piece of magic she’d learned so long ago in a dream, it all came back to her as instantly as the alphabet, as it had literally been inscribed on her brain.

“Twilight?”

“I… it… I…”

The princess sighed, closing her eyes. “I know why you won’t,” Celestia’s voice had drawn to a whisper. “Because it would feel like you were killing them. And it effectively would be. The day Starswirl cast Soul Synthesis on me, my old self was as gone as if she had never been.”

Twilight’s imagination produced something awful at that moment: her five original friends with their five original cutie marks; each locked within dungeon cells, deep underground. And then, with just a quick casting of Soul Synthesis… the ceilings of their cells completely caved in with grim finality.

“To keep things the way they are,” Celestia continued, “Is the only way all ten of them can coexist. And I won’t deny, the five new ones all have perfectly lovely personalities. But theirs comes at the cost of the lives of others.”

“Don’t you… don’t you DARE…” Lero growled.

At that moment, Celestia’s attitude completely thawed. From her high tallness, she seemed to soften down to a less-imposing, kinder stature, and at the same moment, looking much tireder. “Lero, allow me to say something. Out of everything you’ve done with respect to those five, the thing which has personally impressed me most was how you managed to get Rainbow Dash the Animal Caretaker to fall in love with you. To rejoin Herd Bellerophon.”

“Thank you,” he said, with a wary look.

“...And by an incredible stroke of good fortune, she’s even gotten to become a Wonderbolt cadet again. Why, apart from a vast wealth of animals and a shortage of braggadocio, she’s practically her old self. And I daresay that everyone in Herd Bellerophon — Rainbow Dash included — is happier that she’s become closer to her old self! So why not go all the way? Why not simply fix her, and all the rest of them?”

“Rarity…” Lero stammered out.

Celestia nodded sadly. “That would be it, wouldn’t it? Rarity loves you now, and you’ve come to love her. And that is truly wonderful. But… that’s just one pony out of ten. How would the original Rarity, herself, feel? And as much as they love Pinkie now, I’m certain that everypony in the Apple Clan would love to have Applejack back among them, if not for Discord’s efforts, which keep them in the dark. After all, you remember how miserable all of you in Herd Bellerophon were until you had gotten Rainbow Dash back among yourselves? Don’t you think Sweetie Belle would want her actual big sister back? Suppose the worst were to happen, and Discord’s bewitchment failed? They would want their family back… and how do you think they’d react if they knew you wanted to stop that?”

“He’s not… Princess, you wouldn’t tell Discord to stop!” Twilight exclaimed, surprised in the direction Celestia’s comments were going in.

“No. I wouldn’t,” Celestia told her gently. “But even Discord has his limits, and… this was never intended to take this long. It’s something to consider.”

“Rarity’s happier the way she is now,” Lero insisted stubbornly.

“Rarity the Weathermare is, certainly, if for no other reason than comparison. After all, she didn’t exist until recently.” The Princess drooped, a morose air in her tone. “But Rarity the Dressmaker? She had her own dreams, her own goal — becoming a fashionista par excellence.” She paused, looking to Lero. “Lero, could you tell me in all honestly that Rarity, as she formerly was, would have ever taken her relationship with you this far?”

Lero’s mouth opened, as if he was going to say something, the anger in his eyes fading into confusion, his mouth working several times as if to speak, but nothing came out.

“...though, is that why there’s the hesitation? You… don’t wish to see how it might hurt Rarity when she’s back…”

“STOP IT!”

Celestia’s great mane froze up, as she looked in surprise and alarm at her student now shouting at her.

Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. “We’re doing the best we can with what happened! We know that this isn’t right, but every other way was worse! We know it’s not right to keep them as they are, but putting them back isn’t right either! Unless you really asking me to kill her…?” Her question was cut off by a quiet sob.

Celestia stepped over to Twilight, putting a wing around her. Part of her wanted to pull away, but she couldn’t resist the familiar comfort, pressing into her wing. “I could never ask you to do that. If...”

“Ssh! Quiet!” Lero suddenly said. “Quiet, both of you! Listen!”

They did. What they heard were hooves. Approaching hooves, nearby. It turned out they belonged to six ponies, who were curious where the princess, her faithful student, and the man of the hour had gone off to. By the time they found them all, Twilight, Celestia, and Lero had all put on proper smiles. By all appearances, it had been nothing more than a friendly little chat between the three of them.

* * *

Lero Michealides kept his face screwed in a happy mask as he returned to the party. Laughing along to jokes ponies told him. Participating in more of their games and their conversations. Feeling shaken, all the while.

“Lero?” Rarity asked him at one point.

“Yes, what is it, Rarity?” They were both sitting next to each other at the table.

“You look like you have a lot on your mind.”

“Do I?” Lero was surprised. He thought he had put on his best ‘having fun’ face.

“I can tell you’re trying to hide it.”

“You know me too well,” he said, with something between a laugh and a sigh. “I guess… I’m looking back on the past. Thinking about where things started. And how I got here.”

“You have been through a lot,” she agreed, leaning against him while glancing towards Rainbow Dash. “I can’t even begin to imagine how utterly bizarre the whole experience has been for you.”

“Got that right,” he said, as low as he could.

Rarity licked her lips. “Lero? I… remember you telling me, at one point, how humans also give rings when they want to get married?”

He had been looking outward at Applejack having a chat with Big Macintosh that he was too far away to hear. Now his full attention snapped back to Rarity. “Where did this come from?”

A shrug was her answer.

“Well… yeah. They do. Far as I can tell, wedding rings work pretty much just the same with humans as in Equestria.”

“Where do humans wear their rings?” Rarity then asked.

Since Lero had never been the type of man to wear jewelry, it made sense why she wouldn’t know this. And yet, it was such an unexpected question, and she was trying just a little too hard to sound offhanded.

Lero held up his hands up, and wiggled his fingers, “Traditionally, humans wear their rings on their fingers. In fact...” He extended the finger between his middle and his pinky, specifically the one on his left hand. “See this?”

Rarity watched the whole production with rapt fascination. “Of course, darling.”

“Humans, in fact, call this their ‘ring’ finger. It’s where the ring is traditionally worn when you get married.”

“On the finger,” repeated Rarity, in a marveled voice, as though a finger were an ingenuous substitute for a horn. “Isn’t that clever!”

Lero put his arm around her, hugging her close. “Isn’t it just?”

* * *

Part of Lero would’ve liked several stiff drinks, but he touched no more alcohol at the party. After all, there was that old Latin chestnut to consider; in vino veritas. And the last thing he wanted was for anypony to hear any veritas from him.

The depressed part of Lero made plans to get himself hammered later at night, then just go to bed. But when it came time, all he could bring himself to do was sip at his first and only beer. And stare into the fire, crackling away in the fireplace. Up until he heard a set of hooves descending the stairs.

“Lero?” Twilight asked him. “What are you doing up so late?”

He turned around cautiously. “How’s…?”

“Asleep,” she assured him. “Rarity and Rainbow Dash are asleep.”

He turned his eyes back towards the fire as she came over to his side. “Originally, I set out to fight the Swap. Remember that? I was gonna mop the FLOOR with that evil curse of a spell. Now look at me; defending it to Celestia! I’ve become its biggest ally, its biggest advocate!”

Laughing a soft, sad laugh, the human sipped his flat beer like it was piping hot tea.

“My life,” he said, “has become an endless series of mad reversals. How about you, Twilight?”

“Same,” she said, massaging his shoulders with her magic.

He relaxed for a minute. Then abruptly he stood up, pacing the room. “And THEN there’s those Jockey ponies… those stupid Swap Jockeys idiots! First they obsess over that whole thing Honeydew and Exit Wound, like they were aliens who crash-landed in Roswell… and now they’re swapping with each other left and right! They SEE what kinda chaos happens when ponies cast those damn spells on themselves, they HAVE to be reading about all them in the papers…”

“Lero, ssh, keep it down!”

“...And yet more of those Swap Jockeys keep turning up right and left, every day!” Lero exclaimed, in a quieter voice. “Why is this happening?! When did switching cutie marks suddenly become a fad?! Is The Swap casting some kind of weird hypnosis over society at large?! Compelling them to do this?”

Twilight levitated herself a glass of water over. “I think,” she said, “a large part of it has to do with envy.”

“Envy?” Lero repeated.

Twilight nodded. “As long as envy exists in the world, as long as there are ponies who are dissatisfied with themselves, as long as they’re convinced the grass is greener in somepony else’s yard, as long as they feel they’ve got to trade away their very identities — what makes them them — to achieve true happiness… there will always be ponies desperate enough to attempt those mark-swapping spells.”

Lero sunk into his chair with a defeated look.

“I... can’t help you help them. All those Jockey ponies. I can’t help you with them all like I helped with the Swapped Five.” He laughed unhappily. “Heh… ‘Swapped Five.’ Ain’t exactly just five of them anymore, is there? Suppose we’ll have to think up a new nickname, huh?”

“Suppose so,” said Twilight.

“But yeah, I’m serious. They’re all strangers to me, and there’s just so many of them. So I don’t think I’d be able to help them find equilibrium. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Twilight said. “We probably don’t want them to get equilibrium, anyway. If they did, we'd just wind up more embroiled in the ‘is the cure murder?’ dilemma. Problems if we do. Best just keep them isolated and safe until I figure out the cure.”

Lero looked back toward the fire. “I’ve been thinking about everything Princess Celestia said. Turning it over and over again in my head. And God help me… but I really love Rarity. I don’t even know what that MAKES me, anymore… all things considered. And that scares me. But I hate the idea of losing her.”

She hugged him tenderly. “Of course. I don’t want to lose Rarity either.”

Eventually, Lero went over and poured what was left of his beer down the kitchen sink.

“Let’s go to bed,” Twilight nodded to him, following him up to where the rest of the herd was sleeping, they drowsily parting to let them in before dropping back off to sleep.

Soon enough, he managed to fall asleep. Twilight was not so lucky. She stared up at her ceiling, thinking about Celestia, about her five Element Bearing friends, and about the Cure… wishing that her brain would stop her eyes would just finally get tired of staying open.

Then she heard and felt stirring next to her in bed. Rarity was sitting up.

“Ssh,” the white unicorn said to Twilight, levitating a quill, inkwell, and paper from a drawer, and length of measuring tape from under her pillow. From there, Twilight watched Rarity lift up their sleeping stallion’s hand, measure the finger right next to the pinky, jot down the measurement onto a piece of paper, then levitate all the items back in the drawer. Then with a loving kiss to the finger she’d just measured, Rarity snuggled up beside her sweet prince and fell asleep for real.

It took Twilight even longer just to shut her eyes. Things were happening so fast…

* * *

===
Secret Interview Transcript:
Subject: Spike
Dragon
Male
Age: 8

DS: So was your ice cream yummy, Spike?

S: Yeah. Really delicious, miss! Thank you very much for buying it for me!

DS: Oh, believe me, it was my pleasure! It’s not every day that I get to speak to a unique boy like you!

S: And by “unique” you mean “dragon,” right?

DS: Well, I wouldn’t put it like that.

S: Hey, it’s okay, lady. I don’t mind. I get it all the time from ponies like you, in fact. If I were in your horseshoes, I’d find me “unique” too!

DS: Would you care for some more ice cream?

S: Oh, thank you, but I wouldn’t want to be greedy.

DS: I insist. Just name the flavor.

S: Alright, you’re twisting my arm, but… I’ll have a banana and a black cherry!

*The ice cream was purchased and quickly eaten by the subject.

S: Oh, wow. I don’t think I could eat another bite.

DS: I’d bet you never gotten to eat so much dessert in one day with Twilight Sparkle.

S: You’d be surprised, lady. When Pinkie Pie’s one of your closest friends, there’s enough sweet stuff for twelve of me. And that’s at any one given party of hers.

DS: What’s it like working for Twilight Sparkle?

S: It’s great! She’s a wonderful boss. Not that I get to slack off -- work my tail off every day!

DS: Do you like her?

S: I love her. She’s like a mom and an older sister wrapped up in one pony. Without her, I’d probably be just another fire-breathing jerk, barely fit to live in a cave. So if you’re out to butter me up and get me to ditch Twilight to come work for you, then I’m sorry, but you’re wasting your time.

DS: That’s not what I’m here for.

S: Oh? Well, I get that all the time too. You’d probably be amazed how many job offers I get. It’s ‘cause of my flame mail breath; all the businessponies want it.

DS: I understand that Twilight Sparkle is hard at work on a certain spell. A spell that affects cutie marks.

S: Oh. Ohhhhh. So this is the real reason why you bought me all that ice cream. You’re one of those Swap Jockeys, aren’t you? Are you already Swapped?

DS: No, I’m not Swapped.

S: Yeah, I suppose you wouldn’t be. You’re far too much in control of yourself and you’re not in the middle of causing any major property damage.

DS: Don’t you think you’re being a little closed-minded?

S: No, I think I’ve got my eyes open! I mean, have you even heard of one case of that not ending in disaster? Look, you seem to be a nice-enough mare. I want to help you. Let’s talk this out. Maybe I could help you see things clearly.

DS: Well, I would like to talk, Spike.

S: Yeah, so let’s talk. If you’re one of the big Swap fans, I don’t need to tell you what huge disasters Swaps are to everypony who’s tried them.

DS: Spells can be tinkered with. Reworked and fine-tuned by spellcrafting experts into something useful and controllable.

*Here, the subject, Spike shakes his head firmly.

S: Maybe, but there’s not evidence that swaps will ever work that way. Look, would you mind explaining to me why anypony would ever want to swap their cutie marks in the first place?

DS: There are all sorts of cases I could name. All sorts of reasons.

S: Name three. And I mean really good ones.

DS: Imagine a pegasus who absolutely loves flying, and got her cutie mark based on her love of flight. But then she loses her wings, from illness or accident. Instead of being saddled with a talent she can never make use of ever again, wouldn’t it be kinder on the wingless pegasus to exchange her unusable flying talent for something else? Like pottery? And then give that A-grade flying talent to some other pegasus who can actually make use of it?

*The subject looks surprised and thoughtful at this point.

S: Wow. Okay, I have to admit, that’s a pretty good one.

DS: Here’s another one: are you familiar with the 'A Hymn of Frost and Flame' book series?

S: By Large R. R. Garden? Of course I’m familiar! You’re talking to a kid who works in a library. Those books never stay on our shelves for long!

DS: Are you a fan of the Frost and Flame books?

S: Yeah. They’re great, even though they’re ginormous doorstoppers.

DS: If you’re a fan, at this point, you’d know that at this point in time, Mr. Garden’s only on Book Five of what’s supposed to be a seven-part series.

S: Believe me, I know. He’s kept loads of fans waiting for years.

DS: His shortest book is five hundred pages long. And when he writes, he only writes three hundred words a day. Mr. Garden’s a stubborn old mule, well settled in his twilight years.

S: He’s also really fat! Have you seen pictures of him? Ha! I mean, no wonder that whenever his characters sit to eat, it takes three pages to describe each meal, right?

DS: So I think you and I would agree that between his age and his weight, there’s a pretty fair chance that this author might up and die early on, and his saga will remain forever unfinished.

S: Sheesh. You’re almost as brutal as Large R. R. Garden, himself, when it comes to death.

DS: But now let’s suppose Garden’s cutie mark were to be swapped to some younger pony? Then that pony would acquire all of Mr. Garden’s literary talents, and he’d know how to finish the saga!

S: Well, um, okay, that would definitely make all the fans happy.

DS: Thousands of fans. Very happy.

S: Though I’m not 100% sure it'd work that way. He’d have Garden's talents, but not his ideas, I don’t think? Also, wouldn’t it better for this younger pony to discover his own unique talents rather than have someone else’s forced upon him?

DS: Well, as said, the spell’s tweakable. But that’s not the point. What if the younger pony’s talent turns out to be something trite and meaningless? Like washing dishes? Wouldn’t it be better that he get a talent that has a ‘known value?’ Predetermined worth? And is it worth letting genius die for?

S: Look, lady, I don’t know what to tell you. Maybe there is a spell out there for ponies like you with cutie mark issues, but I know enough to tell you that this spell Twilight’s working on isn’t what you’re looking for.

DS: I agree, the spell’s broken as it currently stands, but I can tell that all it needs is readjustment. Completion. Don’t you think Twilight Sparkle would appreciate having as many minds helping her work on this spell as possible? Wouldn’t you want this spell working perfectly, for Twilight’s sake?

S: Wait, what exactly do you mean by “Twilight’s sake?”

DS: You’re very lucky to be a dragon, Spike. You have a long lifespan ahead of you. Unlike us ponies. Barring misfortune, you’ll be alive for centuries, while Twilight Sparkle won’t be. But why don’t we suppose something new? Suppose, after Twilight reached a certain age, one could Swap her cutie mark upon some younger pony? Effectively, ‘Twilight Sparkle’ would never die. And for as long as you lived, Spike, you’ll always have a pony around who’ll love you in that special ‘Twilight’ way.

S: That’s... That’s monstrous. You’d be subverting countless mare’s individuality for one pony! Neither me nor Twilight would ever be selfish to use ponies essentially as vessels for Twilight’s ghost!

DS: Don’t you see that to not keep ‘Twilight Sparkle’ alive forever is the truly selfish thing?

S: Pull the other one!

DS: I’m serious. First, do you know your history? Are you aware who the previous bearers of the Elements of Harmony were? The one before these current six?

S: Duh. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Everypony knows that.

DS: Between the princesses and the contemporary Element Bearers, approximately one thousand years have passed.

S: I’m assuming there’s a point at the end of this interminably convoluted diatribe of yours.

DS: Please bear with me.

*The subject folds his arms.

DS: The current six Element Bearers are mortal. Fated to eventually die a few decades from now. But Discord, Nightmare Moon, and many of the super-powered super-villains whom the Elements Of Harmony are meant to be used upon aren’t mortal.

*Here, Spike quits rolling his eyes and suddenly freezes in place, eyes wide.

DS: Our alicorn princesses, while immortal, are far from invincible, and can no longer wield the Elements. Celestia, especially, is no longer in her prime.

S: What do you mean “not in her prime?” Okay, so she needed Twilight and her friends to beat Nightmare Moon for her, and maybe Discord too, and King Sombra. Which was actually my achievement, really.

DS: You see my point, Spike. Let me play devil’s advocate for a second. If I, myself, were an evil immortal draconequus, just as Discord is—

S: Used to be.

DS: —Yes, of course. But back to the point. If I was a draconequus eager to wreak havoc and mayhem after hundreds of years of inactivity, can you guess what my first move would be?

S: Attack Celestia?

DS: No, that’d just paint a big target on myself. I’d look out into the world and see how there were these six mortal Element Bearer mares, capable of defeating me. Then I'd go underground. Hide for another century, until all six of them died. Then Equestria would be a complete sitting duck, wide open for conquest. For all we know, there might be some deathless demons out there doing that right at this moment!

S: Well, I can’t say it ain’t alarming just how many old enemies of Celestia’s dig themselves back up. But—

DS: And remember; it took Celestia a thousand years to find new ponies suited to wield the Elements of Harmony. No surefire way for ponies to select a new batch of Element Bearers. UNLESS!

S: Unless what?

DS: Unless ponies make an official practice of SWAPPING the cutie marks of the current Element Bearers every few generations onto new mares! So no matter what else happens, ponykind will ALWAYS be guaranteed of having ponies whose mentalities are compatible for Element Bearing.

*Here, the subject is clearly thunderstruck.

S: You want to keep swapping Twilight and her friends over and over again? Forever and ever without end?

DS: Not just me, but the group I represent. Our plan may be the only true way of ensuring peace and safety against deathless, all-powerful eldritch horrors for all time. That’s why we need all the information we can get on this spell!

S: So, your idea to ensure our safety against deathless horrors… is to turn my friends into deathless horrors.

DS: I wouldn’t put it like that—

S: I’ve listened to enough of this! Now, you listen here, Miss, uh, what did you say your name was?

DS: I actually never did.

S: Miss I actually never did, I’m not cooperating with you in any way!

DS: You sound serious. That’s a great shame. I would’ve hoped that the wellbeing of Twilight Sparkle and all of Equestria might’ve moved you to do what’s right, but I suppose even civilized dragons can be counted on to be stupid and selfish.

*At this point, the subject becomes noticeably agitated.

S: Get out of my town.

DS: Your town? A bit possessive, aren’t we?

S: Get out before I call the guard.

DS: For what, Spike?

S: Conspiring against the crown! What you’re discussing is not only monstrous, I'm pretty sure it’s expressly forbidden by Celestia, you, you, you black-coated, blue-maned kook!

DS: Shall I tell you something, Spike? My coat isn’t actually black. My mane isn’t really blue. This isn’t even how my real voice sounds like.

S: ...Disguise magic?

DS: Indeed. Oh, I see several other ponies edging closer towards me. Celestia’s secret bodyguards, I take it?

S: Look, lady, you should just—

*But this is the point where my compatriot cast the smoke spell, and I was able to make my getaway.

* * *

The library had never sounded so starkly silent as it had after Spike had finished his story. Neither he nor Twilight Sparkle could bring themselves to speak for over a minute.

“To think…” Twilight said, with a dry mouth and throat. “The six of us… always swapping… to think…”

In her fretful imagination, Twilight could see it all playing out. A group of Swap Jockeys approaching Celestia and petitioning her to make this mad plan an official government policy. Celestia being won over to their way of thinking, over all of Twilight’s most desperate objections. Celestia sitting down for a one-on-one talk with Twilight and convincing her to go along with it. Persuading her, with her regal motherliness, that it really was all for the greater good of all Equestria. That the greatest heroes were the ones who made the greatest sacrifices...

“It kinda reminds me of that one story Lero told us about,” Spike mentioned. “Doctor Whoever, or whatever he’s named. Remember him, Twilight? All his regenerations? Remember Lero saying how its writers just kept the story going and going and when one Doctor got too old to play the role any longer, they had him switched out with some other guy?”

...And then, fifty or sixty years down the line, she and her friends would all be old, withered nags. And late one night, the six of them would be whisked away in sky chariots to a clandestine rendezvous in Celestia’s castle. There, they’d be brought to a top secret chamber, where six healthy young fillies in their late teens were awaiting their arrival. Then one of the royal magicians would chant the spell, ‘From one to another, from another to one...’ And Twilight would finally learn for herself what it really felt like to have her mark swapped.

Part of her would eventually die of old age: an ancient mare with a teen girl’s memories and mindset. But the rest of Twilight Sparkle; everything which a cutie mark contained, would find new life in this fresh new body. As would her five fellow Element Bearers. There’d be a period of difficulty as the Swap once again filled their minds with false memories and mad compulsions.

But Celestia would’ve learned from Lero’s example. Even after her sweet human stallion was long dead in his grave, Celestia would have specially-trained therapist handlers at the ready, to continue Lero Michealides’ tradition of helping the Swapped find their equilibrium. And once they were equilibrated, the six of them would then be fit to face whatever tyrant or monstrosity needed to have a superpowered rainbow shot at it. Until they grew a little too old. At which time, there’d be a new tradeoff, with six new young ponies.

Being the Element of Magic, Twilight, herself (or at least her cutie mark) was pretty much guaranteed to always be given a unicorn’s body. But maybe there’d be a couple swaps where the powers-that-be found that a stallion would be the finest Element of Magic vessel during that particular generation. But with her other five friends… any of them could be stallions, mares, pegasi, earth ponies, unicorns…

And as long as Celestia remained princess, she would keep this arrangement in place. It would be as much an institution as the Weather Service, only more secretive. And as long as Discord remained her ally, both the public at large and the Element Bearers themselves would stay bewitched and blissfully ignorant. And no matter what century it was, there’d always be ponies with a Star Mark, an Apple Mark, a Balloon Mark, a Diamond Mark, a Butterfly Mark, and a Rainbow-Thunderbolt Mark who were as tight a team of heroes as they were friends.

A deathless eternity of Swaps. An infinite struggle with madness, obsession, and an endless cycle of new bodies and new identities. Of the six of them continuously convincing themselves that it had always been that way.

“Wanna… wanna hear something horrible?” Tears were falling from Spike’s eyes. “Part of me was tempted to go along with that Swap Jockey mare. I know you’re gonna die someday Twilight, and I’ll live on… but I don’t want that! Maybe instead of ‘Twilight Sparkle’ your name will be ‘Bookmark’ or ‘Butter Batter’ or whatever, maybe your coat will be red or green instead of purple. Maybe you’ll even be a zebra… I mean zebras have magic of their own, right? But no matter what, I’ll always have somepony who remembers bringing me up in a library, and who knows just how to hug me when I’m down. I’m so sorry.”

Hugging Spike brought warmth back to Twilight’s troubled heart. The longer she held the hug, the more her appreciation for Spike, for everyone grew, and the more she realized she was being ludicrously paranoid. Celestia had crossed the line on a few things, but Twilight knew her teacher, and she’d never go so far as what that Swap Jockey wanted.

Would she...

A cloth suddenly covered Twilight’s eyes. “Guess who?” an elegant female voice from behind asked teasingly.

In spite of herself, Twilight smiled. “Rarity.”

“Wrong-o!” sang Lyra. Dropping the cloth she’d levitated up, the Still Way grandmaster came around and gave Twilight a kiss. “It was me.”

Laughing from behind them all, Rarity came up from behind them all with a shopping bag. “Is Rainbow here?”

“No,” Spike said, “She’s in her cottage, taking care of her animals.”

“Well, could you be a dear, Spike, and fetch her here?” asked Rarity. “Lyra and I just bought the most darling makeup kits for t… Spike, have you been crying?”

The young dragon hurriedly rubbed his tear-streaked eyes. “Stubbed my toe,” he told Rarity.

The swapped unicorn smiled kindly. “Was that why you were hugging Twilight?”

“Yeah, I’m better now, though. I can be such a baby about these kind of things sometimes!” he told her, smiling. “Well, I’d better go find Dash.”

And Spike ran out of the room. Twilight, meanwhile, had gone to check what was in Rarity’s shopping bag. She pulled out a set of four makeup kits, gasping when she recognized what an expensive brand her herdsisters had brought home.

“I know,” Rarity said. “Took a big chunk out of my personal savings. But it’s worth it. We’re worth it, girls! And Lero’s most certainly worth it. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

“Tomorrow?” Twilight said, feeling something akin to lightheadedness. “It’s tomorrow?”

“Of course! Says so right on our tickets and everything! Tomorrow’s going to be such a big day,” the white unicorn repeated.

* * *

The dirigible was named the Cirrus. It floated over a thousand feet off the ground, in a cloudless stretch of airspace. Today was the first day the Cirrus had ever had a human passenger aboard. And Lero Michealides was having the time of his life; along with the mares in his herd.

They ate gelato and drank affogato at a Bitalian bistro. They luxuriated at a spa even better-furnished than the one Lero worked at. They drank specially crafted beer and creative cocktails at the gastrolounge, while a jazz band played. They gambled just a little at the casino. They chitchatted with other rich passengers who were also enjoying this blimp cruise. The captain gave Lero and his mares a personal tour of the blimp, including the helm, some of the crew’s quarters, and the special room where they kept the magic crystals that kept all of this afloat.

They swam in the pool, then cleaned themselves off in their stately stateroom, which offered a lovely view of the stratosphere. For dinner, they ate marinated cucumbers and roasted cauliflowers on beds of sesame sticky rice and galangal, then watched a raunchy comedian do a spectacular one-mare performance of a popular play which Lero had never seen, (yet he enjoyed her fifteen-minute parody of it, all the same.) Then the five of them finished the day watching the sunset on the Cirrus’ terrace.

“This has to be one of the best times we’ve ever had together!” Twilight Sparkle sighed.

“I’ll say!” agreed Lero. After another sip of his mimosa, he looked around at the ladies of his herd and asked, “Now, would one of you girls mind telling me what this is really all about?”

“Whatever do you mean, darling? And whyever are you looking right at me when you ask that?” asked Rarity, with far too much innocence.

“Come on, Rarity,” said Lero. “This whole day has your hoofprints all over it. I mean, not that I object to a surprise day of fun, but we just celebrated the anniversary of me coming to Equestria. And we’re not exactly a bunch of billionaire playboys… so please, no more giving me the runaround. What’s going on?”

The mares all looked at one another.

“I think you ought to be the one to tell him, Rarity,” said Rainbow Dash, at last.

The wind picked up as the Cirrus made a gentle turn.

“I… I… I…” Rarity began, uncharacteristically tongue-tied. “I am such an incurable fantasist, aren’t I?”

“Y…”

She held up a hoof. “Please let me say my piece, Lero. This is important. I promise you; you’ll have your own chance to respond.”

She drew a fresh breath.

“Ever since I was a little filly, I can always remember loving fairy tales. Particularly stories of princes and princesses falling in love with one another. I’ve always dreamed of experiencing that for myself, it’s something that’s stayed with me to this day. When I first fell in love with you… I wanted to be there for you, the way that princesses were always there for their princes in the stories…”

“You’ve been wonderful about that, Rarity,” Lero told her, surprised by the hitch of emotion in his own voice. “Everything that’s happened to me, everything I’ve had to adapt to… it would’ve been so much harder and I’d’ve been so much lonelier if you hadn’t been there to love and support me.” He looked past Rarity to his other three girls. “The same goes for all of you, as well… Twilight, Rainbow, Lyra…”

“You’re a treasure to us,” Lyra told him, and the other mares nodded.

“We’ve all been very happy, living together in this herd of ours, haven’t we?” said Rarity, looking around at her herdmates, who all nodded again and made murmurs of agreement. “But you know how fairy tales go, Lero. They always end with the prince and princess marrying each other and living happily ever after. That’s another thing I’ve always wanted for myself, at some point down the line.”

Marrying. Lero felt his eyes pop wide open at that word.

“You are all my herdsisters,” Rarity went on, “And you are our stallion. I feel complete, being with you all. I always want us to be together, as a family. I know that, in a way, we’re already doing that. What I’m about to propose is almost superfluous. Gilding the lily, as it were. But again… I’ve always, always, dreamed of marrying a handsome, caring, and all-around charming prince. And there’ll simply never be another stallion more princely than you are.”

Suddenly, Rarity let out a self-conscious laugh. “Listen to me prattle on! Making this all about myself! Girls, this is your moment too. If you have anything you’d like to add…”

Lyra nodded and faced Lero. “Lero, I love you for how you’re always opening my mind in so many ways, to thoughts, ideas, and wisdoms that would’ve never occurred to me on my own. You have this wonderful sense of balance in your life that I admire. Balance for yourself, and balancing out problems. And if not for you, I’d’ve never developed this special bond with Rainbow Dash, and Twilight and Rarity.”

Then Twilight spoke. “You’re a strong stallion,” she said, “I know that we mares are supposed to be the strong ones, the protectors, and we do try. But when all’s said and done, you’re the pillar that holds us up. The glue that binds us together. I’m always impressed by how committed you are to this family. It makes me… it makes us all the happier being committed to you. Also, I’m an heiress, and sooner or later, my family was going to get on me to make this all official anyhow...”

Finally, Rainbow Dash began with a faint blush. “You… know I’m not one for big speeches.”

Lero smiled and reached out, putting his hand on her hoof.

“You know, when you get right down to it,” Rainbow went on. “This whole ‘marriage’ thing feels more like a… like a reaffirmation of what we already have, more than anything else. But that’s okay! Good things need to be reaffirmed. And you’re such an incredible thing to’ve happened to all of us, Lero. We’re all so happy and lucky having you in our lives.”

“So at this moment, we have just one question for you,” spoke Rarity.

And the four mares of Lero’s herd all bent into a kneel. Rarity’s magic floated a small, ornate box out from where it had been hidden. It opened within Lero’s reach, revealing a golden ring with a diamond.

“Lero… will you marry us?”

Memories of Celestia came into Lero’s mind at that moment. Doubts buzzed in his head… or at least they tried to. He looked into the eyes of the Unswapped Ponies. Twilight, who had also been there with the princess. And Lyra, whom knew about their encounter with Celestia, when they told her in private. Yet here they both were; proposing marriage, right alongside their Swapped herdsisters, who at least had the excuse of not knowing any better.

Lero looked into Rainbow and Rarity’s eyes. So hopeful. So yearning.

He knew that he should come up with some excuse. He needed to think about how the Apple Clan and Sweetie Belle and her mom and dad and the Pie Family would want deep down, just like Celestia had said… but he couldn’t bring himself to. Couldn’t at all. Twilight and Lyra would understand, but Lero just couldn’t bear the thought of how confused and hurt a rejection would leave Rarity and Rainbow Dash. In the end, he just didn’t want to fight this. Because he loved them back.

“Yes,” said Lero, with tears in his eyes. “Yes, I will marry you girls!”

When he reached for the engagement ring, it was lifted out of its box with telekinesis, and slipped lovingly over his ring finger under the glorious sunset.

* * *

Princess Celestia’s head drooped in weariness as she finished setting the sun. Only her sister saw, but Luna politely said nothing as she stepped around the elder alicorn, and set to work raising the moon. It had been a long day with Cadence and her husband. They had asked so many uncomfortable questions about Twilight and Starswirl’s spell, and what ought to be done about that minister and his family. Celestia had only been able to answer about a tenth of their questions, advising that the minister bring his family to a good psychiatric ward and everypony had been unhappy and then Star Sparkle had dropped in unannounced, and…

...Now one of her servants was galloping inside. “Your Majesty!” He was breathless and was dropping into a very troubled bow. “I have terrible news of greatest urgency to report!”

“What is it now?” She asked, letting some of her tiredness show, for once.

He looked from left to right, seeing that they were alone. She instantly locked the doors and activated the soundproof spell on this room.

“It’s the Merry Meadows Psychomantic Trauma Research and Rehabilitation Facility for the Criminally Unwell!” he said.

Celestia frowned blankly for a moment, before remembering. “That’s the asylum where Exit Wound is being held.”

“Not anymore, I fear!” said the servant. “There’s been a break-in! A gang of ponies attacked the Merry Meadows Facility… blasted straight through the wall, is what I heard... and broke Exit Wound out of her cell! Worse, all the evidence point to the Swap Jockeys who did it!”

Author's Note

I'll bet you're asking just who is "DS?" Well, you've seen her before. See if you can go back and find her!

Also, take a look at Lex Divisia, a fun little spinoff of Divided Rainbow!