//------------------------------// // Magic // Story: Role Reversal // by JaketheGinger //------------------------------// “Take care now!” Fluttershy called out to her animal friends as she gently closed the front door to her cottage. With all her critters content for most of the day, it was time to see Twilight like she had promised her yesterday. Yet again, it was a nice sunny day in Ponyville. This chain of good weather could only mean that rainfall would arrive at some point soon. Fluttershy didn’t mind the rain much but she was terrified of storms. Way too loud and dangerous for her tastes. She set off into Ponyville at an easy-going trot. She had taken her money with her this time, just in case she had to purchase anything. Before long she was in the middle of Ponyville. Ponies all around were walking, conversing with others or simply having fun. The general atmosphere today seemed to be one of a carefree nature. Fluttershy happily greeted anypony who said hi but only if they made the first move. She didn’t want to unwittingly disturb another pony. “Hey Fluttershy!” called out somepony. The unique accent only belonged to one friend of Fluttershy’s: Applejack. She turned around to greet her buddy, “Hi Applejack, how are you?” “Just fine. Yourself?” she asked in a relaxed manner. The hard working mare had managed to secure a day off from labouring at the farm today. “I’m good, I was just going to see Twilight.” Fluttershy stated. “Twilight?” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Fluttershy nodded in response and elaborated, “She really wants some new friends, so I spent some time with her yesterday. She’s really sweet once you know her.” “Huh...ya don’t suppose there’s room for one more?” Applejack inquired. If Twilight was as sweet as Fluttershy had said, then she wanted to be her friend too. In her view, the more friends you had, the better. “Sure!” Fluttershy said excitedly but then became more serious as she thought about what Twilight’s reaction might be to this, “Um...she’s quite timid though.” She decided to accept Applejack because like her, she was very kind hearted. She was also very trusting which was a very admirable quality, especially for somepony as insecure as Twilight. Furthermore, she was rougher than Fluttershy was so it’d be a good step up to knowing ponies like Rainbow Dash. “Aah, right.” “You’re welcome to come along of course, just let me do the introductions please? If that’s okay with you of course...” Fluttershy added. “Sure thing!” Applejack replied, following Fluttershy as she resumed heading to the library. “So er...what is she like?” Applejack questioned, wanting to know what, or rather who, she was getting into. “She really really likes reading.” Fluttershy put extra emphasis on the second ‘really’ to stress her point. “A bit of a bookworm then?” “Yes. She’s also extremely clever for a filly.” Fluttershy didn’t look at Applejack as they walked, keeping her focus on getting to their destination. “So she says a lot of fancy words?” Applejack frowned a tad, fearing she’d be a bit out of her depth here. “Only sometimes.” “I see...kinda silly how we haven’t really known her before.” The farmyard mare began to feel a little guilty for almost completely ignoring a filly for so long. “It’s no one’s fault Applejack.” Fluttershy said, detecting the nearly somber tone of Applejack’s voice. “Maybe.” Applejack shrugged. “Well, if she doesn’t like me then I can always talk to Spike.” “Mhm.” Fluttershy began to switch the conversation over to a new topic, “Do you have any ideas of what we could do today?” “Lemme think...” Applejack furrowed her brows as she began to generate ideas, “Could just go for a walk I suppose.” “Yeah, it is a nice day.” Fluttershy agreed, “We’ll see what Spike and Twilight think.” Applejack nodded in accordance. ~~~ “She’s not gonna come any quicker if you keep staring out of that window you know...” Spike sighed, looking at Twilight with slight disdain. The excited filly had been staring out of the window next to the front door for ages now. To compensate for her shortness, she was stood on top a pile of books. She’d been looking ever since she got up actually, though Spike had to forcefully drag her to breakfast. He had tried explaining reasonably that Fluttershy would arrive eventually but now he was beginning to give up. Still, seeing Twilight act this energetic about a simple visit did bring Spike happiness to his heart. Twilight ignored him and kept on peering out. “Never mind...” Spike said in defeat. “Wait! She’s here!” Twilight blurted out, leaning forward so her muzzle touched the cold glass, “Eh?” “What?” Spike asked, walking closer to Twilight. “Applejack’s there too...” she said with uncertainty. “Oh no, you’re not running from this!” Spike stated, shaking his head. “I know...I trust Fluttershy though. It’ll be fine.” She said in a calm tone that Spike hadn’t expected. “Oh...good then.” Spike said, bemused. He had prepared for a more skittish reaction from Twilight. Seems she had really improved her social skills. “You’re saying ‘hi’ first.” Twilight added. Okay, so some work was still needed. Making the first move, Spike swung open the door and greeted his friends, “Morning you two!” he called. Both the mares made their response when they got closer, “Morning.” The two chimed at the same time. “How are you two?” Spike asked, inviting them in by standing aside. “I’m good.” Said Fluttershy, entering in first. “Just dandy!” Applejack in, trotting in briskly. “Where’s Twilight?” Fluttershy pondered, inspecting the room. “Here I am!” Twilight yelled, though it sounded a little bit lacking in vigour. She pounced in front of a surprised Fluttershy. “Oh, there you are.” Fluttershy smiled, “Hello! You remember Applejack don’t you?” she made way for her hat wearing friend. Twilight nodded in response. “Howdy Twilight. Ya lookin’ for more friends?” she asked in a friendly manner. “Uh...yes. Yes I am.” Twilight replied, shaking off her uneasiness slowly but surely. “Well okay then! Consider us pals!” Applejack smiled warmly at Twilight, who returned the expression, “Anyway, Fluttershy says you like books.” “Oh yes, I do!” Twilight replied passionately. “No! No! Don’t get started on books! All she and Fluttershy talked about yesterday was books. Especially Daring Do...” Spike exclaimed, much to everypony’s shock. He soon grinned in embarrassment, realising what he had done. “Spike, ya live in a library.” Applejack said bluntly. “Yeah but...talking about other things is refreshing, right?” he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I suppose.” Applejack turned back to Twilight, “Well, me and Fluttershy got to thinkin’ and we decided that we should do something nice to enjoy the weather.” Spike sighed quietly with relief as the attention was lifted off him again. “What do you think Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “Well...I’ve been doing my own thinking.” All three listeners raised their eyebrows in curiosity. “And I’d like you all to...” she took a deep breath, revealing her plans, “to help me practice magic.” “Twilight, c’mon, you know what happened last time.” Spike reminded Twilight. “I know Spike but that was different!” she stamped her forehoof on the ground, showing her determination, “I didn’t have all you guys.” She smiled in admiration at everypony else and continued, “My friends here.” Spike rubbed his head, thinking. Perhaps Twilight had a point. After all, in the old realm, she couldn’t have defeated Nightmare Moon without her friends at all. This was definitely a long shot but he decided to go for it. “Fine.” “Good. I want to try levitating a book.” Twilight headed towards the ladder that leant against the bookshelves. “Try a light one first.” Spike said, unsure of what the results of this would be. Twilight carefully climbed the ladder. Luckily it was situated near the book she wanted to use. The first Daring Do novel: Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone. Grabbing it by her mouth, she returned down the ladder and onto the floor, approaching the others once more. She placed the book gently on the ground and began to prepare herself. “Be careful now.” Applejack said, Spike and Fluttershy nodding in agreement. Twilight closed her eyes, picturing only the book in her head. Spike watched her closely, fidgeting nervously. Fluttershy shared a similar reaction. Applejack meanwhile, stood firm. Twilight conjured up the image of the book being levitated in her mind. She concentrated her energy into her horn, which gradually started to hum with magic. A few sparkles came from the book yet they were barely noticeable. She remained like this for a while so Applejack took a course of action, deciding she’d need encouragement. “Ya can do it Twilight!” she cheered. Spike quickly joined in, “Yeah! Levitate that book!” “Go Twilight, woohoo!” Fluttershy chimed softly. Becoming uplifted by her friends, the magic surrounding her horn and the book began to get stronger. The stronger the magic, the louder the cheers became, which in turn gave Twilight more confidence. It was system that worked perfectly. Unfortunately, the energy needed to come from somewhere... “Open your eyes Twilight, you’re doing it!” Spike shouted. Twilight squinted her eyes open but then fully opened them once she saw the sight she’d always dreamed off. There was the book, enveloped by her magic and floating in the air. She beamed, immense relief and satisfaction filling her entire body. Her body began to tremble but in all the euphoria, nopony had noticed this. Twilight began to take small steps to check if the book would follow her. Sure enough, it did. She basked in the cheers of her audience. She had finally done it. Then her legs began to buckle, unable to stand strong anymore. She collapsed to the floor, her magic fading. Her vision began to blur and fatigue filled her entire being. The book collapsed on the floor with a hard thud, just as she passed out. Fluttershy let out a quiet gasp while Spike widened his eyes, standing there in complete shock. Why did he agree to this?! Applejack was the only one who had kept her composure, leaping into action. “Spike, get her onto my back.” She commanded. Spike readily obliged, glad that somepony else was taking charge of the situation. He gently carried Twilight and placed her onto Applejack’s back. The filly was still breathing but it was noticeably weaker than the norm. “I’ll take her to the Ponyville hospital. Catch up when ya can.” And with that, Applejack rushed out of the library as fast as her hooves could take her. Spike and Fluttershy walked out after her, still recovering from the shock. They watched Applejack's figure quickly become smaller in the distance. “Oh I hope she’s okay...” Fluttershy said worriedly. “Me too.” Spike concurred. “Maybe it’s just exhaustion.” “Probably.” Spike desperately hoped it was. He tried to connect the dots from the recent events: exhaustion seemed likely. Perhaps he was worrying over nothing. Besides, Applejack was a fast runner; she’d be at the hospital in no time. Spike sighed and decided to take the conversation somewhere different. He figured he may as well acquire some advice from Fluttershy too. “Fluttershy, you’ve made mistakes before right?” “Lots of them.” Fluttershy admitted. “Well, did you ever hide one before?” “Never for long. It’s always best to admit your mistakes before lying to everypony. Lies hurt.” So Fluttershy was in agreement with Vinyl Scratch. Yet again, the advice did not relate to his situation. At least it felt like that anyway. He decided to once more move the conversation to a different topic, “Yeah. So, got any plans for the next couple of days?” “Not really. I’ll just see what comes up.” Fluttershy answered. “You?” “The same.” Well that question was a dead end. “Did you enjoy the picnic?” Fluttershy queried. “I did! A lot!” Spike nodded eagerly. “Oh good. Sorry about Angel’s...eating habits.” “It’s fine. He can’t eat gems can he?” Spike snickered. “Oh believe me, he’s tried.” Fluttershy gave Spike a light grin. The two relished in the time they spent together. This was nice; just simple chatter. In all honesty, Spike hadn’t seen much of this since he had arrived in the wish world so he was glad to experience it again. After a while, they reached the hospital. The entered through the double doors and found Applejack reclining on one of the cushions in the lobby. She seemed relaxed, much to the relief of the other two. “Hey you two. Don’t you worry, she’s fine. Just exhaustion from the magic.” Applejack stated, gesturing for the pair to sit down. They sighed in relief and sat next to Applejack, sharing her relaxed demeanour. “When can we see her?” Fluttershy asked. “When she wakes up. Dunno how long that will be though.” “At least there are magazines here.” Spike pointed at several magazines stacked neatly near the cushions. “I had a look at some of them. I don’t think I’m going to read ‘Delightful Dresses for Perfect Ponies’ any time.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Might be a farming magazine.” Spike shrugged. “Hey, I don’t need any advice from any farming magazine!” Applejack frowned, her arrogance showing. “Okay, okay don’t get your tail in a twist.” Spike said defensively. Fluttershy had decided to wander over the magazines and take a look herself. “Ooo, ‘Wildlife Weekly’.” She said, picking up said magazine and heading back to the cushions. Once comfortable, she opened up the pages and began to read their contents. “’Wildlife Weekly’?” Spike asked, sounding unimpressed. Fluttershy ignored Spike’s question, focused instead on a picture of a flying squirrel. “Aaaaw, isn’t that squirrel so cute?” she showed the squirrel to her companions. “Mighty impressive how it can fly without wings.” Applejack said. “I guess it’s kind of cute.” Spike said bluntly, not really getting where Fluttershy found the cuteness from. Eventually, one of the Doctors came in and told the trio that Twilight was awake. He led them to the room she was in and left them to it. Twilight was lying in a simple bed, the bed sheet covering most of her body. She seemed a little dazed but on the whole, she looked alright. Although everypony still asked her if she was alright. “Yeah I’m fine...just tired.” Twilight muttered, rubbing her eyes. “What happened?” “Ya don’t remember?” Applejack asked, slightly surprised. “Let me think...” Twilight scrunched up her forehead, thinking, “I tried magic again didn’t I?” “Not ‘tried’. ‘Did’.” Spike replied. “Huh?” Twilight asked hazily. “You levitated the book Twilight!” Fluttershy said, smiling brightly. Twilight’s mouth suddenly went agape as the truth was revealed. She trusted the three (although she was still a bit wary of Applejack) enough not to lie about this. Then the memories of her performing the feat came back to her. She had definitely done it. Revelation soon turned to complete joy. She had finally achieved her dream! She wasn’t a complete failure as a unicorn! She could do magic! Only one spell yes, but it was something! She could build up from this and maybe one day, she could be able to perform all kinds of spells at will. “YES!” she yelled and performed a little celebration dance, flailing her limbs around in an sloppy pattern. Then a thought popped up in her head and she stopped her dancing, “Who brought me here?” “I did.” Applejack stated. “You did?” Applejack nodded in reply. Twilight was once again in disbelief. They had only properly met today yet she rushed her to hospital the moment she was down? This was a mare to put your trust in; a stalwart reliable ally and friend. “In that case, thank you.” Twilight said politely. “It’s no problem Twilight. Only lookin’ out for ya.” Applejack smiled affectionately at Twilight. Another pony had been added to Twilight’s roster of friends. She may have passed out but it certainly wasn’t without its rewards. ~~~ Twilight was let out of the hospital that same evening. Her excitement at her success had probably contributed to her speedy recovery. The Sun was just about to set, colouring the whole sky in a glorious orange. Dark silhouettes of birds could be seen as they flew back to their nests. Ponies on the other hand were still active and would probably remain so until nightfall. Despite their presence, Twilight felt no insecurities this time thanks to being surrounded by her three friends. “Pretty hectic day for ya Twilight, eh?” Applejack questioned. “Yes but it was worth it!” Twilight chirped. Spike took a moment to detach himself from the scene. He stared at Twilight and her two friends as they talked. It strongly reminded him of his own successes here. He had managed to two out of the five of Twilight’s best friends to reunite with her. He felt satisfied at his actions here and knew that his task would only get easier. The sight also reminded him of home. The parallels between the old world and this one were easily apparent to him. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy interacted with each other in the exact way that they did back home. His real home that is. Homesickness suddenly took a hold of him yet he remained silent to allow the others to enjoy their time together. Tonight he’d use his authority over Twilight to assign her a new task: predict the next shooting star. By the time they all reached the library, the conversation had been finished and farewells were being said. “Bye Fluttershy, bye Applejack!” Twilight said to the mares, smiling fondly. “See y’all later!” Applejack replied. “Take care!” Fluttershy added. “You too, bye!” Spike shouted, waving at the pair. He then closely shut the library door, looking at Twilight. “Very well done on the magic thing.” He smiled proudly at Twilight, “But now I need you to do something for me.” “Oh, what?” Twilight replied, seemingly eager to do some work. “I need you to predict when the next shooting star will be.” “What for?” Twilight interrogated. “Well, it would be nice to watch it with you and the others.” He lied. Another one to the pile he had created since being here. But they were all a necessity and with luck, he’d be back in the old world soon. ~~~ “Applejack, can I ask you something?” Fluttershy turned her head to look at her friend, as the pair headed back to their homes. “Go ahead sugarcube.” “Recently...whenever you thought of memories of Spike, did they hurt you?” Last night, Fluttershy began to relish in more happy memories with Spike. However, they revealed that yesterday’s mind tingle with Twilight was not dehydration. Something bigger was at play here. “What do you mean?” Applejack asked, confounded at her friend’s question. “Um...” Fluttershy thought of a better way to explain her dilemma, “Do you mind thinking of when we defeated Nightmare Moon?” “Uh...sure.” Applejack did what she was told. She made no visible reaction at first but slowly she began to flinch in pain. She stopped thinking of the memory, rubbing her head. “You felt it too didn’t you?” “Just felt like a headache to me...” “But it only happens to me when I think of memories with Spike!” Fluttershy exclaimed, starting to get worried. “Hm, not me. I’m thinking of the picnic we had a couple days ago and I feel fine.” “Oh...that’s weird...” Fluttershy said, calming down. Maybe she was wrong. “Look, we’re just tired. That’s all there is to it.” Applejack stated, smiling reassuringly at Fluttershy. “Yeah...I hope so...” Fluttershy replied, her concern over the dilemma still present in the recesses of her mind.