Shape Shift: The Great Transmogrifier

by DrakoGlyph

Shape Shift Returns

Part 1: A Gift from a Friend

The sun shone across the eastern seas toward the city, lighting up the tall skyscrapers and shining down on the pavement, reflecting off windows and giving everything a glow. The streets, though it was midday, were still jammed with the sheer number of ponies bustling back and forth to their destinations.

Shape Shift was in Manehatten for another show. His reputation had grown from the time he spent in Ponyville—he was top of his game. Everypony wanted to see his performance, and every night his coffer was full of bits. Since discovering his friendship with Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack, he grew stronger, but it was the thoughts of Rainbow Dash that kept him going so much more.

There was something about that mare that kept him thinking about her. He dared not return to Ponyville, not until Twilight finished the amulet. The mares there… they could hardly be considered normal. Especially not Lyra, Colgate, Bon-Bon, and Derpy.

He remembered the day after the show, when he awoke:

The sun filtered through the window in his carriage, illuminating the living space he had. The walls were covered in posters of all the great showponies he had grown up hearing about. One poster, though, always greeted him when he awoke, and that was an older one advertising the Great and Powerful Trixie. With a smile, he remembered the times he had back in high school with her, but quickly pulled himself out of the reverie to begin his day.

He had left his coat its original cream color and orange mane. Somehow, he was satisfied with himself now. Nothing seemed like it could go wrong, but when he stepped out of his caravan, he noticed four ponies standing around it.

“I want you to transfigure me a Human!” Lyra asserted.

“Brush those teeth!” Colgate demanded.

“You must not reveal the secret about my voice!” Bon-Bon had said in the third voice he had heard from her.

“MUFFIN!” Derpy shouted.

He had then proceeded to return to his caravan, and use levitation, and a great deal of focus to wheel it out of town and away from the crazy mares. When he could no longer hear their obsessed cries, he slowed down to rest, thoroughly exhausted from the endeavor. He had made the single mistake of forgetting a caveat on Twilight’s spell: that it had only lasted until morning.

He smiled as he thought about the fact that he was friends with a princess. As he exited the caravan into the city streets of the upscale side of Manehatten, he realized how far from his first days he had come.

Back when he decided that to use his transmogrification powers properly, he needed to be a show pony, he had no bits to buy equipment or books. He spent half his time in the Library, and the other half trying to put together performances where ponies would pay to see him. Eventually, he figured out that if ponies were given the option to pay him, he would get more.

That, and he loved to astound ponies. Why limit it to just the ones who could pay?

In fact, he had managed to live fruitfully for years in Canterlot off the mere donations that people gave him for his show. Though, things became tougher when it seemed that everypony and their mother had seen his performance, and therefore would not stop to see it again. He began scrounging for business and started showing kids whatever tricks he could do for a bit.

Then he struck out, and found himself in Ponyville.

Since that day in Ponyville, he had been across Equestria, which was his dream. Now that he had shown his magic off to the four corners, he was ready to set up shop in a small town and live a normal life. And he had just the small town in mind.

He ventured to the corner mart, bits in hoof, to buy a small breakfast to give him energy to travel on to the next location. He browsed the display of pastries and other breakfast items, only to find one thing that made his mind wander back to Ponyville: a muffin. Though he had some complications with the memory, associating it with one of the crazy mares that led him on a chase around the town, he figured it would be the perfect breakfast—he couldn’t avoid delicious muffins all his life.

Completing the transaction, he levitated the muffin with him out the door. As he started on the way back to his caravan, there was a gray streak though the air in front of him, grasping at the muffin. When Shape Shift was able to gather what had taken the muffin, he gasped. There, lying on her back, sprawled on the pavement with the muffin on her chest, was none other than…

“Derpy?” he said in shock.

“Hi there! I just happened across a muffin floating in mid-air! How could I resist!” She gave a sheepish smile as she realized that it belonged to the unicorn before her. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing this far from Ponyville?” Shape Shift asked. He hoped that if she had followed him, the others hadn’t. He looked anxiously around for any sign of Lyra, Bon-Bon, or Colgate.

“I’m a mail mare! Didn’t you know that?” She smiled as she fetched the brown messenger bag that had landed a little farther down the road. “You know, I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Oh? Do I have some mail?” Shape Shift couldn’t think of anyone who was sending him mail. His parents knew he would be on the road, and had made mention that they were going to keep from writing him due to the complexity of trying to find him. His friends from Canterlot were all tending to their own lives—his Pegasus friend was apparently getting married here in the next few days. Somehow he had got the invitation. He wished he could be there for the wedding, but there was no way he was getting all the way back to Canterlot before the ceremony. In short, Shape Shift was purely baffled about who could have sent him anything.

“Yep! It’s a package!” She rummaged through the bag before pulling out a brown paper wrapped package, about as wide as her hoof. She handed it over. On it was a label from Princess Twilight. She smiled brightly as she clung to the muffin.

“Thank you, Derpy,” he said, pondering the package. Then it hit him… this was the amulet she said she would work on! Without retrieving the muffin from Derpy, he ran back to his caravan, opened the package, and inspected the contents.

Dearest Shape Shift,

I can only hope that this package makes it to you wherever your traveling show will take you. I have placed it in care of the only mail mare I can trust with it. I know her eyes are a little off, but other than that, she’s a dedicated mother and a hard-working mail mare.

Either way, this amulet should ward off the attraction that you seem to generate when you encounter a mare-filled town. I’m not entirely sure how it works, but it’s the same type of spell I used when you were here. I tried to find your caravan to renew the spell so you could get out of town without any problems, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

Just wear this amulet, and you will be safe to roam the streets of Ponyville. We all look forward to seeing you soon! Especially Rainbow. I don’t know exactly what you did, but she seems very excited to see you!

Sincerely,

Princess Twilight Sparkle

P.S. We hope that you will put on another show for us! I haven’t heard the end of ponies wanting another one!

The amulet itself was a brilliant ruby that surged with the power of the spell that the princess had used. Around it was a nice setting that attached it to a soft, almost silken, fabric that would wrap around his neck. It was almost certainly designed by none other than Rarity, and he found an insignia that matched the one on his cloak.

Shape Shift smiled as he realized he would be able to see his best friends again. He immediately packed up and headed for Ponyville with a sparkle in his eye, and newfound strength. The voyage was a long one—and not particularly interesting. He stopped for breaks when his magical stamina wore down, but as he grew closer and closer to his destination, he could feel it in his bones. There was something warming and welcoming about returning to somewhere he had enjoyed so much, even if the morning he was last there wasn’t something he would want to remember.

The growing warmth expressed itself externally through the ever widening smile crawling across his face. The bits he had earned on his tour across Equestria were more then sufficient to cover the cost of all the needs he had on his voyage—food, one repair to his caravan, and small gifts that he would impart on all of his friends. He couldn’t wait to see all of them again.
Part 2: Joyful Reunion of Friends

The first thing he saw of the outskirts of Ponyville was Rainbow’s cloud home. He could see the top of it over the next hill crest. His excitement grew as his cart rolled over the top of the hill to see Ponyville. It hadn’t changed from how he remembered it on the first day he arrived. Hay-thatched roofs, wooden framed houses, the Carousel Boutique, Sugar Cube Corner… everything seemed the same as the day he left.

It had been a few months, and in that time, anything could have happened. The fact that it was the same from here boded well to it being the same town that he first visited. He donned the amulet that Twilight had made for him before parking his caravan underneath the cloud that Rainbow called her home. He smiled, knowing that sooner or later, Rainbow would notice.

He had just put on his cape when the sound came from outside his door. A sound that he could only describe as a ‘squee.’ He could only smile so wide, and this was pushing those limits; his body trying to make a smile wider than his face could accommodate.

He opened the door to see an equally excited Rainbow Dash, her wings up. “Shape Shift! You came back!” Her grin couldn’t possibly get any bigger lest it detach itself from her face.

“I told you I would! I just needed this amulet so that everypony didn’t go all crazy over me.” Their excitement was evenly matched.

“You know,” Rainbow said, looking around, climbing in the caravan, and closing the door. Before she spoke again, she dropped her voice. “I really missed you.” She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. The look in her eyes was genuine caring—something he wasn’t used to seeing, especially in Ponyville. Even in the more evenly populated town, there had been those mares who desired him in ways that he didn’t want to be desired.

“I really missed you too, Rainbow,” Shape Shift said. His smile became less strained, and relaxed into a simple one. “How has everypony been?”

“Well, life’s been surprisingly… normal here. I don’t understand it. How could things be normal here?”

“What do you mean?” Shape Shift thought he had an idea. When he was sitting at a table with the craziest of mares in this town, he heard the stories they told.

“Well, with all the Elements of Harmony in Ponyville, we sorta became the target of all these evil plots. And then there were all these little things that happened that seemed disastrous. It almost seemed like our lives were being run into these situations so that we could learn about friendship, because that’s what solved them all in the end. I think the Princesses had something to do with some of them.”

Shape Shift looked at Rainbow. This seemed a little out of character from how he had known her before… believing in such conspiracies.

“Well, I know once there was a problem created by Celestia. She sent only two tickets to the Gala, and everypony wanted to go.”

The Grand Galloping Gala wasn’t really somewhere that Shape Shift wanted to go. His Pegasus friend from Canterlot had invited him once, but when Shape Shift declined, he ended up going with some mare… in fact, Shape Shift thought about it, if he remembered right, that was the mare he married.

“Don’t you think it’s a little out there to think that the princesses planned some great disaster to befall Ponyville that you had to save them from?”

Rainbow gave him a serious look to end all serious looks. It conveyed the belief that she had in her sentiment.

“Oh… I suppose you do. I mean, I don’t actually know the princesses, so I guess it could be possible.”

Rainbow gave him a few more seconds’ stare, then burst out laughing. In between chortles and chuckles, she said, “I really had you going there, didn’t I?”

“What?”

“It was a prank!” she said, still laughing. “I was pulling your leg!”

Shape Shift figured there was something off about Rainbow.

“But seriously, it has been too quiet around here. Things usually go wrong every week or so, and nothing’s gone wrong since you left.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind it, honestly.”

“And everypony else?”

“Twilight’s busy almost all the time, being princess and all, but I still find time to give her flying lessons. Fluttershy’s cooped up in her cottage most of the time, like normal. Rarity has a big order lately that she’s been trying to fill for Hoity Toity. Pinkie Pie’s still Pinkie Pie… you can’t explain that. Me, I’ve been working hard as a Wonderbolt. I just got home to see your caravan parked under my cloud!”

The only word that Shape Shift could think about this situation was “Serendipity.” And since he couldn’t put it in such a way to make it an adjective, he didn’t bother to say anything. He was just happy that his arrival at Ponyville coincided with the return of the one he had wanted to see the most. Together they walked down the hill, toward the center of town. When they entered the streets of cobblestone and weaved between the houses, Shape Shift only thought one thing: I’m home.

He smiled as he trotted down the main street of town, following Rainbow into Sugar Cube Corner, where immediately Pinkie Pie came up to the pair of them. She gave a wide grin which Shape Shift was sure actually did dislocate something, before greeting the pair of them.

“Welcome back to Ponyville, Shape Shift! Did you come to say hi, or are you here to do another show? All the ponies loved your show, they want to see some more tricks! Perhaps I can help you put one together?”

“I’d like to settle in some, Pinkie,” Shape Shift said with a chuckle to the pink pony. Her energy was infectious, but the wear that the journey had taken on him left him wanting a quiet evening with his friends before he did anything as extravagant as a show again.

“Shall I go get everypony?” Pinkie said with a smile.

“I’d rather it be a surprise,” Shape Shift admitted with a grin growing on his face again. Though he had spent only one day with Pinkie, and of that day only about twelve minutes talking to her, she seemed like a good friend that he had for years. She simply gave off that air. He placed some bits on the counter, where the baker took them and handed him a cupcake.

“Okie Dokie Lokie! I’ll be here when you need me!” Pinkie said enthustiastically.

“Where to, Shape Shift?” Rainbow asked, her grin still present.

“I think we should visit Rarity next.”

“Well, we’re going to pass by the market place, I bet we’ll see Applejack there.” She trotted out the door, beckoning her friend to follow.

“So, how was the road?” inquired Rainbow as they headed down the main street toward the market.

“It was fine,” he ceded, “but there’s no place like beside your friends.”

“Are you going mushy on me?” she asked, before leaning in and whispering, “In public?”

“Well…” Shape Shift realized that Rainbow had a powerful persona to uphold. She ‘didn’t’ do this lovey-gushy stuff. At least, she didn’t in public.

“Just don’t let anyone hear you be gushy around me.” She looked around. “I do like it, but not in public.” She gave him a wink before walking up to the Apple’s stand. Big Mac was there, delivering a bushel of apples, and Applejack was handling a customer.

“Howdy, Rainbow!” Applejack greeted with enthusiasm. “Oh! Ah see our friend Shape Shift is here!” She gave an innocent farm-mare smile to him, before handing him an apple. “This one’s on me.”

“So,” he asked, “how’s everything been on the farm?”

“Well, inspired by the amulet yer wearin’, Twilight created one fer Big Mac.” Shape Shift inspected the red stallion, but only saw a course fabric around his neck. It wasn’t anything near as magnificent as the one he had. As if on cue, Applejack explained: “He wouldn’t accept anythin’ fancy, so we just used some scraps from an ol’ sack we had.”

With an understanding ‘oh,’ Shape Shift turned back to the orange mare. He may have had some rather unsettling moments with her, but she had come to her senses, perhaps with the help of the amulet. At least she wasn’t trying to make innuendos.

“Well, Ah got some customers. Are we all gonna meet up later?”

“Sure,” Shape Shift agreed, with a smile. “But not at Sugar Cube Corner.”

“Be sure to tell Pinkie last minute or she’ll invite all of Ponyville.”

“Good to know,” Shape Shift acknowledged.

“See ya later, then,” AJ said as she attended to the customer on the other side of the cart.

“Rarity’s then?” Rainbow requested.

“Sure.”

On they way, they nearly ran into three little fillies. A yellow one with a red mane and a large pink bow in it. She seemed to be the leader. On her left was a pink-and-purple maned white unicorn filly. On her right was an orange Pegasus with a reddish-purple mane.

“Hey Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo,” Dash greeted. Each one perked up at the mention of their name. “What’s on the Crusader agenda today?”

“Well, we were going to try crocodile wrestlers,” Applebloom said, disappointedly, “but we couldn’t find Gummy.”

“That, and Applejack said we couldn’t,” Sweetie Belle said, not conveying the disappointment that her friend had.

“Who’s that?” Scootaloo asked. “Is that the stallion you’re always talking about?”

“Shush, Scoots!” Rainbow said, putting a hoof to the filly’s mouth while her face turned red. “That’s not something I meant to ever leave my house!”

“I can’t help that I overheard you from the ground,” Scootaloo said, “You know, when I was trying to get you out for flying lessons.”

All Shape Shift could do was give a look to Rainbow to inquire, but she simply looked around to see if anypony could have heard about it, before giving a rough look to Scootaloo.

“Sorry?” Scoots said, before receding.

“I have a reputation to uphold, Scoots, that I’m not the lovey kind.”

“Well, I’d love to stay and chat,” Applebloom said, “but I think there’s a gator over there that needs wrestling!” She charged off, and her friends charged off after her into the distance before a loud voice shouted “APPLEBLOOM!” The pair returned to their journey.

“I hope you’ve been saying good things about me,” Shape Shift said with a smile.

“What? Huh? Oh… well… Scoots wasn’t supposed to hear what I was saying…” she gave a nervous laugh. “Kids, what can you do about them?”

“So, how are you and Scootaloo related?”

“Oh, we’re not. It’s just that Scootaloo is the only one of her friends who doesn’t have a big sister. In fact, no one’s sure who her family is. She spends some time with Cherilee… I took her under my wing, but I don’t think her wings are going to come in.” There was some sadness in her last statements. She seemed to genuinely care for Scootaloo as if she were her sister. “That, and I’ve always wanted a little sister, but my parents didn’t. I guess raising me was enough for them,” she said giving a bit of a forced chuckle.

This got Shape Shift to thinking. Perhaps there was something he could do for the filly. He was certain that it would make Rainbow very happy, and perhaps make Scoots just as happy if not happier. He would have to research that later, when he got to the Library. As for now, he was going to see Rarity. Without further interruption, they made it to Carousel Boutique. They entered, and heard a voice coming from the back room.

“Coming! Oh, dear, I’m coming!” She seemed severely stressed when she appeared through the door. “Oh, what brings you to my shop, Rainbow? And… hold on, Shape Shift?” She seemed genuinely surprised by the guest in her shop.

“Yep!” Rainbow confirmed, the sheer joy that her friend had returned showed. Shape Shift, if he wasn’t sure before, was sure that she liked him more than just a friend. He didn’t mind, though. He was starting to feel the same about her, if he hadn’t completely fallen for her already. She was something that Shape Shift couldn’t put his hoof on, and that was something he liked. The more complex the mare, the more intrigued he was, and Rainbow Dash was quite complex. On one side, she was this rough and tough Wonderbolt, not giving way to anypony. On the other, more secretive side, she was this loving, caring almost mother to Scootaloo. Then there were the times when he had her alone, just him and her, when they would exchange the nervous pecks on the cheeks. He wished that side of Rainbow Dash would come out more.

Rarity could only smile as she saw the amulet around Shape Shift’s neck. “That went better with your cloak then I thought it would,” she said, smiling as she saw the pair in context with each other. “I apologize for the clutter, dears, but this large order is putting me through quite a bit of stress.” She pointed at several mannequins that littered across the showroom floor, each draped in a half-finished dress. The ground was littered with various scraps and tools of her trade.

Her hair was disheveled, like she hadn’t brushed it this morning. This was something that appealed to Shape Shift. She strived to be perfect all the time, and this was evidence that she was, as much as she would hate to admit it, it seemed, an actual pony.

Perhaps this was something else he liked about Rainbow Dash. She was never afraid that she had flaws, mostly in how she appeared. Sure, she considered herself to be the most awesome pony in Equestria at times, but that didn’t mean she thought she was without errors.

“Well, I suppose I could ask what you need for help,” Shape Shift offered.

“There’s nothing I really need. I’m just working on sewing them all together.”

“Doesn’t Fluttershy have a freaky knowledge of sewing?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to impose on her. You know she would say yes in a heartbeat, but this is my mistake to take this size of order on my own, and I must deal with it myself.” She held up her head in a kind of pride.

“Didn’t we go over this friendship lesson. Twice?” Rainbow rebutted.

“Don’t be silly, I’m only going to do what I can, but I will do my best to make sure that it’s all of it!”

“Oh yeah, it was Applejack that learned that,” Dash returned, somehow expressing that she hadn’t expected any less from Rarity.

“Why do you say it that way, Rainbow?” Rarity asked.

“I’m going to get Fluttershy.”

“If you feel you must, Dash, it was nice seeing you again, Shape Shift.”

“We were planning a get-together later to welcome Shape Shift back to town,” Rainbow said at the door. “We were hoping you could attend.”

“Sure thing!” Rarity replied, heading back up the stairs, “I’ll be there on time!” She raced back into the working area and back to work as she hummed.

Shape Shift followed his friend through town to the other end, on the way out toward the Everfree Forest. He had heard so many things about it, but he never actually had been close to it before. He hardly had a chance to take a long glance at it before they came across a cottage nestled on the knoll. Animals of all kinds roamed about the fields, fenced in with a cobblestone wall. Shape Shift wondered if this could be where the ever elusive Fluttershy lived. His question was answered as they came into view of the right field.

There, before him, was the Pegasus with the sun-yellow coat and bubblegum pink hair. Her shy demeanor meant that he really didn’t get to know her on his last visit, but from what Rainbow had said about her, she was reserved, but the kindest pony he would ever meet. Her cutie mark was three pink butterflies, and there around her were the butterflies that he had transfigured for her. She was tending to a little bunny while lying on the soft grass.

When she turned to face Rainbow and Shape Shift, she gave a small gasp before noticing who he was. She hid herself behind her mane, peeking out with her other eye. “Hey there, Rainbow,” she almost whispered.

“It’s Shape Shift, Fluttershy. You know him.”

There was only an ‘eeep’ from the yellow Pegasus. The bunny beside her looked at her crossly as she hid her head under her hooves. It pounded on her foreleg until she let it up and then gave her a stare. “But I don’t want to, Angel,” Fluttershy responded.

The rabbit only gave her a more intent stare.

“You’re right. I need to be more outgoing if I’m ever going to do anything helpful.” She got to her feet and walked over to the pair of guests. “Would you care to come in for tea, I mean, if you don’t mind?”

“That would be lovely,” Shape Shift responded before having a hoof roughly shoved in his mouth.

“There’s time for tea later, Fluttershy,” Rainbow replied, “Rarity needs your help so we can all get together and spend time with Shape Shift!”

Rainbow seemed anxious to get to spend time with him. He took that as a compliment, though he wasn’t too sure how it was.

“Well, I promised I would spend some time with Angel…”

“You spend every day with that rabbit. You really need to get out more, Fluttershy.”

“Maybe, yeah.” She looked at a spot on the floor.

“Then go help Rarity, so we can hang out with Shape Shift!” She was excited. The energy emitted from her absorbed into Shape Shift. He was slowly realizing that the six best friends he had made on the road were going to all be there. All so far except one.

“Do you know where Princess Twilight is?” Shape Shift asked.

“She’s been so busy with all the Princess stuff, you know, spreading the lessons of friendship, but she should be back by tonight,” Rainbow said. “That doesn’t stop us hanging out, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t,” Shape Shift said with a smile.

With Fluttershy heading over to Rarity’s, Rainbow and her good friend headed off to spend some time together.
Part 3: Things Going Awry

Back at Sugar Cube Corner, Shape Shift and Rainbow finally sat down to talk. With a wave of a hoof, Pinkie Pie exchanged a few pastries for some bits with Dash. Shape Shift finally got a chance to observe this mare before him for all that she had to show.

The show of colors in her mane was enough to draw his attention to it every few seconds, in between looking at her rose-colored eyes and the half-unfolded wings behind her. The colors reminded him of the days when he would always change his coat color, never satisfied with any he had, and certainly not comfortable with who he was to begin with.

This pony in front of him wore every color at once, like a bright rainbow painted across the sky. He snickered at how obvious it seemed to him now. She was Rainbow Dash.

That was when three ponies walked into the bakery. It seemed like a bad joke just begging to be told. A joke that would make everyone groan and wish they had never heard the joke in their lifetime. There was no mistaking, though, the neon-blue, hourglass-cutie-marked unicorn, the mint-green lyre-cutie-marked one beside her, and the candy-maned earth pony on the far side.

Shape Shift ducked behind Rainbow Dash, who immediately turned to look at the focus of her companion. With the groan emitted from her lips, it seemed she figured out the joke that should never be told.

“Hey there, Rainbow!” Lyra called, heading over to the table. Shape Shift wished he had mastered his art better so he could turn himself into something else.

“Hey there, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Colgate,” Dash said begrudgingly. She didn’t want to have to deal with these ponies, but it seemed she would have to. All she really wanted to do was spend time with the stallion before her.

“Who’s your friend here,” Lyra said before stopping in her tracks. It was all over. “Shape Shift!”

Dash jumped up from her place at the table in front of Lyra with a streak of rainbow. “Lay off him, Lyra. It’s because of you he left last time!”

“All I want is for him to perform one simple act for me. I want a human!” She lifted Rainbow off her feet with her levitation, which had been perfected from playing all sorts of instruments through the years. She set the Pegasus down roughly across the room. “It can’t be that hard when your talent is transmogrification.”

“It took everything I had to make a bird, and even then, I had the support of six friends. I know birds fairly well; I used to live next to an aviary. They would always fly in my window. When it comes to something I have never heard of before I can’t do it,” Shape Shift defended.

“Then I will teach you everything about humans!”

The way that Lyra advanced on him, Shape Shift felt so uncomfortable. Dash saw what was going on and did a spectacular tackle from across the room, pinning Lyra to the far wall. This was only one of the three ponies, though.

Colgate was the next to advance. He had her eyes on his teeth, which he quickly hid. “You need a check up, mister,” Colgate said, almost condescendingly. Her horn started glowing, and Shape Shift knew what she was doing: she was charging up a spell called Clock Up. It would speed her up, and mean that he was about to be dragged through town at that increased speed. It was his first day in Ponyville all over again. This amulet was not exactly helping.

“Oh no you don’t!” Dash shouted, instantly darting over to the charging unicorn, hitting her and dropping her focus. This left Bon-Bon.

“You…” she said. Her voice was the same as the first time he had ever heard it, what he considered most normal for a mare like her. “I want you to transform Lyra into a stallion!”

Why is this always happening to me? Shape Shift thought. Surely there were other unicorn stallions that came through this little town. As Bon-Bon approached, Rainbow turned back on her, slamming her on top of her friend in the corner. Dash struggled to keep control of the two as the aura that Lyra provided tugged at her. In her struggle, Dash couldn’t tend to the once more charging Unicorn. There was a bright flash, Rainbow turned and was mere inches from his hoof before he was taken by the supercharged unicorn.

At the alarming speed he was being dragged, not even Rainbow could keep up, try as she may. The look in her eyes was a mixture of mostly frustration, some sadness, and a pinch of raw anger. She wove through the buildings in pursuit, but fell ever further behind. Soon, she was so far behind that all Colgate had to do was take a couple of turns to finally lose the Pegasus.

Shape Shift blinked, and in that second, he was dragged inside of a dark building. He couldn’t see what was going on anywhere in the room until a pastel blue aura lit up the unicorn that had taken him hostage.

“Now, I’m going to inspect those pearly whites of yours!” Shape Shift was levitated in the air, placed in a chair, and strapped in. “All the ponies in Equestria need a dentist, but nopony ever bothers to make appointments. I figured out that I needed to save the teeth of these ponies, one mouth at a time, whether they knew they needed it or not.” There was a chill in Shape Shift’s spine as she lost herself in her soliloquy. “So I decided to help them ‘make’ their appointments.”

There were a few flashes as other dental tools appeared and floated in her aura. “You, Shape Shift, have evaded this long enough!” She put a small device in his mouth to hold it open as she went to work, inspecting the enamel surfaces in his mouth. There was a rough knock on the door.

“Colgate, I know you’re in there. You let Shape Shift out, or so help me I’m busting down this door and I’m taking him back!” It was Dash! He was saved.

“You can try, Rainbow,” Colgate retorted, “but even with how indestructible you are, this door will take everything you can throw at it.”

“Maybe everything I can throw at it, but you forget who I’m friends with.” Rainbow sounded smug.

“Eeyup.” That voice was none other than Big Mac, and Colgate’s eyes dilated as she realized who was on the other side of the door. Since he was a stallion that grew up working hard all his life, he had to be one of the strongest stallions in Equestria. If that door didn’t give out, then the whole wall would.

“Give it all you got, then,” Colgate taunted. “I bet you couldn’t get in!”

“You have until the count of three, Colgate, then I’m having Big Mac bust down this door.”

“Just try it!” Colgate was running furiously around the room, collecting things to shove in front of the door. Once she had placed a dresser, two end tables, a coffee table, a couch, and the kitchen sink behind it, she stopped.

“One.”

Colgate, seeming confident that her fortifications to the door would hold it in place while she did her work, proceeded to pull out a scraping tool to rub against Shape Shift’s teeth to pull off the plaque.

“Two.”

She hadn’t even placed it in his mouth yet, and Rainbow was about to knock down the door.

“I guess I’ll have to skip straight to the most pressing issue,” she said, hovering the drill closer and starting it up. She was mere fractions of an inch from placing it on his tooth when it happened.

“Three.” There was a loud sound, and it all happened in slow motion after that. The drill had just began to touch his tooth when the door busted open, sending the ‘fortifications’ flying into the room, most nearly missing both occupants, but the dresser slid straight and true, knocking Colgate back and pinning her against the far wall. When the dust settled, there was a hole in the wall where the door used to be, and the door itself was lying on the ground.

Both of Big Mac’s legs then landed on the ground. With a nod from Dash, he walked off, as if nothing ever happened. Rainbow sauntered in, expecting to confront Colgate, but stopped when she realized just how the unicorn was pinned to the wall: her horn was very firmly wedged between the dresser and the wall itself, so tightly that it couldn’t slip out despite the narrowing toward the tip.

This also meant that it hindered her ability to use it, since it was in such pressure that it surely was pushing energy back into her. Shape Shift had been like this once, and only once. He had just tried to perform the snake trick with his then marefriend, Trixie. She freaked out so badly that she levitated the closest pan from the kitchen and went to smash it, and inadvertently caught his horn. The pain that flowed into his head from that was worse than anything he had ever felt before or since.

Putting a smile on his face, Shape Shift looked at Rainbow. “I think we should help her.”

“So that she can do this again? Nah. We’re going to let her sit like this for a minute,” Rainbow said. “Lyra and Bon-Bon are on their way as we speak. I was just lucky that Big Mac was on this street when I needed him.”

The look on Shape Shift’s face portrayed his disappointment in Rainbow’s sentiment.

“Look, Lyra and Bon-Bon will find her, and I promise you one of them will help.” The look on her friend’s face didn’t let up. “Okay, we left a giant, gaping hole in the front wall. Someone’s going to investigate.”

This answer satisfied Shape Shift, if only for now. They escaped the house and slipped into an alley before they heard the voices of Lyra and Bon-Bon approaching the now half-demolished building. With a smile between the two of them, they sauntered out into the alley, into the main street. This led only to more trouble.
Part 4: Everything’s Going Wrong

The pair found themselves in the middle of town square, and Shape Shift found all the mares in the vicinity staring at him. Rainbow followed their gaze, hoping that what she feared wasn’t true, but her fears only doubled as she saw what wasn’t around Shape Shift’s neck.

“Uh, Shape Shift,” she said as there was an audible ‘pomf.’ “Your amulet… it’s gone.” There was worry in her eyes. This meant there were only two options: try to forge ahead, with all this undue attention, and hope that none of these mares were going to pursue them, or they could retreat and hope to find the amulet.

“We need to find that amulet,” Shape Shift replied, not taking his eyes off the mares in the distance.

“But do we want to go back into the hornet’s nest?” Dash asked, taking a defensive stance.

“I mean, last time we were here, it was only you and the other Elements of Harmony that did anything. I don’t want to run that risk this time, though.”

“I can see what you mean.” She circled around Shape Shift. “I’ll find you a hiding place, then I’ll fetch you the amulet when I find it.” She had forgotten that without his amulet, he always gave her a wingboner. She launched herself in the air with her back legs, only to land flat on her face. “WHY IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA WOULD WE HAVE WINGS WHEN THEY DON’T WORK WHEN WE’RE SO EXCITED?” Her voice was sure to have carried all the way to Canterlot.

“Calm down, Rainbow, we’ll find a way to get through this.” He was already heading for a hiding place as they spoke. He slid into a small little alleyway, only accessible by a small opening. Rainbow noticed the defensibility and nodded. “I’ll be back with that amulet in ten seconds flat. Or I would be if MY WINGS WOULD WORK!” She flew off.

Shape Shift was left to sit in the alley. It wasn’t the worst place he had ever been, but it also wasn’t anything near what he was used to. Of course, he had his caravan to stay in normally, and that made even the dusty streets of Appleloosa more bearable. Here, though, amidst the darkness that only the shadows of two buildings could provide on such a lovely morning, he was starting to feel so cold and vulnerable.

He tucked himself in a small little nook within the alley so that passerby mares wouldn’t notice him. The time seemed to stretch on forever while he waited for his favorite Pegasus to return. As he did, he began wondering why he was being so desired. The mares in this town had stallions to choose from! It wasn’t like there was a complete vacancy that needed to be filled.

That, and there were other stallions that he knew, like the Royal Carriage Pullers, who never got attention from the mares when they arrived. Perhaps it was because they were all afraid of what Princess Celestia would do to them.

He tried to ponder what he had done, what happened to him and when that made this so difficult for him in this Mare-Run town. His best friend from Canterlot, the one who had recently been married, came to Ponyville once to try and find Rarity. She had ironically been in Canterlot at the time, but he returned saying that not a mare ever paid attention to him. He couldn’t think of anything. This was the strangest event that ever happened to him.

He was broken from the pondering by the sound of hoofsteps. It was, thankfully, Rainbow Dash. She had a few scuffs on her face, probably from when she faceplanted, but there was also a bruise on her.

“I had to wrangle this from Lyra,” Rainbow panted. “Then they chased me all across the town. I, of course, out ran them. The only pony that can even hope to keep up with me is Applejack, and that’s only if I don’t use my wings.” She opened her eyes and again, there was a pomf. “Oh horseapples.”

Shape Shift donned the amulet quickly and Rainbow led him out of the alley. What happened then wasn’t what they expected. Instead of carrying on their normal lives, the mares all began turning, even those who otherwise wouldn’t have noticed him. Slowly, they started all cantering toward him, and both of the ponies in this epicenter knew what they had to do.

Running as fast as he could, and Rainbow barging ahead to clear the way, Shape Shift fled the town center. They wove through the streets as mare after mare began charging after them. Shape Shift only in hindsight regretted the direction they turned. The road took them straight past Sugar Cube Corner… and every mare therein charged out and blocked their forward progress. Even Rainbow knew she couldn’t barge through that many ponies.

They backed up until they were cornered and surrounded. Mares of all kinds were around them, and there was no chance of running out of the plaza. Twilight wouldn’t be here for a while yet, so there was no miracle in the works. Rainbow’s wings were flaccid again, meaning she could fly if she needed to. Unlike the Pegasi in the crowd, the strange change in emotion seemed to not be as effectual on Dash.

“I think you’re going to need to get some help,” Shape Shift said, acknowledging the condition for what it was.

“And leave you here alone?” she asked, turning to him with pure concern in her eyes. She didn’t seem to care now what all the other ponies thought. Her eyes were tearing up and she was doing nothing to stop it. “If anything happened to you… if anything ever happened to you, I couldn’t live with myself.”

“You can’t stop this on your own. There’s too many of them for anypony.”

“I’ve been through tougher fights!” She propped herself up on her back hooves and pranced around, swinging her front hooves wildly. “Come at me if you dare!”

Shape Shift knew there was only one thing he could do. One thing that might help. He caught her in his aura and pressed his lips to hers. For the first time in her life, she was caught in a passionate kiss with somepony she cared so much for.

“Well…” she said as her cheeks flushed red as the stroke in her mane. “That… that…” she couldn’t complete a thought in her head, it was so overwhelmed by whatever it was that had just happened inside her. She unfolded her wings quickly, so quickly in fact that Shape Shift thought she had another Wingboner. As she took to the air, she gave a nod to Shape Shift before flying off at near top speed.

Shape Shift almost regretted telling her to leave, but he knew that they stood no chance to fight them off alone. He could only hope that she returned with their friends before things got too ugly. The mares all crowded closer and closer.

“We love you, Shape Shift!” they all said in unison.

This was not going to end well at this rate.
Part 5: Quite the Nightmare

Shape Shift was ready to try to defend himself, but his mastery of offense and defensive magic was non-existent. He could only try to levitate the mares who drew too close away from him. This would drain him very quickly, though.

“I want you for myself,” each of them said, before turning on each other, giving shouts of “He’s mine!” or “I will have him!” The plaza that housed Sugar Cube Corner turned into a large brawl, each mare fighting for her right to have him as her stallion, but Shape Shift would have none of this. Pinkie Pie appeared beside him.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “I haven’t seen all the ponies fight like this since Twilight used the ‘Want it, Need it’ spell.” She gave a grin. “I’ve got your back!” she continued, pulling out her party cannon.

Some mares dove between the brawls and fights toward the pair of ponies in the middle, but Pinkie was able to knock some of them back with blasts of confetti, even once binding the recipient of the surprise party in a cannon. Shape Shift provided his own defense the only way he could, levitating mares away from him. It was easier for him to push back the Pegasi than it was any other ponies.

Pinkie began slowing down the assaults with her cannon, even having it misfire a few times. “Oh no, I’m running out of party in my party cannon!” she pouted as the wheels fell off and it collapsed on the ground. Shape Shift was beginning to tire as more and more mares leaped out of the crowd.

Shape Shift was beginning to physically tire as well. After all this running and fleeing, he couldn’t carry on any more. He fell to the dirt as Pinkie growled at the advancing mares. It was then that there was a loud “Yeehaw!” and all the mares parted way. The sound of several ponies’ worth of hooves came trotting through.

“Come on, Big Mac! Let’s get this round up!” She said, leading her brother through the crowd, pushing the mares who didn’t move aside. Applebloom was among them too, followed closely by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Applejack scooped up the exhausted unicorn and carried him toward Carousel Boutique, where Rarity opened the door, let them in, then slammed the door behind her.

“That should hold them out. I remember when they were en masse for Fluttershy.” The yellow Pegasus blushed when she was talked about.

“Are you alright?” Rainbow asked, concern apparent. “Did they get you?” She flew close to Shape Shift to inspect him for signs of injury. Fluttershy tended to Pinkie Pie.

“What in the hay is going on?” Shape Shift asked.

“I don’t know…” Rarity said. “There’s only one pony I know we can trust to figure out that answer, and she isn’t in Ponyville.”

“Twilight’s going to be back tonight, isn’t she?” Rainbow asked frantically.

“I think I know just the way to reach her,” Rarity responded, trotting back into the center of the shop. “Oh, Spike, Darling!”

“Yes, Rarity?” the dragon responded excitedly. “What can I do for you?”

“ We need to get a letter to Twilight, very promptly. Can we count on you to describe the situation?”

“Of course!” He smiled as he realized that the alabaster unicorn was asking him for a favor. He took some paper and a quill out of the desk and started writing frantically. The pounding on the door had stopped, and Shape Shift felt something twinge in his gut.

“Rarity!” a voice called. It sent shivers down Shape Shift’s spine. “I think you’re harboring something of mine in there.” It was none other than Lyra. She poked her head up to the window. “I’m not asking for a lot! I just want to be turned into a human!”

“I am not going out there with all those mares going nuts!”

“Then take off the amulet.”

“Why would I do that?” Shape Shift responded roughly.

“Because I tweaked with the charm on it. Instead of a repulsion, it’s an attraction. Twilight’s not the only one that can do things like that.” She gave a small chuckle.

“I don’t know how to do that anyway, Lyra, for the love of Celestia!” He was starting to break down. All of this… this fuss. He just wanted to live a normal life in a normal town. Perhaps raise a foal. He didn’t really care anymore. He couldn’t figure out why all these mares were so mad in ‘love’ with him.

Even before he had the reworked amulet, the mares of Ponyville were crazed for him. He had some looks from mares in other towns, but he supposed that whatever drove them mad doubled here due to the gender ratio.

The door was bulging, and it took everything even Big Mac had to hold it back.

“Come on, Big Mac! If you can’t hold them back, then who can?”

“Eeyup!” He dug his hooves into the carpet and pressed with all his muscle and all his weight.

“There’s nothing wrong with just coming out here,” Lyra said. “I’ll make sure that you are safe if you transform me into a human.”

“And make her a stallion!” another voice called out that Shape Shift didn’t recognize.

“They’re called men, Bon-Bon.”

“Still…” Bon-Bon seemed disappointed.

“It’s one simple task. I have my anthropology book right here.” She hovered it up to the window. “You can read all you want on humans.”

“I can’t just read up on something and automatically do it, Lyra!”

“Then I guess I’ll have to let the mob of mares capture you. After that, I’ll find a way for you to do what I need from you.”

“If all those mares assault my boutique in any organized fashion, then we’re cornered,” Rarity voiced her concern. “Big Mac. I don’t care what happens to my front door, do what you need to.”

“Then get ready to run,” he said. “I’ll hold them off for a bit, but that’s all I can do.” The Red Stallion spun around, and Shape Shift knew what was about to happen. He watched as all his friends gathered behind Big Mac, and prepared for the escape they were about to partake in. Spike climbed on Rarity’s back, waiting, it seemed, to deliver more Royal Mail.

“On the count of three,” Rarity led. “One. Two. Three!” The back legs of the stallion moved so quickly that the door was immediately pushed back three feet, but more than that, it continued going, effectively plowing all the mares out of the way. The group of six ponies and dragon dashed through the small bubble in the mass caused by door, and left on their way.
Part 6: Cut to the Chase

The herd dashed through the crowd, and stopped only for a minute when they heard a groan come from the back side of the door as it hit a tree with full force. The candy-colored mane of Sweetie Drops, better known as Bon-Bon, poked out from behind the door. She was fine, as was evidenced by her still standing after the door fell backward, but clearly shaken by the shock.

They were chased by the thick herd of mad mares through the center of town. It felt like a giant tsunami wave of ponies behind them. They didn’t really know where to go, only that standing still would defeat the whole point of escaping Carousel Boutique. Soon enough, there was one mint-green mare at the head of the pack, levitating a book, and glaring with all her might.

“I will be a human!” Lyra exclaimed.

All six of the ponies being pursued pushed forward to flee faster, and they were only able to go so fast. The Earth Ponies took the back of the pack, pushing back the particularly fast non-flying ponies. There was little they could do against them all.

“Come on!” Rainbow called, from the front of the pack, “They’re catching up!” She lurched into two invading Pegasi. “And I can’t hold them all off!”

The only sound to come out of Fluttershy was a squeaky ‘eep.’

“Sounds like it’s time for my emergency scarf,” Rarity said, pulling out a two-tone pink striped scarf. “I love this scarf, though.”

“Rarity!” the others all called.

“Right, priorities. We won’t be wearing any scarves if we let them catch us.” She held it in place behind them, and most of the mares were too caught up on Shape Shift before them to notice they were about to trip. A few more clever ponies circumvented the growing pileup, and continued to chase. Lyra didn’t stumble for a second, hopping over the scarf with little problem. The Pegasi weren’t slowed at all.

There was one that had managed to swoop down to Shape Shift while Rainbow was off chasing two others. She wrapped her arms around Shape Shift’s back and began to lift him enough that his hooves no longer touched dirt. He began panicking; he tried to find something to levitate at this speed, but there was nothing he could grab.

Rainbow knew that she wasn’t going to be able to fend off the other Pegasi and free Shape Shift, so she did the only thing she could think off. “Fluttershy! That Pegasus… just… uh… insulted Angel!”

“I didn’t hear anything!”

Rainbow put a hoof to her face while holding another Pegasus with the other. “She is taking Shape Shift, though. You need to save him!”

“I don’t know if I can!”

“Fluttershy, you reformed Discord. You completed the Tornado to lift water to Cloudsdale. You tamed a dragon for Celestia’s sake! If there’s anypony who can handle herself, it’s you!”

“I suppose you’re right,” she said, taking wing and slowing a bit. “Um, excuse me,” she said, poking at the offending Pegasus who was struggling to gain some altitude.

“What is it?” she said rather roughly.

“Oh, nevermind,” Fluttershy mumbled before sinking back into the ranks of her friends. Rainbow flew out of the way, letting two Pegasi collide headfirst where she had just been. More and more Pegasi were going after her. She

“Fluttershy! He’s your friend and he’s counting on you!”

“I suppose!”

“Fluttershy! A little help, please!” Shape Shift finally said.

“I got this!” the yellow flier said as she took to the air and gently bumped into the would-be ponynapper. This only resulted in her receiving a glare.

“Do you mind?”

“Uh… sorry for this,” Fluttershy apologized. She used all her strength to push into the Pegasus, landing her roughly beside the group, where she finally let go of the stallion. He slid across the ground, into a building, where a plume of dust roared up and completely obscured the area.

“Shape Shift!” Rainbow called, dashing into the cloud to find him. The other mares all circled them. With the others of the Elements of Harmony prepared to fight, Rainbow’s crying could be heard.

“What’s wrong?” Rarity called back.

“I… I…” her voice stopped in its tracks. “I…” She couldn’t form the next words as the cloud settled, and a motionless Shape Shift lie in the cyan Pegasus’s hooves. The thing that concerned the alabaster unicorn the most, though was atop his head, or rather, what wasn’t. Instead of his fully grown horn, there was half of one. The other half was impaled into the building.

“Ohmygosh!” Fluttershy cried, “I… I did that…”

“It wasn’t your fault, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, glaring at the leader of the mob standing so proudly across the clearing. “It was hers.”

“Mine? How was this my fault?” the mint-green unicorn replied.

“If you weren’t so obsessed with humans, Lyra,” Rainbow accused. “I… I loved him. And now, now I don’t even know if he’s alive.” In a matter of about one blink, Rainbow moved from underneath Shape Shift to mere widths of a hair away from Lyra’s face, huffing and puffing. “Let me go!”

It was only after the rest of them were able to take in the scene that they realized there was a magenta-purple aura around Rainbow’s tail, holding it stiff, keeping her from going any further.

“This has gone on long enough,” The Princess of Friendship said, making her presence known. “Now, I would appreciate if everypony could calm down.” She walked over to the broken form of Shape Shift. “He’s alive, but this amulet has been tampered with.” She looked over at the unicorn mare, mere nanoseconds from being destroyed by Rainbow. “I suppose this was your doing?”

“Yes,” Lyra said, shamefully. “I just wanted to be a human.”

“This is extremely inappropriate behavior,” she scolded. “He needs some rest. I’ll see if I can’t get a unicorn specialist from Canterlot to fix his horn. Now, I’m ashamed to call you lot my friends. Go home. Now.” The crowd dispersed. Applejack picked up the limp unicorn and carried him to Golden Oaks Library, followed by Rainbow, who was actually being dragged away from Lyra. She clutched Shape Shift’s horn to her chest, tears streaming down her face. The rest of the friends gathered around Shape Shift. Only time could tell if he would be anywhere near the same as he was before.
Part 7: Waking Up From Bad Dreams

Shape Shift had a splitting headache as he opened his eyes. The first thing he heard was crying. Who was crying, and why? His vision was blurry, but he could hear somepony calling others over.

“He’s waking up!”

“Shape Shift?” That was Rainbow’s voice. He was sure of it.

“Ugh,” was the only sound he could get out of his mouth through the intense pain and pressure in his head.

“Don’t say anything,” Twilight responded, “you need to just rest. We’ll explain everything.”

“Huh?”

“Well, you broke your horn. That’s the headache you’re feeling. You’ve been out for near three days. I don’t think Rainbow has moved from that spot in all that time.” She paused to look behind her. “I have a specialist from Canterlot here, but he says that it will take quite some time for you to be in any condition to actually go anywhere, or use your magic. You’re going to need to take it really easy. That’s what you have friends for!” The purple alicorn smiled. “I want you to stay here, in Ponyville with me while you recover.”

“Ugh.”

“Well, it’s not really a forced companionship, it’s more that we got you here, and this is really the safest place until we can figure out why the mares seem to want you so badly here. I mean, I’m not always going to be here, but you have some very good friends who will do anything to protect you.”

He was able to look around the room, and there, standing were the ponies who had effectively rescued him: Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Big Mac, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. It was then that he realized who had been crying: Rainbow. This was certainly unexpected.

“We love you, all in different ways, Shape Shift,” Twilight said, “but our love is genuine.” She offered another smile before letting Rainbow up next to the bed. “We also invited somepony you seem to talk a lot about,” Twilight continued, walking over to the door and opening it. The color of that hat, and that cloak… could it be?

“Trixie was so concerned when she heard about what happened to you, Shape Shift.”

“Ugh.”

“I said don’t try to speak,” Twilight repeated. “Now, I’ve fixed the amulet for now, but I think there’s a stronger charm on you. I’ll need some time and some help to figure it all out, but I promise you that while you’re staying here, I’ll be doing my best to fix this.” She gave a nod to the ponies. “I think I need to write the Princess of Love to get some assistance on this.”

“I thought you were a goner,” Rainbow said, tears still falling, but instead of being sad tears, they were expressions of the happiness that spread across her face. It was evident that she deeply cared for him. “I see you’re as tough as me!” She wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug and pecked him on the cheek, clearly not caring what anypony in the room thought.

“I’m just glad to see you’re going to get better,” Fluttershy said in the corner.

“We’re here for ya. Just call and we’ll do what we can,” Applejack said.

“Eeyup.”

“You’re welcome anytime at the Boutique,” Rarity offered, “I think I can come up with some stunning designs.”

“We’ll have to throw you a get-well party!” Pinkie shouted.

“Pinkie!” most of the other ponies in the room called.

“Okay, so maybe not a get-well party. Perhaps I should plan a got-well party when he is well?”

“He needs his rest now.”

Shape Shift grew in strength over the next few days, and the specialist from Canterlot finally arrived. The injured of the unicorns was able to get about business on his own, but the pounding in his head still didn’t go away.

“Let me see,” he said, gingerly placing a hoof on the horn. A small grunt came from the patient. He made some notes before reaching his conclusion. “I must say, Shape Shift,” the specialist spoke, “This is very, very hard to do, break a horn like this. Must have been some ordeal.”

“Certainly.”

“Your horn will grow back, but it will take quite some time, and a lot of energy. I will cast a spell and transfer it to Twilight, which should make it faster. You can keep that fragment of your horn as a keepsake,” the specialist said, pointing to the tip of the horn that had broken off and was now sitting on the table next to Shape Shift’s bed in the loft of the Library. “Take it easy, Shape Shift.” Rainbow gave the horn-tip a long glance. When Shape Shift checked later that day, he couldn’t find it.

When Shape Shift’s headache finally went away, he spent a lot more time visiting. Fluttershy came regularly, Applejack and Big Mac always brought fresh apples for him, and Pinkie offered cake until he was tired of it. Rarity came by in-between orders to show off a cape or two she had designed for him. In fact, the entire room could be draped, the bed covered, and each book given a dustcover at least twice by the third week.

Trixie had taken up residence in the library, under the request of Twilight. She tended to watch him from afar, not really wanting to dredge up all those feelings, he supposed. He realized then and there that he did still care for her too, but in what capacity he wasn’t sure.

How could he forget that every day, without fail, Rainbow was there? Often she would just talk about her travels as a Wonderbolt, and how she would give all of that up for him. She promised that she would be by his side every day until he was better, but there was the unmistakable undertone that she meant until the end of time. It heartened him to know that there were ponies who cared for him so much. On about the third day, he noticed that around her neck was a pendant made out of the tip of his horn.

Soon enough, Lyra, Colgate, and Bon-Bon, under the supervision of Princess Twilight, came by. “I suppose we were a bit extreme,” Lyra apologetically said.

“I… I just don’t know what it was,” Colgate responded.

“Can you ever forgive us?” Bon-Bon said, in her most fluid voice yet.

“I suppose,” Shape Shift accepted. How could he not forgive them? Wasn’t that was Friendship was about? Twilight escorted them out and returned to the room. Sure, they may have gone nuts and chased him perilously through town and been the indirect cause for him losing half his horn, but they also had brought him to his best friends. Perhaps only in the bad things could you ever come to appreciate the good things. He did suppose that there were easier ‘bad’ things than being in near mortal danger.

“I think I have some news for you, Shape Shift,” Twilight reported, a smile across her face that could only mean that it was good news to tell.

“Oh?” He was curious and anxious. She had been trying to research the reason that all the mares had been so adversely affected by his presence.

“I think I may know what is causing everypony to go nuts around you, but first, I need to confer with Cadence. She’s going to come to Ponyville soon so we can discuss this.” She smiled and poured him some tea and hoofed over the cup. The name Cadence struck something in his head. He wasn’t sure what it brought up, but it was something significant, he knew that much.

“Well, I’ll be glad to finally know why all of this strange stuff has been happening to me.” He was ready for the day that he could go out into the town that he wanted so badly to call ‘home’ and live a normal life, not cooped up to prevent another disaster. While he was appreciative of the protection of his friends, he wanted to be able to spend some time self-sufficiently.

“And we’ll all be glad to finally have you feel safe here in our little town of Ponyville.” She nodded and took a sip of her tea. The alicorn before him had been a great host. She always took care of him, and when she had to leave on business—as was often the case for a Princess—she left him in the capable hooves of her friends, and never less than the talented talons of Owlowiscious and claws of Spike.

The week passed quickly with all the visits from his friends. He was fit enough to be able to read again, and he spent most of his time reading up on new tricks about his talent, Transmogrification, as well as making sure he hadn’t lost anything from his other spells. He had finally passed from a nightmare into a dream. If only he could stay in this moment and live it forever: friends close, a nice place to stay, and not a worry in the world. It was a prefect dream for him: the expression of pure happiness that he had looked forward to since he was a colt in Canterlot.

It feels like it is going to last this time, he thought to himself as he cracked the Transmogrifier’s Tome.