//------------------------------//
// Ch. 8: It's Super Effective! 
// Story: There is an I in Generosity 
// by TundraStanza 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 8: It's Super Effective!


Twilight lowered her head and fired her spell.  Fluttershy's pupils widened and then dilated, before returning to a somewhat normal size.  She ceased her petting of Rainbow Dash's mane and held her hoof against her own head.  Fluttershy's wings briefly spread out and up in full display.  She blinked a few times.

"Oh... my..." Fluttershy looked down at the floor, letting her mane cover one eye.

Rainbow raised her brow. "Feeling okay now?"

"Y-Yes... just..." Fluttershy exhaled. "That's a lot to process."

"I can relate," Twilight and I said at the same time.

"So, what was your past life like?" asked Pinkie Pie in excitement.

"I... um... only recall bits and pieces right now," admitted Fluttershy. "A lot of it is composed of images of blurred color that I know weren't real."

Applejack held up a hoof. "Like what?"

Fluttershy moved her left wing under her muzzle. "Like a toaster oven growing teeth and teaching the store clerk how to juggle chainsaws... or a man and his dog eating a whole bus on their way home."

I groaned and shook my head. "Definitely a druggie."

Nearby, I heard someone breathing heavily.  When I turned to look, I saw Twilight sweating several droplets.  That poor mare looked like she just finished a marathon.  Given how much magic she had cast just that day, I wouldn't have been surprised if that was equal to how much effort she had spent.

"Hang on." Spike ran up to her. "You should probably get some rest.  You've had two freakouts in less than two hours.  It's more than your metabolism can keep up with."

Twilight shook her head. "Spike, it's not metabolism that produces energy.  It's the... mitochondria..."

With that last correction regarding anatomy, our bookworm fell unconscious.  This time, however, it was a more natural sleep that came complete with snoring.  Spike shrugged his shoulders and picked her up by her front hooves.  Well, he didn't really pick her up.  It was more of a casual drag.

"You guys should probably avoid trying to force any more lifetime wake-ups for today." He grunted as he moved toward the upstairs. "She's going to be out for a while."

Pinkie Pie whined. "Awww, I wanted to meet the old/new me."

Applejack adjusted her hat. "Reckon it's just as well, sugar cube.  I'm not sure I could handle more crazy right now."

Rainbow crossed her front hooves. "Besides, I don't think you can really meet you if you are you."

Pinkie blinked twice. "Wait... so Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy aren't hearing little ponies' voices inside their heads that sound kind of like the people that they used to be?"

Fluttershy folded her wings. "Um, no. I'm not hearing anything like that."

I shook my head. "The thoughts of my two lives are practically the same now. I couldn't tell you where Desmond ends and I begin."

"Huh, well that's too bad," commented Pinkie. "It would have been nice to add a whole new gaggle of friends."

"A gaggle, Pinkie?" Applejack tilted her head.

"I don't know." Pinkie shrugged. "What would you call a group of humans?  A pod of humans?  A flock?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's called a crowd.  What do you call a group of ponies?"

"A groupthink tank!" called Spike from the second floor.

"Oooo." Rainbow wiped an imaginary sweat drop with her wing.

Fluttershy looked to the side. "I guess there's a nugget of truth to that."

Applejack cleared her throat. "In any case, maybe it's best if we break for today and try to reconvene later to figure things out."

"Sounds perfect to me." I smiled and nodded.

"Sure," added Rainbow.

"Mm-hmm." Fluttershy nodded.

"Okay, see you all tomorrow!" Pinkie bounced out of sight around some invisible barrier.

---
The next d- OW! What the heck?
Sorry, just passing through.
Well, then get going.  Good gracious. *ahem*

The next day...

After a quick shower and a short hour with the hairbrush, my mane and I were ready to approach the morning.  I just needed a little highlight to bring out my face to its natural state of beauty.  I still felt a vague tinge of discomfort regarding all the trouble I was going to for a normal day, and arrived at a last-minute compromise.  I did not file my hooves, opting to let the eventual walk outside rub them down for me.

When I arrived downstairs in the kitchen, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of smoke.  Sweetie Belle was at the table, pouring what sounded like a bowl of cereal.  I smiled as I trotted closer.

"Good morning, Sweetie Belle."

She had to set the item in her mouth down. "Morning, Diamond Edge."

"Trying something different this morning?" I sat in the chair next to her.

"Yeah, I know you don't like yours too toasted." She pulled the cap off the carton. "So I thought I'd let you decide how long to cook it for."

"Thank you, Sweetie Belle." I levitated the carton and carefully tipped it to pour the contents on top of the bowl. "That was quite considerate." It was about when I put the carton down and lifted my spoon that I looked at the cereal bowl. "Erm... wait... are those... potato chips?" I looked back at the carton. "And... was that the orange juice?"

Sweetie Belle nodded while pouring from the carton into her own bowl. "Yeah!  Gotta eat them nice and soggy!"

I smiled sadly and shook my head.  These tarnished individual food items deserved a proper burial in the garbage.

---

Finishing one of my recently saved hard-boiled eggs from the fridge, I headed out for the day.  Sweetie decided she wanted to follow me through town.

"Are you sure?" I looked down and back at her. "Won't your friends miss you?"

She shook her head. "Apple Bloom has special chores to do on Saturdays and Scootaloo said she had something she wanted to look into alone.  So, I'm on my own if I don't count you."

I hummed and shrugged a shoulder. "Very well then.  I can't promise today will be as exciting as your cutie mark adventures."

She chuckled as we trotted along. "That's okay.  I could use a break from all the hullabaloo."

I nodded and faced forwards. "Off to Golden Oaks."

---

Of all our main group's members, Rainbow looked the least enthusiastic about being here.  Even though she hovered like usual while continuously flapping her wings, she held her head low against her crossed front hooves.  Meanwhile, Fluttershy looked at me with trepidation.  I gave her a reassuring smile, despite my current setup and examination, attached to wires with suction cups and a brainwave reading helmet.  Twilight was looking through a pile of papers and notes with vigor.

"I'm no expert," started Applejack, "but don't you think that taking readings before she regained her memories would make for better data to compare?"

Twilight peeked up from her paper.  "Huh... now that you mention it...." She levitated her papers to one side and helped pull me out of the machine. "Sorry, girls.  Half of me is still new to this hybrid of science and magic."

Sweetie Belle tilted her head. "Huh?  Didn't you study magic pretty much all of your life?"

I cleared my throat. "I... may have just recently learned that the rest of us had previous lives with completely different memories before 'waking up' here in Equestria."

"Wait, what?" Sweetie shook her head and gave an incredulous look.

"Remember how I mentioned that I was once a human?" I held out my hoof to the side.

Sweetie nodded.

"Well, according to Princess Celestia's words, I'm not the only one.  Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow are also formerly human.  It's just that each of their wake-ups are different."

Sweetie looked around at every pony present. "Wait, how do you know for sure?"

I curled my tail around for emphasis. "Because I have recollections of things only humans would know and applied it to how Twilight and Fluttershy acted when they 'woke up'.  We were lucky enough to have Twilight's memory spell to make the merging of minds require fewer trips to the hospital beds."

"But you didn't trip on your way to the hospital bed." Sweetie tapped her head. "You were already out cold."

I sighed. "That isn't the definition of 'trip' I meant, little sister."

"Oh." She lowered her gaze to the floor.

Pinkie patted her on the back. "There, there.  Even dictionary writers can get things wrong sometimes."

Sweetie looked at her with a raised brow. "Have you been hanging around Scootaloo when I wasn't looking?"

"Here's a crazy thought." Rainbow hovered low. "What if we don't want to remember who we used to be?"

"Why not, Dashie?" Pinkie looked up at her.

"I'm perfectly happy not knowing everything." Rainbow grunted. "The most stressed out ponies tend to be the eggheads."

Twilight held out a hoof. "But Rainbow, our memories are one of the important aspects that make us who we are.  To refuse to accept ownership of what we recall is to deny a central part of ourselves."

Applejack lowered her hat slightly over her eyes. "I have to admit, it's all a might scary.  The idea of living one life... losing all of it... living another life... only to reckon all of that first one back and try to make sense of both... makes me shiver."

"See?" Rainbow pointed both her hooves flat-side up at Applejack. "I mean... not that I'm scared... it's just not normal."

Fluttershy moved a hair away from her eyes. "Um... how much of our life can we really say is normal?"

Rainbow looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Fluttershy swiveled her hoof. "Well... how many 'normal' ponies can say that they can fly fast enough to create a Sonic Rainboom? Or store party cannons around Ponyville in case of party cannon emergencies? Or have more than one family member connected to royalty?"

Rainbow's flapping started to slow down as sweat drops appeared behind her ears. "Um... well, I... that's not what... I..."

Applejack adjusted her hat so her green eyes were visible. "If we refuse to learn just because something ain't normal, we might be unable to improvise and adapt the next time life throws us something like a changeling invasion or a king's curse."

Pinkie gasped. "Or something even more chaotic than Discord!"

Rainbow closed her eyes and held her head down. "Could I just... have some time away from all this?  I don't think I'm ready yet."

I nodded. "Of course, darling.  I'm sure none of us want to force you."

She nodded back and looked at me with solemn magenta irises. "Thanks, Rarity." With that, she flew out of the basement at her slower pace.

Aside from Twilight organizing her equipment back to her style of organization, it became relatively quiet after that.  For a while, the rest of us simply looked at the door that Rainbow had left through.  That was about when Pinkie grabbed Applejack by the withers.

"Headbutt!"

"Wait, what?!"

As soon as Applejack had voiced her confusion, Pinkie slammed their foreheads against each other.  Both earth ponies went wordlessly to the ground.  Sweetie Belle covered her mouth with both front hooves.  Fluttershy's eyes went wide.  Twilight's tail and mane went straight.

"Heavens to Celestia, Pinkie!" I nearly screamed. "If I didn't know you, I would have asked what the hay you were thinking!"

She made no movements.  That just worried me even more, considering how much of a tumbling she could usually take without stopping.  A dead-silent Pinkie... the world would never be ready for that.

"Spike, wet towels." Twilight urged him. "Quickly!"

Spike saluted and ran. "On it!"

---

It had been less than one hour since the head injuries took place.  Yet, it felt like it had been several hours.  At this point, both Applejack and Pinkie Pie had been propped on their backs on Twilight's bed and the guest bed respectively.  Spike and Twilight changed the towel every ten minutes or so.  The rest of us sat around and waited.

"I spy with my little eye..." Sweetie Belle walked around a bit, turning her head this way and that. "... something beginning with 'R'."

I sighed and looked away. "Reading material."

"You got it." Sweetie nodded and stopped walking.

I wasn't sure when we had started this game, but it was all we could do to try and reduce our states of worry.  But... we were running out of things to describe and hint at.

"Um..." Fluttershy glanced around, barely moving her head. "I spy something beginning with the letter... 'C'."

"A cobra?" Sweetie walked close to me. "A cart?  Ceiling?"

"Y-yes." Fluttershy idly massaged her tail between her legs. "Ceiling is right... or up, I guess."

Suddenly, a strange voice could be heard from upstairs. "You shan't take me alive! Oof!"

Next thing I knew, I was seeing Applejack tumbling down the stairs.  Each impact with a stair was emphasized by her emitting a grunt or some other similar interjection.  The three of us on the ground floor galloped over.  At the bottom of the staircase, Applejack landed with the underside of her muzzle against the floor.  She tried to reach around to what must have been a couple sore spots all over her body.

"Bloody hell, what has happened to me?" She rubbed her front hooves against her eyes. "Have I been... narcotized?"

I gave a quick glance at Sweetie and Fluttershy.  They shook their heads and shrugged.  I glanced up and saw Twilight and Spike trying to take a more careful approach to descending the staircase.  I cleared my throat and faced Applejack.

"This may sound weird but... do you remember who you are?"

'Applejack' took one look at me before shuffling back against the bookshelf wall behind her. "Another strange, talking creature! What do you want from me?"

I kept my voice as calm and quiet as possible. "Just an answer to my question will suffice for now.  Do you know... who you are?"

She forced out a nervous chuckle. "Shouldn't that be the kind of question I ask you?" She leaned her back against the shelf wall while trying to stand on just her hind legs. "I would have thought kidnappers such as yourselves would do your research on one of the wealthy victims you take away."

I lightly tapped a curl in my coiffure. "Please, humor me."

"You want a proper introduction after most likely causing me to suffer?" She crossed her front hooves. "Fine.  I am..."

A few seconds passed.  For a while, no sound was emitted.  Her confident smirk slowly dissolved.  She looked on the verge of sweating.

"Wh...Why can't I remember my name?" Her forelegs dropped to either side of herself.

"Because that's not all you are anymore, Applejack." Twilight held her horn just in front of Applejack's eyes, and cast her spell.

Applejack went wide-eyed.  As soon as the spell's flash of light had started, it ended.  She fell to three hooves, using the fourth to massage her temples.  She shook her head, then looked around at us.

Spike held out AJ's hat. "How are you feeling?"

"More confused than a sheep trapped in a chicken coop." She grabbed her hat and put it on. "Why did I wake up in Twilight's room and start babbling about some pony else's upbringing?"

I scratched the floor spot immediately under my hoof. "Well... it seems Pinkie Pie decided to test the endurance of your head by slamming it against her own."

"Hmm..." Applejack looked to the side. "It is the fourth Saturday of the month."

"And that other individual's life you now remember so vividly?" I nodded. "That was your past life... your human life."

Applejack blinked twice. "Oh... put my corn in a kettle and pop it." She looked frustrated as she put a hoof over her face. "I can't believe I was that spoiled rotten."

"Trust me." Twilight smiled wryly. "I can understand the disconnect between lives and how they don't quite match up."

Fluttershy nodded. "Mm-hmm.  It's going to be a long time before we can fully accept this."

Sweetie Belle looked over at Spike. "Am I the only one that kind of wishes they had a past life to understand what they were talking about?"

Spike chuckled and pointed a claw at himself. "Believe me: I know what's it like to feel left out. Just... try not to force it. The times you can feel included are more special when they're spread apart."

Sweetie tilted her head. "I don't know. Most of my funner times involved forcing my way into situations and seeing what works."

Spike shrugged his arms. "I guess to each his own."

A collective cacophony of gurgling interrupted both of our conversations.

I giggled and felt myself blush. "It seems we were here longer than we thought. Does any pony have any ideas for lunch?"

"Oo! Oo!" Sweetie jumped up and down. "I know a place close by!"

"What do we do about Pinkie Pie?" mentioned Applejack.

"Spike, would you mind looking after Pinkie while we're out?" asked Twilight. "I'll be sure to pick up something and bring it back for you."

Spike exhaled. "Okay, but make it a double helping?"

"Deal." Twilight nodded.

Fluttershy lifted her head. "I can go let the Cakes know about where Pinkie's staying for now and meet up with you in a little while."

I smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

---

So... Ponyville apparently had a fast food joint.  It had burgers and fries, both made from hay.  I was kind of surprised that Rarity didn't know any more than Desmond did about this place.  Sweetie Belle told me that she had stopped in here a few times with our parents.  That was how she had learned about 'The Hayburger'.

I was having trouble reminding myself to take a bite of the food in front of me.  What was distracting was the large, messy mouth of ketchup and other crumbs sitting across the table.  What was even more distracting was to whom the mouth belonged.

"If it were Applejack, I could understand." I lifted my brow. "I've seen how she eats at a slumber party.  But you?"

"Yeah..." Applejack nodded as she stared at the sloppy culprit. "I would have bet on me making the biggest mess too."

Sweetie swallowed. "What's so bad about how she eats?"

Twilight finally looked up from her devouring spree. "Oh. Sorry. Were you guys saying something? I was really hungry."

I slowly nodded. "I can see that, darling. I can see that all over the place."

Applejack took a small bite and chewed it down quietly. "Is that how the princess eats when you're with her?"

Twilight's open mouth immediately shrank to cover a small spot. "Nooo..." She leaned back a little.

Fluttershy giggled as she set her tray down and pulled up a chair. "Sounds like an enjoyable time."

"Fluttershy!" Twilight exclaimed. "Glad you made it!  How did the Cakes take the news?"

"Well, they were concerned at first." Fluttershy fiddled with a stray mane hair. "But then, they convinced each other that Pinkie was strong enough to pull through on her own."

"It's good that they're taking it well." I took a small sip from my drink.

Twilight made some kind of affirming noise in between scarfing down some horseshoe-shaped tater tots.  I took a quick glance around.  It seemed the rest of the patrons of this establishment were busy with their own conversations or meals.

I leaned my head down a little and whispered, "So, Applejack. Do you remember anything else about your past life?"

Applejack snorted and crossed her hooves. "It was really frou-frou. The furniture had so much lace. A butler was constantly dragging me around to various lessons: violin, table manners, horseback riding... which is really creepy given who I am now." She shivered. "Other than that, it was like a chapter right out of the lives of the Riches."

"That doesn't sound too bad," commented Fluttershy before she quietly started eating.

"Are you kidding?" Applejack raised her brow. "Living such a sheltered life, I didn't learn the importance of others at all. I remember feeling entitled to having everything that I didn't already have. Plus... the thought of inheriting my family's fortune through morally questionable actions crossed my mind in the form of possibilities that I actually took time to consider. I think I was borderline psycho."

"Oh..." was the collective group response.

"If I have to learn even one more thing about past me, it'll be too soon." She pulled her hat over her eyes.

Sweetie blinked a couple times. "Well... now you know better, right?"

"Huh?" Applejack lifted her hat a little to look.

Sweetie smiled. "You care about your family now, don't you?  I think the fact that you've had a whole lifetime toward selfless support is enough to make up for past mistakes."

Applejack chuckled. "You sure have an interesting way of looking at it, Sweetie."

"I just don't think beating yourself over with what you've already done will do any good." Sweetie took a drink.

Twilight suddenly pulled out of her rampant eating. "So that's where my copy of Philosophers of Utility and Intrinsic Value went."

I held up a light magic barrier just as Sweetie performed a spit take.

"I...I was going to return it." Sweetie blushed. "Honest!"

I shook my head and smiled. "What am I going to do with you, sweet sister?"

---

Back in the library, a figure's hair fell low against the side of their head.  A long tongue slid out of their mouth and they giggled.

"Where are the scissors?"
---