//------------------------------// // 16 - The Problem with Empaths // Story: Little Changes // by tom117z //------------------------------// Another universe or not, a Pinkie Pie party was a Pinkie Pie party. Going in, Rainbow had been somewhat uneasy with the prospect of meeting the counterparts of all of her friends. It had just felt off to her, somehow. That feeling had stubbornly persisted once she met them, forcing her into an awkward and reserved position. Compared to her other self, Rainbow was more like her world’s Fluttershy. But, as time went on, she gradually began to slip out of her shell a little bit. Coincidentally, that started happening at around the time Applejack busted out a keg full of cider. Rainbow had been all over that, and once she consumed a mug or two, the tension fled her muscles and she was able to open up and really lose herself in the party. The games were fun, the cider and punch were good, and the cupcakes were sweet and sugary. It was everything she could ever want from a Pinkie party. It was even better because Chrysalis isolated herself to one corner, looking rather perturbed by all of the noise and activity. It was likely only her immense pride as a Queen of the Changelings that prevented her from turning tail and retreating into one of the guest rooms upstairs. She was one to fight her foes rather than turn from them, after all. Still, while the Queen was not the same one that had haunted Rainbow’s nightmares, it was still satisfying, in a perhaps misplaced way, to see her in less-than-ideal spirits. Rainbow made sure to never outwardly show it, though, or even bring it up. The party went on for much longer than she had been expecting. She had anticipated a few hours of fun, sweets, and dancing, but no. It went on for many hours, and eventually, Rainbow realized that the sun was starting to lazily descend for the horizon. They had spent the entire day cooped up in here, listening to music, dancing, drinking and eating things that were unquestionably very unhealthy, and occasionally forming conga lines. Doing so many things for so long was bound to take its toll on the energy of everypony present, and it began to show. Bit by bit, the party began to quiet down and lose some of its energy. The music was turned down, and the energetic dancing and shouts quieted down to something far more mellow. Some of the more occupied guests excused themselves around this time. Once things began to calm down, Rainbow found herself once again in an awkward position, though not because of her being shy or uncomfortable. Now, everypony else was steadily segregating themselves into their smaller groups. Rainbow still received a fair few glances from all of the other guests, many of them no doubt curious to learn more about the ‘pegasus from another world,’ but most of them elected to keep to their own groups for now, probably not wanting to invade her privacy. She might have wandered up to join one of them and start talking, but as things stood, she had something else she wanted to do. Taking the last mug of cider, Rainbow started to stealthily slink her way towards the library’s main entrance… Or not so stealthily, it seemed. “Hey, Dashie Dos!” Pinkie Pie squealed out eagerly, waving a foreleg as she poked out from one of the previously mentioned groups, this one composed of the expected suspects that were the rest of her friends. “Stop being so mopey and get yer rainbow butt over here! We have puuuunch!” Rainbow stopped briefly, thinking of a way to politely decline as the rest of her frie- this world’s Element Bearers followed the party pony out towards her. “You have been remarkably quiet,” Rarity added with a soft smile. “We know that some topics are, shall we say, sensitive, but we’d nevertheless enjoy the opportunity to get to know more about you and this other world you hail from.” “And it might help you relax,” the other Rainbow pointed out, although the look in her eyes made it clear that she knew how lost of a cause that idea was. “I mean, c’mon, these are our friends, aren’t they?” “And besides,” Applejack added with a grin. “Y’all are the guest of honour, aren’t ya?” “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed with a bounce. “C’mon, whaddya say?” Rainbow looked between them all for a few seconds before looking past them to Twilight. The changeling had hung back a little bit, seemingly unsure of how to approach the subject alongside her friends. In fact, she looked a little uneasy herself. “She’s looked kinda like that since my nightmare, actually,” Rainbow thought after a few seconds. She set that aside for the moment, though, and returned her attention to the expectant mares in front of her. “...We would like to talk for a bit, I’m really interested to hear what kind of animals you have over there,” Fluttershy bashfully admitted as she stepped forward, poking her head out through her concealing pink mane. “If you want to, of course…” Rainbow chuckled quietly under her breath. “Heh. The animals are pretty much the same as they are here, Fluttershy,” she said before glancing back over her shoulder for the door again. She fell silent for a second and looked back to the others. “Look… I’d love to chat for a while, and we totally can later, but I’ve been inside all day, and Pinkie’s parties here are just as tiring as back home. I kinda wanna sit down by myself and get some fresh air for a bit. I’ll be right outside, though.” There was a visible wave of mild disappointment from them, and Rainbow couldn’t help but wince slightly in guilt. Rarity recovered first, pulling herself up to her full height. “That is quite alright, darling. We shall all be here for some time yet, I should think, and we’ll have plenty of time to talk to you in the coming days anyway.” Rainbow blinked. “Huh?” Her other self chuckled in amusement. “What? Did you think the rest of us were just gonna sit back here and do nothing? We’re comin’ with you and the book-bug to Canterlot tomorrow.” “Wait, when did we decide this?” Twilight asked in bemusement. The changeling’s more familiar Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in a way that made Rarity feel like she was being imitated. “Come on, Twi! Since when have we ever let you go on a maybe-punch-a-monster-in-the-face adventure alone before?” “I’m trying to get ‘you’ home, not start a war.” “But-” “What she’s tryin’ to say is…” Applejack quickly interrupted while giving her prismatic pegasus friend the stink-eye. “We don’t intend to let y’all do this alone. We stick together, remember?” “Besides, it’s not often we get to go on our, ahem, ‘romps’ anymore,” Rarity pointed out. Pinkie hummed. “Well, there was Mister ‘Meanie McStealYourMagicPants.” “Hardly the point,” Rarity rebuked. “The actual point being that we should take the time we can when you’re not busy ruling a nation, darling.” “And Rainbow is our friend,” Fluttershy added with a small nod and tender smile, her eyes affixed on the foreign counterpart of her fillyhood friend. “From another world or not. And we all want to help her get home. I’m sure her friends are missing her terribly. I know I would...” Rainbow watched them all for a moment, her heart having started beating just a little faster in her chest from the sudden barrage of foreign-yet-familiar support. After a moment, she smiled at them and lifted her mug as if to say ‘cheers.’ “Well, glad to have you all along. We’re gonna take the train up to Canterlot, I’m guessing?” “It would make the most sense,” Twilight acknowledged, smiling at her friends as well with a defeated sort of happiness. “Since the chariot can hardly fit this many ponies.” Rainbow nodded. “Then we can talk all you’d like on the way,” she said before turning for the door. “But like I said, I’d like some fresh air. I’ll be outside if anypony needs me, kay?” A collection of voices called their acknowledgement. The only one she couldn’t quite make out was that of Twilight’s. Odd, considering that the changeling’s two-toned voice should have been exceedingly audible compared to the rest of them. Rainbow paused by the door to give Twilight a curious glance. There it was again, that uneasiness. ‘Did I say something wrong earlier?’ Rainbow wondered to herself. She made eye contact with Twilight for a few seconds. The changeling looked away, her expression hard to read. Losing her smile, Rainbow opened the door and slipped outside. The cool evening air washed over her face, rejuvenating her system. She took a long, deep breath, emptying her mind, and sat down on the front steps to look out at Ponyville. The setting sun cast the entire town in a gentle amber glow, the sort of orange that made her eyelids droop and quieted her mind and soul with sleepiness. A perfect atmosphere for thought. It was still a lot for her to think about: being in another world, meeting another version of herself, Pinkie... It was always hanging over her, making her feel uncomfortable in her own skin. She knew on a deeply fundamental level that this was not where she belonged… and that knowledge was steadily eating away at the back of her mind. That nightmare had been evidence enough of that. ‘Well, if nothing else,’ she eventually thought with a small smile, her mind wandering back to the promise of the rest of her friends joining them chasing away some of her anxiety. ‘I’ve got plenty of help getting back home.’ She had been alone for maybe twenty minutes before, finally, the door to the library opened again, and a certain changeling princess stepped out. “I do miss her parties when I’m at the hive. I just miss it all, really,” Princess Twilight Sparkle spoke, standing behind Rainbow as she glanced off at the setting sun. “I would have stayed here for… well, a long time if fate hadn’t said otherwise. I could still come back, I guess. But… Well, I wouldn’t do that to Mum. She’s lost enough.” Rainbow hummed in response to that, taking a sip of her cider. “She has, huh? I won’t ask. Not my business.” “It’s a long story. I don’t even know much of it. I should do a project sometime…” the changeling mused. “But… I know how it feels to miss home. Because Ponyville still is, in a way, even though my connection to the hive is deep, and it is home too, this place… I feel myself here, you know? Even if I’ve lived in the hive for longer at this point, just barely.” “I hear ya,” Rainbow acknowledged, subconsciously patting the step next to her in a gesture for Twilight to sit down. “I lived in Canterlot for a long time after Celestia adopted me, and then I came and started living in Ponyville for the last year. But…” she shook her head, her eyes drifting up to look at a stray cloud drifting through the sky. “...Cloudsdale’s always gonna be home to me. As wonderful as Canterlot and Ponyville are…” She let the thought go unfinished, instead taking another, somewhat deeper draught from her mug. Twilight looked at the beckoning hoof, biting her lip as she hesitated for a moment. But, after that moment passed, she steadily edged herself forward and sat down next to the otherworldly pegasus. “I… I hope the party wasn’t too much. There’s no stopping Pinkie Pie, but…” Rainbow shook her head, a tender smile appearing on her face. “Nah. The party was fine. A little overwhelming at first, but I got over that. Honestly? Being caught up in all the chaos?” she glanced sideways at Twilight. “It kinda helped me get my head together. Plus, you know, all your friends coming along… they’re just like mine, barring one or two tiny differences in Fluttershy. It really helped me feel more comfortable…” She then looked down, her hooves curling tighter around her mug. “But I don’t think I’m gonna really feel okay until I’m back home… in my Ponyville. With my friends… my Twilight,” she said, her voice slowly lowering. Once more, her thoughts went back to her fillyhood friend, and how she was taking Rainbow’s disappearance. “We’ll get you back, I’m sure you know how good at doing a science I can be!” Twilight remarked half-jokingly, though still in a bragging kind of way. “Hey, maybe I can poke a hole and talk to your Twilight. Think of the research two of us could do!” Rainbow openly laughed at that. “Ha! I’d rather not! One is enough, no offence,” she replied between her chuckles. The Princess pouted. “There is never enough research, ya heathen!” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Heathen? I think you’ve been reading too much old-time stuff if you’re busting out language like that,” she said in a teasing manner before swigging some more cider. “I am well-versed in the histories of the world, thank you very much,” she retorted matter-of-factly. “I mean, come on, how many times has your Twilight gone around detailing the history of, I don’t know, that very interesting building over there which was one of the first built in Ponyville by a stallion by the name of-” Rainbow lifted a hoof and narrowed her eyes at Twilight, silencing the bug’s oncoming tirade. After a moment, she lowered her hoof and grinned. “Diamond Hoe. He was a farmer for a long time, but he built that house for his son to live in when he turned out to be better suited for weather work in the heart of town. Yes, I remember. I’ve heard the story at least three times.” “And you listened? I can never get Rainbow to listen unless it has at least one explosion! How does she do it?” Rainbow shrugged her shoulders. “Honestly? I don’t think it has anything to do with what she does differently from you. It’s more about how different I am compared to your Rainbow. I mean, I grew up with my Twilight, remember? And, eventually, her little tirades… meh. I couldn’t help but listen to them with one ear whenever she’d go off. It was kinda cute, honestly.” And there was that pink mist again. Unseen to any creature aside from a changeling, little wafts of energy lifting off of the pegasus as a thoughtful and… longing expression formed her features. Twilight shifted uncomfortably, blushing. “...I’m not cute…” Rainbow glanced sideways at her for a moment, unsure of how to reply to that. On the one hoof, she didn’t want to agree with her and accidentally insult her, but pressing the fact that she found her own Twilight to be adorable could make things kind of awkward. After all, for all their similarities, the changeling sitting next to her was not the mare that Rainbow had fallen in love with. ‘She’s back home, wondering where I am, and struggling with amnesia,’ Rainbow thought to herself before looking ahead again. “Well, you are two different creatures…” she eventually settled on as her response, though her voice was low and half-hearted. “And yet…” Twilight muttered with an air of awkward uncertainty, eying the emotions she could see and feel radiating from the mare. There was a new storm brewing. Guilt, shame… And yet the pink mist did not subside. In fact, as she stared at the mare and saw Twilight Sparkle, it only seemed to increase alongside that expression of longing… Twilight took in a deep breath. This was one crossbow bolt she had to take… “Rainbow…? Are you in love with me?” Rainbow blinked, her eyes going wide. She turned to Twilight again, finding the changeling looking extremely uncomfortable. “I mean, not me me but the other me who is also me from another universe so… Yes! Me! Are you?” Twilight finished, one of her eyes twitching as her cheeks turned a surprising shade of red for a creature made of chitin. Rainbow stared at her for a few seconds before getting a small, amused smile on her face. “Okay, first off, let’s not make this any more complicated than it needs to be. I’ma tell you exactly what I told the other me. My Twilight and you are two totally separate mares. You share a voice, a face, a personality, and a skillset. But beyond that? It’s like comparing an apple to a watermelon.” Twilight tilted her head at the odd analogy. If anything, it was more akin to a green apple compared to a red one, but she did not get to speak on it before Rainbow continued. “But in answer to your question…” Rainbow’s smile faded, and she looked directly ahead. “...Yeah. To use the mushiest of all mush bombs, I l-love my Twilight. I… s-she means the world to me. I’d do anything for her… and I’m going to do whatever it takes to get back to her and help her recover. It’s… partly my fault she has amnesia, so it’s my responsibility to make things right.” “I can tell…” Twilight said carefully. “That’s the problem with a race of empaths, Rainbow. From the moment you’ve arrived, every time you look at me I can feel and taste the love you hold for Twilight Sparkle. I hate to be blunt, but you clearly see a lot of her in me, the guilt and shame are there too for feeling that way…” Rainbow fell silent, her ears lowering. “...Yeah. I do see a lot of her in you. I mean, you are really similar in a lot of ways. Minus, you know,” she gestured vaguely. “You being a changeling. But everything else… the voice, the personality, the books… once I got past the shell, it’s like I’m talking to the mare that died in my hooves in the Crystal Empire again…” she muttered before closing her eyes. “I am her in a more literal sense than you’d find anywhere else,” the changeling mused with a nervous chuckle. “You clearly miss her, and trust me, speaking for the both of us I’m flattered. Really.” Rainbow nodded quietly. “Yeah… I do miss her. More than anything right now.” “I’m not going to replace her. And you shouldn’t feel ashamed for feeling the way you do, being her, it’s only natural I’m going to be… well, a mixed pile of weirdness. Ask Cadance, she’s better at the love analytics…” Twilight remarked. “But trust me, you don’t need to worry about me. I’m well and truly focused on stallions. I mean, he’s a bit quiet for my tastes, but have you seen Big Mac’s muscles?” Rainbow managed to let out a weak chuckle at that. “Yeah, I have. I swing both ways, so before I got together with her, I had my eye on a few stallions myself,” she replied before shaking her head. “Kinda never went for them. Mushy lovey-dovey stuff is one thing I am never gonna get any good at.” “I figured it's that way here too,” Twilight confirmed. “I’ve seen ‘you’ eyeing Applejack, though Rarity has literal bits on a certain fellow wonderbolt.” “And that is something I do not need to know,” Rainbow shot back with another quiet laugh. “Other me’s love life is her business.” “Just don’t ask Rarity then, or she’d explode. The only pony in Equestria scarier with love is my sister-in-law. Seriously, she’s practically axe-crazy,” Twilight joked. Rainbow’s muzzle scrunched up. “Sister in… I’m assuming that’s Cadance you’re talking about?” she ventured, thinking back on Twilight mentioning a wedding up in Canterlot. “Yup!” she confirmed. “And she’s even scarier now. Hormones increase by… well, a lot, when pregnant. Poor Shiny is the nearest punching bag.” Rainbow’s eyes shot wide open. “O-oh. Uh, well, holy heck, that’s awesome. Grats on getting to be an aunt,” she said after a moment. “Hey, I’m sure other me will get to be the BAE soon enough herself!” Rainbow’s surprise turned into a deadpan frown. “Never say that word again,” she ordered simply. “Ever.” “What? I am completely going to be the Best Aunt Ever! I already have all kinds of books on the subject!” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. After a few seconds, she let out an amused sigh and looked directly ahead. A companionable silence fell over the two. Rainbow finished off her cider with a quick swig before setting the mug down to one side. She stared ahead for a while before closing her eyes, an unwanted thought worming its way into the back of her mind. “...Y’know, I can’t help but wonder if my Twi is missing me,” she mumbled. “Huh?” Twilight asked. Rainbow opened her eyes a little, her expression darkening. “You know she has amnesia already. She doesn’t know me anywhere near as well as I know her. With all of her missing experiences, she’s all but a different pony. She was relying on me to help her find her footing and get her life back in order with all those missing memories. But…” she looked up at the sky as the stars finally began to come into view. “She’s only known me for a few weeks. Maybe a month, if we’re being really generous. She’s met all our other friends and has their total support, too, so…” She looked down and to one side, her ears drooping once again. “It’s probably a stupid idea, but I just can’t help but think about it…” Twilight paused for a moment, studying the pegasus as Rainbow’s mood dropped and her expression sagged. She took in her emotions, the dread and regret, thinking back on the entirety of their conversation until now in a methodical manner only she could. And then she gave Rainbow a small smile, placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Rainbow Dash, don’t even start with that.” The pegasus blinked in surprise. “Huh?” “Maybe I have lost my memories, maybe I am struggling with who I am and my place in life. My memories are gone, I am confused and lost. But from all I’ve seen and heard, who is the one pony who has been there for every second? Trust me, I’ve noticed.” “I…” “AND!” she continued, this time her lecture was not to be interrupted. Some things were too important. “As a changeling, and a royal changeling at that, I can also tell you that when you feel something so deeply for somepony it's more than just a random memory. It becomes instinct. Something you can’t control. It’s wild and mysterious, and that’s why it’s so filling. So even if she doesn’t have the context, even if she’s muted and confused, she definitely feels something for you. An unexplainable bond, and more than that I just know that she trusts you. So, as Twilight Sparkle, let me tell you…” There was a flash of green, black chitin being replaced with lavender fur as Twilight Sparkle walked around Rainbow until she was facing her dead on. Their eyes met as the feathery wings on the apparent alicorn’s back extended in an authoritative manner. “I am coming for you, Rainbow Dash. And I won’t stop until I have you home again.” Rainbow mouthed uselessly like a fish for several seconds, completely taken aback by the sudden display. She worked her brain for what felt like an eternity before, finally, she managed to get something out. She lifted a hoof to weakly point at one of Twilight’s new wings. “...Your wings are too small.” And she immediately regretted every life choice she had ever made leading up to that moment. Twilight’s expression blanked. "What?” Rainbow flinched back awkwardly. “Y-you gave yourself pegasus-sized wings. Twi’s are a lot… um…” she reached down and quickly lifted the empty mug back up to her face so she could hide her embarrassed blush behind it. Twilight stomped indignantly, her pony cheeks puffing up in annoyance. “That’s it!? Come on! Do you know how many lessons in inspirational royal speeches from both Celestia and Mother I had to call upon?! Dumb pegasus…” Rainbow shrank down in place, her ears lowering. “...Sorry,” she mumbled dejectedly before chucking the mug to one side. She was caught, might as well let the blush roam free. An awkward silence fell over the two for a second before Rainbow looked up and met Twilight’s gaze again. “But, uh… for what it’s worth… that was a pretty good speech. It just took me off guard… didn’t know what to say.” “I’m sure I’m very good at that. Keeps you in line…” Twilight said with a very deliberate purr. Rainbow’s wings twitched. “...Okay, stop that,” she said emphatically, her eyes wide. Twilight smirked. “I may not swing that way, but I can totally appreciate the teasing. Again, same brain. And you’re incredibly cute when you pout.” Rainbow quickly covered her ears and looked away, her face turning a surprisingly vibrant shade of Big Mac. “I am loyalty incarnate, I am loyalty incarnate, I am loyalty in-freaking-carnate!” “And if I enjoy muscular stallion, then I’m sure she’s quite keen on your-” There was a blast of air and a cloud of dust. Twilight coughed a few times, waving a hoof in front of her face to clear away the cloud. When the dust finally settled, Rainbow had disappeared. “Now who’s the killjoy!?” Twilight shouted after her with a huff. “It’s totally you!” came the echoing reply from somewhere out of sight. Twilight rolled her eyes, green flames surrounding her as she retook her usual form. As much as her insides squirmed as she literally ingested all of the pegasus’ feelings, the slightly more… predatory side that came from her mother was certainly in full effect. At least until she turned back towards the library and saw something she really should have anticipated. All of her friends. Listening in. Right there. “...What the heck was that?” Native Rainbow Dash asked. “Uh…” Rarity, meanwhile, had what can only be described as stars in her eyes. “Well then! That brings forth an entirely new set of possibilities! Why, Rainbow, Twilight, you just must-” “Not going there!” Rainbow protested. “Definitely not!” Twilight swiftly concurred. “I think it’s sweet…” Fluttershy mused quietly. “Ah think it’s plain nasty,” Applejack disagreed with a wrinkle of her snout. “Seriously, Dash, y’all been lookin’?” The pegasus gaped like a fish, her hue shifting to match her absent counterpart. “Right!” Twilight said with an air of finality. “This conversation is over.” “All due respect, darling, but that was quite the series of flirts a few moments ago~” “Done. Rarity. Done. Over. Complete. Le fin.” “Twilight! You can’t simply-” And then, in a teleport that steamed with regret over all her actions, Twilight was gone. Far overhead, watching the whole spectacle unfold, Princess Rainbow managed a weak chuckle. She had fled to the cloud she had seen drifting by earlier, close enough to listen in and watch, but far enough away to escape Twilight. With a shake of her head, Rainbow flopped onto her back and looked up at the night sky. For as embarrassing as that entire exchange had been, Rainbow had to admit… Twilight’s speech had done its job. She was feeling much better now. ‘She’s right,’ she thought to herself as she closed her eyes. ‘Memories or not, my Twi’s gonna be looking for a way to get me home just as hard as I am. I don’t gotta worry about that…’ With that comforting thought echoing in the back of her mind, Rainbow allowed herself to be whisked away by the cool night air and the softness of her cloud. She had no intention of sleeping up here. Last time she did that, she had been punted into a whole other universe. But right now, she was glad to bask in the quiet and let herself finally relax. Everything was gonna be okay. Somehow, she just knew it.