The dark blue mare blinked at Cheerilee in confusion, taking a single step back to get a better look at her, then smiled, and spoke slowly in her badly accented English again. "Yes. I be Cheerilee's... er..." the mare pulled out a book which Cheerilee recognized as a copy of her own thesis, and flipped it open to an obviously dog eared page. "I be Cheerilee's... mother!" she said slowly as she found the word she was looking for.
Cheerilee gaped at her mother for a moment before putting a hand to her forehead tiredly. "I am," Cheerilee corrected in English. "I AM Cheerilee's mother," she repeated, then switched to Equestrian. "That's how you should say it."
Cheerilee's mother blinked, then smiled. "Oh my! You speak Equestrian very well!"
Cheerilee chuckled. "I'd hope so, mom. I've only been speaking it all my life."
The dark blue mare blinked. "Um... am I missing something here?"
Cheerilee sighed. "Well, to start with, I'm not Johnathon. I'm your daughter."
Cheerilee's mother blinked. "Are you sure you're saying that correctly? It sounds like you're saying you're my daughter, but my daughter is a pony, and you're a human," she looked confused. "You ARE a human, right?"
Cheerilee nodded with a sigh. "At the moment, yes. It's kind of a long story, but... I'm really Cheerilee. A friend of mine... transformed me into a human at my request..." she grimaced. "Well... it was a bit more complicated than that...."
"Hey, hun... what's up?" Johnathon said as he came into the hall, wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and yawning slightly. "Who's this?"
Cheerilee turned to him, then gestured at the dark blue mare in the doorway. "This is my mother, Radiant Song," she explained, then gestured to Johnathon, turning back to her mother. "And this is Johnathon Dwire."
Radiant Song stared at Johnathon with a look of surprise, which changed to recognition, then understanding, before going back to confusion again. "I was wondering why...." she shook her head, turning to Cheerilee. "You're shorter than your description of Mister Dwire, and... er..." she nodded at Cheerilee's chest. "Shaped a bit different... so I was a bit confused a first...." her eyes widened as she stared at her daughter. "Cheerilee! What have you done to yourself!"
Cheerilee winced. "I can explain...."
Radiant Song raised an eyebrow. "Can you really?"
Cheerilee sighed. "I've been meaning to tell you... but I couldn't figure out how to break the news."
"The news that my daughter has turned herself into a... a human?" Radiant Song said indignantly, glancing at Johnathon and giving him a nod. "No offense."
"None taken," Johnathon replied mildly.
"What in Equestria were you thinking?" Radiant Song said with a groan, marching into the house and walking a circle around her daughter. "I thought you were over your obsession with... strangeness!"
"Mom!" Cheerilee said with a groan. "I was a filly... it was a jazz band! The two things have nothing in common!"
Radiant Song rolled her eyes and turned to Johnathon. "You should have seen her... dancing around like a fool with those weird ponies. She followed this one band for months... went from city to city. She refused to miss a single concert!"
"I was just a filly," Cheerilee said. "I grew up."
Radiant Song frowned, and pushed up the bottom of Cheerilee's borrowed shirt with a hoof till she could see her hip. "Oh! Your cutie mark's gone too? What about being a teacher? You loved being a teacher!"
Cheerilee blushed, glancing at Johnathon and pushing her shirt back down, stepping away from her mother. "Mom... I still AM a teacher! I haven't lost my special talent, OK? It's just... the outside that's changed."
Radiant Song frowned, then sat back on her hind legs, tilting her head to one side as she looked at her transformed daughter. "I was afraid something like this would happen."
Cheerilee blinked. "You were afraid I'd turn myself into a human?"
Radiant Song shrugged, then frowned. "Well, I had no idea that was even possible... I assume it has something to do with that unicorn? The Princess's protege, Twilight Sparkle?"
Cheerilee nodded. "She's... well, she's an amazing magician. She's probably the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria."
Radiant Song nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure you're right, from everything you've mentioned about her in your letters... but really, Cheerilee... transforming yourself for some... alien?" she turned to Johnathon and nodded apologetically again. "No offense."
"None taken."
Radiant Song sighed again. "I knew it. I told your father you were falling in love... a mother can tell you know!"
Cheerilee blushed. "Was it really that obvious?"
Radiant Song raised an eyebrow. "I'm your mother, dear. Besides, every letter you sent... you'd go on and on about him! You've never shown this kind of interest in any pony before... I was wondering if you'd ever find a special somepony," she glanced at Johnathon. "I just never imagined it wouldn't be a pony at all!" she grimaced slightly, then nodded apologetically again. "No offense."
Johnathon sighed. "None taken."
Radiant Song turned back to her daughter. "So... is this transformation permanent?"
Cheerilee hesitated. "Unless it's reversed...." she admitted. "But I'm not going to have Twilight reverse it. I love him, and I want to be with him."
Radiant Song took a long deep breath. "Of course you're not," she put a hoof to her forehead and sighed dramatically. "There go my dreams of ever having grandfoals."
Cheerilee blushed. "Mom... we could still... well, we do want to have foals... children, I mean."
Radiant Song looked doubtfully at her. "I don't know. It won't be the same. I mean... if they're yours, I'll love them, of course, but... won't it be a bit nervous, raising little carnivores?"
"Humans are omnivores, mom! I explained that, didn't I? They can eat all sorts of things! Johnathon's been eating an almost entirely pony diet since he's gotten here."
Johnathon shrugged. "Well, mostly. I don't eat a whole lot of hay."
Radiant Song turned to him. "I'm sorry, Mister Dwire... I'm being terribly rude. My daughter has told me all about you, and you do seem like a very decent human."
He grinned at her. "I appreciate that."
Radiant Song shrugged. "And I did have a feeling that you two might be getting close... but this?" she gestured to Cheerilee vaguely. "This is quite a shock!"
Johnathon nodded sympathetically. "You're handling it very well. I'd probably have fainted or something."
Radiant Song glanced at her daughter, shuddered slightly, then nodded. "Believe me, I'm tempted. This is all so... surreal. I'm halfway convinced this is all a dream."
Cheerilee chuckled weakly. "I know what you mean," she agreed. "I'm still getting used to it."
Radiant Song sighed. "It's real though... my daughter is a... human," she turned to Cheerilee. "You're serious about this, I suppose? He's the one you want?"
Cheerilee nodded. "Yes mother. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about..." she gestured to herself. "About this... but I wasn't quite sure how to explain, and things have been so crazy...."
Radiant Song sighed. "I can imagine. From your letters, Ponyville has been rather... exciting ever since...."
Cheerilee grimaced. "Mom, Twilight is a good pony. It's not her fault that a lot of weird stuff has happened since she arrived."
Radiant Song looked dubious. "I don't know, dear. From what I've heard, she's a bit of a trouble magnet. Nightmare Moon, Discord... an Ursa Major... a dragon... parasprites? All in the last two years?"
Cheerilee frowned. "It was an Ursa Minor... and anyway, Twilight and her friends saved us from all of those!"
Radiant Song frowned. "It's all a bit too convenient if you ask me. I've even heard rumors that she's planning on replacing Princess Celestia!"
Cheerilee blinked. "Well... that's... she's just going to give the Princess a week off!"
"That's what she wants us to think," Radiant Song said with a conspiratorial whisper. "Once she gets her hooves on the power, what if she likes it?"
Cheerilee raised an eyebrow. "Mom, you're being silly. Twilight is one of the nicest mares I know. She hates the attention she's been getting since they announced it, and she certainly doesn't want to rule Equestria. Besides, she loves the Princess. I've seen them together, and it's obvious that they're very close. Twilight really just wants to give her mentor some time off. She may be the strongest unicorn in Equestria since Starswirl the Bearded, but she's really a sweet mare at heart."
Radiant Song wrinkled her nose, then sighed. "If you say so, dear," she gestured to her daughter. "So... do you... like being a human, then? Is it nice?"
Cheerilee smiled slightly, glancing at Johnathon, who grinned warmly back, then nodded to her mother. "It has its moments."
Radiant Song glanced from one of them to the other, her eyes widening and knowing smile splitting her face. "Ah! I see! Does that mean I'm going to be a grandmother sometime soon then?"
Cheerilee blushed bright red. "Mom! I... we...."
Radiant Song chuckled. "Oh Cheerilee, there's nothing to be ashamed about. You were planning on foals... er... human foals eventually, weren't you? I'm not going to be shocked to hear you're doing something about it."
Cheerilee hesitated. "Well... it's not like it is with ponies, mom. I mean... we can't be certain if... or when..." she trailed off.
Radiant Song smiled and shook her head. "I don't need to know the details, dear," she turned to Johnathon. "So... can I assume you intend to make an honest mare out of my daughter?"
Johnathon nodded. "I do intend to ask her to marry me, yes." he confirmed. "I'd really like your approval, though."
Radiant Song waved a hoof dismissively. "Oh, I hardly have any say, since my daughter will make up her own mind regardless of my opinion... but I don't suppose I have any real complaint in having you as a son in law."
Johnathon looked both relieved and surprised. "You don't mind that I'm a human?"
Radiant Song sighed. "I've had a feeling for some time now that Cheerilee was falling for you. I wasn't sure how it would work out... and I certainly didn't expect her to end up transforming herself, but... I thought you two might get together," she glanced at her daughter, and a small look of pain flitted over her face for a moment. "I didn't anticipate this particular outcome... but, at least you two can be together properly. I was ever so worried about ever getting some grandfoals... and alien grandfoals are better than none, I suppose."
Cheerilee winced slightly. "Mom...."
Radiant Song shook her head. "No... I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I will love your foals... your children, no matter what species they turn out, because they'll come from you, dear," she put a hoof up to her daughter's face. "This is just all still very strange to me."
Cheerilee nodded. "I can certainly understand that. Actually, the idea of having foals... or rather, human children? That's going to take some getting used to for me as well."
Radiant Song stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her hooves around her daughter's waist. "Well, whatever you decide, I'll support you. I love you. You know that, right?"
Cheerilee smiled and hugged her mother back. "I love you too, Mom."
Radiant Song sniffed, and held onto the hug. "Your father, on the other hand, is going to have a heart attack... and if he survives that, he's going to come over here and try and murder your coltfriend."
Cheerilee chuckled softly. "Yeah, probably."
***********************************
They were sitting around the kitchen table for a late supper. Johnathon had fixed a light salad, and they were eating slowly while Cheerilee and her mother caught up with each other.
"So, you're from Baltimare, Mrs. Song?" Johnathon asked politely.
"I was actually born right here in Ponyville," Radiant Song amended. "But my husband is from there. We met while I was at Baltimare University, studying music theory."
"Mom's a professor in the performing arts college there, Johnathon," Cheerilee bragged proudly.
"Honorary professor nowadays." Radiant Song told him. "I'm practically retired. I only teach a few classes a semester," she grinned at her daughter. "But you'll never guess who's just been hired to teach the advanced engineering class at Baltimare technical college?"
Cheerilee frowned. "Who? Do we know anypony who's been studying engineering?"
Radiant Song raised an eyebrow. "Who do you know who's been working with steel... and construction his whole life?"
Cheerilee blinked. "Daddy? But... he never graduated high school! He's been working construction jobs... and in a steel mill his whole life!"
Radiant Song beamed. "But he's always been a bright one, my Ironsides. He worked his way up to the head of that steel mill the hard way, and he's been working with steel his whole life. He's always been a big reader too, your father. Apparently he's the most knowledgeable stallion around when it comes to modern steelwork, and when he retired from being foreman of the mill last year, they came around from the university and offered him the job!"
Cheerilee blinked. "Wow! Dad... a teacher? I guess I must get it from both sides of the family."
Radiant Song shrugged and smiled. "I always knew he could do anything he put his mind to. He didn't want to tell you about his new job... he thought he'd be horrible, and they'd fire him in a week, but he's doing great! You should see how happy he is when he's planning lessons... he really enjoys teaching!"
Cheerilee looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I always thought those cogs on Dad's flank meant more than he was good with steel."
Radiant Song grinned, glancing at Johnathon conspiratorially. "He got his cutie mark when he took over working in the mill from his father... on his first day, he already knew so much about the business he was teaching the other colts what they needed to do! And he got his cutie mark that day. Such a late bloomer! He always thought he was meant to be a steel pony like his father... but I knew he was meant for something more.
Cheerilee smiled happily at her mother. "So... is that what he's doing now?"
Radiant Song smiled, then sighed. "He's got classes five days a week, and couldn't get the time off to come all the way to Ponyville this time of year, but I knew something big was up with my daughter, so I decided I needed to come and see you."
Cheerilee looked puzzled. "How did you know?"
"Your letters, silly," Radiant Song explained. "I could tell how sad you were... your best friend was going away... and I could tell you were in love. I thought I'd come down and help... if only to give you a shoulder to cry on. But... obviously you figured out a way," she shook her head wryly. "I should have known you wouldn't give up so easily, although I hardly expected you to go this far!"
Cheerilee blushed. "No... it wasn't like that..." she trailed off, and sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding, it's true enough that I became human in order to keep Johnathon here... or in order to follow him to his world if he didn't stay...." she shrugged helplessly. "But I wasn't really in my right mind at the time."
Radiant Song laughed. "Love makes everypony foalish, from time to time."
Cheerilee opened her mouth to explain about the love potion, then closed it. "I suppose so," she finally agreed. "But I don't regret it."
Radiant Song turned to Johnathon, her eyes narrow. "You ARE staying, aren't you? You're not taking my baby to your world?"
Johnathon nodded. "I am staying. I wouldn't take Cheerilee there. I don't think she'd like my world that much, anyway."
"It wouldn't be so bad if you were there," Cheerilee said with a fond smile.
"Equestria is nicer," Johnathon said with a shrug. "If it wasn't for my family and friends back home, I wouldn't have wanted to go back at all."
Cheerilee looked thoughtful. "Maybe Twilight can send a message through? You could let your family know you're alright?"
Johnathon shrugged. "It's a good idea. I'm not sure how feasible it is, but it's worth a shot. All I know is, I'm not going back if it means leaving you... and I'm certainly not going to take you to my world with me either. You'll be happier here, and with you here, so will I."
Cheerilee scooted her chair next to his and laid her head on his shoulder. "It can't be all that bad, if it has men like you in it."
Johnathon grinned and winked. "Humans aren't all that special. You just got lucky. I'm the best one."
Cheerilee punched him lightly in the stomach. "The most modest one too, apparently."
"You know it!" he joked. "I'm the most modest human ever!"
Radiant Song beamed at them. "Oh... I do like him, Cheerilee. He reminds me a little bit of your father," she sighed wistfully. "That colt could make me laugh... he still can, for that matter," she smiled fondly in remembrance, then turned to Johnathon, changing the subject. "So... what are your plans, Mister Dwire? I understand you're on a stipend from Princess Celestia, but do you have any plans for work?"
Johnathon shrugged. "Actually, I'm going to be going on a dig pretty soon. Princess Celestia is forming an expedition to go to the Castle of the Ancient Pony sisters in the Everfree forest, and I'm going along."
"Johnathon was the one who figured it all out." Cheerilee boasted proudly. "He discovered a legend about the last refuge of the unicorns... and he figured out where to look to find it!"
"Very impressive," Cheerilee's mother said. "So... are you going to be heading up the expedition then?"
"Princess Celestia offered him the job," Cheerilee said quickly. "But he felt that such an important dig should be managed by someone with more experience," she smiled indulgently. "I think he's being too modest about his own abilities."
"I've never led such an important expedition," Johnathon pointed out. "In fact, I was a very junior member of the last team I was on. I've only got a few years of experience in the field, to tell the truth."
Radiant Song looked surprised. "Really, at your age? My daughter mentioned that you humans have a more extensive schooling system... but I'm surprised you haven't been out of school longer."
Johnathon chuckled. "Oh no... I've been out of school for years... but I've held a whole lot of different jobs in all that time. Heck, until a few years back, I was farming. I had a minor in archeology, but I never really went into the field until after...."
Cheerilee put a hand on his arm. "Until after your wife died?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I probably would have gone on a dig years earlier... but when I met her my plans all got put on hold. My wife owned a farm, and between working on that and taking care of her, I was swamped. I couldn't take time off to go digging in ruins...." he shrugged. "Not that I'd have done anything differently if I had another chance at it. It was a good life."
Cheerilee hugged him from the side, and he put his arm around her. "But that's the past. After my wife died... and after I pulled myself together, I got into archeology seriously, but still, I was the new guy on the team, even if I was years older than most of them."
"What about now?" Radiant Song asked seriously. "Going on this expedition, you'll be away from my daughter for quite a while, won't you?"
Johnathon looked thoughtful. "The ruins are pretty close, really. Oh, it's a full day's walk... but I'll be back home on a regular basis."
Radiant Song raised an eyebrow. "A day's walk through the Everfree forest? Isn't that dangerous?"
Johnathon blinked. "Well, I know there are supposed to be all kinds of creatures living there... but we'll have a big team there, I believe, and they'll need to make supply runs pretty often. Ponyville is the closest town, so we'll come here... I don't expect I'll have to make the trip on my own," he smiled. "Besides, Twilight and her friends will be there, at least some of the time. If there is anything in that forest those girls can't handle, I'll be very surprised."
*************************************
"Smack in the middle of the Everfree," Briar Rose said sourly, shaking her head. "With an entire team of inexperienced archeology students? I don't think so."
"But Professor Rose!" One of her undergrads protested. "We're ready! This is everything we got into archeology for!"
"I'll bring you in when the site is secured," Briar Rose said calmingly. The Princess is lending us half a dozen royal guards. They can make sure we get there in one piece... but there is no way I'm trusting them with the delicate work on a dig this important. Once we get to work, I'll be bringing you in."
Professor Rose's office was packed wall to wall with paperwork, old maps, unclassified artifacts, and most recently, half a dozen undergraduate archeology students who had somehow managed to find out that their professor was leaving to lead an expedition a full twenty four hours before the official announcement was supposed to be made.
"Now, I've got a lot of work to do, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it," Briar Rose told them with a dismissive wave.
All but one of the students filed out of the room, but one, a cocky young unicorn filly with an open map for a cutie mark, lingered behind. "Are you sure you should be leading this expedition yourself, professor?" the young mare asked, looking concerned. "It's been years since you were last in the field...."
Briar Rose glanced up to the wall where an old Pith helmet hung, then back to her student. "I'll be fine, Ms. Charmer," she said with a small grin. "I've got one more adventure in me yet, I think."
************************************
Pinkie Pie held open the door to Twilght's library as Rainbow Dash squeezed a small cloud in through the open doorway. "This one should be big enough...." the cyan pegasus commented as she got it into the center of the room. Glancing around, she noticed a large sunflower sitting in a window and blinked. "Hey... when did that get there?"
Pinkie bounced over to the plant, and winked. "Looking good, mister fern!" she complemented it cheerfully.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. "Um... Pinkie, that's a sunflower."
Pinkie nodded. "It's a sunflower today, anyway!"
Rainbow Dash glanced at the party pony, then at the plant. "Er... OK?" she glanced around the room. "So... where's Twilight, anyway? She wants this cloud for her big experiment, right?"
"We're down here, girls!" Twilight's voice came up the stairs leading to the basement. "Come on down!"
Rainbow Dash shrugged and started pushing the cloud toward the stairs. "Just gimme a sec, Twilight!" she called back. "I got to take the corners slow with this cloud, or it'll break up," despite her words, the cyan pegasus maneuvered the cloud down the stairs in moments, following Pinkie closely.
Below, Twilight, Rarity, and, surprisingly, Applejack, stood waiting. "We going to get this show on the road?" Applejack asked with mild impatience. "Not that I mind helping out, but I'm not really sure why I'm here...."
Twilight hesitated. "Well, honestly, we probably won't need your help today, Applejack, but we will probably need you tomorrow, and I wanted you to understand what we're trying to do."
Applejack frowned. "Well, from what I understand, you're goin' to be a trying to turn Pinkie there into a full fledged pegasus, right?"
"To transform her... both physically and magically, yes." Twilight said with a worried look. "That's the plan."
"Why are ya still working on this anyhow?" Applejack asked with a frown. "Miss Cheerilee seems happy enough, I reckon, and she don't want changing back. And what does changing Pinkie into a pegasus have to do with that anyhow?"
Twilight hesitated. "If I want to be able to use this spell safely, I need to test all the different uses under controlled conditions. Also, if somepony else follows my work in the future, I want to be sure that there are counterspells for any results that may occur."
Applejack thought about that and nodded. "OK... and you're the best pony to figure them out, I guess. That makes sense. Don't want anypony without your talent doing something they'd regret without having a way to fix it. I guess I can wrap my head around that. But what do you need me for?"
Twilight shrugged. "For the same reason I need Rainbow Dash. I need a template to use to do a full physical and magical transformation, at least in theory, and I can't think of anypony that exemplifies what it means to be an Earth Pony more than you."
Applejack blushed slightly and grinned. "And I reckon our Dash being the fastest pegasus around might have something to do with why she's here then?"
Twilight hesitated. "Well, Dash is the most powerful pegasus I know. And you're well, frankly, a very powerful Earth Pony. Both of you have very strong inner reserves of magic. If any pony would serve as a good template, it'd be you two."
Applejack looked embarrassed. "Go on now... you'll turn my head."
Twilight chuckled. "Well, it's true. Anyway, I shouldn't need you today, as I don't plan on reversing Pinkie's transformation till tomorrow at the earliest... but I wanted to tell you what to expect ahead of time... and, frankly, to inform you of the risks involved."
Applejack looked worried. "Risks?"
Twilight looked sheepish. "Unfortunately, in any new spell, there are always risks. We don't know for certain if this will work. In theory, I should be able to use Rainbow Dash as a template to turn Pinkie Pie into a pegasus... physically and magically, but the last time I did something like this, I drained the energy needed out of Princess Celestia and turned her into a regular unicorn. Now, Pinkie's magical energy levels and Rainbow Dashes are a lot closer than Celestia's and mine. Changing into a full fledged Alicorn required enormous energy, and Celestia provided most of that. In this case, I should be able to provide the extra energy needed myself, and Rainbow should be fine."
Rainbow Dash held up a hoof. "Should be fine? Wait a second... if you're wrong, what could happen?"
Twilight hesitated. "Well... in theory, in a worse case scenario, the energy needed to turn Pinkie into a pegasus would be taken from you... and you'd lose your magic."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Lose my... you mean I wouldn't be able to fly?"
"Or walk on clouds, or control the weather...." Twilight confirmed. "But that shouldn't happen. The theoretical models hold up. You shouldn't be affected."
Rainbow Dash looked worried. "Are you sure? I mean, not that I want to leave you hanging or anything, but not being able to fly would be totally uncool."
Twilight took a deep breath. "I'm quite sure that even if the worst case scenario happens, I'd be able to restore your magic in a day or two at the worst. But I don't think it'll even go that far," she smiled. "That said, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. Pinkie's volunteered herself, but that doesn't mean you need to."
Rainbow frowned, then shook her head. "Nah... I trust you, Twilight. You wouldn't let anything bad happen to me."
Twilight grimaced. "Well... if I do... I'll fix it."
Rainbow winced, then shrugged again. "Eh, if the worst thing that happens is a couple days being grounded, I'll deal. You're lucky there's a new Daring Do novel that just came out though. I've been waiting for some free time to read it."
Twilight smiled at her. "I just finished it last night, myself. You can borrow it after we finish up here."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Cool!"
Twilight turned to Applejack. "Anyway... in order to change Pinkie back into an Earth Pony afterwards, I'll need an Earth Pony to be the template... which is where you'll come in, if you're willing."
Applejack grinned and shrugged. "If you don't make Rainbow Dash explode or nothin' I reckon I'd be willing. Heck, I got the easy part, seeing as you'll already have tried the darn spell once before my turn."
Twilight smiled. "Thanks Applejack. I knew I could count on you."
Pinkie hopped up and down. "So... let's do this! I wanna try flying!"
Twilight hesitated. "Pinkie, we're supposed to be keeping this a secret, remember? If you go outside and start zooming around the sky, everypony will know that I can turn earth ponies into pegasi!"
Pinkie's shoulders slumped. "Oh... right."
Twilight sighed. "Pinkie... you can back out anytime... I wouldn't ask you to try this if you aren't certain."
Pinkie took a deep breath, then shook her head. "Nope! I'm the least backingoutist pony you'll ever meet! I'm ready and willing! Willing and able! Able and ready! Let's fire up Rainbow Dash and give me some wings!"
Rainbow Dash grimaced. "You're not actually going to set me on fire or anything, right?"
Twilight shook her head. "Of course not. That only happened the one time!" she nodded to the center of the room. "OK, if you two would go to the center of the room and face each other... about fifteen hooves apart, we'll get started."
Rainbow Dash walked hesitantly into place. "You only caught somepony on fire once, you say?"
Pinkie jumped into position, and stood their quivering in anticipation. "Test Pony Pinkie ready for beaming!"
Twilight was quick to reassure Dash. "Oh no... I never set a pony on fire. It was a fern!" she squared her stance, lowering her horn to point at the pegasus. "Just stay very still...."
Rainbow Dash tensed up, her wings flaring out sightly, then froze, her eyes going tightly shut. "Right...."
Twilight glanced at Pinkie, who was standing as still as the hyper pony could manage, and nodded. "Right then... let's begin." her horn started to glow, brighter and brighter, and she shot a beam of energy into Rainbow Dash. A moment later, she fired a stronger beam at Pinkie, and a third beam of amber colored magical energy formed between the pegasus and the earth pony a moment later, linking the three in a magical triangle of energy.
Twilight took a slow even breath, and focused, and there was a brilliant flash of energy.
When the light faded, Rainbow Dash was still standing, her head turned away from the center of the blast. Pinkie on the other hand was laying on the floor, her new, pink wings flared out around her limply.
"Pinkie? Are you alright?" Twilight asked anxiously. "Can you hear me?"
Pinkie's head slowly came up, and she glanced back at her new appendages with wide eyes. "Wow! I've got wings!" she stared at them, and frown in concentration. Her wings flexed, and then gave a shaky flap. "Hee! They move!"
"That was sort of the idea." Twilight said dryly, turning to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow? How about you? Are you alright?"
"That was WEIRD." Rainbow Dash stated flatly. "I felt like somepony was peering straight through me... I could feel... something... your magic, I guess, all through me... but... I guess I'm alright." She flared her wings, and easily lifted off the floor, hovering in place effortlessly as ever. "Yup... everything's working fine." She did a sideways roll and landed on the small cloud. "All my pegasus magics are working, anyway," she concluded.
Twilight beamed. "Excellent!" she turned to Pinkie. "Now for the final test... Pinkie, if you're up to it, would you like to try getting up on that cloud?"
Pinkie beamed. "Would I!" she hopped to her feet, staggered, then compensated. "Whee! My balance is funny with wings!" lowering her body toward the floor, she raised her rear end, wiggling if like a cat ready to pounce. "Look out Dashie, here I come!" Pinkie launched herself into the air with a whoop, landing on the cloud with a belly flop even as Rainbow Dash rolled easily out of her path.
"Heh. Going to have to try harder than that, Pinkster," the cyan pegasus remarked with a grin. "But nice try for a beginner."
Pinkie giggled from on top of the cloud. "Whee! It's so fluffy!"
Twilight walked up to her, beaming. "It... it worked! The cloud is supporting your weight!"
Pinkie bounced up and down happily, then raised an eyebrow. "What, are you saying I'm fat?"
Twilight giggled. "From all the sweets you eat, you'd think so, but no, I was referring to the fact that you do appear to have pegasus magic!"
Pinkie beamed. "Yup!" she started flapping her wings experimentally. "Gee... I wonder if flying is as easy?"
Twilight glanced around her basement lab, and at all the equipment that was not quite crash proof, and winced. "Er... maybe you might want to try that outside?" she frowned. "Except... Pinkie, you can't... this has to stay a secret!"
Rainbow Dash looked thoughtful. "She could practice at my place, if we could get her up there without any pony seeing us?"
Twilight hesitated. "Well, I'm pretty tired... but I suppose I could manage to teleport one pony that far."
Rainbow Dash grinned. "Great! Want me to bring my house closer so you don't have to port her so far?"
Twilight shrugged. "No, that's alright, Rainbow. Ponies might want to know why you're moving your house. So long as I can see it from my window, it should be close enough," she hesitated. "If that's what you want, Pinkie? I'm sorry you can't go flying out in the open...."
Pinkie shook her head. "That's OK, Twilight, bouncing and flying and crashing into stuff at Rainbow Dash's house will be super fun! I know this is a really important secret, and I know how important it is. I'll stay out of sight."
Twilight smiled gratefully at her. "I appreciate that, Pinkie," she turned to Rainbow Dash. "And I really appreciate your help, Rainbow Dash. That was really brave."
Rainbow Dash shrugged nonchalantly. "No big," she turned to Pinkie. "Come on, I'll show you a bunch of tricks you can do... we won't be able to do anything really fast, but it'll still be fun, right?"
Pinkie grinned. "Yeah! Let's go!" she started up the stairs. "I can't wait to get started!" as she reached the door to the basement, it opened abruptly, nearly knocking her back down the stairs.
Spike winced, and quickly apologized. "Oops. Sorry Pinkie. I guess I should have knocked first, huh?"
Pinkie rubbed her nose, which had gotten hit with the edge of the door, and shook her head, frowning. "I'm OK... I'm OK..." but the frown on her face was growing.
Spike panicked. "Are you sure? Your nose isn't bleeding, is it? Oh, I'm so sorry, Pinkie, I didn't mean it!"
Pinkie looked up at him, her face going back into a comforting smile. "I'm fine, really! It only hurts a little bit," she frowned again, looking confused. "Only... my Pinkie sense didn't go off. I ALWAYS know when a door is about to open abruptly and smack somepony!"
Twilight frowned thoughtfully. "And you didn't know this time... interesting."
Pinkie looked a bit upset. "Why is it interesting?"
Twilight put up a hoof. "Sorry, Pinkie... I mean... your Pinkie sense is probably linked to your Earth Pony magic. I mean, it's obviously a magical ability, right? Even if I couldn't explain how it works, it's pretty obviously magic. When I changed your magic to make you into a Pegasus, your Pinkie sense was obviously changed at the same time!"
Pinkie nodded. "Oh, I see," she looked slightly worried. "But... you'll be able to give me my Pinkie sense back, right?"
Twilight hesitated. "I... I'm not sure. In theory... when I turn you back into an Earth pony... you should get it back, but... I don't know how your Pinkie sense works. I... I'm sorry, I'm just not sure." she hung her head. "I should have thought of that... Pinkie's magic is unique. Everypony's magic is unique! How can I be sure that I can replicate that uniqueness perfectly, even with a template?"
Applejack walked forward. "Wait just a second. Are you telling me that even if you change Pinkie back using me as a templawhatiz, she won't be the same?"
Twilight shook her head. "I... I don't know. But... it's possible that I'll replicate... YOUR magic when I change her, Applejack. You don't have a Pinkie sense... your magic is in your strength, your endurance, and... your talent with farming apples, I think."
Applejack blinked. "Are you telling me you're going to make Pinkie into an Apple?"
Twilight hesitated. "Er... maybe? An apple farmer, anyway. I don't know!"
Pinkie sniffed. "Oh. I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Could I help you out at the farm if Twilight can't turn me back into me?"
Applejack smiled softly at her. "Of course you can. We'll make you an honorary Apple."
Twilight put up a hoof. "Don't give up yet, ladies. I'm going to figure this out. There has got to be a way to be sure to give Pinkie her Pinkie Sense back! And we don't even know for sure that changing her back into an Earth Pony won't do just that!"
Pinkie smiled, and walked back down several stairs to wrap Twilight in a hug. "I believe in you, Twilight."
Twilight sniffed, looking upset. "I'm sorry, Pinkie, I should have thought this through better."
Pinkie shook her head firmly. "Don't be silly. I pushed you into this. I kept begging and begging you to change me, remember? You were going to stick to changing plants if I hadn't insisted."
Twilight shook her head. "But... still, I...."
Pinkie head butted her lightly. "Nope. No miss gloomy Twilight. I'm going to be fine, OK? My Pinkie sense doesn't make me who I am. I'm Pinkie Pie... the bestest at parties, and that isn't going to change," she glanced back at her cutie mark, breathed an inward sigh of relief to see it was still a trio of balloons, and hugged Twilight harder. "Now, let's go upstairs so you can see Rainbow's house so you can teleport me up there, and I'll have fun and goof off in a giant bouncy cloud house for the rest of the day while you do research until you fall asleep on a book! OK?"
Twilight laughed. "Deal."
*********************************
After Pinkie and Rainbow Dash had gone, Twilight sank to the floor, partially because of her exhaustion, but partially from an overwhelming feeling of guilt. "What am I doing?" she asked Rarity and Applejack rhetorically. "Ever since I opened that mad stallion's spell book I've had one magical catastrophe after another!"
"Don't exaggerate, darling," Rarity said reassuringly. "Everything will turn out in the end. You managed to change Princess Celestia back, didn't you? And what happened to Cheerilee wasn't... entirely, your fault. She's happy with the situation as it is in any case, isn't she?"
Twilight shook her head. "It's not the same this time. When I took Celestia's powers, they were still there, only transferred into me. Reversing that was... relatively simple in comparison. But... I have no idea how Pinkie sense works... or how to recreate it! I don't know any other pony who has Pinkie's... ability, so I don't have a template to work with anymore! If I want to put Pinkie's magic back the way I found it, I'd have to find another Pinkie to copy! And there aren't two Pinkie's! There can't be two Pinkie's! It's scientifically impossible! Pinkie is scientifically impossible!"
Twilight started to pace. "How am I supposed to recreate something that's already impossible in the first place?"
Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder, stopping her. "Now calm down, sugarcube... you won't be able to figure anything out if you go worrying yourself into the ground. Pinkie's alright, and she'll be alright without her Pinkie sense for a few days if you don't figure this out right away. If anyone can figure out how to do this, you can."
Twilight sighed. "I'm just afraid that nopony is going to be able to fix this. I don't have a clue to where to start. I told Pinkie that making her an Earth Pony again might fix her Pinkie sense... but... I honestly don't think that will work. I'll end up copying the magic of whatever pony I'm using as a template... I can't just... add in some Pinkie sense on the side! If I use you, I'll copy your magic."
Applejack shrugged. "That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
Twilight sighed. "Applejack, how would you feel if you lost your ability to applebuck as well as you can... and got Pinkie sense in exchange?"
Applejack thought about that. "Oh... yeah. I wouldn't like that much, I reckon."
Twilight sighed. "Pinkie's lucky I didn't somehow change her cutie mark... that's part of every pony's magic as well, you know."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you end up changing her Cutie Mark then, do you reckon?"
Twilight looked thoughtful. "Well... my cutie mark didn't change when I transformed myself into an Alicorn, either. I suppose that our cutie marks are somehow separate from the magic we have as unicorns, or pegasi, or earth ponies. It's a magic we all share, something unique that makes us ponies. The thing is, up till now, I thought Pinkie's... Pinkie sense was the same sort of thing, but obviously it's wrapped up in whatever earth pony magic that I changed in her to make her into a pegasus."
Twilight sighed. "I should have finished my research into Pinkie sense. I gave up too easily. I mean, I realized it was real... that didn't mean I needed to stop trying to figure it out!"
Applejack tried to stay positive. "Well, after you get Pinkie her Pinkie sense back, you can finish your research, right?"
Twilight frowned. "Assuming I can do so at all."
***************************************
The next morning, Rainbow Dash brought Pinkie Pie back to the library, wrapping her up inside a piece of cloud to keep anypony from spotting the pink pony's new wings, only to find Twilight, as predicted, face down in a book, sound asleep. Shrugging, Rainbow Dash grabbed the newest Daring Do novel off the shelf, and started reading aloud, while Pinkie listened, making faces and occasionally acting out scenes.
Twilight woke up half an hour later, in the middle of a particularity intense fight scene. Rainbow Dash's voice had gotten rather loud as she narrated, and Pinkie was flitting around like a demented honey bee, punching the air and making fighting sound effects.
Twilight gaped at the flying pink pony for several long moments before speaking. "Wow, Pinkie... that's amazing! I mean, I knew that the spell would give you the basic flight instincts of an adult pegasus... but seeing you fly around like that. It's incredible!"
Rainbow Dash laid the book down carefully and nodded agreeably. "Pinkie's a natural! She'd make a heck of a pegasus. Her wing power is almost as high as mine, I think! I mean, she was fast as an Earth Pony, but man... as a pegasus she's no slouch!"
Twilight looked thoughtful. "Well... that actually makes sense. Not only were you the template... and obviously your magic is greatly focused towards your flight speed... but Pinkie herself has a very high magical potential... all of our friends do, actually. It's a little strange, to tell the truth."
"Magical potential?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "You mean... how strong our magic is?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. You five were all exceptionally strong, magically, even before we used the Elements of Harmony. I'm not quite sure if it's connected... but possibly it's due to the magic of friendship, you know the way you all represent your own element of harmony so well? I think that might have something to do with your magical potentials."
Rainbow Dash looked dubious. "No offense, Twilight, but are you sure? I mean... what about Fluttershy? She's one of the weakest pegasi I know!" she threw up a hoof quickly. "Not that I care about that sort of thing, she's one of my best friends and all... but her wingpower is probably the weakest in town... and she's no good at manipulating weather."
Twilight nodded. "True, but there's a lot more to her than that. Fluttershy's ability to speak with and understand animals is a lot like Pinkie's Pinkie sense. It's hard to explain, but it's definitely there. And of course, there's the stare...."
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Oh yeah... didn't she outstare a cockatrice once?"
Twilight nodded. "That was powerful magic. She should have immediately turned to stone. No... Fluttershy's magic may be different then yours, but it's there, and it's potent."
Pinkie nodded soberly. "It's just lucky that she uses her powers for cuteness and kindness instead of evil!" she told them seriously. "She's really scary when she's evil!"
Applejack came in a moment later, interrupting the inevitable question and what would probably include an extremely confusing answer with convenient timing. "Howdy everypony, am I late?"
Twilight turned to the apple farmer, deciding once again to accept that Pinkie was just being Pinkie, and shook her head. "No, I just woke up, in fact," she frowned, and shook her head. "I'm afraid I haven't been able to figure out how to be sure of putting Pinkie's Pinkie sense back... aside from simply trying to reverse the transformation and seeing if it works. I'm still going to need an Earth Pony to use as a template, if you're willing, Applejack?"
The Earth Pony nodded firmly. "Sure enough," she looked curious. "So... you're not going to leave Pinkie as a pegasus for a few days while you work this out?"
Twilight glanced at Pinkie apologetically. "It's probably better if I don't. Secrecy is still a priority, and I don't think it'd be fair to ask Pinkie to stay hidden for another day."
Pinkie smiled. "I didn't mind. Dashie and me had a ton of fun yesterday! It was totally worth it!" she sighed slightly. "Twilight, if you can't figure out how to give me my Pinkie sense back, could you turn me into a pegasus again sometime? You know, just for fun? It's not something I'd want to do everyday... but it was a whole lot of fun."
Twilight sighed and nodded. "I'm going to keep trying to figure it out, Pinkie, but... if I can't... yes, I'll turn you into a pegasus again if you want," she hesitated. "So... are you ready to change back?"
Pinkie nodded. "Yup. I need to get back to Sugarcube Corner and help the Cakes out with their next order! I don't need Pinkie sense for that. Or wings, although it might be neat to try and bake while flying...." she crossed her eyes. "But I'd need to design a flying oven first...." she glanced around, then giggled. "Sorry... I'm ready. You can zap me any time, Twilight!"
Twilight turned to Applejack. "Are you ready?"
Applejack nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
Twilight took a deep breath. "Alright then. Go ahead and stand facing each other, about fifteen hooves apart, just like yesterday, alright?"
Applejack glanced around the library, and picked a clear spot across from Pinkie. "Right here?"
Twilight nodded. "That's fine. Now remember, stay still, alright?" she waited several moments for Pinkie to settle down, and focused on her spell once again. Again, a triangle of light formed between her, Pinkie, and Applejack, with the strongest beam going between her and Pinkie. Another brilliant flash of light and Pinkie's wings had vanished. Pinkie herself seemed to have fared better as well, remaining on her hooves this time, although she seemed slightly wobbly.
"Whoa... that's just as funky as last time," Pinkie decided, glancing to her sides, then back to her flank, which to her relief still held her customary three balloons. "Looks like I'm back to being regular old Pinkie Pie...." she said finally with a smile.
"Is your Pinkie sense back?" Twilight asked cautiously, not certain she was ready for an answer.
"I have no idea." Pinkie told her honestly. "It only works when something is going to happen."
Applejack looked thoughtful. "How about a hoof wrestle? Normally I'm a lot stronger than you, Pinkie... but if your magic is more like mine now, maybe you've picked up some muscle out of it?"
Pinkie shrugged and grinned. "Cool! Maybe I've got super strength!"
"Apple strength, anyway." Applejack agreed. "Let's test it out." She moved over to the table in the middle of the library, and put her right hoof out for Pinkie to take. "Best two out of three, OK?"
Pinkie nodded cheerfully. "OK dokie lokie!" grasping hooves with the apple farmer, she grinned. "OK, how does this work? Do we count to three?" She paused, "OK, onetwothreego!" then promptly slammed Applejack's hoof into the table.
"Hey! I wasn't ready yet!" Applejack complained, her face growing determined. "I'll count down this time. One... two... three... go!" The two pony's strained for several long moments before Applejack slowly pushed Pinkie's hoof down, touching it to the table with a great deal of effort after several long moments. Applejack let Pinkie's hoof go and rotated her own foreleg, wincing slightly. "She's got the Apple family muscles now, Twilight, sure as shoot'n."
Pinkie grinned. "One more time?" Applejack grimly nodded and they started again, both pony's straining hard for surpremacy. After what was probably a full minute, Applejack again proved the victor.
"Whoo whee, Sugarcube!" the farmer declared, looking impressed. "You might be even stronger than Rainbow Dash now!"
"Hey!" the cyan mare protested, looking indignant.
Pinkie grinned and made a muscle with her foreleg. "Whee! I have super strength!" she turned to Twilight. "On second thought... can you turn me into Fluttershy next? I want to try out the Stare!"
Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her forehead. Somehow she was certain this was NOT going to end well.