Jack knew everything would be fine. Jack knew there wouldn’t really be a problem.
Jack knew he was already in a half panic.
Half of him stopped listening as soon as they realized that Nightmare Moon was returning. He started hyperventilating, rapidly losing oxygen and energy. In a last ditch attempt to stay conscious, he erupted in a green flame. Where there once was a blue unicorn there was now a black bug-like creature.
A changeling.
The origin of Name Three revealed, Jack started panicking as well. That was all it took for him to fall unconscious.
This was never in the show, Jack had never seen anything like this before. Name Three’s memories filled his mind. He learned, or rather remembered, everything about changelings. Most prominently the fact that he didn’t want to be one.
He was rogue, a freeling, separate from any hive and forced to live on his own.
He also learned what his third name was. Canthus, the corners of the eye. When did he learn that? When he was a grub, right? No, he was never into biology, especially as a toddler.
What he didn’t get, though, was where this creature was in the TV show. He just finished the first season, on recommendation by his friend, but he'd never seen anything like this. He didn’t have much time to reflect, though, as a loud sound from outside roused him from his thoughts.
The sound was that of the loud screeching of metal on metal from some precariously placed equipment in another room, though Jack would never know exactly what made it, but that is not what is important.
With Jack’s multiple memory sets, he was more confused than just Canthus himself would have been. This caused him to slightly flitter his wings in an instinctual response to his stress. Thus, just like the metaphorical butterfly, he changed the future forever. Except, instead of causing a storm, he prevented one.
The breeze left through his window to the house next door where a single piece of paper was blown off the table and under a cabinet, lost forever. A piece of paper that bore the weather schedule of a section of Ponyville. A section near a bridge planned to have a bunch of rainclouds placed within to water the greenery nearby before being cleared. A bunch of rainclouds that a certain rainbow maned pegasus was going to use the very next day to wash the mud off of a very annoyed unicorn.
And that would change everything.
Jack, of course, didn’t know this. He changed back to his pony form so he could finish the day of work and think about everything that has happened so far. He didn’t get any headway, though, and went to sleep that night unsatisfied.
He didn’t sleep well at all. He woke up the next day groggy and tired. Yawning, Jack got up and nearly opened up shop when he remembered that he was closed today in preparation for the celebration. Releasing the sign he was about to flip with his magic, he instead took hold of the doorknob and opened the door.
Only to dive back in to avoid the splash of mud.
“Uh, ‘scuse me?” Laughed Rainbow Dash.
Twilight just growled angrily at her.
“Let me help you”, stated the pegasus after laughing once again, searching for a nearby cloud.
Jack started walking past them, knowing what was going on was normal.
“Darn, none of these clouds are rainclouds”
Jack stopped dead in his tracks.
Twilight groaned, “As much as I would love to stay and chat, I have to find a place to wash up”
Panic set in, he knew they had to talk. If they didn't, who knows if Rainbow would support Twilight in the future. He had to do something.
He cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Oh, hey,” said Rainbow, turning around, “Didn't notice you there Blue”
It made sense that she knew him, Ponyville was a small town after all.
“Hi Rainbow. You can use my hose if that's fine with Twilight”
“I'd rather no-” She said, then paused, “How do you know my name?”
His heart rate increased, “Uh, well, I heard about you from, er, I knew you were the Princess’s student. I, uh, visited Canterlot once and I saw you there. You don't know me and you were reading, so I didn’t bother to, er, bother you”
“Okay…” She, surprisingly, seemed to at least somewhat accept that. Probably was skeptical, though.
Rainbow took her response as a sign of consent and blasted her with water, nearly knocking Twilight over.
Rainbow giggled, "Oops, I guess I overdid it. Um, uh, how about this? My very own patented Rain-Blow Dry!" She then proceeded to fly in circles around Twilight, creating a cyclone of rainbow and blue. "No no. Don't thank me. You're quite welcome," She said as she finished her dry job.
When the dust settled, the Twilight that emerged was wearing the second poofiest mane any of them had seen. Rainbow Immediately burst out laughing and spike soon followed. Blue Screen didn't think it was that funny, but a part of him still let out a giggle.
"Let me guess. You're Rainbow Dash," said Twilight.
Good, things were back on track. Jack quickly snuck his way back inside before things derailed again to wait until they were gone. Canthus could do his errands later.
He was tinkering with a new toy he was making, a little dog that did a back flip when given downwards pressure and released, when he heard the mares outside say their goodbyes. Hopefully the day would get back on track. When he opened the door, however, there hovered Rainbow dash, hoof poised to knock.
“I don’t believe you,” She lowered her hoof.
“Huh?” He said in response.
“I guess that unicorn, I think you called her Twilight, doesn’t have good social skills because even I could see through that lie,” said Rainbow, “I’m going to trust you. I’ve seen you around enough to know you’re not a bad pony; but, if you’re hiding something big, I hope it’s nothing bad,” and she left without another word.
He shut the door, put today's purchases away, and went to get ready for Pinkie Pie’s party. He hadn’t gotten the invitation quite yet, but he knew it was coming.
Sure enough there was a knock on his door and opening it revealed a pink blur leaving behind a pink envelope, the blur briefly stopping at each door to do the same for his neighbors. Jack opened the letter for a quick skim.
“... Party ... new pony ... library ... Yup, I was right”
He put the letter on a nearby table and quickly left the building.
The walk through town was usually pretty uneventful, so he spent the time reflecting. He noticed that he hadn’t noticed the multiple memory sets as much as before. The knowledge had already begun to bleed together wherever possible; and he didn’t have to switch mindsets to go from thinking about what he knew from one set to another. How easily he was navigating town came to mind.
He was slightly worried about this. Would one take over the other? Would they become an unrecognizable mess? Would he be able to handle all of this? What if he couldn’t go back home?
His gut clenched as that last thought struck him. He might not see his human friends and family again. A feeling of despair started welling up inside him and he knew he was going to start crying.
Suddenly he was grabbed and forcefully pulled into the dark, the character just in front of him shushing him extensively. He nearly delved even deeper into panic before his eyes adjusted and he saw the mass of ponies and books surrounding him and he calmed back down.
“She’s almost here!” Whispered the dark pink shape next to him. Sure enough, he heard the sound of hooves just outside the door.
The door opened and then slammed back closed.
“Huh. Rude much?” Asked one voice.
“Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?” Exclaimed another, reaching for the switch.
“SURPRISE”
“Surprise!” Yelled Pinkie, blowing a whistle.
“Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?”
“Very surprised,” replied Twilight, “Libraries are supposed to be quiet”
“Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, bo-ring! Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all GAAAUUUUUHHH, remember? Y'see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!”
Twilight groaned and walked to the snack table. She grabbed a cup and started pouring what she must have thought was a bottled drink into it.
“And if you're new,” Said Pinkie, “that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, then I had an idea, and that's why I went GAAAUUUUUHHH! I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See? And now you have lots and lots of friends!”
Twilight’s face had distorted from the heat of the hot sauce she had just drunk.
“Are you alright, sugar cube?” Asked Applejack.
Tears started flowing down Twilight’s face.
“Aww,” Said Pinkie, “she's so happy she's crying!”
Twilight ran upstairs, leaving a purple blur behind.
"’Hot sauce’. Ooh…” Spike said, examining the bottle.
Pinkie grabbed the sauce from his claws and poured a good cup of it on a cupcake that she then ate.
“What?” Pinkie asked, mouth full, “It's good!” She swallowed the cupcake, “Too bad the guest of honor left, parties without the guest of honor are like cupcakes without hot sauce. They’re still super good, but they are missing that super duper special something”
The rest of the night after that was a blur of faces and food, the amount of emotion just pouring from the ponies around him caused a feeling that would usually mean an extremely nasty hangover the next morning. He never had to eat for at least a couple days after a Pinkie party. When he regained normal thought process he only remembered a particularly eventful game of pin the tail on the pony that ended up with his horn stuck in the ceiling, Pinkie being launched out the window, and spike getting a surprisingly fashionable lampshade as a hat.
Eventually it was time to head to town hall for the ceremony. A feeling of dread washed over Canthus, but he knew it would turn out fine in the end. He ended up in a spot near Pinkie and waited for the show to start.