//------------------------------// // The Familiar Face // Story: The Snippet Series Season 1 Finale // by Casketbase77 //------------------------------// As she claimed a spot in line at the snack shack, it took all of Rainbow’s self-discipline to not dance around giddily. Dancing would have brought attention, and lack of attention was the source of her revelry. She rocked on her heels, wondering whether it was fitting or ironic that a clone of the most famous attention hog in Equestria felt most at ease being just another face in the crowd. Rainbow had taken a huge scary risk all those weeks ago by showing up at her Source’s birthday celebration unannounced. Okay, not entirely unannounced; she’d written ahead to Spike and coordinated an admittedly dorky entrance right when it was time to present gifts. The hours after appearing to ponies she knew quite well but had never met were a delirious blur for Rainbow, but several key moments still stuck in her memory. Getting hugged by her Source was one. Being served a piece of cake like all the other natural born ponies, that was another. And of course there was getting pulled aside and politely interrogated by Twilight when the get-together was winding down. Princess Twilight, Rainbow reminded herself.  She’d gone in hoping her Source’s memories were enough to let her connect with everyone, but it was quite apparent Rainbow had missed out on a lot during the two years she spent holed up in Rockville. Most significant was that eggheaded little Twilight scored wings and a Princess title from somewhere. That had impressed Rainbow even more than learning her Source had finally achieved that dream of becoming a Wonderbolt. Between getting filled in on what she’d missed and answering some stray Turing Test questions, Rainbow snuck in a joke about how maybe her own wings had ended up on Twilight’s withers instead. It was good to see that they’d gone to somepony who deserved them. Twilight had frowned instead of laughed at the quip, which still made Rainbow feel like a jerk whenever she thought about it. The Princess immediately excused herself from their talk, but after a long lonely train ride back home Rainbow found something waiting in her mailbox: a lifetime pass to any and every Wonderbolt show.  Today was the first time Rainbow’d plucked up the courage to use her pass, but to her delight the experience had so far been almost the same as the party. Rainbow really was just another pony on the street out here, and that pumped her mood so much that she felt she might burst. She really needed to get out more often. “Move up,” huffed a colt behind her. Rainbow snapped back to the present and closed the gap between herself and the pony in line in front. “Sorry,” she said over her shoulder. The colt had on a Fleetfoot shirt, as well as a stylized cap that evoked that Wonderbolt’s platinum blond coiff. He was a young superfan for sure, and he was eyeing Rainbow up and down, openly impressed. “Your Rainbow Dash cosplay is really good,” the Fleetfan finally complimented. “How’d you get those mane and tail colors right? Changeling magic?” Rainbow bit back a gaggle of giggles. “Nah, this is my real hair. Looks good though, right? I style it myself.” Elated to be conversing with another actual pony, Rainbow gave her tail a few flourishing swishes. “You’re a natural five-tone?” The Fleetfan inquired. “I wouldn’t exactly call myself ‘natural,’ but I’ve definitely looked like this all my life.” Rainbow rolled her shoulders and laid a hoof on her soft belly. “Truth be told,” she admitted, “I actually met Dash once, and the first thing I noticed was that I’m pretty pudgy compared to her. I need to stop snacking so much and start working out like she does.” “Well I hope you’re not planning on cutting the snacks just yet, because it’s your turn at the counter.” Embarrassed but still smiling, Rainbow dashed the short distance that had opened between herself and the concession stand. “Lemme get some popcorn,” she requested with her nose peeking over the counter. “However much two-and-a-quarter Bits’ll buy. Gotta have munchies to get me through the show’s second half, am I right?” The worker drummed his hooves and for a moment Rainbow wondered whether she’d said something wrong. Then he produced a slightly beat up bag tied at the top. “Officially, we’re out of popcorn,” the worker confessed. “But I saw you in line from a mile away and saved you a serving. I know it’s your favorite, and you did say you’ll need it to get through the show’s second half…” “I what now?” Rainbow could feel her ears growing hot. “N-no! I’m sorry mister, but you got it all wrong. I mean… you guessed my order right, but that was just luck since I’m not the real Rainb… I mean, ‘‘real’ isn’t the nicest word. Scratch that. Original? Actual?” The worker was staring at her, obviously confused. “Look at my back!” she whipped around to display her bare shoulders. “See? I don’t have wings, which means even though I look and act and talk and I guess eat like her, I’m not! Instead I’m… I’m…” The Fleetfan and several others in line were regarding Rainbow. None knew why she was suddenly shouting at some underpaid clerk, but the attention burned into Rainbow painfully.  Everypony seemed to be waiting for this Dash doppelgänger to finish identifying herself. But she had no self. The popcorn bag behind her was proof of that, wasn’t it? Without another world, Rainbow snatched her shameful snack and fled, leaving the Bits still sitting on the counter. Getting her change back didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting away from the stares. Fat, flightless, predictable ripoff of Rainbow Dash. That was the “self” Rainbow had. The clone wanted nothing more than to keep trudging with her head down til she was back in her apartment with her paints and canvases and sleeping hammock, all alone where no one was around to compare her to the pony from whom she’d been xeroxed. Some rational part of Rainbow’s brain knew what just happened to her wasn’t that big a deal, but she didn’t have the brain of a rational pony. She had the brain of Rainbow Dash and there wasn’t anything she could do to get away from it. Rainbow stole a glance back at the concession stand. The Fleetfan was buying a carrot dog. No one was even looking in her direction. Exhaling heavily, Rainbow stopped galloping. She still felt sick, sad, and embarrassed, but at least nopony cared enough to pursue her with questions. That made her feel better. Not good, but better.  Turning away again, she shakily tried to ascertain where the bathroom was. Halftime was far from over, but maybe she could camp out in a stall while waiting. Anything to be away from prying eyes for a little while. She knew Princess Twilight would disapprove, but at this point Rainbow felt like cutting her losses. Less than a minute ago she had been drunk on optimism, chatting with that nice Fleetfan and flirting with the hope she might somehow make a friend before the show was over. But realistically, when given the choice between gawking at the real Rainbow Dash or befriending the sadsack simile, only a literally insane pony would spare their time to talk to the knockoff. “Whaddya mean you’re out of popcorn?!” The shout had come from a green pegasus who looked like she’d cut to the front of the concession stand line. She had a blonde fauxhawk on her head and two front hooves planted domineeringly on the counter. Rainbow couldn’t hear anything else being said, but she did see the cowering clerk point in her direction. Blondie’s attention snapped to Rainbow with an intense anger noticeable even from this distance, but all of blondie’s bluster seemed to evaporate as soon as she saw who she was looking at. With her head hung lower than even Rainbow’s had been, the pegasus shied off in the opposite direction towards the stands. Unlike Rainbow though, she actually did have other customers staring after her. Rainbow had no idea what just happened. Maybe her Source knew blondie’s real name, but Rainbow sure didn’t. Nor did Rainbow understand the significance of popcorn in this whole confusing equation. She did however, know how to recognize a pony who was having a rough day. The unopened popcorn bag was still in Rainbow’s teeth. It hadn't even dampened with saliva, since Rainbow’s mouth was still dry from her experience at the stand. Laying a hoof back on her belly again, Rainbow knew junk food was the last thing she needed right now. Actually, scratch that; the last thing she needed right now was to keep running and hiding all the time. She’d been doing so well so far. Surely she could muster up the courage to go offer her food to the angry green pegasus, right? It’s what Spike would encourage her to do. It’s what Princess Twilight would encourage her to do. And most importantly, it’s what Dash wouldn't do. “Hey! Hey you! Lean and green!” Rainbow’s diction wasn’t that great, since she was out-of-shape and rushing forward with a mouth full of burlap, but blondie had flinched and halted at the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice addressing her. Rainbow made it to blondie’s side before dropping the peace offering in a huff. “Pop...corn…” the clone managed between undignified heaves. “For… you.” The eyes of the Pegasus bore into the Earth Pony’s. Then they wandered to the latter’s wingless withers. “What in Tartarus..?”  Blondie’s voice was quiet and cautious, but that was it. She hadn’t even glanced at the bag because her attention was completely on Rainbow. It wasn’t fearful wariness, nor leery interest, nor even in outright concern. The green Pegasus seemed to actually not be able to parse the pony she was seeing, so her expression and tone were completely blank. And Rainbow knew a thing or two about working with a blank canvas. “I’m not Dash,” the clone declared with more conviction than she would have ever believed she had. She tried to think of an explanation for herself, but came up with nothing. Those three words were Rainbow’s entire truth, and she’d said them to somepony at last, unprompted and unafraid.  Blondie blinked a few times, seeming to digest what she just heard. “Not Dash, ya say? What a coincidence. I’m not Dash either.” It was Rainbow’s turn to stare blankly. “That was a joke. I was trying to joke there.” “Oh.” Both of them uneasy, Rainbow and her new companion tried to avoid one another’s eyes. Consequently, they both ended up staring at the popcorn bag between them and it was the Pegasus who extended a wing and claimed it. “You um… wanna come be Not Dash together while we share this?” Rainbow wiped her eyes, nodded mutely, then wiped her eyes one more time. “Buck yeah. I was just on my way to meet a ghost. If we’re feeling generous, we can offer her some of these kernels and watch whether they fall right through her or not.” Rainbow had no idea what she was supposed to say to that, but even if she did know, her mouth was too busy making its giant goofy grin again. Plus, the Pegasus pivoted on her pasterns and set off at such a brisk pace Rainbow had to hustle to stay in lockstep. “Name’s Lightning Dust,” blondie finally said. “Rainbow. Nothing more than that.” “Nothing at all?” “Well… nothing I’ve decided on yet.” Lightning Dust harrumphed, more to herself than anyone else. “Guess we’re both works in progress then.” With no popcorn to chew on, Rainbow chewed on her new friend's words instead. “There’s no shame in being a work in progress, right?” For the first time since Rainbow met her, Lightning Dust smiled. “Nope. No shame at all.”