//------------------------------// // I Showed him Off // Story: Graphs // by Mozzarella //------------------------------// "The awesome is not in the sky. The awesome is in the dash." Graphs *** “Twilight! What’s going on?!” Rainbow Dash stood over her look-alike’s unconscious body, Spike was placing a wet cloth on Blitz’s head, and Twilight was nose-deep in her textbook. “Hold on! I’ve got to find the spell she used.” Twilight shouted back. “Spike, check his vitals.” The dragon grimaced, wishing he had paid more attention to Twilight’s first-aid lessons. “Uh, he’s breathing. That’s good, right?” He looked at her hopefully, but she was still flipping through the book. “And his heart rate?” “Uh,” Spike began to panic. Was ‘medic’ in the job description of ‘Number One Assistant’? He fumbled with his hands to try and find where a pony’s heart rate was. Something thumped in the Pegasus’s jaw. “Uh, it’s going like ba dum, ba dum, ba dum.” He poorly mimicked the sound of a beating heart, emphasizing each beat with a wave of his claws. The unicorn sighed. Spike, you are SO reading a medical book when this is over. “Alright, I guess that sounds ok.” Rainbow Dash was suddenly upon her (Ponies seem to like getting up in Twilight’s grill, yo). “Ok!? He’s passed out on the floor and you say it sounds ok?!” Her voice cracked a bit higher than usual. She wore a look of concern one rarely saw on that particular Pegasus. “Settle down, Rainbow! Here, let me take a look.” She picked up spike and pushed him aside. I should have done this in the first place. The unicorn knelt down and placed her horn near Blitz’s muzzle. A purple glow covered her horn and then Blitz. She clenched her teeth as she struggled to maintain the spell. "I'm not really-ngh- all that familiar with this one." Meanwhile, Spike and Rainbow Dash gave Twilight some space. Spike turned to Dash to speak, but found her to be covered in the same aura as Blitz. “Woah. Twilight? How are you doing that to both of them?” Three ponies were in the room. One was unconscious, so he couldn’t talk. One was performing an advanced medical examination spell, so she wasn’t about to answer Spike. The one that was actually the subject of Spike’s inquiry also did not endeavor to acknowledge the dragon. Despite having glow surrounding her for no apparent reason, Rainbow Dash had her mind on other things. Why am I so worried about him? I just met him. Blitz stirred with a pained expression on his face, but quickly relaxed. The spell faded and Twilight soon followed Blitz as she fell to the floor from exhaustion. Dash quickly got up to help her friend. “Is he alright?” Twilight took a moment to catch her breath. “Yeah, I think he’s just sleeping now. And he's probably not a changeling. We should let him rest for a bit.” Dash released a breath forgot she was holding and stared down at her clone. “I’m going to go look into that duplication spell a bit more. Spike, why don’t you get lunch started?” They went about their business, leaving Dash and Blitz alone. He lied peacefully on the floor, except for the occasional movement in his eyes. What’s going on in there… she thought. …and why do I care? … “And just what are the elements of harmony? And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?” Words came out of Blitz’s mouth without his consent. What’s going on? He felt a tug on his tale, and Applejack stepped in front of his vision to take over the questioning. How do I know her name? And there’s Rarity. That one is Pinkie, and Fluttershy. He was now in a dark forest with the rest of the ponies. We have to save Celestia! Nightmare Moon! Shadowbolts! Loyalty! An unexpected wall of water filled his nostrils and choked him back into consciousness. He shook his head and opened his eyes. Rainbow Dash and Spike stood over him with a bucket. Spike turned to Twilight behind him. “He’s awake.” “Good,” she replied. “We can cross clone coma off the list. That one didn’t really make any sense anyway.” “Twilight! We need to go now! Celestia is in trouble. Where are the elements!?” Blitz jumped into the air and circled the room at just under Mach 1. A strong wind filled the library. He did about 30 laps before being tackled by his fellow rainbow Pegasus. They tumbled to the ground and came to a stop with Dash on top. “Calm down, Blitz! We’re all here. Celestia is fine.” “But, I just saw it! Eternal night! The manticore! The-“ He ran through the memory in his head. Lo and behold, it all did turn out fine. “Oh…huh.” He let out a relieved sigh. Twilight walked over. “That sounds a lot like the night Nightmare moon came.” Dash smiled down at him. “Hey, I thought you couldn’t remember anything.” He began to rub his eyes. “Can I never do that again? My head hurts.” “So… do you know all about that night now?” He groaned. “I can’t think right now. Visions hurt.” He opened his eyes and was met with two magenta orbs that rendered him incapable of thought. The pain melted away. Wow… (Talk about easy on the eyes. Am I right? Huh? Huh? Anypony? Is this thing on?) They stayed like that a while before Spike coughed and they noticed their compromising position. They quickly scrambled off of each other and stood awkwardly in front of the dragon. Twilight was back to one of her books, ignoring the Pegasi. “Well, it seems like you just flashed back to one of Rainbow Dash’s memories when you saw me the same way she did that night. What else do you remember?” Blitz willed the blood away from his cheeks. He received a splitting headache upon attempting to use his brain. “I know how this one night went, with some Nightmare whatever. And I remember some other ponies’ names. Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack…” “Good. You might be able to access more of Rainbow Dash’s memories that way. That should save you time getting to know everypony.” “Wait, how am I remembering stuff I didn’t do?” “Well, theoretically, you have the same brain as Rainbow Dash and, therefore, the same information stored in it. I guess you just aren’t all that familiar with all of it.” (It’s magic, this is a fanfiction, and I am no neurologist.) “Amazing,” he deadpanned, suddenly less interested than he thought he was. “How long was I out?” “About an hour and a half,” she replied, closing the book. “and now that you’re up, we can discuss your uh situation over lunch.” Blitz looked around the room to find a table set up with sandwiches and a bowl of salad. They got lunch ready while I was passed out on the floor? He thought, almost upset. Did they even care? However, any indignation he felt quickly vanished upon hearing his stomach. I haven’t eaten since… ever? He walked over to the table and took a seat next to Spike across from the mares. Everypony ate in silence for a few moments. Blitz was about to inhale his third sandwich when Twilight spoke up. “So, it seems like you,” she motioned at Blitz, “are the product of Rarity’s duplication spell. It must have hit Dash here when she crashed through the window.” Dash glanced at her clone. “So, why is he, you know, a colt?” All eyes fell on Twilight. “Well, the spell should create a very close replica of the object- or in this case, pony- it’s used on. I can only assume Rarity just didn’t cast it well. It is a complicated spell, after all. I doubt I would even be able to cast it perfectly.” “Hear that, Blitz? You’re lucky to be alive!” Dash laughed with her defense-mechanism cockiness. Blitz choked on a sandwich. “B-but I’m healthy, right? I won’t, like, blow up or anything. Right?” Twilight brought her hoof to her chin in thought. Actual thought. Rainbow Dash’s laughing turned a bit more nervous. “Right!?” “I wouldn’t worry too much. Rarity is a talented unicorn-“ “She sure is,” Spike interrupted. “-and I would have noticed if you were missing a few chromosomes.” The two Pegasi looked at her, expecting an explanation. She pouted. “You could look it up. We are in a library.” Rainbow Dash felt a lecture coming on and didn’t feel that her clone’s first day should be spent learning. “A-actually, Twilight, we have to go take care of the weather. Yup. A whole lot of weather. Come on Blitz.” She nodded her head to the door hurriedly. He missed the hint, as colts often do, and dug deeper. “But I want to know if I’m missing a chromostome!” Dash flew over to him and started pushing him out the door. “Sorry. No time.” She leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “No you don’t!” They made it out the door. “Thanks for everything Twi’, see ya later!” Twilight followed them out and shouted, "Try not to tell anypony about this, alright?" One of them waved a hoof affirmatively before they were out of earshot. Spike still sat at the table, enjoying his lunch. “Well, that was weird.” He took a bite of his salad and looked up to find Twilight looking angrily down on him. “You. Medical encyclopedias. Now.” She said sternly. “Aww…” … “But what if I’m missing a chromostome!?” Blitz yelled as he followed Dash higher into the clouds. “Then we’ll buy you a new one! Trust me, you do not want to sit and read one of Twilight’s science books. I'm not even sure they use real words.” She broke through the dark blanket covering Ponyville’s sky and landed to survey the job. “This is going to take forever,” she mumbled. Blitz landed beside her to see it for himself. From there, the sky looked like a snow-filled tundra with only Canterlot’s mountains jutting up from the planes. The sun shining above removed the oppressive grayness they saw below. The immaculate hills seemed to extend far beyond the horizon. Who managed to buck up the weather this bad? He felt a familiar headache and his vision darkened. Oh no, not again. This time, the vision was a tad less vague. He was laying on a low cloud feeling cocky and carefree. On the ground stood Twilight with what appeared to be an afro. She said something with a teasing grin. “Hey! I could clear this sky in…” Then he was back in reality. He looked down to see he that he had not fallen. Rainbow Dash still looked dejectedly at the clouds before them. The image of her face blemished by sadness sent a lump of lead down his throat. It just didn’t seem right to see her like that. Something would have to be done. Perhaps some words of encouragement? “Oh, please. This is nothing. "I know. But it'll be boooring." "Hey, I bet we could clear this sky in…” Dash picked her head back up to match his cocky smile and arced an eyebrow. Then they shouted in unison, “Ten Seconds Flat!” A crater appeared in the bumpy tundra from the force of their takeoff. They swept through the clouds in a spiral around the crater. Ponies below didn’t know what to make of the spectacle. “Hurricane!” shouted one. “The sky is falling!” shrieked another. “’bout time,” said one of the ponies in the market. “Rainbow ‘s been slackin’ lately.” Dash and Blitz flew beside each other, taking turns flying on the outside of their spiral. This created a dazzling rainbow double helix that tore through the sky. They exchanged glances through the wind that jabbed at their eyes. He’s good, Dash thought. Nopony else would be able to keep up this pace. She then resisted the urge to facehoof mid-air. Of course he’s good, Rainbow Dash. He’s YOU. Needless to say, the job took longer than ten seconds. However, even the dirtiest of skies could not withstand TWO Rainbow Dashes for long. Celestia’s sun was soon allowed to fully grace Ponyville with its presence. A few cheers erupted from the ground. The citizens of Ponyville apparently enjoyed their free light show. The Pegasi’s path soon straightened out and they slowed down to a comfortable glide. “That was pretty good for your first flight,” Dash laughed. “Thanks. You’re not half bad yourself,” Blitz replied. “Well, we better go check in with the weather patrol headquarters in Cloudsdale,” Dash said as she adjusted their course towards the floating city in the distance. And see if I’m not fired for being so late, she mentally added. Blitz thought for a moment, and realized that he did not have a job. Or a home. Or any working knowledge of Equestria aside from his brief glances through blurry mental images. “Hey Dash, are they hiring?” Mental light bulbs were activated and Rainbow Dash perked up a bit. “Blitz, I have a plan.” … A cart filled with letters and documents squeaked along the cloudy floor. Its driver held a face that would have screamed humdrum if it weren’t so damned humdrum. Fluorescent lighting along with the sounds of bored desk workers and quills on scrolls effectively created what can only be described as an “office” atmosphere. Chief Sunrise sat in his office, looking over the day’s reports. He had a rare condition in which his name and brightly colored coat did not match his temperament. His sky blue hair and blonde mane greatly conflicted with the cigar in his mouth and the perpetual frown upon his face. On his flank sat a sun partially obscured by two clouds. However, his employees would attest to the fact that he was in no way “sunny”. Sunrise had had to explain to everypony he met that it represented being punctual, not cheery. “Um, chief?” Sunrise’s timid secretary peeked through his door. “Rainbow Dash is here to see you.” “Send her in!” he roared. His cigar flew out of his mouth and fell through the cloudy floor. Far below Cloudsdale laid a patch of land in which no grass grew. The secretary bolted from the door with a yelp. Moments later, Rainbow Dash and her clone filed in. “Hey chief. How’s it going?” Dash said with a nervous smile. “You know very well how it is going Ms. Dash!” he boomed. He winced and clutched the back of his neck. Sighing, he lit another cigar. “The skies of Ponyville were cleared hours late, Ms. Dash. Hours.” “Hey! I’m not the one who screwed it up in the first place!” she said indignantly. “Farms all over the place will be up my flank about their damned plants! This is unacceptable!” Sunrise stopped to catch his breath. He was getting a little old for this. He looked to Blitz who was standing uncomfortably beside Dash. “And who are you?” Blitz jumped at the voice now directed at him. “I’m –uh- Rainbow Blitz.” Dash glanced at him, nodding her head towards Sunrise who looked about ready to order Blitz’s execution. “Ya see, Dash here went and twisted her wing this morning right before she was going to clear up the sky.” Dash feigned pain in her wing for effect. “She had to rest it for a while, so I took over the weather for her.” “It took me a while to find a Pegasus free for the job,” the mare added. Sunrise’s face was unimpressed at the excuse. “Uh huh. So tell me, Rainbow Blitz. Why did I hear that there were two Pegasi putting on a show in Ponyville’s sky today?” The cyan ponies froze. They hadn’t thought anyone would go and report that to the weather headquarters, especially so recently after the “show”. “Well, uh, you see, I…” Blitz stammered. Sunrise was almost certainly picking which axe he was going to use to decapitate him. Then he remembered the Rainbow Failsafe™. Brag. “I just fly so fast that it looks like there’s two of me.” He grinned sheepishly. “It’s my special trick.” Dash facehoofed. Sunrise was still not amused. Everypony was silent for what seemed like hours. Sunrise wouldn’t take his cold eyes off the Pegasi. Crap, thought Dash. I’m fired. Crap, thought Blitz. I'm dead. Finally, the business pony spoke. “Ok, Mr. Blitz. I don’t know who you are or what you can do, but we obviously need a little help in the Ponyville area. How would you like to join the weather patrol?” At first, all he could manage was a frantic nod. However, another glare made short work of his gesture of enthusiasm. “Yes, sir.” Blitz said quickly. “Good. Go see my secretary for the paperwork.” Blitz excitedly exited the office. “And Ms. Dash?” (Not Mrs. Dash. That would be silly. We aren’t even cooking.) “Next time you get injured, please call us so we can send in a qualified substitute.” Her mouth hung open. I’m not fired? “Yes sir! Thank you, sir!” she dashed (HA!) out of the smoky office to find her clone. … “Junior weather patrolpony?!” Blitz cried as he read his certificate. A pair of flight goggles sat on his head next to the complementary quill behind his ear. From the outskirts of Cloudsdale, they could see Ponyville in the distance. “Who’s the Senior?” “Heh.” Dash laughed next to him. “That would be me.” She nudged his shoulder with a hoof. “Looks like I’m your boss! I seem to be doing pretty well for a filly.” Blitz snorted. “Whatever. I’ll leave you in the dust any day, boss,” he spat, stowing his belongings wherever it is ponies store things. “Is that so? How about a race then, big shot?” Rainbow Dash produced her own goggles and placed them over her eyes. “You read my mind,” Blitz grinned, adjusting his goggles. “Where?” Dash looked to the distant Ponyville to find a landmark. “Ah! That barn over there.” “Cool,” he replied, approaching the edge of their cloud. “Ready?” They took on an exaggerated competitive stance. “Set…” They exchanged glances. The tension filled the air. Some ponies stopped what they were doing to find the source of the tension. Crying babies suddenly calmed down in their sky strollers. Only the wind blowing everypony’s hair dared make a sound. Silence. “GO!” they shouted as one. The bystanders cheered as two rainbow trails sped off into the horizon. There was scarcely three feet between them as they ripped through the sky. Neither gained any distance that was not won back in mere seconds. Come on! Why is he so good at this? Why is she so good at this? The Pegasi decided to engage in a stunt contest amidst their race. They made tight turns around stray clouds and each threw in a loop for the hay of it. It almost seemed like a practiced routine to a bystander. Money exchanged hooves back in Cloudsdale. Everypony wanted in on what would be called the Flight of the Century! Soon, the racers were about half way to their goal. They could start to make out a few individual trees on the ground. Alright, Blitz. Let’s see if you remember this one. Dash pumped her wings harder and picked up speed. What’s she up to? Blitz thought. He mirrored her movements and they were again side by side. The air seemed to push back at them. They grunted with effort and pushed forward. Come on! Come on! The barrier before them narrowed into a cone. What the hay is going on?! Blitz panicked and pushed harder. Almost… The air that once threatened to repel the racing Pegasi seemed to just give up the fight. It released a deafening crack, as if screaming in frustration. Ponyville was graced with an encore from that afternoon. Ponies could look to the sky to find a thick rainbow ring with twin trails flying towards them. “What is it?” said one in awe. “Oh my gosh! It’s a double raimb-“another almost replied when she heard a growing yell. “yaaaaaaaAAAAAHHHHHHH,” a black blur collided with the interrupted pony. She found herself sprawled on the ground in a cloud of dust. Through it shot a two-toed foot that stopped centimeters from her snout. The dust cleared to reveal a large bird with a long neck staring angrily at her. “We are NOT, you hear me, NOT making THAT reference. Got it?” “B-but it’s a double-“she stammered. “NO! It’s not! Shut up!” The bird yelled. “Ok! Ok! I’m sorry! Don’t hurt me!” the pony threw up her hooves to protect her face from the insane bird. “Good.” The bird hastily sped off into the forest. The pony stared incredulously at the shrinking figure. “What the hay was that?!” (Oh yes. That just happened.) Back in the sky, two Pegasi had just broken the sound barrier and were now very close to their goal. A single cloud hung over their target barn. It was wordlessly agreed that the cloud would be their finish line. We’ll burst right through it if we don’t slow down… …But I can’t slow down, or else she’ll win! Fortunately, the racers opted to simply reach the cloud, as opposed to destroy it. Moments before impact, they twisted their bodies to hit the plush cloud with their backs. And everypony knows what happens when you hit a cloud. Fire works went off in Cloudsdale’s suburbs. Toasts were shared in the bars, friendships were strengthened, and relationships were re-kindled, thanks to the dramatic display by the two mysterious Rainbow Racers... ...Okay. So, nopony cared that much. They sort of just stopped and looked for a little bit. But still... The two new quasi-celebrities were still recovering from their crash. They had knocked the top half of the cloud clean off, making a convenient platform for them to flop down on. Their heads faced the sky, allowing them to see the single lingering lightning bolt shooting up from the cloud. Had there been any difference in their times, two bolts would be floating above them. However, it seemed the Flight of the Century was a tie! Dash rolled onto her stomach, panting. “That was… “ “…so awesome” Blitz finished, also struggling to catch his breath. They rested there for several minutes regaining control over their limp limbs. Dash found herself questioning her abilities for a moment. Her skill had never been matched like that before. But, those thoughts were quickly discarded. He’s a clone of ME. I’m still the fastest. Just, so is he… She glanced up at the now fading product of their race. She closed her eyes, smiling. I can live with that. Something was rustling her mane. She dismissed it as being the wind and set her head back on the soft cloud, instinctively rubbing her cheek against it to get comfortable. Except it didn’t feel much like a cloud… Blitz was lying on his back, resting his head on his left hoof. It’s kind of nice here. I got a job, met a few ponies, and I didn’t blow up yet! He moved his right hoof to his stomach, except it met an obstacle. Curious, he ran his hoof up and down the object, trying to figure out what it was without having to lift his head. Then he felt something against his chest… Their eyes burst open. Blitz jerked his head up to find Rainbow Dash’s barely half a foot from his face. Ohmigosh Ohmigosh Ohmigosh! I’m petting her mane! Ohmigosh Ohmigosh Ohmigosh! I’m lying on top of him! She’s lying on top of me! He’s petting my mane! Ohmigosh! Ohmigosh! Every siren in their head was going off. Every mental loudspeaker screamed “Abort! Abort!” However, they could not bring themselves to move. Color rushed to their faces and, had there been any strength in their wings, they certainly would have unfurled. The Pegasi simply lied there for a few moments that would have felt awkward had either been able feel anything. Dash’s brain was the first to recover her wits from the surprise cuddling. She observed that Blitz’s head had fallen back onto the cloud, yet his face remained red and shocked. His hoof still ran through her mane (Brushie brushie~). How did this happen? Dash thought. We crashed into the cloud, sat there, then I- She stopped her train of thought as she recalled the preceding events. I rolled onto him…Foal of a- She allowed her head to relax again. Whatever. I’m not embarrassed. It’s not like I meant to or anything. She twisted her body to place her back against Blitz and her hooves behind her head to emphasize just how nonchalant she wanted to seem. I could care less. Blitz watched his counterpart adjust her position, not daring to change his until the movement stopped. His hoof came to rest on her stomach. He gulped and suppressed the urge to shake. Ok, whatever. She’s just chilling out on top of me. No big deal. I’ll just…Uhh… He brought his left hoof down to lock with his other until his forelegs wrapped around Dash. Alright…? Now what? Their bodies radiated comfortable warmth that made it difficult for them to remain awake. Their pounding hearts dealt with this problem quite nicely. Despite their supposed apathy, both Pegasi sported a crimson hue on their faces that would have gone well with the oranges and yellows of the now setting sun. They may have spent the night in that position had nothing jerked them out of their embrace. A powerful snap sounded below them, activating the ponies’ instincts to tense up. However, in their position, this only brought them closer. This, in turn, activated another less rational instinct. They yelped and rolled to opposite sides of the cloud, pretending to be much more interested in the sound than in discussing the meaning of their snuggling. Dash poked her head out over the forest and spotted an orange earth pony standing over a fallen tree. “It was just a tree” Dash reported, stepping away from the cloud’s edge. “Oh, ok,” Blitz replied as he turned to her. Neither would meet the other’s eyes. “Rainbow!” came a voice under them. “What are ya doin’ up there? A bit late for a nap, don’t ya think?” Dash glanced behind her, then back at her clone. “Hey Blitz, wanna go mess with Applejack?” Blitz grinned and then shrugged. “Sure, why not?” … Ah swear, that Pegasus is lazy as all get out, thought Applejack. How’s she call herself an athlete if she’s got to go right to sleep after doing anything? A pony launched from the cloud above the barn and streaked off to Ponyville. Applejack pouted as she watched it speed away. “Where do ya’ll think you’re goin’ Rainbow? Ah’ was talkin’ to you!” A hoof poked her in the shoulder. “Uh, who are you talking to?” Applejack’s head jerked to the source of the poke. Next to her stood Rainbow Dash, trying and failing to hold back her giggles. Applejack recoiled at the sight and fell back onto her rump. She scanned the sky, but could not find what she thought was Rainbow Dash. “How’d ya’ll do that?” said Applejack with awe on her face. “You’re fast, but you’re not that fast.” Dash brought a hoof to her chest, pretending to be offended. “Not that fast? Me? Do you know who you’re talking to?” She flapped her wings and crouched low to the ground. “Watch this!” Dash then proceeded to bolt off into the forest. The moment she was no longer visible, two blue hooves covered Applejack’s eyes. Applejack was somewhat surprised. Dash had clearly gone in the other direction, yet she ended up behind the earth pony. Muffled snickers came from behind her. “Alright, I get it. You’re fast. Mind gettin’ yer hooves off my face?” She pulled the hooves off her eyes to find Dash sitting several feet in front of her, waving. Applejack frowned, still holding the hooves of whoever was behind her. Applejack turned slowly and found another cyan Pegasus with a rainbow mane hovering above her head. She then recoiled again, this time backing into a tree and falling forward on her stomach. The Pegasi walked over to her, laughing loudly. “Ok,” said Blitz, “that was hilarious!” He offered Applejack a hoof. She blew a strand of hair off her face and pulled herself up. She examined the colt cautiously. “Uh, Rainbow? Who’s this?” Blitz heard Twilight's warning echo through his head. "Oh, I just got transferred here from, uh, Cloudsdale. I'm Rrr-" His head shot around for ideas. Alas, there was nothing but apple trees in sight. "I'm Red Gale. Yeah. Red Gale." Both mares shared a glance. "Alright," said Applejack. "But who is he really?" "How did you-" Blitz tried to question her before Dash covered his mouth. "This,” Dash said, “is Rainbow Blitz. Rarity made him for me.” Applejack stared at her, expecting an explanation. “She ‘made’ him, Sugarcube?” “Mhm. Turns out you can clone ponies,” she nudged Blitz’s shoulder, “and they don’t even blow up! Isn’t that right, Blitz?” She started to laugh. Blitz said nothing and simply stared at Applejack, wide-eyed. Applejack tilted her head. “Eh, Dash? Ah think yer clone is broken.” Applejack walked up to him and waved a hoof in front of his face. His gaze was still locked where Applejack was standing before. After a few quiet moments, he fell to the ground, clutching his head. Both mares waited for him to say something. Finally, he sighed and said, “Ow.” Dash patted his back with a smirk. “Chin up, Blitzy. Now you know all about AJ here. Like how you aren't going to get past her with a half-flanked story like that.” Applejack had had about enough of these shenanigans. Nopony was explaining anything. “Would somepony please tell me what the hay is goin’ on here?” The Pegasi gathered themselves and walked with Applejack to her main barn. They explained everything they knew about cloning and what they had done over the course of the day. “So we were booking it to Ponyville,” Blitz said, “and there was like this much space between us.” “Then, I started to pour on some extra speed,” Dash continued, “to pull off my sonic rainboom, right? And this guy? He just copies my moves!” “Eeyup!” Blitz added, sporting Dash’s knowledge of the Apple family. “Then we crashed into that cloud back there at the speed of sound and made that huge lightning bolt!” He gestured with his hooves as if to convey a large explosion. “It was awesome! Did you see it?” Applejack nodded her head slightly. “Yes Blitz. I saw it. I was there. Anyway, what were ya’ll doin’ up there for so long?” The Pegasi averted their eyes and let out a simultaneous “Uh…” Applejack smiled and shook her head. “Never mind. T’aint none o’ my business what you two are up to on cloud nine there.” “N-no!” Dash stammered. “Nothing like that! We were just uh…” She trailed off. Blitz picked up for her. “She ,uh, had to make sure I was ok. I saw the sonic rainboom and passed out from the memories.” His muzzle scrunched up and his eyes shot around the trees around them. Applejack studied him for a moment, then turned to Dash and smirked. “Your boyfriend is cute when he lies.” Rainbow Dash’s face turned almost as red as Blitz’s “Oh no no no. We’re not-“ “Now now,” Applejack interrupted, “no need to hide anything from me. I’m your friend, remember? And I guess I’m your friend too, Blitz.” Alright, Blitz thought, Two friends. Super. “I just gotta’ ask that you two control yourselves on my farm. I can’t have Applebloom comin’ up to me and askin’ why you two were wrestlin'.” “Ugh!” Blitz grunted. “We weren’t doing anything!” “Alright. Alright. Whatever you say, sugarcube.” Applejack still wore a smile that said “You two were gettin’ it on and ya’ll are hilarious when you tell me otherwise”. The ponies soon approached Applejack’s door. “Well, it sounds like ya’ll have been through a lot today. You two wanna come in for a spell? Nothin’ helps me unwind like some nice cider. We might have a few pints in the cellar.” Blitz licked his lips. “That sounds good to me. As long as I don’t need to remember anypony else today.” Applejack nodded and pushed open the door. It swung to reveal the barrel of a cannon with the fuse behind it burning fast. She dove to the side, leaving Blitz enough time to yelp before being engulfed with confetti. … For being decorated by an artillery piece, Applejack’s barn looked quite festive. Several pastries sat on embellished tables along with a massive bowl of punch. The tables made great obstacles for a pink earth pony to hide behind while being chased around the room by Applejack. “Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted as she grabbed a tray of baked goods, ready to pelt them at her. “What did ya’ll do to my barn!?” The pink pony giggled and ducked under a thrown cupcake. “What does it look like, silly? I’m throwing a party for Blitzy!” Dash, who was busy dragging in her unconscious clone, turned her head to Pinkie. “How did you know about my clone?” Pinkie ducked under a table and reappeared beside Dash. “Come on, Rainbow. Did you really think a new pony in town could hide from my Pinkie Sense?” She grabbed one of Blitz’s forelegs and helped set him down on a haystack. She then caught Applejack’s next cupcake in her hoof without looking and shook it in front of Blitz’s nose. “Come on, Blitzy! You can’t fall asleep at your own party! Unless it’s a sleepover. You should probably go asleep during sleepovers. But nopony ever does, it’s no fun to just go to sleep! You just stay up all night and then sleep the next morning when the party’s over. But the party’s not over yet, Blitzy! So you’ve got to wake up!” Rainbow Dash managed to control her laughter as Pinkie babbled and smeared icing all over Blitz’s face. “Alright, Pinkie. That’s enough. He’ll wake up soon. If I were you, I’d be more worried about Applejack right now.” Pinkie tilted her head. “Why would I be worried about Applejack? She wouldn’t do anything with Fluttershy standing over there.” Dash and Applejack became puzzled and searched the room. Sure enough, a butter-colored Pegasus hiding behind a pink mane sat in the corner, brushing her front hoof on the floor and trying to blend in with the wood. It was kind of hard, being bright yellow and all. Applejack smiled sheepishly mid-toss and set the plate of cupcakes down. “Eh, sorry about that Fluttershy. I know you don’t like fightin’ and all.” “No. I understand. We did break into your barn-“ Pinkie appeared beside her, wrapping an arm around her neck. “To throw the bestest, coziest welcome to Ponyville/birthday party ever!” “I guess that’s the new pony, then?” Fluttershy motioned to the sleeping colt. Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah. This is Rainbow Blitz, my clone.” “Clone?” Fluttershy said, confused (Yes. Confluttershy. Haha). Dash sighed. “Hey Pinky? Are Twilight and Rarity coming?” The pink pony nodded enthusiastically. “Good, I don’t feel like going over this again.” She turned to Fluttershy. “They’ll be able to explain better than I can.” … This time, Blitz hadn’t passed out from recollection. He was knocked unconscious from the force of a cannon going off at point blank range, so it was much better. Having actually fallen asleep this time (Well, sort of.), he was finally given control of his thoughts. After working through the pain of concussive force to the face, he calmly assessed his situation. What in the name of sweet Celestia’s sister’s solar salvation was that!? Am I dead!? Blitz looked back on the last thing he remembered, and vaguely recalled seeing a poofy pink mane (We’re gonna go with the definition of “poofy” that does not involve sexual preference, alright? Cool) behind the barrel. Alright, who do I know that has a mane like that? His sleeping mind showed him images of a brightly colored earth pony doing various things that Rainbow Dash had apparently found hilarious. “Pinky Pie, you are so random!” he heard his body say in a blurry dream. Ok, Pinkie Pie. Ponyville’s party pony and prankster. Got it. The dream dispersed. What else have you got for me, now that I’m here? he thought to nopony in particular. As if on cue, a soft voice echoed through his mind. “Oh, I hope he’s ok. Maybe I should go get my first aid kit.” Oh gee, ya think? I’m probably bleeding all over the place and this pony thinks I need first aid. Now, any mind with memories of this particular pony would be pretty ticked off to hear anypony say such things about her. So it flooded Blitz’s functioning senses with everything it knew about her. Her soothing voice, her timid and kind personality… Well now I feel bad. Fluttershy is one Dash’s oldest friends. ...the Stare… What have I done?! After some unconscious freaking out, Blitz got a hold of himself and when back to his recalling, seeing as he could do it now without too much pain. Although, that could simply be due to the distracting throbbing of his concussion. Alright, let’s try the unicorn. Twilight, I think? His mind’s eye was only met with a swirl of purple sparks and a book. Well that’s a letdo- And then the image exploded into an angelic forest landscape with a big black and blue alicorn, some weird pony-dragon-bird-thing that his mind identified as “Discord”, and some 50 changelings lying unconscious on the ground. The purple unicorn stood triumphantly on a hill looking over them. She seemed to be taking notes. Alright, Twilight: sometimes a badflank. So, who else is there to know? That first pony I saw when I was born. Made? Whatever. Rarity was her name. Got anything on her? If Blitz’s mind could shrug, it would have. It threw some pictures of the dresses Rarity had made for Dash, and Blitz began to feel grateful. However, it then allowed him access to all the time Dash had spent standing still wearing the stupidest of hats and gowns while Rarity went about her sewing. Awesome, now I’m bored. Maybe I can wake up soon? Blitz reached out to his senses, trying to come to. He noticed a gooey substance on his nose. Curious, he attempted to smell it and heard himself breathe for the first time since he was knocked out. “He’s waking up! Blitzy’s waking up!” an energetic voice cried out. Control yourself Blitz, he thought to himself. You aren’t allowed to hit mares. Pinkie probably didn’t even mean to knock you out. “Pinkie, why are you calling him that?” asked a raspy voice through what sounded like a mouth full of food. “I dunno. You do it.” “No I don’t! How would you even know?” A southern drawl chimed in. “Eh, sugar cube? Yeah you do.” “No I don’t! Wipe that look off your face!” Snickers and sounds of a struggle came from a few feet away. Blitz gradually began to feel a hoof brushing the side of his head. “Um, hello?” This voice was probably the quietest and shyest voice anypony could imagine. “I’m sorry, but you’ve been asleep for almost a half hour and I need to make sure you know your name and everything. If that’s ok with you, I mean…” she trailed off. Her soothing voice and gentle touch were probably the worst things to use when waking somepony up. But, Blitz wasn’t about to disagree with the voice. “F-Fluttershy?” Blitz choked out with his eyes flickering open. “Oh dear. That’s not your name. You might have a severe head injury. We need to get you to the hospital and-“ “I know who I am. I was asking who you are.” He lifted his head and saw a buttery Pegasus with a stethoscope around her neck. “Oh. Well, yes. I am Fluttershy. How did you know? Twilight said you had to see a pony to get memories of them.” “Well I guess Twilight doesn’t know everything about clones, then.” He winced as he felt around for a bruise on his head. “I had a talk with my brain and got some information on all of you. Apparently Dash thinks you are a very nice pony. Also, I’m sorry.” “Sorry?” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. “For what?” “Nothing!” He looked around the room to see Applejack and Rainbow Dash fighting on the floor. Twilight and Rarity were standing around a table, watching the spectacle and talking. Pinkie was trotting around the room, checking on everypony all too frequently. Blitz sighed and got to his hooves slowly, despite doctor Fluttershy’s protests. “I’ll be fine.” He then licked the crusted frosting off his face. “I also need to eat a few of those.” He cantered over to the wrestling ponies and cleared his throat. The mares noticed him and pushed off of each other (Applejack was totally winning). “Hey there, sleepy-head. Feelin’ alright?” The party’s evident host adjusted her hat and noticed something on the colt’s face. “Oh boy. You got yourself quite the lump there. Does it hurt?” Dash started to push her out of the way. “Let me see. Where?” Applejack pointed with her foreleg. “Right there, see? On his forehead.” “No, I can’t see. You’re covering it.” “It’s right there.” "Move your hoof!" The colt took a step back. “Now now, fillies. There’s plenty of me to go around” he said with a grin. Then he quickly turned his eyes on the floor to inspect his hooves. Why did I just say that? The mares separated and looked at him. Applejack gave Blitz the look mares give stallions when they say something stupid or chauvinistic. Dash, however, blushed and turned her head, mirroring the stallion. Applejack laughed at their expressions. “Come on, you two. We’re on my barn, remember? Control yourselves.” Two unicorns watched the cyan Pegasi as they voiced their disapproval. Each carried with them a small bag around their necks. Twilight was babbling on about the magic and biology involved in cloning and Rarity was unable to pretend to care about that for much longer. “Twilight, that’s very interesting and I’m sure you’ve done some extensive research, but will you please answer my question?” The purple pony shifted uncomfortably. She had been trying to delay this particular topic, but she wasn’t about to lie to a friend. She was sure there was a friendship report that advised against that. “Well, I guess I would be able to do the spell on somepony. I’ve read the notes the book gave you and it wouldn’t be the hardest spell I’ve done. I actually tried it a few times when they left the library.” She floated two shiny cylinders out of her bags and placed them on the table. Each had a faint letter engraved on each end. “N” on one side and “S” on the other. Rarity examined them. They appeared to be exactly the same. “These are duplicates?” Twilight nodded. “Yes. They are functionally the same in almost every way. It would probably be impossible to create an exact replica. Something is bound to set them apart. In this case, there isn’t much to mess up.” Rarity rubbed her chin. “How close will Rainbow Dash and Blitz be?” “Like I said, they won’t be exactly the same. It also depends on the focus and ability of the magician. Since you weren’t really focusing on cloning a pony, they probably won’t be too close. You’re probably not in practice when it comes to difficult magic like that too. N-not that you aren’t talented or anything! It’s just that this is complicated stuff. I would imagine that the majority of their similarities are in their appearance and behavior. Ponies are a little more complicated than these little cylinders. I would guess that distant cousins would be closer than them, genetically.” The two cylinders started to roll towards each other on the flat table. When they met, they snapped onto each other with the “N” end touching the “S”. Rarity appeared perplexed. “How are they doing that? Are they magnetic?” “Well, yes. But they behave very strangely. They seem to stick together regardless of the sides of the magnet that are touching.” Twilight floated them in the air and twisted them around. They snapped again, this time with both N’s in contact. “It seems there is some sort of force acting between them that is at least equal to the electromagnetic force.” The white unicorn frowned in thought. She wasn’t really an intellectual, but the science involved was simple enough for her to understand. “That’s very odd.” Her eyes came to rest on the other duplicates in the room. They surrounded a plate of brownies and were in the process of stuffing them into their mouths. “What do you suppose this means for them.” Twilight started to rub the back of her neck. “They could have an actual attraction to each other like a magnet would, or it could be more…symbolic.” “Symbolic, Twilight?” “Yes. It’s sort of like how hexes and whatnot work. You stick a pin in a doll’s head and the pony it represents can’t think straight. Magic reacts slightly differently to ponies than it does to objects. So here, they might be attracted to one another, or be, you know, attracted to one another.” The student blushed at her words. It was one of the few subjects she preferred not to read about. “How attracted will they be?” “Well, these things are pretty easy to pull apart.” She tested the cylinders again. They came apart without too much effort. “It might not be all that strong with them, but I don’t know if it’s the same with everypony. The Attraction might be enough to push them together.” Rarity smiled and laughed quietly. “Good for them, then!” Twilight stared, almost disgusted, at her cheery friend. “Good? They had no say in the matter. What if they’re not happy? What if it pushes them to be together even if they don’t want to?” The Pegasi in question were by an array of cups filled with punch. They both reached for the same cup and brushed their noses together. They promptly jerked back and looked at each other for a moment and then searched the room to see if anyone had seen. Rarity had, but had turned back to Twilight before they could notice. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that. On a side note, would it really be such a bad thing to have a pony picked out for you? Celestia knows I’ve made some –eh- questionable choices on that topic in the past. And I can think of a few ponies in this room that don’t get out quite enough to be meeting ponies.” Her eyes came to rest on the unicorn before her, who turned her head with a “Hmph!” Rarity suppressed a snicker. She was having all too much fun pushing everypony’s buttons today. “Anyway, the feeling is mutual, right?” “Well, yeah. But…” Twilight couldn’t really think of anything to say. The ponies in her stories that made love potions had always been the bad guys. She never really had to apply any thought as to why. “Then they’re both happy!” Rarity declared triumphantly. Twilight pouted. “It’s still not right,” she said, slumping down and folding her forelegs. Maybe she wasn’t thinking of- “Mhm. So when should we all come over?” Rarity asked casually. Foal of a- Ugh. Ok, just act oblivious. “Come over? For what?” Twilight inquired. “Why, for cloning the rest of us of course! Come now, Twilight. I know you’re smarter than that.” “No!” she shouted too quickly, earning a few looks from the rest of her friends. She shrunk down to partially hide behind the table and continued in a low whisper. “I mean, why would you want to do that? Moreover, why do you think they would want to do that? That’s just so…” She fumbled for the right word. Rarity moved to her side. “Well I certainly can’t do it. Anyway, we’ll discuss this later. Right now, we need to join the party. And I still need to properly welcome our guest.” The unicorns migrated across the room to join the other five near the food. With little room to dance, the ponies resorted to gorging themselves with baked goods (Much better than dancing, in my opinion). Dash and Blitz were in the middle of telling Pinkie and Fluttershy about their race. Pinky listened in awe that may or may not have been faked to their exaggerated summary. Rarity interrupted Blitz as he was emphasizing just how awesome it was. “Rainbow Blitz, darling. How are you?” He turned to her. “Oh, hey. I’m fine, thanks. You wanna’ hear about this stunt Dash and I pulled?” “Uh, perhaps later. Right now, I’ve got some business to take care of.” “Business?” “Yes. You see, I was cleaning up my destroyed shop…” she looked at Dash. “I tried to help clean up!” she retorted. Rarity ignored her and moved on. “…when I had the most horrid of realizations!” Blitz’s eyes grew wide and everypony else leaned in to listen. Alright. Here it comes. “Blitz, you will blow up in 2 hours”. “You haven’t a single thing to wear!” The collective sound of sighs and rolling eyes was quite overwhelming. Some wanted to hug somepony for giving no bad news, but others wanted to strangle somepony for being melodramatic. Blitz released a breath that he may very well have been holding all day and wiped some sweat off his forehead. “Please. Do not do that. Ever again.” Rarity laughed. “You’re no fun at all. Anyway, I didn’t quite have the time or the resources to fashion a dignified garment for you. However, I managed to pick up something I’m sure you’ll enjoy.” Her horn glowed and a small rectangular box floated from her bag. “Aw, you didn’t have to get me anything” he said, snatching it from the air too eagerly to match his words. He carefully tilted the lid to peek inside. Bright light streaked out under it and his face took on a look of awe that one would associate with opening the ark of the coltvenant (Get it? Colt-venant? Am I good or what?). “It’s…” Blitz started. Pinkie began to jump in place. “Ooooh! What is it! What is it!” “It’s…” he said again. “C’mon!” Dash said. “Take it out!” “It’s…” “Consarnit, Blitz!” Applejack snapped, tapping a hoof on the table. “Open the dang box!” He slowly dropped the box onto the ground under the table, placing his face right behind it. His hooves reached inside and brought the box’s contents to his eyes. After a nice dramatic pause, Blitz’s head emerged, sporting a pair of sleek black sunglasses. “It’s awesome!” he exclaimed, practically shaking with glee. Everypony else laughed at his foalish excitement. “Thank you so much, Rarity!” Rarity dismissed the praise smugly with a wave of her hoof. “No problem at all, Blitz. Although, we should really get you fitted for a suit. I’m thinking something white with a striped tie. Maybe some blue cufflinks and a hoofkerchief…” She trailed off. “Wait!” Dash shouted, fumbling with the invisible pocket cartoons have. “I have an idea!” She pulled the famous Dash Shades out of hammerspace and placed them over her eyes. She took a seat next to her clone and raised her glasses just above her eyes with the most intense of casual nods. Blitz quickly did the same, turning slightly in the other direction. (Attention, internet. Maximum "Swag" has been achieved. Carry on.) Pinkie managed to snap a picture of the coolest moment in history with her camera before both Pegasi cracked up laughing. Blitz threw a friendly foreleg around Dash and they posed for a few more pictures before continuing the party. … The party had begun to die down, much to the disappointment of a certain pink pony. Unfortunately, not all ponies are granted infinite energy and enthusiasm. The Rainbow Pegasi congregated by the door with the rest of the guests as Twilight droned on about magic and cloning. “From the looks of things, it seems like you’ll be able to remember things a bit easier when you’re asleep. You’ve got information on all of us now, right?” “Uh huh,” Mumbled Blitz with undisguised apathy. “If somepony were to stimulate your memory while you slept, you might get all of your knowledge back without too many headaches.” “Great” he replied, his eyelids beginning to fall. Dash could sense an air of boredom entering the room and decided it was time to get the buck out. “Well Pinkie,” Dash began. “This has been great, but I think it’s time for me to head home.” Blitz yawned. “Yeah, me too. I’m beat.” “Where will you be staying, Blitz?” Fluttershy asked. “I…uhh…” He glanced around at the eyes of everypony now looking on him with concern. Then he looked at Dash with a sheepish smile. “Fine,” she groaned with mock annoyance. “I guess I can find space for you at my place.” Applejack snorted. “Find space? Rainbow, your house is huge. Ya’ll wouldn’t even notice if a pack o’ buffalo set up camp in yer’ livin’ room.” "They would just fall through the floor," Twilight commented. "Y'all knew what ah' meant!" Dash laughed. “It’s not huge! It’s just roomy. But sure, you can stay with me. I guess it’s kind of my responsibility since you’re me and all.” Blitz smiled gratefully. “Thanks. I don’t think I would like being homeless.” They began to step out the door. “Bye everypony.” Dash said behind her back. “Yeah, thanks for everything.” Blitz said following her. Rarity waved to them and sang, “Have fun, you two! Not too much fun, mind you. You just met today.” The door shut behind the blushing Pegasi and they took off with stiff wings into the night sky. Twilight sighed. “Was that really necessary? “Of course it was, dear.” Rarity replied. “They can manage fine without you pushing them together.” “I’m not the only thing pushing them together. Isn’t that right?” The purple unicorn was about to talk back, but she noticed that the three others in the room were silently staring at her. “What? What is it?” “N-nothin’” Applejack said. She bit her lip. “Dash sure is havin’ a nice time with her clone, ain’t she? Makes ya’ wonder what it’s like, ya’ know? Havin’ a-“ Twilight’s glower cut her off. The unicorn surveyed the room to find Fluttershy and Pinkie wearing guilty smiles of their own. “I know what you’re thinking,” she said, narrowing her eyes. Fluttershy took on a somewhat less than hopeful smile. “Well? Will you?” “No.” And then Pinkie was upon her (It’s not fair! It’s not right!). “Please?” she said, fluttering her eyelashes. “No.” “Pleeeeease?” Pinky squealed, leaning in closer. “I said no!” Pinky took a deep breath and made a third attempt. “Puh-leeeeeeeeee-“ Twilight stamped her hoof. “No! No no no! Nope. Not doing it. We can’t. I won’t. It’s wrong.” Rarity brushed back her hair. “Well, I can’t manage all of us safely and I don’t see any other magically inclined unicorns around.” “Nope. Sorry, can’t hear you. La la la la laaaaa~” Twilight sang obnoxiously as she trotted out the door. Rarity sighed and looked to her dejected friends and their drooping ears. “Don’t worry, girls. We're more than capable of being persuasive. I'll talk to her." … “Woah. This place is huge.” Our two Rainbow Pegasi approached the cloudy door of an immaculate white house made of, well, clouds. A stream of liquid ran through the elaborate swirly roof down to the base of the house where it trickled down to a drain in the ground. Luna had yet to master lighting rainbow liquid at night. Silver moonlight was all that lit up the hazardous stepping-clouds that made up the walk way. Sure, it was no problem for a Pegasus, but it made things somewhat difficult when having friends of a flightless species over for dinner. Oh well, Dash wasn’t the kind of pony to host guests in her home. Or, she wasn’t usually. Dash plucked her key out of her portal to the fourth dimension and turned the lock. “Yeah. Well, clouds are sort of cheap to produce. So I thought, why not?” They stepped in to reveal a large, tall living room with all of three furnishings: a table, a couch, and a chaise lounge. All made of some type of cloud, albeit a tad fluffier than the walls. Boxes lining the floor gave the impression of having recently moved in. In truth, Dash just didn’t feel like decorating. Why put stuff on the walls if it was already more or less organized in the boxes? An archway led to a small kitchen and some stairs spiraled towards the upper level. “We’ve got some furniture in here, a little kitchen over there,” Dash walked to the stairs, “and a bedroom and a bathroom up there. I’ve only got the one bed so…” Wait, now he thinks I’m inviting him to sleep with me. Am I? Would that be weird? Did she just- no. Couldn’t be. A silence overtook the room as they debated with themselves. Quick, Blitz, do something! Um… Blitz waved a dismissing hoof a leapt onto the couch. He landed with his forelegs behind his head and his hind legs crossed. “Ah. No problem. This’ll do just fine.” Smooth as buck. While Blitz basked in all the comfort of a cloud couch and a dispersed awkward silence, a green dome with a propeller hovered overhead. Blitz stared incredulously. Suddenly, the dome’s propeller froze and the dome dropped onto Blitz’s stomach, knocking the air from his lungs. When he inhaled enough to function again, he gasped, “Help! Dash! What is this thing!?” She laughed and took a seat on the other end of the couch. “Aw come on. You don’t remember Tank?” “Tank?” The dome sprouted a wrinkly head. It blinked with agonizing slowness and gazed into Blitz’s eyes. He squinted, grimaced, and then covered his eyes. “Oh” he mumbled through gritted teeth. “Tank.” His expression softened and he knocked on the turtle’s (Tortoise, damn it!) shell. “What’s up buddy? How are things?” The tortoise blinked again and activated his propeller, ascending the stair case and disappearing down the hall. “Cool. See ya later Tank.” He turned to Dash and scratched his head. “That was weird.” “It’s not like he can answer you or anything. Tank’s pretty cool once you get to know him. He was probably just tired. Who knows where he's gotten to all day?” “No. I mean, when I saw him, I got a nice little replay of your pet competition” he massaged his wing with memories of a very heavy boulder. “Yeah…and?” She eyed him, confused. “Why didn’t I get anything from seeing your own home?” She shrugged. “Nothing all that important happened here, I guess. I don’t even come here every night. Sometimes I’ll just sleep outside closer to Ponyville since I work there, eat there, nap there, all of that.” She gestured to her furniture. “These are no different from the weather clouds.” Blitz nodded. “Makes sense. You think I’m safe from any headaches while I’m here?” “Unless I had a traumatic hoof-stubbing that I forgot about, you should be fine.” They laughed. “Got it. Avoid lumpy cloud floors.” The snickering continued. When they settled down, Blitz said, “So, what? You’re supposed to talk in my sleep or something?” She shrugged again. “I don’t know. I can’t tell what Twilight’s saying half the time. Do you think you can manage not hearing my life story tonight?” “I’ll live. I think I can remember stuff on my own anyway.” “On your own? How’s that work?” “I kind of have no idea. When Pinkie knocked me out, it was like I was talking to my brain. Or your brain. Whatever. I ask questions or give hints, and I get the memories.” “Cool. I’m glad you didn’t tell Twilight that. She probably would have had you memorize a list of things to ask yourself. Or myself. Whatever.” They shared another laugh. Dash hopped of the couch “Alright. Well, you know where everything is. We’ll get up at early for work. Or maybe not so early. We’ll see.” She flew up the stairs. At the top, she shouted down, “Goodnight!” and shut the lights. “Goodnight!” he called back, however it didn’t seem quite loud enough to reach her in the dark. He rolled over on the couch and started going over the day. the things he did, the ponies he met, etc. Despite the colorful personalities Blitz got to experience throughout the day, one pony kept tackling his thoughts. Everypony has a mocking inner self that mercilessly attacks our insecurities. Blitz’s saw it fit to speak up right then. You like her, you know. N-no I don’t. She’s just a lot like me. Or, I’m a lot like her. I don’t like her like that. Dude, you totally do. Shut up. How would you know? …Dude? It’s you talking right now. Shut up! I’m telling you I don’t! Then why is it you keep thinking about her? I’m supposed to get her memories so I don’t pass out all the time. That was the lamest excuse you’ve ever heard. What? Just because I’m thinking about her, I have to be madly in love with her. I said “like”. Nopony ever said anything about love. Well, I didn’t at any rate. S-shut up! I’m done with you. Goodnight. As he effectively slammed a metaphorical door on his nosy inner self, he pulled one of the couch’s cushions over his head and waited for sleep. ...