Bubble Berry listened to Rainbow Dash's tale with rapt interest.
"Wow, it's like you're from another world!" he said. "So everypony switched genders, after you did the Double Sonic Rainboom?"
"Yes, but that doesn't make any sense!" Rainbow Dash said. "How could me pulling off the most awesome stunt ever cause everypony else to switch genders?"
"I dunno," Bubble Berry said. "But nopony has ever done a Double Sonic Rainboom before! Maybe that's one of the side effects of that move!"
"I doubt it," Rainbow Dash said.
"Hmmm..." Bubble Berry said, thinking. "You know, I'm going to guess that Dusk Shine is right. You're really our friend Rainbow Blitz, and when you did this special move, it turned you into a mare!"
"I told you already, that's not what happened!" Rainbow Dash said. "I don't remember being a stallion or anything else here, but I can remember the Mare World perfectly!"
"That's easy enough to understand," Bubble Berry said. "I think my good friend Dr. Bubble could explain that."
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Who's Dr. Bubble?" Spines asked.
"He's one of the characters I play as, when I watch the Cake babies!" Bubble Berry said. "They love it when I pretend to be somepony else!"
Bubble Berry pulled out a pair of glasses, then put them on. Instantly, his hair deflated, and it fell down straight.
"Hello, my name is Dr. Bubble," Bubble Berry said, in a deep voice with a slightly Germane accent. "I am a professional psychologist, and I believe that when you switched genders, it was a tremendous emotional shock to your brain. You couldn't handle the stress of being a mare for the first time, so your subconscious created false memories in order to trick you into thinking you've always been a mare."
Rainbow Dash didn't know whether to be impressed or scared out of her mind by Bubble Berry's acting skills.
"There are two ponies living inside your head right now," Dr. Bubble explained. "Stallion Rainbow and Mare Rainbow. Mare Rainbow is in control right now, and she's trying her best to smother Stallion Rainbow into non-existence, even though she'll most likely destroy herself in the process!"
"Oh no!" Spines gasped. "What can we do, Doctor Bubble?"
"He's not a real doctor," Rainbow Dash muttered.
"We...we...uh..." Bubble Berry said. He took off his glasses, and his hair poofed up back to normal. "I dunno!"
"Huh?" Spines asked.
"Sorry, but I only know how to diagnose mental illnesses!" Bubble Berry said. "I don't know how to cure them. Curing patients goes against the psychologist code!"
"Uh huh," Rainbow Dash said. At least Bubble Berry was acting like his normal self again. "How do you know so much about psychology, anyway?"
Bubble Berry shrugged. "I've been sent to at least five different psychologists during my life," he said. "Apparently, a lot of ponies think I'm crazy, even though I'm not. I'm just Bubble Berry being Bubble Berry."
"Yeah, but what do we do about Rainbow Dash here?" Spines asked.
"Nothing!" Bubble Berry said. "It doesn't matter if Rainbow Dash is really a mare or a colt. She's my friend, so I'm going to love and accept her, just the way she is!"
"Aw..." Rainbow Dash said, as Bubble Berry nuzzled her affectionately. That was surprisingly sweet of him.
"I remember that letter," Spines said dryly.
"Huh? Letter?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah, Bubble Berry wrote that in one of his friendship reports," Spines said. "That was the time he—"
Bubble Berry coughed loudly. "Hey, Rainbow Dash doesn't need to hear about that, does she?" he asked. "No! Let's go get some cupcakes! Come on, my treat!"
Bubble Berry bounced into the kitchen, and Spines and Rainbow followed him.
"What'd he do?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Spines.
"He got a crush on Applejack's big sister," Spines whispered back. "Bubble tried to change her into a party pony like him, but it was a huge disaster."
It took a second for Rainbow Dash to translate the names. "Pinkie Pie had a crush on Big Macintosh? That's crazy!" she said.
"I heard that!" Bubble Berry said. "For the record, she had a crush on me! She just never said so because she doesn't talk much!"
Is it just me, or are all the ponies in this dimension a lot more obsessed with dating than the ones back home? Rainbow Dash wondered. It must be because they're all colts.
Later on, Rainbow Dash went back to the library with Spines and Bubble Berry. With the help of Elusive, they managed to convince Dusk Shine to leave Rainbow Dash alone. The lavender-colored librarian didn't like this.
"This could be a major scientific discovery!" Dusk Shine complained. "You have to let me study her!"
"I'm not a lab rat!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Please, just let me take a few pictures of your new body parts!" Dusk Shine said. "Your eyelashes and mane are totally different now! The changes must be documented!"
"Now, now," Elusive said, trying to calm down his friend. "Try thinking about it from her point of view. Would you want a stranger documenting your body?"
"Well...no," Dusk Shine said. "I guess you're right."
"Of course," Elusive said, nodding slightly. "One must always be a gentlecolt when dealing with a lady."
"Besides, I already told you that I'm not your friend, turned into a mare," Rainbow Dash said. "I think I'd know if I switched genders."
"She has a point!" Bubble Berry said. "Besides, there are hardly any mares in town! Let's make her our friend and give her a big 'Welcome to Ponyville' Party!"
Dusk Shine scowled and stomped his hoof impatiently. "But that's not fair!" he said. "I've always wanted to know what it's like to be a mare, and you won't let me!"
Elusive raised an eyebrow at Dusk Shine. "You've...always wanted to know what being a mare is like?"
"...That came out wrong," Dusk Shine said.
"Are you suuure?" Spines asked. "'Cause I remember back in Canterlot, when—hey!"
Spines was interrupted when Dusk used his magic to pick her up and throw her to the side.
"Anyway, welcome to Ponyville!" Dusk said, quickly. "It's a great place to visit, and if you need anything, we'll be able to help you out! Right, guys?"
Bubble Berry and Elusive nodded. Applejack and Butterscotch probably would have nodded, too, but neither pony was there at the library.
"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said. "I might need your help getting back home, but for now, I think I've got everything under control."
Rainbow Dash flew home, after that. It had been a very long day for her, and she needed to relax. Fortunately, her house key was right where she left it, so she had no trouble getting inside; the trouble was inside.
To put it bluntly, her house had...changed.
Rainbow Dash wasn't the cleanest pony around, but Rainbow Blitz had left the place a complete mess. Food and other things were thrown around everywhere, and it was a good thing Rainbow Dash could fly, because it would have been physically impossible for her to walk on the floor without stepping on something.
Are those...dirty clothes? Rainbow Dash wondered, looking around. Old gum wrappers? Photos of...I have no idea who she is.
Rainbow made her way to the bedroom, but she stopped to look at her Wonderbolts poster. Or at least, it was a Wonderbolts poster. Now it was a poster for the Wondercolts.
It was weird seeing her heroes gender-swapped. Rainbow Dash usually didn't judge other ponies based off their appearances, but Soarin' looked really ugly as a mare. Spitfire, on the other hand, made a very attractive colt. His flame-colored mane looked good, short and spiky.
This has been a weird, weird day, Rainbow Dash thought, as she went into her bedroom and fell asleep.
Rainbow Dash woke up late the next morning, as usual. She was feeling extremely woozy, and her body was still kind of exhausted from the Sonic Rainboom she did the day before.
Rainbow stumbled over to the bathroom, and she turned on the shower. Some ponies use coffee to help them wake up; Rainbow Dash liked to use cold water. As the water droplets hit her face, her brain started working again, and she remembered the disastrous day before.
She sighed. "I can't believe I'm in the colt world, or whatever you call it," she said. She shook her head, then reached a hoof out to the shampoo shelf.
Her hoof came back empty.
"Hey, where's my shampoo?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "This awesome hair doesn't take care of itself, you know!"
Rainbow Dash didn't care too much about her looks—her name wasn't Vainbow Dash, after all—but she liked to use a special shampoo which made her mane look a bit brighter. It highlighted the rainbow colors of her mane and made her look all the more impressive when she did her stunts.
Unfortunately, the only hair care product she could find was a bottle of body spray, which claimed that it would make even the wimpiest stallion smell manly.
"Ugh!" Rainbow Dash said.
She got out of the shower and cleaned herself off. As she went through the bathroom, it became obvious that Rainbow Blitz was not big on personal hygiene. Besides for an unused toothbrush with no toothpaste, the only thing he had on the counter was a six-pack of extra-strength deodorant, for the tough athlete who works up a real sweat. Shoved into the corner of the room was a tub of Dr. Smellgood's Cologne, guaranteed to make you impress on a date.
I always wondered what cologne smells like, Rainbow Dash wondered. It says here that mares are supposed to like the smell. She unscrewed the lid, then took a deep sniff.
"AAAAUUUUUUU!" Rainbow Dash screamed, as the horrible stench attacked her brain and caused all her other senses to crash.
She ran out of bathroom at a gallop, and she tripped over a letter on the ground. Rubbing her nose and her head, she picked up the letter. It had arrived through dragon-mail, and it was written with small, curly letters.
Rainbow couldn't read the letter. She wasn't very good at reading cursive hoofwriting to begin with, and this letter was completely indecipherable. But at least she knew who the letter was from. She only knew one pony who wrote in extra-fancy cursive: Rarity. Or Elsuive, as they called him in this world.
"Guess I'll have to go see Rarilusive today," Rainbow Dash said. "Now where can I find food in this place?"
Rainbow Dash spent the morning working on her flying moves. Naturally, she wanted to try the Double Sonic Rainboom again, in hopes that it would send her back to the mare world. But doing Sonic Rainbooms is exhausting work, and she had to stop after two.
The first Sonic Rainboom was off by five yards, by no fault of Rainbow Dash's; it's hard to be precise when moving at supersonic speeds. The second Sonic Rainboom hit at an odd angle, so most of it went straight into the ground.
Rainbow stopped to take a water break after the second one. She went to the nearest trough, which was by the Apple Family barn.
"Howdy!" a male voice said.
"Hey, Big Macintosh," Rainbow said automatically. Then she looked up and saw the handsome stallion standing near her. "Uh, I mean, hello there, Applejack."
"Nice ta see you again, Miss Dash," Applejack said. "Ah was hopin' ta see yer pretty little face again."
"Uh...yeah, nice to see you, too," Rainbow Dash said. Her heart fluttered a bit at the compliment, but she tried to ignore it. "Have you, uh, heard from the others?"
"Eeeyup," he said. "Dusk Shine sent a letter just last night, sayin' that we all should treat you real nice, like one of th' family."
Applejack smiled at Dash. "Dunno why he bothered. Ah don't need to be told t'be nice to a fine lady like yerself."
Is he flirting with me? Rainbow Dash wondered. He's flirting with me. Oh my gosh, he's flirting with me.
"So I take it you don't think I'm Rainbow Blitz, turned into a mare?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Eenope," Applejack said. "Not me. You said you ain't, and Ah believe yah."
"Really?"
"Ah had mah doubts, to be sure," Applejack said. "You look like him, and you even have the same Sonic Rainboom Cutie Mark. But after that performance just now, Ah can see that you deserve it."
Why was Stallion Applejack so attractive? It was unnerving. He had no right to be so attractive. After all, Mare Applejack was considered one of the more plain-looking girls in town.
"Flying's not my thing, but you're a pretty interesting flyer," Applejack continued.
"You're pretty hot, too," Rainbow Dash blurted out.
Applejack looked like somepony slapped him. "Beg pardon?" he asked.
"Augh!" Rainbow Dash said. "I mean, it's hot outside, which is why I stopped to get water, and..."
Applejack grinned at Rainbow Dash. He thought she was even cuter when she was embarrassed.
"I have to go now!" Rainbow Dash said. "Emergency! You know, emergency...somewhere else. Far away from here. BYE!"
Rainbow Dash flew away at a high speed, hoping the strong winds would knock some sense into her crazy head.
"Now that's one mare Ah wouldn't mind gettin' to know better," Applejack said to himself. "Too bad she looks like Blitz, though. He's gonna be real mad at me if he finds out Ah like her."
Rainbow flew over town, and she stopped at the Carousel Boutique. Remembering that Elusive had sent her a letter that morning, she decided to go inside.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash said, as she flew through an open window.
Elusive looked up from his worktable. He set down his tools and took off his work glasses. "Ah, thank you for coming, Miss Dash," he said.
"Uh, glad to be here," Rainbow said, looking around. The Carousel Boutique was extremely different from what she was used to. All the mannequins were male, and not a single dress was in sight. Instead, rows of tuxedos hung from the walls, along with a wide array of hats and horseshoes. "What exactly is this place, anyway?"
"Carousel Boutique is a tuxedo store," Elusive said. "It's my passion, but it doesn't make much money—most stallions prefer to rent tuxedos instead of buying them. So I run a few side businesses to keep this place afloat."
"Really?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What kind of side businesses?"
"Oh, alterations, clothing repair, escorting debutants to their debuts, that sort of thing," Elusive said.
"Debu—what?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"My services are often called upon as an official companion in society," Elusive explained. "Fortunately, I have a myriad of tuxes to help me dress the role."
"What?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Speak Equine!"
Elusive sighed. "I get paid to take mares out on fancy dates," he translated.
"Oh..." Rainbow Dash said. That made sense; Rarity was big on romance, and it was only fitting that Colt Rarity was equally interested in romance. "So you're a playcolt, huh?"
"No!" Elusive said harshly. "I swear, everypony thinks I'm up to some kind of hanky-panky, just because my side-business is taking mares out on dates. I can assure you that I never do anything inappropriate!"
"Calm down, I believe you," Rainbow Dash said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Wait, are you saying mares actually pay you to date them?"
"Of course," Elusive said. "Mares can't ask stallions out on dates, you know. If they want a date, they have to pay for it."
"That's not how it works where I'm from," Rainbow muttered. Stallion World seemed to be incredibly backwards, in some respects.
"But to be honest, I haven't had any mares pay for a date in months," Elusive said. "I had a...rather public and rather nasty episode with Princess Bluebelle, at the last Grand Galloping Gala. It destroyed my reputation as a nice colt to be with."
"Heh," Rainbow Dash said. She remembered the fight between Rarity and Prince Blueblood. "Anyway, why did you want to see me for?"
"Well, you're a mare, in a town filled with stallions," Elusive said. "This is a great opportunity for me. I can do something with you that I don't often get a chance to do."
"Uh..." Rainbow Dash said. She wasn't sure she liked where this conversation was headed.
"Make a dress!" Elusive said enthusiastically. He clapped his hooves together. "Please say you'll let me make you a dress! It'll be such a fun challenge! I haven't made a custom-made dress in forever!"
Rainbow Dash smiled. It seemed that some things were the same, no matter which dimension you were in.