Rainbow Dash sat in Snowstorms office, acting as nonchalant as ever. She stretched out her hooves behind her head and leaned back in her chair like she owned the place.
“I bet he’s gonna give me a promotion!” she thought to herself with a satisfied grin, “After all these years of working my flank off, I’m finally gonna move up in the ranks. Of course, it’s only a matter time before I become a Wonderbolt anyway, but still, until that happens I need all the extra bits I can get.”
Just then, a white coated stallion with a blue snow cloud cutie mark burst into the room. He slammed the door shut and sat in desk chair without even looking at Rainbow Dash, who upon seeing her boss lost her grin.
Oh boy! she thought nervously as Snowstorm’s angry demeanor drained her confidence, He’s got that hard ass look again; so much for a promotion. Maybe if I play it cool, he’ll let slide whatever it was I did wrong.
As Snowstorm rested his flank against the chair, Rainbow masked her anxiety by putting on the biggest smile she could muster.
“Hey boss,” she said, not realising the minor stutter in her voice, “How’s your son doing? Still freakishly buff?”
He gave Rainbow Dash a deadly glare. If looks could kill, she’d have a sword running straight through her chest.
“My boy is fine Ms. Dash,” he said, scooting up in the chair, “But I’m afraid you aren’t. While you are undoubtedly the best patrol we’ve seen in years, I’m afraid we're going to have to let you go.”
Rainbow Dash’s wings shot up in surprise and her jaw dropped.
“But… but… sir…” she said, baffled, “I haven’t even done anything wrong! I know I’ve been late for work on more than one occasion, and I do slack off sometimes, but I’ve never once let the patrol down. Nopony can clear those skies faster than I can and you know it!”
“License, kid,” he sighed with a hint of regret, “I just found out you never took the Equestria Weather Exam in flight school. You dropped out before you could take it. It was an oversight of the higher ups that we could even hire you in the first place.”
Rainbow Dash began to sweat underneath her cyan coat. If she got fired, this could hurt her chances as getting into the Wonderbolts. Who would want a lame pony that got laid off for something like this?
Without thinking, she slammed both her front hooves onto the desk, knocking over a couple of office supplies.
“You can’t let Cloudsdale do this!” she yelled as her magenta eyes gleamed with anger, “I know how to do my job boss, and I do a damn good job, too! This is a load of…”
“There’s more Ms. Dash,” he said, cutting her off mid-sentence, “The higher-ups have spoken with the Board of Education and have agreed to allow you to take the exam seven days from now. Should you score an 80% or above, you will be able to keep your position, and possibly receive a promotion.”
“And if I score anything lower than 80?” she asked nervously.
Snowstorm shook his head, “I’m afraid I’d have let you go. Sorry, but these are orders from up top. If word got out that one of our employees didn’t even take the EWE, it would reflect badly on our department.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe her career was going to end like this. Just like that. All the time and effort she put into her job - (when she wasn’t napping) - had all become meaningless. Like a bolt of lightning, her dream of a promotion vanished as fast as it had appeared.
“Until you pass, I can’t let you work here,” he said, “But Cloudsdale has asked me to give you this test book to study in the meantime.”
As Snowstorm bent down to retrieve a thin green book from his drawer, Rainbow thought she could see a hint of remorse on his face. He dropped the book onto the desk, which banged upon the wood.
“I suggest you go home and study. Perhaps you could ask your friend Twilight to help you, though she will probably be busy what with her new royal duties.”
Slowly, he sat up from his chair and gave Rainbow Dash a salute.
“I wish you the best of luck, Rainbow Dash,” he said as he looked her in the eye, “Everypony here is counting on you to pass, and I for one would hate to lose such an important member of the patrol.”
Rainbow forced a grin.
“You can count on me sir,” she said in her normal gung-ho manner, “I’ll ace this test no problem!”
-----------
“It’s not fair!” Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration as she soared through the streets of Ponyville with unprecedented speed. The young pegasus was normally more conscious about keeping a reasonable speed while near the ground to avoid crashing. Today however, she needed to let out some steam by living dangerously.
As she flew, her mind raced with fear and anxiety for the upcoming exam.
How am I going to do this? I might have a natural talent when it comes to stunts and weather control, but me and tests do not get along. Plus, I doubt my studying skills have improved since flight school. There’s no way I’ll be able to memorize everything I need to know!
Normally, Rainbow Dash was the kind of pony who could show courage and confidence even in the most challenging or dangerous situations. Today however, she felt more nervous than when she took part in the Best Young Flyer Competition.
Think RD, think! What would Twilight say if she wasn’t in Canterlot this week?
She imagined Twilight's voice lecturing her in her head -
“Just take a few minutes to look at the book Rainbow. I mean, you’ve been a weather pony for how many years now? This test should be a piece of cake if you just sit down and study.”
“Yeah,” she said wryly, “That’s totally what she'd say.”
She flew to a nearby park and laid down on her back. She then reached into her saddle bag and began to skim through some of the problems in the book. Her fear grew as her eyes skimmed the pages. There were a lot of boring questions about math and history. Being a proud pegasus, she was alright when it came to history, but that didn’t make it any easier.
If that wasn’t enough, the math questions were downright horrifying. There was no way she could figure out the air pressure inside of a category 3 hurricane with an eye wall wind speed of 105 knots. Not to mention the questions about how much wing power it would take to create a category 5 hurricane.
Why would anypony want to create a hurricane unless they were at war? she thought, This question is so stupid.
She squinted her eyes in anger and tossed the book on the ground.
Why couldn’t I have been born an egg-head like Twilight?
Suddenly, Rainbow Dash heard the sound of a large trumpet a few feet in front of her. She opened her eyes to see a small crowd of ponies gathering by a large wooden carriage. A banner on top said Mythic Wishes Traveling Magic Shop, which sat next to a large horn that trumpeted a merry melody. The side of the cart looked like a counter, probably so the owner could conduct business while inside.
While the presence of this carriage in the heart of Ponyville was unusual, what caught Rainbow's attention most were the ponies pulling it. They were what Twight would call "robots", their bodies made entirely of golden metal and screws. However, to everypony's amazement, they moved, blinked, and even behaved as if they were breathing. If it weren’t for the metal sheen and screws, one could truly mistake these machines for the real thing. Forgetting the discarded textbook, Rainbow Dash flew closer to the mysterious carriage with curious eyes.
As ponies continued to flock to the scene, the shutters on top of the counter opened. A green unicorn in a purple hooded cloak popped out. The only parts of the figure’s face visible through the cloak were a pair of silver glowing eyes. The crowd drew silent as they waited for the mysterious pony to speak.
“Citizens of Ponyville!” a male voice shouted from beneath the hood. “I, Mythic Wish, have come to share my exotic selection of potions and enchanted items with you, luckiest of ponies. Spells, tomes, trinkets, I have it all and more! I guarantee that nopony in Equestria has such a diverse selection as I!”
Psth. Just another traveling con-artist, Rainbow thought as her excitement dwindled, Why do these wackos always come to Ponyville?
Remembering her book, she flew over to place it back into her saddle bag. As she started to make her ascent into the air, Mythic’s voice boomed out to her.
“You!” he shouted, pointing a hoof up at her, “The lovely blue pegasus with the prismatic main, my amulet of empathy senses great turmoil within your heart. Perhaps I could interest you in something that could make your troubles disappear?”
Rainbow Dash landed and faced the hooded salespony.
“Look Mister,” she said in polite but frustrated tone, “I have a lot on my mind, and unless you have a way to give me more brain power, I’m not interested in any junk you’re peddling.”
The merchant lifted his hood, and revealed a snow white mane to match his glowing eyes. The young colt smiled at her.
“My amulet always does pick the most appropriate would-be customers,” he said with a cocky smile, “Madam, if it’s brains you need, then I've got just the remedy for your ails.”
A silver cone of magic surrounded his horn as a flask containing a purple liquid materialized before him.
“This potion will give you all the brains you’ll ever need. After just a taste, you’ll have the brain power to outsmart even most scholarly of scholars and the eggiest of eggheads!”
“That is,” he said as he narrowed his eyes and leaned his head forward, “If you can pony up the dough. Seven hundred bits and you will have the power of two brains - possibly more!”
Rainbow Dash considered this deeply.
That’s a lot of money for something that I don’t even know will work. Not to mention I just want to pass the test, not be a know it all. I can get around just fine with the smarts I have. Then again, if it means not wasting my time studying when I could be practicing my new stunts, it might be worth it.
Rainbow Dash smiled and held out her hoof towards the peddler.
“Hold that potion Mr. Wish!" she exclaimed. With lightning reflexes, Rainbow Dash sped towards her cloud home and came back ten seconds later with a large sack of bits in her mouth. She tossed the bag to the salespony who caught it with his magic in midair. “Just give me a hundred bits change and you got yourself a sale.”
After counting the bits, Mythic produced a vial containing a clear blue liquid. He handed it over to Dash who held it in her hooves with glee.
“Thank you for your business,” Mythic said cheerfully while he deposited his revenue into a smaller bag, “Just remember, there will be no refunds. Once you leave, this exchange is final.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, “You did say this potion would make me smarter, right?”
He smiled, “I said it would give you more brains, whether or not your new brain is compatible is up to you.”
Rainbow Dash took a moment to attempt to understand the peddler's cryptic words, “Can’t you just give me a straight answer?”
The silver maned unicorn chuckled. “But if I did that, it would ruin the MYSTERY and the WONDER.”
Rainbow Dash flew closer and leaned in the peddler's face.
“Listen buddy,” she huffed, “If this potion doesn’t do what you say it does, I’m taking my bits back, whether the sale’s final or not.”
Without saying another word, she placed the vial and her change into her saddlebag and sped off into the sky. As she flew upwards, she could hear Mythic shouting something back at her.
“Don’t drink the potion in the clouds! Find a nice secluded area!”
Wanting to get the most out of the potion, she decided to follow the unicorn's advice and began setting a course for the one place she knew wouldn’t be crowded.
--------
“Hey Fluttershy!” Rainbow yelled as she pounded on her friend’s cottage door, “Are you home?”
Not hearing any sound from inside, she figured that her friend was out. She let out a low groan of annoyance.
Darn, she thought, This means I’m going to have to drink this stupid potion by myself. What if this thing makes me keel over?
She flew to the edge of the forest and took the potion out of her saddle bag. After placing it down on the ground with her mouth, she sat down silently. While focusing on the potion, she noticed that the sky blue liquid was bubbling up, almost as if it was eager to quench her thirst. A feeling of doubt and unease coursed through her mind
Is there anypony else I could go to who won’t stop me? Applejack’s working right now and she told me she doesn’t want me messing around in her orchard anymore. Plus, she’d totally object to this whole thing. I think Pinkie Pie’s catering Twist’s birthday today if I remember correctly. I highly doubt Rarity would have any interest in seeing what this potion does. Man, it’s too bad Twilight's not here to identify what the hay this is and what’s exactly supposed to happen.
For moment, she thought about leaving the potion right there in the field, before reminding herself what was at stake. Her job, her pride, her shot at the Wonderbolts, not to mention seven hundred bits. All of that was about to crumble like a house of cards unless she took action.
Her eyebrows narrowed a bit as she uncorked the flask with her teeth. She slowly reached down and grabbed the potion with both her hooves and gradually brought it to her face. As she was about to pour the liquid down her throat, the fluid waiting impatiently at the brim of the flask, she paused.
Then, after ten whole seconds of hesitance, she emptied the potions contents into her mouth. It tasted like nothing had ever tasted in her life, almost like a soda of unknown flavour. Even with the bulk of the liquid gone, Rainbow made sure to drink every last drop. When there was nothing left to drink Rainbow let go of the vile and began to examine herself. As far she could tell, the potion had not altered her physically. What about mentally? She pulled out the EWE booklet and eagerly flipped to a random page. She smiled at the idea of immediately knowing all the answers in the book.
That smile, however, was short lived. Rainbow looked blankly at the page and flipped to another. The book’s contents were no clearer to her than the last time she looked.
Ponyfeathers, she thought as she sulked, That con artist ripped me off! I knew there was something about him that reminded me of Trixie or the Flim-Flam Brothers. When I get my hooves on him I’m going to kick his sorry fla…”
Gurgle.
Her train of thought derailed as a burning feeling overcame her stomach. She rolled onto her back and clenched it with her hooves, moaning in agony. She shut her eyes as the pain began to travel to other parts of her body. On impulse, she began to rub her stomach harder, as if doing so would extinguish the pain. That’s when she noticed something strange - her hooves rubbed against something hard and scaly. She opened her eyes let out a loud shriek.
“Holy Crap!” Dash shouted as her eyes widened with shock and terror, “I’m molting!”
She watched in horror as large patches of fur fell away to be replaced by blue scales. Frantically she tried to brush the scales off, only succeeded in wiping off more fur.
I have to get to the hospital!
Frantically, Rainbow tried to push herself up, only to fall flat on her face. Next she tried lifting herself off the ground with her hooves, only to find that her legs felt weak. Rainbow looked down at her legs and let out a horrific shriek. They shriveled up right before her eyes, retreating inwards into her body. With each passing moment her legs got shorter and thinner. It was like her body was absorbing them into herself, and draining their strength in the process.
She felt a sharp pain literally cut through her back hooves. It felt as if somepony was slicing them from the inside. She turned her see what was happening, but before should get a good look, she felt her hooves split in three.
Her eyes closed and she shrieked in agony, though it sounded more like the roar of a mighty beast than the scream of a pony. When her eyes reopened, she turned back to find that her slender pony legs had bulked up, appearing as a reptile’s. Where her hooves used to be clung two large dragon-like claws.
Just as her front legs had all but vanished from her body, Rainbow could feel her torso beginning to expand, causing the moulting to intensify. The constant shifting in her skeletal structure made it too taxing to keep looking behind herself, but she could feel every change happening to her body. Her chest elongated causing the last of her fur to shed. Her wings morphed as every last feather was replaced by an overgrown set of webbed dragon wings. They stretched wider and longer, casting large shadows over the grassy hills.
Her hind quarters expanded outwards, her scaly plot become rounder. She could feel a new tale stretching out from her flank, growing about seven yards long. Another sharp twinge took her as she felt six spiky bones shoot out from her new back and tail.
As of this point, the only part of Rainbow body that kept its pony form were her neck and face, but parts of her mane started to fall off. She could feel her heart, which had grown larger during the change, beating heavier and heavier as the last bits of her famous mane fell apart. Her mind became a blank void, too overwhelmed and shocked by the previous changes to take anything more, shutting down both mentally and emotionally. She was literally petrified by fear.
Her neck began to elongate, shooting her head upwards like a giraffe. She could feel her skull morph into an inverted pentagon, her teeth sharpening into large bone splitting fangs. Spines shot out of the back of her head, six in total, each one containing one of the six colors which made up her old mane.
Finally, after what felt like ages, the pain subsided, and the changes had stopped.
Overwhelmed by it all, Rainbow shut eyes and drifted off to sleep. However, just as she passed into unconsciousness, a small bump appeared by her newly formed neck, and slowly grew upward.
----------
“Yo me… Er, I mean Rainbow Dash!” shouted a frantic male voice into her half unconscious ear. “You need to wake up before somepony sees what we’ve become. Fluttershy could come back any minute.”
Rainbow Dash slowly opened one eye as she tried to get a glimpse of the “thing” standing in front of her. When her sight became clear, her eyes shot up in panic. A blue dragon face with rainbow spikes and red eyes was staring back into her.
The creature let out a sigh of relief. “Awesome, you're awake, now let’s get out of her before…”
“Monster!” yelped Rainbow Dash. She jerked her head backwards, telling her body to run. Instead, the only thing she was able to move was her neck. She looked down at her body and let out another terrified scream. Her head was no longer connected to that of a pony, but that of a large, scaly beast. To make things even worse, she had a second neck which was connected to the hideous face in front of her.
For a moment, she was utterly speechless. She looked back up at the creature
“What’s going on?” she panicked, as a dozen questions raced through her mind, “Who are you? What am I? What are we? Why do you sound like a stallion? Is this a male body? How did I…”
“Sweet Celestia, just shut up,” the creature shouted in annoyance, “First off, I don’t have the answers to half those questions. All I know is that this body apparently won’t move unless we both agree to move it. I’ve been trying to wake you up ever since I grew out of your shoulder. Since you were here first, I’m guessing I’m some kind of male version of you that shares your memories. But we can figure all that out later. We have to leave before...”
“EEEEEEK!”
The two head turned around to the sound of a female scream - Fluttershy was back, and had fainted. The male head turned back to Rainbow and gave her an unamused look.
“Too late,” he huffed, “Tell your brain to start walking, toward her. I’ll do the same. If my theory is wrong, then we might as well be living statues.”
As soon as he said this, the original brain initiated a move toward Fluttershy. Stumbling on her unusual bipedal legs, Dash managed to get her new body closer to her friend.
“Huh?” muttered the male head, “It looks like moving is a lot less complicated than we thought. I guess we don’t need to think at the exact same time like I thought. Our body just can’t perform actions without each other’s consent.”
Rainbow turned her head to him.
“This is beyond messed up,” she groaned, “Looking like a monster is one thing, but having to constantly agree with somepo…‘something’ else in order do something as simple as walking - that is beyond cruel.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he said as with an angry smirk, “That’s why we're going to barge right into town and force that good for nothing peddler to change us back.”
He jerked his head to the right as if to move forward then look back at Dash with confusion.
“Come on!” he said, “Give me control so we can catch him before he leaves. You were only out for ten minutes so there’s still a chance he’s in town.”
Dash shook her head, “Dude, I’m all for chasing that creep from Ponyville to Appleloosa if it means changing back, but right now we need to make sure Fluttershy’s okay.”
“But he could be gone by the time she wakes!” he shouted, gritting his teeth, “We need to catch him now or he could be gone forever.”
Rainbow sighed, cursing her loyal nature, “I’m sorry, but no matter how many heads I grow, my friends come first. Celestia forbid a timberwolf comes out of those woods and finds her. Let’s just rest in the shade for a bit and think about how we are going to explain ourselves to Fluttershy.”
“You do realise she’s going to think we’re a monster again,” he said.
“Maybe at first, but if there’s one thing about Fluttershy, she’s a lot braver than she lets on. The way she handled both the manticore and the dragon proved that to me a long time ago. If she can see in us what she saw in the manticore and we explain ourselves, she’ll calm down and help us. Then we can worry about what we’re going to do with that Mythic Wish creep.”
He tilted his head and took a deep breath, “Fine, but let me take the wheels. You got your walking practice in already. How’s about letting a newborn take his first baby steps.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and she felt her legs start to move without her telling them too. As their body sat down under the shade, Rainbow turned to her new “brother”.
“Were going to have to come up with a new name for you,” she said as she began to examine his face, “Are my eyes still maroon, by the way?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, “but I’m guessing mine aren’t.”
“Yep,” replied Dash as she gave him a soft smile, “Since I’m the original, you're going to need a name for when ponies are talking to you specifically. I was thinking since your eyes are red and mine aren’t, how about I call you Red?”
The male head gave Rainbow a smug smirk, “I think Red sounds like an awesome name, ‘cause it sounds like ‘rad’ as in ‘radical’.”
Rainbow Dash broke out into laughter, “Oh boy, you really are another me."