"Panic over how ponies will react aside," Shining said as he climbed the steps to his modest home and opened the door for his little brother, who shuffled in slowly, head still hanging down in awkward embarrassment, "Is there anything else about any of this that you'd like to tell me?"
Dusk Shine answered him with more silence, making his way to the far couch and slumping upon it after finally removing his coat. He buried his face into a pillow and curled his noticeably shorter tail around his lower body. Naturally, if he could not be a scared ostrich pony in the middle of the street, he'd have to improvise. He listened to the door close from Shining's magic, and then there was an even deeper silence.
"...Twiley, come on." Shining finally prodded. "You don't think your own brother knows when you're not telling him something? Heh, I don't even need to have my years of past experience in talking you out of breakdowns to know you're in a bad space, right now. You may have been in Ponyville for a while now, but I'll always know what makes my sister tick."
Dusk buried his head deeper into his brother's throw pillow, clenching his eyes and stubbornly resisting the rising urge to sob from the anxiety showering his mind with a barrage of arrows. Every last bit of confidence, composure and bravado to seek out the princess in the wide-open streets of Canterlot had toppled down, having been replaced by the urge to nestle with these surprisingly comfortable throw pillows like a dragon hoarding a pile of treasure, for all eternity. If anything, one-on-one time with Shining Armor in his current state was more nerve-wracking than treading Canterlot in a blatant disguise.
Because it meant that he had safety, security, and, should he want it, comfort. It meant that, if he wanted to, he could allow himself to break down completely from his fears, and turn into that young filly (or colt, in this case) who needed consoling from the caring older brother, whom Dusk knew, deep down, was there for him no matter what. The only decision left to make was whether to allow that break down or not.
"Twiley."
Dusk shifted a little bit, his ears flickering every now and then, but always returning to their drooping position. Every last goblin of anxiety had converged at his front gates, and they weren't holding.
"Twiley, you know I hate seeing you like this." Shining said, his voice far softer and more concerned than it had been so far. He walked silently over to the couch, and taking great care, maneuvered himself next to the basket-case stallion, placing one hoof onto his little brothers' mane. Dusk gave a few audible sniffs in response. "Please, talk to me."
One thing was for certain, and it was that Shining was going to need to invest in some new throw pillows. A few moments later, Dusk gripped hold of his brother's invitation with both hooves, and as the water works began, the purple stallion burrowed his head into a new object from those soft pillows; the space below his older brother's chin.
"It didn't really bother me before, because I was focusing on getting it fixed, and f-finding Princess Celestia." Dusk said, sniffs and shakes polluting his sentences. "But...this feels so strange, and it's scaring me. I feel like I'm, like I'm not even the same p-pony anymore! Like my mind is i-in the body of somepony else! And, t-that's why I was scared of meeting y-you or my friends, or anypony! I-If I feel this different, then everypony else would s-surely react the same way!"
Shining Armor remained silent and still, apart from keeping a firm grasp of Dusk's head. Listening intently, he waited until Dusk's sentences ended subdued to mere sniffs and gasps. Though still concerned, a small smile had dawned on his face.
"Do you know why I love my sister?" The white stallion asked.
"H-Huh?" Dusk replied, looking up, a few stray tears dropping between his hooves and Shining's.
"No matter what happens, now matter how much she believes her world is going to come crashing down, her patterns never change." He explained. "Whether a young filly crying into my front hoof about not wanting me to go off to become a royal guard, or the young mare sobbing about leaving Canterlot for Ponyville, she's always the easiest and most straight-forward sister in the world to comfort. As an older brother, that's a wonderful feeling for me."
Dusk's insecure and wet violet eyes made solid contact with Shining's calm, radiant cerulean ones.
"I can only imagine how strange it must be to suddenly be something you've never been before, especially something as intertwined with who you are as being a stallion or mare," Shining began, "but Twiley, your gender is not what defines you. Who you are is defined by your personality and actions. You can't forget that."
Dusk's gaze turned back downwards and away from the logic being pushed upon his army of anxiety goblins. But this was an experienced army, a stubborn army. It had been defeated many a time by these words, and knew by now how to circumvent them. The purple stallion laid his head at his brothers' hooves and gave a deep sigh.
"And most importantly...you shouldn't assume how your friends, and even your own brother, will respond to situations." The blue-maned stallion went on, smiling even broader as if he were actually happy over something, and began to ruffle Dusk's mane affectionately. "For example, if you had simply asked me how I felt about having a little brother for a short while, I'd have told you that I actually find the idea to be pretty cool."
Dusk's gaze picked right up again. The goblin army had taken a critical blow, and the purple stallions' waterworks began to withdraw. He stared at Shining with a mixture of disbelief and amazement.
"Haha, do you find it so surprising? I've never had a little brother before; why wouldn't I be interested in the aspect of it, even if it is short-lived?"
Like a mighty wave crashing down on a home burdened by a slowly consuming flame, Dusk's spirits rose from the muck. And the worst part of it all was, he couldn't even begin to count how many times his older brother had done this, now. The shock factor was a favorite of Shining's, and it always worked against the purple unicorn's logic-based mind.
"You...really don't mind?"
"That's what I'm saying. And I bet you every bit I own that every single one of your friends back in Ponyville would react similarly."
"How many bits do you even have left on you?" Dusk asked, a smile coming to him for the first time all day, and a sly smile at that.
"Well...none. I gave them all to you for the Defiant Dragon." Shining admitted, looking slightly sheepish.
"You're way too kind to ponies you've never even met before, Shiny." Dusk deadpanned with a smile.
"Well, you can blame my wife for that one." Shining chuckled. "I guess her nature has started to rub off on me."
The goblin hordes having subsided, at least from their critical levels, Dusk lifted himself up from the couch and took a deep breath. With new-found optimism, he trotted around the back of the couch, and gazed out over the plentiful view of Canterlot.
"Alright. I can do this." Dusk self-prepped. "Once the princess returns, she'll be able to give me advice on how to go about reversing this without any complications. I'd try it myself but...Spike was right, at least partially, anyway. I've just barely scratched the surface of hormonal magic, and I really messed up. I don't want to risk making things even worse. With any luck I should be able to get back to Ponyville and see my friends as a mare again, before the princess lowers the sun tomorrow."
Shining Armor rose from the couch as well. "You sure you want to stay in Canterlot? Your friends would be a great source of support, as well."
"You're right. And, truth be told, if I hadn't run into you, I probably would have returned to Ponyville once things got bad enough for me. I'd be on Rarity's fainting couch instead of yours, right about now. But, I did run into you. I don't want to drag them into this now if I don't have to. I think it'll be easier for everyone if I can just recall this tale with them over some lunch in the future, once I'm back to my normal self."
Dusk laid his head against his brother's neck. "My BBBFF supporting me is all I really need. Thanks, Shining."
"More than happy to help. It is my job, after all." Shining replied, putting a hoof around Dusk's back. "And you know that my fainting couch is always open for you. I'd dare to say I probably have even better rates than my competitors in Ponyville."
Dusk laughed. "Well I don't know about that, Rarity's not bad at being my psych pony when I need her to be. She can be very wise when she wants to be. I think her couch might be a bit comfier, too~"
"Oh, ouch. Insulting a stallion's furniture choices. You're just hitting below the belt now, Twiley." Shining said with a shake of his head. Before Dusk could anticipate it, his brother's horn lite with a flare, and the next thing the purple unicorn knew, the fluffy plum of a throw pillow collided with his face. An ancient, unspeakable war had just been waged.
"What do you think of my furniture now, Smarty Pants?" Shining grinned.
As the soft stitch-work of fibers and cloth fell from his face, Dusk's look of bewilderment turned to one of sweet vengeance.
"You're on, BBBFF."
--
"Princess, are you sure you won't be requiring anything else this evening?"
"Actually, there is one more thing, Mr. Ramsley. Now, I want you to do this next task for me to the very best of your ability, alright?"
"Yes of course, princess. How can I be of service?"
"I want you to go home, take the rest of the day off, and spend quality time with your family. Can you do that for me?"
"...Y-Yes, of course, thank you for your kindness, Princess Cadence!"
Calm, collected and entirely radiant with the very essence of love itself, Princess Cadence disembarked from the Canterlot carriage cart, and sent the chauffeur on his way. As she climbed the steps to her modest home, she thought she heard a far-off laugh that was all too familiar to her, but somehow distorted. Dismissing it as a trick of the imagination, but still harboring room for curiosity, the pink alicorn opened the front door with her second key, and began to walk inside. There she was met by a sight she could never have seen coming.
"Is that all you've got, Twiley? Your aim certainly hasn't gotten any better from when we were kids!"
"Always with the trash talk, Shiny. Just you wait. The shrewd and calculating ones are the real threats to watch out for in a war!"
Throw pillows and blankets rolled into balls soared through the air like catapult fodder. On either side of the living room, two distinct masses had been created. Lurking behind the couch, which had been upgraded with a mattress for extra defense was Shining Armor, front hooves and the upper part of his face peeking over the edge of his shield. On the opposing side, walled in by the overturned coffee table and four chairs from the kitchen was a purple pony that Cadence at first didn't recognize, but came to find familiar within seconds.
Through the uproar and commotion, neither of the stallions realized the door had opened, nor that there was a princess now observing their shenanigans with bemused interest.
"Come on Shining Armor, are you just going to hide in your homebase all day? I have something with your name on it, that's soon to have your face on it!"
"Sorry Twiley, your cheap taunts won't work against a veteran commander of Fort Armor. You've never broken these walls before and you won't start today!"
"Oh my...what happened? I could have sworn that Fort Armor and The Kingdom of Sparkle had a treaty in effect. You didn't go instigating anything, did you, dear?"
The pillows and blankets all at once lost their levitation auras in mid-air, and dropped to the floor like rocks. Shining Armor's face lit up with true joy, and as he trotted out from behind his childish but well-put-together fortification, he met his radiant spouse with a kiss. Meanwhile, Dusk Shine blushed and did his absolute best to remain quiet and still, hiding behind his fortification. He may have gained some composure from his brother's pep talk, but that didn't change the fact that he was new to being a stallion. He didn't think he'd ever get used to introducing himself as such...
"How was your day?" The white stallion asked.
"Oh, you know. Just wrapping up some loose ends before our upcoming task." Cadence surmised, her deep pink eyes piercing straight through the hardwood coffee table. "Honestly, walking through the door to this has been the most interesting thing to happen all day."
Dusk gulped and felt his face go red again.
"Come on out, Twilight." The princess of love said kindly.
Dusk Shine slowly did as he was told. Slowly but surely, the deep purple stallion, just barely smaller than Shining Armor, picked himself up from behind the barrier and walked out into view. As his former babysitter and modern princess observed the bizarre change, Dusk kept his eyes on anything but Cadence's gaze. For a few moments there was nothing but silence and the heavy feeling of observations being taken.
"There's always something interesting going on in your world, isn't there?" Cadence said with a genuine smile, completely unperturbed by the mare's transformation. "And you know, you don't look half-bad as a stallion. I like how your mane turned out. It's very...well, like you."
"W-What? But I, I mean, you don't...you're not...confused? Surprised? Anything?" Dusk stammered, finally making direct eye contact with the alicorn.
"Oh, Twilight. Nothing's really changed here, has it? You're still you, just with a different look, right? Nothing to be so nervous about. Certainly not anything those who love you will turn away from, especially when it does bother you so much."
Dusk forced a smile and nodded, and let out a deep sigh. Maybe he had been blowing things out of proportion just a little bit. Or a lot.
"Which is exactly what I said." Shining Armor piled on, putting a hoof around Cadence and smiling at his little brother. "Dear, do you know when Princess Celestia will be returning to Canterlot this evening? Twilight's not sure she should try reversing the magic by herself, so she wants to wait until she can have an audience with the princess."
Cadence furrowed her eyebrows and looked at the floorboards in thought. "I want to say she said that the earliest she'd be back from her meeting was half an hour or so past when she normally lowers the sun. That's about seven hours from now."
"Seven hours." Dusk repeated to himself, analyzing that amount of time, and what exactly he might or might not be able to accomplish in that time. Should he try to reverse the spell now, anyway? After all, there was no guarantee the princess would have a clear idea of how to fix the spell for him, was there? He might have to spend a while researching hormonal magic further and reverse it himself, after figuring out the fix through trial and error. Normally the scientific method and the like got him giddy, but anxiety was still taking refuge in his forward thinking. He didn't want to stay like this for any longer than he had to, that was for sure. But what if he messed things up even further with his next experiment? Even if the princess did know how to fix it, it wouldn't matter if he went ahead and made things even more complicated first...
"Twilight?"
"..."
"Twilight."
"..."
"Hold on, I got this."
Shining Armor slowly approached the stagnant stallion, and blew on his short, rectangular bangs. This instantly put them out of place, and as if on a timer, Dusk broke out of his trance with a start to fix them. Cadence giggled.
"Might be a stallion now, but still the same old Twiley. If that isn't proof enough, I don't know what is." Shining Armor chuckled.
"Twilight." Cadence said.
"Uh, yes?"
"I'll admit this is a bit of an idea, but, how would you feel if Shining Armor and I went with you to the main castle now?"
"You mean, to wait for the princess to return?" Dusk inquired.
"It's true that Princess Celestia isn't here right now, but Princess Luna is." Cadence said with a smile. "She's quite often awake during the hours prior to nighttime, and is certainly awake whenever Celestia is absent from Canterlot. Why don't we see if she's able to help you with your predicament?"
Dusk hadn't even considered Luna. He stood there and blinked at his sister-in-law and older brother with a blank expression as he processed this new idea.
"At the very least, I'm sure she'd be honored that you chose to consult with her about your problem." Shining Armor added. "Like Celestia, she's been around a long time. I'd be surprised if she didn't at least have some tips or ideas you could try."
Dusk Shine reflected further. He remembered Nightmare Night, when he assisted the princess in first making friends of the modern ponies of Ponyville. He had scarcely seen the Princess of the Night since then, and that was a while ago, at this point. The two hadn't really had a chance to sit down and talk, since. Albeit these would be strange circumstances, but Dusk couldn't deny that the ancient alicorn may have some ideas about the forms of magic he's been messing with. If nothing else at all, seeing Luna again would be the perfect way to spend the time awaiting Celestia's return to Canterlot.
"Alright. Let's give it a try."