//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Rainbow Rocks // by Twinkletail //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash had never bobbed for rocks before. Now she knew why. It was only one of the myriad party activities that Pinkie had set up for tonight's party, and Rainbow could fully understand why such an activity had been chosen. It was, after all, a party for her big sister Maud, and if there was anything that Maud liked, it was rocks. In fact, Rainbow was pretty positive rocks were the only thing Maud liked, other than Pinkie. So it came as no surprise to Rainbow nor the rest of their friends to see multitudes of rock-themed decorations, games, and favors set up for the festivities. That did not mean, however, that Rainbow had to enjoy it. She knew for a fact that her teeth and her jaw were not appreciative of Pinkie's attention to detail in using real rocks for bobbing. Still, she put on a big, fake, aching smile, primarily for Pinkie's sake. Pinkie was no dummy; she knew full well from Maud's previous visit that she didn't exactly mesh well with her friends. As much as the five of them had tried to befriend Maud, they were simply unable to find any common ground other than how much they cared for Pinkie. Rainbow had no real qualm with rocks; she supposed they were alright. They didn't bother anypony of their own accord due to an utter lack of consciousness, and the only time they hurt anypony was if they were thrown at said pony or if said pony was thrown at them, and they couldn't be faulted for either indiscretion. Try as she might, though--and to be honest, she didn't try terribly hard--she just could not drum up a speck of enthusiasm for the little geological wonders. "Ouh!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in place. "You got a piece of schist!" "Aw, c'mon Pinkie, that's kinda unnecessary," Rainbow said, placing the rock on the ground and relieving her poor jaw. "It might be just a rock, but there's no need to talk about it like that." She looked to the rock, feeling an odd little twinge of connection to it. She supposed it was a nice little rock, undeserving of Pinkie's uncharacteristic insult. "Schist," Maud said, inspecting the rock. "It's a type of metamorphic rock. Schist is a medium-grade metamorphic rock with medium to large, flat, sheet-like grains in a preferred orientation." Rainbow stared for a moment before realization struck, a strike which occurred right alongside a burst of laughter from Pinkie. "Ohhhhh," Rainbow said. "I totally knew that." Rainbow felt Maud's gaze on her as she rubbed the back of her mane awkwardly. She was pretty positive that Maud had been giving her looks throughout the entire party, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. She hadn't said anything to offend her, unless her lack of knowledge on types of rocks from just a moment ago fell under that banner. She'd been giving her these looks even before that, though, so that couldn't be the reason. Unless, of course, she had some kind of freaky rock sense that let her know when ponies around her didn't know about rocks. It sounded improbable, but considering she was related to Pinkie, it wasn't completely out of the question. "Alright, Pinkie Pie," Twilight interjected. "I think we've bobbed for rocks enough now. Thank goodness we had a spare supply of healing potions, otherwise I think Rarity might still be inconsolable." "Please do forgive me if I am not happy about accidentally maiming myself," Rarity said with a small scowl, her tongue running along her formerly-chipped tooth. "It's okay Rarity!" Pinkie reassured her. "Lots of famous ponies have gaps in their teeth! Like Muhaymed Ali!" "...The pugilist," Rarity said with a frown. "Hmm...no, I think he's a boxer!" Pinkie replied cheerfully. Rarity rolled her eyes, then patted Pinkie on the head. "You're delightful, darling," she said. If her tone was meant to be condescending, which it likely wasn't, then Pinkie's happy giggle made it evident that she didn't catch on. "Alright, alright," Applejack piped in. "This has all been real fun, but ain't we forgetting something? I think Twilight had a little something she wanted to show us. Ain't that right, Twi?" All attention turned to Ponyville's local princess, and her cheeks colored. "Oh, it's no big deal, really," Twilight said. "It's just a spell I worked together that I thought would be fun. No reason to interrupt our other activities just for that." "Oh come now, Twilight," Fluttershy said. "I'm sure we'd all love to see your spell. Right, girls?" The others nodded eagerly. "Yeah, c'mon Twilight!" Rainbow said. "Let's see it!" Her wings fluttered excitedly at the prospect. Ever since Twilight had managed to turn the lot of them into breezies, Rainbow had found herself becoming more and more interested whenever Twilight mentioned a new spell. She'd known that Twilight was powerful, but seeing that extent of it and realizing just how much power her friend had was amazing to her. "Alright, fine," Twilight said, blushing slightly at being thrust into the spotlight. "I'll just need two volunteers." "I'll volunteer!" Rainbow offered. She silently hoped to herself that this would finally be the griffon transformation spell that she'd been hoping for, though she wasn't sure why they'd need another volunteer for that. Perhaps Twilight hadn't narrowed it down to a single target yet? "Woooo! Yeah! Go Dashie!" Pinkie cheered. Rainbow rolled her eyes and smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. Pinkie always managed to drum up excitement for anything Rainbow would do, no matter how mundane. Rainbow managed to catch a glance at her eyes and gave her a little smile, which made Pinkie giggle even more. Then her gaze turned to Maud, who'd been standing next to her. Her bland, almost uncaring expression was a staunch contrast to that of her sister, and for a moment, Rainbow almost felt unreasonably intimidated by her. It made no sense; she was never intimidated by anypony, and Maud was simply giving her the same look she always seemed to give everypony and everything. Something about this time, though...she couldn't quite explain it, but it felt different. "Excellent!" Twilight said. "One more!" "Ouh, ouh!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in place. "How about Maud? It is her party after all!" All eyes now turned towards Maud. As had become expected of Maud, her face was completely still and emotionless. If any nervousness or trepidation about the task that was requested of the mare lie within her, it was completely invisible to the ponies who waited on her answer. "Sure," Maud replied nonchalantly. "Wonderful!" Twilight exclaimed, clapping her front hooves together. "This is going to be great, you'll see!" "Yaaaay Maud!" Pinkie cheered. "And yaaay Dashie! And yay Twilight! And yay Applejack!" "But I didn't do-" Applejack began. "Yay everypony as long as I'm at it!" Pinkie shouted. Before Rainbow knew what was going on, she was suddenly shoved by Pinkie, and found herself positioned next to Maud. Rainbow offered an awkward smile to Pinkie's sister, and was met with a set of eyes that seemed to stare into her very soul. "Alright!" Twilight said, her voice bubbling with a level of excitement that threatened to rival Pinkie's. "Now, as my two lovely volunteers, I'll need you two to perform a very important task." "Awesome!" Rainbow exclaimed. "What is it? Are we gonna have to do backflips? Or lift something heavy? Oh, maybe we have to wrestle each other! Whaddaya say, Maud?" She turned to Maud with a smirk, one which dropped away as soon as she remembered just how hard Maud had thrown that rock at the lake during her first visit. She let out a nervous little laugh and looked back towards Twilight. "You two..." Twilight said. "Are going to have to...stand perfectly still and be silent until I say you can stop!" Rainbow felt the excitement drain from her as if it were a physical force. "Uh...wow," she said flatly. "That sounds...totally boring." "I think it sounds fine," Maud said. "I like standing still and being quiet." Rainbow opened her mouth to reply, but as she saw the eager smile plastered on Pinkie's face, she decided that maybe some things didn't need to be said. "Ready?" Twilight asked. As soon as she saw that her two subjects were quiet and still, she lit her horn up. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on getting the spell just right. Rainbow felt an odd feeling all around her as she was lifted into the air without the use of her wings, the feeling of Twilight's magical aura surrounding her almost like a gentle massage. She very nearly flapped her wings out of instinct, but somehow felt wholly unable to move. She cast her gaze to her side and saw Maud hovering in the air as well, looking entirely unconcerned about what was happening at the moment. Rainbow then felt a thickly, tingly feeling in her throat. She opened her mouth, expecting a cough, but even though it felt like something had come out, she heard absolutely nothing. The feeling continued for a good ten seconds, a feeling that Rainbow would have described as a bizarrely pleasant choking feeling, had she the voice to do so. Never before would she have expected to describe choking as pleasant, but, well, here she was. Her breathing was unobstructed and she was feeling none of the pain that was typical of a choking fit. Before Rainbow could mentally put better words to this feeling, it ended as quickly as it began. She felt the magical aura around her subside as her hooves once again touched down to the ground. "Okay, you can move and speak now, " Twilight told them as her horn dimmed. "Let's see if this worked!" Despite being told that she could speak, Rainbow found herself having a difficult time of finding what to say. Something certainly felt different, but she could not place it. She looked to Maud, and it came as no surprise that she had no visible reaction to what had just occurred. "Okay, what's-" Rainbow began. Then she froze. That didn't sound right at all. Her usual energetic voice had been replaced with a drab monotone, almost like her voice box had been taken over by... "Whoa," Maud said in Rainbow's voice. The two stared at each other in wonder as the rest of their friends cheered. "That's amazing," Fluttershy said with a smile. "Yes indeed," Rarity agreed. "Excellent job, Twilight!" "Ouh!!" Pinkie shouted, grabbing Rainbow around the neck. "Dashie! Say something Maud would never say!" Rainbow hesitated, not sure about all of this. She didn't want to insult Maud, after all. After a moment, though, she smirked. Surely Maud had to have a sense of humor underneath all that stoicism. "I like clouds more than rocks," Rainbow said in Maud's deadpan tone, sending Pinkie into a bout of raucous laughter. She was soon joined by the others, with the sole exception of Maud. Maud seemed...well, it was hard to say. Given the way she reacted, her facial expression could have meant anything from mirth to hatred. One tap to Pinkie's shoulder from her hoof stopped the mares' laughter in its tracks. "What is it, Maud?" Pinkie asked, trying her best not to snicker. There was a moment of silence, a tense moment that left Rainbow on edge. She hadn't meant to hurt Maud's feelings by imitating her; she was just having a bit of fun. She stared at Maud, ready to apologize. "I like to take things slow and steady," Maud said in Rainbow's voice. Pinkie erupted with laughter. The others joined in again, with the exceptions of Maud and now Rainbow Dash. She couldn't believe the nerve, after she was all ready to apologize and everything. This was exactly why she made it a point to rarely apologize for anything. "Alright, alright," Rainbow said in Maud's voice. "That's enough. Change us back, Twilight." Hearing herself speaking in that voice frustrated her to no end. She was all about high octane energy, running on all cylinders and the like. This voice was the antithesis of that. She couldn't even imagine having to live with that voice normally, though she figured it suited Maud's behavior rather well. If there was anything that Maud wasn't, it was full of energy. "Okay. Rainbow Dash," Twilight said with a smirk. She lit her horn up again, and Rainbow felt the soothing feeling followed by the silent coughing once more. This time, though, something felt different. She couldn't quite place exactly what the different feeling was, though she recognized that she was feeling it primarily in her head and down her spine. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either. It was just a feeling, one she couldn't manage to define. Before she could put too much thought into it, the feeling faded. "Whoa," Rainbow said, now in her own voice. She never thought she would have been as happy to hear her own voice as she was at this moment, but then again, the events leading up to said happiness were also ones that she'd never expected to experience. "Sheesh, Twi," Applejack said, giving her friend a pat on the back. "Every time I think I got a hoof on what kinda power you have, you toss out something new." "Oh, it's just a little swap spell," Twilight said. "Nothing to praise me that much over." Rainbow found herself zoning out as the others spoke. At some point she felt Pinkie put a hoof around her, but she barely paid attention. The odd feeling about her head and back had returned, a little stronger this time. Her friends talked around her, but she just stared off, utterly distracted by these feelings and barely cognizant of her surroundings as a result. She was aware of their voices, but not of what was being said. At one point, Maud had crossed her line of vision, and she managed to catch a glimpse at her. As hard as it was to read Maud's expression, something about it seemed off too. She considered speaking up, but as she did, the feeling got stronger, catching the words in her throat. She felt herself getting lost in her own head, and the sights around her became fuzzy as she found herself unable to concentrate on them. "Dashie?" the pink blur next to her called. Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a low groan. Suddenly, she was being shaken. "Equestria to Dashie!!" the pink blur screamed. Rainbow blinked and shook her head out, snapping out of it. She looked up into the worried face of Pinkie Pie. "Sorry..." Rainbow said. "I kinda zoned out for a bit there." She laughed awkwardly, but Pinkie clearly wasn't buying it. "You were staring at nothing!" Pinkie said, her usual smile nowhere to be seen. "I mean I do that sometimes but I've never seen you do it before! Are you okay?" Rainbow considered how to answer this question. She figured she was probably okay, but she wasn't entirely positive. She figured to herself that maybe she was reacting strangely to having Twilight's spell cast on her. She distinctly remembered feeling odd for a while after she had been turned back from being a breezie, though it was nothing like this. Maybe her body just reacted strangely to alicorn magic. She considered bringing this up to Twilight, but she knew that was out of the question. If she told Twilight that magic was making her react strangely, then she'd have to spend the next bunch of hours stuck in Twilight's lab while she performed tests on her. She would not let that happen again, not after last time. She was probably just tired. "I'm probably just tired," Rainbow said. The others seemed unsure, but Pinkie seemed to buy it immediately. "Maud just went to bed too!" Pinkie said. "Maybe you should get some sleep! I brought your faaaaavorite sleeping bag!" "You did?" Rainbow asked, smiling. She still didn't know how Pinkie did it without pegasus magic, but she'd somehow managed, probably with Twilight's help, to corral a cloud from the sky and stuff it into a big pillowcase. It was the closest thing to sleeping on a real cloud that she could ask for and still stay with her grounded friends overnight. "Anything for my Dashiepants~!" Pinkie said, pulling the cloud-infused duvet out from behind the couch. "Heh...you're pretty great, Pinkie," Rainbow said. She watched Pinkie's face light up and grinned. Pinkie always seemed so appreciative of praise. Even the tiniest compliment from Rainbow always seemed to mean the world to her. "You just rest your little head, Dashie!" Pinkie cooed, tossing a blanket over the fatigued pegasus. "Yeah...rest," Rainbow said wearily. "That's what I need." She watched Pinkie usher the rest of the girls out of the room and smiled as she dozed off. Pinkie always looked out for her.