//------------------------------// // Chapter Ten – Trial and Error // Story: The Scion of Harmony // by Thornwing //------------------------------// Waking as if from the most realistic of dreams, Twilight opened her eyes and was greeted by the light streaming in the open window from the across the room. She stretched her legs and arched her back to try and work out the stiffness of what could have been a good night’s sleep, but something didn’t feel right. She bolted upright and stretched around to reach her backside. What she felt the moment her back muscles relaxed was something straight out of a nightmare—she couldn’t feel her wings. A simple touch confirmed the stunning truth that her wings and attaching sinews were completely gone. Sitting up, a springy lock of hair fell down in her face and covered her right eye. The thought occurred that a lack of wings wasn’t the only thing that felt odd and she immediately tore back the covers. Staring down at her body, she screamed. Besides the shock of a wingless backside, her coat reflected a pure white matching the color of the silken covers. More hair across her face accosting her view as she beat her hind legs in knocking back the rest of the sheet covering her lower extremities. A mono-hued, light-indigo tail shot out from between her flanks and garnered a similar but slightly subdued yelp in response. The most stunning of all revelations hit as she focused in on the triple diamond cutie mark supplanting her usual starburst pattern. She screamed in a key and a pitch she never thought possible. “You okay in there?” A familiar voice sounded from behind the door as a hoof beat loudly against the wood. “I’m coming in.” The handle turned and in burst Sweetie Belle. Twilight stared down at her replacement cutie mark and belted out an even louder scream, oblivious to the entrance of the youngling. Sweetie Belle rushed to hop up on the bed. “What is it, sis? You find a star-spider in the sheets?” Twilight stared down at the young filly and gave the indication that she was about to scream again before the small filly unceremoniously shoved a hoof in her mouth. “Will you stop that? You don’t need to scream—I’m right here.” Sweetie Belle kept her hoof firmly planted against Twilight’s mouth and worked to inspect the bed and surroundings for the source of the commotion. Twilight’s breathing slowed from its frenetic pace with only two nostrils available for passage of air. She brought up her foreleg to brush her extended mane out of her field of vision and took in the sight of her foreign body and the filly that hung over her, now with the aid of both eyes. Sweetie Belle removed her hoof and Twilight managed to squeak out her name, “S-Sweetie Belle?” In shock of her own voice, Twilight brought both hooves up to cover her own mouth. Sweetie Belle glared back at her. “You better not be trying to make an excuse to break your promise, sis. You said you’d spend the entire day with me and faking an injury or amnesia won’t help you get out of it.” The filly hopped off the bed as Twilight rolled over on her side. Hooves fell from Twilight’s mouth and started swatting at the mane that insisted on planting itself directly in her eye socket. She flicked her head and rolled her neck allowing the tangle of hair to cross to the other side. Sputtering, she did her best to answer, “I-I… It was… just a nightmare.” The best excuse she could come up with wasn’t far from the truth. “C-Could you give me a moment to put myself together?” Sweetie Belle glared over her shoulder. “You better not take all morning. We’ve got a date at Sugarcube Corner for breakfast.” She turned and plodded out the door. Sticking her head back in, she leveled her no-so-lighthearted demand, “Don’t be late.” A little poof of tail replaced a tuft of mane as Sweetie Belle disappeared into the hallway. The door swung shut and Twilight was alone again—at least mostly. Opalescence stared at her from across the room with an annoyed glare. The cat cocked her head to one side before dropping down into bed and going back to sleep. Twilight brought her forelegs up in front of her face. Examining every hair of her perfectly white coat she ran her forelegs down her chest and across her belly. As she crossed her new cutie mark, she felt a tingle in her tail and was callously reminded of her unkempt mane that begged for attention as it dropped across her eye once more. On a mission now, she scanned the room. On the far dressing table, she found what she needed—her mane comb sat waiting to attack the unruly tangle of hair. With a quick check of her magical equipment up top, she sought to fire up her horn. The brush lay within reach of a simple levitation spell and she projected out for it. The magic was there, but the force wasn’t willing. The foreign horn barely made a fizzle before the spell sputtered and died. Twilight was devastated. As the enormity of her situation sank in she dropped back onto the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Speaking in her foreign yet familiar voice, she called out to nopony in particular. “I-I’m Rarity—what in the hay have I gotten myself into?” Twilight grabbed another pillow and clutched it to her chest. She laid in bed as a million thoughts crossed her mind. Staring up at the four-poster trappings, she marveled at the similarities to her own. On second thought, she noted that the same pony designed and decorated both sets—and that she happened to be that very pony. Pull it together, Twilight. This has to be part of the test. Just figure out what you need to do and everything will go back to normal. She rolled over and swung her legs out past the edge of the mattress. Slipping down the satin fabric, she landed on all four hooves at once. Still unfamiliar with the particular feel of her new body, she shimmied over to the dressing table to tackle the first obstacle in her morning put-together. With her magic seemingly on the fritz, she reached out and grabbed a hold of the brush that began this whole nightmare. Speaking to it like it could somehow give a response, she addressed the bristles as a certain madness crept in alongside her rational thoughts. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do right now, but something has to be done about this mane. I can either cut it or comb it, but if Rarity ever gets her body back, she’d kill me if she found out I cut it—so, brushing it is.” Twilight sat back on her flouncy tail and took hold of her cresting bundle of mane. With a bit of a struggle and a final yank, she drew the brush across the hair. With another dozen strokes, the mass compressed to her head and flattened against her neck. She took a set of clips adorned with light blue jewels and set the laid back flow into place for good. Turning to the side to look at her work in the mirror, she nearly popped the pins right back out. The image in the reflection was none other than her true self—the same Twilight Sparkle that she expected to greet her every time she looked in a pane of glass. Recovering quickly from the momentary shock, she spoke as if talking to Rarity from the other side of the reflection. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make this right. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do, but that’s not going to stop me from trying. I’ll just have to focus on being Rarity and hopefully satisfy the Element of Generosity in the process.” The words came out sounding like Rarity, but the actor facing her in the mirror mimicked the true source of the sound. She stood and brushed out her tangle of tail, grabbed a small hat, scarf, and pair of sunglasses from off the vanity, and headed for the door. Descending the stairs, she could hear Sweetie’s impatient calls. “Rarity, hurry up. We’re going to be late. I promised Apple Bloom and Scootaloo that we’d have breakfast together.” Time for me to shine. I’ve got to give her my best impression of Rarity. Here goes nothing. Twilight hit the landing and walked over to her new little sister. “I thought you said that we were spending the day together. How did your friends get into the mix?” “Oh come on. I haven’t seen them for a week. We all promised to get together for breakfast the day after they got home.” Sweetie Belle hopped up and down trying to get herself level with the taller pony standing over her. “I promise it’ll be quick and then we’ll have the whole rest of the day to hang out together, as sisters.” Twilight wasn’t sure how long she could continue the act out in public. Without being able to trust in her magic, the veil of her secret could be rent at any moment. This was the perfect sisterly situation she hoped for when she met with Sweetie just a few days ago and she didn’t want to blow it. Rarity’s return and the time to reconcile a sister-bond was exactly what the filly needed. Hoping that she wasn’t becoming a deeper wedge in their fractured relationship, she reluctantly agreed with the plan. “All right, Sweetie. Lead the way.” The floppy little mane and bouncy tail gave a celebratory holler and bounded off toward the door. Twilight followed in her wake, careful to stow her penchant for magic use for fear of instant scrutiny over a simple breakfast meal. The short walk to Sugarcube Corner helped Twilight work out the kinks of becoming Rarity. She hid behind the hat and sunglasses, still keeping true to her host’s form in doing so. Falling into stride, she smiled and nodded to other ponies as she went garnering a few waves plus some unsteady stares in return. It wasn’t exactly the same as walking through town as the local pony royale, but as Rarity she still drew them in with her amazing good looks and confident swagger. Sweetie Belle dashed on ahead as soon as she caught sight of her girlfriends. The reunited trio melted into a pool of hugs and hair as Twilight hurried to keep up. The fillies were already back in their seats and gabbing away long before Twilight pulled up to the table. “…and she promised to spend the whole day with me.” Sweetie Belle smiled brightly as she finished her comment and her sister, Twilight, walked up behind. Scootaloo looked at her friend sideways, perplexed perhaps by the large smile she had on her face. Apple Bloom looked like she was about to fall out her chair; her eyelids drooped and dark bags hung below her eye sockets. “Good morning, girls. I trust you both had a safe trip home?” Twilight tried to make idle conversation hoping to remain in character. “How was Appleloosa?” “Apples. It was all apples as far as the eye could see.” Apple Bloom hovered over a bowl of oatmeal threatening at any moment to plant her face in the mush. “You look a little tired. Did you have fun helping your cousin, Braeburn?” Twilight pulled up another chair and sat her rump down looking across the table at the half-asleep filly. “Work was fine.” Apple Bloom let out a deep yawn. “Just had trouble with the train is all. We got in really late last night.” Her head slipped off her hoof and she nearly avoided the oatmeal bath. Catching herself in mid drop, she shook her head and blinked hard. “Some kind of wreck threw the whole schedule out of whack.” “Oh… That’s not good.” Twilight caught herself mid-thought and put on the brakes before she divulged anything she wouldn’t have been privy to knowing from Rarity’s angle. “You were just on the train yesterday.” Sweetie Belle looked up into Twilight’s face—her looking signaling for a juicy bit of gossip that she could share with her friends. “Did you hear anything about a train wreck, sis?” “No… I-I guess my trip from Canterlot went without incident. I have no idea what could have happened.” Twilight bit her lip and shied away from the questioning. Even though it wasn’t directed at her personally, she felt uncomfortable discussing the topic. “It must have been something big. Applejack was talking to that nurse pony over there about it earlier—something about Princess Twilight too.” Scootaloo added her bit with a little more clarity than the half asleep Apple Bloom. “Pinkie Pie showed up just a bit ago and grabbed Applejack. She said that Princess Celestia was coming and they needed to get to the castle.” Twilight lost her balance and fell off her chair. She jarred the table enough to rouse Apple Bloom who was inches away from an oatmeal facial. All three crusaders looked down at her splayed across the ground. “Are you okay, Rarity?” Scootaloo peered over the table edge with a look of concern and surprise. “Just fine, dear.” Twilight quickly got her legs back under her and stood up. She dusted herself off a bit, not really trying hard to get all the dirt out of her smudged and fouled coat. “Perhaps I should head on over to the castle and see what the problem is.” She gave a forced smile and started to back away. Sweetie Belle turned on her immediately. “But you promised you’d spend the day with me. Why does this always have to happen?” She pounded her hooves on the table and flopped back in her seat. The filly looked ready to cry again. Twilight was stuck. She had to go check out the castle and catch up on the royal visit, but she also couldn’t leave her new little sister and break Rarity’s promise at the same time. She had to make a compromise. “How about you finish breakfast with your friends and catch up a bit here, and then I’ll be back and we can take things from there?” Sweetie Belle turned away in a huff. “Fine. Go take care of your friends and I’ll just do what I always do. I knew your promise wasn’t worth anything, Rarity.” “Sweetie…” Twilight held out her foreleg and tried to reconcile the conflict. Scootaloo was faster and put her own hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder. Talking over her friend, the little Pegasus spoke, “You go do your thing, Rarity. We’ll take care of Sweetie until you get back. Don’t worry about it—we got this.” “I’ll be right back.” Twilight scooted on past Sweetie Belle and her friends. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo waved a half-hearted goodbye and Sweetie buried her head in her hooves as the white and purple streak of Rarity took off toward the castle. Without the aid of her wings or her magic, Twilight had to remind herself that running was the only way she was getting anywhere. The short gallop to the castle took longer than she remembered as the foreboding sense of doom beckoned her home. The thought of having to face her friends, and even worse, Princess Celestia, caused a certain tension to build up inside her. When she reached the doors, she stopped. The thought crossed her mind, should I knock, or can I just walk in? Since this wasn’t her castle at the moment, decorum demanded a certain level of restraint. Becoming Rarity meant more than just dressing nice and looking fabulous. Being unsure of the terms of her current Trial, she wasn’t sure how much she could divulge of her situation, even to her friends. She knocked on the door and waited. It was polite to do so. The knock of her hoof on the giant golden oak door echoed through the foyer beyond. From up above, a pair of heads poked out over the railing of the throne room balcony. She could just make out who it was even before they spoke. “Gosh darn it, Rarity. What are you doin’?” Applejack’s long golden hair fell over the edge and she held onto her hat as a gentle breeze washed over her. “Get on up here, pronto.” She turned and left the railing. Spike waved down before hopping back to join her. Twilight bit her lip and figured that wasn’t the best first impression to have made. She pushed in the door and slipped inside. The castle foyer felt dark. Sunlight poured through the front windows, but cast an eerie shadow marking her passage toward the staircase. She looked up at the spiraled steps leading to those waiting above. Hoping for a better follow up to her ridiculous entry, she raised a hoof and started climbing. If I can talk to Celestia alone, maybe I can figure out what I need to do. With plenty of time to formulate nothing close to a plan while she climbed, Twilight reached the upper landing and the hallway leading to the throne room with little more than when she started the climb. She walked slowly, trying to steady herself as she approached the first real test of her disguise. Fillies and baby dragons weren’t the best at spotting fakes, but Applejack could see through almost any lie. She adjusted her hat, scarf, and sunglasses and proceeded through the open doors. “What were you thinkin’? You just let her run off with some strange stallion and didn’t tell anypony for four whole days?” Applejack sat back on her haunches and thumped her foreleg against her forehead. “That stranger could have taken her anyplace by now.” “Twilight said she would be right back and that I shouldn’t call for a search party until the weekend.” Spike sat on his miniature throne and folded his arms across his chest. “Since none of you were here, I wrote a letter to the princess last night. She wrote back and said she would be here this morning to handle the problem herself.” “But Spike, Twilight’s been mare-napped! This is a huge problem and you should have told somepony sooner.” Applejack stopped beating her head with her solid hoof and looked up to see the new arrival. “Hey there, Rarity.” She tipped her hat and went back to thinking. “Hello to you too, Applejack.” Twilight sauntered across the floor trying to do her best impression of a Rarity grand entrance. “I heard the princess is on her way here—is everything all right?” She swung her backside around and plopped herself down in the big chair next to Spike. “No. Everything’s not all right. Twilight’s gone and Princess Celestia’s supposed to be here any minute.” Applejack craned her neck to the side and scratched at her temple. “Is everything all right with you there, Rarity?” “Why, whatever makes you wonder?” Twilight felt a little choked up under the sudden bit of scrutiny. “Umm… You’re just wearin’ a scarf when it’s not even cold out and a pair of sunglasses when we’re sittin’ inside.” Applejack got up out of her seat and walked across the room. She stopped just short of Twilight and pointed up at the top of the chair where she was sitting. “Plus, you seem to be a little lost. You’re seats over there.” She turned and pointed back across the way at the seat with the triple diamond marking. Twilight blushed as she realized her mistake. Looking down, she saw that Spike looked just as confused as Applejack. She hopped up and trotted over to her proper place. “I, uhhh, didn’t sleep well. Can’t show off my gorgeous face when I’m looking like a train wreck.” Twilight immediately stopped half way across the floor and covered her mouth. For a moment, time stood still. The words escaped faster than her brain could realize what she had just said. Luckily, the silence was broken by the boisterous entrance of Rainbow Dash from the balcony and Pinkie Pie clopping through the main doorway. With the sudden diversion, Twilight quickly dove into Rarity’s seat and made like nothing had happened. “This had better be good.” Rainbow Dash swopped in and nailed the landing on her personalized platform throne. “I flew straight in from Griffin’s Nest with a filly on my back yesterday and I need my recovery sleep.” “You’re just cranky because you missed breakfast, silly head.” Pinkie Pie leapt onto her chair and did a couple extra bounces in turning around before coming to rest. She waved over at Twilight. “Hi there, Rarity. I tried your place, but you were already gone.” She turned back to Rainbow. “Plus, twelve hours of sleep should be plenty.” Turing back to Twilight, she cupped her hoof aside her mouth and whispered so loudly everypony could still hear her, “I ran into your sister and she told me you would be here—she didn’t look very happy.” Ignoring the asides to Rarity, Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie. “Hardly. That little Scootaloo ain’t so little anymore.” She reached up and rubbed the tip of her wing. “Anyway, what’s the big deal? Why are we all here?” “The big deal is that Twilight’s been mare-napped.” Applejack returned to her seat and sat down crossing her forelegs in front of her. “Plus, there’s been a train wreck that might be connected to her abduction.” Twilight sank further into Rarity’s seat. Rainbow Dash took a moment to process the information before busting out in a fit of laughter and giggles. “What? You had Pinkie wake me up for that? C’mon Applejack, you can’t be serious. Twilight’s too awesome to let herself get mare-napped.” She slapped her hoof down across her knee before realizing she glossed over the second part of Applejack’s message. After she composed herself a bit, Rainbow asked, “But what’s this about a train wreck? Was anypony hurt?” “Apparently, yes and no. I had a talk with a nurse pony this morning at breakfast who was on the train.” Applejack took off her hat and worked to adjust the inner lining. “Lots of ponies were hurt, but she said they all got healed just as fast—Twilight included. It’s kind of weird if you ask me.” “Twilight was in the wreck, but nopony’s seen her since—I asked around too.” Pinkie Pie looked up without the usual smile on her face. “I was delivering invitations for Gummy’s birthday party this morning and when I came to deliver Twilight’s, I found out she was missing. That’s when I went to find all of you.” Pinkie whispered over to Twilight. “I left your invitation in your mailbox, Rarity. It’s for day after tomorrow.” “So, what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash hopped up and spread out her wings, ready to fly into action. “We’ve gotta go find Twilight.” “Bite yer bridle, sugarcube. We’re still missin Fluttershy and we gotta wait for the princess. She’ll be here any minute.” Applejack tossed her hat back on her head and got up to walk over to the balcony. Spike grumbled a bit as she passed, “Yeah, thanks to my letter. So sorry I was just following orders.” He stared at the floor with his arms crossed. Applejack turned and glared in a disapproving but not spiteful way. “Hush now, Spike. I think I hear the chariot.” The ponies all got up and walked over to the balcony. The chariot of Princess Celestia was on final approach. Two powerful sets of wings on a pair of royal guard stallions chopped through the air as they descended toward a landing. When they came to a stop on the balcony, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all bent a knee and bowed their heads. Twilight stood awkwardly, only staring blankly forward before noticing her tactless reception and hurrying to join in the show of deference to arriving royalty. “That will be all.” Celestia spoke to the guards as she stepped off the back of the chariot. The stallions rose back up into the sky and adjusted course back toward Canterlot. The princess strode past the four ponies and into the throne room. “Please, follow me. We have much to discuss.”