Twilight moaned quietly as she awoke from her slumber, the familiar sensations of a soft bed below her, a warm blanket above her, and a virtual furnace behind her.
Her eyes snapped wide open, the haze of sleep vanishing from her mind as she realized that she was in her bed with a body pressed up against her. Had she not known what she did, she'd normally just assume it was Rainbow Dash. But she knew better; she knew it was the fake. It had her trapped, tangled in its hooves and at its mercy. If she tried to escape it would awaken and do Celestia-knows-what to her.
Even with all the studying she'd done, Twilight still couldn't figure out what it was that had replaced her wife. Nothing rational made sense, so she'd delved into the supernatural. A chill ran down her spine; how did she get into her bed? She knew she wouldn't willingly climb in with the imposter, so something had carried her. If it was the fake, then it had seen the book she was reading. Which meant it was too late to keep her knowledge a secret; it knew.
Twilight’s throat tightened, protesting the words she was about to say, but she forced them through. “R-Rainbow Dash?” She whispered hoarsely. “Are you awake?”
The thing moaned sleepily, shifting around and tightening its grip on her.
“Twi?” It grumbled quietly in a voice that was not its own. “What time is it?”
Heart racing a mile a minute, Twilight had to take a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before responding. “I... I don't know. I just woke up.”
“Hmm... that's good; means I don't have to get up yet,” the thing said, tightening its embrace again and burying its muzzle into Twilight's mane.
It was all too much for Twilight to take; the voice was a perfect imitation of her wife's, even the attitude, the way it woke up, the way it gently nuzzled the back of her neck, everything was a perfect replica. For the briefest of moments she even felt herself falling for the ruse. But she knew. She wouldn't let this thing take the place of her wife.
“NO!” Twilight screamed, firing a powerful magical burst from her horn and blowing everything away from her that wasn't nailed down, including the imposter.
It flew across the room, crashing into the wall with a pained yelp. “Twi!” It shouted angrily, rubbing its head and standing from the floor. “What the hay!? I- oomph.” the thing was silenced as Twilight shot out of bed, flying across the room and tackling it, pinning it to the ground and staring down at it with a furious rage burning in her eyes. This made things easier; she could see it, she could tell it wasn't the real Rainbow Dash.
“Where is she!?” The alicorn bellowed, the tree shaking from the sheer force of her booming voice.
The thing looked up at her with a look shifting between anger, confusion, and worry. “Twilight?” it asked slowly. “Twi, what's wrong? Where's who?”
Twilight's gut twisted in anger. “You know who! Where is my wife!? Where is rainbow Dash!?”
The thing blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about? You're pinning her down right now!”
“As if,” Twilight scoffed. “I knew you were a fake since I woke up in the hospital. This'll be easier on both of us if you just tell me where she is now. I might even considering handing you over the the Guard instead of just outright killing you.”
“What the hay are you talking about!?” It shouted, struggling against the alicorn's powerful hold to no avail. “Twi, listen to me, I don't know what made you think I was a fake, but I'm not. Look at me! You know I'm telling the truth!”
Twilight continued glaring down into its eyes, eyes she recognized all too well. But they were off, just a little bit off. Any normal pony wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but she could. After nearly two years of being married to the pegasus, she could discern every detail about the mare, but the Rainbow Dash beneath her was wrong in a way she couldn't quite describe. She knew though; she knew it wasn't real.
“Are you the one who knocked me out in the Everfree? So you could take her place?” Twilight accused, ignoring the imposter's pleas.
The thing stilled its struggling, realizing it couldn't beet the sheer power of an earthpony contained inside the alicorn. “Twi, I don't know what you're talking about. Let's just talk about this, okay? What makes you think I'm an imposter?” It asked calmly, no sense of fear visible in its eyes.
She struggled to answer the question, unable to put into words what she could see clear as day. “You're just... you're... wrong! You're wrong! You're not like her at all! I know Rainbow Dash! I know my wife!” Twilight screamed, rage pumping through her veins and clouding her vision with a hazy red.
“Whats wrong?” It asked, a hint of desperation slipping into its voice. “What's wrong with me? Is my mane off colour? My coat? My eyes? What is it that doesn't look real to you?”
Twilight ground her teeth together “Enough stalling!” She charged her horn, aiming the glowing spire down to the imposter's neck. “Tell me where she is!”
The fake remained quiet for a moment, seemingly contemplating the ultimatum. It sighed. “Don't worry, Twi; I'll get you help. I'm sorry for this.” In a movement too quick for Twilight to comprehend it leaned forward and bit the tip of Twilight's horn, sending a painful shock through the alicorn's body and forcing her spell to dissipate. While she was still dazed the imposter curled up its hind hooves and delivered a swift buck to her chest, sending her flying across the room only to bounce off the bed with a soft 'poomf' and land on the other side. By time Twilight recovered and climbed back to her hooves the fake was already gone, the balcony doors wide open and swinging in its wake.
-_-_-_-
Rainbow Dash paced anxiously back and forth, her gaze focused on the ground of the guard station as she waited. Nothing made sense anymore; she'd had to call the guard on her own wife, all because Twilight thought she was an imposter.
“How?” She wondered aloud, switching back on herself and walking back over the now familiar patch of floor.
“Miss Dash?”
Rainbow snapped her head up at the sudden, gruff voice, her eyes falling on a guard standing uneasily in the doorway to the foyer. “What is it?” She asked shortly.
The guard bowed his head slightly, stepping to the side and allowing a blue coated earthpony mare to step out from behind him. Her mane was done in a simple, blond bun, and she wore a doctor's coat that covered her back and flanks.
“Hello. Miss Rainbow Dash, right?” The mare asked, her voice soothing with an almost melodic quality to it.
Rainbow raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Yeah, and you are?”
“Mental Care, but most ponies just call me Care.”
“Care?” Rainbow asked skeptically.
“It's either that or call me 'Mental', but... well...” the mare trailed off.
Rainbow nodded uneasily. “Right...”
“Anyway, you're the one Miss Sparkle believes to be the imposter, right?”
“I'm her wife,” Rainbow muttered. “Why are you here?”
Mental Care sighed quietly. “The guards called me; I'm Ponyville Hospital's resident psychiatrist, and I'm here to tell you why your wife thinks you're an imposter.”
Rainbow grunted. “Well?”
“Miss Dash, ha-”
“Just Rainbow,” she cut in quickly. Care paused, nodding slowly before correcting herself.
“Right. Rainbow, have you ever heard of something called Capgras Syndrome? Sometimes referred to as the Capgras Delusion?” She asked slowly, walking over and taking a seat in one of the chairs sitting against the wall of the guard station.
“Look, Care, I have no idea what you're talking about, so explain it to me, and try not to use big words, 'kay?” Rainbow snorted impatiently, sitting back on her haunches and watching the mare expectantly.
Care nodded. “Well... in simple turns, Capgras is a condition that makes it hard for a pony's brain to recognize faces.”
“It's not that she doesn't recognize me, it's that she thinks I'm an imposter,” Rainbow explained, no small amount of frustration slipping into her voice.
Seemingly unphased by Rainbow's tone, the mare continued smoothly. “Yes, but she thinks that because her brain can't recognize you as being you. When she looks at you, she doesn't see Rainbow Dash, she sees something that looks exactly like Rainbow Dash, but is just slightly off in a way she can't quite comprehend.”
“Twi's smarter than that!” Rainbow exclaimed, shaking her head. “She'd realize what was happening and know it wasn't real.”
Care frowned. “I'm afraid she can't understand that. Capgras syndrome is a complete inability to recognize familiar faces or places. She cannot recognize you as Rainbow Dash, and is convinced you're not the real you. Imagine for a second how she must feel; for all she knows you're tied up in a cave somewhere while a fake takes over your life. She's scared out of her mind for your safety, while at the same time she has the fake acting like her wife. It's confusing and terrifying to suffer from Capgras.”
Rainbow glanced toward the door Care had entered from. Through which were many other doors, leading to holding cells and interrogation rooms, one of which housed her wife. “Why is it just me though?”
“We're not actually sure. In almost all Capgras sufferers it's only one pony or place that they can't recognize. It's most commonly the pony closest to them, either a spouse or close family member like a child or parent,” Care explained carefully. “It's such a rare condition, and is most commonly seen in ponies who also suffer from dementia, so it's hard to get any accurate information directly from the patient.”
Sighing, Rainbow hung her head a little lower. “Can she at least be cured?”
“I... I'm afraid we don't know. Every sufferer of Capgras is slightly different. For some anti-psychotic medications work, and for others simple therapy can do wonders. But... some never get better.”
“Are you telling me my wife will spend the rest of her life without ever recognizing me again!?” Rainbow shouted, anger mixing with confusion and worry in her gut and twisting it into knots.
Care nodded solemnly. “I'm afraid it is a possibility...”
“She will get better!”
“I know how you must be feeling, but you need to understand that-”
“No! You need to understand!” Rainbow yelled, glaring into the eyes of the mare who would dare tell her that her wife was incurable. “Twilight will get better. I'll make sure she gets better! I'll make her better myself if I have to!”
Mental Care sat in stunned silence for a couple seconds, before allowing a tentative smile to slip onto her lips. “You really do care for her.”
“She's my wife,” Rainbow deadpanned.
“In that case, we can start doing some exercises with her today.”
Rainbow tilted her head. “How is exercising going to help her recognize me?”
“Not physical,” Care giggled. “I mean mental exercises; we can try and train her brain to recognize you again. If we can make her connect your face to you in her mind again she'll be able to see you as actually being you.”
“Well how the hay are we supposed to do that? If she thinks I'm an imposter then she'll never listen to anything I say.”
Care nodded. “Yes, if she sees you she'll think it's a fake. But if she only hears you she shouldn't have a problem.”
Frowning, Rainbow asked, “Why would not being able to see me make a difference if she thinks I've been replaced?”
“She only thinks your a fake because she can't recognize your face,” Care explained, standing from her chair and walking over to where Rainbow sat. “But her brain has no problems with voice; if she can hear you, she'll know it's your voice. She only thinks you're an imposter when she can see you.”
Rainbow allowed a hopeful smile to blossom on her face. “So if she can recognize my voice we might be able to get her to recognize me through it?
“That's the idea, yes, but we have to be careful, and you have to do exactly as I say. Don't argue with her when she says there was an imposter; telling her what she sees isn't real is a dangerous thing to do to a pony's psyche. Just talk with her, and try to make an emotional connection,” Mental Care lectured as she motioned for Rainbow to follow her towards the double doors leading deeper into the guard station. “I'll be in the room with her, and you'll be outside at the door. After a while, I'll ask you to come in. It's very important that you keep talking while you do this.”
“Wouldn't she just realize it was the imposter talking the whole time?” Rainbow asked as they passed through into the hall, doors passing by on either side.
Care frowned. “That is a possibility. But, if you keep talking, she might associate your voice and her emotional connection with you to you, and it may be possible for her to recognize you. There will still be a part of her that doesn't see you quite right, but if you can get her to believe you're the real you, then we'll have a foothold and can continue with her therapy.”
“Stop talking about her like she's some nutcase,” Rainbow growled lowly, following the mare down the hall and around a corner.
“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but you need to realize that this is a serious issue. Twilight may not be clinically insane but she is suffering from a neurological disorder and we need to treat it as such.”
Rainbow sighed. “Whatever. How did she get this cap-whatever anyway? It's not like she was born with it right?”
“Her doctor tells me she suffered a rather nasty bow to the head recently,” Care explained, stopping in front of one of the doors along the wall. “We're not 100% sure on what causes Capgras, but it has been seen in those who suffer brain damage, from either disease or blunt force trauma.”
“Oh...” eyes widening in realization, Rainbow fell back to her haunches. “Which would explain why she was acting so weird in the hospital...”
Care nodded. “I would imagine so.”
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Rainbow turned to the door they'd stopped in front of. “Is she in there?”
“Yes, but I must insist again that you follow my lead and do exactly as I say when I say it.”
Rainbow snorted. “Fine, fine; I know the drill. Just call me when you need me, I'll be out here.”
Putting on a smile, Care placed a hoof on the door latch and pushed it open, slipping inside and closing the plain grey door behind her. In the rather small interrogation room sat a long, rectangular table with four chairs, two on either of its long sides. On the far side sat Twilight, shifting about anxiously in her chair.
“Miss Sparkle?” Care called quietly, making the unicorn jump and turn to face her.
“Did you find her?” Twilight asked quickly. “Did you find Rainbow?”
“Yes, we did; she's here now.”
Twilight nearly jumped out of here chair. “Well where is she? Is she okay? What happened to her? Where was she?”
“Please, calm down,” Mental Care urged, motioning for Twilight to sit back. “I assure you Rainbow Dash is fine. She's right outside the door, isn't that right, Rainbow?”
Rainbow cleared her throat nervously, placing a hoof on the door handle. “Y-yeah, I'm here.”
“Do me a favour and stay out there for a second, will you?” Care asked sweetly.
Fighting against her own desire to burst into the room and convince Twilight she was real, Rainbow eased off, leaning her forehead against the door. “'Kay...”
“Rainbow?” Twilight called hopefully. “Rainbow is that you?”
“Yeah Twi... it's me...”
“Rainbow! Where have you been!? Did it do anything bad to you? Are you okay? Come in here already!” Twilight insisted.
Rainbow grit her teeth, clenching her eyes shut. “I... I'm fine, Twi; don't worry about me. But for now we should listen to the doc; I'll stay out here.”
“Thank you, Rainbow.” She could hear the smile in Care's voice. “Now then, Miss Sparkle, could you tell me a little bit about Rainbow Dash?”
Twilight frowned. “What? Why? She's right outside, just ask her yourself.” She flung her hoof towards the door for emphasis.
“I know that, but I want to hear how you think of Rainbow,” Care replied smoothly.
After a long, contemplative pause, Twilight sighed. “Fine, but can she come in after?”
“After you tell me, she can come in,” Care assured.
“Alright then... well, Rainbow's my wife, obviously, and I love her more than anything. She's brave and strong and athletic and... perfect.”
“Describe her for me,” Care interjected. “How does she look?”
“Beautiful,” Twilight answered, a bit of a dreamy tone behind her voice. “Her coat's a lovely shade of blue, a perfect match for the summer sky, and her mane and tail are filled with the brilliant colours of a rainbow. She's got these big, deep, pink eyes that I could look at forever and her wings are covered in brilliant cyan feathers, big and strong so she can fly like she does.”
“She certainly does sound beautiful,” Care noted. “Rainbow, can tell me a little about yourself?”
Rainbow swallowed thickly, placing her hoof on the handle again. “Well... I'm Twilight's wife like she said, and I work as the captain of the weather team here in Ponyville. I live in the library with Twi, and I'm on the Wonderbolt's waiting list to try out for a squad.”
Mental Care smiled widely, even as Twilight was growing increasingly impatient. “Great, now you can come in. Keep talking though, if you wouldn't mind. Tell me about your wedding.”
Taking a moment, Rainbow nodded to herself a placed a hoof on the doorknob. “It was almost two years ago now, me an' Twi had been dating for a little over a year.” She pulled the door open, hesitating for a split second forebear putting her hoof through. “Celestia set up this big, grand thing in Canterlot like she did for Twi's brother, just a little less public.”
“Rainbow?” Twilight asked, tilting her head curiously as the pegasus walked into the room. Rainbow could see the gears turning in her mind.
“Yeah, it's me; Rainbow Dash,” she affirmed with a tentative smile. “I love you, Twi.”
Twilight grinned, bolting up from her chair and running towards the pegasus, wrapping her in a bone crushing hug. “Rainbow! Where have you been!? There was an imposter that looked and sounded just like you! It tried to take over your life!”
Rainbow more than willingly accepted the embrace, returning one just as fierce. “I know, and I'm sorry. I love you so much, Twi. I'm sorry you had to go through that.”
Care coughed into her hoof, making the pair separate and look to her. “Twilight, if you could wait here a moment, I need to speak to Rainbow Dash privately in the hall,” she said, leading Rainbow out of the room before Twilight had a chance to object.
“What they hay!?” Rainbow whisper-shouted as soon as the door was closed. “She finally recognized me! Why are you taking me out?”
“Because we need to talk about a treatment plan for her,” Care explained.
Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. “Treatment? What are you talking about? She recognized me; she's cured!”
Care shook her head. “She recognized you that time because she associated with your voice first, then emotionally, then visually. If you were to just walk back into the room now, she would think it was the imposter again. Until we can train her brain to recognize you again, you're going to be walking on thin ice. Every time she sees you, there's going to be a tremor of doubt in her mind, and if you don't keep connecting with her, it'll grow until she's once again convinced herself you've been replaced.”
Rainbow sighed heavily. “Great, what do I need to do, and how long?”
“Every time you want to see her, you'll have to start somewhere she can't see you, and start talking to her. Make a connection, then slowly move to where she can see you. There's going to be doubt at first, but you need to keep talking, connect with her emotionally, and it should get snuffed out. If we're lucky, one day she might be cured. If not... you'll have to do this every time you see her for the rest of your life,” Care explained. “Luckily, if a patient can recognize the imposter once, they're normally curable after a couple months of this pattern.”
“Right.. so I just gotta talk to her before I see her? That's shouldn't be too bad...” Rainbow trailed off as she glanced towards the door. “Can she come home with me then?”
Care thought for a moment before nodding. “I don't see why not, but you'll have to be very careful; you have to go to bed after her and wake up before her if you plan on sleeping in the same bed. If she wakes up and sees you, she might think the imposter replaced you while she was asleep and relapse. Every time you leave her sight, when you come back you'll have to repeat the process.”
“I'll do it,” Rainbow affirmed with a confident smile. “I'll cure her.”
Care smiled. “I believe you can. Call me if she has a relapse and we'll work on readjusting her to seeing you again like we did today. Oh, and good luck,” she added as Rainbow turned back to the door.
“Rainbow?” Twilight called from within the room. “What's taking so long?”
“Nothing, Twi,” Rainbow replied. Care nodded at her. “I'm coming back in now. Is your head still sore from that crash last week? The doctors told me you got hit pretty hard.”
Rainbow walked back into the room.