//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Rainbro Dash 
// by fellstorm 
//------------------------------//


Rainbro Dash





Part 1



Rainbow Dash wheeled in the sky, stretching his wings and testing the limits of his body. He did some experimental dives, pulling up well before he neared the ground. A week ago, he would have held his dive to the last possible second, pulling up only just in time to tickle the grass with his hooves, but an upsetting and unfamiliar caution had settled over him lately. Ever since Twilight’s rogue spell transformed him into a stallion, his own body was strange to him. Strange and frightening. He did another turn in the air; catching an updraft and circling slowly back up into the clouds to start his dive again.
His new body wasn’t all bad. His wings were longer, broader, stronger, but his body was heavier, too. His muscles seemed stiff and bulky. His finely tuned sense of coordination was now jarringly absent. He could fly hard, it was true, but where to stop, where to turn, how to pivot and the exact right second to apply a hairsbreadth of force were suddenly mysteries to him. He didn’t know where to start re-learning because he’d never “learned” in the first place. Decades of muscle memory that once made him the best stunt-flyer in Equestria were now working against him. Flying as if he were the mare he once was could get him killed.
Rainbow Dash dove again. The ground rushed up to meet him and he experienced a moment of panic, pulling up even sooner than he had before.
“Come on Rainbow, get it together,” he chided himself, rising again. If he could just get the feel of this move…
Fluttershy and Rarity rested on a picnic blanket in the field below, a tiny square of red and white checks in a sea of green. Rainbow could pick out Rarity as a white speck resting next to Fluttershy’s buttercream and pink. At least his vision was as sharp as ever.
“Oh, I do hope she finishes her exercises soon,” Rarity luxuriated on her belly, stretching her long limbs until her back gave a satisfying pop.
“Don’t you mean, ‘he?’” asked Fluttershy, making nervous circles on the blanket with her hoof.
“Oh, who knows anymore,” Rarity waved her hoof and rolled her eyes “I just hope Twilight gets this whole mess sorted out sooner, rather than later. I thought having a male friend that enjoyed shopping and makeovers would be fun... I guess it took Rainbow Dash turning into a colt for me to notice that she was more or less a colt all along. Ironic, considering she’s more moody now than she ever was.”
“Shopping and makeovers never were Rainbow Dash’s thing…”
“Yes, well, too bad his thing isn’t a bit-”
“Will you guys knock off talking about my thing already?” Rainbow dropped out of the sky and flutter-trotted the last few feet over to the picnic blanket where Rarity and Fluttershy lounged.
“I’m sorry,” murmured Fluttershy.
“Don’t be, dear. That’s just Rainbow Dash being moody again,” Rarity rolled onto her back, exposing her milky white belly to the sun.
“You’d be moody too if your hormones just did a one-eighty on you!” Rainbow scowled “I’m so full of testosterone, I dunno what’s what!”
“Speaking of hormones…” Rarity jerked her head in the direction of the library.
Twilight Sparkle was making her way across the park in their direction with Big Macintosh close in tow. Rainbow and the others steeled themselves for another afternoon of shameless public affection.
Big Macintosh and Twilight’s romance was still in its vigorous, clingy youth. Still drunk on puppy-love and thinly veiled lust, the pair spent their every waking hour smooching, cuddling or canoodling. Their friends just thanked their lucky stars that Big Macintosh was too frugal with his vocabulary to waste any on baby talk, sparing at least their ears from the otherwise Full-Immersion Twilight/Big Mac Love Experience™.
“Good morning, everypony!” Twilight greeted. Big Mac nodded his hello and joined the circle, draping himself over Twilight like an overcoat. Twilight popped him a quick kiss and turned back to the group, which quickly blanked their expressions to hide their exasperation.
“Getting an early start on training, Rainbow?” asked Twilight.
“Morning, Twi,” said Rainbow “Getting an early start on figuring out how to change me back?”
Twilight looked a little sheepish.
At the climax of their most recent adventure, Twilight had ended up losing control of her phenomenal cosmic powers, destroying her lab and transforming Rainbow Dash into a colt. Everypony thought it very funny at the time…


***

The dust settled over the chaos and destruction that was formerly Twilight’s basement lab. Everypony’s ears still rang with the sound and fury of Twilight’s tantrum, only recently and startlingly lapsed into eerie silence.
Rainbow’s last memory before waking up in a heap of twisted metal and trash was Applejack’s trembling, tender embrace as they kissed for what seemed like would be the last time, their new love cut tragically short after less than a day. A bolt of heat and pain caught her in the gut and slammed her into oblivion. When he awoke, everypony was alive and whole, strewn about the room with the unconscious Twilight at the center of the circle of debris. Rainbow Dash blinked, regaining consciousness in fits and starts. Painful pinpricks wracked his body as the dim and distant outposts of his limbs reestablished contact with his brain.
“Ouch,” he groaned. Rainbow jerked, startled by the sound of his own voice. He grunted. A deep, throaty sound. Could he have a cold? Did something happen to his throat? He crossed his legs beneath him to stand up and felt an immediate, crippling pain between his legs. He looked back and saw something was stuck to his underside. Some piece of shrapnel, perhaps? Was that what had caught him earlier? At least there was no blood… Maybe it was just…
Maybe it was just…
Something really familiar about that shade of blue. 
He shifted his weight, parting his legs to get a better look. The pain subsided immediately and something flopped free.
Impossible! That’s…
Panic gripped Rainbow’s muscular, masculine throat. He couldn’t talk. He tried to squeak out words, to call for help, but his voice was gone completely. He prodded at the new, unfamiliar addition to his anatomy. A jolt of pain penalized his curiosity.
Back over at the center of the room, Princess Celestia gathered everypony around. Princess Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Prince Blueblood and his valet, Tombs, all seemed fine, if a bit shaken up. Big Macintosh sat in the center of the room, cradling the exhausted Twilight like a foal.
“Well, it looks like everything’s back to normal!” Celestia declared, a little shifty-eyed.
Normal? No! Wait!
“Normal?” Rainbow found his voice again. He leaped to his feet.
“You call this normal? I’m a colt!”
And they all laughed at him!
 Once they’d gotten upstairs, leaving Big Mac and Twilight to their privacy, the laughter had subsided somewhat, although Pinkie Pie was still suffering a severe attack of the giggles.
“Why is everypony laughing?” Rainbow pleaded “I’m a… I have a…”
Rarity took a deep breath.
“Oh, do forgive us, darling, but you do look ridiculous. Not to worry, though, I’m sure Princess Celestia will have you right as rain before you can say ‘Orlando.’”
Rainbow cast a desperate look up at the Princess.
Celestia smiled serenely and nodded.
“Not to worry, my little pony. You’ve obviously absorbed some residual magic from Twilight’s transformation. It seems frightening, but things like this aren’t that uncommon when you’re working with very powerful magic. The effects are very temporary, I assure you,” explained Celestia.
“Any way you could help them to be… you know, more temporary?” griped Rainbow, fidgeting uncomfortably with his back legs.
“Of course,” Celestia smiled. 
The angelic princess spread her wings and closed her eyes.  She towered over everypony, her varicolored mane flowing back as if caught in an eternal breeze, sparkling with strange and soothing light. She approached Rainbow Dash and lowered her horn to his forehead. Even as a stallion, Rainbow barely came up to her neck.
“This may sting a bit…” Celestia’s horn pulsed like a camera flashbulb, flooding the room with the scent of ozone and setting everypony’s ears ringing again.
Rainbow ungritted his teeth.
“Heh, that didn’t hurt at all…” he said.
Everypony stared at him. Celestia smiled, but her eyes betrayed her embarrassment.
Rainbow realized he was still speaking with a man’s voice.
“Oh no!”
“Don’t panic!” urged Celestia “We’ve all been through a very unsettling ordeal. Even my magic is a little off, if you can believe it…”
“I can believe it…” muttered Luna under her breath. Celestia pretended not to hear.
Celestia touched her horn to Rainbow’s forehead again, this time broadening her stance a bit and loosening the tension in her shoulders. Her horn flared and again there was a “Crack!” and a whiff of ozone.
Everypony cocked their heads to see if Rainbow had changed back yet.
Nope.
Celestia stood up straight.
“Well, obviously this spell is just a little more stubborn than usual… It just needs a little more vigor,” Celestia did a quick trot in place and really braced herself. Everypony took a few cautious steps back.
“Uhh…” Rainbow winced.
“Just relax, dear,” said Celestia, lowering her horn again, the tip already glowing bright gold.
CRACK!
The flash of light dazzled everypony’s eyes and frizzed up Rarity’s mane.
“Aah! The cure is worse than the disease!” she cried, poking her disfigured mane with a tender hoof. Prince Blueblood thought the scene very funny, until Tombs cleared his throat and offered the prince his compact mirror. Blueblood’s chuckles dissolved into sobs. Blueblood and Rarity hugged and cried into each other’s necks, mourning the loss of their glorious manestyles.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash stayed stubbornly male.
Celestia frowned.
“Maybe we should try something else…” Rainbow started to back away. Celestia didn’t seem to hear.
CRACK!
Nope.
CRACK!
Nope.
CRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACKCRACK!
Blue arcs of St. Elmo’s fire danced wildly over every surface and everypony’s manes were now distinctly frizzy. Pinkie Pie’s face was practically lost beneath the dome of a giant afro while a poofy sphere about three-feet across jutted from her flank.
Rainbow Dash was still a colt, though now a distinctly clownish-looking one.
Celestia tried to choke back her surprise.
“Well, obviously it’s… Luna, would you care to field this one?” Celestia stepped aside, gesturing to her sister to take over. Rarity watched with unfathomable envy as the frizzes in the Princess’ hair corrected themselves, easing back into a tranquil flow.
Luna smirked and stepped up, taking a deep breath.
“Fret not, Rainbow Dash. I’ll remind my sister how we used to do it old school,” Luna cantered across the room to Rainbow Dash.
Though not quite so physically intimidating as her older sister, Luna was still visually impressive. Her coat was a silky, inky blue that glinted with silver moonlight, even indoors or during the day. Her long, eternally shifting mane was a vertiginous window into the night sky, each crystalline hair refracting the light from alien constellations never seen over Equestria. Untold power surged within her like a frothing geyser.
She popped her neck and swept her forehoof in a wide arc, indicating everypony should stand back. Rarity took cover behind a nearby bust of Artistrottle. Blueblood ducked behind Tombs.
Rainbow Dash took some deep breaths and nodded his readiness.
Luna closed her eyes.
Darkness exploded from her horn and flooded the room, sucking the heat from everypony’s bodies and chilling their bones. It filled their ears and their noses like ice water. Somepony screamed and there was a rapid, panicked ruckus as ponies toppled over one another in the pitch-blackness. Strange angles danced in the air as alien geometries took shape around Rainbow Dash, enveloping him in a cloud of planes and line segments. He felt his body go all backwards and forwards again before the darkness rushed over his body and back into Luna’s horn.
Luna opened her eyes.
Rainbow was, if anything, more male than ever. Disappointed groans from everypony.
“I’m stumped, sister,” said Luna “That was a universal spellbreaker. Any enchantment within a hundred yards should have dissolved into nothingness.”
“Clearly, whatever enchantment Twilight has cast, it is much more than a simple transformation spell,” observed Celestia “Thoughts, Cadence?”
Cadence shook her head.
“I’d like to get her into the Royal Laboratory at Canterlot University. Maybe the Tunneling Electron Thaumascope can reveal something we’ve missed,” she said.
“Perhaps,” nodded Celestia.
Shining Armor couldn’t help but feel a bit of brotherly pride. His baby sister’s spell even had the Princesses flummoxed.
“What are you smiling about?” Rainbow grumbled at him. Shining Armor quickly wiped the smug look off his face.
“Cheer up,” said Blueblood, running a comb through his mane “It won’t be so bad to be a stallion for a little while. If you’re going to be visiting Canterlot, I can show you a few of my favorite uh… gentlecolts’ clubs.”
Blueblood grinned nervously as he felt the irate glares from the rest of the room.
“Thanks, but I think I’d prefer to stay here,” said Rainbow, stepping back from the prince.
“Rainbow, we need to understand what’s happened to you, obviously this is no ordinary spell,” said Cadence.
“I don’t want to be anypony’s lab experiment, okay!” Rainbow barked. Cadence jerked back. He immediately realized his anger and took some calming breaths.
“Sorry, your majesty. I know you want to help, but I don’t think I can take a roomful of strangers zapping me with spells. Having Celestia do it in front of all my friends is bad enough…” he said.
“Rainbow Dash, I’m sure the court sorcerers will be able to solve this dilemma,” said Celestia.
“You said this was temporary, can’t I just wait it out?” pleaded Rainbow.
“Of course, it’s your choice,” nodded Celestia.
“Thanks, Princess.”


***

A week later and he was still waiting it out.
“Well, you shouldn’t have to wait much longer,” smiled Twilight.
“You figured out how to break the spell?” Rainbow bounced on excited tippie-hooves.
“Well, no,” Twilight coughed “But I think I’ve figured out how to figure out how to break the spell.”
“Huh?” Rainbow cocked her head.
“All my lab equipment was smashed during our little escapade last week, so I haven’t really been able to do any real research into the spell I cast in my transcendental state,” Twilight explained “but my request to Canterlot U. for some substitute research equipment was approved and it’s supposed to be delivered today!”
Rainbow Dash did not match Twilight’s starry-eyed enthusiasm..
“Oh, is that all?” his wings and ears sagged with disappointment. Obviously, concern for her friend’s discomfort was taking a backseat to Twilight’s excitement at the prospect of solving a scientific dilemma
“Well, it’s not as impressive as the equipment they have at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns,” Twilight paused and polished her hoof on her chest, smirking pridefully “but it should be more than enough for us to solve this mystery.”
“I sure hope so, Twi. I’m not really digging the whole colt scene. I dunno if you’ve noticed, but they’ve got a lot of weird stuff going on.”
Twilight blushed.
“Oh, I dunno, some of that stuff’s kind of fun once you get used to it,” she gave Big Mac another peck on his chin. Everypony gagged a little in their mouths.
“Yeah, well, be that as it may, it’s really cramping my style,” sighed Rainbow.
Twilight nodded.
“I understand, it must be weird flying around in that body, huh?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow sighed again.
She hadn’t only been talking about her stunt flying. Her relationship with Applejack had suffered as well. She’d only just discovered her true feelings for her longtime best friend, got to share a few magical kisses and then suddenly… this came between them. Applejack tried to get past it, and they were still dating… sort of… technically, but really things were on hold until Rainbow could get changed back into her normal, female self. Applejack loved Rainbow’s tomboy attitude and un-feminine behavior, but drew the line at genuine masculinity. If they weren’t lifelong friends, they could use the time to get to know each other and bond in a platonic way, but they’d already had that relationship for nearly a decade. Their “dates” were more or less them hanging out like they did before they were dating, only more awkward.
The one time they’d attempted to get physical ended up weirding them both out so much that they hadn’t been able to make any moves toward each other beyond kissing.
“Ah’m sorry, Rainbow. We just need t’ take it a little slow,” Applejack had explained.
Rainbow understood. He would have felt the same way.
“Aw, now cheer up Rainbow Dash,” smiled Rarity, sympathizing with her friend’s distant moping “If Twilight says she’s going to get you sorted out then I for one have full confidence in her.”
“Yes, Twilight will straighten everything out,” agreed Fluttershy.
“I sure hope so, considering it’s her fault I’m like this,” grumbled Rainbow Dash.
Twilight looked abashed.
“Sorry,” said Rainbow “I’m still getting used to this whole ‘being a dude’ thing. I guess being insensitive is one of those things I’m going to have to deal with.”
Nopony mentioned that they hadn’t noticed any particular increase in Rainbow Dash’s insensitivity.
Rarity got up from her spot on the blanket and gathered up her belongings.
“Well, it’s a lovely day but I can’t spend too much time out here in the sun. Wrinkles, you know,” she flipped her mane and did a little turn “Rainbow, Darling, you’re still meeting me later at the café, aren’t you?”
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” said Rainbow.
Not sure what that’s about, but okay…
“Oh, but Rainbow, don’t forget you were going to come over and help me feed the animals later,” Fluttershy piped up, suddenly.
“I think I can make it, sure.”
“Wuhnderful! So everypony is happy, then!” declared Rarity, the briefest shadow crossing her face as she looked up at Fluttershy. 
“Tchus, darlings!” she blew them all a farewell kiss and trotted off, cutting through the park and back towards the Carousel Boutique.
Rainbow’s tummy growled. In all the discussion, he hadn’t noticed how hungry he’d become.
“What’s for brunch?” he asked, licking his chops at the sight of the fat picnic basket at Fluttershy’s side.
Fluttershy smiled proudly.
“Oh, you’ll love it! I prepared it specially for you, there’s deviled eggs with green beans, boiled artichoke, some nice spinach in butter, and Angel even made some gourmet fruit salad with crème freche!”
Rainbow Dash already had his muzzle buried in the basket and was smacking noisily at the food inside, scarfing it down without a second thought. Fluttershy, Twilight and Big Mac all stared at him in disbelief.
Rainbow lifted his face from the basket. A wad of spinach dangled from his nose.
“What? Aren’t you guys going to dig in?” he asked.


The end of part 1


To be continued…