Two recently groomed mares walked towards Sweet Apple Acres, both talking and laughing quite loudly. As they approached the gateway of the farm, the white mare whispered to her companion, “Be careful with Rainbow, he is totally into with you,” Rarity said to the confused mare, who huffed in annoyance.
“For the eleventh time Rarity, he is not flirting with me, he is just being friendly,” Dusk Shine answered uncertainly, “Unusually friendly.”
Dusk walked towards the farmhouse with a quick trot, not wanting Rarity to continue with her prodding, unfortunately, she wasn’t one to give up easily. “I’m just saying, you don’t know what to expect from that colt,” the white mare retorted looking over the Apple’s house where a pink mare was waving her hoof excitedly. “Oh look, Pinkie is here too. Wasn’t she supposed to be working today?” She said, earning a shrug from Dusk’s side.
Judging by the aforementioned mare response—or lack of one— Rarity asked, pausing her trotting, “You are still worried, aren’t you? Really, Darling? I don’t know why you just don’t tell them, we are your friends, after all, we won’t judge you.”
“Yeah silly, we won’t judge you,” Pinkie Pie, having just appeared in front of Rarity yelled frantically startling the white unicorn, and for extension Dusk too.
“Heavens Pinkie Pie, you scared me!” Rarity yelled picking herself from the ground while cleaning the dust from her immaculate coat.
“Sorry, Rares, I just heard you talking and you walked sooo slow, so I decided to come and say hi!” Pinkie chirped happily.
“It’s okay Pinkie, just don’t do it again,” Dusk Shine said with a strained smile, it was perhaps the 132nd time she had done exactly just that. Well, Pinkie only wanted to make ponies smile. There’s nothing wrong with it, is it? It was, in Dusk’s opinion, actually pretty cute.
Pinkie widened her eyes in a comical way as she listened to Dusk’s remark, “You already knew me!?” she said before face-hooving, “Of course you know me, Dusk must have talked about me, didn’t he? Anyways, nice to meet you, Twilight! I’m sure we’ll be the bestest best of friends.”
Dusk smiled dreamily at the mare, she couldn’t be mad at Pinkie, annoyed? Yes, mad? Not really, she was just too sweet.
Too damn sexy as well, just look at that sun-blessed flank…
No brain, we can’t think about Pinkie like that, she’s our friend! Furthermore—
Furthermore nothing! We haven’t had a date since forever![/color
“Ehh… Twilight?”
Well there was… Moondancer…
“Twilight, dear, you’re scaring us,”
That was ages ago! Now get back there! They’re staring at you!
Did my own brain just yell at me?
Damn right I did! Not daring to wonder why her subconscious was acting up, or why she shouldn’t be concerned about future therapy, Dusk Shine turned to the couple of mares staring at them expectantly
“Um, Twilight you okay there? You are a bit…crimson,” Rarity asked, placing her hoof on the unicorn’s cheek.
The aforementioned unicorn blinked owlishly, stepping out of her mental conversation.“I-I’m alright Rarity, I was just thinking about… ” Dusk answered, shaking her blush off. She awkwardly coughed a few times before changing the subject.
“So,” she started, drawing the pink mare’s attention “This is Sweet Apple Acres then, it’s really nice,” Dusk said, walking alongside Pinkie and Rarity, the first bouncing excitedly meanwhile the latter looked rather uneasily.
“And you haven’t even met the Apple family yet, they’re even nicer!” Pinkie said, walking towards a yellow pegasus with a pink mane organizing the table beside the barn door not noticing the bouncing pink mare approaching her from behind, “FLUTTERSHY!” she yelled, scaring the mare who jumped from her spot on the ground.
Fluttershy recovering quickly from the sudden assault greeted her friend “H-Hello Pinkie, you scared me a little, Rainbow said you were going to organize the table, but I decided to do it myself, you’re not mad are you?” Fluttershy asked quietly flying to the table’s other end.
Pinkie waved her hoof dismissively. “Don’t worry Flutters, thank you for helping me with that, I was busy greeting the new arrival,” She said, motioning Dusk to come closer. “This here is Twilight Sparkle, Dusky’s cousin, she is staying in town for a few days ‘til Dusk arrives from his visit to Canterlot.” Pinkie explained hugging Dusk by her side.
Fluttershy’s demeanor changed from calm to angry in a matter of seconds as she looked at Dusk, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Miss Twilight, I’m sure we’ll get along nicely,” she spat her face turning red as she examined the mare in front of her.
“Umm, Nice to meet you too Fluttershy,” Dusk said, wondering why Fluttershy wasn’t her usual self, it was a little unsettling, to be honest, a mad Fluttershy was someone to be wary of.
On the other hoof, Fluttershy was trying her best to not strangle the unicorn right on the spot. She could do it, years of massaging Harry the bear had left her with a good quantity of muscle in her arms. A quick movement of her neck and she was done.
“You know, Twilight. I really want to get to know you better, Rainbow talked a lot about you. Why don’t you girls go along with the boys, and I stay here with Twilight?” They will never find the body.
“Uh, sure darling, we’ll go and fetch the boys, just try to… behave,” Rarity answered, shooting Dusk a look while she walked alongside Pinkie inside the barn.
This is how I go, isn’t it?
We’re gonna die, and I haven’t got laaaaaaaid! Dusk thought, staring at everywhere but Fluttershy’s eyes, while she ignored her brain’s comment. It was a surprise when suddenly the usually demure mare jumped from her spot, grabbed Dusk from her sides and shot off to the sky.
Dusk completely stunned by the shock, flailed her hooves uselessly in the sky, while Fluttershy stared at her with a look that could melt steel, she could clearly see Tartarus inside the timid mare’s eyes, and it wasn’t pretty.
While the lavender mare trashed and squirmed in the pegasus embrace, Fluttershy cleared her throat, drawing the scared mare attention.
“Flu-Fluttershy, why—”
“Don’t play innocent with me you stallion-robber whore. I know what you’re trying to do with Rainbow Blitz, but that will never work, He. IS. MINE!” Fluttershy yelled, her muzzle just inches away from Dusk, who was now having a mental breakdown, she didn’t know what made less sense, that one of her best friends was accusing her of being a slut, or Fluttershy confessing her feelings for Blitz.
“You know, there’s a fine spot underneath my cottage, it’s specially made for you… for you and dead bunnies but that’s not important right now,”
Now that made absolutely no sense. In the midst of confusion and fear, Dusk flapped her hidden wings as hard as she could taking Fluttershy by surprise as the supposed unicorn started to ascend with her. As the pegasus’ anger faded and was replaced by sheer confusion she let Dusk Shine go making the illusion spell in her wings fade due to the sudden disturbance.
“Uhh Dusk, Yo-You, How?” Fluttershy stammered, her eyes becoming heavier, the reality of the situation dawning on her. Her mind couldn’t just take it anymore and it took the most appropriate course of action: fall unconscious in the middle of the air.
Unlucky for Fluttershy, her companion, was too in the middle of a complete mental breakdown, partly because of the stress of her arrival and also because of the sudden assault from the yellow pegasus, so now both unconscious mares were waiting for the impending doom falling rapidly to the ground.
Fortunately for them, a certain blue pegasus had heard all the commotion, and without wasting any second, shot off to the sky grabbing both mares in his arms, flying with them towards the ground safely.
“Applejack!” Rainbow called to his friend, setting the mares in the floor unharmed, “Come here, I think they need help!”
Applejack beside his partner with a slack-jawed expression looked at the purple mare in disbelief, “Is this really Dusk?”
“I think so unless you happen to know another purple Alicorn by chance!” The cyan pegasus replied, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“Bu-But he ain’t a ma—” Applejack was cut short by Rainbow’s slightly angry glance, while he picked up the Alicorn in his back.
“It doesn’t matter AJ, they’re hurt, we need to take them to a hospital!” Rainbow replied, walking past his friend who begrudgingly picked up Fluttershy and hurried to Ponyville’s general hospital, leaving two scared mares behind them.
Pinkie looked at Rarity’s concerned expression. “Don’t worry, Rares, they are going to be okay. I haven’t had any twitchy-itchy thingies on my tail, so they’re fine.” She said, drawing the ivory unicorn’s attention, who smiled weakly at her friend’s question, she needed reassurance that her friends were alright, but she was more worried about Rainbow and Applejack’s reaction towards Dusk predicament.
“Thank you, Pinkie.”
“You already knew right?” Pinkie asked suddenly, startling her friend.
“Knew what?”
“That Dusk was a mare,” Pinkie replied, her knowing tone embarrassing Rarity. “Don’t worry Rares, I’m not mad at you I just want to know why he didn’t tell us,” Pinkie said gazing at the slightly uneasy expression in Rarity’s face.
“Thanks, Pinkie, I’m glad that you’re not angry,” She then sighed proceeding to explain Pinkie all that happened with Dusk’s transformation.
Rainbow paced back to forth the in the waiting room, pondering in his own thoughts, I can’t believe that Dusk had turned himself into a mare, and he didn’t tell us anything! He knew that it wasn’t the real reason he was mad, but he didn’t want to touch the subject, he had almost flirted with his best friend, and he didn’t want anypony else to know that.
“Rainbow Blitz, calm yerself!” Applejack said, standing in front the thoughtful stallion, “The Doctor said they’ll be just fine.”
“I know what the Doctor said AJ, that’s not what worries me anyway,” He retorted walking past Applejack, resuming his endless pacing.
The orange stallion groaned in annoyance sitting in one of the room’s chair, “I know what you’re worried about, and fairly it ain’t much of a big deal for me,” Applejack said, resting his head in the back of the chair, his eyes closing slightly until the crazed stallion shook him from his shoulders.
“Not a big deal! What is the matter with you?! I was hitting on Dusk, HITTING ON DUSK! What is he going to think of me after this?!” Rainbow yelled, staring directly into Applejacks eyes.
The other stallion chuckled, hitting Rainbow in the back of her head. “That’s for being a thick-headed idiot,” Applejack stated, putting a comforting hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder, “Plus, it’s not a big deal, I don’ think he’ll even know you were flirting. You know how that colt can be for some things.”
“I guess you might be right…” Rainbow said ignoring the throbbing pain in his head until a nearby nurse called both stallions to the reception desk.
“You’re here to see Prince—” The mare checked her clipboard again “—Princess Dusk and Miss Fluttershy, right?” She asked as both stallions nodded. “Sign here and I’ll take you to their room,”
After a quick signature by Applejack, both ponies were taken through a set of doors, and lead to a sterile white room with a big number five stamped on the door. “Here we are, please do not make noise, some of our patients are resting,” The nurse ordered, opening the door for the stallions.
Inside the room two mares were laying in their respective beds, staring in an awkward silence at the ceiling above them.
“So,” Fluttershy said weakly trying for the first time ever to break the silence, “Twilight Sparkle…Dusk Shine, You’re a mare, That’s… new,” she said turning to face the unresponsive mare, who just nodded in recognition.
“I-I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that,” The pegasus apologized, remembering the harsh way she had treated her friend and everything she had told her.
“Don’t be Fluttershy, I should have told you what happened,” She said exhaling deeply, as she covered her head with the sheets. “Now I’m in real trouble.”
Fluttershy gasped at the mention of troubles, she hoped it wasn’t nothing serious, “Troubles? Why?” she asked watching the other bed stir a little “That is if you don’t mind me asking,”
Besides that one of my friends has a secret rabbit burial ground under her house, nothing, nothing at all, “Solaris is going to banish me for this,” The lump of the bed stated darkly, choosing to answer with the truth instead of the sweet sarcasm. “I just became a Princess, and I’ve already screwed up something, I’m not fit to be a leader!”
“Don’t ever say that again Dusk!” Fluttershy yelled, startling Dusk whose sheet felt to the ground, “You’re more worthy than anyone, you’re the most honest, loyal, generous and kind sta-mare I’ve ever seen, and a little setback isn’t meant to bother you in the slightest,” She said rising from her bed and walking towards her friend, sitting on her bed.
“You really think so Flutters?” The purple mare asked, a few tears leaking from her eyes while the other mare hugged her easing her concerns.
“Of course I do,” Fluttershy’s simple answer was the only thing Dusk needed right now—besides a dandelion sandwich— they cherished the moment between them until the door creaked open, and two familiar stallions walked inside the room.
“We’re not interrupting anythin’, are we?” Applejack asked smiling warmly as the scene unfurled and both mares greeted at the newcomers.
“Oh, Applejack is nice to see you,” Fluttershy said still sitting beside Dusk Shine, who shivered a at the stallion’s presence.
“Yeah, Um, hi Applejack,” the alicorn said uneasily, looking at the floor, avoiding the stallion’s gaze.
“Well, Hello to you too princess” Applejack said teasingly, walking towards the bed, while Rainbow stayed cautiously behind.
Dusk groaned at the tease, “Is not funny Applejack, I’m not in the mood for that kind of jokes,” She responded glaring daggers at the chuckling stallion.
“Why, heat arrived early this year?” The stallion joked, earning a glare from both mares in the room, and a muffled laugh from the cyan pegasus.
“Applejack, That isn’t really nice,” Fluttershy scolded as both stallions took a sit in the bed in front of them.
“Okay, okay, jokes aside, I think you owe us an explanation Miss Twilight” He said, pointing the aforementioned mare for emphasis.
“I know guys, I really do, but can we wait until the rest of the gang and the Prince arrives, I’m not oi the mood to tell the story twice,” Dusk said fixing her mane as a reflect act.
Rainbow looked confused for a moment, “The Prince, What for?” He asked as Dusk looked at him for the first time since he entered the room.
“Umm, yes, he is meant to come sooner or later,” The mare said matter-of-factly, seeing that nobody understood her she explained. “I mean, the newest Princess of Equestria just messed up a spell and is in the hospital, Solaris would want to know how his former student is faring.” Dusk slumped a little at her own statement.
“Don’t think like that sugarcube, I’m sure he’s gonna help you,” Applejack said reassuringly, but silently noticed how Dusk referred to himself.
“Yeah, Don’t worry Twi-Dusk, everything is going to be fine,” Rainbow said hoping that nobody had noticed his slip, sadly for him Dusk looked at him with a slightly sad expression.
“Blitz, are you okay?” The purple mare asked, raising an eyebrow, Blitz had acted pretty weirdly when he entered, she silently hoped that Rarity had been lying about him trying to hook up with her, things would get pretty awkward if that was the case.
“O-Of course I’m okay, Why do you ask?”
“Nothing, you seemed rather off,” Dusk said, blushing a light shade of crimson.
After a couple of minutes, the group of ponies were interrupted by a white unicorn and a pink earth pony walking into the room, both looking a little unnerved.
“Oh Rarity, Pinkie, I’m glad that you came,” Fluttershy said, smiling at the new arrivals.
Both mares looked at each other before Rarity cleared her throat, “Well, Umm, You see, there’s someone wanting to see Dusk here.” she said, walking towards the aforementioned mare.
“Someone? It’s not who I’m thinking, is it?” Dusk asked, looking at the door opening and a tall, white alicorn entered the small room, his orange and red mane shimmering in an unseen breeze while his magenta eyes scanning thoroughly the crowd of ponies in the room stopping in his fellow alicorn.
“Hello, My faithful student,” The Alicorn said, his deep voice sending shivers through Dusk’s spine.
The mare gulped, “I told you so,” she said looking up to meet her mentor’s gaze.
She was screwed.