Blazing Trails to Great Disappointing Truths
I stretched my forelegs forward, limbering up like a cat after a nap. I leaned forward to stretch my hind-legs, head pointing up like I was howling at the rising sun. Today was a running day in which I would be working once again on my endurance. I was preparing just at the start of the Whitetail Woods Trail, which I was hoping I could clear. I almost made it last time. All I had to do was hold out for long enough to reach my starting point by running the whole circuitous trail. It took me about twenty minutes before I completely ran out of breath. If I could go for that twenty first minute, then I'd be all set.
I stretched each leg individually and shook off whatever sensations remained. I levitated my earphones into my ears. As it turns out, there exist portable music players in Equestria. I would never have known this if I hadn't seen that unicorn with the rockin' shades jammin' to whatever her tunes were. Good for me, since that let me listen to Mare-O-War while I went for a run.
I ran in tune with the opening song's heavy, conservative tempo. I wasn't here for speed, as this wasn't a race. I was just a guy thundering down the road, heavy metal making me feel like I was charging into battle. If I were crazier, I probably would have imagined a line of spearmen standing before me with their weapons ready to brace my attack. Sadly, I was a boring realist, so all that I really had to avoid were some rocks and a tree stump. Seriously, does nobody do maintenance on this trail?
I passed the first major curve in the trail, surely marking the second minute of my run. One of the benefits of running this course so much was how it let me keep track of time with landmarks. Just up ahead, I saw a tree that looked like it was bending over to pick up a coin on the ground, which marked the third minute. Yeah, I ran this trail a lot. You'd think a few months would have made me strong enough to clear the whole thing, but that was sadly not the case. The only major difference in all that time was the leaves changing color. I've never been one to notice the change in season, but I guess the start of Autumn just passed me by.
I glided down another curve in the path. Suddenly, I wasn't alone. A pony caught my eye right beside me, sporting her distinctive rainbow mane and bright blue coat. She easily kept pace with me, looking at me with a cocky grin. She looked like she wanted to say something.
I levitated the earbud out of the ear closest to Rainbow Dash. "'Sup?"
"You're gonna have to do better than that!" She taunted.
"Wha?"
Instead of answering my question, Rainbow sped up and cleared the ninety-degree turn with surprising precision. I turned the corner to follow her, finding that she was speeding off into the distant limits of my vision.
That was weird. I wondered what she meant. I wasn't about to think about it until I finished running, though. I had some personal training to do.
I didn't see her again during my run. I got fatigued and breathless just a little further than last time, which I felt was okay progress. Not great, but manageable. I trudged down the remainder of the trail and plopped down in the place I usually fell to rest. See, you can tell I used it often because there was a bare patch of dirt shaped like me where grass used to grow.
I huffed and puffed, eyes closed to the world around me. I slowly caught my breath. Between the cushiony embrace of the nearby grass and the lead singer's roaring about fighting to the death, I felt at peace. Times were good. Good times were great for naps.
I valiantly resisted the urge to sleep for a while, but I didn't really need to. Something tickled my nose. I grabbed at it with a hoof, but I caught nothing but empty air. I put my arm down and got comfortable again, thinking whatever it was would leave me alone.
It came back, more irritating than ever.
I opened my eyes to glare at the offending creature that dared to tickle my mighty snout. It turned out to be an object; a piece of straw held by a giggling rainbow pegasus. Unamused, I grabbed the straw with my telekinesis and threw it away. Her fun time now over, I sat up and faced her. Hopefully we could have a conversation without her running off with a cryptic taunt.
"All right, what's going on?"
"Nothing." Rainbow replied smoothly. "Just me creaming you in an impromptu race, that's all."
"Uh huh." I deadpanned.
"Seriously, you were moving so slow!" Rainbow added as if trying to rub salt in whatever wound I had.
"Well, it's not like I'm trying to race." I told her.
Rainbow just rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. As if you weren't training for the Running of the Leaves. Nice try, Spark Plug."
I gave her a confused sideways look and continued as if she didn't just insult me. "What's the Running of the Leaves?"
Rainbow's expression turned from cocky to surprised. "Seriously, how sheltered were you? First you didn't know what Cloudsdale was, now you don't know of a national holiday!"
I shrugged. "I had other concerns." Living in another world, for starters.
"Whatever. I just think a filly with her nose in books all the time would know a little more about Equestria than what she's picking up from talking to ponies."
"You'd think so..."
"Right, so the Running of the Leaves is this big race that takes place here in Whitetail Woods. The winner gets a gold medal!"
"What, that's it?" I asked, not being surprised. "The least they could do is reward you with a cash prize."
"Well, don't worry about, 'cause I'm gonna win it!" She boasted.
"What, the medal or the cash?"
"Both, duh! Since I'm entering the race, nopony even has a chance!"
I nodded slowly. "Okay, well, it's not like I planned on joining the race anyway. I'm not very good at running."
Rainbow looked me over. "Are you sure? You look like you've put on a few thousand pounds of muscle since you got here."
I looked over myself, taking notice for the first time in a while just how toned I was. My legs all had a firmness that wasn't present when I first got them. Interesting how ripped you can get from a few diligent months. "Oh, right. Yeah, I'm still working on endurance. I'm not very fast, yet."
"Oh well, it's not like you were going to beat me, anyway."
"Yeah, I'm sure." I said, giving her a challenging look. "Unless you want me to beat you. Gimme some time to prepare, and I'll give it a go."
"So you are entering the Running of the Leaves." Rainbow concluded as if she forced a confession from me.
"I am now."
"Then it's on." Rainbow spat into her hoof and held it out to me for a brohoof.
I stared at her dripping hoof with minor revulsion. "Dude, that's nasty."
Rainbow rolled her eyes and brought it down. "Whatever, Miss Cleanly. It's not that big a deal."
"Sure it is." I argued. "Saliva breeds diseases no matter how well you clean your mouth."
"You're not going to lecture me on this, are you?" She asked dryly.
"Do you want me to recite all my knowledge on the subject, or are you just going to take my word for it?"
"Don't even start; I'd fall asleep within seconds. I can do without long, pointless lectures."
"Fine, then let's just say I have reservations about mouth stuff."
Rainbow quirked a devilish smile. "So that means kissing is out of the question?"
I rolled my eyes with a scoff. "Please, like I need that kind of stuff to distract me."
Rainbow looked disappointed by my response. "Ah."
"What?"
"Nuthin'." She waved it off. "I just figured you'd get all nervous about it."
"Sorry to disappoint, but I can honestly say that I have yet to see a single pony I want to kiss." Special emphasis on "pony".
"Yeah, that's cool." She said with a nod. "So what are you doing today? Is this all you had planned?"
It was my turn with the smile of devils. "Why, are you asking me out?"
"Ha, as if! You're not even my type."
"Oh really? The sexy librarian doesn't do it for you?"
"Nah, too bookish."
I shrugged. "Alright. I wasn't planning on anything. You?"
"Nah." Rainbow and I sat there for a few seconds, thinking of something to say. Rainbow eventually piped up again. "I dunno about you, but I'm getting pretty hungry. Wanna go grab a bite?"
I nodded at the fantastic plan. My stomach was chewing on itself, anyway. "Yeah, sure."
We got up from our seats in the grass and left for town. Annoyingly, Rainbow shot ahead without me. Noodle-y legs notwithstanding, there was no way that I could keep up with a Rainbow Dash at full speed. I sighed as I gently walked after her. If I weren't so good at finding people with my magic, this could almost be a pain in the ass.
I lightly strode into town, following the occasional pulse of magic from my horn. I take it no one thought it was weird that my magic was flashing the whole time, since they didn't even take notice of it. Fine with me, I was feeling pretty ravenous. Every conversation I could be having about my magic would've wasted a little more time.
I cut through a small alley and stepped out only to have a blurring object speed by, nearly clipping me. Startled, I spun my head to watch the object go down the road a little ways. It did a quick 180, and cruised right up to me. It turned out to be Scootaloo carting the Crusaders and Pinkie Pie around Handicar style.
"Hey Twilight! Check out my sweet ride!" Pinkie bobbed her head as if I was supposed to be impressed. I actually was. It couldn't be easy for Scootaloo to drag all that weight behind her.
"I didn't even know you could pull a wagon behind a scooter like a side-car."
"What's a side-car?" Scootaloo asked.
I dismissed the question, as that was Earth technology I shouldn't be explaining. "Nothing."
"We're looking for Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie announced. "Wanna come along?"
"Actually, I was just following her. I know where she is, if you need to find her."
"Great, that will really save us time!" Sweetie Belle cheered.
I nodded once and shrunk myself to the size of one of the fillies. "It will be faster if I ride with you. Scootaloo, think you can take the extra load?"
Scootaloo buzzed her wings confidently. "No problem!"
I hopped into the wagon, clutching the side. It was a tight fit, but it did well to hold the combined space of three fillies and a full grown mare. "Then let's roll! Rainbow Dash is that way!" I pointed in the direction we needed to go.
"Ya might wanna put on a helmet." Apple Bloom warned.
"Pfft! Yeah right. I can handle a simple wagon ride."
Scootaloo rocketed forward with surprising speed and acceleration. My face pulled back at the force of wind resistance immediately. It only took a slight curve to make me lose my grip and launch off the wagon. I tumbled helplessly along the ground and slammed into a market stall.
I pushed myself up and groaned. Unfortunately for me, this stall sold clothing irons, and the breaking of the stall sloped down to my point of impact. Every iron on sale dog-piled me, pinning me under a painful heap of jagged metal.
Pinkie and the Crusaders rushed up to check on me. "Oh my gosh, are you okay Twilight?" Pinkie asked.
I dispelled the Shrink spell and shoved off the offending irons. "Change of plan: I'm gonna fly there while you follow me."
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Sweetie Belle conceded.
I summoned my bat wings and took to the sky. I made sure to keep my speed slow enough to allow Scootaloo plenty of time to maneuver through the streets after me. It didn't take very long (or hurt as much) with this new strategy, so we quickly made our way to our destination. It was Sugarcube Corner. Cause where else would you go for food?
I touched down and dismissed my wings, opening the door for Pinkie and the Crusaders. "She's just in here."
Rainbow wasn't the only one of my friends inside. In addition to her, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were presumably waiting for something sweet to eat. I suddenly wondered if I was the only one who didn't eat an early lunch.
Rainbow walked over to us, smiling down at the Crusaders. "Hey, so you've been looking for me, huh?"
I looked between them. This was why I hated it when Rainbow leaves me behind; I always miss something.
Scootaloo hopped forward with excitement. "Yeah! We wanted to know how you got your cutie mark! I bet it's awesome!"
"You bet you your flank it is!" Rainbow confirmed.
So I assumed one of the others knew about this ahead of time and let Rainbow know. I took a seat to rest my achy legs for this story. Rainbow spoke of a time when she challenged a group of bullies to a race in Fluttershy's defense. I would have interjected to ask why she didn't just kick their asses, but that would have been rude. The interruption, I mean. Fighting would have been justified (and awesome).
Anyway, that's when she first did the Sonic Rainboom and earned her cutie mark. A pretty inspiring story, I had to admit. If it ended like that, I would have made my excuses right then and there to go practice some magic.
It didn't end there. Fluttershy spoke up with an observation of hers. "Wait a second, I heard that explosion. I saw the rainbow, too. I think you scared the animals that got me my cutie mark."
I raised an eyebrow at her. That was a pretty cool coincidence, if a little curious. Then Pinkie spoke up. "I heard the boom, too! I threw a party for the first time after I saw the rainbow!"
Two in a row? Now we were getting spooky. It only got spookier though, and I didn't get context for any of it. Applejack said she saw the Rainboom point her home, so I guess she got lost one day? I don't know how she would have gotten her cutie mark like that. Then Rarity said she saw the Rainboom when she got her cutie mark from, I dunno, something about rocks. Weird that all of them were affected by a single event so far apart from each other.
Pinkie was quick to thank Rainbow for "causing them to earn their cutie marks", and initiated a group hug. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle awed at the display, but Scootaloo gagged. I was just flummoxed.
The girls all opened their eyes from the hug as if they realized they were missing someone. They turned to me expectantly.
"What?" I asked.
"Did you see a rainbow when you got your cutie mark?" Fluttershy asked.
I worked the question through my head, eventually nodded uncertainly. "Yeah, I saw that. I just thought it was something cool to look at."
Rainbow beamed at my fake answer, but Applejack was doubtful. "Yer just lyin' 'bout it, ain't ya?"
I sagged. "Yeah, I just wanted to fit in."
Applejack rolled her eyes, but gave me a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't ya'll fret now. We're still friends."
"Yeah, but you all have some cool backstory for your friendship." I pointed out. "I'm just the wily outsider, again."
Realization flashed across Pinkie's face and she darted over to drape a foreleg over my shoulder consolingly. "Don't be sad, Twilight! Maybe you can remember something if you told us your cutie mark story."
"But I don't have one." I countered.
"What? How do you not have a cutie mark story?" Rainbow asked in disbelief.
"Well, is it important to society as a whole to have a memorable cutie mark story?"
"Yeah..."
"Then there's your answer."
Rarity balked. "You mean to say that you purposefully don't care about your cutie mark because it goes against the grain?"
"Oh my gosh, you're a hipster!" Pinkie declared.
"No!" I denied immediately. "I'm not a hipster, I'm a rebel!"
"No, you're pretty much a hipster." Rainbow said.
"Hipsters like that peaceful New Age crap. I play metal, throw up the devil horns, and raise anarchy!" I argued.
"Yes, nothing says 'anarchy' like getting your hair done and having a nice massage." Rarity teased.
I got flustered and widened my eyes with desperation. "Th-that's different!"
"So, you really don't know how you got your cutie mark?" Applejack asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
I took a deep breath to calm myself. No sense in digging myself into a hole trying to make something up. "No. I just realized I had mine at some point."
"Well that's strange." Applejack noted. "Earnin' yer cutie mark is supposed to be somethin' memorable."
I shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. I'm a man of many mysteries."
"Mare." Fluttershy corrected.
"Mare of many mysteries." I repeated flatly.
"Yeah, well, that's something we like about you." Rainbow said. "You're still pretty cool, even if we don't have some magic connection from foalhood."
"You're still trying to comfort me for being different, aren't you?" I asked.
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious."
I crossed my arms defiantly. "Well I don't need consolation. You're right that I don't need a special connection with you to be your friend, and I really don't care either way."
They all shared a look. A look that made me shiver. "I think you do." Pinkie said.
"W-what? No, I'm fine."
"Oh, but you really do need some cheering up right now." Fluttershy insisted. Everypony took a step towards me.
I looked around at them tentatively. "Hey, what're you doing?"
"Doing you a favor." Rainbow growled menacingly.
"Yeah, no need to be all tsundere on us!" Pinkie quipped.
I backed up against the wall at their continued approach. "Stay back! I can shoot fire!"
It was too little a threat. There was nothing I could do to stop their onslaught. They latched onto me and gave me the best, sweetest group hug against my will. I loved appreciated hated it. I just stopped struggling because I was still sore from running.
Scootaloo gagged again.
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Pfft.
Jest a big softie, eh?
6570899
Rainbow Chav!
Oh shit, now it's on. There are some things you just don't say to people.
Aaaaand Spike is still an idiot. He should just call for Twilight's parents. Or just start grilling him/her about stuff she did before moving to Ponyville.
i wonder when you decide to show discord
GHRFDCFGHJYGFDCGHJKHGFDGHJGYTHYUJGY!!!
I can't help but think Spike is going to send a letter to the one pony he hasn't tried yet, and in a few days, a certain white stallion with a blue mane and a shield for a cutie mark is going to visit the library.
And Twilight is going to mistake him for a random stranger. Or worse.
Well, I can't wait for the Running Of The Leaves.
Spike undoubtedly knows how Twilight got her Cutie Mark. If he hears about this, I can definitely see him freaking out about this & this might be enough to convince someone that he has a point.
I felt a great disturbance in this story, as if the author cried out in terror. Then was suddenly silenced. I fear the TwiDash shippers got to him.
I bet when Spike learns about her shrugging off the cutie mark story he will go into overdrive.
I'm surprise the clone has kept it as long as she has but it has to end at some point.
He may not have seen the rainboom, but Twilight did. So he technically didn't lie. Still wandering how the big reveal, will be, revealed.
There is no resisting pony hugs.
Two chapters at once, you're either spoiling us or going to hold out on us for a while
6571522
Or the editor was busy before, and did two at once to catch up.
6571710
Because reasons.
That should have been a major res flag. These mares are blind.
quickmeme.com/img/d5/d574065b7546b025ef5719c91290d88ec19d07773f015aff42bb221881ff98bd.jpg
Born to live forevermore!
The right to conquer every shore!
What would the equivalents of Sabaton, Lordi, and Alestorm be called in this story?
6570936
I know right?! It should have been Fluttershy since she's the one into anime and doing anime stuff!
ah, it's so good to have a twofer for the update! Hooray for the anniversary!
Anyway, it seems the Twiclone finally planted the seeds of his downfall now, there is no way that Spike and Celestia will know for sure this isn't their Twi once they find about the Twiclone's attitude towards Twi's cutiemark
Also, loving how you're seamlessly integrating the canon episodes into the story. There was a nice frame with the run of the leaves, but then you included Pinkie and the Crusaders and it was a "Oooh-ho-ho!" moment for me
Finally, I expected Flutter to be the one to bring up terms like tsundere XD She may still be too insecure to bring up her hobbies tho!
I liked the little Rainbow X Twilight moment, but I´m even more happy that I actually could think of her as a pony this time, at least I didn´t noticed her being a full time Human this time.
The last thing with her being hugged against her will was pretty funny I think.
6572169 Saddleton and Ciderstorm. Dunno about Lordi.
Awwwwwweeeee.
I kinda hope this backfires on him. Spike would obviously know how she got her cutie mark and could easily use this against the new Twilight if he played his cards right.
I'm beginning to wonder if his willful ignorance about certain things is going to do more than come around and only give him a nibble on the butt. I can get it if he's prioritizing fixing his situation over that, but even he should have realized -- by now, after how many times he's been put on the spot for his ignorance -- how much more of an immediate issue it is for his cover, if it's important enough for him to fix things up before anyone can realize what's really going on. I'm kind of flummoxed that he has time to learn about unnecessary things unrelated to his problems (like the bestiary, to an extent, among other things), yet forgoes learning about their culture, and other common things that most ponies would expect another pony to know. I hope this behavior isn't what does out him in the end, because it's simply not believable. Not to me, anyway.
Also, happy anniversary. It can certainly be an experience when it takes this long -- or longer -- to write a story. I was also affected by My Little Pony when I began writing a story with the series crossed over with another. (I still wouldn't consider myself a fan of it, though.
)
It would be 2 fillies and 2 mares unless Pinkie is a filly now. Scoots is on her Scooter.
6573540
Remember that Twiclone transformed herself into filly sized, she was including herself in that count
6573660
Woops, missed that part in my tired morning state.
6571004
... Or it could be like most other times he tries to convince anyone else where they accept a convenient explanation.
And if Spike accepts the explanation, that means that he has to accept that Twilight didn't think that his hatching was worth it to remember.
This one is a real quagmire, actually. If Spike actually becomes convinced this is the real Twilight then he is faced with the fact that Twilight decided to forget his hatching, and I don't think that Twiclone's cheering up of him and explicitly sibling treatment will make up for it. But if he doesn't then he's in the same terrible position he's in now.
YAY!!! New chapters!
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
6574622
I am a master at blending references together.
images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-aR6RXVo0OAY%2FVAprStCOJ_I%2FAAAAAAACAIM%2FEpYcc5d9erU%2Fs1600%2Ftumblr_m1lzwgVsLf1r3k1m8o1_500.png&f=1
6571725
Oh.
Oh my...
I... I don't even...
Actually that's a pretty cool animation. Characters actually sound like their actual characters, and look like them too.
6573206
Ditto.
I have to say, Rainbow was awesome here. I really liked how she didn't let Spike's concerns make her doubt her friend and respected Twilight's secrets because she knows how much it would hurt to have her own dragged out into the open against her will. Spike may have thought she was being an airhead, but she very clearly had her head fully in the game here and was taking care of Twilight in her own way which is always good to see. I also liked her interactions with Twilight and hope to see more bonding between the two of them in the future because it seems like they will get along great once they spend more time together. Of course, the implications that Rainbow is romantically interested in Twilight could be a problem given his history, although that could just as easily turn into a bonding point if he is willing to return her trust with some of his own which would give us some awesome scenes.
6579116 The whole Nightmare Moon fiasco was pretty ambiguous. While it's common in the fandom to assume that Luna was possessed by an outside entity, there is no evidence for it in the show itself. Rather, the show seems to operate under the assumption that Luna was in full control over herself, and let her jealousy consume her. No evil spirits, just a very upset mare.
That's the assumption I'm running with.
6579342
It's the one I prefer, personally. It just removes all the poignancy from the character if you run under the assumption that she wasn't actually in control of herself. By default, possession means that the host is not to blame for anything that happens. What's the point of all that regret and forgiveness when the individual was just as much a victim of the circumstances as anyone?
Corrections offered without malice.
existed, as you're writing in he past tense. Even if not, it would be "there exist" because "music players" is plural.
too
The rainboom cutie mark connection is one bit where Celestia would probably realize the problem. Too bad she nor Spike are there.
I'm getting tired of waiting for the big reveal. Discord and his shenanigans can't come fast enough.
6585246 Thanks!
6579116
Ditto.
And Scootaloo gagged again
Classic hipster denial.
6587590 When is the next chapter coming out?
6650628 I dunno. Soon, I guess?