18 - Comparing Notes
Applejack stepped off the train. It was still a good trot to reach the rock farm, so she got right to it. It wasn't going to come any closer to her. "Let's see if we can't' get to the bottom ah this..."
Rainbow landed next to Pinkie. "Hey, Pinkster!"
"Dashie!" She smiled brightly, as was the norm for her. "How's my favorite super speedy pegasus?"
"Pushing clouds, perfecting tricks, you know how it is." She leaned in a little. "But I'm getting a little bored. Maybe you could help."
"You know I'd love to help." She bounced in place, only growing more excited. "Want a party?!"
"Not that kind of bored." Rainbow waved it away. "I'd rather, you know, play a little trick on some ponies... Got anything cooking?"
Pinkie tilted her head a little. "Not right this moment, mmmm..." Her eyes scanned over the town slowly with a thoughtful expression. "Fleur is stopping by for a visit. I know you love poking fun at prissy ponies."
Rainbow twitched up an ear. That did sound... no, focus! "Yeah maybe... Aren't you up to something? C'mon, share. We're buds, right?"
"Of course we are, Dashie." Pinkie bobbed her head rapidly. "But I'm not doing any big pranks right now. You'd be the first, uh, second pony to know, unless I was doing it to you. You know how that goes."
"Second?"
"Well, duh." Pinkie pointed at herself. "I'd be the first, or something went wrong."
Rainbow laughed a single note. "Ha, yeah, suppose that's true." That wasn't working. She shifted gears. "So... I hear you met a prince?"
Pinkie bounced. "Yes! He's a really nice pony, but he's under a super not-nice curse. I'm trying to help him, but it's really hard and he super needs friends and only I can see him and I don't even know what to do!"
Rainbow flicked her ears back at the explosion of words with questionable grammar and few pauses. "Sounds... heavy."
"Super heavy," she agreed, sinking to her belly with a whumph. "The worst part is that everyone else who talks to him forgets they talked to him."
Rainbow lifted her shoulders. "Why not write it down?"
Pinkie blinked slowly. "That... what if they forgot they wrote it down?"
Rainbow pointed at Pinkie. "Good thing you're there to remind them."
Pinkie cautiously rose to her hooves. "I mean, that's totally worth a try, but I don't... want to be awkward again. I do that enough on my own without crazy curses. Can you help?"
Rainbow smiled a little. "What are friends for?" Besides, she figured, this was potentially leading her to information on the so-called prince. "What d'ya want me to do?"
Pinkie thrust forward a notebook she hadn't been holding before and a quill to go with it. "Check it to make sure it's completely empty."
Rainbow grasped the book with both wings, casually flipping through it. "Nothing but blank paper in here," She confirmed, taking the quill in her mouth. "Alright, what am I writing down?"
"Now we hunt a prince! Pretty sure I know where he's hanging out." She began to pronk away, eyes alight with hope.
Twilight flew over the orchard, apples in every direction, including some with four legs. She waved at Big Mac as she soared past, though he seemed too busy working to glance up and see her. That was just as well, she decided.
She landed gently in front of their home, folding up her wings and trotting for the door. "Granny Smith, are you home?"
"Who's that a hollerin'?" The door swung outwards to permit the matriarch of the home to step free. "Oh, Twilight. Pleased to seeya. What brings ya 'round these parts?"
"Nice to see you too." Twilight smiled with genuine warmth. "Sorry for not visiting more often. I'm embarrassed to admit I'm not here on a social call."
"Mmm? I suppose you wouldn't be. What can I do fer ya?" She hiked a curious brow at Twilight. "Not every day we get a princess knockin' on the door."
"Stop that," she warded with a little smile. "I'm still just Twilight to you." Forcing an elderly pony that she was friends with to obey honorifics? Not her style. "It's about Apple Bloom. I wanted to hear what happened with that, from your perspective."
Granny glanced left and right with a raised brow. "C'mon inside... Ah don't really want to get into it out here." She vanished back into the house at the slow rate of the elderly.
Twilight followed without delay, casting a final glance towards the fields that Big Mac was working in. "Apple Bloom said you..." she trailed off. "Actually, let me not not assume anything, let's just hear your side of things."
"It was a strange thing." She stepped up carefully into a chair and sank onto it, resting herself. "Weren't the first time ah ever saw one, mind you."
"Saw one?"
"One of them change-things." She rolled a hoof. "Right in my house, pretendin' t' be mah grand-filly." She shivered softly. "It was very... unsettlin', but as they went, was pretty nice. Reckon it was one of the good-pony ones. Apple Bloom probably set up the poor thin' fer her, t' cover up whatever trouble she was busy gettin' up ta."
Twilight's ears danced. "Huh, so... you're certain whatever was there was not Apple Bloom?"
"Ah'd swear it, or I ain't Granny." She snorted softly. "Nice, but not her."
Twilight tapped a hoof on the ground thoughtfully. So Pinkie had done something, but was it a changeling? That would... explain parts of it... But not all of it. "I see."
"Did she say what it was she was doin' that she needed a change-bug to fill in fer her? Ah mean, the fella did pitch in proper with her chores, and she came back right as rain, so ah ain't even mad at the critter. Ah bet she begged the poor thing to do it."
Twilight opened her mouth to reply when her promise jumped back into memory. "She's alright. You've been very helpful."
"Ah heard Pinkie was involved. Was the changerthing a friend ah hers?"
"Maybe." Twilight tilted her head a little. "That's what we're trying to find out. Thank you, again."
"Now don't you be in too much of a rush." Granny pointed across the way. "I have an apple pie coolin' just this moment. Maybe you'd like to try the first slice?"
Well, maybe there was time for that...
The prince perked an ear. He was sitting on that bench, watching ponies. When they came to use the bench, they just sat next to him, as if the portion of the bench he was on was just not there. Perhaps, he figured, they just saw 'a' pony there, one not worth thinking about, so they didn't.
He had heard someone calling him, and only one pony would do that. He sat up as Pinkie came rushing into the area. She wasn't looking directly at him, at first, clearly searching for him. "Prince! Where are you hiding?"
"Over here." He raised a hoof to wave at her. It was nice seeing her smile like that. She looked so relieved to see him.
"Thank goodness. I went to your hotel and you weren't there."
Rainbow flew in with a streak, catching up to Pinkie. "Hey, we're looking for a prince? Monochrome?" She was talking to the prince, ignorant of his alicorn nature. "You seen him?"
"Dashie, this is him!" Pinkie gestured at him grandly, rising to two legs to do it better. "Prince, this is Rainbow Dash, but I think you already know her? I hear she is one of the human's favorite ponies for some reason."
Rainbow blinked softly at that. "Well, there is that Jake guy, he thinks I'm the best, which is fine, since I am." she polished a hoof on her chest fluff lightly. "But that's also besides the point. Uh... Prince?" She offered a hoof towards him.
He met it with a soft clop. "Hey, Rainbow."
"Hey yourself. You do not look like any human I ever saw, just saying. Just a random pegasus, not that there's anything wrong with being a pegasus, take it from me." Rainbow shrugged softly. "Alright, so, where's the prince?"
Pinkie rolled her eyes. "Pegasi do not have horns, Dash."
Rainbow squinted at him and his forehead. "Huh, oops. Nothing wrong with unicorns either, promise." She held up a hoof placatingly. "So what's your name?"
"Prince of Errors." He extended his wings, an awkward act. They never seemed to want to obey him smoothly unless he actually was a pegasus. He brought them in and brushed his horn with them. "Nice to meet you."
Rainbow looked dazed before she seemed to casually censor out the confusing sight of wings and horns close together. "Yeah, good stuff. So you're the pony nopony can see? I can see you." She reached out and poked him in the chest. "I can touch you too."
Pinkie pointed at Rainbow's back end. "Get out your notepad and write this down! You'll forget, remember?"
"Huh? Really? I mean, I don't feel like I'm forgetting anything." She pulled the notebook and quill free of her pocket and sat down, starting to write. "This feels silly..."
The prince tilted his head lightly. "What does it feel like to forget something? I don't remember ever... feeling a thing when it happened."
Rainbow twitched an ear towards him. "Huh, got a point there..." She scribbled softly, eyes darting between the page and the pony she was chatting with. "So... I hear Pinkie's been trying to help you."
"She has." He settled on the bench. "Really hard... I, uh... Thanks, Pinkie, for trying. I mean... really." He put a hoof behind his head, starting to blush softly. "It's... kinda stupid, but... really nice... You're..."
Pinkie suddenly threw an arm around him, hopping up onto the bench to hug him properly. "Pinkie does not give up on friends easily."
Rainbow smiled a little. "That is very sappy, so, uh, what is she helping you with, exactly?"
"She's the only pony that can see me." He pointed at Rainbow. "I mean, when I'm not talking to them."
"Talking to them?"
"If I... stop, you'll forget. I don't want to hurt Pinkie right now." He felt certain she would be crushed, again, if he went quiet and Rainbow started acting like he never existed. "We met before, by the way."
"Huh? I'd remember a unicorn like you," she protested, sticking out her tongue. "This is the first time, for sure."
Pinkie rolled a hoof. "I know at least one time."
He nodded in quick agreement. "I was playing the part of--"
Pinkie caught him as he collapsed, suddenly unconscious. "Oh no! What happened?!"
Rainbow perked an ear. Why was Pinkie holding some random pony? "Maybe you should let them go? Looks like they're taking a nap."
Pinkie cringed back, ever so gently setting the prince down. "You don't remember."
"Don't remember what?" Her eyes fell to the notepad. "Huh? When did you sneak this away from me? When did I pull it out?"
"Rainbow Danger Dash!" Pinkie suddenly squealed. "You wrote those! Read them, and please tell me you wrote good things."
Rainbow arched a dubious brow at Pinkie, but nosed to the first of the written pages. "Alright, if you... say so?"
So this is the pony? Looks like a normal pegasus to me. Pinkie is so random.
I am the best pony.
So Sappy!
We met?
Pinkie was leaning over Rainbow's shoulder to look at the words. "You write really big, and kinda sloppy."
Rainbow began to blush brightly. "Shut up! I ain't no egghead, alright?"
Pinkie pointed at the words. "Do they mean anything?"
"They mean, uh... There was a pegasus? They loved me, because who doesn't... Something sappy, and we met?" She tilted her head left then right. "Huh..."
Pinkie clopped a hoof to her face. "Please at least tell me you believe me."
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I wonder if his "curse" affects Discord.
Or maybe if he were to stand in for Discord, when he can't make it to his usual tea party with Flutters for whatever reason.
This I see just hurting poor Pinkie. Then again it sounds like those who get covered by the Prince remember him so maybe he needs to cover for one of the mane 6 other then Pinkie.
... Pinkie, you chose the worst possible pony for trying to keep notes of the interactions.
Looks like Pinkie is starting to find the cracks to this curse
At least it looks like Rainbow is convinced something is going on, and its not just Pinks being Pinks. Now I wonder if anyone will believe rainbow isnt joining in on the prank. 
Also
OH CRUDE did we just break him?
I wondered what happens to him if he tries to tell ponies about his odd jobs, guess we know now. I guess the next question is how do you give somepony medical treatment at the hospital if they don't remember you need it. 
Also I think Applejack has another changeling covering for her while she's out.
9403191
Oh no, they're spreading! Get the bug spray!
This so reminds me of Background Pony just not as sad. That one was about Lyra.
There are two big macs now?
9404414
Fix fix.
9404444
Fixity fix
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None of the ponies he’s been has remembered him. They know someone stood in for them (in the case of AB and somewhat BM), but they don’t know the exact details. They don’t know it was the Prince, they don’t remember meeting the pony that did it, all they know is something happened.
No pony except Pinkie remembers him. We haven’t seen any other creature try to remember him, so it’s possibly though highly unlikely that other creatures may be unaffected.
Asking Rainbow Dash to take notes... Yeah, there's a hole in your plan there.
In any case, independent confirmation of this not all being in Pinkie's head achieved! And Twilight isn't satisfied with explaining it away with changelings. Definite forward progress.
But that fainting... The curse censored him. If he was going to mention Apple Bloom, that might well have provided the conclusive link to pierce the obfuscation. I can't help but see this as a curse now. What else do you call something that goes to such lengths to ensure that the one afflicted with it suffers with everyone else being none the wiser? Though that does lead back to the question of why Pinkie's immune...
9406729
I blame fourth wall sight.
They're slowly grinding away at the limits of this memetic curse. I feel confident they'll figure out a workaround. Reminds me of http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-055
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more
SCP-1504 - Joe Schmo : Object Class - Keter :
Yeah perhaps Rainbow wasn't the best, but it's not like Pinkie chose her.
So the magic prevents him from intentionally referencing his substitutions? Curious limitation...