Change in Our Magic
Chapter 82: Changed in Our Magic
(Applejack’s farm)
Death in the family was never easy for Applejack.
It reminded her of her parents, of the good and bad times. The feeling of loss of a love one always leaves a gaping hole inside your heart with rarely anything to fill that place. She thought she’d get used to it by now. But like everything in life… it catches you when you least expect it.
And this one personally… hit too close to home.
A close friend of hers now lay still, lifeless, and cold right in front of her. Cracking and crispy, like she had just gone through the seasons. His skin turning gray and dull while his branches crackle like kindling.
“Applejack!” Granny Smith yelled out from her side bringing the girl out of her mourning. “Quit your mopen and get to cutting! We got a whole field to plough. And that plough ain’t gonna move itself!”
“Granny! Not now. Can’t you see I’m giving Bloomberg here a eulogy!?”
“You can be givin that thing a manicure for all I care! We need to clear this part of the orchard ten minutes ago. And that tree is the last one! Now hurry it up or we’ll be planting the rest of these saps in the summer.”
Ugh… Granny. Sometimes she can be so heartless.
Bloomberg here wasn’t just a tree. It was the fifth oldest apple tree in the whole bloody orchard. One of the last original sapling that pretty much started the whole batch. It was also Applejack’s favorite. The big guy was at the perfect spot in field. Big enough to shade her from the sun while she takes an afternoon nap, and large enough to keep the rain from soakin her. It also never failed to produce an excellent yield of apples every harvest season. The darn thing was practically the grandfather of nearly every tree in this orchard.
Applejack even thought that this big guy would be here forever. But alas… young Bloomberg was taken away from her by nature’s will – it’s life cut short.
The frequent snowfall last winter killed off many of the farm’s crops and the orchard took the biggest hit. The frigid temperature made Bloomberg freeze to the touch, and the strong winds made it prone to breaking. Eventually the big guy gave up the ghost and snapped off his stump leaving nothing but dead roots on the ground.
“Applejack…” Her little sister chimed worryingly. “I know this tree was really special to ya. But Granny’s right. We gotta get rid of it or it’s just gonna be in the way.”
“I know, Sugar Cube. It’s just that this tree has been around since I was your age.” She gave a long winded sigh as she gently traced her fingers down a branch only for it to snap like a twig. “Losing this big fella is like… losing a close friend.”
Apple Bloom raised a worried brow. “You were friends with a tree?”
“This was before I met the others.” She explained. “Let’s just say that your big sis wasn’t exactly the social gal she is now. This tree was my pal till I got to grade school.”
“Now that’s just sad.” Apple Bloom added with an uncaring shrug. “I can’t really tell if having an imaginary friend is better or worse. I mean… it is just a tree.” She then turned and walked away. “Well. Once you’re done giving your final farewell, bring the tree over to Big Mac. He wants to make a wood carving for Ms. Cheerilee.”
Hmph… kids these days. They have no respect for their elders. They don’t appreciate what the generation before them did to get this far. “Don’t listen to her, Bloomberg. She doesn’t understand you like I do. You were the biggest tree there is in this here orchard. You might be turned into firewood, but your legacy lives on to every other tree in this farm. But… I suppose it’s time for you to retire to that big’ol forest in the sky.”
Bloomberg didn’t answer.
Actually a tree doesn’t talk.
“Farewell big guy.” Applejack let out a breath, tracing her fingers down its branches one last time. “I just wished I could sit under your shade one more time.”
And then, as if by a miracle itself, her body began to glow. Applejack sensed magic coming over her, alarming her to something strange.
“What in tarna…?” That was about as far as she got when her body began sprouting pony ears and tail. Her whole body radiated with unimaginable power. So much so that her geode had difficulty containing it all.
Energy began to course out of her fingers, flowing into her ‘Dead’ friend. Suddenly the branches of the tree began to extend, the crispy and cracking skin turned colorful and strong, even the roots seemed to have reattached themselves, spreading farther and wider than any tree should. It was as if time itself was going backward, bringing Bloomberg back to the time of its youth.
And it didn’t stop there either. The tree itself grew taller and larger sprouting from the very earth itself carrying the young Apple on its branches. Applejack screamed bloody murder the entire way before the whole scenario died down.
She found her grip on one of the bigger branches and hastily balanced herself, getting a good bird’s eye view of the whole farm.
“Applejack!” Her sister cried out from below with the rest of her family looking up just about as equally as stunned as her. “Are you ok up there?”
“I’m… f… fine!” She yelled back. “I think. Umm… anyone one of ya’ll mind getting me some rope? Or… maybe a really tall ladder?”
She needed to find Twilight quick.
(Arcade)
Rainbow Dash felt like today was going to be a good day.
Hanging around the arcade at the mall has always made her feel better. While it may not be physically active, the clinking and clanking sound of the video games never failed to put a smile on her face.
Not to mention it was a great place to keep her skills sharp and meeting a few of her friends.
With the threat of the shadow monsters now under control, it was high time she got back a little bit of normalcy in her life. Fighting evil magic was great and all, and dealing with evil sorcerers bent on dominating all life in the city was accomplishing on its own. But there are times where she thought that being an average teenager was actually quite appealing.
She wouldn’t openly admit it of course, but she does enjoy some measure of peace and tranquility in her life. If she constantly desired wanton rock and destruction, it would paint her as nothing more than a troublemaker.
“Aww yeah. Now that’s what I’m talking about.” She let out a wild cheer as prize tickets poured out of one of the kiosk. Another good thing about this place was that they also gave gifts for those who performed well. She then hastily made her way to the prize booth to claim one of the many offerings in stock. The clerk on the other end was an old friend who knew her by name. “Hey Parasol. I’ll be taking that free ice cream token, thank you.”
The clerk chuckled before turning to face her. “Sorry. But Parasol is taking the day off. However I would be more than happy to help you.”
Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened as she recognized the unfamiliar clerk. “Wait… Quibble Pants?”
“The one and only.” Quibble tilted his cap to her.
“What are you doing here?”
“I work here now.” He answered cheerfully. “Yup, you are looking at the official arcade prize giver of Canterlot Mall. Pretty sweet gig if I do say so myself.”
“Weren’t you working at that gift store the other day?”
“Yeah. That was pretty cool. But after they closed the island down for safety reasons, they closed down my shop too. So the brass had me transferred here.”
Oh… right. The incident at the island.
Rainbow Dash felt a tad guilt on her neck.
“S… sorry about that.”
But he waved it off coolly. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault.” Not that he knew anyway. “Besides, I like it better here. Being out there with very few customers coming in and out was downright boring. I spent most of the day sleeping in my office. The city is where the money’s at. Besides, here I’m closer to my family, and I get to hang out with Clear Sky more often. And even Wind Sprint would drop by too. So that’s a bonus.”
“That’s… great.” Rainbow Dash gave the guy a halfhearted congratulations. “I’m glad everything worked out well for ya. Anyway, can I get that free ice cream token?”
“Sure.” He nodded, handing her the said token. “You know it’s a lot cheaper to just buy the ice cream, right?”
“Pfft yeah right. Where’s the fun in that? Earning the scoop this way just makes it all the most delicious.” She reached for the token, only to flinch when her fingers felt a twinge of shock. “Ouch!”
The token fell and rolled over to the arcade machines. She gave the thing a puzzled look but quickly thought of it as pure coincidence.
“Come here, you little… ow!” She reached for the token, but found herself shocked again. “What the heck? Hey Quibble Pants. What’s the big idea with these tokens?” The man only shrugged back, not really sure what to say.
Rainbow Dash tried again and again, but every time she reached for the stupid coin, it simply sent an electric shock through her fingers. It was like playing with a hand buzzer prank, except she wasn’t laughing.
“Ok you little monster. I am getting that free ice cream scoop if it’s the last thing I do! Ow!” She reached for it and flinched. “Yeow! Why you lit-ow! Just get over-ow! GRRRR! Alright. Nobody plays a prank on Rainbow Dash. Come here!” She used both her hands to grab it, laughing triumphantly before groaning and then playing hot potato with the token itself. “Owowowowowow!”
All the while, the girl didn’t notice her body glowing, radiating power unseen.
“Stupid coin! Stop buzzing me!” Static electricity flowed out of her body as tails, wings and pony ears fluffed out of her body. “GRAHH! WHY. WON’T. YOU. STAY. STILL!”
And through that sudden burst of anger, the energy that built up inside of her exploded cascading into an electrical form that overloaded all the arcade machines and lights. Every machine near the girl burned out. And when the silence came, it was rudely interrupted when the emergency sprinklers came on.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel like this was somehow her fault as she looked at the token in hand.
“Uh oh…” That was the last thing she said before bolting out of there with her super speed.
She needed to find Twilight, quickly.
Back at the prize booth, her old friend Quibble Pants could only watch in confusion, while he muttered under his breath.
“I am so fired.”
(Pinkie’s House)
Pinkie was a girl with little regret.
In fact you could even say that there was hardly anything she ever regretted. She was the kind of girl who does what she wants, say what she wants and don’t give two pennies to what others may think. Pinkie was the kind of gal who can find the joy in almost anything.
But if there was anyone in the world that can make her sweat anxiety, it would be Maud. Her big sis. The Head Hancho of the Pie sisters. Hancho? Hanchess? Hanchalada? Is that even a word? Anyway it didn’t matter. Long story short: She was the one in charge when all of them were together.
That girl was a rock, in everything but form. No one could really read her, not even their parents. And when she was mad, she’d show it. Well… not really in the way normal people do, but the kind of way that you would feel it in your bones. I mean… not even Limestone would dare get on her bad side if it could be helped.
There was one time Limestone ‘Accidentally’ used a rock polish meant for Boulder for her own shoes, Maud gave her the unending disappointing gaze for a week. It’s the kind of look that made you quiver on the inside and makes you feel like you’re being watched even when you’re in the toilet. Limestone couldn’t sleep a wink and was forced to buy a replacement polish at the end. She might’ve suffered a little trauma but no one really looks into that.
Simple to say: Don’t get on Maud’s bad side. Which is unfortunate for Pinkie.
“Nooooo~~! Maud you monster! How could you?” Pinkie pleaded on her knees, begging – or in this case – holding onto her sister as she held hostage that which she cherished most.
“This is recompense for taking my money without my permission.” Maud responded in a monotone voice like always, dragging her feet through the house passing through Marble who gave them nothing more than a quick glance before returning to her tea.
“But why that? You could take anything. ANYTHING! My complete CD collection of Emerald Oaks Seasons 1 – 3 with the specials interview with the main lead! My magazine collection of Fun Fun Fun-Time! My autographed copy of Post Crush Limited Edition Comeback Box-Set! You can have it all! Just please don’t take my Party Cannon!”
“You should’ve thought of that when you took my money to buy raffle tickets.”
“But it was a sure fire win!” She reasoned. “The odds were in my favor. I had a way bigger chance to win that car than anyone! How was I supposed to know it was still just a 50/50 chance overall?”
“It’s simple math Pinkie.” The elder Pie replied bluntly. “So until you pay me back. I am confiscating your Party Cannon.”
But like always, Pinkie was resolute, hastily blocking her sister’s path to her room. “What about a new Rock Polish? I got a spare from Dad’s work place. Boulder could use a new shine~~. Eh? Ehhhhh~?”
“No.” Maud easily pushed pass her.
“What about a new Rock Pouch? There’s a sale in the mall right now. If we hurry I can get you one. I’m sure Boulder would love to be carried in one shaped like unicorn.”
Maud paused for a moment but immediately disregard it. “Pay me back with 20% interest. Then you can have it back.”
“20%!? Oh come on! Even Canterlot Bank doesn’t charge that much on loans! I should know. I actually borrowed money from them too.” As for what? She wouldn’t say.
“That just goes to show you that crime doesn’t pay.”
“I’ll do your chores for a whole week!”
“You don’t even do your own chores.”
“I’ll babysit Boulder for a month!”
“Boulder is a lot older than you, and a far more responsible adult. He can look after himself.”
Pinkie was ready to tear her hair out at this point. “I’ll clean your room for an entire year!”
“Do you even know how to clean your own room?”
“Ok maybe not that. But come on! I’ll do anything! Anything!”
“Anything?” Maud’s ears suddenly perked up in interest as a semi-wicked smile appeared on her lips.
Every alarm bells in Pinkie’s body began to scream ‘Danger Danger!’. If there was ever a time you would want to double back on your word, it would this time. Maud never shows an expression on her face. Not unless it was something that really interested her. There were a variety of things she could imagine that would end up scaring her for life. But still, Pinkie pressed on.
“Uh… yeah?”
“Hmm…” The elder Pie puckered her lips in thought, tracing her hand down the cannon before placing it on her bed. “This is a rather interesting opportunity.” She paused. “Alright. I’d be willing to cut a deal and give you back your Party Cannon.”
“Really!?”
“Yes. But only if you give me a little detail regarding your… 1st date… with Flash.” The smile on Pinkie’s face slipped off her mouth and shattered to a thousand pieces on the floor.
She really fell for that one.
“Wh… why that?”
“Because it interest me.” Maud said plainly, yet holding onto that slight grin. “You never really got to tell us how it went.”
“Oh that’s easy. It went great! Now give me my cannon!” *Splat* Pinkie’s face slammed onto Maud’s palm stopping her dead on her tracks.
“I’m going to need more than just that. I need… details.” Maud added placing the cannon in her ‘Rock’ locker and securing it with a key. “Copious amounts of detail. Isn’t that right Marble?”
“Emm hmm.” Even the youngest of the Pie siblings agreed closing the door behind her with a casual yet suggestive expression. Marble hardly expressed much but she was more than sure that she wanted to hear about their family’s love life.
“Really you two? Out of all the things you want, you go for that?”
“Yes.” Maud chimed, looking more like a cheap villain in a story than her sister. “We keep hearing that the date went very well, but we never really hear what exactly happened.”
“Why are you so interested in my dates? I don’t asked you about your dates with Mud Briar.”
“We spent 7 hours identifying fossils and wood branches from rock formations in the cliffs. The end. Now your turn.”
Would it be considered foul play if she used her magical explosives to blow the locker, grab the cannon and make a run for it? Because it was so tempting right now.
“Ugh… it wasn’t really even a date. It was just a get together with a friend.”
“Just the two of you.” Maud teased. This was probably the longest she ever smiled. Normally it wouldn’t last more than 5 seconds before she returned to her stoic self. “Now start talking. Did he have any moves? What was his opening line?” This was probably the most talkative Maud has ever been.
And what moves? Opening lines? What were those?
Flash never showed any. Well… none that she knew. He was just some ordinary guy who was just about as awkward as she was.
“But… honestly I still prefer the original Pinkie.”
…
Oh crap.
“Meeep!” Marble squeaked pointing directly at her.
Why did that memory have to surface now of all times? Was her cheeks red? It was red wasn’t it? She could feel it burning up. Damn this accursed girly hormones!
“Something did happen.” It was subtle but you can hear Maud practically squealing inside. Her grin widened by an inch which almost looked like an actual smile.
“No! That’s wrong. Nothing happened. I was just being me and Flash was… he… he was…”
“He was…?”
He was… just… Flash.
And that alone brought a torrent of emotions out of her. Thinking of his face, his charming personality, his voice was enough to get her thinking about that memorable night.
“It was… awesome?”
“No. No it wasn’t.” Pinkie resisted. “It was just a normal meeting. It was super lame. Super awkward. Nothing special at all!”
“Uh… Pinkie.” Maud’s smile dropped when she noticed her sister glowing.
“And I wasn’t Pinkie. I was Eiknip the whole time! I was prim and proper. Like a perfect lady of the high society.”
“Pinkie.” Her tails and ears shot out.
“And don’t even get me started on the food! How do you even pronounce any of those things? They were so fancy, they don’t even sound like food! I mean what’s a foie gras, jimmy jamboree and…”
“P… Pinkie. You can stop now.” The room then began to turn pink, every fiber of the room began to look like one big bubble gum. Everything was bouncy, rubbery and sticky at the same time. It was like lying on a pool of spilled soda.
“Oh and the waiters. They were just too…”
“PINKIE!”
“Yes?” By the time Pinkie stopped, the whole place was engulfed in her unknown substance. She looked around, immediately noticing that she had unconsciously ponied up. And the room around her had the appearance of a balloon party. “Did I do that?”
Apparently she did.
What was this? What happened to the room? Everything look so… yummy?
“Boulder?” Maud spoke out just as her favorite rock decided to appear from the cupboard, slipping from the surface and dropping onto the floor. It immediately bounced upward, downward, left, right, sideways, vertical, horizontal and all other words I can’t immediately think of. It crashed on everything not nailed down bouncing in every surface like the world’s most dangerous trampoline. It knocked down lamps, lights, books, like it had no stopping power and the other objects followed suit.
The three Pies screamed and immediately ducked for cover under Maud’s bed and waited for the whole thing to die down. Which it eventually did. But only after everything got wrecked hard.
“Is it over?” Pinkie asked, peeking out of the cover before coming out to see the carnage. Everything was wrecked, destroyed, or broken. “Aheh… I’m a… gonna call Twilight.”
“I’m keeping the cannon.”
Dang it!
(Twilight’s home)
Midnight felt like a chaperone.
“Get up.”
“No~.”
It was pathetic to think that an all-powerful sorceress like her would be reduced to this.
“Come on. You can’t stay in bed forever.”
“Leave me alone.”
She once held the power to bend the very fabric of the world at the palm of her hands. For a few short moments she was a literal god of the cosmos who was capable of making Mother Nature bow to her whims, the very clouds themselves parted at her presence, and the very earth she walked in became consecrated with each step she took. People should be worshipping and kissing her feet the moment she turned to even glance at them.
But no~~~~! Instead she was here, babysitting her host like some sibling she never wanted.
“Twilight Sparkle. Get up this instance!”
“NO! You can’t make me!” The girl on the bed turned around and brought her blanket up to her head. “I’m staying right here where it’s safe and quiet.”
Oh for the love of the cosmos.
Midnight couldn’t help but palm her face out of pure embarrassment of her own host. Twilight had been in a state of withdrawal ever since yesterday’s revelation. And honestly she can’t blame her. Her mind was already going through overdrive thinking of her breakup with Timber. Combining it with the vague fight he had with Flash, it became vehemently unbearable. So much so that it was all she could think about.
Finding out that she needed to break up with her boyfriend brought a sense of drama in her life. The kind of drama she never wanted. And she certainly wasn’t good with drama. They were the kind of thing that her brain couldn’t really explain. It was raw and emotional. A place where logic and reasoning are non-existent.
“Ugh… come on Twilight. You can’t stay in there forever.”
“No~~.”
Dang it. This is so not worth the effort. Midnight was starting to get irritated. This was so~ not what she signed up for. “You have tons of magical research notes left. We can study that after breakfast.”
“I don’t wanna.”
Wow. She must really be depressed if the act of studying didn’t even make her budge. Normally that kind of treat would entice her to do almost anything.
“You’re gonna have to come out of there one way or another.”
“Watch me!”
“Dang it Twilight. Get out of your bed, or so help me I will haunt you till the end of your days! Now come out of there!”
“Just leave me alone. I don’t want to face the world today.” Gosh darn it. What a spoiled useless brat.
“For crying out loud. Are you still sulking about breaking up with Timber? You know you’ve handled worse right? I mean you literally fought shadow monsters and traveled to Equestria and back. You’ve faced danger countless times, some even death-defying, and none of them stopped you before!”
Twilight didn’t respond and just pulled the covers higher. Honestly… this girl was just a handful.
Midnight was starting to rethink her bargain. Dealing with a teenager’s relationship problem was just too much of a headache to be worth it. At this rate she, being stuck in her head for the rest of eternity sounded pretty tempting.
But sadly, what was she to do?
She could float here and scream at her host all morning and she’d still do nothing. It’s not like she could just push her off the bed like an annoying sibling would do.
Thankfully she didn’t have to as the phone by the nightstand began to ring.
“Ugh… no~~~.” Again Twilight whined, plugging her ears with her pillow just hoping that whoever it was will get the hint.
A moment later, the call went straight to voicemail. “Twi? It’s Applejack. Listen. I got something really important to talk to you about. It’s a big emergency. Meet you at Sunset’s place ASAP.”
Beep.
That sounded pretty urgent. Even more so with that tone. But Twilight remained stubborn and remained on her bed. The world could end the very next minute and she still wouldn’t budge.
Then another call came. This time, it was from that annoying sports of hers. “Hey Twilight! It’s Rainbow Dash. Something weird is going on. I… I don’t really know what it is but it looks magical. Let’s meet at the house by the hill. Call me.”
Beep.
A second emergency? And with another close friend? What a coincidence. Still, it didn’t seem to get Twilight to move. Instead it seemed to make her wanna stay in bed even more.
What a lazy bum.
Until the third call came along. “Heyo Twilight. It’s me! The one, the only… Pinkie Pie! I just wanted to ask if you still have that super techno cannon of yours that you made for that science fair last year, and was wondering if you can change it to shoot confetti, or… spaghetti… or meatballs… and maybe letting me borrow it for a few days? I’m hosting a birthday party for Button Mash in a week and I think it would look suuuuuper cool if we had a giant confetti-spaghetti-meatball cannon to spice things up. Let me know when you can. Hugs and kisses. Beeeeeep!”
Huh… what a weirdo.
Wait… did she just did the beep for…?
“Oh and by the way. This is probably just some non-related unimportant doohickey stuff but I just found out that I can turn anything I touch to jelly. Like… super squishy jelly. The bouncy jelly. Like trampoline kind of jelly. The kind of trampoline but built on other trampolines! Like a SUPER trampoline! It’s soft and squishy, and bouncy at the same time. Maybe all that time eating gummy worms for two straight weeks in a row finally paid off! Or maybe it was that pizza I found in Maud’s shoe? Oh! Maybe it’s that time when I saw this shooting star in the middle of the night and made four wishes at the same time! Or or or…”
Her rant would go on and on for another minute, which thankfully, was enough to stir Twilight from her sleep.
“You know she’s just gonna keep on going, right?”
Twilight whined. “FINE! But this had better be a real emergency!”
She would come to regret those words a few hours later.
(Flash’s Mansion)
Ok Flash. You can do this. There’s nothing to be afraid of. You’re just here to ask a simple question. There’s no mystery here.
At least that’s what he wanted to convince himself.
Flash couldn’t help but think of yesterday’s health checkup as a strange occurrence. He always brushed those visits off like another thing in his life and never really gave two thoughts about it. But when he saw Edmund’s strange reaction, and the test result for his ‘Condition’, Flash had to admit that it bothered him somewhat.
Edmund had been a loyal butler for the family for many years now and he has always been honest with him. So to see him so… evasive about his medical results really sowed the seeds of doubt in his mind.
He tried asking the guy again, but he simply brushed it off.
He never does that.
Ever…
So… instead of going through him, Flash decided to just go straight to the source. And that was… his dad. If Edmund wasn’t going to talk, his old man was a sure fire hit.
I mean… they weren’t really that close, but… it was his medical results. Surely he wouldn’t refuse in answering a few simple questions. Besides, the man’s changed now. He was trying to be better, trying to be the dad he needed. He said so himself.
It’s not like him to keep something so important from his own son.
Taking a deep breath, the boy gently tapped on the door, which strangely echoed louder than usual.
“Come in.”
Dad’s study room hasn’t changed even after all these years. It was just as bland and boring as Flash remembered it to be with one big table at the far end, and a row of books and prized artifacts from some of his archeological digs around the world. He wondered if any of these could be magical.
“Oh! Flash!” Sombra’s eyes widened when he realized who his visitor aws. His face flushed from embarrassment as he fumbled about his phone, nearly dropping it. “H… hi? Um… one second.” He leaned back to whisper. “Umm… yes. I had a great time as well last night. We should do it again. I’ll call you tomorrow after work. Give my thanks to your sister Lesty.”
Lesty?
“Hello son. I wasn’t expecting you today. Did something happen?”
This is probably the most they’ll ever say to one another this week.
“Actually, no.” He answered back hesitantly. “Actually, I was kind of hoping to ask you something, dad.”
“Oh?” His dad’s eyes beamed expectantly. “Of course. Ask away. I always have time for you. What seems to be the problem?”
“It’s… about my medical checkup yesterday.”
There was a spark of curiosity in his father’s face. “Your medical checkup? Yes I read the report. Dr. Heartbeat said that you’re the picture of health itself. A fine praise coming from him.” That’s because he says that all the time.
“I’ve actually been wondering. Why do we have these?”
“Why not?” The older man countered. “Getting a regular checkup is normal. It’s always good to have the opinion of a professional.”
“But every month?”
“I know it’s uncomfortable having someone poke and prod you every now and then, but I want to ensure that you receive the best treatment possible. And Dr. Heartbeat is one of the best in the business. You won’t find that many doctors who will be willing to make a house call like this.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if I just went to a hospital?”
The man’s face wrinkled a bit, which did not escape Flash’s notice. There was dirt here. “Uh… no. I don’t think that would be necessary. Hospitals can be quite… messy and unsanitary despite what the nurses say. And the staff there can be…” His face darkened. “…unreliable.”
“Is it because of my condition?”
Sombra’s face turned a tad bit uncomfortable. “C - condition? How… how did you know that?”
“I saw it on the report.” Flash explained. “It had something to do with my heart? What’s that about?”
…
Dad didn’t reply. His face remained stoic, though you could see some uncertain shift in his composure. There was definitely something there. Something he wasn’t telling.
“It’s nothing for you to be concerned about, son.”
“What? Why not? It’s my medical records. Shouldn’t I know this?”
“It’s just a precaution.” Sombra reasoned. “You don’t really know this but our family has a history of weak hearts. Your grandfather and his father before him suffered greatly in their youths. I myself have them.”
“You did?”
“Absolutely. They were a pain to deal with at times. Which is why I had Dr. Heartbeat monitor your heart specifically because of this. I didn’t want you collapsing in the middle of nowhere. But thankfully you didn’t seem to inherit the bad genes on my side. You can thank your mother for that.” He gave out a bellowing laugh at the end which felt far too forced to be real. “Now if there’s nothing else, you should be on your way. I have Igneous and Cloudy Quartz coming in today to finish off the last delivery of relics.”
“But…” Flash opened his mouth to press on, but realized he wouldn’t be getting more out of his old man. “Alright dad. I’ll… leave it at that.”
“Thank you, Flash.”
The boy left the room, closing the doors behind him with an audible click.
…
A long and haunting silence filled the hallway. Flash tried to rub away the irritation from his face, but it persisted.
There was a feeling of disappointment in his chest. A familiar feeling that he held all throughout his teenage life. Flash thought he buried it away ages ago, deep inside a door and threw away the shovel. But it seemed to have reared its ugly head after hearing that horse dung of an excuse.
Those were lies.
It was a lie. A big fat lie.
Everything that came out of that man’s mouth were lies. Every word, every promise, every kind praise. None of it were true.
What he said about his condition and his grandfather’s heart was nothing but a made up story.
He could tell. The man had that same look in his eyes. The look that Flash was all too familiar with.
Those were the eyes of a liar.
Oh I’ll be coming home soon.
Oh the weather is a bit drafty today so I can’t talk for long.
I’m a little busy with work right now.
The list goes on and on and on…
Flash heard those same old excuses come out of that mouth with those lying eyes while watching his old man through a monitor for nearly 8 years. He had grown accustomed to them like they a mask he could discern from a mile away.
His dad was a good liar. A very good liar. He could probably talk his way out of any problem and still come out on top. But after listening through his nonsense for years, you begin to see the cracks and signs.
That plastic smile, the faded pupils in his eyes, his ghostly laugh?
They were made to fool a child into believing… hoping for some kind of affection.
But that too was a lie.
Flash retracted his earlier opinion.
He thought he changed. He thought that guy was trying to be better, trying to be the man he needed. He thought that he was trying to make up for the years he spent abroad.
But he was wrong. Dead wrong.
That man…… that stranger…
… hasn’t changed a bit.
(House by the hill)
Twilight cradled her head in her hand as she leaned at the porch, trying to make sense of it all.
When she arrived, she expected the problems of her friends to be menial and tame in comparison. Like… the occasional bickering between AJ and Rainbow Dash.
But instead she was greeted with a situation that she couldn’t even begin to comprehend.
For some reason… the girls here all seemed to have developed new found powers. Powers that were… in a sense of the word, far more dangerous than anything they’ve developed in years.
AJ demonstrated hers just by touching the ground. Her body radiated with familiar energy before vines started sprouting from the earth creating what looked like the beginning of an eldritch monster. Thankfully it didn’t damage the house. Sunset would be ticked if something happened to her place while she was away. The yard on the other hand was a different story.
From what Twilight can surmise, it was the ability to sprout trees. The cowgirl now possessed a green thumb. An ability to control flora of all kind. From flowers to seaweed, her touch literally makes them change in size.
Rainbow Dash was next with her power of electricity – or in her description: ‘Static’.
The girl was capable of generating electricity around her body in great magnitude and then discharging it like a bomb. She had little to no control how it goes, but at least it wasn’t harmful to people. It was kind of cool though. It made her look like one of those superheroes in the comics with all the glitter and sparks.
Though it was less heroic when she discovered that she accidentally destroyed an entire arcade in the process. That was going to cost her.
And of course lastly was Pinkie herself whose power is, by far, the weirdest one yet.
The only word Twilight could use to describe is… buoyancy.
For some reason, their residential bubbly gal can turn any material surface into a bouncy substance. Literally! Everything she touched with her power turns to actual jelly. From the ground, to walls, to even furniture. She even turned the whole house into a bouncing gelatinous… thing! It was madness.
I mean… Pinkie Pie herself was a ball of bizarre craziness, but this simply made no sense.
It was as if she was reconstructing the whole object right down to its cellular component. That alone would be considered a scientific achievement. Thankfully the effects of her buoyancy are only temporary and the object returns to its original state after about two or three minutes. And it doesn’t seem to affect living beings, so… that’s a bonus.
Rainbow Dash got so scared when Pinkie tested her powers on her.
Becoming a human gelatin did not sound like a good time.
While it was both a strange and wonderful thing to discover, there was only one logical explanation of this phenomenon.
After composing herself watching this revelation, Twilight called the trio to attention.
“Alright you three.” She whistled. “After a brief analysis on your new abilities, and the massive change in your magic, I’ve come to the conclusion.”
Pinkie interjected. “Oh! Did you find out that because of our magical hand shake with Flash, we developed these new powers?”
Twilight blinked. “That’s…… actually yes. That’s exactly what I was going to say. How’d you know?”
“We kinda figured it out.” Applejack shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “All of us getting new magic all at the same time after we did that experiment of yours the other day? You ain’t gotta be a rocket scientist to figure that out.”
“Yeah it was pretty obvious to be honest.” Ouch. Coming from Rainbow Dash, that actually hurt. “I mean how else can you explain how we got these new powers?”
“Uh… ok then.” Twilight bobbed her head dumbly. Normally she’d have to give the gang a long extended explanation on anything magic related. But thankfully these girls seem to be catching along. “The question now is… what do we do with them? I mean… some of these powers seems kind of… dangerous.”
Dangerous didn’t really begin to describe it.
Applejack’s powers alone has the ability to turn the whole ecosystem of the world up on its head. Can you imagine having the power of Mother Nature itself? She could turn all the flora here into an abomination, creating a totally new plant life form.
And don’t even get me started with Rainbow Dash. She’s an accident just waiting to happen. One blast of that electrical power of hers could reset half of the city’s power grid.
And Pinkie was… well… Pinkie. Giving her new powers was like giving a six year old a blowtorch and crossing your fingers hoping no one gets hurt.
“Wait a minute.” Applejack spoke up. “Everyone who made that magic stuff with Flash got new powers right?” They nodded. “If that’s the case then… wouldn’t… Fluttershy have new powers too?”
…!
“Fluttershy!”
(Animal Shelter)
The car came to a screeching halt at the parking lot in front of the shelter. Twilight and the gang barged out, expecting some kind of a mess. Thankfully however that didn’t seem to be the case.
As a matter of fact, everything here looked quiet. The building where Fluttershy worked was still standing. No crazy animal going rampage, no fire, no alarms, and no indication of any impending doom whatsoever. That was a good sign.
“Fluttershy’s phone is going straight to voicemail.” Rainbow Dash announced. And that wasn’t a good sign.
Fluttershy would never put anyone on voicemail. Not even an advertisement call. She once spent an entire hour listening to the sales pitch of a call bot. That’s just how she was.
“You really think she developed new powers like us?” Applejack asked, giving the area a good scan.
It was a logical course. If all of them developed powers at the same time, it’s only natural that Fluttershy developed one as well. In fact, she might say that Fluttershy developed it ahead of the rest because she was the first to trade powers with Flash.
“We’re about to find out.” Taking a gulp of air, Twilight braced herself as they arrived at the door.
There weren’t any customers or clients. Not that they could see. But the moment they got through those doors, their opinions changed immediately.
The entire shelter looked like it was in a state of chaos.
It was the flippin zoo but… crazier!
Animals of all kind roamed freely like they owned the place. Birds were out of their cages flying aimlessly, reptiles slithered on the floor and walls hissing and leering, the cats were on a meowing contest at the corner, and even Spike was there sitting on a throne made of pillows looking like a king, holding what looked like a bone as a scepter, and all the other dogs bowing to him like his subjects.
It was what you would call, a true animal kingdom.
“What in the world happened here!?”
“I don’t believe it.” Pinkie gasped in awe, bubbling away like a child. “Someone was hosting an animal parade-party and didn’t invite me? That’s unforgiveable! Dibs on the orangutan!”
“Easy there Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash stopped her before she joined in the chaos. “We’re here to look for Fluttershy, not join the circus.”
“Aww! But it looks like so much fun.”
“Not so much for the guy who has to clean this place up.” Applejack ducked and shooed off a parrot as it tried to peck her hat. “Eei! Stop that you feathery varmint! Git! This is crazy. It’s wilder than the wild wild west! Who’s running this clown show?!”
“Forget that. Where’s Fluttershy?”
“Here~.” The sweet, familiar and whimpering voice made them pause as they collectively looked down at the source. There they saw a bunny with slightly pinkish fur look back at them with eyes that were near driven to tears.
“Did… did that bunny just talk?” Twilight scooped the little guy up, curiously scanning it.
“I… think it did.” AJ agreed, poking the furry little fella who swatted her finger away. “Never really seen a pink bunny before.”
“Oh cool! A talking bunny. Can I hold it?”
“NO~!” It cried out pushing Pinkie away. “I’m not a bunny!”
You’re not?
“It’s me guys! It’s Fluttershy~~~~!”
Fluttershy!?
“Help…”
…
…
…
It took a while to regain control of the animal shelter. But with a little bit of magic, some leftover food, and animal-husbandry training on Applejack’s part, the creatures were returned to their respective habitats and the place was cleaned up neatly and efficiently. The birds were back in their cages, the reptiles returned to their glassed sanctuaries, and even King Spike the First was eventually dethroned from his kingdom.
It took a little canine revolution but the tyrant capitulated in the end.
Twilight made a mental note to scold him later once they get back home.
“Ok. So let’s start again.” Twilight turned her attention back to the Flutterbunny. “How did this happen?”
“Yeah. Like… how did you turn into a rabbit?”
Flutterbunny whimpered. “I… I don’t know.”
“Whoa whoa whoa. Let’s not be too hasty here.” Rainbow Dash interjected, eyeing the pink rabbit suspiciously. “How do we know this is really our Fluttershy? For all we know this could just be a monster pretending to be Fluttershy pretending to be a rabbit. It’s the exact scenario as Daring Do in the Arrival of the Shape Shifter. She has to prove that she really is who she says she is.” She then eyed the bunny dangerously. “Alright, Fluttershy – if that’s even your name. How can you prove to us that you’re really our friend?”
“B… but I am Fluttershy. I… I really am!” The poor girl looked like she was already on the verge of tears.
“Uh…”
“I don’t know what else to say.” Droplets fell from her cheeks which immediately felt like acid to Rainbow Dash who looked like she was regretting that very action.
The gang turned to stare, judging the sports gal who was now kneeling next to the bunny, trying to find the words to apologize.
“O… ok. It’s ok.” Rainbow Dash cooed gently, taking her words back almost immediately. “Um… you don’t have to do that.”
“You… you have to believe me.”
“Yeah. Sure. Totally!” Rainbow Dash patted her gigantic bunny ears. “If I say that I believe you, will you stop crying?”
“Get over here!” Applejack rolled her eyes and quickly pulled her away by the ear.
Pinkie then followed, handing Flutterbunny a hankie which she graciously accepted and blew her nose in. It sounded adorable. Yeah… that was Fluttershy alright. No doubt about it.
Twilight sighed, calming the little bunny down. “Why don’t you take us from the beginning? What do you remember before you turned into… this?”
Fluttershy whimpered. “I… I don’t really know. Everything was normal at first. I came in early to work this morning to feed all my friends. It was all just routine. B… but then, just as I was greeting Angel’s extended family, I realized that I was glowing.” In other words, she was ponying up. “I tried to call you guys. But before I knew it I poofed… and turned into a bunny.”
So… she was given rabbit powers?
“That must be…”
“Totally awesome!” Pinkie interjected rubbing her little furry friend. “I am so jealous right now. You get to turn into a bunny? That’s so cool. I always wanted to be a bunny. You get to laze around and hop hop hop like…”
“Pinkie!”
“What? Oh! Right. Not the time. Ow! Hey!” Applejack came along and pulled her into the timeout corner.
Unbelievable these two.
“Have you tried turning back?”
“I did… but… I don’t know how~~~.” She was pretty much bawling at this point, blowing into the hankie repeatedly.
Great… another problem to add to the pile. As if this weekend wasn’t bad enough as it is. Now they had to deal with more new magic? This was starting to feel like Camp Everfree all over again, but… far tamer. At least here they weren’t dealing with Gloriosa’s maddening early-life-crisis.
Ok Twilight focus. You can do this. You’ve been studying magic for two years now. Surely you can come up with a solution. There’s bound to be something in your notes that can rectify whatever this was.
…!
Wait…
“Of course! The test results!”
The gang stared dumbly at her.
“Say what now?” AJ asked what they were all thinking.
“All of this started because of your magical exchange with Flash the other day. These new powers are obviously the result of your magic mixing with his. Thankfully I did a deep scan of his energy source. If I take a look at those notes, I can figure out a way to control this new ability of yours.”
“So… you can turn me back?” Fluttershy’s eyes gleamed with hope.
“I’m certain of it. But we have to be fast. We don’t know if this transformation is permanent. Everyone to the car!” They cheered and hastily made their way out of the establishment. “That means you too Spike!”
“Aww… but I was going to go back on my reign.” The poor mutt didn’t have much of a choice as he was pulled by his collar and out of there.
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Love the chapter!
Are there any major OCs in this story?
Wow, a whole lot happened here. The girls are slowly starting to develop new magic powers because of their connection to Flash. Wonder what Twilight, Sunset, and Rarity will probably get then?
There were a lot of funny jokes from the supporting characters in this chapter too. Poor Quibble Pants can't seem to catch a break. Maud extorting Pinkie as revenge for taking her money without permission was a great scene, especially with Marble getting involved too. Plus even after all that she is still keeping Pinkie's cannon. My personal favorite joke was "King Spike" though.
Fluttershy just turned into Bunnyshy! Bun-bun!
11195333
I suddenly have visions of Calumon from Digimon Tamers cheering “Bunnyshy bun bun!” over and over again
Just had to ruin the moment didn't ya Granny Smith.
I have so many questions on how the fuck that just happened! Sorry for my language btw as this is how I felt after reading this scene. 😨
Odd, first applejack and now rainbow?
That's definitely a red flag that something is causing their powers to go haywire like in overpowered. But what is causing it? 🤔
Better do it if you want your party cannon back pinkie, you said you'd do anything for maud and a promise is a promise! 😠
https://m.Wait, they literally broke up? I thought they just didn't want to talk to each other after twilight learned what timber was hiding from him.
It is twilight and your not gonna like it.
I got a bad feeling about this! 😰
https://m.And possibly banned too. 😑
But still weird at the same time. 🙄
That's a relief.
Huh, surprised even I didn't figure that out.
Yep it's fluttershy alright, and thx a lot dash!
Interesting. 😮
11195316
Well, Twilight was the only other one who held hands with Flash, and Sunset didn't technically hold hands with him last time they interacted (all she really did was cast a spell to make his hand stop glowing) and Rarity was busy. I wonder what her new Flash-ified powers would be? Flash would get her gem shields obviously (and Sunset's mind-reading).
Oh, this is gonna be fun. Can't wait to see what new powers Twilight develops.
11195289
No. There are no OCs. At least not in major character wise. Just some random passerbys and occasional folk.