Friendship is Power: The Nightmare Returns

by Aiyonbeam

Chapter 3: A New Ponyville

Sweetie Belle

Dear Diary,
It's been three days since we all turned human, and the town's starting to adjust, but it's slow going.
At least I've learned all the new words. No more being confused about 'toes' and 'fingers.' Princess Celestia has rallied the people of Ponyville together, and with her help, we've made everything human-sized. The mayor's decided that even though we weren't ponies anymore, we should still call the town Ponyville, in order to "remind us what we were and what we are striving to regain."

Honestly, it wasn't too difficult to get used to, but then again, I'm told it differs from person to person. There are still some people walking on their arms and legs, in denial of the change. Rarity's upstairs in the Sewing Room trying to make dresses and suits that fit humans instead of ponies. Applejack stayed livid all through day two of the change, up until Big Macintosh found out that when we curl all our fingers together into a fist, our arms are just as strong as our hind legs when it comes to harvesting apples. She and Applebloom insist that it's unnatural, but until they find a better way, punching the trees will have to do. Fluttershy was ecstatic at first, but she's mellowed down after a day or two. She isn't quite as guarded or timid as before, though. I think this change might be really good for her self-esteem. I haven't seen Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo since we told Ponyville about the anklets and necklaces, but I heard from Blossomforth that they've been busy relearning how to fly, and need an open space for practice, so they might've gone off to the desert. Twilight hasn't come out of her library since day one, and Spike comes out occasionally to get food and other supplies, and when people ask him about what Twilight's doing in there, he just says "She's thinking" and leaves it at that. Pinkie Pie has taken the whole thing in stride and with a big grin on her face. She says that there are a lot of new things she can do now that she's human.

As it turns out, this problem wasn't isolated to just Ponyville. All the ponies in Equestria - and Spike - have turned human, but the griffons, manticores, dragons, and other creatures haven't changed.
However, these new human bodies aren't as good for self defense as our old pony ones, and the other creatures are a lot more aggressive than usual - to the point of attacking the town a couple times - so the princess has told us all that we need to use other things besides just our hands and feet to defend ourselves, like the people over in Saddle Arabia and Las Pegasus have started doing.

Every day people are coming into the new armory that Princess Celestia's helped build, and they've been leaving with things like daggers and bows - simple things that can be carried easily - and we've been encouraged to train often in using them. The princess says she wants everyone in Ponyville good with one weapon before fall.
I haven't gone to the armory - Rarity says she doesn't want me going in there yet - but I've heard from Twist and some of the others at school that it's kinda creepy, all dark and filled with weapons and armor. Fluttershy won't even go into town square now because of it, let alone get a weapon from there. She says that if something bad happens, she wouldn't be fighting, even if she had a weapon, so it wouldn't be any use to get one and train with it.
Rarity said she'll take me weapon shopping sometime, though. It sounds weird just writing that down. I never thought that Ponyville would become a place where we'd need to use swords and spears and and shields.
Pinkie Pie says that once Twilight decides to come out of her tree, her and the rest of the gang are going in together to help each other pick out a weapon that fits them best. Applebloom's going with Applejack, and Scootaloo will be tagging along. Who knows? Maybe we'll be Cutie Mark Crusader Town Defenders.

It's kinda disorienting not having to look up to talk to people any more since we're all roughly the same height now. A lot of people have started to say that staying human might not be so bad, but I disagree. One good thing has come out of this, though; all of our cutie marks are gone, even the adults' so nobody's being picked on any more for being a blank flank. Me, Scootaloo, and Applebloom are still crusading to find ours, though. You never know. Maybe the reason that the others don't have them as humans is because they had them as ponies.

Well, Rarity's coming downstairs. Gotta go.

Applejack

The last two days have been an ordeal. First, there was the whole changin' into humans, then the creatures started to go...wrong - darker, more fierce, and crazy. Fluttershy's had her hands full trying to keep all her critters in line, and don't even get me started on the Everfree Forest.

We'd just gotten started on adjusting ponyville with Celestia's help when a black bear charged Lyra and Bon Bon. A bear wouldn't have even set foot in Ponyville before the change, let alone charge right down Main Street like that. They would've been goners if Celestia hadn't stopped it with some sort of weapon. She called it a 'katana.' The bear didn't go away when Celestia fought it. It just kept trying to get at her. She had no choice but to - you know. It's a good thing Fluttershy wasn't there. You know how she gets when animals - even evil, dark animals - get hurt, or worse. But, as soon as she struck it down, it disappeared in this cloud of black smoke. She explained that Luna'd taken a few katanas back with her from Saddle Arabia - if I remember correctly, they were at war with another country when the change happened - where they were "taking things quite well." The Saddle Arabians were different than normal folk, even when we weren't human, so it's not too big of a surprise to find out that they'd adjusted much faster than us Equestrians.

The day after that, a flock of birds went crazy and started swooping down and gashing at me and my family while we were trying to harvest the apples. We were prepared, though. We managed to drive 'em off by throwing rocks, sticks, even apples - the rotten ones - to get them to go away. Applebloom'd been hurt, and we'd had to rush her to the hospital. She should be out by Friday, but she has to take it easy for a few days after that.

Celestia helped build this 'armory' out of stone and brick in the town square. She assigned Lyra to make weapons and armor, seeing as how the unicorn seems to be a natural as a human. Lyra somehow got Bon Bon and Blossomforth to help her out, and they've been working nonstop to make weapons for the whole town. I wanted to go in and get somethin' right away, but Pinkie Pie and Rarity said we should wait for Twilight so we can go as a group. Besides, I'd promised to take Applebloom in to get a weapon as soon as she got better. Applebloom's been restless, switching back and forth between thinkin' of ways to fight back against any future attacks on the farm and talkin' with her friends.

Speakin' of friends, her friend Scootaloo's been hangin' out with Rainbow Dash over in the plains between here and Canterlot, learnin' how to fly while Dash relearns the basics. Twilight's been locked up in that library of hers ever since the bear attacked, and according to Spike, she's been "studying and thinking of a solution to this whole thing." Pinkie Pie's been helpin' the cakes along with baking and being human. That girl is a natural when it comes to change. She's adjusted almost as fast as Lyra did, if not faster, and she's been tryin' out recipe after recipe, seeing what's changed now that she's a human. Fluttershy's almost at her wit's end dealing with her animals. The only one of her little critters that hasn't been actin' up is Angel, and he's been hidin' from the other animals most of the times I've seen him. All the other times, he's been gatherin' herbs and other things for Fluttershy, tryin' to find a cure for what's been makin' the animals go crazy. Rarity's been locked up in her boutique, though for different reasons than Twilight. She's had a burst of inspiration, and she's been sewin' up a storm, making 'the latest fashions for humans.' Sweetie Belle's the only one who's seen her or her new dresses, and she says they're just as good as the ones that she'd made for ponies, if not better.

Bic Macintosh's been hard at work trying to find ways to harvest the trees. For now, we just curl up all our fingers and punch them - it's kinda like buckin', but with your front legs - but it's just not the same. It doesn't have the power, the energy; it just doesn't feel right.

One Month Later

It was day 35 of the change. Me and Applebloom were busy tryin' to punch the apples out of a tree in the south orchard when we heard a voice.

"Applejack! Come quick. I need you to help gather the rest of the girls and meet me on the hill where the comet crashed. I think I know a way to fix things."

Rainbow Dash

Okay, let's see here. Concentrate, and...

I closed my eyes, concentrating. The familiar sensation of the anklets' power began in my feet, then spread up through my legs, eventually encompassing me completely. It felt a lot like flapping my wings in preparation for a flight. I opened my eyes and looked down to see the tips of my toes floating a few inches off the ground.

If Time Turner can learn to hover in one day, you can get back to where you were in a month.

After a few days of trying random things, I'd made a list of things to try to help me get flying as a human down. It was Scootaloo's idea. She'd made several idea lists for getting her cutie mark along with her friends. I'd tried willing myself through the air, with feeble results. I'd tried imagining myself soaring through the sky, with slightly better results. This time I was going to try imaging that I still had wings, and mentally flapping them.
As I rose up into the air, Scootaloo rose with me.

"You're trying Method #3 too?" I asked.

"Yep. If it works for you, it's gonna work for me." she answered, determination in her voice.

I had to hand it to her. The little tyke - I could hardly call her little now, seeing as she was just an inch or so shorter than me - had really shown her mettle in the past week and a few days, picking up pretty quickly, despite only having managed a low hover when she was still a pony. We were in a field somewhere in between Ponyville and Canterlot. We'd already had our daily cloud manipulation practice - at least that hadn't changed much - and now we were trying to fly better.

I'd already made it to Cloudsdale and back without falling, which was an impressive feat for my third week of flying, and they were doing their best to move on and adjust. Lightning Dust, my friend from the Wonderbolt Academy, had been grounded, so to speak, in Cloudsdale after the change, having been visiting friends at the time, and she was a completely different person when I met her. She looked...lost. Like the only thing that made her who she was had been removed. I imagine that's how I looked when I first discovered that my wings had changed. I'd told her about what the anklets could do, and that brightened her up considerably. When she heard that I'd flown all the way there on my third day of flying, her eyes narrowed and a smile crossed her face.

"I guess I'll have to push myself extra hard to try and beat you." she'd said.

"As if!" I'd quipped. "I bet I'll be able to fly better than you after a week!"

"Oh, if that's the way you wanna play, then I'm game." She'd replied. "Meet me in the fields in a week. Bring your A-game, or prepare to be outflown."

Since then, I'd trained constantly, giving Scootaloo long and complicated cloud manipulating exercises in the meantime to keep her out of the way. Even with her learning curve, all she could manage was a really high jump, so I'd had her make platforms out of clouds and then use them to get around. It was a sight to see, Scootaloo jumping around from cloud to cloud like that.

I took off with a whoosh, feeling once again the freedom of being in the air. This method, mentally flapping nonexistent wings, felt a lot like back before the change, and it worked so much better than the other things I'd tried. Nothing could hold me down. Nothing could stop me. My 'wings' beating fast and hard, I flew forward as fast as I could go, feeling the wind whip through my hair, seeing the ground blur under me; I felt alive for the first time since the accident. I looked back to find that Scootaloo was getting the hang of the new method, and it was having similar results with her. She was actually flying, albeit a lot slower than me. There was something else, too. The rainbow trail that'd always accompanied me as a pegasus pony was there at long last, right where it belonged. A smile split my face. I was flying.

"Yo, kid, write this down; number three works much better than the first two." I yelled to Scootaloo.

She got out her notepad and scrawled something on it.

"Well, well, well. Nice to see you've got your air sense back." said a voice.

I turned to see Lightning Dust relaxing on a nearby cloud, a grin on her face.

"Lightning Dust!" I cried. "Long time no see. How've things been?"

"Oh, not bad. I've been practicing, and I might just be able to give you a run for your money." she said, that familiar glint forming in her eyes.

"Are we gonna go, or what?" I asked.

"I've been waiting for you to say that." she replied, floating down to the grass. I descended to join her. "We'll race to where your friend is." she said. Scootaloo made a thin line out of clouds, marking the finish.

"On your marks..." she said. "getsetgo!"

She took off like the wind, leaving me on the ground.

Oh no, you don't.

I took off like an arrow from a bow, catching up to her fast - but not fast enough. I needed extra speed. I conjured up my mental wings.

It's time to bring out the big guns.

I flapped my wings as hard as I possibly could, and was rewarded by the sight of Lightning getting bigger and closer. I was going fast enough to pass her now, but every time I tried, she moved in front of me, cutting me off.

At this rate, I won't be able to win. Think, Rainbow Dash, think!

I tried everything, flying high, then low, even stopping, and then putting on a huge burst of speed and trying to push past her, but nothing was working. She just stayed in front of me, blocking my vision and my path.

This must be how Scootaloo feels, trying to catch up to me.

I though about Scootaloo, trying her best to fly, but only managing to hop from cloud to-
Suddenly, inspiration struck. I grabbed a cloud as I zoomed through the sky, formed it into a solid disk - solid, but not rigid - angled it forward a bit, and threw it as far in front of me and Lightning Dust as I could. I started flying higher, and she rose up to block me, as I predicted. I flew higher still, and turned off my anklets, the gems in them fading back to a dull orange color, and my mental wings fading away.

Here goes nothing...

I dropped like a stone onto the disk of cloud, which acted like a trampoline, propelling me forward almost as fast as I was flying before. I activated my anklets, conjured up my wings, and added my own burst of speed to the mix. I couldn't see the look on Lightning Dust's face as I passed her, so I had to imagine it. It was priceless. I was going so fast I wouldn't have known I'd crossed the finish line if it wasn't for Scootaloo's cheering.

"Way to go, Rainbow Dash!" she yelled. "That was amazing!"

Lightning Dust crossed the finish line a few seconds later, coming to a stop and hovering in front of me.

"You only won because you used a cloud for help." she said.

"Well, you got a head start!" I shot back. "Besides, if you hadn't been blocking me the whole time, I wouldn't have needed to use a cloud."

"I guess you're right." she said, with a defeated look in her eyes. "I'm still gonna beat you someday, though."

"Oh, dream on."

"Well, it's nice to see you two are havin' fun." called a voice from the ground.

"Are we interrupting anything?" called another.

We both turned to see Pinkie Pie and Applejack standing next to Scootaloo.

"Twilight needs us back in Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said. "She says she's found a way to change us back."

"I'm really sorry, Lightning Dust, but I have to go help my friends." I said apologetically. "If this works, meet me back here and we'll race again."

I said goodbye to my friend, and started back towards Ponyville, Scootaloo flying behind me.

"What do you think Twilight's got in mind?" asked Applejack. "And how could we help? We can't use magic, except for rarity, and I don't think this problem can be solved by just two unicorns."

"Dunno." Pinkie Pie mused. "Maybe it has something to do with the Elements of Harmony. That'd explain why she'd need us to come and help."

Whatever it was, I was ready to help in any way I could. I don't leave my friends hanging. Ever. Elements or no Elements, I was going to help change Ponyville, and maybe all of Equestria, back to normal. Just thinking about having real wings again made me excited. I wanted to fly off right away, but I knew Applejack wouldn't let me. She'd say we have to stick together. She'd say we needed to stay as a group. She'd-

"Well?" Applejack asked, looking at me expectantly.

"Well what? I asked.

"Go on. Run off and get Fluttershy. Twilight's already off gettin' Rarity, so you just fly on ahead of us and get Fluttershy, and we'll meet up with you at the hill."

She didn't need to ask me twice. I flew off towards Fluttershy's cottage as fast as my wings could carry me.

"Are you gonna go after her?" I heard Applejack say as I zoomed off.

"Nah. I'm tired. Besides, I wanna catch up with you guys for a bit." answered Scootaloo.

I left them behind as I zoomed over to Fluttershy's to get her for whatever Twilight had in mind.

I hope this works. For my sake, and for Equestria, I hope this works.

Chapter End

Author's Note:

So this is Chapter 3. The first two chapters were fueled by this big burst of inspiration I had, and it's dried up now. I'm trying to think of more ideas, but it's slow going.
As always, comment with questions, criticisms, and other things, and let me know how to make it better.
It's still a work in progress. This is one of a few exposition chapters where a lot gets told and explained but not a lot gets done, so I hope you'll bear with me.

EDIT: Turns out this one isn't all that horrid. I still made it better, though.

Comments

[Aiyonbeam]

1789168
Um, if you read the second chapter, in Pinkie Pie's section, she makes a cameo. I'm also giving her a bigger role, so hold your horses - er, ponies.