Rainbow Dash is off. Off in such a way that Twilight knows she can't be the real one. After all, how could Twilight not realize when her own wife isn't the same mare?
Twilight Sparkle knows Rainbow Dash; the pegasus is her wife, after all. But ever since Twilight crashed in the Everfree forest on her way to Zecora's hut, something has been wrong with Rainbow. The mare is off, in a way Twilight can't quite explain. She's off in such a way that Twilight knows it's not the real Rainbow Dash. It's an imposter.
All she has to do is prove it, and get her real wife back.
Twilight groaned quietly, her head pounding painfully as she awoke. The bright light bleeding through her eyelids was enough to make her wish she was still asleep, her heart beat hammering in her ears as spikes of pain lanced through her mind.
“Hey Twi,” a familiar voice called softly, a smile could easily be heard in her voice.
“Rainbow?” Twilight asked blearily, lifting a hoof to her head and rubbing it gently before bringing it down over her eyes and shielding them as she slowly peeled back her eyelids. Struggling to see through the light, Twilight saw five hazy, indistinct blobs of colour, though one of them – the closest one – she could point out of a crowd at any distance. Partially because of the unique rainbow colouring of her mane, and partly because the pegasus in question was her wife.
“Yeah, it's me,” the cyan blob said, extending a globular appendage and rubbing Twilight's foreleg gently. “We're all here.”
“And...” Twilight blinked, some of the haze clearing from her vision. “Where is here?”
“The hospital,” Rainbow answered. “Do you remember what happened?”
Struggling to sort through memories just as hazy as her vision, Twilight eventually gave up and shook her head. “No, all I remember is...” The sound of shifting came from the bed as Twilight's wings rustled uncomfortably. “I... I was flying to Zecora's hut...” she said slowly as she examined the feathered appendages, the purple blobs sticking out from beneath the green blanket covering her.
Rainbow nodded, Twilight's vision now clear enough to make out some details in her face, and she recognized her other four friends standing around the foot of her bed. “That's right; you were looking for that rare flower. We don't know what happened but Zecora found you unconscious in the forest with a pretty nasty head wound. She brought you back here.”
“How long was I out?”
“Only a couple hours,” a new voice answered, a brown stallion coming into view behind her friends. “We fixed you up, but you needed a dozen or so stitches on the back of your head. You have a concussion, so we're going to keep you here under observation for a few more days, but you should be fine.”
Twilight blinked slowly as her vision focused fully. Something as off about the scene before her, but she couldn't quite tell what it was. Her friends all wore relieved expressions on their faces, especially Rainbow Dash, but still something seemed... different. Something she couldn't put her hoof on. Shaking the thought from her mind, Twilight looked to the doctor. “Thank you.”
The stallion chuckled, waving his hoof back and forth. “No need to thank me; I'm simply doing my job.”
“Oh!” Rainbow's ears suddenly perked up as she reached to something out of Twilight vision. When she pulled back, she held a small blue vase in her hooves. Inside was a single flower with bright red petals and a deep green stem. The petals themselves twisted and turned in random shapes, and there were five of them in total. “Zecora brought this for you; it's the flower you were looking for, right?”
Twilight smiled. “The Aurora Bud... yes; it blooms once every twenty years, and is incredibly rare.”
“You'll have to thank Zecora the next time you see her; she was supposed to be coming back to check on you tomorrow,” Rainbow explained, setting the flower down on the nightstand before leaning down. “I'm glad you're okay,” she whispered, placing a delicate peck on Twilight's lips.
The alicorn smiled at the contact, but something about the situation still felt off to her.
-_-_-_-
Twilight knew without a doubt something was wrong. Something about Rainbow Dash. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was just something off about the mare. There had been ever since she woke up in the hospital. The pegasus had visited her multiple times a day every day, and after each visit Twilight was a little bit closer to figuring out what was wrong.
A knock sounded at her door, bringing Twilight out of her intense thoughts. “Come in,” she called, a orange coated farm mare accepting her offer.
“Howdy Twilight,” Applejack greeted, walking over and sitting in the chair next to Twilight's bed.
“AJ!” Twilight greeted with a warm smile, sitting up in her bed. “How are things at the farm?”
“Crazy,” applejack breathed as she sat down, removing her stetson from atop her head. “We're all getting ready for the winter, which means fixin' everything that went wrong over the summer. Leaky roofs 'n such. I wish I'd have had more time to come an' visit ya', but I couldn't leave mah brother all alone.”
Twilight shook her head. “Don't worry about it; I know you're busy. Although... I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Well... it's about Rainbow Dash,” she started uneasily. “Have you noticed anything... off about her?”
Applejack rubbed her chin in thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Can't rightly say I have. Though to be fair I haven't seen much of her since you woke up; the girl goes between here and her job and nothin' else. She was beside herself while the doc was patchin' you up.”
Humming in thought, Twilight sighed. “Alright. I'm sure she's just worried about me. Thanks, AJ.”
Applejack smiled kindly. “Not a problem. So you hear when you're getting out of here?”
“Tonight, actually. It's been almost a week and I don't have any warning signs for my concussion, so they're thinking it's healing properly,” Twilight answered. “I can't wait to get home and back into my own bed; this one's not exactly the most comfortable thing in the world.”
“Ah hear ya; last time I was here I was just about climbing the walls before they finally let me go home,” Applejack noted empatheticaly. “Still, it's a lot better in the long run if you listen to them doctors.”
Another knock came at the door, this time the visitor didn't wait for Twilight to call them in.
“Hey Twi, I'm... oh, hey AJ!” Rainbow greeted with a smile. “I figured you'd be here; Big Mac caught me on my way here and asked me to let you know he needed you back at the farm. Something about a hole in the wall?”
Applejack sighed. “Shoot; ah new there was somethin' I was forgetting. Well, sorry to cut this short Twilight, but I gotta go.” The farmer rose from the chair, slapping her hat back on her head and giving a polite nod to Rainbow as she passed by.
“Bye Applejack!” Twilight called with a wave as the door was shut gently. Her attention shifted to Rainbow Dash as the pegasus took up the seat Applejack had been sitting in previously.
“Just got off my weather shift and figured I'd see how you were doing,” Rainbow explained. “They told me you could come home tonight, you excited?”
Twilight frowned for an imperceptible second. Rainbow didn't seem worried; in fact she seemed rather happy and positive, as she usually was. What was off about her? “I can't wait,” Twilight answered, putting on a smile even as the gears in her mind kept turning.
“Heh, I know how you feel. If it weren't for those Daring Do books the last time I was in here I'd have lost my mind,” Rainbow laughed, reaching over and grabbing her wife's hoof. “I gotta admit though; you had me scared for a while there.”
Tilting her head curiously, Twilight asked, “How do you mean?”
Rainbow shrugged. “You were missing for quite a while before Zecora showed up carrying you on her back. All I knew was that you'd gone into the Everfree forest. I thought something had happened to you,” she admitted quietly, adding, “much worse than a crash.”
“But what happened to you?” Twilight thought to herself, wearing a smile but still thinking. “It's... it's like she's not even Rainbow Dash at all...”
“Twi? You okay?” Rainbow's voice snapped her out of her thoughts again, and she frowned. The voice was a perfect match; everything was. But still something was different.
“Yeah, I'm fine,” she lied. She knew one thing for sure now; the mare sitting next to her was not the same mare she married. “Just a little tired. I think I'm gonna have a nap before they discharge me.”
Rainbow smiled understandingly. “Alright, I have to go run a few errands in town today. I'll be back to pick you up tonight.” With that, the pegasus leaned in and kissed Twilight again, this time the alicorn flinched away from the contact that was saved for her wife. Her real wife.
Luckily, Rainbow didn't notice the reaction, and stood to leave the room.
-_-_-_-
“She's gotta be a changeling,” Twilight thought aloud, pacing back and forth across the floor. Time was ticking down to when she would be released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and she knew that 'Rainbow Dash' would be waiting for her. Luckily, changelings were easy enough to deal with; a simple anti-illusion spell to prove it, then have it arrested.
The real problem came from the fact that she didn't know where the real Rainbow Dash was being held. The mare had to be kept alive for the changeling to take her form, but where?
“Hello!” The doctor called merrily, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him, clip board floating alongside.
Twilight snapped herself out of her mind, smiling kindly to stallion. “I'm good to go?”
He nodded. “Yep; your concussion seems to have healed without a problem, and your head wound is coming along nicely. Just come back if you have any problems and we'll take a look. Things like the wound reopening and the like; I'm sure you'll be able to tell,” he explained, flipping through the sheets of paper he brought with him before turning it around and passing it to Twilight along with a quill. “Sign here and you're free to go.”
With a glow of magic and a flourish of the pen, Twilight's name was signed on the dotted line. The doctor nodded in approval.
“Everything's in order, and unless my vision's failing me I saw Rainbow Dash down in the lobby waiting for you,” the doctor said, stepping back toward the door.
Twilight grimaced, reaching back with her magic and grabbing the flower she'd suffered a concussion for before walking out of the room and turning down the hall towards the stairs. It didn't take her long to navigate the maze like halls of the hospital, and soon enough she found her way to the lobby, where there was indeed a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane waiting for her. But she knew it wasn't Rainbow Dash.
“Twi!” The mare called upon spotting the easily identifiable alicorn, rushing over and wrapping her in a brief hug. “Everything's good to go?” She asked, pulling back and smiling with eyes that were not her own. Before Twilight could answer the changeling leaned in for a kiss.
Twilight instinctively pulled away, much to the confusion of the bug before her. “Twi? Something wrong?”
Unable to take it anymore, Twilight jumped back, lowering her horn and charging her anti illusion spell. “You tell me, change-”
Silence.
Dead silence filled the lobby. All eyes were on her as she fired her spell.
And it did nothing.
“Twi?” Rainbow asked again. “What's going on?”
Twilight blinked in confusion, charging and firing her spell again, to the exact same effect. The mare before her was not a changeling. But she knew it couldn't be her wife.
“N-nothing!” She answered quickly, making a snap decision. If it wasn't a changeling, then she had no idea what it'd done to the real Rainbow Dash. She couldn't let it know she was on to its scheme.
“That didn't look like nothing,” the thing pressed, “what spell did you just hit me with anyway?”
“Umm...” Think Twilight, think! It can't know you know it's an imposter! “Just a diagnostic spell.”
The fake tilted her head. “What?”
Twilight leaned in closer, glancing around at the other ponies in the room. “Checking for any of the anti-biotic resistant super bugs found in hospitals,” she whispered. “You're clean, by the way.”
It smiled shakily. “Heh... I'll take your word for it. Anyway, you wanna get heading home? It's almost time for dinner and I had Spike start it while I came to pick you up.”
Putting on her best smile, the alicorn started walking for the door. “Dinner sounds wonderful,” she said as it raced to catch up with her.
The walk back to Golden Oaks library was unusually long and uncomfortably silent. The thing pretending to be Rainbow had tried to start conversations multiple times, but each time she was met with either silence, a grunt of acknowledgement, or a short, cold answer. Twilight knew she shouldn't be so obviously mad at the thing lest it figure her game out, but she couldn't help it. This thing had taken advantage of her accident and replaced her wife, doing who knows what with the real Rainbow Dash. She was, understandably, stressed and angry. Perhaps the thing had even caused her accident to give it time to infiltrate her life?
It was during another long, awkward stretch of silence that the pair reached Twilight's tree home that she shared with her wife, the sun setting behind the mountains and providing a brilliant backdrop for the old structure. Visibly hesitating, Twilight slowly opened her front door, motioning for the imposter to walk inside.
“Spike!” Twilight called as she followed it inside.
“Twilight!” The dragon called excitedly as he came barrelling around the corner form the kitchen, quickly wrapping Twilight's front leg in a hug. “I thought you'd never get out of there! I was cleaning the library while I wasn't visiting you, making sure it was kept nice and clean so you could just relax when you got home!” He announced proudly, taking a step back and motioning to the spotless library.
“Hey, I helped too!” The thing called indignantly.
Twilight's anger flared as she realized it had been living with Spike while she was in the hospital. Soon, she promised herself; soon she would fix this and bring home the real Rainbow Dash. “Well thank you.” She cringed and added, “Both of you. But I heard there was some dinner?”
Spike perked up, rushing back into the kitchen and motioning for them to follow. “Yeah! I made your favourite; daisy sandwiches with daffodil seasoning.”
“Sounds lovely, Spike; after nearly a week of hospital food I'm looking forward to some actual food,” Twilight said eagerly, walking into the kitchen and finding a plate stacked tall with the previously mentioned sandwiches.
“Dig in!” Spike proclaimed happily, pulling a bowl of gems off the counter and joining Twilight at the table. The imposter sat down as well, eyeing the food with a ravenous glint in her stolen eyes.
-_-_-_-
“Hey Twi, you coming to bed?” A voice called suddenly, making Twilight nearly jump out of her chair. It was a voice she knew all to well; that of Rainbow Dash. Not the imposter, but the real one. For just a split second she thought her real wife had come home, but as she turned around, her eyes only found the thing that had stolen her lover's name. Twilight sighed; she'd simply misheard.
“In a bit,” she answered shortly, turning back tot her desk and the open book on top. “I just wanna finish studying this book.”
“Alright, if you're sure. I'm gonna head to bed; don't stay up too late!” The imposter called as the sound of fluttering wings filled the air, the mare ascending the stairs to the second floor and the bedroom Twilight shared with her wife.
“Now I can finally find out just what you are,” she muttered to herself, flipping through the pages of her book. Normally she'd be taking notes, but she knew better than that; she couldn't leave any evidence of the research she was doing. It wouldn't be hard for the fake to figure it out, and if it knew it would be nearly impossible for Twilight to get the upper hoof and force it to tell her where the real Rainbow Dash was.
No, she just had to rely on her memory to retain all the important information it could without the aid of notes. So she read, focusing as much as she could on each word. Time passed, evening turned to night as the moon rose high into the sky, and night in turn gave way to early morning as the moon once again began its decent.
Twilight could feel her eyes growing heavy as her long night started catching up to her. Her first instinct was to go to bed, but she knew the imposter would be there, waiting in her bed, and the thought of sleeping with it sent a shiver of dread down her spine. She could try sleeping on the couch, but not only would that be suspicious, but just sleeping in the same house as the imposter made her nervous.
The only viable option was to stay up all night and nap later when the imposter was away at Rainbow's job. That wasn't so suspicious; she'd often spent her nights studying whatever interested her. Surely she could do it tonight.
However, even as she told herself this, her eyes started to droop closed. Thoughts and fears of what the imposter might do if it found her asleep rode through her mind, but even these could not keep her awake as the clock struck 3 AM.
With a thud and subsequent snores, Twilight's head fell down into her book, and she was fast asleep.
Rainbow Dash came down the stairs a few minutes later, having been awoken by Twilight's rather loud and obnoxious snoring brought on by her unusual sleeping position. She smiled lovingly at the image of the purple alicorn sleeping, her face still buried in her book. With a silent flutter of her wings, Rainbow came over next to Twilight and carefully lifted the mare out of her chair, carrying her in her forehooves as she floated a little above the ground.
“Heh, it's been a while since I've carried you like this, Twi. Not since our wedding,” Rainbow noted, grinning at the mare in her hooves and the fond memory. She glanced curiously at the book her wife had fallen asleep reading, flipping it closed and reading the cover.
Imposters, Doppelgangers, and Shadow Forms.
Rainbow frowned; why would Twilight be researching such things? She'd never believed in anything like that before.
Shrugging her shoulders, Rainbow flew back up the stairs and into their bedroom, passenger in tow. “You know, you're a little bit too cute when you're asleep,” she noted with a quiet giggle.
Slowly, Twilight stirred, reacting to the voice in her sleep. “Rainbow...?” she murmured, rubbing her cheek into the soft coat of the pegasus carrying her.
“Yeah, I'm here Twi,” she answered, leaning down and nuzzling the top of Twilight's head. With gentle movements, Rainbow gently rolled Twilight out of her hooves and into their bed, shifting the covers around until they were covering her then slipping into bed as well.
Rainbow leaned forward, placing a delicate kiss on the back of Twilight's head and wrapping her hooves around her. “G'night.”
Twilight moaned quietly as she awoke from her slumber, the familiar sensations of a soft bed below her, a warm blanket above her, and a virtual furnace behind her.
Her eyes snapped wide open, the haze of sleep vanishing from her mind as she realized that she was in her bed with a body pressed up against her. Had she not known what she did, she'd normally just assume it was Rainbow Dash. But she knew better; she knew it was the fake. It had her trapped, tangled in its hooves and at its mercy. If she tried to escape it would awaken and do Celestia-knows-what to her.
Even with all the studying she'd done, Twilight still couldn't figure out what it was that had replaced her wife. Nothing rational made sense, so she'd delved into the supernatural. A chill ran down her spine; how did she get into her bed? She knew she wouldn't willingly climb in with the imposter, so something had carried her. If it was the fake, then it had seen the book she was reading. Which meant it was too late to keep her knowledge a secret; it knew.
Twilight’s throat tightened, protesting the words she was about to say, but she forced them through. “R-Rainbow Dash?” She whispered hoarsely. “Are you awake?”
The thing moaned sleepily, shifting around and tightening its grip on her.
“Twi?” It grumbled quietly in a voice that was not its own. “What time is it?”
Heart racing a mile a minute, Twilight had to take a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before responding. “I... I don't know. I just woke up.”
“Hmm... that's good; means I don't have to get up yet,” the thing said, tightening its embrace again and burying its muzzle into Twilight's mane.
It was all too much for Twilight to take; the voice was a perfect imitation of her wife's, even the attitude, the way it woke up, the way it gently nuzzled the back of her neck, everything was a perfect replica. For the briefest of moments she even felt herself falling for the ruse. But she knew. She wouldn't let this thing take the place of her wife.
“NO!” Twilight screamed, firing a powerful magical burst from her horn and blowing everything away from her that wasn't nailed down, including the imposter.
It flew across the room, crashing into the wall with a pained yelp. “Twi!” It shouted angrily, rubbing its head and standing from the floor. “What the hay!? I- oomph.” the thing was silenced as Twilight shot out of bed, flying across the room and tackling it, pinning it to the ground and staring down at it with a furious rage burning in her eyes. This made things easier; she could see it, she could tell it wasn't the real Rainbow Dash.
“Where is she!?” The alicorn bellowed, the tree shaking from the sheer force of her booming voice.
The thing looked up at her with a look shifting between anger, confusion, and worry. “Twilight?” it asked slowly. “Twi, what's wrong? Where's who?”
Twilight's gut twisted in anger. “You know who! Where is my wife!? Where is rainbow Dash!?”
The thing blinked in confusion. “What are you talking about? You're pinning her down right now!”
“As if,” Twilight scoffed. “I knew you were a fake since I woke up in the hospital. This'll be easier on both of us if you just tell me where she is now. I might even considering handing you over the the Guard instead of just outright killing you.”
“What the hay are you talking about!?” It shouted, struggling against the alicorn's powerful hold to no avail. “Twi, listen to me, I don't know what made you think I was a fake, but I'm not. Look at me! You know I'm telling the truth!”
Twilight continued glaring down into its eyes, eyes she recognized all too well. But they were off, just a little bit off. Any normal pony wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but she could. After nearly two years of being married to the pegasus, she could discern every detail about the mare, but the Rainbow Dash beneath her was wrong in a way she couldn't quite describe. She knew though; she knew it wasn't real.
“Are you the one who knocked me out in the Everfree? So you could take her place?” Twilight accused, ignoring the imposter's pleas.
The thing stilled its struggling, realizing it couldn't beet the sheer power of an earthpony contained inside the alicorn. “Twi, I don't know what you're talking about. Let's just talk about this, okay? What makes you think I'm an imposter?” It asked calmly, no sense of fear visible in its eyes.
She struggled to answer the question, unable to put into words what she could see clear as day. “You're just... you're... wrong! You're wrong! You're not like her at all! I know Rainbow Dash! I know my wife!” Twilight screamed, rage pumping through her veins and clouding her vision with a hazy red.
“Whats wrong?” It asked, a hint of desperation slipping into its voice. “What's wrong with me? Is my mane off colour? My coat? My eyes? What is it that doesn't look real to you?”
Twilight ground her teeth together “Enough stalling!” She charged her horn, aiming the glowing spire down to the imposter's neck. “Tell me where she is!”
The fake remained quiet for a moment, seemingly contemplating the ultimatum. It sighed. “Don't worry, Twi; I'll get you help. I'm sorry for this.” In a movement too quick for Twilight to comprehend it leaned forward and bit the tip of Twilight's horn, sending a painful shock through the alicorn's body and forcing her spell to dissipate. While she was still dazed the imposter curled up its hind hooves and delivered a swift buck to her chest, sending her flying across the room only to bounce off the bed with a soft 'poomf' and land on the other side. By time Twilight recovered and climbed back to her hooves the fake was already gone, the balcony doors wide open and swinging in its wake.
-_-_-_-
Rainbow Dash paced anxiously back and forth, her gaze focused on the ground of the guard station as she waited. Nothing made sense anymore; she'd had to call the guard on her own wife, all because Twilight thought she was an imposter.
“How?” She wondered aloud, switching back on herself and walking back over the now familiar patch of floor.
“Miss Dash?”
Rainbow snapped her head up at the sudden, gruff voice, her eyes falling on a guard standing uneasily in the doorway to the foyer. “What is it?” She asked shortly.
The guard bowed his head slightly, stepping to the side and allowing a blue coated earthpony mare to step out from behind him. Her mane was done in a simple, blond bun, and she wore a doctor's coat that covered her back and flanks.
“Hello. Miss Rainbow Dash, right?” The mare asked, her voice soothing with an almost melodic quality to it.
Rainbow raised a suspicious eyebrow. “Yeah, and you are?”
“Mental Care, but most ponies just call me Care.”
“Care?” Rainbow asked skeptically.
“It's either that or call me 'Mental', but... well...” the mare trailed off.
Rainbow nodded uneasily. “Right...”
“Anyway, you're the one Miss Sparkle believes to be the imposter, right?”
“I'm her wife,” Rainbow muttered. “Why are you here?”
Mental Care sighed quietly. “The guards called me; I'm Ponyville Hospital's resident psychiatrist, and I'm here to tell you why your wife thinks you're an imposter.”
Rainbow grunted. “Well?”
“Miss Dash, ha-”
“Just Rainbow,” she cut in quickly. Care paused, nodding slowly before correcting herself.
“Right. Rainbow, have you ever heard of something called Capgras Syndrome? Sometimes referred to as the Capgras Delusion?” She asked slowly, walking over and taking a seat in one of the chairs sitting against the wall of the guard station.
“Look, Care, I have no idea what you're talking about, so explain it to me, and try not to use big words, 'kay?” Rainbow snorted impatiently, sitting back on her haunches and watching the mare expectantly.
Care nodded. “Well... in simple turns, Capgras is a condition that makes it hard for a pony's brain to recognize faces.”
“It's not that she doesn't recognize me, it's that she thinks I'm an imposter,” Rainbow explained, no small amount of frustration slipping into her voice.
Seemingly unphased by Rainbow's tone, the mare continued smoothly. “Yes, but she thinks that because her brain can't recognize you as being you. When she looks at you, she doesn't see Rainbow Dash, she sees something that looks exactly like Rainbow Dash, but is just slightly off in a way she can't quite comprehend.”
“Twi's smarter than that!” Rainbow exclaimed, shaking her head. “She'd realize what was happening and know it wasn't real.”
Care frowned. “I'm afraid she can't understand that. Capgras syndrome is a complete inability to recognize familiar faces or places. She cannot recognize you as Rainbow Dash, and is convinced you're not the real you. Imagine for a second how she must feel; for all she knows you're tied up in a cave somewhere while a fake takes over your life. She's scared out of her mind for your safety, while at the same time she has the fake acting like her wife. It's confusing and terrifying to suffer from Capgras.”
Rainbow glanced toward the door Care had entered from. Through which were many other doors, leading to holding cells and interrogation rooms, one of which housed her wife. “Why is it just me though?”
“We're not actually sure. In almost all Capgras sufferers it's only one pony or place that they can't recognize. It's most commonly the pony closest to them, either a spouse or close family member like a child or parent,” Care explained carefully. “It's such a rare condition, and is most commonly seen in ponies who also suffer from dementia, so it's hard to get any accurate information directly from the patient.”
Sighing, Rainbow hung her head a little lower. “Can she at least be cured?”
“I... I'm afraid we don't know. Every sufferer of Capgras is slightly different. For some anti-psychotic medications work, and for others simple therapy can do wonders. But... some never get better.”
“Are you telling me my wife will spend the rest of her life without ever recognizing me again!?” Rainbow shouted, anger mixing with confusion and worry in her gut and twisting it into knots.
Care nodded solemnly. “I'm afraid it is a possibility...”
“She will get better!”
“I know how you must be feeling, but you need to understand that-”
“No! You need to understand!” Rainbow yelled, glaring into the eyes of the mare who would dare tell her that her wife was incurable. “Twilight will get better. I'll make sure she gets better! I'll make her better myself if I have to!”
Mental Care sat in stunned silence for a couple seconds, before allowing a tentative smile to slip onto her lips. “You really do care for her.”
“She's my wife,” Rainbow deadpanned.
“In that case, we can start doing some exercises with her today.”
Rainbow tilted her head. “How is exercising going to help her recognize me?”
“Not physical,” Care giggled. “I mean mental exercises; we can try and train her brain to recognize you again. If we can make her connect your face to you in her mind again she'll be able to see you as actually being you.”
“Well how the hay are we supposed to do that? If she thinks I'm an imposter then she'll never listen to anything I say.”
Care nodded. “Yes, if she sees you she'll think it's a fake. But if she only hears you she shouldn't have a problem.”
Frowning, Rainbow asked, “Why would not being able to see me make a difference if she thinks I've been replaced?”
“She only thinks your a fake because she can't recognize your face,” Care explained, standing from her chair and walking over to where Rainbow sat. “But her brain has no problems with voice; if she can hear you, she'll know it's your voice. She only thinks you're an imposter when she can see you.”
Rainbow allowed a hopeful smile to blossom on her face. “So if she can recognize my voice we might be able to get her to recognize me through it?
“That's the idea, yes, but we have to be careful, and you have to do exactly as I say. Don't argue with her when she says there was an imposter; telling her what she sees isn't real is a dangerous thing to do to a pony's psyche. Just talk with her, and try to make an emotional connection,” Mental Care lectured as she motioned for Rainbow to follow her towards the double doors leading deeper into the guard station. “I'll be in the room with her, and you'll be outside at the door. After a while, I'll ask you to come in. It's very important that you keep talking while you do this.”
“Wouldn't she just realize it was the imposter talking the whole time?” Rainbow asked as they passed through into the hall, doors passing by on either side.
Care frowned. “That is a possibility. But, if you keep talking, she might associate your voice and her emotional connection with you to you, and it may be possible for her to recognize you. There will still be a part of her that doesn't see you quite right, but if you can get her to believe you're the real you, then we'll have a foothold and can continue with her therapy.”
“Stop talking about her like she's some nutcase,” Rainbow growled lowly, following the mare down the hall and around a corner.
“I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but you need to realize that this is a serious issue. Twilight may not be clinically insane but she is suffering from a neurological disorder and we need to treat it as such.”
Rainbow sighed. “Whatever. How did she get this cap-whatever anyway? It's not like she was born with it right?”
“Her doctor tells me she suffered a rather nasty bow to the head recently,” Care explained, stopping in front of one of the doors along the wall. “We're not 100% sure on what causes Capgras, but it has been seen in those who suffer brain damage, from either disease or blunt force trauma.”
“Oh...” eyes widening in realization, Rainbow fell back to her haunches. “Which would explain why she was acting so weird in the hospital...”
Care nodded. “I would imagine so.”
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Rainbow turned to the door they'd stopped in front of. “Is she in there?”
“Yes, but I must insist again that you follow my lead and do exactly as I say when I say it.”
Rainbow snorted. “Fine, fine; I know the drill. Just call me when you need me, I'll be out here.”
Putting on a smile, Care placed a hoof on the door latch and pushed it open, slipping inside and closing the plain grey door behind her. In the rather small interrogation room sat a long, rectangular table with four chairs, two on either of its long sides. On the far side sat Twilight, shifting about anxiously in her chair.
“Miss Sparkle?” Care called quietly, making the unicorn jump and turn to face her.
“Did you find her?” Twilight asked quickly. “Did you find Rainbow?”
“Yes, we did; she's here now.”
Twilight nearly jumped out of here chair. “Well where is she? Is she okay? What happened to her? Where was she?”
“Please, calm down,” Mental Care urged, motioning for Twilight to sit back. “I assure you Rainbow Dash is fine. She's right outside the door, isn't that right, Rainbow?”
Rainbow cleared her throat nervously, placing a hoof on the door handle. “Y-yeah, I'm here.”
“Do me a favour and stay out there for a second, will you?” Care asked sweetly.
Fighting against her own desire to burst into the room and convince Twilight she was real, Rainbow eased off, leaning her forehead against the door. “'Kay...”
“Rainbow?” Twilight called hopefully. “Rainbow is that you?”
“Yeah Twi... it's me...”
“Rainbow! Where have you been!? Did it do anything bad to you? Are you okay? Come in here already!” Twilight insisted.
Rainbow grit her teeth, clenching her eyes shut. “I... I'm fine, Twi; don't worry about me. But for now we should listen to the doc; I'll stay out here.”
“Thank you, Rainbow.” She could hear the smile in Care's voice. “Now then, Miss Sparkle, could you tell me a little bit about Rainbow Dash?”
Twilight frowned. “What? Why? She's right outside, just ask her yourself.” She flung her hoof towards the door for emphasis.
“I know that, but I want to hear how you think of Rainbow,” Care replied smoothly.
After a long, contemplative pause, Twilight sighed. “Fine, but can she come in after?”
“After you tell me, she can come in,” Care assured.
“Alright then... well, Rainbow's my wife, obviously, and I love her more than anything. She's brave and strong and athletic and... perfect.”
“Describe her for me,” Care interjected. “How does she look?”
“Beautiful,” Twilight answered, a bit of a dreamy tone behind her voice. “Her coat's a lovely shade of blue, a perfect match for the summer sky, and her mane and tail are filled with the brilliant colours of a rainbow. She's got these big, deep, pink eyes that I could look at forever and her wings are covered in brilliant cyan feathers, big and strong so she can fly like she does.”
“She certainly does sound beautiful,” Care noted. “Rainbow, can tell me a little about yourself?”
Rainbow swallowed thickly, placing her hoof on the handle again. “Well... I'm Twilight's wife like she said, and I work as the captain of the weather team here in Ponyville. I live in the library with Twi, and I'm on the Wonderbolt's waiting list to try out for a squad.”
Mental Care smiled widely, even as Twilight was growing increasingly impatient. “Great, now you can come in. Keep talking though, if you wouldn't mind. Tell me about your wedding.”
Taking a moment, Rainbow nodded to herself a placed a hoof on the doorknob. “It was almost two years ago now, me an' Twi had been dating for a little over a year.” She pulled the door open, hesitating for a split second forebear putting her hoof through. “Celestia set up this big, grand thing in Canterlot like she did for Twi's brother, just a little less public.”
“Rainbow?” Twilight asked, tilting her head curiously as the pegasus walked into the room. Rainbow could see the gears turning in her mind.
“Yeah, it's me; Rainbow Dash,” she affirmed with a tentative smile. “I love you, Twi.”
Twilight grinned, bolting up from her chair and running towards the pegasus, wrapping her in a bone crushing hug. “Rainbow! Where have you been!? There was an imposter that looked and sounded just like you! It tried to take over your life!”
Rainbow more than willingly accepted the embrace, returning one just as fierce. “I know, and I'm sorry. I love you so much, Twi. I'm sorry you had to go through that.”
Care coughed into her hoof, making the pair separate and look to her. “Twilight, if you could wait here a moment, I need to speak to Rainbow Dash privately in the hall,” she said, leading Rainbow out of the room before Twilight had a chance to object.
“What they hay!?” Rainbow whisper-shouted as soon as the door was closed. “She finally recognized me! Why are you taking me out?”
“Because we need to talk about a treatment plan for her,” Care explained.
Rainbow quirked an eyebrow. “Treatment? What are you talking about? She recognized me; she's cured!”
Care shook her head. “She recognized you that time because she associated with your voice first, then emotionally, then visually. If you were to just walk back into the room now, she would think it was the imposter again. Until we can train her brain to recognize you again, you're going to be walking on thin ice. Every time she sees you, there's going to be a tremor of doubt in her mind, and if you don't keep connecting with her, it'll grow until she's once again convinced herself you've been replaced.”
Rainbow sighed heavily. “Great, what do I need to do, and how long?”
“Every time you want to see her, you'll have to start somewhere she can't see you, and start talking to her. Make a connection, then slowly move to where she can see you. There's going to be doubt at first, but you need to keep talking, connect with her emotionally, and it should get snuffed out. If we're lucky, one day she might be cured. If not... you'll have to do this every time you see her for the rest of your life,” Care explained. “Luckily, if a patient can recognize the imposter once, they're normally curable after a couple months of this pattern.”
“Right.. so I just gotta talk to her before I see her? That's shouldn't be too bad...” Rainbow trailed off as she glanced towards the door. “Can she come home with me then?”
Care thought for a moment before nodding. “I don't see why not, but you'll have to be very careful; you have to go to bed after her and wake up before her if you plan on sleeping in the same bed. If she wakes up and sees you, she might think the imposter replaced you while she was asleep and relapse. Every time you leave her sight, when you come back you'll have to repeat the process.”
“I'll do it,” Rainbow affirmed with a confident smile. “I'll cure her.”
Care smiled. “I believe you can. Call me if she has a relapse and we'll work on readjusting her to seeing you again like we did today. Oh, and good luck,” she added as Rainbow turned back to the door.
“Rainbow?” Twilight called from within the room. “What's taking so long?”
“Nothing, Twi,” Rainbow replied. Care nodded at her. “I'm coming back in now. Is your head still sore from that crash last week? The doctors told me you got hit pretty hard.”
Twilight's eyes opened blearily, revealing blurry objects and fuzzy colours. Blinking her vision clear, the world around her fell into focus to reveal her bedroom, clean and organized as always. Minus the one corner that had become Rainbow Dash's when she'd moved in; it was littered with weights, Wonderbolt memorabilia, and the odd Daring Do book.
Yawning, Twilight rolled over, expecting to find an empty bed like she had for the past couple months. Instead, she found the peacefully sleeping face of her wife. The pegasus's odd behaviour had not gone unobserved over the months since the imposter incident. She's tried to hide it, but Twilight knew something was up when Rainbow outright refused to be seen unless they were already half way through a conversation. Other little things caught her attention too, like Rainbow's complete reverse in sleeping patterns; normally she was first to bed and last to rise, but recently she'd been deliberately avoiding her usual pattern.
It was almost as if Rainbow didn't want to be seen if she wasn't awake. There was the odd time Twilight had awoken in the middle of the night and seen her, but int he darkness she'd never noticed anything different to warrant such a desire.
“What's been going on with you?” Twilight murmured to herself, reaching up a hoof and gently stroking the pegasus's soft cheek.
Rainbow stirred at the contact for a few moments, before settling down again and letting loose a single snore. Twilight giggled gently at the noise as she resumed her idle pondering. She'd heard of behaviour like Rainbow's before, but she couldn't quite place where. A book on mental health came to mind, but that was silly; neither of them were mentally ill, as far as she knew. The only strange occurance was the when Rainbow had been replaced by the imposter.
Twilight frowned suddenly, releasing that she'd never actually figured out what it was or where it had gone. It just disappeared when the real Rainbow Dash came back. For that matter, Rainbow had never even mentioned what had happened to her, always dodging the subject. More and more lines were connected in Twilight’s' head as certain patterns began to emerge. She'd heard of things like this before, but her sleep-addled mind couldn't remember where.
Rainbow Dash moaned quietly as she finally began to awaken, her eyes fluttering open slowly as she smacked her lips. “Oh, hey Twi,” she muttered, yawning and stretching as her mind slowly fought off the haze of sleep.
“Hey Dashie,” Twilight greeted with a fond smile, pushing her thoughts tot eh back of her mind. “Sleep well?”
“Yeah, I-” Rainbow froze, eyes growing wide. “Y-you woke up before me?” She asked incredulously, almost in a panic.
Twilight quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah... that hasn't happened in a while, has it?” she added with a quiet chuckle.
Rainbow blinked at her uncomprehendingly for a few seconds before speaking in a barely audible whisper; “Y-you.... you recognize me?”
“I... yeah, why wouldn't I?” Twilight furrowed her brow in an mix of confusion and concern.
Grinning, Rainbow shot out of bed, picking Twilight up in her hooves and bringing her into the air in a hug. “Oh my gosh, Twi! You recognized me! It's over! It's finally over!”
Twilight opened her mouth to ask what was going on, before a sudden realization struck. The behaviour Rainbow had been displaying, what she was had just said about being able to recognize her, and even the...
“Rainbow...” Twilight asked hesitantly, almost scared of the answer.
The pegasus chuckled guilty, lowering them both to the floor and releasing her embrace. “Heh... sorry Twi, dunno what got into me. Come on, let's have some breakfast.”
“Rainbow,” Twilight repeated, a little louder. “Why... why wouldn't I recognize you?”
Rainbow turned from her spot at the door, biting her lip nervously. “Uh... that's not what I said?” She offered weakly.
Twilight swallowed thickly as all the pieces fell into place. “Rainbow... tell me the truth. You weren't replaced by an imposter, were you?”
“I.. uh... I don't know what you're talking about...”
“I....” Twilight licked her dry lips fruitlessly. “I... did I... Capgras?”
Chewing her bottom lip, Rainbow did the only thing she could manage and nodded slowly.
“That means I... and you... oh Celestia Rainbow, what you must have been going through...” Twilight felt tears welling up in her eyes. “All this time... you've had to tiptoe around me for fear of me accusing you as being a fake.. I even attacked you! Oh Rainbow.... I'm so sorry....” The dam finally burst and tears came streaming down Twilight's cheeks, even as Rainbow rushed over and wrapped her in a hug.
“Hey, hey don't cry,” Rainbow whispered soothingly as Twilight cried into her coat. “You're better now, and that's all that matters. Everything's okay.”
Twilight shook her head. “But everything I did to you! How hard it must have been for you to do that with me every day, every time you wanted to see me...”
“It was no problem,” Rainbow assured with a slight tone of her usual brash cockiness. “You know I'd do anything for you, no matter how hard. It's over now and that's all that matters.”
“But I...”
Twilight's next objection was cut off as Rainbow pulled away just far enough to capture her lips in a kiss. A few seconds passed in blissful silence before Rainbow finally pulled away. “I love you, Twilight, and I was more than willing to do it for you. Now, no more guilt; let's go get breakfast.”
As Rainbow wiped her tears away, Twilight gave a small, hesitant smile. “I love you too Rainbow, and I'd do the same for you.”
Rainbow chuckled. “I know you would, Twi.”
Twilight's eyes lit up suddenly, and without saying a word she lit her horn and levitated over a blue vase with a single, red flower sitting inside, magically preserved so it would stay in pristine shape. “I went out to find this for our anniversary, is was supposed to be a surprise but... well, then everything happened...” she trailed off with a frown, before shaking her head clear and smiling brightly. “It's for you.”
Rainbow smiled amiably. “You know I'm not a flower mare,” she said, even as she accepted the vase.
“Touch it,” Twilight prompted.
Somewhat sceptically, Rainbow did as told and gently tapped one of the red petals with her hoof. Instantly the flower snapped shut, staying like that for a few seconds before slowly opening again. This time the petals were all the colours of the rainbow instead of just red. Before Rainbow could comment on it, Twilight lifted her own hoof and touched a petal. Again the flower closed, and this time when it opened the petals were a mixture of the traditional colours of the rainbow, and had purple and pink mixed in.