The last thing Shining Armor can remember before crawling out of the caves beneath the Crystal Empire is being trapped by Chrysalis and targeted with her powerful magics. When he finally recovers from his injuries, he realizes that something's very wrong with his - or her, as it may be - body. With Cadance too terrifying a prospect to confront in her current state, she turns to the one other pony she can trust. Things only get more confusing from there...

Chapter 1: Prologue: His Escape

Chapter Text

The changeling queen’s horn glowed a sickly green. “Equestria will be mine at last. With you down here, Cadance will be helpless to resist. This day is going to be perfect.”

Those were the last words Shining Armor heard before darkness overtook him. His limbs refused to move, trapped in a hard chitinous substance. With no sight, no sound, no mobility, time stretched out before him, isolating him from his own existence within the black. Throughout his imprisonment, all that remained clear in Shining’s memory were snapshots of his surroundings: a flash of magical light somewhere far from him that briefly illuminated the otherwise invisible rock of the cave, a rumbling in the ground that dropped a pebble onto his head, a herd of changelings he assumed had rushed through by the swell of hissing and clicking.

With a bright flash of light, a rainbow of energy surrounded him. It pulsed through the rock, shattering the bonds that held him and dropping him to the floor. Pain greeted him, a throbbing in his horn where it had contacted the ground first, but also a sudden realization. He was free. Cadance needed him. He needed to escape.

The rock began to quake once more, trembles turning into violent shudders and loud cracks. In that moment of clarity, Shining galloped through blindly, following best guesses and instinct exclusively as he dodged falling boulders and stalactites to only moderate success. The unicorn whipped around a corner as a rolling rock about the size of his head slammed into one leg, twisting it at an awkward angle. He pushed through, rushing forward only to tumble down a steep incline; a crack greeted him as he impacted the ground below. Once more, Shining Armor stood up in the face of pain, pushing it to the back of his mind. Even the sharpened stalactite that pierced his side in the course of its fall failed to slow his gallop.

After several minutes of squeezing through tight corridors, light at last sang to him. He sprinted ahead, climbing the last hurdles towards safety, finally reaching the streets of Canterlot just before the cave entirely collapsed…

…and in that moment, Shining’s exhaustion finally caught up with him, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Her Rescuer

Notes:

This work is dedicated to my beloved partner, who in all of her adorable shyness didn't want to be credited by name. She's been my single biggest source of inspiration in this whole process and has encouraged me throughout, even when my writing regrettably gets in the way of our time together. She’s been angelically patient with me even when I have to rewrite things a half a dozen times. I love her so much, and I can only hope that a small fraction of my love for her shows in the relationship that develops over the course of this book.

Chapter Text

Act 1

Clover

Shining Armor awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up with a start in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room. He cast his gaze around the space, noting down possible identifying features: a standard routine in the case of the capture of an agent of the Crown. The blue-painted walls and soft mattress suggested a residential space but not a recognizable one. A wooden nightstand stood watch over the bed, carrying on its surface a lamp and a spacious compartment beneath. Alongside the same wall sat a small table, a gold-painted mirror in the shape of a horseshoe bolted to its surface. A painting of a vase full of flowers decorated the opposite wall, a rocking chair in the corner completing the simple bedroom.

Hesitantly, Shining leaned forward, keeping his movements as gradual as possible to avoid alerting anypony who might be around. He looked right, towards the open door that led out of the room only to have his gaze drawn by sudden movement to his left. Just himself in the mirror, he quickly surmised at the sight of the reflective surface.

As his eyes focused on the reflection, Shining expected to see his usual self. He expected that when he looked into the mirror, a unicorn stallion with piercing cerulean eyes and a blue mane, striped in the way that much of his family's manes were, would stare back at him. A lack of recognition quickly prompted a double take.

His white coat remained, though ever so slightly more blue-tinted than he recognized. One of the stripes in his mane remained, a darker color than the surrounding hair, but the green mane with its length and volume certainly did not resemble any that Shining had seen before. The only thing truly himself that seemed to have stayed was those eyes, the bright blue eyes that Cadance had stared into the last time he’d seen her.

The rest bore such little resemblance other than easily dismissed comparison that Shining could not recognize her. The mare that stared back had to be several inches shorter. Her chest fluff resembled not a single member of their family’s coats. And just as importantly, she was certainly not a stallion, with a soft, demure appearance that strayed far from any characteristic Shining associated with himself.

His- no, her breathing accelerated, his eyes growing wide and ears flattening as those of the mare in the mirror did the same. One bandaged hoof reached up to touch his own cheek, the sudden shock of softness reinforcing her reality. An accidental whimper slipped through his lips: a squeaky, high-pitched noise, not the heavy, low grunt his mind expected. This couldn’t be him. It was, but it couldn’t be. How would he resume his post as captain of the guard? What would Cadance-

An uncharacteristic panic began to rise within Shining Armor, causing him to leap from the bed. Cadance. Cadance didn’t know what had happened to her fiance. His pupils dilated. Cadance wouldn’t recognize him, and who would believe a story like his after a changeling invasion? Panic threatened to swallow up all of his conscious thought. Whatever Chrysalis had done to him, to her, whatever this twisted form of revenge, it ensured one thing, one thing that stuck in Shining's mind above all others: Cadance would not find Shining Armor.

Without thinking, he began to make his way towards the door, hyperventilating as the possibilities raced through his mind. For the alicorn princess of love, the worst punishment anypony could imagine: her husband-to-be had been ripped from Equestria, replaced by a mare who bore next to no resembl-

A sound tugged him away from the brink. It took a single repetition for him to recognize it as words, then another to recognize the words’ meaning.

"Are you alright, dear?” A soft voice carried through the small building, through the doorway to the mare's right. His irregular, unsteady breathing slowed as he forced himself to turn towards a voice he feared would be paired with black chitin, with glowing green eyes. Instead, a yellow-furred unicorn with bright blue mane greeted him, looking quite worried at her guest’s panicked state. Shining barely noticed the residual tear running down the cheek of his new face as he turned to fully face the mare.

“I-” Shining cut himself off, the soft, weepy sound of his own voice nearly reigniting that state of panic. He took another couple of breaths before, with resolve, opening his mouth to try to speak again. “Yes. You saved me?”

His host nodded in reply.

“Thank you. What happened?”

The other mare stood up from her chair, stepping briskly over towards Shining Armor. "I found you just off of Mane Street. You were hurt. Are you sure you don't feel any pain?” Her teal magic tugged at the edge of a piece of cloth wrapping around Shining’s right foreleg.

The shock that resulted nearly knocked Shining straight back to unconsciousness, causing his legs to give out almost immediately. Gingerly, the friendly unicorn lowered her head, pressing in to support Shining’s body as she helped the mare back to her hooves. “That's what I thought. You need to rest. I can't in good conscience let you leave until you're at least well enough to walk.”

The pair together stepped back into the bedroom, Shining leaning against his savior the whole way as the full weight of Shining's injuries finally broke past the barrier of adrenaline. “Wh- Eep!” The injured mare’s eyes began to water at the jolt of another step. “Ow… What happened? I remember making it out of the caves, but then-”

“I found you. You were just laying there, and you looked hurt.” Shining let out another gasp of pain upon leaning towards his back right leg. “I think my assessment of that was correct,” she joked wryly, carefully hoisting Shining Armor up towards the bed with the aid of her own magic. “What should I call you?”

“Sh-” He caught himself just in time, biting his lip as he tried to find an answer that wouldn't raise too many eyebrows. Even if he chose honesty, the likelihood that this mare would believe him was next to none, and everypony had to be on edge with the recent changeling threat.

He stared into the distance as a lock of his newly green mane drifted in front of his eyes, giving him an idea. “Clover,” he blurted out. “Clover…” His eyes drifted to the mirror, catching sight of the new mark that adorned his flank: a closed book with a feather quill writing lines on a piece of paper on top. “...Quill. Clover Quill.”

“Well, Miss Quill, I'm certainly glad that I found you. I should probably change your bandages soon if that's all right.”

Shining Armor nodded in response, still stuck staring into the mirror at the strange mare who stared back.

The yellow unicorn watched her for a moment, waiting for a moment of attention. It quickly became apparent that she wouldn’t be getting that opportunity. She sighed, continuing anyways. “My name is Lemon Hearts. I don't think we've met before, but I take it you were in Canterlot for the wedding? The only other ponies I heard of being trapped in the caves were as well.”

The wince that accompanied Shining's response was impossible to conceal. "Yes. I… I was a friend of the bride’s.” Memories of the buildup to the wedding flashed through his mind: his proposal, Cadance’s excitement at her dress, signing invitations together, how excited Cadance had looked right up until the first threat came in, his sudden disappearance from his room, his captivity, the eyes of the Queen who plotted to ruin everything, the sinister magic that had taken hold of him. His gaze lost focus once more, and he crumpled.

When Shining Armor came to, he found a very concerned Lemon Hearts frantically looking him over for damage. Wetness stained Shining’s cheeks, continuing to pour down even as he willed it to stop, even as he struggled to reassert the practiced composure of the captain of the guard.

“There there, dear; it's going to be okay. I promise. Nothing's going to happen to you while you're here.” Lemon placed a single hoof onto Shining Armor's unbandaged side to offer some comfort, her magic taking hold of the few other exposed patches on her guest’s body in order to ease her further up onto the bed.

Shining protested. “But the others-”

“Everypony is safe, at least as far as I know,” Lemon reassured her. She gave a soft smile as she clambered up onto the bed, leaning in and wrapping a foreleg around Shining’s neck in a very careful hug. “It’s going to be alright. You have a friend here.”

For all of Shining Armor’s well-practiced composure, that caring gesture broke down the dam. Her sobbing continued throughout the change in bandages, slowing only as Lemon gently pulled away. This time the hoof found Shining’s foreleg, touching very gently so as not to set off further pain.

The warmth of the gesture coursed straight through Lemon, right into Shining. It pushed past the green-haired unicorn’s wall of sadness; Shining Armor's tears slowly dried as his savior spoke. “I'm sure this is difficult. I'm not going to ask you to share everything about what happened, about your experiences. I'm sure they were awful if your reaction is anything to judge by. Just take your time to rest.”

Lemon Hearts gently leaned in, nosing comfortingly at Clover’s cheek. “Are you hungry? I just finished making a batch of my carrot rosemary soup; it placed second at the last neighborhood cook-off.”

Shining nodded. His hoarse voice spoke up to affirm. “That sounds lovely. Thank you so much for your kindness; I can-” Shining Armor stopped abruptly, remembering just in time that his previous resources were likely inaccessible. She couldn’t pay this back. “If there's anything I can do to help-”

“Nonsense. The best way you can help is to lay there until you're feeling well. I'll be right back with the soup.” Lemon stood, taking one last look at her guest before trotting off towards the kitchen. She returned with a steaming bowl and a spoon a few moments later, setting it down on the nightstand next to the bed. “Let me know if you need help with any of this or if you need anything else at all. I've left a few books on the nightstand if you need something to read.”

Another nod answered that question, along with a spoken “Thank you.” Shining Armor's horn lit up to lift the spoon to his mouth. His immediate shock loosened his grip, dropping the utensil right back into the soup.

His magic had always matched his mane: blue, a deep blue like the color of his new bedroom’s walls. It still matched, but in the aftermath of Queen Chrysalis’s magic, his mane was green. The sight of that emerald glow, the instant reminder of the encounter that left him like this, the mental image of those green sparks that had flown off of the changeling's horn as Chrysalis cursed him to this fate sent him right back into terrified sobs.

Lemon watched from a distance this time, giving her guest some space.

Under the covers of his bed that night, Shining Armor tossed and turned. From the moment he fell asleep, the shadow of Queen Chrysalis rose over the room, blocking out the moonlight with its silhouette. Once more he found himself being sucked below the room in which he slept, pulled down into the dark caverns that assailed his waking mind. He screamed as the bed began to swallow him: for Cadance, for Twilight, for Lemon. Nopony came as he felt his body slip further and further into the ground, his vision of the room disappearing to be replaced with an inky black.

Dark images flashed through his head, pictures of the horrible fates that could have befallen his loved ones. He watched from a cage as the changeling queen drained Cadance of all her love and light. He screamed out for help as Twilight Sparkle, his sister, was carried off by Chrysalis’s brood, but his voice made no sound. Strings secured his limbs, yanking them up and down as a gigantic Chrysalis above toyed with them with an amused grin.

No terror could save him from these nightmares; the second a vision concluded, his tortured mind drove him on to the next one. Shining stayed their prisoner until he woke groggily early the next morning.

Changing bandages and cleaning injuries quickly became a regular activity in Lemon Hearts’s house. Lemon tried to brush past the situation, avoiding focusing on it in conversation for fear of aggravating her guest’s less visible wounds. Clover generally did the same, so Lemon Hearts sought other topics of conversation.

“You must be bored. I know you have something to read, but would you like to do something else? There has to be some sort of fun you can have from your room. I could bring a card table in here; I'm sure there are some board games you might enjoy,” Lemon remarked in the middle of the process. As much as Clover refused to complain, the mare’s boredom with medically-enforced bedrest was evident.

Clover winced as the fresh bandage pulled around a particularly painful site, biting her lip to avoid making any noise. Once Lemon secured the gauze in place, she took the chance to respond. “I guess. You don't have to do all that, though, if it's too much trouble for you. I'm sure you have a life of your own. I know you're probably not used to having a patient to take care of.” Clover stated before raising an eyebrow. “You're not, right?”

Lemon laughed, shaking her head. “No, no, of course not. I'm not a doctor. I organize events. Parties. It's nowhere near as exciting of a job as that.” She finished tightening the last of the new bandages, taking special care to avoid accidentally causing any more pain. “And it's no trouble at all. Really, it's been nice having somepony around the house. It's not troubling; it's fun.”

Her guest paused as if deep in thought, something Lemon had begun to note as a common habit. She opened her mouth as if to question that assertion but quickly changed tack. “If you're sure. I haven’t played a board game in a long time. I'd be up to try whatever you have in mind.”

“Don't worry; I won't bother you with my company for too long.” Lemon winked. “Just long enough to see if you like it. If you don't, well, then I'll have to let you get back to your books.”

Days passed before Shining Armor felt well enough to walk, days spent conserving energy for his short trips to the restroom, days spent reading whatever material Lemon could get her hooves on in between his nightmares. Though Shining Armor hadn't read more than a book or two in the past year, having had a little sister whose only other friends were books meant that with nothing else to do, Shining churned through Lemon’s entire half dozen books in the first day. Fortunately, while Shining couldn't walk, Lemon could, and her daily trip to the library immediately became something Shining looked forward to.

While more modern entertainment had eclipsed books for the masses of Canterlot - something Shining was certain Twilight would be horrified to hear him admit - the nostalgia and surprising complexity of books provided a safe space for Shining Armor to allow his mind to wander without risking touching on the effects of the first day. He darted through book after book, genre after genre, managing to span a distance all the way from Tom Prancy’s The Ursa and the Dragon to The Modern Dressmaker’s Definitive Guide to Fashion Design. If he managed to fix this, he even remarked to himself, he might have to look into building up a library of his own.

“I suppose your cutie mark wasn’t a joke,” Lemon quipped after the first couple of days. “You’re chewing through these books like a starving timberwolf.”

Shining Armor quickly and increasingly came to the realization that nearly no book lay completely outside of his area of interest. He found things to love in the artistry of classic literature and in the characters and relationships of modern fiction in equal measure. His single-book studies into animal care and well-being provided useful information if he should ever find a pet. Mathematics and sciences were already familiar to him, but the refresher helped clear his head. Even books on obscure history related exceptionally interesting stories, though Lemon seemed to find his repeated laughter at A History of Equestrian-Gryphon Warfare amusing.

The only book he steered clear from - Star-Crossed Stars by Heart Throb - depicted a beautiful, formally dressed earth pony mare and stallion on the front cover, staring into each other’s eyes with a backdrop of the night sky.

“So, what happened with the wedding?”

Lemon had been anticipating this question since Clover Quill arrived in her home. She hesitated, picking her words carefully before speaking. “Just before the wedding could take place, Queen Chrysalis revealed herself to the guests. I wasn't there myself so I'm not entirely sure exactly how the next part happened, but from what I've heard, Princess Cadance and the other ponies at the wedding managed to conjure a defensive spell powerful enough to rout the entire changeling army.”

“So Princess Cadance is safe?” Clover’s sudden eagerness earned a raised brow from Lemon, puzzle pieces shifting about in her head.

“Yes, other than emotionally. Something like that happening on the night of your wedding would be horrible for anypony.” Lemon rushed to offer reassurance. “Word has it that other than her temporary imprisonment she suffered very little harm.”

“Thank the princesses.” The palpable sincerity of that relief brought a small smile to Lemon’s face.

On the fifth morning of his stay, Shining Armor carefully made his way out of bed, shaking off dreams of the changelings’ hive where he’d watched wide-eyed as his loved ones disappeared into its depths. Today, he made it all the way to the breakfast table without aid.

Lemon looked over from the stove to spot her guest seated at the table. Without comment, she returned to her cooking, saving her morning greetings until she brought a pair of plates over to the table. “Good morning, Clover. Take it easy on yourself; don't be in too much of a rush to get better. "

The other mare's glittering green magic enveloped the fork in front of him, lifting it in order to jab it through a fried potato. “I'm... actually feeling a lot better thanks to you. Sorry I haven't been much for conversation in the last few days.”

“It's alright. You've been through quite a lot; that was evident when I found you.” She turned to her food as well and the two began to eat in a quiet rhythm.

Shining Armor stared at the final slice of hay sausage as it hovered in front of his face. “Why did you? Not find me, I mean, but why did you save me? You could have just taken me to Canterlot General or left me there for somepony else to pick up. They had to have been sending rescue crews around after what happened.”

Lemon Hearts stayed quiet for several seconds herself, stirring what remained of the fry up on her plate aimlessly. “I think… Everypony else around had someone else. There were families, friends, even local businesses seemed to be banding together. But you were on your own. I couldn’t leave you like that.”

Shining continued staring into the remains of her meal, frowning uncomfortably at the subject. She eventually brought the last bite into her mouth, chewing and swallowing quietly. “You're a good cook, by the way. This is really amazing. What's your secret?”

The other pony simply smiled as she enjoyed the sight of Clover savoring her final bite. “I make it with love.”

The conversation trailed off as Shining waited for his food to digest. Bite by bite, Lemon cleared her plate as well, finally standing up and lifting Shining's plate in her magic as well as she headed to the sink.

“Let me help. I can walk now; I should be able to start helping with-”A stern shake of the head quieted that voice.

“Give yourself another day or so. Rest, relax. Then I expect you to start doing your share of the chores around here.”

Lemon paused outside of her guest’s door. By this time in the day, the sun had long gone down. Clover hadn't been sleeping well; that much had been apparent early in her stay. As a result, Lemon had decided early on to shift her waking hours while she cared for the mare.

She pressed her ear gently to the door, listening to the mutterings of the sleeping mare. “No. No, please. Let me go. Don't leave me-”

Clover trailed off as Lemon frowned to herself. For all of the secret keeping, Miss Clover Quill had a hard time keeping her mouth shut while she slept. Through Clover’s nocturnal mumblings, Lemon had started to paint a mental picture of the mare’s experiences that fateful day.

For a moment, Lemon debated entering the room, maybe even laying down on the bed to comfort her guest as she had that first day. A fresh cry startled her out of that line of thinking. “Cadance! You can't keep me away forever. I'll-”

Lemon Hearts shook her head. It had taken her this long to get Clover comfortable enough to share what little she had. Invading her personal space would only set things back, even if it was with good intentions. With one last glance back, Lemon stepped away from the door. She made the long trip down the hallway to her own room, frowning all the way.

With regained mobility, Shining Armor found himself increasingly engaging with his host. He remained quiet on the subject of his fitful nights. Even though Lemon had to have heard Shining talking in his sleep, the mare graciously avoided the subject. Though almost fanatical reading continued, in between chapters and paragraphs of The Fundamental Rights of Stallions and Hanging By Her Horseshoes the two began to share small talk and conversation.

“Clover?” Lemon called out one day. Her guest stayed quiet, focused on a book. “Clover?” She stepped forward, but the mare still failed to respond. Finally, she placed a hoof on Clover’s shoulder. “Clover Quill?”

Lemon’s guest jumped, turning to face the mare. “Huh? Oh, uh, sorry, I was- totally lost in my book. Heh heh…”

Lemon pushed past her reflexive suspicion in order to ask her original question. “Where are you from?”

“Oh. Canterlot.” Clover had responded. “I lived near the castle.”

Some time later, Lemon approached her guest once more. “Clover? I was wondering- Clover?” She called out the mare’s name a second time, raising an eyebrow as the otherwise unoccupied unicorn once again failed to reply to her own name.

A hoof on Clover’s shoulder prompted the pony to spin around, cheeks warming at the realization. “S- sorry. What did you want?”

“I just wanted to ask another question. What do you do?” She quickly clarified, “For a living, I mean. I know that right now you mostly spend your time sifting through the entire Canterlot public library, but before this.”

Shining Armor had struggled with that one as well. “I worked as a scribe in the castle,” he eventually decided. While he hated to lie to the mare who had saved his life, he didn't want to risk causing a panic.

Lemon frowned, leaning in to ask a concerned follow-up. “Did something happen? Why don’t you work there anymore?”

“I mean, I haven’t been in to work for over a week.” This sort of lie came easily to Shining, mixing smoothly with just a dollop of honest guilt. “I don’t think I have a job anymore.”

His host’s frown remained, the mare rubbing gently at that shoulder as a final act of comfort before breaking off.

While Lemon attended to the day’s pile of dirty dishes, Shining turned his attention to what was now becoming a recurring problem. If he kept failing to notice when his name was called, Lemon would surely realize that something was off. He had to address that situation before his host started to fear the worst. The stallion-turned-mare gazed down at his white fur, at the strange softness that accompanied it. Nothing he could do about his physicality would address the problem; his delicate form already matched the name perfectly. That left only a single route to follow: adjusting his mind.

If Shining wanted to keep up this charade, he had to all but become Clover Quill. He- no, she needed to start thinking of herself as a mare. Just long enough to figure this out, she assured herself. Her mind needed to refer to herself as Clover, a simple facade over the much more complicated reality. Clover resolved to correct her thoughts, to build upon the lie a fortress of mental affirmations that would convince even the most skeptical of ponies. After all, she’d only be Clover Quill until she could figure this out. Once she did, she could be honest again.

Lemon set down the day’s books as she returned from her errands, directing yet another question to her guest. “Do you have any requests? Any favorite genres, subjects you're interested in, anything at all other than the random assortment that I pick up? As much as you keep thanking me, I'm sure not all of it is to your taste.” She stared pointedly at the untouched copy of Star-Crossed Stars that had been left on the table for the third day in a row.

Clover's eyes followed Lemon’s gaze, a light pink blush spreading over her cheeks. “I, um…” Her panicked eyes danced around the stack of books for an extended period; it took Lemon finally raising an eyebrow to get the mare to talk. “…magic?”

Lemon Hearts nodded, making a mental note to herself on the subject. “Magic. Got it. How about I bring you a bunch of books on the subject and you can let me know what your favorites were before I head out tomorrow? Then I can pick a few better options each time until I know what to look for.” Knowing what Clover didn’t like might help as well, Lemon thought as she returned her gaze to that still-unread book.

Shi- Clover Quill returned to reading with a unique ferocity once Lemon returned from her next outing. She asked to borrow a quill and paper - her first unprompted request - then began to take in every bit of information she could on her chosen subject. Whatever Chrysalis had done to hi- to her had to be some sort of spell. There was no other option. Somewhere in here there had to be something. She grew especially fond of a book on transfiguration spells by the name of Mechanics and Methods of Arcane Alteration, soaking in the theory that might lead to an effect like the one she had suffered. Whatever arcane properties had caused this might be able to be put to use in dispelling it.

Lemon replaced that book with five more the day after, responding to her guest’s perceived interest. On top of that pile laid a book with a rather unusual title, its cover depicting a pair of feminine silhouettes against the backdrop of a full moon. In response to Clover’s quizzical stare, Lemon offered a justification. “Trust me. I think that one will be much more your speed.” Clover’s confused and uncertain look shifted to her host. “Go on. Give it a try.”

Clover did as requested, opening the book to the first page of The Mares in the Moon while Lemon got to work cleaning up the kitchen and putting her groceries away. By the time her host glanced back to check on her, Clover’s blushing the day before seemed impossibly mild compared to the glow today. She looked up over to Lemon, who returned only a falsely understanding smile and a nod.

Clover returned in earnest to her study of transformation magic as soon as she finished that book, though Lemon’s reaction ensured she’d receive at least another few like it in the days to come. Noting down possible spells and counterspells alongside the theory she’d already been studying, Clover resumed her review of theoretical spell structures for the rest of the day.

Once she felt confident in her foundational knowledge, she sat herself down in her bedroom, horn lighting up in an attempt at her first non-telekinetic spell since the incident. A copy of Curses, Hexes, and Other Magical Afflictions: A Restorative Guide lay in front of her, turned to a page detailing a basic “cure-all” spell. She’d chosen one designed for general-purpose curse removal, a quick all-encompassing spell designed to sacrifice simplicity in order to address many common sources at once. The magic grew, swelling around her horn as she focused much of her energy into its casting.

A bright flash of light signified the effect of the spell. Clover Quill immediately collapsed onto her bed from casting exertion. Her eyes stayed closed for a long while even as her breathing returned to normal, the uncertainty momentarily paralyzing her. With tremendous effort and force of will, she pried her eyes open only for the same green-haired mare to stare back at her from the mirror.

The injured unicorn woke the next day, still disturbed by her dreams but with surprisingly little pain. Most mornings, she'd opened her eyes to a jolt of discomfort or worse from any of the areas covered in bandages across her body. Today, other than a bit of stiffness, she felt fine. She quietly removed herself from underneath the sheets of the guest room bed, raising herself to her hooves and tip-toeing through the hallway. The sun had yet to rise, and thus neither had her host.

Lemon Hearts woke that morning to the sound of crackling oil and the smell of frying oatcakes. In her awakening state, the yellow unicorn imagined her common nightly fantasy: a gorgeous stallion, obviously preparing her breakfast in bed. Some time passed before she woke enough to make the connection to her guest.

For a moment, she debated getting up to stop Clover Quill, continuing to insist on her rest. She quickly dismissed that thought. Just as important to recovery as rest was a return to whatever sort of normalcy this poor mare could afford.

She took her time getting out of bed and dressed, though she couldn’t help but first peek at the unicorn who stood at her stove top just to ensure nothing was on fire. Clover clearly needed this bit of independence. Who was Lemon to stop her from feeling normal?

“They look good.” A voice from behind interrupted Clover's cooking about halfway through, just as the crispy, honeyed golden cakes flipped over onto their uncooked side.

The green-haired mare jumped, barely holding on to the spatula she'd been holding as she spun to face her host. Her mane spun with her, spreading itself across her face and entirely blocking her vision. She sputtered, shaking her head to rid herself of this green, furry beast. A chuckle escaped Lemon Hearts, horn lighting up to tug the hair out of her friend's face.

“Thanks,” Clover murmured, turning away to hide her embarrassment. This time, her magic took hold of the mane, splitting it into three strands and beginning to weave it together in a reflex that took her a moment to recognize. Braids.

Twilight galloped into her brother’s bedroom, interrupting his schoolwork with a saddlebag packed full of heavy books. Shining Armor flailed, barely managing to grab hold of his desk in time to prevent the heavy load from knocking him off of his chair. “Twily! What are you doing?”

“I learned how to braid manes today!” the little filly replied cheerfully as if that explained the whole thing.

“Um, that’s great! Good job.” Shining raised a hoof to pat his little sister on the head. “What does that have to do with these?” His magic raised the heavy bags up, settling them on the table.

“Oh! Those are on the theory and geometry of mane-braiding. Did you know that it’s all just applied mathematics and physics once you understand the basics?” The excited filly leapt up onto the chair, snuggling up alongside her brother and nearly shoving him off of the chair in the process.

Shining gracefully made room for his sister. “That’s… great, Twilight. So, were you wanting to show me how you braid your mane then?”

Twilight shook her head firmly. “No. I don’t like it. It feels… too tight.”

The older unicorn blinked twice. “You… don’t like it. Then why did you bring all of these books home, silly filly?”

“Because we’re going to read them, and then we’re going to braid your mane!” she remarked excitedly, tugging out one of the books and flipping them open. Her brother winced, but he kept quiet in the face of his little sister’s contagious enthusiasm. “Now, this is the basic Prench braid, and most of the others use a similar pattern. You start by splitting the mane into three equal strands…”

A frown crossed Clover’s face. She managed to keep from tears this time as she finished flipping the end of the braid into itself to secure it in place. She never expected braiding to be useful, so the skill had been filed away like many others. The braid held as if recently practiced, though, long enough for her to finish up the oatcakes and get to serving them onto a pair of plates with a drizzle of creamed blackberry honey.

“Your mane looks good like that,” Lemon remarked as she surveyed the expertly twisted braid. She took the plates from Clover, bringing them over to the breakfast table. Clover followed. “Do you normally keep it braided?”

“I guess,” the other responded after a moment of thought. “I've never really thought about it very much. My sister and I used to braid hair together back when we were younger.” A small fragment of truth: the most meager offering she could make to the pony who’d saved her life.

“Well, you're good at it. I don't think I've seen a braid that complicated before, and you did it without even looking - and while cooking to boot.”

Clover’s hoof reached up to feel the weight at the back of her head, tracing the overlapping lines of her mane. “Oh. It's called an infinity braid. It was one of Twi- my sister's favorites.” She stared downwards with a contemplative frown, running a hoof along the intertwined strands of hair.

The other mare noted that melancholy look. “Do you miss her?”

“Yeah. I guess I hadn't realized how much.” Clover braced for the emotional toll the followup questions would bring, but the questions never came. She let the intertwined hair fall back into its resting position, turning her gaze away from it, away from the books on the nearby table, away from anything that could remind her of what she'd almost certainly lost. Breakfast continued in relative silence, though the frown never quite left Clover's face.

On a particularly beautiful day, Lemon approached her roommate with an offer.

“Clover? How do you feel about going out tonight?” She quickly remembered her friend's proclivities and thought to clarify. “Not on a date, sorry. I just meant that there’s a bit of a gathering happening at a friend's house. We're planning on having some dinner over there and then maybe going to see a play. Do you think I could convince you to join us?”

Clover looked up instantly at the sound of her name. “Um…” She froze for several seconds before squeaking out a stammered reply. “I- I'm sorry, Lemon; I'm really not sure about going out right now. I've, uh, got some cleaning to do, and I'm in the middle of a book, and I think my legs are still hurting-”

Lemon swiftly interrupted her babbling friend. “It's okay, Clover. I'm not trying to pressure you. Whatever the reason, if you don’t feel like going out, it’s perfectly fine.” She reached forward in an attempt to reassure her friend, placing a hoof onto her shoulder. “I'm not going to try to force you to do something you're very clearly not comfortable with. If you'd like to at least dress up though - just for yourself - I had a dress picked out for you tonight. It's hanging in your room-”

“No no no no, it's okay! I don't need to do anything like that.”

The embarrassed reaction drew a chuckle from Lemon. Clover always seemed bashful about anything to do with her appearance. Lemon really had to teach that mare some confidence. “Alright. No worries, then. I just wanted to offer in case you felt like feeling pretty.” Lemon rolled her eyes teasingly at the hopeless lesbian. “Make sure to order something nice; I left some bits on the counter. If you're not coming with me, the least I can do is make sure you don't have to cook by yourself.”

Lemon wished she could say she was surprised when she came home to find the coins in the same place that she had left them.

The next few days passed in a blur. Reading, cooking, cleaning: all of it became routine more quickly than Clover expected. She braided her hair during her morning routine, repeating practiced methods from memory and refreshing that memory with a book or two on mane-styling. Her conversations with Lemon Hearts grew longer and less awkward, though the discomforting air of falsehood remained every time the topic turned to her own past. Her pain began to dull both physically and emotionally. Her nightmares began to lose their hold on her. Things became more manageable even though the horrors never truly left.

In spite of that, Clover and Lemon reached a sort of equilibrium. Lemon had to work, of course, but Clover quickly picked up the remaining household responsibilities. She wasn't willing to risk going outside; fortunately, Lemon never pushed too hard on the subject. Between cooking, cleaning, reading, researching, and conversations with her host, Clover Quill stayed quite busy. She quickly found that she liked being busy. Staying busy kept her mind far from the darkness of what she'd experienced.

On the tenth morning of her stay with Lemon Hearts, Clover awoke to find a folded yellow satin ribbon about an inch in diameter on the bathroom counter. A note was pinned to it, holding it together: “Just in case you wanted to accessorize.” That thinking-frown returned to her face as she removed the pin, unfolding the ribbon and holding it up near her mane. A Prench side braid today, she decided, and began to weave her hair in that familiar pattern. This time, though, she took the ribbon and tied it in a bow at the start of the braid then wove it through, along with two of the strands of hair, until its tails dangled away at the end of her mane.

Only a quick glance towards the mirror kept Clover from continuing along that road. She looked up to check her braid’s structural integrity and evenness as usual only to be greeted by a very pretty-looking mare with a bow in her mane. The blush she’d first seen in her first glance into a mirror returned with a vengeance. Clover stared for quite some time, fixated on the mare in the mirror with her braided hair, the sort of mare she’d normally expect to see her friends in the guard flirting with. Frazzled, Clover’s magic gripped the bow, starting to tug it out only for a familiar voice to interrupt her.

“Clover? I’m going to be out for a bit longer today. Let me know if you need anything!”

With a final glance toward the mirror, Clover weighed her options. With her ears flattened and those pink cheeks, nopony would question her femininity, but was the embarrassment worth it? She kicked a hoof back and forth as she debated, eyes unable to leave the beautiful filly in front of her for more than a split second. Lemon called out again, though, more urgently this time, forcing Clover’s hoof.

“Sorry! I think we’re out of cabbage, and I was going to make a cabbage stew for dinner tonight,” she called out, stepping quickly out of the bathroom. Even so, she resolved to lose the bow in the days to come.

Nothing changed. In fact, everything stayed disconcertingly the same except for the bow, which came out after that day. Everything stayed the same as the first week turned into a second, turned into a third. The pair grew more comfortable with one another. Without the barrier of dishonesty in the way, Clover would have grown fairly certain that she'd found a new friend. Both respected one another's space, both held honest interest in the things the other cared about, and Lemon supported Clover as best she could both emotionally and, when needed, physically. By day fifteen, most of Clover's wounds had healed other than potential scarring, none of which was visible above her coat. It all became normal.

That was what scared Clover.

On the morning of the 20th day, almost at the end of the third straight week she'd spent in the house of Lemon Hearts, Clover found herself waking up as she often did out of routine as both the captain of the royal guard and the one responsible for the house’s cooking. She toasted and buttered a muffin she'd made the day before, taking half for herself and setting the other on the table. Once there, she reached for the quill, dipping it into her inkwell and pressing it to the paper. Just then, the creak of floorboards startled her to attention.

“Are you leaving?”

Soft due to the early hour, Lemon's voice carried a combination of both sadness and understanding. Clover found herself speechless. “It's alright if you are. I knew you weren't going to stay forever. It's been nice having you around the house though. I'm going to miss you.”

By now, the feeling of tears rolling down her cheeks had started to feel mundane to Clover. These tears burned hotter than the others. She nodded, opening her mouth only to choke on the words. Once more she tried, this time managing to speak in a shaky voice. “I- I have to. I'm scared.”

Lemon stepped forward, closing the distance between herself and her friend. “I'm guessing this has to do with how I found you, or what happened to leave you in that state. I don't expect you to talk about it. You haven't up until now, and I understand that it's hard. Are you going somewhere safe, at least?”

The other mare nodded. “My sister.” Those words startled even herself, but the conclusion seemed obvious the moment she said it. “I think I need to see her. I think she's the only one who can really help me.”

“The books didn't help, then?” As Clover's eyes widened, Lemon simply smiled. “I may not be a scholar, but I can recognize a pattern. especially when I'm the one picking out the books. Don't worry, I won't tell anypony. Are you taking the train?”

The mare's blue eyes stared for a moment, blinking twice before she finished processing. “I hadn't thought that far. I suppose I could take a train to Ponyville, but I don't have any-”

“Here.” Lemon lowered a small bag of bits onto the table. Clover's eyes widened again, but Lemon cut off any protest. “You've saved me enough time and effort to be worth at least a train ticket. And besides, what kind of friend doesn't help a friend in need?”

The other mare choked back a sob, Clover's attempts to maintain composure falling out the window at the gesture of generosity. She rushed forward, reaching up a foreleg and leaning against Lemon's neck in a tight hug as her tears flowed freely. Lemon returned the gesture gently. “Just take care of yourself now, understand? I don't want to hear about anything bad happening to my friend, and when you've taken care of whatever is wrong, I expect you to come back and visit if you can. Alright?”

The sniffling mare nodded, reaching up to brush the tears from her face as she stepped back. “Thank you again.”

“I’d do it again anytime.” Lemon watched as her friend turned away and began to walk.

She didn't expect to see Clover again.

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: His Arrival

Chapter Text

Shining Armor’s train set off from Canterlot Central Station at 7:42 am. Shining Armor took up a seat next to the window, his bit pouch half as heavy as it was just a few minutes earlier. Fortunately for him, only a few other ponies entered into the car alongside, leaving him the only pony in his row.

Separated from his books, he turned to the window, staring out at the streets of Canterlot that he called home since he was born. As Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor barely left Canterlot unless one of the princesses required an escort. Now, for all he knew, he was seeing it for the last time.

There was no guarantee that Twilight, no matter how brilliant she was, could fashion a solution to this. Even that assumed he could gather the courage to tell his sister what happened. The prospect of explaining his present situation to Twilight intimidated him more than the idea of facing down Chrysalis. Still, it gave him hope enough to stay on that train as the tall city buildings flew by.

Twilight Sparkle: it all hinged on her. Shining had no way of knowing if she’d forgive him for their confrontation at the wedding. His only hope was that the severity of the situation would largely outweigh lingering resentment from his betrayal. Getting even that far required two additional impossibilities: that Shining would somehow tell her what had happened and that Twilight might believe him.

Those dark thoughts continued to haunt Shining as he watched concrete turn into countryside. Crying had been hard enough mostly alone inside of a building with curtains drawn over the windows. This time, as the tears started to slip free of Shining Armor’s control, he found himself surrounded by strangers. He fought valiantly. Even so, a single, solitary mare stood little chance versus the forces of fear and anxiety. The tears trickled down Shining’s cheeks while the pony focused solidly out of the window. At least they granted him the mercy of staying quieter than the rumble of the car.

Loneliness more than anything defined Shining’s journey. With only one other pony, he had never felt lonely. Alone, at times, of course, whenever Lemon had to work or to run an errand, but never really, truly lonely. Loneliness didn’t exist outside of his dreams and nightmares, or those waking nightmares wherein he thought of the mare he left at the altar. Yet here, surrounded by ponies, many of them talking to one another or even sharing a laugh, all he had for company was the sight of the trees rushing by.

A stallion in the row ahead of him turned around, ears flattening as he noticed Shining. His gaze shifted back and forth without quite making eye contact, a sympathetic frown centering itself on his face. In the tear-blurred reflection of the mirror, Shining watched the stallion open his mouth as if to speak, then close it again shortly after. The stallion returned to his own business. He continued to glance backwards occasionally for the rest of his ride, but never managed the courage to speak a single word.

A couple of young foals rushed through the cart giggling and squealing, engaged in some sort of game of tag. The older of the two, a colt just barely old enough for kindergarten, glanced over towards Shining as his mother rushed to catch up. “Mommy? Why is that lady crying? Trains are so cool! Why would somepony cry on a train?” The mother rushed her children away, hushing them and guiding them to find a seat as far away from Shining as possible.

Eventually, the train came to a halt at an intermediary stop: Canterbury, a tiny village halfway down Canterlot’s mountainside. Here, several of the ponies in his car disembarked, but even more got on the train. After the next stop, there were no more empty rows, and after the third, somepony finally took the seat next to him. Shining scooted as close to the window as he could, avoiding any prospect of accidental touch.

Another stallion, a pegasus, scooted in close, pushing the limits of Shining’s boundaries. “Hey.” The new arrival glanced down at Shining, then turned his attention to the front of the car. After a few minutes of silence, he offered Shining a dazzling smile and a question. “So, what’re the chances that I could buy you a cup of coffee once we get wherever you’re goin’?"

Fortunately, the wince Shining gave in response dissuaded further attempts at conversation.

Now surrounded on all four sides, Shining's anxiety took over. Searching for something with which to occupy his hooves, he reached up to his mane. The braid he put in this morning was simple, but with at least an hour left of his train ride, he had time for something more elaborate.

He chose a crown braid, wrapping the strands twice around the back of his head to give the illusion of a piece of regal headwear. Ordinarily, in front of a mirror and with adequate access to pins and hair ties, a braid like this wouldn't take Shining more than ten minutes. Here, though, with only the window to show his reflection and with barely any room to move about, Shining spent the majority of the next hour crafting his mane-style.

The stallion next to him got off at the stop before his own, giving Shining a few solitary minutes to pull himself together. Shining Armor wiped away the last remnants of his tears, magically straightening out the surrounding fur. The moment the train lurched, he was already up onto his hooves. He made his way to the exit in a quick and somewhat orderly fashion, tripping over only a couple of ponies in his rush. He stepped out of the train, onto the platform, and into sight of a town he'd only seen maybe once in his life.

Ponyville sprawled out before him. None of the buildings stretched nearly as high as those in the Canterlot skyline. Where in the streets of Canterlot there was density, here in Ponyville every structure gave its neighbor plenty of space. Farmland and forest, not the Canterlot mountainside, guarded the edges of the town. The friendly smiles on everypony's face, too, served as a harsh contrast to the streets of the city Shining loved.

Twilight wouldn't be caught dead in a town without a library. If he found the library, he'd be sure to run into Twilight sooner or later. That made it an obvious first stop. Still fiddling with his braid, Shining approached the nearest pony, a mare pulling a cart filled with apples. “Excuse me, miss. Would you happen to know where the library is?”

The orange-colored earth pony stopped her trek into town, turning towards Shining and raising her wide-brimmed hat to reveal a pair of green eyes. “Oh, didja just get off o’ that train? Uh, library’s over thatta way. It’s the big tree in the middle of town; ya can’t miss it. Just keep walkin’ down the street and it'll be on your left.” She tipped her hat to Shining before continuing on her way.

“Thank you,” Shining replied. He turned in the direction indicated, in the process completely missing Applejack’s double take.

Shining scanned the town as he walked. So this was Ponyville, the place where Celestia had assigned Twilight for the past couple of years. Buildings with woven rooftops and sturdy but quaint wooden structure lined uneven streets. Bright pops of color set the styles of the many shops and businesses apart from those around them. Each told a story of individuality, not uniformity, a luxury not afforded to the average place in Canterlot.

Shining Armor stepped into the tree that served as Ponyville’s library, searching around the open space in hopes of a familiar sight. He followed the shelves that circled the empty lobby. Finding nopony, Shining glanced towards the upper floor.

“Hello?” he called out in that still unsettlingly high-pitched voice. “Is anypony here?” As a dusty blue tail with a pink streak flicked over the edge and into his sight, he spoke the one name that came to mind. “Twily?”

A silhouette hopped immediately to its hooves. In a flash, Twilight Sparkle rushed down the stairs. She stopped as she saw the newcomer, the momentary hope in her eyes dissipating into a slight frown.

Shining remembered his current form and hastily corrected himself. “Oh. I'm sorry. Is that not what I should call you?” He shoved the ache of his lie down as deeply as he could. “I heard that was the name of the librarian.”

His sister shook her head. “Well, I am the librarian here at Golden Oak Library. My name is Twilight Sparkle. Only one pony really calls me Twily. Do you happen to know my brother, Shining Armor?”

“Oh, um,” Shining stuttered. The eagerness in Twilight’s eyes begged honesty, but Shining couldn’t find the strength. “I, um, must have misheard the pony who gave me directions. I do know of Captain Shining Armor.” His mind rushed to reconstruct the identity of Clover Quill in search of a plausible explanation. “I worked in Canterlot Castle as a scribe for some time. He probably wouldn't remember me.”

Twilight deflated. Shining fought down the resulting pain while Twilight replied. “He's my brother. He's the only pony who calls me that. To everypony else, I'm Twilight.” The light returned to her eyes, perhaps a bit more dimly, as she processed the rest of Clover's explanation. “You work in the castle? What are you doing in Ponyville?”

This time, Shining froze for a fraction of a second less than he had when Lemon asked. “I used to work in the castle. I've been taking a bit of a break.” A spur-of-the-moment idea popped into Shining’s head. “Actually, I came here to get away from all of that for a bit. You see, I had some research-”

“Research?” Twilight interrupted with wide eyes and a near-maniacal grin.

“Yes. Actually-”

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “That's amazing! I almost never meet anypony else who does research. Usually they're just coming here for some boring romance novel, or in Rainbow Dash's case to borrow the next Daring Do book. Tell me what you're researching!”

In his haste to find a response, Shining accidentally resorted to a bit of truth. “Well, I'm actually researching curses and transmutation spells. Specifically, I'm trying to discover a link between our knowledge of spells that result in transformation effects and the magic of the changelings.”

Twilight winced at the mention of the last word, but for the most part retained her enthusiasm. “Wow. I didn't think anypony would be researching anything that complicated here in Ponyville. Really, I think you'd be far better off looking in the Canterlot Archives.”

“You might be right, but I'm taking a bit of a break, remember?” Shining kept pace behind Twilight as his sister let him towards the proper section. “I didn't really want to go back in to work if I didn't have to. Besides, I've heard very good things about the Ponyville library, especially your collection of books on obscure and difficult magic.”

“Really?” Twilight spun to face Shining, half a dozen books already hovering in the air beside her. “I didn't think anypony had noticed. But yes, I have assembled a bit of a collection. Princess Celestia sends me books she finds interesting. She sent over quite a few volumes on changelings after what happened at the wedding, so you might be in luck.”

Twilight lowered a stack of books onto the floor of the library before speaking again. “That should be good enough to get you started. Let me know if you need any help. Oh, and if you ever want to talk about your research, I would be really interested to hear everything about it. Everything.”

Shining stared into the toothiest smile he'd seen since foalhood. He froze up, only remembering to breathe after a few moments. “Oh, of course.”

Twilight started back up the stairs only to stop abruptly once more. “Oh! I completely forgot to ask.” The blush on Twilight’s cheeks brought back memories. “What’s your name?”

“Oh, sorry. I'm-” For a moment, Shining hesitated. He could tell the truth. He could hope that Twilight would believe him.

He could risk everything falling apart and never coming back together.

“Clover Quill,” Twilight’s guest admitted with a smile just honest enough to hide the sadness and fear underneath. “It's nice to meet you, Twilight.”

“It's really nice to meet you too, Clover. I'll be upstairs if you need me.”

“Spike. Spike!” Twilight hissed towards the sleeping dragon.

Spike rolled over, grumbling and pulling his blanket further over his head. “Twilight, I'm trying to sleep.”

“It's almost noon. What are you doing still asleep?” Her magic tugged at the other side of the blanket.

Spike pulled back. “It's my mid-morning nap. I take one every day.”

“No,” Twilight corrected as her magic yanked the blanket up into the air, “you almost never stop napping. I'd hardly call a nap at any specific time a daily occurrence; you spend more time sleeping than you do awake.”

The dragon finally opened his eyes, claws still clinging to the bottom of the suspended blanket. With a groan, he let go, falling to the floor. “Okay, fine. I'm up. Now, what’s so important that I can’t be snuggled up under a blanket right now?”

“We just had somepony come to the library!” Twilight shot Spike a big grin.

Spike returned a rather unimpressed scowl. “Yeah, so? Unless it’s Princess Celestia, that’s not news. We have ponies come to the library every single day.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Well, none of those ponies are here for research.”

“Research?” Spike scurried over to the edge of the upper floor. Surely enough, a green-haired unicorn mare sat with a stack of books, scanning through page after page only slightly more slowly than Twilight might.

“See? Isn't it exciting?” Twilight continued, stepping up next to the baby dragon. “Her cutie mark is a book! And research notes!” Her voice lowered even further. “She's even here to study magic. Theoretical magic. Nopony in Ponyville wants to study anything as technical as that. Well, except for me, of course.”

“Uh, yeah, I guess.” he turned on his heel, heading back over towards his comfy bed. “So can I go back to sleep now, or did you actually need me to do something?”

“No. That will be all, Spike.”

The dragon replied with a grunt, followed soon after by the sound of snoring.

“So, can I ask a little bit about what you're studying?”

The sound of another pony's voice jolted Shining Armor out of his intense focus. He looked up from his book into the eager eyes of Twilight Sparkle. His sister stood beside him like in every childhood memory; even the usual book laid on the floor nearby. Despite the prospect of crafting yet another impossible lie, the sight of that friendly face eased his worries.

“Oh, of course.” The comfort of familiarity warred with present anxieties that Shining hoped didn’t show. “You know, after what happened in Canterlot, I wanted to learn more about the changelings.” The lies came far too easily to his lips. “I tried to study at home, but I kept getting distracted. So many ponies knew me, and Canterlot is a really busy city.”

“That's why you came to Ponyville then?” Twilight inquired to confirm. She settled down on the floor next to Shining.

Shining nodded, then reached up to brush his bangs from his eyes. “It's a lot easier to study without all the interruptions. Not that this counts as an unwanted interruption,” he hastily clarified.

Twilight's lack of reaction okayed him to continue.

“So far, I only have a rudimentary hypothesis.”

“And that is…?”

Shining mentally thanked Twilight’s fillyhood nerdiness for rubbing off on him. “We know that changelings can use magic themselves, but we also know that the magic that they used to transform is of a different sort then the magic they cast. I'm starting to reconsider whether or not the magic they cast with their horns is even comparable to unicorn magic. Not that I have any real way to experimentally study that prospect, of course.”

Twilight nodded along with apparent ease. “That's an interesting theory. Do you have anything to support it?”

“Not so far other than anecdotes from ponies who witnessed the attacks.” Or were victims of them. “It would be the first time, at least as far as I know, that a creature other than a pony was able to wield pony magic, though, so it's an interesting topic either way.” Not to mention the results' relevance to Shining's current state. “Regardless, for the sake of Equestrian security - and partly to satisfy my own curiosity - I think it's a line of inquiry worth pursuing.”

“That is an interesting subject. If you do find out anything more, I'd love to hear about it. And if you get through those books without any luck, I can probably send for some more from the archives in Canterlot.”

Shining refocused on the smile pointed in his direction. The familiar warmth brought back memories of a simpler time, but he pulled himself free before he could get too caught up in reminiscing. “Thanks, Twily,” he replied.

Twilight hesitated for a brief moment upon hearing that last line. Then, she simply nodded. “You’re very welcome, Clover.”

Twilight made her way toward the front door some time in the early afternoon. Along the way, she passed by Clover Quill, still deep in the middle of her stack of books but much farther along than Twilight had anticipated. She stopped to watch for a brief moment. Here was a pony willingly reading a lot of books. Not just any books, either, but serious, academic books. Could she be a friend?

“Clover?” She waited for the mare to look up at her. “I'm headed out to run some errands. Did you need anything?” She paused, frantically trying to figure out a plan to get to know this mare. “I could show you around Ponyville if you want,” she eventually blurted out.

The mare on the floor shook her head, staying otherwise still. “It's okay.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, filling up with preemptive disappointment.

“Yeah. I’m good, thanks.”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight replied. The last remnants of her smile disappeared. Maybe this wasn’t going to result in a friendship after all. She resumed her journey to the door only for a call from Clover to interrupt her.

“Twilight? I almost forgot.” Twilight immediately perked at Clover’s words. “I completely forgot to get myself a quill, ink, or even paper. If you're going out, could you bring some back?” A small bag full of coins levitated in Twilight's direction. “I can pay for it.”

“Oh!” That little request returned the eagerness to Twilight. She could go shopping for Clover. That meant they’d certainly get a chance to talk more when Twilight returned since obviously Clover would have to stay long enough to see Twilight again. “Sure, no problem. Just help yourself; I keep a pretty large supply around here.” This could work, somehow. “Spike!” she shouted.

The formerly sleeping dragon quickly scuttled over to the staircase.

“Get Clover some writing supplies, would you? I'll be back soon.”

“So, you're studying magic or something?” Shining nodded along to the dragon’s question. “Here?” Another nod. “In Ponyville?” Another. Spike set a stack of paper down next to Shining Armor.

Without looking up, Shining lifted the quill in her magic. She got nearly halfway through her first page of notes before the dragon leaning over her shoulder took her attention. “Spike?”

Spike stared into the surprised eyes of the unknown mare. “Yeah? That is my name.”

“No, it's just-” Shining frowned internally, carefully keeping his facial expression under control. He leaned forward after a moment of thought. “Can you keep a secret?”

Spike nodded.

“Back at the wedding in Canterlot last month, Chrysalis put a spell on me.” Shining’s heart pounded. “I'm not Clover Quill.” His heartbeat grew louder and louder until it drowned out the sounds of the day. “I'm Shining Armor. "

The vision of that potential future shattered. Spike waved a claw in front of the daydreaming mare’s face. “Hello? Equestria to whoever you are. Are you okay?”

She shook her head. “Yes. I'm fine. Sorry.” Of course she didn’t even have the strength to come clean to her little brother. “My name is Clover. I heard Twilight calling out to you earlier; are you her assistant?” Another question she knew the answer to. Another question that hurt her heart to ask.

Spike beamed with pride. One claw lifted up, pointing a thumb towards his chest. “Yes, I am! Her number one assistant, actually. Number two is… somewhere around here. He's an owl.”

The display of exuberance coaxed a slight giggle from Shining Armor, burning away just a bit of her nerves. “I'm glad to see she's in good claws.” Even if it had always been better with the three of them. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem! That's what assistants are for, after all.” He strutted away, smile sticking to his face.

Shining observed from his place on the floor with a bittersweet smile of his own. He'd forgotten Spike would be here too. In some ways, it was just like home, but home before Twilight and Shining had both left it behind. As much as those fond memories colored his vision, he couldn't afford to let them slip free.

Twilight trotted away from the local Quills and Sofas Emporium with a hoofful of quills and a stack of paper almost as tall as her balanced on her back. She wobbled back and forth, barely maintaining her balance, far too preoccupied to notice the figure in front of her.

“Twilight, watch where you're-”

Papers fluttered through the air as Twilight tumbled head over hoof. She stood as soon as she gathered her bearings, only then noticing the other pony. “Applejack?”

The earth pony darted around, catching as many of the fluttering sheets as she could until Twilight's magic gathered them together. “Twilight, ya really need to be more careful.” She glanced up at the stack that Twilight was once again attempting to balance. “Here. Let me help you with those.”

“Thanks, Applejack." Twilight hovered about half of the sheets over to her friend’s back.

Applejack looked up at the papers, carefully settling her own balance. “What in the hay do you need this much paper for?”

“Oh, actually, there's this new mare who came to visit the library today. She's here for research, so I don't know how much we're going to need. I figured I use enough paper anyways that it's better to be safe than sorry.”

The other pony slowly nodded. “Uh huh. Say, that wouldn't happen to be a unicorn, would it? Green hair, kinda whitish coat?”

“Yes, it would, actually!” Twilight replied exuberantly. “Her name is Clover Quill; do you know her?”

Applejack shook her head in response. “Nope. Just ran into her down at the station earlier. She was in an awful hurry lookin’ for the library. She looked pretty lost. Glad she found her way.” Now to the tricky part. “By the way, what's a pony like her doin’ in Ponyville for the library? I mean, I guess if it was you I wouldn't ask any questions, but she was rushin’ to get over there the second she got off the train.”

“Oh! She's actually a scribe who works in Canterlot,” Twilight answered with a smile. “She's taking a vacation, so she came here to do some research about transfiguration magic. Can you believe it? Nopony ever comes here for a project like that.”

Applejack's eyes narrowed slightly. “No, I can't.” She followed Twilight across the street to the library, stopping just outside of the door. “Hey, Twilight?”

The unicorn looked back innocently. “Yeah?”

“Just be careful. I know this is exciting for ya and I don’t wanna ruin your moment, but I don’t want you gettin’ taken advantage of.”

“Thanks for worrying about me, Applejack. I’ll be careful.”

Armed with one of the only books in the library on changeling magic and a couple of specialized spell books, Shining Armor waited until both Twilight and Spike had stepped away. At least, he thought Spike was away; Shining didn’t really get the multi-stage layout of the library just yet, but the dragon at least didn’t seem to be anywhere in sight. This might be one of his only chances to try this without raising suspicion.

He followed the instructions on his scribbled, altered spell, his horn Illuminating the space around it in a dim green light. The light pulsed, then flashed. When it cleared, yet again, nothing had changed.

Twilight re-entered the library while Shining was looking over his failed spell for possible mistakes. He quickly crumpled up the paper, tossing it into the trash can nearby and pulling out another.

“Running into some trouble?” Twilight asked. “I got you some more paper and ink, by the way. I hope it's enough.”

A towering pile of what Shining estimated to be a few thousand sheets of paper settled down next to the unicorn with a thump. He looked up, raising an eyebrow. “I don't know if I need that much paper, Twilight.”

“Well, you can never have too much paper,” Twilight replied, “or ink.” She settled several bottles on top of the stack, then settled herself alongside Shining. “So, what are you stuck on? Maybe we can work through the problem together. I am pretty good with magic myself.”

Shining considered. It was a risk, but if anypony could help… “I suppose. My biggest problem is that there's practically no information on changeling magic in any of these books.” He batted at the open book in front of him. “It's hard to formulate much of a theory on the fundamental mechanics of changeling magic when you don't have anything to go on. It's not like I could just ask a changeling.”

“No, that would probably be a bad idea,” Twilight agreed with a nod. She skimmed the pages in front of the two. “You're right, though. There really isn't much of anything in here on that particular subject. Honestly, unless Princess Celestia has some ancient tomes of forbidden changeling knowledge tucked away in her private collection, I don't think the Canterlot Archives are going to be much help either.”

“Yeah. That’s what I’m worried about,” Shining Armor replied dejectedly.

Twilight frowned. “Well, maybe I could help you figure it out. I mean, it’s not like experimentation or literal books on the subject are the only ways to understand something this complicated.”

“Really?” He jolted back to awareness. “Are you sure? You have other important things to do as Princess Celestia's student, don't you?”

“Being Princess Celestia's student means that I am here in Ponyville to study friendship,” Twilight replied with a smug smile. “So, as long as we can be friends, I don't see why helping a friend wouldn't be a part of that.”

The other unicorn giggled, a few stray green hairs drifting in front of his eyes. He brushed them back. “I’d like that. Thanks, Twily.”

“You're welcome, Clover.” Twilight lifted a few more books down from the shelves. “It's nice to have a friend who's interested in the same sort of things as me. Honestly, I kind of just assumed nopony could care about books as much as I do.”

“Well, I don't know about as much as you,” Shining joked. “From what I've heard, you kind of have a reputation around Canterlot.”

“Yeah, yeah. Almost as much, then.” Twilight's magic divided the books between the two of them. “So, I have a proposal. We are trying to figure out how changeling magic works, right? Well, we don't have any measurements or detailed observations to work from, so any sort of experimental or analytical method is out. But we do have a fairly strong understanding of the fundamentals of magic between us, I'd hope.”

Shining’s eye twitched. Knowing Twilight, his understanding, as detailed and practical as it might be, probably didn't fit Twilight's definition of “fairly strong.” He nodded, hoping she wouldn't call his bluff.

Twilight continued unabated. “So, how about we start there? If we can figure out, based on the physiological models of changelings that do exist in these books, a set of hypotheses around the way that their basic biological and arcane functions work, we can use those to extrapolate the way their magic must work.” She turned away from her book towards Shining Armor. “After all, that's the same way we know that our understanding of pony biology is mostly correct. It might not be as precise in some ways as more experimental methods, but it's probably the best we can get unless one of us wants to try walking up to the changeling hive and knocking at the gate.”

Shining Armor nodded. “That actually sounds like a really good idea.” He smiled, then broke eye contact to look over his books. “I might need a refresher on some of the more complicated parts, though. It's been a while since I studied magic in this much depth.”

“Don't worry,” Twilight replied. “You've got one of the best tutors to ever graduate from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“I never knew that changeling biology was this complicated,” Twilight commented. Three books sat open in front of her, each detailing differing accounts of the internal organs of a changeling. “I mean, I don't think we’ve found even two descriptions that have everything in common.” She turned to the fourth and fifth books and the other pony examining them.

Clover Quill put a hoof to her chin, furrowing her brow. That pensive look was pretty cute, Twilight had to admit. “The holes make it even more difficult. I don't know how any creature could live with that many pieces missing.”

“You're telling me. Trust me: up close, it doesn't make any more sense.” Twilight shivered at the thought. “They are not particularly pleasant.”

Clover didn't reply immediately, staring too closely at the set of detailed drawings. Her eyes narrowed, and her horn lit up. She tore the pages from the books all at once.

“What are you doing?!” Twilight scrambled onto her hooves, reaching for the nearest floating page. “These are some of the only books on changeling anatomy in all of Equestria!”

“Twily, give me a moment. I have an idea.” Clover gently pushed Twilight away from the paper with a hoof. Her magic lined up each of the papers on top of one another, spacing them out according to the size of each diagram. Another spark of magic tugged a lamp into position behind the papers. “If I'm right…”

The glow from behind illuminated the papers, creating a single, unified, somewhat blurred representation of a changeling. The disconnected nerves, muscles, and organs all fell into place. “The holes aren't a normal part of their anatomy,” Twilight mumbled in astonishment.

“They can't be. There's something more to them. Otherwise, there's no way a creature like that could survive.”

Twilight admired the triumphant smirk on Clover's face from a distance. The material consequence of this revelation, though, quickly drew her attention back. “Do you know what this means? Look! All of a sudden, all of these organs line up. Most of these are almost identical to pony organs. Sure, there are some that don't quite match, but we expected that. This means that changelings aren't insectoid, or at least have some major genetic link with ponies!”

The other researcher giggled, a light, sweet giggle that echoed in Twilight’s mind. “And that means that we can figure out what's different.”

Inspiration struck Twilight like a runaway cart. She sprinted across the library, dragging a chalkboard in front of the pair. She flipped it to its wooden back, lifting up dozens of push pins and empty sheets of paper all at once. “Don't move,” she commanded. “I'm going to create a detailed, modular diagram that we can use as reference for all of our future studies, plus the book I'm going to have to write on all of this.”

Spike wandered in the direction of the two giggling eggheads, hoping that the closer proximity might help the sound of his grumbling stomach carry its way over to them. The next rumble, however, failed to draw either pony’s attention. “Ahem.” He tried a cough, already resigning himself to figuring out his own dinner.

“Oh, Spike!” Clover, not Twilight, responded. “Did you need something?” Another growl answered that question before Spike could. “Oh. You're hungry. Sorry for distracting Twilight.”

“Nah, it's okay. She gets like this all the time.” He held up a folded flyer. “I was thinking, Twilight, since you two are busy and all, maybe this could be the night we finally try that new Neightalian place? I hear they have pizza, and you can get it with red peppers and crushed rubies.” He began to salivate at even the thought of such a delicious combination.

“Spike, couldn't you just make something?” Twilight replied without looking up.

“I guess,” he grumbled. “We never order takeout, though.”

Clover put a hoof to her lips. She hovered out a coin pouch from her discarded saddlebags, holding it out to Spike. “Twilight forgot to use my money to pay for the paper and ink earlier. Get one with mushrooms and peppered oats for us. If you've been taking care of her this whole time, you've earned it.”

Spike took the pouch in both claws with a grin. “Thanks, um… What was your name again?”

“Clover Quill,” the mare replied happily.

By the time Clover and Twilight finished putting together their basic anatomical diagram, the moon had replaced the sun in the sky.

“Well, it's been fun, but I probably need to go to bed.” Twilight stood, stretching her legs after hours on the ground. “I do have some things to do outside of studying, I promise.”

“Oh. that makes sense. Thanks so much for your help today, Twily.” Shining Armor shared a thankful smile with her unknowing sister. His. “Would you know where I could find a room?” He checked his pouch, counting the coins in his head. “There has to be a hotel somewhere in Ponyville, right?”

“Wait. You don't have a place to stay yet?” Twilight exclaimed. She galloped across the room, pulling a yellow book from the end of one shelf and flipping through the pages frantically. “Oh no. I'm so sorry; I should have made sure of that before I got so deep into studying.”

Shining giggled lightly. She noticed that tendency less and less each day. She- no, he had to get that under control. “Really, it's alright. It's my own fault.”

Twilight proceeded as if she didn't hear him. “Sunny River Stable is closed. They only accept new tenants before sundown. That leaves Windmill Motel, but I just walked by them earlier, and the sign very clearly said ‘no vacancies.’” She flicked over to the end of the book, then slammed it and shoved it back onto the shelf. “Okay, okay. We will make this work. You… can stay here in the library. I have an extra bed anyways, and I only use it when I have friends over. You're a friend. You can stay over.”

“If you're sure that's okay,” Shining replied. He stacked their scattered books neatly while Twilight panicked about the living situation. “I can find a place tomorrow. I have a little bit of money left still, and I'm sure I can find somewhere that's hiring if I need to stay here longer.”

“Oh, that won't be necessary,” Twilight replied. She led the way up the stairs. Shining followed up to a small landing with two beds: one pony-sized, one dragon-sized. The smaller bed held a little dragon that was already fast asleep. “You're here for research. More than anypony else, I know what that's like. Trust me.”

“I do trust you. I already figured that out.” Long before today.

“Good. You can stay here for as long as you're in Ponyville. That way, you can focus on studying instead of finding a second job.” Twilight took one of the two pillows from her bed and carried it over to an adjoining segment of the second floor. The second room was decorated only by a telescope standing next to a window and a single bed with plain pink sheets. Twilight tucked the pillow in at the head of the bed.

Shining Armor followed, standing on the walkway just outside of the guest room. She felt her stomach do a somersault at the thought of living with Twilight in her current condition. “Are you sure?” Despite how comforting the idea sounded, her strategic instincts cautioned her against it. “I mean, won't that get annoying, living with another pony you barely know?”

“Oh, it's fine,” Twilight replied flatly. “I already live with Spike. He's a lot tougher to deal with than you, I promise. I'll barely notice you’re here in comparison.”

“Ugh. Can you two stop fighting about whether or not Clover is staying here and let me sleep already?” the voice of a very grumpy dragon called from Twilight’s room. That dragon rolled over, pulling his pillow more tightly over his head.

Clover stopped her protests immediately. She walked back over to the other room, crouching low to reach the smaller bed. “Sorry, Spike,” she whispered, then reached out a hoof to pat the top of the pillow. “Good night.”

A soft noise from the other room woke Twilight from her slumber. The unicorn stared at the ceiling, angling her ears to hear better. The rustling of sheets was accompanied by a light whimpering and a muttering she couldn't quite make out. Slowly, tiredly, she crept out of bed and across the walkway to Clover's room.

The other mare laid in her bed, covers scattered, barely clinging on to her lower hooves. Her eyes were closed, but tears ran down her face regardless. She tossed and turned as Twilight watched.

Twilight moved in closer to the bed, taking the edge of the sheets in her magic to tug them back up. Clover fought them unconsciously, her wild movements preventing Twilight from accomplishing her goal. In the midst of her senseless mumbling, she managed three words. “Twily… I'm sorry.”

Twilight started. She searched through her memories of the day, but found nothing that matched. Maybe a misinterpretation or miscommunication?

In the midst of Clover’s flailing, her front hooves reached out. They grasped one of Twilight's forelegs and clung tightly to it.

Twilight frowned. She reached up with the other hoof to gently rub at Clover’s. “It's okay, Clover,” she whispered. “I'm not upset at you.”

The words had immediate effect. Clover’s whimpering died down into a soft sniffling. She stopped her thrashing. Before long, her breathing steadied, and she relaxed her grip on Twilight.

Twilight carefully tucked Clover in before heading back to bed.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I made a new friend. Her name is Clover Quill, and she came to the library to study magic. This is the first time I can remember that I have a friend who actually shares my interests. I mean, she reads books for fun. It’s not just fiction either, but academic books and research journals. I don't remember the last time I've had this much fun spending time with somepony.

It really is special to do something that I really enjoy with someone who likes it almost as much as me. I usually like the things I do with my other friends, but something about Clover is just different. I'm sure that she will have a lot to teach me about friendship.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Her Solace

Chapter Text

The morning sun woke Clover later than usual. The comfort of the bed beneath her urged her to remain. She fought that urge, stretching her hooves above her head with a yawn.

Her messy mane flopped down around her face. Today, she untangled the yellow ribbon from her hair and threaded it through again, opting for a two section rope braid for the sake of simplicity. She skipped down the stairs with a bit of extra spring in her step for some reason she couldn't quite place.

When she reached the lobby, Twilight was already sitting in front of the chalkboard-turned-bulletin board, book spread in front of her. “Morning, Twily!” Clover called. She settled down right next to her sister. “We finished the basic diagram of changeling anatomy yesterday, right?”

“Right,” Twilight said with a nod and without looking away from her book. She unrolled a scroll of paper with dozens of boxes running down its left side. “That's step one. Now, we need to use general biological and anatomical principles combined with the limited data we do have to figure out how all of it works.”

“What’s on the rest of the list?” Clover asked, eyeing the room-spanning scroll.

“Everything we might need!” Twilight gleefully replied. “I had to add enough steps so that if we end up not needing steps or if we need even more steps, we already have all of the possible alternative steps on the checklist. Isn't that great?”

The other pony giggled, covering her- No, his. Remember. Covering his mouth with a hoof. “Yeah. I'd forgotten how funny you were, Twilight.”

“Forgotten?

Clover scrambled to cover up the mistake. “Yeah. You know. From the stories I heard about you. Other ponies said you were funny.”

“What other ponies?” Twilight asked. “I don't think anyone else in Canterlot thought I was funny. They mostly thought I was weird. Unless that's what they meant by funny.”

“Oh, um, maybe. Sorry.” That particular lie hurt as Clover spoke it. She hoped Twilight wouldn't take those false rumors too much to heart.

“It's okay. I'm pretty different than I used to be anyways. I really was kind of… weird, in the ‘not very social’ sort of way.”

Clover’s good mood guided her, and she bumped shoulders with Twilight. “Well, you're definitely a lot more friendly now.”

The smile rubbed off on Twilight, with an added rosiness in her cheeks. “Thanks.”

“What was that?” Twilight asked. because it couldn't have been what Twilight thought she heard. That didn't make any sense. “I don't think I heard you right.”

“Could you show me how you organize your library?” Clover repeated with that same innocent honesty.

“See, that's what I thought you said, but I know I can't be hearing you right. I mean, why would you want to know how I organize anything?” Twilight muttered partly to herself, partly to Clover. “Nopony cares enough about organization to ask me a question like that.”

“Nopony except me, maybe,” Clover offered. She gestured up at the rows of books. “This seems like it’s going to be a long project. You aren't always here. What if I need to find a book on my own, or put one of your books away when we're done with it?”

Twilight paused with her mouth open. That made sense. Why did that make sense? Repeated experimentation had already verified a 99.99% chance that Twilight was the only pony who wanted to know how she organized. She shut her mouth and simply nodded.

“Great!” Clover responded with that sweet smile Twilight was beginning to enjoy. “Thanks, Twily. So, where do we start?”

The other unicorn pushed the strange, warm feeling in her chest down far enough that she could speak again. “Well, I suppose we should start with a basic explanation of the Starswirl Decimal System…”

Clover Quill paused her reading to scribble down a few notes. She lifted the latest page up from the pile and pinned it next to the strange, oblong, purple organ just beneath the changeling’s esophagus. Another mystery solved, and another set of questions to go with it.

She glanced over to the unicorn next to her, buried just as deeply in Clover's research as Clover herself. A quick look out the window showed the sun high in the sky, likely around midday. “Twilight?” Clover poked Twilight's shoulder with the tip of her hoof. “Where's the kitchen?”

“Hm?” Twilight stared over at Clover. Her eyes took a few seconds to focus. “What was that?”

Another one of those giggles escaped while Clover was distracted. “Don't worry about it. I'll go ask Spike. You keep reading.”

Twilight graciously accepted that conclusion without another word.

“Spike?” Clover called into the library's interior as she stood. “I need your help with something.” She wandered away from Twilight towards the set of stairs that led beneath the library. After stepping down the first flight, she emerged into a small, magically lit room with a stove at one end, a sink on the adjacent wall, and a large central island. At the counter between the stove and sink stood the dragon she'd been looking for. “Spike? What are you doing?”

“Cooking,” the little dragon replied. He stretched upwards on his tiptoes to read a line from the open cookbook. Clover levitated him a couple of inches into the air. “Thanks, Twilight,” he said without looking.

“It's not Twilight, Spike,” Clover corrected through a diminished chuckle. “It's me, Clover. Remember?” She slid a short box from the corner of the room underneath Spike's feet, then let him down onto it.

Spike finally looked up from his recipe, pink apron on full display. “Huh? Oh. Clover. Sorry, I'm not used to having anypony else down here.” He watched Clover start to lift a couple of pots down from the rack above the stove. “What are you doing?”

“Well,” she narrated as she glanced over Spike's shoulder, “I was going to cook for you two since Twilight was so focused on her books. Since you're already working on lunch, though, I figured I'd help. If that's okay, of course.”

“Sure!” Spike hopped down from the box to tiptoe in the direction of the refrigerator. “I usually cook for Twilight when she gets like this. I thought you might forget to eat too.”

Clover shook her head, her loose braid bouncing in the air. “Nope! I mean, I like books, but not as much as Twilight does. I know how to take a break when I need to. Besides, I want to help. You two are letting me stay here for free, after all.”

“I really appreciate it.” Spike used Clover's makeshift stepstool to lift the ingredients onto the counter. “I just wasn’t really expecting anypony to want to help.”

The pony at the stove turned to the cutting board beside it. “Well, I'd hate to leave a baby dragon to do something like this all alone,” she replied with a wink.

“Ha, ha.”

Clover and Spike had taken care of lunch together. Now, as it approached dinnertime, Twilight found herself presented with yet another plate of food courtesy of her guest. This time, Clover was humming to herself, a tune that seemed at the tip of Twilight's tongue. Twilight focused on the gentle smile that accompanied the food, its warmth accomplishing the impossible task of distracting her from her books. “Thank you, Clover.”

“It's the least I could do. I hope you like it,” Clover replied brightly. Everything Clover did seemed to have that same brightness to it. Every single face she made, every single topic of conversation, and especially that adorable giggle. It seemed contagious, maybe contagious enough to become a pandemic if Twilight didn't keep it contained in the library. Hopefully, even, right here next to her.

Twilight caught herself smiling in response as she lifted her spoon up off of the plate. “I'm sure I will. Is this curry?”

Clover nodded. “Mmhmm! I found some lemongrass in your fridge, and some curry powder in your cupboard. It's not very traditional, but…”

The spoon had already slipped inside Twilight's mouth. She chewed at the tender greens and fluffy rice, the slight spice of the dish warming her insides. “It's delicious. Do you cook often? Is that why you're helping out so much in the kitchen?”

“No, not really,” Clover replied. “I don't cook as much as I used to. I did read a book about basic culinary principles recently. Okay, a couple of books. And I did practice what I learned over the past month, but that's it, really.”

“Wow. Usually when I read, I don't get anything that practical out of it. Not that The Secrets of Sorting isn't practical, but-”

Clover giggled. “That's so you, Twily.” The curry suddenly seemed twice as hot going down Twilight’s throat.

Twilight shoved another few bites of food in her mouth to keep her face pointed away from Clover. The blush died down by the time she finished the bowl. “I know you've only been here for two days. Maybe more like 36 hours. Still, I feel really comfortable with you. It's like we've known each other for longer than that.”

This time Clover looked away. Twilight could only hope it was for the same reason. “Y- yeah. You really make me feel at home too.” When Clover turned back, her smile had turned sad.

“Are you okay, Clover?” Twilight scooted closer until their sides touched. “You're normally so happy. Did something happen before you came here?”

Clover's frown deepened. “I… I'm sorry, Twilight. I don't think I'm ready to talk about that just yet.” She pulled the smile back into place and looked Twilight in the eyes. “I promise I'll tell you about it at some point, okay?”

“Okay.” Twilight reached out a hoof to gently rest it atop Clover's. The two returned to their research, but Twilight’s hoof didn't move for the rest of the night.

Clover Quill- No! Shining Armor! Shining- Clover Quill found herself a mess of emotions. She laid in the spare bed in Twilight's library, hugging her pillow tightly. Everything was so simple, and yet none of it made any sense. Not the research, of course; she didn't expect that to make sense until they made some serious progress. No, it was everything else that didn't make sense. Everything here felt like home. Twilight and Spike were both here, and both of them made it so easy to just fall into familiar rhythms. The thought of that terrified her.

She had to get back to Cadance. She loved Cadance. Every moment away from her tore at her heart. The ache grew even worse when she thought about how much Cadance must be struggling without her.

At the same time, everything here felt so nice, so simple. She didn't hate her old life. In fact, she missed it dearly. But Twilight made it so easy to forget the worst parts of all of this. Even as she started to tear up, she knew all it would take was Twilight walking into view to make her forget all of this.

She hadn't realized how much she missed her sister.

And that, that little bit of homesickness she didn't even realize she had, that was the simplest part of all of this. What about the part where she kept accidentally calling herself by a new name without thinking twice? What about the fact that she'd been thinking of herself as a ‘she’ this whole time and only now was realizing it, yet couldn't bring herself to fix it? What about the fact that she felt as much like Clover Quill, a mare who hadn't even existed just a couple short months ago, as she did Shining Armor, the stallion she'd been her entire life?

These thoughts swam through Clover's head. Her vision blurred. She closed her eyes tight, shoving her muzzle into the depths of her pillow.

The warm touch of another pony’s hoof brought her right back out of that hopelessly confused misery.

Clover Quill - not Shining Armor, or at least not just - looked up to see the sympathetic smile of Twilight Sparkle focused down on her. She felt the tears beginning to dry even if the confusion remained. She met Twilight's gaze. Her bottom lip quivered, but it stayed just short of letting out any of those pained noises she kept inside.

Twilight's lips moved.

Clover processed their sound a moment later: “Is there anything I can do to help?”

She wiped some of the dampness from her fur, then nodded. “Stay with me? Just for a few minutes?”

The amazing, wonderful lavender unicorn in front of her smiled, nodded, and laid down on the bed beside her.

Applejack made her way through the streets of Ponyville, leaving her cart behind. Her mind returned to the strange mare she'd seen looking for the library the other day. Somethin’ about her just didn't seem right.

She prob’ly already left anyways. It wasn't worth worryin’ too hard about.

Still, she found herself wandering over to the library, just in case of some sort of residual problem. She poked her head through the door and stepped inside, looking around for some sign of her friend. “Twilight? I've been meaning to ask-”

“Welcome to Golden Oak Library!” a new voice called cheerfully. A unicorn, that unicorn, greeted her with a smile. “Oh! You're one of Twilight's friends, aren't you? Sorry. Twilight, your friend is here!”

“Huh? What?” Twilight Sparkle looked up from her book in a daze. She spotted Applejack wearing a slightly concerned look. “Oh, hi, Applejack. Sorry, I was pretty focused on my reading.”

“No worries. I’m used to it by now.” Applejack wandered over to her friend. She eyed the deconstructed changeling on the bulletin board. “Hey, Twilight, what's that pony still doin’ here? Wasn’t she just in town to do a little research?”

“Clover and I have been working on that research together, actually.” Twilight gestured vaguely toward the stacks of books and papers. “I haven't gotten to do anything this exciting in a long time.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack remarked dryly. “And how long is she gonna be in town?”

Twilight shrugged. “I don't know. We're making real progress, though. Since Clover is staying here, we basically get to work from when we wake up in the morning to-”

“She's staying here?” Applejack glanced over to the unicorn happily dusting the shelves. “Twilight, listen here. I know you two have a bit in common, but-”

“Way more than ‘a bit’. It's actually really exciting! I've never had somepony I could discuss theoretical arcanophysics with before.”

“I get it, Twilight, I really do, but…” Applejack made sure Clover was out of earshot, lowering her voice for safety regardless. “…don't you think you're being taken advantage of here? I mean, ain’t it all a bit too perfect? Somepony this smart, comin’ to Ponyville of all places for research. It just doesn't add up. Plus, you're letting her stay here. I'm startin’ to get a little concerned.”

“Applejack, Clover Quill is definitely not taking advantage of me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that if anypony’s taking advantage of anypony, I'm taking advantage of her. She's been helping Spike with his chores and doing a lot of the cooking, too.” Twilight gestured to the pristine shelves, then to the dishes at her side. “That’s in addition to all of the research, which I happen to think of as an added benefit.”

Applejack sighed. She reached up a hoof to rub at her temple. “Look, Twilight. I'm just saying there’s somethin’ suspicious about this mare. You really don't find anything odd about any of this?”

Twilight shrugged. “Nope! Clover is like, the most normal pony in all of Ponyville.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, okay. She's normal for an educated pony,” Twilight conceded. “Maybe that's not normal to you, but it is to me.”

“Alright, Twi.” Applejack looked in the direction of Twilight’s guest without moving an inch. “Just make sure you’re safe, and let me know if she gets up to any funny business.”

“I will. But don't worry, Applejack. Really, I promise, she's… great.” Twilight lost sight of Applejack, turning her suddenly-dopey smile towards Clover Quill.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. She glanced at Twilight, then back to the anatomical display. Her expression darkened. “See ya later, Twilight,” she muttered on her way out the door.

At a table in the back of Carousel Boutique, Rarity focused on her latest project. Pink was always such an annoying color to get right. Most dresses in the brighter shades tended toward gaudy rather than elegant. Still, her current mix of hues seemed promising.

The bell above the door rang. She barely paid it any mind. “Come on in! Just give me a moment; I'm in the middle of a particularly irritating seam.”

“Ahem.” The new entrant cleared their throat.

Rarity looked up.

Applejack stood in the entryway to Carousel Boutique. “We have a problem.”

Rarity looked back down, returning her focus to her sewing. “Darling, are you just being dramatic, or do we really have a problem?”

“Of all ponies, you shouldn't be the one callin’ me dramatic.” Applejack stomped forward another few steps. “Twilight's been taken in by a changeling.”

That got Rarity's attention. She rushed over to her friend, leaving her project behind. “A changeling? Are they back already? Did I somehow miss another invasion?”

“Well, not exactly,” Applejack replied.

Rarity listened patiently to a series of points, neither of which followed from the last. Her patience grew thinner and thinner with each word. She pulled herself back a couple of steps. “So, let me get this straight,” she began. “Somepony came to Ponyville for research, to Twilight's library specifically. Twilight helped her with this research, which was about changelings, and now you're worried because Twilight might have a crush on her?”

Applejack nodded.

“Applejack, darling, if you were looking to research changelings, wouldn't you want to speak with the pony who actually fought their queen?”

The stubborn earth pony reluctantly nodded.

Rarity continued her verbal illustration. “And, supposing you were Twilight, if you met somepony who liked books and research as much as you did, wouldn't you be fast friends, maybe more than that?”

Applejack frowned, but her eyes didn't leave Rarity's. “I see what you're gettin’ at, Rarity, I really do. But I'm just not convinced. It all feels too convenient.”

“Really, dear?” Rarity fought off the indelicate instinct to groan aloud at her dear friend’s obstinance. “You truly, honestly think that the most logical explanation for somepony researching changelings after the attack on the castle, and for Twilight Sparkle falling for said researcher, is that the pony in question must be secretly evil?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” the other pony grunted. “Now, are you gonna help me help Twi or aren't you?”

Rarity shook her head and sighed. There really was no reasoning with Applejack when she was like this. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I figure we'll just go over there and give Twilight a talkin’ to.” Applejack nodded along with her own ridiculous suggestion as if that made it more reasonable. “Y’know, see if we can knock some sense into her.”

“Ugh. Quite indelicate.” Rarity scoffed. “If you really think there's something suspicious here, I must also insist that we at least entertain the possibility that this could just be an honest relationship.” Applejack rolled her eyes, but Rarity continued. “How about we sleep over at the library tonight? If this pony really is staying with Twilight, that would give us an opportunity to see both of them together for an entire night. If there is any sign of funny business, we can deal with it then. Would that be enough for you?”

Applejack hemmed and hawed. “I suppose so,” she eventually decided.

Rarity let out a sigh. “It's settled, then.” She glanced over her shoulder, sticking a few more pins in the unfinished dress to hold it together. “We'll just show up for a surprise sleepover later on and see what happens. Twilight isn’t going to turn us down, of that I am sure.”

The expression of discontent remained plain on Applejack's face.

Rarity matched it with a reassuring smile. She reached out a hoof to lay on her friend’s shoulder. “Don't you worry, darling. If there really is something fishy going on, I am not going to let it hurt one of our friends.”

Clover set herself up in the kitchen with a cookbook swiped from the third shelf down in the second section from the left: culinary arts, directly adjacent to gastronomy. She hummed away as she chopped several fresh vegetables and deposited them into the waiting stockpot. Tonight: grilled cheese with a cheddar crisp crust, accompanied by a roasted red pepper and tomato bisque.

A set of claw-steps carried down the staircase in the back. Spike emerged from the patch of shadow just outside of the room. He reached up for his hanging apron, but paused as he surveyed the scene. “You know, I don't mind helping with dinner.”

“Oh, Spike! I was going to surprise you.” Clover tossed the chopped, freshly charred onion into the pot, then turned to face the dragon. “You don't have to worry about dinner. I've got it.”

“You sure?” he asked. He hopped up onto the box, still sitting next to the counter, to take a look at the open cookbook. “Where'd you even find this book? Was it in the library?”

“Culinary arts section,” Clover replied as she returned to the pot to give it a stir.

“Uh huh.” Spike reached up a claw towards the pot.

Clover batted it away with a hoof. “Hey. It's not done yet. You'll just be tasting vegetables and water.”

“You're making soup from scratch?”

“It's not that difficult. At least, from what I can tell. It's only my second or third time. The cookbook makes it seem super easy.”

The dragon shrugged. “Usually we just use the canned stuff. Are you sure you don't need any help?”

“Nah. Don't worry, Spike. You're welcome to sit around and watch, if you want. I know you-” Clover trailed off abruptly.

“You know I what?”

Clover quickly recovered. “I know you like spending time in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, I guess. I don't know.” Spike hopped up onto the counter, taking a seat next to the open book. “I used to, at least back when I used to cook with the rest of Twilight's family. Nowadays, I'm doing most of the cooking myself.”

Clover hid her reflexive frown by leaning into the refrigerator. She emerged with a couple of different blocks of cheese. “Well, as long as I'm here, you're welcome to just hang out while I cook. I don't mind spending time with you. You can help, too, but tonight's a pretty simple recipe.”

Spike snatched a piece of cheese from the side of the cutting board, popping it into his mouth. “You know, It's kind of nice having you around with how much you're helping. Maybe you could ask Twilight if you could stay longer; I'm sure she could use a third assistant.”

The chopping stopped. This time, the frown on Clover's face laid bare before Spike. “I really wish I could. This place is nice. You two are great. It really feels like home.”

The dragon leaned to the side. “Well, why can't you?”

Clover recovered in time to stop the intruding claw from stealing another slice of cheese. “There's somepony really important waiting for me back in Canterlot. I can't let her down.”

Spike shrugged. “Aww. You can't blame a dragon for trying to get out of a few more chores.”

Clover pulled a shard of crushed emerald from the pestle and mortar behind the cutting board, tossing it over to Spike. “Really, Spike, I'd love to. It's been nice spending time with you and Twily.” She left the “again” unvoiced.

Spike caught the gem with a chomp. He licked his lips. “Well, if your idea of grilled cheese and tomato soup somehow includes fresh emeralds, I know I'm going to like it.”

“Just for you, Spike.”

Applejack and Rarity knocked on the door to Twilight's Library. Rarity carried with her a bag of essentials. Applejack did not. Nopony responded, so Applejack led the way inside. “Twilight? Is everything alright?”

Twilight looked up from her book mid-notation. “Huh? What? Oh, Applejack, Rarity. What are you doing here this late?”

Rarity cut Applejack off before the latter could incriminate them. “We heard you had a guest, Twilight, and figured what better way to welcome them than to engage the both of you in a proper sleepover? Is tonight alright?”

“Tonight?” The book-horse frowned, glancing down at her notes. “I… guess. I'll have to put all of this away somehow.” Twilight shoved the bulletin board and accompanying books back against the shelves. “Any reason why this had to be last minute?”

“Food's ready!” The voice of Clover Quill carried up the stairs. Clover herself followed, carrying with her a trio of bowls and plates. She lowered one set down to the dragon following hungrily in her wake, then looked over to the other two mares. “Oh, hi. Applejack, right? And-”

Upon noticing Clover, Rarity raised an eyebrow in Applejack’s direction. “Rarity, darling. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

“It's nice to meet you too! I'm Clover, Clover Quill.” Clover offered her biggest smile to the pair. “Are you two staying for dinner?”

“Actually, Clover, they're sleeping over. Apparently.” Twilight took the remaining dishes in her own magic.

“Oh, okay! I made extra soup. Give me a couple minutes and I'll make two more sandwiches. Twilight, why don't you give our food to the two of them so they don't have to wait?” Clover pranced back down the stairs, humming all the way.

Rarity raised her eyebrow even further. She leaned in to whisper to her farmer friend. “Applejack, really? This is the mare you think is harboring some deep, dark secret?”

“Just wait. There's somethin’ funny about her.”

Rarity sighed and shook her head. She sat down in front of one of the plates of grilled cheese. “My apologies for our interruption, Twilight. We didn't want it to wait. You see, Applejack here is slightly suspicious about the motivations of your new guest.”

“Of Clover?” Spike interjected. “Really? Twilight's more suspicious than her.”

Twilight gave Spike a look. “I do have to agree with Spike here, Applejack. Really, I appreciate you looking out for me, but this is just too much. We already talked about this anyways.”

“And I agree, darling, I really do.” Rarity sipped at a spoonful of the deep red soup. “Mmm. Her cooking certainly checks out.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. Rarity refocused. “That's why I insisted we turn this into a sleepover. That way, assuming the three of us are correct, the worst thing that happens is that we get a nice, fun girls’ night out of the deal. Hopefully, it will help assuage Applejack's fears.”

Twilight stared down at the untouched soup in front of Applejack. “I suppose it couldn't hurt anything. Really, though, I promise, there is absolutely nothing odd about Clover Quill.”

“Twily, I got us some food!” Clover skipped back up the stairs, settling down on the ground next to Twilight with an additional two sets of soup and sandwiches.

“Twily?” Applejack murmured in Rarity's direction.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Clover Quill, I must say, you make a marvelous soup. Where did you learn to cook like that?”

“Oh, it's not really anything special.” Clover’s ears flattened as she blushed. “I mean, I read a few books on cooking recently, and I had some time to practice over the past month. Really, anypony could do it.” Clover chomped down on a bite of her own grilled cheese. She smiled and wiggled ever so slightly as she chewed.

Rarity squinted at the pony sitting alongside her. “Applejack, she is adorable,” she whispered. “Queen Chrysalis she is certainly not.” She raised her head back up to address Clover. “Really, Clover, having seen Sweetie Belle try to learn to cook for years, I assure you, not anypony could do that. Sweetie Belle is my sister, by the way.”

“Oh! How old is she? Twilight's age? Spike's age?”

“Younger,” Rarity replied. “At least I think so. How old are you again, Spike?”

The crunch of the grilled cheese’s crust muted Spike's response.

“Ah, yes. Younger than Spike.”

“Since our last sleepover didn't go so well thanks to Rarity and I, I figured tonight could be a do-over of sorts. We could play some of the games we didn't really get right last time. For instance…” Applejack side-eyed Rarity. “…truth or dare?”

Twilight chirped in. “That sounds nice.” She piled up Applejack and Rarity's already empty plates and bowls. “Spike, could you take care of the dishes for us?”

“Twilight, I can do that.” Clover jumped in. “Spike doesn't need to-”

“He’ll be fine,” Applejack interrupted. “From what I hear, you been doin’ enough of Spike’s chores already. I'm pretty sure he can stand to do the dishes just once today.” She resettled, adjusting her hat. “Besides, we want you to be a part of this too. Wouldn't be very welcoming of us to have you cook our dinner and do our dishes while we all have fun without you.”

Clover mouthed the word “sorry” to Spike as he carried the first stack of dishes away. “If you're sure.” Her response carried with it just the slightest hint of anxiety.

“I am sure,” Applejack replied. “You know how to play truth or dare, don'tcha?” Clover’s uncertain glance to Twilight gave her cause to continue. “It's pretty simple: we go around in a circle, and each one of us gets to choose somepony to ask ‘truth or dare’ to. That pony chooses whether they want a truth or a dare, and then the pony whose turn it is gets to ask them one question they have to tell that honest truth too, or gets to dare them to do anything they want.”

Clover swallowed nervously. “Okay. That sounds… fun?”

“Oh, don't worry, dear. It's not as intimidating as it sounds, I promise.” Rarity shot another quick but subtle glare over at Applejack as she continued. “I'll get us started if that's alright. We need to show Clover that this game is fun, not as scary as some of us make it sound. Clover, truth or dare?”

Clover hesitated. She popped the last bite of grilled cheese into her mouth, chewing it thoroughly. She swallowed. “Dare?”

“Dare! Alright, then, dear. How about…” Rarity paused to think. “I dare you to let me fix up that mane of yours.”

“What? Is there something wrong with my mane?” Clover flailed, grabbing the tightly wound braid with her hooves. “Did I mess it up?”

Rarity leaned forward, peering at the intricate layers of hair. Her narrowed eyes widened. “No, actually. I sincerely apologize, Clover. Your mane is quite well cared-for. Very well, then. Instead, I dare you to let me do your makeup.”

“My makeup?” Clover let her braid fall back into place. “I don't usually wear makeup.”

“Well, Clover, dear, that's what makes it a dare. Not as scary as it sounds, is it?”

Clover shut her eyes tight as Rarity approached. She shook her head, but otherwise kept her eyes and lips held closed. Rarity worked her magic with a few select brushes and jars from her bag. A bit of blue eyeshadow and some carefully applied blush and eyeliner transformed Clover's face in seconds.

Rarity pulled herself back, taking note while Twilight eyed Clover with a slight blush. She smirked in Applejack’s direction. “See? It's just like I told you,” she said to both mares at once.

“Right.” Applejack rolled her eyes back at Rarity. “Well, Clover, being as it's my turn, I think I just might choose you as well. Truth or dare?”

Clover pried one eye open, then the other. She breathed at last. “Um, d- dare, I think.”

“I dare you to levitate Twilight and hold her there for half a minute.”

A surprised shout escaped Twilight. “What?!”

“It’s okay, Twilight,” Clover replied once her eyes returned to their normal size. “I’m not going to drop you. I promise.”

While Clover, now blushing herself, set to the task at hoof, Applejack turned back to Rarity. “See? Like I said.” She pointed a hoof at the cloud enveloping Twilight. “Green magic. And she's only choosing dare, not truth. She knows I could see through her like a gator sees through swamp water.”

“Applejack, darling, green magic doesn't prove anything.” Rarity snatched Applejack’s hoof out of the air, pressing it back to the ground. “Sweetie Belle has green magic. Clover has a naturally green mane; I saw no signs of dyeing when I was up close. It's not unheard of for unicorns to have magic that matches their hair.”

“Yeah, but only some unicorns.” Applejack leaned in closer. “Every changeling has green magic, at least all the ones we saw.”

“Applejack, really, would an evil changeling be blushing while staring into Twilight's eyes?” Rarity gestured to the pink-faced pair across from them.

“I don't know!” Applejack hissed. “None of us know. What I do know is that these two are the only ponies in Equestria who could tell us whether or not changelings can blush, unless one of them isn’t a pony at all.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, turning back away from her stubborn friend.

Clover’s magic eased Twilight down. She stopped to take a deep breath once Twilight landed safely back on the ground.

“That was a fine display of magical prowess, darling.” Rarity reached over to rub at Clover's hoof. “Most unicorns would be exhausted after holding another pony up in the air for that long.”

“Thank you,” Clover replied, mildly flushed.

Twilight took a moment to breathe before speaking. “Well, since everypony else seems to be choosing Clover, I guess I might as well join in. We should probably all try to pick someone else for the next round, though, so this doesn't end up like that time when you two kept daring each other back and forth,” she pointed out. “Clover, truth or dare?”

Applejack leaned over to whisper in Rarity's ear yet again. “Now you just watch. She's gonna pick dare again. There ain't no way in Tartarus this pony is brave enough to tell the truth.”

“Clover, truth or dare?”

Clover Quill's heart skipped a beat. Truth or dare? This moment could change everything forever. A dare seemed easy enough; she'd survived two so far without any difficulties. Truth, though, could be something far worse, or far greater.

It might give her a chance to finally come clean.

It might ruin everything.

She took a deep breath before responding. “Truth.”

Across from Clover, Rarity raised a victorious eyebrow in Applejack's direction.

Twilight lit up upon hearing Clover's answer. “Oh, this is going to be fun. Let's see…”

Clover bit her lip. Her heart pounded loud enough to rattle her teeth.

Twilight grinned. “Oh, I've got it. This is going to be a tricky one.” She cleared her throat. “Ahem. What was the last guilty pleasure book you read?”

“What?” All of the built-up anticipation washed away, leaving Clover nothing but confused.

“You know: a book that you liked, but you'd be embarrassed to admit to liking.”

“Oh. I get it,” Clover replied. She took a few breaths to calm her nerves. “Let me think. I read a lot of books last month. I think it would probably be…” She lowered her voice. “…The Modern Dressmaker’s Definitive Guide to Fashion Design.”

“What?!” Rarity exclaimed, clapping a hoof to her chest. “Darling, why in the world would you be embarrassed to have enjoyed a book by Top Stitch? He's one of the most prominent fashion designers in all of Equestria. His books are well-regarded by everypony in the industry.”

“I can guess this one.” Applejack turned to Rarity with a haughty grin. “Not all of us ponies are the frilly fru-fru fashion types. Ain't that right?”

An embarrassed Clover nodded. “I'm really not usually the sort for makeup or dresses.” Armor, yes. Uniform, yes. Just not dresses.

Rarity shoved Applejack’s hat down over the earth pony’s eyes before replying. “Clover, dear, you would look absolutely fabulous in a nice evening gown. If you were able to follow a book like that, let alone enjoy it, perhaps I should invite you to model for me the next time I need a hoof.”

Clover's ears flattened. “Really? I don't think I would be all that suited for fashion.”

“I beg to differ. One of these days, I'm going to change your mind.” Rarity nodded in Clover's direction. “Besides, darling, look at yourself. Just that little bit of makeup already transformed you. You look like a new mare.”

Clover’s heart stuttered.

“We’ve gotten all the way around now,” Twilight interjected. “It's Clover's turn. Clover, who do you want to choose for truth or dare?”

The instant Twilight stopped speaking, Clover invented an excuse. “Actually, I need to visit the restroom. I'll be right back.” She leapt to her hooves, darting down the stairs.

Twilight stood up from her spot. “Since we're waiting on Clover, I'm going to take the chance to go upstairs and set up the beds. I wasn't really expecting guests today.” She wandered off, leaving Rarity and Applejack alone for the first time since they'd arrived.

Rarity took the initiative in their inevitable argument. “Now, Applejack, dear, you seriously can't still believe that Clover is a changeling.”

“Well, maybe I do,” Applejack retorted. “Honestly, Rarity, I can't believe the fact that you're not taking this seriously. This could mean that one of our friends is in danger.”

“Darling, if Clover is a changeling, I will eat several of my hats.”

“Want to make it a bet? Ten bits says she is.”

“You are on, Applejack.” Rarity stuck out a hoof, clasping Applejack’s with her own.

“Good.” Applejack smirked. “Easiest money I ever made.”

“Of course you'd think that.” One of Rarity’s ears flicked upwards. “Darling, what kind of creature would be able to put on that convincing of an act?”

“A changeling,” Applejack replied with a nod that could of course be described as stubborn. “That's exactly what they do. Or did you forget what happened at the wedding?”

“What happened at the wedding?” Rarity leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Applejack, dear, let me remind you that the only changelings we met at the wedding were quite irritable and unpleasant. Twilight saw through Queen Chrysalis’s disguise right away. We were the ones fooled.”

“She has you eatin’ right out of her hooves, Rarity. For Twilight, she pretends to be interested in books. For you, all she had to do was mention one little thing about fashion and you forgot all your sense.”

“I am not eating out of her hooves!” Rarity nearly shouted. She clapped her own hooves over her mouth.

Applejack raised an obnoxious eyebrow.

Rarity let her front hooves fall, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Besides, I never told her that I was in the fashion business. That truth of hers was something completely separate.”

“Uh huh. Of course it was. Rarity, anypony can tell just lookin’ at you that you're into all that fancy schmancy stuff.”

“What does that mean?”

“You know exactly what that means.” Applejack’s smug, irritating grin reared its unfortunately not-completely-ugly head.

Rarity scoffed. “Applejack, just because you're jealous of my looks doesn't mean you should judge me by them. Plenty of ponies outside of my particular line of work look almost as fabulous as me.”

“Yeah, and I'll bet most of them are lucky to be half as stuck up as you too.”

“I can't believe I'm hearing this.” Rarity leaned in closer. “As much as I find your rustic nature charming, you wouldn't truly know good looks if a cart full of them ran you over.”

“Oh, yeah?” Applejack matched her movements. “Just because you think I'm rough and ugly doesn't mean you know squat about my opinion on good looks.”

“I never said you were ugly, darling.”

“I never said you were ugly neither.”

“I- You are positively infuriating. Fine.” Already nose to nose with the stubborn, irritating, obnoxious pony opposite her, Rarity darted in to plant a brief kiss on Applejack's lips. “Happy?”

Applejack blinked. “Uh, Rarity? Did you just-”

“And if I did?” Rarity asked with forelegs crossed and muzzle upturned.

“Then I just might have to do something like this.” Applejack caught Rarity's lips again, pressing the surprised unicorn back against the nearest shelf.

Clover Quill stared into the mirror at a pony who was distinctly a mare. With Rarity's touch-up, with emphasized eyelashes, a bit of eyeshadow, and a bit of blush, not to mention whatever else Rarity used while her eyes were closed, she had to admit that Rarity was right. The makeup had transformed her.

She pawed at her face, gingerly running a hoof along the soft fur of her cheek. Shining Armor, it seemed, wasn't here anymore. Clover Quill had thoroughly taken over.

Was that okay? Would Cadance still accept Clover Quill? This wasn't the stallion she'd married.

It was, though. As much as the new face and makeup hid what was underneath, at her core, Clover Quill still felt like Shining Armor. She had the same training, the same childhood and upbringing, the same basic abilities. Even most of her personality, at least she thought, had to be the same. She might be a little bit more bubbly, a little bit more actively cheerful, but that had to be hormonal, right?

Somehow, in whatever way Chrysalis's magic had decided, she was Clover Quill and Shining Armor: two ponies in one. The separation wasn't as clean as that, though, at least as far as she could tell. Everything mixed.

Clover Quill came from Shining Armor very distinctly. Clover was a personality she invented, yet at the same time, Clover was just as truly her as Shining. At this point, she reasoned she didn't have a clean way to distinguish which parts of her belonged to which identity.

Clover looked one more time over the mare in the mirror. There was no disconnect, not as there was back when she first awoke in Lemon’s guest bedroom. This was her. The mare in the mirror was Shining Armor, and was Clover Quill. Shining Armor was a mare. Shining Armor was this mare.

She blinked away the tears before they could start. If this was her, whether it be a temporary delusion or a symptom of a larger change, she could embrace it, couldn't she? She could be herself, even if this new herself didn't match her old self.

That braid wasn't right. She could fix it.

Clover Quill let her hair fall, untying the ribbon that held it all together. The practiced structure and intricacy of the fishtail braid didn't match, not tonight. No, she could be more than that, more than just the rhythm of the Captain of the Royal Guard. She failed at that anyway, and Cadance almost came to harm because of it. She could be more.

The waterfall braid: the one braid that Shining Armor had only practiced on his sister, never the other way around. Rows of wavy locks cascading down, woven between individual strands that all came together along one side to form a braid. The hairstyle required a long, cared-for mane, something the old Shining Armor didn't have. The new Clover Quill set to work, casting off shame in order to finally allow herself to feel good.

She finished in record time. Her mane wrapped around the back of her head, rippling through twisting lines of hair. It framed her head from behind, accentuating the makeup rather than drawing attention away from it. It wasn't the most difficult of braids, but it was what Clover wanted it to be. She completed the process, still blushing despite her resolve, by tying the end of the braid together with the yellow ribbon she'd woven through it. This time, she wound the ends into a bow.

A claw poked at her leg. “Hey, Clover.” She glanced down to see Spike standing in the open bathroom door. “Are you doing alright? Good thing I was in the kitchen when your timer went off.”

“The shortcakes!” Clover dashed to the kitchen with Spike in pursuit. She breathed a sigh of relief once she saw them sitting on the counter. “Thank you, Spike. I really don't know what we would do without you.”

“Of course you don't,” the little dragon replied. He hopped up onto the box that served as his step stool, reaching out for one of the steaming cakes. “You and Twilight would both be hopeless without my help.”

Clover lifted the pan out of Spike's reach. “That's why you're her number one assistant,” she said with a smile. “Spike, wait until they're done. Do you ever wait to eat what you're making until after you finish cooking it?”

Spike shrugged. “Eh, not really.” He hopped up onto the counter, sitting down to watch.

“Well, how about this? You can either have one of them right now, or you can wait 5 minutes for me to whip some cream and put together the strawberry topping, and then you can have two. We were all supposed to have two, but Twilight and I will make do with one apiece since we have guests.” She busied herself setting up bowls and gathering ingredients.

“Works for me!”

“Good. Then how about you find me a little ruby? I know those are special treats, but I can put one on top of your whipped cream instead of a strawberry if you can keep from eating it until the cakes are done. Can you at least try to be patient?”

“Try?” Spike reached up into the back of a cupboard, pulling out a jar of assorted low-grade gems. “Clover, patience is my middle name.”

Several pillows and at least two full sets of sheets hovered in the air. Twilight Sparkle looked between the small guest bed and her options, pondering the most appropriate choice. “Well, Rarity and Applejack are probably sleeping in the same bed, right? Right. So, they're going to need two sets of pillows and a fresh set of sheets. Yes, that makes sense.”

The existing bedclothes flew off of the bed. Twilight stretched a new fitted sheet over the mattress in their place. “That's what we did last time, right? Yes. Because they were both in the same place when the tree came through the window.” She folded the matching sheet over top of the bed. “That leaves me in my own bed.” Four pillows piled up at the top of the guest bed. Twilight carried the remaining sheets and pillows, along with the bundled up set that had previously occupied the guest bed, over to her room. “Me and… Clover.”

The spare sheets trembled in the air above Twilight. “I have to sleep in the same bed as Clover.” She pulled the sheets off of her old bed by a single corner. The elastic stretched taut. It flung the sheets all the way over to the opposite side of the room the moment Twilight let go. “It's no big deal. Everypony occasionally has to share a bed with their friends.” The replacement sheets fell awkwardly into place once Twilight regathered them, one corner not fully covering the mattress. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, who are you kidding, Twilight?” the unicorn asked herself out loud. “You know it's a big deal. Because- because you have a crush on Clover!” She clapped her hooves over her mouth.

Twilight lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not so loud. Oh, Celestia. Why did I have to fall in love with the first pony to ever do postgraduate-level research with me? I mean, lots of ponies research together.

“Come on, Twilight. Get it together.” Twilight paced as she talked. “She probably doesn't think of me as anything more than a friend. Don't make this awkward. Sure, she is the cutest mare I've ever seen. And she loves books, which is a bonus. But a sleepover is definitely not the time to tell a friend you have feelings for them. Especially if they probably don't like you the same way.

“Everything can be perfectly normal. Yeah. We'll just sleep in the same bed on opposite sides. No touching. No looking at each other. No… thinking about each other.” Her cheeks brightened. “Oh no. Now I'm thinking about her.”

A very grumpy-looking dragon followed Clover upstairs, holding a pair of small cakes with neither rubies nor strawberries atop their whipped cream. Clover carried with her the rest of the desserts. “Hey, girls. Guess what I brought?”

She stopped. Her eyes locked onto the two ponies at the other side of the lobby. Reflexively, she cast a spell that wrapped a bandana around Spike's eyes. “Spike, how about you eat your dessert downstairs? Sorry. Just trust me on this one, okay?” While the blindfolded dragon tried to make his way back down the stairs holding a pair of desserts, Clover wandered to the other side of the room. “Rarity? Applejack? This isn't normal for your sleepovers, right?”

Both ponies scrambled to disentangle their limbs and detach their lips from one another. “Clover, I promise you, this isn't what it looks like-”

“Nah, it's exactly what it looks like,” Applejack responded with a sigh. “I don't think there's much point in trying to deny it anymore, Rares.”

“What is there to hide?” Clover settled two of the shortcakes in front of Applejack and Rarity, placing the others to the side for now. “You two are really more than just friends, right? Why would you need to hide that?”

“‘Cause we're not,” Applejack replied flatly. “This was a bad decision on both our parts. No need to go and make it more than that.”

“A bad decision?” Rarity gasped. “Darling, you are the one who made the choice to continue this ‘bad decision’.”

“And yer the one who started the whole gosh-darned thing in the first place.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” Clover interrupted, “but it certainly didn't look like either of you was doing anything you weren't happy with.” She sat herself down. “You two were already friends well before this, right?”

Applejack tried to respond. “Yes, but-”

“If you two are already friends, and both of you want more than that, there's nothing stopping you except for yourselves.” Clover gestured to her heart. “I've learned a lot about love from some very important ponies in my life. The hardest thing about it is always having the courage to try in the first place.” That's why she fell in love with Cadance, after all; Cadance always helped other ponies take that first step.

Both Rarity and Applejack wilted, sharing a sheepish look with one another. Rarity spoke first. “She's right, you know. Ever since that first disaster of a sleepover, I've had you on my mind. You drive me crazy sometimes, in both the good ways and the bad.”

“I guess you bein’ all prissy ain't so bad all the time either,” Applejack replied, “even if it's downright infuriatin’ from time to time.”

Clover smiled. “See? That's the hardest part.” She glanced towards the upper floor. “Do you want me to distract Twilight so that you two can work this out?”

Rarity finally broke eye contact with Applejack. She placed a hoof atop one of Clover’s. “It's alright, darling. We don't need to figure everything out tonight. Thank you for what you said, though.”

The sound of a fourth pony trudging down the stairs drew all of their attention. Twilight settled onto the ground floor, wiping sweat from her brow. “Phew. I’m finally done. Let's get back to the sleepover.”

With the pillows properly fluffed and the sheets tucked in perfectly, Rarity inched her way under the covers.

Applejack dove into the bed headfirst, wrapping herself in the remaining sheets.

“Ugh, I really can't believe you.” Rarity tugged at the sheets. “At least let me have enough to stay warm.”

Applejack tugged back with a playful smirk. “What’re you gonna do about it?”

“Applejack, what happened down there does not mean you have unlimited license to torment me.” Rarity yanked the sheets free from Applejack, lifting them up into the air and letting them settle back down onto the two of them equally. “And after that, you can't possibly still believe what you said about Clover.”

“After that? Whaddaya mean? What she did down there is even more suspicious.”

Rarity sputtered. “Even- even more suspicious? How could her being a good friend make her even more suspicious?”

“Easy.” Applejack’s irritatingly stubborn nod returned. Or was it stubbornly irritating? “If she is a changeling, more relationships means more love for her kind to feed on. It's as simple as that.”

“It's as simple as- ugh. Applejack, dear, you have to promise me that you are not going to take this suspicion any further without real proof.” The moment Applejack opened her mouth, Rarity poked it with a hoof. “And I do mean real proof, not this circumstantial drivel that would implicate any one of us.”

“Fine,” Applejack grumped adorably. “I'm gonna find that proof, though. And when I do, after we've saved Twilight, yer gonna owe me ten bits.”

“And when you don't, you know where to find me.” Rarity scooted slightly closer. “Don't worry, darling, I can be patient in collecting my debts.” She winked. “Now, since that's settled, how about one more kiss before bed? "

“Gladly.”

Clover Quill stared at the starry sheets in front of her. “You and I are sharing a bed?”

“Yes!” Twilight responded just unsuspiciously enough to avoid Clover's notice. “We are sharing a bed. I'll sleep on this side. Don't worry; I don't snore.”

“Usually,” Spike interjected from his bed.

“Spike, don't antagonize your sister,” Clover responded reflexively. She kept her attention focused on the bed, though. She couldn't make this weird. This was normal for girls, right? Sharing beds. Most fillies were a bit more comfortable with physical contact, too, right? If she was Clover Quill, if she didn't want to risk messing everything up, she had to play along. She lifted up a single corner of the sheets, sliding onto the very edge of the bed.

Twilight followed suit, staying far enough away that Clover breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Good night, Clover,” Twilight's voice called from the other side of the mattress.

“Good night, Twilight. Good night, Spike.”

“Night, you two. Just don't keep me up too late with girl talk.”

Clover didn't laugh. Instead, she considered the implication of those last two words. “Hey, Twilight?” she whispered after just a moment.

“What is it, Clover?”

She hesitated. “I've really enjoyed getting to be your friend over the last few days.”

The response came after another few seconds of silence. “I'm really glad I got to meet you too, Clover.”

“Good night, Twilight.”

“Good night.”

Clover's last words before falling asleep echoed in Twilight's ears. Did she really mean that she actually enjoyed Twilight's company? Or was she saying the ‘friends’ thing specifically to mean that's all she saw Twilight as? Or were there any number of other impossible-to-parse meanings that could have been implied through subtext?

A soft whimpering from behind her interrupted her spiral of anxiety. Twilight rolled over to see Clover rocking back and forth, biting her bottom lip hard enough to be visible. She hesitated, but moved closer. “Clover? Are you okay?”

The sleeping mare shook, her nighttime terror only intensifying.

“Hey. It's going to be okay, Clover. Everything's alright.”

Clover continued to whimper. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, dripping down her cheeks.

Twilight paused for just a moment to consider the implications of her crush on her potential course of action. Concern for her friend overrode that worry. She scooted along the mattress even further, wrapping her front two legs around the other mare and holding her close. “Shh. You're okay, Clover. Nopony is going to hurt you.”

The sniffling slowly died down along with the movements. Clover began to breathe more steadily.

For a brief moment, Twilight considered letting Clover go to soothe her own worries. The moment one of her hooves left Clover, the whimpering began again. She pressed back in, her thoughts somehow staying chaste. “Don't worry,” she whispered. “I'll stay right here.”

Holding a pony she'd known only for a few short days, Twilight drifted off to sleep.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Clover Quill is special. She has already become a great friend to me in only a few days. Spike seems to like her quite a bit as well. I am, however, worried about a few minor things that are tangentially related.

What happens when you start to have feelings for another pony that are more than just friendship? How do you know whether or not the other pony will reciprocate those feelings? What happens if you try to share those feelings and the other pony does not respond well?

I have never had to consider this sort of problem before now. I am sure that you are much more experienced in these matters than myself. I would greatly appreciate any advice that you could offer on the subject.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Her Place

Chapter Text

The next morning, Clover awoke to a warm pair of legs wrapped around her upper body. She froze the moment she noticed them.

She had to treat this as normal. Girls did things like this. She couldn't be weird about physical contact.

From her perch, she saw a pair of ponies heading out the front door. Rarity looked back up to her, pointing between Applejack and herself before waving goodbye. Clover conjured a spectral hoof with which to wave back, unable to escape Twilight's grasp.

The door closed behind the two. Clover found herself alone with Twilight. Without the ability to easily pull free of the hooves, she settled for attempting to turn around. She tucked her legs inwards, carefully spinning herself without rolling off of the edge. That gave her a clear view of the face of the mare lying on her other side.

Twilight always looked so peaceful when she slept, a sharp contrast to the mare’s waking behavior. So many years had passed since Clover last saw her. She really was all grown up now, in ways she hadn't been for most of her adulthood.

Absent-mindedly, Clover lifted a hoof to brush Twilight's mane away from her face. Maybe this unexpected time together would be a good way to make up for some of the time they missed.

Twilight’s eyelashes fluttered. She opened her eyes to the sight of Clover Quill smiling at her, still wrapped in her forelegs. A hoof, certainly not her own, brushed away a few strands of Twilight's hair. Twilight stared, momentarily uncertain as to whether or not she was still dreaming.

“Good morning, Twily. Rarity and Applejack already left.”

That was Clover's voice. This wasn't a dream? That didn't make sense. Maybe this was normal. After all, Twilight never had any sleepovers in Canterlot. This was probably just the way Canterlot mares did things. Yeah. That made sense as long as she didn't think about it too much.

“I can’t move like this. Can you let go of me now? If you want breakfast, I need to get up.”

Oh. That made more sense. Clover’s subsequent giggle left Twilight’s ears ringing. Twilight retracted her legs, blushing. “Sorry. Sorry, you were just having a nightmare, and-”

Clover’s face fell. “Did I say anything?”

“No. You were just- you looked scared. I was just trying to help.” Even though Twilight knew herself to be truthful, part of her imagined herself having ulterior motives. She kept a straight face in spite of those thoughts. “Are you alright?”

Clover sighed. Even her sighs were adorable, light and airy in a way that made Twilight shiver. “I’m okay. I'm going to go and make us some food, alright?” She scooted back. “Golden raisins and pecans okay in your oats?”

“Actually, yes.” Twilight tilted her head to the side. “How did you know that?”

Clover replied with a very pretty smile that kept Twilight from questioning her further. “Lucky guess.” She slid out of bed. “Be back in a few minutes. You go get everything set up for studying.”

Down in the kitchen, Clover measured out three servings worth of rolled oats. She poured them into a pot along with some water and a splash of milk, then ignited the burner beneath. She smiled as she worked, humming the same familiar tune that always offered her comfort.

Back in Canterlot, before all of this, Shining hadn't been much of a cook. Clover had to learn while staying with Lemon, of course, but before that, she knew very little. The only thing she ever really cooked was oats.

Several jars of spices settled onto the countertop. Clover measured out a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg into a little bowl off to the side. Warm spices helped her oats chase away the morning chill even once breakfast cooled.

Something in the familiar warmth of the library kept a smile on Clover's face this morning. She felt like she had woken up in a better and better mood every day since her arrival. The closeness with Twilight was unusual, but for whatever reason, it didn't feel unwanted or awkward. At least as far as she could tell, the awkwardness stayed low and in the background at worst.

A hoofful of pecans and a sprinkle of golden raisins filled another portioning bowl. They gave her oats some variation in texture and some pops of nutty, fruity flavor.

Every time she looked at Twilight, she couldn't help but smile. Given that reaction, maybe she needed to make more time to see her siblings. Royal Guard business kept her away far too much. Cadance was, of course, also her home, but as she grew closer to Cadance and found herself swept away by royal affairs, she lost touch with the rest of it.

The mixture on the stove came to a simmer. Clover stirred in the remaining ingredients and lowered the heat, twisting the knob to coax the flame away from the pot. She studied the mixture, waiting for just the right time to add her secret ingredient: a small knob of cold, salted butter, only stirred in once the oatmeal was off of the heat.

She would find the right time to tell Twilight and Spike. Every moment she stayed silent tore away at her. On several occasions, she’d almost slipped, but every time she tried to force herself to speak, she couldn't help but stay silent. She didn't want to stay silent. The only problem with not staying silent was that this time would come to an end.

Clover pulled the pot off of the stove. She dropped in the little cube of butter, stirring it until it melted into the creamy oats. She watched it dissolve, inhaling the aroma of her siblings’ favorite childhood meal.

Clover brought three bowls of oats up the stairs with her. She set two next to Twilight, then took the third up the stairs. That one she lowered next to Spike’s bed. “Wakey wakey, Spike.”

“Five more minutes,” the dragon grumbled, rolling over.

“Oh, come on. If you don't wake up, you're going to miss breakfast. It's my special oats! I'm pretty sure you'll like those, even if they aren't as good as rubies.”

Spike mumbled something unintelligible in response.

Rolling her eyes, Clover slid the bowl back a few hooves. She grinned mischievously. “If you're not going to get up for breakfast, I bet I know what you will get up for.” Her horn glowed green. “Your morning flight.”

“Shining, wait!” Spike called out a moment too late. By the time he spoke, his bed was already floating near the ceiling. He tumbled out, and Clover's magic caught him just in time. She giggled to herself as she walked away.

“That was weird,” Spike muttered to himself. He plopped down onto the ground, pulling the bowl towards him. “That was just like…” He took a bite of the oats. The familiar flavor caused his eyes to widen. “…Shining Armor.”

Twilight waited for Clover to settle in before she accosted the mare. “You know, Clover, I've been thinking about something.” Something not related to how pretty Clover looked when she was reading, surprisingly. " You literally haven't left the library since you got here. It's been days. Now, if we were doing something important like organizing, I wouldn't think twice about that, but we aren't. How about we take today to introduce you to some of my friends?”

Clover looked up from her breakfast. " Is that really necessary, Twilight? I mean, I figured we would just keep working on this until we had everything figured out.”

“Clover, a complete model of changeling anatomy is a weeks-long project at least. If you stay in here for that long, you'll be as bad as I was back in Canterlot.” Not to mention that Twilight might go crazy in a different way.

The adorable unicorn sitting next to her frowned in between bites of oats. “Really, Twilight, I just want to finish our research. I don't need to make new friends.”

“Now you sound even more like the old me,” Twilight concluded. She tugged Clover’s book away from her. “That settles it. Sometime today, you are going outside and making at least one friend.”

The cutest pout in all of Equestria swiveled in Twilight’s direction. “But didn't I make friends with Rarity and Applejack last night?”

Twilight shrugged. “I don't know. They left so early this morning I didn't get a chance to ask them. Maybe that can be what you do today.” She reached over to her deflating friend. “Clover, I know what it's like to be engrossed in your research. I really do. But Princess Celestia taught me that friendship is just as important as books.”

“Not more important?” Clover teased. A slight smile returned to her face.

“Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here.” Twilight returned that smile. “Look, I promise, my friends are the least intimidating ponies in Ponyville. I'm sure you'll be able to make friends with at least one of them.”

“Hey, Twilight,” Spike called as he wandered down the stairs. “I think I saw one of those things you were looking into outside the window this morning.”

“Changelings?!” Clover gasped.

“Nope!” Spike shook his head. “The thing Twilight was researching before you got here.”

“Ball lightning?” Twilight jumped into the air. “Ohmygosh. That's one of the rare weather phenomena that only appears above the Everfree Forest! I'll be back as soon as I've captured the requisite data. Oh, and sorry, Clover!” She sped out the door in a blur.

Clover settled her empty bowl into Twilight’s, collecting the spoons. “I guess I'll take care of the dishes, then.” She wandered downstairs, taking the remnants of the morning's meal to the sink and wiping them clean.

When she turned to leave the kitchen, Spike stood in the doorway. “I know your secret,” he stated, “and I'm not letting you leave until you admit it.”

Clover's knees buckled.

“You’re secretly…” Spike paused for dramatic effect. “…actually friends with Shining Armor. You lied to Twilight when you said you didn't know him.”

Clover settled down onto the tile. She couldn't look him in the eyes. “Spike,” she said in a weak voice, “That's not my secret.”

“It isn't?” Spike snapped his claws. “Aww, I was sure I had it.”

“No, Spike. I'm not friends with Shining Armor.” Clover's heart raced. She looked into the eyes of her little brother. Her will shattered. “I… am Shining Armor.”

“What?!” the dragon shouted, his eyes bulging out of their sockets for an instant. “No, that's impossible! You're joking with me, right?”

She shook her head. “No, Spike. I'm not. Please don't tell Twilight. I’m under some sort of spell, and I-” the tears choked her.

Spike stepped over to her side. He sat down next to Clover, leaning against her. “You're not joking?”

“‘My big brother, best friend forever…’” she sang with a shaky voice. “That's what Twilight always used to sing to me.”

“Why aren't you back in Canterlot with Cadance?”

Clover looked down to her chest, then followed the line of her body back to her tail. She gave it a flick. “All of this. That's why we're researching transformation magic.”

“You mean you can't turn back?”

Clover shook her head. “Every spell I've tried has failed. I'm hoping whatever we find out about changeling magic will help.”

Her little brother raised a claw, setting it on her back. “That's awful, Shining. Are you doing okay? "

Again, she shook her head no. “Some days, I'm doing better than others. I really missed you and Twily, Spike. I'm sorry I never came to visit. It's been nice getting to spend some time with you both.”

“Yeah. I missed you too, Shining.” Spike scrunched up his nose. “Is… that what I should call you now?”

Clover giggled. “I don't really mind what you call me if it's not around Twilight. Clover is fine too. It's complicated.” The sound of the front door swinging open carried down the stairs. Clover hurried to make a final addition. “Just please, whatever you do, don't tell Twilight. I don't want her to have to know.”

“Okay. I promise.”

After wiping her eyes, Clover pulled her little brother into a quick hug. She then started up the stairs, stopping only to stare at the new arrival. She shifted into her typical greeting. “Hello. Welcome to Golden Oak Library. Can I help you find anything?”

The little yellow pegasus hid behind her long, pink mane. “Oh, um, I was just looking for Twilight. I didn't know there were any other ponies who worked here.”

She relaxed the moment Spike reached the top of the stairs. “Oh, Fluttershy! Sorry, Twilight's probably going to be busy for at least the next hour. She's measuring lightning.”

“Lightning?” Fluttershy asked. “But there aren't any clouds out today.”

“Yeah. It's going to take her at least an hour to figure that out,” Spike replied. “Anyways, you should meet-” Spike glanced up to the unicorn standing alongside him. “Clover Quill,” he decided. “She's a friend of ours. She's visiting from Canterlot to do some research.”

Clover stepped forward, pausing once Fluttershy started to shrink back in on herself. " It's nice to meet you, Fluttershy. Do you think I could help?”

Fluttershy recovered from her bout of shyness once Clover stopped moving. " I don't know.” She scraped a hoof along the floorboards anxiously. “It seems like an awful lot to ask from somepony I've just met.”

“Trust me, Fluttershy.” Spike elbowed the unicorn standing beside him. “If anypony can help you with your problem, whatever it is, it’s Clover.”

The library’s newest guest looked up with hope behind her blue eyes.

Twilight's earlier words rang in the back of Clover's head. She took a leap of faith. “Would it be alright if I try? I know the library pretty well by now. I've been here for a few days.”

Fluttershy relaxed under Clover’s friendly smile. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.” She turned to face Clover fully. “It's actually not at the library. One of my squirrel friends is sick and Dr. Fauna is on vacation. I was hoping Twilight might be able to help me figure out what was wrong. He just has a really bad tummy ache and nothing I'm doing is helping.”

“Squirrels. That would be under rodents, probably within the biology section.” Clover stepped over to the most likely shelves, pulling out a pair of relevant books. “Would you like me to try and help? I'm waiting on Twilight anyways.”

“I mean… if that's alright with you. That would be nice,” Fluttershy replied. “You seem like you know what you're doing.”

Clover chuckled. “More than I did when I first got here, at least. I'm sure I'm not going to be as good at this as Twily, but I'll do my best.”

Under the covers of a bed in the back of Carousel Boutique, Rarity rolled away from Applejack. “Darling, what are we doing?” she asked with a sigh.

“I don't know,” the other pony replied. She propped the side of her head up with a hoof. “Are we s’posed to know?”

“We have been friends for the longest time. It just seems like we should know what we are.”

Applejack shrugged. “I mean, we could still just be friends. You know, just cuz that changeling said that we were supposed to be more doesn't mean it was true.”

Rarity rolled back over with a huff. “Applejack, that is far more rude than I know you to be. And,” she continued, glaring at the other mare, “I do believe that she was right. Or do you not share my feelings?”

“I dunno, Rares. I mean, not to say I haven’t thought about it before, but d’you really think a relationship between us could work out?”

“I feel like we owe the concept at least a bit of consideration, darling.” Rarity let out a puff of air, watching Applejack’s mane flutter. “I've given some thought to it as well. I know that both of us are on rather different career paths, and that you tend to favor a bit of roughness where I favor glamor, but I think that's exactly why I like you. Do you disagree?”

“No, I can't rightly say that I do disagree.” Applejack let out a sigh. She picked her hat up from the headboard and set it back onto her head. “Why'd ya have to go and make this whole thing so darn complicated? I mean, this all coulda been more traditional. Now, when I think of you, I can't help but think of that other problem.”

Rarity glowered. “Applejack, darling, you really do need to give Clover some grace. She has done nothing to either of us, and not a single thing you have suggested has given me any cause to suspect her of wrongdoing.” She flipped her mane up out of her eyes. “In fact, if anything, I'd say that she has earned at least a little bit of our trust. At the very least, she has earned the right not to be the cause of either of us second guessing what is happening between us.”

“I wish that I could say that I agreed,” the other replied simply.

Rarity tensed. “Please, Applejack, stop this.” She scooted away. “This has gone quite far enough. I trust you as a friend, Applejack, and I want to trust you as more than that, but I cannot sit idly by while you insinuate such horrible things about an innocent mare.”

“And I'd agree with you if she was an innocent mare. But she's not.”

Rarity sat up. “Applejack, this is not a joke any longer. This is serious. You need to stop this foolishness.”

“Nopony is going to get hurt on my watch, darlin’.” Applejack sat up as well.

“And what about Twilight?” Rarity opted to ignore the mockery in favor of the more important issue. “If you continue along with this ridiculous thing, won't she get hurt?”

“If she does, it'll be that changeling’s fault, not mine.” Applejack hopped out of bed and started for the door.

Rarity called after her, “Just where do you think you're going?”

“Away from this nonsense.” Applejack continued walking until she disappeared behind the ring of a bell.

Clover Quill followed Fluttershy into the little cottage at the edge of town. She glanced around the small but occupied space, narrowly dodging a mouse that scampered between her hooves. “Do you take care of animals for a living?”

“Yes, I do.” Fluttershy stepped over to her couch, tapping one of its cushions with a hoof. “You can sit down if you'd like. I’ll go and find Squeakley.”

“Thank you.” Clover took a seat on the couch, lowering the books to the nearby table. She opened one, looking through the pages for the section on squirrels.

Fluttershy returned a few moments later gently carrying a little, lightly colored squirrel by his scruff. She set him down onto the table.

Clover looked up. “Do you know specifically what happened, or what hurts?”

Fluttershy whispered to the squirrel. He squeaked and made a series of gestures. “He says it hurts right there,” Fluttershy translated.

“You can talk to animals?”

Fluttershy nodded.

Clover Quill focused in on the place to which the squirrel's paw pointed. She turned to her book of rodent anatomy. “He's a gray squirrel, right?” She stopped on a page displaying a detailed diagram of that species’ internal organs.

“Yes,” Fluttershy replied. “Do you have any other ideas about what could be wrong? I've tried everything! I made him a cup of tea, I gave him some medicine, I rubbed his tummy, and I even fed him some warm soup in case that would help.” She leaned down to the bushy-tailed rodent, reassuring him with a slight nuzzle.

The other book in front of Clover opened to a chapter discussing squirrel digestive systems. “Well, if that’s where it hurts, it's definitely his stomach. There aren't that many things that can cause that sort of distress from what I'm reading here.” She ran her hoof underneath one particular sentence, then tapped the page. “One moment. Can you tell him to stay still?”

Fluttershy repeated the exact same words with a single addition. “Please stay still.”

Clover lowered her horn towards the squirrel, touching it to his belly. The spell went off with a flash. Immediately, the squirrel relaxed.

She raised her head. “I think I got it!” She pointed to a segment of a stick nearly the width of the squirrel, sitting beside him. " There were two options. Either something got stuck in there that couldn't come back up, or you were going to need to find a veterinarian who wasn’t on vacation fairly quickly.”

“Oh, my goodness. I'm glad it was the first one. " Fluttershy watched the little squirrel return to his paws. “I don't know how he swallowed something like that. He said he hadn't eaten anything odd lately.”

Squeakley offered only a quick shrug before scampering off.

Fluttershy turned back to Clover. “Thank you so much for your help.”

Clover stacked the books on top of one another. “Oh, it's no problem. Any friend of Twilight’s is a friend of mine. I'm sure Twilight would have known the answer right away; I'm sorry she was distracted.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, not at all! Usually when I have to ask Twilight for help, she spends a lot more time talking about things I don't really understand. I've never seen somepony figure out something so quickly with just a few books.” She glanced back towards Clover's flank. “Is that your special talent?”

Clover joined Fluttershy in staring at the open book and notes that had replaced her shield. She let herself smile, just slightly. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The door to the library opened and shut. “Spike?” Twilight called. “Clover?”

Her number one assistant poked his head out from behind a shelf. He shoved his recently gained knowledge as far into the back of his head as he could manage. “Oh. Clover’s gone for a little bit. Fluttershy came in looking for some help, so she took your advice.”

Twilight exhaled. “Oh, good.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “I thought you liked Clover.”

“I do, it's just-” Twilight looked left and right. She leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Spike, do you think you can keep a secret?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, of course.”

“Promise not to tell anypony.”

“I promise.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at Spike.

He groaned. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There. Happy?”

“I think I have a crush on Clover.”

“You what?!”

“Shh! Not so loud.” Twilight held a hoof up to her lips. “It's just that it gets really difficult when you're living with somepony you have a crush on but you're too scared to tell them in case it goes badly so you send them off to make other friends so you can have a moment to breathe,” she said, breathing unsteadily.

“Yeah, um… about that, Twilight,” Spike began. The promise he'd made to Clover echoed in his mind. He chose his next words carefully. “I think you should give up on that crush.”

“Why?!” The hyperventilating began. “Oh no! Spike, does she secretly hate me? Does she already have a marefriend? Does she not like mares?!”

Spike took a shot in the dark. “Um… The last one?”

“She doesn't?!” Twilight’s pupils dilated.

The dragon quickly changed course for the sake of Twilight’s dwindling sanity. “What I mean to say is, um… the second one?”

“Oh. Oh,” Twilight repeated. “Thank goodness. Are they monogamous?”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Uh, come again?”

“You know. Is it one of those relationships where you can only have one singular pony forever and ever?”

He shrugged. “Probably? I don't know. I don't really go for all that mushy stuff.”

“Oh no.” Twilight began to hyperventilate again.

Spike rolled his eyes. “Calm down, Twilight. She still wants to be your friend. What does it matter if she's more than that? Just let it go and you can go back to being good friends.”

“What does it matter? What does it matter?” Twilight asked with increasing intensity. She deflated, sinking to her hindquarters. “I don't know, Spike. I've never felt this way about another pony before. I'm scared that if I mess this up, I won't get another chance.” She stared directly at her assistant. “You promised not to tell, remember. I'll figure this out. Yeah, I'll figure it out.”

Spike marched back to his corner, grumbling to himself. “Great. This is just great.”

Rarity gathered her things. She hung up a sign in the window of Carousel Boutique's front door. After a quick final check of the interior, she stepped outside, locking the door behind her. She gave a wistful look in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, then shook her head. “No, Rarity, you will not give in one inch on this particular subject. You know you are right.”

With a sigh, Rarity turned towards the road leading out of Ponyville towards the everfree forest. She wandered along until the town disappeared behind her. The familiar Cottage of her most constant friend stuck out against the natural landscape, even if barely. She made her way to the front door and knocked.

Two pairs of laughter rang out from behind the door. Fluttershy's muffled voice said something, and then we already heard a series of hoofsteps coming in her direction. The door opened. “Rarity!” Fluttershy opened the door wide, revealing the surprised face of Clover Quill sitting on her couch. “Come inside. Have you met-”

“Clover? Yes, I have.” Rarity forced a smile. She made her way over to the couch, taking a seat alongside Clover. Fluttershy settled back down onto the floor. “I hadn't expected to see you two getting along.”

“Oh, she's been a big help today,” Fluttershy replied. She petted the squirrel sitting nearby. “Somehow, Squeakley got a twig stuck in his stomach. Clover helped me get it out.”

“Oh, dear. That sounds horrible!” Rarity blanched at the thought. “Clover, dear, I didn't realize you knew anything about animals.”

“I don't.” Clover held up the books she'd taken with her. “I just brought a couple of reference books with me.”

“And you were able to diagnose and treat an animal with just those?” Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. It was incredible,” Fluttershy interjected with a smile.

“It really wasn't anything that special,” Clover replied. Her face showed the blush and lowered ears of honest bashfulness.

“Clover, dear, a little bit of flattery could do you some good.” Rarity forced herself to look away. “Unfortunately, I've come here with a bit of a problem of my own. You see, Applejack and I had an argument. A rather nasty one, at that.”

Clover's ears flattened. “Are you okay? I'm so sorry.” Again, Rarity could find no dishonesty in her eyes.

Rarity gave a pained smile. “I'm sure I'll be alright. Clover, dear, I really hate to ask this, but I actually came here to speak with Fluttershy.”

“Oh. That's alright.” Clover stood. “Would you like me to wait outside or should I head back to the library?”

“Outside will be fine, darling. Thank you for understanding.” Rarity watched Clover step outside and shut the door behind her. She let out a sigh and focused on her old friend. “Fluttershy, darling, there's a whole other layer to this situation, and Clover only knows half of it.”

Fluttershy sat up straight. “Oh, no, Rarity. Can you tell me what happened?”

“Well, whether or not you've noticed, for some time now, Applejack and I have been… let's say ‘interested’ in one another. Beyond the boundaries of friendship, to be perfectly clear. Last night, for the first time, we decided to explore those feelings.” Rarity tried to maintain the appropriate smile for this news.

“Oh, Rarity, that's wonderful.” Fluttershy shuffled over to the couch so she could place a hoof on Rarity's. “Congratulations! I’m so happy for both of you.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy. Unfortunately, that's where things get a little bit more complicated.” She glanced towards the door. Clover stood a ways away, looking up at one of Fluttershy's birdhouses. “This was at a sleepover last night, a sleepover at which Clover was present. She actually gave us the encouragement we needed to see things through. She's been nothing but kind to any of us.”

Fluttershy frowned. “Does that mean she had something to do with the argument?”

“Yes, sort of. It’s a bit difficult to explain.” Rarity considered her options. She decided on the most blunt approach. “Fluttershy, dear, do you think that there is any chance that Clover Quill somehow caused your squirrel friend’s dilemma?”

“No, of course not!” Fluttershy recoiled at the suggestion. “She wouldn’t. Besides, Clover was in the library all morning as far as I know. She was in the kitchen with Spike before I got there. Squeakley started feeling sick less than an hour before I left.”

“Good.” Rarity exhaled. “The argument that Applejack and I had was about the same reason that we engineered last night's sleepover. In short, Applejack is convinced that Clover is a changeling, come to prey on Twilight and possibly the rest of us.”

“That can't be true!” Fluttershy's volume reached the level of a normal pony’s casual speech. “Rarity, she came all the way out here to help me out of the kindness of her heart. Spike obviously trusted her. She's so nice!”

“That's what I thought as well, darling.” Rarity frowned, looking away. “Is it too awful to say that Applejack's arguments have left me doubting our new friend? She makes a compelling case. It is, in fact, in the best interests of a changeling to place herself in a favorable position with as many ponies as possible. It is also admittedly somewhat odd that a pony such as Clover would travel all the way to Ponyville for extended research, and that everypony who meets Clover seems to almost immediately make some friendly connection with her.”

“Rarity, I'm ashamed of you.” Fluttershy adopted a mild pout reserved only for the most serious of situations. “Just because a pony is nice doesn't make her secretly evil. I'm nice. Why in Equestria would you or Applejack think such a thing?”

Rarity smiled sadly. “She's trying to protect Twilight, Fluttershy. I think she's worried that Twilight is going to get hurt if she pursues her current romantic interest.”

Fluttershy gasped. “Do you mean that Twilight-”

“Has a crush on Clover, yes.” Rarity’s smile brightened. “It's quite adorable. She's incredibly obvious, to the point that I think Clover is the only pony around who somehow doesn't know.” She took Fluttershy's hoof and gave it a little shake. “Thank you for talking some sense into me, Fluttershy. I feel just awful for having thought that of her. I was doubting my own judgment not because I truly suspected Clover, but because if I was wrong…”

“…Applejack wouldn't be mad at you anymore?” Fluttershy finished.

“Yes, exactly.” Rarity leaned back against the couch. “I suppose it couldn't be that simple.” She sighed, shaking her head in her own direction. “And Clover doesn't even know about any of this. How am I ever going to make it up to her?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that if anypony can figure out an apology gift, you can,” Fluttershy replied.

“You know, there was one subject that I had been meaning to discuss with her at some point.” Rarity leaned over to give Fluttershy a quick hug. “Thank you so much for your help, Fluttershy. You are a true friend, and I really do suspect the same of Clover. Do you mind if I borrow her for the rest of the day?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No. That's perfectly fine with me.”

Once outside of the cottage, Clover made her way towards one of the bird houses. She looked up, watching the little creatures as they flitted in and out. “All of you are free, aren't you? You can go where you want to go, do what you want to do.”

One of the birds, a yellow one with a round head and gray feathers here and there, poked its head out of the birdhouse. Clover smiled and waved back. “I wish I could do that. I wish I could be here and be in Canterlot.” She lowered herself onto the grass. “I can't. I wish I could stay in Ponyville, but I don’t belong here.”

Clover glanced over to the closed front door. “This place was starting to feel like home. It's probably good to remember that it’s not.”

The bird chirped, still looking in her direction.

“Sorry, I can't understand you like Fluttershy can,” Clover replied. She looked back away. “One of these days, I guess I'm going to have to leave this place behind. It was probably too much to hope that I'd get along well with all of Twilight's friends. They're all nice. This place is a lot nicer than Canterlot, even if I miss…”

The door opened. Rarity stepped out, headed right in Clover’s direction. Clover quickly got to her hooves. “Hi again, Rarity. Are you okay? I'm sorry about whatever happened, especially if it's my fault for encouraging you last night.”

“Oh, no, no, no, Clover, darling,” Rarity responded, shaking her head firmly. “Do not blame yourself for this… lovers’ spat. You bear no responsibility. In fact, if anything, I should be thanking you.”

Clover raised her head a bit higher. “You don’t have to thank me. All I did was encourage you, which sounds like it might have been a bad idea.”

“It was not a bad idea, Clover. Really, I greatly appreciate it.” Rarity glanced back to the cottage, waving to Fluttershy as a little yellow bird flew through the open door. “Actually, I was wondering if I might be able to persuade you to accompany me to lunch. I didn't have any plans for the day, so it's fortunate that I ran into you here.”

“Lunch?” Clover raised one ear.

“Did you have somewhere else you had to be this afternoon? If you do, then I completely understand.”

“No, of course not. I just thought-” Clover frowned. “Are you sure you want to spend time with me? I'm sure Fluttershy would love to if you invited her.”

“Well, dear, I wish to invite you.” Rarity's welcoming attitude knocked Clover just a bit off balance. “So, what do you say? Lunch, maybe a short trip to the boutique afterwards so I can pick your brain on the subject of fashion?”

Clover resteadied herself, remembering Twilight’s plea. “I guess I don't really have anything else planned… as long as I can get back to the library at some point.”

“Then let me show you around Ponyville.” Rarity started off in the direction of the town. Clover waved one last time to Fluttershy, then hurried to catch up. “There is this wonderful little market on the way…”

Rarity's eyes flicked from stall to stall as she let her new friend through the bustling market. Some exotic fruits? No, they were just about to have lunch. Jewelry just in from Canterlot? No, that might send the wrong message.

She glanced back to Clover, watching the other pony for some sign of interest. Clover looked around for a few moments without settling on anything, then looked to Rarity and sent her a smile. She smiled back, of course. “See anything you like?”

Clover shook her head. “No. Sorry, I don't exactly have much money to spare right now.”

Rarity turned her gaze forward to hide her wince. Good job, Rarity, reminding her of her unfortunate poverty. Something modest, then, perhaps. Not too modest, of course. She does deserve to feel like she's worth something, after all.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, Rarity spotted it. She zipped over to the display of ribbons and trims. A couple of bits exchanged hooves. She turned around as Clover arrived, hoisting a pink satin ribbon into the air. Not too bright and flashy, not too subdued. “What do you think, darling? I've noticed you always wear that same ribbon. How do you feel about spicing things up?”

Clover blinked and pulled back slightly in surprise. “Spicing things up?” Her eyes focused on the ribbon hovering in front of her. “You mean get rid of my ribbon and replace it with that one?” She frowned. “I'm sorry, Rarity, but this one is special.”

“Oh, Clover, dear, that isn't what I meant at all.” Rarity nearly let slip a curse at her own carelessness. “What I meant to say is that I think you could use options. Perhaps they both could find a place in your mane. I've known ponies who wear multiple accessories, especially those who as much care into their styling as you seem to.”

Clover tilted her head just a little bit. “I guess so. If you think it would look alright.” She blushed ever so slightly.

“Then turn around, darling. Let me see if I can't find a place for it. Your braid is rather loose today, so it shouldn’t be too much of a task.” She set to threading the ribbon through the existing yellow bow at the lower end of Clover's braid, weaving it through the strands in a matching, opposite way to the other.

This wouldn't do. Of course it wouldn't. It was a simple, spur of the moment idea anyways. How could it be enough to make up for her behavior? No, she would have to think of something else.

She tied it into a second bow, one that sat closer to Clover's head. “There you go, Clover, dear.” The parallel ribbons provided a nice pop of color to Clover's otherwise two-tone mane. A good fashion choice, she reassured herself, even if not the best gift. “I do think that it suits you, don't you?”

Clover tugged at the base of her braid to pull it into view. She moved over towards a nearby jewelry stall with a small mirror in one corner, leaning in to see the reflection. Rarity held her breath. Clover looked herself over. She smiled, ran a hoof along her braid, and blushed ever so slightly all at once. “I like it. Thank you.”

Rarity allowed herself a small cheer while Clover was distracted. “I'm so glad to hear that, darling. Now, what do you say we move on to lunch?”

The two settled into a table outside of a small cafe. Clover glanced back at her braid every few seconds, at the dash of pink now woven throughout. The little display of open femininity felt better than she would have expected only a couple of days ago. She turned her attention to the paper menu lying in front of her while her companion did the same.

“This isn't the nicest place in Ponyville, of course, but I do happen to know that it is one of Twilight's favorites,” Rarity commented idly.

Clover looked up sharply at the sound of her sister's name. Her blush deepened as she took in the severity of her own reaction. By Rarity’s smile, it seemed the other unicorn was expecting as much. “I really should spend more time with her while I'm here, shouldn't I?” she mumbled. “Outside of our work, I mean.”

“Darling, I am absolutely certain that Twilight would adore that.”

Clover's eyes returned to the menu. She smiled to herself. The way she got along so easily with Twilight, even under false pretenses, in a lot of ways validated their friendship. Not many ponies got to test whether or not their friendships really would continue in another life. Somehow, though, even without the names and labels of their foalhood, she still got along with her sister just as well. “I think I'll have a daffodil sandwich with a side order of puffed carrot straws,” she said, glancing up to the waiter.

“I'll stick with an Abyssinian salad, dear. Hold the olives.” Rarity hovered their menus over to the pony attending them. “Thank you.” She looked to Clover. “You two have really gotten on well, haven't you?”

Clover nodded. “We have.” The warmth of that statement reinforced her smile. “I honestly think she could be my best friend.” A slightly darker thought entered her mind, and her smile wavered.

“Well, that's wonderful!” Rarity leaned in a bit closer. “She really did need somepony who shared her interests. On that subject, I'm curious: do you share any interests other than books?”

“A few,” Clover replied. Fond memories of flying kites and trips to the ice cream parlor drifted into Clover's consciousness. “Maybe not all of them, but I do think we'd have fun doing just about anything together.”

Rarity reached a hoof across the table, settling it next to Clover's. “I'm glad to hear that, dear. On a somewhat related subject, how long do you think you'll be staying in Ponyville?”

The waiter returned with a plate each for Clover and Rarity. Clover leaned back to allow him to set the sandwich in front of her as she replied. “I don't know. It depends on how long this research takes.” Her smile finally fell.

“Do you really have to go back to Canterlot?”

Clover's expression shifted into a frown. “I do.” She bit at her bottom lip. “I shouldn't stay here any longer than I have to.”

She would have to say goodbye to Twilight and Spike again. She'd have to return to being just as far from them as she was from Cadance now. She wouldn't be able to visit nearly as often, if at all with a return to her duties. She sniffled.

“Oh, darling, what is the matter?” Rarity's outstretched hoof gripped Clover's. “That doesn't look like the expression of somepony who wants to leave.”

The sniffling gave way to quiet sobs, restrained to avoid making a scene. “I- I don't. I don't want to. I just can't abandon everything and everypony else in my life to stay here.” She fought a losing battle with her uncooperative emotions.

Rarity's magic lifted a napkin to wipe away her tears. “I might not know everything about your particular situation, Clover, nor am I asking you to tell me your life story. I do, however, have some advice about matters such as this.” She stretched her upper body across the table, lowering her voice. “Sometimes, it's okay to make a change for the better.”

Rarity's words drew out Clover's sobbing. It escalated as Clover for a moment imagined a life in Ponyville, a life where she woke up every morning to make breakfast for Spike, a life where she got to see Twilight smile every single day. She cried until her practice composure reasserted itself, but the feeling of melancholy still kept its hold on her. “I… don't know if I can. I don't know if it's for the better. Part of me wants to. Part of me really, really wants to, but I'm scared of what that would mean.”

“I understand, darling.” Rarity gave Clover's hoof one last squeeze, then settled back into her chair. “I won't speak of it any further for the moment. For now, you enjoy your sandwich, and I will attend to my own lunch.”

Clover shared a weak smile with Rarity. She followed those instructions to the best of her ability.

As they approached Carousel Boutique, Rarity finally let slip a single whispered expletive. Her first attempt: nothing but a little hair accessory, nothing nearly sufficient. On her second, she managed to make Clover Quill, one of the warmest mares she'd met in recent memory, cry at the lunch table. Whatever the third was going to be, it had to be big. It had to be perfect.

She started with a simple conversation starter. “So, Clover, if I may ask, what makes you you?”

Clover looked up from the grass at her hooves with an expression of uncertainty. “What? I don't- I'm not sure I know.”

Rarity quickly clarified to avoid setting the mare off again. “What I mean to say is, if, say, somepony were to design a dress for you, what would make it feel like your own, like something special?”

Clover raised an eyebrow. “A dress? Why would somepony be making me a dress?”

“Well, seeing as I am a dressmaker, and as you are new in town, I thought I might make you a welcome gift!” She laughed slightly too loudly, praying to Celestia that it wouldn't give her away.

It did. “Rarity, is something wrong?” Clover stepped closer, narrowing the gap between the two. “You bought me this ribbon, which was very nice of you, but then you took me out to lunch, and now you’re offering to make me a dress?”

“I mean, that is to say-” Rarity slumped. “Oh, Clover, darling, you're right. There is something odd about the way I've been behaving around you.” She looked up. She owed Clover eye contact if she was going to tell her. “The truth is, dear, I did something quite unforgivable earlier today without your knowledge.”

“What was it?” Clover asked, a mild note of panic in her voice. “Is everypony okay? Are you okay?”

Rarity laughed. “Of course you would be concerned about other ponies first. No, it was something that would have affected you.” She pressed her lips together, thinking her next statement through. “For entirely personal reasons, I said some very appalling things about you to Fluttershy. None of them were true. I allowed myself to seriously consider the concept that you would be deceitful and possibly even malicious. I even implicated you as the cause of the problem with Fluttershy’s squirrel friend this morning.”

Clover drew in a soft but sharp breath. “Oh.” She frowned, looking away. “That isn't your fault, Rarity. I am suspicious.” She focused directly on the ground beneath her hooves. “I came to Ponyville out of nowhere and started living with one of your friends within a day of arriving. It… makes sense to suspect me, especially given all of the dangers Equestria has faced recently.”

Rarity's chest tightened as Clover withdrew. “Darling, it isn't reasonable.” Rarity brushed her nose against Clover’s cheek. “You have done nothing to arouse such suspicion. Even if you had, I didn't actually think that any of these things were true. My reasons were entirely selfish.”

“No, it's okay.” A tear dropped from Clover's face into the grass below. “You were right. I'm not who I say I am. I haven't been truthful. Back in Canterlot, I-”

“I don't want to hear another word.” Rarity firmly nudged Clover's chin upwards, forcing her to look away from the ground. "Whatever you have done before this, whatever guilt you are allowing yourself to feel, it isn't for anything you did here in Ponyville. While you have been here, Clover Quill, you have been nothing but warm and kind to every single pony you have met. You are not whatever it is you are running from.

“I've seen the real you in the way you care for Spike and Twilight. I saw the real you last night, when you encouraged Applejack and myself to stop being such foals about our relationship. I saw the real you this morning, when you volunteered to help Fluttershy out of the kindness of your heart.” Rarity finally caught Clover’s eyes with her own. “You are Clover Quill, darling. That is all I need to know.”

For whatever reason, despite that speech, Rarity saw Clover start to tear up. She started to apologize.

Before she could say a single word, Clover flung herself in Rarity's direction. Rarity caught her in a hug, one Clover returned with a surprising amount of strength. Rarity closed her eyes and sighed to herself. She escorted her guest into her home, leaving the rest of the world behind them.

Clover Quill, not Shining Armor, or possibly only partly Shining Armor, followed Rarity inside the boutique. “It's probably for the best that I stopped you before you made me a dress,” she said as she walked. “I mean, it really is too much for a welcome gift. Besides, I probably wouldn't wear it anyways.”

“You wouldn't wear it?” Rarity set her things down near a small coffee table. She stepped nearer to the kitchen in the back, putting on a kettle from a short distance. “Whyever not, darling?”

“I don't own any dresses.” Clover took a seat on the little couch near the table. “I've never even worn one, actually.”

“You what?!” Rarity shouted, her face slightly paler than usual. “Oh, no. Clover, dear, unless there is some extremely good reason behind it, I am correcting this grave error the moment we finish our tea.” The kettle boiled. Rarity poured the steaming water into a waiting teapot, then brought it along with a tray of teacups over to the table. She sat down opposite Clover.

The bit of residual embarrassment Clover maintained from her days as Shining Armor poked through as she tried to respond. “I mean, it's just, I've never really been all that girly. Do you know what I mean?”

“That makes some sense.” Rarity relaxed into her seat. “Judging by the way you carry yourself these days, though, darling, your femininity has certainly returned to you.”

The warmth on Clover's face suddenly grew hotter. “I guess you might be right. Just a little bit, maybe.”

“Clover, dear, you are the definition of demure. I would even go so far as to say ‘cute’.” Rarity glanced over at the clock. She poured a cup of tea for each. “Femininity obviously comes naturally to you. You might not realize it, but between your mannerisms, your care for your appearance, and the tone of your voice, you might even be able to compete with Fluttershy.”

Each compliment deepened Clover’s blush. She fidgeted with her braid, tugging at a couple of the interwoven strands. “Really?”

“Of course. You could draw a crowd if you decided to try modeling.”

Clover stared into her teacup. She gave it a hesitant sip. “I suppose… if you just want me to try something on, I could give it a try. Just here, though. I don't want to go out wearing something like a dress.”

“Good. Then I will see to composing you an ensemble shortly.”

Both ponies drank their tea slowly and quietly. Clover used the time to consider the impact of this on her sense of self. She pictured herself in each of the dresses strewn about on mannequins. Part of her wanted to hide, a part that grew stronger and stronger the more she gave the situation any thought. Another part of her, though, grew at a much faster rate, a part of her that wanted to see this through. She could really just do this. Nopony would stop her. If things got back to normal, nopony ever had to know.

She finished the last bit of her tea and stood up. “Did you have something in mind?” she asked, her gaze lingering on the display in the window.

“Actually, dear, there's one particular outfit I'd been working on for a special occasion. It's currently tailored to my measurements, but I think that you’re close enough to my general size and shape that it could work.” Rarity’s magic yanked a particular dressform out from behind a set of curtains that divided the room. Clover stared.

The majority of the dress was pink, bright pink, with gathered lace along the hem. To complement the vibrant color, the bodice was crafted from a darker, more mature-looking shade of magenta. The waist probably sat near the midpoint of her barrel, but the white-and-pink trim added just above it provided the illusion of something much higher-set. A paler pink material had been used to shape the plunging collar, with an internal layer of white lace adding a hint of modesty and flair. A scalloped pattern in the same pale color decorated the skirt just shy of the hemline. Below it all, snap-on shoes matching the bodice and long gloves in the same bright pink as the skirt completed the colorful display.

“You do like it, don't you?” Rarity asked, shaking Clover free of her stupor. “Come closer so I can help you get dressed, darling.” Clover followed, heart pounding. “How about you decide what you'd like to do with your hair while I take care of the adjustments?”

“Okay.” Clover's voice barely made it out of her mouth. She stood still, letting Rarity handle the majority of the process as the heavy fabric pulled itself over her body. Given the quality of the dress and the detail near the neck, she needed to wear her hair up, not down. That left only a few options. She pulled out her existing braid, letting her magic separate it into several strands. Her conflict in identity brought her arrival in Ponyville to the forefront of her memory, and with it, memory of the braid she’d worn that day.

Clover Quill closed her eyes, focusing on the motion of her magic and the sensation of smooth, soft fabric draping over her form. She breathed deeply, urging the thumping in her chest to subside. The layers of twisting braids took form around the back of her head. Rarity guided her to lift her legs one at a time, to settle them into the gloves and boots presented. She felt them snap into place, just as she felt the last of her hair, aided by her ribbons, fasten itself along the back of her head.

“It fits almost perfectly. Now, Clover, dear, I'm going to need you to keep your eyes closed for just a moment longer. Trust me on this.”

A clattering sound carried over to her years from somewhere in the distance. Several soft brushes subsequently attacked her face, carrying with them the sweet, dry scent of makeup she recognized from the night before. Clover held her eyes tightly shut, the potential embarrassment warring with the terrifying thought that she might like what she saw.

“There. All done.”

Clover didn't move.

“Clover, darling, you can open your eyes.”

Clover shook her head.

“Really, I promise you, you look fabulous.”

Clover bit her lip. She pried her eyes open the tiniest bit, letting a pin prick of light shine inwards. A single glance at the mirror now sitting in front of her shut them twice as tightly.

“Clover, dear, are you sure you're quite alright?” A small pressure touched the middle of her back, probably one of Rarity's hooves. “You know, if you really don't want to look, it's perfectly fine. I can clean you up.”

“No.” The response came too quickly for Clover to silence it. She whimpered to herself, then opened her eyes fully, all at once.

A gorgeous mare dressed in finery appropriate for a noblepony stood in front of her. The pop of pink from the ribbon in her hair perfectly paired with the dress. The makeup on her face conspired with her intricately woven hairdo to reinforce her initial assessment: she looked good. She looked pretty. She looked beautiful.

Clover Quill fought back the tears to avoid smudging her makeup. She shifted, feeling the skirts brush against her back legs, watching the way that even the most revealing of angles continued to compliment her. “I love it,” she whispered, an admission only to herself.

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Her Home

Chapter Text

“Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy peeked just inside the door to Sugarcube Corner, a little yellow bird perched on her back. “Um, we might have a problem.”

Pinkie inhaled several lungfuls worth of air. “What is it?! Did Discord somehow escape from prison? Is Princess Luna turning back into Nightmare Moon? Is a changeling devouring Twilight's love so that we’ll be helpless whenever Queen Chrysalis and her army attack?!” She skidded to a stop, nose bumping against Fluttershy's.

Fluttershy took a single step back. “No. Gosh, at least I hope not.” She twisted her neck around to look her bird in the eye. “Earlier this morning, one of my friends wasn't feeling well. A pony who was staying at Twilight’s house came over to help. So, um, the first problem is that, according to Rarity… Twilight might have a crush on her.”

“Oh no!” Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “Wait. Why is that a problem?”

“Because, um, you know-”

“Wait! That was just the first problem?!”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. The other problem was that just after this pony left, Flitter heard her talking about how she didn't feel like she belonged in Ponyville.”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie screamed in all caps despite the barrier between her and the page.

Her friend nodded. “She even said something about being sad she didn't get along with Twilight's friends.”

Pinkie had already disappeared behind the counter. “This is a party emergency! We need balloons. We need streamers! We need cupcakes!!”

Fluttershy winced at the sound of the double exclamation point. “Do you think we can do something?”

“Do something? Do something?!” Pinkie's enthusiasm shriveled with the sound of a deflating balloon. “I hope so. I didn't even know one of Twilight's friends was here. How could I miss a new pony coming to town?” She pulled a notepad out from behind the counter along with a pen that swirled with glitter. “Quick. What's her name? What's her favorite color? What's your favorite color?”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow.

Pinkie shrugged. “What? I've been meaning to ask for ages, but I keep forgetting.”

“It's blue,” Fluttershy replied. “And her name is Clover Quill.”

Pinkie's eyes doubled in size. “Oh no! That's even worse!”

Fluttershy's head tilted to the side. “What's worse?”

“I've never even heard of her! And that's saying something. I've heard of everypony.” Pinkie flipped through dozens of pages. She stopped towards the bottom of the notepad and immediately started scribbling. “And I know just what we need to do to fix that.”

“Twilight!” Pinkie burst through the front door to Golden Oak Library. “We have a problem!”

Twilight's head jerked upwards, slamming into the underside of the bookshelf she'd been searching. She rubbed at the slowly rising bump as she carefully extricated herself. “What? What is it, Pinkie?”

“You've been hiding a super cool friend from me and I didn't even know it!” Pinkie pressed her nose into Twilight’s, forcing her friend down towards the floor. “When were you going to tell me you made a new friend?”

Twilight yanked herself back. “I didn't even think about it! I just-” She leaned to the side, spotting the other pony in the doorway. “Fluttershy? What are you two doing here?”

“Well, um,” Fluttershy mumbled as she stepped forwards, “I overheard from a friend that Clover wasn't feeling like she belonged in Ponyville. I thought Pinkie might be able to help, if that's okay with you…”

“Oh no. Clover doesn't feel like she belongs here?” Twilight flew over to a shelf clear across the room. Books hurtled into a pile behind her. “I need to figure something out. She can't leave, not yet. We have so much more research to do. And- and-”

Pinkie studied Twilight from behind a magnifying glass. “Wait a minute. Something's awfully suspicious here.” She suddenly gasped, dropping the glass onto the floor. “Twilight! You didn't tell me about your friend because she's not just a friend. She's your super duper extra-special heart-thumping fur-tingling gets-your-hooves-all-wiggly sort-of friend! That's why you didn't want to share!”

“No, it's not like that, really. Clover is just-” Twilight deflated. “She's not, but I think I want her to be.”

“Well, that's even more reason why we have to make sure she feels like she belongs in Ponyville! Because if we don’t, then if she does stay here with you, she's going to hate it! Or you’re going to go back to wherever she’s from and we'll never see you again! Or you're going to stay here, and she's going to go there, and then both of you would be miserable!!”

Twilight looked up. “Do you think there's anything I can do about it?”

“Of course there is! We brought balloons, and streamers, aaaaaand cupcakes!” With each addition to the list, Pinkie tossed more and more party favors into the otherwise empty library. “Now we just need to know what she likes so we can make her feel extra super amazingly welcome!”

“Okay.” Twilight straightened herself out with newfound determination. “I don't know how long we have. Where is she now? Fluttershy, wasn't she with you?”

“Yes, but Rarity took her out for the day,” Fluttershy replied. “She wanted to apologize for something. They could be out for another hour, or until sundown.”

“Well, then, we’ll have to move quickly. Fluttershy, what exactly did she say?”

Fluttershy considered. “I only heard this from Flitter, but she said that Clover was sad about being excluded. That's, um, part of what Rarity wanted to apologize for. And she also said that Clover wanted to be friends with more of your friends. Does that help?”

“That's perfect. Fluttershy, you're on Rainbow Dash and Applejack duty. Get them both back here as soon as you can.” Twilight pointed to the door. “Pinkie, I… think you probably already know what you're doing. We'll just have to make everything perfect. And don't invite anypony extra; I don't think she likes crowds very much.”

“Rainbow Dash and Applejack?” Fluttershy asked. She frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Uh, of course. I mean, unless I'm forgetting something.” Twilight gasped. “Oh no. I haven't been so focused on Clover that I completely forgot about something important I was supposed to do with them and now neither of them wants to talk to me anymore, right?”

“No, not at all!” Fluttershy frantically shook her head. “I just thought, maybe, you might have noticed that Rainbow Dash-”

Pinkie shoved a hoof into Fluttershy's mouth. “You prooooomiiiiissssed,” she hissed, eyes narrowing in Fluttershy's direction.

Fluttershy cowered. She nodded, and shut her mouth.

The smile popped right back onto Pinkie's face. “Oooookey dokey lokey! One close friends-only party coming right up!” Pinkie leaned in closer. “Wait! Does that mean I can invite semi-close friends, or only close-close friends? Do closer-than-semi-close-but-not-quite-close-enough-to-be-close-close friends count?”

Twilight spoke once her eyes stopped spinning. “I think just me, you, and the rest of the girls. And Clover, of course.”

“Okey dokey lokey!”

Fluttershy took the long way to Sweet Apple Acres. After what Rarity had told her, she needed time to think. Maybe Applejack would listen to her. She had to at least try.

And it might give her time to work up the courage to tell Rainbow.

She spent the whole trip thinking over words she might be able to say, then scrapping each idea one after the other. Then, as she passed one of the outermost orchards, she spotted an orange mare bucking apples out of a tree along the perimeter, and remembered the task at hoof. She approached quietly. “Applejack?”

“Ah!” Applejack fumbled the next kick. Her legs slipped off of the trunk. She fell to the ground, and a couple of apples followed, landing on her head one after the other. “Oof. Fluttershy, what are you doing sneaking up on me like that?”

“Well, um,” Fluttershy mumbled. She rubbed at her left foreleg with her right, struggling to find the words. “Pinkie Pie and I wanted to have a party… to welcome Clover to Ponyville… and we were really really hoping you might somehow want to come.”

“Clover?” Applejack's eyes narrowed.

Fluttershy nodded.

Applejack scraped at the ground. “You mean that Clover?”

Fluttershy shrunk in on herself. She nodded.

“Fat chance. Surprised Rarity didn’t already tell ya.” Her back legs hit the trunk with a crack. The apples tumbled into the nearby basket. “That pony is trouble, and even though I made a promise not to do anything more about it just yet, I still don't think you should be doing anything to try to keep her around here.”

“Yes, but, um…” Fluttershy lowered her voice below the volume of the average whisper. “I met her this morning, and she was really nice, and I really don't think she's even a little bit bad, especially not… a changeling.”

“So she did tell you.” Applejack gathered up the full baskets. She carried them over to the cart. “You don't really believe that somepony like her just happens t’ be in Ponyville, do ya?”

“Well, I mean…” Fluttershy trailed off. She swallowed. Her legs still shook. “…yes?”

Applejack took position at the front of the cart. “I don't believe it. She's got to you too, huh?” She sighed. “Sorry, Fluttershy. I know your heart's in the right place, but I just don't think this is a good idea. I really, truly don't. You know I wouldn't lie to you, right?”

“I- I know. I just-”

“You just don't think I'm right about this.”

Fluttershy nodded.

Applejack hung her head. “It's fine. Don't you worry, Fluttershy. Y’all have fun at the party now. I promise I'll get to the bottom of this mess on my own.”

With one last look back to her friend and one last halfhearted attempt at a response that she cut herself off from, Fluttershy stumbled in the direction of the harder of her two jobs.

“Okay! So!” Pinkie Pie rolled in a chalkboard of her own. On it, circles and crosses mixed with arrows, forming a page from her party playbook. “We need information. Where are we gonna hit ‘em? What are her strengths? What are her weaknesses? What's her favorite flavor of cake? What's her favorite color?” She smacked the board with the tip of her retractable metal pointer. “We need to be thorough!”

“I don't really know,” Twilight replied. “That's not the sort of thing we usually talk about. She did make us strawberry shortcake the other night when Rarity and Applejack were here.”

“You mean you told them about her before me?” Pinkie pressed her face to Twilight’s. “You even had a sleepover?!”

“Sorry,” Twilight replied with a shrug. “It wasn't my idea. They just kind of showed up out of nowhere.”

“Hmm… very suspicious.” Pinkie pressed in further and further, then suddenly retracted her neck and returned to the board. “Maybe they already knew her!”

Twilight shook her head, thinking back to the conversation that had started that night. “No, not really. As far as her favorite color goes, I know she usually wears a yellow ribbon in her hair. Her mane is gorgeous. It's this really pretty shade of green, and she always spends so much time braiding it in the morning…”

“Green strawberries! Twilight, you're a genius!” Pinkie snapped the pointer back to its smallest possible length and rolled the chalkboard out the door. “I'll be right back! I need to find some strawberries. Then, I need to see if they taste any different when they're green.” She dashed out the door before Twilight could react.

Alone, Twilight settled to the floor. She thought back to the first day she'd met Clover, to the smiling face that had pushed through her library door. She was pretty even then. She only got more pretty the longer Twilight knew her.

Clawsteps carried a small dragon over to Twilight's side. He sat down on the ground next to her, touching her shoulder. “Twilight? This seems like a lot of effort to go through. Are you sure you need to do all of this for her?”

Twilight met Spike’s concerned gaze. She smiled. “Yes, Spike. I really do.”

Spike stared back. “You know, she'd still be your friend even if she did have to leave.”

Her smile faltered. “Yeah, but I want her to be more than that.”

Spike tilted his head. “Why? Why is that important? I mean, what makes her more special than all of your other friends?”

Twilight looked back to the floor. She focused on a particular line between boards, a place where two previously separate planks joined together. “She just… gets me. Every single thing she does makes me feel more and more comfortable around her. She never feels like she's forcing it when she asks about something that I care about. That's just actually, truly her. Heck, judging by her cutie mark, that’s basically her special talent.”

“But what if you found out she wasn't who you thought she was?” Spike interrupted.

Twilight flinched. “Do you mean you believe that whole rumor about her being a changeling?”

“No!” Spike waved his claws back and forth in the air. “I just mean… what if who she was meant that you couldn't have that kind of relationship with her?”

Twilight allowed herself to exhale. “Unless she didn't want to, I'd find a way. I don't think there's anything in Equestria that would keep me from wanting to be with her. She's just…”

“Perfect?” Spike offered along with a frown.

“Yes. Exactly.” Twilight nodded. She sighed, staring into the distance with a smile. “She's kind. She cares a lot about you too, not just me. She likes the things I like, and she likes me, even when I'm completely lost in my books.”

Twilight continued, glancing over to the empty space where Clover and her spent their days. “She goes out of her way to do little things that make me happy, like the other night when she surprised me with a mug of hot chocolate. And she's also absolutely gorgeous.” She giggled at her own thoughts, cheeks turning pink. “I really like her mane.”

“Just don't let Sweetie Belle hear you say that,” Spike joked. “She'll think you stole her catchphrase.”

“Guilty as charged. Clover really is perfect, though. Almost too perfect.” Twilight placed a hoof on Spike’s back. “I get why you'd ask something like that. She seems too good to be true.”

“She really does,” Spike replied with a sigh. He didn't meet Twilight's eyes.

“Let's not waste too much time.” Twilight raised herself back into a standing position. “Any ideas on what might convince her to stay?”

“Well, unless you can get Princess Cadance to move to Ponyville…” Spike clapped his claws over his mouth.

“Princess Cadance?!” Twilight turned, narrowing her eyes at the dragon beside her. “What do you know, Spike?”

Spike stumbled backwards. “Nothing! Nothing, I swear. She's just…” he leaned against the bookcase behind him as Twilight advanced. “She used to be friends with Cadance. She told me the other day.”

Twilight frowned. That lined up with the other cracks in Clover’s mask. In fact, it put quite a few of them into context. “Alright. I believe you. I know she has secrets.” She fell back a few steps, looking back to where the boards split. “If she only wanted to tell you, that's fine. I get it. Sometimes it's harder to tell some friends than others.”

“That's not what's going on here. Really, Twilight.” Spike stepped forward, grabbing Twilight's cheeks and intercepting her stare. “Listen to me. Clover really, really cares about you. I know. She told me. That's why she hasn't told you the other stuff. She’s worried about hurting you. Just… I think you should maybe take it a bit easier on the whole romance thing. I'm just worried you're going to get hurt if she’s not who you want her to be.”

Her little brother's reassurance settled the turbulence in her heart. “Thanks, Spike.” Twilight tugged him closer with her magic, pulling him into a hug. “I promise, I get why you're worried. I just can't imagine any secret Clover could keep that would make me feel any less strongly about her.”

In the skies above Ponyville, one cloud stayed still, never changing position. On that cloud sat a small house, and in that house slept Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy touched down on the edge of the fluffy white ground, peeking her head into her friends open door. “Um, Rainbow Dash? Are you there?” She spotted the blue, rainbow-maned pegasus resting on the ground just inside. The tips of her feathers stretched out, tapping twice at the side of Rainbow's head.

Rainbow Dash snorted, shaking and stuttering her way back to awareness. “Huh? What?” She blinked, her eyes refocusing. “Fluttershy? What are you doing here?”

Her friend sat down next to her, nearing eye level with Rainbow. “I needed to talk to you about something.”

“Yeah? What is it?” Rainbow stretched her forelegs in the air, letting out a yawn.

“Well, um, Pinkie is throwing a party later today…”

“Oh, is that all?” Rainbow’s spine snapped into place. She let her hooves fall. “Pinkie has a party practically every day. I stop by when I have time. Between the weather patrol and everything else I have going on, I sort of have to get my sleep where I can.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “I think Pinkie was hoping you could make it to this one. But it’s completely fine if, um, you can’t.”

“Huh?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Is this like Gummy’s after-birthday party?”

“No, but, um…” Fluttershy swallowed back her anxiety. “Well, I mean, Rainbow Dash… it's not just a normal party.” She waited until Rainbow returned her full attention to explain. Her voice grew lighter and squeakier the longer she kept speaking. “One of Twilight's friends is visiting from Canterlot. She's really nice, and, um, I think that, just maybe, Twilight might like her… a teensy tiny little bit more than as just a friend.”

“Oh.” Rainbow broke eye contact. She slumped down until her chin sank into the cloud. “Now I get why you came instead of just waiting for Pinkie to find a trampoline.”

“I'm really sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy slid across the floor until her shoulder came into contact with Rainbow. “I know how hard this must be for you.”

Rainbow Dash raised her head, brushing it against Fluttershy's cheek on the way up. “Is she nice at least? That egghead didn't get suckered in by somepony who's going to hurt her, right?”

“Of course not.” Fluttershy leaned in to maintain a bit of contact between their foreheads. “Her name is Clover Quill. She's a researcher who works in the Canterlot Archives. She's actually one of the nicest ponies I've met, at least from the little bit of time I spent with her. Rarity really likes her too.”

“Rarity, huh?” Dash sighed. “Did she ever get the courage to talk to AJ?”

“Yes, actually. Clover even helped them get together. They had a sleepover the other night at Twilight's. Rarity said that was when Clover helped them figure things out.”

“Great. Feels like everypony except for me is having luck.” Rainbow flopped forwards into Fluttershy's mane.

Fluttershy gently nosed Rainbow’s crest. “If it makes you feel better, I don't think Pinkie has anypony like that either. I certainly don't.”

“Yeah, but Pinkie could probably have just about anypony she wanted, and you’re… you.” Rainbow’s ragged breathing warmed Fluttershy's coat. She pulled herself back. “Sorry. That's kind of mean of me to say.”

“You're right though, Rainbow Dash. It's okay.” Fluttershy let Rainbow go with another gentle headbutt. “I'm sorry. I'll be here if you need me. If it helps, I really do think you'll like Clover. Do you think you'll be able to come to the party?”

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah.” Her voice rattled. “Thanks for letting me know, Fluttershy. I might be a bit late, though. I think I need to go for a fly.”

Fluttershy lifted herself back up with her forelegs. “That's okay. I’m sure Pinkie and Twilight have the whole thing under control.”

A brightly colored cannon burst through the door to Twilight's library. “Guess who's here? It's me!” A small bakery cart squeezed through the door behind the pony holding the cannon, carrying a three layer cake on top and a number of other snacks on the lower shelf. “Turns out, green strawberries taste awful. They're not ripe yet. Soooooo, I made a strawberry cake and then cookies with green and yellow icing!”

Twilight held the edge of a banner precariously in her magic. She stayed staring up at the second floor. “That's great, Pinkie. Just give me one more second and-” A half dozen pins stuck that half of the cloth into the wood. She turned away, leaving Spike holding the other end of the banner at the top of a ladder. “There. Now, what was that you were saying about strawberries?”

“Just that you should probably really only eat the red ones.” Pinkie yanked the rope protruding from the back of the cannon. Several tables shot into the room, unfolding in midair to set themselves up along the back wall. Their tablecloths followed, along with the requisite dishes and a chocolate fountain. “Phew. This thing saves so much time.”

“I still don't know how you do that.” The thought of a day featuring a particularly twitchy tail drew a shudder from Twilight. “And I probably don't actually want to. So, what else do we need to do to set up?”

“Weeeeell, we need to put the cake, and the cookies, and the cupcakes on the tables.” Pinkie stopped there.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “That's it?”

“Yep! That's it.” Pinkie pulled the cart over to the tables, sliding the cake onto the table in the center. “Now all we have to do is put the cookies and cupcakes on the tables.”

“But how could there not be more?” Twilight zipped across the room. She grabbed Pinkie's shoulders with both of her front hooves. “Pinkie, we need this to be perfect. Nothing can go wrong. If it's not perfect, Clover might decide to leave and go back to Canterlot!”

While Twilight breathed in and out with surprising intensity, Pinkie just blinked. She eased Twilight's hooves away. “Relaaaaax, Twilight. It's just a party.”

“Just a party?” Twilight's intensity left her, returning the unicorn to a more mild anxiety. She lifted the seven-tiered tray of cupcakes out from underneath the cart, setting it down next to the cake. “Pinkie, what happens if she does decide to go back to Canterlot?”

“She won't! Duh. Because we're going to make her feel so welcome that there's no way in all of Equestria she'd ever consider leaving.” Pinkie dropped the plate of cookies onto the other side.

“You really think so?”

“Twilight, I know so. I mean, when have I ever met somepony who wanted to leave after one of my parties?” While Twilight thought over the rhetorical, Pinkie also put a hoof to her chin. “I guess you kind of hid from the party that first night you got here, but that's why we're keeping this one small. And we can end it whenever she's ready if it's too much for her. We've learned a lot about friendship, remember?”

Twilight forced a smile. She nodded. “Yeah. I remember. Thanks, Pinkie.”

“Noooooo problem.” Pinkie snatched a cupcake from the display and popped it into her mouth. “Besides,” she mumbled through the confection before swallowing, “if we somehow do chase her away, I'm not going to rest until I make it up to her. I am not going to ruin your super amazingly awesome ultra special more-than-friendship. Pinkie promise.” She began to go through the familiar motions. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a-”

Magic froze Pinkie's hoof before it could snatch another cupcake. “You don't have to promise, Pinkie. Thank you, though.”

“That's what friends are for!”

The door squeaked open. “Am I interrupting?” the soft voice of Fluttershy called.

“Nope! And now we have-” Pinkie pointed at Twilight, then herself, then Fluttershy. “Three? We were supposed to have five!”

“Well, um,” Fluttershy mumbled, “Rainbow Dash is going to be a little late. Because…” She stopped herself before Pinkie’s glare reached her. “And, um… Applejack said no.”

“What was that last part?” Pinkie stretched her ear out towards Fluttershy.

“Applejack said no,” Fluttershy repeated slightly more loudly.

“What?!” Pinkie gasped, floating higher in the air than she was tall for a brief moment. “You told her how important this was, right?”

“I did, but-”

“Did you tell her how important Clover was to Twilight?”

“Yes, but Pinkie-”

“And you even told her that we needed everything to be perfect?”

“Pinkie!” Fluttershy spoke firmly and confidently, glaring firmly at her friend. “Yes, I told her all of that. Applejack just doesn't want to be Clover's friend.”

“WHAT?!” This time, Pinkie added italics to the mix. “That's just- That’s- Did she say why?”

Fluttershy nodded. She stepped over to Pinkie and whispered something in her ear.

“What?” Pinkie recoiled. “But that's crazy!”

Twilight stumbled forward. “It's okay, girls. We can't force Applejack to be friends with somepony if she doesn't want to. Even if I do think that bit of gossip is getting a bit out of hoof.”

The smile finally left Pinkie's face. “I guess you're right.” It snapped back into place. “But the rest of us are gonna make sure that this is the best night ever. Like, the real best night ever, not like the Grand Galloping Gala that one time where everything was kind of awful. Twilight, you go and get Clover and Rarity. Fluttershy and I will go over the party one last time to make sure that everything else is perfect.”

Spike's voice carried from the top of a ladder at the back of the room. “Um, a little help here?”

“Clover, darling, can you come over here?” Just inside the front door to Carousel Boutique, Rarity stood alongside Twilight Sparkle. “Twilight's been looking for you. Apparently you're needed back at the library.”

“Oh! I'm sorry, Twilight.” Clover walked as quickly as she comfortably could over to her sister. Her entire world brightened the moment she saw Twilight's face. “Today was busier than I expected. Is everything okay back at home? Spike hasn't burned the place down, has he?”

Twilight blinked. “No, nothing like that. Everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be fine?” She chuckled nervously.

Clover raised an eyebrow. Rarity interrupted. “What she means to say is that we’re all going to have dinner over at the library tonight. You still haven't met the rest of our friends, have you?”

“No, I haven't.” Clover stumbled around until she faced Rarity, paying special attention to the proximity of her hooves to the edge of the skirt. “How do I take this off?”

“You don't until after dinner.” Rarity nudged Clover towards the door, towards Twilight with her magic. “Don’t be shy, now. You look absolutely dazzling.”

At near-supersonic speeds, the sound of the wind rushing past Rainbow's ears faded into a dull whine. The constant battering force helped to keep her eyes dry.

She soared high above the clouds, angling herself much further up than Cloudsdale or any similar pegasus settlement. At lower levels, she might run into somepony. When the blue faded towards a darker color, when her lungs strained to draw in the needed air, she knew she was high enough.

Rainbow Dash flew. She paid little attention to the specifics of how far or how fast. She just pumped her wings until they could propel her no quicker, then let them stretch out into the darkness until they could serve her again.

That egghead. She never noticed. Why would she, when Dash was too self-conscious to ever say anything? As usual, it was Rainbow's fault.

Whoever this pony was, they better be somepony awesome. No, they better be so awesome that they have to invent a new word to describe how awesome they were.

Twilight probably already knew what that word was.

Rainbow Dash stopped dead in the air. She flapped her wings to hover, regardless of the fact that it took more effort than flying.

If she just had the courage for once in her entire bucking life to say something, she wouldn't be dealing with all of these dumb thoughts. Rainbow might stare down certain death without worry. She'd set records without even thinking about it. But the second it came to dealing with all that mushy stuff, her mouth just wouldn't move.

Rainbow tilted downwards. She spread her wings wide and let herself fall. The wind whistled, growing stronger as the atmosphere regathered around her. She kept her eyes closed, focusing only on the sensation of her fur being pulled back away from her body. It didn't hurt, but she almost wished it did. That might feel better.

She opened her eyes at some point. Probably about halfway, given how high she'd flown and the rate of her descent. She reoriented her wings, angling them back to minimize drag.

She stopped just short of the speed of a sonic rainboom. She didn't need to draw any attention to herself.

Little globes of water floated up above her as she fell. Rainbow Dash ignored them. Even if everything about this whole situation made her feel things she didn't even know the name of, she told Fluttershy she'd be at the library.

She could do fast. That was the one thing she knew she could do.

As she passed the cloud layer, she finally realized just how fast. She debated spreading her wings out to slow her fall, but the speed of the air rushing by would at minimum wrench them back. Another trip to the hospital would make this whole situation so much worse. She would just have to angle herself to skid along the ground and hope nopony would be in the way.

Of course, with her luck, just as she reached the point of no return, she saw a little purple speck standing directly in the middle of her trajectory.

Clover Quill stepped out through the front door of Carousel Boutique wearing the most beautiful outfit she had ever seen. She distracted herself by watching the ground in front of her hooves, taking great care not to step on any dirt or any other potential messes directly. She followed the swishing purple tail in front of her back towards her current place of residence, desperately trying not to think too hard about her current situation.

“Incoming!” The shout of an unfamiliar voice sent her into immediate alert. She shook off the mental cobwebs and glanced skyward to spot a rainbow-colored blur hurtling towards the ground. Clover traced its current trajectory in her mind. Based on its direction and speed, it would impact Twilight Sparkle in just over a second.

She flung herself in front of Twilight, using the remaining time to decide her course of action. The wings stretched out to either side indicated a pegasus, most likely. The lack of metallic shine under the clear blue sky indicated a lack of armor or armaments. With her current muscle density and the speed of the threat, she would have to rely on finesse, not brute strength.

The pegasus neared impact. Clover positioned her limbs to catch the target's limbs. One foreleg snagged the shoulder, the other grabbing one of the pegasus’s forelimbs around the elbow. She dug her rear hooves into the dirt, pulling the attacker to the ground. At the same time, she bent the limb in her other hoof back, pinning the wing underneath. She somersaulted to straddle the unknown assailant, letting go of the pegasus's shoulder in order to pin her other wing in the same manner. Her hind legs leaned against the wings and forelimbs to hold them in place.

The adrenaline rush died down. Clover realigned her brain with reality. She stood atop a cyan pegasus with rainbow mane, almost certainly a civilian. Her hooves flailed in the air as she scrambled to pull herself off of the mare. “I am so sorry. Are you alright? Oh no, Rarity, if I ruined the dress-”

“The dress is fine, darling. I would have warned you if it wasn’t made out of something sturdy.” Rarity glanced over at the spinning eyes of the downed pegasus. “And Rainbow Dash is almost certainly fine as well. You probably only bruised her ego.”

Embarrassment pulled Clover's gaze away. “I am really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I just saw you headed right for Twilight, and-”

Rainbow Dash sprung back up into the air. “That was totally awesome!” Despite the dirt covering her underside, Rainbow Dash grinned. The mess covered up any sign of her prior tears. “How did you do that? I've never seen anypony take a pegasus out of the sky like that, especially one as fast as me.”

Clover’s blush deepened. She clung to the first half-truth that came to mind. “Self defense training?”

“Whoa. What kind of self-defense training?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I trained with a retired member of the royal guard,” Clover offered uncertainly. She looked over to Rarity, pleading with her eyes.

“That really is extraordinary for a self-defense-” Rarity quickly course-corrected. “I mean, Rainbow Dash, this is Clover Quill. You two haven’t met, have you?” She found a moment to lock eyes with Clover, mouthing a quick “you’re welcome.”

“Oh! So this is the pony Twilight is- I mean, the pony everyone's talking about.” Rainbow landed back on the ground. Her smile dwindled. After only a second or two, it blossomed back into genuine enthusiasm. “Name’s Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you. Do you think I could get you to teach me some of those moves?”

Clover exhaled quietly. She made a quick assessment of the pegasus in front of her. Both Twilight and Rarity seemed comfortable, so she nodded. “I guess so. I'm still working on my research with Twilight, but I'm sure I can find a little bit of time.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow Dash rocketed into the air, spiraling upwards with a hoof outstretched before settling back down onto the ground. “How about tomorrow morning?”

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity interrupted, “We have other matters on the schedule today, don't we? The ‘dinner’?”

Rainbow relented in the face of Rarity's raised eyebrow.

“It's alright, Rarity,” Clover replied. “I guess that would work, at least after I make breakfast in the morning.” She restarted her journey towards the library's front door. “I do need to get back to research at some point, but-”

The moment Clover opened the door and stepped into the library, the unified shouts of five ponies and a single dragon filled her ears. “Surprise!”

Clover ducked for cover, falling to the floor and covering her head. She looked up at the feeling of a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy, the mare from earlier, smiled down at her. “Sorry. Were we too loud?” she asked.

Clover stood back up and straightened herself out. The wave of embarrassment that had started with her reaction to Rainbow Dash redoubled. “No, it's okay. I guess I was just a little bit on edge.” She looked past Fluttershy into a room filled with streamers, snacks, and a banner that read “Welcome to Ponyville, Clover Quill!”. “Is this all for me?”

“Of course it is, silly!” A pink pony literally bounced in Clover's direction. Clover flinched. “Hi! I can't believe I'm the last pony to meet you. My name is Pinkie Pie. You can call me Pinkie, or just Pie. It would be kinda weird if you called me Pie, though, so you should probably just call me Pinkie. Nice to meet you!” The strange jumping pony stuck out a hoof.

After a moment of silent evaluation, Clover shook it. “Nice to meet you too, Pinkie Pie. I'm Clover Quill.”

“Phew!” Pinkie Pie continued bouncing. “If you weren't, I would’ve had to redo this banner.”

The worst thing possible had happened. Sure, Rainbow Dash had messed up and almost hurt Twilight, but that wasn't even half as bad as the other thing. The real worst thing was that she had just met Twilight's new marefriend - if you could call being put in a chokehold a meeting - and she actually was way past awesome.

Rainbow Dash watched Clover take a plate in her magic and file past the table of snacks. She zipped over to join her. “Hey, Clover. So, uh, been doing anything fun since you got to Ponyville?”

Clover looked up halfway through levitating a slice of pink cake with green frosting onto her plate. “Rainbow Dash, right? Just making sure I got that.”

“Yup! That's me.” Disguising anxiety behind enthusiasm came naturally. Then Clover showed her a smile, and Rainbow Dash immediately understood.

“Sorry we had to meet like that.” Clover nodded in the direction of a chalkboard hidden behind the tables. “I don't know if it's been exactly what most ponies would call fun, but Twilight and I have been doing a lot of research on changelings. We're pretty sure we know most of their anatomical functions. That's probably boring to you, though, isn't it?”

Rainbow Dash scratched her head. “Yeah, a little bit. Sorry.”

“No, it's totally fine. I get it.” Clover shifted over to the next station. She retrieved for herself a cup full of pink lemonade while they talked. “Honestly, I've missed doing other things. I'm good at the research stuff, apparently, but I used to be a lot more active.”

Dash snatched a slice of cake for herself. “Really? What kind of stuff did you get up to?”

“Well, I've always been a little bit of a geek, but other than the weekly game of Ogres & Oubliettes, I also used to do a bit of wrestling. Oh, and I played buckball every couple of weeks.”

“Wait, really?” Rainbow Dash stared at the mare’s light, lean frame. “You used to wrestle. And play buckball. What- who- how?!”

A light, admittedly cute giggle replied. “I never said I was good at it. I wasn't bad, though. I don't know if there's anything going on like that around here, but maybe you could show me what there is to do here in Ponyville besides sitting in a library? If that sounds fun to you, I mean.”

Rainbow Dash took a moment to recover her senses. Another giggle greeted her when she finally refocused her eyes. “Wait,” Dash said with increasing realization. “You want to take a break from all this egghead stuff to hang out with me?”

“Sure!” Clover settled at the edge of the table with her snacks. “I mean, the research is really important, so I do have to put it first. Twily isn't going to let me sit inside all day, though. Actually doing something outside would be a nice change of pace. You're the only pony around here who gives off the kind of vibes that I'd associate with anything athletic.”

“Well, then, sure!” Rainbow snagged a massive bite of her cake and chugged it down with half a glass of punch. “You know, you're a lot different than I imagined when Fluttershy told me about you.”

“I hope it's the good kind of different.”

“Yeah. I think…” Rainbow hesitated. She made eye contact with Clover. Rainbow’s own honest smile forced the ache into the background. “I think we could be friends.”

Every bit of the party felt tailor-made to make Clover feel at home. The cake had been covered in frosting matching the color of her mane, with little yellow candy bows that looked exactly like the ribbon she wore in her hair. The inside of the cake was pink, the color Clover was starting to feel more of day after day. The other snacks were numerous, but they were also all just for her, her and only five other ponies.

She didn't really hate big parties. Being engaged to a princess, she had to get used to them pretty quickly. Still, the intimate atmosphere of a smaller get-together always felt better. It gave her a chance to get to know each of them.

Clover already knew Rarity, of course. They had spent the day together. Fluttershy she met earlier that day. She seemed sweet, unassuming, like the kind of friend she could go to if she needed a bit of space. Pinkie Pie basically radiated enthusiasm, made it completely impossible for her not to let loose and have a good time. Rainbow Dash reminded her of who she used to be, and gave her a little bit of space to hold on to that part of herself.

She spent the night wandering from pony to pony. Rainbow Dash and her were scheduled to do some combat training in the mornings, and then maybe occasionally drag a few ponies into a buckball scrimmage here and there. She'd have tea with Fluttershy once or twice a week, probably. Every Tuesday, she'd join Rarity and Fluttershy for their day at the spa, and then she'd spend the afternoon with Rarity helping model her dresses and offering a bit of what Rarity deemed her personal touch.

And then there was Pinkie Pie, but she wasn't worried about keeping any sort of schedule with a pony who seemed to defy the laws of time and space.

It all felt like it could be normal. It seemed like she could really belong here in Ponyville. She could live in the library with Twilight and Spike. She could spend her days with a set of real, true friends. She could research, and help organize, and become a part of the local community, and-

She started crying after only the second glass of punch. It didn't taste alcoholic, but that wasn't why she was crying.

Cadance.

She could have everything here.

And Cadance would be left without her.

She tried to hide her crying at first, but Rarity and Fluttershy both cornered her the moment they noticed. Fluttershy passed her off to Rarity, who escorted her alone to the second floor, away from the main stage of the party. “What's wrong, darling?” Rarity asked. “I was hoping those were happy tears at first, but…”

Clover leaned against Rarity. “Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm grateful, really. This is amazing.”

Rarity wrapped a limb around her friend. “Why do I feel like that might be the problem?”

“Because it is.” Clover wiped away her tears. Her makeup smudged, leaving a black streak on her front right hoof. “Sorry about the makeup.”

“It's okay, darling. Really, if I didn't know how to fix a makeup emergency in the back corner of a party, I never would have survived in high society.” Rarity touched noses with Clover, lifting her friend's gaze up from the floor. “Now, tell me what's really going on.”

Clover sniffled again. She nodded. “Okay. I just- I'm so scared that I'm going to have to leave. I don't want to. Really, I don't. You all are absolutely amazing. I could spend the rest of my life here and be happy.”

Rarity rubbed her back. “Is it a sure thing?”

Again, Clover nodded. “I think so. Maybe. I don't know. I don't want it to be. I just want to stay here, with Twilight and Spike and you and everypony else. If I do, though, there's somepony I care about who I might never see again.”

“I understand.” Rarity bumped foreheads with Clover. “Well, if I know one thing, it's that this group of friends is always up for another adventure. Whenever you have to leave, we would be happy to make sure you get there safely. And if it's something that we can help with, I promise you, we will be there.”

“That means so much, even-” Clover paused to breathe. “Even if I'm still scared to explain it all to Twilight.”

Rarity lifted Clover's chin to make eye contact. “For tonight, though, Clover dear, can I persuade you to put that all aside and let me fix your makeup so we can get back down there? Everypony is delighted to meet you and to spend whatever time together we do have. And, unless I was mistaken, before this all started, you were having an enjoyable time as well.”

“I was.” Clover pulled back, standing on her own. “Thanks, Rarity. Let's get back to the party.”

Twilight wandered down to Rarity's boutique expecting to find the two of them having tea. Instead, when she opened the door, she beheld the most beautiful mare to ever greet her eyes: Clover Quill, in one of Rarity's dresses. She wasn't sure anypony else existed in the same stratosphere of beauty.

She stared slack-jawed as Rarity approached. “Well, I can tell you like it.”

“‘Like’ might be a bit of an understatement.” Twilight shook her head to clear it of visions of the prettiest mare in Equestria. “Pinkie and Fluttershy are organizing a surprise party for Clover over at the library. Do you think we could borrow you two?”

“Oh, of course, darling. I was just finishing up altering that dress. I'll need to make a few more adjustments at a later date, but I think I might just pass this particular ensemble on to her.” Rarity turned towards Clover, but glanced back over her shoulder with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “I'm sure you won't object.”

Twilight shook her head very firmly.

Rarity looked away and called into the boutique, “Clover, darling, can you come over here?”

Twilight willed herself to stand firm as Clover approached. She tuned out whatever conversation happened between the two of them, focusing instead on keeping any sign of the thoughts whirring about in her mind from showing on her face. She noticed what was said only when Clover spoke.

“I'm sorry, Twilight.” Clover stepped briskly in her direction. “Today was busier than I expected. Is everything okay back at home? Spike hasn't burned the place down, has he?”

Twilight scrambled to come up with an appropriate answer to such a simple, joking question. “No, nothing like that. Everything's fine. Why wouldn't it be fine?” She chuckled to try and hide her anxiety. Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder to help.

The trio stepped out of Carousel Boutique and headed for the library. That gave Twilight enough time to possibly think, if she could get her brain working again. All that was left seemed to be repetitions of “girl” and “pretty”.

That was probably why she didn't even notice Rainbow Dash zipping across the sky. The shout of “Incoming!” failed to do more than get her to look up.

Then Clover jumped in front. Twilight watched as the prettiest mare in the entire world took a speeding pegasus for her. Not only did she do that, but Clover also somehow managed to take Rainbow Dash right out of the sky without hurting either of them. The whole thing played out in slow motion ahead of her. By the time it was over, Twilight knew she wouldn't be able to cover up her blush.

Thankfully, Clover was looking the other way. That meant that, despite the fact that Twilight stared for a good 30 seconds without moving, her mouth wide open, her metaphorical wings stretched outwards, only Rarity noticed. Rarity leaned closer to whisper, “You two really are adorable together.”

Twilight spent the majority of the party hiding in a corner, sipping her punch and nibbling on whatever snacks came her way. She stayed as far out of Clover's sight as she could.

Rarity eventually wandered over to her. “Twilight, dear, are you okay? You haven't spoken to anypony all night.”

Twilight’s eyes stayed locked on Clover, chatting and laughing with both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “I just don't know what to say to her. I mean, what do you say to the mare who saved your life?” She frowned. “Okay, she probably didn't save my life, but the way she jumped out in front of me like that, and the way she looks in that dress-”

“You're clearly smitten, darling.” Rarity nudged Twilight with a shoulder. “It's alright. Take your time. I really do think that you two would make an adorable couple. That is, of course, assuming we can convince her to stay in Ponyville a little longer.”

“She's leaving?!” Twilight barely kept her volume below a shout.

“No, Twilight. I was just talking about the fact that she might have to go back to Canterlot at some point. As far as I am aware, she's not leaving anytime soon.” Rarity reached out a hoof, gently brushing Twilight’s shoulder. “Relax, darling. It really isn't anything to worry yourself about. She seems to enjoy your company. I don't think she'll be too hard to convince if you want to move things along.”

“How do I do that?” Twilight finally looked away from Clover for just a moment.

“You simply ask. Or, if that sounds too intimidating, you can always just let things progress more slowly. You two seem close already. Maybe try to take some time together for just the two of you. Perhaps you could also try out some physical intimacy. Cuddling, I mean, darling, not anything more than that.”

Twilight wiped a bead of sweat from her brow. “Phew. Thank Celestia. I don't think my heart could take more.”

“Just take a deep breath, Twilight,” Rarity continued with an encouraging smile. She rubbed at one of Twilight’s forelegs. “Please keep me up to date. She seems very fond of you already, so I don't think you have anything to worry about.”

Clover went to bed that night with a smile on her face. She curled up under the sheets, staring out at the empty interior of the darkened library with a fondness new to her. All of Twilight's friends had been wonderful. She had a date with Rainbow Dash the next morning for self-defense training, plans for regular tea with Rarity and Fluttershy, and a promise to visit Pinkie Pie sometime in the next week or so. And, of course, she had Twilight and Spike for the rest.

Her mind lingered on Twilight as she burrowed deeper into the covers. The sound of Twilight's laugh echoed in her mind, accompanied by the warm image of the smile that accompanied it. Her cheeks grew rosy, and her forelegs squeezed a bunched-up section of sheet closer.

Twilight was here, and Clover was welcome.

That comforting thought lulled away her remaining awareness. She drifted off with a sigh, content.

The moment sleep arrived, Twilight was yanked away from her. Clover found herself falling, falling, down into the catacombs from which she'd narrowly escaped all those nights ago. She struggled against the bonds, watched as Cadance wandered away from her, disappearing into darkness. Then, a purple hoof stretched out, and she found the strength to take it.

She opened her eyes. The fur on her face was damp. Everything was still just as dark as it was moments before. But Twilight stood before her, holding her foreleg gently. “Clover? That sounded like a bad one. Are you okay?”

Clover squeezed Twilight’s hoof with her own. “I think I am now.”

Twilight returned her smile. “Good. You need some sleep, though. I, uh, know you slept easier when you were with me the other night. Do you want to try that again?” She paused. “I mean, if you don't, I completely understand. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable or-”

The thought froze Clover in momentary anxiety, but the warmth that Twilight radiated loosened her muscles right back up. She even giggled. “That sounds nice. Thank you, Twily.”

She slid out from beneath her bed covers. She stared into Twilight's eyes. She followed Twilight over to the other landing, where Spike slept near the far wall. She watched Twilight climb into bed, and she followed, curling up against the most comforting pony in her world.

Dear Princess Celestia,

This is not just a crush anymore. I think I might be falling in love.

I saw her wearing the most beautiful dress today, and my heart almost stopped. Then, she saved me from a runaway Rainbow Dash, and it nearly stopped again. I had to sneak off to the basement to make sure that the palpitations were normal and not a sign of an underlying condition.

This is completely new to me. I don't know what I am doing. I'm panicking. I only have Rarity to help me.

It's scary. What if I mess something up? It feels like there is a lot more on the line than with most of my friendships, and like I have to risk it all just to see this through to the end.

I think I need advice. I don't know if you have any; I was never sure whether or not you were the romantic type. I was never sure that I was, either. If you could reply to this letter, I would really appreciate it.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Their Truths

Chapter Text

Warmth. Warmth, and cuddly unicorns. Nothing else entered Clover's mind.

She leaned into the warmth, into the tenderness, into the soft fur and gentle breaths and comfortable yet exhilarating sensations. She nuzzled against a particularly fluffy patch along the chest. The limbs around her squeezed in response.

A thump, something solid knocking against wood, pulled Clover from her slumber. She opened her eyes to the sight of purple. She blushed, but she didn't pull away.

The thump returned. Clover sleepily lifted her head, glancing around to a dark, empty library lit only by the sun’s earliest rays. She shook her head, and turned back toward the bliss of sleep and lavender.

Thump. Crash!

Clover shot up in bed, Twilight lifting alongside her. They held each other in their forelimbs out of reflex. Both looked towards the sudden influx of light, and to the cyan-colored pegasus currently faceplanting against the floorboards in its center.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asked with a yawn. “What're you doing here so early?” She glanced at the curtains blowing in the morning breeze. “…and why did you come in through the window?”

Rainbow looked up. Her gaze contacted Twilight and Clover. She looked away, cheeks turning pink. “Oh. Heh. Sorry.” She rubbed her head. “Clover and I had this practice thing scheduled this morning, and…”

“Sorry, Twilight. I forgot to tell you. I'll get up.” Clover smiled at the mare alongside her, gently pulling away.

Twilight held on. She frowned. “Come back when you're done, okay?” Before Clover could leave, Twilight pulled her back in for a quick, tight hug.

Clover hugged back. “Okay, Twily,” she whispered. They broke with a blush.

Rainbow Dash hovered to the side, looking away. She snuck a quick glance over her shoulder, making eye contact with Clover as the unicorn clambered off of the bed. Dash turned away again and floated towards the lower level. The mental image of the pair holding one another stuck in her mind.

“I'll be right there!” Clover called towards the retreating pegasus in a heightened whisper. She gave one last look back to Twilight, then started down the stairs. Dash tried not to notice.

Clover caught up with Rainbow Dash near the door. Her hair, she wrapped into a quick braid, then twisted it around itself and pinned it in place to form a bun. Rainbow glanced up at her own messy, short hair and quietly exhaled. Clover interrupted any potential thoughts of self-deprecation. “So, are we going to be sparring? How much do you already know?”

“Uh,” Rainbow Dash replied, refocusing on Clover, “I mean, a little bit, maybe?” She shrugged. “I don't know. I learned defensive flying, but I think that's a different kind of thing.” She skidded to a halt in the air. “Ooh! Can we start with that thing you did yesterday?”

“Probably not,” Clover said with a shrug. She kept walking. “We should really start with the basics. It might take a little while for you to get close to where I’m at.”

“No way!” Dash zoomed over in front of Clover, hovering backwards to keep pace. “I'm a quick learner. Trust me.”

Clover shook her head. “I'm sure you are, but it has nothing to do with that. It takes several years to get to the point where you can do something like I did yesterday.”

The pang of disappointment lingered in Dash's chest. “O- oh.” Something in what Clover said echoed in her ears. She thought back to the previous night, to the moment when she'd been knocked out of the air. “Wait. Years? I thought you said you took a self defense class.”

“I- I did. I mean-” Clover sighed, coming to a sudden stop. “I guess I should probably tell you if I'm going to be teaching you.”

“Tell me what?” Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. Deception? Foul play? She knew it. This pony wasn't good enough for-

“I was a member of the Royal Guard,” Clover whispered. Dash’s jaw dropped. Clover hung her head. “What I did last night isn’t really something you can normally learn in self-defense training. I used to teach that sort of thing. I didn't tell Twilight because… because I was at the wedding. I was supposed to keep Princess Cadance safe, but Queen Chrysalis got to me first, and…”

Rainbow’s wingbeats slowed. She fell to the ground. “You were at the wedding? Wait, that was the wedding where-”

“Where I failed,” Clover finished.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. If anypony had failed, it was the Element of L- “No!” She stomped a hoof. “You didn’t screw anything up. Besides, it all worked out in the end, right?”

“It's okay. You don't need to-” Clover blinked. “It… worked out?”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash replied. “I mean, nopony was hurt too badly I don't think.” Rainbow tilted her head, the statement giving her pause. “I… guess I didn't really check. I mean, I didn't really know anypony there. Did you get hurt?”

“…Yeah.”

“Oh.” Crap. Somehow, Clover was even more awesome than she seemed last night, and now Rainbow looked totally insensitive. She winced. “Sorry.” Nothing else made sense to say.

From a cozy little bed on the other side of the room, Spike watched Twilight and Clover share a look that definitely didn't seem like a just friends kind of thing. He watched Twilight sigh, her face falling as Clover headed out through the door. For once, he didn't try to lay down or go back to sleep. He climbed out of his bed, walked across the cold floor - with a yawn, of course - and clambered up onto the bed next to Twilight.

He started with the basics. “You okay?”

Twilight frowned, but nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, Spike. It's pretty wild how much I've gotten used to having her around.”

“You say that like she's going to be gone forever,” Spike replied. “She's just hanging out with Rainbow Dash for a bit. I mean, neither of us would be awake yet normally. You won't even notice she's gone.”

“That would be impossible, Spike.” Twilight tilted her head back, flicking her hair away from her face. “Clover is…” When Spike looked back, Twilight was smiling. Her cheeks were red, and she was wringing her hooves.

Spike studied his older sister for a few idle seconds. “You… really like her, don't you?”

“Yeah,” Twilight breathed. Her smile drooped just a little. “I know she probably can't stay forever, but I'd really like her to.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Spike shuffled closer. He leaned against his older sister, and she wrapped a foreleg around his shoulders. “Is there any way I can convince you not to keep going with the mushy stuff, though?” He glanced up, meeting her eyes while he searched for an excuse. “It's… kind of weird to be around.” Close enough.

Twilight looked down to her brother. She let out a sigh. “Okay, Spike. If we start to do any of the ‘mushy stuff’, we'll move over to the guest room.”

He groaned. “Gross! Twilight, you can’t keep doing this! You just… can’t!”

“Why?” Twilight’s head tilted to the side.

“Because-” Spike huffed. Stupid promises. “Because it’s weird! And- and you don’t even know who she really is!”

“I know enough to know that I love her!” Twilight nearly shouted. Spike felt her body tense against his back. She lowered her voice. “Sorry. I've… never loved anypony else like this. Really. Nopony. And I think- I hope she likes me too.”

Spike watched his big sister’s expression fall. Her head dropped, staring at the sheets. “Sorry, Twilight,” he muttered.

“No. I’m sorry, you goober. I know you're worried and trying to help.” Twilight gave him a squeeze. “You said she told you a secret. You keep implying that it means we can't be together. If you know something, Spike, please tell me.”

“I can't,” Spike replied. He kept himself from looking at Twilight directly. “I promised her I wouldn’t tell anypony.”

“Then why did she only tell you? Why won't she tell me?”

Spike couldn't answer. Silence stretched out the seconds.

Twilight kept her frown. She spoke softly. “I don't know if it helps at all, but really, Clover sleeping in my bed isn't just because I like her. She has nightmares. She needs somepony there with her.”

“She does?” Spike thought back to his conversation with Clover. He quickly matched Twilight’s expression. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Twilight nodded. She met her little brother's eyes. The hoof on his back gave those scales a gentle rub. “Is that okay, at least?”

Spike looked away. A moment passed in silent thought. What could he say to stop it? What could he say to either of them?

He glanced back up to Twilight. “I guess.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight replied. “I am glad to have you as my number one assistant. Even if you sometimes drive me crazy.” Out of nowhere, her grip tightened. Her other hoof pressed hard into the top of his head, scraping back and forth vigorously.

Spike flung up his claws in self-defense. “Hey! Quit it!” A laugh escaped him regardless.

Class with Rainbow Dash seemed a simple enough idea at first. As captain of the guard, she’d trained plenty of ponies, after all. And, she had to admit, Rainbow Dash did seem to be a quick and attentive learner when she wasn't staring off into space. The problem was that teaching wasn't enough of a distraction.

She walked Rainbow Dash through the most basic of unarmed drills. Weapons were off of the table for now. Probably for the best. But as her new pupil repeated the basic motions, followed Clover's lead, Clover found her mind elsewhere.

Cadance. The conversation on the way here brought that pain back just as fresh as it had been while she was staying with Lemon. Every day she stayed was another day away from Cadance. And there was something about Rainbow Dash’s words that didn’t seem right, something terrifying in what was left unspoken.

Lemon. She hadn’t even thought about the mare who saved her life since the day she left Canterlot. Lemon had done so much for her, had made her life so much better. And, even after weeks, she hadn’t as much as sent a letter letting Lemon know she was okay.

Twilight. Everything about Twilight made her so happy. Simply waking up this morning had been a joy. But she would have to leave both Twilight and Spike to get back to Cadance. And, even though she reassured herself that their interactions were normal for mares, something was starting to feel uncomfortably, dangerously too good.

She didn't want to think about what that might mean.

Clover Quill stepped towards Rainbow Dash, charging lazily in her direction. Rainbow caught her, and she found herself flying through the air. She landed flat on her back.

“Yes!” Rainbow shouted. “Did you see that? I totally nailed it.” After a moment of silence, Rainbow spoke again. “Uh, Clover? You okay?”

Clover shook her head to clear the daze. “Yeah,” she replied. “Sorry. Just got a little distracted. I'm fine. Probably should wrap things up for the day soon, though.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea. I do have work to do today.” Rainbow grasped Clover's hoof, pulling her from the ground. “There's this storm coming in from Baltimare over the next few days, and…”

As Rainbow’s noise filled her mind, Clover thanked Celestia for the overstimulation.

Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth along the floorboards of Golden Oak Library. She hadn't sat down since she got out of bed, despite Spike's continued objections to the noise. She went through possible situations in her head. What was the worst possible secret Clover could keep?

Maybe she was somehow evil, like Nightmare Moon or something. But Princess Luna had been ruling in Canterlot ever since her reformation, and Clover was obviously reformed if she ever had been evil. That wouldn't change anything.

Maybe she was already married. No, Spike would have said something when she asked. That wasn't the secret.

Maybe the rumors were true, and she was actually a changeling. Would that even matter? And unlike what they saw at the wedding, Twilight hadn't been drained of love. She still felt just as healthy as she had before Clover arrived, moreso if anything. So that didn't make any sense either.

Twilight groaned into the open air. Spike shouted down from the upper floor. “Quit it already! Am I the only creature in Ponyville who doesn't want to wake up before sunrise?”

“Sorry,” Twilight whispered. She slowed her walk.

The door swung open, and Spike groaned twice as loudly as Twilight had. Just outside, Clover faced Rainbow Dash. “How often are we doing this? Twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays?”

“Sounds good to me!” Dash replied. “You're cool, Clover. It was great spending time with you. Nice to see there's somepony keeping this place from getting too boring.”

Clover winked, and exchanged a hoof-bump. She turned and stepped inside.

Twilight wasted no time rushing forward to pull her into a hug. “Clover! You're back!”

“Y- yeah, I am.” Clover's cheeks turned pink.

She hugged back. Twilight squeezed tighter.

“I'm glad you're making friends,” Twilight replied. Her voice wobbled through the last couple of words. She bit her lip, squeezed one more time, then broke to ask a question still at the forefront of her mind. “Clover? I've been kind of worried about something. Are you… leaving?”

“Leaving?” Clover stepped back. She stared into Twilight's eyes. She took on a frown, but didn't break eye contact. “I…” She went quiet. Twilight’s stomach twisted. Then Clover shook her head. “No, Twily. Even if I have to go, I promise I'll come back.”

Twilight pulled her into another tight hug. They spent the rest of the day at each other's side.

As she left the library behind, Rainbow Dash felt… actually a lot better than she thought she would. Exercise, training with a real member of the royal guard, making a friend who actually was cool as heck? Awesome!

The part of it that hurt stayed mostly where it should be: very far down.

She soared through the air, repeating the movements she'd learned that morning in a mock battle with the darkened clouds. She punched. She kicked. She smashed them into one another. She stopped only when the voice of a friend interrupted her.

“Uh, Rainbow Dash?” a certain farm-pony called. “Aren't you s’posed to be bringin’ clouds in? Not… gettin’ rid of ‘em?” Her head - and hat - tipped to the side. “The schedule said we're supposed to have rain.”

“Oh. Whoops.” Rainbow hastily gathered the remaining wisps of the cloud she just knocked out of existence, squeezing them into a shape barely bigger than her head. She shoved it behind her. “So, eh heh, what's up with you, AJ?”

“Nothing much.” Applejack shrugged from her place on the ground. “Getting ready for a whole cartload o’ work soon. Maybe two cartloads. We've got a huge market day comin’ up, and I don’t know if Big Mac’s gonna be available. Any chance you know anypony who might be free to help next Wednesday?”

“Sorry. This storm is gonna keep me busy ‘til then. I'm gonna be exhausted.” Rainbow Dash yawned, stretching her hooves over her head. One carried the too-small cloud back into view. She shoved it behind her once more. “A- anyways, you could probably ask Clover.”

One of Applejack's eyebrows raised. “Clover? Y’mean the pony stayin’ with Twi?”

“Yeah! Her,” Rainbow Dash said with a nod. “She's my new self-defense instructor.”

The eyebrow lifted higher. “Rainbow Dash, what do you need self defense lessons for?”

“Because they're awesome!” Rainbow zipped down to the ground. “Seriously, she's super cool. You two would totally get along. Why weren't you at her party, by the way?”

“Oh, uh…” Applejack's eyes shifted from side to side. “No reason. But do ya really think she'd do that?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Probably. I'm pretty sure she'd help just about anypony.”

Over the next few days, Spike watched, mostly from his bed. Twilight and Shining - or Clover, he guessed - spent the stormy days cuddled up to one another, their tails intertwined. Fortunately, though, as soon as it cleared up, Clover started to go out more. She headed to Fluttershy's for tea time, went to the spa with Rarity, sparred with Rainbow Dash… and then came back home to a hug from Twilight that seemed to get a little bit bigger every day.

Some parts of it were honestly kinda great. The fact that Clover was around, mostly. And that she seemed to be getting along with just about everypony, even Rarity. He never would have thought that those two would be friends.

And then there were the really weird parts. Clover and Twilight kept looking at each other like something out of the books Rarity hid in the back of the boutique. Even if they didn't do any of the really mushy stuff, they hugged and cuddled in ways Spike knew they hadn’t used to. He caught Twilight watching Clover sleep one night, brushing her hair back with a hoof. And Clover had smiled afterwards, so he was pretty sure she’d been awake the whole time.

He was also pretty sure that wasn't normal for siblings. But he couldn't say anything about it. He promised.

Ugh. One of them was even a Pinkie Promise.

He waited until a break in their research: something about a changeling’s second stomach. When Clover left to prepare lunch, he followed her downstairs. “Clover. This isn’t okay.”

She flinched, but steadied herself quickly. “What isn’t?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Spike clambered up onto the counter, taking a seat where Clover would have to face him. “Clover, Shining, whatever your name is now. I know you like it here, but you can't be doing that stuff. You have a wife to get back to.”

Clover froze in place. “I- I- But I-” She kept her eyes pointed away.

Spike shuffled along the countertop until he sat directly in front of her. “You need to tell-”

“Are you two down there?” Twilight's voice called from just up the stairs. She climbed down the steps until her head poked into the kitchen. “I just wanted to say thanks. I've honestly been feeling kind of bad about the fact that I haven't done much to help with the other chores around here. Especially since Spike's been doing most of them alone for a pretty long time.”

Spike stared into Clover's eyes. She swallowed, and stared back. “It's okay, Twily,” she said, staying completely still. “I really don't mind at all.”

With a roll of his eyes, Spike jumped down. “Yeah. It's fine. I don't care. Whatever.” He stomped out of the kitchen.

Clover Quill remained completely frozen in place, even as Spike stomped away. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill. Cadance. The wedding. How could she have forgotten all of that again-

“I wonder what got him in such a bad mood.” Twilight interrupted her brooding. The sweetest unicorn in the- Clover’s sister walked over to her. Twilight leaned over to catch sight of her face, lips curling into a frown the moment she laid eyes on it. “Clover, what's wrong?”

“I'm sorry, Twilight.” That was all she could manage. She turned, and buried her face against her only source of comfort. “I'm sorry.”

Twilight tensed, but quickly lifted up a leg to pull Clover in closer. “It's okay. You can talk to me.”

“I- Twilight, I-” She tried. She tried so hard, but the words caught. They wouldn't come out. And something about what Spike said stuck in her head. Something didn’t make-

“Okay. You're not cooking today. I'm going to go out and get us some hayburgers.” Twilight pulled her out of the kitchen. Twilight led her up the stairs. Twilight sat her down, and pulled a blanket over her, and cuddled up right alongside.

Clover fell against Twilight and cried. “I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Twilight. I'm-”

“Stop. Clover, stop.” Twilight pressed her forehead to Clover's, forcibly lifting the other mare away from her hiding place. Clover stared into beautiful raspberry-colored eyes, eyes that filled her with impossible guilt. “Clover. You really don't have anything to be sorry for.”

“But I do. I-” again, the words caught. The only ones that came out were “I'm sorry, Twi-”

Twilight shoved a hoof in her mouth. “If you don't stop apologizing for nothing, I might actually get upset. Clover… I like you. A lot. Okay? I know you have some secrets. You can tell me when you’re ready. Whatever it is, I’m not going to hate you for it. I promise. Okay?”

Clover nodded. She closed her lips slowly as Twilight removed the hoof. She had just heard the most wonderful pony in all of Equestria make a promise she knew was impossible to keep. Somehow she still believed. “Okay, Twily.”

“Good. Now you rest. You deserve a break. I'll be right back with food.”

Clover watched Twilight stand up. She focused on the gentle smile Twilight directed at her. She laid beneath a still-warm blanket as Twilight stepped away.

She inhaled. It smelled like old books and lavender.

“Okay, Twily.”

While Clover and Twilight were distracted with whatever was happening in the kitchen, Spike snuck out the front door. He made a beeline for the one place he knew he’d find good advice. Rarity would know what to do, right? Even if he couldn’t say everything?

The most beautiful unicorn in the world was working on a dress when he walked in. “Come in, dear,” her sweet voice sang. Thankfully, Sweetie Belle and the other girls were nowhere in sight.

Spike scampered over to her. He watched her longingly for only a short moment before shaking his head to clear those thoughts away. “Hey, um, Rarity?”

“Spikey-wikey!” Rarity set down her fabrics immediately. “Did Twilight send you over here for something? How is she, by the way? I'm dying to hear the latest news about her and Clover; those two are adorable together.”

Of course she noticed. Thank Celestia. No breaking of a Pinkie Promise here. But that wasn't quite the assessment he was hoping for. “You… think they're adorable?” he asked.

“Oh, of course!” Rarity exclaimed. She clasped her hooves together, twirling around in her chair. “I think it's obvious to everypony that they are quite literally a perfect match. And they both seem to care so much for one another. I dream about that sort of thing happening to me.”

Spike somehow managed to hold back both the reflexive wince and the simultaneous urge to offer himself for that job. “Actually, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Rarity stopped spinning. She leaned forward, examining his face. “Spike, you don't look happy at all. Is something wrong? Did anything happen?”

“No, but…” Spike frowned. What could he even tell Rarity without breaking the promise? Not the marriage. She’d ask too many questions. Then maybe… “There's something I don't think Twilight knows about Clover. I'm, uh… pretty sure they’re related.”

“What?!” Rarity gasped. She took several heaving breaths, hoof hovering in front of her chest. “Okay. I… am going to be okay. Now, Spike, are you absolutely, positively one-hundred percent sure?”

Spike nodded. “I, um…” He paused, searching for another excuse. “…recognized her from a family get together?”

Rarity closed her eyes, spending a moment in silent thought. She opened them again. “That definitely complicates things. I’ve never run into this sort of thing before. They aren't too different in age, are they?”

“I don't know. A couple years, I guess.” Spike did a double take. “Wait, Rarity, you can't seriously be okay with this stuff. I mean, isn't this sort of thing supposed to be bad? It’s pretty gross, right?”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out, Spike.” Rarity considered with a hoof to her chin. “It is certainly odd. Other ponies are going to judge them if they find out. I could even see it causing problems with the rest of their family.” She let out a sigh. “But they’re so happy together. I can't imagine a world in which I could oppose something that makes one of my best friends so happy.”

Spike grumped, crossing his arms. “I guess. I don't know. I think it's pretty weird.”

“Spike, I fail to see anything about Twilight that is not ‘weird’. I don't mean that in a negative way, of course. And the situation is, admittedly… uncomfortable. But then again…” Rarity spent a moment frowning to herself. “I suppose I’ll have to make my peace with it. But I do think somepony needs to tell them.”

“I think Clover already knows.” Understatement of the year. “Do you think you could talk to Twilight?”

“I would be happy to take on that responsibility. I daresay it is time I gave that mare a proper education on romance as it is.” Rarity stood. “First thing tomorrow, I'll drag Twilight over to the spa. Someplace relaxing is always best for stressful conversation. Could you check with Clover about the subject just to make sure that she is aware? That way you can let me know if she needs a ‘spa day’ as well.”

Spike shrugged. “I guess so.”

Rarity’s hoof stretched out, and Spike leaned into it. She gave him three gentle pats on the top of the head, and one of the smiles that melted his heart every time. “Thank you for coming to me with this, Spikey-wikey. I promise that I will try my absolute hardest to do right by both of them.”

After a nice warm breakfast, on a completely ordinary day, Clover found herself once again sitting in front of the board holding the contents of their investigation. Today’s task: the finishing touches on the internal bioarcane systems of changelings. She couldn’t focus, even on the last step needed to understand this magic, the step that would let her fix everything. Books spread out in front of her, of course, but the real important thing here was the warmth at her side. She kept close to it as she turned the pages, consciously dedicating herself to her task yet unable to get the thought of Twilight out of her mind.

Twilight glanced over at her. They stared into each other's eyes. Twilight smiled, and Clover tingled.

All of a sudden, the door burst open. “Twiiiiiliiiiiiight!” Rarity sang. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. My spa date for today seems to have disappeared, so you're going to be my replacement.”

“But I have research-”

Magic and the strength of a very determined unicorn dragged Twilight out the door. It shut behind them.

Cold filled the space where Twilight had been. Clover shivered. She frowned, and looked down to the floor.

A tear fell, slipping between the cracks. Something wasn't right. She shouldn’t be feeling this way about Twilight. Maybe something inside her was-

Clawsteps carried a warm face, a different kind of warmth, over to her. She looked up into the eyes of her little brother. She smiled, but another tear fell.

“You really care about her, huh?” Spike asked. He fidgeted with his claws, tapping them to his side.

“Yeah.” She choked on even that simple word.

Spike looked away. A frown of a different sort overtook his face.

Clover wrapped a foreleg around his back, pulling him in for a gentle hug. He hugged back.

“You and Twilight: that isn't just normal brother-sister stuff, huh?”

Clover flinched. She slowly shook her head. “I don't think so.”

Spike stayed focused on the floor. “You made a promise to Cadance. We all saw you.”

None of that made sense. The only way it could drove fear through Clover’s veins. “I'm sorry,” she whimpered. “I don't know what's wrong with me. I swear I didn't feel like this before. And I- I really do still love-”

“You need to tell Twilight,” Spike stated.

Clover started to cry.

Spike looked back up. He gave her another hug.

The door opened again. The least familiar of Twilight's friends entered. “Uh, Twilight? You in here?” Applejack’s eyes landed on the still-sniffling Clover.

Clover wiped her tears, gave Spike one last squeeze, and stood. “S- sorry. Rarity just left with her. I think they were going to the spa.”

“Aw, shoot.” Applejack swung a hoof in front of her. The exaggerated tone of her voice didn't quite match her words. “I was hopin’ I coulda found her here. I needed some help pullin’ an extra cart of apples to market today.” Then her eyes focused. Her mouth opened slightly. The oddness in her voice disappeared. “Clover, right? Are… you okay?”

“Yeah.” Clover nodded. “I'll be okay.” She rubbed her eyes once more, then stepped forward. “I can help. I'm probably not as good at magic as Twily, but I know how to pull a cart. I’m just a little bit out of shape.”

“Y- you sure you’re up for that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with sudden hesitation. “It's alright. I can take care of it myself.”

Clover shook her head. “No. It's fine.” She sniffed, then forced her face into a smile. “A little bit of exercise always helps.”

“Rarity! Rarity, what's going on?” Twilight pulled against Rarity's grip as she was dragged through the Ponyville streets. She slid along regardless, leaving marks in the dirt where her hooves scraped the ground.

Her rescuer-slash-kidnapper continued on until they distanced themselves from the library. Once it disappeared from sight, Rarity let Twilight free. “I apologize for my aggressiveness, darling. Really, I do. But there is something that we need to discuss, and it needs to be discussed while we are alone.” She glanced in the direction of her favorite local building. “Preferably within the relaxing context of a spa day.”

“Then why couldn't we bring Clover?” Twilight huffed. “You're the one who encouraged me to spend more time with her.”

“Clover is precisely the reason that we couldn't speak of this inside the library,” Rarity replied. She gestured to the spa. “Come along, Twilight. This will be much easier while we are in the middle of a nice, relaxing hooficure.”

Twilight didn't budge. Her eyebrows stayed angled inward, the corners of her mouth turned down.

Rarity sighed. She stopped urging Twilight along, instead turning back to meet her friend. “I'm not here to dissuade you, dear. I simply uncovered some information that I think you should be aware of before you continue.”

“What information?” Twilight demanded.

Rarity pursed her lips. She thought through her options as they related to the current situation. She chose her words carefully. “Twilight,” she said, “I have it on very good authority that there is a strong chance that you and Clover are… let us say ‘part of the same extended family’.”

Twilight's jaw dropped. It took her a few seconds to pick it back up. She shook her head. “You mean like… fourth cousins twice removed, or something?”

“No, Twilight.” Rarity reached out a hoof to rest it on Twilight's shoulder. “I mean that dear Spike recently remembered that he had seen her before, at a family gathering in Canterlot. And I assume your family gatherings are less all-encompassing than an Apple family reunion.”

“W- wait. That doesn't make any sense. Is that what she was trying to- How could I not recognize-”

Rarity raised an eyebrow in the direction of her oblivious friend. “I must remind you that you forgot about your brother until we received an invitation to his wedding. So I must ask, Twilight, dearest: how much of your extended family do you actually know?”

“I- I mean, I remember-” Twilight froze in place. “Oh no. I don't remember any of my cousins. Or my aunts and uncles. Except for Uncle Firetongue, but everypony knows Uncle Firetongue. And he’s only part of the family because he married Aunt-” Her eyes widened again. “I don't even remember her name. Wait, does this mean I've been flirting with-”

Rarity wrapped her outstretched leg more fully around Twilight's neck. She stepped forward on her remaining three hooves, carrying Twilight along. “And this is precisely why we should have waited for the hooficure.”

Applejack stood in front of two overloaded wagons filled well past the brim with apples and apple products, watching a mare who was very obviously undersized for the task hitch herself to the heavier of the two.

It seemed like such a good idea at the time. Of course it did. She was gonna catch that evil, deceitful changeling in the act, gonna put her under so much stress she didn't have a choice ‘cept to come clean. All that stuff Rarity said seemed like hogwash while she was askin’ Big Mac to help her set up the spare wagon, tellin’ him she could handle it on her own.

But changelings don't cry like that. And they definitely don't leave behind somepony who's showin’ ‘em love in order to help lug a cart from Sweet Apple Acres all the way into town.

Now Applejack had to deal with a pony who was as stubborn as she was. ‘cept Clover wasn't likely to actually be up to the task. If anything, she was more likely to get herself hurt.

Great goin’, Applejack.

She sighed to herself and shook her head, then stepped up to the cart she'd set aside for herself. “Ya sure you're gonna be okay?” she asked. Of course Clover wasn't. That was why she had to ask. But this was the fourth or fifth time she asked, so she'd wager-

“I've got it,” Clover replied with a cheerful smile. “I'm out of shape, but I'm not that bad at this sort of thing. I should be fine just bringing it into town.”

Applejack didn't believe that for a second. “Really, if it's too much-”

Clover laughed. “I already said it's fine. Don't worry about it. I didn't have anything else to do today anyways.”

Yep. Like she thought. Stubborn as a mule. Prob’ly more stubborn. Applejack knew a mule or two who were just as much of a pushover as Fluttershy. “Right. No time to waste, I guess. And, uh, thanks again for your help.”

The same bright smile replied, even as Clover strained to step forward under the weight. “Happy to help.”

Deep breaths and a mud mask helped to ease Twilight's nerves. The massage just before this also wasn't too shabby. She rested in one of the spa’s lounge chairs, taking advantage of the inability to move her lips while the mask was being applied to actually process.

Oh boy. That was a lot to process.

Clover. Related? Was she a cousin? A second cousin? An aunt she didn't know about?

She wasn't married, right? Right?

And still she couldn't get the thought of Clover's eyes, Clover’s soft fur, Clover's sweet smile out of her mind. Not even a question like this could deter her. In fact, despite her conscious priorities, her mind seemed to care a lot more about the question of whether or not she could take Clover to dinner with her parents than about the ethics of the situation.

“What are those?” she asked out loud the moment the spa ponies left them.

“Hmm? Those what?” Rarity replied.

Oh. Whoops. “Sorry. I meant… Do you have any idea about the ethics of all of this? Because…”

“…because nothing I said is making you want to be with her any less, is it?” She could hear Rarity sigh from the next chair over. “Twilight, the only things I can say for sure that I understand better than you are fashion and etiquette. Well, those and a third thing we'll be getting to shortly. I know that Clover can pull off hot pink better than just about anypony, and I know that incest is definitely a social faux pas.”

The ache in Twilight's chest grew stronger. She swallowed, gathering her courage. “Do you think it's wrong?”

“I don’t know, Twilight.” Twilight's heart beat faster. “But I made the choice to support whatever decision you and Clover make. And anypony can see that what you two feel for each other is both honest and real.”

Twilight bit hard at the inside of her cheek. She took another few deep breaths.

In. And out.

She whispered her next words. “Rarity, I don't know what I’d do without her.”

The gap in conversation lasted only a second or two, but it felt like a lifetime. “Well, if that’s your decision,” Rarity replied, “I just hope you'll hire me for the dresses at your wedding. It will be my first priority regardless of any of the complications.”

Her mouth felt dry. Her tongue scraped against its roof like sandpaper. “Really? You're not going to hate me for doing something like that?”

“Darling, why would I hate you?” Rarity went quiet. Her hoof brushed against Twilight's left foreleg a few times before grasping it and giving it a squeeze. “It’s going to be a difficult journey for both of you. But nothing about this makes me any less your friend. And it would be a bit hypocritical of me to tell you definitively to break it off now, especially given the other reason I wanted to speak to you alone.”

“Another reason?” All of the tension and anxiety that had slipped free of Twilight over the course of the conversation suddenly surged back in.

“Yes, Twilight. You obviously need somepony to teach you about romance.”

The cart behind Clover hadn't looked this heavy. Sure, it looked like the heaviest thing she had ever pulled, but it was somehow heavier still.

Her horn stayed lit, supplementing the force of her legs with a bit more direct forward pressure. They used this sort of trick in the guard sometimes. Okay, mostly for playing pranks, like that time they stole the last Captain's desk and left it on top of the castle. As pissed as Captain Ironheart had been, even he would be impressed by this application.

Did needing magic to pull a cart officially make Clover a nerd? Probably. Did she care? Absolutely not. Besides, Twilight was a nerd too.

Oh, Tartarus. She still couldn't stop thinking about Twilight, even when Cadance- when she knew something must have gone wrong with-

She turned to the mare beside her in search of a lifeline. “So, do you do this every week?” she asked in a strained voice.

Applejack looked up from the road, blinking a couple of times. “What? Oh. Not- not really. This is just a special week.”

Clover could almost taste the guilt in the air. It didn’t make sense, but she couldn’t deny what she knew. “I don't mind helping. Really,” she reassured.

Applejack continued to pull. Clover pushed away from the ground one leg at a time, barely keeping up. Applejack frowned, though, and kept her eyes front and center. “I know. And I still feel awful for it.”

“Please don't.” The sour feeling in the air persisted. “Really. I know I haven’t seen you around as often as Twilight’s other friends. Isn't this a good time to get to know each other?”

“I guess,” the other mare replied. The discomfort eased, if only slightly. “I work over on the family farm at Sweet Apple Acres. That's where I spend most of my time. I've got a little sister named Apple Bloom and a big brother named Big Macintosh. Granny Smith also lives with us.” She glanced over to Clover. “Got any family back home?”

Clover stumbled on a rock. She caught herself, looking up to a stare of concern. She smiled through the pain. “I'm fine. Sorry. It's just a little bit of a difficult subject. But yes, I have family. A little brother… and a sister. I care about them a lot.”

“Sorry.” Applejack slowed to match Clover's pace. “Do you want to take a break?”

Clover shook her head. “No. It always gets harder when you do. Your muscles just seize up. Better to push through to the end.”

“Alright.”

The searing pain in Clover's legs disagreed. She pushed on regardless.

They made it over the next hill. The downward slope afterwards nearly bowled Clover over. She held herself back with a controlled burst of magic. They climbed up the next, and Clover's knees threatened to give out. Still she pushed herself, urging the cart onward with every bit of strength she had.

Nearly thirty minutes later, the ground leveled out. They sighted the marketplace just a few streets over.

Applejack turned to her wheezing, shaking companion. “Well, ya did good, Clover. I’m awful impressed that a little pony like you somehow got that cart all the way-”

Clover dropped. Her world turned black.

The past thirty minutes had procedurally relieved Rarity of any hope in Twilight's romantic competence. “No, Twilight, I don't think that a candlelit book-reading is likely to sweep Clover off of her hooves. Perhaps you could try-”

“Really, Rarity, she likes books.”

“I don't doubt that, Twilight. Be that as it may, romantic gestures are usually more-”

“Maybe a different book, then? I think I have a signed, first edition copy of Nagatha Cellie's And Then There Was One. Ooh, or maybe Hoofingway’s The Moon Also Rises.”

Rarity’s hoof impacted her forehead, thankfully long since bereft of mud. “Twilight, darling, you are entirely missing the point. Besides, isn't one of those about murder - with questionable opinions on earth ponies, if my memory serves me correctly - and the other a tragedy?”

“Yes, but-”

“I promise you, Twilight, dear,” Rarity interrupted, “neither of those is a particularly romantic topic. Now, before we start to get all pruney from soaking for too long, can you please let me speak?”

“Even you like Nagatha Cellie,” Twilight grumped.

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

Twilight sighed. “Sorry. I'm just nervous.”

“That's normal, darling, even without the complicating factors we discussed.” Rarity shifted slightly closer, sending ripples through the pool. “Now, Twilight, I do truly think that your relationship with Clover is already something special. But I also think that you both would benefit from setting aside some time to spend together. With ‘together’ being the focus,” she preempted. “Not books.”

The other pony returned an unimpressed look. “We can read together. It's how we spend most of our time.”

“Fine.” Rarity threw up her hooves. “I give up. If you two want to spend your dates reading, who am I to stop you? I do insist you should rethink your choice of book, though. I’d suggest something more lighthearted. Maybe a romantic comedy?”

“I don't know if I have any of those.”

Rarity let out a groan. “Twilight, I’ve checked out at least three just in the last month. That isn’t my point. There is power in words, darling. For many ponies, it can be very meaningful to call something a date.”

Twilight's cheeks flushed pink. “Really? I- I mean…”

“Oh, Twilight. You have been cuddling this mare to sleep every night for over a week. I don’t think a date is suddenly going to be over the line.”

“But what if she's one of those ponies who doesn't like those sorts of things?” Twilight blurted out. “I mean, she's never brought it up. I don't want to make her uncomfortable, or suggest something that she might not like, or-”

“Twilight Sparkle, if you do not kiss this mare, I swear to Celestia that I am going to woo her just to spite you,” Rarity grumbled. She took another couple of deep breaths.

Twilight once again started to glow. “Do- do you really think she would be okay with that? I mean, I want to, but I'm worried that-”

“If you're worried about it, darling, just ask her if it’s alright first.” Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “You don't need to push her. If she refuses, then you know. Just lean towards her and pucker your lips, and see what happens.”

Rarity watched the increasingly fidgety unicorn next to her with similarly increasing satisfaction.

The weight on Applejack's back felt quite a bit heavier than that cartload of apples she’d pulled into town. It was only a single pony, but the fact that Clover wasn't on her way back to Twilight's library added quite a few pounds. That went double given that it was entirely Applejack's fault.

For some gosh-darned reason, Applejack had convinced herself of something pretty awful. Now, Clover Quill, an innocent mare whose only crimes were bein’ exactly Twilight's type and doin’ her best to help out, was probably gonna need a couple hours’ rest and the biggest apology of Applejack's entire life.

She glanced back over her shoulder. Clover’s eyes were still shut. Applejack picked up the pace.

The familiar farmhouse peeked out from inside the orchard after a much shorter journey than their first. Applejack trotted into the yard, angling her neck to try to catch a glimpse of red. “Big Mac?” she called. The oversized stallion poked his head out from the barn. “I really messed up. Now I need to make up for it. Can you go into town and watch the stall?”

He took one look at his sister's display and shook his head. “Nope.” He walked over to meet her.

Applejack settled Clover down on the couch. She looked up to see Big Mac behind her. She sighed, and got to explainin’.

“…and that's about when she collapsed.” Applejack stared at the floor from her spot next to the still-sleeping Clover. She looked to her side. Clover’s chest rose and fell in a rhythm. Applejack matched her cadence. “I really screwed this up big time, didn't I?”

“Eeyup.”

“And now I gotta make it up to Clover.”

“Eeyup.”

“And Rarity.”

“Eeyup.”

She glanced up to her brother. “Do you think she'll forgive me? Rarity, I mean. I don't think Clover has a grudge-bearin’ bone in her body.”

Big Mac considered for a moment. He nodded. “If you apologize well enough.”

“Yeah. I have no idea what I'm gonna say.” She looked once more to their dozing guest. “She should be alright, I think. She's just exhausted. We'll get some food and water in her, then I'll carry her back if I have to.” Applejack turned to the stallion in the room one last time. “Now could you please go keep an eye on the stall? There's prob’ly a huge line. I told ponies I was only gonna be gone for a few minutes.”

Her big brother nodded as he stood. “Eeyup.”

The air in the library was buzzing. Or, rather, Twilight was. Only metaphorically vibrating. Not literally. That would be ridiculous. Unless she cast Bright Spark’s Bewildering Buzz. But what would be the point in-

Twilight shook her head furiously. “Okay. Calm down, Twilight. Everything's going to be okay. It's just a normal night. Nothing weird is going to happen. Except that you just found out that Clover is related to you. And you're still going to kiss her.” Her pupils dilated. “Oh no. Maybe I should panic.”

Spike coughed and sputtered from the floor nearby. “You what?!”

“Not helping, Spike!” Twilight paced back and forth. “But maybe you're right. Maybe this is all a huge mistake. Maybe I shouldn't even be thinking about that. Maybe I should just leave for a while. I could probably go on vacation. Right? I mean, I’ve always wanted to visit Trotsylvania-”

“Whoa. Twilight. Hold on a second.” Spike grabbed one of her legs. His claws scraped across the floor as he dragged her to a halt. “What’s going on? Why are you panicking? What happened with Rarity?”

“Well,” Twilight chattered, “Rarity told me that you told her that Clover was actually related to me, and I told her that I still liked Clover anyways, and then she spent the rest of the time trying to tell me that reading books wasn't a good option for a first date, and then-”

Spike slid down to the floor, landing on his rear. He let go. “You still want to kiss her?”

Both of Twilight's ears flattened to her head. She rolled her lips back into her mouth. She replied in a whisper. “Yeah. I'm scared. But she makes me feel like nothing else in the world matters. When she's here, I feel safe. I feel comfortable. I mean, I love having you around, Spike, but with Clover it's… different. I just feel like I could spend every moment by her side. I don't just want to kiss her. I want her to stay with me forever.”

“I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that before,” Spike mumbled. He frowned. His crossed arms loosened. He stood, and leaned forward to give Twilight a hug. “I don't know. This whole thing still seems really weird to me. Did she even tell you she was married?”

“She is?!” Twilight gasped.

Spike slapped a claw to his forehead. “Yeah. You didn't know that?”

“But she never said anything about-” Twilight’s pupils dilated. “Oh no.”

“Twilight, calm down! Why does it matter?”

“Because- does that mean she's been having an affair with me? Does that mean she's going to have to get divorced because of me? Does that mean-” The thoughts spiraled out of control.

Spike grabbed her hoof, dragging her back to reality. “Twilight, stop. I-” Spike looked away. “Sorry. I should have let her tell you.”

Memories of a familiar conversation slipped back into the forefront of Twilight's mind. “Was that what she was trying to say earlier?”

“Part of it, I think,” Spike replied.

“Does that mean she doesn't really like me?” The words left Twilight at barely the volume of a whisper.

“No! It means- I don't know!” Spike threw up his claws. “I don't know anything about this love stuff! That's why I wanted Rarity to talk to you. Because I tried to talk to Clover, but she feels just like you do.”

“She does?!” Twilight's mouth hung open. “She loves me? She… loves me.” A couple of tears trickled down her cheeks. She closed her mouth. It shifted into a smile. “Thank you, Spike. I don't care if she's married, or if she's related to me, or if Celestia herself wants to stop us. I just know that I love her, and I'll do anything if it means we can be together.”

A loud groan filled the room. “Twilight! You're supposed to- ugh!”

“What? What am I not getting?!” Twilight snapped. “Spike, if there's still something you're hiding, you need to tell me!”

“Tell you what? Tell you the secret she made me promise to keep? Tell you that she's secretly Shining Armor, and that she's researching changelings because Queen Chrysalis put a spell on her as revenge for what happened at the wedding?!”

Twilight froze. Her lips parted. She stared. Spike clapped his claws over his mouth just a moment too late.

Clover's eyes fluttered open. Her body ached. She laid on an unfamiliar couch in the middle of an unfamiliar room.

She sat up in a rush. The pounding in her head drove her back to the couch.

Applejack held a glass of water in her direction. “Drink up, sugarcube. You're gonna be feelin’ that for the next couple days.”

With a still trembling hoof, Clover accepted the offering. She placed the glass to her lips, tilting it up more and more until the last drop disappeared down her dry throat. The pain in her head began to lessen, but the soreness in her limbs remained. “Ow,” she managed to mumble.

“‘Ow’ sounds about right.” Applejack leaned back in the chair on the other side of the coffee table. “Take your time gettin’ up. There ain’t no rush.”

Clover Quill surveyed the room. Ivory-papered walls surrounded her, covered in a repeating design of tan vines bearing bright red apples. Framed pictures hung on the walls, depicting a farmhouse and a barn she'd seen earlier that day. Dozens of ponies stood in front of the house in each photograph. A family?

The ache that thought brought with it eclipsed all of her other pain. She slumped further against the couch. The tears she'd been chasing away with exertion returned. She sobbed into the cushions.

A sudden weight caused the cushion beneath her midsection to sag. Applejack’s hoof brushed up and down her back. “I really am awfully sorry about all this. I know you keep sayin’ it's okay, but I have a lot more to be sorry for than you think.”

Clover hoisted herself into a slightly more upright position, leaning against the arm of the couch. She turned to face Applejack. “It's okay. Really. I probably have at least as much as you.”

“I doubt that,” Applejack replied, “But how ‘bout we talk?”

“Yeah.” Clover's words surprised herself. She continued, though. “I think I'm going to have a lot of talking to do today.”

“You hungry?” Applejack asked.

Clover’s stomach growled. She nodded with flattened ears and a slight pink tinge to her cheeks.

Applejack chuckled. She reached over to the coffee table and slid over a plate. “I realized we kinda skipped lunch. Hope a hay-and-apple sandwich sounds okay. Probably best to get somethin’ in your stomach before you go anywhere.”

By the time Applejack finished that sentence, Clover was already halfway through the meal. She swallowed her enormous mouthful, her blush brightening. “Thanks.”

“Glad to see you like it,” Applejack said with a smile. “I'll talk while you eat, okay?”

Clover nodded, mouth too full to say anything.

Applejack took a deep breath. “I owe you some honesty. Back when you first got here, I decided you might be here with less than honest motives. I, uh… mighta thought you were a changeling.”

Clover choked and sputtered. She gulped down what she could, then chased it with a second glass of water that had been conveniently placed nearby. “A changeling?” The thought chased away her anxiety. She started to chuckle, then burst into full on laughter. “You thought I was a changeling?”

The mare beside her turned red. “Uh… yeah. Sorry.”

“No, it's just- it's really funny! Because- because when the changelings invaded, they-” Clover's expression darkened. The weight of the moment settled once more onto her back. She looked away. “They kidnapped me. Then Chrysalis did something awful.”

Applejack opened her mouth. She closed it. She stayed quiet, only lifting her hoof to Clover's back once more.

Clover continued. “I was getting ready for the wedding. My defenses should have been perfect, but we didn't realize that one of them was already inside. She- she disguised herself as my fiancee, and I didn't even notice.”

Applejack's eyes widened.

“I don't even remember how it happened. I just know that it was my fault for not figuring that out sooner. I was in my room one moment, and the next, I was restrained in the caves beneath Canterlot. She was casting some sort of spell on me. And now I'm- I'm like-” Clover fell into sobs. She choked out the last few words. “Now I'm like this, and I'm too much of a coward to try to fix it.”

After a short moment of silence, Applejack asked a single, simple question. “But why in Equestria would the changelings kidnap one o’ the guests?”

“They didn’t!” Clover exclaimed. “They kidnapped me! Captain Shining Armor! The pony who was supposed to marry Princess Cadance!”

Everything but Applejack’s lips froze in place. “That- But that's impossible.”

“Then ask Spike!” Clover replied. “I've already told him. He knows who I am. I showed him proof.”

“But- but that doesn’t make a lick of sense! And I happen to know for a fact that wasn’t how it went!” Applejack stared at the ground, wild-eyed yet still. She spoke quickly and carefully. “Wait just a tick. Did you tell Spike how it happened? When it happened?”

Clover shook her head wordlessly.

“We chased the changelings out. You two had your wedding.”

All of Equestria froze in place.

Applejack whispered the words on both of their minds. “We need to tell Twilight.”

Clover’s world dropped out from under her.

The door to Carousel Boutique burst open. The sheer force knocked it off of one of its hinges. It leaned away at an awkward angle. “Rarity! Rarity, where are you? Somethin’ terrible has happened.”

From the back of the shop came a long sigh. The whirring of the sewing machine faded, and Rarity stepped into view. “Darling, this had better not be about-”

“It's about Clover.” Applejack sprinted over to her. “I know I screwed up. I know that now. She ain't a changeling at all. But that's because she's Shining Armor. Chrysalis hit her with some sort o’ spell before the wedding.”

“What?!” Rarity's eyes bulged. “No, no, no. That's impossible. We-”

“Exactly. I already tracked down Rainbow Dash and told her to find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. We need to get to Canterlot pronto.” Applejack sighed, and looked away. “And to think, I accused her of bein’-”

A hoof brushed Applejack's cheek. She looked up.

Rarity kissed her.

Rarity pulled away with a pained smile after as many seconds as the two could manage. “Applejack, darling, you will make up for that. I didn't intend to collect on our bet anyways.” She stared for a moment. She gave Applejack one more quick kiss to the cheek. Then, she led the way out of the door.

Clover Quill stumbled into Golden Oak Library. Only tension, fear, and sadness remained.

Twilight Sparkle sat in the center of the room. The fur of her face had grown dark with dampness. She didn't look up.

“Twily, I'm so sorry. There's something I need to tell you. I'm-”

“Shining Armor,” Twilight finished.

Clover's weakened legs dropped out from under her.

“Don't blame Spike. I made him tell me.” Twilight stared down at a particularly large gap in the floorboards. “I just want to know one thing. Why?”

“B- because I was scared! I'm so sorry, Twily. It happened back before the wedding. Applejack says there's another Shining Armor. We have to-”

Twilight shook her head. “Why did you pretend to be her?”

If Clover's legs hadn't already failed her, they would have. Instead, she lowered herself slowly, resting against the floorboards. “I didn't pretend. I promise.”

“Then why did you let me fall in love?”

Clover’s tears joined with Twilight’s. She stayed silent.

Twilight spoke once more, but only after a few minutes of emptiness.

“We need to get you back to Cadance.”

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned that love only exists to cause us pain.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

End Act 1

Chapter 8: Chapter 7: His Resolve

Chapter Text

Act 2

Twilight

In the light of the setting sun stood Captain Shining Armor. He, his group of friends, his little brother, and his sister waited for the train in silence. He glanced in Twilight's direction. He saw tears. He felt them, too.

He stayed put where he was, several hooves away. “Twily?” he asked in that voice that wasn't supposed to be his.

She kept quiet.

“I promise, it wasn't a lie. I was just so scared of losing you that I couldn't- I couldn't tell you,” he said. Twilight kept her eyes on the ground. He offered one last faltering hope of an explanation. “Because I was happy.”

That line finally brought her head back up. Twilight turned to look at Shining Armor. Shining felt several more tears slip out. His bottom lip wobbled. His emotions stayed far out of his control.

He wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to be strong. He was supposed to be the captain of the Guard, the one who was there to keep ponies safe. He was-

“Yeah,” Twilight replied. “I was happy too.” She frowned, looked away, and took a single step to the side. Towards Shining. “I know I was being selfish. I'm sorry I haven't been supportive. I just… This really hurts, Shining.”

“It hurts,” Shining repeated. Every part of him hurt, from the ache in his legs to the stabbing pain in his chest. His mane hung loose, absent either of the ribbons.

The train to Canterlot pulled into the station. The doors opened. Everypony embarked. Twilight and Clover sat on opposite sides of the car.

Twilight Sparkle moved to the front, taking up residence near a window. She settled herself against the windowsill, facing the trees outside. They started moving. She sniffed, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

She didn't know the first thing to think about any of this. The wedding had been a lie? They didn't even save everypony?

No, that didn't even matter. Maybe it did to Equestria, but not to Twilight. Not right now.

Was Clover even real?

Shining said he wasn't pretending. Did that mean he wasn't pretending about liking books? Did that mean he wasn't pretending about being a mare? Is there any world in which that could mean that he wasn't just pretending to love her?

She couldn't do that to Cadance, even if Shining hadn't been pretending.

Was there something wrong with her that she was thinking about that but pushing aside the ethics of dating her brother? Was the fact that she didn't even care about ethics a sign that something was broken in her mind? Maybe instead of being scared of magic kindergarten, she should have been scared about being taken off to a ward somewhere, or thrown into Tartarus for breaking whatever law she didn’t care enough to remember.

Rarity settled down beside her. One of her hooves rubbed up against Twilight's back. “I'm so sorry, darling.”

“It's not your fault. But I don't know what to- what to even-” A sob cut into her words. She buckled, and leaned against her friend.

The hoof continued to stroke her back. From her new position, Twilight could see another face wearing an attempt at a reassuring smile: Spike. He hopped down from the seat to wander in her direction. She extended a hoof. He put a claw atop it.

“You know, Twilight, dear, there's always the possibility that this could end well,” Rarity said in between backrubs. “Perhaps Princess Cadance is open to the idea. She is the princess of love, after all.”

“But that won't keep her here,” Twilight whimpered. “She'll move off to Canterlot and then I'll never see her again.”

She missed the gentle roll of Rarity's eyes, too engrossed in the sight of her own tears. Rarity shook her head gently, poking the back of Twilight's head with the tip of her muzzle. “Twilight Sparkle, this is not the time to catastrophize. You are hurting. We are here to help. But Canterlot is only a few hours away by train. You can visit as often as you like.”

“Yeah,” Spike affirmed. “Come on, Twilight. If there's anyone Shining doesn't want to see again, it's me. I'm the one who broke my promise. If anything, I'm worried he might want to see you too much.”

“Spike, those sorts of comments are not helping.” Rarity gently bonked the top of Spike's head with a hoof. He rubbed it and huffed.

Rarity glared. He wilted. “Sorry, Twilight.”

“It's okay,” Twilight whispered. “Maybe you're right. Maybe we're just… broken. Gross.”

“Now that's enough of that, Twilight, dear. You are not gross, or broken. You are just hurting.” Rarity shifted the back rubs into a more proper hug. “It is perfectly alright to hurt. You still have five friends who care about you, not to mention a little brother. And I have a sneaking suspicion that you haven't chased Clover away just yet.”

“But- but-” The pain pushed her to object. Logic couldn't follow, and neither could her words. She let herself cry, hoping only that somepony might catch her.

If there was an award for the worst pony in all of Equestria, Shining Armor deserved it. That was all he could think. That was all he could say.

“I'm horrible. I'm the worst. I'm so selfish. I'm gross.”

Fluttershy took one side of the windowless booth. Applejack took the other, settling her hat in her lap and fidgeting with it.

“I made Twilight fall in love with me. With me. That's so horrible. I was going to go through with it, too. I actually- I actually felt like-”

Applejack stared at her hat. She sighed, and shook her head before looking back up. “Go ahead and say it, sugarcube,” Applejack stated, only slightly forced. “I think you're bein’ a bit hard on yourself, but it's always better to get these things out.”

Clover sniffed. She coughed, and choked. She wiped the mess dripping from her nose with a spare tissue offered to her by Fluttershy.

“It felt like it did when I was first dating Cadance,” she eventually managed. “The same way. I didn't ever want to be separated from her again. It was different, though. Twilight felt comfortable. Cadance was new and exciting. But Twilight felt like home.” She whimpered to herself in between sentences. “I'm disgusting. I don't deserve to be anywhere near Cadance, and I definitely don't deserve to be captain of the guard. The whole world would be better off if I-”

“Clover Quill, that is enough!” Fluttershy's not-quite-booming voice echoed throughout at least a part of their most immediate surroundings. “You stop that right now. I know you're a good pony. You've gone out of your way to help every single pony here with no expectation of reward. All you did was care about Twilight, and you know that’s nothing to apologize for. You were just scared.”

“That's no excuse,” Clover replied weakly.

“No. But you don't have to make an excuse. Nopony is mad at you.” Fluttershy scooted a teeny tiny bit closer. “I know a lot about being scared. I used to get so scared I sometimes couldn't do anything except hide under the covers of my bed all day. You were just scared you were going to lose Twilight.”

Clover sniffed. She nodded, but only slightly.

It took a moment for Applejack to gather any more words for Clover. “She's right, Shining,” she eventually continued. “Twilight's upset, but that's mostly because she's hurtin’, not because you're a bad pony. The only reason anypony ever thought you were bad was because of me. Heck, if you were a bad pony, then I doubt you could have ever convinced Princess Cadance to marry you.”

“But she never did,” Clover whispered in reply. “And after this, she probably won’t want me back. I- I even tried not to think about her for the past two months. But now that I'm thinking about her again, it hurts. I really do want to be with her again. I was so excited for the wedding. I love her so much, but I also love-” Clover choked on her own words.

Applejack watched from a distance while Fluttershy patted Clover’s back. She grimaced, but hid it before Clover could see. “I'm sorry, sugarcube, but there ain't no simple answers to somethin’ like this,” she said.

“I know,” Clover replied. “I know. And whatever answer there is, I'm the one to-”

“But that doesn't change the point,” Applejack interrupted. “You messed up bad, sure, but everypony screws up. I'm sure Twilight will come around. I know she still cares about you. Just give her time and a bit of space. Things might not be the same, but you'll both come out of this alright.” She paused for just a moment, taking a deep breath before nodding to herself. “And…” she continued, looking back to Clover, “if you do end up needin’ a couch to sleep on, I’ll make sure you’re welcome at Sweet Apple Acres.”

Clover- Shining? - looked up and gave the best smile she - or he - could manage. “Thanks.”

Applejack gave the best smile she could manage, nodding her acceptance. “It's the least I could do after all the trouble I caused with all that changeling nonsense.”

The pain settled deep in Clover's gut. It didn't go away. It still burned hotter than the worst memories she had. She was still horrible, awful, gross, disgusting, and maybe even evil. But the tears slowed, at least.

In a single, otherwise empty booth sat Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Of course, Pinkie wasn't as sad as Rainbow looked. She was always happy; she had to be. But she might have to admit that she was a teensy weensy itty bitty little bit less happy than normal. Who wouldn't be a little less happy when almost all of their friends were all sad, especially if they didn't have any idea how to fix it?

Dash stayed quiet for a few moments, then groaned. Her back hooves drummed against the floor of the train car, drawing Pinkie's attention. Pinkie made a funny face, but Rainbow didn't seem to notice. Rainbow Dash groaned again, then raised her voice. “This bucking sucks!”

The little bit of unhappy got big enough to slip out. “Yeah. I’ve never even seen one pony that sad. Aaaaaand I just found out that the biggest party I ever threw was for a fake wedding!” Pinkie tapped a hoof to her chin, pondering that idea. “Though now that I mention it, a fake wedding could be a pretty funny idea. You could have a prank and a party all in one!”

Rainbow Dash shot her a very unimpressed look. “Pinkie, is the party thing really even important right now?”

It wasn't. All of the air escaped Pinkie's mane. “No.” She looked over to the group surrounding a sniffling Twilight, then back to the others huddled around a crying Clover. “They’re both just so… sad. How are you supposed to make somepony smile when you don't even know what's wrong?”

“I can tell you what's wrong,” Dash grumped. “Twilight just found out that the pony she had a huge crush on was secretly her brother.”

“So?”

“So?!” Rainbow Dash lifted a full inch above her seat. “Pinkie, you're not supposed to date family.”

Pinkie Pie shrugged. “I don't see what the big deal is. I mean, I’ve never heard of anypony doing it, but I’ve never heard of lots of things. Like the time everypony kept telling me that you couldn’t bake a cake with a hot fudge sundae inside, but I reeeeeally wanted to anyways, so I had to come up with this whole-”

“Pinkie!”

Pinkie Pie threw up her hooves. “What? It ended up being a good idea even though everypony else said it was weird and impossible and that it would ruin the cake and the ice cream.” Duh. It was basically the same thing.

Rainbow Dash sighed. She probably didn't get it. “Do you at least get why it's a big deal that Clover has been lying since she got to Ponyville?”

“Maaaaybe. Hmmmmm…” Pinkie Pie sat quietly, continuing to rub her chin in thought. Lying was a big deal, but Clover and Twilight really liked each other. Like really, really liked each other. And she thought “Clover had a pretty good reason. I mean, kidnapped by changelings and turned into somepony else? That's probably pretty scary to tell other ponies about. Just like the time I-”

Rainbow groaned.

Whoops. She was thinking out loud again.

Rarity approached them from the front, Applejack from the back. The moment they sat down, Pinkie Pie leaned forward and began a conspiratorial whisper. a friendly kind of conspiratorial. “So what's the plan? How do we get Clover and Twilight back to being friends again?”

“They're both hurting, darling,” Rarity replied. “Perhaps they just need time away from each other.”

“No they don't.” Rarity definitely didn't get it. “I mean, have you seen how much they look at each other? They both just want to hug each other and be back to normal.”

“I don't know if there is a normal, Pinkie,” Applejack interjected. “Pretty sure nothin’ about that situation is normal.”

“Duh!” Pinkie gave a huff. None of them got it. “But who cares about normal? Normal is boring.”

The other ponies stayed silent. Pinkie rolled her eyes, pounding her front hooves against the table in the center. All of the others jumped.

“Look. Twilight is our friend, and so is Clover, right? Soooooo,” she continued without giving them a chance to interrupt, “we just need to help them be friends again! And if that takes a while, then we need to make sure that they know that we’re still their friends in the meantime so they don’t get even more sad. Eeeeeeven,” she continued, staring right at Applejack, “if they’re weird and not normal.”

Applejack frowned. She snagged Rarity's hoof, and gave it a squeeze. She let out a sigh. “Yeah. I suppose you're right. Of course I wanna keep bein’ Twilight's friend. And I owe Clover that much, at least.”

Rarity pulled that hoof into her lap, giving it a gentle massage. “Truth be told, darling, I had already made my peace with the nature of their relationship, at least in some sense. I haven't seen any evidence that it is hurting either of them.”

Pinkie shifted her glare to Rainbow Dash. Her best friend, the Element of Loyalty, gave another sigh. “Fine. Clover’s pretty cool. And, you know, even if she's an egghead, so is Twilight.”

Now they got it!

Shining Armor was the first pony to get up, and the first pony to reach the door. He stepped out onto the platform and waited for the others to catch up. One set of hoofsteps clambered down. Then he heard only silence.

He turned to the side, coming face to face with Twilight. With his little sister.

All of the guilt and self-hate returned.

“I'm so sorry, Twilight. I'm- I was so horrible to you. First at the wedding, and then now.” Shining Armor forced himself to make eye contact throughout.

Twilight glanced back towards the train car, where all of their friends stood waiting. She returned her attention to Shining Armor with a frown on her face. “You weren't horrible, Shining. That was the problem.”

That line swelled the hatred in his heart for the unforgivable pony standing in his hoofprints. “I know,” he repeated. “I know.”

“Can you tell me the truth? Just this once?”

Shining nodded without a thought to the contrary.

Twilight Sparkle took a deep, shaky breath. “You said it wasn't a lie. Did you mean it?”

“Yes,” he whispered. He choked and coughed, and the tears resumed their flow. “Twily, I'm so sorry!”

Shining’s little sister stepped forward, pulling him into a hug that burned him with its warmth. He held it for as long as he could stand, until it scorched his fur and singed his nostrils. They parted. As they started into the city, he looked away.

The rest of the group joined them on the platform, gathering around Twilight Sparkle. He tried not to look at the sister he betrayed, at the friends he deceived. He tried not to think about the feelings that wanted to swallow him whole.

They started off on their journey. He had one goal now. That goal had driven him to Twilight. Now it was driving him away.

Cadance.

The more he thought about her, the more he realized just how much he still loved her. He hadn’t ever thought he could love another pony as much as her. He'd never thought about Twilight in that way before the past month, but then suddenly he had, and…

At least he still had Cadance.

Even thinking that name filled him with warm sensations, with love that had never burned out. In a way unlike Twilight, Cadance was wonderful. She cared so much about everypony, and she had such a smile, the sort that would leave him tingling even before whatever his new hormones had done to him. He had thought she was perfect, and in most ways, she was.

At the end of the tunnel, there was still a light. If, by some chance, Cadance would still have him, he knew he could be happy with her. The ache of losing Twilight might never disappear, but he would get to see Cadance's beautiful pink and purple and yellow mane, feel her soft touch, hear that chuckle that never strayed far from his mind. They would go to the altar, even if he might not be wearing that tuxedo anymore, and they would swear to each other till death do them part.

Somehow, he might still be happy.

He raised his head a little bit higher. He marched forward with renewed vigor. His legs grew strong underneath him, and carried his weight with ease. He followed towards his only other love with still-steadying heart.

Twilight settled her tiara atop her head. Her friends, gathered to either side of her, wore their necklaces. She looked just behind.

Spike made eye contact. Shining Armor did not. A churning sea of emotions turned her back around.

The sun was setting.

She led the way towards the wealthier part of the city where she remembered Shining living before she left. They probably lived somewhere near there. That was also around the same place Cadance lived, at least as far as she remembered. The fake Shining would probably be with Cadance either way. That's where the real Shining needed to be. Not with her.

A guard stood to the side of her path. She paused for just a brief moment to ask a simple question. “You wouldn't have happened to have seen Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor recently, would you?”

He nodded. “Yes, miss. They walked by here just a few moments ago. I think they were headed towards the cliffside.”

“Thank you.” She continued her march, trying to think about anything other than the past month, other than the mare who captured her mind so fully. She shouldn't be thinking about Shining like that. They had to say goodbye, and that was that. They’d take care of the problem, and then Cadance and him would have their actual wedding, and then she'd see Shining once every year or two, mostly around the holidays.

Of course, they wouldn't talk much. Neither would want to. They would just exchange pleasantries and try not to look at each other. What else could they do?

If she'd only known what Shining was really trying to research, maybe they could have actually made some serious progress. As is, all it felt like Twilight had learned was that most changeling magic - except for the transformation stuff they did to themselves - was basically the same as pony magic. That meant there had to be some sort of counterspell, and it was probably in a pony book, not one on changelings. It had all been useless.

Twilight stepped past the edge of the last street. The horizon greeted her, and the drop to the valley just past the cliffside. There was a trail here, and a fence to keep ponies from falling, but it probably wouldn't be of any use since Twilight was pretty sure she already had.

She continued along, turning to the side. She caught a glimpse of Clover- of Shining out of the corner of her eye. All of those emotions: pain, anger, fear, sadness, and the one far worse than any of those welled up in her. She fought the rising tide with every last bit of her strength.

When she spotted Cadance and Shining Armor - the fake one - sitting on a blanket, enjoying an early evening stargazing session, Twilight knew she couldn't take too long. She had one job. She needed to pluck out her own heart.

She spoke before they could turn around. “Cadance. Stay back. That Shining Armor is a fake.”

Both Cadance and the fake Shining jumped to their hooves. Both looked between Twilight and the other. “Twily?” the one who looked like Shining said.

Cadance spun her head in his direction. “Shining? Is… she telling the truth?”

He mimicked confusion, replying in a beautifully practiced act. “No, Cadance, I promise. I don't know what she's talking about.” The creature glanced in Twilight’s direction. “Twilight, it’s just me. Shining Armor. Your big brother.”

“No,” Twilight stated, and stepped forward. “It isn’t.” Her element began to glow.

For a moment, Cadance's eyes widened. They reflected terror, the same black chitin and green magic that had assailed Twilight’s dreams in the nights following the wedding. Cadance took a step back.

The fake Shining stretched out a hoof. “Cadance, please!” His head swiveled in Twilight's direction. "Twilight, you're making a mistake. I swear, whatever you think, I'm not-"

Twilight couldn't listen to the rest of his reply. She glanced to the others. “Ready?”

Her friends nodded.

Twilight rose into the air. The others followed. Her eyes glowed white. Magic connected the gemstones laid into each of their elements. They came together as one, sending a dazzling beam of rainbow energy towards the fake Shining Armor. It impacted him dead center.

When the light cleared enough for them to see, Shining Armor still stood on the blanket, entirely unchanged and unharmed.

Shining Armor followed the Elements of Harmony down the street. They led the way. He walked behind, alone except for the company of Spike. To his credit, Spike looked up to Shining and spoke just once. “I'm really sorry that I broke my promise.”

Shining shook her- his head. “No, Spike. It's okay. You don't have to be sorry. You were right to tell her.” After all, Shining was the one at fault for every single part of this.

He only hoped it wasn't so bad that Cadance might not forgive him.

He caught little glimpses of the horrible sadness that filled Twilight during their walk over. He kept his eyes pointed away.

He had hurt the other pony he loved beyond the reach of any apology. He had betrayed both family and friend.

When they stopped, he looked forward. He saw the face of the alicorn who had won his heart. It leaped at the thought of being back with her.

Cadance was still there, still okay. Love filled his eyes at the thought, and he even managed to smile. He could finally see her again. Even if everything else was horrible, maybe, just maybe, he could finally be with-

The rainbow impacted. The dust cleared.

Nothing had changed, but his heart had stopped.

“Twily?” the other him asked. “Was this some sort of a joke?”

“I- I-” Twilight struggled for words. Shining never had them in the first place.

“I'm sorry for what happened at the wedding, but this is too much.”

“That really wasn’t funny, Twilight!” Cadance shouted. “You really scared me!” And he could see the fear, feel it, even taste it. It filled him up, complemented by the fear surging through his soul.

“I-” Twilight finally managed something. “But that doesn't make any sense. How can the Elements have no effect on you? You- you can't be- If you were a changeling, that should have-”

She turned. Her eyes landed directly on the other Shining Armor. The Shining Armor that had ruined everything. The Shining Armor whose only false hope was Cadance. The Shining Armor who, somehow, couldn't even manage to be real.

Terror seized the heart of the fake Shining Armor. She breathed quicker and quicker, each gasp of air fighting her spasming lungs for fulfillment.

She collapsed.

A heartfelt apology would have to do. It was just about all Twilight could muster. “I am so sorry,” she managed after nearly half a minute of silence.

“Oh, no,” Cadance replied, and stomped forward. Her moment of terror fled, chased by an angry scowl. “That? You can't just say sorry for that. That was not okay. Twilight, I know Shining was awful to you during the wedding, but that doesn't excuse this!”

“It's not about the wedding!” Twilight shouted. She glanced behind her. Clover had slumped to the ground. “It's not. I promise. This… just doesn't make any sense.”

Stepping in front of his wife's fury, Shining Armor took point. “Twily, is there something wrong? Are the changelings back?”

“No- maybe?” Twilight shook her head. “I don't know! I'm sorry, Shining, Cadance. I just- Something's going on that I don't understand.”

Shining's brow furrowed with worry. His wife's expression finally softened, and she stepped forward to take his side.

Twilight looked up, staring into Shining's blue eyes. “Are you really Shining Armor?”

“I'm your big brother, best friend forever.” Shining offered a smile. The pain of the past few moments only slightly showed through. He reached up a hoof to brush her shoulder, and she brushed it with one of her own.

“Do you remember what you used to make me for breakfast?” Twilight asked. She had to be sure.

He nodded, and his smile grew. “Of course I do. Oats, always. I couldn't make anything else. And they always had golden raisins and pecans.”

The smell, the taste of the breakfast Clover prepared for her just the other day filled Twilight’s nostrils. She nodded, and forced a smile in response. “Thank you, Shiny. I'm glad you're not a changeling. But…” She trailed off, looking back at Clover as the others worked to lift the fallen unicorn onto Applejack's back.

“You have to take care of your friend,” Shining finished, whether or not it was correct. “And, if I know my little sister, you probably also have to save Equestria or something. I get it, Twily. Just let us know if we can help.”

Twilight nodded, struggling to pull her eyes away from Clover. She did, and a tear rolled down her cheek in response. “Sorry, both of you. I promise, I'll explain everything to you as soon as I understand it. I don't think we're in immediate danger, so don't worry too much, okay?”

“Okay, Twily,” Shining responded. He glanced back somewhere behind her, probably to Spike. Shining said something to somepony, but Twilight wasn’t paying much attention.

They carried Clover away. Her friends did, at least. Twilight couldn't look at the impossible mare laying across Applejack's back.

She wanted to cry. She wanted to lay down in her bed at home, to bury herself beneath the covers, to wrap her legs around-

She wanted Clover.

The past month had been the second best of Lemon's life, only surpassed by the one just before. After years of thinking friendship didn’t truly exist, she had found true friendship. She learned firsthoof that real connection wasn’t just a myth. That newfound knowledge, even without her first real friend by her side, gave her the courage to finally go out on her own, to do things separately from her old schoolmates. She met so many new and wonderful ponies, and more than a couple of her new friends turned out to be just as real as her first.

Even still, she couldn't help but occasionally think back to Clover Quill.

By this point, she had made her peace with the fact that Clover had her own life. There was a good chance she'd never see Clover again, as unfortunate as that might be. If she did, though, she’d thought at least a dozen times about what she might say. All of that fell apart the instant the moment arrived.

From across the street, Lemon Hearts spotted the pony who changed her life draped over the back of an orange earth pony. There was no sign of consciousness. “Clover!” she shouted, and galloped in Clover's direction.

“Whoa there!” The earth pony backed away, eyeing her suspiciously. “What the hay is goin’ on here?”

“Oh no. What happened? Is she okay?”

“Physically, she's likely only sore, dear,” a white unicorn with purple mane replied. “But, if I might ask, who are you? And how do you know Clover Quill?”

“I saved her. After what happened at the royal wedding.” Lemon looked over the unconscious form of her first friend. She saw breathing, and she relaxed. “I'm-”

“Lemon?” Spike asked.

Lemon turned, finally taking in the rest of the group. A dragon was hard to forget. So was the unicorn that stood just next to him. “Twilight? Spike? What are you doing here? How do you know her?”

“She's my sister,” Twilight whispered. She joined Lemon next to Clover. “I think she is, at least.”

“Wait, really?” Lemon Hearts blinked, shook her head, and looked back at Twilight. She saw the same mare. She leaned closer. “Twilight? You're… a changeling?”

“What?!” Twilight took several steps back. “What do you mean? Clover isn't-”

“There's no way in Equestria,” Applejack muttered. “I don't believe it for a second.”

The secret Lemon had sworn to keep from that first day spilled out without a chance for her to catch it. “She is.” She backpedaled, quickly. “I promise, she isn't going to hurt anypony! She isn't. Really. She lived with me for a month, and I never felt any worse for wear.”

“But… Clover can't be a changeling,” Twilight responded. Her eyes grew vacant, losing focus on Lemon. “That's impossible.”

“I promise, it isn't.” Lemon looked from side to side. “Please, if we're going to talk about this, we need to take her somewhere safe. My house isn't far.”

The glassy look in Twilight’s eyes faded. She blinked, and looked back to Lemon. “Okay,” she replied, “but I need you to tell me everything.”

Alone, Twilight followed Lemon towards her house. She didn't even remember it.

On top of that, she barely remembered Lemon's name. Spike had to say it.

Stupid. How could she have missed it?

She thought back to every single moment they'd spent together, to all of the things they'd studied, to the times Applejack tried to tell her.

Stupid.

She, Princess Celestia's prized pupil, somehow failed to see something that everypony else saw.

But then why was Spike so adamant that she was Shining? Why wasn't Lemon scared of her? Why did Twilight still-

She stepped inside. Lemon directed Applejack to lay Clover on the couch. Lemon took a seat in an armchair. Twilight sat down next to her sleeping love, and wrapped all of her limbs around Clover.

“She isn't bad,” Lemon whispered.

No part of Twilight objected.

“I found her laying on the ground after the changelings were chased out. She… looked like one of them at first. She looked like that by the time she woke up.”

“Why did you help her?” Some part of Twilight needed to know.

Lemon grew quiet, and averted her gaze. “Because I was lonely,” she eventually answered.

None of Twilight’s words would make a suitable reply.

“Somehow she didn't get carried off with them,” Lemon continued. “She was really hurt, just laying on the side of the road.” Lemon's magic carried over a pitcher of lemonade, pouring two glasses. She sipped, then continued. “I thought she knew and was just self-conscious about it. Maybe the injuries messed with her memory.”

“No.” Twilight's mind sifted through the virtual library within. “She knew things only Shining Armor could know. That doesn't make sense.”

“I can’t explain that,” Lemon replied.

“There has to be something else going on here. But the other Shining Armor was real too.” Twilight’s eyes flicked back and forth towards nothing in particular. “I don't know. But why didn't I feel like Shining did at the wedding? I wasn't drained at all, and I- I love her.”

“Neither was I.” Lemon continued to stare in Clover’s direction. “I don't understand it either. But I know what I saw.”

None of this made sense. Even in all of their research on changelings, Twilight couldn't make it make sense.

“How about I give you two a moment?” Lemon asked. She stood from her chair. “I'll go ahead and see if we can figure out where your friends are sleeping. We should have enough room. I think I have some sleeping bags too.” She walked over and motioned to the others. All but two followed her further into the house.

That left, for just a moment, Applejack and Rarity. Then Applejack spoke.

“Hey, Twilight? We're gonna go out and bring everypony back something to eat,” Applejack called from near the front door. “We’ll take our time. Give you some time to think.”

Twilight just barely looked up. She saw the door close behind them.

She was alone.

But she wasn't alone. Clover needed her. And, more importantly, she needed Clover.

In the back of a small restaurant on the edge of the culinary center of Canterlot, Applejack and Rarity waited. At this late hour, no pony else was inside, and they’d caught the restaurant, a little place called The Tasty Treat, just before closing.

Applejack tried not to think about everything they’d just witnessed. She failed when, after a minute or so, Rarity lifted a hoofful of bits in front of her face. Applejack counted them: one, two, three… ten. “Now, wait just one second here, Rarity. I will not collect on a bet when I was only technically right. I was in the wrong in every other sense.”

“Neither do I intend to let my debts go unfulfilled.” Rarity kept the coins suspended in place.

Applejack made no move to accept. “Rarity, I don't understand a lick of what just happened. Do you think they're gonna be okay?”

Rarity let the bits sink a few inches lower. She let out a long, dramatic yet heartfelt sigh. “Time heals all wounds, Applejack, dearest. As I am sure it will for us.”

“You think so?” Applejack turned to face Rarity fully.

The coins moved to follow, jingling in front of Applejack's face. “I know so. Both of them have already professed care for one another beyond the boundaries of something as simple as a question of identity. And, like Pinkie said, we are going to be there to support our friends, are we not?”

“Yeah. I suppose we are.” Applejack tried to step forward, around the infernal pile of coins. The levitating money pushed itself in front of her nose. She snorted. “Rarity, are you gonna let me kiss you or not?”

“That depends, darling,” Rarity replied with a wink. “Are you going to follow through on your end of the deal?”

“Ya mean taking money from you that I don't rightly deserve?” Applejack asked.

“I mean everything else you promised before we left for Canterlot,” Rarity responded.

Applejack lifted a hoof, batting the coins down. Rarity's magic lifted them right back up. She grumped. “Fine. You win. I'll take your money. And I'll do whatever I can to make things up to Clover. Whatever that means.”

Rarity settled the coins into Applejack's saddlebag. “Applejack, I am sure that there will be plenty of opportunity for that. Around this time, Clover is likely learning something that will be incredibly difficult for her. She's losing everything she thought she had, dearest. Just keep your eyes open and I'm sure you’ll figure out a place in which you can help.”

“I'll try,” Applejack replied with a nod.

“Good.” A smirk crossed Rarity's face. “Now, since you promised to try to help our dear Clover, dear, I think I have a good place for you to start.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “And what's that now?”

“You can pay for dinner.”

Clover Quill opened her eyes.

She saw a familiar room. She felt a familiar set of cushions. She saw a familiar form sitting in a familiar chair just over a familiar coffee table.

She wasn't Shining Armor.

Then who was she?

Sobs cut through her unfeeling ache. Her body hurt, but her soul hurt even more. She collapsed into the cushions of the couch. She cried. Whoever and whatever she was, she cried. She didn't know anything other than that she hurt. She didn't know anything other than she was awful, and that she was fake, and that she probably didn't deserve to exist-

Warm fur draped down over her. Love entered her body. Love forced her away from the worst of those feelings. Love held her, and fed her, and told her that everything was going to be okay.

And, not knowing better, she loved back.

The creature who was Shining Armor but couldn’t be looked up. She saw Twilight holding her, loving her with every touch and stare. She leaned into the love, a perplexingly foreign yet fantastically familiar feeling. She let herself forget in that mass of overwhelming purple.

“What am I?” she asked.

“You’re Shining Armor,” Twilight replied. She gave a gentle nuzzle to the top of Clover's head. “And… you're a changeling.”

Clover's eyes widened. “But- but that's not-”

“Somehow, it is.” Twilight continued to pin Clover to the cushions. “I don’t understand it either. But I promise we’re going to, together.”

Clover sniffled yet again. She fell into another sob.

But Twilight kept her in place.

“I'm sorry for lying to you,” Clover choked. “I’m sorry I’m a monster!”

Twilight simply held her. “You aren't a monster, Clover. You're somepony I care about.”

“I'm sorry for that, too,” Clover whimpered. “I'm sorry for making you feel like this about your big brother.”

“Sister,” Twilight corrected. “I don't think the brother thing makes much sense anymore.”

“Yeah,” Clover replied as she sagged. “I guess not.” She tried to scoot away, so she wouldn’t be able to cause that pain anymore. But Twilight kept her from slipping into the cold.

Clover looked up.

“You don’t need to run away. I promise.” Twilight stared back at her, sharing with her a gentle smile and far more besides.

Warmth radiated from Twilight, sustaining Clover, giving her life. It could only have one name, but she couldn’t bring herself to think it.

“And there's one more thing you need to know,” Twilight continued. Her nose brushed the top of Clover’s head. “It’s more important than anything else in all of Equestria.”

Clover's world continued to spin. She clung onto Twilight, barely holding on. She looked up into a set of beautiful pink eyes that held only adoration. “What is it, Twily?” she barely managed to ask.

Twilight smiled back despite both of their tears. “Even knowing all of that… I love you, Clover Quill.”

Twilight's lips touched hers. Clover’s world exploded into a kaleidoscope of color.

Twilight kissed. She kissed, and kissed, and kissed until she couldn't kiss anymore. Then, just to make sure, she kissed at least ten more times.

Clover was impossible. Clover couldn't exist. But Clover was hers.

The tears overtook both of them before too long. They separated, and they cried. Twilight didn't let Clover stay more than an inch away for even an instant. She needed Clover, and Clover needed her.

“I love you, Twilight,” Clover whimpered.

“I love you too,” Twilight replied. She gave a firm kiss that pushed Clover's head against the back of the couch. “I can't pretend I don't anymore.”

“Please don't pretend.” Clover leaned in. Twilight pulled her underneath, wrapping all four legs around Clover from behind. There, she cuddled, she held, and she even kissed.

Fear resumed its tyranny. Soon, both of them were crying again. Too much about this was confusing and maybe even wrong, but Twilight didn't think she could survive without it.

“I'm sorry, Twilight,” Clover tried to say.

Twilight refused. “I don't want you to be sorry. Because honestly, I don't even know what you'd be sorry for. Everything about this is, to borrow an expression from Applejack, complete horseapples. You don't deserve to have to deal with any of this.”

“I don't deserve you,” Clover replied.

Twilight refused. “You told me you didn't pretend. That means you do deserve me.”

“But I'm- but I'm a monster.”

Twilight refused. “Then I guess that means I love a monster.” She kissed once more, with feeling. “You’re very cute for a monster.”

She finally got a giggle out of Clover. That sweet, adorable mare spoke between sniffles. “I guess I can be a cute monster.” Clover pulled herself back up, rubbing her eyes. “Do you know why I started braiding my mane?”

A moment of thinking revealed very little. “Uh… no?” Twilight admitted.

“Because you taught me,” Clover replied. “Back when we were little. It was your newest fixation, but you didn't like the way it felt in your mane, so you practiced on me instead.”

“Oh.” Twilight pondered that thought for a moment. She started to giggle herself. “That's adorable.”

Clover blushed. She smiled. It was adorable. So Twilight kissed her, and kissed her again, and pressed her against the couch, and kissed her some more, and loved her with every fiber of her being.

In the face of all of Twilight's love, Clover fell limp. A dopey smile spread across her face. She started to squeak, and giggle, and blush. Her eyes glazed over.

Lemon peeked out from the hall nearby. “Is she okay?” she asked.

Twilight connected some dots. Normally, when feeding, a changeling would only take in as much love as she could handle. But she had a hypothesis about freely-given love - passive, reflexive collection, not requiring active feeding - and if she remembered the digestive system properly, an extraordinary amount of love could theoretically overwhelm a changeling’s ability to process it. In that case, the excess would flood the changeling’s natural bioarcanic pathways, quickly making its way to the brain.

She beamed with pride in her accomplishment as Clover hiccupped, as Clover pawed up at her with one ear flopped over to the side, as Clover giggled and mumbled Twilight’s name like a broken record. “Yeah,” Twilight concluded. “I'm pretty sure she's just drunk on love.”

Clover's brain felt weird. It was kind of all warm and fuzzy, but the good kind of warm and fuzzy, like Twilight. Twilight was warm and fuzzy. Clover liked how Twilight felt. She was super cuddly, and cute, and had lots of love, and that was why Clover was nuzzling her face against every bit of exposed Twilight fur she could find.

She didn't totally get why Twilight was being all giggly, but that was okay. She was a bit giggly too. Twilight was sometimes silly anyways. Even Twily’s name was silly. Twily. “Twily. Twily.”

Oops! She said it out loud. But it was fun to say, so she said it another couple of times. Twilight smiled when she did, so she kept doing it. Twilight had a really pretty smile. It just made her want to kiss it.

So she kissed it! And then Twilight kissed back. But that made it a contest, and Clover wasn't going to lose a contest like that! She could love Twilight at least as much as Twilight loved her. So she flipped Twilight over and pinned her to the couch, and kissed her and kissed her and kissed her some more.

Twilight's kisses tasted good too. She liked them. But she also loved the way that Twilight's fur felt on her lips and on her muzzle. It tingled. She brushed those back and forth along Twilight's chin and neck, and also gave a couple more kisses because Twilight made these adorable little squeaking sounds and giggled when she did. She got to give Twilight kisses and her own love, and Twilight gave her Twilight-love and was even cuter. It was a win-win!

Clover let Twilight breathe because she remembered she was supposed to do that. You had to make sure the other pony wanted to get kissed. You couldn't just kiss them unless they were okay with it. But Twilight gave her another kiss when she stopped, so she was pretty sure Twilight wanted it. That meant she could kiss Twilight a bunch more.

She felt kinda dizzy. That was probably because Twilight was so great, and because everything was kind of spinning even before this. But Twilight made it spin a little bit less, even if she made it spin a little more too. Twilight had a lot of love to share.

She stopped kissing when it got to be too dizzy. Then she just laid on top of Twilight, and nuzzled at her fur, and breathed in the smell of old books, and said her name a few more times. “Twily. Twily. Twily!” It was still fun to say. She squirmed around a bit here and there, partly to find a more comfortable position, partly because she liked the cuddly feeling.

Whoops! She almost forgot to give Twilight a hug. She did that, at least a couple of times to make up for having forgotten until now. And Twilight even giggled again, too! Much better.

Her ears perked. The door swung open, and two of her best friends walked in! She jumped off of the couch, bolting over to the unicorn in front. “Rarity!” she said, and threw herself into a big Rarity-hug. Rarity deserved some love too, even if it was different love. “You're the best friend ever, Rarity! I love you so much. You-” She suddenly sniffed, and almost let out a sob. “You helped me feel so good about being a mare now, and you gave me that pretty ribbon even though I think I left it back in Ponyville, and you let me wear that really pretty dress even though I couldn't afford it, and-”

Rarity raised an eyebrow over to Twilight. “Twilight, darling, please tell me you didn't let Clover get into the ‘adult beverages’ to this degree.”

Twilight shook her head frantically. “No! No, of course not. I just… might have given her too much love.”

“It's not too much!” Clover shouted into the house. The others winced, but she didn't pay it much mind. “Twily, I really like your love! I didn't know what love felt like before, or what it tasted like, and I still don't know if it tastes like other things taste, but I feel really good!”

Twilight gave a shrug. Rarity lifted the bag full of the night's dinner out of Applejack's mouth just in time for Clover to bowl Applejack over with a hug. “And Applejack, you keep saying you're sorry, but I don't think you really have to be sorry because I'm the one who should be sorry because I was the one who was lying to everypony because I was so scared of saying that I was Shining Armor but then apparently I was lying to myself too because I'm not Shining Armor and I'm just a changeling and I think I'm a monster but Twilight says I'm not a monster but you were so nice to me even though you knew I was a changeling the whole time and-”

Applejack shoved a hoof in Clover's mouth. “Uh, Twilight? I think you might wanna think about how much of that love stuff you're giving her next time.”

“But she's so cute,” Twilight mumbled.

Applejack glared.

Twilight's ears flattened. “Fine. Clover, come here. No more kissing for now. You can cuddle, but you have to lay still, okay?”

Clover pranced over to the cutest unicorn in the world and, after a quick correction when she tried to give Twilight a smooch just because kisses were good and Twilight had liked them earlier, she laid down at Twilight's side.

Halfway through Clover’s bowl of lemongrass curry, Twilight was pretty sure that Clover was starting to calm down. Twilight kept at her task, though, guiding the spoon from the bowl to Clover's lips. She tried to let Clover do it once, but Clover seemed to have trouble keeping the spoon from flinging across the room, let alone keeping it upright and steady.

Celestia, this mare was cute. If love had this sort of effect on a changeling, why didn't they all just come into town and start making friends?

Unfortunately, Rarity made a good point. Clover really needed to come down from this, because as cute as it was, having Clover drunk out of her mind after a day like today was probably a bad idea. After the first refusal, Clover seemed to have understood the message. No kisses for now, as much as Twilight would have preferred otherwise. Twilight just hoped Clover would develop a tolerance with time so they wouldn't have to be too careful.

Spike hopped down from his place at the dining table in the other room and wandered into view. Twilight quickly clamped her legs down around Clover, holding the instantly squirming mare in place. “Spike!” Clover called out. “I'm sorry if me being a changeling now means I'm not your real big brother, but I still want to be. Can I still be your real big brother? Or big sister?”

At least Clover's babbling was a bit more lucid and less run-on now. Given that Clover had started all of this completely unable to speak except for saying Twilight's name, Twilight took that as a win.

“Is she okay?” Spike asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Apparently changelings can get intoxicated from having too much love. It was cute at first, but it's starting to be a bit much.”

Clover's ears flattened. “Sorry, Twily. I can be quiet.”

“No, Clover, that's not what I meant,” Twilight quickly reassured. “You're fine. Just try to keep the volume down and stay still, okay?”

The love-drunk changeling nodded. “Okay, Twilight,” she whispered. She turned back to Spike. “Is that okay? Because I'm still Shining Armor, even if I'm a girl and a changeling. And I love you, Spike.”

Spike recoiled. “Uh, this isn't like the thing with you, Twilight, right?”

“What? No!” Twilight exclaimed. “She's drunk, Spike. She's telling everypony she loves them. Like friends and family, not like… you know.”

“Oh.”

Unfortunately, the particular sort of intoxication granted by love didn't seem to have dulled Clover's perception. Twilight watched as the ears of the mare in her legs drooped, as Clover sagged and slightly sobered. “Sorry, Spike,” Clover replied. “I get it if you don't want to be my brother anymore. I'm gross. I know I'm a monster. I'm a changeling, and I'm also- I also made Twilight fall in love with me. I'm sorry.”

“No. Clover…” Spike frowned. His tensed muscles mostly relaxed, and he took a step closer, raising a claw. He settled it atop one of Clover's front legs. “I still want you to be my older brother. Er, sister, I guess. I think. I guess there are two of you now, so that means I have three older siblings now?”

“Even if-” Clover sniffed. “Even if I'm still doing whatever this is with Twilight?”

Spike stayed quiet for a moment. He looked away. “I think so,” he said after almost a minute. “I don't know. This whole thing is weird and confusing.”

“Imagine what it must be like for Clover,” Twilight responded.

“I'm sorry, Spike,” Clover continued. “I'm sorry for being so gross. You don't need to decide right now. I'm sorry.”

Spike still didn’t reply.

One of Twilight's legs squeezed Clover closer as the mare buried underneath her. Another stretched out to rub Spike's shoulder. “I am sorry this is so difficult, Spike. Take your time figuring things out, okay? I'll still be here for you no matter what.”

“Yeah…” Whatever sentence Spike started trailed off with just that word. He hung his head, and wandered off further into the house.

Spike stomped through the halls of the unfamiliar home. He glanced into the kitchen and saw Pinkie Pie and Lemon conversing, with Fluttershy sitting off to the side. Something about parties. Nope.

He looked into the first room on the right. Rarity was in there, so maybe- Applejack sat on the bed, holding hooves with Rarity and… kissing her. Rarity too? Ugh. Definitely nope.

Why did everypony do that? Wasn’t being friends good enough? Or… sisters? Why did they have to change everything and risk messing it all up?

He opened the next door down, other than the closet door on his left, and spotted the one pony who looked almost as distraught as himself. “Rainbow Dash? What are you doing in here?”

Rainbow looked up from her seat atop the closed toilet. “Spike? Huh? Oh. Sorry, forgot to lock it.”

Spike shut the door behind him as he stepped inside. “You having a hard time with this too?”

“A little,” Rainbow lied. Spike watched her wipe away a tear. She shook her head in a futile attempt to hide it. “This whole thing sucks.”

“Tell me about it.” Spike scrambled up onto the counter top, taking a seat despite the cramped quarters. “I mean, why do I feel so bad for not wanting my brother and sister to… you know, kiss, and stuff?”

“Heh. That's what's eating you?” Rainbow asked with a gentle snicker. “Nah, makes sense to me. It's pretty darn weird, not gonna lie.”

Spike perked. “Really? Then are you going to help me stop them?”

“What? No!” Rainbow snapped. “Spike, Twilight and Clover are my friends. They're both happy. I'm not gonna ruin things for them.” Spike frowned, and Rainbow Dash reached out a hoof. “Look. I get it. It would be really weird if this happened with my older sisters. Not that I have any. But also, like… you care about them both, right?”

He nodded, reluctantly. “Yeah. I think so.”

“You know so,” Rainbow Dash corrected. “And does either of them look like they're hurting the other pony?”

“No, but-”

“But nothing!” Rainbow interrupted. “You stand by your friends. That's what loyalty is all about. That's something I should know better than anypony, even though I keep screwing it up.”

Spike's frown reasserted itself. “But ponies aren't supposed to do what they’re doing! Aren't you supposed to stop your friends when they do something they aren't supposed to?”

Rainbow Dash waved both front hooves in front of her. “Heck no. You're supposed to stop your friends when they're going to get hurt. Spike, ponies aren't supposed to do what they’re doing because usually when they do, they hurt each other. And trust me, Clover and Twilight aren't hurting each other.”

The look on Spike's face clearly communicated his dissatisfaction with that answer.

“Look. Spike,” Rainbow conceded, “you don't have to be comfortable with all the kissing and stuff. I'm sure those two are gonna get a room anyways. But Twilight and Clover aren’t hurting each other. They just really, really, really love each other. Like, a lot. And you gotta trust your friends to know what's best for themselves. You just also gotta have their back if it goes wrong.”

Spike sighed. He groaned. He clawed at his face, then shook his head. “Fine. I'll try. But if I see anything going bad, I'm gonna say something, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan, Spike.”

He hopped off of the counter, turning towards the door. He stopped just before he reached it. “Wait. If that wasn't why you were in here, what was the reason?”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth. Before she could respond, the door swung wide open. Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs, bouncing back and forth between them. She zipped inside, tossing Rainbow Dash and Spike out. They landed in a pile. Rainbow Dash smirked. Spike snickered. They both burst into laughter.

By the time they finished dinner, Clover felt mostly back to normal. Along with the lack of fog came the return of every bit of anxiety and worry she'd been repressing. She kept close to Twilight, even though she didn't initiate any further kisses. Part of her wanted to. Part of her wanted to go back to that giggly, happy mess she'd been just a bit earlier. The rest of her knew it would only bring temporary relief.

She nuzzled up at the perfect unicorn above her, trying not to think about the perfect alicorn she’d left behind. She failed, and she started to cry.

Twilight took a few seconds to notice. When she did, her brow furrowed with concern, and she tilted Clover's chin up until Clover stared her in the eyes. “Hey, Clover. Talk to me.”

“I can't,” Clover immediately replied, and buried herself back against Twilight.

“Don't start this again.” Twilight scooted back. The evening air brought a chill to Clover’s suddenly exposed fur. “Clover, we need to talk. We can't have secrets again. Whatever it is, it's okay. I promise.”

“It's Cadance,” Clover replied without looking up. She didn't need to look to see the scorn in Twilight's eyes.

Twilight's reply came a few moments later. “Oh.” And that was it. Just like Clover worried.

Clover whimpered a continuation, a desperate excuse. “I'm sorry,” she said.

“No, Clover, don't be sorry,” Twilight replied. “I get it. I get how hard that must be.”

No you don't, Clover wanted to reply, but enough of her realized that saying something like that would be meaningless and hurtful. Instead, she just let herself sink to the couch, hiding in the cushions.

Magic took hold of her chin again. It lifted her lips just into range for Twilight to give them a kiss. Love helped dull the edges of the pain, but it didn't completely chase it away. Then Twilight stood, and Clover felt the rush of cold once more. “Come on, Clover,” Twilight whispered. “Lemon said we have the back room. It's early, but we should get some sleep. We've had a long day.”

“Okay, Twily,” Clover managed in response. She stood sluggishly, her limbs drifting through the air as if it had the thickness of syrup. She stumbled along beside Twilight. Twilight's magic helped keep her upright, and together they journeyed back towards the first bed Clover could definitively call her own.

Twilight Sparkle watched the love of her life drift closer and closer to slumber. She held Clover’s barrel as tightly as she could in her legs. She kissed a few times, whenever Clover seemed too close to tears. She stood guard over the pony she claimed as her own, and kept her safe from whatever nightmares assailed her.

Clover was hers. Cadance had her own Shining Armor. Twilight didn't have to share.

Why, then, did that thought still scare Twilight?

No. It didn't need to. She had Clover, and nothing else mattered.

Clover's breathing slowed. Twilight watched her eyes fall shut. She kissed once on each of Clover's cheeks. She waited until a couple of minutes had passed. Then, she pulled a sheet of paper, a quill, and a bottle of ink from her saddlebags at the foot of the bed, and set to scrawling in the moonlight.

In her bedroom deep within the castle, Princess Celestia's eyes flicked open to a burst of green light. She caught the scroll that appeared, unrolling it swiftly. She read through each line with practiced precision.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m in love.

I’m not sure about the ethics of the situation, or about the way that other ponies will see us, or even about what this means, but I’m in love.

Her name is Clover Quill, and she’s the most wonderful mare I’ve ever known. I kissed her today, and she kissed me back. She’s still trying to figure out who she is, and we’re still trying to figure out what we are, but we love each other. Nothing is ever going to separate us again.

I could write you an essay on every little thing I love about her, but it would need to be highly abridged to even fit into a thousand pages. I think Spike might get tired trying to send that many scrolls.

I’m in love.

Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

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Girlypumkin on Chapter 8 Fri 29 Aug 2025 04:47AM UTC

EEK! I love this story!!! I can't wait for the next chapter!

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Work Header

Twilight's World

PleasantAura

Summary:

Chapter 1: Prologue: His Escape

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Her Rescuer

Notes:

Chapter Text

Act 1

Clover

Chapter 3: Chapter 2: His Arrival

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Her Solace

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Chapter 4: Her Place

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Her Home

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Chapter 6: Their Truths

Chapter Text

End Act 1

Chapter 8: Chapter 7: His Resolve

Chapter Text

Act 2

Twilight

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Girlypumkin on Chapter 8 Fri 29 Aug 2025 04:47AM UTC

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