I'm not the best writter when it goes to creating OCs, but I hope you like them.
Rarity rubbed her eyes and yawned. She looked around the room, everything seemed to be fine and normal. Through the big glass doors that leaded to the balcony, she saw the sun raising behind a big and beautiful blue ocean. It was hard to believe that the night before had been so agitated.
When she noticed how early it was, she laid down again and tried to go back to sleep, but for any reason whatsoever she couldn't get confortable. She rolled over a thousand times, until she eventually gave up and sat up. She looked to her right, seeing Rainbow Dash sleeping. She was under a blanket, only her face was visible. Then she looked to the bed on her left, and saw Applejack's mane, once she was sleeping with her back on Rarity.
The white pony reached out and poked Rainbow.
- Rainbow... Wake up...
The blue one let out a moan as she squirmed on the bed, not opening her eyes.
- Come on, darling.
Rainbow let out another moan, this time murmuring something that Rarity did not understand, but took as "I won't get up".
- Get up already!
- Argh, fine! - Rainbow said, sitting up with her blanket curled up on her body. She rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them, her focus was blurred due to being so sleepy. For a while, all that she saw was a white and purple smudge in front of her. She blinked a few times.
Rarity waited for her friend to be ready, but couldn't expect Rainbow's reaction. Once the blue pony's vision had adjusted, she let out a scream and fell out of bed. Startled, Rarity got out her bed and quickly contoured Rainbow's one, meeting her friend laying on the floor.
- What is it, darling?
- Rarity... Whe... Where is your horn?!
- What? Darling it's right... - She looked up - GAAHHHH! My horn! It's gone!
When she screamed, another surprise: Two wings popped up on her back, causing Rainbow to scream again.
- What was that noise? - Rarity turned her head. Her eyes widened as she started to run in circles - WINGS?! What? What's happening?
- How come you're a pegasus?!
- I don't know! - Rarity screamed.
As she ran in circles, Rainbow got rid of the blankets and stood up. She didn't even notice Rarity running towards her. She grabbed Rainbow's shoulders and looked her friend in the eye, screaming scarred.
- RAINBOW WHERE IS MY HORN? WHERE IS MY...
She suddenly stopped screaming and froze in place.
- Rarity? - Rainbow waved her hoof in front of her friend's eyes - Rarity?
- Rainbow, dear, promisse me you won't freak out...
- What?
- Promisse me you'll stay calm.
- Why?
- Just... Just promisse it.
- Fine. Even because it's impossible to get freaker than you are now, ha. What is it?
Rarity released her friend and took a few steps back. She then took a deep breath.
- Your wings are lacking.
- What?
Rainbow looked at her back and let out a cry that could be heard all the way from Canterlot.
- HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! I MUST BE DREAMING! That's it, I'll just close my eyes, breath deeply and things will be normal... - She closed her eyes for some seconds and when they were open again, she looked at her back again and chuckled - Oh, look at this. They're not back. My wings... Are lacking.
Rainbow eyes derped as she fainted and fell on the floor.
- Rainbow, wake up! This is not time to faint, we have to figure out what is happening! Rainbow!
Two rose iris opened slowly and Rainbow shook her head, stading up.
- Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! What do we do now? - She walked over a mirror that allowed her to see her whole body. She tapped her empty back and her face fell, clueless.
Rarity sighed and walked over Applejack's bed, who surprinsingly hadn't woken up after all the screaming. She poked her friend.
- Applejack, please, wake up! Rainbow and I need help. Applejack!
The cowmare yawned and sat up. When she turned her head to face her friends, she was confused to see Rainbow and Rarity's appalled and shocked looks, not noticing there was something wrong at first. Applejack raised an eyebrow.
- Why are y'all looking me like that?
- Applejack, darling, do whatever you want...
- ... But please, don't look up.
- Don't look up? Why wouldn't I...?
Now Applejack was the one who let out a cry that probably woke up every sleeping pony on the cruise.
- Let's get to the facts: None of us did anything that could have caused this, right?
Rarity was pacing all around the room, worried, and her friends were sitting on their beds.
- What in Equestria we could do that would cause this?! - Applejack said, pointing to the horn sticking out of her forehead.
- I don't know! I've never seen anything like it before! Oh, if only Twilight were here, she would be able to help! What kind of magic would do this? - Rarity sat down, sad.
They didn't say anything else until Applejack spoke up.
- The storm!
- What?
- The storm, yesterday! I bet it has somethin' to do with this! How come we were the only ones that noticed it? It has to be the answer of how this happened!
- Pardon, Applejack, but that doesn't answer anything. In fact, it only brings even more questions: Why were we the only ones that felt it? And why were we alone when it happened?
- Well, Aj's got a point. Yesterday, we were the only ones that saw that weird storm, and now, this. Two weird and supernatural things in a row! That can't be just a coincidence, can it?
- If only there was somepony that could help us...
- Oh, come on, sugar cube. At least we're all fine, right? It could be worse! After that storm last night, we coulda got hurt.
- Wait... So you believe the storm was real? - Rarity asked - I think a dream or anything like that makes more sense.
- Dream? Dream? - Rainbow Dash jumped, attempting to fly once she forgot she was without her wings, only to fall and hit the floor - Ouch. Anyway, I felt my wings breaking. I remember the pain! It was anything but a dream, I tell you.
Rarity's face fell as she looked to her back.
- Why don't we go eat somethin'? It may be easier to think if our bellies aren't empty. Besides, I'm sure Twilight can help us anyway when we go home.
They all nodded. Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed their saddle bags and put them on their backs, leaving the room. Rarity stared at hers.
"How am I supposed to put it with these?", She thought, looking at her hooves. She grabbed the bag with her mouth and threw it into the air, trying to stay under it so it would land on her back.
- Ouch! - She said when the bag hit her in the flank and fell on the floor.
Rarity let out an angry moan when her attempt to use her hooves failed as well. The bag would always end up on the floor.
- Rarity? What are you waiting for? - Rainbow asked, entering the room.
- I'm trying to put on that thing! How do you do it without a horn?
Rainbow shook her head and smirked.
- Oh, Rarity. Like this.
The blue pony grabbed Rarity's bag and put it on her friend's back, quickly adjusting it right with her hooves.
- See?
- Thanks...
- Yeah, you're welcome. Let's go, I'm hungry!
Rarity smiled and followed her friend towards the buffet area.
There weren't many ponies eating, due to it being so early. There were only a few tables avaible, once the employees were cleaning them up for when everypony woke up.
The three friends walked to the buffet. Applejack was the first one to grab a plate, but when she was about to put food in it, she sneezed. That wouldn't be weird at all, if it wasn't for the fact that her new horn started to glow, levitating her plate into the air.
- What? - She said, trying to grab it with her hooves, but when she did it, her horn stopped to glow and she dropped the plate that broke into small pieces.
- Applejack! Are you ok? - Rarity said, approaching her friend.
- Yeah, just... This thing started to work on its own!
- Just like a baby unircorn! They have magic that come and go. Try to stay calm and don't think about magic at all. Ok?
- I didn't think about magic, I just sneezed!
- Yes, yes. Stay calm. It can be dangerous.
- Dangerous? What yah mean?
- Well... Just imagine that instead of plate, it was a knife. And instead of dropping it, you threw it towards somepony.
- Oh, I get it. - Applejack said, looking at her horn and taking a deep breath - Sure hope this thing doesn't work out of nowhere anymore.
She helped one employee to put the small pieces together and went back to the line to get herself another plate.
Rarity tried to put food for herself, but it seemed impossible without her horn. Now that she was on their horseshoes, she felt bad that she had fought with her friends the night before. Once she never really used her hooves, she had no idea of how to grab those spoons made mainly for unicorns.
Applejack was on the other side of the buffet, but saw that Rarity was still there with her empty plate. She put hers in a table and approached the former unicorn.
- How yah goin' there, sugar cube?
- How am I supposed to use my hooves to grab these?
- It took me sometime to learn too. But I found it's a lot easier if you do it this way.
She prepared a plate for her friend.
- Thank you, Applejack. I would never do it without you.
- It's fine. Rainbow and I felt the same way yesterday when we still hadn't figured out a way to use those. Now come on, I'm hungry!
Rarity had never noticed how hard it was to walk with only three hooves, once that one was holding her plate. She then noticed that Applejack had to do that everyday, and felt bad again for their fight.
- Ugh, finally! - Rainbow said when her friends sat down on the chairs beside her and started to eat.
- So, any ideas yet? - Rarity asked.
- About what? - Rainbow asked, her mouth full of food.
Rarity frowned and flapped her new wings.
- Oh, that. Nope, no ideas. I didn't think much about it.
- How come you didn't think about it? You are without your wings! You nearly freaked out about it earlier!
- I don't know. Earth ponies may be stupider than pegasi.
- Hey! - Applejack said.
- Girls, no more fights. We had enough yesterday.
In that moment, two ponies approached their table. One of them was a mare about their age. She had a yellow coat, bright green eyes that looked like Applejack's, a medium and disheveled red and orange mane that looked like it wasn't properly brushed for days and a longer tail that matched her mane. She was a pegasus and had fireworks for her cutie mark.
The other one was a young stallion earth pony, with a gray coat and a short blue and green mane. It was hard to tell its gender at first, once that he had the same head and body shape of the girls, although there were no eyelashes on his bright blue eyes. He had blubbles for a cutie mark.
- Hello, - The mare said - sorry to bother you, but there are no more tables available here, because they're cleaning up and the others are already being used... Can we sit here with you?
- Oh, of course. - Rarity said, pointing at the empty chairs around their table.
- Thanks. - The stallion said - I'm Danzy and this is my friend Fireflyer.
They sat down and Fireflyer looked at the wingless blue pony across the table.
- Oh, are you a Rainbow Dash fan too?
- What? - The former pegasus asked.
- I like to dress up as Rainbow Dash too! I'm her fan since I saw her in the Wonderbolts academy a few time ago. I used a rainbow wig just like her mane in the last Nightmare night, but it wasn't as real as yours. Where did you get it? It looks like her real hair!
- What do you mean? I am Rainbow Dash!
- Yeah, and I am Daring Do. Your desguise is perfect, but Rainbow has wings!
Rainbow was about to say something, but then remembered her back was empty. She sighed.
- Do... Do you think we can tell them? - Applejack asked.
- Tell us what? - Danzy raised an eyebrow.
- They will never believe us! - Rainbow folded her hooves.
- What? - Fireflyer asked.
- I think it's worth a try. - Rarity shruged.
- I'm curious! What is it? - Fireflyer's eyes widened.
- You see... She is the real Rainbow Dash. Also, I'm not a pegasus, I'm a unicorn. The orange mare over there isn't a unicorn, she is an earth pony. We woke up like this today.
The two new friends looked at each other and tried not to laugh.
- I'm serious! - Rarity uttered.
- Oh, come on! I don't know what kind of prank this is, but not way that's true. - Danzy said, starting to take a gulp of his milk shake.
- Great, so we'll not bother telling them about the storm, they won't believe that either...
When Applejack said that, Danzy spit out his drink all over the table and Fireflyer choked on her food. They looked at each other in shock.
- Oh, my! Are you ok? - Rarity asked, tapping Fireflyer's back.
- You - Danzy tried to speak among his coffing - You don't mean you saw a huge storm yesterday, do you?
- And... - Fireflyer said, trying to catch her breath - You don't mean you almost died yesterday when the ship started to lean and sink, do you?
Rarity, Rainbow and Applejack looked at each other in shock.
- And after a few moments, everything was back to normal and nopony believed in you, like if the storm had never happened? - Rainbow asked.
Shocked, the two friends slowly nodded.
- We thought we were the only ones who saw it! - Rarity said.
- And so did we! Danzy and I asked everypony in the swimming area if they had seen it, but literally nopony else did! We even thought it had been a dream, until... Well... - Fireflyer opened her wings and pointed at the right one. It was bandaged - I hurt my wings during the storm and now I can't fly. If I did hurt it in the storm, it has to be real, right?
- You hurt your wings? I hurt mine two! Last night, when I was still a pegasus, I mean. But funny enough, they were back to normal when the storm was over. Today we woke up and Rarity here was a pegasus instead.
- So it's true! - Danzy said, amazed - You did switch species!
- That means yah didn't?
- No, not at all. I'm a pegasus since the day I was born.
- Same with the earth pony here.
- That's very weird. Rainbow here got hurt, but it was back to normal when the storm was over. In the morning, we had switched species. You got hurt, and you still are, but you two didn't switch! Argh, why?
- Look, it can be just a coincidence, but don't you think that the fact that the pegasi were the only one that got hurt, and mainly the fact that they both got their wings hurt is a little strange too?
- Hum... He's got a point. - Applejack said.
- Wanna know, why don't we go to our room? We can talk more there and try to find out what's happening.
- That depends. - Fireflyer asked - Can I have an autograph from Rainbow Dash when we get there?
- Sure, kid.
- Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! - The yellow mare said, leaving the table and running towards the stairs leading to the rooms.
- So you're staying at the room 105?
- Yes, first floor.
- That's interesting. What time was it when the storm happened for you?
- I don't know. What time was it, Danzy?
- Hum, seven or so? Maybe a few minutes later?
- Would you say it was a quarter past seven? - Applejack asked.
- I guess so.
- Ok, so we saw the storm at the same time. But it makes me wonder, do you think we saw the same storm?
- What do you mean, Rarity?
- You two were on the first floor. Applejack, Rainbow and I were on the second floor. If we were all on the same floor, do you think we would have seen each other? Or like, I would only see my friends and you would only see Danzy?
- Honestly, I don't think we would have seen you even if we could. I was so scared when the ship leaned left, sinked and then turned right...
- Wait - Rainbow said - The ship turned right, then left, then it sinked a little.
- A little? - Danzy spoke up - The whole ship was submerged!
- No, it wasn't! - Applejack said.
- Of course it was! Danzy here almost fainted. If the storm hadn't stopped in the next second, I don't know what would have happened.
- Does it mean we saw different storms? - Rainbow asked.
- I guess so!
- It was a magical storm!
- Wasn't that rather obvious when we noticed that we were the only ones who saw it?
Suddenly, the ship stopped abruptly. Rainbow, Danzy and Applejack, who were standing, fell due to the impact. Fireflyer and Rarity, who were sitting on the bed, fell above each other.
- Ouch. What was that?
- I have no idea! We better ask the captain! Is everypony fine?
Four moans were heard as they all stood up. Fireflyer petted her wing.
- Are you alright? - Danzy asked, approaching his friend.
- Yes, yes. But I fell backwards and now it's hurting more.
- Let's go to the infirmary, shall we? Then we go talk to the captain.
Danzy opened the door, surprised that there was nopony there. It was early alright, but at that time he expected that some of them would be up already.
- Hello?
- What's wrong, Danzy? - Rarity asked, approaching the doorway.
They all followed the former unicorn, and soon they were all in the hallway.
- Where is everypony? - Fireflyer asked.
- Hello? Anypony there?
- Ok. I take Fireflyer to the infirmary once I know where it is. I'll see if there's anypony there that can help with her wing. You all go ask the captain why we stopped, or the very least try to find somepony to help us. - Rarity said.
- Ok! - Rainbow said as she and Applejack ran towards the door.
Danzy gave his friend a hug before he turned to follow the former pegasus and earth pony.
- Come with me, dear. Let's take a look at this wing.
Rarity entered the infirmary, confused. She expect it to be full of doctors and nurses, but there was nopony there.
- Hello? My friend needs help!
- Rarity... Don't you think that's a little weird?
- What?
- Come on, there's nopony in here! Like...
The white pony gasped.
- Like yesterday! Oh, my, we have to find the others! Can you run?
- Yes, of course, my wings aren't hurting that much. Now come on!
Applejack, Rainbow and Danzy stopped in front of the closed door of the office. Rainbow knocked it.
- Hello? Sorry to bother, we just want to know if everything's alright.
No answer.
- Hello? - Danzy said.
They waited a few minutes, but nothing seemed to happen. Rainbow knocked again.
- Anypony in there?
- Actually, this ship is kinda empty. We didn't see anypony all the way till here. What if something happened?
- Ok, back off everypony. Time to get kickin'!
Applejack made her way to the door and prepared to kick the door, lifting her back hooves. It was an ordinary wooden door, breaking it should be no big deal for a pony with years of apple bucking. But when her hooves hit the door, it didn't break and she fell on the floor.
- Ouch! What? - She stood up and kicked the door again multiple times - Why won't this thing break?
- Let me try! - Rainbow said, pushing Applejack aside.
- Rainbow, if I didn't break it, you won't...
When the blue legs touched the door, it broke into a million pieces. Applejack and Danzy covered their heads when small pieces of wood flew all around.
- What? How?
- Earth ponies are stronger than unicorns. It looks like the switch was much more intense than just taking off your wings or giving you a horn. It changed your DNA as well! - Danzy pointed out.
- What? - Applejack said, startled - Oh, we have to find a way to go back to normal, and we have to do it now!
- Hum... Where is the captain? In fact, where is everypony else?
Applejack and Rainbow looked inside the office, to where Danzy was pointing. Without the door, they were able to enter it.
- Hello?
- Anypony?
- Wait... Yesterday, durring the storm, everypony disappeared as well. - Danzy said.
The friends looked to each other multiple times, before three voices said at once:
- Oh, boy.
- Rarity!
- Fireflyer!
The two earth ponies and the unicorn ran around the hallways.
- Any of you know where the infirmary is?
- No! This is why Rarity was the one who took Fireflyer there!
- Ugh, why did this ship have to be so big?
They stopped running as they entered the buffet room. It all seemed to be normal. The table they had used that morning still had their plates on it. The buffet, although, was empty.
- Not that it's important or anything, but where did all the food go? - Danzy asked, examining the empty bowls.
- Girls, look!
Rainbow was on the balcony, looking down. She had a shocked expression on her face. Applejack and Danzy run to her, looking down as well. They weren't sailing anymore, the ship was anchored in a beach.
- This is why it suddenly stopped!
- Well, it doesn't explain why everypony disappeared.
- Or why all the food is missing.
- Ok, this is just gettin' weird.
From behind them, someone called.
- Girls, Danzy! We found you!
They turned around and saw Rarity and Fireflyer, runing towards them. They gave a huge group hug.
- You won't believe it! - Rarity said once they had pulled away.
- Let me guess: There was nopony in the infirmary?
- How do you know? - Fireflyer asked.
- Because there was nopony in the office either. Actually there's nopony but us here at all! - Applejack said, looking around.
- Yes, just like yesterday.
Everypony froze as they looked to each other.
- Do... Do you guys think this cruise is haunted or anything?
- Oh, Danzy. - Fireflyer rolled her eyes - You know such things don't exist. You're always getting impressed by small things.
- Small things? Everypony disappered!
- Also - Applejack said, trying to avoid a fight - we're stuck in some kind of island, or beach.
- We're WHAT? - Rarity said, running to the balcony - Oh, no no no no no! How did this happen? What are we going to do? Where are we?
- Well, yesterday everypony just reappeared out of nowhere. I say we go all back to our rooms and rest a little. When we wake up, things may be back to normal. Who knows, maybe even this - Applejack said, pointing to her horn.
Rarity sighed.
- Ok, ok. I think it's all we can do now. But we better sleep in the same room. I don't want to risk losing you two like we lot everypony. - The white pony asked, looking to Fireflyer and Danzy.
Everypony's sad faces nodded, as they went towards the room.
Trying to fit five ponies in three beds wasn't the best idea ever, but Rarity was right: nopony knew what could happen if they segregated. Once that Fireflyer's wings were hurt, they agreeded that she should sleep alone, so nopony would make it worse by accident.
Applejack shared a bed with Danzy. She didn't know him long, but she could tell already that he was one of those ponies that didn't wake up for anything. The moment he put his head on his pillow he started to snoar. Being used to granny Smith talking in her sleep, it didn't bother her at all.
Rarity shared her bed with Rainbow Dash. It was hard for the former pegasus to feel her friend's wings brushing against her back now that she didn't have them anymore, but once she was sleepy, she quickly closed her eyes. As for Rarity, she couldn't get confortable with her new pair of wings. They kept opening and popping up against her will.
"Now I know how Twilight felt when she became an alicorn."
Rarity closed her eyes and thought about her home, in Ponyville. She thought about the rest of her friends, about her little sister, and about her being a unicorn. Sadly, she wondered if things would ever go back to what they used to be, before finally closing her eyes.
- Rarity... Rarity... - Applejack called, poking her sleepy friend.
The white pony sat up, and when she opened her eyes she saw all her friends around her bed. She looked at Applejack, who still had a horn on her forehead. The same for the wings on her own back. She sighed.
- We woke up and looked around. You seemed tired, so we let you rest. But it looks like everything is still the same. - Danzy explained.
- So, nopony around?
- Nopony. The ship is still anchored in that beach. The food is missing too. We even looked in the kitchen, and I don't mean to make anypony worried, but I'm starting to get hungry. - Fireflyer said.
- Yeah, me too.
Rarity's belly made a noise and she laid a hoof on it.
- I guess the same goes for me. - She got out of her bed - So, what do we do now?
Everypony exchanged worried looks, except for Fireflyer, who looked pensative and spoke up:
- I guess we gotta go there. - She said, pointing to the balcony - There must be something we can eat there!
- Are you crazy, Fire? We don't know anything about that place! - Danzy said.
- Would you rather starve?
- Well...
The ponies nodded and sighed. No words were spoken as they went to the exit ramp, not aware of everything they were about to go through.
Fireflyer was inspired by a MLP toy I had when I was 6, long before FiM was even released. Danzy was inspired by a drawing my brother made. Also, just for curiosity, the rooms where they were staying are a tribute to my aunties (256: They lived in the 2nd, 5th and 6th floor of a building) and to my sister (Who lived in the apartment number 105).
Hope you liked this and see you next chapter!