Feared Love Requited: Chapter 14/The Worst Thing!
Àine walked up the path towards Fluttershy's cottage. Carys looked over at her and fluttered over to her fellow Changeling. "Hello, Àine."
"Hello, Carys." Àine said to her. "My mistress requests a visit from your mistress."
Fluttershy looked over a nearby hedge. "Did she say why?"
"She is..." Àine thought for a moment, "it's hard to describe. Tournesol used the word Finest."
"Oh, no." Fluttershy voiced, fluttering over the hedge before landing in front of them. "We should go see her."
"Rarity?" Fluttershy lightly called as she walked into the boutique. She heard what could be best described as sobbing, and quickly moved towards it, finding Rarity distraught upon her fainting couch. "Are you okay."
"He asked for my finest work!" Rarity peeped.
"There-there." Fluttershy stated, "I'm sure he didn't mean it."
"But what if he did?" Rarity asked.
"Why don't we head to the spa?" Fluttershy asked, and in reply Rarity simply sniffed and nodded.
Àine and Carys stood in the entryway as Rarity and Fluttershy walked deep into the spa. Rarity turned around to look at them, "You two are coming, aren't you?"
Rarity and Fluttershy lay upon lounges as Carys and Àine received massages.
"How are you feeling?" Fluttershy asked.
"Much better, dear." Rarity replied, "I just... cannot...
"I doubt he's asking for your masterpiece." Fluttershy added.
"He is from Canterlot!" Rarity exclaimed, "He's... He's a Baronet!"
"Not everyone from Canterlot exists to snub their muzzles at we little Ponies." Fluttershy replied. "Fancypants is..."
"Lovely." Rarity replied. "But incredibly dapper."
"Have you seen Tournesol?" Àine asked from her massage bed. "I don't think he owns ordinary clothes."
"Ordinary?!" Rarity asked.
"Extraordinary." Fluttershy said to Àine.
"That's not what I mean... I mean, non-military?"
"Are you calling me ordinary?" Rarity asked.
"She's saying," Carys added, from her own massage bed, "that Tournesol needs what he needs and nothing more."
"And what he needs is you." Àine added. "He was saying he was willing to pay for your top-quality equipment."
"But he said finest?" Rarity sniffed.
"He's a soldier." Carys added. "He thinks in levels."
"So, he thinks I'm ordinary?" Rarity asked.
"He thinks everyone is ordinary." Carys continued. "Among the ordinary, he choose you."
"Beautifully put." Àine added, "I think it might actually work."
"So?" Rarity asked, "He thinks I'm extraordinary?"
"Love or hating Psyche." Carys added. "He can't have even emotions about her."
"How can you know him so well?" Rarity asked.
"We feed off love, Mistress." Àine stated, "We can feel it like you can the wind."
"Are you saying he loves Psyche?" Rarity asked.
Both Àine and Carys looked at each other for a moment. "Yes." they said at once.
"Is it... like Spike loves me?.." Rarity asked, and the two shook their heads.
"He's into stallions," Carys stated, "not mares."
"Really?" Fluttershy asked.
"I..." Rarity stated, "never would have guessed..."
"He... his sexuality," Carys stated, "is actually quite oppressed. He really needs to learn how to relax. Mistress' animals have honestly helped me to relax, myself."
"Does he need a pet?" Fluttershy excitedly asked.
"He has Psyche." Carys said, before lightly laughing.
"I thought..." Rarity stated, "he didn't?.."
"Pets are friends, Mistress." Àine stated, "At least with most Ponies. He has to care for her and protect her. He's putting his love and soul into her. It could all be lost if she betrays us."
"She wouldn't betray you?" Rarity asked, "Would she?"
Àine and Carys looked at each other and were unsure of what to say to each other.
Spike sat on a spire, his head resting upon his tented claws. Solace fluttering beside him. He paused, and lifted his head, looking at Solace. "How long can you flutter there?"
"As long as you need me to." Solace stated, but as she said it, he could hear the difficulty with which she breathed.
"We should head inside." Spike said to her, "I have been neglecting my duties." He then looked down to see Tournesol step out of the castle, oddly without Psyche in tow.
Spike walked through the corridors and paused as something caught his eye. He turned to see Tournesol practicing with a training dummy. "Back from patrol so soon?" Spike asked him.
"No." Tournesol simply replied.
"So, Psyche is enjoying her freedom?" Spike asked.
"We'll find out how much of a mistake this was." Tournesol stated.
Rainbow Dash awoke from her nap on her cloud. As her eyes focused, she saw another Rainbow Dash looking down upon her. "What?" Rainbow Dash sleepily asked.
"What?" the other Rainbow Dash replied.
"Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I'm Rainbow Dash. Who are you?" the other Rainbow Dash asked.
"No your not. I'm Rainbow Dash."
"Don't I look like Rainbow Dash?" the other Rainbow Dash asked.
"But I'm Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"You do look like her." the other Rainbow Dash stated.
"I'm fast like Rainbow Dash as well!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"We're going to have to race." the other Rainbow Dash stated.
"That's just what I was thinking!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed and looked about.
"Can you see the library?" the other Rainbow Dash asked.
"Of course I can." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Twilight can tell us who won!" the other Rainbow Dash shouted.
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Move over." the other Rainbow Dash stated, and Rainbow Dash made room on her cloud.
"One!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Two!" the other added.
"Three!" they said at once, and took off full speed towards the library. They moved so quickly the air began to compress. Clothing, lines, awnings, and anything not completely rigid buckled as they passed. Within a dozen seconds they had arrived to naught but hoots from Owlowlicious.
"Maybe... we should have told Twilight about our race." one of the Rainbow Dashes stated.
"Why didn't you think of that sooner?" the other Rainbow Dash asked.
"You didn't think of it, either!"
Owlowlicious started hooting at them once again.
"Oh, and now we've woken up Owlowlicious." one of the Rainbow Dashes stated.
"I'm not even sure who won." the other Rainbow Dash added.
"We need another race." the first Rainbow Dash added.
"Let's get Twilight this time." the other stated.
"You're my kind of Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash said to her.
"So are you." the other replied.
"You're Psyche, aren't you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
She reverted to her Changeling form, "Took you long enough to figure it out."
"While we're at it, where's Sprite?"
"Wondering how long it would take you to figure it out." Sprite said, flittering up to join them.
"I was..." Rainbow Dash tried to say.
"Enjoying yourself." Sprite smiled.
"I was..." Rainbow Dash said with a blush. She then held up her hoof, "Pound it." she said to Psyche, who happily obliged. "I thought Sprite was the fastest Changeling." she said to the pair.
"We copy more than just appearance." Sprite added. "Well, at least Psyche does."
"We all can... could..." Psyche stated.
"So, what are you going to do with your freedom?" Rainbow Dash asked, and Psyche sighed. "Why would you be sad?" Rainbow Dash asked, "You could do anything you want."
"No." Sprite stated, "We can't. You have to understand what that means."
At this Rainbow Dash sighed.
"We could always go back to our old ways..." Psyche stated, "but I wouldn't want to leave Tournesol. I wouldn't want to disappoint Tournesol... I'm not used to actually being loved... It's... frightening... Normally we only work for our colony..."
"He loves you?" Rainbow Dash asked with a giggle.
"You love me, too, Mistress." Sprite said to her.
"I do... not..." Rainbow Dash replied, her eyes shifting about.
"You love me almost as much as you do Spitfire or Soarin'." Sprite continued.
"Please don't embarass me..." Rainbow Dash quietly said, looking about.
Sprite fluttered until she was inches from Rainbow Dash's muzzle, looking her in the eyes. Rainbow Dash brought her eyes back to the Changeling before looking away and flying off.
"I love you!" Sprite shouted to Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash walked into Sugar Cube Corner.
"What can we do for you?!" Pinkie Pie excitedly asked her.
"hm. Not'in'." Rainbow Dash replied. "Just chillin'. You wanna hang?"
"Let me ask the Cakes!" Pinkie Pie shouted, and bounced off into the back.
Rainbow Dash looked at Aderyn, brought her hoof up, and shushed. Aderyn wasn't sure what to do, and so simply waited. Pinkie Pie jumped out of the back room and glomped onto Aderyn. "We can go!"
Aderyn, recovering on the ground, replied with a weak, "Woo..."
"That's the spirit!"
"Where's Sprite?" Pinkie Pie asked, as she bounced behind Rainbow Dash.
"Hangin' with Carys." Rainbow Dash replied.
"So, what are we going to do?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Want to pull some pranks?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Of course!"
"Rainbow?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash replied.
"Where are we going?" she nervously asked.
"We're almost there."
"Fluttershy?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Shh." Rainbow Dash replied.
"We can't prank Fluttershy."
"She loves pranks." Rainbow Dash added.
"What are you saying." Pinkie replied, "SHE'S AFRAID OF SPIKE! SPIKE! SHE'S KNOWN SPIKE SINCE HE WAS A BABY! I don't even pop balloons around Fluttershy."
"It's all good." Rainbow Dash stated, and Pinkie stopped her bouncing the next time she touched he ground. "Who are you?"
"Rainbow... Dash..." Rainbow Dash stated. "You'd think the Rainbow would give it away."
Pinkie squinted at her, "Nah, you don't look anything like Rainbow Dash."
"I do so." Rainbow Dash replied.
"Nuh-uh." Pinkie Stated. "Rainbow Dash is taller."
"What?, no." Rainbow Dash replied, "She's exactly this tall."
"Nuh-uh." Pinkie stated.
"Yuh-huh." Rainbow Dash replied. "Do you want to pull pranks, or not?"
"Not if it's Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie said to her. "Let's prank Twilight."
"I don't know..." Rainbow Dash stated.
"Twilight loves pranks!" Pinkie stated.
"She's pretty busy." Rainbow Dash replied.
"If I let this keep going," Aderyn added, "we'll be here all day. Mistress, it's Psyche."
"Psyche?!" Pinkie Pie asked, "Why are you dressed up like Rainbow Dash?"
"I'm not..." Rainbow Dash stated, and sighed, "I'm not dressed up as Rainbow Dash, I copied her."
"I thought Changelings were the same height as the Ponies they copy?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I AM!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Alright, wait here, I'll be right back.
Fluttershy saw Rainbow Dash fly off with a start, and then a minute later two Rainbow Dashes returned.
"See." one of the Rainbow Dashes stated, "We're the same height."
Pinkie Pie looked between the two for a moment before stopping on one of them, "The real Rainbow Dash is taller."
"I am the real Rainbow Dash." the Rainbow Dash stated. With this the other Rainbow Dash reverted to being a Changeling.
"She's right."
"Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie Pie asked her, "I thought you were taller?"
"Maybe because she's always flying above you." Aderyn added.
"That HAS to be it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.