Six Broken Ponies: Wings of Eagles
~BlackRoseRaven
Rainbow Dash grimaced a bit as she walked alongside Twilight, her smile toning down, becoming almost sad as she hesitantly glanced over her shoulder towards the apple orchard… but it was long out of sight now, and she couldn't help but slump and sigh a little bit. Twilight glanced towards her softly, but Rainbow only shook her head, murmuring: "Nah, it'll be okay. Just feels… like a splinter, you know? Right there, lodged in deep but… I think… it'll be okay. I dunno, maybe I'm just hopeful but… you know."
"Well, then it's a good thing for you I have a surprise back at the library that might help cheer you up." Twilight said softly, and Rainbow perked up a little with a small smile, the violet unicorn gazing over at her with a bit of a smile. "I said I was going to help you today too, didn't I? Since we all got together this morning to pay off Rarity's debts at the bank before she went with Pinkie Pie to help her out, and Spike agreed to help Fluttershy get some things from her home… we have time to try something out, if you're up for it."
"What did you find? A spell, or… something?" Rainbow Dash leaned forwards, blushing a bit at the eagerness in her own voice and body language as she visibly perked up. "I mean… I know… I know this must be really weird and all for you, I can't thank you guys enough for being so understanding about it… I can't imagine that… you know… a lot of ponies feel this way or would even get why it's so important to me. Honestly, I didn't expect you all to understand…"
Twilight smiled a little at this, glancing ahead before she returned her eyes to the blue Pegasus, saying quietly: "And I don't think I do understand entirely, Rainbow Dash. It would be an insult to you if I claimed that I did… but what I can imagine is the frustration and the pain you must be going through, and… knowing you as well as I do, I know you're not just doing this to yourself."
Rainbow glanced away with a bit of a blush, and then Twilight paused, reaching out to nudge her quietly as she said softly: "But if anything, that just makes me want to help you more. Seeing you in pain like this… none of us like that, Rainbow. And you would always go to the ends of the earth for any one of us… you deserve to be treated with the same amount of loyalty and respect."
The female mumbled awkwardly and lowered her head, her wings fluttering a bit as she smiled a little… and then Twilight glanced up as they reached the library, the door swinging open with only a flick of her horn, and she allowed the Pegasus to pass through first. Rainbow Dash looked curiously back and forth through the clean, empty room, a table set up at the far side with several books and scrolls over it… and Twilight closed the door quietly before she approached this, then turned around and met the female's eyes, asking her quietly: "Do you want this? I need to make sure, Rainbow Dash… and I need to let you know right now it's probably going to sting a little when you… change. I also can't guarantee it'll last for very long… this is very high-level magic, and as it is, I had to modify the spell a little. I can only guarantee a few hours, but… I hope it's long enough for you to learn for sure if this is what you need or…"
Rainbow only smiled, however, swallowing hard before she stood up straight and said firmly: "I ain't afraid of pain. Let's do this, Twilight. At least this way… I'll be able to try it out, you're right, see if… if I've been right all this time. If I really was meant to be… I mean…" She stopped, lowering her head for a moment as a shiver went through her body, and then she gritted her teeth and looked up, saying clearly: "I ain't afraid of nothing! Let's do this!"
The unicorn only smiled softly, however… and then she lowered her head forwards as her horn began to shimmer quietly. The aura built higher and higher as she leaned towards the Pegasus, a grimace of concentration and effort spreading over her features as purple arcs of lightning sparked through the air around her, and Rainbow Dash nervously took a pace backwards before she forced herself to stand still as a bluish-white glow began to spread up her body from her hooves.
The light spread upwards, ever higher and faster, the glow deepening as it first tickled, making her want to fidget, her wings flap a bit… and then Rainbow grit her teeth with a wince, leaning forwards and letting out a short hiss as the tickling became a burning sensation that writhed inwards through her skin, getting worse as it surged deeper into her body until her blood felt like it was boiling and stomach felt like it was filled with slag, the pony's legs barely holding up beneath her as she let out a long groan of pain.
Her wings flapped hard, convulsively, as she felt a strange stretching sensation began, first in her hooves and muzzle, then following inwards along the blazing trails of pain that burned through her frame, her form wracked with shudders and spasms as she gasped for breath and yet did her best to stop herself from crying out, even as her head snapped back and forth and she felt almost like she was being pulled and yanked on, like her limbs were being slowly, forcibly elongated by some terrible, wicked giant that was attempting to pull her apart.
The glow around her was blinding as her head snapped back and forth, her jaws falling open and mouthing wordlessly, her eyes bulging, even those aching now as she stared at the ceiling… and then, even more suddenly than it had all began, there was a bright flash and it was all over as Twilight was knocked backwards by magical recoil, crashing into her desk and overturning it as she cursed and flopped over, her eyes blinking stupidly… and then she stared dumbly as Rainbow Dash's head dropped limply forwards and she fell to all fours, jaw clenched, her body shuddering before she rasped: "Not… what I expected…"
Rainbow shivered for a moment, dropping her head forwards against the floor and grunting as her skull clunked loudly to the hardwood… and then she shook her head slowly before blearily opening her eyes as the aches began to fade from her body, leaving tiredness in its place. She grimaced a little, then carefully stood up and rubbed at her face… and then she frowned a bit at the way Twilight was staring at her, asking curiously: "What?"
And then Twilight smiled faintly before she grimaced a bit as she looked up… and a moment later, a large mirror floated quietly down from her room above, surrounded by a purple aura. It stuttered in the air, as if the unicorn's control had been weakened from the spell… but then it floated in front of Rainbow, and she stared in shock, staggering backwards… and then trembling slowly, leaning forwards to grasp the oval, large mirror tightly between her hooves, using it to stare into features that were a little rougher now, a little squarer… still pretty, in a way, but less than pretty, more… handsome.
She was… a he. She had become a he… and Rainbow Dash shook his head mutely, looking from his larger neck to his thicker, wider shoulders, before his wings flapped as he leaned back on his rear hooves, and they carried him up easily, supporting him with as much weightlessness as they had when he was female… and yet they felt larger, stronger, different. His long tail flicked, and his body flexed, and now there was less sleekness and more muscle, his frame larger… perhaps only by a few inches, but it was noticeable, so immensely noticeable, and he could feel… well…
He stopped, dropping to his hooves and letting the mirror fall to clatter against the floor, staring down into the reflection of his face as Twilight frowned… and then a tear dripped slowly from his eye, and Rainbow looked up, breathing hard and whispering: "Twilight, I… oh, god…"
"Oh, Rainbow, I'm sorry, I…" Twilight began, but then Rainbow smiled brightly, shaking his head fiercely, and the unicorn stuttered to a halt before the now male leapt towards her and tackled her, knocking the fallen desk backwards and sending papers and books that had already fallen in messy piles shooting in all directions in a paper storm, Twilight squawking as she was almost crushed under the now-greater weight and strength of the masculine Pegasus. "Rainbow!"
"Yeah, I… I don't feel it anymore, I mean… I feel… I feel right!" Rainbow almost shouted, arching his back, his slightly-deeper blue coat glimmering as he leapt backwards and pranced gleefully around the room, inspecting himself, flapping his wings, taking great leaps as Twilight stared stupidly from where she lay, sprawled out. "Look at me! God, just look at me, I'm… I'm handsome! This is the most amazing thing ever, this… this feeling, god, this feeling, I can't describe it, it's… it's like when I won a race for the first time, but even better, it's like… it's like after so many years pretending to be someone else, now… now I feel like I get to be myself, I feel like… I can't even describe it, Twilight, it's incredible, it's amazing, it's… thank you, thank you so much!"
He turned around, looking brightly at Twilight, and then unicorn only smiled dumbly before she grunted and carefully pushed herself to her feet, saying slowly: "Just remember, it's… not permanent, Rainbow Dash."
"Rainbow Dash, I feel so strong you should call me Rainbow Smash now." The Pegasus grinned a bit at this, laughing a little at his own pun before he shook his head quickly and blushed a little at Twilight's flat look. "I'm excited, okay? But… I know. I'll keep it in mind, Twilight, I just… thank you." He stopped, glancing down and blushing a bit, and then he looked up with an awkward smile. "Is there anything you can't do with your magic?"
"I'm not that strong, Rainbow… like I said, I had to really simplify this spell. It doesn't help it's not the usual kind of magic I'm used to doing… this isn't from Celestia's school of magic, this is from Princess Luna's spell repertoire." Twilight straightened as she glanced over her shoulder, and the table righted itself before she began to gather up papers, her horn sparking weakly as she grimaced a little after assembling a small pile of them.
She dropped these on the desk as Rainbow looked at her with concern, but the female unicorn only smiled a little as she sat back on her haunches, shaking her head quickly as she murmured: "No, no, it's okay. I just used up a lot of my energy with that last spell, I need to sit back and relax a bit. Magic isn't infinite, like I was saying… and while I can probably do this spell for you every now and then, it'll be a long time and require a lot of practice before I can extend the duration of the change."
"So… can I never be like this permanently?" Rainbow asked quietly, and when Twilight looked at her sympathetically, the Pegasus shook his head firmly, saying softly: "No, no, I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound… you know, all… yeah. This… this is amazing. If I can have this every now and then, it'll… I know it'll help me a lot."
He stopped, looking down at his hooves and murmuring softly: "Sure. It's not fun knowing that… I've got a set amount of time like this. But… at the same time… how many ponies who have a problem like mine… get this chance? Not everyone has a Twilight in their lives, an egghead who's amazing at magic." Rainbow smiled a bit, looking up, and the unicorn smiled back despite herself, looking both touched and exasperated at the same time. "But… hey, you said this is what, from Luna's spell books or something? What does that mean?"
"Princess Luna and Princess Celestia specialize in different classes of magic. Princess Luna is very good at illusions and changing the shapes of herself and other things, while Princess Celestia works more directly with the elements and world around herself. You know, outright control." Twilight paused and blushed a bit at Rainbow's confused look. "It's… like how some Pegasi are better at racing, and others are better at manipulating the weather."
"Oh, like mixing rainbows and stuff, yeah, got it. I could never do that, I just live for speed." Rainbow straightened and strutted forwards, and then he grinned and looked down at his hooves before giving an amused look over to Twilight. "Gotta admit. Feels even more right to show off now."
He flicked his tail easily, and Twilight sighed a bit, rolling her eyes before she said finally: "Anyway. If… maybe… one day we can figure out how to make this permanent. But it might not be all sugar and dandelions, Rainbow… you should try flying, and doing other things you usually do today. It might take you time to adjust… you might… feel like you have the right body now, but imagine if you couldn't do all the things you used to be able to?"
"Then I'll work at them until I can do them again just as well, that's all." Rainbow retorted stubbornly, and then he halted before his eyes met Twilight's, visibly softening. "I can't… explain it, Twilight. I mean, I feel… I feel right. And I just know that feeling… is going to outweigh the fact that I can't… oh, I dunno, wear frilly dresses anymore." Rainbow snorted at this, muttering: "Yeah, that really bothers me."
Twilight sighed… but then Rainbow smiled and walked over to her, quickly giving her a gentle nuzzle and making the unicorn smile a bit as he said firmly: "I'm going to go try this body out though, take it for a test drive, and… then I'll come back afterwards and let you know how it all went, okay? Either way… thank you. Thank you so much for… caring enough to do this."
He blushed a bit, and Twilight only smiled softly before Rainbow turned and quickly headed for the door, pushing it open and leaping out of the library with a laugh into the sunshine before he leapt upwards… and when his wings caught the air, they sent him hurtling towards the sky, Rainbow grinning, loving the exertion, feeling the extra drag now against his larger, heavier form… but with as much grace as he'd had as a female, he forced his body to spin and then flip when he reached the blue skies above, dropping into a dive… and letting out a delighted gasp, tasting the wind as his body automatically went into the old maneuver with the same practiced ease as it always had, streamlining himself… and despite the fact he wasn't as aerodynamic in this larger frame… his weight and the new strength in his wings easily added more than enough impetus to make up for it.
The dive was sharp and steep, his timing almost too late as he curved up at the last moment, almost feeling his hooves brushing over the ground as he shot forwards through the street and made several ponies stumble and stare before he launched back into the air, wings flapping once to send him hurtling into the skies again… and Rainbow Dash let out a loud whoop of delight as he reached his front legs forwards, his eyes blazing, his rainbow mane and tail streaming out behind him as he shouted: "I'm king of the skies!"
Rainbow wasn't even sure of how much time passed as he shot back and forth through the skies over Ponyville and the surrounding area, loving the strain in his muscles, how the feel of the wind was all the clearer, the eagerness with which his body moved and the feel of his male form tearing through the air, somehow so much more exhilarating than when he had been a she… and then finally, he twisted downwards and landed with stunning grace for the large frame he had near the library, coming down on his front hooves almost daintily and letting his rear hooves drop to the ground afterwards as he held his head high and proud, eyes closed… and not caring how many people were staring at him, before a shocked voice spluttered: "Rainbow Dash?"
His eyes snapped open and looked with a blush towards Applejack, who was staring at him, and for a moment, Rainbow wanted to hide, shrinking a bit… and then Applejack stepped wonderingly forwards, staring over him with amazement before she murmured: "Sugar cube, just… just look at you… you look so… so… so happy. So… right."
Rainbow brightened at this, raising his head… and the two looked at each other for a few long moments before Rainbow blushed deeply and asked hesitantly: "How… how did things go with Big Mac?"
"We… did… some stuff, but he said…" Applejack stopped, looking down and taking a slow breath, and Rainbow looked at her silently for a few moments before the female gazed up at him, meeting his eyes and saying quietly: "Rainbow Dash… I ain't the best pony out there. I ain't… as pure or good as lots of ponies have come to think of me as. I get… urges at times that are… a mite bit… you know. But… but I came to realize that I care about you a whole lot. Big Mac… I'm always gonna have. Who knows what the future holds, too… but… Rainbow Dash, I don't wanna lose you. I know you'll always be my friend but…"
Applejack stopped, looking down, then she looked back up, stepping slowly forwards and whispering: "I don't want to lose… you… as… as… mine."
Rainbow looked down at her for a few moments, then she began to open her mouth, not knowing if she was going to shout angrily or blurt something stupid… and then Applejack leaned up and kissed him firmly on the lips, and everything else was forgotten as Rainbow's head swam before he blinked dazedly and said weakly: "I… am mad at you. Honestly, I'm really mad at you. But. I think I need a moment or two to remember why."
Applejack only rolled her eyes at this… and then she leaned forwards and hugged him firmly, and Rainbow hugged her fiercely back, squeezing her close and muttering: "Oh hell, who cares anymore. We're all screwed up anyway, why should it even matter? Besides, I… I hope you know that I'm not going to look like this for much longer. And I… I guess that you… might not be as interested in me if-"
"Now hey, don't you talk to me like that, Rainbow." Applejack drew back, fixing her with a firm look that made the Pegasus grin despite the embarrassed tinge that also rose in her cheeks. "I ain't no star of shining virtue but I said I care about you, not about your body. I… female or male, Rainbow, don't matter to me. Even if that ugly part of me already wants to make use of… well… you know.'
Rainbow looked at her dumbly, and then he began to giggle stupidly, and Applejack sighed and lowered her head, muttering: "I'm guessing all that testosterone didn't do much for your maturity, did it?"
"Oh shut up, Applejack." Rainbow paused, then winked at her, leaning down and grinning a bit. "I'm taller than you now. Bet I'm stronger, too. Wanna race, see who can beat who to say… Sugar Cube Corners?"
"You're on, Dashie." Applejack smiled slightly, then she turned and grinned slightly as she lowered herself, Rainbow setting himself in the same ready position as their eyes locked… and then Rainbow Dash winked before lunging ahead, and Applejack let out a shout of consternation before she shot quickly after the male.
They laughed as they raced through the town, Rainbow grinning and using his now-larger frame to check Applejack and making her stumble, but the female only laughed and then rammed herself back against Rainbow, who yelped in surprise and then tripped over his own large hooves, rolling several times head-over-heels as Applejack laughed triumphantly, then grinned as she barreled ahead as the male picked himself up with a look of dumb surprise on his features before he snorted and shot forwards, sprinting full-out to try and make up the lost time and distance.
He skidded around the last corner… and found Applejack complacently sitting at a table outside the candy shop, looking pleased with herself as she rested back in the chair and said comfortingly: "We can try again when you ain't so winded, honey. And after you've had some time to get used to those big lazy hooves of yours."
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash huffed, looking offended… and then he simply looked lamely at her as Applejack slipped out of the chair and they both headed towards the doorway, asking finally: "How did you knock me over? I'm like twice your size."
"You're like two inches taller, Rainbow, even if you've bulked out a bit." Applejack retorted, poking the male's side lightly, and Rainbow grinned a bit down at her, making her roll her eyes with a sigh, before she continued mildly: "Anyway, ain't so hard. Just like when I used to wrassle Big Mac, it's all about your balance. Probably gonna take you a little while to get used to that in this shape."
Rainbow smiled down at her, nodding thoughtfully: he hadn't given any consideration to that, with how well things had gone in the air… but for a Pegasus like him, being in the air was far different than being on the ground. Then the two paused and looked up as an excited voice shouted gleefully: "Applejack! Rainbow! Hey guys!"
They both smiled t the sight of Pinkie Pie, who was beaming happily at them from over the counter, a small cooking cap on her head… and beside her, Rarity was now drawing her eyes slowly over Rainbow, almost marveling at the now-him. It made Applejack visibly narrow her eyes and pucker her lips… and when Rainbow looked at her, he realized it was jealously, and it made him grin all the wider as he stood with more confidence, happy to be accepted… and even happier when Rarity said wonderingly: "My word, Rainbow Dash. You look just fantastic… like one of those magnificent male models from the fashion magazines in the skimpy-"
"Can we just get something to go?" Applejack asked in a surly voice, and when Rarity gave her an amused look and Pinkie Pie giggled behind her front hooves, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile brightly, gazing warmly down at the female even as she blinked in confusion at the looks on their faces and glowered back and forth. "What? What?"