Bruised Apples, Lightning Storms

Not Who She Was

Rainbow's Pov:

AJ and Twilight emerged from behind the bookshelf, prancing towards us with smiles on their faces. The princess' grew wider in every passing second, while AJ kept hers hidden, painting on the usual disinterested persona. But her eyes gave her away as they shone, unable to cover the excitement flooding through her veins. At least, that's what I saw.

The party pony's grin surpassed the others' as the princess sat back at the desk, checking a tiny box on the clipboard's paper list. "So she did it then! She passed the test!" Pinkie yipped, bounding toward Twilight and wagging her tail.

The royal chuckled. "With flying colors."

Her and Pinkie shared a knowing glance towards me. Identical smirks curled their lips before they distracted themselves with the paper. Twilight's quill zoomed across the page, Pinkie whispering changes and suggestions over the controller's shoulder, blocking out any further conversation.

I turned to where AJ had rooted herself to the spot."There's a reason you were tested. Those two spent time planning out that little scheme in the bookshelves and Twilight seems normal when you're around. What did you say to pass the test?"

Her secret delight vanished. Rolling her eyes and letting out a huff, the tanned mare cast her gaze to the side, flicking her hat so it lay at an incline. Even so, I didn't miss the slight tint of carnation pink rising to the bases of her ears. "Nothin' important. She just realized I'm not a self-centered bitch, I guess."

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Even if AJ swore fairly often, the tone of her voice set off alarm bells in my head. Whatever the test was about, she still held resentment towards both the subject matter and the teacher; I didn't subscribe to the idea of pouring gas on an already roaring flame. Pointing to a couple cushions, AJ and I plopped down, passing the time with a silent game of eye spy. This cheered her up a bit, thankfully.

The production of the mystery document dragged on for several minutes, during which the library became virtually silent, except for the continuous scritch-scratchings of the quill, and the occasional mutter of approval from Pinkie.

"Alright girls!" Twilight began, leaving one final mark on the document and setting down the feather pen. "Our involvement is final. We'll be helping you two find the cure to the rarest, most difficult disorder in the known world. With your consent, you will be subjected to the best solutions and exercises for lessening, and eventually eradicating the symptoms of your disorders! By what Pinkie has informed me, there are several different types to categorize based on origin, each specialization taking the form of an iris modification, all on the spectrum of-"

"We get it Porchlight, you're excited to make us your lab rats." AJ sneered, effortlessly cutting through the princess' monologue.

The princess cast a stern look at the farm pony. "Applejack, that isn't what I-" She sighed, taking a moment to reinforce some passion in her voice. "You two just sit and listen. We can explain our running solution."

My eyes widened; had they found the cure overnight? An optimistic smile crept onto my face, but my partner appeared unconvinced.

"There ain't a chance in hell you got a cure in less than a day. What's the catch." Her lips had pressed into a tight frown, and she crossed her arms on the cushion.

Pinkie smiled weakly, speaking to someone who wasn't Twilight for the first time in twenty minutes. "There might be a couple teensy-weensy little problems. But we think they can be fixed over time, don't worry! The first thing is that, um, we're not sure how long the effects will last, so we'll be using a smaller dosage for the first attempt."