//------------------------------// // Just Shy of Finding Diamonds: Part 1 - The Guests Arrive // Story: Sharing Beat Up Stories // by Graglithan The Greater //------------------------------// ~Earlier: Equestria~ Twilight waited patiently in one of her private studies, the one with the portal in particular, along with her friends. Rarity was adjusting her makeup, Fluttershy was trying, and failing, to calm herself down. Applejack was doing a better job at helping her shy friend relax. Rainbow was busy bouncing a ball against the wall and catching it. Pinkie was humming to herself and dancing in place, cupcakes at the ready to welcome two familiar-yet-totally-different ponies to Equestria. Finally, Starlight was busy reading a book on magic; keeping the cover and contents to herself, oddly enough. Taking a deep breath the same way Cadence had shown her all those years ago, The lavender princess looked to everyone after writing a quick message to Sunset. “Okay girls, you all ready?” Applejack and Rainbow shared a quick nod before turning to Twilight. “Ready as we’ll ever be.” The portal whirred to life, and the group all walked over. “Ah wonder if they’ll look the same as us on this side.” Starlight shrugged, flipping the page of her book. “I don’t see why they won’t. It’s a mirror portal after all.” She turned back to her book, muttering something under her breath. “Well, that would be the case, were it not for how we had different outfits on from our counterparts when we were over there.” Rarity closed her compact and placed it back in her saddlebags. “For all we know, our counterparts might not even have the same coat color as we do. The other me’s mane might be a shade darker for all we know.” Rolling her eyes, Rainbow flew over with her fore-hooves crossed. “Does it really matter? I mean they’re still going to be us.” Fluttershy rubbed a hoof against the other and frowned in thought. “Rainbow does have a point.” She tapped her chin and looked at the portal. “Do you think the other me would like to be near my animal friends while we talk?” A raspberry escaped Pinkie as she twirled the cupcakes around. “Of course she will, silly! You love being around your animal friends all the time!” She set the cupcakes on her head and frowned for a moment. “Shame she won’t meet Discord though. I kinda wanted to see how he’d react to seeing two of you.” A small sigh of exasperation escaped the caretaker as she remembered one of the tea times they had shared. “Probably not as much as you think.” Before anything else could be said, the portal started to build up energy. Starlight closed the book she had been reading and stood up from the table rather quickly. “Well, I’m going to, uh, head out for a bit. Don’t want to interrupt or anything.” “What? But, Starlight, you wouldn’t be--.” The door closed with a slam, leaving Twilight and the group frowning. “That was weird... I wonder what’s gotten into her?” The hum of the portal reminder her that there were more pressing matters at the moment. “I’ll ask her about it later. Girls, clear the way!” Waving the group back, Twilight cleared a path for her arriving guests, knowing full well what the portal liked to do the first time you traveled in this particular direction through it. She had her own phantom knot by her horn to let her remember how it felt. The desk in the middle of the room was moved off to the side, and a large cushion was put in its place. Just in time as well, as no sooner did she place the oversized pillow, did a pair of blurs pop out of the mirror with a startled squeal of surprise. The two found themselves landing face first into the fabric, with a small groan coming from the newest white unicorn. During all of this, Pinkie went stock still, before narrowing her eyes in thought; hoof idly rubbing her chin. However, there was a detail about the two that Rarity and Fluttershy noticed immediately. The two could only stare silently at their counterparts, minds trying to process what they were seeing. Pulling herself from the soft embrace of her savior, Rarity’s human counterpart rubbed her face with a hoof. “Does the portal always do that, darling? It’s very dissorient--” She paused and blinked a bit, hoof to her throat. “Was that my voice?” She coughed a bit and staggered back, trying to stand up, only to fall on her rump. “Was that my voice?” Next to her, the newly arrived Fluttershy pushed herself up and shook her head, only for her pink mane to fall over one of her eyes. “Oh, my.” “Fluttershy, darling, I sound positively childish, and--!” The newest alabaster unicorn shared her counterpart’s face for a moment before shaking her head. “Fluttershy, darling, you look on par with those cute cat pictures you keep sending everyone. Although you are a tad gangly.” While the young pegasus was blushing up a storm, Twilight gave a nod to Rainbow and Applejack, silently gesturing to the mirror before the two nodded as well and headed through themselves. Walking up to the two newcomers, she had a slightly raised eyebrow and was holding back a small chuckle. “Well, you’re not totally off the mark with the first part of that statement.” “Twilight, whatever do you...” Rarity trailed off when she turned to speak with her friend. She had expected to be able to talk with Twilight face to face, pony or no. Only to find herself staring at a lavender neck instead of any form of eyes. Tilting her head up, she saw the slightly looming figure of a lavender alicorn staring down at her with an amused grin. “Twilight, is that you?” A small laugh escaped the princess. “It’s good to see you two again.” Internally she was screaming and panicking hysterically, but her friends didn’t need to know that right now. Fluttershy hid behind her mane a bit as she scrunched back, wings quivering. “Oh, my... I know Sunset said that Alicorns were taller than average ponies, but I could have sworn she said you were still the same height as her.” She paused for a moment before a gasp escaped her. “What if Sunset’s actually taller, and I’m the short one on this side?” “Both actually.” The lavender alicorn turned to her friends and gave a quick nod, before Rarity and Fluttershy walked over to the group, making their human counterparts gasp again. With a quick wave of her hoof, she chuckled. “Sunset and I are both about an inch above average, but that’s not because I’m an alicorn. Rarity blinked herself out of her stupor. “Oh, my. Did... did the portal do something to us?” The human turned unicorn looked at herself in worry, eyeing herself before freezing and covering herself with the cushion. “And why am I naked!?” Fluttershy perked up her ears a moment, before shaking her head. “Oh, um, there’s no need to worry about that.” The larger buttermilk pegasus smiled, blushing a bit. “Most ponies don’t wear clothes unless it’s an important occasion, so you’d actually stand out more if you still did have clothes.” “As for the portal, darlings,” Rarity tittered as she looked over the two, “It appears to have made you both the same age as you are back in your world, rather than match our own.” “Are you to tell me that you’re all older on this side?” The younger Rarity blinked in surprise before looking at Twilight. “But darling, you all looked the same age as we did back at CHS!” Twilight perked up in excitement. “I have a theory on that actually.” Moving away from the portal, the group started for the door. Rarity and Fluttershy had to help their counterparts with walking at first, but by the time they were in the hallway, they were walking relatively fine, if slowly. Once everyone was following well enough to not get distracted by their own hooves, Twilight continued her explanation. “I think the portal takes into account the intent of the one passing through when they cross from one universe to another, giving them a form that is a version of themselves that matches. When I first crossed over, I wanted to get my crown back from Sunset, but without causing any trouble for anyone while I was there. As a result, the portal gave me a form that allowed me to do just that,” she blushed and scratched her cheek a bit. “even if the situation didn’t exactly end the way I expected it would.” The smaller unicorn looked between Twilight and her own counterpart; a small frown gracing Rarity’s muzzle. “But you were still as young as we were, Twilight. If it can do that for you, why did it not make us older?” Tapping her chin with a hum, Twilight closed her eyes. “Well, that may have been partly due to your state of mind when coming here.” Stopping their trip, the group turned to face each other. “What were your exact thoughts about what you would do?” Rarity and Fluttershy both stood in thought for a moment, before the butterscotch pegasus looked towards the princess. “I wanted to meet my other self as me. I remembered how it gave her that dress, and um, I didn’t want to be dressed up in anything I wasn’t comfortable wearing.” “While I think we can agree to disagree about that gown of yours, I felt the same as you, darling.” Rarity chuckled as she gave her friend a smile. “I wanted this meeting to go smoothly. No tricks, traps, or who-knows-what's.” “Then my theory seems to be holding up so far.” Twilight nodded to her friends, and they nodded back before the group passed through the last set of doors and into the room of the Cutie map. The two newcomers gawked at the expansive holographic display of their friend’s kingdom. Rarity’s eyes were shining like the diamonds on her flank. If one were to listen carefully to her at that moment, they would have heard the faintest of whispers saying, inspiration. Fluttershy was pushing her mane out of her eyes to get a better view. “It’s beautiful. Do you really rule over all of this Twilight?” A roll of the princess’s eyes was their initial answer. “Technically I only have ‘dominion’ over Ponyville, and even then, I gave most of the decision making back to Mayor Mare. Yet I still somehow manage to get piles of paperwork sent my way almost daily.” She motioned to the chairs surrounding the table. “And besides, I’m not alone in this. I may be the Princess of Friendship, but that doesn’t mean anything without my friends.” Both unicorns and pegasi shared looks with their respective friend, a feeling of thankfulness blooming in them from Twilight’s words. The doors on the other side of the room opened up, and the two humans-turned-pony in the room couldn’t quite see past the chairs and table. The identity of their new arrival was further hidden by the cart they were pushing into the throne room. It was the almost sickeningly sweet voice that tipped the two high schoolers off about their identity being female. “Okay, where do you want the food? That you could have asked the dragon to bring up here.” The smaller Rarity leaned over and whispered to Fluttershy. “I say, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning.” Twilight either didn’t notice or was used to the tone by now, as she gave a small, yet clearly practiced, smile. “Thank you, Sour Sweet. Go ahead and leave the cart right there. I’ll take care of the rest.” It was as Sour Sweet stepped out from behind the cart that Rarity and Fluttershy finally got a good look at her. The cream coated mare quite literally sparkled in the light, and was partially transparent. A splash of mulberry freckles was on her cheeks, and her matching mane only differed in color for a streak of a slightly brighter hue, and the second streak was moss green. Her crystal appearance just got stronger as she gave Twilight a polite smile. “Sure, no problem.” All of her colors dulled near instantly as Sour Sweet’s face dropped into an annoyed scowl. “Guess I’ll go back to staring into space all day.” As the crystal pony left, the older Rarity tsked under her breath. “I will never understand how a crystal pony can have such a demeanor. It’s as if the mare turns her abilities off at the flip of a switch.” Clearing her throat, Twilight got their attention again and lifted a tray of sandwiches in her magic over to the center of the table. “We can talk about my guards later. Right now, we have sandwiches to eat!” The smaller Fluttershy shrank back into her seat. “Oh um, I would, Twilight, but I’m a little too nervous right now.” The group all looked to each other in confusion. “Nervous?” She nodded before pointing a hoof to the only occupant of the room who had yet to say anything. “It’s just, um, really unnerving to see Pinkie be quiet for that long.” The pink mare suddenly lunged over the cutie map and tackled Twilight to the ground. “Twilight! I need your opinion!” Pinkie pulled the princess back up and pointed at both Rarities and Fluttershy. “If the new pony in town is technically a pony who has been living in Ponyville for years now, but the new them only just got here from another dimension, Do I still get to throw them a ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ party?” All five of the mares had to laugh by the time Pinkie finished her question, which caused the party planner to look at them all with a small frown. “What? I’m serious!” The laughter of the group was loud enough that it echoed down the hallways, even past the study that they had all left from. With the help of the crystal hallways acting as an oversized echo chamber, it was more than enough to block out the sound of the portal turning on, and sending three fillies onto their faces, dressed as a trio of detectives. “Okay girls, we’re in!” “I wish the landing was a little softer.” “Oh sweet! I got wings! Wait til Dash hears about this!” “Ooo! I’m a unicorn!” “Girls, focus!” “Right. On a mission. Forgot.” “Sorry.” “Got everything?” “I think we left the bags next to the statue.” “Gosh dang it, Scoots!” “Well, it isn’t like we can go back for ‘em. We’d probably get spotted the moment we do.” “I have a copy of the poster!” “Where’d you keep that?” “I... don’t know... Oh hey, I have my phone too!” “That’s... okay, Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth and get a move on.” “Aren’t we horses right now?” “... Ah, ain’t got a response ta that.” “On three?” “On three.” “Canterlot Movie Club, Mystery Solvers, GO!”