Luna,
I am pleased to report that the girls completed the ascension yesterday. Harmony has shown them their past and allowed them to see their triumphs and mistakes. It was an emotional night for them, as you might expect. Sunset spent last night curled up next to me. Twilight was with her stallion. Yes, it seems the relationship is every bit as serious as I hoped.
Speaking of which... this version of Flash Sentry... he’s so different from the one we have here. He’s much more easy going, but respectful. And he has every bit of his pony counterpart’s good looks. And he is very polite. I can certainly see why both Sunset and Twilight found him charming. You’ll like him. While you might be disappointed that you didn’t have a chance to play matchmaker, this does mean Twilight guaranteed at least one happy relationship before she enters the realm of untouchable beauty.
But I digress.
You’ll not need to worry about a visit from Harmony. It’s been so soon since Twilight’s that Harmony told me that your last visions should suffice.
I hope your sessions with Dr. Heart are helping. I won’t tell you that I understand how reliving your past must feel. But I hope you’ll keep going forward. The human Cadance and Shining Armor are hammering out the final details of the new Twilight’s treatment. We’re hoping to not only help her, but learn more about human psychology.
I know you’re having trouble handling all the work that needs doing in Canterlot, but please hold out a bit longer. I’m coming home tonight and will resume my regular duties tomorrow.
Celestia.
For the first of what would be countless mornings, Flash woke up next to Twilight.
His first night in Equestria had been a restless one. It was almost guaranteed it would be, with so much to take in. But with the addition of two new wings popping out of his sides, getting comfortable was, in itself, a challenge.
The second night looked to be the same, until a palace worker came into his guest room and informed him that Twilight wanted to see him. Confused and, he had to admit, a little hopeful, Flash made his way to her chambers.
He hadn’t expected his girlfriend to immediately throw herself at him, sobbing harder than he’d ever seen someone cry. He eventually, if awkwardly, led her to bed, then let her cry herself out. She ended up asleep soon after, but he was awake for far longer. He watched Twilight, looking more peaceful, and wondering what had happened. Finally, exhaustion got to him too, and he slept.
He awoke before Twilight, something that surprised him. He looked at her again, still at peace. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that she woke up.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said.
Twilight smiled. “Morning, handsome.” She kissed him.
“So... well... can I ask...”
“I saw my past,” Twilight said. “Harmony showed me my past. Every mistake I made, every bad memory. The actions I took to stop Starlight... losing it at my brother’s wedding... the Smart...”
She stopped, looking like she had let something slip. “Well, anyway, let’s get breakfast.”
Flash blinked. He knew right away there was something that she was hiding from him, and for the briefest moment, he considered pressing, trying to convince her to tell him and assure her she didn’t need to hide anything. But in the end, he kept quiet. There was a long road ahead of them in this relationship, and they were only a few months into it. When Twilight wanted to tell him, she would tell him.
Twilight got up first, levitating a brush up to herself and brushing her tangled mane. Flash was on his hooves by the time she had finished, and he found the brush going through his mane, his girlfriend helping him with his morning routine.
Once that was finished, Twilight starting preening his wings. The first time this had happened, he was amazed how it felt. He understood why it was considered such an intimate act. It was a sensual feeling, not a sexual one, but he understood why it was kept between close ponies.
Once she finished, Twilight moved to preen herself.
“I can do that for you,” he said.
“I appreciate the offer, Flash, but you’re still learning how to get along without hands. I think you’re going to need a little more practice before you’re ready for this.”
“I guess you’re right,” he said. Still, he felt bad he couldn’t return the favor.
Once Twilight was finished, they walked out of her bedroom. Flash had hoped that they would have a nice quiet walk to the dining room. Sadly, it was not to be. Immediately Sugarcoat and Lemon Zest began flanking them, and Calibri followed soon afterward.
“Ah, Princess, I was just about to wake you. You have a full schedule today...”
“Today? Calibri, I told you to clear my schedule for the weekend.”
“I did to the best of my abilities, Your Highness, but some things simply could not wait. A noble from the Manehattan district is asking to speak to you, one of the Buffalo chieftains is demanding an audience to discuss a Minotaur bandit in the area, and you need to inspect the troops.”
Twilight sighed. “Fine, but can it wait until after the humans leave?”
“I suppose, but if they get belligerent enough, you might have to make that sacrifice.”
She nodded, trying to hide her grimace as she entered the dining room. Celestia was already there, along with the human Twilight and her family.
“Good morning, everypony,” Twilight said, taking her seat, Flash sitting beside her. “Are Starlight and Spike up?”
“Not yet, your highness,” Calibri said. “Shall I wake them?”
“No, no, it’s Sunday. We should let them sleep in.”
Celestia just smiled. “I can think of a few ponies who would disagree with that. Isn’t that right?”
“Sleeping in will be bad for them,” a new voice said. Almost immediately Flash felt himself groaning. Something that was quite an accomplishment, since the voice sounded exactly like his own.
Captain Flash entered into his view, in full armor as usual. “Getting into a late sleeping schedule can make it hard to get up on schedule. And if my guards cannot be on schedule, it can make it harder to protect them.”
“It figures you’d like schedules,” Twilight muttered.
Celestia arched an eyebrow, but otherwise didn’t press her student. Instead, she took a sip of her tea. “So, we only have a few more hours together. Is there anything our guests would want to do before they go home?”
“Well, I’d still like to meet the other versions of my friends,” the human Twilight said.
“They should be dropping by today,” Twilight said. “I asked them to give you a little breathing room during your first weekend, but if I know Pinkie, she’ll drop by soon enough.”
Some miles away, in a small room on the second floor of Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie felt her Pinkie Sense go off. A twitch in her right ear. That meant that she was being talked about, in relation to her parties.
It must be the other Twilight.
She moaned, looking over all her blueprints for the party she was planning. “Why did Twilight make me wait until summer for her party?”
Starlight woke up on her own terms, something she was never allowed to do at the orphanage. She cherished this privilege, but she still didn’t like sleeping in. After a yawn and some morning stretches, she fixed her hair up.
“Starlight?”
The filly in question froze, her mind reeling. She had heard her name being called. That wasn’t unusual. But who was calling for her...
“Starlight?”
She looked around, quickly. It had to be a dream, she couldn’t be hearing his voice. Her eyes were everywhere. Her bed, her closet, her dresser, her mirror...
She looked at the mirror, wondering what she was seeing. Her brain was refusing to believe what was in it.
Nothing. There was nothing in the mirror...
No reflection.
Then, something began walking up to the mirror. From the other side.
“Wh... who are you?” Starlight shivered. “Princess! Sunny! Captain Flash! Somepony!”
Then the figure came into view, and Starlight could hardly believe her eyes.
“S-Sunburst?”
Her friend stood there, still a colt, pressing a hoof up against the glass. He looked scared, but also a little hopeful.
“Starlight? Is that you? I thought...”
“Sunburst!” She cried, running toward the mirror. And running. And running.
It was getting farther away. The mirror was getting farther away!
“Starlight! What... something...”
“Sunburst! Sunburst!”
She tried running faster, but the mirror kept getting farther away. She realized she wasn’t in her room anymore. She wasn’t even in Princess Twilight’s Castle. She was... where was she? No time to wonder, she had to catch that mirror!
But the mirror was gone. Sunburst was gone. And she was alone...
In darkness.
She felt herself crying. Sunburst...
No need to be sad, little one. You’ll see your friend again, if you keep this quiet from the Princess...
Starlight’s ears perked up.
“Who’s there?”
There was no answer.
“Please! Where’s Sunburst? Please!”
She started running toward where Sunburst had disappeared to. She might as well have been running on a treadmill for all the progress she made.
“Sunburst, please! Sunburst!”
“...Starlight?”
Her ears perked up. What was that? Was it Sunburst calling her again? It was so far away, she could barely hear it. But... it had to be him.
“Sunburst!” She ran faster.
“Starlight! Starlight! Starlight!”
“Starlight!”
The young filly jolted awake, tossing the covers off of herself and on top of Spike, who had been shaking her awake. The baby dragon, surprised, stumbled back, only barely righting himself. He clawed at the sheets, trying to pull them off.
Starlight breathed heavily, shaken up by what she had just seen. She was back in her room in Princess Twilight’s castle. Everything was in its proper place.
“Wh... what happened?”
“You tell me,” Spike said, finally pulling the last of the blanket out from over him. “You were freaking out in your sleep. I thought you were having a nightmare.”
Starlight just sat there a minute. What was that. Just a dream? It seemed so real...
“Aww, looks like I tore your blanket.”
Starlight looked at Spike, and saw that he had indeed accidentally dug his claws into the blanket, creating a few small holes.
“It’s alright, Spike.” She was too distracted to really care, and it was a simple matter of asking the servants for a new one. The old one would undoubtedly be sewn up and donated to an orphanage or hospital.
“Well, since you're awake, Twilight wants you in the dining room when you make up. Twilight has a full day booked... you know, more than usual.” He folded the sheet up and began carrying it out. “And this is the humans’ last day, so we better make it count.”
“Yeah... okay.”
The human Twilight, nicknamed Little Twi by the Princess, was sitting in her counterpart’s library, reading a book on history. As much as her powers scared her, she wanted more information. She always wanted more information. The Princess wasn’t allowing any books to enter Terra, not yet, so she hoped to finish it before the visitors arrived.
That hope was cut short when a blue blur flew through the window and shouted, “Hey, Egghead!”
Twilight jumped ten feet in the air and turned around, her heart still pounding at the interruption. “What? Wha...”
“Is the new Daring Do book in?”
“What? Rainbow Dash? Is that you?”
“Of course it’s me, why... wait...” The Pegasus... it was a Pegasus, still flying in the air, took a closer look. “No wings... no cutie mark... you’re the human Twilight, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, and... I guess you’re Rainbow Dash?”
“That’s right.” Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest. “Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt, Member of the Friendship Council, and all-around awesome pony, at your service.”
“Um, hi,” Twilight said. She was wondering what to do at this point. She was no good at introductions back home, and in this foreign land she was even more lost.
Luckily for her, Rainbow Dash just pushed forward. “No wings, huh? That’s too bad, I was looking forward to a new flying buddy. Maybe you can earn them later...”
Twilight stopped at this. “Earn them? I don’t think...”
“I’ve never heard of any species but a pony ascending... maybe there’s something in one of these books about it... I should ask her when she gets...”
“Rainbow Dash!” a voice suddenly said. The Pegasus grimaced, then looked sheepish as Princess Twilight walked into the room.
“Oh, uh... hey, Twilight...”
“I thought I told you not to come here until later! I wanted Little Twi to meet all of you at once!”
“Yeah, well... I’m sorry, I just wanted to get the new Daring Do book early!”
The Princess sighed, then lit up her horn. A book floated through the air and into Rainbow’s hooves. “A.K. Yearling sent them directly to me.”
“Aw, yeah! Looks like my schedule just got full!” She tucked the book under her wing as she landed on the ground.
“Well, no spoilers,” Twilight said, then turned her attention to her counterpart. “I’m sorry, I wanted you to meet them all at once.”
“It’s fine. We were just talking...”
“Ooh! Does this mean your coltfriend is here too?”
At Rainbow Dash’s question, Twilight turned a shade of red. “Um... yes. But you have to give him space...”
Not hearing the last part of her statement, or maybe just choosing to ignore it, Dash jumped in the air, making a flip. The book almost dropped, but it ended up in Rainbow Dash’s hooves through a movement so quick Little Twilight didn’t see it. Then she dashed out of the room.
“No! Dash, wait!” Princess Twilight called, chasing after her. “Guards! Guards! Pin her down!”
Little Twilight just blinked. This was going to be an interesting few hours.
Starlight made her way to the breakfast table to find that only Sunset was left at it, munching on some toast. She looked up and smiled. “Hey there.”
“Hello, Miss Sunset.” She took her seat and asked the servant for some cereal. “Is the Princess up yet?”
“Oh yes. You mean Twilight, I assume? She’s handling a few things before her friends show up.”
Starlight brightened up. “My aunts are coming?”
“I suppose so.” Sunset paused, then looked at Starlight a little more closely. “Are you feeling alright?”
“What?”
“You... look a little exhausted.”
Starlight shook her head. “I just had a nightmare last night,” she said.
“Oh that’s too bad. What was it about?”
Starlight opened her mouth to answer, but the words in it reminded her.
No need to be sad, little one. You’ll see your friend again, if you keep this quiet from the Princess...
“...I was being chased by a chimera.”
“Oh yeah, those are freaky,” Sunset nodded sympathetically. “Still, it was just a bad dream. You don’t worry, Princess Twilight is more than a match for any of those things.”
As Sunset took a sip of tea, Starlight felt a pit in her stomach. She was lying, and she didn’t like it. But if there was a chance...
“Do you think Princess Twilight would mind if I went to the library after breakfast?”
“Maybe not for a little while, but you have guests coming, so I don’t know. Why don’t you...”
Then a loud clanging sound came from down the hall. Both ponies jumped, looking at the doorway. Sunset was the first to get up and head to the door. Starlight, initially too afraid, followed behind her, feeling safe with an adult with her.
They opened the door to three guards pinning a pony to the ground.
“Hey, no fair!” She complained. “That was a cheap shot! No fair!”
“Aunt Rainbow!” Starlight said.
“Oh, hey squirt,” Rainbow said, suddenly pleasant despite being pinned to the floor. “I heard your new dad’s here. I wanted to meet him.”
“You’ll get to meet him at lunch,” Twilight said, finally catching up with her. Little Twi trailed just behind her. “Which you were supposed to wait for.”
The guards released Rainbow Dash, who brushed herself off. Then she noticed Sunset Shimmer. “Oh... you must be Sunset.”
“And you must be this universe’s Rainbow Dash. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise... and you really are an alicorn. That’s cool. At least you can come flying with us... have you learned already?”
“Only had a few lessons with Princess Celestia,” Sunset said. She tilted her head a bit, really taking in this new Rainbow Dash. It was so surreal, introducing herself to someone who was so similar to someone she knew so well.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. It’ll be nicer when Twilight relaxes the goon patrol.”
Indeed, while the guards had let Rainbow Dash go, they were still nearby, looking ready to stop her if she still caused trouble.
“Do you promise you won’t go looking for the other Flash?”
At that the new Rainbow Dash grinned. “Aww, what’s wrong? Afraid I’ll spill the dirt?”
At that, Sunset crossed the room, leaned toward the new Rainbow Dash, and whispered something in her ear.
It was hard to make the color go out of a pony as vibrant as Rainbow Dash, but whatever Sunset had said to her had accomplished just that. Sunset had a wicked grin on her face.
“So, you apparently have something in common with my Rainbow Dash. That’s good. Maybe I should go announce it.”
“Is it her crush?” Twilight asked, flatly.
Sunset and Starlight looked at her with some surprise. Rainbow Dash looked at her with horror. The guards pretended to be stoic, but they were amused.
“What?”
“Cadance told me.”
“How?”
“Cadance knows. She always knows.”
Rainbow Dash looked mortified. Starlight giggled. It was actually pretty funny.
Spike the Dog, still in dragon form, walked into the library, the one that he had just seen his master leave. He had always enjoyed it when Twilight read to him, and he was beginning to discover he enjoyed reading on his own.
He had picked a big book on Equestrian dogs and finished it over the weeked. There wasn’t a lot of time left, but maybe Princess Twilight would let him borrow a book. She was really nice, just like his Twilight.
He went to the table and placed his book on it. He was liking having hands, even if they were the lazy way of doing things. He didn’t know where to return it, so he started to walk away.
“Hey.”
He stopped and looked around. He just noticed another pony. Blue coat, glasses, brown mane. It was a Unicorn. He couldn’t see his cutie mark.
“Are you returning that book?” he asked.
“Yeah. Who are you?”
“The castle librarian,” he said. “At least, officially. Princess Twilight sure likes to do my job when she can find the time.” He actually smirked. “I can tell she doesn’t want me around. Not that she doesn’t like me, mind you, she just loves her books too much to want anypony else doing the job.” He adjusted his glasses. “I’m guessing you’re the other Spike?”
“Yeah.”
“The Princess told me about you. She pulled a few books from the shelves that you might like,” he said. His horn lit up, and a pile of books levitated itself and sat down on the table next to Spike.
The dog in a dragon body looked through them. There seemed to be a good mix. Fiction and nonfiction, short and long, it seemed the Princess put effort into her selection.
One tome caught his eye. It was an old, worn book called Familiars and You.
“What’s a familiar?” Spike asked.
“So your world really doesn’t have magic? Well, familiars are animals that have been blessed by a powerful wizard to be companions.”
“What does that mean?”
“That’s what you read the book for.”
Spike looked at the book again. Familiars...
“...I’ll take it.”
The others came filing in about an hour later, filing into the dining hall for lunch. Applejack was first, balancing a tray on her back with some of her homemade apple pie on it. She enthusiastically shook Little Twi’s hoof, then shoved a piece of homemade goodness into her mouth. Princess Twilight got the most overwhelming sense of deja vu.
Rarity entered, and much to Little Twi’s shock she had a full dress ensemble for her to try on. Luckily, her Princess counterpart talked her into waiting a bit for that. Fluttershy came in soon afterward, hiding behind her hair and apologizing that she had no gift.
Pinkie entered last... through the window, being carried by two balloons. Little Twi knew this to be scientifically impossible, but realized that if one thing stayed the same with the two Pinkies, it was the ability to defy logic. Case in point, her party cannon floated in on a single balloon immediately afterward and fired itself, covering the hall in confetti and streamers.
While Captain Flash threw a fit over how the loud noise had alarmed his troops, Pinkie started blabbering about the totally cool welcome party she was going to throw her when she came back for good. Soon afterward, Shining Armor and Cadance arrived, and the new ponies introduced themselves as well.
It was when they made it into the dining room that they met Sunset. She was sitting at the table, reading a book, with Rainbow Dash at her side, reading the new Daring Do.
“So, yer Sunset, I take it?” Applejack asked, getting the alicorn’s attention.
Sunset looked up from her book and smiled. “Yes. Applejack, right?” When the Earth Pony nodded, she started pointing at the others. “Rarity... Fluttershy... and Pinkie, right?”
“Oh my gosh, you knew that! Are you psychic?” Pinkie asked.
“Uh... no. I hang out with your human selves all the time.”
“Oh... yeah, that makes sense.”
“So... this is a bit strange for you, isn’t it?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah... even though I’m meeting you in person for the first time, it feels like I’ve known you all for a while.”
“Neat-o,” Pinkie said. “That means you have double the friends!”
“Yeah, but now the fun part,” Rainbow Dash said. “Where’s the coltfriend?”
Princess Twilight groaned, and Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Yes, let’s see this prince charming!”
That caused the Princess to groan even harder. “He should be here pretty soon.”
Pinkie gasped and looked at the door. Nothing happened. “He’s not here.”
Princess Twilight blinked. “Well, yes. I said he’d be here soon, not necessarily yet.”
“But whenever someone says something like that, the person we’re talking about usually shows up. It just makes sense...”
At that point, the doors opened, and Flash entered.
“Twilight, what’s going...” He stopped when he saw the pony versions of his classmates. “Um... hi.”
“Oh my gosh,” Pinkie said. “You’re the fun Flash! You really exist! It’s unbelievable!”
“Pinkie, don’t freak him... wait a minute, what do you mean, ‘really exist’?” Princess Twilight demanded.
If Pinkie heard her, she gave no sign. She just kept right on asking questions. “How’d you and Twilight meet? Have you kissed already? Have you...”
“Pinkie!” Twilight said, turning red. “Will you amp it down a little bit?”
Applejack blinked. “‘Amp it down? What the?”
“It’s a human expression,” Twilight said. “Look, can we at least get into the dining hall before you suffocate him with questions?”
“Of course, Darling,” Rarity said. “We really shouldn’t pry... too much.”
Twilight sighed. This was going to be a long meal.
Spike the Dog leafed through the book, being surprised at what he found. He was so absorbed in it that he almost didn’t notice the servant when he came in an announced that lunch had started.
He was glad for something to eat, he didn’t want to leave this book unfinished. He found the librarian first. “Can I check out this book?”
The librarian shook his head. “Afraid not. Princess Celestia says no book can go into your world until after proper first contact has been made.”
Spike looked disappointed. “Alright then, thanks,” he said.
As he left the library, his mind began racing. He had to find Sunset Shimmer before they went back home. He wouldn’t get another chance to talk to her without Twilight getting suspicious for a while.
Sunset Shimmer, Flash Sentry, and Little Twi all felt like they were being put under a microscope. After all, there were five mares who were asking them increasingly ridiculous questions and seemed quite intent to know their relationship with Princess Twilight.
“Sunset, you simply must let me design your coronation dress,” Rarity insisted. “I won’t take no for an answer. I designed Twilight’s, and I simply won’t miss out on the chance to help a friend of hers...”
“So, yer the coltfriend she’s been talkin’ about?” Applejack asked Flash. “Bout time. We were wondering if she would ever find someone.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight said.
“No offense, Twi,” Applejack said. “But with all the nobles askin’ for your hoof, we were hopin’ you’d find someone who could get them off yer back.”
Twilight settled down. “Yes, well...”
Celestia looked amused at Applejack’s confession, though she didn’t say anything more on the subject.
Pinkie, meanwhile, was asking Little Twi the latest in her long line of questions. “Can you feel what our Twilight feels?”
Little Twi blinked. “What?”
“Like, if I were to slap you, would our Twilight feel it?”
Little Twi scooted away a bit. “N-no, she would not. At least, I don’t think so...”
“So there’s a possibility?” Pinkie said excitedly.
“Uh, Pinkie, remember what we talked about?” Rainbow Dash said. “If you want to make any experiments like that, you wait until the other Pinkie gets here.”
Pinkie dropped a bit at that. But she perked up quickly. “Well, that would be the same day I’m hosting the super duper extra big party to welcome them into Equestria. So that would be even better!”
Rainbow Dash nodded. She then turned to Little Twi. “Sorry, our Pinkie gets excited.”
“So does our Pinkie,” Little Twi said, calming down a little. “It’s going to be... interesting, seeing the two of them meet.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “So, what’s the other me like?”
“So far, she’s just like you. But, I haven’t seen you long enough to tell if anything’s different.”
“Is there a Wonderbolts in your world?”
“What?” Twilight asked.
“The Wonderbolts. We’re a member of the EUP... the Earth Pony, Unicorn, and Pegasus Brigade. We’re an elite military organization that performs for the public sometimes. I’m a member, so I was wondering if the other Dash does anything like that?”
“Well, she never mentioned wanting to go into the military... she’s too young right now to enlist... I think she wants to play soccer.”
“Soccer?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“It’s their version of hoofball,” Princess Twilight chimed in, having overheard the conversation.
“Ah, well... I guess when you can’t fly, you set your sights smaller,” she said. “I wonder how she’s going to react to wings.”
“She’s been looking forward to them since this whole thing began,” Little Twi said, wondering if she should be offended on behalf of her Rainbow Dash. “She really liked flying with her wings when she was ponied up, from what I hear.”
“Alright, then we’re going to be good to go,” Rainbow Dash said. “I was hoping to get some flying buddies out of this. Speaking of which, where’s your Cadance? I thought she and the other Shining Armor were coming.”
“They’re... they’re talking with somepony about my education,” Little Twi said. She didn’t want to say, “They’re talking with a psychologist on how crazy I am.”
“And come to think of it, where’s your Spike?”
“That’s... a good question,” Little Twi said. “He’s usually not apart from me this long. The guards went looking for him...”
At that point, Spike did enter, right behind Captain Flash.
“See? Always on cue,” Pinkie said.
While Spike the Dog sat next to his master, Captain Flash marched up to Rainbow Dash, looking angry. “What’s this I hear about you just barging into the castle?”
Rainbow Dash blinked. “What? I flew in and nopony stopped me.”
“Without going through the proper security checks? You’re saying nopony caught you? Then we need to reevaluate our patrols.”
“Uh, Captain,” Princess Twilight said, sounding annoyed, “don’t you think you’re overreacting? Rainbow Dash is a friend. We can trust her.”
“Yes we can,” the Captain agreed. “But we’re at war with a species that can alter shape and has already managed to kidnap a Princess that was under constant watch. We need to be careful.”
The Princess opened her mouth, paused, then sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s a good point.”
Captain Flash nodded. “I’ll go over my patrols and reevaluate them by tomorrow... after I check to make sure this wasn’t a case of one of my soldiers slacking off.”
After Captain Flash left, Princess Twilight sighed, rubbing her temples. “I’m sorry, he’s a little obsessed with keeping orderly.”
“Darling, we thought you’d appreciate a soldier like that.”
Twilight looked at Rarity. “What do you mean by that?”
Rarity shifted. “Well...”
“You’re a lot like him,” Rainbow Dash blurted out.
“N-no I’m not,” Twilight said.
“Twilight, you love checklists and organizing books,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, I don’t apply it to everything.”
“Twi, you pulled out a checklist for your slumber party,” Applejack said.
“That was different!”
“How?”
“I just wanted to make sure you guys had fun! Spike, tell them I’m not like that.”
Spike the Dragon shifted. “Uh... have you tried this pie Applejack brought? It’s really good!”
Twilight moaned in exasperation. She didn’t see Celestia lift her tea cup, trying to hide her amusement.
Little Twi watched the scene and found herself strangely amused. This was going to be an interesting summer.