Alternate 12: A Step Closer
As the sun rose the next morning, it was around when Pinkamena was awakened from her slumber. She yawned, wiping her eyes and sitting up in the shared double bed. Yet another peaceful, quiet night. Stretching her limbs, cracking her neck, rolling her shoulders, the pink earth pony relaxed then.
Looking down to her left side, Twilight slept on peacefully. Sleeping was indeed one of the few moments that she was quiet and calm, but sleeping was a given, anyway. Given the smile on her face, she could only guess that she was having a good dream.
Moments later, the alicorn yawned squeakily, then woke up as well. When she took notice of Pinkamena, she grinned widely.
“Hello, Pinkie! Good morning...” She giggled.
“Good morning, my princess.” Pinkamena smiled back in turn, kissing Twilight’s nose. “Did you sleep well?”
With another giggle, Twilight sat up and stretched. “Uh-huh! You know I always sleep soooo awesomely with you, Pinkie-Winkie! Did you sleep good, too?”
Pinkamena sighed a bit, but forced a smile nonetheless. “For the most part. I suppose I’m just still concerned about the situation at hoof.”
“Oh... Yes, Princess Luna still didn’t get back to us, aside from saying that she was going to try to find the bookie...” Twilight murmured, her ears drooping. “Pinkamena... what if Fluttershy really won’t leave, if she can?”
To this, Pinkamena was silent for a moment, pondering what to say next. “I suppose... there’s nothing we can really do about that, if it happens to be the case.”
Twilight sniffled, “...It’s not that I want her to leave, I just... wonder about what you said. How saddy-waddy it would be if something happened! But I don’t want to force her, either. She’s... she’s happy, and Dashie’s happy...”
“I know, Twilight... All we can do is hope for the best... and hope that Princess Luna, gets back to us soon, of course.” Pinkamena said, laying back down on the bed.
Laying back down beside her, Twilight snuggled close to her mate. “I hope so, Pinkie-Winkie! I don’t want anypony to be saddy-waddy or mad...”
Pinkamena sighed, looking over at her lover with a weak smile. “I know you don’t. You want the best for everypony, I know that, but this must be hard on you as well. After all, this did push back our own plans quite a bit... Ah, but maybe I’m just overthinking things again. Perhaps, I need to relax...”
With a warm smile and a giggle, Twilight then gently climbed up onto of her lover. She nuzzled their noses, then lay over her gently. “Awww... well, I can help you feel better, my lovey!”
Pinkamena laughed a bit, allowing her limbs to relax. “Is that so, Twilight? How would you assist me in relaxing?”
“Hee... I think you know very well what I mean, my darling Pinkie...” Cooed the alicorn, giving her lover very suggestive bedroom eyes.
Pinkamena returned the look, almost in a beckoning manner, “Perhaps I do, perhaps I do not. Perhaps it’s best if you show me?”
“Well, then you’re mine!” Twilight all but pounced, kissing her passionately and aligning their bodies perfectly.
Kissing her back, Pinkamena suddenly felt a strange twitch in her left ear, a feeling she knew all too well.
Doing her best to break away for a brief moment, she breathed out, “Somepony is about to walk in on us.”
“Huh?”
Sure enough, the door flew open, with Spike holding a piece of parchment in his hand. Before he could speak, he caught on to their position, and was wide-eyed.
“Aw. man! Again?! Why do I always have to end up walking in on you guys?!” He exclaimed, facepalming.
Pinkamena exhaled, looking somewhat irritated by Spike, but did catch notice of parchment in his claws. “Spike, was there some reason or purpose for you to come in here without knocking? Something you wish to infer or share with us?”
“Pwease tell us?” Twilight grinned.
The small dragon blinked, as if remembering something and nodded. “Right! Well, you’ve got a letter from Princess Luna! Here, I’ll read it to you!” He unrolled it, clearing his throat, then began to read it.
“My dearest Twilight Sparkle and Pinkamena, I am happy to inform you that I have managed to locate a copy of the book in question. It is in fact within the Canterlot Archives, as I had suspected. It had taken some time, but it was finally located. You two may come to Canterlot so that we may oversee the spell and its workings. I shall be expecting your arrival.
Yours, Princess Luna”
“She found it?!” Twilight exclaimed, grinning. “Hooray!”
Pinkamena nodded, but did not look as relieved. “This is good news, however, we need to find transportation and somepony to watch over the library while we’re away. And of course you know Princess Luna will not let us leave the same day. After all, it’s been almost half a year since our last visit... and Celestia will of course have quite a few question about what we’ve been doing since then. I suspect a three day trip is ahead of us...”
“Why not just get Rainbow and Fluttershy to look after it? That way, when you come back, you’ll know where they are and be able to relay your progress to them!” Spike suggested.
Twilight thought on that for a couple of moments, then nodded. “That’s a great idea, Spikester! I think we can do that! What do you think, Pinkie-Winkie?”
Pinkamena agreed, smiling faintly. “Yes, I do believe that would be a wise choice. Very well then, we leave this evening, traveling under Luna’s sky with her blessing and we’ll request that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy watch over our home sometime this afternoon.”
“I’ll go get the train tickets,” he said, and exited the room.
“Yay! Oh, Pinkie, this is awesome! We can go to our hometown! Finally! After all this time! Oooh, Princess Luna will be so happy to see us! I can’t wait to see Princess Celestia too! It’ll be funtastic! Hooray!” Twilight cheered, kissing her face. “Aren’t you excited?!”
“To some degree, I am.” Pinkamena chuckled lightly, “But remember, this isn’t a leisure visit, sadly. We have quite a lot to do during our time there, and only three days to do it all.”
“But we’re gonna find the book, see what we gotta do, take it home, and we can do whatever the rest of the time, silly!”
Pinkamena giggled a bit. “Ah, but you’ve forgotten. Princess Luna said the book was located, not retrieved. The last time we went to the royal archives, I spent two days looking for you, remember? If I recall, you got lost within the fiction section... regardless, besides finding it ourselves, we also have to fill out the surrounding paperwork to check out such a rare manuscript, and that alone will take half a day. And of course you know Princess Celestia will insist to come along with us, as she always does.”
“...Couldn’t we just stay longer, then?” Twilight pouted a bit.
“Was there something you wished to do while we were there?” Pinkamena asked Twilight, a almost playful grin on her lips.
“Hee, I just want to be with you! On vacation! Vacation to our hometown!” Giggled the alicorn, grinning.
Pinkamena placed a hoof under her chin. “I suppose an extra day couldn’t hurt... very well then! We shall.”
“Yay!! Oh, you’re the best, my lovey!” A very happy Twilight smothered her lover’s face with kisses.
“Now, now, I only wish to make you happy, my Twilight Princess.” Pinkamena giggled from the onslaught of kisses.
Giggling, Twilight continued her onslaught of kisses as she immersed herself upon her lover’s body once more, likely with the intent of picking things up where they’d left off. “I love you, Pinkamena... You’re the bestest.”
Pinkamena giggled, blushing just a small bit. “Believe me, Twilight, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Therefore, you’re the ‘bestest’, as you would say.”
With a bright, beaming smile, the lavender mare kissed her sweetly, before then disappearing under the covers...
Sometime later that afternoon, Fluttershy arrived home after purchasing some apples to restock.
Humming and singing a bit to herself, she went into the kitchen to put away the fruit, only to find her lover at the sink, doing the dishes. As quietly as possible, so as not to disturb her or rouse suspicion, she put away the apples into the fridge. Then, much like a butterfly to a flower, even with a tint of being a playful predator, Fluttershy came up behind Rainbow Dash. She encircled her forelegs around her torso, nuzzling her head against hers.
“Hi there, Dash...” She purred sweetly into her ear.
Rainbow Dash’s wings almost instantaneously flared up as her grip on the dishes were lost. She literally felt like melting at the call of her own name, relaxing in the embrace. She fought off the urge to give up complete balance and instead gently stroked one of Fluttershy’s forelegs.
“Hello, Flutters... I didn’t hear you come in.” Rainbow closed her eyes, smiling to herself. “Did you already pick up the apples for tonight’s dinner?”
“I sure did, beautiful...” Fluttershy purred, nibbling her ear. She gently stroked her free foreleg along Rainbow’s stomach and torso, chuckling. “But I’d rather have you for dinner...”
Rainbow giggled, gently pushing her hooves away a bit playfully. “You sure are feeling playful today, aren’t you, Fluttershy?”
Laughing a bit, the creamy yellow pegasus pulled her back. “How can I not be, when I have the most beautiful and... desirable pony in Equestria? I could just eat you until you’re dry...”
“B-But, you still need something to eat eat, of course...” Rainbow Dash found herself breathing a bit faster, but was fighting off the feeling.
Licking her lips, Fluttershy purred and then held her lover up against the nearby wall, turning her around to face her.
“Yeah, I know... We’ll eat later... I want you...” A suggestive smirk overcame her normally sweet features. “You and your tasty, sweet, awesome snatch... And the rest of you...”
“F-Fluttershy?” Rainbow called out weakly, trembling a bit.
Chuckling, Fluttershy gently placed her hind leg between her thighs. “Yeah, Dash?”
“N-Not that I’m against this, but... didn’t you want to write s-something today? You d-didn’t really tell me what it was, but it sounded important...” Rainbow blushed a deep red color, a mixture of both excitement and worry could be seen in her eyes.
“Already wrote it, Dash... Nothing to worry about...” Fluttershy cooed, kissing her neck.
It was then that Rainbow noticed something odd, enough to have her gently push away a bit. “Dash? Um, Fluttershy... when did you start calling me that?”
“When did I-...what?” Fluttershy blinked, then took everything in. What was happening, what she was saying, everything. It was strange, she was fully aware of what she was doing and thinking, but everything about it was unusual. As if she wasn’t even herself. “I.... oh my gosh.... Oh, Rainbow! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry, my love... I didn’t mean to just... oh dear, I just lost my mind, and I don’t know how... oh, I’m sorry... Please forgive me, I’m sorry...” She trembled, kissing her lover’s face sweetly.
Rainbow smiled sweetly, shaking her head. “No, no, Fluttershy! It just... caught me off guard, that’s all. I-It wasn’t like I didn’t... kinda... like that you were acting like that, it just s-startled me a bit.” She gave her lover a sweet little kiss on the nose. “So, there’s nothing I have to forgive... l-like I said, a part of me... liked it.”
Relieved, managing to breathe once more, Fluttershy nodded and released her. “A-All right, then... I’m just glad you weren’t scared or hurt. Um... and I did... write that entry today...”
Rainbow nodded, smiling a bit. “Okay then, I-I never doubted that you did.”
“Okay... So... I guess we should-”
Knock knock knock!
Jumping ever slightly, the creamy yellow pegasus went wide-eyed for a moment, then relaxed. “Um, would you get the door, honey? I’ll um... get the apples prepared for dinner.”
“O-Oh, all right.” Rainbow Dash giggled a bit, exiting the kitchen. She made her way to door and promptly opened it, only to have a moment of mild shock. “Twilight? Pinkamena? Why are-how are you here?”
“Hiii, Dashie!” Twilight greeted, ignoring the question. “We’ve got some good news! Princess Luna finally got back to us, and said she found the book we’re looking for! Now we’re going to head out to Canterlot tonight!”
Pinkamena nodded, “This is all true. We’ll be leaving later this evening, and were hoping that Fluttershy and yourself would be willing to watch our home while we retrieve the book. We will be gone for about four days total to completely assure that we have all our business taken care of. Would the two of you be able to do this for us?”
“Please, Dashie?” Twilight begged. “Toothy will be soooo lonely!”
“Oh, that shouldn’t be a problem!” Fluttershy said, coming up behind Rainbow, hovering overheard. “We can take care of the library for you two!”
Rainbow smiled warmly, agreeing. “W-Well, I guess it wouldn’t be too much trouble, and we can still come by here to feed the animals.”
“Great! Thank you! Besides, you two know how to handle Toothy, anyway! So that’s perfect!” Twilight clapped.
“Oh? Who’s Toothy?” Fluttershy queried, but had a pretty bad feeling of the answer.
“Silly, Toothy is my baby crocodile! He has a lot of teeth!” Twilight beamed.
Fluttershy paled. As much as she did love all living creatures, there was still a bit of danger in owning such an animal. “Um... okay, what kind is he? You do realize he’s going to eventually grow big, right? Crocodiles are carnivorous predators...”
“Not a problem,” Pinkamena stated calmly. “During a past experiment, my pet owl, Xaldin, got caught in the crossfire. It seemed to have flipped their personalities. Toothy seems to think he’s an owl now while Xaldin... stays outside. You would be surprised to see how vicious an owl with the mind of a crocodile can be.”
“Well, of course... They’re very intelligent and have analytical skills... and he can fly,” Fluttershy pointed out.
Pinkamena chuckled a bit, trying not to be rude. “No need for alarm, Fluttershy. I have trained him to dislike the taste of ponies, so he does not attack anyone in town.”
“He’s an owl!” Twilight said, shaking her head and laughing. “He’d have quite a hard time even trying to swallow us in one bite or tearing us to pieces.”
“Ah, but what he lacks in size, he doubles in ferociousness. He makes an excellent guard dog-er, owl.” Pinkamena blushed in embarrassment at her own correction.
“Hee hee! Guard Owl! I like that! Xaldin the Guard Owl!” The alicorn proclaimed heroically.
Fluttershy laughed, shaking her head. “Well, anyway, we’ll come by after dinner, then. Would that be all right?”
Pinkamena nodded. “Chances are we would have left by then, but not by much. So, we’ll give you our spare key so that you can get in. Twilight, if you would?” She asked her lover to retrieve the keys.
Nodding, Twilight produced a set of keys with her magic and handed it over to Rainbow Dash. “There you go! The keys!”
Taking the key in hoof, Rainbow smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Twilight... We’ll be over right after dinner.”
“We’ll leave a list of instructions and things you gotta knowsie! Now excuse us, we have to finish packing! Toodles!” Twilight giggled, waving at them before she descended to the ground.
Rainbow Dash giggled a bit, placing the keys down. “Well, that was certainly unexpected.”
“It was...” Fluttershy agreed, smiling. “But I suppose it’ll be like a little vacation!”
“I agree! It would be nice to take a real one someday... but this is a nice substitution.” Rainbow nodded as they stepped back inside, closing the door.
This earned a giggle from the creamy yellow pegasus as she nuzzled their cheeks. “Oh, really? What kind of... vacation, Rainbow?”
Rainbow laughed a bit, nuzzling her back. “Well... something nice. I wouldn’t really mind where. Maybe a warm beach on the coast where all our friends can come and we can have fun... or maybe a small cabin in the north where it snows all the time, so it can be just you and me...”
“I sure like the sound of those, Dashie...” Fluttershy purred, now coming behind her and encircling her forelegs around her torso. “It’d be wonderful...”
“Maybe if you stay, we can.” Rainbow giggled, teasing the matter at hoof a bit.
“Pbbtt, please.... Like I’d ever leave you, beautiful...” Fluttershy purred suggestively.
Rainbow pulled away a bit, holding back her laughter. “At least wait until after dinner, Flutters.”
“Fine, I’ll-wait a minute! You tricked me! We’re leaving afterward!” Fluttershy paused again, then shook her head a bit to clear it. “...What’s happened to me? I really don’t know why I’m saying things like that...”
Rainbow just giggled, pulling Fluttershy into warm hug. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I really don’t mind. So, let’s go get dinner underway and then we’ll see about... everything else after.”
“...Sure... whatever,” Fluttershy mumbled, not quite feeling as enthusiastic.
Rainbow Dash pulled away a bit, a concern look upon her face. “Is something wrong, Fluttershy?”
“I... just don’t know what’s coming over me, Rainbow... It’s not like me to say those things,” said the creamy yellow mare, looking away.
Rainbow gently place a hoof on Fluttershy’s cheek, turning her gaze back. “I know that... I can’t really help with something like this, but... I’ll be there for you, no matter what. And I still love you. So, whatever it is, I’m sure you’ll be all right.”
Exhaling heavily, Fluttershy managed a small smile and hugged her. “Thank you, Dashie. You’re such a sweetie. I don’t know what I’d do without you...”
As dusk was slowly setting in, the two pegasi arrived at the Golden Oaks library. Sure enough, as it were, Pinkamena and Twilight had already departed for the train station sometime earlier. Barely any of the lights were still on inside, while Xaldin was standing full guard on his perch some ways above on a branch.
“Oh, it looks like Spike went along with them,” Fluttershy remarked, peering in through one of the lower level windows.
“He normally does...” Rainbow giggled a bit, taking out the key. After a brief moment, the door was unlocked and pushed opened. “Oh my... i-it’s a lot darker in here than I t-thought...” The vague outlines of the room were able to be seen, but most of it was too dark to see. Stepping in, Rainbow felt a bit shaky, staying close by the door. “F-Fluttershy? C-Can you see the light switch?”
“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked with concern, coming inside and turning on the light. “You’re not very comfortable with the dark?”
Relaxing a bit now that the lights were on, Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily, nodding her head. “Y-Yes... ever since Junior Flight Camp, I-I’ve been afraid of the dark. It’s always gotten the best of me.”
“...Oh...” Fluttershy closed the door behind them, and then gave her a warm hug. “I understand. I used to be afraid of the dark when I was younger. I mean... I’ve gotten better since then, and even now, I still feel... a little uneasy if I’m in the dark alone. But I know how you feel.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash was a little shocked by this, “You didn’t even flinch just a second ago... you must have gotten a lot better since then.”
“Well... to be fair, I knew I had nothing to be afraid of right now,” Fluttershy giggled, nuzzling her.
Rainbow nodded a bit, now smiling. “I guess you do have a point. So... I guess we should find the list that Twilight left for us?”
Nodding, the creamy yellow pegasus stepped further into the library, locating the note in question sitting on the desk near the door. She read it over briefly, seeing that it was the usual kind of list of things to keep in mind when house-sitting. Feeding the pets, keeping the books in order, watering the plants, pick up messes, and the like. She glanced around, seeing that nothing needed to be done just yet.
“Well, I found it,” said Fluttershy. “We’ll leave it there so we’ll know where to look for it.”
Rainbow walked over to her to see where she was placing it. “Okay then. So... what now? We have the entire library to ourselves for four whole days and we don’t have to leave to go anywhere until six in the morning...”
“Mm... I suppose we should check the fridge and pantry to see if we need to buy any food while we’re here,” Fluttershy suggested.
“I guess we could, but I think Pinkamena keeps a lot spare food anyway...” Rainbow gave a shy smile, looking away quickly. “We might have to check on Toothy every now and then, too.”
“There he is!” Fluttershy pointed to a small aquarium filled with a couple of inches of water along one side. She approached it, amazed at the sight of the baby crocodile laying on a rock inside it. “So you’re Toothy...”
Rainbow giggled a bit trotting up beside Fluttershy. “I know I shouldn’t, but... did you wanna see something kinda funny?”
“What is it?” She asked, curious.
Rainbow held in the urge to laugh and instead tapped on the glass of the aquarium. “Toothy? Are you awake?” Almost instantly, the small crocodile looked over at the two pegasi. “Say hi, Toothy.” What followed was Toothy opening his mouth and letting out what could only be described as an owl-like woot before his mouth snapped shut again.
Seeing the display, Fluttershy began to laugh with glee. It was not only silly, but adorable. She shook her head, smiling all the more. “Oh, that’s just silly!”
“I guess it came from Toothy thinking he’s an owl...” Rainbow giggled alongside Fluttershy. “I’m actually not sure, but it’s so silly!”
“Hi, Toothy,” Fluttershy waved at the baby crocodile. “I’m Fluttershy. It’s lovely to meet you!” She turned back to Rainbow Dash, “Shall we... get settled in?”
“Yeah... that sounds like a good idea.” Rainbow Dash nodded with a bright smile. She sat down her saddle bags and started to take out a few of their personal items.
The train wasn’t far off from Canterlot at this point, especially as night had descended upon Equestria. Spike sat on his own on a seat across from the two mares, playing a hoofheld game system to occupy his time.
“Spike, put that away. We’ll need to get ready to carry our belongings off the train in a moment,” Pinkamena leaned over, advising him.
“I’ll be ready...” Spike responded, not looking up.
Twilight giggled, shaking her head. “You’re so silly, Spikester!”
Pinkamena sighed, trying to force a smile. “You claim you’ll be ready, but every time we have done this, you always complain about us not telling you in advance.”
Rolling his eyes, the small dragon turned it off and replaced it into his carry-on bag, “All right, fine. Happy now?”
Pinkamena looked over to Twilight then gave a mock pondering stance. “Am I happy now? Well, considering that you listened to me, I am sitting beside my dearly beloved, and on our way home to our hometown, I suspect that I am at eighty-three percent maximum happiness that can be achieved at this time... So yes, I am happy.” The pink earth pony grinned a bit, looking over at the baby dragon.
This made the alicorn laugh, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re so silly, Pinkie-Winkie!”
“I can attempt comedy when I so wish, apparently.” Pinkamena chuckled a bit.
Moments later, the train pulled up the main platform at Canterlot station. Nighttime in the prestigious city was, while nothing much compared to that of Las Pegasus or Manehattan, still had its own kind of fun going. It certainly did have a look of beauty, with all kinds of lights illuminating the areas all around, helped along with the glow of the moon up above. Ponies disembarked from the train, as those waiting to board approached the cars.
Stepping out of their car, Pinkamena lead the way, followed by Twilight and Spike. Each carried their personal belongs, aside from Twilight, who insisted on carrying some of Pinkamena’s books.
Stopping for a brief moment, Pinkamena took in the surroundings. “This place hasn’t changed a bit, has it Twilight?”
Twilight shook her head, feeling a surge of emotions come through her. Seeing her hometown, the place she’d grown up in along with them, it was strange. Strange to come back, to see it all. She looked around, taking in the familiar sights as they exited the train station. All the same, with maybe a few new features since they’d last been there. Overcome, she took a moment, then grinned.
“Hasn’t changed a bit at all, Pinkie!” She agreed.
“It’s odd, don’t you agree?” Pinkamena asked Twilight. “Despite how much time has passed, it feels almost the exact same as it did all those years ago. Amazing how our minds perceive these memories and connect them to certain places, even if the place has changed. Or is it more of our own emotional connection? Whatever it is, it’s hard not to remember.”
The alicorn looked about again, another surge of emotion running through her. “...Are you sure we weren’t here yesterday, Pinkie? It feels like it...”
Pinkamena chuckled a bit, shaking her head. “If we were, how did we not remember it until now?” She pressed on, gesturing for them to follow. “No, we were not, but it does feel so familiar. Almost like that of a dream. I suppose this is what others call nostalgia.”
“I know that, silly! Now c’mon, let’s go to the castle!” Twilight bounced as they walked, giggling with glee. “We’re almost there!”
“Of course. Come along, Spike.” Pinkamena called over to the small dragon as she increased her pace. ‘I would hope there would not be any complications on this trip. With any luck, we can do what we need and relax a small bit. Aside for answering Celestia’s questions, it should be a rather quiet trip... assuming Gleaming Shield and the Prince are not here.’
Eventually, they arrived at the castle and were allowed entry upon the factor of Princess Twilight’s arrival. Much like every time they visited, they went to their old bedrooms, all of which hadn’t changed a bit and were kept up well in their absence. As if they’d never left them.
Twilight especially felt a burst of nostalgia as she lay on her old bed, making herself comfortable as she settled. The soft, large double mattress, the warm and thick comforter, the silken sheets beneath them... She lay on the pillows, reveling in their softness. A warm feeling overcame her, enticing her senses and uplifting her. Rolling onto her stomach, she spread her wings, allowing them to freely flap and stretch for about a minute. Receding them, she relaxed, closing her eyes.
Twilight jumped a bit as she heard somepony knocking on her door only to hear her marefriend’s voice call out. “Twilight, do you mind if I come in? I was hoping to speak with you before we meet with the Princess.”
“Sure, come in, Pinkamena!” Twilight grinned. “We can talk!”
“Under any normal condition, I would. However, it appears you have locked the door.” Pinkamena giggled outside the room, giving the doorknob a few turns to show it would not open.
Giggling, Twilight used her magic to open it. “Sorry! I didn’t even know I did that! Silly me!”
Walking in, Pinkamena closed the door behind her and looked about. “My, my, they kept your room almost the exact same. Even those old books.” She reached for one of them on the nightstand near the bed. “It’s almost like you never left.
“Isn’t it, though?!” Twilight beamed, rolling onto her stomach as she watched her. “It’s so fantastical!”
Picking up the old book, Pinkamena could not help but to smile. “Quite. Being in here brings up fond memories... It would be nice to just spend the day to reminisce a bit.” She took a seat on the edge of the bed and chuckled. “Even the bed feels the same way it back then too.”
“It is! Soooo, what did you want to talk about, Pinks?” The alicorn asked with curiosity, tilting her head cutely.
“Nothing considerably important, just wanting to chat, really.” Pinkamena relaxed, resting on the bed. “You know how I get when we come here.”
“Ohhh... well, if you wanted to chat, all you had to do was say so, you silly!”
Pinkamena sighed, staring up at the ceiling. “I know, Twilight. I suppose I just feel a little on edge, that’s all. The situation with Fluttershy, your sister’s wedding, finding the book... it’s all a lot of stress. I feel like I’m going to let everypony down again. I don’t want that.”
Pouting, Twilight went over and cuddled her, nuzzling their cheeks. “Awww.... now don’t feel bad! You’re trying your best, Pinkie... That’s all you can do.”
“I know, but still... it bothers me,” Pinkamena cuddled a bit closer to Twilight. “Not only that, but your sister scares me.”
“Silly filly! Why? She’s not scary!”
“You do remember what happened last time we met, correct?” Pinkamena stated calmly.
The lavender mare was slightly puzzled, but then nodded. “Yes... So that scared you?”
Pinkamena exhaled a bit, looking over at Twilight. “Of course it did. You remember her reaction.”
“Because she’s a little too friendly to you sometimes?”
“Friendly is not the word I would use, but yes. I find it a tad unnerving.” Pinkamena said bluntly, resting her eyes.
Pouting again, the lavender alicorn came closer and snuggled her lover, kissing her neck lightly. All Twilight could think was how it affected Pinkamena like this. The way it seemed to leave a bad taste in her mouth. There wasn’t much she could say or do about it that would work. She sighed, stroking her pink mane, feeling crestfallen.
“I’m sorry, Pinkie-Winkie...”
Pinkamena smiled faintly and shook her head. “It’s not your fault, so it’s unnecessary for you to apologize. We all have our fears. Mine just happens to be your sister.”
“I know...” Twilight climbed on top of her. “But it’s not fair, Pinkie-Winkie! Why can’t all families love each other? It’s so... saddy-waddy.”
“Fate deals odd cards to us all, it’s just how things are, or so it would seem.” Pinkamena shrugged as she opened her eyes. “However, I can’t say it’s like your family hates me, as I don’t think that’s the case. Do they?”
Twilight shook her head, “No, they love you!”
Pinkamena nodded, smiling up at Twilight. “Then I assume that I just fear your sister for no real reason. Much like how Applejack is afraid of getting mud on her hooves. It’s an irrational fear.”
“Mmmm, you could be right, Pinks! Fears are irrational, after all!” She said, nuzzling their noses. “Like me! I love honey, but I don’t like bees! Bees are buzzing and they sting! I don’t like bees!”
“Precisely, so I shouldn’t allow this to bother me. After all, it’s not like your sister is here in Canterlot right now.” Pinkamena chuckled, her mind feeling at ease. “So, whenever you’re ready to meet with the Princess, I am as well.”
“Okay!” Twilight kissed her lips sweetly.
Pinkamena smiled up at her lover, repositioning. “So... are we to leave now, or do you plan to keep me pinned down all night like what you used to do back when we lived here?”
“Hmmm.... Well, I could do the latter, because I luffles you so much and want to give you all kinds of snuggles and lovins! Hee hee!” Twilight purred lovingly, licking her cheek. “Buuuut, we gotta go see Princess Luna first! Then when we go to bed, we’ll be free to be all lovey-dovey and all kinds of... uh... glovey? Movey? Tovey? Covey? ...Hovey?”
“Sounds lovely.” Pinkamena giggled.
The alicorn laughed, nuzzling her, “Besides, your pretty body makes me go Cuckoo for Coco Puffs! We’d best be going!”
The two mares cuddled for a moment longer before getting up off the bed and heading out of the bedroom.
In the throne room, Twilight and Pinkamena walked briskly to meet with Princess Luna, who sat upon her throne alongside Princess Celestia. The guards bowed in respect to Princess Twilight, who of course just laughed off the attention.
Coming to a stop, Pinkamena kneeled down with a respectful bow. “Princess Luna, Princess Celestia. It’s a pleasure to see both of you, as always.”
“Hiiiii, Lulu and Celly!” Twilight greeted cheerfully.
Both Princesses stifled laughter behind their hooves, before Luna addressed them.
“Twilight, Pinkamena, it is, of course, wonderful to see you two again as well,” she said, smiling. “I trust you’re doing well?”
Pinkamena rose from her bow with a faint smile. “Personally speaking, yes, Twilight and I have been well. However, as I am sure you are currently aware of, we have quite an unusual problem at hoof. May I assume this is part of wishing to speak with us directly, Princess?”
Luna gave a nod, “Yes. I’d felt it was a better idea that we speak of this matter directly.”
“As the letter detailed, our reality’s Fluttershy has been switched with that of another reality’s, and as it stands, I was wishing to borrow the books I had requested in order to better understand and fix this problem. I have my theories, but nothing further than that without some type of base for me to go off of.” Pinkamena stated calmly. “If you need any further explanation, I would be glad to break it down from what little I know of it now, but without the main manuscript I requested, my knowledge is limited on this subject.”
“Oooh, oooh, oooh! Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!” Discord suddenly appeared near the thrones, waving his lion paw. “Me! Me!”
“Ooh, hi, Discord!” Twilight waved, laughing.
“Ugh...” Luna groaned, facehoofing. “Discord, do you have anything constructive to contribute?”
Discord jumped into the air, sitting on something that was clearly not there and chuckled. “For once, I actually do, Lulu! I happen to know a bit about this multiverse stuff!”
Pinkamena sighed a bit, fighting off the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, yes, what do know, Discord?”
“I’m so glad you asked!” Discord said happily, clapping his paws. “You see, my dears, what you all seem to have experienced is reality switching! The kind of spell that the other Twilight performed was meant to... tap into other realities! As it were, the spell seems to have... malfunctioned, and our Fluttershys switched! Why? It seems that the other Fluttershy was... thinking of one much like ours!”
“Ohhhh!” Twilight immediately said. “So Flutters was thinking of our Flutters, and switched because of that?”
The draconequus shook his head, “Not quite, my little pony! She must have been thinking of somepony she knew that was just like our Fluttershy!”
Pinkamena thought for a moment. “Of course! She has admitted to thinking of her own Rainbow Dash, whom we have discovered shared many personality traits with our Fluttershy! Their minds were synched; it was drawn upon shared thought. Which would mean our Fluttershy was thinking about the reverse!”
“They were both thinking of Dashie!” Twilight threw in. “Our Dashie, who’s just like the other Fluttershy! Then her Dashie, who’s just like our Fluttershy!”
“Bingo! We have a winner!” Discord shouted floating across the room. “So, we know what happened now! The question is... what will become of the two Fluttershys? Anypony wanna try to take a shot in the dark on this one?”
Celestia ponder for a moment, clearing her voice a bit and, remembering to use her inside voice, decided to speak up. “Thou hast not explained enough to fully allow anypony to form such a conclusion. However, thou hast asked: Tis there something more to this event than thou has presented?”
“It would seem so,” Luna agreed. “What do you mean by this, Discord?”
“Oh come now, it’s easy! Here’s a hint. Have either of you noticed,” he turned back to Pinkamena and Twilight, “how Fluttershy’s been acting this week?”
Pinkamena thought for a moment, trying to recall. “Hmm, she has been adjusting rather well, but I can’t seem to place anything out of the ordinary...”
“Mmmhmm... Well, allow me to show you!”
Snapping his eagle claw, a screen appeared in midair, showing a live feed. On screen, Fluttershy was sitting at a desk in Twilight’s library, writing something in a journal. She looked worried, biting her lip, at least, until Rainbow walked by her. Fluttershy looked right over at Rainbow before a predatory smirk overcame her face. She pursued the cyan mare, before taking hold of her and pinning Rainbow to a wall of bookshelves.
“You know, Dash... we never did get to... finish up from earlier,” Fluttershy purred, her eyelids half-mast.
Rainbow blushed a bright crimson while she smiled, “I-I suppose so...”
“Yeah...” Fluttershy moved closer to her, “You want me, don’t you? To hold you, kiss you, snuggle you?”
“O-Of course I do... b-but only if you want to.” Rainbow trembled a bit, but don’t fight back.
“Come on Dash, seriously? I wouldn’t be right here if I wasn’t! I could be holding a cake out to you, for you, telling you to eat it, and you’d still say that!” Now there was evident frustration in Fluttershy’s tone. “Just tell me what you want, you know I’ll give it to you.”
Rainbow Dash shied away a bit, looking down at the ground. “I-I’m sorry, Flutters. I’m still k-kinda new to all this... I just don’t wanna make you do anything. Y-You know I want to, I just... I don’t want to come off as some needy little filly to you...”
“You’re not some needy filly... It’s about expressing your desires, sharing what you want with me so I know how to.. .make you feel good. Come on, Dash... You can tell me these things. That’s why we’re here! So just stop being a mouse, and please just tell me what you want! I’m not a mind reader! Tell me these things, otherwise I can’t please you!”
The words seem to have struck a chord with Rainbow, causing her to freeze up. “I... I want to be loved... That’s all...”
Now Fluttershy looked surprised, her eyes wide. Then she looked thoughtful, knowing, and understanding. She embraced the other mare, nuzzling her and kissing her face. “You are loved, my beautiful Rainbow Dash.... You’re loved... and I love you...it’s okay...” She said in a sweet, warm tone that completely betrayed her rougher tones from earlier.
The feed was cut, with a disappointed groan from Twilight.
“Aw, come on! That was soooooo cute!” Twilight whined.
Pinkamena was almost speechless, trying to fully understand what she just saw. “That... What we just saw, was it real? Discord, are you suggesting that this Fluttershy is actually taking on the characteristics of our Fluttershy against her will?”
“Precisely, my dear,” Discord nodded slowly. “It seems my theory was correct! She is slowly becoming the original Fluttershy of our reality!”
“What?!” Pinkamena shouted, startling everypony in the room, her mane curling ever so slightly. “What you’re suggesting it’s- not possible! Even junior level spell casters know that memories can’t be erased, only blocked! To become another pony aside from yourself, it- it can’t be happen! And ponies can’t just change like that!”
Discord gave a shrug, floating in midair, “Perhaps not, my dear. Even I don’t know for sure! Replacing her memories or maintaining them is a mystery, even to me! Why do you think she was writing something down? She’s keeping her memories in check, since you can never be too careful!”
Luna spoke up then, “Discord... We see what you’re trying to convey, and this does help a lot more in realizing how this works. However, there is something I do wish to know. Can you help us, at all? Is there something your magic can do?”
“Oooh, I’m glad you asked, Lulu!” Discord chuckled. “I am the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, after all!”
Pinkamena interjected harshly. “I will not have him interfering with my work! This requires order and control.Two things he knows nothing about!” At the last word, her mane began to curl ever more.
“What if I told you that I could switch between realities? Easily?” Discord smiled. “What if I could solve this entire issue?”
Pinkamena fell silent, staring up at Lord of Chaos. “You? You can fix this? Explain.”
Twilight blinked. “Wait, Discord! You can warp between the realities?! Really?!”
“I’m Discord. I can break the rules,” he said, winking.
Looking hesitant, as well as uncertain, Luna cleared her throat. “Perhaps... this would be possible to help things through?”
Celestia nodded in agreement with her sister. “It seems feasible, does it not?”
Pinkamena felt her mane straighten a bit as her breathing became normal. “If you can do so, then yes. It would make things considerably easier and would allow us to contact the others from that reality...” She looked up at Discord with a hint of spite, “However, the problem of Discord going to the right alternate reality out of the near endless possibilities would be a task.”
“Then we’ll maybe need to use Flutters, as a connection to it?” Twilight guessed.
“I can’t say for sure, but I suppose that would work. At least, in theory.” Pinkamena nodded, her mane now straight once more. “The question is, can Discord do this?”
“Do pegasi fly? Can unicorns perform various types of magic? Is the daylight sky blue? Are you ponies?” Discord said, floating upside-down in front of them, winking. “Of course I can, my little ponies!”
Pinkamena sighed. “Saying ‘do pegasi fly’ is open to discussion as one can chose not to. Also, they cannot if their wings are broken. Unicorns can only perform magic of high calibur due to their horns, and if completely broken off, then no. The day sky is not blue, it’s just our perception of it due to light and water. Ponies is a general term, but is incorrect when speaking of us as a race.” She exhaled. “I’ll believe you once you do it.”
“Pinkiiiieee! Don’t do that now!” Twilight pouted. “We gotta believe it! Believe! ...Uh, how’s he gonna prove it?”
“By assisting, of course.” Pinkamena said bluntly. “He shall leave with us when we return to Ponyville. Then, we can see if it’s truly possible for him to do so.”
Discord gave a laugh, patting their heads, “I’ll see if I can squeeze that into my oh-so busy schedule...”
“Very well,” said Luna, “In the meantime, you may retrieve the manuscript in question. We have located it within the Forbidden Reference section of the Canterlot Archives, as it were.”
“Of course it would be in the single section that lacks a map.” Pinkamena sighed.
Smiling, the Princesses nodded to one another before Luna conjured up a book. Fairly weathered, but still in good condition. She levitated it over to Pinkamena and Twilight, placing it within reach.
“I never said you two had to go find it yourselves. Just that we’d found it,” she said, smiling.
“All right!” Twilight cheered. “We have the book! Now we have all the answers! Hooray!”
“This does make things considerably easier. Thank you, Princess.” Pinkamena gave a sincere smile, relieved that she could dive into her studies.
Luna smiled warmly, nodding, “You’re welcome. All I can advise to you both is that you be careful. It does seem to be quite complex magic, even with Discord’s help. However, I do have faith in you two, I know that you will be able to solve this dilemma.”
“You may also have thine assistance as well,” Celestia spoke up, cheerfully.
With a bright smile, the smallest alicorn gave both Princesses big, happy hugs. There was even laughter and cheers, which, while it threw off the more serious encouraging mood, didn’t fail to create such a light-hearted shift in atmosphere.
“Thank yoooouuu Celly and Lulu!” Twilight said sweetly, letting them go. “We won’t let you down!”
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Aaah, the journey is coming to an end. There is nothing more satisfying than finishing a journey. Yet when you're done you go on a new journey because otherwise you have nothing to do.
Wait was that poetic? Should I try (and fail) to remember this?
Two Epilogues?, wait is there gonna be some alternate ending after this?.
I'm not really one for alternate endings as they seem pointless to me, but you're basically saying there's two endings to this. With what we now know what will happen to Fluttershy and Flutterdash, it seems like there's an opportunity to create the ending were maybe Fluttershy n Flutterdash will transform and stay in the universes they now must adapt to living in?. It's just that this is the kind of story that does set itself up to have any alternate endings.
Or is it just a general ending after the first one, just to wrap things up in both worlds
Hmm hopefully the epilogues will have sections for Pinkie/Twilight and their counterparts. Oddly they are a big highlight for me in this story.
i see foreshadowing, the next chapter or so may prove to be interesting
3475377 Rest assured, the two epilogues will be showcasing what happens in both realities. One for Fluttershy's, the other for Flutterdash's.
All questions shall be answered soon enough. So the Editor has spoken!
An owl with the mind of an adult crocodile? Hmmm...for some reason I get such a Stanley Kubrick vibe from that idea.
This demential rift is making my brain hurt.
Anyways, jolly good show! I feel myself oddly... Changing somehow.... 
Well, a good day to you! 
*GASP*
So now, Flutterdash and Rainbow Dash are married
Fluttershy is slowly becoming Flutterdash
What's gonna happen next!?
But seriously though, you are an amazing writer, keep up the great work