Another Life, Another Carrot

by Talon and Thorn

Carrot of Mercy

The next day seemed to pass slowly for Carrot Top, she took her daily post at Trixie and Twilight’s bed side relieving Ditzy. There seemed to be no change in any of the afflicted ponies’ conditions, their sleep remained peaceful but unchanging. The local doctors poked and prodded and stuck needles in them causing Carrot Top to wince, but she had to accept that they were doing the best for their patients. This world’s nurse Redheart eventually took pity on her and invited her to help her through her rounds, supporting the various sick ponies felt good, like she was actually getting something done, but it wasn’t enough.

Finally she could stand it no more, she had to help Trixie.

---

“She’s no better,” announced Carrot Top to her twin. The two of them were in the apothecary’s basement among various bubbling and steaming potions.

“Maybe we could give it another few days? The other Trixie...” her twin began then cut herself off, “No. It’s the full moon tomorrow we have to go then, don’t we?”

Carrot Top nodded. Together they started to plan their mission into the Everfree. There were some maps of the area but the forest was more or less a big block marked ‘here be monsters’, it didn’t seem too much different from her own world but she guessed she wouldn’t know until she actually entered it.

Together the two of them spent a few hours making up a selection of useful concoctions. Carrot Top watch in astonishment as her twin carefully worked on the stasis mixture, it was far beyond anything she’d ever made, still she wasn’t entirely useless. She came up with the idea for a range of potions to distract any wildlife they might come across from following their scent, she used similar mixtures for her own trips into the Everfree in her universe and suggested that gran’s warming tonic might be a good idea given it was the middle of winter. Her twin had objected that as the potion was about fifty percent alcohol they might be warm but staggering about singing loudly probably wouldn’t help. After giggling at the idea for a bit Carrot Top explained she’d produced a less potent version of the tonic in her own world which could stop them getting a chill and also keep them sober.

“Shouldn’t we tell the guard or the Princess or somepony?” mumbled Carrot Top’s twin after they had finished their preparations.

“The Princess has more on her mind than this, it’s a longshot at best and the guard would just get in the way, they don’t know how to handle collecting herbs.” She hoped this made sense, she might have just been trying to impress her other self. She was feeling a little out of her depth on the alchemy front but she did know the Everfree, well some of it, if it was the same in this world.

“We need to tell somepony, just in case something happens to us. How about the Script?”

“Your colt friend? Won’t he be worried about you wandering off into the Everfree?”

Her twin chewed her lip for a moment. “I think he’ll trust me to make the right call.”

Carrot Top thought back to her ‘date’ the other day, Written Script did seem to have a level head on his shoulders. She nodded. “Ok.”

“Actually, I do know someone who lives in the forest, a kind of ranger I suppose you could call her. She sells us some of the herbs we use at the Apothecary, I think I can take us to her and then the two of you can try and find the Nightmare Berry.”

That made sense to Carrot Top, someone who knew the territory would be useful in case it was different to her world. “Ok, we can meet up at the farm,” she flinched a little, it had made sense to her, she’d have to stick with it now, “At sundown tomorrow tonight.”

---

The morning after finally brought good news, first this worlds Twilight then its Trixie awoke, at first they drifted in and out of consciousness for a few hours but finally recovered fully. It was heart-warming to see the local element bearers so excited to see their friends recovered. They began to explain what had happened but their story was interrupted when the Twilight from Carrot Top’s own world started to stir, she finally awoke and added her own point of view. Cautiously her fellow dimensional exiles welcomed her and listened to her tale before waiting for Trixie’s recovery, and waiting and waiting.

Hour after hour passed and there was no further change in Trixie’s condition. Cheerilee joked about their friend always liking to sleep in, nopony laughed. The Doctors talked about greater levels of damage done to her mana reserves and the such like, they talked of more tests and of more patience. They didn’t talk about a recovery or of anything they could do to help her.

Carrot Top knew what she had to do.

---

Carrot Top found herself alone when she arrived at the farm. Looking up she noted the sun slowly dropping below the horizon, it looked like her alternative self was late, if she was coming at all. She risked a quick glance at the space where her home had sat and felt a further tightening in her gut. She looked away, she had to stop reacting that that, this wasn’t her world, it hadn’t been her home, it wasn’t her fault the house was gone.

Looking around she noted it was quickly getting darker, the moon had risen but under the canopy of the Everfree it would still be dark. Maybe wandering into an unknown part of the Everfree forest at night wasn’t the greatest of ideas. Her twin might have had the right idea not turning up.

She was about to turn back towards Ponyville when she saw a pair of glowing cat like eyes set into a grey ghostly shape moving rapidly towards her from the town accompanied by the sound of galloping hooves. “Who... who’s there?” she stuttered starting to back away from whatever was approaching.

“It’s... it’s me,” came the reply in her own voice as the other Carrot Top ran up to her panting for breath. She was wearing a large puffy dress for some reason although Carrot Top was more confused by her twins glowing eyes.

“You scared me! What’s up with your eyes? Does everypony’s eyes do that here, are you all wereponies!” She accused.

“Wereponies? No it’s cat’s eyes elixir, it makes it easier for you to see in the dark. I thought of it after you left last night.”

“Oh, that er, that makes more sense,” said Carrot Top rubbing the back of her neck. “But what about the dress, it’s nice but not really right for wandering in the Everfree.”

Her twin looked down self-consciously. “Oh this, it’s a disguise.”

“Um, I don’t think it will help you fit into the Everfree, not unless it’s very different from in my world.”

“Oh, no,” she started to struggle out of the constricting garment. “It was to get out of the house, I told Ditzy I was going to a rehearsal for my theatre group.” She folded the dress and carefully placed it under the fence.

“Oh, that was... clever,” she mumbled, underneith the dress were saddlebags bulging with the various bottles they’d made the day before.

This worlds Carrot Top passed one set on to her before rummaging around in her bags for a bit and passing her double a vial. “Here you go, more cats eye, careful it’s all I’ve got, Rarity wasn’t very happy letting me collect the cat’s tears it needed,” She rubbed at a few claw marks on her legs, “Neither was Opalescence.”

Carrot Top swigged back the vial and almost gagged, it was incredibly bitter. Almost straight away her eyes started to sting and water. She hissed in pain.

“Don’t worry, it won’t last long,” said her twin taking her hoof and squeezing it gently.

Already the discomfort was passing and Carrot Top blinked a few times, surprised as the area seemed to lighten considerably, it was almost like the sun had risen. “Wow this stuff is amazing.” She said making a mental note to look up the recipe.

“Thanks, it’s not easy to make but I thought it would be useful.”

“We better hurry and see this friend of yours, we’ve only got a few hours to collect the berries.”

“Well,” said the other Carrot Top shuffling slightly, “She’s not exactly my friend, more an associate, but I’ll think she’ll help us. She knows the forest better than almost anypony and she’s a good alchemist as well.”

“Sounds good,” said Carrot Top totting towards the forest now visible in the near distance using her enhanced eyes. Having her other self here had boosted her confidence, maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as she thought, with a good guide maybe they could be in and out in a few hours.

---

The two Carrot Tops trotted alongside each other in companionable silence for a while. Until Carrot Top felt she had to say something. “So you’re part of a theatre group?” It seemed not farming had left her other self with quite a bit of free time.

“Its only amateur, but I’ve helped on a few shows, and well I’m playing an important role in our next show I’m Mareble in the Pirates of Ponyants.”

“Wow, you know I always wanted to be an actor when I was little, I wanted to feel special standing out there on the stage.”

“Oh, me too, I so wanted to appear in the movies, of course there’s no way I’d be good enough for that.”

“Movies?” asked Carrot Top.

“Um, moving pictures? A sort of recording of a play, like you’d record music, you can do that in your world right?”

“Oh right, I’ve heard of them, not seen one yet. Maybe I should go if I get a chance.” Then she gave a wolfish grin. “Of course I’m sure your interest in acting has nothing to do with a certain script writer would it?” Now she was doing something about Trixie’s condition she felt positively buoyant.

“Well, maybe there were certain fringe benefits,” she replied her face colouring a bit.

“And of course the fact you’re sleeping with the writer didn’t affect your casting.”

“Well... I wouldn’t... I...” spluttered her twin.

“Relax, I sure you only wanted him for his body, nothing to do with furthering your acting ambitions.”

“You... you’re awful,” said the other Carrot Top her whole body a rosy red.

Carrot Top giggled at her other self’s reaction, it was oddly fun getting herself flustered. After a moment the other Carrot Top started to giggle as well and they had to stop to regain their breath.

Finally Carrot Top could speak again. “I’m sorry, I’m glad you’re with Written, I really liked him when we had our little ‘date’ thing.”

“Now don’t get ideas, he’s mine, get your own version!” said her twin mock strictly. Maybe she should, thought Carrot Top, she could at least see if there was a version of her other selves coltfriend in her world. She shook her head, such thoughts could be investigated later.

Ahead of them the Everfree seemed to have swollen quickly filling the whole space in front of them, its thick branches making it hard to see far even with their enhanced vision.

“So, we go in there then?” said this world’s Carrot Top with a gulp.

“I... I guess so,” said Carrot Top steeling herself, this was for Trixie, for her friend. She’d done this before, even at night once or twice, but this was a different world a small voice warned her. She hesitantly raised a hoof and took a step or two forwards into the forest. She turned and looked at her double who was still standing frozen outside. “You coming?” she asked maybe a little sharper than she’d planned.

“Yes, yes, I won’t give up,” she mumbled and stepped forwards.

Author's Note:

Yes, I know werepony means man-pony, someone did give a correct version recently but I can't remember what it was.

Comments are always welcome.

Comments

[garfan]

there's no reason it's only the two of them, they should have asked someone else. And the joke about getting clawed? They're going to an area that has predators and one of them had been bleeding?

[Seether00]

Uh oh. I don't think Luna-Carrot will like meeting this Zecora.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Meeting Zecora? This isn't gonna end well...

Also, chin up, M-Carrot Top! You've done a lot with yourself!

[DracoDarastrix]

Okay brilliant move to let the L-verse Carrot Top meet M-verse Zecora. I'm curious how much info you can squish in there as well. Perhaps letting out a few subtle hints how Zecora might justify her counterpart actions. Those who read the entire L-verse know that Zecora is only working with the sun tyrant because of a certain vision she had.

[Talon and Thorn]

5444706

You know now that you've said that, I really wish I'd done it, but I'm afraid to say it didn't occur to me to look into what M-Zecora would think of her L-verse twin. In my defence I did mostly plan for this to be a look at the two Carrots interacting. Also I have to say that including Zecora in the story was Emeral's idea rather than my own.