Silence reigned supreme as the girls wondered who would talk first. About fifteen seconds or so ago, Princess Twilight had come racing through the portal, rambling about some sort of time travel loop.
Now, both Twilights, both Princess and not, were staring at each other, speechless.
The girls looked at each other, silently trying to decide who would break the ice first.
Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. Someone had to do it. She cleared her throat.
Both Twilights snapped out of their shock, turning towards Sunset.
Sunset rubbed her neck sheepishly, "Uh, sorry to interrupt, but, you probably have some questions, Twilight." She said, pointing towards Princess Twilight.
Princess Twilight looked back at her human counterpart for a second then back at Sunset, "Some isn't even close to describing it. Mind filling me in on what I missed?"
Sunset put a hand on Princess Twilight's shoulder, "Sure thing. But, this might take awhile."
They sat down on the picnic blanket, making themselves comfortable.
Applejack handed Princess Twilight a sandwich, at which she gave a grateful nod.
Princess Twilight took a bite, savoring the taste, before speaking. "So, uh, I'm guessing that she's the me from this world?" She pointed to the other Twilight, who had been surprisingly quiet since she arrived.
"Yup," Rainbow Dash leaned back against the checkered blanket. "Surprised us, too."
"Well, now I understand why everyone knew me." The other Twilight finally spoke up, rubbing her arm.
"You two do look an awful lot alike, "Applejack smirked, sipping her apple juice.
Princess Twilight chuckled, "We do, don't we? Though, I must say, I look rather good in a bun. But, the glasses?"
Human Twilight adjusted her glasses at that, "What? What's wrong with them?"
Princess Twilight held her hands up in defense, "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. They're fine. I guess I should've expected my human counterpart to wear them. How bad's your eyesight?"
The other Twilight shrugged, "Eh, not too bad, I guess. I'm nearsighted. Even when someone's standing in front of me, they're just a blurred mess. Can't see a thing without these things," she chuckled, taking her glasses off to clean them, "I guess that's the price I pay for spending hours hunched over research papers in a dark lab."
Princess Twilight laughed, "I can totally relate, sister. I used to spend half the day conducting experiments and studying magic. I, still do, but it's not as...heavy as before."
The Main Seven watched with amusement as both Twilights carried on a conversation.
"Didn't she have some questions for us?" Applejack nudged Sunset Shimmer.
Sunset shrugged, crossing her arms, "Hey, it's not everyday you can actually talk to yourself. I kind of expected this."
"How long do you think they'll go on?" Rarity questioned while reapplying her eyeliner.
"I'd say about half an hour." Pinkie predicted, hanging upside down from the shattered Wondercolt Statue. "We're going to be here awhile. Anyone want cupcakes?" She asked excitedly, pulling a tray of cupcakes from nowhere.
Sunset stared at her, pointing at the tray, "Where did you - ?
Applejack placed a hand on her back, "I wouldn't go there, sugarcube. You're not gonna understand Pinkie. So, don't even try." Pinkie waved, smiling innocently.
Sunset lifted a hand to say something but shook her head in amusement, taking a vanilla cupcake.
"Wait, wait, wait. Your Cadence and Shining Armor get married?" The other Twilight asked, bearing a huge smile.
Princess Twilight scoffed, "They've been married. In fact, it's nearing their third anniversary."
Human Twilight giggled, "That's crazy. Well, not too crazy, I guess. I've seen the way my brother looks at my Cadence. I don't doubt he'll try to go after her, which wouldn't be all that bad. I love Cadence. She is the best - "
"Foal - I mean, babysitter in the all the history of babysitters?" Princess Twilight grinned.
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Both Twilights high-fived, laughing afterwards.
"Well, you two seem to be getting along," Fluttershy pointed out, rubbing Spike's head.
"I know, right? You'd think I'd be weirded out by this. In reality, another me should not exist. But, I guess, seeing everything that happened during the...Friendship Games," the other Twilight's face noticeably drooped at that but quickly brightened back up, "Reality can be anything."
Princess Twilight nodded, "So true. So very true." She smiled at her human counterpart once more before turning back to Sunset Shimmer. "Now then, fill me on what happened during these Friendship Games. I need to know what I missed."
By the time the girls had gotten Princess Twilight up to speed, the sun had already set over the horizon.
"So," Princess Twilight turned to her counterpart curiously, "You turned into a monster, too? What is with everyone turning into monsters? Who's next? Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie blinked, "Me? I'm not a monster." She looked from side to side before smiling in a sinister manner, fangs protruding from her teeth. "Or am I?"
Fluttershy shrieked, running behind Rainbow Dash, "Oh no! Pinkie's a monster."
Rarity rolled her eyes, "Fluttershy, darling, don't be ridiculous. Those are nothing but tacky attachments. Do take them off, Pinkie. They are most unsettling."
Pinkie groaned, "Aw, come on, Rares. You spoiled my trick."
Rainbow tied her shoelace, rolling her eyes, "Uh, no offense, Pink, but that wasn't one of your best."
Human Twilight cleared her throat awkwardly, "Uh, anyway, yes. I became a horrible monster. I was just...overwhelmed by the power I felt. I almost destroyed this world, all for my own selfish gain." She hung her head in shame, tears brimming at her eyes as she recalled the traumatizing event.
Princess Twilight smiled sympathetically, "I understand. Magic, or more specifically, power has been obtained by many. But, few have chosen to use it wisely." She placed a hand on her counterpart's shoulder. "But, if you allow friendship into your heart, you possess the most powerful magic of all. And, I'm sure these girls can help you do that."
Both Twilights hugged, the others watching in silent joy.
As they parted, Princess Twilight looked to the sky. "Oh, wow. It's late. I should be heading back. You seem to have everything under control here." She stood up and turned towards the portal.
"Do you have to leave now?" Rainbow asked.
Princess Twilight nodded, "I'd like to stay longer, but I'm really not needed here right now. Again, I apologize for not coming sooner. I'll try to respond to your messages quicker next time, Sunset."
Sunset waved a hand, "It's okay. If I learned anything from this, it's that we can't always rely on you to be there for us. I mean, you're a Princess in Equestria. You're probably swamped with problems, and you certainly can't be in two places at once."
Princess Twilight chuckled, "Well, I can now." She pointed to the other Twilight, who just smiled sheepishly. "Take care, girls. I'll be back. Oh, and tell Flash I said hi." She winked at them before stepping through the portal.
"Well, that was definitely...strange." Human Twilight rubbed her neck.
Sunset chuckled, "I'll say. You okay with it?"
Twilight shrugged, "I don't know if I'm okay with it. I'm still trying to process the fact that there's a world full of colorful magic ponies, and that I'm a princess in that world. But, I'll get used to it. Eventually."
"You said it, darling. Now," Rarity yawned, "Oh, forgive me, but it is rather late. I should be getting home. It's been quite a day." She hugged Twilight. "It's so great to know that you'll be attending Canterlot High, Twilight."
"Thanks, Rarity."
The others bid their goodbyes until it was just Twilight and Sunset.
They looked at each other before Twilight walked up to hug her fiery-haired friend. "Thank you so much, Sunset. If it weren't for you, I - don't want to even imagine what I might have done."
Sunset hugged her back, "I know. Trust me. I was in your shoes once. But, like you, I found the one thing I had missed out on for so long. Friendship. Everyone deserves it, no matter what they've done. What you've done. It's all in the past, and your past does not define you. It's what you choose to do now and in the future that does."
Twilight smiled teary-eyed at her, "And, you say you're not an expert on friendship."
Sunset chuckled, "I'm just as inexperienced as you. But, I have friends that helped me get to where I am today, and I know they'll do the same for you."
Twilight smiled as she knelt down and placed her sleeping dog in her backpack. "Thanks. Well, I'll see you around. My transfer should be completed in a couple of days."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Nice start, looking forward to see where it goes.
This sounds really good so far.I can't wait to read more.
Sounding like a nice, cute story, so far.
Looking forward to what else lies ahead!
Let the adventures and comedy begins!!!
I agree with the author. The first movie had so many problems and Sunset Shimmer was such a weak villain storywise. Rainbow Rocks was written better with Sunset in a more appealing and heroic light but I could not stomach the chaos created by the sirens (who story, designs and personalities left me utterly confused and not wanting to listen to the songs in fear of being hypnotized).
This film however was a terrific spin on the first movie, giving us human Twilight whose back story and interaction with the characters made her fall to darkness and redemption believable, Sunset being the hero of the story and the one who saves Twilight from herself, the school was in unity, the Shadowbolts while not having as much screentime as expected had a believable reformation themselves and we got a villain that nobody likes. Shame Sombra couldn't be there, though.
Anyway, this chapter is very good and would like to see more of what the author can offer.
Y'know, this chapter is okay but there are a few characterisations issues that just disrupted the experience for me.
Most importantly, I'm afraid that you've sacrificed the authentic voice of the two Twilights in favour of narrative clarity. I think that any conversation between them would be a babble-fest full of techno-jargon as they geek out about the whole situation. Even though she's older and more experienced, Princess Twilight would still be super-excited and would show it. Only when the matter turned to Midnight Sparkle could we expect the Princess of Friendship to emerge and for the tone to become more sombre and even start sounding like a ruler handing down a judgement.
Still, I'll stick around and see where this goes; the premise is certainly very interesting and is something that I want to read.
My thoughts on human!Twilight:
Glasses: From the scene where she (literally) bumps into Flash, she has extreme myopia; she can't focus clearly beyond 1-2 feet in front of her face. That's similar to mine and I can assure you that you can manage in a tight spot but don't expect to be able do anything complicated.
Shining Armour: I got the impression that he was either a senior or a recent graduate, so a minimum of 2 years older that Twilight; no older than 19 or 20, IMO. Cadence, on the other hand, is possibly approaching or past 30 years old. That doesn't in any way mean that they can't have a relationship but it would be odd or even scandalous in the eyes of some. However, the possible age difference actually makes sense because, in the only established back-story for Princess Cadence, she's over 900 years old whilst Shiny is in his late-20s at the oldest. So, her being a older woman who has fallen for a much younger man is actually plausible.
6473815 Thanks for that. Problem is I'm not good with all that techno-jargon. It's all very confusing. So, for the sake of myself, I'm going to keep her words simple, which I know, is totally unlike Twilight, but what can you do. And, thanks for your opinions, I'll definitely keep them in mind.
Correction: Twilight is nearsighted, not farsighted.
6473815
Actually, Shining Armor is referred to as an alumnus, with no reference to his age. For all we know, he could be the same age as Cadence. And she could be fairly young for a Dean- after all, she became a princess at a very young age. If I had to pinpoint them, I'd say late twenties to early thirties.
Nearsighted, not Farsighted. If she was farsighted things would be blurry near her but clear far away. Take it from someone who wears glasses.
6473815 Okay, I need to point this out. No backstory of Cadance indicates that she is over 900 years old. She is a teen in Filly Twilight's flashback, an adult current time, created alicorns (she's confirmed to previously be a pegasus) are also not immortal.
You mean I'm not the only one obsessed with the new movie? I'm glad to hear it--I was becoming concerned about my mental condition!
And who doesn't love nerdy bespectacled Twilight? She's a heart-breaker!
I look forward to all the fics showing human Twi and pony Twi becoming friends. And you've made a good start right here!
Are you me? Sure is awesome that us Friendship Games freaks can amuse each other like this, with fanfics and whatnot. I hope your story is the first of many here, just like we were swarmed by the various Siren-themed fanfics after RR. Of course by that I don't mean that I won't be following yours. I very much will!
If there's anything to wish for from my side, it's that you may feature Principal Cinch later on. She's a huge part of why I'm so pleased with this movie.
And I was waiting for the paradoxes to rip a hole in the fabric of reality
That doesn't really seem like something Twilight- either of them- would say. Twilight gives off the goody-two shoes vibe in both worlds, making it hard to imagine her saying "Sister," and "Totally". Especially since the one saying them isn't from a world that does that sorta thing. Even so, very good book! I am completely ready for the next chapter.
6538816 Agreed with this guy.
So true girl. So true