"Say Cheese" (Part 1 of the return)
““CHEESE!””
Six twins, three other unduplicated ponies, a dragon, and a mildly annoyed kelpie huddled together a moment longer until the camera’s timer clicked and temporarily blinded them all with a quick flash. The kelpie was the first to regain her personal space once the two Pinkie Pies relaxed their near stranglehold on the group. The rest broke apart more gradually with smiles, laughter, and additional hugs.
“Well, if nothing else, it was at least nice to see you again,” Twi told her counterpart. “I just wish it had been under better circumstances.”
“Same here,” Twily answered, taking a quick glance at the mirror portal, temporarily relocated to a cleaner, and untraumatized room. “I’ll be sure to check the inter-dimentional harmony monitors as soon as I get back … now that I know why you wanted them built for.” Twi cringed but Twily continued. “I’ll be able to see the impact of all of us having crossed over at once, and how it changes with everyone’s return after me.”
“And if we’re lucky,” one of the Pinkies jumped in—literally, landing on Twily’s back— “things will be all stable like cake so we can jump through the mirror anytime we want and visit all our new friends—“
“—Instead of all wobbly like jello,” added the other Pinkie, matching her twin by jumping onto Twi’s back, “making the two dimensions likely to go all BOOM and BLOOEY or mix together first and then explode!”
That stopped the joyful merriment among the rest of the group as all eyes turned to the pink riders on their purple steeds.
Twily, hunkered down slightly from her sudden load, adjusted her glasses with her magic, “W-which is why I’m going to check first thing and before anyone else follows me over. Well, first thing after I test out this new correspondence journal.” She switched her magic from her glasses to her saddlebags and lifted out a book with two copies of her cutie mark on it. “Once I've confirmed it’s working across dimensions, I’m going straight to my lab!”
“A-and,” Twi added, “by all documents and evidence so far we are way, way away from any serious damages happening!”
The Applejacks returned her matching sets of flat looks.
Seeing this, Butterfly stepped forward. “So, um, so when are the rest of us returning?”
While putting away the correspondence journal, Twily answered. “I was thinking one more today after I have a chance to check the readings first, then no more than two each day so I can watch the trend with each arrival.”
“I call first!” declared the Pinkie on Twily’s back, presumably Shindy though neither were wearing their name tags. Twily instinctively swiveled her ears and ducked away from the loud noise from just above and behind her head. “I’ll have to prepare a ‘Welcome Back to our Home Planet’ party for each of you!”
“While that is a thoughtful idea,” Renae began, “I would suggest not labeling the signs as such.”
“And not all of us are actually from that world,” Aria added before nudging Sunset. “Right, Shimmer?”
Sunset flinched at the contact. “Uh, r-right.”
Shindy scratched her furry chin, still not past the novelty of the funny, fuzzy feeling. “How about ‘Welcome Back to the Planet of the Humanes’?”
“Again,” Renae began, “not the most discrete phrase to place on a sign given that the general public does not know about the portal to another world on the front lawn of a public high school.”
“Hrmm,” Shindy considered that before idly tapping her hind hooves against Twily’s side and clicking her tongue.
Twily took a few steps forward before coming to a stop with a surprised blink. She then rolled her eyes and sat down, letting her rider slide off her back.
The sudden return to the crystal floor didn’t phase Shindy at all. “So more ‘Just Because’ parties?”
“Why not?” Asked Rad. “We’ll know what they’re for. And that lets us be the ones to tell everyone who knows about the portal what the party is really for without, you know, messing with inter-dimensional security stuff for the people who don’t already know.”
Primo chuckled with a cocky grin and put a foreleg over her twin’s withers. “Not that it’s really necessary to remind anypony, er, humane how awesome we are!”
The others all gave them lopsided stares until Spike voiced what they were all thinking, “Except that never stops either of you.”
The Rainbows shrugged in unison.
Wings twitching slightly, Sunset looked around the group. “So I guess that means the other eight of us will have time to hang out in Equestria a while.”
Flash, Wallflower, and each pony pair aside from the Twilights and Pinkies nodded with some smiles appearing around.
“But don’t worry,” Twily announced, “once I analyze the readings I need, I’ll be sure to get all your current and missed schoolwork assignments sent through the journal.”
“Wait, what!?” cried Rad. “Schoolwork?!”
“I keep forgetting you’re all still in school,” Primo commented. “That’s just weird.”
“And as far as I’m concerned, I’m on vacation here! I’m not doing schoolwork now.”
Twily pointed a lecturing hoof at Rad. “But you’ll fall behind.”
“It’s only for another few days! And I’m not spending them trying to hold a pencil in my hooves! Again.”
“Why would you do that?” asked Ponyjack. “You should use your mouth.”
“What? Ew, no. And no school stuff. I plan to hang with the second most awesome pegasus there is and give these wings a workout!” Rad gave her wings an extra strong flap and unfolded them to their full span for emphasis.
“Hay!” Primo complained. “What do you mean ‘second’?”
“I won that last race.”
“I let you win that last race!”
“We’ll see.” Rad folded her forelegs and sent a smug grin down at her twin who quickly gained altitude to be higher than Rad.
Before their latest competition could take the pair to the ceiling, Renae stepped in. “I agree with Rad, actually. We’re only here for a short time and may not be able to return. We can catch up on our schoolwork later. I’m sure Principal Celestia”—
““ ‘Principal’?”” came several confused whispers.
—“will understand. And of course you and Sunset will organize enough group study sessions so we won’t let our grades suffer.”
Twily frowned and looked to her twin for support. Twi just shrugged. “I love study sessions and they are a wonderful bonding experience with friends.”
Twily’s ears drooped with a slight groan.
“Um,” Butterfly added, “Posey and I were hoping to have a book group and picnic with the local animals.”
Posey smiled. “I can also introduce you to Discord.”
“And me and Jackie planned on talking family,” Ponyjack announced. “And Wallflower wanted to spend more time on the farm to explore her earth pony magic. Whole fam’s gonna give her pointers.”
Wallflower, beside the pair of cowponies, ducked her head slightly. “Sorry, but it may be a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“We had plans as well,” Share added, putting a foreleg around her twin. “We’ll be discussing fashion over tea! Make a few outfits.”
“I’m going swimming,” declared Aria.
Twily rolled her eyes at her. “You’re not even a student.”
“Yeah. And wouldn’t be doing any schoolwork if I was.” Aria then smirked when Twily’s expression dropped slightly more. “And you, Shimmer?” she asked, jolting the new alicorn again.
“Oh, um. Just going to catch up on a few things while I’m back,” Sunset offered, turning to look out a window. Aria gave her a deeper look, her smirk dropping.
“How about checking up on your family?” Jackie suggested.
Sunset’s ears perked up and her wings tightened against her sides. “F-family?”
“Might be your last chance for a while,” Ponyjack warned.
“Well. I’ll think about it.”
“Ah hope you do more than think about it,” Jackie suggested giving Twi a glance.
Ponyjack nodded. “It’s why Twi never told us about the universe exploding bit.“
Twi, again looked sheepishly back at them. “Sorry again.”
The two Applejacks looked to each other before coming up beside their princess friend. “S’all right, sugarcube,” said ponyjack as they patted her on the withers. “You had good intentions and nothing’s actually exploded.”
““Yet!”” the Pinkies cheered from the back of the room.
Everyone else did their best to try and ignore that as Twi continued. “W-well, whatever it is you all decide to do, please feel free to continue making yourselves at home in the castle if you want. As for me … I’m going back to bed to be rested for my duties in Canterlot tomorrow night. Calming everypony down after that changeling scare took way too long.” She then finished with a grumble, “Once I get back I’ll need to fish the flower trio out of their bunker and speak with them.”
After being attacked by a yawn, Twi gave her counterpart another hug goodbye and teleported out.
This left Flash with an outstretched hoof and a dejected expression as he stared at the spot the mare had just been.
Seeing this, Sunset tried to offer support with a wing over his withers. They both ended up on the floor after Flash was smacked in the head with her wing and Sunset lost her balance.
Twily giggled and went to their aid. Flash was still unsteady on his hooves and took some time to get standing, Sunset’s only trial was overcoming her embarrassment.
“You’ll be okay here?” Twily asked her.
“Of course,” Sunset assured her, taking a moment to get her wings folded right. “Just like old times.”
“Except with feathers?”
Sunset smiled back. “Yeah. And a lot less anger.”
“Glad to hear it. Write to me if you need anything. Paws still has your journal, and Claws has the pair to mine.”
They hugged and Twily turned, hugged a few more ponies, and approached the mirror with her friends wishing her well.
“Take care!”
“Bye Bye.”
“Good luck with the scienceing.”
“And no sending schoolwork!”
“Stay awesome!”
“Remember to tuck and roll when you come out the portal!”
“Yes, watch your head!”
“Do hope you can come back sometime, darling.”
“Au revoir.”
“Keep in touch!”
“Say hi to Paws for me!”
“See you soon, sugarcube!”
“See you in a few days!”
“See you in a few hours if the universes don’t explode and we die horrible deaths!”
““Shindy!””
“What?”
*** *** ***
Having been a mind-controlled “zombie” and promptly hitting her head upon exiting the portal the only other time she crossed dimensions before had denied Twily of the full experience of inter-dimensional travel.
Now, as the world—worlds?—swirled around her and she felt her body warp and reshape itself, she quickly wondered if preceding mind-altering magic or proceeding head trauma should be considered for any future uses of the portal. Or at the very least, she concluded she should not have had that extra serving at the Apple family’s farewell lunch.
Just when that lunch was submitting its final notice before disembarking her stomach, gravity returned and she was shot out of the swirling confusion and onto a hard concrete sidewalk.
“Oof! Ow.”
Twilight slowly got to all fours and readjusted her glasses, taking a moment to appreciate her fingers, then got to her feet, taking another moment to readjust to having only two of them again. Once just as steady on her feet as has been her usual—slight pigeon toed posture included—she pulled off the backpack that had been a set of saddlebags a moment ago and made her way to Canterlot High School’s front steps.
Sitting down, she took out the correspondence journal and began to write.
Have just arrived back at CHS. Do you read, Equestria?
Over
It was only a moment before the book began to glow and a reply began writing itself below her question.
Claws here. You’re coming in clear, Twily. Glad you’re home safe. I’ll watch the journal while Twi sleeps. Just let us know if you need anything.
\
:-)
Over and out
She smiled. One task down. Now to get to the lab.
“Twilight!” came a shout followed by some barks. She turned just in time to catch a purple puppy who excitedly licked both her cheeks.
“Whaa!” Twilight startled back a moment before holding the puppy out of tongue range and laughed. “Hi Spike. Miss me?”
“I did, Princess, but why are you here? I thought Twilight was coming back. Is she okay?”
“Spike, it’s me; Non-Princess Twilight.” She gestured to her glasses and ponytail.
“Pff," Spike scoffed. "Anyone can put on glasses and change a hairstyle, but you can’t fool me!”
Twilight paused. “Why do you think I’m the princess?”
Spike responded with a slight head-tilt and a flat look like the answer was obvious.
"You smell like horse."
Perhaps science could wait until after a shower.
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At that point, you're just asking for trouble.
I barely remember anything about this. Scratch that, I remember essentially nothing about it. Oh well, that means I’ll just have to reread it.
For the record, I just ducked out of reading the lump sum of every planned epilogue. Let me know which bits you plan on releasing and I'll happily look them over in sequence. Sorry for the confusion.
In any case, an excellent pickup from where we left off, with quite a few interesting avenues to explore. Looking forward to more.
I finished reading this recently, so I don't have the problem of not remembering it. :-)
Thanks for the update. I'm going to have to reread this l the whole thing soon.
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You can re-read if you want but it shouldn't be necessary. There's not much left, it's mostly all silly stuff, and you need little more than the basic concept of the story to understand it.