The main room of Sugarcube Corner had been cleared in preparation for a party. A makeshift stage had been set up, a plywood affair with a set of red curtains, and a single microphone at the center of it. Shades had been drawn down over all the windows, doing their best to block out the light from the sun outside. But even in the dim light that filtered through, the bright colors of ribbons, streamers, and balloons were clearly visible. Most of them were some shade of purple.
A spotlight switched on, lighting up the center of the small stage. A pink pony slipped out from behind the curtains and stepped up to the microphone. She was dressed smartly, a black and white tuxedo contrasting the color of her coat and mane. Clearing her throat once, tapping the microphone twice, Pinkie Pie put on a wide smile and addressed her audience.
“Mares and gentlestallions, fillies and colts! May I have your attention please! I present to you... the one... the only... Twolight Sparkle!”
Silence reigned for a moment, then...
“No.” Twilight shook her head wearily, and glanced over at her twin and fellow audience member. The other Twilight was shaking her head as well. Pinkie Pie, unperturbed, disappeared again behind the curtains. The spotlight went out.
A spotlight switched on, lighting up the center of the small stage. A pink pony bounced out from behind the curtains and came to a stop behind the microphone. A pair of comically-large glasses were perched on her muzzle, and attached to the glasses were a false nose (From what sort of creature? Twilight wondered briefly) and a thick, bushy moustache. Clearing her throat once, tapping the microphone twice, Pinkie Pie put on a wide smile and addressed her audience.
“So, I just flew into Ponyville,” Pinkie announced, giving her audience a conspiratorial wink from behind the oversized glasses. “And boy are my wings tired!” A pause. “Anypony? Nopony? Okay, here’s one for you: What’s the only thing better than Twilight Sparkle?”
“No.” Twilight shook her head. Beside her, her twin did the same. Pinkie Pie, unperturbed, disappeared behind the curtains. The spotlight went out. Sugarcube Corner went dark again.
It had taken almost fifteen minutes the previous night to convince Pinkie that “immediately” probably wasn’t the best time for her “Twilight Sparkle found a very special somepony oh and also there are two of her now” party, after the day they had all had. It had taken another thirty to fend off their friends’ barrage of questions and get the library to themselves again. But their all-too-brief respite was over now. Today, Pinkie was in Party Planning Mode, and she wasn’t going to stop until she found the perfect way to introduce the new couple to Ponyville. All of Ponyville, if possible. They had tried arguing the point, but Pinkie had been adamant. There would be no more hiding in the library for the Twilights Sparkle.
Well, it would be nice to be able to go out in public together. Twilight sighed, and returned her attention to the stage.
Soft lights illuminated the stage. A tall white mitre appeared from behind the curtains, balanced precariously on the head of a small pink pony. Pinkie Pie stepped forward to the microphone, cleared her throat once, and addressed her audience.
“Dearest friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of—”
“No!” both unicorns exclaimed at once. “I-I mean,” Twilight stammered, “th-that might be... moving a little fast...” Her twin nodded in vehement agreement.
Pinkie Pie, unperturbed, disappeared behind the curtains. The lights went out.
“It’s just gonna get worse y’know,” the last member of Pinkie’s three-mare audience observed. The soft sound of wing beats got louder as Rainbow Dash abandoned her spot near the ceiling, and she came down to land next to the two unicorns.
“I know,” Twilight grumbled. “But c’mon. Puns on my name? Stand-up comedy? And a marriage ceremony? Can’t I just—”
A spotlight switched on, lighting up the center of the small stage. A pink pony bounced out from behind the curtains, wielding a cane and a top hat. With a sound like a hundred party horns, the music began.
Twilight is my bestest friends, whoopee!
Whoopee!
They’re the cutest, smartest, all-around-best po-ny!
Po-ny!
And now there’s twice as many of her, you see!
You see!
That means that she’ll spend twice as much time with meeeeee!
“No,” Twilight said with a hint of exasperation. “Pinkie, look. I appreciate what you’re doing, I really do. But maybe it would be best if I just... introduced myself.”
“Oh.” Pinkie deflated slightly. “I guess you could do that too.” The top hat slumped down over her eyes as she lowered her head.
“But,” Twilight added quickly, “I really did like the song.”
The main room of Sugarcube Corner had been cleared in preparation for a party. And the party guests had arrived. What seemed like a hundred ponies were gathered there, milling about in the late afternoon sunlight that filtered in through the shaded windows. Refreshments had been served, and already eagerly started in on, while they awaited the guest—or rather, unbeknownst to them, guests—of honor.
A spotlight switched on, lighting up the center of the small stage. A purple unicorn slipped out from behind the curtains and stepped up to the microphone. All eyes turned to the stage. Swallowing her nervousness as best she could, Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and addressed the expectant herd of ponies before her.
“Everypony. Hi. I, um...” Her speech trailed off, lost as quickly as it had begun. She cleared her throat again. “I know most of you already know me by now, but I’m Twilight Sparkle. I run the town library, and, um, I like to read, and...”
The blank stares and the rustling of restless movement told her she was losing them. She wasn’t normally this bad at speeches. She wasn’t! But how do you tell a whole room full of ponies that, not only are you in love with a mare, you’re in love with yourself?
Well, when all else fails, there’s always the direct route.
“A-anyway!” she said hurriedly. “The reason you’re all here is because, well, there’s somepony I want to introduce to you...”
A second purple unicorn stepped out from behind the curtains and came to stand beside the first. The boredom of the crowd evaporated instantly, replaced by perfect silence as they stared, their eyes flicking between the two completely identical ponies. It wasn’t until the yellow-maned, pink-coated mare in the front row fainted that Twilight realized something was very wrong. By the time the thump of the mare’s body hitting the ground startled the other ponies out of their paralysis, both unicorns had realized that, all things considered, the crowd hadn’t come to an entirely unreasonable conclusion.
“CHANGELING!”
And with that, chaos erupted in Sugarcube Corner. Half the ponies, who unfortunately were mostly the ones closer to the stage, tried to bolt for the door. A great many of the remainder (who, again unfortunately, were nearer the back) made a disorganized attempt to charge the stage. Twilight’s friends made a noble effort at calming down the panicking herd, but their cries were entirely lost in the tumult.
Twilight and her twin turned, ducked through the curtain behind her, and ran. By the time they shot out the back door of Sugarcube Corner, half of Ponyville was hot on their tails.
She considered running toward the library first. But she wouldn’t have time to board up the doors and windows, and anyway, she didn’t want to have to clean up the inevitable mess that would result from having a herd of ponies pounding at her door. Her friends’ homes were out for the same reason. Sugarcube Corner had probably already suffered some damage as it was, and she didn’t want to compound that any further. She could run for the Everfree, but... well, there were worse things than a crowd of ponies to have chasing you. And somepony would probably try to follow her in and get themselves seriously injured. So her only real choice was to lose them first, and hide after that.
“We’ve been doing... a lot of running... lately...” her twin panted beside her.
And there was the problem with that plan. Twilight was far from the most fit pony in Ponyville. In fact, their pursuers were already getting noticeably closer. She would have to outsmart them. Fortunately, being smart was her specialty.
When most ponies run, their amygdala, the part of their brain that houses their most basic instincts, takes over and their thought processes become very simple: Run. Go faster. Get away. Twilight Sparkle was different. When Twilight Sparkle panicked, her frontal lobe took over. Identify problem. Solve problem. Implement solution. The solution to this particular problem presented itself in the form of a set of mathematical functions mapped onto a three-dimensional coordinate system. Simple.
“Mirrored helix!” The simple command conveyed all it needed to. Her twin veered to the right, and she cut sharply to the left, dividing the crowd down the middle as they split up to follow the diverging unicorns. Twilight raced down a side street—more of an alley, really—next to the local shipping warehouse, dodging barrels and crates. She might not have been as agile as some of the ponies chasing her, but as a crowd, they were as clumsy as a sleepy ursa minor.
Unfortunately for the local shipping company, they were also nearly as destructive. Somepony was going to have to pay for those crates. Twilight hoped it wouldn’t be her. She took a sharp right around the back of the warehouse and kept running.
Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Twilight was losing ground fast. The marketplace had already closed for the party, so there was a lot of open space for her to cover. She risked a glance back and saw that the nearest pony, who she recognized as Rose from the flower stall, was less than ten feet behind her. That wouldn’t give her nearly enough time. She was going to have to think of something fast.
“Hey look, it’s Princess Celestia!” she shouted.
The ponies chasing her didn’t even slow down. Visits from Princess Celestia had become almost commonplace since Twilight’s arrival in the little town.
“And she’s uh... kissing Sapphire Shores!”
That gave her the moment she needed. It was an ill-advised bluff, but Princess Celestia could banish her for it later. Some time after she was finished not getting trampled by a herd of madponies. She took a left, and began counting side streets.
On the opposite side of Mane Street, Twilight was also counting to herself. “...two... three...” Well, pi was going to have to equal three for now. She could already see her twin turning down the opposite side street toward her. It was time for the helices to meet. She turned right.
The two mares’ eyes met and locked as they galloped toward each other. Time seemed to slow further and further as they grew nearer and nearer, as if they were stuck in some kind of dichotomy paradox, doomed to never reach their destinations because they would forever be chasing a new halfway point. They could each see the desperation in the other’s eyes, the sweat on her coat, and the herd of ponies galloping on her heels.
Then one flicked her eyes to the side, just slightly, and the moment shattered. They turned as one, skidding to halt their momentum as much as they could, their sides bumping together and their legs nearly getting tangled before they regained their footing. Then, just before the two waves of ponies converged in the middle of Mane Street, Twilight Sparkle and Twilight Sparkle resumed their motion together. They galloped side-by-side down the road, panting but victorious, as their pursuers crashed together into a massive tangle of ponies, shouting, and dust. Then they took another turn down a disused side street and started toward their library before anypony could recover enough to give chase again.
Here we are again. Another Sunday night, another short chapter posted. But as long as I keep on posting something every week, we'll keep moving along. And that's a very good thing!
Also, an update on the clop chapter(s) idea: I've finished a sample section of the first chapter, and I'm pretty happy with the quality of my "adult" writing now. So I'm going to try to pick it back up again this week or the next. (For those just tuning in, it'll be stored separately from the main story. Perfect For Me is staying PG-13. It'll be linked in an announcement on my blog if I complete it.)
Cliffhangeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeers!
Love it, can't wait for more.
I guess I can do an unnecessary Doctor Who reference. Like usual.
They've got An Awful Lot of Running to do.
Ponies love to chase things. Fact of life.
Huh. Should have seen that coming.
Moar?
881177
I was this close to including it. But in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to include a reference to another fic.
I do love that song.
ALSO love this story. Song fits Twilights nicely.
And am, as well, eagerly looking forward to the er adult portions of the story when they happen to come along. ....What?
881177
I've seen this used in many FiM fiction before. Is this some sort of long-running meme that I'm not aware of?
CHANGELING!
Why did I not see that coming? this while time reading this story the Idea of changelings never crossed my mind, but its the first thing the rest of ponyville concludes.
Need moar Twolight sparkle!
881112
I'll one up Leo Archon.
Moar...please?
881200 I would have luaghed so much harder if you had though!
881237 It's a thing based off from the episode of the show where Fluttershy was a fashion model, and how Everypony was chasing her. It's jsut evolved her on FImFic to the point of a whole new level.
881318 Maybe it's not so much that "ponies like to chase things" but rather "when ponies see other ponies running in a group it's safest to join in and do the same." That fits well with a species descended from herd animals.
I'm not sure if it hasn't been said already, but why didn't they try to fuse back together?
Or does it take a massive amount of concentration?
881410 It's shorter to say it the other way though
'Sides, why would they all have started chasing anyways?
I was Better that Pinkie Pie should had done the presentation instead....
now we will have a town in changeling panic and the library on a forcefield (Yeah I know she is not Shining Armor so to speak but she's still quite proficent with forcefields if the Gabby Gums incident was something to say about it)
Ha! Who else but Pinkie would say something about Twolight Sparkle?
I'm still also wondering, how is Celestia going to take this news?
Another good chapter, eagerly awaiting more! Hoofbump!
881415
But they Love each other. They now have other ways of fusing back together...
Also, that would either kill the fic or kill the both of them and that's not fun at all.
881418 It only takes one chaser to get the ball rolling. :)
881535 Ahhh, but why would the chaser start chasing for no reason?
WELL THEN, I wasn't expecting this story to be incomplete! Reading on to the newest chapter, expecting the same ol' grandiose writing I've seen thus far.
So, what's the adventure today, Twilight and Twilight? More 'remedial lessons', or perhaps something a bit more spicy ?
881200
What fic would that be? I've read a LOT on this site (well, maybe not a lot, so much as a lot of words in 200+ number of stories, with several more I have yet to read at some point), and while I may remember a good portion of them, I don't remember all of them. Probably one of the ones I likely haven't, though. Assuming it's even on THIS site and like Equestria Daily, where I've read very few. Sorry to ask, but looking through comments made curiosity got the better of me.
And this story just keeps getting more interesting! Did NOT expect this in the least, but probably should have, even though this started long before the finale had aired. I have to wonder how other ponies would react, that might be more logical(?), such as her teacher or her brother. Something to think about, if don't already have plans for that down the road? But don't gotta tell me, I'd rather wait and see, perhaps. Looking forward to the next chapter and seeing how the two Twilights manage to explain things to Ponyville!
And THAT is how you use the Scooby Doo Doors Technique!
Also:
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4lg2pwE201r8q9x8o1_500.gif
881599 What episode is this from? I do not recognize this .gif .
EDIT: Oh, The Farnsworth Paradox.
And so I close another chapter in one of the many stories I read here, and fully enjoy. This chapter didn't let me down in the slightest.
Twilight is a tactician, through and through, and I think this shows it. Nicely done.
Oh, and the assumption everyone made was completely plausible :V.
881516
Point. And this round goes to you.
881200
What is that a reference to?
881599 Now, now, perfectly symmetrical violence never solved anything.
Sorry, but you showed it so it had to be said.
I'm sad, I was hoping for a Benny Hill chase, we haven't had one of those in awhile.
881200>>881598>>881898
Am I correct in saying that it was a reference to "So Long, and Thanks for All the Ponies"?
also nice job on the chapter.
Exxxxxcellent.
That's all I have to say.
Journcy Out.
"CHANGELING!" First I lol'd then I remembered this is canon: img.ponibooru.org/_images/936d4699a53382162babe56b5ec659a7/170730%20-%20changeling%20dirty_mind%20twilight_sparkle.png
881237>>881598>>881898>>882215
It's cropped up in a few places, but the most prominent in my mind is the recent Lez Ponies.
881415
They'd need some mirrors to merge, so maybe if they make it safely back to their library they could. But like 881516 said, they're in twue wuv now, so they don't want to! They'll just have to figure something else out.
881485
Indeed. If it had been Pinkie, they would have just written off the sudden appearance of a second Twilight Sparkle as more of Pinkie's shenanigans.
882108
I definitely thought about it. It doesn't translate well into writing, though, and I wouldn't have been satisfied with the results if I'd tried.
882578
Exactly! It's totally happened already! (Also, fun fact: That pic, or a frame very close to it, is the title image for the clop content I'm preparing... if the mods will let me get away with it. Out of context, it could be argued to be quite NSFW!)
882628
Well, knighty's got plenty of clop stuff in his faves, so I'm sure it'll be fine. Highlight for grossness Besides, it can't be any worse than Sweet Apple Massacre.
NSFW? I'm out of date on my acronyms it seems...
882647
I'm not worried about the content; it's just your standard steamy lesbian horse sex. I just meant if they'd let me get away with the image, heh. I know they have rules about title images having to meet certain standards of decency.
NSFW basically means porn:
static.tumblr.com/49kcyfj/Osxm597j7/not_safe_for_woona.jpg
(Actually "Not Safe For Work", but that's not nearly as funny.)
882647 NSFW is apparently material that it "Not Safe For Work". Yeah, I learned that one recently too, thankfully not the hard way though
882764
Well, Tipsy has a pretty sexy cover image. It even has SOCKS!
Cracked up at the changeling part. This chapter felt a lot shorter than the last one, probably just because the whole "Chase scene" made me read faster. I think.
882830
Ooh. Read Later'd. Twilunestia is always relevant to my interests.
883132
fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/104/9/4/spike__s_nosebleed_by_signetheslaske-d4w50x6.png
883247
A Twidashjack sexy time fic? Favorite'd and thumbs up!
Well, that went well
Ok then. Panic in Ponyville, directed at Twilight A and Twilight 1. Yeah, changlings would be the first obvious explanation for this, so not unexpected, but still funny. As always, enjoying.
881112 This ancillary story needs to happen! The public demands it!
Lol, I didn't even think about taking it that way! Poor twilight...s.
That's the spirit though, keep em' coming as you're getting them!
It wasn't my first thought, but it does make sense.
Nice twist, and yup, should've seen it coming!
Will the Twilights remain separated at the end? I mean, it practically halves their magical power levels. Now the Elements of Magic aren't as good at wizardry than your average unicorn, I guess. Also, I think being in love with yourself, even if you're technically in separate bodies, isn't a-okay. I'm no psychologist or anything, but it seems like some form of escapism. Having an ending where Twilight eventually fuses back into a single being while Celestia or anypony explains her that she should open to other ponies instead of searching perfection in herself wouldn't be so bad, methinks.
Also, it's surprising how often authors forget about Twilight's ability to teleport. I know, if they simply teleported away it wouldn't make a very exciting chase scene, but maybe you could handwave it by writing that their magic isn't strong enough for a teleport now that their powers got effectively halved, or something.
But don't think my nitpicking means I didn't enjoy the newest chapter! Nothing would be farther from the truth!
I love it! Keep up the good work.
881559
Maybe it's barking-dog-pony from Read it and Weep?
886810 Hmm.... The possibilities of this suggestion....
I never did understand that though. If they changed Derpy's few actual lines due to not wanting a "Different" Pony, then why keep in stark raving mad Dog-Pony?