"Starlight...?"
The purple unicorn smiled, and said, "Oh, good, you're awake."
Sunburst opened his eyes, seeing that he was tucked into his bed.
"You didn't have to... aaghh..." He tried to sit up, but the unicorn instantly felt pain.
Starlight walked over to her friend, trying to help him get into a comfortable position. "You have to take it easy for a few days, Sunburst... he really did a number on you."
Sunburst sighed, and he said, "Well, thank you, but you don't have to stay here."
Starlight shook her head, giving her friend a smile. "I already talked about it with Twilight. She's actually proud of me."
With a quick role of her eyes, Starlight added, "And she wants me to take notes of anything that could be of some importance."
Sunburst chuckled a little, and watched her friend walk over to the dining room. "And you're going to put everything that you do here?"
As she made her return, with a floating cup of warm and honey-flavored tea nearby, he noticed that Starlight was blushing.
"Well, I mean, I won't put down everything... there's some stuff I would like to keep to myself."
She handed her friend the cup of tea, and after Sunburst took a few sips, he asked, "What kind of stuff?"
Starlight began blushing even more as she walked up to her friend, and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.
"Oh... r-right..." Sunburst said, who felt his face begin to heat up.
Starlight remained quiet, while Sunburst let out a chuckle. "Y-you know, um... I was really worried about you during that, er, whole time you were fighting him."
Twilight's pupil simply nodded, and said, "Thank you."
So, after dealing with the cloaked pony, Twilight used the silver staff to free all of the Crystal Ponies, as well as the castle guards.
"Thank you, your Highness," said Flash Sentry, showing his respect by bowing down.
Ignoring the teasing looks from her friends, Twilight said, "Oh, um, you're welcome."
Then, after finishing her conversation with Starlight, the alicorn princess turned to see Applejack giving Rainbow Dash a smug look. "Pay up, sugarcube."
Rainbow groaned, and muttered to herself as she handed over a few bits to Applejack.
"Well, that was certainly an adventurous experience," said Rarity, looking at Twilight. "Wouldn't you agree, darling?"
Twilight gave a small smile, and said, "None of us will forget it, that's for sure... but I still wish we could have brought Casey back with us."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, not believing what she was hearing her friend say. "Well, maybe in that empty world, but that doesn't mean you can't make some type of time travel machine here to get him back.
"Besides, you made one to go visit Sunset's world, even after she tried taking your crown and possibly trapping you there for a very long time."
Twilight frowned, and Rainbow sheepishly looked over at Sunset. "But, uh, no offense..."
"None taken... again," chuckled Sunset, who was already used to hearing that phrase. "But she's right, Twilight, if anyone can build something like that, it's you."
"And if you can't do it on your own," added Applejack, standing next to princess. "We're more than willing to help ya out!"
Fluttershy nodded, in agreement, saying, "Friends stick together for everypony, no matter what... but, um, I want to make sure Discord is okay, so after I check on him, then I'll be there to help."
Pinkie Pie, who was still carrying around her Party Cannon, also agreed with the others. "We'll help out no matter how many times you might mess up!"
"Um... thanks, Pinkie," replied Twilight. "So we'd better get started on it, then!"
Everypony agreed with that, and the group of friends began to make their way to the Train station, until Rarity asked, "Um, but where exactly did you send that evil pony?"
A smirk smile appeared on Twilight's face as she said, "Let's just say that I hope he likes being called Antoinette."
The Next Day
[Imagine the piece "Training Montage" by George S. Clinton during this scene of her creating the machine.]
True to their words, once the Mane 6 (and Sunset) had returned to Twilight's Castle, they helped out Twilight in creating something that would be able to have Casey come back.
During that time, Twilight had also examined the silver staff, but was unable to understand exactly what type of energy was inside of it.
"You think it could be from wherever he came from?" Spike asked, while his best friend was studying the staff's power levels.
Twilight sighed as she said, "That's a definite possibility, Spike, but that's the closest thing I can come to, aside from us seeing what it can do."
"When he used it, Twilight," reminded the young dragon. "You used it for completely different reasons... maybe it reacts to whatever the holder is feeling."
Twilight smiled, and wrapped a hoof around Spike. "Who knew your comic book reading would come in handy?"
"Haha, very funny," said Spike, but also found himself laughing a little.
Later that night...
It had taken almost an entire day, but after putting the staff in its required spot, Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, everypony, I think that should do the trick."
"About time," yawned Rainbow Dash, with sleepiness in her voice.
Applejack looked at her, a frown on her face. "What? I helped out, like I said, didn't I?"
They had helped Twilight out with making multiple adjustments to the Crystal Mirror time machine, and once the staff was activated, it was ready to go.
"So, um... how do you know if it'll take you back to where Casey is?" Rainbow asked, sounding concerned. "What if you end up somewhere else?"
Twilight smiled, and said, "I'm glad you said that, Rainbow, because that is why I have this chart."
She pointed to the "chart" that taped to the side of the machine, and explained what it showed. "Every time the hooded pony shot an energy blast at us, it was always a different color, so I've listed those colors here, along with the name of the locations you all gave me."
The places that she had written on the list were "Smile HD", "Empty World," and "Cupcakes", as well as "Sunset's World," "Alternate Equestria", and "Townsville".
Underneath those, however, were several blank slates that made Rainbow ask, "What about these non-written ones, Twilight?"
"Those are for the other possible worlds that the staff could take somepony to," replied Twilight. "So, now, it's time to bring our friend back."
She began to walk into the mirror's glowing portal, but stopped when Applejack asked, "You want us to go with you, sugarcube?"
Twilight shook her head, even though she appreciated the offer. "It won't even take that long."
She continued walking, and after entering the portal, a bright light shone that made everypony cover their eyes.
Once it was gone, Rainbow asked, "So, uh, how long did she take those previous times to visit Sunset?"
"An hour and 12 mins for the first time," replied Pinkie. "And the second time was an hour and 28 minutes."
Everypony looked at her. "What?"
Whoosh!
The machine turned back on, and they watched as Twilight came stumbling out, with Casey doing the same a few minutes after.
"Remind to add possible side affects of time traveling to the chart," said Twilight, her eyes spinning around.
When Casey got up and was able to stand on all four hooves, he saw everypony giving him a smile.
"Er... I just have a quick question," he said. "None of you have seen a gold-colored pony that wears a cloak, right?"
"Uh, no, why?" Rainbow asked, a confused look on her face.
Casey chuckled, and said, "Never mind... just means that I'm not in a different world."
He then looked over at Twilight, saying, "Thanks for bringing me back."
Twilight smiled warmly, and said, "It's like what Fluttershy told us all earlier, we would never leave a friend behind."
Casey looked at the shy and bashful Pegasus, who said, "Uh-huh, she's right... you're our friend now, Casey."
"And as a friend, I just want to apologize for what I said earlier," said Rainbow, looking guilty. "It wasn't entirely your fault that we ended up in this mess."
"Thanks, Rainbow, I really appreciate that," Casey said, and the two of them shared a hoof-bump.
Then, he turned around, and noticed the Crystal Mirror. "So, this is where it's been at... no wonder I couldn't find it in the Crystal Castle."
"Which reminds me..." said Sunset, walking over to Twilight. "I know this wasn't exactly a proper visit, but I need to go back home, too."
Although she wanted to talk more with Sunset, Twilight knew that her friend was right, so before departing, the yellow unicorn and purple alicorn shared a hug.
"But don't be a stranger now, ya hear?" Applejack said. "You're not just Twilight's friend, you're a friend to all of us."
"Oh, and do bring the other Rarity next time you come back," asked the white unicorn. "I would love for the both of us to spend a day together at my boutique."
Sunset chuckled, and nodded her head. "Sure, I'll run it by her, Rarity."
So, the former student of Celestia stepped into the portal, returning back to the world she currently resided in.
"You'll be okay, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, putting a hoof around her friend.
Twilight nodded her head, but then, she noticed Casey looking down at the ground, his face bearing a sad expression.
"You okay there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, noticing his sadness, as well.
Casey nodded his head, saying, "Yeah, but... I'm still sad that I lost the necklace that Twilight gave me."
Twilight walked over to Casey, and said, in a comforting tone, "We're all just glad that you're safe and sound, Casey... besides, it was really just a necklace."
Casey simply smiled at the alicorn, and nodded his head.
Several Days Later
"Mhmm, this is delicious," said Casey, after swallowing the food that had been in his mouth. "What did you call it again?"
"A cherrychanga," replied Pinkie Pie, giving him a wide smile. "One of the most bestest foods ever created!"
Casey wiped his muzzle with a napkin, and began to laugh. "Well, thank you for making it for me."
The two of them were eating atop a table that had been placed in the library, while Twilight was busy helping Spike in a room next door, and a few feet away, the Crystal Mirror time machine was currently turned off.
Until...
"Um, Casey, is the portal supposed to glow like that without Twilight turning it on?" Pinkie Pie said, pointing at the mirror.
Casey turned around, and saw that the machine had somehow turned on by itself. "How in Equestria did-"
Whoosh! Thump!
All of a sudden, a pony came flying out of the mirror, and crash-landed onto the ground.
"I will never be used to that," mumbled the newcomer, his head feeling it was spinning around in a dizzying circle.
Wait, this can't be right, thought Casey, who began to recognize the pony. How exactly did he-
After shaking away any dizziness from his head, the gold-colored pony found himself looking at the light-orange Earth Pony.
"Ah, hello again, Casey... I believe that this necklace belongs to you," said Stardust, walking over to him.
He handed Casey the special accessory, and smiled at the surprised expression on his face. "You didn't think you would just leave it back in my home, did you?"
Casey remained silent for a quick minute before saying, "Thank you so-"
"Casey? Pinkie? Everypony okay?"
Before any of them could speak, Twilight used her magic to open the doors, walking in as she said, "The lights were flickering on and off, so I wondered if something was-"
She stopped, however, when she noticed another pony was in the room, and that he was standing in front of the mirror.
"Oh, um, hello, kind pony," greeted Twilight, being polite. "Who might you be?"
There's always that one pony
That will always have your heart
"Um... I, er..." Stardust was at a loss for words.
You'll never see it coming
'Cause you're blinded from the start
Aside from the random music playing in his head... for some reason, the way that the Earth Pony felt right now was very close to the night he had felt during Twilight's princess coronation.
When she'd found him on the balcony, and they had shared their long-expected first kiss...
Will you get a hold of yourself, you foolish dimwit? We came here for a purposeful reason, not so you could moon over another Twilight!
"Wait, who was that?" Twilight asked, looking around the library for the source of the familiar voice.
You cannot be serious right now.
Casey smirked, and muttered, "He's not exactly nice, is he?"
If Stardust didn't know any better, he could have sworn that Sombra was close to fainting.
"Well, um... Twilight, allow me to-" began the young pony, but unfortunately (for him), the introduction honor belonged to somepony else.
"This is Stardust Balance, but his real name is Jack, and he's from the alternate version of Equestria that Casey went to, but he's also from a planet called Earth that's almost like the world that Sunset Shimmer stays at, which he actually isn't that really fond about.
"He's basically on this journey that someponies would say is beyond insane, and he also wears that cloak that his world's Rarity gave him because he doesn't like ponies to see his Cutie Mark, which is made up of a blue heart and a blue star, and even though he isn't a unicorn or alicorn like you or Starlight, he has his own magical powers because he represents the balance between chaos and harmony, and when he really needs to, he could really pack a super power punch!
"Anyway, he pretty much didn't really wanna be friends with his versions of us, at first, and was always putting himself in danger, but over time, he became a better friend to everypony, especially Twilight and Spike.
"He also doesn't really like Princess Celestia all that much, but does like the way my sister Maud is -
[pauses to look at Stardust] "I'll tell her you said hi!"
[goes back to Twilight] "And as for the voices in his head, one of them is a kinda-sorta-not-really-but-maybe reformed version of King Sombra, and the other one sounds a lot like the one who helped us out when the hooded pony trapped us in those other worlds, but to make a long story short..."
"Too late for that," said Sombra, in Stardust's mind.
Pinkie then took a deep breath, and said, "Twilight, Stardust. Stardust, Twilight."
Neither of the two didn't know what to say or how to respond.
You know, that pony in particular always manages to find a way to surprise me.
Starlight found himself frowning as he thought, And just where exactly have you been this entire time?
His response was - I've been rather busy, Jack, to say the least.
"Ohhh, now I remember," said Pinkie, nodding her head. "That second voice is actually Starswirl!"
It was now Twilight's turn to gasp, and a bright smile appeared on her face, as well as her eyes growing wide. "You talk to Starswirl the Bearded?"
Oh, Celestia, not this again!
"What?" Twilight asked, looking confused and upset. "What did I say?"
Accepting the fact that she, Casey, and Pinkie could hear him, Sombra said, "If you must know, Princess, the other Twilight that this foolish human adores so much had a reaction close to the one you were about to have."
"Adores?" Twilight said, confused. "Are you saying that-"
"Well, duh," said Pinkie Pie, as if the answer was obvious. "The reason he couldn't speak before was because he-"
However, she was interrupted by Stardust, who didn't look that much happy or surprised anymore.
"What the f**k is that f***in pony doing here?" He exclaimed, in anger, and pointing behind Twilight.
Everypony turned to look at the doors, and saw a nervous-looking Flash Sentry. "Um, I apologize, your Highness, but there's a message I have to... er... I think I'll just wait outside."
He quickly walked away, closing the doors behind him, while everypony looked at Stardust. "What?"
You idiot. Don't you remember what happened when you cursed in that other world you despise so much?
Stardust looked at the three ponies, and asked, "You all heard what I said?"
Of course, you dimwit! AND you didn't even have the BEEP this time to protect you.
Casey simply shook his head, thinking, How the heck could anypony like Twilight choose him as a special somepony?
Stardust cleared his throat, and said, "Okay, well... now that introductions have been made... there are some things I would actually like to discuss."
Twilight nodded her head, looking at the gold pony with interest. "Sure. What do you want to discuss?"
"Well," said Stardust, letting out a sigh. "Although I am glad that I was able to successfully return the necklace to Casey, I am concerned about the fact that you three know... well, almost everything about me, and what occurs in my world."
"Oh..." Twilight then began to look a little disappointed, since she had several questions that she wanted to ask Stardust. "So, will this be the last time we ever see you?"
I would hope so.
Starlight rolled his eyes, and said, "Ignore that... and, no, not exactly, Twilight, but I think it would be best for both our worlds if only me and Casey went to each other's world... and only if the situation required my assistance. I would like to simply avoid a possible apocalyptic situation."
Twilight nodded her head, understanding what he meant. "Like me and your Twilight being face-to-face with each other."
"Yep!" Pinkie Pie said, as she bounced up and down. "Otherwise we could risk the chance of creating a paradox that could destroy both of our worlds!"
If Stardust had a regular human mouth, it would've dropped to the ground by now.
"How do you know all of this?"
Pinkie Pie shrugged, and said, "Just a hunch... ooh, by the way, there's this new song I wanna try real quick!"
Before Twilight could say anything, a musical instrument appeared in Pinkie's hooves, and she began to sing along while playing a song. "We are number one!"
Let us leave before this damn pony gives me a migraine.
"Hey!" Pinkie Pie replied, pausing her performance. "That's not very nice!"
Letting out a chuckle, Stardust apologized to Pinkie, and walked over to Casey, saying in a low voice, "Good luck with your relationship with Twilight... hope everything works out okay."
"Thanks," replied Casey. "Any advice you could give me?"
Taking a quick look at the beautiful alicorn, Stardust said, "I would, my friend, but... it would be more fun and life-changing to discover on your own... that's how it is for me."
He offered a hoof for him to shake, which Casey happily accepted, and then, Stardust walked over to Twilight, taking her hoof in his own.
He knelt down, and kissed her hoof, saying, "It was a pleasure meeting you, Princess Twilight."
The blushing alicorn let out a small laugh, and said, "Um, t-thanks, Stardust..."
Casey looked at him with an expression that meant "Seriously?"
Walking back over to his new friend, Stardust said, "I apologize for that, but I was simply giving you an example on how to treat her right... and there is actually one crucial piece of advice that I can give to you, my friend... and that is to never ever make Twilight upset, or even break her heart."
"What would happen if I did?" Casey asked, wondering now what the other Twilight could have possibly done to Stardust whenever he made her upset.
Stardust sighed, and he said, "Well, one is that you could become a splat of paint on the front of the Friendship Express..."
"Alright, I think I get the picture," replied Casey, who gulped a little. "Happy pony, happy life."
"Exactly," Stardust said, and after saying goodbye to Pinkie Pie, he went into the mirror's portal, traveling back to his home.
"So that was Stardust, huh?" Twilight said, who was still smiling. "He's a very interesting pony..."
I really hope there isn't another version of him here, thought the orange Earth Pony.
Twilight then looked at Casey, who had just finished putting back on the necklace she had given him.
"It makes me happy seeing you wear that again, Casey."
The Earth Pony smiled, and said, "Thanks, Twilight... um, so does this mean that we-"
The winged alicorn giggled, and gave him a wink. "You're just going to have to find out on your own."
Once he was back in his own world, Stardust was glad to see his special somepony in front of him.
"How'd it go?" Twilight asked.
Ah, yes, do tell her how you found yourself drooling over a somewhat alternate version of herself.
Stardust looked at Twilight, and a smile appeared on his face. "It was... interesting..."
"Will you ever go back to that world?" The alicorn princess wondered.
The golden-colored pony looked behind him, and said, "Only if they are involved in a situation that I'm needed in..."