The next morning...
“—and after Jay showed his wounded hoof to Flurry, he made his wish,” Spike explains. His earfins droop as he continues: “He wished for the book to undo each of our wishes.”
He and the rest of the Elements are seated on their chairs around the cutie map.
The young drake sits down and sighs.
Silence...
...until—
“Poor dear,” Fluttershy says, her ears drooping. “He must have been so crushed when he learned that he was a duplicate...”
Spike's drooped earfins droop even more.
“So let me get this straight...” Applejack says, rubbing her aching head with a hoof. “Equestria was suddenly changed into ... another sort of Equestria where cutie marks weren't discovered, and union between pony races didn't happen, throwing history into whack where ponies live like wild animals?”
“Freaky,” Pinkie Pie says with a calm smile. “So everypony were different? Was I a grumpy grump, throwing rocks at anypony who comes near my family's rock farm?”
Many sets of eyes blink at her.
She blinks back. “What?” She shrugs. “It could happen.”
Rainbow Dash shivers. “I can't imagine what kind of life would I have without the Wonderbolts and you girls as my best friends.”
“Aww...” Rarity aww's, smiling sweetly at the athletic pegasus. “That was sweet of you, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow rolls her eyes. “Don't get used to it.”
“It all sounds really scary,” Fluttershy says shakily. She frowns a concerned frown at Twilight. “It must have been so hard for you, Twilight.”
Twilight nods her head. “It was.”
Rainbow Dash looks back to the young dragon. “Sooo... Your wishes were thrown out the window, and it changed Equestria back to normal.”
Spike nods his head.
Rainbow Dash blinks. “...What does that mean for the stallion?”
The young drake's eyes fall to the floor.
Fluttershy's whimper echoes in the quiet room.
Twilight sighs, her ears drooping. “I wasn't able to stop the book that got ahold of Flurry.” She shakes her head. “She—I mean, the book knocked me out. I barely did anything.” She looks at them, then at Spike, and return her gaze back at them again. “It was Jay, an alien who was turned into a pony, who fixed everything.”
Rainbow Dash shakes her head. “He could have just wished for, I dunno, bring Equestria back to normal?” She frowns. “Why did he wish for something that will ... like ... make him disappear?”
Pinkie Pie blinks. “Wait...” She turns to Twilight. “You said the book added little twists to the wishes, right?” She furrows her brows. “What are the chances that the book twisted Jay's wish, too?”
Silence.
“That...” Applejack breaths out. “...is a good point.” She turns to the alicorn. “What do you think, sugarcube?”
Twilight sighs, her ears drooping. “Maybe, just maybe, that is the reason why Jay wished to undo their wishes.” She looks at each of her friends. “As powerful as the book was, it would be difficult to ‘twist’ a reverting spell.”
Applejack nods her head. “So if he wished to return Equestria back to normal...”
“...the book could easily twist his wish,” Rainbow Dash finishes, her ears drooping. “Wow...”
“Perhaps he was aware of what will happen to him, he still wished for it anyway,” Rarity says with a sad smile. “Such a noble and brave soul.”
“It's just so sad...” Fluttershy sobs quietly.
The room is quiet once again.
Rainbow Dash scratches the back of her neck. “So, um...” She looks at Twilight. “Where is the book now?” She quickly waves both her front hooves in front of her. “Don't get me wrong. I just don't want something like that to happen again.”
The alicorn sighs and shakes her head. “Unfortunately, I have no idea where the book's current whereabouts is.” She looks back to her friends. “I can't even trace any powerful bursts of magic around the Everfree Forest. It's... It's as if the book never even existed.”
Applejack clears her throat. “Well, his selfless act of saving Equestria is something we should be thankful for.” She smiles at each of her friends, and then lifts her gaze up at the chandelier they have made for Twilight, her smile growing a little wider. “...I wish him the best, wherever he may be now...”
A moment of silence.
The farm mare sighs, her ears drooping. She looks at the entrance of the map room, at her parked wagon full of apple treats. “I ah, hate to change the subject, but um...”
Pinkie Pie blinks at her, and looks at where the farmer is looking. Her ears and mane droops. “Sooo... No more nations meetup party?” she asks, turning to Twilight.
Twilight takes a breath and sighs. “I'm so sorry, Pinkie, Applejack.” She frowns. “I made you guys work for nothing.”
Applejack shakes her head and waves a hoof. “Nah, don't worry about it, Twilight.” She smiles a reassuring smile at the alicorn. “I'm sure the Cakes wouldn't mind taking a few to sell in their shop—”
Starlight comes in and knocks on the open door. “Um, sorry to interrupt but—” she blinks, looking at the wagon-full of treats. “That's a lot of pie.” She shakes her head and looks back at Twilight with a nervous smile. “Eh heh heh heh... Um, Twilight? I hope I'm not interrupting something important, but ... did you, um...” She scratches her head, looking at the waking sky through the window. “...Did you send those invitations last night?”
Twilight blinks. “Uh, no. No, I didn't,” she says, shaking her head.
“Oh, huh...” Starlight says, laughing awkwardly. “Funny story, because there's, um, outside the castle, I mean, um, there's a lot of um ... creatures who want to have an audience with ... you?”
Many sets of eyes blink.
Starlight nervously gestures with a hoof for Twilight to come.
“Um, alright, I guess?” Twilight stands up and trots after Starlight, who already trotted back towards the castle's entrance.
The others look at each other. They soon follow after the alicorn.
“Looks like the food will be meeting some muzzles soon!” Pinkie Pie says as she bounces along with her friends.
Applejack chuckles as Rainbow Dash flies ahead.
Twilight and Starlight approaches the wide-open front doors of the castle where a number of royal guards are standing by. The two mares trot out of the entrance, and Twilight immediately stops.
“Twilight!” a familiar feminine voice quacks excitingly.
Rainbow Dash turns and flies toward the exit. “Hey, Twi! So what's—” she stops in midair, blinking at the alicorn princess being choked via hug by a white and crying swan, with both pony and swan guards awkwardly squirming in place. “...uuuhhh...”
The rest of her friends arrive outside the entrance.
Pinkie stops in midair, and Applejack blindly grabs her hoof and puts her down.
“Wowsers,” the pink mare says, blinking. “That's a loooooooot of different muzzles to feed.”
Rolling her emerald eyes, a brown doe wearing a simple yet elegant white dress walks up and pulls the swan off of the coughing purple alicorn.
“Seri, honestly,” the doe says, glaring at the sheepishly-smiling swan. “Show some constraint, will you?”
“Seri?” Twilight coughs, teary-eyed. She then looks at the smiling doe. “S-Sienna?”
The doe looks and smiles at the alicorn. “So, so you do remember us!”
“Yey!” Seri cheers.
Sienna bows before the alicorn, her long green mane covering half her face. “Pleasure to meet you, princess.”
Following her lead, the other deer behind her bow their heads as well.
Twilight blinks at her. “You ... have a mane.”
Sienna's smile immediately disappears. She rolls her eyes. “Ugh... Please don't mention me having a mane, Twilight.” She glares at the chuckling swan. “I've heard it enough already.”
Seri turns to the alicorn and raises a wing up. “Hello, Twilight!” She smiles a wide smile, pulling her large white wing back. “Sorry about the death hug.”
Twilight smiles and shakes her head.
“Twilight,” Applejack calls as she and the rest approach her. “You know these, um, fellows?” she asks, eyeing the many beings before the castle.
Three bipedal creatures walk and stand beside the doe and swan.
One is a kangaroo, dressed in a uniform-like dress. She salutes at the purple alicorn with a wide smile. “G'day, loves,” she says with a wink. “Happy to see you again.” She looks and smiles at her friends. “And hello to you, too, loves.”
Twilight's friends wave a hoof back at her.
The other two bipedal creatures, one tall and the other younger and smaller one, both dressed in a military-type uniform, salutes as well.
“You guys have hair, too!” Seri cheerfully announces, pointing a wing at the trio.
They decide to ignore her for the time being.
The younger bipedal and black feline smiles at the alicorn, his sapphire-blue eyes blinking. “Good morning, Princess Twilight!” He adjusts his beret over his dark-blue hair before he and his older brother return their raised ‘hands’ back on their sides. Reykan blinks, his smile fading. “Do ponies really stand on all four hooves?”
The larger bipedal panther slaps Reykan's head from behind.
Seri squees, and launches herself towards the yelping panther cub, but Sienna bites the swan's tail to stop her. “You look sooooooooo cute, Reykan! And that military hat thing looks cute on you, too!”
Reykan rubs his head as he glares at his older brother, then throws that glare towards the flailing swan, and then adjusts his beret once again with a huff.
The cub then blinks and turns to Twilight's group. He smiles. “Oh, hey! It's the baby lizard!”
Spike groans, and groans even more as Rainbow Dash starts to chuckle.
The taller and older panther chuckles as well. He looks at the alicorn princess. “The Felidae Nation has sent us, the nation's elite military unit, as representatives after our...” He lifts a hand-paw up and waves it in the air. “...eh, reluctant acceptance of your invitation.”
Sienna spits out Seri's tail-feathers, rolls her eyes, pushes her mane out of her face, smiles and nods at the alicorn. “I, Princess Sienna of the Deer Kingdom, am here to represent my people for the friendship invitation you have invited us.”
Xana salutes once again. “Took a lot of convincing, but I managed to convince the council to send myself and a few of my roos here in Equestria in hopes to establish ties with every nation present.”
Seri bows before the alicorn. “I'm one of the council members of my nation, and I'm here to be friends with everyone!” she chirps and winks.
Twilight blinks at them. “But I ... didn't send any invitations after...” she trails off.
Sienna smiles a serene smile.
Seri chuckles cheerily.
Xana gives her a thumbs up.
Syroc crosses his arms and smirks.
Reykan blinks a blank blink. “Wait ... you didn't?”
Syroc hits his head.
Recovering, Reykan growls and glares at him. “Stop doing that!”
Sienna rolls her eyes in amusement. “You did invite us though.” She looks up at the castle, her green mane swaying with the breeze. “If I recall correctly, you wanted to help unite my nation with the felidae's?”
Syroc nods his head. “And we rejected the invitation.” He shrugs. “At first.”
“Come on, Twilight,” Seri quacks tearfully. “Are you really gonna send all of us away?” She pouts.
Reykan looks at the pouting swan in disgust. “Eek. You look ugly.”
As the swan and the cub converse with each other, Twilight looks back at her friends, and notices Pinkie Pie barely containing her excitement. She returns her attention to those in front of her, just in time to see three pegasi-driven royal carriages from the distance, growing closer and closer.
With a smile, Twilight clears her throat and prepares to address everyone present.
Twilight's castle is full of activity as the Elements make sure everyone are having a good time, with Pinkie Pie as the impromptu host. She then calls their attention to give a welcome applause to the newly-arrived local musicians.
As the Elements help the musicians set up and as the many different races mingle with each other, behind the closed doors of the map room, the representatives and leaders of the different nations are seated around the map table.
“Now then...” Seri starts, smiling at everyone present. “Should I get some soup?”
Sienna and Twilight chuckle while Reykan plants a paw to his face and groans.
“I'm starting to regret coming along,” the cub whispers to himself.
Syroc blinks a confused blink. “...I don't get it.”
“And look!” Seri chirps, pointing a wing at the holographic map of Equestria. “It's the map!”
Sienna rolls her emerald eyes in amusement and shakes her head.
“I still don't get it.”
Reykan groans once more. “Don't bother.”
The doe princess then looks at Syroc sitting across from her. “So...” Eyes half-lidded, she leans closer with a sly smile. “What would you like your prey to do now, mister predator?”
The older panther ignores her teasing as he places both hands on the table. “A ceasefire.” He shrugs. “Or perhaps even an armistice.”
“Oh?” Sienna says, expression not changing. “Do I hear a surrender?”
“Ha!” Syroc laughs. “Not on your life!”
“Sienna...” Twilight whispers, throwing an angry look at the doe.
Sienna leans back and sighs. “Aw, come on, Twilight...” She looks at her with a pout. “Being a princess is tiring after my brother decided not to be our nation's next leader! Can't I have a little bit of fun?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Maybe after your two nations agree to be friends.”
The doe princess rolls her eyes, her bangs covering an eye. “Sheesh, you sound just like dad, but fiiine.” She turns and frowns at the smirking panther. “Oh, get that smirk off of your face, meat-eater.”
Xana chuckles and shakes her head. “Seriously you two. Knock it off.” She looks at the alicorn princess. “I'm sure the pony princess can provide the two of you a private room for later.”
Seri blinks and blushes. “O-oh my...”
Twilight covers her blushing face with a hoof.
The kangaroo laughs, and laughs even more after seeing two death glares aimed at her.
Reykan blinks. “...I don't get it.”
“Welcome to my world,” Syroc says, groaning.
Three large alicorn princesses, who are seated close to the crystalline wall behind the purple alicorn princess, chuckle.
Twilight looks behind her, at Celestia.
The Princess of the Sun waves a hoof at her.
Twilight sighs.
“Anyway,” Syroc says, clearing his throat. “We can start with a ceasefire.” He waves a paw in the air. “Our military government is dealing with the trolls from the west.” He shakes his head. “It would be a big load off of our shoulders if your nation is no longer a threat to us. That way, we can pull our soldiers from the south borders and assign them in the west.”
Sienna blinks. “Your nation is dealing with them, too?”
Syroc sighs. “Unfortunately.”
Reykan blinks. “What do you mean by ‘too’?” He curiously tilts his head to the side, his beret sliding off a bit. “Are you guys dealing with them, too?”
Sienna frowns and nods her head. “Our soldiers in the west border are having a hard time dealing with them.”
“Looks like we both have a common enemy,” Syroc says, rubbing his chin. “I'm surprised we're just learning this now. What say we team up and deal with them bastards?” he asks, extending a paw forward for a shake.
Sienna smiles and nods her head. “We'd like that.” She leans forward and extends a hoof.
The two awkwardly realize they're too far away to shake paws and hooves with each other.
“I've always thought that the trolls were just mythical creatures,” Twilight thinks out loud as the other two pull their paw and hoof back.
“If only,” Sienna says and sighs.
“No offence to our new friend,” Syroc says, frowning. “But the trolls are more of a pawful to handle than the deer.”
“That's because we don't attack willy-nilly,” Sienna says. She shakes her head. “Unlike the trolls.”
Xana smiles. “So does this mean the deer and the felidae are no longer enemies?” After seeing two nodding heads, she claps her hands. “Oh, that's wonderful!” She smiles at the doe princess. “Then that means my nation is now friends with yours, too, love.”
“Yey!” Seri chirps. “First the deer, then the changelings, then the ponies, and now the felidaes and kangaroos!”
Sienna blinks. “Ah, right.” She nods. “The kangaroos and the felidaes are both military nations.”
“Correct,” Xana says. “We've been helping them cats dealing with those bastard trolls in the west.”
Syroc frowns at her. “Don't call us cats.”
Xana smirks at him. “Then stop calling us oversized dogs.”
Syroc rolls his eyes. “I said that in that different life we had.”
The kangaroo shrugs.
Seri blinks. “Speaking of...”
Everyone's attention turns to her.
Seri continues: “...everyone here recall what ... happened, right?”
Silence.
The three confused alicorn princesses blink and look at each other.
“I have a theory,” Twilight says, catching everyone's attention. “We retain those memories because we were all inside the dimensional space the book has created.”
Sienna blinks. “Wasn't that just an illusion spell? I recall you saying that before we climbed those stairs.”
“Nah,” Xana says, waving a hand. “She said something about pockets.”
Twilight nods her head. “We were inside a pocket dimension the book has created. A small bubble of space separated from other worlds.”
Syroc shrugs. “I barely understand what you just said.”
Reykan nods his head. “We don't really use magic, so we never really looked much into it.”
His older brother nods his head. “We only know the basics of deer magic.”
Sienna arches an eyebrow at him.
The larger panther shrugs. “It's common sense to understand what your enemies are capable of doing.” He smirks at her. The smirk disappears as he sighs. “I wish we knew a lot more about the trolls though...” He shrugs. “Now that our nations are ‘friends’, your healing magic would be useful in the battlefield.”
“Hm...” Twilight hmm's, tapping her chin in thought. “Maybe Discord knows a thing or two about trolls.”
“Discord?” Sienna asks, blinking. “The Lord of Chaos?” Her eyes grow wide. “You can talk to the Lord of Chaos?”
Twilight blinks a blank blink at her. “Well ... yes.” She nods her head. “He's friends with one of my best friends.”
Sienna's mouth drops.
“Back to these false memories that we have,” Xana says, looking at the purple alicorn. “Why is it that I can recall ... everything of my life from the false Equestria?” She shakes her head. “Wouldn't my mind go ka-boom with these many clashing memories?”
“You've read too much fiction,” Syroc comments.
“Hey, they're entertaining,” Xana replies with a smirk. “Oh, that reminds me.” She looks back at the alicorn. “I hear this castle of yours has a library. You mind showing me it later, love?”
Twilight ruffles her wings in excitement. “I would love to.”
“Bookworms,” Syroc mumbles under his breath.
“I heard that,” the kangaroo says.
The larger panther snorts.
“Anyway,” Twilight says. “I'm yet to fully understand why we still have these memories.”
“I don't mind getting rid of them from my head,” Reykan says, frowning. “I don't really wanna eat you or Sienna or Seri anymore.” He shakes his head. “None of you look tasty enough,” he says, adjusting his beret.
Seri chuckles.
Sienna blinks. “I'm not sure if I should be offended or not.”
Seri smirks at the cub. “Does that mean you still want to eat Jay?”
Reykan blinks at her. He turns to Twilight. “Oh yeah... What happened to Jay?”
Everyone's eyes are on Twilight now.
The alicorn sighs and shakes her head. “He's ... gone.”
Sienna blinks. “Gone?”
“Spi—” Twilight bites her tongue. “I mean, the book was accidentally activated by a group of ponies. They made a wish each, but the book twisted them, resulting to the false Equestria we all have experienced.” She slowly shakes her head. “Jay was a wish as well, and he was able to make a wish.” She frowns a sad frown. “A wish to undo the other wishes.”
“Jay was able to wish?” Reykan asks.
Sienna's ears droop. “So if he was a wish, and he wished to undo the other wishes, does that mean...”
Silence.
Seri frowns at the purple alicorn. “Then ... just like the fake Equestria that disappeared, maybe Jay...”
More silence.
Twilight takes a breath and sighs. “As my friends said earlier,” she says, looking up at the chandelier. “The truth may have crushed him, he still restored Equestria.” She looks at them, and smiles a sad yet thankful smile. “We should be thankful for his selfless act, and we should wish him the best, wherever he may be.”