As Twilight helped Stardust up to his feet, Discord said, "Now, this is surprising to see... I never thought you'd be one of those melodramaticfaintingpeople."
"I'mnot," replied Stardust, while adjusting his glasses. "I only did it because of the fact that Pi... I mean, that we pretty much wasted all that time running around London, trying to find a way home-"
I wouldn't exactly say you wasted time, Jack.
"Oh, sonowyou're talking?" Stardust exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us that Big Ben was the way for us to get back home?"
Because you wouldn't have gone through what you did, and learned what needed to be known.
Stardust rolled his eyes, and asked, "And what would that be, pray tell?"
As the two of them continued their conversation, Casey looked at Twilight, and asked, "Don't you ever want to know what Starswirl is saying to him?"
"Depending on the situation," replied the young princess. "But I think it's best if I respect their privacy, and just wait until Jack tells me whatever Starswirl said to him."
Casey nodded his head, and looked back at his friend, who still did not look satisfied with the answers he was receiving.
If I had told you, Jack, you wouldn't have told Miss Dash that you did not blame her for being upset with you, nor would you have had a rather enjoyable dancing experience with Miss AJ.
Stardust took a quick glance at Rainbow before giving a response.
Yeah, well, I still have some fixing to do in that department when all this is over... but I still can't see why-
I wasn't quite done yet,replied Starswirl.You also would have not seen what happened in Anti-Stardust's past; therefore, you wouldn't have been able to-
"Okay, hold it," exclaimed Stardust. "If you're about to say what I think you're going to say..."
You know that it's the right thing to do.
"No, it'snot," replied the young man. "After everything that he has done to us, you expect me to-"
Was it not you who said once that no one is beyond redemption?
Stardust waited a moment to remember the day hehadsaid that, and then, he replied, "Okay, but I don't think redeeming him-"
"We have to try, Jack."
Everyone looked at Twilight, who continued to speak. "He's still you, in a way, and I know that there has to a part of him who is regretting everything that he's doing."
Stardust sighed, and he replied, "But, love, you saw what he did to his friends... to Sci-Twi..."
"Well, to be fair, we don't know if he did the same thing to her," reminded Twilight. "And I'm sure that if we convince Anti-Stardust to change his ways, everyone else will come back in the same way that those other versions of you did."
Stardust still looked hesitant about possibly trying to redeem his alternate self, but after Twilight placed her hand on his shoulder, and she gave him a warm smile, the former pony said, "Fine, I'll do my best to help him, love, but... it sure as hell isn't going to be an easy task to accomplish."
"Well, of course it won't be, darling," replied Rarity. "When has something like this ever been easy for us?"
Stardust chuckled, and said, "True... I just wish we didn't have to wait until damn midnight to-"
"I never said we didn'thave towait until midnight, Stardust," pointed out Pinkie. "I just suggested that time."
The young man looked at her friend, and asked, "So, what, you think any time will be work? Like now?"
"Maybe," shrugged Pinkie. "But it would be kinda hard since a whole lot of people are by it right now."
She pointed her finger in the direction of Big Ben, and everyone saw that a massive crowd of tourists were standing by the famous clocktower.
"Well, I could take care of that part," said Discord, as he cracked and flexed his fingers.
"Yeah, but there's still the problem of actually getting up to the actual clock," reminded Stardust, but before he could say more, Rainbow's stomach started to growl.
"Um, Star, can we all go to some place that has good food and no creepy guys trying to harass us?"
Stardust chuckled, and he said, "Sure, Rainbow... I think I know just the place actually."
A few minutes later
The group of friends entered a restaurant that was titledPoppies Fish and Chips,and as they sat at a table, Spike asked, "What made you decide to come here?"
"It had a good response on Yelp," replied Stardust, causing everyone except Discord to be confused.
"Um, what in the hay isYelp?" Applejack asked.
Before Stardust could answer, an elderly female waitress came over to the table, and asked for their orders.
"We'd all like a cup of water, and a plate of fish and chips," answered Stardust, and the waitress smiled kindly at him before walking away.
"Er, what'sfish and chips?" Rainbow asked.
Stardust looked at her friend, and answered, "It's a food dish that I rather enjoy very much, and even though I'm sure that this will be the only time we're all here in England, I figured I would introduce it to you all before we go back home."
Rainbow's stomach growled again, and she said, "Alright, I'll eat almost anything at this point... I'mstarving!"
"Oh, honestly, Rainbow, you act sometimes like you've never eaten a decent meal before," said Rarity, rolling her eyes at her friend.
"Anyway..." exclaimed Twilight, not wanting her friends to start an argument. "We need to figure out how exactly we're going to climb up to the top of Big Ben in order to jump through the clock."
Stardust quickly looked at Pinkie, and asked, "Any of yourhunchesinclude a solution to that?"
"Um... no, I don't think so," replied Pinkie.
Stardust sighed, and he muttered, "Of course, they don't..."
"I wish me and Twilight and Rainbow still had our wings," sighed Fluttershy, with her two friends nodding in agreement.
Then, Spike looked over at Stardust again, and noticed the necklace that he was wearing. "What about that?"
"Huh?" Stardust looked down, and saw the Cutie Mark necklace he'd received from Miles' world. "Wow, I... forgot I even had this on."
"You think you could use it to help take us up to the top?" asked Starlight, and Stardust gave her a shrug.
"If it worked, then... yes, I suppose so, but I might have to make a few trips."
So, they all continued to figure out how their new plan would work, but paused the conversation once the waitress had brought their food.
"Oh, boy, this smells so good," said Rainbow, and she started diving into her meal.
"Wow, Star, you were right," said Spike, who was munching on the French Fries.
"Sheesh, you two can at leasttryto act decent enough to show your table manners" exclaimed Rarity, who had tucked a napkin in her collar before eating her meal.
"Um, Rarity, you don't have to... never mind," said Stardust, who also started eating. "Do you like it, love?"
"Yes, but... why do they call the frieschipsinstead of fries?" Twilight asked, and her boyfriend shrugged.
"I don't care, this stuff tastes awesome," replied Spike. "Your world doesn't seem that bad, bro."
Stardust smirked at the dragon-turned-dog, and said, "It does have its moments... huh, I wonder if my little sister would enjoy this place."
And, here we go.
Before Stardust could ask what Starswirl meant, Twilight suddenly asked, "Um... Jack? Would you want to... perhaps... visit your family before we head back home?"
Stardust remained quiet for a moment, thinking about what the right answer would be, and then, to Twilight's surprise, he shook his head.
"I'm pretty sure that alotof time has passed since the last time I was in England, love, and although I will not lie about the fact that I do miss them, now is not really the best time for me to just randomly appear at my parent's doorstep."
"But, what about your little sister?" asked Twilight.
Rainbow paused her eating to wipe her mouth with a napkin, and asked, "You gave her the photo I signed, right?"
"Yes, Rainbow, and I'm sure that she's kept it in a very safe place," replied Stardust, which made the former Pegasus feel a little better.
Then, looking at Twilight, he said, "She'll be fine, love... and so will I."
Twilight gave him a warm smile, as did Spike, and as they continued to eat, Starswirl spoke to Stardust.
You handled that surprisingly well, my friend.
The young man gave a slight nod of his head, and resumed eating his meal.
Ididgive her the photo, right?
We'll talk about that later, Jack.
#################
Once they finished eating, the group of friends headed straight over to the famous clocktower, and thanks to Discord, no one could see them standing in front of it.
"Alright, I've done my part," said the former draconequus, in a low tone so that none of the humans nearby could hear them. "Now, hurry up and activate your necklace thingy."
"Oh, will you justrelax," hissed Stardust, and he closed his eyes in order to get his newfound power to work.
Think of a wonderful thought
Any happy little thought
Then, the Cutie Mark pendant began to glow, and it shot out two small streaks of white-hot flames that began swirling around Stardust's body, which soon became engulfed in a bright light.
After the light went away, they looked at the spot where Stardust had been... but even though he was now floating in the air, the young man had been turned back into his glowing, gold-coloredsuper sayianpony form, which only Twilight had previously seen.
Opening his eyes, which no longer needed glasses, Stardust looked down at himself, and said, "Huh, I did not know that it could do that."
Looks like we have our own story to uncover.
"Another time," whispered Stardust, and he spoke up after looking at his friends. "Alright, who wants to go first?"
To everyone's surprise, Fluttershy was the first to volunteer, and after seeing that everyone was looking at her, she said, "I'd just like to get it over with as soon as possible."
So, the animal-caring teenager walked over to Stardust, holding onto him the way Lois Lane would hold Superman, and he started levitating upward to the top of Big Ben, at a casual pace so that Fluttershy wouldn't be scared.
"You okay so far?" He asked, and she nodded her head. "Okay, just don't look down."
Around the halfway point, Fluttershy looked at her friend, and said, "Um, Stardust?"
"Yeah?"
"Well... er... since we're alone for the moment, I wanted to know if I could ask you about something?"
Stardust chuckled, and said, "Uh, yeah, sure... what is it?"
A hint of embarrassment appeared on Fluttershy's face as she said, "A few days ago... um, Spike said... well, heaccidentallymentioned to me that-"
"We don't exactly have all day, you know!"
Stardust rolled his eyes, and he yelled back, "Justchill, Discord, I barely got up here right now!"
The two of them turned their heads to look at the giant clock, and Stardust asked, "You ready?"
Fluttershy nodded her head, deciding that she'd ask him another time, and after taking a deep breath, the young teenager jumped out of Stardust's arms, heading straight towards the clock...
... and falling through a gateway portal that had suddenly appeared.
"Starswirl?"
Yes?
"Pleasetell me you havesomeexplanation to give me as to how Pinkie knew about-"
I honestly wish I could, Jack, but even I have learned by now that one simply does not question Miss Pie.
"I figured you'd say that," muttered Stardust, who had quickly flown back down to the ground. "Alright, who's next?"
"Me, me!" Pinkie cried, and she hopped into Stardust's open arms. "Go fast, okay?"
"This isn't some type of ride, Pinkie," reminded Stardust. "Butif you say so, I suggest youhang on."
Whoosh!
Stardust quickly zoomed up to the top of Big Ben, while Pinkie squealed with excitement. "Wheee!"
Once they were at the top, Pinkie gave Stardust a quickthank-youhug, and sang, "Ah-pink-skadoo, I can too!"
She leaped away from Stardust, jumping into the portal, and the young pony laughed to himself as he re-joined his friends. "Next?"
After making sure that her hat was on tightly, Applejack walked over to Stardust, and said, "Let's do this, sugarcube."
Stardust nodded his head, and headed up at regular speed to the top of Big Ben.
"Oh, and Star? I'm sorry 'bout blamin' you for the barn being destroyed and all."
Stardust chuckled, and shook his head, saying, "No worries, AJ... I'm just glad you didn't get hurt again."
Casey chose to go after Applejack, but he decided to climb onto his back, and wrap his arms around Stardust's neck.
"I hope that your Twilight isn't worried to death about you," said Stardust.
Casey smiled at his friend's concern, and replied, "If I know her well enough by now, Star, she'll be safely reading a book in the library when I return."
Rairty went next, and when Stardust was halfway to the top, she also gave him an apology.
"I do apologize for hurting you with my broom, Stardust... am I forgiven?"
"Yes, Rarity, and don't worry," replied the gold pony. "I've taken a lot worse than your broom."
Rainbow decided to go after Rarity, but as they made their way up to the top, she was surprisingly silent.
Starswirl?
The chance will come soon, my friend.
After her was Sunset, who said, "This actually doesn't look that bad on you, Star. I'm impressed."
"Thanks," replied Stardust, as well as giving her a smirk. "But ittotallytops any of the looks that you and the others have had back in your world."
A minute or so later, after he returned, Starlight walked up to him next, and she asked, "Still thinking about your past?"
"I'll be fine," assured Stardust. "But thanks again... you've certainly learned a lot from Twilight, haven't you?"
"Well... I mean, I'm not always a perfect student," replied a bashful Starlight. "But I really am glad that I get to learn from her."
Just as I'm sure Miss Shimmer is glad to learn what she can from you.
After she had safely gone through the portal, Stardust floated back down, and saw that the only ones left now were Twilight, Spike, and Discord.
"Let's get this over with," muttered Stardust, referring to the spirit of disharmony.
To his surprise, Discord shook his head, and said, "No need to worry yourself about me, Jack-Jack...ta-ta!"
Pulling out aMary Poppinsumbrella from his pants pocket, Discord made his way up to the top of the clocktower, while Stardust shook his head. "Unbelievable."
Then, he looked over at Twilight, and gave her a warm smile. "Ready, love?"
Twilight nodded her head, and as she climbed into her boyfriend's arms, the young princess asked, "Are you going to miss seeing me... like this?"
"Well, I certainly won't forget, love," replied Stardust, grinning at her. "And as long as I'll always be able to make you blush..."
Twilight couldn't help but blush after hearing that, especially for what she was preparing to ask him. "Then, um... before we go, would you mind if I... if we..."
Stardust smirked, and raised an eyebrow at her, which made her say, "I mean, we've kissed in Ponyville, in Sunset's world... and we might not ever come back her for a long time..."
"I understand completely, love," replied Stardust, and the two of them slowly began to prepare for a loving, passionate kiss that would-
Whoosh!
Spike leaped into Twilight's arms, getting in between herself and Stardust, and he said, "Come on, bro, I want to go home already!"
Stardust frowned at the small dog, and shook his head while also muttering to himself before flying up to the top of Big Ben.
I"Well... at least we're back to normal again!"
Stardust looked around, and said, "Yeah...sure..."
On a positive note, everyone was back to looking like their regular self, aside fromSuper SayianStardust, and it looked like they were back in Ponyville.
"But why does it feel so different?" wondered Stardust.
Pinkie shrugged her small shoulders, and replied, "It's not like things could get any worse!"
"Well, well, well... I've been waiting such a long time for you."
Everypony turned around, and saw themselves facing a pony that looked almost a lot like Starlight, but more...evil...and her mane was in the original style that she'd had at her old village.
"Are you a clone of Starlight from the Mirror Pool?" Pinkie Pie asked, and the newly-arrived Starlight shook her head.
"No, and just for the sake of time, you can call meAnti-Starlight," replied the sinister unicorn. "But you're definitelynotheading home now... also, allow me to welcome you toAnti-Equestria."
Pinkie Pie waited a moment before saying, "Okay, well... we aretechnicallyin Equestria, so... things can't be worse than that!"
ROAR!
Everypony except Anti-Starlight looked up, and saw averyfamiliar purple dragon with green spikes across its body.
"Um, Twilight, darling," pointed out Rarity. "I don't recall Spikey Wikey ever beingthatbig and... er, mean-looking on the day of his birthday."
Twilight was too speechless to speak, while Stardust said, "I'd hate to break it to you, but that doesnotlook like someone who wants to be calledSpikey Wikey."
Pinkie gulped, and once again, she said, "But, I mean... things can't be worse than that, right?"
ROAR!
The group of friends leaped away in different directions, trying to avoid being burned by massive green flames, and Stardust yelled, "Stopsaying that,Pinkie!"
"Well, it can't!"
ROAR!
Anti-Spike first started to chase after Stardust, Twilight, and Casey, who all ended up running into the nearest building they could get to.
"Everyone okay?" Stardust asked, and Twilight nodded her head, as did Casey.
"I'm just glad for once that Pinkie isn't here to... you know..." said the orange-yellow pony.
Stardust nodded his head in agreement, but then, all three of them almost froze after they heard averyfamiliar voice.
"Well, look who has decided to join us this evening."
Casey turned around, and his body color began turning pale. "It's... it's..."
Stardust and Twilight turned around, and quickly noticed that they were in some type of restaurant.
Unfortunately, its occupants consisted of Queen Chrysalis, pony versions of the Dazzlings fromRainbow Rocks, Tirek, the Tantabus, and...
"Oh, [BEEP]!"