//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: A Mirrored Reunion // by currentlemon //------------------------------// “This place is amazing!” squealed Pear Butter. Her pitch was so high that the ponies began to gawk at her. Nevertheless, Pear ignored them and continued down Ponyville’s road. Pear was amazed at what she saw. Sure, it was rather large for a country town, but the scenery was outright beautiful. Rolling green hilltops stretched for miles. Houses made of wood and hay blocked some of the view, but they fit the country theme rather well. Pear smiled. Forget little girls; this place is every country boy and girl’s dream! This town is wonderful! It reminds me of my childhood before Canterlot City grew and expanded to the way it is now. People nowadays forget that our city used to be a quiet country town. The pony populace was also a sight to see. She was marveled by the different ponies she saw. Unicorns, Pegasi, and even the “normal” ponies all trotting and socializing with one another. Some even had little colts and fillies who followed them around. These ponies have their own families! Oh my gosh, that’s adorable! Pear giggled. I wonder what it would be like if I raised my children in this world? I can imagine my little Apple Bloom following me around like those fillies over there. That would be so cute! Despite her excitement, Pear took notice of a few bizzare details. The first was that the ponies had a variety of coats and manes. Each of them had different colors that filled the entire color spectrum. Though some colored coats were fairly standard, such as red, blue, and yellow, there were still a few whose coat’s stood out among the crowd. Some even ranged from having mint-green to brightly colored pink! Seeing these ponies with these bright pastel colors feels strange. Pear raised her eyebrow as a pony with a light purple mane trotted past her. Definitely something I need to get used to. The second thing that stood out were these strange tattoo markings on their flanks. They all had them, excluding some of the younger colts and fillies. Some were related to produce and various flowers. Some pegasus ponies had marks that had something to do with clouds. Pear could even spot ponies with tattoos related to musical instruments. There were a few that had some rather odd-looking ones. Pear noticed grey pegasus mare who stood out. Her tattoo appeared to be a group of floating bubbles. Her eyes even stood out as well, as they appeared to be distorted. Pear scratched her head. That pony sure does looks familiar. I don’t know why, but I’m gettin’ the strangest feelin’ that I’ve met that pony before. “Oh, my Celestia! Look at that mare!” Pear’s ears perked up. “She’s really pretty, don’t you think? She could give Rarity and Mrs. Love Tap a run for their bits!” Pear looked around and noticed a group of ponies, particularly mares, had gathered around her. Some appeared to be at awe, while others seemed envious. Uh oh, looks like I’m garnerin’ the attention of some mares. I need to go, now! Pear trotted faster pace, hoping that she could avoid crowd of jealous mares. Her attempts were fruitless, as more mares gathered around her. Having no other choice, Pear dashed forward, away from the crowds, pushing and shoving any pony that got in her way. Some mares followed her, but they were too slow and could not keep up. Eventually, they gave up and went on their merry way. Seeing that the crowd had dispersed, Pear slowed down a bit. That was way too close! I hope those ponies I pushed won’t be too mad at me. I already got into enough trouble today with that bossy unicorn. Don’t need any more of it. Pear moved forward, continued to admire the buildings and rolling hilltops she passed by. She soon spotted another pony family. An earth pony mare and a unicorn stallion were chatting with each other. With them was a unicorn filly, who was busy chasing butterflies. Pear watched as the filly snuggled with her mother, who in return, muzzled her back. Aw, how adorable! Pear smiled as the pony family trotted away. I wonder, how would my family look as ponies? Would we be the same as them? She scratched her head. Well, I doubt Bright Mac would be a unicorn or a pegasus. He’d be a normal pony just like me: tall, strong, and handsome, too. The kids would be normal too. Big Mac would look more like his father, while Applejack and Apple Bloom be more like me. It also makes me wonder how Granny Smith would look as a pony? Pear chuckled at the mere thought. That big old mother-in-law of mine. I swear, she acts like she’s a lot younger than she is now. With her moving around all the time, she can drive Bright Mac crazy!   She sighed. I can think about all this later. I still have a town to explore! Pear continued to travel Ponyville’s dirt road. Along the way, she noticed many ponies gathering in a certain area. At first, she thought the ponies were eyeballing her again, but this wasn’t the case. She trotted closer to the crowd, trying her best to see what’s going on. As soon she did, Pear saw multiple stalls lined up together in a single line. Ponies stood behind them, selling goods to any who visited them. This must be the town’s marketplace. She trotted closer to the stalls, examining what items the ponies are selling. I’m seeing mostly produce here. I’m guessing this is where the ponies do their grocery shopping. “Why, hello there!” Pear Butter froze. Someone was calling out to her, but who? “Excuse me, ma’am, I’m over here!” Pear turned to her side and saw a trio of mares standing behind the stall. One of them was waving to her. She had greyish green eyes that went perfectly with her pale-yellow coat. Her mane had a moderate raspberry color and she had a picture of a rose as her tattoo. “Good Morning, ma’am,” said the flower pony. “I noticed you’ve been browsing along the shops here. Are you interested in buying anything?” “N-no, I’m just looking around,” replied Pear Butter. “Well, if you’re interested, I have a great selection of freshly picked flowers here.” The rose pony pointed to the flowers that were placed on her stall. “Whether you want to give them to the stallion you love or treat yourself to a morning snack, these flowers are the best in town! You’ll get no better quality anywhere else!” Pear tilted her head. Ponies eat flowers as snacks. That’s… no, that should be expected. Ponies are herbivores, so this shouldn’t be surprising. “Sorry, I’m not hungry at the moment,” said Pear Butter, shaking her head. “Thank you for the offer though.” “Don’t mention it,” replied the rose pony. “Remember, if you need flowers to give to your special somepony, or if you need a healthy snack, come visit our flower stall!” “I will, thank you!” said Pear Butter. Somepony? They use horse puns in their language? After waving goodbye to the flower pony, Pear Butter continued her trek down Ponyville Marketplace. Out of curiosity, she examined each stall. Although she gathered the attention of some sales ponies, Pear declined all offers given to her. It’s not like I can buy anything here. I don’t have money, at least not what these ponies use. If I try to purchase anything, I’m bound to garner some attention. Can’t let that happen. Pear did her best to avoid any shopkeeper from noticing her. Some called out on her, but she just smiled and politely declined. I need to get out of here, fast. She dashed through the crowd, trotting as fast as she could to avoid attention. However, she ended up getting lost in her scurrying. This place is so big! Where exactly am I, right now? “Excuse me, ma’am?” Pear jumped. Somehow, a pony had crept up behind her while she wasn’t looking. “Excuse me, ma’am, but can I have your attention please?” the pony said again. Judging by his rough voice, it appeared to be male. Pear sighed. Oh great, another shopkeeper. Darn it, I’ve just had enough with these ponies! Guess I should address him first before moving on. She turned and gave a warm, fake smile. “Why good morning sir! I’m terribly sorry about that, I was lost in thought. May I help you with something—” Pear froze as she took a good look the pony behind her. As she correctly guessed, the pony was a stallion, but something felt off. He was a bit bigger than her, taller too. His coat had a light brown color and his mane was completely grey. Pear saw that he even had a mustache as well. And the pony tattoo on his flank was a picture of a burnt oak branch. Pear couldn’t put her hoof on it, but she had the feeling she knew this pony. “Is something wrong, ma’am?” asked the stallion. Pear flinched. “Oh, no, sorry about that. Like I said, I was just lost in thought. Didn’t mean to stay quiet like that.” “If you say so,” the stallion replied, turning away in response. Pear tilted her head. “Um, may I help—” “Oh, there you are, Burnt Oak!” Pear’s ears perked up when she heard another pony’s voice close by. Judging by her voice, it appeared feminine. Was it someone this stallion knew? “I was looking for you in the marketplace and I couldn’t find you.” The feminine voice drew closer to the two ponies. “I guessed you moved your cart away from there, due to the large crowd. I can’t blame you. It’s busy over there for some reason.” The stallion turned to face the mare. “Why, good morning, Mrs. Cake. Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to leave my usual spot. I just got distracted.” Pear blinked. Wait, what? Mrs. Cake? “Distracted?” asked the mare. “By what?” “This pony right here.” The stallion stepped away from Pear Butter, causing the two mares to get a good look at each other. Pear examined the mare thoroughly. She had a light blue coat with dark pink eyes that matched perfectly with it. She had a light crimson mane that curled awkwardly above her head, and her pony tattoo was a picture of three cupcakes. Pear’s jaw dropped, completely dumbfounded by the mare’s appearance. The other mare wasn’t faring any better either. She too was in complete shock. Her jaw stood agape and struggled to balance herself. Pear gulped. Her throat felt rather dry. This mare looked exactly like her longtime friend. She may be a pony sure, but her features were mostly the same. They had the same look, same hairstyle, and even the same voice. Pear had to know. She trotted toward the confused mare and asked her a question. “Chiffon? Chiffon is that you?” The mare gasped and reeled back, stumbling on all four hooves as Pear began to approach her. She immediately lost her balance and fell hard on the ground. Her action caught Pear by surprise, who at first wanted to help her up. However, the expression on the mare’s face caused Pear to stop. The mare was terrified of her. Pear could see this due her facial expression. It looked like she seen a ghost. But why was this mare scared of her? Was it something she did? All she did was ask for her name. Pear tried to call the mare out one more time, but her efforts were futile. As soon as she did, the mare panicked. Her reaction was worse than before, as she soon got off the ground and ran away. “Wait, come back!” cried Pear Butter. Her cries did not help as pony Chiffon blended back into the crowd. She was about follow, but the stallion from before stood her in way. “Yer not goin’ anywhere,” said the stallion in a much colder tone. “What are you talking about?” asked Pear Butter. “I just want to speak to that pony!” “No, yer not!” The stallion began to glare at Pear Butter. “Ah don’t know what yer plannin’, changeling, but you should drop that disguise, right now.” “What are you talking about?” asked Pear Butter. “What’s a changeling?” The stallion shook his head. “Look, I know that you and yer species already came clean with Equestria, but what yer doin’ right now is bad. You need to drop that disguise right now before you get yerself in trouble.” “Please sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” cried Pear Butter. “I don’t want to hear it,” said the stallion, ignoring Pear’s cries. “Please, drop the disguise and move on. Do it before somepony gets hurt. I don’t want ya wandering around Ponyville wearing that form.” Pear watched as the stallion trotted away. She tried to call on him, but he ignored her and blended back into the crowd. She sat flat on the ground, confused. Questions began to pop in her head. Why did that mare run away? Why was she scared of her? Why was that stallion so angry with her? What is a changeling? And, why did those two ponies look so familiar? Pear sat on the ground, trying to think about what just happened. Eventually, several ponies had crowded around her. It seemed like most of them were leaving the area. Deciding it was best not to stick around, Pear stood up and left the marketplace behind.