The three alicorns stood in the large meeting room detailing their plan to the white-coated unicorn with a purple mane. The unicorn's cloven hooves tapped on the stone floor as she uneasily listened.
"Rarity, you've been patiently quiet this whole time and for that I'm glad but I would like to hear what you have to say about this change in our plan." Solarus' voice was regal and commanding as she held her head high up looking down at the thin frail looking unicorn.
The princess unicorn measured her words and thought very hard about what to say to her two queens and this version of Twilight and after a few heavy breaths the unicorn spoke, "We cannot have you take those two during this juncture of the settlement's life."
The sisters looked at each other confused. "Rarity, would you be so kind as to skip the normal formalities and tell us what is wrong with those two being taken for lessons in this world?" Solarus' concern bled through her words shocking Rarity.
"Just this morning I was given notice from the last settlement trading with us that they can no longer spare anything. We haven't enough ponies to work the land, nor enough to defend it when attacks come our way. We may be the most peaceful settlement in Rootbase but we are also the smallest and dying." Rarity held her head as high as she could, looking at the three with unblinking eyes. "It is for that reason that I have chosen to dissolve our settlement and migrate the remaining villagers to other nearby settlements. I have not broken this news to the settlement yet but I cannot let those two come here until they have moved with their families to another settlement." Though she was trying with all her might, tears welled at the bottom of her eyes.
"It sounds like you are set on dissolving the settlement princess Rarity. But maybe there is another way?" Cold Embace's words were a bit distant as if she was thinking of something else as she spoke. Her eyes moved from the frail-looking unicorn to the purple ruler. "Maybe you can accommodate a small settlement in your lands?"
Twilight's wings rose shapely and she scrambled to form words. "Wait wait wait, I don't even know what is going on with her settlement or how moving the whole thing over into this world would help? Are you just grabbing at straws?"
The two sisters looked confused before the unicorn spoke up, "I think she is asking if you two have thought this path through. To which I must agree. I don't think this is how we solve this dilemma."
"My sister may have spoken rashly but I do think dissolving the settlement and breaking up those family ties isn't the answer either," Solarus said with a more calming tone. "I think we need to have a word with those other settlements on sharing their goods and workforces."
The unicorn's face betrayed her excitement before she could compose herself. "If you two can manage that I believe we can let the scholar and her mate free to train in this new world. Though I would be remiss if I did not mention that they would miss their friends."
"For only two months? I don't think they'd miss them for that short period." The white alicorn said in a mild shock.
Rarity laughed for the first time since Princess Twilight had laid eyes on her. "You said that this would be for training correct? Two months is not enough time for those two to learn what you want them to." The unicorn said with a knowing smirk on her face.
"We shall contact the other settlements to arrange for what your settlement needs. Then you make sure those two come through the metal portal. Understood?" The white alicorn's voice was more relieved than it should have been but was still none the less soothing.
The white unicorn nodded with a bright smile on her muzzle and bounded off down the stone hallway. The three alicorns formed a semicircle looking at one another.
"Well she's a little different than the one I know, but she's got a good head on her," Twilight spoke breaking the ice.
"We chose her for that quality among others. Though it worries me that the other settlements are withholding their support," Solarus gave a heavy sigh before continuing, "but that is something me and my sister here will have to deal with in due time. For now, we need to get those settlements to send aid so that our pupils can get to learning." She stopped herself and laughed. "Sorry, I guess I've been hanging around the country folk for a hair too long." Her sister rolled her eyes before smirking.
"Maybe you have but seeing their core values are solid most of the time it's not all bad." Cold Embrace said with a cold but heartfelt chuckle. "For now, Twilight Sparkle, we must tend to this matter then we shall send the two students for you to train. Well, you and your friends."
"If I may, would it be too much trouble to allow my counterpart and her mate to see their friends every so often?" Twilight inquired of the two sisters.
"We," Solarus started, "could do that but we would need to make another metal gate in their settlement. Hmm, that may be better for their mental state then exiling them for," her face grew worried. "How long do you think it will take Twilight?" Her face retained the worry her words conveyed.
"I can't be sure. If they are quick studies it'll take less time but rushing them will only hinder their learning." The purple ruler said with a reassuring smile.
"Sounds like you have everything planned out already," Solarus said with the worry from her face melting into a stern look. Her sister stepped forward and pushed her body against Solarus'.
"Dear sister, it seems you are worrying over details again. Let us away so that we can set our students on their path." Cold said looking up at her sister from her slightly bowed stance.
The white alicorn with the glowing mane looked at her sister for a few seconds before signing heavily. "You might be right sister. Twilight Sparkle, we shall send Princess Rarity along with our pupils when their settlement can let them study here. It shouldn't be more than a month's time."
Twilight bowed her head slightly, "Understood. My friends and I will get ready in the meantime. My pupil may even be able to assist in their learning." The purple alicorn showed signs of giddiness which caused a soft laugh to come from the other two alicorns.
The three said their goodbyes and parted ways. A full moon would have passed before that metal portal stirred once more.
The purple alicorn and her dragon assistant were in the throne room looking over some of the latest paperwork. Their silence was disturbed by the sounds of hooves on stone. Through the doorway leading to that throne room a white unicorn with a purple mane and cloven hooves bounded in.
"There you two are. I knew I should have learned the layout of your castle the last time I was here." The frail-looking unicorn said without a hint of fatigue.
"Rarity, it is nice to see you again. Did you bring Twilight and her mate?" The princess of friendship asked looking up from her paperwork as her assistant stared on slack-jawed.
"Who, is that?" The white unicorn asked, staring back at the purple and green dragon.
"Oh, that's Spike. I could have sworn you met him when you first arrived here." Twilight responded. To which the dragon and unicorn both shook their heads. "Oh, well, Yes. This is Spike, my assistant. He may be helping with some of the lessons I have planned for those two."
"Are, Dragons friendly here?" Rarity asked with clear nervousness in her tone and pose.
Twilight looked confused, "Mostly, why?"
"Rarity!? Where are you!" A familiar voice rang out from down the hall making the white unicorn a bit more nervous.
"Maybe it would be best to ease them into this concept slowly. Dragons where we live aren't friendly and have done a fair bit of harm to their lives." The volume in which Rarity spoke was just faint enough for the other two to hear but it was clear she was more talking to herself. She turned about and looked down the hall before she shouted, "Down here you two! Just take that left and you'll be in the throne room!"
"This place is huge!" The familiar voice rang out again in reply.
"Is there going to be a problem with Spike being here?" Twilight asked with a fair bit of concern.
"We'll find out in a minute won't we?" The frail-looking unicorn said over her shoulder as two ponies charged down the hall.
"Keep up Twilight!" A rainbow maned pegasus mare shouted as she flew through the doorway with a purple earthen mare trailing not too far behind. The pegasus stopped when she saw the princess of friendship and dropped to the ground with a bow. "Terribly sorry your highness! I didn't mean to make a disturbance." The mare said not looking up from her bow.
The princess of friendship was noticeably surprised and was about to speak when the purple maned earthen pony strolled up beside the bowing pegasus. The earthen pony looked at the ruler of Equestria with confusion and a tilted head before the pegasus pulled her into a bow. Rarity walked to the rainbow maned one's side before tapping her hoof on the pegasus' head. "No need for all that. Get up and introduce yourselves." The white unicorn said with a soft laugh.
The two mares stood up, the one with a rainbow mane and light blue coat was still slightly bowed but the lavender one's head was high and her chest pushed out. "My name is Twilight Sparkle and I'm the best spell weaver of our settlement, even after all the new ponies." She said with pride on her face.
"I-I'm the active scholar of the same settlement my mate is from. O-oh and my name is Rainbow Dash." The rainbow maned mare spoke in a very proper tone if a bit shaky. Hearing this caused the wings of the purple alicorn shot up in surprise.
"Your mate!?" Was the first thing that came out of the alicorn's mouth as even her dragon assistant's jaw dropped. This caused the unicorn, earthen pony, and pegasus to jump a little.
"Yes, your majesty. You were informed of Twilight having a mate before." Rarity was very confused even as she remained calm speaking to the princess of friendship.
"Yes, well, I wasn't told the name of her mate before as your queens didn't seem to remember it." The princess of friendship said followed by a nervous giggle.
"I'm not that surprised. To be quite frank I was more surprised that I was included in Twilight's special training." The pegasus said with a flap of her wings before looking off in no real direction.
"Pfft, I'm just surprised it took them that long to have you take part in my studies. You are the most awesome mare I know." The purple earthen pony said getting her mate's attention and looking her in the eye with a smile. The rainbow maned pegasus blushed slightly and kicked her hoof a little as she looked at the ground. This side profile of the earthen pony made the princess of friendship more aware of something she was overlooking before.
"Excuse me Twilight, but what type of magic tricks do you perform?" The purple alicorn said, thinking that there was a miscommunication.
The earthen pony tilted her head with one ear lowering as her face twisted, "Huh? I use magic, not parlor tricks."
"But you're not... I don't mean any disrespect but you are lacking a horn to do magic." The purple alicorn said with a very nervous look on her face.
With but a huff from the purple pony, she spun around with her hind hoof tracing the ground. Sparks jumped from the stone as the mare's hoof raked along it. Rainbow Dash and Rarity hastily jumped away from Twilight as she wrote in the stone with her hooves. The princess of friendship watched the purple pony dance around making sparks on the throne room floor as the earthen pony did. When that Twilight finished her dance she jumped into the air and slammed her front hooves down on the edge of the circle she made. A ring of light rose from the circle before bright green roots shot from within the ring of light and formed into a couch.
The purple earthen pony jumped over the back of the green root couch and laid down on the inside of it.
"It's comfier than it looks. " Twilight said with a smirk on her face.
Both the princess of friendship and her dragon assistant looked on with mouths agape.
"Wait, what?! Have you been lying to me all this time about unicorns Twilight?!" Her dragon assistant asked loudly as he pointed a claw at the reclining earthen pony.
"Spike! No, I have not been!" The princess of friendship shouted back before refacing the, now laughing, earthen pony as she wiggled on the wooden couch with laughter.
"Is this not a normal occurrence in your lands Princess Twilight?" Rarity said looking a fair bit concerned at the whole display.
"N-no it really isn't. In Equestria. No. In our world, magic is only used by those with horns and those with artifacts made by magic. To see an earth pony use magic at all is very surprising, to say the least." Though princess Twilight was talking to Rarity she was keeping her eyes on the laughing Twilight on the wooden couch she made.
"Whoa really? That's not something I was expecting to run into in a parallel world populated by ponies and having peace reign." Rainbow Dash's words felt a bit disjointed by it was clear she was just as surprised as princess Twilight and her assistant.
They simply shook their heads and silence filled the air. Soon Rarity sighed and moved over to the laying Twilight with the grace of a deer.
"Twilight, would you be a dear and put that away. I need to get you two ready for your lessons so that I can return to the settlement." Rarity said with her gaze softened. Twilight looked up at her with one eye a few seconds before she got out of the wooden couch and slammed the ground with her hooves. A ring of light glowed before the green vine-like wood withdrew into the stone floor and disappeared. The earthen pony then bowed to Rarity.
"Sorry, I just hate it when ponies keep telling me I can't." The purple pony said within her bow before she rose to face the white unicorn.
"It's okay Twilight I think you scared our hosts more than did any harm so I have no issues with what you did. I just wish you'd give more warning before you start weaving your magic." Rarity said as she faced the earthen pony. "It'll give me more time to prepare myself." The white unicorn said under her breath as she turned around. To which the earthen pony just struggled.
"So earth ponies and unicorns can use magic?" The princess of friendship said with a surprised tone.
Rarity shook her head. "What Twilight just used is Circle Magic. Any pony can use that. It is pretty powerful stuff but most need to draw the circles in order to use them. Unicorn's magic and Pegasus tricks us a different sort of magic." The white unicorn calmly said.
"Pegasus," The purple alicorn said as one of her wings loosened to the floor. "Tricks? So, not just unicorns have magic in your world?"
Rarity let out a polite laugh before she spoke, "No no. Earthen ponies made the Circle Magics for everyone to use, the pegasus has their tricks that they can only use in the air, and unicorns have their horn magic." The frail thin unicorn recovered from her laughing fit. "Is it so strange to see magic being used by others?"
"Well, as I just said, the only spells we cast here are from horned creatures. So it might be best if you keep that magic hidden from our world." Princess Twilight said as she looked her counterpart in the eye from afar.
The purple earth pony's face sprung into shock. "You want me to stop using magic?!" She shouted with her face twisting into a panic. "No, no way. You can't be serious."
"I understand the depth of my request, but it is just that, a request. I don't want to cause the creatures of Equestria to go into a panic because of this." The princess of friendship spoke in a calm leveled tone.
"What if I just don't teach ponies how to use the magic? An-and clean up my circles after I'm done using them?" The earthen pony writhed standing up as she shot out ideas.
"I think that might be okay. If no one learns how you use magic it should only awe creatures." Princess Twilight said with a nod. To which the earthen counterpart smiled and clapped her hooves on the ground.
"That's all well and good, oh ruler of this land, but what about my tricks? They aren't as easy to learn so I should be fine using them so long as I don't teach anyone how to use them right?" Rainbow Dash spoke clear and loud to the princess of friendship. Giving the princess a bit of start.
"Oh?! Well, yes, that should be fine though you might have more issues with some of your teachers wanting to learn that Twilight there will." The princess of friendship said with a small awkward laugh.
The three ponies standing across from the princess of friendship and her dragon assistant tilted their heads in confusion before looking between themselves.
"Whatever do you mean?" The thin unicorn said after she regained some composure.
With a soft sigh, Princess Twilight spoke, "I should tell you the names of your teachers at this time. There is me, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Starlight Glimmer, and Rainbow Dash. They are all my good friends and will be your teachers. You will also be learning alongside my other student Luster Dawn. Though I imagine your lessons will be different as she isn't learning about peaceful times but friendship."
"HA! I knew it!" Rainbow Dash blurted out as she shot up into the air with her rather large wings. This caused Rarity to droop some with a heavy sigh.
"Whatever is the matter now Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked the winged pony as she nimbly danced around the air.
The rainbow maned mare slammed down by Rarity. "My theory is correct! There are other worlds in which we are all friends and any number of variations of our personalities and/or abilities!"
"That's an awfully big jump in logic there my active scholar. The Princess of these lands here didn't even tell us anything about her friends other than their names." The white unicorn said as she shook her head.
"But that's where you are wrong Princess. She said that one of them would want to learn about the pegasus tricks, and she said their names, conventionally leaving my name for last. This tells me that my counterpart in this world would seek out that information even knowing that the teacher may not be a master of it. Something, I would remind you, I would never do." The somewhat small pegasus with large wings and a rainbow mane finished talking with her chest pushed out and a large smile on her face.
The earthen pony giggled before cooing at her mate. "Way ta go love." The earthen mare said mimicking her mate's pose.
Rarity turned to face the flabbergasted princess before she spoke, "Is any of this true?"
"Yes well... How did you... Okay, give me a second to wrap my head around what just happened." The purple princess wore her confusion for all to see as she spoke. "So, I think my Rainbow Dash will want to learn your tricks and might hound you for that information. But I'm surprised at how fast you got all that from just a few sentences."
"Pfft, I'm an active scholar oh ruler of these lands. It's my job to find the truth and information on any question brought to my library, and books don't always have the information I seek." Rainbow Dash spoke with pride in her tone, which made her mate start to walk around their princess and lean against her.
"I love it when you get confident Rainbow Dash." The, now blushing, purple earth mare said as she brushed against her mate's side. This caused Rainbow Dash to blush slightly.
"Could you two cool it?" Rarity said with slight glare at the two love birds.
They giggled softly and pushed away from each other. Princess Twilight smiled as she shook her head.
"Well, I'm impressed by you Rainbow Dash and you Twilight Sparkle." The princess of friendship spoke before she stood up. "I had my doubts about how fast your queens what me to teach you two about peace but I can see now that I don't have to worry."
Rarity looked at Princess Twilight with a grimace. "I feel you are jumping to conclusions Twilight, but I hope you have better judgment than I." Rarity's face was stern to drive her point, of how serious she was, home.
The earthen pony jumped up and started to panic. "Oh no! Oh no oh on!"
Rarity face the panicking mare, "What is it Twilight?"
"The fireberry wine! I fought it!" The purple mare spoke with grave worry but Rarity just sighed heavily.
"Then you'll have to do without your wine until Applejack meets up with you in a few weeks." Rarity's tone didn't sound as worried as Twilight's did.
"I don't think wine is going to be useful for learning things over here Twilight," Spike said with a laugh.
"What?! No no! It is for the nights... with... my mate." The purple mare said as she hung her head and the light blue pegasus draped her wing over the mare's shoulder.
"It's okay Twilight. I'm sure I can warm you up to a summer's heat in the meantime." The rainbow maned mare spoke in a gentle whisper to her mate as she leaned against the purple mare's body.
"It seems that this fireberry wine is pretty important to her, but what is it?" The princess asked with a hint of concern.
"It's a wine that bestows the summer's heat on a mare or stallion who drinks it." Rarity spoke as if reciting a poem.
"Umm, okay so what's the summer's heat?" The purple dragon asked, spreading his arms as he did.
"Oh?! Well, you see, when two love each other very much, and it is a warm summer's night..." Rarity spoke with an awkward tone before the princess of friendship interrupted with wide eyes.
"OH! Okay, we get it. It's a mate thing. Gotcha. How about we move on to who you two will be learning from first and who you'll be spending your first night with down in Ponyville?" Princess Twilight's voice sounded rushed as she moved on from the topic at hand.
"Ponyville? Is that the place your friends live?" Rarity asked as Rainbow Dash coddled her mate.
"Ponyville is indeed where my friends live. You'll need to take a train there but my student Luster Dawn will be by shortly to assist you two in getting there." Princess Twilight said with a gentle nod. Though to her surprise the three ponies before her tilted their heads.
"What's a train?" Rainbow Dash asked without a hint of jovialness. The dragon's mouth hung down in shock as did the princess of friendship's jaw.
"It's a machine that transports a large number of creatures over vast distances at higher speeds." The princess of friendship said as the three looked on. Rarity remained with her head tilted, as did the purple earthen pony, but Rainbow Dash's face lit up brightly as the train was explained.
Shooting up into the air, causing her mate to fall onto her side, Rainbow Dash flew around shouting excitedly but it wasn't in a tongue the princess of friendship was used to. She soon landed a bit closer to the ruler of Equestria before bowing.
"I'm sorry for my outburst. I'm just very excited to see advancements in technology in person." Rainbow said with her hooves tapping the stone lightly.
"Sorry for my tardiness Princess Twilight. I was held up at the gate for some reason." The voice of a young pink unicorn with an orange striped mane rang out from behind the three visitors, as the unicorn walked in with her solid hooves clacking on the stone floor.
"I'm glad to see you again my student," Twilight spoke up so they all could hear her. "This is Luster Dawn, and you two will be accompanying her to Ponyville. Luster Dawn, these are my newest students who will be learning about peaceful times and how to coup with them. Meet," Twilight paused to let Luster take in who she was looking at. "Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle. They are the visitors from the far off world I told you about in my letter."
"This is wild. She looks almost like you princess!" Luster Dawn exclaimed as she looked at the earthen pony. Then her gaze shifted over to the rainbow maned pegasus. "And you look just like the Rainbow Dash I'm learning from. This is going to be so exciting!"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high, young one. From what I've gathered I'm a bit different than the Rainbow Dash you know." Rainbow Dash said with her wings folding in as she turned more fully to Luster Dawn.
"Young one? You're no older than me." Luster Dawn pointed out earnestly.
"I am inclined to agree with our new friend here Rainbow Dash." Rarity chimed in standing next to Luster showing how different the two were.
"And you are? Well, you sort of look like Rarity but, um, thinner." Luster pointed out as she stood almost a full head shorter than Rarity did.
"My name is indeed Rarity but I'm not sure how alike I am to the one you know. I may get the chance to find out soon but for now, I'll have to say that it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Luster Dawn." Rarity bowed with one cloven hoof raised after she finished speaking.
"I didn't mean any disrespect by my age placing Luster Dawn. I just felt you were younger than you looked from how excited you were just now. It was quite frankly adorable." Rainbow Dash said with a bow of her own.
"Okay, so you are really different from the Rainbow I know." Luster replied.
"Shall we away? I feel that we might have more time to talk on the journey to this Ponyville than we will have words to fill it." Rarity said with a bright smile and a gentle nod.
"Wait, you'll be following them Rarity? Want about your settlement?" Spike showed a mix of concern and confusion in his words.
"My, you are not like dragons I know of back home." Rarity replied. Upon hearing this Rainbow and Twilight shot glares at Spike which made him recoil. "Now now you two. He isn't like the dragons from our world. So don't treat him the same. I haven't been." Though the two's bodies relaxed their eyes stared hard at Spike as if waiting for him to make a wrong move. "To answer your question, dragon."
"My name is Spike." The purple dragon said, trying not to lock gazes with the two mates bearing down on him with their sight.
"Right then, Spike. I have to accompany these two to where they will be spending the most time to set up a metal gate. It will allow their friends and me to meet up with them more easily and allow me to check in on them more frequently without the, um, train was it?" Rarity's question caused a nod from the princess of friendship. "Right, the train ride."
"That makes sense I suppose. So, now that this is a thing, why are these two giving me such harsh glares?" Spike inquired, still keeping his gaze from locking with the two.
"The short answer to that is dragons, where we live, are destroyers and cannot make anything on their own save for their own young. We don't have good ties with any dragons in our lands and thus keep them under a watchful eye." Rarity spoke with a rasp to her voice as if fighting off a painful memory.
Princess Twilight's wings pulled up a bit as an idea struck her. "Spike why don't you show them your paper folding skills. If they are used to dragons you can't make things, you making something is sure to sway them." She whispered her words so that Spike was the only one to hear her.
"Yeah! I can do that. And it is origami Twilight." The purple dragon said as he pulled out a clean sheet of paper. Twilight shrugged and waved the other ponies in closer.
Earthen Twilight and her mate cautiously approached the purple dragon as he neatly folded the paper over and over again. Luster Dawn huffed her eye out of her eyes as she had seen this before as Rarity looked over the mate's shoulders. The earth pony's face lit up as she watched the paper's folds start to take on a shape and within a few minutes a folded paper crane lay in the dragon's open palm.
"So cool!" The purple earthen pony said before looking up at the dragon and dropping her head to the stone in a very low bow. "My deepest apologies for my earlier glare." Spike rubbed the back of his had as he smiled but before he could speak Rainbow Dash interrupted.
"So what? You can make a paper bird, it doesn't make you any less of a dragon." Her glare bore through him even though she didn't stand as tall as him. Her wings were slightly open as if ready to fight. Twilight stood up fast and moved in between the dragon and the pegasus.
"Rainbow. Dash. Listen to me. He was, not, the, one. Don't take anything out on him." She stood up tall against Rainbow Dash who wasn't backing down. A few very tense seconds went by before the pegasus' wings folded to her sides.
"Whatever. When he attacks you in the back don't come crying to me." She said before walking away. Spike couldn't help but notice that although Rainbow's back was turned towards him her eyes were still on him. "Let's get out of here." The pegasus said as she passed by Rarity and Luster Dawn.
"She's working through some things. Don't take her words to heart." The earthen pony spoke over her shoulder to Spike without looking at him as her eyes were trained on Rainbow now.
The three ponies and the unicorn walked to the train. It was a silent walk with Twilight keeping close to Rainbow Dash, who was still wearing a scowl on her face.