//------------------------------//
// 38 - Double Team 
// Story: Distant Reflections 
// by David Silver 
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Little Sonja hopped free and cantered across the room. “We made guns together,” she stated in almost a gloat, grinning at her older self. “Did you ever make a gun with a special someone?”

“Hey, friend, not special anything,” cut in Spike with a little snort of smoke.

Older Sonja inclined her head towards Spike. “One, yes I have. Remember Long Shot?”

“Long Shot!” squeaked the younger. “How could I forget him!”

The two Sonjas sighed with a somehow perfectly synced moment of memory of a life neither of them had actually experienced. Spike lifted his shoulders, sitting up over the two of them. "Long Shot?"

Older Sonja shook her head. "Never mind that. Another life, long ago. Two, you haven't finished holstering this gun, so don't go walking just yet."

Younger Sonja pointed at Spike. "You don't know what he wants. He doesn't want to be 'holstered'. He wants a friend."

Spike fell forward to all fours. "I can't argue tha--"

Older Sonja was walking along his side, rubbing her body against his. It would have been entirely sensual, if not for the great form of her gun and harness throwing off some of the action, not that she seemed to find any objection to it. "That's because it's been a long time since he had someone interested in him that way that he didn't have a reason to turn down."

Spike darkened quickly, coiling on the older zebra and pushing her back, sliding her across the floor. "Hey, uh, we just met. I'm sure you and the… younger you? have a lot in common but I'm not all on board with just assuming I'll like you both equally."

Younger Sonja darted around to be on Spike's other side, flopping against him. "He wants a friend," she repeated all the louder. "Stop making him mad."

"He wants a peer. He accepts a friend." She took a step towards Spike, meeting his eyes. "I am not under you, and not over you. Don't you want to look a pony in the eye for a change?"

Spike glanced between the two mares, one on either side. "Look, I, wait. If I have to pick one, I'm going to have to go with her." He hiked a thumb at Younger Sonja. "We're already friends and dropping her the moment a nice mare winks at me would be being a huge jerk."

Older Sonja snorted, ears erect. "I haven't winked at you yet. We're not that far along… yet." As Spike went a deep red shade, she smiled. Despite her aeons of memories, the implications flew over Young Sonja, left blinking softly at the exchange. "Keep her for all I care. She won't quit. She's me. I don't quit."

Young Sonja sat up with a big smile. "I can keep being friends?" She grabbed Spike's, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yay!"

Spike was looking at Older Sonja despite being hugged. "So, you're giving up then?"

"I just finished saying, 'I don't quit'. That wasn't a joke." She advanced a step closer, looking into his eyes. "Lucky you. You have a chance at twice the Sonja."

Young Sonja stuck out her tongue at her older doppelganger. "That's gonna be weird when we're both adults."

Older Sonja shrugged softly. "Sounds new, and interesting… Let's see how it plays out." She casually sank down against Spike's side. "I want to hear more about you. Let's talk."

And there was Spike, with a playful zebra on one side, and another seeking romance on the other, but they were the same person? Mostly... "Isn't this just going to make it worse, for both of you?" He glanced between them, head turning to face each for a time. "You're going to mix up your memories of me and yourself pretty bad if I'm getting this right."

Older Sonja smirked at that. "It will be like I went after a boyfriend I was also a filly friend with. I never had a chance to have such a pure thing, really."

Younger Sonja stuck out her tongue. "Uck, you're going to do... things, aren't you, that you don't let me do, but I'll remember it." She rolled her eyes expansively. "But if I walk away, I'll still remember them, but not get to hang out. Boo." Settled, she thumped in place, not moving.

Both Sonjas seemed set in their course, looking to Spike to accept.

"Well..." Spike sat up before giving a little nod. "Alright, I'm going to pretend this isn't strange, which it is. You're the one standing to lose way more than me. I'll give it a try."

Both Sonjas cheered and closed in, hugging their dragon from either side. A new strange family unit was born.





Steel spread his hooves very slowly, causing the image on the main screen to slowly zoom closer and closer. He panned his hooves, scrolling left, up, then a bit more to the left... "That." He pointed with one hoof and the image snapped onto what appeared to be a gate of some kind. "How large is that?" It was impossible to get a scale just looking at it.

"Ascertaining," promised Under Score as he tapped at unseen buttons. "Computer's calculating..."

Numbers appeared on the main screen, a bright yellow line going over the gate with a measurement beside it. Steel inclined his head to the right. "Large enough to receive a ship... Do you think--"

"--it may open if we approach?" finished Fast. "Worth a try. If it opens without resistance, we can enter this thing and maybe get more information. It's visible on the outside, it'd probably visible on the inside."

Steel swept a hoof forward. "Take us in. We're not leaving without seeing what can be seen."

"No promises on opening this thing," added Fast with a quick nod. "I'm in no hurry to unleash some elder being on an unsuspecting universe."

Wandering Note looked over from his communication terminal. "Well, we can't do that. You're already suspecting it."

His joke with met with muttering as the course was set to visit the mysterious orb.





"And so we returned home." Octavia turned an ear towards Twilight, they having been facing forward before then. "This reminds. Bullette Belle, she... yet lives? Is she unaging as we are?"

Twilight's ears danced. "You knew Belle?" She moved to rise, only to have Remi gently prevent it from happening, the brushing continuing. "I thought she was a modern thing. How could she not be, being a robot."

Octavia opened her mouth, only to slowly close it. "Yes... a robot..."





Belle's eyes fixed on her holographic friend. "She knows!"

"Knows what?" asked Error, inclining his head. "Yer mom had a secret?"





While Twilight seemed ready to move on, Remi proved sharper. "Was she not a robot?"

"Perish the thought," dismissed Octavia, waving a hoof a little wildly. "I... should talk to her. It seems today is a fine day for old connections to be renewed. Perhaps after this?"

"She's been helping me," added Twilight. "In fact... don't laugh, but she put me up to coming here today." She put a hoof behind her head. "A challenge to rekindle our friendship, and, well, I couldn't say no to a friendship challenge."

Octavia smiled at that, her face brightening. "That does sound just like you, Twilight. I am glad to see you're feeling better."

Remi held a mirror in front of Twilight. "Have a look. Way better, be honest."

Twilight examined herself, turning her head left and right for different angles, her eyes remaining locked on the mirror. "Huh... You've groomed ponies before?"

Remi pointed across at Octavia. "Right there. I'm her personal groomer, and if you stop by, I can add you to the schedule."

"About that." Twilight rose, not stopped from doing so. She turned towards Remington. "I have questions. The various hormones typically created by mammals of either gender can interact negatively with one another. What makes an organism a fit female can render a male non-functional and much the same can happen in the other direction." She leaned towards her groomer. "How has your species avoided this complication?"

Far from being intimidated by the curious royal pony, Remington casually tapped Twilight's nose with a finger. "You're cute, but I'm not a scientist or a doctor. I'm an engineer, a musician, and a groomer. The last two I picked up recently, but they're more fun than I expected it to be."

Twilight inclined her head. "With your leave, I would love to study it."

"Pardon?" Remi crossed her arms under her chest.

"A blood sample to start." Twilight tried to pantomime, not that hooves were the best at such activities. "I want to see what hormones I can detect, if your species even has any I'd recognize. You may not use any sexual chemistry known to Equestrian science! How exciting!"

Octavia rolled her eyes. "This is also very typical Twilight behavior. You realize, every creature on this ship is just as unique as Remington, compared to us? They may all have alien biologies. Only the original crew of the ship is even from the same world, so they probably have similarities."

Twilight gasped loudly. "You're right! But they're not from our world. They're all walking enigmas and I've been wasting all this time when I could have been looking." She applied her hoof to her face with a loud clop of a sound. "How foolish I've been!"

She twirled towards Octavia. "I need base lines. You're equestrian, even if you've been exposed to... Oh, what I wouldn't do for a pure single tribe pony to sample right now." She put a hoof to her cheek, looking into the middle distance. "There's so much I want to check." Her vision suddenly sharpened. "I'm getting distracted, sorry. Remington, you shouldn't be treated as a test sample."

Remi flashed a smile, sharp vulpine teeth on display. "Good of you to realize that. Does this mean you'll calm down a little."

"I... can't promise that." She put a hoof to her breast, returning the smile at her new foxish friend. "There's so much to learn, about both of you, as people and otherwise." The hoof came down silently. "If you'll allow me. Octavia, can we be friends again?"

Octavia's ears danced. "Whenever did we stop being friends?" She sat up tall on her haunches. "Twilight Sparkle," she said with all the menace of a mother using a full name. "Did you unfriend me without telling me? I do not appreciate being ghosted, Young Mare." She glanced sidelong to Remi. "That is how they say it, is it not?"

Remington barked out a laugh that was almost yipping in tone. "This isn't a social media app. Get over here." She grabbed for Twilight's collar and soon had both ponies in close, hugging both with one arm around each neck. "You two are stupidly adorable. Now, I brushed you both. I demand some pampering in return. Only fair."





Belle clopped her metal hooves. "Twilight has earned so many points! She has reached the next level and has been invited to mutual grooming activities. Such a display of vulnerability and trust indicates she is in possession of more points than I originally calculated. She is a star student!"

Error chuckled at that. "I think Remi may just have a low bar for when she's ready to touch and be touched. I bet if you just asked her nicely, she'd let you rub her belly."

Belle blinked rapidly, little metal clicks as the iris closed and opened over the digital display. "Which would secure more points. I should try that." A hoof suddenly shot up. "Would this create feelings of jealousy?"

"I appreciate the askin'." Error put an arm around Belle, hugging her close. "I don't think the kind of romance she's chasing, you're wired for, so no."

"I said nothing of romance," objected Belle. "We should prepare for calamity."

No Name rose to his full height, standing up. "What's wrong?"

"Octavia Melody, Responsible Adult, will visit me. She will ask questions I am not prepared to answer." Belle looked to No Name directly. "Will you assist me?"