March 11th, 3096 Imperial Calendar (1523 AD)
Outskirts of "Ponyville"
Depressi had seen many odd things in his 17 years alive. He had seen buildings be built in a matter of days. He had seen the interior anatomy of way too many sea creatures. He had seen some of his brother's worst breakdowns and most stable periods. He had even once walked in and seen his parents having sex (Apparently, that was the conception of his younger sister Catalia).
Looking a female version of himself dead in the eye was perhaps the weirdest.
He, Flurry Heart, and DJ stood on a hill, with Ponyville in the distance. Flurry Heart had gotten into a minor argument with DJ about Crystal Berries, some type of fruit that grew in the North. Insistent on showing him, she had found a long-range teleport spell in Twilights library, buried in a spellbook. Depressi had tagged along to the little trip, which was only supposed to last a few hours. Instead, it appeared they hadn't moved... At least, until his double had shown up.
She landed right in front of them, looking just as stunned as he was. She looked incredibly similar to him. The same coloration, the same way she walked and flew; hell, even the hair was done in a similar manner, albeit braided as opposed to wrapped in place with cloth and a tie. Other features differentiated her though, as well as confirming her gender. Instead of a tunic and trousers, she wore a long open-backed dress, along with a few bits of jewelry. Her features were overall thinner, smoother, and less squared off. A small amount of makeup graced her face, while the same corded muscles ran along her body.
"Well, this is... unexpected", she said, her voice almost identical to his, save for being lighter in pitch and more lyrical.
Depressi replied, "Indeed."
+++++~+++++
A short while later, his double, who was named Fulmine Tonitrua, had suggested they go to who she called Dusk Shine. "He's rather smart, both academically and magically. And with Canterlot so far away, he's probably the best bet to resolve this... issue."
"Yeah, that makes sense", Flurry said.
"Well, then. Follow me", Fulmine said. She spread her wings, stopped from taking off by a cough from DJ.
"Can't fly. I assume you have a version of me, so...", DJ said.
Fulmine chuckled. "Yep. You're a male version of her.", she said, shaking her head and chuckling. "Eh... Flurry Heart, right?"
"Yeah", Flurry said.
"You can carry him?", she asked.
Flurry smirked, shifting her gaze to DJ. "I can carry the chicken, yeah."
"What did you call-Gah!", DJ said, cut off by Flurry grabbing him by his sides and taking to the air with him.
As she flew off, heading towards the Golden Oaks Library, Depressi and Fulmine looked at one another. "So... your version is also called DJ?"
"Yeah", Fulmine said. "I'm assuming different actual name, but she uses DJ as well."
"Alright", Depressi said. The tone of his voice had gone down, sighing. "Well, enough of that. Let's go. I would rather not concern Aunt Scootaloo more than needed."
"If she's anything like Uncle Skaterloo, I can see why", Fulmine said, spreading her wings.
Depressi did the same, the two of them taking off at the same time. Fulmine and Depressi followed and soon overtook Flurry and DJ, heading for the hollowed-out tree. On the way, Depressi took a cursory look at the streets of Ponyville, spotting a few of the locals that he vaguely recognized. A female Maraschino, whose hair was now in a ponytail, walked alongside and laughed with an even bigger and male Southern Rose. Male Pinkie Pie, still chubby and with curly hair, was bouncing along. He even saw a female version of his Uncle Rumble, who looked almost identical save for her lashes and some bangs over one eye.
He and Fulmine landed on a balcony outside the Library, Flurry Heart dropping of DJ and landing after them. "Best if I go in first", Fulmine said. "It... might freak out Headmaster Dusk if you all enter before me."
"That sounds fair", Depressi said, a theory forming regarding who "Dusk Shine" was.
Fulmine opened the door, walking inside. The three of them waited on the balcony, crouched low and Depressi's assistance. Despite his counterpart acting with a level head, he was concerned about others not having the same... graces. After a few minutes, Fulmine opened back up the door, telling them, "Alright, come in."
The three of them entered, Flurry shuddering slightly. "Man, this is uncanny at how similar it is."
"Well, technically speaking, the point of divergence for this timeline is only in the gender of children, so nothing too serious", a voice said. Rolling into view was a male version of Twilight Sparkle. Like Flurry said, almost everything about him was identical save for gender and hair; he wore a similar bowtie, had the same coloration, and the wheelchair his rear legs were situated in was almost identical.
Flurry said, "Well, now it's just creepy."
"Sorry", he said. "If it makes it any better, your copy is in town with DJ. Artemis and Solaris know, if you met Blizzard, things wouldn't end well."
"You are taking this remarkably well", DJ said.
Dusk Shine said, "Well, this actually happened before."
That caused all four of the others in the room. "Wait, what?", Flurry Heart said.
"Agreed", Depressi and Fulmine said at the same time.
"Well, it happened about two years after... Well, after Rainbow Blitz was exiled. I picked up a massive magical signature on the edge of town, and went to investigate. Over the next week or so, me and my friends kept having run-ins with female versions of ourselves. It was... a rather hectic week. Anyway, we eventually got it sorted out, and they were teleported back home", Dusk said. "You probably just messed up that spell. Pretty high coincidence, but not out of the realm of probability."
"...Huh", DJ said. "Well, that is... interesting."
"Yeah", Flurry said. "So, how do we get back?"
"Well, it should be simple", Dusk said. "I'll go get the ingredients involved in the spell, and you and I will reverse it. Push come to shove and we aren't powerful enough to get it started... I'll go get Blizzard."
+++++~+++++
The four of them sat in the loft above the Library, a few empty water bottles around them. Flurry was just laying on one of the armchairs, muttering to herself. Depressi had sprawled over the couch, chest rising and falling slowly in a fitful nap. Fulmine and DJ, meanwhile, had developed a small game, trying to determine the names of the counterparts in their respective universes.
"Alright", DJ said. "How about this. The name is Southern Rose."
"Hmmm....", Fulmine said, rubbing her chin. "Alright... Mare or Stallion?"
"Mare", DJ said.
Fulmine said, "Alright... Is she... related to Bubble Berry?"
Having recently gotten the name of the alternate Pinkie Pie, and a few of said mares stories, smiled. "Distantly."
"Distantly?", Fulmine asked, before her eyes lit up. "Oh! Holstein; Applejacks son."
"Evidently, yeah", DJ said, snickering.
"Give it a break, you two!", Flurry growled, sitting up in her chair. "You've been at this for over an hour!"
Fulmine sighed and shook her head. "Because we have nothing to do, and I find it amusing watching you squirm."
"You really are Depressi without a dick", Flurry groused.
"That's what strap-ons are for", Fulmine snickered.
Flurry blushed, her eyes narrowing. She had been subjected to a lot of Depressi's innuendos and dirty comebacks, but somehow the version coming from a mare made it worse. Before she could reply, however, she heard the door open.
"Up, brother", DJ said, shaking Depressi's shoulder. "Dusk Shine is back."
Depressi sat up, yawning and stretching his wings. His ears flickered, asking, "Is it just me, or do you hear more than one set of hoof-steps?" The others stopped, listening. Sure enough, all four of them heard an additional pair of steps coming up alongside the softer hoof-steps and squeaking of wheels from Dusk. Dusk came up the ramp, before two rather familiar figures came up behind him.
This worlds version of DJ and Flurry Heart stood in the doorway, a stare-off between the counterparts. The female DJ looked nearly identical, save for the obvious slimmer stature and less angular features. The only definite difference was the lack of a vest, though she still wore a collared shirt and belted pants. The male Flurry Heart, or rather Blizzard Heart, was more obvious in terms of difference. He still wore a leather jacket over a silvery collar, though his collar was bigger and the jacket was a bit tighter. However, that was where their similarities ended. His hair was shorter, messier, and not styled like hers. His features were obviously masculine, and a small amount of facial hair was on his chin. His wings were even bigger, though his body was more bulked up with muscle to compensate.
"Well... You weren't kidding, Uncle Dusk", Blizzard Heart said.
The two DJs said simultaneously, "Damn. I'm hot." As soon as the words left their mouths, both flushed bright red, while Depressi and Fulmine shot one another salacious grins.
Dusk Shine chuckled guiltily, saying, "Yeah. Apparently, they saw you when you were flying over. I ran into them while getting the ingredients, and... Well, they insisted on coming."
"I mean", Blizzard said, "It's not every day you meet yourself as a filly."
"Well, I'll give you six a minute", Dusk Shine said, gesturing to the middle of the room. "I've got to set this up, and it'll be a while before you can interact again."
"Wait, what do you mean 'A while'?", Flurry Heart asked.
Dusk Shine unslung the saddlebags from his wheelchair, saying, "Prince Artemis and your Princess Luna have known about one another since... Well, I think since the whole Eris incident twelve-hundred years ago. They don't really allow much cross-over travel, since the spell is so hard to do and even harder to maintain, but it happens sometimes."
The six of them simply stared at one another awkwardly while Dusk set up the ritual, shuffling and coughing nervously. Finally, the silence was broken by the female DJ, asking her counterpart, "So, is 'Depressi' as dirty in his comebacks as Fulmine?"
"I'd argue worse", DJ replied, drawing the ire of his brother.
"Rude", Depressi said.
Fulmine nodded, "Agreed."
The awkward silence broken, the six of them would chat amongst themselves, discussing a variety of topics. They would laugh, be embarrassed, share angry looks; the two DJs would even get the chance to discuss their mutual experiences. However, Dusk Shine would finish the ritual, and the two versions of Flurry would get set up to perform the counter-spell. With a final goodbye and a bright flash of light, Flurry, DJ, and Depressi would disappear, returning to the spot they left from in their Ponyville.