Fluttershy smiled uncomfortably as Apple Bloom ran up to her and began to bombard her with questions.
“Did ya go to Manehattan? Did ya talk to Applejack? Is she gonna come visit?”
Fluttershy wished there was some way she could lie to Apple Bloom, or at least avoid answering the question. The filly looked so hopeful; surely she didn’t need to have those hopes crushed yet, did she? Unfortunately, Fluttershy knew there was no way around it. If Apple Bloom didn’t get a straight answer now, she would only hurt worse in the long run.
Still, it wouldn’t hurt to ease into it gently. “I did have a chance to meet with your sister when I was in the city. When you see your brother later, would you please thank him for his help? I really appreciate what he did for me.” If the address Big Macintosh had given her wasn’t as definitive as it might have been, that was only because he didn’t know that his sister had taken to calling herself Valencia. If it hadn’t been for the Apples’ help, she wouldn’t have known to look in Manehattan at all.
Apple Bloom wouldn’t be deterred. “I’d be happy to, Fluttershy, but what happened with Applejack? What’d she say? When’s she comin’?”
Fluttershy tried not to cringe. She hated having to deliver bad news. A few months earlier, Parasol had been injured when the team was clearing a storm that had rolled in from the Everfree. Fortunately, she wound up being alright, but she’d had a nasty fall and was taken to the hospital for observation. Fluttershy had gone to tell Parasol’s family what happened, but she had to take Cloud Kicker with her. In fact, Cloud Kicker had ended up doing most of the talking.
“Actually, um, Apple Bloom, when I spoke to her –”
Apple Bloom continued onward, heedless of Fluttershy’s attempts to speak. “Oh, I hope I have something to wear! What’re ya supposed to wear when you’re gonna meet your sister for the first time?”
“A-apple Bloom?” The filly stopped her nervous dance when she caught the serious, sad look on Fluttershy’s face. “V... Applejack... she isn’t coming. I’m so sorry.”
“S-she’s not?” Apple Bloom’s eyes began to water. Fluttershy felt like tearing up at the sight herself, but she knew she had to resist. She was the adult here; she needed to be strong for her young friend’s sake.
“But... but why? D-Doesn’t she love me? What did I do wrong?”
“You didn’t do anyth–”
Apple Bloom gasped before Fluttershy was able to do anything to reassure her. “Oh no! What if it’s ‘cause I kept askin’ her about cutie marks? What if she really doesn’t have a cutie mark an’ I hurt her feelings?” She desperately grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Please tell her I’m sorry! Tell her I didn’t mean it! I won’t say anythin’ to her about cutie marks ever again! Never ever!”
Fluttershy wrapped her forelegs around the crying filly and hugged her close. "When I asked her to visit, I told her that I promised you I would. Even though she didn’t want to say no, she was still glad I kept my promise to you. Just because she isn’t coming doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you very much.”
“But then... why don’t she wanna see me?” Apple Bloom pulled back and looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, but couldn’t hold the gaze for long before returning to softly crying on her shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, I don’t have an answer for you. I didn’t get to speak to her for very long.” Fluttershy tried to think of something she could say to help. “Would you like to hear something from when I was a filly?” She wasn’t sure if this would work, but she couldn’t think of what else to do.
The sound of a muffled “Uh huh” came from the filly.
“My parents... are... very influential ponies in Cloudsdale. Growing up, they took me to a lot of fancy parties that I hated. They weren’t doing it to make me unhappy; they thought it was the best thing they could do for my future. I remember my mother always telling me that I would think it had been worth it when I was older, but aside from making one wonderful friend, I still don’t.
“The important thing is that, even though my parents and I disagreed on what was best for me, that doesn’t mean that they don’t love me, or I don’t love them.” She smiled hopefully. She wasn’t sure she had managed to convince Apple Bloom. To be honest, she wasn’t even sure she had convinced herself that her situation was relevant here. “Did that help at all?”
“Not really... but thanks...” came the sniffled reply from Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Wish you were... my sister.”
Fluttershy nuzzled the side of Apple Bloom’s head. Maybe it would help if she had a distraction to get her mind off things. “Apple Bloom, would you like to help me with something?”
“Like what?” She was still sniffling, but she looked at Fluttershy with curious eyes.
“Do you remember how I’m in charge of the weather team?” At least her little slip-up the last time she was here turned out to be good for something. “Well, this year, we’ve been chosen to make sure Cloudsdale gets the water they need to make rain clouds. Before we do, we need to take some wingpower measurements, and we could always use an extra set of hooves to help out.” Fluttershy wasn’t really sure how much help the filly would be, and it wouldn’t be safe for her to be there for the tornado itself, but at least it might cheer her up. “Would you like to? If it’s okay with your brother and granny, that is.”
Apple Bloom wiped the fallen tears from her face. “Al-alright. I’ll ask them.”
Fluttershy smiled. It looked like her friend was feeling at least a little better. “That’s wonderful.”
“Thanks, Fluttershy. For everythin’.” Apple Bloom hugged Fluttershy before trotting back down the path to her family’s farm.
----------------------------
Fluttershy’s conversation with Apple Bloom had reminded her that she was going to need to find somepony to run the anemometer. She didn’t know if there was anypony on her team familiar with the device, but it ultimately didn’t matter. When it came time for the tornado, she’d need every pegasus there as part of the formation if they wanted to have a chance of pulling this off.
This posed a problem for Fluttershy, as she still did not know very many earth ponies or unicorns, and even fewer that might be able to help her with this. Apple Bloom was willing to be there, true, but she was just a filly, and would really only be there to assist the pony doing the work. Fluttershy wasn’t expecting much anyway; the invitation had been made to lift the filly’s spirits, not to secure her help.
She supposed Big Macintosh or Rarity could do in a pinch, but she didn’t know if either was familiar with such things. Besides, they would probably be too busy with the farm and bakery, respectively, to be able to help out. It wouldn’t be right of her to try presume upon their time like that unless it became an emergency. Her newest friend would probably be able to help, but Canterlot was so far away. She couldn’t ask Twilight Sparkle to abandon her studies for several days.
With that in mind, Fluttershy’s hooves brought her towards Ponyville’s library. If there was anypony she knew that could point her in the right direction, it was probably Cheerilee.
When she arrived at the library, she found Ponyville’s teacher and de facto librarian in the middle of reshelving some books.
“Ewwo–”, she let the book she had been holding in her mouth fall to the floor. “I mean, hello, Fluttershy. Is there something I can help you with? Do you need a book?”
“Oh, no, I just...” Fluttershy paused, looking at the shelves of books. It might be a long shot, but maybe there was a book she needed. It might not be very likely that the library of a small town like Ponyville would have something the massive library at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns didn’t – at least not on a subject like the one she was interested in – but it couldn’t hurt to ask.
“Now that you mention it, there might be. Do you have any books that talk about alternate universes?”
Cheerilee thought for a moment. “I might have something.” She trotted over to another shelf and scanned the row of spines, before pulling a book out. “Were you looking for something like this?”
Fluttershy felt a surge of hope until she saw the title. The book Cheerilee was holding was older and more worn than the one Twilight had been reading, but it was just another copy of A Mirror to Ourselves: The Multiverse in Fiction.
“Thank you, but, um, that isn’t really what I meant.”
“Alright,” Cheerilee said, returning the book before going over to another shelf. “How about this?” Fluttershy looked at the cover, which featured a pair of tan pegasi that looked an awful lot like Rainbow Dash and the title Daring Do and the Mirror of Fate.
“Actually, well, I was hoping you had something more... practical.”
Cheerilee looked puzzled. “I think we may have this self-help book around somewhere...”
Fluttershy was starting to regret saying anything. “No, um, I meant...” she paused, swallowing hard before continuing, “...real alternate universes.” She lowered her head, letting her mane fall in front of her face so Cheerilee couldn’t see how embarrassed she was. “Or, that is, ones that, um, might be real.” She couldn’t look at Cheerilee, but the silence from the other mare told her all she needed to know. “I-I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’ll go now.”
As Fluttershy started to go, she was stopped by the teacher’s voice. “Hmm... I don’t think we have anything like– Fluttershy? Where are you going?”
Fluttershy turned back towards Cheerilee, but couldn’t bring herself to look at her. “I shouldn’t be wasting your time like this. Asking you about something like that, you must think I’m so silly.”
“Wanting to learn about something should never be embarrassing. Even if it’s something ‘silly’, how would you know without looking at it?” Cheerilee allowed herself a small chuckle. “Besides, I teach little fillies and colts all day. You don’t have to worry about saying anything too silly to me.” She leaned in and half-whispered, “Recently, one of my students spent a week or so trying to find a stallion for me to date. Sweet girl, and she meant well, but...”
She shook herself. “But I’m sure you aren’t interested in hearing about that. Like I said, I don’t think we have any books like that. I could check again if you’d like.”
“Oh, I don’t want to be any trouble. Maybe some other time.” Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel just a little disappointed, but she hadn’t really expected the much smaller Ponyville library to have something that could have helped her anyway. Mostly, she was simply grateful that Cheerilee hadn’t responded to her question as though there was something wrong with her for having asked it.
“That book wasn’t really the reason I came here. Are you familiar with anemometers?” She explained about the upcoming tornado duty. “So I need somepony to operate the anemometer to make sure we have enough wingpower, and I thought you could –”
Cheerilee snorted in annoyance. “You thought I could do it, just like everypony else in town does.”
Fluttershy’s ears fell flat against her head and she found her right forehoof edging its way backwards towards the door. “I thought you could recommend somepony. I hardly know anypony in Ponyville at all, and since you take care of the library, I figured you would be familiar enough with all the intellectual ponies in town to suggest a place to start asking.” She darted her eyes away from Cheerilee, not wanting the latter to feel like she was being criticized.
To be honest with herself, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated at the other mare’s assumption. In fact, she was, in her own silent way, criticizing Cheerilee. Nevertheless, she saw no reason to voice that irritation and make Cheerilee feel uncomfortable about it. From some of the more vocal objections to her appointment as weather manager, Fluttershy knew how bad that sort of thing could make somepony feel. Despite them not knowing each other that well, she also felt that it was safe to say that Cheerilee wasn't a bad pony – she had only made a bad assumption. Fluttershy had clarified things, and there was no reason to call any more attention to it than that.
“I–I’m sorry,” Cheerilee said sheepishly. “You know, I could manage the anemometer for you, if you need somepony.”
Fluttershy asked, “Are you sure?” before she could stop herself. She chided herself for doing so, since she did after all need somepony’s help, and Cheerilee was volunteering.
Fortunately, Cheerilee didn’t take the opportunity to rescind her offer. “It’s fine.” She smiled, although the smile didn’t make it to her eyes. “It’s not like I have a social life to get in the way of anyway.”
“Well, um, thank you.” Fluttershy wasn’t sure if Cheerilee was joking or not. “I really appreciate it.” Something important came to mind, and she added, “There is one thing. Apple Bloom is one of your students, right?” Cheerilee nodded. “She was feeling upset earlier, so I told her she could help. You don’t mind, do you? I could always ask somepony else if it’s a problem.”
“Not at all. I love having Apple Bloom in class. I hope everything’s alright with her.” Cheerilee thought for a moment. “Did something happen with Applejack?”
Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but the expression she wasn’t able to suppress quickly enough meant she didn’t have to. “The other day, Apple Bloom was so excited, she wouldn’t stop talking about her sister,” Cheerilee clarified. “It was all I could do just to get her to calm down enough for me to teach the class.” She frowned. “This is exactly what I worried was going to happen. That mare hasn’t been back to town since we were fillies.”
Fluttershy could feel her skin flush under her coat. Although she couldn’t really argue with what Cheerilee was saying – she wasn’t happy with the way Valencia had handled her sister’s request either – it still felt wrong to hear somepony disparage her sort-of friend. “It’s not really my place to say.”
“I understand. Just let me know when you need me for your weather project.”
----------------------------
Fluttershy walked tentatively into Sugarcube Corner. Hopefully, Rarity would be there today. Of all of the five ponies Fluttershy planned on befriending, Rarity had seemed the most open to the idea when they had first met. She just hoped Rarity wouldn’t be too disappointed when she found out that Fluttershy wasn’t the sophisticated pony Rarity seemed to think she was.
It seemed like she was in luck. The bakery was quiet, save for the sweet sound of a melody emanating from the kitchen that abruptly stopped when Fluttershy stepped on a squeaky floorboard. “Is somepony out there? I’m sorry, but we’re not open right –” Rarity’s head poked out through the doorway, a pair of red glasses perched on her muzzle. “Oh! Hello, Fluttershy.” As Rarity walked out, clad in a powder blue blouse and white skirt, to greet the pegasus, Fluttershy looked around and realized that they were the only two ponies in the shop.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize –”
Rarity just waved her off. “Oh, forget all about that, darling. We're closed at the moment, but I’d be happy to make an exception for you if you’d like something.”
Fluttershy allowed herself a small smile. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but the baker’s behavior seemed promising. “Thank you, Rarity, but I’m not really hungry. The reason I came here because I was hoping to have a chance to talk to you.”
Rarity’s eyes lit up. “Really? After you left so quickly last time, I wasn’t sure you were ever coming back.”
“Oh, no. I just didn’t want to keep anypony waiting when they wanted to buy something.” Mostly, though, she had wanted to avoid the awkward situation between Rarity and that cream-colored pony she had managed to antagonize. She hated even being around situations like that. They made her feel so uncomfortable.
Fluttershy tensed as she prepared to ask Rarity for her friendship. Everything suggested she would accept, but if anything, that made her more worried about messing it up. “I was wondering if you wanted to be friends.”
“We weren’t already?” Rarity asked half to herself, quizzically. “Nevertheless, I would be honored to be considered your friend, Fluttershy.” She walked over and embraced the pegasus. “I must say how wonderful the prospect of having somepony around who truly understands me is. I don’t think most of the ponies in town like me very much. They think my interest in culture... silly. I do hope we become great friends.”
“So do I,” responded Fluttershy. She wasn’t sure whether to be thankful that had been so easy. It wouldn’t be the first time since this had all started that something had been too good to be true. She still needed to tell Rarity all about Other Fluttershy’s world and their places in it, and she had no idea how the baker would react to that.
“There’s something else that I wanted –” Fluttershy began before she was cut off by a small white blur that raced past screaming Rarity’s name, nearly knocking them both over. A similarly-sized orange blur followed close behind. The two blurs slowed down to reveal a pair of fillies, a unicorn and pegasus respectively. The former jumped up on the bakery’s counter.
“Rarity, look!” the filly exclaimed, turning to emphasize her flank. It was adorned by a pink trio of musical eighth notes with heart-shaped note heads.
“Pretty cool, huh?” asked the pegasus filly, beaming at her companion’s accomplishment.
“Y-you got your cutie mark?” The flicker of something in Rarity’s expression – surprise, perhaps, or maybe sorrow – only lasted a second before being replaced by pride. “Congratulations, Sweetie Belle!” she cried, sweeping the little unicorn off of the counter into her grasp. “Oh, where are my manners? Fluttershy, this is my little sister Sweetie Belle and her friend Scootaloo. Sweetie, Scootaloo, this is my friend Fluttershy.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.”
Sweetie Belle quickly said hello, but Scootaloo just stood there grinning, staring at Fluttershy in a way that was starting to make her uncomfortable.
“You’re Fluttershy? The Fluttershy?” Scootaloo’s wings buzzed rapidly, although she remained on the ground.
“Oh, um, well, I’m a Fluttershy,” she stammered. “I don’t know how many there are.” The intensity of Scootaloo’s attention was distressing. It didn’t look like any help was going to be forthcoming, as Rarity was listening intently to Sweetie Belle recount how she got her cutie mark.
“You’re in charge of the weather team, right?” Fluttershy reluctantly nodded. “That is so cool! My dad says that they don’t just let anypony do that. You hafta be really special.”
“Um, actually, I’m not sure that’s really...” Fluttershy trailed off as she could feel shame burning in her face. She knew all too well that the thing that was so “special” about her as far as headquarters had been concerned wasn’t anything like her flying ability, or her leadership, or even her intelligence – merely her bloodline.
“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Scootaloo asked, concern in her eyes.
Fluttershy tried hide her concern. After all, the other pegasus was still just a filly. There was no need to bust her cloud simply because of Fluttershy’s own problems. “Yes, thank you. I’m fine.”
“I can’t believe I’m really talking to Fluttershy! I heard that you hardly ever come down here to Ponyville. But now you’re here, and we’re hanging out! This is so... so...” Scootaloo fumbled for a word before deciding to go with an old standby. “Cool!”
Fluttershy was at a loss for words. That somepony could idolize her like this wasn’t something she had ever considered, and she had no idea how to respond. Luckily, she had a moment to collect herself, as both her and Scootaloo’s attentions were drawn by a squeal from Sweetie Belle as Rarity lifted her little sister onto her back.
The distraction ended, Scootaloo returned her attention back to her newly-met hero. "So, how incredible is it that we just ran into each other like this?" Her eyes grew even larger than they had been. "Ooh, I know! I should tell you about myself! I mean, I know who you are – only the most awesome pegasus in Equestria – but you don't know anything about me. Would you like to?"
Scootaloo may have been more excitable than Fluttershy was comfortable with, but she certainly didn't want to hurt the filly's feelings. Even before she finished agreeing, though, Scootaloo continued to talk. "My name's Scootaloo – wait, you knew that already. My mom and dad moved to Ponyville from Baltimare before I was born. Mom and Dad are both unicorns – I'm the first pegasus in my family since my great-great-great-grandma Firefly. I don't really know too many pegasi. That's why I haven't really learned how to fly yet. Anyway, like I said, my parents are from Baltimare..."
Although Scootaloo kept talking, Fluttershy couldn't stop thinking about the look she'd had on her face when she mentioned she couldn't fly. Scootaloo looked like she was about the same age as Fluttershy's classmates had been when they all started flying. Despite how much Scootaloo's adoration was making her uncomfortable, she couldn't help but be reminded of her own struggles when she was younger.
"You know, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, "we don't have too many orders today, and I'm already ahead of schedule. I think I might just have time to make something special for you. Getting your cutie mark certainly calls for a celebration, does it not?"
"Really?" Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked as she hopped off of Rarity's back. "Can I help you bake it? Please?"
"Sweetie, remember what happened last time you tried to cook at home? It took Mother and I days to get the kitchen back to normal." Rarity tried to resist Sweetie Belle's pleading stare. "You know I just work here, right? This isn't actually my bakery."
"I promise I'll be careful." Sweetie Belle pouted. "Pleeeease?"
Rarity didn't stand a chance. "Very well. But," she clarified, "only this once because it's a special occasion, and only if you do exactly what I tell you."
"Yay!" Sweetie exclaimed, throwing her forelegs around Rarity's neck. "Thanks, Rarity!"
From what Fluttershy could tell, the two sisters were having a special family moment she didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't be sure, as Scootaloo had not stopped talking.
"...and that's my entire life story, up until today. Oh! Wanna hear about today?"
Fluttershy did not especially want to hear about today, but she also didn't want to disappoint somepony that looked up to her the way Scootaloo did. That she too was a late bloomer when it came to her ability to fly only made it worse. "Um, that's very nice, Scootaloo, but I'm not sure I can stay here too much longer. Maybe you could tell me next time?"
That brought an excited gasp from the filly, and a buzzing of her wings. "Next time?"
"Well, the next time the weather team has a big project, you could come and watch. If your parents say it's alright," she quickly added. "You could even meet some of the team." If they were both very lucky, Fluttershy thought, Scootaloo would even find somepony actually deserving of her admiration.
The frantic beating of Scootaloo's wings intensified, lifting her a couple of feet off the ground for a moment. "Oh, wow! That's so cool! Thanks, Fluttershy!"
"You're welcome, Scootaloo."
"Hey, um, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo turned away from her and anxiously scraped her hoof against the floor. "Would it be alright if Sweetie Belle came too? I know she's not a pegasus, but she's my best friend."
"Of course Sweetie Belle can come if she wants." Scootaloo's mention of her best friend couldn't help but make Fluttershy think of Cloud Kicker and hit her with feelings of guilt. With all the time she was spending – was planning to spend – getting to know Other Fluttershy's friends, was she neglecting her best friend that had stuck by her through everything? She didn't think she'd ever be able to forget the way Cloud Kicker had looked back in Canterlot when she thought that Fluttershy was telling her she didn't want to be friends anymore. It was an expression she didn't want to see ever again. She should do something nice for Cloud Kicker to show her she cared.
"Excuse me, Rarity? I'm sorry to interrupt you and your sister, but I was wondering if I could buy something. It's for somepony very important to me."
----------------------------
“Muffins?” Cloud Kicker blinked in surprise at the open pastry box sitting before her on the table.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Cloud Kicker,” Fluttershy apologized, disappointed at the apparent failure of her gift. "I thought you liked muffins. I can go back and get something else if they're no good."
"You don't have to apologize." Cloud Kicker assured her, "You were right, I do like muffins."
Her friend's words did little to stop Fluttershy from worrying. "Did I get the wrong kind?"
"What? No, they're –"
"Did I not get enough? Oh no! Maybe I got too many!"
A pair of lavender hooves and wings wrapped around Fluttershy's body to calm her down. "Relax, Fluttershy. There isn’t anything wrong with the muffins.” Cloud Kicker let go of her friend and grabbed one of the muffins, taking a big bite and smiling. “See? Tasty,” she said through a mouthful of cake and chocolate chips.
“Oh, good,” Fluttershy said, relieved, “I was afraid you didn’t like them. I really wanted to do something special for you.”
Cloud Kicker began to feel like she had somehow missed important parts of the conversation. “Oh. Well, thanks. I’m sorry I made you think I didn’t like them,” she tried to explain, “I was just surprised. What’s the occasion?”
“There isn’t one, not really. I-it’s just that, well, I know I’ve been spending time with Other Fluttershy’s friends lately, and I thought it would be nice to do something... nice for you.” A bright pink blush began to spread across Fluttershy’s face. “You know, to show you how much you mean to me a-and, um, that I care for you. A lot.”
"Oh. Uh, th-that's very... thank you, Fluttershy," Cloud Kicker managed to stammer out before pulling Fluttershy into a hug. "You mean a lot to me, too." As she embraced her friend, one question gnawed at the back of Cloud Kicker's mind. Was Fluttershy just... no, she must be imagining things.
----------------------------
“The theoretical basis for this spell may seem daunting at first, but as you can see –” a beige hoof pointed to the nearby desk, where what appeared to be a simple orange lay unobtrusively, “once you gain experience with the process, it can actually be quite simple.”
Twilight Sparkle hoped Professor Tower didn’t notice how much she was squirming in her seat. Normally, she would find this fascinating. Indeed, she did find it fascinating, but she just couldn’t stay focused today. She looked down at the notes she had been taking – spotty and disjointed, not like her at all. Again she debated with herself if she should really go through with what she was planning. It could be the most important thing she’d ever done, or the most foolish. Possibly even both.
She glanced anxiously up at the clock. There were only a few minutes left in the professor’s scheduled lecture time. Half of her couldn’t wait for them to tick off, but the other half wished they would stretch out for hours. Oh, if only there were some way to stop time while she figured things out!
On one hoof, Fluttershy, for reasons the student still could not fathom, had offered Twilight her friendship. Nopony had ever done that before. Well, nopony except her BBBFF, but that was different. Shiny was family, and family has to love you, even if you’re just a failure who’s never accomplished anything. She could feel herself start to tear up a bit – not now! Not where all her classmates could see!
The strange pegasus may have insisted that Twilight didn’t need to offer her anything beyond friendship, but Twilight couldn’t bring herself to agree. For whatever reason, Fluttershy had chosen to extend a hoof of friendship to her, and she needed to do something nice for her new friend to repay that trust. She wanted to show Fluttershy that she had made the right choice, that she’d placed her trust in a pony of value. A small part of Twilight admitted that she wanted to show herself that, too.
And that was it, wasn’t it? If there really was another Twilight Sparkle out there, an accomplished Twilight Sparkle, maybe that Twilight Sparkle could show her the way. Maybe she could find out what she’d been doing wrong all these years. She could finally be the pony she yearned to be, the pony that actually deserved all the faith and pride her family had in her.
On the other hoof, she still had no reason beyond wishful thinking to believe in any of these bizarre fantasies. Fluttershy may have been friendly and compassionate and understanding, but none of that meant she wasn’t also loonier than a Caneighdian bank vault. If Twilight continued to pursue this, and allowed herself to get her hopes up, it would devastate her to find out that it really was all just the product of a kind-hearted but utterly delusional mind. She wasn’t sure what effect it would have on her friendship with Fluttershy, but it couldn’t be anything good. She didn’t want to lose the only friend she had.
On top of all that, what would Professor Tower think of her? Telling her about any of this was a big risk. Ivory was her favorite teacher, and the one whose opinion mattered the most to her. Even if Twilight turned out to be right about this, she was still going about it all wrong. She was going into this assuming the hypothesis she wanted to be true without any kind of evidence, and that wasn’t the proper scientific way of investigating things. She didn’t want to lose the professor’s respect.
With a start, Twilight realized that her classmates were in the process of putting their stuff away and getting up to leave – her inner debate had caused her to miss the remainder of the professor’s lecture. She played at organizing the contents of her saddlebags while the others exited to the hallway. She had to rein in an exhalation of annoyance when she saw that one pony had stayed to talk with Professor Tower – Twinkleshine. Twilight certainly wasn’t going to say anything potentially embarrassing with her around.
So Twilight Sparkle waited. Her continued efforts to “arrange” her things would have looked farcical were anypony paying attention to her. After a few minutes, the other student left, and she finally had her chance.
“Excuse me, Professor, do you have a few minutes? There’s something I wanted to ask you about.”
Professor Tower looked up from the desk, where she had started to collect the supplies she’d been using during class. “Of course, Miss Sparkle. Did you have a question about the material we covered today?”
Twilight wasn’t sure if the professor had noticed how distracted she had been and was obliquely mentioning it, so she was relieved that the professor didn’t question her saying she didn’t. “I’ve been reading Galaxy’s book on theoretical magic, and I was hoping I could get your thoughts on something she wrote.”
The professor let out a soft chuckle. “You certainly are my most tenacious student.” Seeing a flicker of confusion in Twilight’s eyes, she explained, “I know none of my colleagues assigned you that.”
Twilight couldn’t help but beam a little. “No, this is just a personal interest.”
“It’s good to see you still have the drive you showed during your entrance exam.” She used her magic to grab a couple of chairs and drag them over to where the unicorns were standing. Taking a seat, she asked, “So, what did you want to ask me about?”
Twilight sat down nervously. This was it, now or never. “W-well, it was in her section on thought experiments...” She paused. There was still a chance to back off. She could always just ask about something else – Sunbeam’s Cat, perhaps.
She swallowed hard. If she could help her friend out, wasn’t it worth a little risk?
“Do you know anything about parallel universes?”