Diprosopus

by WritingSpirit

Old Friends

"Rarity!"

"There's no time to talk, darling!! I'm not going to waste any spare moment of the rest of my life wasting with words of remorse when I can save you!!"

"If... if I don't make it...w-would... would any of you still remember me...?"

"All of us would! We wouldn't have been the Elements of Harmony without you, Pinkie. You are our friend, our family..."

"PINKIE!!!!"

The earliest rays of the morning sun filtered through the circular window of her bedroom and onto her white face as Rarity's eyes started to wrinkle about, the mare slowly rising from her bed while she brushed her tangled mane to the side with her hoof. She quickly stretched her back, before turning to the other waking inhabitant of her bed, her lips curving into a smile.
Spike started to stir as well, as he suddenly lifted himself from the red sheets, letting out a loud, satisfied yawn. He rubbed his eyes before turning towards the mare of his life, saying with a beatific, half-awake grin.

"Morning, Rarity."

"Morning, Spikey," she readily answered, huddling up towards the dragon's chest. She laid her head onto the scaled surface, her hoof gripping onto his tender claws as she asked teasingly:
"Had a fine sleep last night?"

"I tried to," he grumbled, making her giggle.
"You kept snatching the blanket away, and I had to wake up every minute snatching it back from you. Then you started whining in your sleep about you being cold and... how did you say it? 'Only the warmth of a thousand dragons could harbor the freezing chill or something like that."

"Well, it was a little chilly yesterday night..."
With a quirky hum of delight, she quickly got up from the bed and towards her nightstand, curling her hair and ridding her bedhead almost immediately.
"I have to send Sweetie Belle to school today," she said, reaching for a yellow hat before asking:
"Would you please be a dear and help up with the boutique's stocks? I've just got some wondrous fabric from Fillydelphia which would look wonderfully fabulous on my new design."

"Do you even have to ask?" the dragon merely replied with a cunning grin, forcing a small laugh from the mare. With that, he quickly stole a kiss at her lips, before slumping back onto the bed and letting out a fake snore. Rarity just shook her head with a sigh: she can't believe he is still the playful dragon he was after all this time.
She headed downstairs and towards the dining area, surprised to see her sister already munching onto some French toast. Her swirled mulberry-colored mane had grown a little, with some already dangling at the right side, much like Rarity's own. Her horn lit up a light green, the corresponding cloud of which pulling a fork of lettuce towards her mouth.

"Morning, sis," she said after swallowing, sliding a bowl towards Rarity.
"I've made a little soup for you."

"Why, thank you, Sweetie dear," the older mare cooed, nuzzling her sister's mane.
"Have you got everything for school yet?"

"Everything!" Sweetie Belle chirped happily, placing her satchel on the table.
"By the way, Mrs. Symphony wants me to perform for the Canterlot Young Talents next month. They will pay a million bits for whoever wins, Rarity! Even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said they will come!"

Rarity wasn't surprised by that. The three fillies (who were already in their teens) had earned their Cutie Marks after hosting another concert for their school. Apple Bloom had a hammer and a nail arranged in an X over a rainbow-striped apple, displaying her talent for construction and engineering. Scootaloo had a flaming helmet that shows her talent in dancing and daredevil stunts, and her sister had a silver bell (much like her name) with three dainty, purple musical notes at the side; the result of her admittedly wonderful singing.
"Well, I'll see if I can rearrange my schedule," the white unicorn said before sipping on her sister's butternut cream soup, savoring its fluffy tinge in her mouth.

"Really, Rarity?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The last time you said that, you and Spike went out to dinner instead."

"I beg your pardon Sweetie, but that was nearly four months ago."
The fashion designer settled her spoon back down before trotting towards Sweetie Belle, continuing her sentence as she brushed the younger mare's mane. Despite being already in her early teens - she chuckled to herself - her younger sister wasn't a natural when it comes to combing.
"Plus, Twilight is coming back today. I'm sure she would be eager to know how you got your Cutie Mark, don't she?"

"Today?" Sweetie Belle squeaked with surprise.
"Celestia! She's coming back today!! She's coming back today!!"

"She's on the train now, Sweetie Belle."
The two sisters turned around as Spike descended from the stairs, clutched in his claws a rolled-up scroll, presumably sent by the Princess. The filly immediately shrieked with delight like she did when she was five years younger, snatching her satchel from the table before running out of the door, leaving the dragon to turn to the remaining pony in the room.
"She'll arrive at about noon or so. Want me to tell the rest about it?"

"Of course, Spikey dear," Rarity answered, giving the dragon a hug.
"I'm sure the rest would be overjoyed to hear that."

Spike immediately gave her a fanged grin, sighing softly soon after.
"Still can't believe it's been a year already..."

The white mare could only nod with him. One year had passed just like that, and so much has happened in the absence of her scholarly friend. She could only imagine the surprise on Twilight's face the moment she stepped out of the train doors, the thought of it making her squeal with glee.
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike and herself had planned for this very day to come. They had so many things to tell her, and probably she to them about her stay in Canterlot.

"Sweetie Belle's waiting outside," she hurriedly said, pushing the thoughts back.
"I have to go."

"Try to be quick," Spike replied meekly, giving a small peck on her cheek.
"Meet you at the station later," he finished, giving a cheerful wave, to which Rarity gave a firm, anticipating nod. To finally see her friend's face after so long... she could only wonder at what Twilight might've discovered during her stay. Something wondrous, perhaps? Or just more dull work. Maybe she found something that concerns Equestria as a whole.

And - she hoped for the best - possibly something that concerns them as well.

Sometimes he wished ponies would know what he had done for Equestria.

"State your affairs, please," one of the guards before him said, raising his hoof to stop him before the pale turquoise colt could step through the gateways of the regal palace of Canterlot, his one true destination. Their stern looks were unnerving and, funnily enough for him, unconvincing, though the glinting spears they held in their hooves was enough to stop him from laughing out loud in amusement. It was the same in their point of view; they were hostile when they saw him coming up from the horizon, adorning a tattered cloak with the mantle covering his senile face; one that made them lower their spears on sight.
"Sir?" the other guard pressed on, their snouts wrinkling at the ragged cloak he was wearing.

"My affairs are but private," he answered. The last thing he needed was for the whole of Celestia-damned Canterlot to know the reason behind his visit. Especially when it concerns the events he had seen forthcoming.
"I only wish to see a certain pony to discuss of this matter. Nothing more, nothing less."

There was a long sigh at his stubbornness. They were probably rookies, the stallion thought to himself, raising his eyebrow skeptically at their impatience. Their brashness and ignorance reminded him of a pony he knew a long time ago, though sadly the said pony never got the chance to live and see this day.

"Name?"

"None of your concern," was the reply, flicking the wrong switch in both guards' heads.
"I'm sure your Princess knows me very well, however."

"Listen, sir," one of the guards spoke, raising his spear intimidatingly with a glower.
"It's required to state at least some information of yourself for reference, or we will imply your presence as a threat to Her Royal Majesty."

"Is that so...?"
With a harrumph of resentment, the stallion suddenly swung his cloak to the side, pulling out from beneath it a gleaming, polished rapier, its glinting hilt anodized with gold. At the very center, where the blade meets the handle, was an ornate letter 'P', engraved with pure finesse into the gold with a halo of laurels curling up from the bottom.
"I forbid any requirement of explanation when I know it will risk the lives of many," he growled, raising his weapon menacingly as the guards pointed their spears at him, with some of them on the walls drawing back their bows.
"Surely you recognize this blade?" he added the question, giving a devious smile that curled up to the side of his black, messy mustache.

"Cease fire!! Cease fire, you fools!!"

The guards lowered their weapons, watching as another aged stallion came scurrying from the palace gardens, his prestigious white coat fluttering in the air with his eyes dilating at the sight of the colt at the gate. His lips curled jubilantly into a smile once he passed by the gate, giving the cloaked pony a tight, wistful hug.
"Stellar Lionheart, you sod," he mocked, the two old friends giving each other a laugh.

"Y-You know this pony, Sir Brineheart?" one of the guards asked nervously, to which he turned to them with a frown; the worst that Stellar had ever seen from his friend ever since their last encounter.

"Then how would I know his name, you blithering moron?" he snarled, wrinkling his snout.
"Away with you ponies! Spare your folly in the presence of another, for Celestia's sake!"

Hurriedly, the guards huddled away, not wanting to anger the royal doctor any longer, allowing the two ponies into the premises of the royal palace. Stellar peered over his shoulder back at the guards, before turning to his friend.
"Sir Brineheart?" he quipped, raising his eyebrow at his white friend.

"The Princess of the Night bestowed that title upon me after her recovery."
Caduceus let out a sigh, bereft of any sense of dignity or pride that most ponies would have in his position. His friend wasn't surprised when Princess Luna elected him as the leading doctor of the palace; after toiling through days of surgery and sleep deprivation, who wouldn't be?
"It's but a mere knighthood," he scoffed, "nothing that somepony feeble such as me can appreciate. None so much rewarding as the sight of your face after one whole year, you bastard."

"You're anything but feeble, Caduceus," Stellar replied with a grin.
"As for my long departure, I can assure you it's along the lines of this blade," he raised the glinting rapier, "and the purpose for the detonated building I had seen on the journey here. Rembury, is it?"

"Never more correct, my friend," was the grim response. The news of the explosion at Rembury Hotel was already an uproar internationally, with protests on the possibility of such a devastating event happening. Stellar himself had heard about it on the way here: sixty-three dead, including those who were lightly injured succumbing to their wounds, which he found it profoundly strange. Rumors of rebellions and anarchists, defilers of the faith, some called them, were already circulating around the streets of Canterlot, and talks about plots and assassinations filled the mouths of gossipers.
"The Princess pursued investigation into this matter," Caduceus continued.
"As of yet, no leads have turned up so far."

"Well, I believe I have one lead you can trace to."
Stellar smiled once his friend turned to him in surprise, widening his eyes in disbelief at what the former butler had just said. He pulled out a linen wrapping from beneath his cloak, which he tossed to his friend. Slowly, he shrouded the golden rapier within the wrapping, all the while trotting towards the doorway with Caduceus watching the whole time.
"We'll have a talk with the Princesses later," the pale turquoise colt said.
"As for now, I'm eager for some lunch. I'm famished."

"Surely you have to be joking," Caduceus replied with a chuckle.
"Is your journey that horrendously tiring?" he asked, to which Stellar could only give a wry smile.

"More than you could ever think it could be."

"She'll surely remember what you would look like, Sweetie Belle."

"But what if she doesn't?" the filly protested against her elder sister's attempts to assure her.
"It's been a year, Rarity! She might've forget at least something!"

"If there's one thing I know about Twilight, she wouldn't be forgetting about her friends that easily."
Rarity glanced around the platform of the station, having been waiting for the past half an hour for the arrival of the train. Spike had left to the market to buy some drinks for their parched throats, leaving them alone to wait for the bookish mare, as well as the rest of her friends.
None of the other three: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had arrived yet, though the fashion designer knew they each have their own matters to deal with it. Fluttershy had her new foal to tend to: a filly pegasus named Ambrosia Apple, or Amber Rose for short, with her husband, Big Macintosh. Rainbow was expecting her own foal as well with Soarin', the two having already wedded on the preceding July. Applejack was ever the more busier with the farm, what with her brother having a new foal recently.
"Twilight has enough consideration to remember us all. It's only a year after all, isn't it?"

"But Spike said she has a lot of stuff to do at Canterlot," Sweetie Belle replied.
"She might be too absorbed in her work! Then... then... by Celestia's mane, she wouldn't remember us at all!"

"I didn't mention the last part."

The two sisters turned to Spike, who was walking onto the platform with three plastic-lidded cups in his claw and a slightly disgruntled look on his face. Rarity's lips drooped once he let out a languidly hefty sigh, settling down while passing them their drinks.
"Just put some faith into her," he continued.
"I'm sure she'll remember."

The three of them sat in silence for a minute, with Sweetie Belle anxiously swaying her hooves on the lookout for the train, and the couple looking down at the floor. Rarity suddenly coughed, turning to her sister.
"Sweetie Belle," she said, earning the filly's attention.
"Can you be a dear and fetch some tissue for us?"

In an instant, Sweetie Belle eagerly raced off into town, leaving her sister and Spike alone on the bench to view the scenery, one wanting to speak to the other. Rarity swallowed a gulp of her strawberry milkshake, hesitantly glancing at the dragon.
"What happened?" she asked.

"It's nothing..."

Nothing? She wanted to scream at Spike for unintentionally teasing her curiosity. Nothing?
"Surely there must be something troubling you?" she tried again, huddling next to him. There were only a few times that she know of where he would be this frustrated around her and, as of now, only one possibility stood out from the rest.
"Is it..." she hesitantly began, "is it because of the ponies in town?"

"I don't really feel like talking about it," the dragon scowled, looking at the mare dead in the eye.
Rarity could feel him searing through the back of her head once his emerald pupils stared into her, forcing out a small whimper beneath his fading glare. She slid away from him to the other end of the bench, her mind trying to forget the whole conversation, before she felt his scaly claw wrapping around his hoof.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Spike began, biting his lip.
"It's just... I'm not uncomfortable with ponies treating me like I'm... I'm..."

"They'll have to get used to the new you, I suppose. I find you appealingly adequate, however."
With that, the white mare leaned her head against his arm, letting out a purr of delight when she felt the scales tingling perceptibly against her cheek. She stole a kiss on his lips, which was enough to coax a smile from his face.
"After all," she added, "they're the ones that need to change. Seriously they must've expected for you to grow up someday, Spikey..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Rarity! Rarity! Look who it is!"

Sweetie Belle's overly excited voice blared like a speaker, making everypony on the platform turning their heads to see a teenage filly running across, with several familiar faces trotting right behind. Rarity couldn't help but smile once she realized who it was, waving her hoof to beckon them over.
"Fluttershy darling!" the white unicorn exclaimed, her friend giving a dainty smile. Beside her was her two sister-in-laws, Apple Bloom and Applejack, the latter cradling the sleeping Amber Rose in a basket. The foal had inherited her mother's pink mane and wings, if Rarity could remember, and her father's sap green eyes. Her skin was more of a mixture of both parents; a pale hue of bright gold.
"I'm glad you could make it!"

"Oh... um... Macintosh said it was alright..."

"M'ah brother always says it's 'alright' when it comes to Fluttersh'ah. Then again...." Applejack's voice trailed off as the farmpony leaned close to the white unicorn, whispering:
"Everypony says it's alright to Fluttersh'ah these days."

Rarity couldn't agree more. Ever since her breakdowns: both of them, nopony dared to disagree with her. The butter pegasus had been visiting the psychiatrists at the hospital to diagnose for her second personality, yet Applejack noted it wasn't doing much good; there were times where she was nearly driven over the edge when Amber Rose cried for water, calming only when her husband was there to console both her and their daughter.
Spike smiled warmly once he saw the foal cradled underneath the blanket, brushing her miniature mane with the tip of his claw. In response, the baby snort and whimpered, whirling around in the safe haven of the rattan basket, her small tail whipping the sheets around her.
"She's so cute," the dragon remarked, wanting to pull his heart out.

"Ah couldn't say it better myself," Apple Bloom chirped.
"She looks like a doll in that basket!"

"Come to think about it," Sweetie Belle cut in, glancing around.
"Where's Rainbow? Isn't she and Soarin' supposed to be here already?"

"Ya gotta be patient, sugarcube."
Applejack gazed back at the town, trying to spot their remaining friend in the slightly packed crowd.
"RD has a foal to take care of, after all. Wouldn't want somethin' bad ta happen to it."

"The train's here! The train's here!"

Apple Bloom's excited cheering was soon accompanied by the echoing clatter of wheels on the tracks before them. They quickly rose from their seat (except for Fluttershy, who had to take care of her daughter) at the sight of the approaching train, holding their breaths as it screeched to a halt in front of them, letting out a steamy hoot of delight.
The doors soon slid open, with a scramble of ponies ascending and descending the vehicle. Rarity held Spike's claw, standing in the center of the shuffling flood of ponies and luggage while their eyes gazed into the crowd, eagerly trying to spot their friend.
"What would you think Twilight would be wearing, Spike?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, before giving a fanged, mischievous grin.
"Some sort of schoolmare dress? I heard they just went out of season five minutes ago."

"Like you would know anything about seasonal fashion trends," the mare shot back with a raise of an eyebrow, unimpressed as Spike gave a loud chuckle.
"I'm serious about her choice of attire!" Rarity griped, scrunching her face up once the dragon laughed louder, the pair rewarded with a bunch of stares from the ponies around. The unicorn's face started to blush with embarrassment at their unwanted attention, with her sister and friends giggling behind the crowd.
"Spiiiikke~!" she whined plaintively. "Why do you have to be so mean~?!"

"Alright, alright!" the dragon exclaimed sheepishly.
"I'm not really sure, actually. She's more interested in the library there than any of the boutiques that you would go to if you were her. I think you can say she wouldn't bother with looks, right?"

"She's still a mare, Spikey-Wikey."
Rarity crossed her hooves, diverting her attention more onto looking for their friend. There will never be a stallion (or, in her case, dragon) that will ever understand the mindset of a mare. Altogether, that makes their teasing and guessing their intentions all the more fun, actually.
"Forget I mentioned about her choice of apparel," she voiced out her thoughts.

"Enough blabberin' already, you two!" Applejack yelled, breaking into their search.
"Apple Bloom found 'er while you both were still yappin' about!"

The couple just blinked, the words of the orange mare sinking into their heads, filling them up with excitement and abashed realization. Quickly, they galloped back towards the rest of their friends, just in time to see Twilight cooing at Fluttershy's newborn daughter, her face lit up with pure delight.
"Twilight!" the dragon called out, to which the violet mare responded to eagerly. She rushed forward once she spotted her 'little' brother, giving him a tight, loving hug.

"It's great to see you again, Spike!" she exclaimed, turning to the last mare.
"Rarity, I'm so happy to see you as well."

"It's great to have you back in Ponyville, Twilight."
Rarity felt her heart fill up with warmth at the timely return of her friend; there was so much that Twilight and the rest have to talk about, she can't even think of where to start. They've already planned for a picnic at the plains outside of town tomorrow, just for their lengthy conversation on catching up with things, such as Fluttershy's foal.
"There's so much for us to talk about and discuss!"

Twilight nodded happily, though not before asking:
"Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"Ah don't think she could make it, Twi," Applejack replied, chuckling once she saw her friend's baffled look.
"We'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Ah'm gonna guess ya a little weary from ya train ride, eh?"

"Just a litt-" the bookish unicorn stopped with a yawn, the rest of her friends laughing as a result.
"Okay..." she dragged her voice drowsily, rubbing her eyes.
"Maybe a little too tired..."

"Well, you'll have to get some sleep now, won't you darling?"
Rarity's horn lit a pale blue, the corresponding cloud of magic encasing itself among her friend's few bags. Spike helped to lift two of them, giving Twilight a grin.
"You can sleep in one of the vacant rooms I have downstairs for tonight. We'll assist you in moving back to the library tomorrow. Would that be alright?"

"Sure thing..." she began, before yawning once more.
"Maybe you can tell me what's up with Rainbow Dash on the way there!"

The white unicorn smiled plainly at her friend. Still the same Twilight despite having already left Ponyville for a year to do some research, and now she's back... she felt a hollow spot in her heart fulfilled again, and the more she thought about what she had done in Canterlot, the more her curiosity shifted to the top of her head.
She had planned some personal questions; one that she wouldn't dare to even let Spike hear about it. Maybe her friend's visit to Canterlot can answer those very questions that were disturbing her at night. Maybe they could find out more about the reason of the connection between her and a certain doppelganger that she had feared to become back in what was now a northern wasteland.

And maybe - just maybe - she could learn something about a friend.

A friend lost in the crevasses of time.

"Really?"

Twilight nearly spat out her tea once she received the news about Rainbow's foal, unable to believe her ears at what Rarity had briefed her about their absent friend. The fact that is was already midnight never affected their conversation; Twilight had slept in the afternoon and Rarity had, unknowingly to her scholarly friend, a few nightmares that still lingered within her subconscious. She talked to Spike about it, though she wasn't sure of the dragon solving her problems, especially when he can't solve his own.
"I can't believe it!" the lavender mare exclaimed again, still trying to sink in the news.
"A foal! Another foal!"

"Now, darling," Rarity began, sipping on some well-brewed coffee. She had experimented with a few different flavors during her sleep deprivation, though her taste buds favored the milky cream taste of a latte.
"There's no need to holler around my boutique about it. Spike and Sweetie Belle are asleep."

"R-right," Twilight stammered sheepishly, though soon she was giggling with excitement again.
"But still...!" she let out a quivering sigh, "Rainbow Dash is going to have a foal! Who wouldn't be anticipating something such as that?"

"Well, I know one pony who doesn't anticipate it, and that is Rainbow herself."
The white unicorn sipped on her coffee again, before continuing:
"Her hormones are outrageous, if I must say. Soarin' did tell me she wasn't the most hospitable pony once she enters her season. Imagine if that mare goes into labor... I wouldn't dare to step into her husband's hooves..."

"No kidding."
The two mares could only laugh at the discussion of their athletic friend, who would probably scream their ears out if she were present. They soon resumed to finishing their respective drinks, though Twilight soon asked:
"How are you and Spike coming along?"

"Pretty fine," was Rarity's reply. She wanted to leave out the few issues that they were going through, primarily her affliction of nightmares and Spike's growth, which was fueling the growing fear within many of the ponies that were not closely acquainted with him.
The both had never announced their relationship to the rest of Ponyville yet, leaving it known only to the scarce few whom they could trust, namely Twilight, Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash, Octavia (who told Vinyl about it and made her swear to keep it secret), Fluttershy and the Apple family down in Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity had pondered on the implausible conditions that could come if they did, knowing those who feared him as a dragon would go against it. There was one pony she knew who would go absolutely against it.

Somepony she knew very well.

"Twilight," she called to her friend, holding her breath once the mare turned to her.
"What would you do if... well... somepony in your...... well..."

"I'm the only one listening, Rarity. It's okay."
Twilight could see the disturbance fluttering within the fashion designer's sapphire eyes, prompting her to place a hoof onto her friend's shoulder. She could only wonder at the problems that could possibly stem from her friend, though Rarity suddenly shook her head, glancing away.

"It's... it's nothing..."

Knowing how the white mare would not budge, Twilight let out a troubled sigh of defeat. The both of them sat in awkward silence for a minute, sipping their drinks, before Rarity finally asked:
"So, darling... how was Canterlot?"

"Oh, the usual studying and research. Nothing much after that, anyway."
Twilight's smile soon faded once again as she saw Rarity's disheveled expression, as if begging for her to continue. Her heart dropped with realization once she knew what the white mare wanted to hear, her throat forcibly pushing out the next few words.

"Nothing about Pinkie."

Rarity's shoulders slumped once she heard that, any trace of excitement washed down the drain.
"I thought you might've found something about her," she admitted, clenching her hooves tighter.
"Has the Princess at least called for somepony to... get her back yet?"

The lavender mare shook her head, only retching Rarity's heart even more. None of them had forgotten about that fateful night in the north, where her friend had perished with an enemy. It would be nice to see her again - Rarity gritted her teeth - even if she wouldn't be alive.
"Princess Celestia said Pendant Lakes was too dangerous to scale at the moment," Twilight explained.
"The expedition would just risk more lives. You and I know that."

"You don't understand, Twilight."
Rarity wiped a tear from her shimmering eyes, repressing any depressing thoughts out of her head. If there was one thing she would hate herself for doing, it would be crying in front of her recently returned friend.
"I just... I just wished that she would be... n-never mind..."

With that, the white mare excused herself, rising from her seat and hurriedly trotting across the boutique. Twilight could hear her sniffle underneath her mane, watching her solemnly as Rarity went up the stairs, leaving her alone in the living room, baffled and worried at her friend's behavior.
"Pinkie Pie," she muttered, the two words echoing briefly in her head. If there was somepony who could cheer them up, literally, it would be their friend. Everything would be better if she were here, she muttered to herself.

"If she were here..."