Chapter 1
Manehattan - Equestria (SB)
Mare Do Well ran after a criminal who had just robbed a museum of an artifact. The curator of the museum had said the artifact was dangerous in the wrong hands. It looked like a simple staff with a sapphire on the top, but she had read enough books to know not to underestimate to power of ancient artifacts.
"Drop the staff and give up!" Mare Do Well yelled to the criminal who just ignored her leaping over a display bucking back knocking it over. Starbloom used her magic to blast the broken display out of the way not in the mood to play games with this one. "Your pushing my limits!"
The criminal turned and winked, waving the staff at Mare Do Well taunting her with it. The criminal was a earth pony, tan in color, with a orange mane and a tail with red highlights and cutie mark of a gem on her flank. "Alright, that's it. I'm done playing cat and mouse." Mare Do Well said reaching out with her magic to grab the staff.
As soon as her magic wrapped around the staff it started to flash bright blinding the criminal, the lens on Mare Do Well's suit filtered most of the blinding light out. The staff humming brightly pulling itself free of criminal and drawing both her and Mare Do Well towards it. "Oh horse feathers," Mare Do Well said turning and trying to struggle away as the pull of the staff drug her closer to it.
There was a deafening blast that knocked both her and the criminal out. The light fading away and the staff rattled to the ground leaving no trace of Mare Do Well, or the criminal that had taken the staff present. The museum curator coming over to the staff and lifted it up in his own magic smirking. "I warned you, this was a powerful artifact and not to be taken lightly." He said shaking his head returning the staff to it's display before going to clean up the mess in the museum.
Ponyville Outskirts - Equestria (ANH)
Outside of Ponyville, near Sweet Apple Acres a ripple of energy started to form distorting the fabric of space and time. There was a rumble like thunder before a loud blast, similar to sound wave from one of Rainbow Dash's sonic rainbooms. As the smoke started to settle two figures could be seen laying on the grass in an empty field.
One of them started to move to her hooves, dressed in a costume that seemed to big for her small frame. "Nnngg... my head..." she said softly rubbing her temples softly looking around. She saw the criminal she had been chasing, or at least a pony that looked a lot like her.
The other pony started to get up as well feeling dazed as well as well as she got to her hooves. "Wow, what a ride." She said blinking as she looked around before seeing Mare Do Well, moving back. "Hey know, we can ta.... what the hay?! Did your costume suddenly get to big?" She asked before looking herself over. "What did you do to me?!"
Mare Do Well was just staring at the criminal before both heard a pony shouting from nearby and turned to see a farm pony coming over to them. "What in tarnashin ya'll doing out in my field, go on, get home! Shoo!" She yelled trying to chase them off, the criminal pony taking the hint and running for it. Mare Do Well on didn't move though, looking at the familiar pony.
"A.. Applejack?!" She asked loudly looking up at her as she got close to her, her eyes wide looking around everything starting to become more clear to her. She was at Sweet Apple Acres, in one of the grazing fields. "It's me Applejack, Starbloom." She said struggling out of the now over sized hat and mask.
"Huh? Starbloom? Look here little filly, I don't know any Starbloom." She said as she watched the her remove the hat and mask of the Mare Do Well suit. "My goodness, aint you the spitin image of Twilight Sparkle though, for an earth pony that is."
Starbloom blinked looking at Applejack, confusion going over her face looking at herself. She was a filly again she could tell that much, but Applejack should recognize her. "But... you know who I am, I'm Twilight's daughter."
Applejack frowned at Starbloom, "Now look here, ya seem to know who I am, so you should know I don't tolerate lying." She said firmly looking down at Starbloom, "Now gather your things and get home."
Starbloom sighed, frustrated and confused as to what Applejack was acting like that. She tried to use her magic to gather up the costume, but it just flickered and sputtered since the headband was to big and wasn't making direct contact wit her forehead. This caused Applejack to pause and blink at the odd display of magic, or attempted magic.
"Figures..." She muttered under her breath. "A.. Applejack, can I borrow a saddle bag, I promise I'll bring it back." She said giving her a weak smile. Applejack sighed then nodded at her waving a hoof for her to follow. Starbloom picked up the hat with her teeth and followed her to the farm house doing her best to keep up in the suit.
"So.. Starbloom was it? Where ya from?" Applejack asked glancing at the small filly beside her, unsure about her. She had said they knew each other and she was Twilight's daughter. But she knew Twilight didn't have any foals. It was hard for her to deny the resemblance though, the coat color, the mane color and cut, even the eye color.
"Manehattan, though I grew up here in Ponyville... before that Canterlot." Starbloom said softly walking next to Applejack doing her best not to stumble over the oversized leggings. "I know, it's hard to believe me... I think something happen to me in the museum."
Applejack stayed quiet as she listen to the filly speak, before sighing and looking down at her. "Here we are, I'll get you one of Apple Bloom's saddle bags, wait here." She said before heading into the house. She was finding it hard to believe the filly, but at the same time something was telling her she wasn't lying.
When Applejack came back out with the saddle bags Starbloom had removed the Mare Do Well suit, and Applejack did a double take looking at the small purple filly. "Well I'll be, that is the most unique cutie mark I've ever seen." She said setting the saddle bags down for Starbloom.
Starbloom blinked and look back at her flank, she still had the cutie mark of the magnifying glass crossing a book and over top was a psychic eye on the sea of gray furr "Yea, I got that... eh after helping someone find something." She said packing the Mare Do Well suit away letting out a soft cry of pain putting a hoof on her shoulder. Her shoulder giving her problem against.
"Hey, you alright there little`n?" Applejack asked going over to check on her. "What happen to your shoulder? For that matter why happen to you? You look like you been roughed up pretty good." She added after getting a better look of the small filly. The skin under the fur over her body had faint bruising, her back left leg looked like it had been broken and not allowed to heal properly and her fur on her shoulder was shorter like the skin under it was scarred.
"It's nothing, trust me it's a long story and I'm not sure if you'll believe me if I told you." She said looking up at Applejack smiling as she raised her hoof pushing the headband against her forehead so the crystals connected with her forehead focusing she lifted the saddle bags onto her back before putting her hoof down. The headband hanging loose again.
"Now look here... little... one?" Applejack started to speak when Starbloom took off down the path leading away from the farm house, the speed she moved stunned Applejack, even with her hurt shoulder. She was even more amazed when she leaped over the fence and cleared it.
Starbloom was halfway down the road leading away from Sweet Apple Acres when she slowed and let out a deep breath. "Sorry AJ, but I don't have time for a lecture," she said softly frowning glancing back at the farm. Glad Applejack wasn't following after her.