To my astonishment, I opened my eyes. I had thought, and honestly hoped, that my journey was over. I gazed around, but it was too dark to see anything. I could feel myself in a bed, tucked tightly under the sheets, but that was all I could tell. I had no idea where I was or who had put me there. I tried to sit up, but my whole body ached, and I simply collapsed back onto the bed. I couldn't move without everyone of my muscles crying out in pain. I remembered running to the railroad tracks, and I remember collapsing my duplicate got away, but I know for a fact I didn’t put myself to bed. Who could have, would have, taken me in.
I soon got my answer. The door swung open, and in walked a midnight blue unicorn, levitating a vase full of flowers. She was very well kept, with her jet black mane braided in a neat ponytail to her left. She saw me looking at her, and her face lit up.’
“You’re awake! Thank Celestia! We were worried you’d be asleep forever.”
Her voice was very expressive, and she spoke so fast, I had to think before I could register what she said. Now that some pony was here, I could get some answers. “Who are you?”
“Oh, where are my manners. My name is Polaris.I’ve been taking care of you while you rested.”
At least now I knew who had found me, but I was still curious. “How did find me? I was in the middle of nowhere.”
She chuckled, like this was all very funny. “Well, so was I. I was riding in my balloon from here to Ponyville, and I saw my sister trying to help you by the railroad tracks. What else was I to do but help. I hadn’t seen my sister in ages either. The fact that you’re now both okay is such a relief.”
I tried again to sit up, but my body was having none of it. Polaris rushed over to the bedside. “I can imagine you’re pretty sore, but that’s normal. From what my sis has told me, you’ve been through quite the ordeal.”
Sister, sister, she said that as if I knew her. “I don’t think I know your sister.”
“Well she sure knows you. She’s been helping me run things here these past few days. I can’t begin to describe how overjoyed I was to see her again.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
As I did so, Gemini walked in with a plate of pie, but she immediately dropped it once she saw I was awake.
“Stardust! You’re awake!” She shouted, but I was still speechless.
“Gemini, you have such excellent timing. We were just talking about you.”
I had to shake my head to shake off my disbelief. I thought Gemini was terrified of ever being discovered. It didn’t take me long to put two and two together, though. “Gemini is your sister?”
“Yes. I was sad when she went off to Canterlot Academy, but I was devastated when I learned she was missing. She was the only family I had left. I didn’t recognize her, but I never forget a voice. That hadn’t changed a bit.” Polaris began to tear up. I was afraid she would start crying, but she managed to keep her composure. “I wanted to try and find her, help her get home, but after a while I gave up hope of ever seeing her again.”
“And I’d given up hope of eve being helped.” Gemini interjected. “I was terrified when Polaris spotted me. I was tempted to run back into the forrest. But she was more concerned about you than she was of my condition. And actually, so was I.”
“We got you back here as fast as we could. It seems you over exerted yourself. What on earth were you doing out in the Everfree forrest, anyway?”
Gemini already knew my story, so there was no point in trying to keep it a secret.I told her everything that had happened. I told her how I was from the Canterlot Academy, how I’d inadvertently summoned a maniacally ambitious version of myself, and that I’d been chasing her all the way from Canterlot. I even told her that my isolation and loneliness was why I’d done it.
I don’t know why I trusted her so much. I’d only known the pony for a few minutes, and I was telling her my deepest feelings. I hadn’t been so open with anyone since I was at home in Trottsdam. The entire time I was talking to her, I never got the sense that she was judging me. She just listened to what I had to say.
After I finished my story, she let out a deep sigh. “This is certainly a lot to take in. Not only did I find my missing sister, but now your telling me that there’s a maniacal pony on the loose that’s trying to steal pegasus wings.” When she put it that way, it did all seem rather hard to believe. “Don’t worry though. Gemini and I will get you back on your hooves so we can stop her.”
I was a bit surprised at her enthusiasm. “Really? I haven’t even proven that what I told you was true.”
“Stardust, a couple days ago, I thought I’d never see my sister again. Now I’ve discovered that she turned herself into a race no pony has seen in ages. I’m willing to believe anything at this point.”
I of all ponies should have known that.
I’d been bed ridden for a second day, and the angst was beginning to get to me. My double was making progress, and yet I was stuck here, barely able to lift my legs. At least I had ponies to tend to me while I rested. Maybe they could even help make it go along faster. It was my only hope, and White Lightning’s, too.
Polaris came in, as she had the previous day, but this time brought me a hot meal, the first one I’d seen in days. “Good morning, Stardust. Feeling any better today?”
I tried to move, but the stiffness was still pervasive. “Only a little. I’ve never felt so helpless before.”
“I know what you mean. The first time I had to anything physical, I could barely walk up the stares the next day.”
“Not like that. I mean, that’s part of it.”
She placed the tray with the food gingerly on the bed stand, and took a seat next to me. “You’re still worried about your friend, aren’t you?”
I gave her a nod. “I know I’m responsible for anything bad that’ll happen to her, but I feel right now like there’s nothing I can do. It’s the worst feeling.”
I don’t think she had a story to relate with me then. Instead, she opened up the curtains, revealing a large dogwood tree. It must’ve been the size of the house, because I could see it from every angle I looked.
“We don’t really appreciate the world we live in. This tree is older than anyone I know, and yet no pony has ever asked me a thing about it.”
I was beginning to wonder where she was going, but I let her carry on. “Look at the branches, the littlest ones. They had no choice of where or in what direction they grew. They just happened. But they’re hardy little guys. Every single one of them pushed out, weathering storms and wildlife to grow in a strong tree limb. Eventually, they push out new tree limbs, and the cycle begins anew.”
“Should I be taking a lesson from this?”
“Indeed. It doesn’t matter what’s happened in your past. Just like this tree, future branches don’t care whether you you caused a minor hiccup, like growing at a funny angle, or even dividing into two branches. If you push on, helping more branches grow, you create a beautiful tree."
I’d never thought I’d get life lessons from a tree, but Polaris was a true philosopher. Sh was right. I could still fix this. I just needed to push through, and not give up. Still, I couldn’t help but have my doubts. “I’m still so far behind her. White Lightning is all the way in Cloudsdale. How am I going to reach her in time to help her?”
Polaris’s face lit up, though I hadn’t the faintest idea why it would. “I almost forgot to tell you! I never thought in my life that this would be good news, but the pegasi have scheduled a massive storm for the next few days, so all travel to clouds dale has been suspended. Unless your other self grows the strongest wings in equestrian, she’s grounded too!”
"That's perfect! Finally, some good luck!"
"Now will you get some rest? Not much else to do anyways." She was right. I could finally rest without worry, at least for the time being. I tucked myself back under the quilt as the storm clouds rolled in.
“Just show me once. I want to know if it’s true!” Polaris stared at Gemini with childish glee. Despite her sisters cheery demeanor, she remained stoic, and took and sip of her chocoa.
“I told, I think I would’ve noticed if something like that happened.”
“Did you ever check?”
“No.”
“Well then You don’t know for sure. Please?”
Gemini sighed, finally giving in to Polaris’s begging. “Fine.”
With a squee, Polaris clopped her hooves, and proceed to eliminate every source of light in the room, dousing the lamps, drawing the curtains, and turning off the stove where our dinner was cooking. I didn’t object. I kind of wanted to see this too.
Sure enough, Gemini’s eyes glowed a fluorescent yellow, so brightly that we could make out each other’s silhouettes. Polaris sat, giggling in delight. I was tempted to do the same, but I restrained myself, seeing as Gemini obviously didn’t approve of being used as a glow stick.
“OK, you’ve seen it. Are you happy?”
Polaris regained her composure just long enough to answer. “Yes. I am. Now let’s get the stove going again before our dinner goes cold.”
As Polaris got up to check the food, I leaned towards Gemini. She looked like she needed cheering up. “Well at least she didn’t ask if you drink blood. Sorry if that made you feel bad.”
“Trust me, I’ve pulled my share of dirty tricks on my sister. Being a lantern is probably just the beginning of my karma.”
“What do mean?”
“Well, one time, I found some poison joke in the woods, and I slipped it into her bath one night. When she woke up, she could only talk backwards!”
It was only as she finished that I noticed Polaris standing behind her, carrying the pot of stew. “And you can count your lucky stars Apple Blossom visited when she did, or I may have found some of that poison joke to use on you.”
“Yeah right. It probably would’ve played another joke on you instead!”
Polaris shot a glare over at Gemini. “You know, I’m not all that hungry. If Stardust wasn’t our guest, this would be on your head right now.”
Gemini jus kept giggling as she turned away. Since I’d met her, I’d never seen her be happy in anyway. It seemed like just being with her sister was enough to lighten her spirits. If she was in the same position as me at the academy, this was probably the first time she’d laughed in a long time. I would’ve been jealous if I wasn’t laughing myself.
Polaris may have been her sister, but I don’t think Gemini saw her that way. She told me more of her practical jokes over dinner, from come-to-life spells on her writing desk to moving her onto a cloud while she was sleeping. Polaris just laughed them off, even though she was hopping mad at the time. They behaved more like friends than siblings. It reminded me of White Lightning and myself, except we only felt like family. That was all that mattered though.
After dinner, Gemini helped me back up to bed, but something kept nagging me the entire time. Before she left, I spoke up. “Gemini, I gotta ask you something.”
“Shoot.”
“Why did you pull all those pranks on Polaris?”
She smirked, and in the darkness, I could see her eyes faintly glowing again. “Because she loves me. No matter what I did, she would always be my sister.”
With that, she departed, leaving my to ponder her words. With her pranks and Polaris’s tree, I began to realize that, being together for so long, they had learned something that I couldn’t have learned in any school; that friendship is forever.