The trio made their way back to the castle. There were many glances given to Princess Twilight, who accept it nonchalantly, while Rainbow Dash basked in the attention as if it was directed at her.
As they passed the park, they found Trixie packing up her things with a beat-up hat filled with golden coins. She nearly dropped it at the sight of the two Twilight's.
"Trixie!" Princess Twilight called out, "I didn't know you were here!"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie comes and goes as she wills."
Rainbow Dash stared daggers at Trixie like she was trying to decide if she wanted to strangle the street performer. Twilight decided to go ahead and like the magician.
"I liked the performance you put on," Twilight offered, "kind of wish I could've stayed a little longer."
"It was a shame," Trixie said, "the Great and Powerful Trixie would've liked to have you onstage. But tell Trixie, who are you? You look like Princess Twilight."
"Long story, but I'm Twilight Sparkle. Not the princess, just a friend."
"They're waiting for us back at the castle, you know," Rainbow Dash reminded Princess Twilight.
The princess gave a sigh of annoyance. "Well, I have to go. Just wanted to say hello."
Trixie nodded and bid them a farewell.
"Why does Rainbow Dash not like her?" Twilight asked the princess once both mares were out of earshot, Trixie far behind and Rainbow Dash an impatient distance ahead.
"The short version is that she showed up doing one of her magic acts, which caused an Ursa Minor to rampage through the town accidentally-"
"As in the Little Dipper? A constellation?"
"Not a constellation. A really massive bear. Anyways, she left and came back with a magic amulet and tried to banish me from Ponyville before I came back and defeated her. Anyways, she-"
"And you like her?"
"She apologized," Princess Twilight said, as if that explained everything.
"She made a giant bear terrorize a town and then came back to banish you from it."
"The Ursa Minor was an accident that was caused by her giving an idea to two young foals who didn't know what they were doing. The second time she was under the influence of the amulet. She was literally insane."
"An amulet that she put on," Twilight pointed out.
Princess Twilight decided to try a different tack. "You saw her do her show yourself. Did she seem nice, not arrogant and boastful? For a stage magician, at the very least?"
"Well, I guess," Twilight admitted.
"There you go," Princess Twilight said, "she apologized, saw the error of her ways, and she's making the best she can of her second chance. She's changed for the better."
"I don't care if somepony can change," Twilight said, "if they made a giant bear rampage through my town I wouldn't ever forgive them for it."
"Hey! Can we pick up the pace here? I'm getting hungry!" Rainbow Dash called out from a short distance ahead of them before the princess could argue further.
Princess Cadence and the other ponies gathered at the dinner table were stunned to find Princess Twilight with her look-alike in tow.
Twilight shifted around uncomfortably under their piercing stares. She looked to her newfound mentor for help, but the princess seemed utterly oblivious.
"We're back," Princess Twilight said cheerfully.
Cadence's face was one of confusion, unlike the rest in the dining hall, but it quickly morphed into a welcoming smile. "Hello, Twilight and Twilight. Did anything go wrong with the arrangements? I thought they would be good for living a quiet life here for until the next opening of the portal, but if there is anything wrong..."
"There's been a change of plans," Princess Twilight announced to the room, "I think I may have figured out a way to reopen the portal ahead of when it's supposed to."
"So... how do you plan on doing that, exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I'll explain once we eat," Princess Twilight assured.
Rainbow Dash and the princess each took a seat at the long table. Twilight hesitated for a moment, and then took a chair situated away from Spike, who was staring at the gemstones on his fine china plate like they were slices of chocolate cake.
"Now can we eat?" Spike asked.
"Yes, Spike, everypony's here. You can eat now," Applejack answered.
Without another word, Spike snatched the solid gems off his plate and noisily ate them, making crunching sounds as if the gemstones were merely breakfast cereal.
Princess Twilight recounted the events of the library while Twilight helped herself to berries, salad and even pastries. Apparently even ponies had a sweet tooth.
There was also a large amount of hay that were apparently served in different styles, although Twilight could hardly tell the difference. She avoided the hay, not wanting to eat something so unfamiliar to her. Logic dictated that her digestive system had been changed to that of her horselike companions, but fear of the unknown won out and the hay never touched her plate.
Princess Twilight had just finished explaining her counterpart's immediate knack for magic. The way she had described it, one would have thought that Twilight had levitated the entire book and zipped it around the room.
"I wasn't that good," Twilight protested, breaking her silence she had kept all dinner, "I just made a book move a few pages ahead. It's not exactly a powerful feat of magic as far as I know."
"It's an excellent start," Princess Twilight said encouragingly.
Princess Twilight resumed her story. By the time she had finished explaining her intentions to be Twilight's teacher, the entire room was silent aside from the clinks of silverware and plates being quietly taken away by servants.
"So, um, does this mean Twilight is coming to Ponyville with us?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yes, it does," Princess Twilight confirmed.
Surreptitious glances were thrown Twilight's way.
"That's lovely," Rarity said in a way that suggested that it was anything but lovely.
Twilight said nothing in her defense.
"Hey, maybe we should go to the castle greenhouse," Princess Twilight suggested suddenly.
"I have a little bit of work to do," Cadence said in apology, "between Shining Armor being sick and the Princess Summit, I've starting to fall behind in my paperwork."
"All right," Princess Twilight said, "I understand. Girls, are you all up for it?"
"I think I'll take a look around the castle," Twilight said, "I just want to look around a little."
"All right. The castle has it's own library just a few floors above us if you're interested."
Twilight perked up at the information and quickly left, heading for the nearest staircase.
"I've got some things to take care of," Spike announced, "I'll catch you girls later."
"Well, I guess it's just us then," the princess said.
Even at night, the greenroom was beautiful. With a glass ceiling that gave a crystal clear view of the sky, flowers of countless varieties in bloom and the noticeable lack of armed guards that might listen in on a private conversation or just generally be an eyesore, it was a wonderful place to have a personal or touchy conversation. The entire greenroom was filled with an earthy scent of dirt and the aroma of flowers that instantly relaxed the muscles of the princess and her friends the moment they stepped inside.
"No matter how many times I visit here, it's just so beautiful," Fluttershy marveled.
"These flowers certainly are quite pretty, aren't they?" Rarity agreed.
"Shame they don't plant any fruits or nothing," observed Applejack, "they could make a fortune selling crystal berries if the prince and princess tried."
"Eh, it's kinda nice," commented Rainbow Dash, "but once you've seen one flower, you've kinda seen 'em all."
Pinkie Pie sniffed a flower. "Best thing is, there aren't any bees! I got stung once when I went to go smell a flower and it really hurt."
"Girls, can I ask you something?" Princess Twilight ventured.
"Of course, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie replied.
"Alright," Princess Twilight said uneasily, "but I noticed you girls were a little quieter around Twilight then you usually are around other ponies. Is everything alright?"
"Not really," Applejack sighed, "it's just... an hour ago she was makin' fun of you, your crown, and even Spike. You looked really upset."
"Well, yes, I was," Princess Twilight admitted, "but she was just frustrated. No reason to hold a grudge on her."
"Well, even before that, when we were asking her questions about where she came from, she seemed a little... um..." Fluttershy trailed off.
"A little what?" the princess asked.
"A little bit snippety," Rarity finished.
"She doesn't even like parties!" Pinkie Pie added.
Princess Twilight sighed. "Pinkie, not everypony likes parties-"
"They don't?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"-and she's not that bad once you get to know her. What are you girls all afraid of?"
"We're afraid that this new Twilight might be a bad friend," Rarity admitted, "we don't want you to be hurt because of her."
"Girls, don't worry," Princess Twilight assured her friends, "I thought about what I was doing before I made the offer to take her back to Ponyville with us. I know she has the makings of a good friend. We just need to give her a little kindness and bit of breathing room."
Applejack tilted her the brim of her hat upwards. "If ya say so, Twilight."
"I do say so," the princess said with absolute confidence.