//------------------------------// // No escape from reality // Story: Dear...Princess Celestia? // by Distorted Flare //------------------------------//      "So... you still live here then?" I questioned, looking at the familiar library. Beside me, my female counterpart glared at me. Not six words out my mouth and already she was upset. "Not that there's... anything wrong with the library. I mean, I'm you, so obviously being close to books is a must," I chucked nervously. Twilight seemed to study me for a moment, her tail gently swishing behind her as I felt sweat trickle down my forehead. Her nostrils flared, exhaling sharply as she turned, a small grin on her lips. Sighing, I wiped my forehead, having dodged an arrow. It was still early in the morning and as the two of us made for the library, I mentally grimaced at my poor choice of words. I had meant no disrespect by my comment, but with her being a princess, I merely assumed that she would have found accommodations more befitting a princess. But she was me at the end of the day and I would most certainly not want to be treated any differently. One thing that I had noticed was that whilst we were identical in virtually every aspect, my female counterpart was slightly more aggressive and mistrusting.         I honestly had no idea why she was so upset with me. If, like me, she had appeared in my world, obviously my first thought would be changeling or a pony in disguise, but I would also trust my mentor's word. Had something happened between them? Had Celestia upset Twilight, and would the same happen to me? These thoughts plagued my mind as I feared the thought of Prince Solaris and I falling out.         Twilight paused in front of the large oak tree library, a coy smile on her lips. With a small giggle, to my bewilderment, she started counting down.         "3, 2..."           "OOMPH!" I cried as a pink blur slammed into me. My head smacked against the hard ground as I groaned. A heavy weight landed on my chest as I looked up at my attacker.         "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie; who are you? Wow, you look a lot like Twilight! Are you like a secret brother or something, and…” She suddenly took in a large inhale of air before continuing. “Oh my gosh! You’re new here! You must be because I know every pony and--mmph!" the mare’s rambling was thankfully cut short. Twilight covered the... lively mare’s mouth.          "Pinkie Pie, give the colt some room to breathe," Twilight chuckled, her eyes flashing mischievously as I mentally groaned at being called a colt. Stepping back, Twilight removed her hoof from Pinkie Pie's mouth. "Pinkie Pie, this is Dusk Shine. He is a... friend who will be staying with me for a while," Twilight replied, the pink mare smiling as she looked me over. Pinkie Pie was a carbon copy of Bubble Berry, even having the same spring in her step. I grimaced; one party pony was more than enough. Thank Solaris that Bubble Berry had not come through.  One question plague me, though. Was there a way home?  If the Princesses did not give Discord his full power back, that is assuming that he stays true to his word, I could end up stuck here for the rest of my life.         “Dusk Shine?” Twilight queried, snapping me from my gloomy thoughts. A look of concern crossed her face as I waved her off.         “Its nothing, Twilight. Just lost in thought,” I laughed awkwardly. It would not do me any good to dwell on the negative. I trusted Princess Celestia, and Twilight and had a good feeling that they would help me figure this all out. I would find a way back to my Equestria, no matter the cost.  Only partly listening to their conversation, Pinkie Pie was arguing with Twilight about throwing me a “surprise” party. Pinkie Pie wanted me to fit in and make friends despite having no clue who I am. Twilight felt that it was best if I kept a low profile. her excuse being that I was shy around others. In the end, Twilight conceded, though on the condition that Pinkie Pie kept it small. I chuckled as the pink blur shot off, giggling excitedly. Twilight snorted, rolling her eyes as she unlocked the library door. The familiar smell of ink and parchment made me smile. Ever since I was a colt, I had loved the smell, finding it helped to relieve stress after a hard day of studying. “I will get your room set up,” Twilight spoke up, stretching her wings as she trotted upstairs. The soft click of her hooves on wood faded as I took the alone time to explore the shelves, eager to see if this library had any new books. Books were pulled from their place as I giddily searched for more. Some of them were ancient and covered fascinating subjects like alicorn magic and ancient rulers before even the royal sisters. One book was even written by Starswirl the Bearded, whom I assumed was this reality’s Starswirl the Frizzled. Given that most of her work had been destroyed during the Canterlot fire of 445 NTNB( Night Terror Nebula’s banishment) which saw to the destruction of nearly 60% of the castle, including the library. Finding intact copies of her work was rare. With four books trapped in my magical grasp, I sat myself down in a comfortable arm chair, sighing as I delved into the first one. Starswirl the Bearded’s Theory of Magical Evolution was a fascinating book that spoke about our earlier ancestors and how they first discovered the power of magic. Huh, Starswirl has some really good theories, I silently mused. He speculated that unicorns would have most likely learned how to use magic around the time our diet changed. Our first were speculated to eat mostly grass and fallen fruits. But as we evolved and grew smarter we learned how to gather and using our magic let us wield weapons to defend ourselves. “Enjoying yourself?” Twilight questioned from behind. Squawking in surprise, I turned, giving the mare a small smile. “Starswirl the Bearded Theory of Magical Evolution, good choice.” She smiled leaning over as I self-consciously sat up straight. Her eyes scanned the page, a genuine smile on her lips as I decided to take a chance.   “I do disagree with Starswirl on one of his theories though. He claims that magic users works better alone as there are less distractions but I feel that my magic is at its strongest when I have my friends by my side.,“ I spoke up.   “Exactly, according to Princess Celestia that was Starswirl’s downfall. He did not appreciate or understand the true value and joy of friendship,” Twilight agreed. “When I was younger, I thought the same thing. That books were the answer to everything and that my magic came from studying. Princess Celestia helped me to see that magic is not everything and my friends helped me to see that friendship is magic,” She finished as I gave a small nod.    The two of us spent the next few hours discussing magical theory. Twilight, being an alicorn,  was now being tutored by both Celestia and Luna. This had given her new and interesting theories and ideas which she shared with me.         “Now how do I show you to my friends?” Twilight questioned, examining me as I gave her an incredulous look.         “You can’t be serious, right,” I chuckled weakly?    “This is a bad idea. What if they think that I’m lying or a changeling?” I questioned, nervously chewing on my lip as Twilight rolled her eyes. “Look, I plan to tell the rest of them tonight but I need Applejack to vouch for us. As the Element of Honesty, the others will believe her. It also means that we don’t get bombarded by questions and makes it simpler to explain your… unique circumstances for being here in Ponyville. The last thing either of us needs is them getting any funny ideas as to why you’re staying at my library,” Twilight finished hotly, the implication of her words making me blush as I nodded. The trip was mostly silent after that, I was not exactly the conversational type and I doubted that Twilight was either. ‘Jeez why is it so awkward to talk to her? We are the same pony, we should be having a field day. Yet instead Twilight Sparkle was pissed at me and I was home sick. “So... Twilight, what is it like having wings?” I questioned hoping to at least make small talk as  the mare paused. Turning, she seemed to study me, looking for an ulterior motive as I stood rigid not wanting to upset her.         “Strange at first. It was like learning to walk again. I mean, it took time to learn to even move them properly but Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash were a great help in teaching me. Another thing was preening. My first attempt was disastrous, and it took Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy an hour to undo the damage I had done.” She paused, giggling, as I gave a weak chuckle. “But as a whole they are nice. Especially when it gets colder,” she finished, smiling as she stretched them out to their full length.         “What about you Dusk Shine? This must be a lot to take in. I mean, from what Princess Celestia and Luna told me, the changeling invasion for you was only a couple of weeks ago. How are you doing?” Twilight asked, concern laced in her words as I gave a brave smile.         “Scared, but I know that the Princesses will figure something out. Then I can get out of your mane,” I chuckled awkwardly, the mare’s smile dropping as she looked away. The rest of the short journey was silent neither of us really knowing what to say. The gentle whack of hooves striking wood could be heard, signaling that we were getting close. Soon the two of us were walking up the small hill to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. This world really was amazing, everything was so similar, the same weather-worn sign and the large red barn sitting in the distance. The two of us followed the sharp cracks of the apple farmer. Buckets of apples lying full to the brim as in the distance a large red stallion could be seen carrying crates into the barn. I assumed that he was Red Gala’s counterpart. “Well, howdy there ,Twi. What brings you round these parts?” The apple farmer spoke up, resting her form against a freshly bucked tree. Sweat trickled down her forehead as she smiled. Spotting me, her eyes widened for a brief second before a friendly smile adorned her face. “Who’s yer friend there?” She questioned. “Applejack, this is Dusk Shine. He is going to be staying with me until further notice,” Twilight replied. Applejack gave her a coy smile, her eyes darting back and forth as her mind tried to put the pieces together. “So this yer coltfriend then?” The tactless farmer asked. I felt my cheeks burn as Twilight went red, her eyes wide as we looked at each other then back to Applejack. Blushing, we turned away, too embarrassed to make eye contact. “N-no... of course not,” Twilight spluttered. “ Not with him of all ponies,” she snapped, making me flinched. Talk about harsh, I mentally sighed. Though she had a point, the two of us were the same pony. Dating would not only be impractical, as I was planning to return home, but we had only known each other for a day. Still her words stung as Applejack chortled. “Quit your hollering, ah was just kidding,” Applejack chuckled, eyeing me as she slowly circled me. “Twi… you mind explaining why this stallion done got the same cutie mark as you? Now that I think bout it, he looks awfully similar to you. Care to explain?” she questioned. Twilight gave a small cough motioning for me to explain myself. Thanks for dropping me right in it princess I mentally growled clearing my throat as Applejack watched me expectantly. “Well you see—.” ________________________________________________________________________ “Y’all aren’t serious... right?” Applejack queried, scratching her head as I gave a small nod. “I would call you crazy for believing this, Twi, but looking at ‘em, I know he ain’t lying, well as far as I can tell,” Applejack finished scratching her head as I sighed in relief. “Look, I ain’t saying I believe you, but if the princess and Twi trust you then I guess I do to,” she smiled, her eyes narrowing as she wrapped a hoof around me. “But if you do anything to hurt ma friend, I will kick your flank so hard, your grand foals will feel it.” she hissed, pulling away as I gave a weak nod. “Understood.” I replied shivering as she gave me a small wink.         “Well then Dusk Shine, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres,” she smiled, her eyes flicking over my body as she smirked. “Ah would be careful, Twi.  colt that good looking wont stay single for long, if you don’t keep an eye on him,” Applejack chuckled. Trotting away as my cheeks burned in embarrassment         “Today is going to be a long day,” I sighed, following Applejack and Twilight inside. Sitting myself in between the two mares, I smiled as an elderly green mare gently snored in her rocking chair. The giant of a red stallion sat huncher beside me awkwardly, looking at me as the two of us watched Applejack try to rouse her Granny from her sleep.         “So Dusk Shine... was it?” Big Mac spoke up, his voice gentle as I hesitantly nodded. “What brings you round these parts?” he asked gently taking a sip of his water as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.         “Well—uh— I am Princess Celestia’s new student and she thought that Twilight could help me with my studies,” I blurted out, Twilight tensing as Applejack stifled a snort. The stallion observed me silently, his green eyes looking for a sign that I was lying as I saw Twilight tense across from me. “Well Dusk Shine, I hope you enjoy your visit. Folks ‘round here are a shy lot but they are friendly once they get to know ya,” he replied, smiling as he got up to help Granny Smith out of her rocking chair.         “So you are single, ain’t ya?” Granny Smith barked, the squat mare eyeing me as I tensed.         “Yes ma’am,” I replied politely licking my rough and dry lips as she nodded.         “Well then. Applejack, why ain’t you bagged this one?” the mare demanded, Applejack spraying orange juice across the table, coughing violently as I felt my cheeks burn . Apple Bloom giggled as Twilight tried to hide her mirth with a hoof.         “Gra-granny, I don’t even know this colt. You can’t just say that,” Applejack spluttered indignantly, her cheeks a rosy hue as I sank in my seat, wishing that the ground would just swallow me and save me from the embarrassment.         “This is why you are still single. You ponies these days... back in my day, if you wanted a stallion, you just told them. I met your grampa that way and the two of us were happy.  He’s a strong stallion, I am sure he would be good on the farm,” the old mare continued, my shoulders slumping more and more as Applejack argued furiously with her Granny Smith.         How could things possibly get any worse? I mentally grimaced, slamming my head onto the table.         “What about your Princess friend? She got dibs on him? You could share you know,” Granny Smith added.         I had to jinx it, I groaned, placing my hoofs on my head as I tried to block out the old mare’s horrifying advice and opinions. Today was going to be a long day.