//------------------------------// // Famliy meeting in the Hyperbolic Time Dimension // Story: The Odd Explanation // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// Many a strange thing happens in Ponyville, but that was par for the course when you had Princess Twilight and her friends living here. They’ve witnessed the rise of a long forgotten Nightmare. Seen the chaos brought about by the awakening of a defeated foe from years past. Even bared witness to the defeat of Tirek and the rise of the castle of friendship, marking their little town as the capital of friendship. And those were the majorly BIG events. There’s also the parasprites, Trixie Lulamoon enslaving the town, the Ursa Minor attack, that day when the  town was getting over run with vines from the Everfree. Oh and yes, there was that one little event where Rarity went crazy with dark magic and began making everything in town “fabulous”. So it was no stretch that the citizens had come to expect weird stuff to happen, learning to just roll with it. For instance, normally when the castle of the Princess of Friendship up and vanishes, it’s usually cause for panic. But for them it was another one of Princess Twilight’s days. Where was the castle you may ask? Well… “STELLA WAKE UP!!!” The light-gray unicorn mare awoke with a start, her eyes bulging out of her skull as she looked to and fro. Stella’s gaze finally settled on her half-sister, Flare Sparks, staring at her with a panicked look in her eyes. “Flare what’s wrong?!” “I-I woke up and I thought it was still night or something, but when I looked outside well…well…look!” Flare pointed her hoof to the window, Stella looked towards the direction she indicated and gave a curious look. Stella used her telescope to scan the outside, pointing it down, to the sides, and back up. The entire area was just one, big, gigantic, swirling mass of purple and rose colored light. There was no bottom, and there was no top. An endless expanse as far as the eye could see. “See! I told you! Something’s wrong, what is that out there?!” “It’s a pocket dimension.” “A pocket dimension?” “Yeah, it’s basically empty space between dimensional planes. You can store pretty much anything here or anypony, so long as the atmospheric conditions are similar to ours we could even float out there without worrying about air. It’s also great for storing things.” Stella demonstrated this by lighting her horn and picking up the journal on the floor. A small tear in space opened beneath it and the journal vanished within it. Her horn flashed again the same tear appeared, revealing the same journal. “See.” “I…Stella…I don’t know how you can be so nonchalant about all this! I know I may not have fully adjusted to all this magic stuff, but you can’t tell me that this is normal?!” The young unicorn sighed. “Actually it is. And I know who and probably why this happened.” Flare raised an eyebrow at that. Stella motioned for the pegasus mare to follow her, and really, Flare wasn’t going to leave her side right now. They might still be in the castle, but the castle itself was floating in nothing, and right now, Stella was the only one with magical power to possibly protect her and or get them out of this mess. The two mares traveled down the hallway. It wasn’t long before they reached the main foyer, Stella was pleased to see that her father and Flare’s mother were already there. Flare separated from Stella and ran to her mother, hugging her tightly. “Mom, what’s going on?! Why are we here?!” Flare asked. “Shh, it’s alright Flare, I think we’re okay. Right Flash?” Flash nodded his head. “Oh yeah, don’t worry we’re perfectly safe.” He then walked over to his daughter and both gave a sigh. “Your mom put us in the Hyperbolic Time Dimension again, didn’t she?” “Yes, yes she did.” Sunset looked curiously at the father and daughter. “‘Hyperbolic Time Dimension’, as in a dimension that accelerates time?” Flash nodded. “Yeah, Twilight discovered this dimension when she was poking around with the portal you came through. It apparently accelerates time to the point that a second back in our own dimension is equivalent to an hour here.” Flare blinked. “That’s…That’s impossible!” “Not really, there are a number of dimensions hidden around us, usually inaccessible without the right spell or device. Pocket dimensions like this that have anomalous time-space conditions is quite normal.” Flare and Sunset looked to each. Sunset understood what Stella was saying, her time as Princess Celestia’s student and the knowledge acquired during that time never left her, although she did have to brush up on a few things when she came back. “So the real question is, why are we even here in the first place? I assume Twilight did this right?” Sunset asked. “The last time we were in here was maybe a couple of years ago. Twilight wanted more time to work on some of her research and the paperwork that usually piles up. I tried to do as much I could, but Twi’s better at it. Anyway, we were in here for two whole years.” Sunset and Flare’s eyes went wide. “You mean…Princess Twilight kept you all here for two years?!” Flare asked. Stella chuckled. “Oh that’s nothing, the time before that we were in here for at least…what, ten years, fifteen?” “I lost count after seven.” Flash admitted. “Soooo…did you guys age at all?” Sunset asked. “Oh yeah, I now know what I’ll look like when I’m a twenty-plus-year-old mare. And…um, ahem, I liked what I saw.” Flare was starting to get a bit freaked. “So we’ll still age here?! But wait, you two don’t look older. Or is that some kind of illusion spell?” “Nah, once we’re out our bodies will return to the age we were when we left, so we could be here until we were all old ponies and we’ll come back looking like what we used to be.” Flare and Sunset let out a sigh of relief, at least they now they knew this wasn’t permanent, and if they’re there longer, at least they don’t have to worry about what age they’ll be when they get back home. Suddenly Sunset sensed a buildup of magical energy, she looked to her left at the same time as Stella, watching as a sphere of magic formed and burst apart. Twilight stood at its epicenter, her mane frazzled and eye twitching in panic. “Oh good, you’re all awake! Great, we have a major problem!” “Whoa, whoa, settle down Twi. Whatever it is I’m sure –”   “My parents, brother, Cadance, Skyla, and Hope are coming to spend some time with us! And they’ll be here in the next couple of hours!” Twilight interrupted. Flash Sentry went still as a statue, his right eye twitching erratically like his wife’s. “Okay…yeah, that’s a problem.” Stella had to take a moment to fully take that in. “Grandma…Grandpa…Uncle Shining…Aunt Cadnace…Hope and Skyla…are coming here…IN TWO HOURS?!” “YES!” Twilight exclaimed. “Well, more like in five days while we’re in here.” Sunset looked worriedly to her longtime friend. “Twilight…you haven’t told them about me and Flare yet have you?” “I never got the chance! I was concentrating on helping you and Flare adjust to living in Equestria, and now in the castle! I’ve been meaning to, but…how do you go about telling your family something like this?” The five ponies went silent. Twilight had a point. Just how did one go about explaining to their family that your husband has another wife and child, but from a parallel universe where that version of him tragically died? And what’s more, how do you tell them that you decided to take in said mare and child and have them all living under one roof as a family? To any logical pony this sounded like a recipe for disaster. Twilight could see her mother and father disapproving of her choice, wanting to keep Sunset and Flare with them was like inviting your husband to openly cheat with another mare, at least that’s how Twilight knew they’d take it. Flash on the other hoof was in a much deeper pile of manure, Shining Armor was already a little testy of a guard he worked with and trained marrying his little sister, and knocking her up, but that was way into the marriage later. Flash had heard about how overprotective of her big brother she was, and in truth that’s what saved Canterlot from a changeling invasion, but the two siblings were of a similar mindset. Hey, at least Flash came out and told his former CO that he was dating his little sister way before they got married, unlike somepony Twilight and Flash could mention. Stella was in an equal amount of distress. Hope and Skyla were practically like sisters to her. How would they react to Flare? Would they accept her or would this be a repeat of how Stella herself acted when she first got the news? Flat out denying that her father from a parallel world sired another daughter, and with a mare that was her mother’s best friend. Stella could still see the look of sadness and hurt in Flare’s face in her mind when she said the things she did, she had never hurt a pony like that before, heck, Stella never intentionally or unintentionally, physically or emotionally, hurt another pony. But she did in that moment, denying Flare the sister she was so ready to have in her life. Now magnify that times two, and Stella hurt worse. Sunset was having her own worries as well. The implications of what their situation looked like could and would be easily misconstrued as Twilight or Flash’s attempt at creating a royal harem or herd! Granted herds weren’t illegal, but they weren’t exactly accepted. This could cause a huge scandal for her friend and her family. Honestly, what does that say about a Princess who allows a mare who obviously has feelings for her husband and has a daughter, living under the same roof with them? Sunset looked to Flash for a moment, she wouldn’t deny that every time she looked at him her heart was both elated and forlorn at the same time. This might be Flash Sentry, he may sound, act, and have the same mannerisms and quirks as her Flash did, but he wasn’t. This was Twilight’s Flash, her husband, not Sunset’s, and yet that didn’t stop her heart from feeling this pain. There were times when Sunset didn’t trust herself to be alone with him, afraid she’d do something that could ruin everything for her daughter and herself. Now it seems that something else was probably going to tear their family apart. “What about Princess Cadance?” Flare asked. Stella, along with the three other adult ponies, looked to the pegasus mare. “What about Aunt Cadance?” Stella asked. “Well…isn’t she the Princess of Love? I heard that she’s very accepting and understanding of certain kinds of love and relationships. Personally, I wouldn’t think she of all ponies would have a problem with this.” Twilight, Flash, Stella, and Sunset looked between each other in contemplation. “She has a point, Cadance probably would be the more understanding pony about all this,” said Flash. “Not only that, but I think she’d pick up on it the moment she walked in here. Cadance’s magic can sense strong feelings, and I don’t doubt that Sunset’s feelings will be easily found out,” said Twilight in an analytical tone. Sunset hung her head low. “Sorry…” “Nonononononononono! I didn’t mean it like that! I’m just saying that Cadance will be the first to know even if we come up with some convoluted plan to keep them from figuring it out until we can properly explain.” “That’ true, remember how she kept trying to give us a moment alone and always had this weird twinkle in her eye?” Flash asked. Twilight face hoofed. “Oh yes, I do indeed. However, I think she was wanting us to do more than just talk and enjoy each other’s company.” Flash blinked. “Whoa, that explains that box of –” “OKAY THAT’S ENOUGH! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW YOU GUYS HAD ME!” Stella interrupted. Flash and Twilight blushed and rubbed the back of their heads in embarrassment. Flare sat next to her half-sister and gave her a comforting pat on the back as she watched Stella’s blush lessen. “So the question still remains, do we tell them now and get it over with? Or do we just put it off and come up with some plan to keep them from knowing while they’re here?” Flash asked. Sunset stepped forward her face was half-determined and half-sad. “Look, Flash, Twi, I don’t want to cause trouble for you, I never wanted that. If it’s easier, I can take Flare and we can just hide out at Applejack’s farm for a bit, or we can wait until they’re all at the castle and Flare and I can slip out and stay at Canterlot for a couple of days.” Twilight stamped her hoof hard on the floor, brow furrowing. “No! We’re not doing that to either of you! I’m not ashamed of you living here, and neither should you feel that way! This is your home too, and I’m not kicking you out because it would be ‘easier’ or the ‘simpler solution’!” Hearing that gave both mother and daughter a feeling of joy in their hearts, and made Stella just a little more prouder to have her as a mother. “Well…do we just hide them in the castle then? It’s pretty big, and maybe we could cast an invisibility spell on them?” Stella asked. “Nah, your uncle will definitely sense it, if not your aunt. Shining Armor brushed up on a lot of invisibility detection spells, as well as ways to spot illusion forms after the whole changeling thing. He’d spot Twilight’s spell and he might accidentally attack Sunset and Flare.” Flare and Sunset gulped. “Or we could dress up as maids of the castle? I noticed some spare uniforms for the different shifts that come in,” suggested Flare. Flash’s face went red. At that moment he got a swift hoof to the back of his head, from Stella and from Twilight. “What was that for?” “You know why,” said Twilight. “You’re such a perv Dad,” stated Stella. Sunset blushed at the thought that Flash was imagining her in a maid outfit, and was now wondering if her Flash back in the other world had the same kind of thought process. The yellow unicorn shook the idea out of her head. “Looks like five days in here is going be needed after all,” said Sunset.