Fire Cracker was about to wake the mare he assumed to be his daughter, but when he reached out to nudge her, she was already rising from bed.
"Oh, wow," Twilight yawned, stretching out her forelegs. "What a dream."
The stallion chuckled. "Well, nice to see you up for once."
Twilight's eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. She looked over at her bare back, felt her cropped hair and smiled.
So, it wasn't a dream.
"Sleep well, Princess?" Fire Cracker asked.
Twilight nodded. "It's a nice bed."
"Beats the one at home, eh? Let's go down for breakfast. It's complementary, so we can eat all we want. Then we gotta go to the fairgrounds and start work on the sparklers."
"Huh?"
"The sparklers we're making for the foals, remember? We need the extra bits."
"Oh."
Twilight paled at this news. Dawn hadn't mentioned anything about sparklers. How was she to make one?
Maybe it'll be easy, she thought. I mean…they're just sticks, right?
"Twilight?" Spike called as he shook the fake princess' shoulder. "Twilight, wake up!"
But Dawn kept snoozing. The dragon scratched his head.
"That's funny. She doesn't usually sleep this late, unless she's really tired. But she went to sleep so early last night!"
He rubbed his chin and tapped his foot as he tried to come up with something. Then he held up his finger as it occurred to him. He left the room and came back a few minutes later with a pair of cymbals he had borrowed from Pinkie.
"Sorry, Twilight, but it's for your own good."
He spread his arms out as wide as he could before crashing the cymbals together just an inch away from Dawn's face.
"Gah!" she screamed as she sat up. "I'm up, Dad, I'm up! Am I late for work again?!"
"Huh?" Spike said.
She looked down at the dragon, then at her wings and then touched her long, straight locks.
"Phew!" she sighed in relief. "It wasn't a dream!"
"What wasn't a dream?" Spike asked. "Never mind. Get out of bed, Twi! We're late for breakfast!"
Dawn licked her lips. "You had me at 'breakfast!'"
She hopped out of bed and paused at the mirror.
"Gosh!" she gasped, looking at her bedhead. "I can't go out like this!"
"But we're late for…" Spike started to say.
"You go ahead. I'll catch up."
The dragon raised an eyebrow as Dawn started running a brush through her mane. After staring at her for a few seconds, his stomach grumbled and he followed Dawn's order.
"Why's she been so caught up in her appearance lately?" he muttered to himself.
"There," Dawn said once she was done. "Wow, I can see why Twilight keeps her hair this way. It doesn't get tangled up as much! Okay. Now for some chow!"
But when she stepped out into the hallway, she frowned and looked in both directions.
"Which way was the dining hall again?"
It took her a few minutes, but after careful deduction, she chose which way to go.
"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo! Guess I go right."
She took one turn after another, using the same method whenever she had to pick a direction. Ten minutes later, she was in yet another hallway of doors, completely lost.
"What is with this castle and hallways?!" she demanded aloud.
"Lost, are we?"
She yelped and turned around to see Discord leaning his paw against the wall behind her.
"Oh!" Dawn squeaked, smiling nervously. "It's you! Err, yes! Lost. I mean come on, look at the size of this place! It's like a maze!"
"Yes," Discord smirked. "There are a lot of twists and turns, aren't there? Well, there's an advantage to getting lost."
"What?"
He chuckled as he placed his claw on the other side of Dawn's head, trapping her against the wall.
"We get some time alone," he whispered.
Dawn's eyes widened and her throat tightened. "I…wha…huh?"
She shivered as he ran his claw under her chin.
"Now we can pick up where we left off the other night."
"'Scuse me?" she squeaked.
"Oh, don't worry about any pony seeing us, darling." He whispered in her ear. "Not if I teleport us to my place."
Dawn was so confused. Twilight had never mentioned anything like this! Even if she wanted to keep it secret, there was no way she would…would she?
Discord then suddenly burst out laughing and straightened up. "Oh, you should see the look on your face! You actually thought…come on! Like Twilight would ever…"
Dawn stiffened. "I, uh…don't know what you're…"
The draconequus huffed. "You can cut the act. I know you're not really Twilight Sparkle."
She blinked. "How did you…?"
"I'm the Master of Chaos. I can smell a deceiver a mile away. Besides, Twilight's never been afraid of me, ever." He leaned forward and examined her closely. "So who are you? You can't be a changeling. A changeling would've jumped at any opportunity to seduce someone as powerful as me. You can't be from another dimension. Otherwise, I'd be sensing a rip in the space-time continuum. A clone, maybe? No, Twilight sealed off that mirror pool."
He tapped his chin as he paced in front of her. "Let's see…" He snapped his fingers. "I've got it! Evil twin!" Then he frowned. "No way. You're too poor an actress to be evil."
"Hey!" Dawn exclaimed.
"Wait," Discord said, taking out his Chaos Tracker.
There were now two red dots. One was the pony in front of him, and the other was on the other side of the Crystal Empire.
"Two dots," he murmured, tapping his chin again. "Two chaotic anomalies…and I sensed a magical imbalance earlier…"
His eyes widened and he leaned towards Dawn again. He grabbed one of her wings and sniffed it. Dawn slapped his muzzle away.
"Aha!" Discord cried, pointing his claw at her. "A lookalike! That's what you are!"
The imposter looked up at the draconequus in amazement. "How'd you figure that out?"
"Those wings smell brand new, and while Twilight hasn't had her wings for long, they're not that new! Your coat, however, is perfectly natural, and the only other magic I can sense is on your mane and tail. So you naturally resemble Twilight Sparkle! Now let's see. It's easy to change one's mane and tail, and to paint over a cutie mark, but to get those wings, you'd have to have power like mine or…"
He paused and smiled mischievously. "Oh, this is just priceless! You and Twilight pulled the old switcheroo, didn't you?! A whole Prince and the Pauper plot! Or should I say…Princess and the Pauper?! Oh ho, I always knew that Twilight was clever, but I didn't think she'd ever do something as chaotic as this! Not so goody-goody after all, are you, Twilight?"
"Okay, so you've got me," Dawn sighed. "You're not going to tell…?"
"What? And ruin this glorious example of chaos that I didn't have to make myself? Oh no. I want to see how far this will go. Your secret is safe with me, Miss…"
"Dawn."
"Right. So, Miss Dawn Sparkle, where is the real Twilight?"
"I don't know. Probably with my dad at our hotel."
"So Twilight's posing as a run-of-the-mill unicorn? Interesting." He laughed as he hovered into the air. "Oh, this is going to be the most entertainment I've had in eons!"
"Wait!" Dawn called as he started to float away. "Could you show me where…?"
He disappeared in a flash.
"…the…dining hall…is."
She was really starting to dislike the draconequus.
It was twenty minutes before she came across a guard who was kind enough to show her the way to the dining hall, assuring her that he had gotten lost in the castle several times his first week. When Dawn entered the room, she was met with glares and confused stares. Pinkie let out an exasperated sigh.
"Finally! Now we can eat!"
"Where have you been?" Rainbow Dash demanded as Pinkie buried her face in a pile of pancakes.
"Got lost," Dawn chuckled awkwardly as she took the empty seat that was thankfully across from Prince Blueblood rather than beside to him. She shrank into her chair as she caught Discord's smirk from the far end of the table.
"With all the times we've been here," Applejack said as she helped herself to some apple fritters, "I would've thought you'd have memorized the place."
"Don't blame her," Cheese Sandwich said as he chewed on a waffle. "I got all turned around on my way to the bathroom last night! What is with this castle and hallways?"
"That's what I said!" Dawn cried.
"Well, we're glad you're able to join us, Twilight," Cadence said with a kind smile.
Blueblood silently nodded. Dawn only now noticed that he was staring down at his plate, spreading his eggs around with his fork, which he surprisingly held in his hoof. His lips curled into his mouth, as if he was biting down on them. The sight made Dawn tilt her head in wonder. She had not known the prince for long, but he was acting very differently from last night.
Cadence seemed to notice his odd behavior too, and gently asked, "Is something the matter, Blueblood?"
"Hmm?" the prince said, snapping his head up as if awakening from a trance.
"You seem awfully quiet this morning."
"She makes that sound like it's a bad thing," Rarity murmured to her friends.
Blueblood's eyes flitted to Dawn before he replied, "Oh, I'm fine, cousin, just…not in a talking mood today."
He returned his attention to his plate and continued his egg painting. One would think Blueblood's silence would make it easy for Dawn to ignore him, but she found she couldn't tear her gaze away from him. She couldn't help but try and catch a glimpse of his old self, or a change in his actions, but he remained silent and did not raise his eyes once. However, she could've sworn she felt his gaze on her when she wasn't looking.
She didn't understand it. Yesterday, he could not shut his mouth for one second. Now he was as quiet as Fluttershy, although she was currently engaged in a deep conversation about flying warthogs with Discord.
What had changed?
Twilight's eyes widened at the chemicals Fire Cracker pulled out of his briefcase. The two of them were in the fireworks tent, and the old stallion was setting up a table to make the sparklers. He handed Twilight several jars of different powders and she stared at the labels in disbelief.
Potassium chlorate? Strontium nitrate? Barium nitrate? Dextrin?
She was familiar with all their names. She just didn't know what to do with them all!
Her panic increased as Fire Cracker handed her a pair of goggles and placed three metal pots, shards of aluminum and hundreds of thin wooden sticks onto the table.
What was she supposed to do? She never had to make sparklers at school! She never had to do a report on such work! She'd never even done it for fun! It was like she was being given a test she hadn't studied for!
"Okay," Fire Cracker said, "so we have three hundred sticks, so we'll make a hundred regular, a hundred red and a hundred green."
"Huh?" Twilight uttered absent-mindedly.
He chuckled kindly. "The sparklers, honey. The kids like it when they come in different colors. I just hope I brought enough ingredients. Why don't you start measuring out the potassium chlorate while I make the dextrin solution?"
Twilight gulped as he brought out a scale, some weights, and spoons. For a long time, her eyes switched nervously between the jar of white powder and the scale. How much was she supposed to put in? She considered asking, but figured it would give her away, as Dawn must have done this several times before.
Fire Cracker seemed to read her mind, for he asked, "Have you forgotten the weight again?"
She sighed in relief before responding, "Yes."
He told her and Twilight happily, but carefully, scooped up the powder onto one end of the scale, until it balanced with the weights on the other end. She felt proud of herself when she was finished, until she had to do it twice more and then again with the strontium nitrate, but apparently they only needed one measurement of that.
"Why?" Twilight asked without thinking.
"To make the sparklers red, of course," Fire Cracker replied with a raised eyebrow. "You okay today, Princess?"
"Yeah. Just a little nervicited."
"What?"
Darn you, Pinkie. "I mean I'm nervous…and excited! Sorry. Got my words slurred."
Fire Cracker chuckled. "Sounds cute, actually. But don't let all the pressure get to you, Princess. We don't want to accidentally blow up the tent."
Twilight laughed nervously along with him and cringed down at the chemical powders. Pyrotechnics wasn't as easy as Dawn had made it sound.
All the royals were out on the palace balcony, overlooking the crowd of ponies waiting for the fair to open. Cadence stepped up to a megaphone and announced:
"Hear ye, hear ye! Prince Shining Armor, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Prince Blueblood, and I, Princess Cadence, hereby cordially invite you to the annual Crystal Fair!"
The crowd cheered as they proceeded to the fairgrounds. Dawn stared in awe at the spectacle below her, trying to get her mind off the silent prince standing beside her.
"Okay, Twilight," Cadence smiled, "go have fun."
"Really?" Dawn asked excitedly. "Aw, sweet!"
She raced back into the castle but came back a few seconds later. "Um…which is the way out?"
"You can always fly down," Shining Armor suggested. "You have those cool wings now."
Spike said it before Dawn could, "Nope, bad idea. Come on, Twilight. I know the way."
The minute they reached the fair, Spike asked, "So, what do you want to do first?"
"Show me to the chow!" Dawn exclaimed, licking her lips at a crystal corn stall.
"But…we just ate."
"So? You can never have too much food! And there's a corncob over there with my name on it!"
She lifted her hoof excitedly but then stopped and turned to the dragon. "Uh…you wouldn't happen to have any bits, would you?"
Spike smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to ask." He held up a bulging purple pouch on a string. "You left your purse in your room."
"Ooh," Dawn said when she realized he placed the pouch around her neck. "How much do I…?" She opened it up in curiosity and gasped. "WOW! I'm loaded! I could get a hundred corncobs with this much cash!"
"Hush!" the dragon whispered, covering her mouth. "Do you wanna get mugged?"
"Right," Dawn smiled. "Can't be too careful. Anyway, you want some corn?"
"Uh, maybe later. Right now," he paused as his eyes glanced over at Rarity, who was running the arts and crafts stall, "I'm gonna go see if Rarity needs help."
Dawn's eyes widened as the dragon's pupils suddenly turned into hearts and he hovered over to the pretty unicorn.
"Gee," Dawn muttered to herself. "Twilight didn't tell me the dragon could defy logic too." She grinned as she turned her attention back to the corn stall. "Well, time for some grub!"
The easiest part about making the sparklers was dipping the sticks into the mixture. Twilight tried to keep count as she dipped them into the green mixture, before moving onto the red.
"Phew!" Fire Cracker said as he wiped his brow. "That's all of them. Luckily, they have plenty of time to dry before tonight. Why don't you go enjoy the fair for a bit, Princess? I'll stay and clean up."
Twilight had never been so relieved to be finished with a chemistry project. While it had been fun learning how to make sparklers, it was hard to enjoy herself while trying not to arouse suspicion that she had no idea what she was doing. She flung off her goggles and raced out of the tent.
"Be back before dark!" Fire Cracker called.
The disguised princess glanced around at all the different stalls and rides, wondering what to do first. She glanced up at the sun and was pleased when she saw she had plenty of time before her meeting with Dawn.
She noticed a dart booth and shrugged. "Why not?"
The mare running the booth grinned brightly as she approached. "Hello there, young filly! Care to try your luck? Only one bit to play!"
Twilight frowned as she realized the problem in her situation. She didn't have any money! She had left her purse back at the castle, and she didn't know where Dawn kept her money. She considered going back and asking Fire Cracker for some, but it didn't feel right taking that stallion's money, when it was clear he didn't have much.
So she gave the mare an apologetic smile and trotted off. She spotted a merry-go-round and remembered that the rides were for free.
"Well," she said as she approached the carousel, "might as well enjoy this freedom while it lasts."
Within the hour, Dawn had consumed one corncob, two hayburgers, three crystal berry tarts, and was currently finishing her fourth crystal carrot dog. For once in her life, she was nearly full.
Then she spotted a comic book stand and stuffed the rest of her carrot dog down her throat before rushing over to gawk at the paperback beauties.
"Oh, wow!" she uttered as her eyes fell upon a particular comic in a plastic sleeve. "Power Ponies Issue Number Twenty-Seven! The Rise of Shadowmane! With the rare holographic cover!"
Her horn lit up as she tried to pick it up, but as her magenta aura encased the comic, so did a light blue one. She looked up to see a pony draped in a dark cloak, their hood concealing their face.
"Hey!" she cried out, tugging the comic towards her. "I saw it first!"
But the stranger put up a fight, and Dawn found herself in a tug-of-war match. Finally, with a strong pull from Dawn, the stranger's concentration was broken and they fell to the ground.
"Ha!" Dawn smirked triumphantly. "I win!"
But as the pony sat up, her smug expression was replaced with one of surprise. The pony's hood had fallen back, and the face was beneath it was the last she expected to see.
"Prince Blueblood?!"
The prince gasped and replaced his hood. "No, no, no! You have me mistaken for some pony else! Who is this Blueblood you speak of? Never heard of him!"
Dawn used her magic to throw his hood back. "It is you! What are you…?" She gasped and glanced at the comic hovering beside her. "No!"
"No!" Blueblood insisted, putting his hood back on. "That's exactly it! No!"
She couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, this is too rich! Who would've guessed that the oh-so posh Prince Blueblood was a comic book…?"
"Silence!" he cried as covered her mouth and pulled her aside. He glanced around nervously. "Do you want the entire empire to hear you?!"
"So it is true!" Dawn smirked after pushing his hoof down. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe it!"
"Don't! Because it isn't true!"
"Uh-huh. So you didn't just try and grab a Power Ponies comic?"
"No! I mean yes! I thought it was a…society magazine! Yes! I didn't see that it was a rare comic!"
"Aha! How'd you know it was rare?"
"I…I…" He sighed. "Fine. You caught me. Just don't tell any pony!"
"Chill, dude. Your secret's safe with me." She sniggered. "Seriously though. I never would've never taken you for a comic book geek."
"I am not a geek! I just…like the pictures."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"As a member of high society, I appreciate good art when I see it."
She giggled some more.
"It's not funny!"
"Sorry," she said, wiping away a tear. "I just can't believe that you, of all ponies, would be into comics."
"If I let you keep that issue, will you leave me alone about it?"
"Sheesh, grumpy much? Well, thanks." She turned to the stall keeper. "How much for this?"
"That's a rare issue," the crystal mare said. "It's worth a hundred bits. However, for you, your highness, it's on the house."
"Seriously? Oh, wow, that's…!"
Dawn trailed off as she looked down at the comic. A feeling of guilt tugged at her chest. She remembered all those times some pony hadn't paid for their fireworks, and how that affected her and her father financially. It also wasn't fair that she was being given this treatment just because she was royalty, which she really wasn't.
"N-no, that's alright," she stammered as she reached into Twilight's pouch. "I can just…"
"What are you doing?" Blueblood said in surprise. "The mare just offered it to you for free!"
"But I don't mind paying…"
She paused when she saw how much money was left in the pouch. She had spent most of it on the food, and there certainly wasn't enough for the comic.
"Huh," she uttered sadly. "Looks like I'm a little short. Oh well."
"You can still have it for free, your highness," the stall owner insisted.
"No, no. It wouldn't be right."
Dawn tried to put the book back when Blueblood stopped it with his hoof.
"She said you could take it already!" he whispered. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!"
"But she probably paid a lot for this comic," Dawn replied. "Who knows how much money she had to pull to get all of these? It wouldn't be right just taking this expensive comic for free."
"So? She said you could."
"That doesn't mean I should." She lowered her voice. "What if she has a family to feed?"
"She has plenty of comics to sell. A hundred bits is nothing!"
"Maybe to you, but to some ponies, a hundred bits is everything."
Blueblood stared at her for a long moment and then slapped his forehead. "Oh, fine! If you won't have it for free, I'll buy it for you!"
Dawn's eyes widened as he handed a large money pouch to the mare. She looked inside to count.
"But…there's more than…"
"Keep the change," Blueblood whispered, "so you don't tell any pony you saw me."
The mare smiled. "Pleasure doing business with you, your highness."
The prince snorted as he walked away. Still amazed at what had just happened, Dawn galloped up to him.
"Hey!" she called. "That was…strangely nice of you."
"Yes, well," he said gruffly, "I believe a princess shouldn't be denied something she so greatly desires."
She glanced down at her new comic book and then back at him. "So…who's your favorite Power Pony?"
He looked away and muttered, "Radiance."
"Really? I mean I guess she's cool, but don't you think she comes off as a little stuck-up and vain and—oh, I get it."
He said nothing.
"You know, liking comics isn't anything to be ashamed of. Why all the secrecy?"
"I have a reputation to uphold," he replied. "I'm a prince. Princes don't read childish literature."
"Hey! It's not childish! Comics happen to have colorful characters, intricate plotlines and engaging, even if sometimes clichéd, dialogue!"
"Don't they? I mean who expected Shadowmane to be Radiance's long-lost…?"
"I know, right! And the part with the…"
"When she takes off her hood?"
"Yeah! And the whole backstory?"
"And the dark crystals of…?"
He paused and turned away. "Apologies, your highness. My mouth ran away with me again."
Dawn felt a lump in her throat as something occurred to her. "Is that why you've been so weird all day? Because of what I said to you last night? Sorry, I…"
"No, no. You shouldn't apologize. To tell you the truth…no pony's ever spoken to me like that before! Well, except for this one mare, but she was really more frightening than informative, not to mention she splattered my royal coat with frosting! It took days to wash that stain out! Oh, there I go again.
"The point is…you were right. I do talk about myself a lot, and after really reflecting on the way I acted last night…I am a self-centered, rude, spoiled brat. Yes, even pig-headed."
Dawn stifled a laugh as he said that last sentence.
"I suppose I'm simply used to being treated above all others," he continued. "But because of my royal blood, no pony's ever been so bold as to point out my flaws, and coming from a princess…"
He met her eyes for a moment and Dawn could've sworn he was blushing under that hood.
"…it opened my eyes."
"Whoa," she breathed. "That…is the most interesting thing I've ever heard you say."
He smiled. "So I am permitted to speak in your presence again?"
She giggled. "Sure. So long as you don't bore me again."
"Well, what isn't boring to you?"
She held up her comic and smirked. "Who do you think would win in a fight? Matter-Horn, or Mare-velous?"
Twilight stumbled in her step as she got off the roller coaster. She was dizzy, but she was having the time of her life. It'd been so long since she'd been on a carnival ride, and all day, no pony had pulled her aside for an autograph.
She glanced up at the sun and frowned. It was almost three o'clock. She'd been having so much fun, she hadn't realized how much time had passed.
Oh well, she thought. Time to meet up with Dawn.
But after taking a few steps, she paused when she realized she and Dawn hadn't agreed on where they would meet up!
I'll just have to look for her then.
For the first time since the switch, she actually missed her wings. It would've been easier to find her double from above.
As she was searching around the stalls, she froze in place when she saw Rainbow Dash and Derpy coming towards her. They were suited up and heading towards the jousting ring.
If they recognize me, I'm doomed!
She searched for a place to hide and finally decided on a nearby barrel. She leaped behind it before the pegasi could notice her. Once they were gone, Twilight sighed in relief and emerged from her hiding place. Unfortunately, she bumped into some pony. She looked up and gasped to see that it was none other than Flash Sentry.
WHY am I always bumping into him?!
Flash squinted down at her. "Do I know you?"
"Nope!" she said quickly, turning away and covering her face with her hoof. "No, you've never seen me before in my life, Flash! I mean…"
She ran off in haste, her face flushed. She had to find Dawn soon before some pony recognized her!