I left the bakery with more questions than answers -- something weird was going on and I was determined to find out what it was. I tried to remember the pegasi flying overhead -- was Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy among their number? I didn't remember seeing either of them -- but I did see a mostly grey one with blonde mane and tail flying around with what looked like a mail satchel around her neck. I made a mental file of ponies, trying to see if I could remember who they were -- but there were so many I had no knowledge of. It looked as though a few pegasi were pushing clouds together, something I found quite odd given the way the weather works on my homeworld. I thought I remembered Rainbow Dash being on the weather team, but didn't see her with the others. I tried calling up to them, but they were so far away they couldn't hear me.
"Come on, Twilight -- I thought we were going to see Rarity!" Spike implored almost stridently. I chuckled softly at his tone of voice, somewhat petulant in its quality.
"Of course, Spike -- I was just checking to see if I could spot Rainbow Dash up there with the rest of the weather team -- looks like they're trying to put together a pretty big storm -- look how dark those clouds are getting," I noted.
"Then we'd better hurry to the boutique!" he exclaimed brightly. I remember him having a crush on the fashionista, but I wasn't sure how deep it was. I decided to pick up the pace a little as the sky continued to darken.
"How big a storm are you guys gonna make? Jeez!" I shouted up at the pegasi. It looked as though one of them might have heard me and flew down to chat with me. "And you are?" I asked the pony, a look of confusion on my face.
"Cloud Chaser -- Twilight, I thought you knew who I am!"
"I'm, uhh, I guess I forgot -- these things happen, y'know!" I grinned.
"Yeah -- well -- did you say something about how big a storm we're making? That was on the schedule today," she stated.
"Well -- it looks like too big a storm -- like it might produce a tornado," I noted with quite a bit of concern.
"Don't worry, we've got this," she retorted and flew back to join the rest of the pegasi.
"Come on, Twi, we don't have time to waste," Spike implored impatiently.
"Okay, okay, Spike, I'm going," I huffed, quick-trotting to the boutique and making it there in about three minutes. I rang the doorbell and was greeted by a white filly.
"Twilight, I'm so glad you're here! Rarity's been gone all day and I don't know where she is! Can you help me find her?" the filly asked, giving me her best sad puppy-dog eyes look and pouting her lips as well. I entered the boutique and Spike got off my back. I noted his hopeful expression change to one of concern when the filly announced Rarity's absence.
"Yeah, I guess so -- you must be Sweetie Belle, right?" I asked, tilting my head to indicate a small amount of uncertainty as to her identity.
"A-duh, yeah, who else would I be? Why would you ask that?"
"I, uh, guess I get forgetful sometimes -- happens to the best of us, y'know?" I replied, grinning sheepishly. "Right -- let's find Rarity," I added in an attempt to divert her attention away from any further prying questions. I silently wondered if wishing to wake up as Twilight was such a good idea -- but then again, I hadn't figured on being able to teleport from my home world to Equestria, either. I was also second-guessing my decision to return, wondering what lay in store for me. The Princess had seemed a little angry, but hadn't done anything of serious consequence to me -- at least, not yet anyway. My mind started racing as I contemplated meeting her again.
"Um, Twilight, are you just going to stand there staring at the ceiling or are you gonna help me find my sister?" she asked impatiently.
"Sorry about that, Sweetie Belle -- but I'm not really sure where to look. She didn't leave a note or something letting you know where she was going, did she?"
"No -- but sometimes she leaves without doing so," she replied.
"I assume you've checked every room, including the basement?" I asked.
"Yeah, I've been all over the house and there's no trace of her," she replied. Spike's expression turned to one of deep worry.
"She wasn't abducted by those Diamond Dogs again, was she?" asked Spike.
"No, I think they learned their lesson last time around," the filly replied, giggling a little as she recalled the details of that story.
"Should we contact Princess Celestia again?" I asked.
"Well -- I don't think this is that serious yet," Spike opined. "I think we can find her somewhere here in town."
Just as the words were leaving his mouth, a loud crack and boom resounded as a bolt of lightning struck nearby. That was followed shortly by the rain coming down in sheets, the sound loud enough to drown out normal speech as it pounded the roof of the boutique.
"Looks like we're gonna be staying here for awhile," I mused, speaking over the sound of the rain.
"I'd offer you some food, but I'm not very good at cooking," she said. "Why'd it have to rain now?" she asked in exasperation.
"One of the weather ponies told me it was on the schedule -- which sounds weird to me -- I wonder exactly what's going on around here," I muttered. "How long is it supposed to last?"
"Why are you asking me? I don't control the weather," the filly grumped. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to be the pony with all the answers?"
"Uh, well -- I'm happy you think that of me, but no, I don't have all the answers -- and I don't claim to, either, Sweetie -- I guess we'll have to wait it out -- you already said you checked every room in the house -- and I wonder if we should just wait for her to return -- or if we should contact the Princess again," I mused as I paced circles around the main room.
"Twilight, please stop that -- you need to sit down and relax," said Spike, showing even more concern for me than for Rarity.
I trotted around the room and found a couch to sit on, taking an almost uncharacteristic non-pony pose as I sat on it. Spike and Sweetie Belle gasped at my pose, so I turned over and laid on my belly, my forelegs draped over the front of the couch, my hind legs draped over the back of it.
"You must not be Twilight -- she doesn't act like that at all," Sweetie deduced.
"Well -- Twilight said something about this copy being from another world or something," Spike stated. "I think she called herself Michael or something like that."
"That's right -- sorry, Sweetie --" I began. She trotted angrily towards me.
"If you're not Twilight, why do you look like her?"
"Um, I woke up like this yesterday -- I don't wanna go into all the details --"
"Tell me! If we're gonna wait out the rain, we've got time for you to tell me everything!" she shouted at me.
We spent the next three hours discussing my past and the events leading up to this point. The filly was extremely curious about lots of things and the more I told her, the more her expression changed to one of wonderment -- it seemed as though she wanted to visit my home world, given what I'd told her of it.
"Nah, I don't think you really wanna go there," I opined. I admired her curiosity as it reminded me of myself when I was that young and had an unquenchable desire to explore, to travel, to see as many different places as I could. The thought caused me to chuckle softly.