//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: My Little Pony: the Harmony of Friendship 
// by Godzilla313 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 10

They twisted and flipped, floating through the portal with speed, but with eyes closed all the way.  They suddenly found themselves on their feet, or what they would have perceived as their feet, when they stepped out and opened their eyes.  They were still upright, as men would know “upright”, and they took a few tentative steps, finding they could walk for a little bit, but finding it quite uncomfortable.  Their balance was such, in fact, that they felt themselves compelled to tip forward and land on their hands…if they had hands.

Their eyes were blurred a bit from the journey, but their eyesight was becoming clearer, and the first thing they noticed through the blur was a warm glowing off-white light.  They then next both felt something enveloping something on their foreheads, as well as the sensation that something was attached to them.  When their vision cleared, they saw the most beautiful creatures they had ever seen.  “Welcome,” came a warm but familiar voice, and Quill just blurted out, “C…C…Celestia?”
“Princess Celestia, to be exact,” she said with a light giggle and a smile, “You knew my double over there, and, essentially, I am her, but not her.”
“As am I,” said Luna, referring to her own double, “We are the rulers of Celestia.  We rule equally: she over the day, and I over the night.”
They also recognized the hair/mane of the purple one, and even the face to some extent, but she was like the others, but smaller.  Celestia then said, “You’ve already met Princess Twilight Sparkle,” who stood there, smiling and happy.  However, what was also interesting was the rest that were there.  They were all ponies, and yet very familiar.  “WELCOME!” came the greeting from the pink one, with confetti going everywhere, and Downy said, “Wait, you must be…Pinkie Pie?”
“Yep!” she said, “You already know us…sort of…well you  know our doubles, but you kinda know us in a way, though we don’t really know you, but we want to…”
The twins both said, “That’s Pinkie Pie!” and Twilight then said, “I think they get it.”
Downy tried to go forward to hug them, but immediately tripped and fell, as that, for whatever reason magic thought was needed, the pair were still in the clothes they came through in, but now quite ill-fitted for the task.  She hit the floor with a slight “Oof!” but she was okay.  She then tried to regain her feet, but the nature of her new hoofs she was not used to negotiating with yet, and slipped on the hard marble floor.  A purple glow came over her, gently lifted her up and set her down.  Meanwhile, a brownish glow came over their clothes and undid them, taking them off.  Both immediately reared up and acted as if they had been exposed, but Sunset, who had taken them off, said, “Don’t worry.  Clothes are an accessory over here, worn normally when you just want to enhance your look, or there is a need, like for rain or cold, for example.”
They looked around at the others and noticed none had a stich of clothes on them, save for the two sisters, who had their crowns and hoof caps.  Again, not wanting to stay in this position for long, they dropped down and started to try to wrap their minds around the whole thing.  A white glow came over their bags as Rarity then said, “I shall go over your wardrobes and see what kinds of alterations I can make for you should you want to wear some of them from time to time.”
At this, Spike stepped forward and said, “Well, I know you haven’t met me.  I’m Spike: Princess Twilight’s right hoof dragon!”
He stuck out a claw as they stuck out their right hoofs and he shook them.  He then said, “If you need anything at all while you stay here at the castle, don’t hesitate to ask!”
“You’re kind of small for a dragon,” queried Downy.
“Hey,” he said, feeling a touch hurt, “I’m the right size for my age!”
Twilight then laughed and said, “I think they’re just used to seeing paintings of dragons in their world, and they depicted as much bigger.”
“Well, we do get bigger,” said Spike, “but I have some growing to do.”
“Spike is still considered a baby dragon,” said Twilight, “Though his mind is beyond that,” and it was at this point that she now noticed the twins beginning to fidget, especially with their front hoofs.  “What’s wrong?” asked Fluttershy, wondering if they were ill.
“I…feel so weird,” said Quill, “I feel awkward, like nothing is where it should be.”
He lifted up a fore hoof and he was twisting it, saying, “I feel like I still have hands, and I want so bad to move my fingers around, but I can’t, and now my wrists hurt.”
“I think you are experiencing what an amputee would know as a phantom limb,” answered Celestia, “Except, in this case, you have all your parts, but your minds are trying to feel what they are used to and cannot.  Your wrists hurt because you are subconsciously trying to move what would be fingers with the same muscle group that would have done that for you as a human.”
They were now beginning to show some signs of actual physical distress as they were coming to realize their condition and how abnormal it seemed, and they began to look real worried.  At this, Princess Luna said, “I think I can help.  But I want you two to just lower yourselves down the best you can and try to relax yourselves as much as you can, as if you were trying to meditate.”
They remembered what their good foster parents had taught them about that, and they managed to get themselves down on their bellies, and both Sunset and Twilight used their magic and helped to tuck hoofs here and there to where it would be comfortable for them, and then Luna said, “Close your eyes and relax your minds.  Open yourselves up to me.”
They did so, going into a meditative state.  Once they had, Luna’s horn began to glow around the curves of it and two strands of her magic reached out and touched their foreheads.  The twins then really began to relax as Luna closed her own eyes and started to communicate with the pair.

In their minds, Luna had joined the thoughts of the twins, and they appeared as they would as humans before a human Luna, but in beautiful gown matching her hair color.  She had a kind smile on her face and said, “You’ve made great changes, and changes far beyond what most ponies or people should be able to take.  Things have happened fast, but I want you to know that you are safe.  You are in a place where you will be welcomed and loved.  However, we must help you adjust.  The first thing that must be done as that you must see yourselves in your heads as your current form in the conscious world.  If you can normalize that image in your mind, you should be able to move around just like anypony else.  Let us begin.”
She realized that they had seen each other, but not themselves as ponies, and they had to do this personally.  In other words, each saw the sibling as a pony, but they had to see each one of themselves as ponies.  Thus, she caused a large mirror to appear before them, and they saw themselves as they were in the pony world.  They could not believe it, and looked at their human image, and then at their reflections.  They then noticed their flanks and said, “What is that?”
“Those are what we call your cutie marks,” answered Luna, “This is what marks your special talents, but yours are unique, in that the pair of you are special unicorns—Bardics.”
The mark was a lute set inside a musical symbol known as the circle of fifths, exactly like the one around their mother’s feather duster.  Luna then said, “All Bardics bear the same mark, and are born with it.  You shall learn more about your history later, but for now, I want you to look at yourselves.  You do look different, but what do you think is the same?”
“Our hair, and our faces are roughly like what we are…were…you know what I mean,” answered Quill.
Luna giggled and said, “This is how you look now.  This is what you are now.  Your outsides are different, but your souls are the same.  Yet, what you are seeing is what you are, and what you should have been all along.  But now, I want you to look at your reflections, and only at your reflections.  Look into the eyes of your reflection and stare right into them.  I want you to look at that image and imagine yourselves as being ponies.”
Her voice became hypnotic, saying, “Look at the image.  Become the image.  Be the image.  You are the image.  Embrace the image.”
They began to feel the power of the effect as if they were under a spell, and as it happened they began to lose sight of what they had been.  Then, without being told to do so, they felt the urge to walk towards the reflection, closer and closer, and they then closed their eyes and started to pass through the mirror in much the same way they had passed through the portal, and when they came out the other side, not only were they now looking like what their reflections had been, they suddenly felt normal, as if this was the way it was supposed to be; that it was right to be this way in their minds, and they felt okay seeing themselves looking like this.  Once they had passed through, they now saw Luna in her alicorn form, smiling warmly, and saying, “Happy birthday, Quill and Downy Feathers.  Today you shall truly begin to live as you have never lived before…”

The vision was beginning to turn cloudy and fade as they now opened their eyes and realized they were back in the castle, and actually felt, not only normal, but refreshed.  They stood up, and this time with no problem.  Sunset asked, “How do you feel?”
“Like I am crawling, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortable,” answered Quill.  Luna responded to that by saying, “You’ll still have mental reach backs back to being a human, but you should be able to cope now.”
“What did you do to us?” asked Downy.
Luna smiled and said, “Magic, my dear.  You’ll find it is going to help you greatly, as, being unicorns, you shall have magic always about you.  It will be a way of life for you.”
At this, they noticed that the portal they had come through was indeed a mirror, and this was the first time they noticed their horns.  They were both covered with an off-white and thin crystal layer.  “Is this normal?”
“Well, no,” answered Celestia, “I put a seal on them, and thus, on your magic abilities until you learn to control the basics.”
“Oh, that…” groaned Quill, but Downy said, “No, Quill: old life.  It is the past.”
“In fact,” added Luna, “Your actual birthday is in a few months.”
“We always celebrated them on New Year’s Day, since they never knew our actual days of birth, and put it on birth certificates in the other world,” answered Quill, “So, I guess we could celebrate it then.”
“I have a better idea,” said Celestia, who looked at Luna, who had already picked up on it, since it was she who had mentioned birthdays in the vision.  Celestia then said, “Spike, take a letter, and write this as an official royal decree.”
“Right!” he said dutifully, producing a quill pen and paper, “The two royal sister of Canterlot, Princesses Celestia and Luna, do hereby decree this day to be the official day of birth in regards to twin unicorns Quill and Downy Feathers, given under my hoof, this day in the city of Ponyville under the authority of the city of Canterlot.”
Celestia then took up the pen and paper, signed it, followed by Luna, who then rolled it up, and said, “We shall affix the proper royal seal with the notary public upon our going to Canterlot.”
“Now, back to the seals,” said Celestia, “You see, when a new unicorn foal is born into the world, there can be moments when their magic works without them even thinking about it.  A unicorn’s magic works sort of telepathically.  A spell is learned, but then put into effect by thought, channeled through the horn, and then manifests itself magically in whatever it is the spell does.  Yet, with foals, it can turn on randomly when they wish a certain toy, food, or if it is mother or father they want, or some such thing.  Their wishes then manifest themselves in sometimes humorous ways, but because they are foals, they are never really of any large consequence.  In time, foals are taught to control it, and they learn to grow and be accustomed to their power.  You two, on the other hand, are both fully grown, but have no control over your power.  Thus, I put a seal on your magicks until you become accustomed to them so nothing major or catastrophic happens.  Do not worry: when it comes time for your magic classes, you’ll have them removed during those times until you can control it better.”
“We’re going to school?” asked Downy.
“I’m going to teach you,” said Twilight with a smile, “I will, along with my friend Moon Dancer and along with Sunset.  Once you get the basics of pony living down, you can learn how to play your instruments again.  By that time, there should be a home ready for you two, being built under the auspices of the princesses.  A pony named Octavia will be helping you relearn your instruments, and that’s going to be important when it comes to learning your Bardic magic.  Moon Dancer will have you come to my castle, which you are now in, and take those classes here.”
“But, what about money?” asked Quill.
“Don’t worry,” said Celestia, “You’ll be living at our castle until you are ready to make it happen for yourselves on our tab.  When it is time, you two will be able to live well enough.  Your mother and father left behind a large pension for the two of you in a trust fund that has been accumulating interest and amount.  You two should be able to live well enough of the interest of the investments as they sit now.”
At this, Pinkie thought, and said, “So, if this is your birthday, let’s have a party!”
She leapt around the group, but Celestia giggled and said, “I’m afraid that will have to wait, my little pony.  Right now, they are not in a state to handle a party just yet.  But, once we get them settled, we can have that party.  If all goes well, we can have it at the time of the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“Oh cool!” shouted Pinkie, “A double party!”
With that, they started heading down the hall towards the guest quarters, chatting and getting to know one another once again, but Sunset just walked slower and started falling back.  Twilight asked, “You okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she said, turning her right hoof over a few times, “I still am getting used to this body again.  It’s kind of the same thing with the twins, but not as bad.  I’m just a touch sore, that’s all.”
Yet, Celestia guessed that was not all, as Twilight went back with the others, and Sunset was going further back, and Celestia had a guess as to why she was acting like this.  When Sunset took a moment to look down, Celestia teleported and wound up behind her.  “I think somepony is still kicking herself.”
Sunset nearly jumped out of her skin as she wheeled around to see Princess Celestia behind her.  She instantly bowed, but Celestia gently put a hoof under Sunset’s chin and lifted her head, saying, “Please, you don’t have to do this.”
“No, I have to,” she said, “I am not your apprentice anymore, and I have to pay proper respects.”
Celestia smiled and shook her head, saying, “No, you may not be my apprentice, but we spent too much time together for you to be on such formal terms.”
Celestia coaxed Sunset to her feet, and she said, “As I asked, still kicking yourself?”
“No,” answered Sunset, “I’m past that now.  I’m just, well…  I don’t know how to say it.  But, how can you let me back here, much less want to see me set foot…*sigh* hoof…inside Canterlot Castle.  (Geesh, I’m going to have to get used to the dialect again.)  I have forgiven myself, and it seems you have forgiven me, but what did I ever do to make it right enough for you to let it go enough to act like nothing happened?”
Celestia smiled and said, “I only wish you were thinking like this before I banished you from the castle.  You could have…  Well, let’s not open those scars.  Yet, you have to understand something about mercy and how it works.”
Sunset cocked her head, not sure where she was going with it, and she said, “Let’s go talk somewhere.”

Celestia led Sunset into the throne room of Twilight’s castle, and there were all the chairs around the Cutie Map, and Sunset was amazed.  She had a moment of regret now seeing what she threw away, but she steeled herself and said, “Yes, I threw this away, and I can’t ever get that back.  The past is gone, and there is nothing I can do to change that.  I understand.”
“I know,” answered Celestia, “But I didn’t bring you in here for that.  I just wanted a private place to talk.  Still, since you mentioned it, sometimes life lessons can hit you hard.  I understand there was an incident on the other side, and we almost never got the twins over here.  You told the twins to have mercy on themselves, and you know how to forgive yourself.  All that is good.  It is because you can that you can now help others.  Sure, you lost all this, but you also gained so much more.  It is because of this that I was able to let all this go.  You see, part of mercy is trust.  What I think you are really asking yourself is, ‘Sure, I’m forgiven, but how can she trust me?’  Yes, there was a point where I was still in wonder about just how much I could trust you again, even though you had changed your ways.”
Celestia moved astride of Sunset and extended a wing around Sunset as if she was a mother hen gathering a chick.  She pulled her close and said, “But, after you’re helping to defeat the sirens, and then helping Twilight’s double, repaying the favor, in a sense, that our Twilight did for you, you showed me in three different ways that, not only had you changed, you were doing all you could to be as you could have been, even though you threw all this away for a lust for power…oh, no offense.”
“*SIGH!* none taken…”
“Well, the point is, when somepony has paid his debt to society, so to speak, then part of reintroducing that pony back to society is to open the door to opportunities to live like everypony else, not holding the past against him.  He still must be watched a bit, but trust has to be extended, or else, how can somepony ever be able to come back into society and prove he is going to be a constructive part of it?”
Sunset was shedding tears now, half sad and yet half joy, because, in essence, Celestia was saying she was extending her a chance to, at least, become part of things here if she so desired.  Celestia then said, “And so, part of you sealing my trust for you is helping the twins get settled in.  However, after that is done, you have a choice to make…”
“I know the choice you are going to offer,” answered Sunset preemptively, “And, as much as being able to live among my kind is very tempting, I’ve spent enough time establishing a life over there, and made good friends who need me, that I don’t think I could stay here.”
Celestia nodded and said, “I understand.  As long as you are going back because you want to, and not because you think you have to, then that is fine.  Just remember that, if you do well here, you will always have a home here, and you are welcome to visit anytime, or even return fully if you wish.  I leave it up to you.”
Sunset could take it no more and gave Celestia a big hug, which Celestia returned.  At that, Rainbow dash stuck her head back in and said, “Oh good, there you are.  I think we may need to feed our guests soon enough.  They just upchucked a bunch of sick.”
That jolted Sunset back into the events going on and she said, “Oh, that’s right: they had a big breakfast before coming over, but they ate what a human would normally eat, and I think their bodies as they are now have rejected it!”
“Oh, those poor dears,” said Celestia, “Let’s go and get them settled in, and suggest a quick nap before dining.  I don’t quite think they’ll want food right away.  But a good nap might help them relax and settle their stomachs, and they’ll be ready to eat them.”
As they walked out, she said, “I know being a princess is out of the question now, but, could it be I was fated to be something like that for humans one day?”
“That, I cannot foresee,” she said, “I am powerful in magic, and have had visions in dreams from time to time, but I am not a prophetess.  For that, we’ll just have to let tomorrow take care of itself.  Come now, there is much to do.”
With that, they headed to the guest chambers, and Sunset’s heart was soaring now.  Indeed, her past really now no longer defined her, because her past is not now, she controls the present, and can shape her future the right way from now on.