//------------------------------// // Magical Difficulties // Story: Adventures at Canterlot High // by MLP Fangirl //------------------------------// Dear Princess Twilight, It's been a little while since we've seen you. The girls really miss you, even Twilight. So, I know you're a princess, and I'm sure you have a lot of important things on your plate. But, when you get a chance, do you think you could come on over and hang out? There's nothing going on, so we won't have to spend all our time trying to defeat some monster. If you could, that'd be great. Hope to see you soon. - Your Friend, Sunset Shimmer. Princess Twilight walked begrudgingly into her room. She flopped down onto her bed, burying her head in her pillow. Spike came in soon after, a half-eaten emerald in his claw. He jumped onto the bed next to her, munching on the gem. "What's the matter, Twi?" Twilight looked up at him and sighed, "Spike, I am bored. There is literally nothing to do. Our friends are all busy today. I've completed all of my Princess of Friendship duties for the next week at least. I don't know what to do." She sat up and rubbed her head with her hoof. Suddenly, her ears perked up to a low buzzing sound. She turned her head to her bedside table and saw a slight glow coming from inside the drawer. A wide smile spread across her face as she opened the drawer with her magic, "Oh, it's from Sunset!" She quickly levitated the book over to her and opened to a page. "Sunset Shimmer?" Spike peaked over her shoulder, trying to read the message. She quickly skimmed the message and laughed. She hugged the book. "Oh, thank you, Sunset!" She summoned a quill and quickly scribbled in a message. "Sounds like a plan. Meet you at the portal. Twilight." She dotted the sentence and jumped off the bed. "Come on, Spike. Let's go." The two ran towards the library and stopped just before they entered the portal. Twilight activated the portal, and it opened. She started to run, but Spike pulled on her tail, stopping her mid-stride. She turned back to him, raising an eyebrow, "What?" "Uh, Twilight? Is the portal suppose to be doing that?" He pointed to the portal. Twilight looked up. The portal was rippling more than usual; its color was changing from magenta to a light red. The Princess of Friendship blinked a few times. "Uh, I'm...sure it's nothing." She redid the activation spell, just to make sure. And, it was fine. Twilight chuckled, "See? Nothing to worry about." Spike scratched his neck, "If you're sure." "Of course I am. Now, let's go." With that, they both ran through the portal. ----- The seven girls were all waiting eagerly at the statue. Pinkie Pie hadn't stopped bouncing since they arrived, "Oh! I can't wait for Twilight to get here." "Don'tcha mean Princess Twilight?" Applejack smirked, looking over at Twilight, who merely shrugged sheepishly. "Yeah, That's not gonna get confusing." Rainbow Dash placed a hand on her hip. Sunset giggled, "How about we call you Twilight, and - " At that moment, the portal rippled and Princess Twilight and Spike came barreling through. " - her Princess Twilight?" The girls all started greeting the princess at the same time. They didn't seem to notice her dizziness. Princess Twilight held her head, "Whoa. Girls, one at a time, please. " She shook her head. "Okay. That was a lot more disorienting than I remember." Spike wobbled on his hind legs, before flopping down on all fours. "You...said it." Sunset and Rainbow Dash helped Princess Twilight stand up. "You all right?" The princess held out her hands to the side, trying to regain her balance. She blinked and gave a sigh of relief, straightening up. "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks, Sunset. Your timing was literally perfect. I had absolutely nothing to do. You really helped out." Sunset laughed, "Well, I'm glad I could help. Slow week?" Princess Twilight chuckled, stretching her arms into the air, "Knowing what I've been through, yes. It's been very slow." Spike scratched behind his ear, "Yeah, even her books aren't cheering her up." Rainbow Dash laughed loudly, slapping the princess on the back, "Oh, yeah. You are totally bored. The Book Princess doesn't want to read?! Alert the media." Pinkie Pie saluted, "Aye aye, Rainbow Dash." She took out a megaphone, taking a deep breath. "HEY, EVERYONE! PRINCESS TWILIGHT DOESN'T WANT TO - " Applejack quickly snatched the megaphone from Pinkie's hand, "That's enough, Pink." Twilight, who had been standing right next to Pinkie, stuck a finger in her ear, "I think I'm deaf in my left ear now." Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, "So, what's been going on?" Rarity grabbed ahold of the princess's arm, "Well, we can't talk here. People listen. Let's head to the cafe." Rainbow looked at Rarity oddly, "Aren't there people there, too?" Fluttershy rubbed her arms together, "I would like a strawberry and banana smoothie." Pinkie jumped, wrapping her arms around Rarity and Fluttershy, "Me, too! Last one to Sugarcube Cafe is a rotten pineapple!" Pinkie zoomed off in a cloud of pink smoke. Rainbow blinked twice. She gawked, "Hey, wait! You got a head start." She quickly ran after her pink friend with the others following at a leisurely pace. ----- The eight girls ordered their refreshments and sat down. Princess Twilight sipped her iced tea, "So, anything exciting been going on? How's school, Twilight?" Twilight smiled, adjusting her glasses, "Oh, it's been great. Everyone at CHS is so nice. That transfer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I can enjoy school again." Sunset put a her hand on Twilight's shoulder, "And, the best thing that happened to us. Now, we have a Twilight of our own. But, don't worry, Princess, we cherish both of you equally." "Here here!" All of the girls cheered in unison. Princess Twilight smiled, "Thanks, girls. I cherish your friendships, too. So, any magic issues?" Sunset rubbed the back of her head, "We've had a few pony ups here and there. But, nothing worth worrying about." Rainbow pumped a fist, "Yeah, that last pony up totally won us that game! No doubt I'm nominated VIP this year." Pinkie giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, "Yup, you were certainly dashing." Fluttershy blinked, "I don't get it." Pinkie patted Fluttershy's head, "Poor naive Fluttershy. Can't understand the joy that is puns." Applejack cleared her throat, "Anywho, the school's havin' a little shindig on Monday. The Rainbooms are gonna be performin'." Rarity gasped, grabbing Princess Twilight suddenly, "Oh, you should sing with us, Twilight! I'm sure everyone would be thrilled to see you again." Sunset nodded, "And, we'd love to have you sing for us." The princess pulled away from her and rubbed her arm, "Well, I'd normally say yes, but what about you, Twilight?" The other Twilight adjusted her glasses, "Well, I'm not very comfortable in front of crowds. I enjoy singing, but only when I'm alone." Rainbow nudged Princess Twilight, "There's your answer. So, what do ya say?" She shrugged, "I don't know. There's now two of us. Won't people find that a bit odd?" Sunset chuckled, "Believe me. After what we've been through, they'll find that there being two Twilights is normal." Princess Twilight brought a finger to her chin, "Hmm...all right, I'll do it." Cheers were heard all around. "Say, since we're all done here, why don't we practice?" Rainbow suggested, jumping up from her seat. "Sounds like a plan ta me," Applejack tipped her hat down, standing up. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Pinkie grinned. She pointed out the door. "Let's go!" ----- The Rainbooms entered the music room to begin practice. Rainbow Dash walked over to her guitar case and opened it up. She took it out and placed it around her back. She rubbed off a white spot with her elbow. She struck a chord, "Oh, yeah. Who's ready to rock and roll?" Applejack held her bass, "Ready, partner." Rarity flipped her hair, "I am ready." Fluttershy held her tambourine low, "I'm ready." Pinkie waved her hand, "Yeah, yeah. We're all ready. Let's make some music, girls." Twilight and the two Spikes sat in the corner. The human Twilight's Spike had been in her backpack and was only now being introduced. And, now, Twilight sat between the two dogs who looked at each other weirdly. Equestria Spike pawed at the ground, unsure of what to say, "So...what's up?" His counterpart shrugged, "Eh...nothing much." The dragon-turned-dog coughed, "Right. Uh, you like gemstones?" Spike gained a look of confusion, "Gemstones? You mean like rubies and diamonds." Equestria Spike nodded. "I don't think I'd be able to. I'd probably chip a tooth. These teeth aren't made of metal, ya know." Equestria Spike looked to the side, "Oh, right. You're actually a dog." Meanwhile the Rainbooms sang. Their voices along with their instruments intertwined melodiously. Around half-way through the song, they began to pony up. Each girl gained their pony ears and hair extensions. But, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight didn't get their wings. Upon realizing this, Rainbow Dash immediately stopped the song. "Whoa! Whoa! Hold up. Where are my wings?" Fluttershy looked at her back, "And mine?" Princess Twilight looked at her own, "That's odd." Sunset Shimmer looked around, "We still have the ears and tail." "Yeah, but - " Rainbow was interrupted as the magic faded and their pony additions disappeared. Twilight stood up, adjusting her glasses. "Is that normal?" Princess Twilight scratched her head, "No. Not that I know of. Huh." Rainbow Dash slumped to the ground, crossing her arms, "Well, that's not fair. The wings are the best part. Why couldn't it have been the ears? I can live without the ears." Sunset Shimmer rubbed her chin, "The question is why didn't you get your wings?" Princess Twilight nodded, "Yes. Fluttershy, you, and I should have gotten wings." Pinkie leaned against the piano, "Huh. Guess we're experiencing magical difficulties. Where's a magic repairman when you need one?" Rarity set her keytar down, "Well, I say we just let it go. Perhaps this was a one time mishap. I'm sure you will have your wings the next time you pony up." Rainbow huffed, "You'd better be right." Princess Twilight clasped her hands together, "Well, I guess there's no reason to worry. As long as this problem doesn't continue, we should be fine." She bent down and picked up Spike, who was asleep. The other Twilight did the same. "Do I have the right Spike?" They both looked at each other then giggled. Twilight chuckled, "Look on the back of his dog tag. My initials should be there." Princess Twilight flipped the dog tag over, and sure enough, the initials T.S. were written in Sharpie marker. She giggled, "Here's your Spike." They exchanged dogs, smiling at each other. "So, what now?" Pinkie jumped, placing both of her hands on the princess's shoulder, "Oh! You should totally stay at my place, Princess." Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows, "No way. She stayed at your place last time. Twi, you should hang with me. " She nudged the princess with her elbow. Rarity placed her hands on her hips, "Now, darling, I'm sure she'd prefer staying somewhere clean. She is a princess after all." Fluttershy held up a finger, "You could stay with me." Applejack shook her head, "I'm sure the princess would much enjoy the simple country life. We could sleep in the loft." Rarity scoffed, "Who'd want to sleep in some smelly old barn? I'd be happy to let you stay in our townhouse, Princess." The five girls continued to bicker. Sunset and Princess Twilight exchanged glances. Sunset cleared her throat, causing the arguing girls to stop and look at her. "Why don't we let the princess decide?" Princess Twilight smiled, patting Sunset on the back, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Sunset. Since you girls are going to argue about it, I'm going to stay in the library, the first place I stayed." Rarity gasped, "Oh, dear, no. You can't stay in the library." She raised an eyebrow, "Will you all promise to stop arguing and to not get upset about whose house I stay at?" The girls all murmured their consent. The princess nodded. She turned her head towards her counterpart, "Say, Twilight? Do you have an extra room?" Twilight blinked then smiled, "We do. There's a guest room right next to mine. But, don't you think my family will be kind of - " Princess Twilight walked over to her, placing her hand on her shoulder, "Hey, your family's my family, too. In a way. They may find it odd, but they should get over it fairly quickly." The two Twilights walked out of the music room, leaving the other girls. "Dibs on getting her next!" "Shut up, Pinkie."