“Good luck, Twilight!”
“I’m sure you’ll do fine, Darling!”
Twilight wished she felt half as confident as her friends did. She took a deep breath and, before she could stop herself, she dashed through the mirror.
It felt like she was being pulled in two different directions, yet it brought her no pain. Twilight was nearly blinded by all the bright and swirling colors as she flew at a top speed. Faster and faster she went, only barely hearing her own screams of terror as she flew.
And then the lights stopped. She was no longer being pulled, but she still flew through the air, coming to a skidding halt on what felt like grass.
She groaned, rubbing her head and barely feeling her mane under her hoof. Her vision was blurry. Where was she?
She sat still for a good half a minute, trying to get her sight back, or at least hoping the numbness would leave her.
“Um... hello?”
She stopped dead. There was a voice. Somepony had seen her.
“Wh-who’s there?”
“You tell me who you are first. I just saw two girls come out of a statue. I think I deserve some answers.”
Twilight was confused. Out of a statue? What did that mean? And what did she mean, two girls? Was she talking about Sunset? But she had hours on her..
“I can’t see,” she said. She immediately kicked herself. Admitting a weakness to an unknown? Still, she might as well roll the dice and hope whoever this is, it was friendly. “My sight’s returning, please come to me.”
After a moment, something touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
Twilight was beginning to see. It seemed to be a bipedal figure talking to her. It was beginning to come into focus, and Twilight couldn’t help but feel a twinge of familiarity.
“I... I’m fine. My name is Twilight Sparkle, I’m from another world. Tell me, what are you? Are you the dominant race in this area?”
The figure was silent. “...I’m a human, like you.”
“Whoa, a Human? Really? Like in the Breezy tales... wait a minute, what do you mean, ‘like me’?”
“Well, if you’re not human, you look a lot like one.”
“What?” She held up a hoof. “Do these look... like... fingers...”
There were fingers. Five little, wiggling fingers coming out of her hand.
Her hand.
She brought up her other hoof... no, her other hand.
She gave a shriek. “Hands? What th...”
Her vision was still slightly blurry, but she could clearly see it now. She looked down to see she was now wearing clothes... on her bipedal body. She saw her legs, coming down into feet. In her shoes, she could feel toes wiggle.
“What the? Wha? Huh? Ah! Ahhh!”
“Calm down, please,” the figure said. Twilight turned to her and stopped dead.
It was female, Twilight guessed. It had pink skin and a mane of many colors, many familiar colors. She glanced over her firm and proper looking attire, and then she saw something that removed all doubts.
A badge in the shape of a very familiar cutie mark.
“...Celestia?” she asked.
The human blinked. “Why... yes, that is my name. How’d you know it?”
“I... I’m not sure how to answer that. There’s... a lot about this I don’t get.”
Celestia, for it was indeed a Human version of her teacher, looked at her blankly. “If I hadn’t just seen you fly out of the base of a statue, I’d think you were crazy.”
Twilight processed what had just been said, then turned to the side. There was a statue of a large pony... no, a horse, now that she looked... rearing on its hind legs. It’s base was certainly large enough for her to have passed through.
She turned back to Celestia. “You said another girl... orange coa-er, skin, red and yellow hair?”
The older woman was stunned, but she seemed to be getting used to shock. “Yes, Sunset Shimmer, one of my students. She flew out of the statue, and when she saw me, she ran.”
“Quick, which way did she go? I need to catch her, she stole something from me!”
“I can’t tell you. I was so shocked, and it’s dark out.”
Twilight paused, only now realizing it was indeed night time. She looked around, noticing her surrounding really, truly for the first time. They were in front of a big building, on a grassy lawn.
“I need to find her, quick!” Twilight started to move, then stopped. She couldn’t go on all fours, this body was obviously bipedal.
Seeing her hesitation, Celestia reached and grabbed her arm. “Can you stand?”
“I never have before. I’ve always had four legs.”
To her credit, Celestia was starting to accept the weirdness. She gently pulled Twilight to her back hooves... no, feet, Twilight remembered, and let her lean against her.
“You can’t go after her like this. I’ll tell you what, come with me back to my home. You need someplace to stay and I need explanations.”
“Well... I need a base of operations until the portal re-opens...” she said slowly.
“Great. Are you going to get your backpack and your dog?”
Twilight stopped at that. “What?” She turned back toward the portal.
The first thing she noticed was her saddlebags, though if it wasn’t for her cutie mark emblazed on the back. It was now changed to a single pouch carried by two straps.
Fitted for a human.
That only took up a portion of her interest, though. The majority was on the other thing she saw.
There was indeed a dog. And that dog had a very familiar coloring. And once it started moaning instead of whimpering, all doubt was out of her mind.
“Spike?” she tore herself from Celestia, and managed to get two steps before tumbling to her knees. Undaunted, thanks in part to the grass softening the blow, she walked on fours to him.
“Spike? Are you okay?”
“Uh... Twilight? Is that you? I can’t see!”
“Yes, it’s me, Spike. Your eyesight should come back soon.” She tried reaching for her son, then saw her hands. They were balled into fists, a natural position to a pony used to hooves. Desperately, she recalled seeing Spike use his hands. She remembered talking to Minotaurs and Griffons who visited the palace, learning how hands and claws work so she could teach Spike in case he needed help. Many were telling her it would come naturally, but none minded. Many even found it cute.
Remembering this, she worked her fingers until she could place them under Spike’s forelegs, hoisting him in the air.
“I feel weird,” Spike said.
“...The dog talks. Of course, the dog talks,” Celestia said.
“We’ve transformed, Spike. I’m not a pony, and you’re not a dragon.”
“Wha... I can kind of see you. You’re still purple...”
“I know, but my body’s changed. I’m a Human now.”
“...Really? Like Megan? Like... whoa!” Spike jumped. It was clear his eyesight had returned. “Twilight, you look... weird.”
“I know.”
“But... how’d you get so big?” he asked.
“Um, I didn’t, Spike. You got smaller.”
“Huh...” He looked down at himself.
There was a few seconds of silence.
“I’m a dog... I’m a dog, I’m a dogI’madog...”
“Sh, shh... Spike, we can’t draw any attention to ourselves,” Twilight said. When Spike kept rambling, he clasped her hand over his muzzle. “Spike, please, I need you to keep calm. I met another Human who looks a lot like Princess Celestia, and she’s taking us home, okay?”
“Uh... okay,” Spike said, breathing deeply.
“...Princess?” Celestia asked.
Twilight turned to Celestia with a sheepish grin. “Like I said, I don’t really get it, but there’s another you in my world... look, we should probably get indoors first. Can you help me?”
Celestia only helped Twilight back up.
“Can you hold Spike a moment?”
Celestia looked a little apprehensive, but did as asked. As the pair stared at each other in amazement, Twilight tried walking over to her bags. She ended up on her knees again, but retrieved her things. It only took a moment of contemplation before she figured out how to put it on.
Then Celestia helped her to her feet once more. She let Twilight lean against her as she led her away from the statue.
“What’s this?”
Celestia had led her to a large metal box with wheels. It had windows, allowing her to see the seat inside.
“They don’t have cars in your world?” Celestia asked. When Twilight shook her head, she continued. “They’re machines that transport us places.”
“Really?” She looked at the metal thing with a skeptical look. “How’s it work?”
“It’s complicated,” Celestia said. “But everyone uses one. You can get a lot of business just knowing how to fix one.”
Twilight was a bit apprehensive as Celestia opened the car door. Still, she didn’t complain as she was led into the seat. She held Spike in her lap, placing her backpack at her feet. Celestia closed the door and got around to her side, easing into the seat.
After she closed her door, she pulled a small box out of her pocket and pressed on a blank screen. Suddenly it lit up.
“What’s that?” Twilight asked.
“This is a phone. It lets us talk over long distances.”
Celestia showed her the screen. Twilight and Spike’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads as every touch changed what was displayed. First several foreign icons, then a list of names (the alphabet used by these creatures seemed identical to the Equestrian one, oddly enough), then a screen with a photograph.
“Luna?” Twilight asked.
“...So there’s a counterpart to my sister too?”
“Yes... I don’t get it. Does she live with you?”
“She does. Let me call her real quick.”
Celestia pressed an assortment of numbers, they jammed the phone to her ear. After a few seconds, she began speaking.
“Hello, Luna? Have you started dinner yet? ...Well, we’re going to have a guest... It’s complicated, I’ll explain when I get there. What were you thinking of making?” After a pause, she lowered the phone. “How does chicken sound?”
Twilight backed into the door. “Chicken? Do... do Humans eat meat?”
That was all the answer Celestia needed. She pulled her phone back. “Uh, strike that, she’s a vegetarian. Do we have any...” She lowered the phone. “An eggplant casserole?”
Twilight shuttered. “No meat?”
“Promise.”
“That’s fine.”
“She says that’s fine. We’ll be there soon, then... well, we have a lot to talk to our new friend about.”
After she hung up, she turned back to Twilight. “Whatever you are, you don’t eat meat?”
“No... I assume you eat nothing sentient?” When Celestia nodded, Twilight sighed with relief. “Vegetarian... that means no meat?”
Celestia nodded again. “Either describing a meal with no meat, or someone who doesn’t eat meat. Vegan is another term. There are differences, but I’ve told you what you need to know.”
Twilight nodded, making a mental note to make sure all her meals followed that criteria.
“I have a lot of questions, but I think they can wait until we get to my house,” Celestia said, pulling a strap from her side and placing it around her. Twilight looked to her side and saw a similar strap. Deciding to follow Celestia’s example, she grabbed it and pulled it around herself. She quickly located a strange silver hanging on it, as well as a slot next to the seat. She placed the metal inside, causing it to click shut. She glanced at Celestia once more, then adjusted herself so the strap was around her the same way.
“Very observant,” Celestia said, pulling out a small ring of keys and jamming it into a slot.
Twilight jumped at the sudden noise. She backed into her seat, holding the equally frightened Spike close.
“Relax, it’s just the car starting.” Celestia moved a stick in between the seats, and suddenly the machine was moving forward.
Twilight was stunned for thirty seconds. Eventually, she started watching Celestia. The wheel acted very much like the wheel of a ship, she realized. The movement of her legs suggested the presence of buttons at her feet that made the car stop and go. She then noticed Celestia was glancing in mirrors every few seconds. One between them, hanging from the machine’s ceiling, one outside on Celestia’s side, and one, she realized on her side. For full awareness of surroundings, Twilight realized.
She began looking at her surroundings. The buildings they passed seemed to be made mostly of brick. The roads weren’t the dirt they were in Ponyville, but they weren’t the cobble of Canterlot either. It wa some sort of black stone. There were lines everywhere, and Twilight realized they were guidelines for the car.
Every few feet, Twilight absorbed a new fact about piloting these machines. Stay on the right side of the road. At intersections, red meant stop, green means go, yellow meant it was about to turn red. There was a switch on the car that told those behind you where you were turning.
Eventually, the business tapered off into homes. Twilight found the bering to speak.
“You said Sunset was a student of yours. Are you a teacher?”
“I was. Now I’m a Principal. Luna is my Vice-Principal.”
Twilight only needed a moment. “Does that mean you run the school? Like a headmaster does in my world?”
“Yes indeed.”
“What does your school teach?”
That seemed to confuse Celestia. “Just... general knowledge.”
Twilight looked at her. “Isn’t Sunset a little old for that?”
“She’s just sixteen.”
“...How long does general schooling last for Humans?”
“Until eighteen.”
Twilight’s eyes popped out of her head. “Eighteen? Our education only last until we’re twelve, if we don’t get special schooling.”
Celestia looked at her, but it was only a glance. Eyes on the road, Twilight realized.
“We’ll talk about it soon. We’re here.”
Twilight saw a simple two-story house. It actually wouldn’t look that out of place in Ponyville, even with the brick and the strange roof that didn’t look like thatch. It had a homely look, a well-kept lawn, curtains in the window.
The oddest thing, but not a thing out of place in this world, was a small road leading to a smaller structure. Twilight quickly realized it was for storing the car. Sure enough, Celestia drove up to it, stopping only to click a small button that opened the door. She drove in, parking next to another car that Twilight guessed belonged to Luna.
Celestia switched the car off, unbuckled her belt, and left the car in the time it took Twilight to get unbuckled and open her door. Thus, the older woman was there to help her up and allow her a support to lean on.
Twilight leaned on Celestia, looking at Spike, who was tucked under her arm. “Spike? You okay? You haven’t said much.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He didn’t sound fine. “I just... I’m kind of freaked out by all this.”
Twilight decided not to press him for now. Celestia led her into the back door. It led into a kitchen, one that looked very similar to an Equestrian kitchen. She didn’t get a good look before a new figure filled her vision.
“You must be Celestia’s guest,” the new Human said. It was as Twilight had predicted. A dark blue skin, light blue hair, and a familiar voice. It was Princess Luna, now a Human.
“Yes. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“Well, I don’t know why my sister invited you over last minute, but it is nice to meet you.” She then leaned down to Spike. “And you have a pet? That’s...”
“Hey, watch it! I’m no one’s pet!”
...
...
...
There was a thud as Luna hit the ground.
And then there was silence.
“You know, you could have done that with a little more tact,” Twilight said.