//------------------------------//
// Princess and Pauper 
// Story: My Little Pony: Through Space and Time 
// by Magic Step 
//------------------------------//

Princess Twilight paced frantically.

"If you didn't meet your future self in your past, that means you just did something in the past that you shouldn't have done in the past, which means that the past has been changed without altering the future, which means that there is now a discrepancy between the past and the future..."

The two Rarities just stared at each other.

"So?" Princess Rarity asked.

"So?" Princess Twilight said. "We are on the verge of a crisis and all you can say-" She stopped and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I suppose you would not understand the magnitude of this issue. But we could- no, hold on." She paused, scratching her chin with her hoof. "Then again, maybe I erased your memory."

"Yes, that does sound like something you'd do," Princess Rarity said.

"Not all of your memory! Just the part where you visited me! Rarity, what do you take me for?" She whirled to Rarity. "Show us the portal."

"Wait!" Rarity said. "Who said I wanted to have my memory erased?"

"You have to," said Princess Twilight. "Or else Equestria will not only cease to exist, but also have never existed." She stared at Rarity with a the-world-rests-on-your-shoulders kind of look.

Rarity shivered. "All- all right." As she turned to leave, she muttered, "All I wanted was to visit the boutique!"



"This is really wierd, Twilight," Spike said, looking around.

"How long have I been in Ponyville?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Um... a yearish?"

"But I don't recognize anything here! It's all... rearranged! And not in a good way."

In one sense, Canterlot was just as sparkly as before, if not more sparkly. Someone with a good sense of style had planned these buildings.

In another, Canterlot seemed dead.

Very few ponies roamed the streets. Very few shops were open.

Twilight stopped at one of the few booths that had a pony behind it. "Where is everypony?" She asked.

The pale pink earth pony seemed middle aged and tired. "School's not out yet," was all she said. "Want some flowers?"

Twilight looked at the poor flowers. They seemed as wilted and faded as the stall minder. Some had been partially eaten by insects.

"Yeah, figures," the pony said, leaning back in her chair. "Nopony ever wants flowers anymore. They all think it's my fault they look so horrible."

"Well, who's fault-"

"Twilight Sparkle!"

Twilight Sparkle whirled around, nearly knocking Spike off, to come face to face with... herself.

She gasped and her legs buckled, staring at her shiny wings and flowing mane.

"Twilight?" Rarity crept over. "I know this must come as a shock to you, but... we're in our future."



Applejack came to a halt, panting. She wasn't quite at the meeting place, but she felt out of breath from running all through the streets.

"Applejack?" Fluttershy asked.

"Were you even looking?" Applejack asked.

"N-no," Fluttershy said. "Well, yes, but I was looking for you. We're too late."

"Say whut?" Applejack straightened up.

"The portal's gone, Applejack."

There was a bit of silence.

"Well, hay, it's not the end of the world. We'll just have to spend a few bits on a train ticket."

Fluttershy blinked in suprise. "Applejack? Is something wrong?"

"Why'd anything be wrong?"

"Your eyes are shifting."

"Oh... hay, I never was a good liar, was I?" she laughed nervously. "Okay, well... I'll admit... I'm a bit on edge. I just didn't want to worry you, and I wasn't sure..."

"What happened?"

"First of all, there isn't a unicorn in the place. I thought they was all s'posed to live here or sumthin', but I can't find a single one."

"And?" Fluttershy asked, sensing there was more.

"Well... it's the strangest thang, but..."

"What?"

"Every time a pony saw me, they just... screamed. Or fainted. Like I was a monster or sumthin'."

Fluttershy shrugged. Then she smiled. "Maybe it's because you have mud on your hooves."

"Whut? Oh, geez." She scraped her hooves on the stones. "Sheesh. Rarity clones, the whole lot of them. And I can barely handly one Rarity!"



"What?" Twilight asked.

"Something went wrong with the portal," Rarity said. "And now-"

Princess Twilight gasped.

"What?" Asked everyone.

The Princess turned aside. "Nothing..." she paused. "It's just, I was thinking. Since we're planning on erasing your memories eventually, anyways... there's no reason why we couldn't show you around town." She turned around, a bright smile on her face. "See a few of the sights? You know?"

"Twilight?" Princess Rarity asked.

"I think," the Princess continued, "that I'd like to show my past self... the academy."

Princess Rarity paused. "I..."

"Something wrong?"

"I..."

"Come on," Princess Twilight said, "you two fillies are about to have the time of your lives." She turned to Princess Rarity. "You don't have to come."

Rarity the alicorn turned aside. "I think... I think I'll get back to my little ponies at the castle. My birthday, you know."

"Yes," Princess Twilight said. "You know how they love you."



The academy was larger than the palace. Or maybe it wasn't; it was a little hard to tell because the two buildings were connected.

"This is where all the unicorns in Equestria come to be trained in their magical abilities," Princess Twilight said. "It's renowned for its teachers, facilities, and enormous library," she said, with a wink at her younger self.

"Facinating," Twilight said. She was getting some stares from the students, but that didn't suprise her.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Spike whispered.

"Spike!" Twilight Sparkle said. "She's being very nice to us!"

"No, I feel the same way," Rarity said. "Princess Rarity was hiding something, I just know it."

They were led up a grand staircase and into a richly furnished bedroom with two poster beds with silk canopies.

"This is the finest room in the academy, where you will be staying."

"Well," Twilight Sparkle said, "That seems a little... I mean, I don't want to stay too long. We might want to go home... like, soon."

"Oh, but you only just arrived!" Twilight Sparkle said. "Anyway, I have such great plans for you while you're here." She leaned forward. "In fact, I have a special treat for Spike. Do you want to see my laboratory?"

"No!" Spike cried, clutching Twilight's mane.

"Spike!" said Twilight Sparkle. "Um, I'm sorry, your highness..."

"I insist," hissed Princess Twilight.

Two pegasi guards charged into the room.

"I said wait for my signal!" Princess Twilight said.

Twilight and Rarity ran for the open door, but it slammed shut in front of them.

One pegasus dragged Rarity aside. Rarity screamed.

"Listen, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Twilight said. "I don't want to fight you. I would win, but I still don't. And I don't want to hurt your friend. But while you're in my city, you play by my rules. And my rules say, give me Spike. Now!"

Twilight was curled protectively around Spike. She felt Spike's claws dig into her leg and wished she didn't have to let go.

But Spike walked forward himself.

"Good boy," Princess Twilight said. She put Spike on her back and turned to the door. "Run these two unicorns on the treadmill. Run them til they collapse! I'll be doing some experiments." She strode out the door.