It has been done. It has taken quite a toll on me, but alas, the deed has been accomplished. For many moons, I have become interested in the study of alternate worlds. It has not been easy, but I have finally managed to open up a portal to an alternate world. I have used one of the mirrors from Canterlot Palace as a gateway. Who knows what lay on the other side. But, I intend to find out.
This world is unlike any I have ever seen. I have been transformed into a strange two-legged creature. Magic does not seem to exist. During my studies in this new world,I learned that this was a world of humans. Though, it is not completely different from Equestria. There are very noticeable differences. But, similarities abound as well. I stumbled upon several familiar faces that I have seen in Canterlot Palace. I wish to stay as long as possible, but I sense an imbalance in the portal. One that could lead to trouble.
I have returned to Equestria, and the portal seems to be acting up. I have been doing deep research into it. It was working fine for several days, but now, it seems to be weakening. Upon further study, I realized that the time the portal was working properly aligned with the moon's phase shift. For reasons unknown to me, the moon seems to have a connection with the portal. I would have consulted with Princess Luna for advice, but she has been quite distant as of late. So, I am on my own. For about three days it seems, the portal operated normally. But, after those three days, it appears to weaken. I fear that if the portal remains open, something catastrophic could occur. I am working on a spell that should close the portal. That way it can open and close naturally. I am disheartened about the loss of information, but this is something that must be done.
The deed is done. The portal is closed. Based on my calculations, it should open again within thirty moons. How I wish I could keep it open permanently, but alas, it is not to be. Perhaps somepony in the future will be able to accomplish such a task. The portal runs on a very special magic. Should it ever be tampered with, I fear the consequences could be disastrous.
-----
"I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."
Sunset raised an eyebrow, "Didn't realize what sooner?"
Princess Twilight closed the book and placed it on the piano. "The portal used to only open for a period of three days and would then close. It wouldn't reopen until thirty moons after."
Pinkie skipped over to the princess, "Well, duh. We knew that already."
Rarity placed a finger on her chin, "But, you figured out a way to keep it open permanently, did you not?"
Princess Twilight nodded, "Yes. I did. But, outside of that three-day period, the portal weakens. "
Sunset crossed her arms, "But, when you were here to help us defeat the Sirens, the portal wasn't draining any of our magic."
Princess Twilight looked at her counterpart, "True. But, the portal's magic didn't get drained the last time."
Twilight gasped quietly, "So, this is my fault."
Princess Twilight walked over to her counterpart and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I don't blame you, Twilight. Not entirely."
Twilight turned away, hugging herself, "But, how can I not be blamed? I drained the portal's magic."
Her Equestrian counterpart nodded, "Yes, but you didn't know you were doing it at the time. Which is why I'm not placing the blame on you."
Twilight smiled, "Thank you, Princess."
Applejack tilted her hat up, "But, ah still don't get why the portal's drainin' our magic."
Princess Twilight placed her hands on her hips, "Well, as I said before, the portal was already weakened when its magic was drained. Having its magic drained, I believe, weakened it even further. Even after you restored the magic, it was still extremely weak from its magic depletion."
"Twilight, is that why the trip here was so crazy?" Equestrian Spike looked at the princess from his spot on the piano.
She pointed at him, "That would be my guess. Yes." She turned to the others, "And, as for your magic being drained, I think the portal is draining your magic in order to maintain itself."
Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows, "Well, then how do we get our magic back?"
Princess Twilight crossed her arms, "Once Spike and I leave, we'll close the portal and let it regain some of its strength. Your magic should be restored then."
Fluttershy rubbed her hands together, "Are you sure?"
The princess nodded, "I'm sure. Although, there is a slight chance I could be wrong."
Sunset chuckled, "We'll trust you, Princess. You know this stuff better than any of us."
Twilight rubbed her arm, "Princess, would you still be able to come back?"
The girls all looked at Princess Twilight.
She sighed, "I would. But, I think it'd be best if I only come if there's an emergency."
"There's always an emergency. An emergency of us missing you." Pinkie wrapped her arms around the princess.
Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, smiling, "A real emergency. If you absolutely need me. And, I would appreciate it if you turned to me as a last resort. You girls have been through a lot. You can handle things without me. But, if there's a problem you absolutely can't solve, you can call me."
Sunset smirked slightly, "So, no more just hanging out?"
Princess Twilight shook her head, "I'd say not. Maybe a very rare occasion. The portal's technically not supposed to be open. We've figured out a way to open it whenever we want to, but it was not meant to be traversed through so many times."
Sunset sighed but nodded, "Understood. Only in an emergency. But, I can still talk with you through the book, right?"
Princess Twilight nodded, "Of course. In fact, why don't you pass the book around to each other? That way I'll know how you're all doing, and we can stay in touch."
The girls all gave excited cheers at the idea.
Applejack took her hat off and smiled sadly, "We sure will miss ya, though."
Princess Twilight chuckled, "Well, whenever you start to miss me too much, feel free to hug me all you want." She put an arm around her counterpart and winked at her.
"Will do!" Pinkie's arms were immediately around Twilight. Though surprised, she accepted the hug.
Fluttershy looked over at the princess as she held Canine Spike, who was fast asleep. "When do you have to go back, Princess Twilight?"
"We should be heading home soon. The weaker the portal gets, the more unstable the journey home might be."
Rarity ran over to the princess and grabbed her arm, "But, you can stay for a little while longer, right? After all, this will probably be the last time we'll see you for awhile."
Equestrian Spike looked up at his Twilight, "Can we, Twi?"
Princess Twilight looked around at the girls, who were all giving her pleading eyes, except for Sunset, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash.
She sighed and smiled, "I guess we can stay a little longer."
"YAAAAY!" was the collective response.
Princess Twilight picked up her Spike, "I guess we can head into the gym."
Pinkie gasped, "Great idea! There still might be some cupcakes left."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Is that all you ever think about?"
Pinkie scoffed, "Of course not. I think about gumdrops and doughnuts and cherry pie and pudding and whipped cream and pretzels and brownies and -
Rainbow's hand muffled the rest of her list, "Forget I asked."
Laughing amongst themselves, the Rainbooms headed back into the gym.
-----
Chatter filled the gym from every directions. Friends were talking with friends and simply enjoying each others' company.
Princess Twilight smiled, "It's nice to know that the students of CHS were only arguing because of the Sirens' spell."
Applejack chuckled, "Yeah, everybody's gotten along a lot better since the Battle of the Bands."
"Which is ironic because everybody was screaming and fighting with each other during the Battle of the Bands, " Pinkie stated, grabbing some cookies in her hands.
Fluttershy smiled, petting the now-awake Canine Spike, "It's been nice seeing everyone get along. I don't like fighting."
Twilight hugged herself, "Back at Crystal Prep, everything seemed to be a competition. That's partly why I wasn't liked. I was the best academically, but I didn't care to share that with others. They looked down on me because I was different."
Princess Twilight smiled and walked to her counterpart, "You know, that's not all that different from how I was back when I was first starting out as Princess Celestia's pupil."
Sunset raised an eyebrow, "Really? You had trouble starting out?"
Princess Twilight nodded, "I did. Because I was the Princess's protege, everypony expected me to show off. But, when I didn't, they began to use that against me, claiming that 'Princess Celestia's student wasn't that special.' Nopony really talked to me, save for a few. But, eventually, I started focusing on my studies to the point where I didn't talk to anyone, even if they tried talking to me. It wasn't until I moved to Ponyville that I realized what I had been missing."
Twilight's eyes widened slightly, "So, you went through what I went through?"
"Pretty much, yes."
Sunset chuckled flatly, "When I started out, I was pretty much the total opposite of you. I thought I was better than everypony else. If I had just learned a little humility, my life wouldn't have been so messed up."
Princess Twilight smiled, "Perhaps. It's fine to acknowledge your talents, but not to the point where you're boasting. I learned that the hard way."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "We aren't here to talk, y'know."
Pinkie grinned, "Dashie's right! We need to party." She looked up to see a disco ball dropping from the ceiling. It began to spin, and dance music began to play the background.
Applejack chuckled, "Now, ain't that a sight?"
Princess Twilight tapped her foot to the beat, "It is pretty neat."
The students in the gym started to dance to the music.
Pinkie rubbed her hands together excitedly, "Aww, yeah. It's party time." She threw confetti into the air and began dancing.
Sunset laughed, "Don't leave us out." With that being said, the girls began to dance to the beat, each having a great time.
Princess Twilight laughed at the sight then felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
She turned around to see Flash Sentry standing behind her.
The princess blushed slightly, "Hey, Flash."
He smiled, "Hey, Twilight. You want to dance?" He held out his hand.
Princess Twilight giggled, placing her hand in his, "I guess one dance wouldn't hurt."
He led her over to an open area, "Why always one dance with you?" He teased.
Princess Twilight smirked, "I'm a Princess. You have to be pretty special to dance with me."
"So, does that make me special?" He smirked as well, dancing to the music next to her.
She lowered her eyelids and smiled, "I guess it does." She danced to the beat as well.
"So, did you find out what's wrong with the magic?" Flash asked as they danced.
Princess Twilight stopped dancing at that. She turned to face him, her expression turning serious. "We did, actually."
He stopped dancing, too. His eyebrows furrowed, "The look on your face is telling me that I might not like the answer."
Princess Twilight rubbed her arm, "And, you'd probably be right. When I get back to Equestria I have to close the portal."
"Permanently?"
"No, not permanently. But, at this point, it'd be best if I just stayed Equestria. If I'm needed, I'll cross over. But, other than that, you're probably not going to see much of me for a long time." She hesitatingly looked into his eyes, trying to read his reaction.
Flash ran his hand through his hair, "Wow. That's a lot to process right there."
Princess Twilight hugged herself, "Are you upset? I won't blame you if you are."
He gave a long sigh, "No, I'm not upset. Just a little disappointed."
She raised an eyebrow, "Disappointed?"
Flash gave a sad smile, "Disappointed that we couldn't hang out."
Princess Twilight blushed, "Like on a date?"
Flash shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "Yeah. But, that's probably not gonna happen."
She sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, Flash. I do like you. Really. But, I think it'd be best if we just parted as friends. It'd make saying goodbye a lot easier."
He huffed, "Yeah, you're right."
Princess Twilight looked at him sadly, trying to think of a way to lighten the mood.
She then perked up, "Flash, if you want, you can ask Sunset Shimmer to lend you her book for a little while."
Flash raised an eyebrow, "What book?"
"She has a book that can send a message to me in one of my books. It's kind of like - uh...texting! Yeah, that's it."
Flash kept his eyebrow raised, "Sunset texts you?"
Princess Twilight chuckled, "In a way, yes. Only instead of using phones, we use books. She can pass it to you, and we can stay in touch." She rubbed her neck, "That is, if you want to. If you don't, that's fine."
Flash smiled, "Are you kidding? Why would I pass up something like this? So, I just have to ask for the book, and Sunset will know what I'm talking about?"
Princess Twilight placed a hand on her hip, "Or just ask to talk to Princess Twilight. She'll probably understand either way."
Flash nodded, "Got it. I'm gonna be texting-buddies with a princess. Could I get any luckier?"
Princess Twilight laughed, "I'd say at this point probably not."
They continued dancing, hoping that time for the princess to leave would never come.
-----
Eventually, the party began to wind down. Students began leaving, and the cleanup began.
Princess Twilight looked around, "Looks like the party's over."
Flash sighed, "Yeah." He looked at her, "Say, uh, would it be okay if I saw you off with the others?"
The princess smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder, "That'd be great."
He gave her a smile in return. He looked over to see the rest of the Rainbooms heading towards them.
Sunset crossed her arms, a sad smile on her face, "Princess, you and Spike should head home now."
Fluttershy held two Spikes in her arms. She handed one of them to the princess, "Here you go."
Princess Twilight held the Spike out in front of her, "Are you my Spike?"
The canine rolled his eyes, "Of course, Twi. I can tell who's who."
Twilight came over and took her Spike, "Well, at least there won't be anymore confusion."
Rainbow elbowed Flash, a smirk on her face, "You gonna see your girlfriend off?"
Flash and Princess Twilight blushed. Flash cleared his throat, "She's not my girlfriend. We've established this already."
Princess Twilight nodded, her hands behind her back, "We are parting as friends. Nothing more, nothing less."
Rarity pouted, "Oh, but you two would have been perfect for each other. I could've designed a dress for your first date."
Princess Twilight rolled her eyes, "Rarity, it wasn't going to work out. We realized that."
Pinkie giggled, "Yeah, you'd have to come back like every single day."
Flash's blush didn't leave his face, "We wouldn't have had a date every day."
Equestrian Spike groaned, "Ugh, can we go home now, please? Enough with the mushy romance stuff. I want to be a dragon again."
Canine Spike raised an eyebrow, "And, what's wrong with being a dog?"
Equestrian Spike shrugged a paw, "Nothing really. But, I prefer being my ferocious fire-breathing self."
Princess Twilight chuckled slightly, "I guess we'd better get going."
With that being said, the group began walking towards the portal.
-----
Eventually, they reached the portal.
Princess Twilight looked at it and gave a long sigh, "Well, it's time." She turned back to her friends.
She smiled, "I'm really going to miss you. All of you."
Sunset smiled back, "And, we're going to miss you, too."
Twilight approached her Equestrian counterpart. Without saying a word, she embraced her in a hug.
"Thank you, Princess. For everything."
Princess Twilight wrapped her arms around her doppelganger, "You're welcome, Twilight." As they parted, the princess kept her hands on Twilight's shoulders. "Remember, don't try to be me. You are your own person, and I am mine. We are different people. Just be yourself."
Twilight smiled, "I will."
Pinkie grinned, "This calls for a group hug!" All the girls began gathering around. Flash started to go, but Pinkie stopped him.
"You can get a solo hug, Flash." With that, she bounced over to her friends, joining the group hug.
After several minutes, they separated.
Pinkie grabbed Princess Twilight and pushed her over to Flash, "Okay, your turn."
She wound up bumping into Flash again, who caught her in his arms. He smiled, "We gotta stop bumping into each other like this."
Princess Twilight giggled, "Well, after today we will." She looked up at him, "Bye, Flash."
"Goodbye, Princess Twilight."
The princess threw her arms around him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.
The other girls watched this scene happily. The two Spikes put their paws to their mouth.
Soon enough, they parted. Princess Twilight looked at the portal then back at Flash. "Well, I'm off."
"Yeah..." Flash looked down.
Without a word, Princess Twilight planted a kiss on his cheek.
His face turned red once again.
Princess Twilight smiled, "Something to remember me by." She walked back over to her friends and picked up her Spike.
She looked around at them, "Remember, this isn't goodbye forever. If you have a problem you can't solve, feel free to give me a holler."
Sunset nodded, "Will do, Princess. Thanks for everything."
Princess Twilight gave a nod then looked down at Spike, "Ready to head home?"
Equestrian Spike gave a firm nod, "Am I ever."
With that, Princess Twilight and Spike headed back into Equestria.
-----
The next day, the Rainbooms were practicing in the music room. They all had ponied up, and the magic seemed to be working again.
Rainbow pumped a fist, "Aw, yeah. We're back."
Sunset put her guitar down, "I guess Princess Twilight was right." She looked over at their Twilight. "Say, Twilight, how would you like to be part of the Rainbooms?"
Twilight looked surprised, "You want me to join your band?"
Sunset nodded, "Sure. I mean, what do you girls think?" She turned to her fellow Rainbooms.
Rainbow gave a thumbs-up, "Sure. We could use an extra singer."
Rarity put her keytar down, "Unless, you have an instrument you want to play, darling."
Twilight shrugged, "I can play piano, but you already play the keytar. I guess I can sing."
Pinkie jumped happily, "Yeah, we have a new member!"
With that, Twilight took her place with her new bandmates, and they began to sing.