//------------------------------//
// Equestrian Woman 
// Story: Oops! I'm Equine Again 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//

Tirek frowned, scratching his chin. "Well," he said at length, "how do you explain this? Any way you look at it, the girl in that photo is you."

Cadance frowned. "Twily? How—"

"I'm telling you that isn't me!" Twilight cried, throwing out her hands. "I've never set foot in this school until today, I've never been to a school dance, I've certainly never won any popularity contests, and do you really think I could get my hair to look that shiny?"

"Well maybe with some proper conditioner—"

Tirek coughed. "Ladies? Let's do what we came here to do. You can worry about this...strange fascination this school has with Twilight later." His brow furrowed. "It remains to be seen if it has anything to do with the magic we've witnessed."

Cadance took another look at the photo. "You're right," she said. "We can check out the school's social media later to find out what's going on with this..." She shook her head. "But if that isn't you, Twilight, you have an identical twin at this school..."


* * * * *


"So wait," Applejack said. "Y'all mean there's another Twilight runnin' around?"

"So it seems," Rarity said. "Our encounter with her was...rather awkward."

The school day had ended, and the five friends were gathered in the foyer, leaning up against the main bulletin board so as to not impede the flow of students leaving to go home.

"What bothers me is that the new Twilight goes to Crystal Prep," Rainbow said, arms folded and a scowl on her face. "I just can't believe she'd do that to us!"

Fluttershy frowned. "Umm...Rainbow Dash? This Twilight doesn't know us. It's...it's not like she's somehow betraying us or anything by going to Crystal Prep. It's...it's just where she goes to school. I mean..." She ducked her head. "Just...don't get mad at her for things she didn't even do, please?"

Rainbow sighed. "Yeah, okay."

"Then let's talk about what she did do!" Pinkie exclaimed. "She's really suspicious! Did you see that scanner thingie she had? And that really, really nasty-looking boyfriend of hers?"

"He did seem most unsavory," Rarity said, shuddering.

At that moment, Flash Sentry walked up to the girls, a perturbed expression on his face. "Uhh...hey," he said, jamming his hands in his pockets. "So...I don't know how to tell you this, but—"

"You saw Twilight today and she had on glasses and she wasn't acting like she knew you at all and she was with a pink lady with really pretty hair and a really evil-looking boy," Pinkie Pie said.

Flash blinked. "Y-yeah," he said. "How'd you—"

"We ran into her too," Rainbow said with a frown. "She's not our Twilight. She's this world's Twilight. And she goes to Crystal Prep."

Flash's brow furrowed as he tried to process this. "Wait," he said slowly. "So...there's two Twilights?"

"Eeyup," Applejack said. "Th' pony one you got a crush on, an' this girl from Crystal Prep that's sneakin' around our school for who knows whut reason."

"Whatever it is, it can't be good," Rarity said with a grimace. "She's apparently very interested in our magic."

Flash shook his head. "I...I'm sorry, I need a minute to process this," he said. "Even after...after seeing Sunset the way she is right now, I'm having a hard time—"

"We all are, darling," Rarity said gently. "Listen...we're not using the music room today. Why don't you find your little bandmates and go practice for a bit? It might help clear your head."

Flash nodded. "I...I think I'll do that," he said distractedly, wandering down the hall.

The girls looked at each other. "We should go see Sunset," Rainbow decided.

"Yes," Fluttershy said firmly. The others stared at her. She blushed, ducking her head. "What?"


* * * * *


As the latest in a series of phone-recorded videos ended, Cadance, Twilight, and Tirek sat back, varying expressions of disbelief, thoughtfulness, and confusion on their faces.

"Well," Twilight said listlessly, "that explains those huge energy surges my lab equipment picked up."

"Such unbelievable raw power," Tirek said. "Incredible..."

"That...that couldn't have been real, right?" Cadance asked. "I mean, winged demons? Huge rainbows at night? Giant disco laser horses?" She started to laugh an unsettling, broken laugh. "What kind of crazy school are Luna and Celestia running?"

"And you're absolutely certain that wasn't you?" Tirek asked Twilight.

Twilight stared at him. "Don't you think I'd know what all this stuff going on is if it was?!"

Tirek grunted. "Just making sure."

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "Whatever's going on here, this girl who looks like me seems to be the key. We need to find her. I need to find her." The harsh lights of the library gleamed off her lenses, obscuring her eyes. "I need to know who she is and what her part in all this magic business is."

"We also need to find this...Sunset Shimmer," Tirek said.

"Oh, I think we can help you with that," a sultry voice intruded.

The three visitors turned around to see a trio of girls wearing hooded sweatshirts approaching. The one in the center threw back her hood, freeing an impossible mass of frizzy orange-blond hair and a pair of ears that were decidedly not human.

Twilight's jaw dropped. "You're...those girls from the video," she said.

"That's right," Adagio said. "And you are Twilight Sparkle. But not the same Twilight Sparkle that robbed us of our magic." Her lips curved into a wicked smile. "We have a lot to talk about."

Tirek gave her a hard glare. "And what do you want in exchange?" he asked gruffly.

Adagio's eyes gleamed wickedly. "Why...nothing," she purred. "Nothing at all..." Her eyes betrayed her, flickering hungrily toward the pendant Tirek wore.

Cadance frowned. She pulled out her phone and touched one of her contacts. "Luna? I'm in the library, and I think you'd be interested to know that there are three girls here—the Dazzlings, I believe they're called? Nevermind how I know about them, the point is they're inside your school. I don't believe they belong here, do they?"

Adagio glared at her. "You'll pay for that," she promised, hastily stuffing her hair back into the hood of her shirt. "Aria, Sonata, let's get out of here."

As the Dazzlings left the library and Cadance put her phone back in her purse, Twilight frowned at her. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "They were willing to give us the information we needed!"

"That girl had 'dangerous, backstabbing whore' written all over her," Tirek rumbled. "We don't need allies like that." He stood. "I believe we've learned all we can learn here. We should withdraw for now."

"Good idea," Cadance said. "Besides, I could use a snack. There's a place not far from here that has great cookies and fraps."


* * * * *


Afternoon faded into evening. The Sirens returned to their apartment, frustrated at having missed another window of opportunity to take advantage of the strange happenings at CHS. Cadance, Tirek, and Twilight spent an hour at Sugar Cube Corner, reviewing everything they'd seen and learned and making plans to prioritize their search for Sunset Shimmer and the other Twilight Sparkle before returning to their respective homes for the night. The Rainbooms visited Sunset Shimmer and spent most of the evening with her working on homework together, as well as discussing the appearance of the new Twilight and her strange friends. In Equestria, Twilight Sparkle slept fitfully, her new belongings tucked away in a corner of her room at Canterlot Castle.

And so night passed into morning...


* * * * *


Twilight, Moondancer, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were gathered in the throne room. Instead of her usual saddlebags, Twilight had a backpack Rarity had designed to fit a human form, as well as a garment bag which lay across her back, secured just ahead of her wings.

"Are you certain you don't want to change before you go through?" Celestia asked.

Twilight shook her head. "I'd rather have access to my magic when I first get there, just in case. Besides, the portal opens into a restroom. I'm sure I'll have privacy to change and get dressed." She pressed a hoof to the crystal amulet which hung on a fine gold chain around her neck. "With the spell matrix lock, I should have plenty of time to get to Sunset's apartment, then go to CHS and start examining the portal and the girls."

Celestia nodded. "Be careful," she cautioned. A sealed envelope floated to Twilight. "Please give this to Sunset Shimmer for me."

Twilight nodded and slipped the envelope into her backpack. "I will." She smiled. "She'll be alright, I promise."

Rarity worried at her lip. "If...if you run into any problems with the clothes—"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'll get the other Rarity to take care of it," she said.

"Bring back a souvenir from her boutique if you can!" Rarity said. "I'd love to see what they're wearing in that other world. At least...I think I would."

Moondancer groaned. "I don't think she'll have time for shopping," she muttered.

Twilight laughed. "I'm sure I can find a few minutes for that," she said. Taking a deep breath, she approached the mirror, then stepped through.

One dizzying array of kaleidoscopic colors later, Twilight found herself standing on a lavatory counter in a restroom. Directly across from her, she saw a shattered toilet standing like an ugly scar in one of the pristine stalls. She took a sniff of the air and wrinkled her muzzle in distaste; the room stank of bleach. "Well, at least nobody's here," she said to herself. Spreading her burdens out on the floor, she hopped down off the counter and planted her hooves firmly, taking a deep breath as magic gathered in her horn. The crystal amulet around her neck began to resonate with the bright flare of magic emanating from her horn, pulsing a brilliant magenta.

With a bright pink-white flash, Twilight transformed from an alicorn into a naked human girl with a glowing amulet around her neck. She opened the garment bag and pulled out a flowing dress of shimmery, stretchy material that faded from a soft blue-violet at the shoulders to a deep, star-spangled midnight blue-black at the parted knee-length hem. It took her a few minutes to remember how to put on the dress as a human, then a moment more to adjust everything to make sure the fit was right. She frowned at the way her breasts shifted beneath the dress. "That doesn't seem right," she murmured. Shaking her head, she opened her backpack and took out a pair of sparkly silver high-heeled slippers, stepping into them and wriggling her toes to get the feel of them. Satisfied she was properly dressed, she slipped the backpack onto her back, checked her reflection, and smiled. "Rarity, you're amazing," she said before turning to exit the restroom.

Her earlier scouting of the school told her which way the front doors were. She walked down the hall at a quick pace, her heels clicking on the floor.

As she rounded the corner, she almost collided with a blue-skinned girl in a purple uniform whose long frost-white hair was pulled into enormous twin ponytails. The girl adjusted her salmon-colored glasses and frowned at her. "You're not wearing your uniform," she said. "Or a bra."

Twilight paused. "Aheh..."

"You look like you're going to a fancy party," the girl further observed.

"Ah, well..."

"You're not wearing your glasses."

Twilight blinked. "Umm...contacts?"

The blue girl shook her head. "You should really be weird on your own time," she said as she pushed past Twilight and continued on her way. "Oh, and you really shouldn't go around without a bra on," she called back over her shoulder.

Twilight frowned at her retreating back. Turning, she continued on her way...

"Miss Sparkle," a stern voice called. Twilight paused.

Heels clicked sharply as a severe-looking woman materialized from seemingly nowhere, scowling disapprovingly at Twilight. "I have been permissive of many of your more unusual quirks," the woman said. "Don't think I don't know about you bringing that mutt into my school, no matter how hard Dean Cadance tries to cover for you."

*Cadance...?!*

"I allow you special privileges because your intellect has served this school's reputation well," the woman continued. "But I just learned that you and that hooligan are conspicuously skipping afternoon classes together, and now I find you wandering the halls wearing some...some...prom dress instead of the approved school uniform?" The woman narrowed her eyes. "You are not so far above the rest of Crystal Prep's students that you can test my patience with these rebellious acts."

Twilight blinked. "I...umm...sorry?"

The woman wasn't finished with her. "If you ever wish to enter the Everton Independent Study Program, I expect you to be in your proper uniform and appropriate undergarments and where you are supposed to be during school hours," she said. "There is no excuse for you leaving school grounds without my permission, nor should you have the audacity to walk the halls of my school dressed like...like...this!"

*I don't like this woman,* Twilight decided. Firming her jaw, she stared right into the older woman's eyes. "Actually, I'm going to a wedding right now," she said. "I'm running late so I had to change before leaving."

The woman seemed taken aback by that. She frowned severely, but took a step back and to the side. "I expect to be properly notified of such things in the future," she said curtly before marching off down the hall, hands clasped behind her back.

As soon as the unpleasant woman rounded a corner, Twilight let out a sigh. "Well, I just got...me...into trouble for lying and cutting class," she muttered. "Then again, if she's been wandering around CHS during school hours, she's already lying and cutting class in the first place..." Shaking her head, she continued on her way to the school exit at a quickened pace.

Once outside the school, she scanned the street outside the school gates. "Sunset said there'd be a ride waiting for me..."

"Twilight?"

Twilight looked to her right and gasped, her heart beating more quickly and a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. Flash Sentry stood there, leaning against his car.

"It's...it's really you, right? The real you this time?" Flash asked.

Twilight nodded, hurriedly walking up to him. "I take it you ran into the other Twilight," she said.

Flash rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Y-yeah," he said. "That was...awkward and confusing. The girls had to explain it to me, and I'm still not totally sure I get it, but..." He frowned. "Why aren't you a pony like Sunset? I thought you were supposed to—"

"I used a spell to turn myself into a human," Twilight said. "I'm gonna teach Sunset the spell too. It won't last too long, but at least she'll be able to get out of the apartment."

Flash grimaced. "Yeah, she's kinda going a little stir-crazy," he said. He shook his head and looked her up and down. "Wow. You look amazing."

Twilight's cheeks grew redder. "Thanks," she said. "Rarity made this for me. The Rarity back home, I mean. It's the first time she's ever made clothes for a human."

They stood there for a long, awkward moment. Finally, Flash coughed. "Right. Umm...we should go. To Sunset's place."

Twilight got in the car; Flash showed her how to put on her seat belt. She grimaced at how it fell between her breasts; the odd looks Flash was throwing at her made her feel uncomfortable and self-conscious. Flash coughed and forced his attention forward as he started the car. "So," he said, "how have you been?"

"Oh, you know...busy," Twilight said. "Now that I have a castle, I have a lot more responsibilities. I'm always organizing some kind of summit or diplomatic meeting or something. Or sending my friends off to solve friendship problems across Equestria. Or—" She trailed off. "A-anyway. Yeah, I've been pretty busy lately."

"Cool," Flash said. "Things are pretty boring around here. Well, they were until all this mess started." He chuckled. "I guess it's a good thing crazy stuff started happening again, or I wouldn't have gotten a chance to see you for a really long time, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Twilight said.

"Not that I want bad stuff to happen or anything!" Flash said hastily. "It's just..." He coughed.

"Yeah."

An awkward silence fell.

"You're not...you're not seeing anybody, are you?" Flash asked. "I mean—"

"No!" Twilight said hastily. "I mean...no," she added awkwardly. "I, umm...no."

Flash let out a sigh of relief. "Good," he said. "I mean, good for me, not good for you. I mean..."

A car horn blared, startling both of them. "Umm...maybe I should just...pay attention to the road," Flash said sheepishly.


* * * * *


Forty awkward minutes later, Flash pulled up to the front of an apartment building and stopped the car. He drummed his fingers on the wheel. "W-well, here we are," he said. "Umm, I'd go in with you, but I need to get back to school."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you," she said as she unbuckled her seat belt. "I'll see you later, okay? I'll be headed over to CHS once I've touched base with Sunset and taught her the spell to turn human again."

Flash smiled. "Alright." He paused. "Oh, and she's in apartment 7B on the upstairs floor."

"Thanks again!" Twilight said as she got out of the car and took her backpack from the back seat. She slung it onto her back and stepped away from the car, waving at Flash. He took one last long look at her before reluctantly leaving. Squaring her shoulders as she watched him drive away, Twilight turned and headed for the apartment building. A few minutes later, she stood before the door to apartment 7B; she rang the bell, then called out, "Sunset, it's me!"

The door opened; Twilight stepped inside, closing it behind her. A copper-and-gold maned unicorn head peered around the corner at her. A broad grin broke out on Sunset's face. "Twilight!" she called out happily. "Come on in, I'll get us something to drink."

"Thanks," Twilight said as she walked in, slinging off her backpack and setting it down by the coffee table as she sat down on Sunset's sofa. "Nice place you have here," she said as she looked around.

"Thank you," Sunset said. She emerged from the kitchenette with two cold bottles of soda, looking Twilight up and down. "Nice dress," she said.

Twilight beamed. "Isn't it? Rarity did an amazing job."

Sunset tilted her head. "You're...not wearing a bra, are you?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know enough about them to teach Rarity how to make one."

Sunset paused. "You're at least wearing panties, right? Please tell me you're wearing panties."

Twilight remained silent, wringing her hands.

Sunset's jaw dropped. "You mean you're not wearing any underwear at all?!"

Twilight shrugged, smiling sheepishly.

Sunset facehoofed. "Oh, for Celestia's sake..."

"Is that bad?" Twilight asked.

Sunset rolled her eyes as she set the sodas on the table and hopped into a chair across from Twilight. "It isn't good," she said. With a sigh, she added, "I'll text Rarity and have her bring some over when she comes to take you to the school. I don't think any of mine would fit you." She shook her head. "Anyway, more importantly, I'm glad you're here. Things are getting out of control."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed. "Oh! I have a letter for you from Princess Celestia," she said, reaching into her backpack and digging out the envelope. She laid it on the table. "Also, I have a copy of the body transformation spell I used and an extra spell matrix lock, in case you wanted to, you know, try it out. I could use your help at the school and stuff."

Sunset frowned. "Do you think I can even cast the spell?" she asked. "I mean, you're an alicorn and I'm not..."

"It's not a complicated spell," Twilight said. "Well, not for somepony as powerful as you. I mean, you're as powerful as I was when I was a unicorn. It might not last as long as my version, but with the spell matrix lock, you can probably get at least nine or ten hours out of it."

Sunset nodded as she opened Celestia's letter and began reading. A wistful smile crossed her muzzle, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"What's it say?" Twilight asked as she opened her soda and took a drink.

"Just...that she misses me. And forgives me." Sunset sniffled. "I...I should write her back. But not right now." Setting Celestia's letter on her end table, she picked up the spell scroll in her magic and studied it, her brow wrinkling in concentration. "You call this not a complicated spell?"

"Eh," Twilight said, making a 'so-so' gesture with one hand.

Sunset snorted. "Looks like someone forgot how out of practice I am," she muttered. She glanced at the time. "I'd better text Rarity and Principal Celestia before next period starts," she said. "If Rarity hurries, she can make it to her boutique, here, and back to school without missing more than one class." Her phone floated off the end table; she used the eraser end of a pencil to type a couple of text messages, then set the pencil and phone aside and read over the spell again. "Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "Let's hope this works—"

"Wait!" Twilight cried. She fished around in her backpack and pulled out a crystal amulet, which she hung around Sunset's neck. "You need to be wearing the matrix lock when you cast the spell or else it won't catch."

Sunset nodded gratefully, then gathered magic into her horn. The amulet began to flash with a weak teal light as Sunset concentrated.

Almost five minutes later, Sunset was human again, naked except for a glowing crystal amulet around her neck. She looked down at herself, wiggled her fingers, and laughed happily. "It worked!" she cried.

Twilight smiled. "I knew you could do it," she said.

Sunset laid the spell scroll on the coffee table and stood, stretching. "Well, I should get dressed before Rarity comes to fetch us," she said. "Come on back with me, I can fill you in on a few things while we wait."

As the two girls headed into the back of the apartment, neither of them noticed the scroll with the transformation spell suddenly disappearing from the coffee table.


* * * * *


A taxi pulled to the curb in front of Sunset Shimmer's apartment building. A woman wearing black jeans, a black blouse, and black flats got in.

"Where to, ma'am?" the driver asked.

"Canterlot High School," the woman said. "And do hurry, please. I have an important job interview."

As the cab pulled back onto the road, the woman ran a hand through her long purple hair. Pulling a compact from her small black purse, she took a moment to check her makeup. Blue-violet eyes narrowed as she noticed the four-pointed starburst pin on her blouse collar was slightly crooked. Adjusting it, she smiled in satisfaction at her reflection, then snapped the compact closed and put it back in her purse.

Tucked safely inside her blouse, a crystal amulet on a chain shed a faint turquoise glow.