Chapter Six
Before Cadence had left to complete her royal paperwork, the busy princess had casually let slip that the castle had it's own personal library, and that Twilight was more than welcome to use it if she so wished.
The personal library was small compared to the endless books of the Crystal Empire's public library, but there were still many volumes lining the bookshelves. In the back of the room, a door lead to an outside balcony, where a stallion sat hunched over a book.
He read by candlelight, the flames flickering and illuminating him. He only took his eyes off of the book long enough to turn to cough deeply into the crook of his foreleg before going back to reading. Twilight approached him slowly, as if drawn to him by an invisible force.
"No, I don't need anything, thank you," a stallion immediately told her gently, as if he was trying to reject an invitation to a social event without hurting the host's feelings.
Twilight jumped with a start as she recognized the voice. But it couldn't be possible. "Shining Armor?"
He put down the book he was reading and his eyes went wide as he turned to see who he was speaking to.
"I'm not Princess Twilight, if that's what you're thinking," Twilight said with more patience than she could usually muster for the unspoken question.
"You must be Twilight's twin from the other world."
"Twin?"
"Or copy," Shining Armor added, "however you want to be called."
"Twin's fine," Twilight sighed, "at least it doesn't make me sound so bizarre."
"Do you think you're bizarre?" Shining Armour asked. It was not a sarcastic question, but rather genuine concern over her feelings.
"I used to think I wasn't. At least, not as much as anypony else."
"So what's changed?"
"Being Twilight's 'twin,'" Twilight said, "don't get me wrong, she's probably the nicest pony I've ever met, aside from my own brother, of course. It's just, I really don't like feeling that I'm being compared to her. We might look the same, but we're not the same."
"You might have more in common than you think."
"Maybe. And... can you not tell anypony what I just said? I really don't want Twilight to hear it and, um, take it the wrong way."
Shining Armour brought a hoof to his lips in affirmation and gave her a knowing nod before jerking away from her and breaking into a series of deep coughs.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked in concern.
"Fine," Shining Armour said, "I've had to do shifts when I was a Private in the Royal Guard with worse." Shining Armour coughed again, and Twilight waited patiently until he was finished. "But don't worry. I won't tell anypony anything if you don't want me to, Twiley."
"Thanks," Twilight said, trying not to wince at the all too familiar nickname.
A brief moment of silence was shared before Shining Armor changed the subject. "So, you're Twilight's student now?"
"Yes, I am."
"At the risk of sounding like an overly proud older brother, I'm happy that she's found a student of her own, like Princess Celestia did for her. There's nothing that's like teaching somepony how to do something."
"Wait a minute, Twilight's your little sister?"
Shining Armour gave a nod. "Yes."
"And the Royal Guard... I'm guessing it's this world's military, right?"
"We prefer to think of ourselves as law enforcement and security, but yes, when the kingdom is at war, we fight to protect it."
Twilight's older brother was in the military, with a patient, understanding personality, and tenacity that occasionally crossed the line into boyish stubbornness.
It was the exact same story for the human version and the pony version of Twilight's older brother. Relationship... personality... even the nickname that had accidentally slipped out from his mouth. It couldn't be just a coincidence.
Of course. If Twilight had a version of herself in this world, that meant...
"Argh, why did I not think about that until now?" Twilight said in frustration as she started pacing back and forth along the balcony, "I was so caught up with my own twin that I didn't even realize the same rule would apply to everypony else! The girls from school... you... and I'm going to guess that Princess Cadence was Twilight's old babysitter somehow?"
"Most ponies prefer the term foalsitting."
"I can't believe I didn't see it earlier! My babysitter Cadenza, her babysitter Cadence. Everything is too similar to be a coincidence, but this should all be impossible! An alternate world, or universe, or whatever you want to call it, where everyone is copied over is just science fiction, not reality!"
"I heard that your world doesn't have any magic," Shining Armour said.
"What's that have to do with anything?"
"Well, ever since before my little sister was born until now, I've used magic. To pick up toy blocks, to make tea for my wife, and to adjust my armour straps and wield my spear.
"I can't imagine a world that has no magic in it. In fact, I'd say it's impossible. Magic exists, like the air around us that we're breathing right now. And yet, I know that somewhere far away, there's a place where magic doesn't exist."
Shining Armor paused to look up, silently beckoning for Twilight to do as well.
Twilight cast her gaze skyward, and caught her breath at the night sky. It was filled with more stars and constellations than she had ever seen in her life. She had been so busy talking with Shining Armour that she had completely ignored the sky.
Like her failure to realize the twin rule applied to the ponies around her, she had missed the obvious in her haste to sort out her own problems.
"Millions of miles away," Shining Armor continued, "in a place where you can't breathe, is a fire burning so hot you would melt before getting close to it, and so bright you would be blind before you even got the chance. When you think about it that way, it sounds impossible.
"Just because you can't explain something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. You need to just accept that it does exist and figure out how to explain why, instead of saying why it shouldn't."
"Stars are made up by various different elements," Twilight countered, "the reason they burn that bright is because of nuclear energy. No magic messing around with the scientific laws of the universe."
"But if ponies had said that stars are impossible, and just ignored them, then how would they have ever known that?"
Twilight opened her mouth only to find that she had no rebuttal. She closed it to find that she was smiling as she remembered how Shining Armor and her would constantly bicker with one another. Of course, Shining Armor always won, but Twilight never stopped trying.
And as for this Shining Armour, he certainly had a point. Like it or not, she was a magical talking unicorn in a world filled with magical talking ponies that looked and acted almost exactly like someone she knew.
"You're right," Twilight conceded, "I guess complaining won't solve anything."
Hoofsteps announced the arrival of an anxious servant. "Is there anything I can get you, Prince Shining Armour, sir? Or you, Miss?"
"No, we're... on second thought, could you find us an atlas? I think we have a copy in the far left corner of the library," Shining Armour requested.
"Of course, Prince Shining Armour, sir. Right away, sir."
"Prince?" Twilight inquired.
"Since I'm married to Princess Cadence, that officially makes me a prince," Shining Armor explained, "although, if I'm honest, I still can't help thinking of myself as anything but Captain of the Guard. Sick for a week and I already miss yelling at the recruits."
The servant quickly came back with a thick hardcover atlas.
"Thank you," Shining Armour said warmly.
"Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"No, that's fine. Thank you."
The servant quickly bowed and left.
"Kind of hard to see," Twilight remarked as she squinted at the map on the cover in the dim light.
Shining Armor's horn glowed in response, lighting up the balcony in a soft rosy pink and flipped it open to the world map of Equestria's version of Earth.
"Better," Twilight remarked, "now, where are we on this map?" She started tracing her hoof near the equator to mark where she was searching.
"Try higher," Shining Armour advised.
Twilight's hoof moved a few inches higher.
"Try near the top."
"Near the top? That's... the Frozen North. It's all ice, except for that bit of green space. Must be a mistake. Wait... the Crystal Empire? The Crystal Empire is in that little green space surrounded by miles of ice? That's..." Twilight didn't finish her sentence as she saw her quasi-brother's expression.
"Impossible?" Shining Armour suggested.
"You know what?" Twilight sighed, "you win. I'm giving up trying to make sense of magic. It doesn't follow any scientific principles whatsoever. Science would not allow a moderate climate to exist in the middle of the Arctic."
"Magic has it's own rules," Shining Armor informed her, "but science and magic are closer together than you might think."
Just then, a pale green light lit up the balcony and the walls around her. Twilight looked up to see the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
An arc of dazzling green light was dancing across the night sky.
"An aurora borealis," Shining Armour said, "isn't it beautiful?"
Another arc joined the first, and then another, all dancing around in a chaotic but still beautiful harmony. They moved like a fish moving it's fin and body in tandem to reach their destination.
One arc fizzled out, and then another, only to have them reappear a moment later like they had never vanished, and continued to gracefully swim across the night sky.
Belatedly, Twilight realized she had never answered her sort-of brother's question. "It's gorgeous."
"And if the Crystal Empire wasn't near the North Pole, we wouldn't be watching this right now," Shining Armour reminded her alternate world sister.
Twilight glanced back at the map, lit faintly by the candle but mostly by the light show above her. Suddenly the fact that she was located in a little patch of green space in the middle of a frozen wasteland did not seem like an important detail anymore.
For this one time, she would just forget her sense of curiosity and enjoy the show while it was still playing on the black backdrop of the sky above her.
Who was she kidding? She was a student now. She would need to ask questions more than ever.
But maybe, if the magical world around her could show her more beautiful sights like the one she was now seeing, maybe she could afford to be a little less demanding to know all the facts.
No. That would not work for her, either. She wanted the facts, and as soon as she could get them. Unlike Shining Armor, Twilight had always felt out of place in a situation she could not fully explain. She was a scientist at heart.
But maybe, Twilight thought, I can figure out the world around me. I just need to ask questions that help me figure out the world around me as it is, not like I want it to be. Like a real scientist would in my place.
After talking for what seemed like hours, Twilight started yawning and excused herself. Thankfully, another servant came back to check on Shining Armor, apparently at Cadence's insistence. He was more than happy to escort Twilight to a guest room.
Twilight thanked him for his time and entered, turning on the bedside electric lamp and crawling into bed. She turned the lights off, but sleep eluded her.
Instead, another feeling found her.
Homesickness.
It was only hours after she entered the portal, but it felt like a entire day already.
Right now, in the human world, she would have just finished reading a book, slipping in a bookmark with actual hands and setting it down on the nightstand beside her. The nightstand that was her own, not some alien one in an ancient castle.
At least tomorrow, she could start doing preliminary research into magic, and take a shaky step onto the road back home.
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
664 users online
944,528 hits today, 2,054,621 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
it live
Twilight you're not a scientist, you're a wizard.
4023057 Yer a wizard, Twilight.
so was chapter 4 re-written I still don't like cadence being to mean please please tone it down.
Error:
I don't think a human would say something as casually as that, even given her situation.
Other than that, good going. Keep it up!
Another excellent chapter. Eager to see more of your great works.:D And cute way of getting Twilight to bond and enjoy the time she's having there.^^
if your not going to rewrite chapter 4 could you at least have Candace apologizing in the next chapter for her behavior.
I just need to ask questions that help me figure out the world around me as it is, not like I want it to be. Like a real scientist would in my place.
Pfft.
Bah-hah-hah-hah-hah!
glad to see that this story did not fall into the void of time!
lovely chapter, can't wait for more
Does the name Iceland ring a bell? A country that would be slightly uninhabitable (being just below the arctic circle) if not for all the volcanic activity that warms the island.(temperatures are roughly 10-30 degrees warmer because of this)
So yes technically science can't create climate, but never doubt Mother Nature.
there a sequel of equestria girls it call equestria girls rainbow rocks
4025631 Don't hold you Breath for any retcons After all Chapter 4 isn't Going to be re-written so im guessing this Fic will ignore rainbow rocks.
I was pretty critical of some of the dialogue in previous chapters (some of which was rewritten, but there still the point where Cadence throws non-Princess Twilight out of the castle out of the blue for really not a very good reason), but I decided to leave this favorited so I could see if future chapters would redeem things.
And y'know, Shining Armor's behavior here is absolutely fantastic. Spot on for how I'd expect him to act.
Looking forward to seeing how this continues from here!
It's nice to see this updating again.
4023308 Well, I would believe she might make an effort to conform her speech, or unconciously do so, but either way I do indeed think it was odd that she didn't even bat an eye when including her HUMAN brother in the "anypony I've met" phrase. She could have taken a moment there to note how it doesn't quite seem to fit, but neither would excluding him.
I think the only way to make chapter 4 bearable without rewriting it is to have cadence apologize to human twilight in the next chapter like this
cadence : twilight can I talk to your Counterpart for a minute
princess Twilight : sure
Human Twilight : what is it Im leaving so you wont have to deal with me anymore
cadence: Look Im sorry for treating you harshly before I was stressed with the extra work I had to do with my husband being ill and I Took it out on you
( yea its a cheesy give me a break here)
Good chapter, I like the interaction between alternate Twilight and Shining Armor. Shining seems to be taking the whole "alternate worlds" bit rather well.
I just love this chapter...
And also, RAINBOW ROCKS SHORT!
Can't help but wonder how Twi's gonna react if she learns Sunset Shimmer is also from this world... or meeting this world's Celestia and Luna
4024409 Exactly.
Mother Nature has some pretty weird shit.