Of Flame and Shadow

by Garuda IV

Chapter 78- Hanging With Yourself

The morning was proving to be quite eventful as all but two were sitting at the dining room table with an assortment of breakfast foods laid out before them, curtesy of Pinkie and Pinks. As they said, after they woke up, their friends from across the portal met Soul. Though he was confused at first and thought it to be a trick with him still being half-asleep, after some explaining from Dark and Twilight, Soul understood and, after feeling out their emotions, cautiously approached them. While they were essentially the same ponies as their friends, they still felt unfamiliar to Soul. However, once he'd started to talk to them, he began to relax.

While things with Soul took some effort, things were much easier with Aero, Aques, and Fissure. Once they came on down and saw everypony, they were of course confused, but a quick explanation cleared everything up for them. It also helped too that Rares found Aques and Aero to be quite beautiful and elegant, despite her never seeing a dragoness before.

And then there was Shy. When she asked them about Aurora's egg and told them that Pyre mentioned her, Aques went up to her room and brought her egg down for them to see, feeling that they wouldn't harm her. Seeing the egg and how the aurora borealis danced across the shell, Shy cooed over Aurora's egg as she tenderly held it against her and began talking to it. And though she did jump a little bit when the egg started to glow, she was calmed down when Pinkie bounced over and began to translate Aurora's glowing, much to Shy's confusion, along with everyone else's.

With things calmed down, they each were seated at the table, waiting for Sunset and Twi to join them. They'd been waiting about ten minutes now, and if they'd waited any longer, then the food would start to go cold on them. While most of them didn't mind waiting for their friends, their growling stomachs were starting to press them towards eating. That, and both Rainbow and Dash were becoming restless.

"Uuuuugh. Can we just start already?" Rainbow groaned.

"Seriously," Dash said in agreement. "We've got a ton of mouthwatering food here, and it's all going to get cold on us soon."

"Actually, I know a spell that can reheat the food to where it's as fresh as when they first came out," Dark told them.

"Still doesn't change the fact that we're all hungry as heck."

"Believe me, girls, I know what you mean," Twilight said sympathetically. "I'm just as hungry as all of you are, but I was hoping our first breakfast together would be... well, together."

"While that may be true," Rarity began, "should you really be denying eating, darling?"

"I would have to agree," Rares nodded. "You are with child, Twilight, so I don't believe that ignoring food would be the best decision for either of you."

Dark looked over to Twilight. "They're right, you shouldn't be keeping yourself like that. So, you want me to go get Sunset and Twi up?"

"That won't be necessary," Sunset said as she and Twi stood in the doorway.

"Sorry we're late, everyone," Twi apologized. "Sunset and I kinda got lost in the castle."

"Yeah. Seriously, Twilight, you should probably think about putting a map or something in here. A pony could easily get lost in this place if they've never been in here before."

Twilight blushed, embarrassed that their being late was partially her own fault.

"Sorry about that. There's not a lot of ponies that come in here besides my friends and family, so I didn't really think about putting any in."

"What about when we had to stay here after Ponyville was attacked?" Sweetie Belle reminded them.

"... yeeaahhhh. Sorry, my mind was a bit preoccupied at the time, so I didn't think about it."

"Well, it's never too late to start," Spike chimed.

Twilight nodded. "In that case, I'll get started on it after our week together is over with."

Nodding in agreement, Sunset and Twi both walked into the dining room and towards the two open seats with a small waddle to their steps. Ignoring the looks they were getting, they walked over to their seats and sat down, both wincing slightly as they did.

"Are you two alright?" Fluttershy asked, having noticed their pained winces and walking.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Shy asked from her spot with Aurora's egg on her lap.

"Don't worry, we're fine," Sunset answered them.

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"We are. I was just teaching Twi some magic last night, and I guess that we kinda got carried away."

Twilight's eyes immediately fell upon Twi. "Really?"

Twi blushed and looked away. "Y-Yeah. Sunset was teaching me some... um... spells last night. I'm actually surprised that we got as much sleep as we did."

"Really now? I mean, I know that you're me, but I didn't think that you'd be so easily taken to magic like that."

"You bet," Sunset said proudly. "This may be her first time as a pony, but she's really great with her magic."

In more ways than one, she mentally added with a shiver. Not to mention how big she was last night. Good thing that spell only lasts for a few hours.

"Well then, in that case, you'll have to show me what you've learned so far," Twilight eagerly told Twi, causing both her and Sunset to blush at what she was suggesting. "Oooh. Just think of all of the spells that I can teach you! This is going to be the best week of magic studying ever!"

"Umm, Twilight? Maybe we should hold off on the-"

"An entire week of studying magic?!" Twi gasped excitingly, her concerns from before now forgotten.

"Well, if it's alright with everypony else that is," Twilight said looking around.

"Ah was hopin' ta show AJ our world's Sweet Apple Acres," Apple Bloom said.

"That's up ta her, sugarcube," Applejack said, looking over to her other self.

"Sure, Ah don't see why not," she replied with a shrug. "Now that Ah'm really thinkin' about it, Ah'm curious as ta how different it'll be."

"Dash and me are gonna do some racing," Rainbow answered.

"In that case, I would like to show my other self my boutique," Rarity said, getting an approving nod from Rares.

"I'm going to show me Sugarcube Corner and later my party cave," Pinkie giggled.

"Ooh. Wait, what kind of a party cave?" Pinks asked. "Is it the party party cave, or the fun party cave?"

Pinkie snorted. "Silly me, I haven't used it in that way since forever."

"If it's alright with everypony, I would like to show Shy my cottage," Fluttershy said. "That is, if you'll like to come and see it."

Shy smiled and nodded. "If it's alright with you."

"Of course. Besides, I need to go back and feed the animals before they start to get too rowdy."

Shy's eyes lit up. "You keep animals there?"

"Oh yes, mostly small woodland critters. Oh, and Harry."

"Who's Harry?"

"He's a bear, but don't worry, he's just a big ol' teddy bear, and he's really nice to all of the other animals."

"Oh, okay then."

Fluttershy nodded before someone came to mind. "Although, I should probably warn you about Discord."

"Who's he?"

"... I'll explain it to you when we there," she told Shy with a small blush.

Seeing that they were done talking, everyone began eating. While the table was littered with waffles, pancakes, hash browns, and fruits, it was the sausages and bacon that were being devoured, namely by Twilight and her human friends, including Sunset. And while Dark was hungry for some meat too, he'd made it his habit of making sure Twilight that had her fill before he would have his turn at them. Of course, between her, the Scaleless Dragons, and their human friends all eating meat, it was starting to deplete rather quickly.

Sighing inwardly, Dark passed over the delicious, mouthwatering meat and went for the rest of the food. While was happy with the waffles and hash browns, it was the pancakes with some raspberry syrup that had made it worth it. As he continued to eat and hum in delight of the food, he suddenly found Twilight sliding a plate of sausages moved in front of him. Blinking, Dark gulped and turn to see her smiling at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I am," she said.

"But you need it more than I do."

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean that need all of it. There's plenty for everyone, so you don't need to wait for me to be full first like normal."

"... are you absolutely sure?" he asked again, getting a giggle from Twilight before she playfully bumped him.

"Just eat it already before I change my mind."

Giving her a sweet, non-syrupy kiss, Dark thanked her before swiftly eating at the sausage she'd given him.

"So," Sunset began as Dark plopped another sausage into his mouth, "besides the obvious, how've things been since we last saw you?"

"Pretty good," Twilight answered with a smile.

"What about that guy that sent Dark to our world?" Dash wondered. "Sunset told us that it was some snobby noble, but did you catch him?"

Seeing Dark visibly flinch, Twilight extended a wing and brushed it along Dark's back comfortingly.

"Is everything alright?" Sunset gingerly asked, recognizing their actions.

"It's... fine," Dark slowly said, his voice sounding all but convincing.

"Was it really that bad?" Dash asked confusingly. "I mean, you didn't even flinch after all of that was done and over with, so what's up with you now that's causing you to be like this?"

Unsure, Dark looked back over to Twilight, who'd scooted over against him and had placed an assuring hoof over his claw, while her other hoof gently rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him.

"The noble that Twilight had told Sunset about was the former Prince Blueblood," Dark answered them.

Sunset hummed to herself in thought. "I recognize the name. If I remember correctly, he was a bit of an ass to everypony. I think he even tried hitting on me at one point."

"Well now he's rotting in the dungeons with his horn removed."

"His horn was removed?!"

"Is that bad?" Twi asked Sunset.

"Twi, a unicorn's horn is what makes them a unicorn. Without it, they're just a pony with no magic at all."

"But don't earth ponies and pegasi also not use magic?"

"They do, only differently. Pegasi's magic comes from their wings, while earth pony magic comes from their hooves."

"So he's completely unable to use magic of any kind?"

Sunset nodded. "For a unicorn to have their horn removed is a sentence worse than death, and those who are subjected to such a sentence usually try to kill themselves."

"Like I would allow it," Dark growled angrily. "He can try to kill himself off, but in the end, it'll be me who decides when he can and cannot die!"

Feeling Twilight now nuzzling him while rubbing his back, Dark slowly exhaled as he calmed himself down.

"I know that you're still upset with him," Twilight softly began, "but he's no longer a threat to us. He's locked away for the rest of his life, while you get to spend yours with your friends and future family."

Smiling at that reminder, Dark let himself relax completely as he gently leaned against Twilight.

"Thanks for that. Sorry that I got upset like that," he apologized.

"It's alright. But," Twilight turned to Sunset, "perhaps we should stop talking about that for now?"

Sunset nodded. "Alright. Sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine. It's just that it brings up some bad memories with Dark is all. Now, why don't we forget about that and get back to eating?"

Agreeing to drop it, everyone continued on with their breakfast. A few minutes later, Twilight spoke up again, hoping to change the subject to something better.

"So, what do you girls have planned after your visit here is over?"

"Now that's somethin' that Ah'm lookin' forward ta," AJ said with a sigh.

"Well? What is it?"

"Our class is goin' on a campin' trip ta Camp Everfree."

There was a silent pause as all but one of the Equestrians all looked at her in surprise. Seeing this, Sunset decided to speak up.

"Don't worry, it's not like the Everfree Forest here in Equestria," she assured them. "Remember that pretty much all of the creatures in that forest are just a myth in that world."

"Are ya sure?" Applejack asked uneasily.

"Like she said, you don't need to worry about it," Twi reassured them. "The most dangerous animal in those woods are probably a bear or wolf, but they tend to stay away from us humans. And since we'll all be together in a camp, I doubt that any of them will get anywhere close."

"If you say so," Twilight said before looking back to AJ. "But why are you looking forward to it so much? I mean, I know that you live on an apple farm in your world like Applejack does here, and that you're comfortable around the trees, but just why exactly?"

AJ shrugged. "Ah just wanna get away from all of the magical stuff that's been goin' on," she answered before quickly adding, "Not that Ah don't like it here. It's just that, after all of the crazy magical stuff that's been goin' on at CHS, Ah just wanna have a break."

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I get it. You're just wanting to have a vacation and relax from it is all."

"Eeyup."

"So then, when's this camping trip happening?"

"Just a few days after we get back, actually," Sunset answered, causing Twilight to frown a little bit.

"Will that be enough time for you girls to get readjusted back to your human bodies, and for you to get packed?"

"We'll be fine."

"Alright, but will you all be able to make it back in time to the wedding after your guys' trip?" Dark wondered.

"It only lasts for a week, so we're good," Dash answered through a mouthful of pancakes.

"Okay," Twilight sighed in relief. "You'll tell us all about it when you girls get back, right?"

"Of course," Sunset nodded.

"Great! Oh, and feel free to come a few days before the wedding if you want. I'd really like for you girls to be there for my bachelorette party."

"What the heck are you talking about, Twilight?" Pinks asked almost disappointingly. "Of course we'll be there! Besides, I'm not gonna miss one of my best friends' bachelorette party! That only happens, like, once in a lifetime."

"Hey, me," Pinkie called out to her double, "you wanna help me plan out her bachelorette party?"

Pinks gasped. "You bet I do! Let's go right now!"

"Okay!" Jumping out of her seat, Pinkie bounced around the table and over to Pinkie before pausing at the door. "Oh, and don't worry about us. We'll be back in time for lunch."

With the two pink party ponies gone, the rest finished off their own meals before helping in cleaning up. Several minutes later, they each began to split off with their double as they were led out of the castle and towards their homes to show them, leaving Sunset and Twi with Dark and Twilight at the castle, while Spike and the Scaleless Dragons left to do their own thing.

"Well," Twilight began, "did you still want those magic lessons, Twi?"

Twi eagerly nodded. "Yes please."

"Alright then. In that case, let's head over to the lounge and we'll have our magic lessons there. While we're at it, what exactly did Sunset teach you last night?"

While Sunset looked away to hide her blush, Twi nervously gulped, knowing that the talk to come was gonna be a rather awkward and embarrassing one.

---

Towards the center of Ponyville, Pinkie led Pinks as they both hopped towards Sugarcube Corner. Along the way, most of the ponies who saw them paused and stared at them with a worried expression on their faces as they each recalled the last time they saw more than one Pinkie Pie bouncing around. This also didn't go unnoticed by the patrolling guards as they had to pause them to do a search on them, making sure that they weren't changelings in disguise. Once the guards had cleared them, much to their confusion, they let the two pink party ponies go off to what they were doing before.

Coming upon their destination, Pinkie stopped and pointed a hoof towards the building.

"Well, here we are," she happily announced. "Here's Sugarcube Corner. The best place to eat in Ponyville, and also my home."

"Wow! You live in a bakery?!" Pinks asked gleefully.

"I don't live in the baker, silly. I actually live above it. Although, now that I think about it, I wonder what it would be like to actually live inside it."

"Probably not very good when you think about it. I mean, I wouldn't want to get cake frosting all over my bedsheets."

"Yeah, but hey, it's better than some other kind of frosting that could get on it."

Pinks playfully punched Pinkie's shoulder. "You're nasty, you know that?" she giggled.

"I know we are," Pinkie giggle back.

Their giggling turning to laughter, the two bounced into Sugarcube Corner and towards the kitchen in the back. As they bounced along, oblivious to the other ponies in the establishment who where watching them, Mrs. Cake watched in slight horror as she followed after them into the kitchen.

"Um, Pinkie?" she called out, causing for both of them to turn around in a mirror motion.

"Hi, Mrs. Cake," they both answered in unison with a wave.

"Dearie, you didn't get into that pool again, did you?"

Pinkie gave an exasperated sigh. "No, I didn't."

"Oh. Well then, who's your friend?"

"She's me from another dimension," she answered, draping a foreleg around her back. "Twilight invited her and the others who look just like our friends over here for a week together."

"Oh... well that's, um, nice."

"It sure is, Mrs. Cake," Pinks said. "You wouldn't believe how weird everyone here looks as a pony. Ooh. Speaking of ponies, would you mind if I stayed here with me while we work out the details for Twilight's bachelorette party?"

Mrs. Cake nervously looked between the two before shrugging to herself, figuring that there would be no stopping them at this point. That, and she wouldn't deny Pinkie... or her otherworldly self, from helping in planning a party for their friend.

"Just as long as you two don't do anything that'll blow Ponyville up," Mrs. Cake relented.

"Yay! Thanks, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie thanked.

"Yeah! Thanks, Mrs. Cake," Pinks echoed.

"Umm... you're welcome, dearies," she said before slowly backing out of the kitchen.

"So," Pinkie began now that they were alone, "now that we're alone, how about we go get this party planning started?"

"Sounds good to me," Pinks agreed. "So, where're we going?"

Pinkie grinned. "Follow me, you'll like this."

Pinks began to follow Pinkie up the stairs towards her room. "So, what was Mrs. Cake talking about?"

"Just a good idea that turned out to be a bad one," Pinkie replied with an eye-roll. "Seriously, you take one dip in some magic mirror water, and all of a sudden, whenever somepony sees a copy of somepony else, they automatically think it was your doing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Pinks said, earning her a confused look from Pinkie. "Let's just say that cloning machines aren't all that they're advertised to be."

"A cloning machine? Where'd you find it?"

Pinks shrugged. "Internet. You can pretty much find anything there."

"Cool."

Entering her room, Pinkie stopped by the railing post. "Well, here we are."

"Nice, is this your room?"

"Yep, but this isn't where we're doing our party planning at."

Flipping a hidden lid on the railing post, Pinkie pressed the red button, causing the trap door beneath them to open up and swallow them. Sliding down the slide, the two squealed in fun as they rode it down. Ten fun-filled seconds later, they were both in a cave below Ponyville.

"Welcome the Party Cave!" Pinkie exclaimed in a burst of confetti.

Pinks looked around with wide eyes and gave a low whistle. "Wow! I gotta get myself one of these. So, this is where you do your planning from?"

"Yep, pretty much. Here, follow me and I'll show you around."

Nodding, Pinks bounced behind Pinkie as she gave her the tour of her Party Cave. Along the way, after showing her the filing cabinets, Pinks paused as she noticed an open door off to the side, along with something very large being hidden beneath an equally large tarp.

"Hey, what's that?" she asked, pointing a hoof towards it.

Pausing, Pinkie bounced in reverse until she was alongside her double. "Oh, that's just a little something that I was working on. It's done now, so I have it covered so that it doesn't get all dusty and stuff."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure."

Pleased with her answer, Pinks bounced into the room and towards the large tarp. Dipping her head beneath it, she took a look around before slowly pulling her head out and looking back to Pinkie with a strange look.

"Wow. You made that thing?"

Pinkie nodded as she walked over to a work bench with schematics on it. "It was a bit hard to do on my own, but I managed to get it done."

"Neat."

"Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to make this other one."

"Wait, you're making another one of those things?"

"Well, not quite like it, but yeah."

Pinks hummed to herself in thought as she looked at the large tarp before looking back to Pinkie. "If you want, I'll help you with the other one."

Pinkie's eyes widened in joy. "Really?! You'll help me?!"

"Of course I will, silly! Besides, building something like this could be fun."

"Okay, but will we even be able to finish it before you have to go?"

"That depends. Do you have any montage music?"

"You bet I do. I actually have a few of them. How about a montage song about how we're gonna need a montage?"

"Sounds good to me." Pinks pulled a construction hat out of her mane and sat it on her head. "Alright then, let's fire up the music and get this thing built."

---

Near the outskirts of Ponyville, Fluttershy was leading Shy towards her cottage, both of them looking forward to tending to her animals.

"Ooh, I can't wait to see all of the cute little animals," Shy excitingly squeaked.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll all love to have you there too," Fluttershy said.

"Um, do you by chance have Angel Bunny here too?"

"Oh yes, he's here. Usually he's in the cottage."

"How does he behave for you?"

"Angel is a sweet little bunny. Now, I know that he can be a bit nitpicky at times, and that he can be rude, but overall, he's a good bunny rabbit."

"Sounds like he's just like the Angel at home."

"Speaking of your home, what about Discord?"

Shy gave Fluttershy a confused look. "That's right, you haven't told me who Discord is."

Fluttershy dipped her head behind her mane to cover her faint blush. "Oh... well... you'll see."

Confused by her answer and why she's acting like that, Shy silently nodded and continued following behind Fluttershy. As they approached, the cottage started to come into view. Once they passed over the small bridge, Shy's eyes widened as she took in her surroundings. With the small creek beneath the bridge under their hooves, a few nearby trees, the cottage that actually looked like it itself was a tree, and the animals running around, Shy had to take a moment to make sure she wasn't dreaming this.

"This is beautiful," she spoke in awe. "Oh, what I would give to live in a place as peaceful and beautiful as this."

Hearing her compliment, Fluttershy smiled. "If you want, while you and the others are staying here, you can stay a few nights here if you want."

"Oh, I would love to! Um, that is, if it's alright with you. I wouldn't want to intrude on you."

"Don't worry, it's alright," Fluttershy assured, causing Shy to relax and smile back.

Happy, Shy followed after Fluttershy as they came up to the cottage. Once Fluttershy opened the door up, Shy followed in after her and gasped when she saw the creature sleeping on the couch. Cautiously and curiously, she slowly walked over to it, all the while ignoring the loud snoring coming from it.

"W-What is th-that?" Shy nervously asked.

"Oh, don't worry about him. That's just Discord," Fluttershy answered her before she walked up and began nuzzling him awake. "Discord, time to wake up."

"Whoza?" he tiredly said before yawning loudly and stretching his arms. Cracking a few joints, he wiped his eyes clear and softly smiled when he saw Fluttershy standing before with an equally soft smile. "Well, hello there my dear."

"Hello, Discord."

Glad to see her, Discord leaned down and shared a kiss with Fluttershy, who happily returned it with one of her own. It only lasted for a moment, though, as Discord had meant for it as a sign of welcoming her home.

"So, how was the sleepover last night?" he wondered.

"It was fun, but we'll be having another one tonight."

"Awww, so you're going to be gone again?"

"It's just for tonight. After that, I'll be coming back here during the night to sleep."

"Good, because it tends to get a bit lonely when my favorite snuggle buddy is gone."

Fluttershy giggled and nuzzled Discord's paw. "Me too, but like I said, it's only for one more night. Oh, I almost forgot." She stepped back and pointed a hoof at her other self. "Discord, this is me from across the portal."

Intrigued, Discord looked over to see a pegasus mare exactly like Fluttershy, minus the fact that her face was now as red as a tomato. As he continued to look her over, he subtly used his magic to scan her over.

"Well, this is rather interesting," he said. "You truly are Fluttershy, aren't you?"

Shy shyly nodded. "Um, yes, I am."

"Huh. And here I thought that Pinkie Pie had gotten you into the Mirror Pool."

"Now, Discord, you know that Pinkie wouldn't do that... again," Fluttershy scolded.

"I know, but it would still be interesting to see," he said with a sigh. "I wish I could've been there to watch when she did that the first time. Oh, to have witness all of the chaos it had caused would've been such a joy to watch."

"Um, sorry for interrupting," Shy meekly spoke, gaining Discord's and Fluttershy's attention, "but who are you exactly?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized. "This is Discord, the Lord of Chaos... and my... well, coltfriend."

Shy cocked her head in confusion. "What's a coltfriend?"

"That would be your world's version of a boyfriend, my dear," Discord answered her as he fell to all fours and draped his paw over Fluttershy's back in a side hug.

"Oh... um... well, that's... umm... nice," Shy nervously said, getting a worried look from Fluttershy.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Oh no, nothing's wrong. It's just that I wasn't, well, expecting this was all."

"You mean..."

Shy shook her head with a glimpse of sadness behind her eyes. "I don't have anyone special like that back at home."

"So no Discord?"

She shook her head. "I've never heard of a Discord in my world before. I suppose that's just one of the other things that's different between our two worlds."

"Really now?" Discord asked, his attention becoming more focused oh Shy.

"Yes," she sadly sighed.

Seeing her sad like that, Fluttershy gestured for Shy to take a seat on the couch while she went to get them some tea. A few minutes later, she returned and sat the tea for the three of them down before sitting on the couch beside Shy and comfortingly patting her back.

"It's alright," Fluttershy said. "One of the many things that I've learned is that you'll eventually find somepony special for you. It may not be Discord like with me, but whoever it will be, I'm sure they'll be wonderful."

Smiling at the encouragement, Shy took a cup in her hoof and slowly sipped at it. Sighing at how good and relaxing it was making her feel, she sat her tea down and looked back to her hostess.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right," she said with a smile.

"And who knows," Discord spoke up, "maybe that world's version of me is there and you just haven't bumped into him yet. Speaking of your world, would you mind telling us about it? I'm rather curious by the fact that your world doesn't have a magical, reality-bending Lord of Chaos in it like I am here."

---

"Well now, these are rather unique dresses," Rares commented as she looked over the clothes in Rarity's boutique.

"You bet they are," Sweetie Belle piped. "Rarity's the best dress designer in all of Equestria."

"Well, I wouldn't quite say that," Rarity humbly disagreed.

"But why not? I mean, how many other fashionista ponies use gems in their clothing designs?"

"Wait, what was that part about gems?" Rares asked.

"Oh, don't you do that too?"

"Do what?"

"My sister uses gems in her clothing designs."

"It's true," Rarity admitted. "I'm the only fashion designer who uses gems in their work."

Rares blinked a few times before she went back to one of the ponykins sporting one of Rarity's gemmed dresses.

"So these gems aren't just some imitation? They're the real deal?"

"They are one hundred percent real gems, all of which I've found."

"You mean that Spike found," Sweetie Belle corrected with a small edge to her voice.

"Well, he might've been the one to have dug them up, but it was my tracking spell that found them. And don't forget that I've been paying him for his help with some of the gems that we found."

Sweetie Belle shook her head and sighed. "Just as long as you're treating him fairly and not like before."

"Now when did I not treat Spike fairly?" Rarity questioned, getting an unamused, half-lidded glare from Sweetie Belle.

"Really?" she deadpanned.

"I still can't believe that you two are an item with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo," Rares spoke. "By the way, how did you end up with someone like Spike anyway? And later with those other girls?"

Sweetie Belle blushed as she recalled both moments. "It's kind of a long story if you don't mind."

"Not at all, darling. Oh, and Rarity?"

"Yes?" she replied to her double.

"I just remembered. With my friends and I attending Twilight's wedding, we'll be needing some dresses."

"No need to worry," Rarity dismissed, "I've still got our measurements from before."

"And when were those measurements last taken?"

"... I see your point. All right then, tonight I shall be taking everypony's measurements for thier new dresses."

"What about Dark?"

"Hmm. Yes, I'll probably have to adjust his tuxedo as well."

"Well then, perhaps I could offer my assistance?" Rares offered. "Besides having the opportunity to work with such an accomplished fashionista, it's not often that you get to work on clothing for royalty, no matter what world you're in."

"I will admit that having somepony who knows fashion like me would be a great help, but right now, I believe that Sweetie Belle has a story to tell you?"

"Oh, right, of course," she embarrassingly said before turning back to the young filly. "Now then, you were saying, darling?"

Sweetie Belle sat herself down on the couch and took in a deep breath before going over how she and Spike ended up together.

"Alright, it started last fall after Dark got hurt from a timberwolf attack..."

---

Apple Bloom was hopping around as she led Applejack and AJ down the road into Sweet Apple Acres.

"Ah can't wait ta introduce ya ta the rest of the family!" she excitingly said.

"Calm down now, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled in amusement of her excitement.

"Is this really such a good idea?" AJ wondered. "Ah mean, what'll Granny do when she suddenly sees two of us? Y'all don't think she'll get a heart attack, do ya?"

"Ah wouldn't worry about it too much," Applejack dismissed. "Besides, seein' ya wouldn't be the most surprisin' thin' she's seen."

"Really now?" AJ questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Well then, what is?"

Applejack and Apple Bloom shared a knowing look before they both stopped in the middle of the dirt path. Reaching under her hat, Applejack pulled out an amulet of some kind to show to AJ.

"This here is a gift from Dark," she began explaining. "He made it for us a few weeks ago. It allows for us ta talk and interact with... some ponies we all miss and love."

"That's nice. Who are they?"

"... ya know what? Why don't Ah show ya after we're done introducing ya ta the rest of the family?"

"Yeah," Apple Bloom agreed. "Ah'd like ta talk ta them again. Ooh! Should we brin' Cheerilee with us too? Ah'm sure they'll like ta talk ta her again."

"Wait, Cheerilee?" AJ asked in confusion. "Why would she be here?"

Applejack blushed a little bit. "Oh... Ah take it that she and Big Mac aren't together where you're from?"

"Well, Ah have seen them hangin' around each other a few times. There was actually this one festival after the Battle of the Bands that Ah saw Big Mac and Cheerilee walkin' through the fairgrounds together." After her small story, AJ finally understood AJ's words. "Wait a cotton' pickin' second! Are ya tellin' me that your Big Macintosh and Cheerilee are datin'?!"

"They're not datin', AJ," Apple Bloom told her.

"Oh."

"They're married. Cheerilee is our sister!"

AJ's face froze as her mind blanked on her. A few seconds later, her eyes rolled into the back of her head before she toppled over on her side unconsciously. Seeing her passed out like that, Applejack sighed and went over to lift her unconscious double onto her back.

"Well that could've gone better," she muttered.

"It also could've gone worse too," Apple Bloom countered.

"Yeah, Ah suppose so."

As they continued down the dirt road, Apple Bloom looked over at the amulet hanging off of Applejack's neck.

"Now that she's passed out, are ya sure it's a good idea ta show her ma and pa?" she asked, getting a sad smile from Applejack.

"Ah know it was for me, and she is me in a way," she answered her. "Ah'm also sure that it'll do her some good, gettin' some form of closure."

"But what if her ma and pa didn't... ya know, like ours?"

"Either way, hearin' their voices will brin' her a sense of peace. Celestia know's that Ah needed it, and Ah know that she does too."

---

Dark and Sunset were sitting off to the side as they watched Twilight teaching Twi how to properly use her unicorn magic. After they managing to get them to tell them what spells she was taught, Dark and Twilight both grinned smugly at them. That was, until they realized that the bedsheets didn't get changed like Twilight had asked of them, causing Dark to go up and burn the bedsheets before replacing them with a new set.

"Alright, Twi," Twilight continued with her lessons, "now that you've learned some of the basics about magic safety, I want to see what you can do."

Nodding, Twi focused her magic into her horn. Feeling the controlled power gathering, she smiled inwardly before she directed it out and levitate a block of wood Twilight provided for her to practice with.

"Good job," Twilight complimented. "Now, try to pick up a few more of them."

Listening to her, Twi maintained her magical hold on the first block while reaching out for three others, which she found to be rather easy for her to do.

"Very well done for your first time doing levitation magic," Twilight approved, watching as Twi gently sat each of the blocks down with a small pant of breath.

"Wow, you make it look so easy to do," she said with a small pant of breath.

"That's because I've been doing this for years. Think of using magic like using your muscles. The more you use it, the stronger it'll become."

"That makes sense," Twi nodded in understanding. "Alright then, so, what's next?"

Twilight briefly glanced over to Sunset before looking back to Twi. "Are you sure you don't want to take a break? You've been studying magic for several hours straight."

"I know, but I'm learning so much about magic, so how can I stop now?!"

Though hesitant at first, Twilight decided that as long as she and Sunset were there to coach and watch over her, that Twi would be alright.

"Okay," she said, causing Twi to smile widely. "Let's stop trying to levitate multiple objects for now, and instead try for your maximum weight."

Lighting her horn, Twilight teleported over to them a couple of magical weights. Once she sat them down on the ground, she winced and began rubbing her forehead.

"Oohhhh. Okay, that was a mistake," she groaned.

"You okay?" Dark asked, seeing her becoming wobbly and Shadowporting to her side to help brace her.

"Y-Yeah. Guess I shouldn't be teleporting items around anymore."

"Why's that?" Sunset asked.

"It's because of the pregnancy," Dark answered her. "The doctor said that Twilight shouldn't be teleporting around, but I guess that they forgot to mention to not teleport other things around."

"Better that I learned that now than later," Twilight said before looking back over to Twi. "Alright, Twi, I want you to focus on the first weight and try to lift it."

Nodding, Twi focused and engulfed the weight in her magic. Slowly, she began to lift the twenty pound weight off the ground.

"Good job, but I see that that wasn't much of a challenge for you, was it?"

Twi sat the weight back down. "Not really, no."

"In that case, why don't you move onto the fifty pound weight?"

With another nod, Twi began to focus on it. However, unlike the last few times, when she got a hold on it with her magic, she tried to lift it, but found that she couldn't lift it. With a grunt of effort, she tried to lift it again, but quickly stopped before she strained something.

"What's going on?" she wondered. "I mean, I know that I can do it. I can feel the magic flowing through me, but it feels like there's a dam blocking it."

"Perhaps you just need to gather more magic before you can do it?" Twilight advised.

Listening, Twi closed her eyes and began focusing on collecting the magic in her horn. As she continued to build it up, she heard Twilight softly coaching her.

"Very good. I can feel the magic growing inside your horn. Now, just keep this up for a little while longer, then unleash the magic."

Twi's focused wavered at those last few words. Having flashbacks to the Friendship Games and what she had become, she shuddered as the song Principal Cinch and the Crystal Prep students sang filled her mind. Trying to block that memory out, Twi tried to refocus, but her mind kept wandering back to how she should unleash the magic, unleash-

Me.

Twi inhaled sharply as she recognized the voice in her head, belonging to one that she'd thought was gone and would never hear from again. Her focus completely shattered, Twi's eyes snapped open in fear just in time to see her aura fluttered and falter completely, dropping the fifty pound weight she'd lifted an inch off the ground back down on the ground. Panting to try and calm herself from hearing her voice again, Twi lost strength in her legs and sat down on her rump.

Seeing Twi's sudden change in behavior, Sunset got up and quickly found herself by Twi's side.

"Twi, are you alright?!" she asked, her voice full of worry and concern.

"I-I-I'm... I'm f-fine," Twi shakily said before gulping heavily.

Not liking seeing her like this, Sunset sat down beside Twi and wrapped her hooves around her in a comforting and supportive hug. Feeling her leaning against her chest, Sunset gently patted her back until she felt Twi calm down a bit.

"Perhaps we should take a break from the magic practice?" she suggested, feeling Twi silently nod against her coat in agreement.

Feeling comfortable in her girlfriend's embrace, Twi remained as she was while she calmed down from that brief yet disturbing moment.

It's just my imagination, she isn't here anymore, she told herself. Sunset helped me get rid of her. She's gone now, and she's never coming back... I hope.

Comments

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

Uh oh.... I have a feeling that Midnight might be popping up soon... and whatever Pinkie and Pinks are building, I don't want to even know what it is...

[Jacktank10]

I hope pinkie built a party mech that would be cool

[ShadowLight96]

Can't wait for the next chapter and dayum. Aj not doing herself any credibility favors with fainting like that. Hope twi doesn't have a relapse of midnight.

[Fireeaters]

It should be interesting to see the reactions from the meeting of EQGApplejack and AJ Prime's parents.

[Garuda IV]

7635532 ... are you wanting me to write another tearjerker? Because it was hard enough the last time trying to see with those onions stinging my eyes.

7634823 7634879 Oh, you'll find out.

[Gem of Memory]

For some reason the name of the chapter made ne think of someone getting hanged.

[Hewolf]

was wondering if Flutterbat was going to be introduced to the humans

[Fireeaters]

7635715 I don't know! I just think it'll be neat.

[Truthseeker]

7639491 Uh, the word 'used' or' use' are not in the comment you replied to.

[AetherToast]

7636661
That kinda seemed like it was something that should have come up at some point. Well, Fluttershy can kinda guess what the human would have reacted based on herself, which means it would not have ended well for that to be revealed. Though I do want to see that come up, it would be amusing.

[Ororon35]

God dammit. Im all caught up now. Welp! Time to play the waiting game.

[Hewolf]

Just a couple thoughts that popped into my Furry head:

Spike's Flare is upgraded when he goes to use it and the CMC run and touches him. their love for him makes it stronger and more controllable

Next Fight!!!! CMC+Spike VS King of the Dragons for what Garble did! (Now don't tell me NONE of you thought of this!!!!)

[Amos Anon]

I have a headache now.