22 – Calm Before
Chapter Twenty-Two
Calm Before
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The mirror stood before them. Of course, Fluttershy had seen it before, and she knew what it was. She had even seen Twilight and Spike go through it on occasion. But this time was different. This time, she was going with them.
“Nervous?” Spike asked.
“A little,” Fluttershy answered as she looked up at the mirror. It looked much taller than it had before.
“It’ll be okay.” A wing draped across her back, and Fluttershy turned to see Twilight smiling at her. “I know it’s a little weird to imagine, but I promise everything will be alright. Spike and I will be right there with you.”
Fluttershy nuzzled against Twilight. “I know. And I am really excited to finally meet Sunset.”
Twilight returned the gesture, nuzzling Fluttershy. “It’ll be fun. How about I go on ahead so I’m there when you come out, and Spike can go through with you?”
Fluttershy took a step back and smiled. “That sounds like a good idea. Should I, uhm, wait a little while before going through, or just go in right after you?”
“Just give me enough time to move out of the way so that you don’t fall right on top of me.” Twilight stepped up to the mirror, then turned back and smiled. “See you on the other side.”
She stepped forwards, and then she was gone.
Fluttershy took a steadying breath and felt a claw rest on her shoulder. She turned to see Spike had stepped up to replace his sister in offering a comforting smile. “Just wait, it’s so cool over there! You’ll love it!”
Fluttershy wasn’t convinced, but she nodded anyway. She liked seeing him excited and didn’t want to do anything to dampen his mood. “So we just walk into the mirror?”
“Yup, just like Twilight did. Nothing to it.” Spike gently guided her a few steps closer to it.
Fluttershy stared at her reflection in it. There wasn’t anything out of place about it, just the same yellow pegasus she saw in her reflection every day. Beside her stood the same purple and green dragon that had become a regular part of everyday life for her since she’d started spending more time staying with Twilight at the castle. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing hinting at anything magical.
And yet, on the other side was a whole other world that Fluttershy had never managed to so much as picture clearly. A world that only had one sapient species, where everyone walked around on two legs. It was so strange to imagine, and even stranger now that she knew she was about to experience it firsthoof.
“I think that’s long enough,” Spike said. “Ready?”
She wasn’t, but she knew she never would be, so she nodded anyway. “Let’s go.”
The two of them stepped forward together.
It felt like Twilight’s magic at first. But whereas that had come to be a comfortable sensation as Fluttershy had grown used to it, this only grew worse. She felt herself being pulled along, while at the same time, something seemed to want to hold her back. Neither force would give up its hold on her, and she felt herself stretch between two extremes.
Until suddenly the force holding her back relented, and Fluttershy shot forward. For one moment, the only thing she was aware of was falling. Then she felt someone catch her, and two forelegs wrap around her.
“It’s okay,” Twilight said. “I’ve got you.”
Slowly she realized she could hear the sound of rain, and feel the droplets on parts of her. Only on certain parts like her hindlegs; Twilight must be using her magic to shield most of them. It felt colder than she was used to back home, and somehow wetter. It hadn’t even been raining in Ponyville, but it seemed that it was here.
It took a moment more to realize that she couldn’t see because she had shut her eyes. When she opened them, everything was blurry, and Fluttershy’s first look at this new world was at its ground. She felt like she was farther from it than she should be, and wondered if she had instinctively started flying in reaction to the shift in her situation.
Only… she couldn’t feel her wings flapping. In a moment, she realized she couldn’t feel her wings at all.
Before she could think much of that, however, a purple and green dog walked into her field of vision. “You made it!” Spike said.
It was unmistakably Spike’s voice, at least, although it was strange to hear it come out of a dog. Thankfully, he and Twilight had told Fluttershy to expect as much, so it wasn’t as big of a shock as it could’ve been.
But if Spike was a dog, then that meant…
Fluttershy lifted her head and saw Twilight smiling. At least, it was definitely Twilight’s face. She knew that what she was looking at was Twilight as a human, but that was even weirder than seeing Spike as a dog. At least she had known what a dog looked like; nothing could’ve prepared Fluttershy for how strange it was to see Twilight as some creature she had never seen before.
“Welcome to Everton,” another voice said. Fluttershy turned to see another human, who was holding an umbrella over them. That was why Twilight’s magic wasn’t keeping all of the water off, it wasn’t magic at all.
The human was amber-colored with a red and yellow mane. And although Fluttershy wasn’t used to humans enough to say for sure by appearance, she’d definitely had a mare’s voice. She reached out a foreleg and set her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, smiling excitedly. “It’s nice to finally meet you face to face, Fluttershy. I’m Sunset Shimmer.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy blinked a few times and looked between Sunset and Twilight, both of whom seemed amused.
“It does take a little getting used to,” Twilight said.
“More than a little for some of us,” Sunset added. She pulled her hoof back and used it to scratch her neck. As she did, Fluttershy realized how little it actually looked like a hoof.
‘That’s right, Twilight said humans don’t have hooves.’ Fluttershy couldn’t quite remember what the appendage they did have was called, but whatever it was, that meant she had them as well.
She looked down at her foreleg – no, her arm, she knew that much – at her arm to see a little bit of herself for the first time. Like Sunset and Twilight, she didn’t have a hoof at the end. Instead, she had what looked more like one of Spike’s claws, with five digits attached to a palm.
“If you turn around, you can see yourself in the statue,” Twilight said.
Fluttershy did as she suggested, discovering they were at the base of a statue. Like Twilight had said, the surface was reflective. She saw what she knew was herself, even though she looked so strange.
It was a bit like looking into the funhouse mirror, only stranger. Fluttershy smiled at her bizarre reflection and noted the two people standing beside her. She realized she had come here specifically to meet Sunset, but she hadn’t even managed to say hello.
She turned back to give her a smile. “Hello, Sunset. I’m sorry, I got a little distracted when you introduced yourself.”
“It’s fine,” Sunset said with a grin. “Trust me, I understand. Want to try walking around a bit? Or should we get out of the rain first?”
“I don’t mind the rain,” Fluttershy said. She looked down at her legs, noting that there were only two of them. Although she was wearing clothes now, parts of her legs were exposed. She realized that without fur the water was hitting her skin, which explained how much colder it was. “I think I should try to get used to these, if that’s okay.”
Sunset and Twilight each stood on one side of her, keeping hold of one arm each. It was a good thing; Fluttershy stumbled more than once as she tried walking on two legs. Sunset also held the umbrella, under which the three mares stuck closely together to try and keep dry. Not that it proved very effective. Fluttershy wondered why she bothered, it wasn’t raining that much.
Spike followed along beside them, undeterred by the rain. “Not bad! You’re a lot more graceful than Twilight was the first time we came.”
“I wasn’t that bad,” Twilight protested, although her blush said otherwise.
Sunset snickered. “Did you try walking around on all fours too?”
“Too?” Twilight asked. “So I wasn’t the only one of us to make a foal of myself, then.”
“Not by a long shot.” Sunset chuckled. “My first trip through the portal was… well, let’s just say I’m glad you three weren’t around to see it.”
“Well, I’m glad I have all of you,” Fluttershy said. “I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like to come all by yourself.”
“Me either.” Twilight looked down at Spike and smiled. “Even if Spike didn’t know any more about the world than I did, I’m glad I had him with me.”
Spike held his head higher as they walked. Fluttershy was about to comment on it, but something else caught her eye. Someone was waiting nearby under an umbrella of her own and watching them with a huge grin on her face, and there was no mistaking who it was. “Pinkie Pie…?”
If the pink poofy mane had somehow left any doubt, the way Pinkie squealed and ran over would’ve erased it. “I was wondering when you’d notice me! I wanted to come meet you right away, but Sunset said it might be better to let you get steady on your feet first.”
“Hi, Pinkie. It’s, uhm, nice to meet you.” Fluttershy giggled a little at how silly it was to be ‘meeting’ Pinkie Pie for the first time. They had met as teenagers when Pinkie had first moved to Ponyville, and then became close friends after Twilight did as well.
And even if this Pinkie wasn’t the one from Equestria, it was hard to tell by her greeting. She held out her arms for a hug as if she and Fluttershy were just as close as they were with each other’s doubles.
Fluttershy mimicked her actions, holding out her arms. Twilight and Sunset let go of her as she did, and Fluttershy took a small step on her own to move closer to Pinkie. She still felt awkward on her feet, but fortunately, Pinkie closed the rest of the distance for them. At least hugging was as easy as it was in Equestria, and it felt just as nice.
“This is so exciting!” Pinkie said as she pulled away from Fluttershy. She didn’t pull back too far, however, keeping both of them under the umbrella. “Everyone else is waiting to meet you at Sweet Apple Acres. I just know you’re going to love them!”
“We didn’t want to overload you with too many people all at once,” Sunset added. “Especially, er, the other Fluttershy. Plus we really don’t need other people seeing the two of you together.”
“Yeah, that would be pretty hard to explain,” Twilight said.
That was still something Fluttershy wasn’t sure she was quite ready for, but she knew she never would be. “I think I can walk around well enough now. Should we get going?”
“Sure, as long as you’re ready.” Sunset gestured toward where Pinkie had been waiting for them. “Pinkie’s parked across the street.”
“I call front seat!” Spike said, running ahead of the others.
“Spike!” Twilight called after him. “Remember not to run in the streets here!”
He didn’t get much of a head start, stopping before reaching the street. It didn’t look anything like the ones in Equestria, and Fluttershy wouldn’t have recognized it as one without the others mentioning it – unlike the dirt, brick, or stone ones she was used to, this one was some sort of black material with lines on it.
He waited there for the others to catch up. Sunset gave her umbrella to Twilight before ducking under Pinkie’s, and Twilight shared it with Fluttershy. They walked slowly so the two umbrellas could keep them covered, which suited Fluttershy just fine – the last thing she needed was to try and run like Spike had.
Everyone seemed to take caution before crossing the street, looking down both directions before they did. It made Fluttershy a little uneasy. Twilight had assured her this world was completely safe, but how could it be if something as simple as crossing a street was cause for caution?
No one but Fluttershy seemed to think much of it though, and crossed as soon as they had checked. Fluttershy stuck close to Twilight, just in case.
They made their way towards a bunch of things that Fluttershy had never seen before. Spike walked close to Fluttershy’s legs and explained things a bit. “Those are cars, humans use them to drive around. That’s how we’ll get to Sweet Apple Acres.”
Although really, that explanation didn’t help nearly as much as Fluttershy would’ve liked. “Oh, I see.”
Twilight seemed to realize how confused she must be. “Remember the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 3000? They’re a lot like that, but more advanced and without the apple cider maker.”
“They’re much cooler,” Spike assured her.
“I don’t know,” Pinkie said. “How can something called the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 3000 not be way better than a car?”
“You wouldn’t say that if you saw it,” Twilight said. “Human technology is amazing, much better than what we’ve got in Equestria.”
“This world does have its perks,” Sunset said as they walked up to one of the cars. It was larger and more box-shaped than most of the others. “Here we are, Pinkie’s minivan.”
Pinkie pulled something out of her pocket and squeezed it, and the minivan beeped and lights flashed for a moment.
“What was that?” If Fluttershy didn’t know better, she would’ve thought it was magic.
Twilight smiled. “That was nothing compared to what human technology can do. Just wait until we start driving.”
Sunset and Twilight both pulled on what seemed to be handles and opened doors on the minivan while Pinkie walked around to the other side to do the same. Before Sunset could get in, Spike darted in front of her. “I called front seat!”
Twilight frowned at him. “Spike…”
Sunset just laughed it off. “It’s fine, he’s a guest.” Once he was in his seat, she shut the door behind him.
Twilight climbed in next, taking the farther of two seats in the middle row. It proved awkward to do with her new body, but Fluttershy managed to climb in as well, sitting down beside Twilight. Sunset sat in the row behind them, and Pinkie sat in the front behind what seemed to be some sort of controls.
“You have to put on your seatbelt.” Twilight demonstrated by taking hold of what Fluttershy realized must be a seatbelt and pulled it across her body. “Like this. Then this end snaps into this piece.”
Fluttershy found a seatbelt on her chair as well and mimicked the action as best she could. The seatbelt locked into place as she snapped it into the connector. “Like this?”
“Exactly! You’re doing really well for your first time with hands.”
“A lot better than I did,” Sunset added.
“Everyone buckled up?” Pinkie asked.
“We’re all set,” Sunset said. “Take us away, Pinkie.”
“Alrighty! Everyone hold onto your ponies, because here we go!”
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side and wondered what ‘hold onto your ponies’ meant, but she forgot in an instant as soon as Pinkie started the minivan. It made a loud noise at first, which soon became a continuous hum as the whole thing vibrated.
They started moving. First they slowly moved backwards as Pinkie guided the minivan out from the cars it had been between. Then she adjusted something on the controls, and they started moving forwards toward the street instead.
“Wow, this is incredible,” Fluttershy said. “Is this how all humans get around?”
“Depends how far you’re going,” Sunset said. “But generally yeah. Cars are the most common way to get around town.”
Once they were on the street, they picked up speed. Fluttershy was amazed at how fast they were going, and she suddenly understood why they had taken the time to look down the street before walking across it; she didn’t want to imagine what could happen if someone wasn’t careful around something so big that travelled so fast.
Although once the thought dawned on her, she found it hard to get it out of her head. She trusted her friends – if they thought this was safe, she knew it must be – but that didn’t erase her worries. She didn’t even want to imagine what might happen to them if they crashed into something.
The idea was too much for her, so she instinctively reached for Twilight’s hoof. Or whatever it was, since they didn’t really have hooves anymore. Twilight smiled at her. “You know, hands are actually a lot better at this.”
‘Oh, right, they’re called hands.’ Twilight had told her that, but there were so many things to try and remember about this world. She resolved to remember this one more clearly since it would probably be pretty silly to call them the wrong thing if it came up.
Fluttershy looked down at their hands. “What do you mean?”
Twilight maneuvered the digits attached to her hand to link them between Fluttershy’s, then closed them around her hand. Fluttershy smiled at the feeling, she liked being tangled up in Twilight.
Twilight looked down at their hands and blushed. “I’ve never actually done this.”
“Really?”
“Well, not like this. Pretty sure when people lace their fingers like this, it means they’re dating. Otherwise they just cup their hands together like this.”
Twilight shifted her fingers so they weren’t laced between Fluttershy’s anymore. Fluttershy smiled and switched them back. “I like this way better.”
They both smiled at each other, then blushed when they heard Pinkie. “You two are so cute together!”
“I have to say I agree with Pinkie on this one,” Sunset said, leaning forward in her seat so she was closer to the couple. “It’s no wonder you two became Equestria’s favorite power couple.”
Twilight fidgeted in her seat. “I don’t know if I’d say that, exactly…”
“Whatever you say. So, uh, remind me how that whole country-wide tour thing went again? You know, the one that focused on the two of you being a lovable couple.”
“It was about a little more than that,” Twilight protested.
“Yeah, but almost everypony was really happy for you two,” Spike pointed out.
Twilight fixed a glare on him. “Spike, whose side are you on?”
“Silly Twilight,” Pinkie said, “there’s no sides! We’re all on the side of you two being super good together!”
Even if she appreciated the sentiment, Fluttershy only blushed more as their relationship continued being the center of attention. She decided to try and change the topic. “So, uhm, are the Fluttershy and Twilight from here a couple too?”
“No,” Pinkie answered. “To tell you the truth, I think Fluttershy has her eye on someone else.”
“Oh, really?” Twilight asked. She kept her tone level, but Fluttershy noticed how she fidgeted ever so slightly. Fluttershy hoped that whoever it was, it wasn’t Rarity. The last thing that they needed was for a reminder of that awkward ordeal.
“Besides, the other Twilight doesn’t even live in town anymore,” Sunset said.
“Oh yeah, you told me that.” Fluttershy felt guilty for forgetting. “She moved away for school, right?”
“That’s right. Don’t know if she’s got anything going on in the romance department.”
If the Twilight and Fluttershy of this world weren’t a couple, it was probably better to just leave all discussion about either of their love lives alone. Fluttershy wouldn’t care one way or another whom the Twilight from this world decided to date, and she was sure Twilight would say the same about the human Fluttershy.
But saying it wouldn’t make it true, and Fluttershy noticed how her marefriend went rigid at the conversation. Better to talk about something else, even if Fluttershy wasn’t exactly sure what.
“Hey, Fluttershy,” Sunset said, erasing the need to find a new topic. She handed Fluttershy a rectangular device with a picture of a kitten on it. Something inside illuminated the whole thing, making it easier to see.
“Aww, how cute.” The kitten was staring at a shoe and poised to strike.
“Watch.” Sunset tapped the picture, and it suddenly sprang to life. The kitten darted forward and latched onto the shoe, kicking at it with its hindlegs.
“It’s moving!” Fluttershy said in amazement.
“That’s called a phone,” Twilight explained as she took the device from Sunset. “Humans use them for all sorts of things!”
“Once in a while we even call people on them,” Sunset said with a smirk. Fluttershy could tell by her tone it was a joke, but she didn’t get it.
Twilight took the phone and continued to show her films of animals, or ‘videos’ as Sunset told her they were called. It was nothing like the films they had in Equestria, which were simple, lacked color, and required a large projector to work. This was so lifelike, and there seemed to be no end of videos for them to watch. Twilight said that was because of something called the ‘internet’ and tried to explain what that was, but Fluttershy was too busy watching all the cute animals.
That kept her attention for the rest of the way to Sweet Apple Acres. It felt like only moments passed before Pinkie announced they arrived and Sunset took her phone back.
Like everything else, Sweet Apple Acres looked different from the one in Equestria, but it was still unmistakable. Even aside from the apple orchard connected to it, it was the same red with purple roof paint job, with a large barn just behind it.
As the minivan came to a stop, someone who could only have been Applejack walked out of the barn. She stayed back where she was protected from the rain, but she gave a friendly wave.
“It’s so strange how similar everyone looks,” Fluttershy said quietly.
“I know, it does take some getting used to.” Twilight squeezed her hand and smiled. “But don’t worry, I know you’ll love everyone.”
Fluttershy smiled back and nodded. Even if these weren’t her friends from Equestria, there was no reason they wouldn’t get along wonderfully.
“Speaking of that though…” Sunset said. “The tricky thing is that Granny Smith and Big Mac don’t actually know about Equestria. Apple Bloom went to school with us, so she knows, but Big Mac had already graduated by the time everything happened.”
“Oh…” Fluttershy glanced at the house.
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Sunset continued. “Big Mac is at his girlfriend’s house today, and Granny Smith never drops in on our group parties as long as we don’t get too loud. We’ll just stick to the barn and no one should notice.”
“Sure but… don’t you think it would be better to be open with your friends?” Twilight asked. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to hide something so important from them.”
“You know, I think Twi has a point,” Pinkie said. She turned off the minivan and turned around to face Sunset. “Sure, it’d be a little weird at first. But I think telling them would make things a lot easier, and that everyone would feel better about it afterwards.”
Sunset seemed to be addressing Pinkie more than Twilight. “This just… isn’t the best time. We’ll worry about that later, let’s just have fun today!”
“I guess that sounds reasonable,” Twilight said. “But do think about telling them later. I’m sure they won’t have a problem with it, and I’d be happy to come and help you explain things.”
“Thanks, Twi, but I –”
Before Sunset could finish, Applejack opened the door from the outside. “Now I don’t know how y’all do it in Equestria, but ‘round these parts, we usually get out of the vehicle once we get where we’re goin’.”
“Hello, Applejack,” Twilight said as she undid her seat belt. Fluttershy couldn’t figure hers out, so Twilight helped her. “It’s great to see you again.”
Applejack hopped in to get out of the rain, sitting on the floor inside. She tipped her hat at Twilight. “Same to you. Been too long since your last visit.” She looked past Twilight and grinned at Fluttershy. “And I’ll be. You really are the spittin’ image of the Fluttershy that’s waitin’ in the barn.”
Fluttershy blushed. “It’s, uhm, nice to meet you.”
Applejack chuckled. “Don’t worry, I think everyone feels just as awkward as you about this whole thing.”
“I don’t!” Pinkie said brightly as she left the minivan, Spike following behind her.
Applejack ignored her and continued addressing Fluttershy. “But we’re all thrilled to finally meet you, and I’m sure we’ll all get over the weirdness in no time.”
It seemed that no matter what world, Applejack was Applejack. It was comforting, and made Fluttershy feel a little less nervous about meeting the others.
Of course, the doubles of her friends weren’t really whom she was most nervous about meeting. As much as she could, Fluttershy had tried to keep from thinking too much about the human Fluttershy on the way over. But now that the two were almost face to face, that was all she could think about.
‘It’s just like Applejack said, she’s probably just as nervous to meet me.’
Twilight and Applejack were the next to leave, with Fluttershy following behind and Sunset bringing up the rear. Once they were out, they quickly made their way to where Applejack had waved to them. The awning from the barn kept most of the rain off of them.
Before heading inside, Applejack took the chance to give Twilight a hug. She opted to keep things a little more casual with Fluttershy, holding out her hand.
It was clearly the human equivalent of a hoof bump, but Fluttershy had no idea what she was supposed to do. She held out her hand gingerly, mimicking what Applejack did as best she could. “I’m, uhm…”
Applejack laughed. “Right, guess y’all don’t really shake hands where you’re from.” She took hold of Fluttershy’s hand, cupping her fingers around it like Twilight had told her that friends did, and shook it. “That’s sort of a way that us humans say ‘nice to meet ya’.”
Fluttershy smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too.” As they let go, it occured to Fluttershy that she had already said that, which caused her to blush. No one seemed to notice though, and they all followed Applejack back to the barn.
“Everyone else is all inside,” Applejack said as she held the door open for them. “Now we can get this party going!”
There was a small group of people looking at them when they opened the door, but only the one who had to be Rainbow Dash seemed to know what to say. “Okay. This is freaky.”
Rainbow Dash was staring wide-eyed at the group, but Fluttershy barely even noticed her. Standing beside her was another Fluttershy, as if she were looking in the reflective surface of the statue again. As far as Fluttershy could tell, the only difference between them was the clothes they were wearing and that the other Fluttershy seemed to maybe be a little heavier. Both Fluttershys locked eyes, neither saying a word.
“It’s not really different than when both Twilights were here,” Apple Bloom said. Fluttershy hadn’t even noticed she was in the room. “Besides, that’s no way to greet our guests!”
She ran over to the others and held out her hand for Fluttershy like Applejack had. “Hey there, I’m Apple Bloom.”
Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to turn away from her double, not until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see that Twilight was smiling. “Yeah, it… takes some getting used to.”
Fluttershy blinked and shook her head, then shook Apple Bloom’s hand. “Nice to meet you all too,” she said, although she couldn’t keep from turning back to the other Fluttershy.
After a moment, Rainbow led her over to the group. She still didn’t speak at first, so Rainbow did instead. “Geez, you two look like twins! This is wild!”
Although her reaction was bigger than the others, Rainbow quickly started grinning excitedly. She placed a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Welcome to Everton, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy wasn’t exactly sure if there was an appropriate response to the gesture, so she just smiled and hoped that would be sufficient. “Thank you.”
Likely realizing that all the attention was a little much for the shy pegasus, Twilight spoke up and drew some of it away. “It’s so good to see you all! What has everyone been up to lately?”
That seemed to be all the prompting that Rainbow needed to launch into an explanation of her band. While she told them about it, Applejack led them into the barn where there were chairs, refreshments, and some sort of device that played music.
As they walked over, the other Fluttershy glanced towards her. “Uhm, hi…”
It was weird hearing her voice, mostly because it wasn’t Fluttershy’s voice. It was close, but not quite right. Considering they were alike in every other way, Fluttershy couldn’t imagine why they would sound different.
It made her feel a little better though. It was good to have a distinction from her double, made her feel more like her own pony again. She smiled. “Hello.”
The other Fluttershy gave a small smile of her own, then took a seat on the other side of Rainbow Dash, which put several people between the two of them. Fluttershy was almost hoping for the chance to get to talk a little, if only to ease both of their nervousness, but she could hardly blame her for being overwhelmed.
Fluttershy folded her hands in her lap and listened to Rainbow’s story. She didn’t understand everything, but she didn’t mind; it was enough that everyone was so welcoming to her.
“Ahem.” Everyone looked up at Pinkie’s voice, which was being amplified. She held a microphone and stood by a large moving picture device. “Who’s ready for a karaoke party!”
Fluttershy blushed at the thought of singing and hoped they wouldn’t ask her to.
“So, uhm…” Twilight stood up and held out her hand. “Want to try dancing as a human?”
Fluttershy took Twilight’s hand and smiled. “Sure, but I have no idea how.”
“To tell you the truth… I don’t either. But we can still have fun.”
Fluttershy nodded. “Right.”
“Oh, I love karaoke!” Apple Bloom ran over to the device with Pinkie. “Can I sing too?”
“Of course you can!” Pinkie pulled out another mic and handed it to Apple Bloom, then turned and pointed to Rainbow. “And don’t think you’re sitting this one out! I want to see everyone on the floor shaking their tails!”
Fluttershy turned to look down her back in puzzlement. She was pretty sure humans didn’t have tails, but she hadn’t actually checked under her clothes yet. Sunset must have noticed, because she laughed and placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “It’s just an expression.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy blushed and turned her eyes downwards. Only for a moment though, then Twilight led her away from the chairs where they could dance.
Their dancing didn’t actually amount to much, which Fluttershy was thankful for. They moved back and forth roughly in rhythm to the music, only taking small steps that she could manage.
Meanwhile, she watched the room around them. The other Fluttershy moved closer to Sunset, which reminded her of Pinkie’s comment that the Fluttershy here had her eye on someone else.
Just as she was hoping Twilight wouldn’t notice, Applejack walked over to Rainbow. She gestured towards Sunset and Fluttershy and said, “Guess that leaves you and me, partner.”
“What?” Rainbow asked. “Pretty sure I can manage to dance just fine on my own.”
“Aww, don’t be a poor sport!” Applejack grabbed hold of Rainbow’s hand and dragged her out towards the others. “Everyone else has a partner.”
Rainbow noticed the other Fluttershy and Sunset, which seemed to change her mind. “Fine, I guess. But don’t expect me to slow dance. Pinkie, AB, kick it up a notch!”
Fluttershy turned back to Twilight and smiled. That should keep Twilight from worrying what her double was doing.
And if that wasn’t enough, Apple Bloom and Pinkie followed through on Rainbow’s request and switched to a livelier song that pushed Fluttershy and Twilight’s mutual bad dancing to its limits. Soon, Fluttershy could only focus on her steps and laughing at all their mistakes, lost to everything going on around them.
At least, until Spike suddenly spoke up. “Hey, what about me?”
Everyone broke into laughter, which made for a great start to their karaoke party. It wasn’t long before the singers rotated out, although Fluttershy never dared step up to the mic. The other Fluttershy did, though; she and Rainbow sang a duet after Pinkie and Apple Bloom were done.
They all shuffled dance partners as the singers changed, with Spike finally getting to dance with someone as he and Fluttershy tried their best together. It seemed he was just as out of place dancing with four legs as Fluttershy was with two. She took hold of his front paws in her hands and the two of them more or less stumbled around, but they both had a lot of fun.
With both of their partners preoccupied, Twilight and Sunset shared a dance as well. Although Twilight was clearly less sure on her feet than the others – not to mention she had never been a great dancer in Equestria – it was clear that she was better at it than Fluttershy was. She and Sunset seemed to have a lot of fun together, which made Fluttershy happy to see.
Once the song was finished, Pinkie cut into Sunset and Twilight’s dance. “You should sing a duet with Fluttershy next!”
Fluttershy immediately worried, but momentarily realized that both Pinkie and Sunset were looking at the other Fluttershy.
“Sure, I’m up for that.” Sunset grinned as she walked up to the mic. “What do you say. Shy?”
Fluttershy looked at her for a moment, then turned away. “Uhm… I think I’m done singing, actually. Maybe you and Twilight could sing a song?”
Sunset stopped in place and grimaced. She glanced at Twilight, then back to Fluttershy. “Are you… not feeling well?”
Fluttershy looked back at Sunset and hesitated for a moment. “Uhm… no, not really. Actually…” She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Do you… think you could take me home? I’m… feeling a little out of it.”
Rainbow gave Fluttershy a puzzled look, but it shifted to a frown as she turned to Sunset. “Sure, we can head out.”
“I’ll come with you,” Sunset said.
Fluttershy shook her head. “You should stay here. I know how much you were looking forward to seeing Twilight and, er, Fluttershy.”
Sunset looked between the couple, both of whom could only return confused expressions. There was clearly something more going on than what the human Fluttershy was saying, but the pony Fluttershy had no idea at all what it could be.
‘Is it because she has a crush on Sunset?’ Fluttershy wondered. It felt strange to think that might be it, since she herself had never acted like that back when she had a crush on Rarity, even when she would gush over stallions that had caught her eye.
‘Remember, she’s not me though.’ Maybe the human Fluttershy was more insecure about her crush. It definitely seemed like seeing Sunset and Twilight dancing was what changed things. But Twilight already had a marefriend, she couldn’t possibly think that there would be anything between her and Sunset, could she
Whatever was going on, the human Fluttershy followed Rainbow out of the barn. A simple look around confirmed that no one really seemed to think that it was anything so simple as ‘feeling a little out of it’.
There was another possibility as well, though. “Uhm,” Fluttershy asked no one in particular, “do you… think she wanted to leave because of me?”
Sunset sighed. “No, I don’t think so.”
Fluttershy still wasn’t sure what to think, and a look at Twilight suggested that she felt the same. If that was the case, she couldn’t really blame her, but still… ‘I wish we could’ve worked out whatever it was.’
Sunset lingered where she was, watching the door even after the other Fluttershy and Rainbow were gone. After a moment, Applejack approached her and put an arm around her shoulder. Sunset shook her head, then turned to the others and smiled awkwardly. “So… are we still doing karaoke?”
Everyone looked around, unsure of what to say. Or at least, everyone except for Spike. “Can I sing next?”
It took a while, but the party eventually managed to turn around. They humored Spike with one more song for him to sing, then moved on to a board game that they didn’t have in Equestria. The rain only seemed to come harder, which ruled out anything outside of the barn, but that was alright.
Fluttershy was a little worried when Rainbow Dash didn’t come back after dropping off the other Fluttershy, though. She kept from saying anything about it; they had enough reason for concern, after all.
Once they were past the melancholy feeling, the hours passed quickly. Good conversation, fun party games, and tasty pizza kept things going smoothly into the night.
It was late by the time they returned to Pinkie’s minivan to get back to the portal. The rain had picked up to the point where it threatened to be a thunderstorm by nightfall, so they had to dash through it. But even with the rain, and even if Fluttershy was exhausted from the day and all the new experiences, she was glad that she’d come.
Even through the rain, Pinkie and Sunset both offered to make the final walk back to the portal with them. They would have declined both, but Twilight requested Sunset accompany them so they could talk. Fluttershy felt guilty for excluding Pinkie, and she knew Twilight felt the same, but they had something private that they wanted to talk with Sunset about.
At least it would keep Pinkie dry. She left them with both umbrellas, which helped keep them dry a little even with the rain coming down harder. Twilight and Sunset each held an umbrella on either side of Fluttershy, who carried Spike so he wouldn’t be walking through the water.
“Alright, what’s going on and how afraid should I be?” Sunset asked once they’d made it a good distance from the minivan.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Twilight assured her with an eye roll. “We just… wanted to ask how you’ve been doing.”
Sunset smirked. “Pretty sure that’s usually something you ask when you start hanging out with someone, no matter what world you’re from.”
“And have you make something up because Pinkie was there?” Twilight asked. “We’re just… worried. We want to make sure you’re really okay, and I know you don’t want to talk about that with everyone else around.”
“Uhm, especially because of Morning Breeze…” Fluttershy said. Sunset had told them about her relationship with her girlfriend and its ups and downs. “She… wasn’t at the party today.”
Sunset chuckled. “Considering there were two Fluttershys? I think it would’ve been a bit much for her.”
“Is that really the only reason?” Twilight asked skeptically. “You’ve been together for a while now, you could tell her about Equestria. And you know, we’d both love to meet her.”
“I… don’t think that’s going to happen.” Sunset shoved her hands in her pockets and kept her eyes on the ground. “To tell you the truth, that’s not the only reason she wasn’t there today. Things have been… complicated between us lately.”
“Well then lucky for you we have two relationship experts here!” Spike said.
Fluttershy blushed. “I don’t know about expert… But we’d be happy to help if you let us.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate that.” Sunset showed them a smile that almost convinced Fluttershy she was okay. “And I’ll be sure to write to you if I need any advice. But right now, I think we just need to figure some things out on our own.”
“If you’re sure…”
Fluttershy placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Remember, we agreed not to push her.”
Sunset chuckled. “So this was pre-planned then?”
“Well, we have been worried for a while now…” Twilight said as they reached the portal. “There is one other thing before we go.”
“After that interrogation?” Sunset grinned. “This time I’m definitely afraid.”
Twilight looked at Fluttershy, who smiled and nodded. She turned back to Sunset with a smile of her own. “We wanted to ask you to come back to Equestria.”
Sunset’s grin fell away and she blinked a few times. “Wait, what? Twi, I’ve… I’ve kinda got a whole life here now.”
“Oh! Not to move back.” Twilight grinned sheepishly. “Just… visit. It’d be nice to spend some more time with you, and we think it’d be good for you to get away for a bit too. And maybe then you could catch up with Princess Celestia!”
“And, uhm… Morning Breeze could come too,” Fluttershy added. “If you want.”
They’d hoped that Sunset would be excited by the invitation, but she looked anything but. She turned away, frowning. “I… I’ll think about it.”
Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks. Before Twilight could say anything else to convince her, Fluttershy stepped in. “Please do. We won’t push you, but we are worried about you.”
Sunset finally smiled. “Thanks you two, but I’ll be fine. I promise.”
“Will you also promise to think about our offer?” Twilight asked. “And I mean really think about it.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yes, Twi. I’ll give it some thought and get back to you. Promise.”
“Alright then.” Twilight stepped closer to give Sunset a hug, handing off the umbrella as she did. “Take care, Sunset. And remember we’re always around if you need us.”
“That goes for both of us,” Fluttershy said as she took her turn at giving a hug.
Spike squirmed a little as he was pressed between the two hugging mares. “Yeah, that goes for both of them.”
Sunset laughed and ruffled the fur on his head. “Aww, I don’t get any doggy help?”
“Uh, dragon?”
“Not from where I’m standing, pup.”
“And that’s why I’ll keep my amazing help to myself.”
Spike and Sunset both laughed, then Sunset glanced over to the portal. “It was great seeing you three.”
“It was nice to finally see you too,” Fluttershy said. “And happy birthday.”
They turned back to the portal, leaving Sunset blushing at her birthday reminder. Fluttershy turned to Twilight before stepping away from the umbrella. “Does it, uhm, ever get easier?”
“Not really.” Twilight took hold of Fluttershy’s hand. “Well, maybe a little if we go together.”
Fluttershy smiled and squeezed Twilight’s hand. That was one thing she’d miss once they were back, although she’d be happy to get wing hugs again. “That does sound a little easier.”
Hand in hand and with Spike by their side, the couple stepped back through the portal, returning to the life they were familiar with.
What do you mean this chapter is from the wrong Fluttershy’s point of view? 
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Bun, that chapter title is scaring me.
I just re-read Finding Home, and it occurs to me that there are still some important details about her relationship with "Morning Breeze" that never got uncovered, but that were hinted at very heavily towards the end.
Poor Sunset, still keeping secrets from those she loves out of fear of what might happen.
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Psh, everyone knows chapter titles don't mean anything
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We're still in for quite a ride on this one 
Yeah, there's a reason this is on track to become my longest story
9631453
Yeah, If the next chapters title is called "The storm" I'm calming shutting off my computer and throwing it out the window XD
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We here at Krickis LLC are not responsible for any damages that may or may not be induced in chapter title related incidents
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Oh nooooo XD XD XD
Things are getting very awkward
What could have been if Sunset had told them the truth. *sigh*
Is humanshy angry that sunset doesn't dare to tell them that she is Morning Breeze.
Or afraid of being compared with her counterpart and Sunset chasing this "not broken version"?
Which would in fact be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It really feels like neither Sunset nor Fluttershy can maintain their relationship by themselves without outside help they are both not able to support each other with their continuing issues.
Seeing ponyshys perspective in this chapter was interesting since in finding home she is the first one helping Sunset after her breakdown and although she hurt her Fluttershy didn't give up on her after hearing the truth.
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I don’t usually tell people this but I’m from the future.
The next chapter is called ‘more calm’
Then ‘calmness continues’
Then ‘I vote for calm’
Then ‘calmtopia’
It’s just a whole lot of calm; what else would you expect?
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Only starting to?
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I ask myself the same question all the time...
My guess is on both.
...let’s pretend I planned that instead of just choosing Shy at the last minute just because a Twilight got a chapter earlier
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Dammit, now I’ll have to change all those chapter names
If her though is being cut of then it’s fine, if not ‘meant’
Super nitpick I know but equestria is a big place surely it’s raining somewhere. I know your showing the difference between her home dimension and the human one but you could just replace it with ‘Ponyville’ as that’s her home too.
No error found here. That is just perfection. :)
Hope those errors are actual errors this time.
Loved it, for the most part it was just the characters being themselves, hanging out and enjoying themselves. Oh and we finally found out that the term ‘wasted some time on her phone’ that cropped up in the earlier chapters from time to time meant logging on to lol cats. Oh course thought when there is no heavy surface drama that just means that the next chapter ‘Everyone bucked up’. Nope still can’t get over that line.
He he.
Pity they couldn’t webcam rarity or twilight but they were probably busy.
Random question but does Winona exist in EQG?
Real talk though, as long as the next chapter is not called ‘The Stormy Skies’ I think we can all pull through.
If it is however, we will need tissues.
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Gosh, so many errors on this one... Fixed all of them, thank you for pointing them out
And yeah, every time something serious happens in this story remember that Sunset’s got cat memes open on her phone =p
Busy: A word which here means the author didn’t fuckin’ think of them
Although I can think of good in-universe explanations, so I dunno if I would’ve done anything with them even if I thought of it. Twi didn’t come up because Sunset’s relationship with her is still a bit strained, so it could’ve brought awkwardness, and Rarity has time zone issues. Five or six hours ahead, meaning that an afternoon get-together for these gals is the middle of the night for her.
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I make no promises
Okay I’ll say that that’s not itAnother amazing two heart wrenching chapters glad to see applejack at least trying to be there for sunset with the funeral and as for sunset not sure if she what she's doing and are we going to see her interaction with sugar breeze anyways amazing job as always
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There will definitely be more of Sugar Breeze, although not for a little while. These chapters from other characters’ POVs would make it difficult to include her.
And thank you, glad you liked them
This turned into drama just as fast as I thought it would :v
"Twilight had assured her this world was completely safe, but how could it be if something as simple as crossing a street was cause for caution?" I love this little detail.
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Thank you, it's a lot of fun to do things with characters that aren't used to the human world
Boy, if I hadn't been feeling ominous already, that chapter title! c.c;;
Oh man, A+ "going through the mirror for the first time" writing. :D Still my favorite thing.
Oh my god this is too cute
Mmm, I see Pinkie very subtly chastising Sunset, I like that.
Love that little exchange at the end with Spike. :) Well, this is the last time I will feel happy at the end of a chapter, I'm sure!
You just love to twist that knife in us Author….why
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Because as stated before, I am very evil
Wait, why did she just refer earth as Everton aka the college Sci Twi attends?!?!
0
It was hilarious.
And besides, it's just gonna make things worse the more you keep it a secret Sunset.
We know Pinkie.
I mean if they've meet 2 different Twilights then I'm sure things are gonna be fine.
I'm not sure how she figured that out but Twilight is not gonna be happy.
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Within this universe, the city is called Everton. It'd be like someone going through the portal the other way and hearing "Welcome to Ponyville"
lol I had fun with this chapter
Reading this is like watching Sisyphus
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That's a fair take tbh