The Golden Age of Apocalypse, Book II: Synchronicity

by Shinzakura

Day Three, Morning: We Know You, They Know Me

“Okay, Mare’s Desire perfume…check,” Jewel said to herself as she waited outside the door leading to Sunset’s tower. “Rarity4You Special Somepony silk dress…check.” She summoned her mirror, checking her makeup and her attraction spells. She was reaching out to her new marefriend and it was vital that she be the very best. A princess deserved that, after all.

After taking one final time to take a breath to relax, she used her newly-issued keycharm to let herself in. “Princess! I’m here!” she stated. First, she would do the work, and then she would declare her eternal love for Princess Sunset, and then they could start working on their future together. Easy-peasy, smiley breezy, right?

“Oh, good. I see I’m not the only one.” Jewel turned to look at the griffoness before her. She was currently seated at a typewriter, working on what looked like a large stack of reports. “I thought Sunny said there was somepony else besides me, but I was worried that there wasn’t.” The griffin took a drink from a large mug of coffee labeled WORLD’S GREATEST GRIFFONESS, where the last word was overwritten with MARE in red paint, before looking at Jewel. “Oh, and I guess we should introduce ourselves before we get to work. I’m Softwing – I’m Sunny’s new seneschal, which I guess means I’m your boss. And you are?”

“Um…Precious Jewel,” the unicorn stated, a confused look growing on her face. “Um…where’s Princess Sunset? She and I were supposed to meet for breakfast this morning to go over paperwork.”

Softwing faceclawed at that point. “Oh, that’s right – she did mention that. Unfortunately, she had to bounce out. Apparently Princess Celestia had a speaking engagement in Manehattan this morning and she asked Sunny to do it for her. And, given the distance, she had to fly out there immediately. She said she apologizes for not being able to do it and will make it up to you as soon as she can. So, if you haven’t eaten yet, go ahead and have the maidstaff bring you something and then we can get to work. There’s a lot of paperwork involved with setting up this new office and it’s not going to do itself.”

“Right,” Jewel sighed, sad at missing her chance at having breakfast with her true love. Thankfully, there was still plenty of time to spend with her future spouse to be. Besides, if there was one thing that Jewel already knew, it was that the life of a royal was anything but easy.

I just hope I can make things easier for her when we get married, she thought as she went to flag a nearby maid.

Meanwhile, a hundred miles to the south, a breakfast of an entirely different nature was going on. Smells not usually associated with Friendship Castle wafted through its corridors, and the kitchens, usually mostly unused, were now a much livelier and busier place as they had been for the past few days.

In the main dining hall, Gustav le Grande bowed before Princess Twilight, a smile on his beak. “Ah, Your Highness. It’s so good to see you this morning! I have breakfast cooking, all prepared as per your request!” He kissed his claws, a very Prench maneuver, but given that he was a griffin raised in the Equestrian province of Prance, that made sense. “It will be tres magnifique for your guests!”

“Well, I know I can’t thank you enough for taking time out from running your restaurant to accommodate my request to act as chef for my guests for the week,” the alicorn replied with a smile.

“Ah, it is no problem, Mademoiselle Princess,” Gustav assured her. “My partner, Lemon Tart, has it all under control, mais non. Plus, cooking for these humans is the challenge of a lifetime!” He flashed her a second grin and added, “Not to mention that a royal warrant for providing services for the Crown would be quite the feather in my chapeau!”

“Well, don’t let me get in your way,” she told him as she heard the telltale sound of human footsteps behind her. “And it sounds like our first guest has arrived!”

As she yawned and stumbled into the dining room, Twilight Sparkle berated herself for spending pretty much the entire day in her counterpart’s library, trying to read as many books as she could get her hands on. Should’ve went to bed, dumbass, she chastised herself, but noooooooo, you just had to take a self-imposed crash course on your sister’s hinterlands’ history….

“Morning, Twily,” the happy lavender alicorn said.

“Morning, Twi,” the plum-haired teen replied, biting off a yawn as she plopped into a chair, barely aware of the sights and scents of the breakfast buffet around her until a cup of some wonderful-smelling fluid was placed in front of her, courtesy of a magenta glow.

“Here, try this,” Twilight told Twilight.

The teen cautiously took a sip, and her eyes suddenly brightened before closing once more in contented bliss. After a few more sips, she felt human once more. “Kona?” she asked.

“Maybe an equivalent?” was the princess’ reply. “It’s a type of coffee I get from Hoofalulu, then infused with a magic spell I used to recover after I do an all-nighter.” Seeing the teen’s look of horror, Princess Twilight laughed as she added, “Don’t worry. I’ve been there, too; that’s why I have the stuff. Besides, I think it’s admirable that you wanted to learn so much about us.”

“I just want to make sure I’m ready for anything,” Twilight told her counterpart. “I have to set a good example for humanity’s sake, especially given some of the myths I read yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about that,” the alicorn assured her. “Those are just old stories and I really doubt anypony believes them anyway.”

“Old stories…like the ones on our world regarding the existence of unicorns and pegasi?” the teen pointed out. “The fact is, there’s a grain of truth in everything, Twi, and if ponies like you, my sister and Rainbow Dash exist, that means that to some degree, those rumors are true. And contrarywise, given our existence, it means that there are some bits of truth in your fairytales as well.”

“Spoken like a true scholar,” Princess Twilight noted. “Maybe later, you’ll want to look into the legends of The Megan – she was, according to our mythology, the one human who was always on our side. There’s been some debate about her historicity; it’s possible she actually did exist, given that she was stated to be the sworn right hoof of Queen Faust.”

“I might just do that,” Twilight told Twilight as two more people came into the room.

“Heya, Rainbow, AJ,” the teen told her friends. “Sleep okay?”

“Heya, Twily,” Rainbow blurted, then paused. “Oh, shit, is that coffee I smell?”

“Well, good morning to ya, Twily,” the blonde stated as she sat down. “And to you as well, Your Highness,” she added.

“Applejack, you know you don’t have to call me that,” the princess reminded her.

“Ah know, but it helps to remind dipshit here not to be such a rudeass,” Applejack said, pointing to Rainbow, who in a rare moment, suddenly felt self-conscious. However, it didn’t last long.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever,” the rainbow-haired athlete commented, brushing off her embarrassment. “But seriously, Twi, thanks for having us over. The others might be doing okay with their counterparts, but so far mine seems standoffish and AJ’s is an outright bitch.”

“Rainbow!” teen Twilight scolded.

“Well, it’s true,” Rainbow insisted, folding her arms.

“Sorry about that, you two,” Princess Twilight told them. “Just like you, they have good days and bad days. I’m sure things will turn around, though. But enough of that. What would you all like to do today? Since Razz is covering my court duties today, we can take a trip to another town, go shopping or whatever you want.”

“Ah’m up for whatever,” Applejack replied, “but if you don’t mind, Ah gotta get a workout in sometime today. Got a TKD tournament when we get back, so mah sa-bu-nim says Ah should practice whenever Ah get the chance, and Ah figure with the time dilation working for us, Ah have a whole extra week to work out.”

“Yeah, I should probably do the same,” Rainbow agreed. “We have that big game against Foothills High the day after we get back.”

“Yeah, but who are you gonna practice with?” Applejack reminded her friend.

“Yeah, you have a point,” she sighed. “Maybe I’ll just work out instead. Doesn’t hurt to work on my stamina and distance running, and this is probably the perfect place to do it in, since I don’t have to worry about traffic or anything.”

“Well, I was going to say that I was going to spend another day in your library, Twi,” Twilight chimed in, “but that would probably be a waste, so whatever you want to do, I’m up for it. Even if it means I have to spend some time away from…well, books.” That earned a knowing giggle from the alicorn.

“Well, let me check with the Mayor,” Princess Twilight suggested. “She’s done enough of these as of recent, that she’s probably got plenty of suggestions if not outright plans. And while you all got the tour of the city the first day you were here, there’s still plenty to see within the province. So, let me see what she’s got and I’ll get back to you shortly. That sound okay?”

But before the three humans could answer, there was the frantic galloping of hooves, followed by a mauve-coated earth mare rushing into the dining area. She took several deep gasps for breath before sputtering, “Oh, Twilight! Thank goodness I found you!”

“Oh, hello, Cheerilee! Welcome! Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Thanks, but I’ve already eaten. As it is, though, I need your help!”

“Always there for a friend,” the princess stated. “What’s up?”

“I just found out that I have a family emergency back home that’s going to keep me tied up for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, I spoke to the provincial school board and they told me that a substitute teacher won’t be available until tomorrow at the earliest. And since I need to catch the next train, you’re all that’s left, Twi.” She shook her head in frustration. “It’s already bad enough that I had to cancel PE because Snowflake sprained his gaskin two weeks ago.”

“And you can’t hire anyone else?” the princess asked.

“Not with the school funds I have issued to me currently, and the school system revision isn’t supposed to happen until next year,” Cheerilee reminded her. “That’s when the new Ponyville Elementary campus is supposed to open, remember?” The look in her eyes was concerned. “I take it you can’t cover me?”

The princess looked at the schoolmarm, sad to be disappointing a friend. “I’m sorry, Cheerilee, I really am, but I’m unavailable as well. I’m entertaining guests this week.” Twilight then gestured to the others in the room and the earth mare finally noticed them, much to her embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not familiar with your species,” she stated.

“Oh, we’re humans,” Rainbow said with a note of pride.

A look of shock came over the teacher’s face. “Humans are real?” the earth mare asked the princess, who merely nodded in response.

“I take it you didn’t make it to the big soiree we had the other night?” Princess Twilight asked her.

“Unfortunately for me, no, as grading paperwork is always a chore, especially since I have more students than ever now,” Cherilee explained. She then turned to back to the three humans. “But color me surprised that humans really do exist, especially with all the old ponytales about them.”

Teen Twilight assured her, “But we’re not like all those old stories about humans, really.”

“Yeah, we don’t drink blood or anything, really,” Rainbow added, and an uneasy look suddenly came over Cheerilee’s face.

“Way to set them at ease,” Twilight rebuked Rainbow.

“Hey, I forgot about those rumors, okay? Calm your tits, Twily!” Rainbow apologized.

“Twily, you know by now Rainbow can’t keep her foot out of her mouth,” Applejack added, giving her friends a grin.

“Well, as fascinating as you all are and that under different circumstances, I would be more than happy to have you come for a school visit, I’m still going to be in dire need of a substitute,” Cheerilee mourned.

It was then that Twilight had an idea. “What scholastic level are the students?” she asked.

“Pre-Mark 5: multiplication, reading comprehension, all the basic things a pony needs before they get their mark and start Post-Mark 1,” Cheerilee answered.

The scholar did some quick comparisons in her head. “Okay, so somewhere between third and fifth grade. Shouldn’t be a problem.” She looked at Cheerilee and said confidently, “I’ll cover your class today. It should be an interesting challenge, and will be a great way for us to show that humans can be more than just what the myths say we are.”

The schoolteacher looked at the human with disbelief. “Um, no offense intended,” she said, “but are you sure you’re—”

“I’ll vouch for her,” Princess Twilight told her friend. “It might sound strange, but Twily here is the alternate universe version of me from the human world. She doesn’t have magic – humans don’t, for the most part – but when it comes to the academics, I can assure you she’s just as adept as I am.”

“Sure, in that case,” Cheerilee said, relief washing over her. “I’ll take anypony at this rate!”

Rainbow then chimed in: “Hey, you said you had to cancel the kids’ PE time?” She asked and the mare nodded. “That’s total BS. Don’t worry, I’ll teach those kids how to be as awesome at soccer as I am!” she crowed, hooking a thumb back at her.

“Don’t know what Ah can do to help, but Ah’ll be more than happy to do so,” Applejack offered.

“Pre-Mark foals only go to school for half a day, unlike their Post-Mark peers,” Princess Twilight informed them, “so you wouldn’t be giving up your whole day. And I agree with Twily that it’s a great way to show off humanity’s best while giving me time to plan something for us to do in the afternoon.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Twilight said as she gave her alicorn counterpart an appreciative grin. “What time do you need us there?”

The sweat of hard work rolled off Applejack as she toiled in the back forty. Right now, she was checking the apple trees, making sure that they were all healthy, especially after the last magically-enhanced round of speed growing they’d had to do because of the Winter of Aftermath. She’d hated using magic on her trees to make them grow larger than normal yields, but given that Equestria was starving at the time, there was little choice. At least now, things were going back to the way they should be, and that meant good and normal work.

A warm spring breeze flittered through the morning air, and she removed her hat, feeling the current caress each strand of her mane. It was a good sign, an indicator that things were headed in the direction they should have. But her mood soured when she realized her counterpart would never know or even understand this kind of joy, and it disgusted her that a city slicker like that Applejack probably had no idea what hard work was, even if it reached up and bucked her in the face.

She ain’t no real counterpart, Applejack grumbled. Ah’ll bet that Ah have a real counterpart out there, an’ this one just happens t’ have mah name. She don’t even deserve that!

Moving over to check the next tree – Blumenthal, a strong tree with a good history for making apples – she started inspecting the roots, when she heard a voice call out for her.

“Applejack!” It turned out to be Granny Smith, the matriarch of the family. “Ah need t’ speak t’ ya!” she hollered.

“Be right there, Granny!” the farmmare shouted back before taking one look back at her treasures, her rows of apple trees, the pride of her family. She then cantered off towards the farmhouse. Granny probably needed help with planning dinner or something, Applejack thought. She was starting to get to the age where she was more than a little forgetful. It would take up some of Applejack’s time, but it was at least good work with family and she could take pride in that as well.

At least some of us got pride, she thought, feeling revulsion at her counterpart’s running of a store. A store! As if we’re the Rich family! Glad Ah ain’t interested in going t’ her world, or else Ah’d probably find everythin’ as topsy-turvey as she is! She had to wonder how Twilight – her Twilight, that is – managed to survive a whole week there, or the three weeks that Raspberry had been there.

Maybe she could talk to them this afternoon, since she at least had that time free. Maybe if she was lucky, she could spend time with her other friends, too; she knew she had to make some accommodations, since their counterparts were in town, but at least with those ones, they seemed to be a lot more like the gals she knew.

Plus, Ah bet both Fluttershys are probably scared outta their minds, hidin’ under th’ covers at Shy’s cottage, she thought with a chuckle. Some things just never changed.

As she reached the farmhouse, she saw Granny Smith standing there, a scowl on her face, and that, Applejack knew, wasn’t a good sign. She wondered what happened; whatever it was, it had to have gone down fairly quick, she reckoned. Were Flim and Flam trying something stupid again? Had cousin Goldie Delicious let her small army of cats out again? The last time that happened, she and her friends had pretty much chased the critters throughout all of Equestria before returning them home. Was Uncle Apple Strudel talking about his “battle lederhosen” nonsense again? Or did cousin Apple Butter start yammering on about how life was so much better now that Ponyville was starting to become “a real city”? Whatever it was, it had the Apple matriarch in a mood, and that was never a good sign, as far as Applejack was concerned.

A second later, she noticed that her grandmother had a guest – Twilight. And the fact that the princess was there didn’t bode well.

“Heya, Twi,” she began, “what’s up? Ah presume Granny needed yer help fer somethin’?”

“Applejack,” the princess started, but was stayed by the Apple matriarch raising a single verdant hoof.

“Now, youngin’, Ah know y’ just wanna point out th’ mistake mah granddaughter done made,” the aged earth mare stated, “but let me talk t’ her first, ‘kay?”

“Of course,” Twilight replied, knowing that Applejack would be in better hooves in this situation. “I’ll be, um, waiting in the kitchen.”

“Be sure t’ have some of our fine apple-flavored coffee,” Granny said affably, waiting for a moment or two before affixing her granddaughter with an unpleasant stare which made Applejack take a step back.

“So, what’s this Ah hear ‘bout ya treatin’ yer counterpart like dirt an’ makin’ a donkey o’ yerself in public th’ other day?” Granny asked, though the younger mare knew well enough it wasn’t a request, but a demand for answers.

Still, Applejack wasn’t going to back down from this. “Nuthin’ of th’ sort, Granny, jest th’ facts: that so-called ‘Applejack’ ain’t no real Apple,” she seethed. “Claimin’ that she don’ like th’ farm, or that she wants t’ do somethin’ else with her life. Hell, she don’t even like hats! What kind o’ lunacy is that?”

“Ah recall a little filly that done plum left th’ farm once, ‘cause she thought she could handle livin’ in Manehattan,” Granny countered. “Didya ever think o’ that?”

“Oh, puh-leeze,” Applejack scoffed, brushing off her grandmother’s accusation. “Tryin’ t’ compare mah mistake t’ hers? Mah mistake was just that – a mistake! That human…she not only don’t think that, she’s still makin’ hers! Just proves that she ain’t me!” Granny continued to just sit there and wait for her granddaughter to finish.

Applejack didn’t. “She done gave up th’ farm, Granny! Our lifeblood, our way o’ life! An’ ya want me t’ jest make peace with that kind o’ insanity?”

But Granny Smith just shook her head. “Ah never thought Ah raised me a lunk-headed idjit, but Ah’m wonderin’ if’n Ah should think otherwise! O’ course that girl ain’t you! Me, Mac an’ Bloom talked t’ her at the party th’ other night an’ she’s a sweet thing! Y’ say ya ain’t th’ Applejack that belonged in th’ big city – but didja ever think that maybe she’s th’ one that does?”

“Ain’t true,” Applejack insisted, shaking her head. “No way, no how.”

“And ya know this how? Didja talk t’ her – really talk t’ her? ‘Cause Ah did, an’ let me tell ya somethin’: that gal’s smart as a whip an’ knows where she’s goin’ in life. Without knowin’ her, Ah c’n bet that her granny an’ her parents are proud as punch ‘bout that girl!”

Applejack looked up at her grandmother as if she’d been slapped. “What? How? How on Equus c’n they be proud of a girl like that?”

The look in Granny’s eyes suddenly became sad, and Applejack wondered if she’d suddenly said the wrong thing. “‘Cause that’s how parents are,” she said, her words deflating her and making the aged mare somehow seem even older than her years. She then reached out to her granddaughter. “Applejack, Ah done tried t’ teach ya all Ah can. But there comes a time when y’ gotta learn somethin’ on yer own, an’ likely th’ hard way. Yer an adult now, an’ y’ deserve t’ make yer own choices…an’ yer own mistakes.” Nothing more to be said, Granny went back in the house, leaving Applejack standing there, all the more confused.

Granny went in and looked at the princess. “Ah done said mah bit,” she explained. “Now, Applejack’s gotta see fer herself.”

“I hope she does, soon,” Princess Twilight told her. “I hate to see my friends like this. I know that she’s afraid of AJ, mainly because of how different she is.”

“Mah granddaughter’s a strong sort, Twilight,” Granny assured her. “Ah know she’ll come ‘round in time. Ah just hope that when it happens, she don’t hurt none too bad.”

After this experience, Twilight Sparkle was sure of one thing: she was not going to become a teacher when she grew up.

“Miss Twilight! I read that humans can breathe fire! Can you show us?”
“Miss Applejack, how many apple trees can you buck?”
“I bet you’re not as cool as my Rainbow Dash – though I guess you’re kinda cool….”

“Anyone regretting doing this?” Rainbow asked her friends.

“Miss Twilight! Is it true that humans can grant any wish! If that’s the case I wish for my cutie mark!”
“Miss Applejack, how come you don’t have orange skin? The Miss Applejack we know has an orange coat.”
“Since you’re Rainbow Dash, can you teach me how to do a Sonic Rainboom?”

“Not really,” Twilight lied. “I think this is a wonderful learning experience for both us and them.”

“Yeah, I’m learning I need to get my tubes tied as soon as I turn old enough!”

“Miss Twilight, are you the Witch of Human Mountain?”
“Miss Applejack, can you turn into a werewolf like the other Miss Applejack did?”
“Do you know how to do the Double Inverted Immelmare, Miss Rainbow?”

Applejack, however, had caught the odd comment from the foal who addressed her. “What was that?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Miss Applejack,” Diamond Tiara told her, shrugging her withers. “Tattle is always coming up with tall tales.”

“Um…okay. So anyway, who else needs help with their math?”

The trio had decided, given that Cheerilee hadn’t left much of a study plan, to instead help the students with studying for the day, as well as some physical exercise and a Q&A session on humans. So far, the morning hadn’t really gotten past the first part, as the foals were bombarding them with the planned third part from the get go.

“Mith Twilight!” An excitable filly with curly red hair and oversize purple glasses excitedly waved a hoof at the plum-haired human. “Do you like candy caneth? Do they have candy caneth where you’re from?”

“They do, Twist,” Twilight said, remembering the filly’s name. “They have all kinds of them, from the traditional peppermint flavors to some more…esoteric ones, like dill pickle.”

“Dill pickle?” Twist’s muzzle scrunched up in disgust. “That’th horrible! Why would anypony…er, anyhuman?...want that?”

“People are like ponies, Twist,” she explained. “Some people like weird things. Don’t you know any ponies who like odd flavors?”

“Yeah, there’th thith donkey, Cranky Doodle, who cometh into the thore athking for wild carrot-flavored mintth. Mommy thayth that even though it’th old fathioned, we have to make our cuthomerth happy.”

“Your mother’s right, you know. A happy customer is a repeat customer, and besides, we want to make people happy, right?”

“Uh-huh!” Twist agreed. She reached over into her saddlebags and pulled out some rainbow-colored sticks. “Would you like to try thome? Thith ith our new zap apple flavor! It’th thure to be a hit!”

“Thank you, Twist!” Twilight said, taking them and setting them on the desk. “I’ll be sure to have them during lunch and I’ll let you know how they are, okay?” When the filly nodded, Twilight then said, “So, do you need help with any particular studies?”

“But I heard from somepony that said that Miss Applejack turned into a werewolf!” Tattle, a bright green batpony filly with curly purple hair, cried. “They said everypony in town did! So if they did, then you can, Miss Applejack!”

Applejack crossed her arms, trying to keep an even face. “Tattle, aren’t we supposed to be working on your classwork?”

Tattle blushed. “Sorry, Miss Applejack, but I know it’s true! I know it!”

Applejack thought it sounded outlandish…but there was something about it, as weird as it sounded, that had the edge of truth to it. So she turned to the one pony in there that she knew would tell her the truth. “Apple Bloom,” she asked, “what do you know about this?”

“Well….” The filly began to prevaricate, trying to figure out a way to not have to spill the beans while at the same time answer truthfully. Applejack was her sister, after all, and she could never lie to her sister. Even if it was an alternate universe version of said sister.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to.

“Tattle, I think you’re forgetting about the time Abby Cadabra came to town and wanted to stage a play – The Timberwolves at the Door, or something like that – and she used her magic to make some ponies look like wolves. I think that’s what you’re getting mixed up,” Sweetie Belle stated. “And then she couldn’t remember how to undo the spell, so some ponies like Sandalwood and Davenport were stuck like that for like, a week!”

“Really? I don’t recall hearing about that.”

“Yeah, I remember that clearly,” Silver Spoon added. “I was one of the fillies chosen to be a wolf cub. All that extra fur just bothered me forever.”

Tattle’s wings rustled. “Oh.”

Applejack patted the filly on the head. “Don’t worry about it, Tattle. We humans get things mixed up all the time. For example, Ah didn’t know batponies existed.”

Tattle looked up at her. “Really?”

“Yeah. Most of the time stuff like you are in fantasy books, but here you are, real and cute as a button.” She blushed at that and Applejack laughed. “Now, let’s help you with your social studies homework, okay?”

While Applejack’s back was turned, Diamond turned to Silver. “Thanks, Silvy. You really saved us from Tattle’s…well, tattletelling.”

“Just looking out for my friends,” was the earth filly’s reply. “And isn’t that what friends do?”

“So how come you don’t have wings?” Scootaloo asked Rainbow Dash.

“Look, humans…don’t, okay?” Rainbow was trying to remember, this was just her sister’s counterpart, not actually her sister. But given the voice and the general attitude, it wasn’t easy. “We have a lot of other abilities, just not flying.”

“Well, if you can’t fly, how do you join the Wonderbolts?”

Rainbow waved her hands. “Wait – who said we can’t fly? We just don’t have wings, okay, but humans fly. We’ve even been to space and landed on the Moon!”

The orange filly was surprised by that. “Wait…humans have been to space? I thought the only one that can do that is Princess Luna!”

“Oh, naaah, humans flew to space ages ago and we visited the Moon about thirty years before I was born or so,” Rainbow said. She wanted to pull out her cellphone, but she’d already been told that with the wi-fi being experimental still, it was only for communication and critical use and not for heavy download. She had no doubt that Sonata had even locked down all the fun sites. “I can’t show you right now, but I promise you that we have.”

Scootaloo sat and crossed her forelegs. “Prove it.”

Rainbow sighed, then called out to Twilight. “Hey, Twily, do you have the download override password?”

“Yes, I do, and no, I’m not supposed to share it with you,” came the reply. “The triplets specifically said so.”

“Can’t you, you know, just…say you didn’t, and did?”

Applejack laughed. “Look, you’re not the one that has to explain why the triplets’ critical military downloads suddenly have to wait because you want to download a patch for World of Warcraft or something.”

“Ha. Ha,” Rainbow drolled. “Look, I’m just trying to show them an example of planes and such.”

“I’ve got my tablet with me and I already thought to preload that stuff on there,” Twilight told the rainbow-haired athlete, “though we should save that for later. Right now we need to work on their school work before their PE session, right?”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, you have a point.”

Seated in the barn while her brother worked on a particularly problematic axle on one of the farm’s carts, Applejack struck up an important conversation – but for some reason, it wasn’t quite sinking in. “Mac, y’ understand what Ah’m sayin’, right?” she asked him.

“Eyup.” A laconic look came over his face as he continued to work, seemingly more focused on that than the topic.

“An’ y’ agree with me, right?”

The russet-colored stallion, however, shook his head. “Enope.”

“What? Why not?”

He finished hammering the pin back into place, then gave the wheel a lazy spin, making sure that it would remain in position. He then wiped off his brow and looked at his sister. “Ah think…y’ didn’t give that girl enough of a chance, sis. Ah mean, yeah, she’s dif’rent ‘n all from ya, but that’s jest th’ thing: she ain’t you.”

Applejack sighed. This argument again? “Look, Mac…she’s a faker. She ain’t no real Applejack.”

“Way Ah see it, she is. Real an Applejack as she needs t’ be, fer her sake,” he told his sister. “An’ if Ah reckon, more’n ya think. Maybe even more’n you.”

The farmmare’s eyes went wide at that. “What?”

He looked at the sky, something he always did when he was trying to put a thought to words. Finally, he looked at her. “She ain’t tryin’ t’ presume that yer the fake, sis. She’s comfy with who she is. An’ yet, you ain’t. Why is that?”

“Ah am fine with who Ah am, Mac! It’s her that’s the problem!”

“An’ why is that? When we talked t’ her th’ other night, she told me her brother – her Mac – is an artist. Now, Ah always had a hankerin’ fer art, but never the skill fer it. An’ yet t’ here that other Mac does? Fine by me – maybe he don’t have the farm skills Ah do, and Ah’m sure he’s okay with that. And Bloom was interested t’ hear that the other Bloom’s got what they call ‘computer’ skills, whatever that is. If’n it’s like our sis an’ the way she tinkers with stuff? Maybe they’re both th’ same, or both different. Either way, it don’t bother our sister none.” He ran a hoof over his mane, then savored the slight breeze that passed by them both. “So why does th’ other Applejack being so different get yer bee in a bonnet?”

“Ah ain’t havin’ this conversation,” she told him, turning to go. “If’n ya don’t get it, fine. Thought ya’d have a lick o’ sense ‘bout this. Guess Ah was wrong.”

As she stormed off, Mac watched her go. He shrugged and said, “Funny, Ah was about t’ say th’ same thing.”

The cries and giggles of colts and fillies as they kicked a soccer ball back and forth was music to Rainbow Dash’s ears. As she called out comments to and fro while trying to teach them the ins and outs of soccer, it was easy to see that she was having the time of her life.

Seated in a chair she’d brought outside, tapping away at her tablet, Twilight looked up occasionally as Rainbow and Applejack coached their individual teams. She was at first afraid that Rainbow would take her typical penchant for competition seriously, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. If anything, it seemed to have brought out that natural older sister penchant that Rainbow typically only showed around her younger sister.

“Looks like everything is going well.” Twilight turned to see Princess Twilight standing there, watching them. “This is how things should be: the colts and fillies, having a grand time, comfortable around you as if it were nothing special.”

Twilight gave her counterpart a smile. “It’s been my experience that kids tend to be more resilient to change than adults are. Adults bring way too much baggage to the table.” She then laughed and added, “As if I have any room to talk, given that I’m not legally an adult yet. Anyway, came by to tell us what’s going on this afternoon?”

She nodded. “Apparently there’s a farmer’s market going on in Berryville today, and I thought you might be interested, since they also play a lot of music during that time as well. I already checked with Rarity and Rarity, but they’re going to be busy working on your clothing for the coronation and the other events, so they declined. Neither of the Fluttershys were at the cottage, but I left a note there. As for Sugarcube Corner, they’re so busy today that I figure that both Pinkies will be unavailable today. I asked Razz if she wanted to come with us, but she said that she’s working on some issues related to a problem with one of her mages from yesterday.”

“Problem?”

“I didn’t ask. Since I’m no longer in charge of the Magic Guild, it’s up to her. It’s the reason why she’s Archmagus, after all,” Twilight said. “I’m sure she’ll figure it out. Anyway, how are things going on this end?”

“They’re enjoying soccer, although I think they just like kicking the ball back and forth,” the teen told the alicorn. “Aside from that, the schoolwork went along swimmingly; thankfully math is math everywhere you go, though I am curious as to why your math system is base-10 instead of base-4.”

“That’s probably the influence of the Megan, if you ask me,” Princess Twilight pointed out. “I’ve wondered that myself, but like you said, math is math. Anyway, so what’s your plan for the rest of the school day?”

“I’ve been working on a small presentation on my tablet for the Q&A session. If I showed you what a miniprojector is like, would you be able to replicate it?” A second thought then came to her. “You do know what a projector is, right?”

“Don’t worry about that,” the princess said as she cast a spell on the tablet. “When it comes time to display what you were going to, just point your screen against the wall and it will show the image there,” she assured her counterpart. “The spell should last until you turn your tablet off.” A thought then came to the alicorn. “Do you mind if I sit in? I’m always interested in learning about your world, especially with the things that Sunny’s been sending over.”

“I wasn’t aware that my sister was sending stuff,” the younger Twilight stated.

“Nothing significant; you won’t see cars or planes or anything anytime soon,” the princess assured her. “We’re starting small, with things like pens and quality of life items. We need a better technological base if we’re going to have anything like what you guys have; I have to admit, humans have a better comfort zone than ponies do, in many respects.”

“How so?”

“Well, you have all those interesting gadgets. I don’t know about any of the other things that Razz may have got while she was in your world, but I know she enjoys the MP3 player Sunny sent her as a gift. And I’m familiar with tablets myself, given that Sunny sent me one early last year. We try not to let either of them out of our hooves, though: I would seriously worry if ne’er-do-wells like the Flim-Flam Bros. got their hooves on them.”

“The Flim-Flam Bros.? Like the old appliance company?”

“Funny that you mention that: Sunny told me about them, and apparently they’re an example of how counterparts aren’t the same personality,” Princess Twilight told her. “From what little I understand, the human Flim-Flams were a pair of brothers who were ahead of their time and had the misfortune of having their business ruined by investors. Believe me, sometimes I wish their pony counterparts would suffer that fate: the two I’m familiar with are a pair of travelling grifters who unfortunately have made Ponyville a frequent target of their schemes in the past. I’ve hoped that we won’t see them as much now that Ponyville has grown much larger in size, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.”

“You make it sound as though they’re wanted criminals.”

“Crime…is a little different here. We try to forgive our criminals, and for the most part, when they realize their transgressions, they don’t do it again. That’s why we have a fairly small legal system for the most part; and when we have true criminals, they are worth the time of our law enforcement and legal apparatus. But I know it’s different on your world,” Princess Twilight said. “Honestly, given how different, I’m sometimes surprised that Sunny got away with what she did.”

“That was likely due to Ms. Celestia,” the teen said. “As long as I’ve known her, she’s always given her students more than a fair shake, and she hates to come down as the heavy. When she hits her limit, it’s because the student in question has usually been given more than enough chances. I love my sister, but even she admits she pushed Ms. Celestia and Ms. Luna to the limit more than a few times.”

“Well, at least they trust her now, right?”

“Oh, without a doubt. But for the first few months that she was living with us? I know that both of them fully expected that Shining would be carting Sunset off in cuffs. I’m glad that wasn’t the case, given that I got to see the person she’s become. But when she first showed up, both Tavi and I – or Tavi, the triplets and I, depending on which timeline – were afraid it would be very touch and go. But I guess she just needed someone to understand and love her, and I hope we’ve successfully done that.”

Finally, the teen noted the time on her tablet, and she called out to her friends and the students, “Okay, time to wrap it up, everyone! We still have the final hour to go and I have a presentation to show you all, and I’m sure after that you’ll all have questions, so the sooner we can begin, the better!” To the amusement of both Twilights and Applejack, both the foals and Rainbow groaned at having to end their game, though they did so with good nature and almost no fuss. They then noticed Princess Twilight and said their hellos, when she explained that she would be here for the final part as well.

“Well then,” she said, ushering everyone into the small classroom, “let’s get this started, shall we?”

“Looks like when this is done, this is gonna be a day that they’re not likely to forget,” Applejack noted.

“Yeah, it’s too bad that they’re not normal kids,” Rainbow said with approval. “Some of them took to soccer pretty quickly. That one, Quick Kick? Wouldn’t be surprised that if there was a soccer league here in Equestria, that he’d be a superstar of the pitch.”

“They are normal kids, Rainbow; they’re just not human,” Twilight reminded her.

“You know what I mean, egghead. I didn’t mean anything bad by it,” Rainbow defended.

The plum-haired scholar grinned. “I know, but if my sister’s not here to mess with you, someone’s got to do it.”

“Oh, ha ha ha ha – I almost laughed at that,” the athlete drolled. “C’mon, let’s get this last hour over and done with so we can send them on their way.”

Fluttershy thought she was in love.

Not with the person across from her, of course. That would be a little weird, the pegasus decided, especially given who it was. No, she was in love with the music she was hearing now: she’d never heard anything so beautiful before, the kind that just stirred her heart in ways she never really knew. It was…incredible, honestly, and even though she’d sung and modelled and done just about everything that put her in the public eye (even though it was the last place in the world she wanted to be), to hear that music now and to see it performed so beautifully…. Well, love was no better way to put it. It was the same kind of love that Twilight had for her books or Pinkie for her baking, the same kind of dutiful adoration that Rarity had for her dressmaking and Rainbow had for her breaking flight records. It was the devotion that Applejack had for her farm.

And even though Fluttershy didn’t have the same passion for music that the guitar player did, she knew that her calling – what gave her the mark that sat so securely on her flank – was borne of the same ardor that set fingers across wound nickel strings.

But there was one stark difference that the butter yellow mare knew sat between her and the guitar player: the guitarist was incredibly brave. From the stories she’d told, she’d been before tens of thousands – millions, even – and though she’d been afraid, she was more afraid of what she’d lose. She’d told the story of her separation between her father (and who her father was, Fluttershy was still completely amazed by that!) and what she’d done to reunite her family. That was also a brave thing that Fluttershy wasn’t sure she could have done (though, in fairness, her parents had always been together and the concept of them even being remotely apart was nigh unthinkable).

But the most amazing thing was the other person’s younger sibling: to Fluttershy’s surprise, that sibling was not Zephyr Breeze (lucky her!) but instead, somehow, that world’s Angel. He’d been born with a hearing disorder and was deaf, and yet the family had persevered past that and she loved her little brother to bits. Fluttershy certainly loved her brother, but she didn’t necessarily like him, if that made sense.

So, between the beautiful music and the stories of her life, Fluttershy was certain of two things: one, that she was sort of jealous of the life her counterpart – the teenage human girl also named Fluttershy – lived; and that the pegasus mare was very sure that she didn’t even have the ability to live the sort of life that the other Fluttershy did.

Still, she had that musical skill that she found absolutely gorgeous, so it wasn’t all bad, was it?

The pony looked over and then realized that the tea had gone cold. “I’m…going to get more tea, if that’s okay with you,” she said to her guest. “Would you like some?”

“Shy, you don’t have to do anything for me,” the teen Fluttershy said, as she stopped her playing to fiddle with the keys as she was searching for the perfect sound. “I’m perfectly fine. In fact,” she said, a smile coming onto her face, “I’m perfectly at peace right now.”

“Really?”

The girl nodded. “This place reminds me a lot of my grandparents’ home in Kalama Valley. Not so much the scenery, since they live on Oahu and that’s tropical, but this place has the same peaceful, gentle feeling.” Almond-shaped cyan eyes fixed onto large ones of the same color, and both held smiles of their own. “Sunny told me that the Everfree can be dangerous, but I don’t get that feeling right now.”

“Oh, it can be, if you’re not careful,” the pony told her guest, “but if you know the animals and how they act, they’re kind and peaceful. Only the worst-tempered of them don’t listen and those generally tend to stay away from the populated areas anyway. Most of the time, you get ones like Harry, who despite being a bear is so docile, he just wants to sit and eat honey all day.”

“Like Winnie the Pooh?”

A mane shook. “I don’t understand that reference, Flutters. Is that from your world?”

“It’s a series of children’s stories about a yellow bear who just wiles away the day and eats honey with his friends,” the teen explained. “I used to read them to Angel when he was younger, but generally nowadays he prefers to spend time with things like Borderlands.” The teen shuddered. “I really don’t like that game.”

“With a name like Borderlands, it sounds nice and peaceful,” the pony ventured.

“Except with all the violence, bloodshed and gore,” the teen sighed and the pony winced.

“Oh, so like the Rambunny stuff my Angel is into,” Fluttershy said, fluttering her wings in discomfort. “I…I’m not comfortable with it, but it keeps him happy, so I try not to lecture him on it too much.”

Nothing more was said while one Fluttershy went to the kitchen to get more tea, while the other idly played a couple of notes on her guitar. When the former returned, she gave her counterpart a smile and asked, “What are your parents like? I mean…I know you’ve mentioned them before, but…well, it seems so odd that unlike our other counterparts, we seem to have different parents.”

The teenage musician looked at her host. “I….” She frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that before.”

The mare went back into her bedroom briefly and brought back a framed photograph. Passing it to the girl, she said, “That’s my father, Nimbus Breeze; and my mother, Cumulus Strata. The goofball next to them is my kid brother, Zephyr Breeze.”

Fluttershy looked at him and noticed a strange resemblance between the young, unshaven stallion in the picture mugging before the camera and another Zephyr Breeze she’d met…but unlike the one in the picture, the one that was Shimmer’s stepfather figure was more sarcastic and cynical, “just like all cops are”, she’d once overheard him comment to Shining.

“Be glad he doesn’t come to visit me often,” the mare noted, “or else he might try something stupid.”

“Stupid?”

The pegasus nodded. “He kept pestering Rainbow for a date to the point that, little brother or not, she bucked him off a cloud once. He got the point after that.” The pegasus giggled and added, “Mom still thinks they’re a thing, mainly because my brother keeps telling her that, despite my words to the contrary. Anyway, Dad is a butterfly guide – he’s in charge of making sure that butterfly migration paths are safe for them – while my mom is a homemaker. What about yours?”

Fluttershy reached over to her tablet and brought up a picture of her family. “I already told you about Dad. He and I…we’re still working it out, though he’s trying. As for mom, that’s Dr. Posey – she’s a general practitioner at Equestria County General Hospital. And as I’ve mentioned, my little brother Angel is a dear, even if he can be a handful at times.”

The mare looked at the man with the shaggy white hair, tanned skin, soul patch and sulfuric yellow eyes; though she could see some connection to the Discord she knew, at the same time it was hard to believe this was his counterpart – he looked so normal, at least as far as humans apparently went. “Is he nice?”

The teenager gave a soft smile. “He’s trying to be the dad he couldn’t be all those years,” she admitted. “He’s always cooking, making sure that my music is developing and taking time out for the whole family. Though right now he’s performing in Spain with a friend of his as a favor, otherwise he’s going to take a couple of years off so that he could spend time with all of us. I guess he’s trying to make up for everything, even though I don’t think he really needs to—”

“TAA DAA!” There was a flash of psychedelic light, and a second later an all-too familiar draconequus stood there. He wore ill-fitting armor, a bath towel for a cape, and held both a trash can lid which was meant to be a shield, as well as a pool noodle with a sword hilt. “I have arrived!” he announced.

“Welcome back!” The pegasus, long used to this, just looked over at her friend and gave a wan smile. “Are you staying long?”

The teenager, however, was not expecting this. She immediately dived behind Fluttershy’s couch, as if expecting something odd. “What is that?” she shouted.

That caught the attention of the chaos god. “Ah, so you have a guest!” Turning his attention from the Fluttershy he knew, he snapped his talons and a second later, the teen appeared floating before him in a shimmering field of energy. Pulling a telescope out of nowhere, he peered at her, his eyeball somehow sticking out of the end despite the distance. “Wait – if you’re here, Fluttershy, then who is this?” he asked the mare.

The pegasus looked at her friend and said, “Um…that’s me? Sorta. Well, she’s another—”

“Oh, that’s right! That world that Celly’s rug rodent lives in! Well, I guess that means you’re a Fluttershy, too, right?” He tossed the telescope – which exploded into confetti a second later – then grew six arms and hugged her. “Well, that means I get two Fluttershys now!”

Embraced by the weird thing, Fluttershy tried to squirm out of his embrace. ⌠この怪獣くそは何ファックですか？⌡ she voiced, more out of shock than anything else.

Discord blinked. “Wait – Inariese?” He turned to Fluttershy. “Are you sure this is your counterpart? You don’t speak Inariese.” He looked at the human girl again and said, “Well, we can fix that.” He tapped her on the head and a flash of light later, a second pegasus sat next to the first one. He then looked at her and said, “Okay, they look too much alike – looks like an animation error.” He snapped his talons once more and this time a batpony version of Fluttershy stood next to her. “There! Much better and far trendier!”

Fluttershy, no longer human, looked at herself and naturally, completely lost her shit. “What the fuck?”

Fluttershy looked at the completely freaked-out Flutterbat, then back to the newcomer. “Change her back – you’re scaring her, Discord!”

Flutterbat’s eyes widened. “That’s Discord?” she gasped. “But that doesn’t look anything like my dad!”

Discord was taken aback by that. “Wait – your dad? Really?” Now it was his turn to be surprised, for a change. “My my my oh my, oh my stars and garters and cups of Earl Gray tea – now this I gotta see!” He reached for the Flutterbat, pulled the top of her head off like it was a removable lid, and looked at her brain for a second. He then closed the lid with an audible snap, leaving the freaked out pseudo-pony none the worse for wear.

The newly-made batpony immediately hid behind the pegasus, which seemed to a bit too calm, given the situation. “Discord….” the latter pony said in a cross tone.

“Wow, she wasn’t kidding,” he said, more to himself than anything else. “Now I really gotta see this,” he confessed, rolling back the sleeves of his armor as if they were cloth, then clapping his talon and paw together causing a really big blast of light.

A second later, running his hands through his wet hair as if to make sure the shampoo was doing his job, was Discord, rock star extraordinaire, soaking wet from his shower…and completely without a stitch of clothing because he’d been in the shower.

He paused for a second, blinking as he realized he wasn’t where he was a second ago. “Wait…what the hell?” he spoke aloud, then turned around, seeing the draconequus and the two ponies standing there.

Seeing her father in the buff, Fluttershy turned away. “I really didn’t need to see that.”

Blinking, the rock star looked around and moved his hands away from his hair. “Okay, please don’t tell me the roadie put stuff in the drinks again,” he groaned. “Starly promised me she wasn’t going to let that shit happen after the incident in Tenerife.”

“Hi,” the draconequus said to his counterpart, smooth as silk. “You think you’re dreaming now, right?”

“I hope so, because the alternative is not something I’d like to talk about with my family,” Discord commented.

“Well, one of them is right here.” The chaos spirit turned the human so that he faced the butter-yellow batpony. Noting that she still had her eyes screwed tightly shut, he muttered something about “censor bars” and a second later a large black box appeared from nowhere. “Say hi to your precious baby filly!”

Discord looked at the shivering bat-horse pegasus thing. “Yeah, this is really some weird shit. I’m going to have to talk to Starly tomorrow about this. She knows I prefer a clean run.”

“Starly?” the pegasus Fluttershy asked.

“Starlight Glimmer,” the normally-human Fluttershy answered. “I think he, uh, thinks he’s under the influence. Despite the image, he really doesn’t live the rock star lifestyle.”

“Oh.”

“Well, I think we’ve seen enough, and I think I should let things just get back to normal, right?” the draconequus said with glee. “Besides, I can’t take up the whole chapter, can I? Besides, now that I know you’re okay, I can go back to bopping bad guys on the head!” He snapped his talons…

…and a second later, Fluttershy, back to normal, sat on the ground, looking bewildered. She immediately began checking herself out to make sure she was her usual self, sans fur, batwings and other additions.

The pegasus went up to her and administered a hug. “It’s okay. He doesn’t mean any harm, really. He’s just…well, sometimes he just wants to show his good side.”

Fluttershy, however, wasn’t having any of that. She reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone and dialed. She waited several interminable minutes while the network that had been set up for this trip did its work through dimensions and a phone network or two.

“Hi, Mom?” the teen said over the phone.

“Hi, Flutters. You okay? The call is sounding kinda tinny.”

“Um…yeah. Phone service isn’t the greatest here,” she stated. “Anyway, is Dad okay?”

“Well, remember that he’s in Spain this month playing as a guest for Starlight Glimmer, since she was nice enough to get us the slot for you and your friends to go to Club Tropicana. Spoke to him last night and he seemed fine, why?”

“Uh, no reason, really, I just…well, I just wanted to make sure he was okay. I know he’d rather be home with us than on tour right now.”

“Sweetheart, you could just send him a text, you know. I’m sure he’d like that.”

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that,” Fluttershy replied. “Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll see you when I get back from the trip. Love you and give Angel a hug for me, okay? Bye!” She set down the phone, and then looked at her counterpart. “I think I need a drink and I’m not even old enough,” she sighed.

“I’ll get go get us some tea, okay?”

“Sure.” Fluttershy was beginning to wonder if this trip was going to get any weirder. It certainly couldn’t top that.

It took her enough times walking through the orchard, but she finally found where Rainbow Dash took her naps. Nestled in the branches of Niobe, one of the newer trees, sleeping amongst the buds and the blossoms, the pegasus almost looked peaceful and not worth waking up.

Still, Applejack needed answers – she needed somepony on her side. So she turned and gave the tree a buck, shaking with a few great thumps. The sturdy trunk jarred back and forth safely, but the vibrations carried through up to the branches and thus made burgundy eyes open in semi-wakefulness.

“Aw, c’mon, AJ!” Rainbow complained. “I just got to sleep after practicing for a few hours! Let me get some shuteye, willya?”

“Dontcha have a place fer that?” the earth mare told her friend with a cocked brow and a bemused smile on her muzzle. “‘Sides, Ah need t’ chat with ya fer a spell.”

“Can we do this later?”

“Want me to kick the tree again?”

“Fine, fine.” Rainbow jumped down from the tree, fluttering her wings. “Whatcha want?”

“I see you’re not with your counterpart either,” Applejack accused. “What, she a faker or something as well?”

“No, not at all.” Rainbow scratched the back of her head with her wings, a nervous trait that she had when she didn’t want to talk about something. As the others had known their friend for years, they’d picked up on it and said trait was now manifesting itself easily. “Quite the opposite.”

Applejack eyed her friend curiously. “Yer not makin’ sense, Dash. Ya bump yer noggin while crashin’ again?”

“I’m serious.” The pegasus’ demeanor was unusually quiet. “I’ve…actually been following them all day. Y’know, since it’s my day off and I was keeping an eye on Scoots.”

“And?”

Rainbow sighed. “She…that other Rainbow? She’s rough, probably rougher than I am, sure. But she’s living the high life, the kind of life I wish I did.”

Applejack blinked. “But…yer a Wonderbolt now! That’s what ya always wanted, innit, sugarcube?”

“Yeah, I always wanted to be a Wonderbolt…but that was back when the ‘Bolts were mostly for demonstrations and high-skill flying. And now, with us having mainly gone back to naval combat since the whole Tirek thing? I haven’t performed in some time. I still fly like I do, but it’s to keep my military skills up. And even if that wasn’t the case, since the war, there are a dozen teams now, all of which could be on the same level as the Wonderbolts. I wanted to be ‘Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolt’. I wasn’t expecting to be Lt. Rainbow Dash, REN, a member of the Wonderbolts, y’know?”

“So what’s that got to do with her?”

“She’s…she’s just a kid – they’re younger than us, right? But…it was what Sunset said. She can’t fly, she has no wings. But she’s good at whatever that game she taught the kids is, and she did some stuff with that spotted ball that I don’t think anypony else could do. She’s fast and agile, in some ways even….” Her words devolved into an inaudible mess.

“What was that?” Applejack asked.

“Fine – she’s even more agile than me, okay? Sure, in the air, I can’t be beat – but on the ground, I wonder if I could actually touch her!” The look on the winged mare’s countenance, Applejack realized, was not one of mistrust, but doubt, an insecurity that she hadn’t seen in Rainbow’s eyes in a long time. “Plus, she’s doing, in a sense, what I wanted to do: she’s wowing the crowds, being the best at what she is, and she’s going to go places, AJ – places I thought I was going to go!

“So if you’re asking me why I don’t want to hang around with my counterpart, it’s because I can see what she is…she’s what I wanted to be, and can’t be anymore. Maybe Twi or somepony would call that ‘growing up’ or some ponyfeathers, but you know what? If that’s the case? I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Rainbow, Ah….”

“Yeah, maybe I am being a coward about it, but…why are you afraid?” the pegasus asked her. “It’s clear that you and your counterpart are way different. Probably even more different than Pinkie and hers – and is it just me or do I get the feeling that other Pinkie is more like Twi than our Pinkie?” Before Applejack could answer, Rainbow said, “Nevermind,” then continued. “Seriously, don’t tell me you’re afraid of her, are you?”

“What? Are y’ plum outta yer mind, Rainbow? Why on Earth would Ah be afraid of that faker?” Applejack asked.

Now it was Rainbow’s turn to fix a critical eye on Applejack. “But she doesn’t seem fake. She’s just…different. Different like that other Rainbow is to me. It’s not like it’s going to change you.”

“Well, Ah want nuthin’ t’ do with her!” Applejack said, and stormed off.

Rainbow stood there, just about to go after her friend, when she heard shouting on the far side of the field. Wondering what it was, she rushed over there to see what the issue was. To her shock, she found two injured guardsponies, lying in the grass just on the Everfree’s threshold. Both looked like they’d been pummeled within an inch of their lives, and they were going to need a doctor.

“What happened to you two?” Rainbow asked them.

The senior of the two, wearing corporal’s stripes, looked at her, and said, “Monster! From the Everfree! It’s coming!”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Look, the humans aren’t monsters, okay? Okay, sure, they look like mutant minotaurs or something, but trust me, they’re not—”

“Not the humans!” the other guardspony said, a look in her eyes that was one of fright.

Standing in front of Vinyl Scratch’s Wubsarena, Gracenote seethed. She’d only been here for two days and now that human nag already had posters out! There they were at the entrance, behind the glass plating: two large, lifesize glossy posters proclaiming that FLUTTERSHY: The Human Music Sensation, along with several guest stars, were performing every night this week – except for tonight. And guess who was supposed to have that slot, but had to bow out because of a gig she had in Cloudsdale!

A gig that cancelled on me because everypony’s coming here to see that human nag! she seethed. Even the owner of the arena I was going to play closed down the Cloudisco because he’s here watching her play!

Not that it mattered anyway; Tuesdays were typically the slowest day of the week, both here and at the Cloudisco. But that wasn’t the point. No, the point was that even in the past year of playing at the Wubsarena, she’d never gotten so much as even anything other than an “also appearing” credit. And now this…this…human! came out of nowhere and stole all of the credit and glory that should have gone to her?

Hell, even Vinyl herself had to be a little jealous! And yet, she was slobbering all over that freak of nature like every other pony in town.

Well, Gracenote wasn’t going to stand for it, not at all! It was bad enough that she had to put up with growing up in the same town as Songbird Serenade, and having that harridelle eclipse her fame; now that she moved to Ponyville, she was not going to let that happen again!

Taking to wing, Gracenote thought about how she was going to have her revenge. She wanted it to be sweet, and she wanted the world to know that in the end, there would only be one superstar in Ponyville (well, two if you counted Vinyl, but clearly she didn’t count!) and that wasn’t going to be some strange weirdo from another world who shared the same name as the town veterinarian.

All it would take is just showing the locals who the real star was.

“So! This meetin’ o’ th’ Cutie Mark Crusaders is comin’ to order,” Apple Bloom stated, looking around at her fellow crusaders. “Fillies, we have a crisis and it’s going to take all of our combined talents in order to solve it.”

“We don’t have tickets to next month’s Wonderbolts show?” Scootaloo stated.

“I thought that their performances were postponed until further notice because they were on military duty,” Silver Spoon reminded her friend.

“Oh, I’d forgotten about that,” the pegasus filly groaned. “Ponyfeathers.”

“In any case, that ain’t the problem,” the yellow earth filly stated. “We have a request from Whitewater to help him find his cutie mark. He says he’s getting’ picked on because he don’t have his mark yet, an’ as Crusaders, we can’t let that continue.”

A guilty look on her face, Diamond Tiara raised her hoof. “I, uh, think we should assist him. Speaking as a former, um, bully—”

“We forgave you for that,” Sweetie Belle noted. “Besides, isn’t that why you and Silvy joined us Crusaders?”

“True, but that only makes it clearer why we should help the markless when we can. So, I propose we help him find his special talent.”

“Works for me!” Bloom stated. “All in favor, raise your hoof!” The four other fillies present did so in unison. “Then it’s settled. Ah told Whitewater we’d meet him after lunch in order t’ help him, an’ that’s what yer all gonna do.”

“We’re all?” Diamond asked. “Aren’t you coming along?”

Bloom blushed. “Unfortunately, mah sis needs some help on th’ farm today, so Ah can’t. But after Ah’m done, Ah’m gonna work on plannin’ his cuteceañera!”

“Um…colts don’t have cuteceañeras,” Sweetie reminded them. “Only fillies do.”

“Okay, Miss Dictionary, then I’ll plan his cutie mark party or whatever colts call it, okay?” Scootaloo insisted. “Anyway, it’s lunchtime and we all gotta go!”

“Best o’ luck t’ y’all!” Bloom said.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Silver said to no one in particular as the fillies departed the clubhouse.

Comments

[prism heart]

Gracenote is acting like a spoiled brat. I hope nothing TO severe happens with the monster in town. Applejack REALLY needs to pull her head out of her plothole before it becomes wedged in there.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

9624907 Yes, she is, and so is AJ, in her own way.

And yes. Yes, she does.

[namar13766]

9624907
I’m more concerned about Precious Jewel, mostly because I don’t want to see her become like Lysa Tully or Sansa Stark.

[Snowdrifter]

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Silver said to no one in particular as the fillies departed the clubhouse.

What you did here. I see it.