Part 8: Over the Hills.
On a Cross and Arrow
By Conner Cogwork
Twilight and her five friends are transported during a botched spell, across dimensions to... Ponyville, Equestria? But not the same one that they knew. Sitting on a bench is Harpsy and Babar. The Doctoress avoids apples from an aspiring Applebuck. And in a library across town, six stallions join their forces as they try to decipher the appearance of filly look-alikes of themselves around Ponyville!
Image credit to KtKat! Thanks SO much!
Part Eight
Over the Hills
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Well Tar-nation. Applejack grumped in her head. Not only were Pinkie not there, but they all had t' see me in THIS fru-fru thing.
Besides the removal of her hat once again, it was the only thing that they had added to her appearance. The dress was the same one that Rarity had begun to distract all the ponies as they waited. She had originally meant to have Fluttershy keep it, but, as everypony agreed, this was an emergency.
It looks better on 'er than it does on me anyways, on any day o’ th' week! she continued thinking, looking down at the dappled yellow thing. It had a white frilly border to its hem that made her think of pampered field fillies from the south, belles who did nothing but roam the hills behind their houses and occasionally broke out into song.
Not feelin' th' part. Especially not th' singin'.
But she hadn't protested at the moment. It had simply gone on over her head, pulled and tugged for a second, and then she had been out the exit like a shot, galloping at full speed towards Ponyville.
An' not a moment too soon! she gagged. She was chagrined to find that the twin bubbles of impending party disaster had already left Sugarcube Corner before she'd gotten there, but as long as she didn't have anymore interruptions, she would be able to catch up to her friend, before the both of them blew everypony out of the water.
At least the lead she'd been given was easy. There was only one party supplier in Ponyville, and that was the Jester's Joke shop. She had made a beeline for the establishment as soon as she had left the bakery.
As Applejack got closer, she began to notice that ponies... were staring. Not directly at her, to her relief, but off into the distance, down the street she was running through. Out of curiosity, she skidded to a stop next to a pair of young, gangly fillies who were also looking off in the same direction.
"What's all th' commotion'?" she panted, trying to catch her breath. "Somethin' come this way?"
"Not ONE something!" the taller of the two girls, an orange unicorn with a long green mane and lazy voice, proceeded to drawl. "TWO somethings~!"
"Yeah!" her green friend exclaimed, spiky red hair bouncing around a chubby-cheeked face. "There were TWO Berry Bubbles just now! And I heard them talking about a party!" She bunched her hooves together, as if she were about to explode into song. "Whenever there's a Berry Bubble Bash, everypony has fun, but if there's gonna be TWO of them, it's gonna be AWE-SOOOOME!"
The farmer found herself doing a double-take as she recognized the cutie-marks on the ponies she was conversing with. Proceeding to shake her head, she simply replied. "Thanks y’all, ah were just curious!"
They didn't even register her leaving, the cloud of dust she kicked up settling over their bodies like so much unused furniture.
As she turned down the street the shop was on, she encountered a mare escaping from the opposite direction. "They can take everything!" she was panicking. "Just DON'T LET THEM GET NEAR ME!"
Applejack had to blink a few times at the strange pony. She'd never met her before, either here or in her own world, but that apron she had been wearing had seemed important. Turning her head back to the shop, she then understood why.
Just now leaving the Jester's Joke shop were a pair of bubblegum bronies, saddlebags packed to bursting with various items of one sort or another. Hanging on the store's door, was a sign that read 'OUT OF STOCK.' That fleeing filly had been the storeowner, scared of the fact that the number of most loyal customers had suddenly doubled, and that by working together, they had completely cleaned-out her shop of each and every party and prank implement left in Ponyville.
Berry still took the lead, Pinkie apparently was more than willing to follow him about wherever he went. They turned back down the street towards Sugarcube Corner, heedless of the dozens of staring ponies. They still wore those overly happy smiles and content faces that they'd been wearing when he'd first left the HEDGE with her in tow. Acting like nothing was wrong with the world... That really got the orange equine's dander up.
With a snort, the farmer galloped straight towards the pair, fully intending on tackling her pink pony friend and whisking her out of Ponyville. At least, that had been the plan. She thought it was a good plan. Simple and straightforward.
It didn't account for the 'twins' suddenly looking off to the side and abruptly changing their course, as they chanted in stereo "Oooooh, slushies!"
Aw ponyfeathers. the applebucker groaned, as she landed in the dirt. Rarity's gonna 'ave a fit 'bout this dress.
She raised her head and tried to focus her spinning green eyes on what the two were doing. For a split-second, she saw four blurs of pink, which was too terrifying to even contemplate. Focusing harder, she saw that they had actually stopped moving, sitting on their haunches in front of a frozen treat stand, the stallion manning the place looking from one pony to the other, fear evident on his face.
"I'll have an EXTRA-large Cotton Candy Swirl, with some CHERRY COLA!" Pinkie cheered, a hoof pointing at the named item on a chalkboard menu.
"Make it DOUBLE for me!" Berry added, his curled mane bobbing as he rapidly nodded. "Double the pleasure!"
The pink mare's eyes lit up. "Double the fun!" she continued in a singsong voice.
They then pressed their heads together and sang out the rest of the jingle in harmony, looking at each other mischievously. "That's the STAAATE-ness of the great-ness of Bubble-Mare-Gum~!!"
The two then proceeded to giggle madly, giving everypony who was watching the scene an extra case of the uneasy shivers. Or at least the chance that Applejack needed to calmly get to her hooves and walk over to the party-ponies, seating herself right next to the female one.
"Pinkie Pie." she started, in a flat voice. "What in all o’ th' bloomin' apple trees 'n Equestria are ya doin’?"
"Oh, I'm going to have a SUPER-DUPER special party with my new friend Berry Bubble, wanna come and help?!" was the reply she got, before that frizzy mane turned, blue eyes seeing her friend for real.
"Oh!" Pinkie exclaimed joyfully. "Heya Applejack!"
"Heya sugarcube." Applejack replied.
"Oh!" Berry exclaimed joyfully. "Heya Applejack!"
"Heya haystack." Applejack replied.
The farm-filly's eyes shot open, her mane standing on end as she recognized that drawl. Slowly, she tilted her head to the right, peering past Pinkie, and seeing her male reflection doing much the same over Berry's shoulder.
"Oh! Why h-howdy there, Cousin JayJay." the orange stallion spoke. "Fancy meetin' you here. Ah was hearin' a buncha commotion all th' way from th' market, an’ ah had t' see what was goin' on." His green eyes then fixed themselves back on his colt-friend, before switching to gaze at the femme partypony, and then back and forth. "But laaaaaand sakes! Ah shore weren't expectin' anything like THIS!"
"Yer tellin' me!" The blonde mare agreed. "Ah'm awful sorry 'bout all this, a-ah had no idea that there'd be another pony like mah friend Pinkie-Pie here. Otherwise, ah'd woulda never 'ave brought her t' Ponyville in th' first place!"
"But 'JAY-JAY'!" Pinkie Pie gushed loudly. One could practically hear the quotation marks. "I thought that we arrived here knowing that there were going to be other ponies like-"
She was silenced by an apple. One good thing about the dress, AJ reflected, was that it possessed pockets for extra emergency apples.
The draft horse had to blink a few times at that scene. Why did that seem so familiar? "So... Berry..." he started slowly, fixing his friend with a gaze. "What were y’all plannin' on doin' wit' yer new... filly-friend?"
The pink colt stood on his hindhooves. Nopony knew where he had suddenly obtained a skillet and a white chef's uniform, complete with apron. "She's koinda new in town, y'see. Me 'n moi friend Pinkie here, woi're gonna shake things up around here in Poenyville tonoight!" he drawled in a depressingly hokey Emeril Lagrassy accent. "Tell mie, Appolejack... are youse all ready, t' BUCK IT UP A NOTCH!?" Berry tossed a clove of garlic into the pan, which exploded with a BAM!
Applejack was NOT ready, as evidenced when he stuffed an apple of his own into the pink equine's mouth.
His femme doppelganger couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. His ears perked at the sound, and he looked back at Pinkie Pie, who had begun chewing through her red fruit gag. He snickered, before joining in on the chuckling.
"Aaaah, land sakes!" the orange filly sighed, wiping at an imaginary tear. "Them Party ponies! Can't live wit' em..."
"Can't live wit'out 'em." he finished, before looking back at the female farmer herself. His eyes widened. "That's a new outfit on yah, cousin. Looks like somethin' a friend o’ mine woulda made."
"O-oh!" AJ found herself blushing and looking down, having forgotten that she was still trussed up like a schoolfilly on a first date. "Th-thank'yah kindly. Ah'm just borrowin' it from a friend. I-It tain't really mah style, y'know, now that ah look at it. Ah kindah-"
"Personally, ah think it looks pretty nice on yah." the stallion replied, his hooves crossing into his signature easygoing pose.
She had cause to blink. Did ah just go n' tell mahself ah look pretty?
"Cousin JayJay..." Now the orange workhorse faltered, the yoke around his neck seemingly weighing him down. "Since yer here, ah figure... now's as good ah time as any to... well… " He gave a sigh as he tilted his head down, trying to corral his words.
It was here that the farmfilly began to blush something fierce, the hole in her stomach yawning open ferociously. Ah hope he ain't 'bout t' say what ah THINK he's 'bout t' say! Ah don't even FEEL that way 'bout 'im!
"Ah wanted t' apologize." he finally blurted. "Fer th' other day. Ah had no right t' out 'n go be nasty 'n suspicious 'bout you. When y’all up 'n disappeared that time in th' market, Applebuck was as sore towards me as a pegasus who'd fergot t' flap." His blonde mane ruffled as he shook his head side-to-side. "After thinkin' 'bout it, ah realized he was right. Ah'm not quite sure what came over me that day. It was improper o' me, and mah Gran-pappy always told me t' treat a lady with proper respect. So it's wit' that respect that ah say, ah'm sorry... can we try again, cousin?"
Applejack blinked, her eyes wide. On the one hoof, she had been relieved to discover that it was not in fact, a declaration of affection as she had feared. On the other, she was rather confused about what she WAS feeling. The earlier pit in her stomach was no longer present. What she was feeling right now, she hadn't the words for. It was different. A warmth. Like she'd just had a piping hot cupcake straight from the pan.
Or a slice of familiar, comforting, apple pie.
It was family, she realized, now recognizing the tug she'd felt whenever Applebuck had been around her. Somewhere along the line, she really had started thinking of her other self as a cousin, she realized. If not something closer. And his apology just now, it felt as if a great big blanket had been dropped over her body, soothing and warming. She had been accepted.
"...shore we can, cousin." she finally replied at length, a genuine smile crossing her face. "We Apples've gotta stick together after all. Apology accepted, Cousin Applejack."
The stallion smiled in return, a look of relief evident in his face. "Glad t' hear that, Cousin JayJay."
"Awwwwww~!" a cheerful voice sounded from the side. It was interrupted by the sound of straw-slurping, before it continued. "Aren't they just so CUTE when they make up?"
"They are! Hey Applejack, you and 'Cousin JayJay' wanna help us with our party tonight? You can supply the apples for bobbing-for-apples!" This was also punctuated by another slurp.
AJ was quickly reminded of her mission, as she saw Pinkie Pie and Berry Bubble sitting together off to the side, watching the two orange horses intently, their slushies now in-hoof.
"O-oh, that reminds me!" she quickly started, coughing behind a hoof. "Pinkie, we need t' talk, you 'n I. Let's go off someplace AWAY from here, a'fore somethin' else happens."
The insinuation appeared to fly right over her friend's head. "But 'JAY-JAY', Berry and me need tah get back to Sugarcube Corner! How else are we gonna throw our super-duper special hybrid Berririffic-Pinkielicious Berry-Pinkie Bubble-Pie Bash-Party, without the Pinkie Pie Party portion involved?"
"Ah was kinda hopin' you wouldn’t actually, sugarcube." The farmer got her face right up into the pink pony's own. "Pinkie, ah just don't think Ponyville's ready fer th' two o' yah! Ah mean, yer parties are always a hoot'n a holler t' go to, an' ah bet his are too. But wit' th' two o' yah workin' together, y’all might wind up makin' a party that nopony can handle!"
"Awww, 'JAY-JAY' has a point!" Berry chimed in. The way he had said her alias made her wonder. "What if we DO over-do it?! Maybe NO one pony should have all that party!"
"Now now, haystack." Male-Jack offered. "Y'know, we're not doin' anythin' at th' farm this evening. You an' yer friend could work onna party there together, and we'd just invite the guys. Just a friendly li'l shindig. How's that sound, cousin?"
Darn mah tendency t' wanna offer mah support. "W-well, while that sounds mighty kind o’ yah cousin, me 'n Pinkie really have t' head out o' town t'day!"
"No we don-!"
"Sugarcube, please zip it." AJ whispered, bringing a hoof up to interrupt. She then turned back to her double. "A-sides, you shore y’all got everythin' done? Got th' pigs all slopped?"
A nod. "Applebuck got t' them this mornin'."
Green eyes were narrowed. "Got th' trees fertilized?"
A raised eyebrow. "Red Gala took care o’ that earlier."
Pinkie's blue eyes shifted back to her friend. "Y'done all the bakin' fer t'day?"
Berry joined her, his own bright orbs joining in watching the verbal tennis match. "Got th' last Dutch pie outta th' oven not forty minutes ago! Still fresh 'n hot, if you'd like t'come back to th' cart and have a bite."
And suffer another gut-wrenching indecisive sibling moment with Applebuck? No thanks. Desperate, Applejack racked her mind for another chore, any chore, that might not've been done yet. Then one hit her.
"What 'bout th' four-leaf Clover seeds? Y’all need those germinated in time fer th' derby."
"Oh pshaw." the stallion waved a hoof at her. "That's a right piece o' pie right there. We only ever grow three atta time, just fer th'-..."
He paused, his hat suddenly tilted to the side as his eyes widened. "Wait... hang on just one cottonpickin' minute... only Me, Red Gala, and th' Mayor know 'bout us supplyin' the Clovers fer th' Clover Derby... how did YOU know, Cousin JayJay?"
Her ears drooped in hopelessness, as she realized that the very same fact was also true in her world. For a depressingly long time, the Clover Derby had been a dismal failure, year after year, until the Mayor had approached the Apple family with an offer to help increase the odds of finding a four-leaf clover. She had given them leeway on their farm taxes, in return for a small number of the rare plants to be grown every year for the derby.
They had accepted, but had kept it hush-hush. Not that AJ had minded giving competitors a fair chance at getting one of the plants, but still. Apples growing clovers? She didn't really want that getting around.
And apparently, neither had her double, as he drilled a look of pure shock and curiosity in her direction.
"It's a MYSTERYYYYY~!" Pinkie offered, bouncing up between the two orange ones, Berry in step behind her. "And one that you're going to have to WAIT for!"
The farming colt gave Pinkie a look that said she'd just claimed she was a moon-pony. "Really? How d' y’all figure that?"
"Be-CAAAAuuuUSE my HOOVES are itchy!" she sang, shuffling her feet in the dirt. Instantly, Applejack's ears perked, as she began scanning the ponies on the street. "And that means you're gonna have-tah CHASE US!!"
"Pinkie!" the blond mare gaped, looking warily about with panic in her eyes. "He don't know anythin' bout yer Sense, why cain't yah keep yer pie-hole shut and let it all-'
Dusk Shine suddenly rounded about from behind a building's corner, Spines perched on his back. His expression had been calm and content, at least up to when he spied the open-doored state of the Joke shop. His purple eyes cast about the crowd...
... and instantly zoned in on her own green ones.
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There were four ponies in front of that slushie stand.
Two orange. Two pink. All Earth-ponies.
One filly and one colt per color.
The manestyles and eyes... and CUTIEMARKS... all matched each other.
And the orange mare had spotted him.
"Sorry sugarcubes!" she suddenly blurted, teeth latching around the pink filly's frizzy tail. "Need tah move 'em out!"
"Bye Berry!" the party pony called out, cheerfully waving as she was hauled away tail-first at breakneck speed. "See you! We should do this again soon!"
"Bye Pinkie!" Berry Bubble called back, waving in return, a half-finished slushie in the other hoof. "We should! I'll be waiting!"
Applejack watched the rapidly retreating pair with disbelieving eyes, before he starting looking about to see what had set them off. Upon sighting his unicorn friend's own wide-eyed gaping expression, he called out.
"Dusk! What in tarnation's-"
"APPLEJACK!! AFTER THEM!!"
He didn't need to be told twice. His hooves thundered as he took off, hot on their trail, Dusk following him from behind, a startled dragoness holding on for dear life.
Trailing in the rear of the pack, a perky pink colt bounced along at his own pace, happily humming a tune to himself.
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Consarn this dress! Tweren't ever made wit' runnin' in mind!
When Pinkie had mentioned itchy hooves, she had hoped against all hope that it wouldn't mean copious amounts of running for the two of them, as it had in the past. But alas, that was not to be. Once again, the Pinkie Sense had proved itself infallible. Unfortunately.
She had managed to make to the outskirts of Ponyville, her friend’s body flailing in the air as she continued hauling her by the tail, the filly’s body surprisingly light. So far, they were making good time with their head start. She had hoped it would be enough. However, that hope didn't hold out long as she heard the heavy hoofsteps of her male alter-ego slowly become more and more distinct, as he caught up to them.
"Cousin JayJay!" he called out. "Ah dunno what this is all 'bout, but if y’all come back, we can talk this over!"
"Shurhy, shurguhcube! Gun't du thut!!" she replied through a mass of pink frizz.
"What was that?!"
Pinkie cupped her hooves as she called back. "She said 'Shurhy, shurguhcube! Gun't du thut!'!" she explained, helpfully.
"Why not?!" the Stetson-bearing stallion yelled. At least having the yelling being done in HIS direction helped in translation.
"Nught aht lihberthy th' thay, cusfhin!"
"Whaat?!"
"She said 'Nught aht lihberthy th' thay, cusfhin!'!"
"Ah can't rightly say ah like that answer, cousin! Ah've got a few questions fer yah myself!"
"Thfey'll hvevv tah whet fpher anothftfa thime!"
"WHaaaaat?!"
"She said 'Thfey'll hvevv tah whet fpher anothftfa thime!'!"
"Pinkthie Pief, thuftf upf!!"
"Pinkthie Pief, thuftf upf!!" the party pony parroted, hooves and mane waving in the wind.
"Well, if that's how y’all're gonna be!..." a bit of silence, before his voice returned. "Thfen yuu gibv meh nu choife, phudnrah!"
The sudden addition of a lisp in her double's voice made alarm bells go off in her head. Instantly, Applejack felt like a sitting duck.
Her fears do not go unfounded, as a lasso flew out into the air, casting a thin shadow on the fleeing fillies. As it descended threateningly above her head, the farmer suddenly bolted off to the side, narrowly avoiding the closing noose. She swore she felt a seam or two rip in the dress's skirt. Pinkie whooped as she was jolted off alongside, body bouncing through the air like a wind sock.
A few lengths back, the orange stallion's eyes widened as his attempt at capture was evaded. He'd never missed a shot. Then again, he'd never tried to lasso an escaping pony before. Especially not a pony who had managed to surprise him twice in one week. She rather reminded him of... well, mahself actually, his mind pondered.
Still, he remained hot on their trail. They had continued running in a fairly straight direction, off towards the Everfree Forest. If he could catch them before they reached there, he'd be a right happy colt. And he was sure that he'd catch them eventually. He reeled the rope in, and started another lasso a-spinning.
The galloping mare moved in a zig-zag pattern as she continued covering ground. Ah'm gettin' close to th' HEDGE, but ah need t'shake mah 'cousin' off our tails first, a’fore ah head there f' real. He's a big boy... ah know that Big Mac has more stamina than me 'n Pinkie Pie. If mah other self's more similar t' Big Mac than t' me... will he... will he be able t' outrun me?
Her ear cocked as she heard the rope whistle again. "Incthuming ah fphive aclophk!" Pinkie yelled at her, now talking with a piece of her mane in her mouth.
AJ looked back in time to see a low-flying halo spinning towards her, aimed at her legs. He's tryin' t' hogtie me! she realized, and braced herself.
The lasso actually managed to hook itself around her right hindleg, but before it could draw tight, she leapt into the air. The noose popped loose as it slipped off in mid-flight.
The farm-colt in the back almost tripped at this. That should have gotten her, easily! Cousin JayJay shore seems t' know her lassos! he found himself thinking, as he pulled the rope in for another toss.
"Hpe's stfhrthin' upf aghein!" the pinky earth-pony called back to her friend. "I'hve nuveh BEEN inneh rhodtheo bffphore! Whpheeeee~!"
The blonde mare looked around the field they were running through, for anything, anything at all. Any obstacle that'd might help. All that she saw were trees in the distance. Wait, there was one tree that was closer that that... And as it drew closer still, she recognized its breed, and began angling herself towards it.
They were upon it in no-time, and it was only here that Applejack paused in her running. At least long enough to give the tree a good old-fashioned Apple family tree-buck. She then sent off flying again, Pinkie's momentary rest on the ground quickly interrupted.
Male Applejack closed in on the tree, and arrived just in time for the large plant to finish it's shivering, pelting the pony with dozens upon dozens of bumpy bright-green Bodark fruits. Quite literally, horseapples.
He yiped and stumbled, doing his best to avoid the falling crop. Here and there a bodark broke open on his flank or his snout, the heavy fruit giving him thumps, but thankfully nothing that would leave more than a bruise. For a second, he almost lost his hat.
Then he was off again, the rain of horseapples having done its job and slowed him down. He could still see the escaping ponies though, and worked his legs even harder as he tried to close in. She shore BUCKS like an' Apple. he found himself thinking once again. Ah've got no doubt now. She IS family. So why 'n tarnation's she so scared o’ Dusk?
He didn't whip the lasso back out, as he drew closer. Instead, he tried to come within conversation distance once again, his voice ragged from heavy breathing.
"Cousin!" he yelled. "C'mon back now and let's stop this foalishness! Dusk won't hurt ya' none, ah promise! Why cain't we talk this over like normal ponies?!"
"Cfhause weh thain't norfmhal pohnfies!" his doppelganger cried out, her natural honesty slipping out around her friend's tailfur.
"What was that?!"
Pinkie lifted her head "Thpre thaid, 'Cfhause weh thain't-!"
"Fer Pete's sake Miss Pie, y’all dun need ta talk like ah mule with ah toothache now, y'hear?!" The colt was seeing more and more of Berry inside the bubblegum pony every time she opened her mouth, and a little of that good-natured irritation he usually reserved for him was slipping out as a result.
The filly spat out the piece of hair that had been in her mouth, and drawled in a surprisingly good approximation of her friend's voice. "She said 'Cause we tain't normal ponies!"
Applejack rolled her eyes. Here she was, trying to shake off her stallion-self, and Pinkie was acting as a go-between. Her legs were beginning to burn, and she was pretty certain that the sundress she had on was looking like it'd just gone through a war.
Somethin' gottah give. she groused. Ah could maybe run faster if ah didn't have this fru-fru thing on, but he tain't gonna give me th' time t' slip it off. If only ah could find a GOOD way t'-
She saw a dark line come into view across the field. Memories began to pop up. She knew where she was. This was one of Barley Oat's fields, and the formation she was coming across was in fact, a three-yard deep, dried-up creek bed. She remembered playing around in it as a filly, and taking naps under the many trees that grew along its edge.
And just like that, she then had a plan.
She turned her head to look back at her opposite gender, her eyes narrowed and a smile on her lips. "Yhph'all pheelin' lucphy, cfusfhin?!"
"What'd she say?!"
"She SAIIID~" The pink filly looked back at her friend, before turning her head back around and giving the stallion a matching grin. "Y’all feelin' lucky, cousin?"
She then yiped as she was yanked forward, her body rippling like a flag in the breeze as the farm-filly put on an extra burst of speed, galloping towards one of the trees lining the creek. Jack gaped for a second, before increasing his velocity to match.
As they drew closer, AJ mumbled though her lips. "Hold ohn thpight, shurguhcube!!" she called out to Pinkie, before snapping her neck forward.
With her mouth full of tail, the apple pony wasn't really able to retrieve her own rope. So she had to make do with what she had. The party horse barely had time to squeal as she suddenly found herself being tossed around in circles, apparently being used for a substitute lasso. As they finally arrived at the tree, right before it looked like they were about to plummet into the creek bed, Applejack tossed her pink friend into the air.
For her part, Pinkie held up remarkably well as she caught a branch in her mouth, her body stretching like taffy as the orange equine pushed off and propelled herself into the air. As she hit the apex of her hang-time, she gave another yank to her 'lasso', causing the pony to dislodge herself. The pair landed on the other side of the creek with nary a scratch.
And as AJ looked back, she found herself grinning as her alter-ego tossed a lasso at that same branch, apparently intent on beating his cousin at her own game.
Sorry sugarcube. Despite everythin' 'bout th’ two of us that's still alike, you 'n me still have differences. Yer a boy, and so you've got th' endurace that ah know a stallion has. But ah'm a mare, an' ah've got somethin' that you'll never have.
And that's a different center o’ balance!
Applejack watched as her doppelganger pushed off into the air. However, his leg strength, coupled with his top-heavy musculature, worked against him as he took off much faster than intended, the rope looping him up and around the treebranch and giving him a face-to-face meeting with Mister Trunk, landing with a hefty *WHAMPH!!* on the opposite side.
With that, the farmer pony let out a whoop of country cheer, Pinkie yelling alongside her, as they galloped off into the bushes, unseen and unhindered.
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There was a moment or so of silence. Or at least, he would have liked for a moment or so of silence. The ringing in his ears would just not let up!
Applejack stumbled as he peeled himself off the tree's bark, green eyes crossed. He was aware that somewhere in there, his hat had fallen off. Right now at this moment, his vision was too impaired to go looking for it. He was pretty content to just sit there on his haunches, leaning back, waiting for the world to come back into focus again.
There was a ragged breathing as another stallion clumsily ran up to join him. Dusk wasn't built for this kind of marathon running, and it showed as he came into view, bags under his eyes, his mane and tail limp with sweat. Even his horn seemed to droop. Spines was in no better condition, her eyes having shrunk to pupils, claws digging deep into the lavender pony's hide.
"Wha... wha..." the unicorn was having trouble catching his breath. "Where... did... did they... they go... AJ?"
The farmer barely registered his presence. Doing an impressive imitation of Derpy Doo, one eye focused on him, while the other seemed to inspect a random bird in the sky. "WHATDYA SAY?!" he shouted.
"I said, where did they go?!" The student raised his voice, already suspecting the worst.
"HOW DOES HAY FLOW? AH DUNNO, AH ALWAYS THOUGHT IT STOOD STILL MAHSELF!"
"No, the fillies, AJ!" Dusk stomped a hoof in frustration. "The fillies got away, didn't they?!"
"THE FLIES GOT T' PAY, Y' SAY? THEY'RE MIGHTY ANNOYIN' AH AGREE, BUT-"
"Gah, not this again!" he grumped, trotting past him and scanning the field with wide purple eyes. "We were so close Applejack. So CLOSE. I actually SAW them this time!"
"OH, AND DUSK, SORRY 'BOUT LETTIN' COUSIN JAYJAY AN' HER FRIEND GET 'WAY. AH STILL DUNNO WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT THOUGH!!"
"What happened, anyway?" He looked back at the applebucker, and seemed to notice for the first time his friend's condition, a look of concern going over his face. "She didn't happen to buck you, did she?"
"HUH?!" The orange colt blinked, before finally focusing both eyes on him. "OH! NAH, SHE JUST WENT N' PULLED A FAST ONE ON ME, S'ALL. OH, BY THE WAY, YOU SEEN MAH HAT?"
Dusk sighed, before wincing and looking back at Spines. "You can let go now, hon."
"I'm kinda afraid to. If I went and put a hole in your hide from hanging on too tight..."
She was given a look, and she obediently hopped down. The magician turned back to Applejack, and began inspecting him for bruises. "So... 'Cousin JayJay’?"
"THAT'S RI- Oh, eheh, uhm, yeah that's right." he began. "She showed up in town a couple o' days ago. Ah'd never seen 'er b'fore, but she said she were part o' th' family, just had th' farthest farm, an could never make it to th' reunion. She's an Apple though, through n' through." His eyes unfocused a bit as he recalled the chase. "Ah tried t' lasso her, but she 'voided every one, an' then she went n' bucked a horseapple tree on me." A hoof rubbed at one of his shoulders. "Darned near tripped me up there. But Ah stayed on their tail right up t'... well, right up to 'bout here, actually."
The unicorn raised an eyebrow, as he looked behind him at the creek bed. "Up to here? She made it across and you didn't?"
"It was SUPER AMAZING!" a new voice dropped in from above. "Applejack was all like VROOM, and then Cousin JayJay was all like VROOM, and they ran for the tree, and then JayJay used Pinkie as a rope and swung her way across, and then Applejack tried too, but he was too big, and he went WHOOP and landed back up against the tree, which looked like FUN, except for the landing-on-your-face part..."
All three looked up to see Berry Bubble hanging down from the sycamore's branches. They didn't ask how he'd gotten up there, as the pink pony fell from the height, accompanied by a few leaves. It was Berry being Berry. That was all they needed to know.
"Uhm... yeah. What he said." Applejack flushed slightly under his yoke, at his less-than-flattering defeat. Having been outsmarted by a filly, family or not, still stung something fierce.
"I see... At any rate," Dusk shook his mane. "Applejack, you did notice the resemblances, right?"
"Resemblances?"
"You know. Your 'Cousin' is an orange earth pony with a blonde mane just like you, right?"
"True, but th' same can be said o' my Cousin Apple Cobbler!"
"She's also got green eyes and freckles like you, remember?"
"In case y’all fergot pardner, Red Gala's got'em too. An' ah highly doubt you'd fergotten that. Ah've seen th' looks you've thrown at mah big sister-"
"NOT the point." the unicorn gave a hoof-swipe. "And she's got the same kind of accent that you've got, doesn't she?"
"Haystack, ah fail t' see yer point. In case y' haven't noticed, all us Apples speak th' same. Annit TAIN'T no ack-cent!"
"GUH, never mind!" Apparently, Applejack would be a hard sell. He quickly pointed a hoof at Berry. "What about HIM? You saw HIS friend, right? Didn't you find it a bit suspicious that they were so similar to each other?"
At this, the farmer brought a hoof up to his chin. "Now that y’all mention it, it did seem a might bit strange. Ah mean, ah understand that anypony who saw Two Berries bouncin' down th' street together would have th' right t' go freakin' like a striped ape. One's a bit much already. What in th' world would we'd ‘ave done wit' TWO o' them?"
"And you, Berry." Now the lavender pony turned his head to face his perky pony pal. "Where did you find your 'companion' in the first place?"
Bubble leapt to his hooves as he happily answered. "Oh, she hopped out of a bush!"
Stares all around. "She.... what now?" Spines asked.
"Well, y'see, it went kinda like this. I was on my way to Zircon's hut to see if he had any kind of good berries that I could use in my next batch of cupcakes, but while I was on my way there, I had a new kind of Berry-Sense COMBO that I'd never had before! My hindlegs spun in place, then my forelegs, and then my whole body spun me around like a tornado! And when it stopped, I saw this bush, and I figured that since my Berry Sense never usually goes off without somepony around, there must be somepony around hiding! So I go up to the bush and I say 'Hello, is there somepony there! But if there isn't, I TOTALLY understand!', and then I talked about throwing a party for them in Ponyville, and then BOING, she hopped out! She told me her name was Pinkie Pie, and that she'd love to help me hold a party, and so we went back into town and we went to Sugarcube Corner and we made plans on making a brand-new-kinda-party the likes that Ponyville had never seen, and then we went to the Jester's Joke shop, and everypony kept STARING at us, and then-"
"Berry." Applejack stuffed another apple into the stallion's mouth. "Ah think we git th' picture."
Dusk however, pressed in. "You said she jumped out of a bush?"
Berry took a bite of his apple, and munched, before going "Yep!"
"On your way to Zircon's?"
"Yessiree bob!"
"On the edge of the Everfree Forest?!"
"Uh-huh! Ran into a pink party pony who looks just like me, talks just like me, loves to party just like me, and even has the same CUTIE-MARK as me!"
"WHERE?!" the bookcolt demanded, grabbing his friend and shaking him by the shoulders. "Tell me Berry! WHERE'S THE BUSH?!"
"Dusk!" The farmer gaped, before taking the dark purple tail in his mouth and tugging him away from the fluffy-maned one. "Ah don't think Ah'm followin' here. Yer not sayin' that Miss Pie is actually dangerous, are yah?"
"It's NOT just her!!" he turned to face the orange one again, eyes wide and expression panicked. "Over the past few days, strange ponies! Strange FILLIES!! Have been showing up all over Ponyville! Butterscotch, you heard about his girlfriend?! Blitz got kicked in the face by one of them, who then escaped with the Sonic Rainboom! Elusive has a mare who looks JUST like him, visit his shop, and they fall head-over-heels with each other! Your 'Cousin' shows up and out-maneuvers YOU, the king of all things country! And NOW there are TWO BERRY BUBBLES!!"
While Applejack was left trying to imagine what a female Rainbow Blitz would look like, Dusk turned back towards his perky pink companion. "And I've been trying, with no luck so far, to find where it is they've been hiding! They MUST have some kind of plan for us! They wouldn't have caused so much CHAOS if they hadn't! Tell me Berry, where did you find the bush? Can you take me to it?! If you can, we can finally confront them and put an end to this WHOLE thing!!"
Berry Bubble took in the pleading face of his friend with his blue eyes, before he scrunched his face up, trying to think. "Hmmm..." he dramatically hummed, cupping a chin with his hoof, stroking his lip. Spines half-suspected a cheesy curly moustache to appear at any second now.
After a full minute of thought, the unicorn stallion leaned in. "W-well? Do you remember, Berry?"
A beat passed, before the party pony uncrossed his hooves and shrugged with an apologetic face. "Nope! Sorry Dusk, but ALL those bushes look alike, you know! They could be ANYWHERE along the Everfree Forest! Sorry I couldn't be of more help! Bye!"
And with that, Berry got to all four hooves and skipped away back in the direction of Ponyville, singing 'La-lala-lalaaaa~' as he went.
Dusk was left with a wide gaping look on his face. With no small amount of trepidation, AJ sidled up to him. "Ah... Dusk?... You gonna be alright there, haystack?"
"But... B-but he was... a-and She! The-they! A-and... g...g-G-G... GRAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGHHHGHHG!!!!!"
The farmer and dragoness both stepped back a fair distance as the unicorn leapt into the air and EXPLODED, his hide suddenly glowing white-hot, as his mane and tail transfigured into erupting columns of fire. His eyes turned ruby red as he momentarily lost all focus of rational thought, visions of destruction and frustration stampeding though his mind.
And then, just like that, it was over. The student pony collapsed back on the ground, hair and hide singed. In his eyes now, was a picture of defeat.
The two approached carefully, making sure he didn't have any fireworks left in him. After a few seconds, he looked up at them. They looked back. He let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry guys." he apologized. "I just don't know anymore. The evidence is all there, but... it's like how I was trying to research Berry-sense a while back. I just can't seem to get anywhere. For every one trot forward, it's three trots back..."
"N-now, don't beat 'cherself up 'bout it, haystack." Applejack soothed, his brow creased with worry. "M-maybe yer right... an' then again, maybe not. A-ah mean, th' whole story... well..." he redirected his gaze back downwards. "Ah'm just not sure. Some o’ it makes sense, after seeing Berry an' Miss Pie. Th' rest? Well..."
The lavender colt shook his head as he struggled to his feet. "Don't worry about it AJ. I'm not going to. I'm done chasing today... come on Spines." He turned around, head hung low in a defeated manner as he began to walk away. "We're going home."
The dragoness made as if she wanted to say something, but closed her mouth and looked back at the draft horse. He gave her a nod, and motioned towards the student. With a return nod, the assistant ran to catch up to her departing friend.
The orange stallion gave a sigh as he glanced about. The sun had begun its evening descent, and the light was starting to wane. A glance upwards revealed to him that his hat was hanging off one of the sycamore tree's branches. A quick trot over to the base, and he gave the tree a good hefty buck, enough so to return the favor by leaving a hoofprint in its bark. He smiled in satisfaction as his hat floated down from its lodging.
As he placed the hat upon his head, he caught himself glancing across the dried-up creek bed once again. "Cousin JayJay..." he murmured, the words that Dusk had imparted, that his cousin herself had spoke, danced through his head.
"Just what are you, Cousin JayJay?"
----------------------------
"We're home!" came the drawl. Everypony's heads perked up as Applejack entered the HEDGE, mouth still full of Pinkie tail.
"Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed, eyes instantly homing in on the dress's tattered condition. "What have you been doing?! Oh dear, I'm going to need to completely re-seam the entire thing!"
The farmer spat out the pink frizz, before fixing the dressmaker with a weary look. "Y’all're welcome to it. Ah'm awful sorry 'bout it Fluttershy, but it gets kinda unavoidable when yer runnin' fer yer life."
"Oh, it's no problem." the pegasus soothed, trading glances between AJ and their captive rabbit. "I'm sorry you had to wear it. I know dresses and you don't usually get along..."
"You had to run?" Dash was instantly up in the blonde mare's face, as Twilight helped Pinkie to her feet. "Who from?! Are they still out there?"
"Nah, lost 'em quite a ways back. They still got no clue where we are." AJ allowed a look of pride to grace her features. "Taught 'em a lesson too. A filly's more than capable o' takin' on a stallion, even if they are ‘er double!"
"Even if they... Oh no." the student groaned, trotting up to her. "You met your other self again?!"
"Weren't somethin' we could really 'void, Twi. Ah mean, he had 'is heart in th' right place at first. He agreed wit' me that TWO Pinkie Pies were worse than one!"
"Oh come ON 'JayJay', we weren't being THAT bad!" Pinkie grumped, fixing her rescuer with an accusatory look. "I mean, yeah sure, we DID plan out a super-duper spectacular party for everypony in Ponyville to enjoy, and I think we might've scared Missus Mister Cake, then we went shopping and bought ALL the party stuff at the Jester's Joke store, and then Me an' Berry each got a slushie, while Applejack and Applejack talked, and then-!"
The blue pegasus took the turn of stuffing an apple into the party pony's mouth. "You BOUGHT OUT the Joke store?! Geeze louise, talk about your show-stoppers!"
"Were they really being that bad, Applejack?" Fluttershy asked, hat in her hooves, as she watched Rarity assist the farmer in removing the outfit.
"Ah tell yah, *erf* ah went straight t' the Corner first. They'd already *ackpf* left by then, but everypony in there was twitcher thanna rabbit inna viper's pit! An' when I followed them down Apricot Avenue, *woof, thank ya Rarity* there were a ton o’ ponies standin' n' starin’, like they'd just seen Nightmare Moon inna tutu!"
Rarity blanched as she pulled the dress away from Applejack's form. "Oh my, that must have been quite the scene! Pinkie already stands out in a crowd. With two of them, anypony they passed must have surely noticed them!"
"And then that's when mah 'cousin' shows up. We manage t' have ah... friendly chat, actually, but then he offers t' hold this party that Pinkie 'n Berry are plannin', down at th' Acres. And while ah'm tryin' t' convince him he still needed work t' do, Dusk comes trottin' up, sees me 'n Pinkie, an then goes 'n tells mah other half t' catch us!"
"My hooves itched right before he showed up!" the pie pony added helpfully. "I just KNEW chasing was gonna be involved!
"D... D-Dusk?! No... No, Not good, NOT GOOD AT ALL!!" Twilight had passed panic sometime back, and was now livid. "If everypony in Ponyville knows there's two Pinkies now, then it won't take them long to connect the dots, and soon we'll have all of EQUESTRIA coming after us!!"
"Uhm, Twilight..."
"We've done our best so far, but it's all coming undone around us!" she wailed. Rarity found herself impressed with the sheer amount of drama the purple pony was exuding. "We've been hiding for days, and every day, we keep doing something that brings us closer to... t-t, to THEM! And on top of that, now THEY'VE started coming to US!" She pointed a hoof over to the hutch, glaring daggers at a white rodent who returned them with equal force.
"Ah, T-Twilight, listen, about that-“
"And to top it all off, that... that new PINKIE-Sense! What do we call that?"
"Th' Whopper." AJ stated.
"Sounds good to me!" Pinkie happily agreed.
"Fine then, The Whopper. Both she and her other half have the same sense, and it went off when they came into close proximity of each other! All it would take is blind luck for one of them to accompany him along the forest's edge, and set it off again! Pinkie's a ticking TIME BOMB waiting to go-"
"TWILIGHT!!"
That last word was spoken rather forcefully, from a demure set of lungs. All eyes turned to Fluttershy, who momentarily shrunk from the extra attention.
"Yes, Fluttershy?" The unicorn asked, giving the pegasus an assuring smile.
"Well, I was wondering... I thought of this after seeing them both do the same Pinkie Sense... this may not have much to do with anything, but, I just wanted to ask... " She paused, before gathering herself to air her question.
"H-have any of you felt something... weird, when your other self was nearby?"
The words sunk into everypony for a few seconds. Applejack was the first to reply, to everypony's surprise.
"Y'know, now that y' mention it sugarcube... Ah remember havin' a thought when I first met mah other half. It was kinda-sorta like a great big hole had opened up inside mah stomach. At first, ah'd just chalked it all up t' bein' scared..."
"But then, while he t'were questionin' me, an' Applebuck asked him t' lighten up... he said that he had a funny feelin' in his stomach... like there was somethin' 'off' 'bout me..."
The gears in Twilight's head were churning full-force. "H-he did? If you and him were feeling the same thing... at the same time..." her pupils were beginning to shrink again. "Dusk... he kept getting drawn back around the HEDGE for reasons he didn't know... and every time he was near, I had gotten this... this lump, in my throat..."
"I-if it helps any, at all..." Fluttershy spoke again. "When I met Butterscotch for the first time, I felt something. Like a... a lightness, almost. Like, I could fly away without even flapping my wings..."
"Huh, that's odd." Dash replied. When she was given looks, she sighed and relented. "When I finally saw Blitz in person, I... I dunno. It felt like being back at the Best Young Flier's competition. There was a rock the size of one of Applejack's seven-layer apple crumbles, resting in the pit of my stomach, weighing me down."
"My heart positively SUNG when I laid my eyes upon my prince~!" Rarity sung, forehooves clasping together. "Butterflies abounded within my very being, and he told me that he had felt much the same, the moment we met~"
"And ah bet that thing that Pinkie 'n Berry did a while ago... that WHOPPER of a Pinkie-sense, is what they feel when they get close!" Applejack reasoned. "Twilight! You thinkin' what ah'm thinkin'?"
"That we appear to all be connected to our doubles in some manner or another?" Twilight sounded rather glum at the conclusion. "Then yes, I think we are. Girls, this HEDGE isn't going to cut it anymore. If we can't get home by tomorrow night, then we're... we're going to have to move. Maybe to another town. I hear Fillydelphia is nice this time of year, isn't it? Or hey, we could head for Manehatten, 'cept this time, to STAY."
"Twilight..." Rainbow found herself most crushed by the tone in her friend's voice. "You're not sounding very hopeful here..."
"I'm being a realist." was the reply. "If we're all going to be affected by each other's proximity, then the only other recourse, is to distance ourselves. I mean, I have every confidence that we'll get home, tomorrow... but still, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead...'
"Twilight..." Fluttershy spoke again. "Is... is there really a point to us hiding anymore?"
The lavender pony bit her lip. "I... I don't think that that's... that's not what I..."
"The darling once again makes a point." Rarity stated. "With Ponyville having been repeatedly barraged by our appearances outside, and with the threat of Party-doom rearing it's head whenever Pinkie and 'Berry' meet, it seems to me that any hope of future concealment we may have wished for, is rather moot."
"You're... you're saying we should... come out of hiding... on purpose?!"
"That seems t' be the case they're pleadin'." Applejack drawled, walking up next to the unicorn. "Show ourselves. Explain things. Git sum help. Maybe see if their 'Prince' is a-willin' as Celestia and'll help us get back?"
Twilight screwed her eyes shut. "What? I-I... n-no, NO! I c-can't just give us up like THAT! They're LOOKING for us for a reason! You heard Dusk, they think we're some sort of invasion force! I mean, we've even taken a PRISONER!" Again, she gestured at Angela. "We'll be tied up and tossed in their prison, not to mention banished and then being banished again! W-we might even-"
"Twi. Sugarcube. Stop."
Twilight did, blinking as she noticed that her friends were all looking at her with worried expressions of varying degrees. The farmer had placed her hoof on one of her shoulders, locking her green eyes on the student's face.
"Hon... ah ain't no psycho-chiatrist, but even ah know an excuse when ah hear one. You're scared. You're more scared than th' lot of us were altogether, of yer colt-self. You're th' only one o’ us left now, who's not met their other half yet. And ah kin' see you're diggin' yer hooves in deeper 'n deeper, th' more an' more likely that meetin' becomes."
"H-hey..." Dash spoke up as well, trotting to stand next to her friend. "Twi, I... I'm not happy with the idea of having to face that Colt-Cru-... er, um, ah, my ‘other self’ again either. But, if it means a guaranteed chance at getting back to our home world... then I'm willing to put up with it."
"Besides, they're not like, EVIL or anything!" Pinkie stated. "They're just ponies. Just like us!"
The magician sighed, her ears down. "I-I don't know, girls... I mean, yeah, technically I could... b-but still... I..."
She trailed off, eyes directed at the floor, at a loss for words. She felt the blush of shame touching her face as she realized how true their words were ringing. She knew they were right. But that still didn't change how she felt.
A few seconds of silence passed, before Rarity breathed out a sigh. "Now now girls. Twilight, I can see that we're putting undue pressure on you. I DO apologize for my part. If you truly wish for us to remain hidden... then I shall remain by your decision."
Applejack kicked at an errant rock, before nodding as well. "Ah still think we should go wit' th' better chance... but if it means that much t' yah hon, ah'll trust yah."
The unicorn looked towards Rainbow, seeking her opinion. She got a shrug. "It's alright. I don't mind waiting some more. Gives me more time to catch up on my napping anyway." the pegasus said nonchalantly.
"I'm with you, Twilight!" the party pony quipped, giving her friend a look that spoke volumes about the trust she had. "I know I've been a silly pony today, but there's nopony else I'd trust when it comes to epic adventure big-timey choices!"
At last, Twilight glanced towards Fluttershy, who was in the process of delivering a carrot to Angela. The rabbit made a motion as if to refuse, but a miniature stomach growl signaled her surrender, as she scooped up the veggie and began to munch.
"Fluttershy?... I'm sorry. I..."
The butter pony looked over at her, and gave her as much a smile as she could muster. "I'm still with you, Twilight... you're my friend, and I could never abandon you... but sometimes, you need to be aware... that if we're not able to go home, well... there are lines that you have to keep from crossing. Besides the ones we’ve... already..." she glanced over to the hutch, before directing her gaze to the floor.
Dash sighed, foreseeing the moment, before turning tail and flying out of the HEDGE, reassuming guard duty. As the rest of the girls broke up, occupying themselves with other tasks, the lavender unicorn remained seated next to her, as they watched their captive. "... I know, Fluttershy... I'm sorry. I... I promise. I won't let it happen again."
A pink mane bobbed in reply in a nod, though she could tell that those eyes were still turned down.
----------------------------
To Be Continued...
ON THE NEXT CROSS AND ARROW
Dusk didn't move. Didn't even budge. The stallion instead raised his head up level, as he spoke the final part from memory alone.
"The Final Cause, is that for the sake of which a thing exists, or is done... including both purposeful and instrumental actions..."
The mare that was seated behind him opened her mouth, unable to stop the words from spilling out.
"The Final Cause, or telos, is the purpose, or end, that THAT something, is supposed to serve."
A moment of silence descended between the two. Neither pony moved, neither one spoke a word, but the both of them were now keenly aware of this second presence that was in the room.
Finally, the lavender stallion asked the air quietly.
"What... is your final cause? What... what do you want?"
She almost choked right there. The lump that was in her throat felt so large and swollen, it was like she would gag on it, should a misplaced word pass through her lips. What do I say? How do I even begin?
... how would YOU want to be told?
"...all we want..." Twilight finally spoke. "All we want... is just to go home."
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managed to stay awake reading this capter
i read this chapter but i gust finished it today
.
I'm so excited.
While Applejack was left trying to imagine what a female Rainbow Blitz would look like
you sir/madam have earned this: :brohoof:
good job man!!! xD
5193 BEST. COMMENT. EVER. WRITTEN.
This is getting somewhere... but I am lost.
oh pinkie, u so crazy
I'm staying up on the eve of national ice cream day so you know it must be this good:
)
Sorry I'm new (btw so much
Umm... to whoever it concerns, I found a typo. rock the size of one of one of Applejack's Please fix for future readers.
I feel like i'm watching a Television show when I'm reading this
Especially at the end when it say's " On the next Cross and Arrow"
and I like it
You are a Fantastic Author!
TWILIGHT PONY UP and go that stud of a book worm
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
5193SO MUCH INFLUENCE AND DEPTH!
Pinkie Pie is best translator! And also a lasso.
The climax seems to be approaching. Is that "next time" sequence hinting at a truth spell? Tune in next chapter to find out!
5193 *THUMP*
well then. This should be good.
C-can that even HAPPEN!? Can a mare like her stallion self? is it LEGAL!?
Hmm... Ok, I have a great plan. I can make this a Youtube seires. If you REALLY want to see it, go to my YouTube channel: rainbowdashbandicoot.
2844665 Yes, it can. Have you SEEN Rarity and Elusive?
3260608 And Fluttershy and Butterscotch?
Best. fanfic. EVER!!! I am hooked
5193 Aggreement.
5193 Aggreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
5193 Agreement.
AHA! THE FUN HAS BEEN DOUBLED!
4959752 I think she was worried about him being instinctually attracted to her as his double, not as his cousin.
Alright, WHY do you keep writing HEDGE in all-caps? Is it an acronym or something? Also, why is Spines not Barb? And Applejack's name is... well, you get it. Those are my only complaints. Otherwise, this fic is amazing!
6083958 The Hedge is something not to nice in fae its a place of between and of doors...
ugh, female Snips and Snails; as if the male versions weren't obnoxious enough...
I love you: no homo
truer words have never been spoken...at least to my knowledge...
Congratulations!!! You're Dusk Shine has evolved into Rapidash!!!
(remembers that genders are reversed in this world) ...wait: that joke still works, right?
Yeah, they really should have come out in the beginning, but then, no plot, right?
7756807
Obvious why they didn't They are here because Twilight screwed up. They are hidden because she doesn't want to confess it
Twice the pride
Double the fall