Interchanged destinies

by I had no idea

Chapter three: A different perspective

How would you react to your world crumbling?

Twilight Sparkle reacted with shame. To be precise, she was ashamed from being relieved from feeling shame. What does it mean? Only Twilight knew this, and she kept it to herself. All her life, she felt ashamed, because she looked at Celestia as a sort of a mother figure, too, not just at Velvet. When she had heard that they are not related by blood, in addition to fainting, she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her. And now that she is awake, she is ashamed of that notion.

The hospital office room feels suffocating now. She wants to run, to get out... but where to? Twilight knew that running away would just make the situation worse.

"Twilight Sparkle, listen to me at once!"

Her mother's voice snapped her out of it, making her realise she'd been ignoring her for a while now. Her ears flattened. Another reason to be ashamed. Seems like Velvet knew what was going on in her head, because she pulled her into a tight hug.

"Come on, dearie. It's all right."

"B-but she! And Trixie! And foalbirth!" Words have already failed Twilight. Her mother gently patted her back.

"Shhh." she cooed. "Don't panic. Nothing bad happened."

"Nothing?" Twilight's voice was nearly hysterical. "We just found out that you and I are not related!"

"So? What does it change? We will still love you; only the number of our daughters increased, the way I see it. And when your father comes to, I'm sure he will feel the same."

Twilight stared in disbelief.

"That's it? You're willing to disregard it so easily? You're telling me nothing will change?"

Velvet still hadn't let her go; a fact that the lavender alicorn was very grateful for. She could feel her support practically pouring through her grip. Her voice was calm, and soothing to Twilight. At least this didn't change.

"Twilight, dearie, the only thing changing will be Trixie becoming a part of our life, too... provided your brother can hunt her down. She seemed like the athletic type."

Twilight snorted, recalling the times the showmare left town in a hurry. Indeed, she was the athletic type, instinctual, unlike her. Her mind wandered off. Really, she should have seen it coming. Personality-wise, she didn't really resemble any of her family; each and every one of them was outgoing, even Night Light, in his quiet, shy way. To say she was a turn-in, would be an understatement... at least until she met her friends. Would they be Trixie's friends instead? As things were now, it was hard to imagine, but it was not out of the question. Maybe.

A pang of guilt ran through her. She took Trixie's place, and had a wonderful life instead of her. Maybe she wouldn't be such a... boastful mare? Then again, maybe Twilight would be like her, if things went differently...

A polite cough startled them, prompting them to release each other.

"I have brought water." Health Care waved the jug she carried. Velvet took it from her... and unceremoniously dumped it on her husband.

"Wake up already!"

Twilight could witness the rare occurence of somepony trying to get up while not fully in control of their body. Night Light did something that could be called with a little bit of goodwill, somehow throwing himself over the sofa he was lying on, banging his head with the head nurse. His little stunt made her huff with indignity, and storm out of her own office. The blue stallion slowly rose up, hiding part of his face in embarassment.

"Well, that went exceedingly well." he noted sarcastically. He rubbed his head where they collided. "On the upside, I believe I know which hospital I mustn't get incarcerated in from now on."

"Dad..." Something popped into Twilight's mind. "Wait, should I call you Night Light from now on?"

The stallion shot her a menacing smile.

"Only if you want me to call you 'your princessessessessness'. Don't go assuming that everything should change just because I fainted from the incredible stress of this revelation and your mother didn't!"

"What does this have to do with me?" Velvet demanded.

"Oh, nothing." the stallion replied. "Sometimes I wish you were more womanly in some aspects."

"Well, you took care of that, didn't you?"

Twilight calmed down a little. Conversations like this were hardly considered rare, her parents loved these mental contests and verbal jabs. They loved each other enough that they never took offense to anything the other said. The alicorn couldn't help, but feel a little jealous of them.

As if to a cue, the door opened, revealing Shining Armor and an unusually meek Trixie. Twilight could swear her eyes were red... what in Equestria happened outside?

She stayed silent as her mother invited Trixie to their home. The way she accepted it, and later the way they sneaked out of the building was so uncharacteristical for her, that Twilight began to suspect that this maybe wasn't even Trixie. She waved the stupid thought away.

Up until they finished dinner, she didn't really enter the conversation. Trixie was on the spot, every Sparkle wanting to hear her life story, Twilight included. Despite that, Trixie wasn't too keen on disclosing too many details, only of what she already knew: the two catastrophic visits to Ponyville. Somehow, it felt like the showmare wanted to avoid talking about the orphanage; bad memories, or shame, perhaps?

After dinner, her mother disappeared for a few minutes, then reappeared in a complete get-go. This usually signalled a family program, yet this time only her parents and Twilight went out. They trotted silently down the street, with the alicorn wondering about their destination. Neither Velvet nor Night Light gave her a hint, they just chatted about non-committal things.

Finally, they arrived at Cartwheel Confectionery. Twilight liked the place, not only because it was usually less crowded than Donut Joe's shop, but the ice-cream was exceptionally good here. A thought crossed her mind.

"Wait just a minute..." she stopped, looking at the older unicorns with suspicion. "Are you trying to bribe me with my favourite ice-cream?"

"Yes." Night Light confirmed.

"Oh, okay then."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"...And then he screamed 'WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS WERE YOU THINKING?!', and slapped Helmet so hard he flew through the window!"

The last time Trixie laughed this hard was... well, actually, never. Somehow, her newfound brother also had a knack for telling stories; even if his talent was protecting. She felt a little bit proud for the resemblance.

"Ah, it was priceless. We were stuck cleaning the toilets for a month, though." Shining finished his story. Somehow, it felt like they knew each other for a long time.

"I've got a question, though." Trixie interjected. "You've probably told me a dozen stories by now. If all of them are true, how did you even get promoted from being a private? Not to mention guard captain... Don't get me wrong, but after all that shenanigans, who would even consider it? The promotion, I mean."

Shining leaned back on his seat, pondering.

"Well, if I have to guess, I think it was General Supply Line that noticed me. Contrary to his name, he usually monitored recruits, not supplies. Once he stumbled upon us during combat simulation, and... well, I don't mean to brag, but he saw me fending off five fellow soldiers, and then he kind of noticed me."

"Yeah, so he saw your combat prowess. Still doesn't explain the promotion, though." Trixie pointed out. Shining straightened up, looking at her with a serious expression.

"Actually, it does. I got into a group of defense specialist, whom I trained together with from that point onward. Our leadership skills were tested, too. Somehow, it turned out I'm somewhat good at organising our defenses."

Shining paused, his expression becoming somehow even more serious. Trixie suddenly felt that this might had been important to him.

"But the main thing is," he continued, "that they always believed in me. My family, my friends, my instructors... they all believed that I was set for greatness. While I have my doubts about it, I can't deny that their trust gave me power. Any time I was feeling weak, or miserable, somepony would've come to snap me out of it. Either with kind words... or fifty laps around the castle."

The siblings let out a quick laugh, but it was short-lived. Shining got lost in his thoughts about the past, while Trixie felt a little bit of doubt nagging at the corner of her soul. Were her actions really justified? Just because she was alone, did she really have to behave like she did? Casting off all relations, constantly mocking and looking down on ponies, living off of lies and deceit...

What would have happened if she had a family to encourage her? Somepony to practice magic with? A home that would welcome her with open hooves? Parents that would care about her? A big brother, who would've protected her from bullies? Somepony to tell—

"Are you all right?"

Shining's voice took Trixie by surprise. She looked at him with a half-guilty expression, trying to shoot a smile—and utterly failing at it.

"Uh, nothing, just thinking about...stuff." she lied. Shining did not budge an inch.

"Trixie," he began with surprising softness, "you're crying."

The showmare unconsciously raised a hoof to her eyes, and indeed she felt a damp patch of fur under them. She quickly tried to rub it off, to no avail.

"I just... I just..." she stuttered. "I was... thinking about what would have been if I grew up here..."

She hung her head, bitterly reproaching herself for her outburst. This had nothing to do with—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a warm, soft, yet firm feeling. She looked up, seeing her brother nuzzle her gently. The white stallion noticed her attention, and pulled Trixie into a hug.

"Don't try to hide your feelings. A family is about care, and understanding. You don't need to be strong for our sakes."

Trixie broke out in tears, finally closing her hooves around her brother. A few moments passed before she could muster the courage to speak up.

"Why? Why are you all so nice to me? Just because it turned out we're family, why are you all so accepting?" Her trembling voice became stronger with each word, leaning into hysteria. "I did terrible things, some of which even on purpose! I humiliated ponies, I ran away from the orphanage, I stole food a few times, I enslaved a town, and now I'm chasing Twilight away! How?! How are you able to accept me for what I am?!"

"First of all, like we already said, we decided to give you a chance. The past is over, we don't need to dwell on it... since you clearly regret it. As for the enslaving... weeeell, I'm really not the one to speak lowly about those under mind-control, since I fell for it so easily. As for Twilie... Didn't you notice? Mom and Dad's gone out with her... probably drowning her in the 'Twilie Special'."

Trixie couldn't help, but feel curious.

"What is a 'Twilie Special?'"

"Throughout her life, there were a few times when the situation called for celebration. When she got her cutie mark, when she graduated from the school, et cetera. Mom and Dad would always take her to the Cartwheel Confectionery, for a special ice-cream. I think it would be a nice gesture, to represent that nothing's going to change."

"So I won't be a part of the family?" Trixie asked, finding her normal teasing tone. Shining got thrown off-track, blushing a little.

"Wait, I didn't mean—" He noticed his sister's smug expression, and loosened up. "Ah, I get it. Still, it's a good thing you can joke about it already."

The azure unicorn took a deep breath, finally calming down a little.

"Yeah, I guess all this stuff was new to me, so I panicked a little."

Shining nodded sagely.

"Well yeah, new faces, new stories..."

"All the hugging and stuff..." Trixie finished. Shining's lips began to curl upward, but then he realised she wasn't joking.

"Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean 'hugging and stuff?'"

Trixie's cheeks reddened, and she pawed at the ground nervously.

"Well, you all hugging me, and being close, and things like that. I'm a bit embarassed."

Shining raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean? Hugging is perfectly normal."

"I dunno." Trixie mumbled. "Never did it."

The stallion stared at her in disbelief.

"Wait, you're trying to tell me you never once came into physical contact with anypony?"

"That... would have been a sign of weakness." The showmare noticed her brother's shocked expression, and let out an exhiliated sigh. "Look, let's just... drop it. Why don't you tell me more about the 'Twilie Special' instead?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

The most marvelous piece of confectionery laid before Twilight Sparkle. A large, glass cup, twice the size of her muzzle, filled to the brim with chocolate ice-cream; on top of it, a layer of six different flavours: vanilla, green apple, stracciatella, melon, maracuja, and kiwi. Decorated on the sides with whole bananas, and topped with whipped cream and sliced strawberries, it could easily substitute a meal... for a smaller family.

This was called the 'Twilie Special', her only weak point in a relatively modest life.

As usual, any attempt by her parents to steal a bite with their spoons were met with a fierce spoonfight from the alicorn's side, unwilling to let go her valued prize.

"Have you cooled down a bit?" her mother asked.

"Yesh." Twilight nodded with her mouth full, and tongue half-frozen. " 'bout ten Shelshiushes."

Her parents calmed down. This was the Twilie they knew; scarfing down large quantities of cold that would make a fire freeze over, and making jokes nopony could possibly understand.

"What are you planning on doing?" Night Light asked. Twilight stopped her crusade against the cold confectionery, and leaned on her front right hoof.

"Well, I... I think I'm going to..."

"...Tell it to your friends?" Velvet finished. Twilight nodded, then shook her head vigorously.

"Yes. No! Yes! I don't know! What if they would hate me for it? What if I lose them?"

"Dearie, you're being irrational again. They are your friends! They wouldn't care if you would be the daughter of Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon, I'm sure of it."

Night Light looked at his wife, puzzled.

"How the hay would that even work?" he asked with suspicion. Velvet shooed him.

"It was a figure of speech. My point is: you have already proven yourself, dearie. You've been with them through fires and storms, and you fought hard for their friendships. Do you think that they would think any less of you if you were adopted?"

"No..." the alicorn trailed off, absent-mindedly looking around the shop, "It's just so weird... I don't know if I'm overreacting, but I fear something might change."

"Dearie, let me just point out one more thing." the older mare interjected with a gentle smile. "If you think about it, there is one part of the family that wasn't connected to us by blood from the start, and yet we thought no less about him for that."

Twilight furrowed her brow.

"Him? But I'm not a co— Oh, you mean Spike!" The alicorn blushed furiously. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget about him?"

"You didn't forget about him, you forgot the fact that he was adopted, too. That is precisely why we can accept you as our daughter; real bonds are not predestined. He is just as much family as you are... or Trixie, or Shining."

Twilight's eyes lit up with determination.

"You are right. I will tell it to Spike, my friends, and the Princess. Nopony else needs to know, because it doesn't matter. Thanks, Mom."

Velvet and Night Light pulled their daughter into a collective hug, releasing her a minute later. To their surprise, the alicorn, contrary to her previous claims, sat back to her seat. She noticed their confused reaction, and flashed them a sheepish grin.

"Well, I can't exactly let this go to waste, can I?"

_________________________________________________________________________________

Half an hour later, she was trotting down the main street of Canterlot. Sure, it would have been faster to just fly to the castle, but she needed time. She thought long and hard about presenting this to her mentor and close friend, the Sun Princess, Celestia. Although she insisted on being referred to simply as 'Celestia', Twilight had a hard time wrapping her head around that thought. They shared many memories, yet she couldn't treat herself as an equal to somepony she'd looked up to all her life. More the reason to present this matter without inciting wrong conclusions.

Plans flashed back and forth through her mind, but neither of them satisfying enough. As she cursed herself for her indecisiveness, she noticed she'd arrived to the castle. A quick nod to the guards was all the confirmation they needed to let her through. Come to think of it, the situation was pretty much the same back then, before she met her friends. "Guess being a princess comes with less perks than one would think, huh?" she thought.

She found the princess in the throne room, as usual. Celestia had a strong belief that if something was deemed important enough to try and get a personal meeting with her, it must be taken care of as soon as possible. This had the mixed result of a certain cook always coming in to discuss details of the night's meals at the most alien times. Some ponies were simply not intimidated by royalty, it seems.

"Twilight! What a pleasant surprise! I thought you would spend this month in Ponyville! What brings you here today?"

Twilight gulped nervously, all her carefully planned speeches suddenly becoming unvoiceable for her. She recognised the guards on duty as the biggest rumour-mongers in the Guard—so, in a burst of panic, she cast a deafening spell, surprising not only them, but the Sun Princess as well.

"Twilight, what--?" she began, only to be cut off by a panicking purple pony.

"I'm adopted!"

Superficial observers would describe the white alicorn's expression as 'mild surprise', but Twilight knew her better. A little muscle twitching told her that Celestia is indeed shocked by this revelation—which made her feel a little calmer.

Before doing anything, Celestia gently flickered her magic, undoing the spell Twilight had cast hastily. She gestured her to follow, and turned around, knowing that her old student would comply. They trotted silently through a long corridor, into a very familiar room. From the cushions on the floor, through the desk swarmed with parchments and ink, to the balcony that overlooked Canterlot, everything was filled with memories and nostalgia. When Twilight was accepted as Celestia's personal student, she had her sleep in the same room until she could safely control her magic, to avoid further accidents. Just standing here gave the young alicorn a warm feeling inside.

"Now, Twilight, could you please explain to me what happened to make you so upset?" Celestia asked, dragging her out of Memory Lane, and into Reality Road. She noticed that Celestia sat down upon the cushions, as they did when she was little; with a small hint of happiness, she did the same.

"Well Pri—I mean, Celestia, I better start at the beginning. Two weeks ago, we got a letter...."

_________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay! I get awfully slowed down by heat (I'm a snowman), but here's a chapter!

Comments

[Jphyper]

I haven't given this an upvote yet? That's odd. I'd better fix that.

[I had no idea]

3017261
Thank ye kindly, O bearer of votes!

[Sketchy Markks]

23 upvotes? A foul CRIME! I must rectify this foul deed posthaste! 24 upvotes!

[I had no idea]

3939546

Thank ye kindly! Sadly, I don't know when will I come around to write the rest.

[Draco Dei]

I have a rather large vocabulary, if I do say so myself, despite this, there is always more to learn, and so I often find myself googling while reading fanfic. This was the case with "stracciatella". I only mention this because I nearly concluded it was the soup before I opened up the specific page on Wikipedia.

[Noctis Prism]

I want more so badly!