> Vacation Revelations (Or, Why Do Humans Bother to Wear Bikinis?)
>  by ssjgokillo
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> Vacation Planning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Everything was not okay.

Princess Twilight Sparkle almost grimaced to herself as she thought of the optimistic words she had cheered shortly after her coronation.  She should’ve known better than to make such a cheery declaration, it was just asking to be proven wrong.

Things hadn’t even been that bad at first.  After her coronation the only major upset had been when Sunset Shimmer had stolen her crown during the Princess Summit.  And that had ended with her making new friends, getting to see and experience a whole new world, and possibly even showing Sunset Shimmer that there was more to life than her ambition.

After she returned however, things quickly began to take a turn for the worse.  She had practically lived the past month in her old room in Canterlot, after Princess Celestia asked her to sit in on some meetings with various nobles and diplomats.  At first it was all very interesting, but Twilight soon began to see that politics simply wasn’t for her.  These ponies (and sometimes other creatures) could drone on and on for hours about the most mundane thing!  A griffon ambassador had spent most of the day trying to impress upon Celestia that extending the free-fly space between the Griffon and Pony territories by a single meter was of the utmost importance.

Or the various nobles who came in demanding to be taxed less for the most ridiculous of reasons!  One particularly stubborn noble had even tried to appeal to Twilight when Celestia had refused him, saying that unicorns should be taxed less simply based on the fact that they were unicorns!  That stallion had soon found himself teleported right over the fountain in the castle courtyard.  Celestia had jokingly mentioned that she may have to hold off on teaching Twilight the “banish to the moon” aspect of the Elements after that.

It was maddening!  She hadn’t had a moment to herself in months.  Every time she thought that she could finally relax and maybe read a book, there was some new problem that demanded her attention.  Even the time she was able to spend with her friends was more focused on saving Equestria from whatever crisis had sprung up.

        And then there was Flash Sentry…

        The (admittedly handsome) pegasus had apparently asked for the appointment as the head of Twilight’s guard.  Twilight hadn’t even known she’d had a guard until that point.  At first she was ecstatic at the prospect of having Flash around.  Though she didn’t know him very well, the version of him she met in the world beyond the mirror had been nice, and charming.  She had been looking forward to getting to know Flash better, and perhaps a little more intimately.

        The problem was, Flash turned up everywhere!  Twilight couldn’t take more than a couple steps in the market without running into him (literally in some cases), always followed up with him flashing a smile and remarking on how they “had to stop bumping into each other like this”.  The first time it was cute.  The second time… well she still thought it was cute, but after a week it had just gotten old.  Twilight even began to suspect that he was following her, even when he was off duty.

So Twilight found herself once again in the presence of her mentor.  Princess Celestia had calmly let Twilight rant until the little princess ran out of steam.  “It sounds like you need some time to yourself Princess.”  Celestia said.

Twilight groaned and nodded her head.  “I would love some, Princess Celestia, but everywhere I go I’m surrounded by ponies wanting favors, or guards who think I can’t look after myself!  Did you know Flash Sentry insists on checking the books I read for traps?!”  One of Twilight’s eyes began to twitch, and her mane started to spring up in places, signs that Celestia recognized as the growing stress in her student.

Celestia hummed to herself thoughtfully.  It was a problem she herself often experienced, when the rigors of helping to rule Equestria would become too much.  There were very few places a Princess could go without being hounded by everypony.  Illusions never lasted long enough and were too easily recognized, unless one was a changeling of course.

There was however one option that she knew was available to Twilight.  “I think Twilight, that you need to take a few days to rest and relax.  Your training is important, but not at the point where you should feel so overcome.”

Twilight nodded, but still seemed unsure.  After all, she still had no clue where she could go to get away from it all.

“Oh!  I almost forgot to mention.”  Celestia said as she gave Twilight a small, mischievous smile.  “We’ve had the magic mirror moved back to the castle from the Crystal Empire.  I had figured that with how well you everything went with your last visit, that it was safe enough to bring it back.  It’s currently being stored in the storeroom behind the throne room, if you’re interested in seeing it.”

Twilight looked at Celestia questioningly, wondering why her teacher had thought to mention the fact. "Umm, that's nice Princess, but the portals should still be closed for..." Her eyes widened with sudden realization, and after some quick calculations a smile graced her muzzle.  “Oh thank you Princess!” Twilight said as she ran up to the bigger Princess and nuzzled against her.

“You’re very welcome Twilight.  Enjoy yourself, you’ll have much work ahead of you when your studies resume.”  Celestia said.  She blinked as she realized that there was nopony in the room with her.  It seemed Twilight had been more excited than she’d thought.


~~VR~~





Twilight grinned happily as she approached the mirror.  Seeing her reflection in the magical device was like a salve to her exhausted mind.  She was sure of it, it had been exactly thirty Moondays since she had last gone to the world beyond the mirror.  A little over seven months ago.  Or as Princess Luna liked to say, thirty moons.  That meant that the portal would be open again!

It was perfect.  She could have three days to relax and hang out with the friends she had made during her stay there.  Perhaps she’d even have time to study more about the human world, now that she didn’t have the urgent mission of retrieving her crown hanging over her head.

Oh it would be so exciting!  She’d get to see if Sunset Shimmer had learned the magic of friendship!  And she’d get to see all her friends…

That brought a stab of guilt to Twilight’s thoughts.  Her friends… should she really be leaving without telling them?  It wasn’t like she was abandoning them, she just needed some time to relax.  And Princess Celestia had said that they couldn’t all go through last time.  Besides, she hadn’t seen the mirror versions of her friends for two months!

Twilight sighed.  She would just have to make it up to them later.  Besides, it would only be for a few days.  With that thought in mind, Twilight approached the mirror.  She smiled nervously at her reflection, before she tentatively stepped forward.

Just like last time she passed through the mirror, before her body felt like it was being sucked through a straw.  She could feel herself spinning and twisting through the colorful space between the two worlds, as a blinding light forced her to closer her eyes.

Then, just as suddenly, the crazy spinning stopped.  She could feel cool stone beneath her, and the sound of a car driving in the distance.

Twilight blinked her eyes, trying to clear the spots from them and focus.  Travel through the mirror had been just as disorienting as it had been the first time.  Slowly, the world stopped spinning around her, and she could make out the familiar sight of Canterlot High.

She had forgotten how alien this body felt.  She raised an arm in front of her and stared at her hand.  She wiggled her fingers, still surprised at the dexterity of the little digits.  She looked down to see she was wearing the same clothes she had appeared in last time she had visited this world.

Twilight shakily stood on her legs, being sure to give herself a moment to balance.  Once she stood at her full height she took a tentative step forward.  She felt a slight lurching sensation as her body moved, but she kept her balance.  She gave a small smile at that, glad that she wouldn’t have to completely relearn how to walk in this body.

After she was certain that she wouldn’t be stumbling all over herself again, she looked around the courtyard of the school.  She had hoped that she might run into one of her friends, but that was not the case.  In fact, the courtyard seemed strangely empty.  By her calculations it was maybe an hour before noon, yet there weren’t any students to be seen.

She slowly walked towards the doors of the school, her steps were becoming less wobbly as she went.  She reached the entrance to the school and, remembering this time she did not have magic, gave the handle a tug.

The door barely budged.  She pulled on the handle a couple more times to be sure, but the door was clearly locked.  Twilight peered through the glass to look inside.  All the lights within the school were off, and the hallways were empty.

Twilight sighed and stepped back away from the door.  She wasn’t sure why the school was closed, perhaps some holiday?  Either way, if there wasn’t anybody at the school, then finding her friends was going to be difficult.  She wasn’t even sure if she could remember the way to get to the Rarity’s boutique.  This place was much bigger than Ponyville, and one of her friends had always led the way last time she was there.

She closed her eyes as she tried to mentally visualize the route from the school.  She was so engrossed in trying to visualize her directions that she did not notice as someone pulled up on a bicycle next to the stairs, or when the person slowly crept up the stairs, sneaking behind her.

“GUESS WHO!”  Twilight gave a shriek of surprise as a pair of hands covered her eyes.  However, even as her body reacted to the sudden shock, a smile spread across her face.  She’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Rainbow Dash!”  Twilight said.  She felt relief wash over her as the blue hands withdrew from her face.  She felt one land on her shoulder, before she was spun around to face the rainbow haired girl.

Rainbow Dash grinned mischievously as she leaned closer to Twilight.  Twilight blinked in surprise, slightly confused by Rainbow’s sudden close proximity.

“Got it in one Twi!  You ready for your prize?”

“Prize?  What priz-mpphh!”  Twilight found herself silenced.  Her eyes were wide with shock as she felt Rainbow’s warm lips pressing against her own.  She could feel something running across her lips, almost caressing them, before her mind caught on to what happened.

She was being kissed, by Rainbow Dash!

Acknowledging the fact seemed to be the breaking point for the poor girl.  Twilight felt lightheaded, before she closed her eyes and passed out.

Rainbow Dash grunted in surprise as she caught Twilight, before giving the girl in her arms a look of bemusement.

“Really Egghead?  You haven’t passed out on me like that since our first date.”  She grinned to herself, as she scooped Twilight off the ground, nuzzling her cheek affectionately against Twilight’s head.  “Heh, looks like I still got it!”

“Still have what Rainbow?”  A familiar, and irritated voice asked.

Rainbow slowly turned around, her eyes wide with confusion.  She looked down at the girl in her arms, only to see the same girl standing in front of her.  Twilight had an annoyed expression on her face, her hands planted on her hips as she glared at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash opened and closed her mouth repeatedly as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on.  She looked down once again at the Twilight in her arms, before she looked back at the Twilight who stood before her, who just now seemed to notice her double.

“Am… am I dreaming?”  Rainbow Dash asked with a goofy smile on her face.  

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment, before she gave a sigh of frustration.  This was already promising to be a looooong day.



> Booking Your Stay
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        The decorations that adorned the throne room of Canterlot Castle today were beautiful.  Twilight couldn’t help but be impressed with the work Rarity had done, the unicorn had clearly pulled out all the stops to ensure that the decor was befitting the event of the day.


        Twilight tore her gaze away from the decorations to look at her mentor.  Princess Celestia had graciously agreed to officiate the ceremony.  The vows had been spoken, the rings exchanged, and the Princess was finishing giving her blessings before the union would be official.


        “I now pronounce you mare and mare.”  Celestia said, and Twilight found the Princesses warm gaze on her, a fond smile on her face.  “You may now kiss the bride.”


        Twilight waited in anticipation.  There was no kiss however.  After a few moments she could hear hushed whispers coming from the assembled ponies.


        “Hey Twi, whatcha waiting for?”  The raspy voice of Rainbow Dash came from beside her.  Twilight’s eyes flew open, and for the first time she realized that she was wearing a tuxedo, one which did not allow her wings any sort of freedom.  Next to her, wearing a beautiful white gown, was an anxious looking Rainbow Dash.


        “R-Rainbow Dash?!  I don’t understand, what’s going on here?”  Twilight asked.


        Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.  “Geez Egghead, I know you’re not one for P.D.A, but c’mon!”  With that said, Rainbow Dash reared up and threw her forelegs around Twilight’s neck. Before Twilight could even register what was happening, she felt the warm caress of Rainbow Dash’s lips against hers.  The crowd began to cheer in the background, and music began playing throughout the room.


        “AHHHH!”  Twilight’s eyes flew open and she gasped for air as she sat up.  Her head whipped back and forth as she looked around, trying to figure out how she had gotten married to one of her friends.  Her heart was thumping in her chest, even as her senses caught up with her.  She could see she was no longer in a beautifully decorated castle.  Instead she found herself laying against the statue in front of Canterlot High School.  She was not wearing a tuxedo, but a shirt and purple skirt.  Most importantly, she was not being kissed by…

        She had totally been kissed by Rainbow Dash!

        What had happened?  Why had this Rainbow Dash kissed her?  Was it something she did?  Something she said?  Maybe it was some strange human greeting?  That could be it!  Maybe when humans saw each other after a certain amount of time apart, they would try and stick their tongues down each others throats.

        Twilight groaned and put her head in her hands.  That didn’t make any sense at all.  But, then again, it also didn’t make sense for Rainbow Dash to suddenly kiss her.

        “Hey!  I think she’s finally up!”  Twilight’s head snapped up at the sound of Rainbow Dash’s voice.  She desperately fought down the blush she could feel spreading across her face at the sight of the athlete.  She quickly looked away from Rainbow Dash, trying to will away the memory of the kiss.  Her eyes landed on the person Rainbow Dash had been talking to.

        Herself.

        Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw herself, looking down at her.  Even the thought was giving her a headache.

        It seemed the other Twilight was having similar problems.  “This just doesn’t make any sense!  I mean you’re me, but I’m me too!  How can there be two me’s?  That’s not scientifically possible!”  She then pointed an accusing finger at Twilight.  “You’re not scientifically possible!”

        Great, to top it all off now Twilight was getting a double case of deja vu.  

        “I told ya Twi!  She’s the reason everyone at school acted like they already knew ya!”  Rainbow said.  She was grinning at standing Twilight, her face full of the smug “I-told-you-so” look.  Twilight returned the look with a glare.

        “Umm, excuse me,”  Twilight said, catching the attention of both the other Twilight and Rainbow Dash.  “Could somepo-somebody explain what’s going on?”

        “It’s pretty simple.  I was supposed to meet Twi here for a date.  I saw you standing by the school and thought that little-miss-honor-student had started to miss classes already, so I figured I’d surprise her!  Only it was you, and not her.”  Rainbow Dash said.  She shot the Twilight standing beside her a sheepish smile.  “Serious Twi, it was an honest mistake!”

        Twilight watched as the other Twilight looked between her and Rainbow Dash.  Finally, she sighed, and shook her head.  “I suppose I can understand it.  I mean, we do look exactly alike.  Besides, technically it’s her fault, she didn’t send any notice or schedule any time to visit.”

        Twilight’s face blanched as she realized that her counterpart was right!  She hadn’t made a schedule, or sent a letter ahead.  Well, it would’ve been hard to send a letter ahead, but still!  She didn’t even make a checklist for the trip!  Or pack!!  How could she be so irresponsible?!

        Noticing the panicked look on Twilight’s face, Rainbow Dash jumped in.  “Hey!  She’s a magical pony princess that comes from a whole different world!  Not like she’s got a cell-phone over there. And look, now she’s freaking out over scheduling just like you would!”

        A blush quickly spread over the face of the other Twilight, before she sighed.  “You’re right.  Sorry ummm.. Twilight?”  She made a face as she said the name, almost like it had been difficult to actually vocalize.

        The sound of her voice (even if it wasn’t actually her voice) brought Twilight out of her inner rant.  “I-It’s okay.  You’re right, I wish there would’ve been a better way to communicate.  It was a pretty sudden departure for me to.”  She sighed, and leaned back against the statue, thinking about the reasons she had decided to come to this world.  The stone felt hot against her head, making her realize that the temperature outside was hotter than the last time she had been here.  

        The other Twilight and Rainbow Dash shared a look.  “Everything alright Twilight?”  Rainbow Dash asked.

        The other Twilight shook her head.  “That is going to get really confusing.”  She muttered.

        Twilight sighed again.  Maybe this had been a mistake.  “Sorry, I think it’ll be for the best if I just…”  Suddenly, something Rainbow Dash had said earlier registered in her mind.  “Wait… a date?”  She said, catching Rainbow and the other Twilight off guard.  “You said you were meeting her here… for a date?”

        “Yeah!  We were going to go catch the new Daring Do movie and then grab a bite over at the restaurant that Pinkie’s working at.”  Rainbow Dash smiled at the other Twilight.  “Egghead over here hasn’t seen any of the movies yet.  And she calls herself a fan!”

        “Right,”  Twilight was still trying to wrap her head around what she knew should be a simple concept.  “So you two are… marefriends?”

        The other Twilight gave her a look at that.  “The term here would be girlfriends, and yes, we have been dating for a little over two months now.”

        This had never happened to Twilight before.  She knew each of those words individually, but together in that particular order they just didn’t make sense.  “B-B-But… but how?  What about Flash Sentry?!”

        Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment before she began to giggle.  Her giggles soon turned into full blown laughter.  The other Twilight, in comparison, was scowling at the mention of the name.

        Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash in confusion before looking at the dour look on the other Twilight.  “Was it something I said?”

        The other Twilight sighed.  “It’s a long story.”  She nudged Rainbow Dash in the side, who was almost doubled over in laughter at this point.  “Come on Dame Laughsalot, let’s go to Sugarcube Corner.  You can regale the ‘princess’ with the story on the way.”

        Rainbow Dash nodded, straightening up but still laughing.  The other Twilight offered Twilight a hand, pulling her off the ground.  Rainbow Dash ran over and grabbed her bike, walking it over to the two Twilights.  Once everyone was ready, the trio began walking down the path from the school.

        “Oh man, you’re going to love this one, Twilight!”  Rainbow said as they walked.  “So, things kind of went back to normal after you left.  Everybody was a little wary around Sunset Shimmer, but she really seemed to take what you said to heart, and pretty soon everyone was getting along just fine.”

        Twilight smiled at hearing that.  She had hoped that the other students would be able to forgive Sunset Shimmer for her almost tyrannical rule of the school.

        “Then, like a month after you left, we have a transfer student!”  Rainbow Dash playfully bumped into the Twilight’s double.  “This gal right here.  The only thing is, everyone else didn’t really know the whole story, so they thought she was you!”

        The other Twilight rolled her eyes.  “It was aggravating, and a little creepy.  Everyone kept cheering for me, saying they were glad to have me back and such.  I couldn’t figure out what was going on.  At first I thought it was some school-wide prank.”

        Rainbow Dash nodded.  “Me and the rest of the girls tried to explain what was going on, but she didn’t believe us.”

        “How could I?  You were telling me that a magical pony doppelganger came here, made all of you friends again, gave you wings and fought a demonic Sunset Shimmer, before returning to her magical pony land!  Who would ever believe a story like that?”

        “Yeah yeah.  Anyways, so after her first couple days at the school, Flash Sentry starts to wonder why she hasn’t come running into his arms or something.  So he starts that whole “Oh, we need to stop bumping into each other” routine on her.  Only Twi’s not buyin it.”

        “It was so annoying!  I couldn’t leave a class without ‘bumping’ into him!”  The other Twilight threw her arms up in frustration.  “He kept acting like it was some big inside joke or something.”

        Rainbow Dash smirked at Twilight.  “I guess even Flash didn’t realize you two weren’t the same person.  So one day during lunch, Flash sees Twi struggling to hold this big stack of books and grab her lunch at the same time.  I guess he figured he’d be a nice guy and give her a hand, so he goes over there and puts a hand on her shoulder…”

        The other Twilight groaned and looked away from Rainbow Dash and Twilight.  Twilight looked between the two, wondering what exactly had happened.

        “He puts his hand on her shoulder, and suddenly Twi drops the books, grabs his arm, does this awesome little twist motion and tosses Flash Sentry into the salad bar!”  Rainbow Dash began laughing again, leaning on her bike for support as she continued to walk.

        Twilight whipped her head to look at her double, who had her head down in shame.  “It’s not like I meant to do it!  Shining Armor has been teaching me self-defense techniques since I was in middle school!  I just reacted on instinct!”

        “So yeah,”  Rainbow said between laughs, “Flash got the hint pretty quick after that.  I guess it worked out in the end for him though.”

        “Why’s that?”  Twilight asked, trying to figure out how being tossed into a salad bar could work out for anybody.

        “Cause he and Sunset Shimmer hooked up again after it was over.  She helped him get cleaned up and I guess they got to talking.  They decided to give it another go since she wasn’t bent on ruining everyone’s lives anymore.”  Rainbow said.

        Twilight felt a twinge of disappointment at that.  She wasn’t sure what she was hoping for, but she had enjoyed spending the little bit of time she had with Flash Sentry last time she was here.

        Still, that didn’t explain everything.  “Okay, so I get why she’s not with Flash Sentry.  But how did you two end up dating then?”  Twilight was almost desperately curious about that.  From what she could see she was very similar to this world’s Twilight.  And Rainbow Dash was almost identical to her pony counterpart.  So how did two people who were so different end up together?

        “Oh oh!  I know!  I know this one!”  Twilight jumped in surprise at the sound of a familiar voice.  She looked around to see that, at some point during the conversation, they had arrived at some kind of eatery.  Obviously their destination, as it was Pinkie Pie who had caused Twilight’s little scare.

        Before anyone could say anything else Twilight felt herself wrapped in a bone crushing hug.  “It’s soooooooo awesome to see you again Princess!  It’s been like forever since we last saw you and we all learned the magic of friendship and became great friends again and then you won the Princess of the Fall Formal vote but Sunset Shimmer still stole the crown but you got it back and turned us all into pony-hybrids and we blasted the nasttitude out of Sunny with a big ole rainbow!”

        “I-It’s...nice...to...see...you...too...Pinkie.”  Twilight’s voice came out as a squeak as Pinkie continued to squeeze her into the hug.  Then, as quickly as it began, it was over.  Twilight found herself gasping for lungfuls of air and massaging her sides.  Pinkie now stood before them, carrying three menus in her hands.

        “So, what’re you guys doing here?”  Pinkie asked innocently, as if she had not just tried to snap Twilight’s spine in half.

        “Well, our date,” Rainbow said, motioning between her and the other Twilight, “Kind of got sidetracked after we ran into Twilight here, so-”

        “Princess.”  Pinkie interrupted.

        “Wha?”

        ‘We’ll call her,” Pinkie said, pointing at Twilight, “Princess, cause she is one and it’ll be way too confusing to keep calling her Twilight and her Twilight or something demeaning like ‘the other Twilight’.  That way people don’t keep getting confused about which Twilight we’re talking about!”

        Rainbow Dash, the other Twilight who would now simply be known as Twilight, and Twilight who had recently been christened “Princess”, all shared a look before simply shrugging.  Sometimes it was just easier to go along with Pinkie.

        Rainbow Dash cleared her throat.  “Right, so me and Twi ran into Princess, who was looking a little lost at the school.  We were telling her about what all happened at the school after she went back to her homeworld.  We figured we’d come by and say hi and maybe grab a snack.”

        At this point the four had made their way over to a table.  Rainbow and Twilight sat next to each other, with Pinkie and Princess Twilight taking the seats across from them.  
        
        “Oh goodie!  I love snacks, and hellos!  Hello!”  Pinkie chirped brightly.  “Oh!  Did you guys tell her about how Twilight turned Flash Sentry into a cabbage patch kid?  Or maybe it was just lettuce?”

        “We just finished that one actually.”  Twilight said, blushing once again at the memory.

        “Yeah, we were just about to tell her how we hooked up!”  Rainbow gave a smile at that.  It was a smile Princess Twilight had never seen on the normally brash athlete’s face, even in her world.  It was a small, happy, personal smile.  She felt like she was intruding just by seeing it, and that feeling only doubled when she saw the same sort of smile on Twilight’s face.

        “It was the Daring Do club right?”  Pinkie asked, as she set down cups of hot chocolate and various pastries.  Everyone blinked in surprise, having never even seen the pink haired girl leave her seat.

        “Umm…”  Twilight said, shaking her head and writing it off as Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.  “Yes!  After I transferred to Canterlot High I joined a lot of different clubs, but I was really excited about the Daring Do club.  Imagine my surprise when I got to my first meeting only to find out there’s only one other member in the club.”

        “Heh yep.  I was the captain and only member of the Daring Do club.”  Rainbow Dash leaned back in her chair after grabbing a cupcake off the tray Pinkie had delivered.  “There were some seniors in the club last year, but they all graduated.  I didn’t want Daring’s club to just go away, so I stuck with it.  It wasn’t a big deal, just go into the classroom once a week after school and read for an hour or so.”

        Twilight shook her head in amusement.  “So I walk into the clubroom, expecting to see at least a handful of people.  Instead I only see one of the ‘crazy girls’ who had been trying to tell me that the school wasn’t pranking me, but instead confusing me with a magical pony princess.”  She laughed a little sheepishly at that.  “I almost turned around and walked right out of the clubroom.”

        “Luckily for me, she didn’t!”  Rainbow said through a mouthful of cupcake.  “She walked up and asked if she was in the right room.  I was psyched!  As much as I like Daring Do it got a little boring just hanging out in the clubroom on my own.”

        “Rainbow practically demanded I join the club.  She even said I could be ‘Vice-President’.”  Twilight said in amusement.

        “So we started hanging out and reading Daring Do and stuff.  Then I started hanging out with Twi at lunch, then after school.  Pretty soon we were hanging out with each other on the weekends.  Sometimes it was with the other girls, but a lot of the times it was just the two of us.”  Rainbow had managed to say all of that without spraying any more crumbs over the table.

        Twilight smiled at Rainbow Dash.  “Pretty soon we were spending all our time together.”  Her smile turned a bit wicked, and she teasingly poked Rainbow Dash in the side.  “Then, Rainbow starts acting all weird.  She starts getting all nervous when we would hang out, and starts dressing up when we were out of school.”  Twilight chuckled, while Rainbow Dash tried to hide her blush by devouring another cupcake.  “In retrospect, I can’t believe I didn’t see what was going on.  At first I thought maybe she was getting bored with hanging out together.”

        Rainbow swallowed her cupcake and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.  “I’ve uh.. never been very good at the whole mushy, dating thing.  The dressing up idea came from Rarity, but Twi barely ever noticed.”

        This time it was Twilight’s turn to blush.  “I’ve never really been interested in the whole dating thing.  I barely even had friends before I transferred to Canterlot High.  I was just worried that Rainbow might not want to be friends anymore.”

        “Oh!  I know!  That’s when I gave you that idea right Dashie?”  Pinkie said.  She was almost bouncing in her chair in excitement.

        “Yep.  I talked with Pinkie and she told me about a special challenge that Sugarcube Corner has.”

        “The Colossal Cupid Chocolate Malt Matchmaker Supreme!”  Pinkie cheered.  “It’s six pounds of super scrumptious chocolate malt milkshake, with brownies and cookies and other goodies blended in.  It’s served in one giant glass, with a crazy straw that splits off into two separate straws but makes a heart shape.”

        Twilight smiled at Princess Twilight.  “I’m sure you can imagine what I was thinking when I arrived and Pinkie put that down between Dash and me.”

        Princess Twilight returned the smile, and together the two said, “This is either going to be delicious, or it’s going to kill me.  Probably both.”

        The four girls laughed at the synchronized statement.  “Unfortunately for Rainbow, I didn’t exactly recognize the romantic connotations of sharing a milkshake.  I thought she just wanted help beating the challenge.”

        “Oh come on!  That was like one of the most romantic things ever!  I mean, chocolates are romantic right?  And that thing had more chocolate than that BonBon’s candy shop in the mall!  Besides everyone knows that sharing a milkshake is totally romantic!”  Rainbow Dash gave a huff, while Pinkie Pie nodded sympathetically.

        “Anyways,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes at Rainbow’s declaration.  “Apparently my lack of proper milkshake symbology knowledge was the tipping point for Rainbow Dash.  After we had both recovered from besting the milkshake, she came over and flat-out asked why I wasn’t interested in her.”

        Rainbow shrugged as she tried to play it off.  “I was just about ready to give up at that point.  So I went over to her house and just asked.  Of course I should’ve known that Twilight just didn’t get what I was doing.  After all, who could actually turn down the Rainbow Dash?”

        “I was a little shocked when Rainbow confronted me about it, but it made everything else that had happened make sense.  After I thought about it, I decided that dating really wasn’t that much different than what we’d already been doing, so I decided to give it a try.”  Twilight winked at Princess Twilight, before nudging Rainbow Dash in the side.  “You should have seen how adorable Rainbow was after I said I’d be her girlfriend.  She was prancing around saying “Oh my gosh!”  over and over again.  I wish I would have recorded that.”

        Rainbow began to protest being called adorable, while Pinkie Pie and Twilight continued to tease her.  Princess Twilight only barely noticed, her mind digesting everything she’d just been told.  Was it really that simple to become a couple?  It didn’t sound anything like the way Rarity always described it.  Instead of the explosive, whirlwind sweep-you-off-your-hooves scenarios the fashionista always described, this seemed like simply a gradual understanding that you wanted the other pony (or person in this case) to have a bigger part of your life.

        She thought back to her first trip to this world.  The feelings that Flash had invoked when she saw him had been… a novelty she supposed.  She still knew nothing about him, here or back in Equestria.  She had never really had anypony focus that kind of attention on her.  Could she see herself spending almost every day with the charming pegasus?  

        For that matter, could she see herself spending that much time with anypony?  Sure, she spent a lot of time with her friends (until her princess studies began), but could she really just spend all day just sitting in the library with Rainbow Dash, chatting about the newest Daring Do and laughing at their latest misadventure?

        That thought halted Twilight’s mental process for a moment.  Before she could figure out why however, she felt someone tapping her on the shoulder and calling her name (or, Princess, which she was just going to have to get used to).

        “Sorry, I was lost in thought there.  What did I miss?”

        “We were asking where you’re going to be staying while you’re here?”  Twilight said.

        “Oh!”  All thoughts of romance and couples flew from Princess Twilight’s head.  Where was she going to stay?  Last time she had simply slept in the school library, but with the school being closed that wouldn’t be possible.  “I… I’m not sure.  I had been planning on just staying at the school like last time.”

        “Oh!  I know I know!  You can stay the night with me!” Pinkie said in excitement.  She threw an arm over Princess Twilight’s shoulder and pulled her closer.  “It’ll be like a sleepover!  And then tomorrow you can come to the beach with us and roast marshmallow a sing groovy songs from the ‘50s!”

        Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened at that.  “Oh yeah!  You should totally come to the beach with us tomorrow!  Rarity’s parents own a timeshare that they’re going to let us stay at.  It’s going to be so awesome!”

        Both Twilights gave a small giggle at the way Rainbow’s voice squeaked as she finished her sentence.  “That sounds great.”  Princess Twilight said.  And it did.  She would get to spend some time with her friends, and see if the beaches here were any different than the ones in Equestria.  She’d finally be able to relax, and forget about all the stress being a Princess provided.

        “We’ll probably have to go to Rarity’s and see if she has a bathing suit Princess can borrow.  I mean, unless you have one.”  Twilight said.

        Princess Twilight blinked.  A bathing suit?  Why would anyone wear a suit while they bathed?  “No, I actually didn’t bring anything with me.”  She said, feeling a little sheepish once again at her lack of preparations.

        “No worries, I’m sure that Rarity can whip you something up.  Though we’ll probably have to head over there now if she’s gonna have enough time.”  Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a grin.  “Sorry Twi, looks like we’ll have to go see Daring Do some other time.”

        Twilight smiled back and leaned against Rainbow Dash, causing the blue skinned girl to blush a deep red.  “I don’t mind Rainbow.  Besides, I want to hear all about this magical pony land, we can always see Daring Do next week.”

        Pinkie came skidding to a stop in front of the table, once again surprising the other three who hadn’t even realized she’d left.  Which was especially strange for Princess Twilight, as she still felt like she had been in Pinkie’s one-arm embrace.  “Alrighty!  The cakes said I could have the rest of the afternoon off!  Let’s go to Rarity’s and get Princess her some sexy swimwear!”

        As Twilight was dragged from her chair and out the door by the pink ball of energy, one thought ran through her head.

        Sexy swimwear?
       
> Ensure That You Have Proper Attire
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        The trip to Rarity’s boutique had passed without incident.  The four friends chatted happily about their plans for the next day, though it seemed like anytime Princess Twilight attempted to ask what Pinkie had meant by “sexy swimwear”, she would be interrupted by Pinkie regaling them with some story about customers that had come to Sugarcube Corner.

        Princess Twilight wasn’t quite sure that Pinkie wasn’t doing it on purpose.

        Still, she wasn’t too worried.  She was honestly more excited at being able to see another one of her friends.  Which actually begged the question, “Hey, what about Fluttershy and Applejack?  Will they be joining us at the beach?”

        Rainbow Dash nodded. “Fluttershy’s parents took her on some nature retreat for getting straight-A’s again.  But Applejack is gonna meet us at the beach tomorrow, but she said she’d have to work and extra shift on her family’s farm today to make up for it.  Honestly, I think she’s just going through the trouble so she can see Rarity in a bikini.”

        Twilight’s shook her head in exasperation.  “Don’t start that again!  There’s nothing that even suggests that Applejack looks at Rarity as anything other than a friend!”

        Princess Twilight turned to Pinkie Pike, who had been skipping along next to her.  “What are they talking about?”

        “Dashie thinks that Applejack has a big old hidden crush on Rarity!  She keeps saying that the two are made for each other and mushy stuff like that.”  Pinkie completely ignored the glare that Rainbow Dash shot her at the word ‘mushy’.  “Twilight thinks that the two of them are just like, the bestest of friends without any unresolved sexual tension at all!  So the two sillies argue about it instead of just asking Rarity or Applejack.”

        “Rarity and Applejack?”  Princess Twilight thought of her pony friends.  The Rarity and Applejack from her world were friendly enough with each other, but she couldn’t see them as a couple.  Sure, Applejack admired Rarity’s dedication to her craft, and sometimes even the designs she made.  But for the most part, Applejack wasn’t interested in fashion.  The same could be said for Rarity, who admired Applejack’s work-ethic and how she cared for her family.  Hay, after the near-disaster that was Princess Twilight’s first slumber party, the two had gained an even greater appreciation for each other.

        “They always sit next to each other whenever we go places!”  Apparently Rainbow Dash had decided to continue to argue her case.

        “So we’re talking seating arrangements as evidence now?”  Twilight asked, “Then quite obviously Pinkie Pie has a secret unrequited love for Fluttershy!

        “Actually, Fluttershy knows all about my unrequited love for her, it’s not secret at all!”  Pinkie Pie happily interjected.  Her statement caused both Twilight and Rainbow Dash to pause.

        “Wait… Pinkie are you being serious?”  Twilight asked.  She looked shocked, and maybe a tad nervous that she had brought up such a touchy subject.

        Pinkie Pie simply looked between Rainbow Dash and Twilight, before bursting out into playful laughter.  “Of course not silly-billies!  I don’t have a crush on Fluttershy… at least I don’t think I do.  And I’d think I knew if I did, because if I didn’t know and I’m me than who would know?  I mean nobody knows me better than me right?”

        “Hah!  Good one Pinkie!”  Rainbow Dash said as she gave the pink haired girl a high-five.  Twilight simply sighed in a mixture of relief and annoyance, glad that she hadn’t accidentally brought up a subject of heartache.

        “Um, excuse me girls, but isn’t this Rarity’s?”  Princess Twilight said, attempting to catch the other’s attention.  They had indeed made it to the building that housed the shop Rarity ran for her parents.

        “Yeppers!  Quick, let’s go inside!”  Pinkie Pie said.  She then started to push Princess Twilight towards the door.  “Rarity is going to be so surprised to see you!”

        The door opened with the sound of a bell jingling above it.  Princess Twilight could see Rarity perk up from her place near the register, though she still had her back turned to them.

        “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique!  How can I…”  She trailed off as she turned around and saw Pinkie and Princess Twilight.  “Oh!  Good evening girls.  I’m surprised to see you here, Twilight.  I thought you had a date with Rainbow Dash?”

        “We met up with an old friend so we put the date off for now!”  Rainbow Dash said.  Her tone was jovial, as she walked up next to Pinkie Pie, with Twilight following her.

        Rarity’s eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening and closing as she pointed first at Princess Twilight, then at Twilight.  “Bwah-There’s….”  After a moment, her mind seemed to have made sense of what she was seeing.  She dashed around the counter and wrapped Princess Twilight in a hug.  “Oh it’s so good to see you again Twilight!  Er- you are the Twilight from the mirror are you not?”

        “She sure is!  Though we’re calling her Princess for now so there’s no confusion.”  Pinkie chimed in helpfully.

        “It’s good to see you too Rarity!  How have you been?”  Princess Twilight asked.

        “Oh simply fabulous darling!  My work has kept me busy of course, but I have made some positively dazzling outfits.  Why, one of my signature pieces was even purchased by Sapphire Shores!”  Rarity gave a little squeal of excitement at that.

        “That’s wonderful Rarity!”  Princess Twilight was truly glad to hear her friend was doing well.  Thought it did make her wonder about how events in this world correlated with hers.  After all, the Rarity in her world had already made several high-profile sales.  Then again, the Rarity in her world owned her Boutique.  She would have to look into it if she had time.  It would be something interesting to study, if nothing else.

        “So, is there anything I can help you girls with?  Or were you simply here to chat?”  Rarity asked.

        “Actually, we were wondering if you had anything for Princess here to wear at the beach tomorrow?”  Rainbow Dash asked.

        “But of course!  Even if I didn’t I would make sure to create something.  I could never let one of my friends go out without looking their very best.”  Rarity began fussing around Princess Twilight.  She pulled her mane away from her back and gave the pony-turned-girl and appraising look.  “Luckily enough I think I have something that will fit you.  Follow me please!”

        Princess Twilight followed Rarity to one of the dressing rooms.  Rarity held the curtain aside and motioned for Princess Twilight to step inside.  “Go ahead darling, I’ll grab some pieces I’m sure you’ll love and you can try them on.”

        Princess Twilight nodded and stepped inside.  She was a little excited to see what Rarity had for her.  She’d always enjoyed the outfits that Rarity had made for her, in both worlds.  She was certain that whatever “swimwear” or a “bathing suit” was, that Rarity would chose one that would be perfect.

        After a few minutes, the cloth curtains rustled as Rarity’s arm was stuck through it, holding onto a couple of hangers.  “Here you go darling, try those on and tell me what you think.”

        Princess Twilight took the offered hangers, but something seemed off.  There was very little cloth on the hangers.  In fact, it looked to her like Rarity had only given her underwear.  “Uhhh, Rarity, I think you forgot the actual suit.  You only gave me the underclothes.”

        Rarity gave a polite chuckle outside the dressing room.  Princess Twilight waited, wondering where the rest of the bathing suit was.  “Uh, Rarity?”  She called.

        “Yes Twi-Princess?”  Rarity asked.

        “Are you going to give me the rest of the bathing suit?”  Princess Twilight had begun to wonder if her friends were playing some kind of joke on her.

        “Princess, darling, those are bathing suits.”  Rarity said patiently.

        Princess Twilight stared at the sparse pieces of fabric and string.  “Oh come on Rarity, I know I was a little confused on the whole clothing thing last time, but I learned my lesson.  From you as you may recall.  I’m pretty sure you said that walking around either naked or in my underwear was against social customs.”

        Rarity blinked in confusion for a moment, before she gave a sigh.  “You’re quite correct Princess.  However I assure you that the garments I gave you are indeed proper beach attire.”

        “You’re kidding!  This covers up even less than what I’ve got under my clothes right now!”  Princess Twilight protested.  “Why would anyone even bother to wear this, they might as well just be naked!”

        “Well, we’re not going to one of those kinds of beaches Princess.  Now, are you going to try them on or not?”  Rarity asked.

        “Are you sure you’re not playing some prank on me?”  Surely, the small dark purple fabric could not cover much.

        “Oh for the love of!  Bunch over Princess!”  Rarity said.  Her patience had just about run dry as she pushed her way through the dressing room curtain.

        “Rarity?!  Hey wait!  What’re you doing?!”

        Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all watched in amusement as as Princess Twilight gave a shriek behind the curtain.  If anybody else had walked into the boutique at that moment, they may have been worried about what was transpiring behind the curtain.  Rarity’s demands for Princess Twilight to “quit struggling”, while Princess Twilight yelped at the touch of “Rarity’s cold hands”.

        Actually, most people may have paid for the chance to look behind the curtain.  Twilight actually had to pull Rainbow Dash back to her seat.  She chose to simply ignore the small bit blood that was running from Rainbow Dash’s nostril.  

        “There!”  Rarity finally said, though she sounded a little out of breath.  “What do you think?”

        Silence reigned through the boutique for a moment.  The three outside the curtain imagined that Princess Twilight was looking herself up and down in the mirror.

        “Seriously?!  This looks even more provocative than if I wasn’t wearing anything!”  Princess Twilight exclaimed.

        “That’s kind of the point darling.  It shows off enough skin to be sexy, but the parts it covers adds to the allure.”  Rarity said.

        “I don’t know Rarity.  I don’t think I’ll be comfortable going out wearing something like this.”  Princess Twilight said.  Her voice was uncertain.  She could definitely see how this would be considered “sexy”, but it made her distinctly uncomfortable to think of people looking at her in such an outfit.

        “I see.  Well I believe I still have some one-piece suits that should suffice.  Though I really think you should reconsider darling, you look absolutely stunning!”  Rarity’s voice came through as encouraging.

        “Well… I guess.  You’re sure this is appropriate?”  

        “Of course Princess.  I would never set you up for some kind of fashion faux-pas has part of a joke.”  Rarity reassured her.

        “Okay, I trust you Rarity.”  Princess Twilight said.  The two gave a slight jump in surprise as Rainbow Dash let out a cheer, before she cried out in pain as a smacking sound was heard.

        “Heheh, Dashie you’re so silly!”  Princess Twilight and Rarity stuck their heads out of the curtain.  Rainbow Dash was nursing the back of her head, and apologizing to Twilight who looked more than just a little annoyed with her girlfriend.

        Rarity rolled her eyes.  “I had better go make sure that Twilight doesn’t start beating Rainbow Dash with my fabric rolls.  Go ahead and change back into your clothes darling.  The swimsuit is on the house of course.”  With that, Rarity stepped through the curtain.

        Princess Twilight stared at herself in the mirror once more.  The swimsuit Rarity had forced on her was a darker purple than her skin.  It wrapped around her chest, but did not go over her shoulders.  The valley between her breasts was emphasized by the way the top pushed against them.  The bottom was only a little better, covering her front but leaving a bit more of her behind exposed than she’d care for.

        Still, Rarity said that she looked good in this, and neither Rarity had ever let her down before.  She’d simply trust in her friend’s judgement.

        She quickly changed back into her clothes, making sure that she hung the bathing suit back on the hanger Rarity had provided.  She stepped back outside the curtain to see that Rainbow Dash and Twilight were smiling at each other.  They had apparently already gotten over their disagreement.

        At least they had, until Rainbow Dash saw Princess Twilight step out of the dressing room.  “What?  You’re already dressed?  Awww man.”  Rainbow whined.

        Twilight rolled her eyes, before pushing Rainbow Dash off the chair she had been sitting on.  The rainbow haired girl fell to the ground in a heap, as Twilight stood up and began making her way to the door.  “Thanks for your help Rarity, I’ll see you girls tomorrow!”  She said.

        Rainbow Dash quickly picked herself up off the ground, and chased after Twilight.  “Hey!  Aw c’mon Twi, you know I was just kidding!”  The bells jingled over the door to the boutique, as the two walked out.  Princess Twilight was a little worried, until she saw them pass the window.  Twilight was smiling again, and walked hand-in-hand with Rainbow Dash.

        “I don’t know how she puts up with Rainbow Dash, but they do make a cute couple.”  Rarity said.

        “I know right!”  Pinkie Pie said.  She then bounded over to Rarity.  “Oh!  By the way Rarity, Princess here is going to be staying the night at my place.  You wanna come over too?  We could make it a sleepover party!”

        Rarity smiled, but shook her head.  “I’d love to Pinkie, but Princess is not the only one who still needs suitable swimwear.  Applejack is going to be stopping by today after she finishes her work on the farm.  I’ll have to take a raincheck on the sleepover I’m afraid.”

        Pinkie Pie grinned at that.  “Okey-dokey-lokey!  You two have fun!  Don’t do anything your aunty Pinkie wouldn’t do!”  Pinkie Pie grabbed Princess Twilight’s hand and pulled her towards the door to the boutique, but not before the purple haired girl caught sight of deep blush that graced Rarity’s face.

        Rarity began to sputter out denials as the two exited, Pinkie laughing the whole time while Princess Twilight was lost in thought.  Applejack and Rarity?  Who knew?

> Beach Songs, and Seeing the Sunset
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

        “So Twilight, what was it you wanted to show me?”  Rainbow Dash asked.  Twilight had asked her to follow her up to her chambers in the castle, saying that she had something important to show the pegasus.


        “It’s a surprise Rainbow Dash.  Close your eyes, I’ll tell you when you can open them!”  Twilight said.  She was smiling giddily, almost unable to believe that she was going to do this.


        Rainbow Dash huffed in annoyance, but did as Twilight asked.  As soon as Twilight saw the pegasus scrunch her eyes closed, she used her horn to summon the surprise she wanted to show her.  With another simple spell, the scene was set.  She felt her body practically thrumming in nervous excitement.


        “Okay Rainbow, you can open your eyes now.”  Twilight said.  Her voice sounded husky, even to her own ears.  Apparently Rainbow had noticed it as well, as he had raised an eyebrow in confusing before opening her eyes.


        “Alright Twilight, so what is hamanahhamanahhamanahhamanah…”  Rainbow Dash trailed off unintelligibly as she got a look at her “surprise”.


        Twilight, who was standing on her rear legs and leaning against one of the posts of her bed, was wearing clothes.  Only they were unlike any clothes she’d ever seen.  For some reason the top piece covered the top-middle of her barrel.  But the bottom piece.  It was pulled tightly against her, making her plot seem to be even curvier than it naturally was.  It enhanced her most intimate areas, yet hid them from view, making them all the more enticing.


Rainbow felt her mouth go dry, and could hear the tell tale signs of her wings springing to attention.  “Twi..wha… I…Is it my birthday?”  


Twilight opened her mouth to say something to the affirmative.  Maybe even mention that Rainbow Dash should “unwrap” her present.  Before she could however, there was a flash of light from behind her.  She turned around to see some nondescript stallion with a camera.  


Before she could figure out what was going on, the scene changed.  She was standing before Princess Celestia who was looking down at her in disappointment.  A look that actually made Twilight’s heartache.


“I can’t believe you would wear something so inappropriate Twilight Sparkle!  You are a Princess now, surely you knew better.”  A newspaper hung between the two, a picture of Twilight standing seductively against her bedpost in the bikini she had shown Rainbow Dash.  Above the picture, in big, bold red letters, was the title: Newest Princess Presents Perverted Ponywear to Persuade Pegasus to Pucker Up!


At least she thought that’s what it said.  The text was starting to look more like scirbbles than anything else.  She turned to Princess Celestia to try and plead her case, only to notice that Princess Celestia was moving in slow-motion.  She was saying something, but Twilight couldn’t understand what it was.


“Princess?”  She asked in confusion.  Light began to fill the throne room, and Princess Celestia was soon swallowed up in it.  “Princess!  I’m sorry Princess!  I didn’t mean to disappoint you!  Please come back!”  Twilight wailed into the light.


Princess Twilight opened her eyes to the bright light that was flooding the room.  She sat up, looking around in the momentary confusion that befalls most people when they wake up in a strange place.  She slowly began to remember.  She was at Pinkie Pie’s house.  She had stayed the night, and the two had talked long into the morning about this and that.  She had finally passed out on the trundle bed that Pinkie kept in her closet “in case of sleepy emergencies”.

Princess Twilight groaned and sleepily rubbed at her face.  She wasn’t sure if she’d ever have a normal dream again after visiting this place.  She also made a mental note to see if she could have papparazzi banished to the moon when she returned to Canterlot.

She had a feeling that Celestia might actually approve of that idea.

She looked at the alarm clock sitting on the stand next to Pinkie’s bed.  It was 10:48, which meant they had about an hour before they were supposed to meet the others at the school so Rainbow Dash could drive them to the beach.

Once again, the thought of Rainbow Dash made her face feel like it was on fire.  That was the second time she had dreamed about the pegasus since she had been here.  Did that mean anything?  Or was her subconscious just hyper-aware of the fact that a version of her was dating a version of Rainbow Dash?

Princess Twilight shook her head.  It was entirely too early in the morning to start thinking about such things.  At least until she had a couple cups of coffee.  

Noticing that it was now 10:52, she decided she should probably wake up Pinkie Pie.  She didn’t know how long the party girl would need to get ready, or how long it would take them to get to the school from here.

“Pinkie.”  Princess Twilight said.  She nudged Pinkie in the shoulder a couple times, gently shaking her.  “Come on Pinkie, we need to get up and get ready.”

Pinkie mumbled something and turned over in her sleep.  Princess Twilight huffed in annoyance, but gave the pink haired girl a smile. She shook Pinkie again.  “Rise and shine Pinkie.  You wouldn’t want to be late would you?”

        Pinkie mumbled in her sleep again.  It sounded like she said “Butterfly”, but Princess Twilight couldn’t be sure.  Pinkie slowly sat up, and gave a yawn, stretching her arms out above her head as she did.

        Once she was done she turned and smiled at Princess.  “Morning sleep-over buddy!  Did you sleep well?”

        “I did, thank you Pinkie.”  It wasn’t technically a lie.  The dream had woken her up, but before that she had slept deeply.

        “No problemino Princess!  But hey, we shouldn’t be dawdling!  We need to hurry up and get ready or we’ll be late.”  Pinkie jumped out of bed and bounded out the room, towards the bathroom if Princess Twilight wasn’t mistaken.

        “But that’s what I was saying.”  She mumbled to herself.  She stepped out of the turndle bed and stretched, surprised that she could almost touch the ceiling when she did so.  She heard something pop in her back, and she groaned in pleasure.

        She went about making her bed, and then Pinkie’s, while she waited for the other girl to get out of the shower.  Seeing that she still had time, she began to pick up the wrappers from the junk food they’d eaten, that were now strewn around the floor.  She had just finished throwing the last one away, when Pinkie came bouncing back in.  She had a towel wrapped around her head and one wrapped around her body.

        “Shower’s all yours Princess!”  Pinkie exclaimed.  Princess Twilight was about to say thank you, when Pinkie grabbed the top of the towel that was covering her body.  The words died on Princess Twilight’s lips as she watched Pinkie pull the towel off.  Her eyes widened, before she quickly covered them with her hands.

        “P-Pinkie?!  What are you doing?”  She exclaimed, surprised by her friend’s sudden bout of exhibitionism.

        With her eyes still covered she couldn’t see what Pinkie was doing.  She could hear it very well however.  It started off as a small snort, then a giggle, then became the full-blown laughter that Twilight associated with one of Pinkie’s pranks.

        “Oh Princess!  You should’ve seen the look on your face!” Pinkie said between laughs.  Curiosity won out and Princess Twilight lowered her hands.  Pinkie Pie was wearing what she could only assume was one of the one-piece swimsuits that Rarity has been talking about yesterday.  It was light blue in color, and covered up quite a bit more skin than the one Twilight would be wearing.

        Yet the lack of skin didn’t stop Princess Twilight from blushing at the sight of her friend.  She had more covered, but the suit clung to her like a second skin.  She honestly wasn’t sure which one was worse… or better.

        Pinkie’s laughter finally died down.  “I was going to tell you, you should just wear your swimsuit under your clothes.  They have changing rooms at the beach, but they can get kind of crowded and junk.”

        Twilight nodded, scooping up her clothes and heading for the shower, still trying to decide if she should curse or praise whoever had created these types of clothes.


~~VR~~


        Twilight had showered quickly, and after a bit of fumbling had managed to put on the swimsuit Rarity had given her.  She donned her normal clothes over them as Pinkie suggested, and the two set off to meet the others at Canterlot High.

        Rarity was already waiting when they arrived.  She greeted both of them warmly, though it was slightly ruined by a large yawn that made its way out of her mouth.

        “Long night?”  Pinkie Pie asked, though the way she waggled her eyebrows made Princess Twilight sure she was talking about something else.

        “Hmph.  I won’t even dignify that with a response!”  Rarity said.  She crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her nose in the air, the very picture of lady who had taken offense.

        “But you just did.”  Pinkie said in confusion.

        Rarity opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by the sound of a horn.  They all looked to see a light blue car drive up to the school.  The car had a yellow lightning bolt going down the center, completing the Wonderbolt motif.  Or perhaps Wondercolt?  Either way, Twilight knew who what car belonged to, even if she couldn’t see the rainbow hair through the window.

        “C’mon guys!  Let’s get a move on!”  Rainbow Dash said as she stuck her head out the window.  They could see Twilight through the windshield, sitting in the front of the car reading a book.

        The back door of the car opened, and Applejack stepped out of it.  She smiled and waved at them as they approached.

        “Well howdy there Princess!”  She said, grabbing Princess Twilight in a hug.  “I almost thought Rainbow Dash was pullin’ my leg when she told me ya’ll had come to visit.  Sure is good to see you again!”

        Princess Twilight smiled, and returned the hug.  “It’s great to see you too Applejack!  How have you been?”

        “I can’t complain.  But I’ll tell ya all about what I’ve been up to once we’re on our way.  We make Rainbow wait any longer and I reckon she’ll just take off without us.”  Applejack held the door open, and motioned with a hand.  “After you!”

        Princess Twilight stepped into the car and slid across until she was sitting behind the driver seat.  She yelped in surprise as Pinkie almost literally dove in after her, smushing her against the door.

        “My, how courteous.”  She heard Rarity said, before she daintily stepped into the car.  Applejack followed after her, and shut the door.

        “Sorry if it’s kind of cramped guys.”  Rainbow said from the drivers seat as she began to pull away from the school.  “We’ll be at the beach pretty quick though!”

        There was a screeching sound from under the car as it took off.  Princess Twilight stared out the window in amazement as she watched buildings fly by.  It was like riding the Friendship Express, only without as much room.

After she got over how fast the small vehicle was capable of going, she once again asked about Applejack’s experiences since they’d last met.  Applejack told her that she’d mainly just worked at the farm and gone to school.  She had mentioned that some sleazy corporation, called FlimFlam INC, had tried to buy up her family’s farmland to put up some kind of housing development.  Thanks to some quick thinking by Twilight however, the sale had been stalled long enough for the offer to expire.

It was only when Applejack had asked Princess Twilight how she had been that she realized she hadn’t told her friends about what she’d been through since she’d last seen them.  Or about what had led her to take her hasty vacation.

So she began her tale.  Telling them about what had happened after she returned to her world.  She told them about her magical studies, and her princess studies.  How she still felt overwhelmed by the whole princess thing, even if she was more comfortable with it.  She told them how she’d been forced to sit and listen to petty nobles bicker and squabble about things that didn’t matter, if she wasn’t being called to save Equestria with the rest of her friends.

She finally got to the point where she had left, after hearing from her mentor that the portal to this world was open once again.  Everyone was quiet after she finished telling her tale.

“Wow… and here I thought finals were tough.”  Applejack was the first to speak up.

“My stars!  No wonder you needed to get away.  It sounds like you were being run absolutely ragged!” Rarity said.

“It… It wasn’t that bad,”  Princess Twilight said, “Princess Celestia is actually taking it pretty easy on me.  She’s told me multiple times that I can take a break and go back to Ponyville if I need to.  I just…”

“You don’t want to disappoint her.” Twilight finished the sentence for her double.

Princess Twilight nodded.  “Exactly.  I feel like I have so much to live up to.  I just don’t want to let everyone down.”

“Really?” Rainbow said, surprising everyone.  “C’mon Princess.  If you’re even half as much like Twi as I think you are, there’s no way you could let anyone down.  Besides, I’m sure your friends would rather you be spending your time enjoying yourself instead of listening to a bunch of politicians drone on.”

The others in the car all agreed with Rainbow Dash, seemingly putting the subject to rest.  Twilight turned and looked Princess Twilight in the eye though.  They both knew that, despite Rainbow’s kind words, both of them would still be working to meet the goals they felt they were responsible for.  It’s just part of who they both were.

However, Twilight’s story had kept them entertained long enough for them to reach the beach house.  Rainbow Dash pulled into the driveway and turned the car off.  Princess Twilight opened the door, and moaned in satisfaction as she got the chance to stretch her legs.

“Ahhh!  Pins and needles!”  Pinkie Pie said, leaning on Princess Twilight as she shook one of her legs back and forth.  “Silly leg!  This isn’t the time to be sleeping!  We’ve got beach partying to do!”

Princess Twilight glanced behind her just in time to see Applejack offer Rarity a hand out of the car, as Twilight walked around and stood next to Rainbow Dash.

Rarity gingerly stepped out and shot Applejack a warm smile.  “Alright girls, I’ll unlock the door and you can drop off anything you need to, then I suggest we make our way down to the whole reason we’re here, no?”

There was no argument, and only a couple of bags needed to be dropped off inside.  It was with some trepidation that Princess Twilight pulled off her shirt and skirt.  It helped that all her friends were dressed similarly.  In fact, Twilight was wearing an almost identical swimsuit to hers.  The only difference was that Twilight’s had some green trim on hers.

They walked out the back door of the beach house, onto the warm sand of the beach.  Princess Twilight took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the sea air and the feel of the sun on her skin.  

She noticed quite a few other people on the beach, some playing in the water, other simply sunning themselves on towels.  Thankfully, she noticed, most of the girls on the beach were wearing something similar to her and her friends, displaying varying amounts of skin.

“Alright!  BEACH PARTY!”  Pinkie Pie cheered as she ran across the sand towards the ocean waves.  Princess Twilight shared a look with her friends, before they chased after the pink haired girl, who was already diving into the water.


~~VR~~





Princess Twilight sighed in contentment as she laid on a towel in the sun.  She had tried swimming for a bit, but found that she just wasn’t used to it in this body.  She had played out in the water she could stand in with Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash until she began to feel tired.  She decided to go dry off for a bit and enjoy the sun.

She heard the sound of a page being flipped and turned to her side.  Twilight was sitting on the towel next to her, reading the same book she’d had in the car.

“Aren’t you going to play in the water?”  Princess Twilight asked curiously.

Twilight smiled sheepishly and looked away from her book.  “I can’t swim either, so I mainly just like to read in the sun.”

Princess Twilight nodded at that, wishing that she had thought to bring a book of her own.  If nothing else, she’d have to try that when she returned to Equestria.  Lounging about on a sunny beach with a good book sounded like a splendid way to spend an afternoon.

She would need to bring some water with her, she noted, as she was starting to feel parched.  She turned to her otherside where Rarity was lying on her own towel.  “Hey Rarity, could I run up to the house and get a drink?”

Rarity cracked open one eye and looked at Princess Twilight.  “Of course darling!  There should be some cups in the cupboard to the left of the sink.  We have some soda and juice in the fridge as well, if you’d like.”

Princess Twilight nodded and stood up, stretching in place (and gaining quite a few looks as she did so).  She turned and headed towards the beach house, letting her mind wander as she did.  This had been really fun, but she’d have to head back tomorrow before the portal closed.  She only wished that the portal opened sooner.  It was hardly fair that she’d only ever get to see her friends here once every year.

Perhaps there was something she could do?  Perhaps trick the mirror into thinking that much time had passed?  Or trapping the mirror in some kind of temporal stasis field while the portal was open?  But if she did that she wouldn’t be able to pass through the mirror.  Or if she did it would break the stasis, which would be pointless.

She would have to ask someone else for advice.  There was that one stallion in Ponyville that dealt with clocks, but he always said that time was his business.  Maybe he’d have an idea?  What was his name again?  The first time she’d met him he’d introduced himself as a doctor.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she felt herself collide with someone.  “Oh!  Hey, sorry about that, I wasn’t watching where I was going!”

Princess Twilight shook her head, focusing back on where she was.  “Oh no, it was my fault, I wasn’t paying any attention… Flash?!”

Sure enough, she had walked smack dab into the (pleasantly muscled) body of Flash Sentry.  She blushed as she noticed the light sheen of sweat on him.  Her blush quickly faded however, when she saw the look on his face.

He was backing away slowly, looking slightly panicked.  “S-Sorry Twilight!  Seriously, I didn’t mean to bump into you.  I’ll just… I’ll just be going now.”  Before Twilight could say anything, Flash turned around and began sprinting down the beach, as though he was being chased by an Ursa Major.  Princess Twilight watched him run until he came to a stop, in front of a girl with hair that looked like fire.  Sunset Shimmer

She saw Flash say something, and Sunset Shimmer looked in her direction.  Sunset Shimmer stared at her for a moment, before her eyes widened in what Princess Twilight assumed was recognition.  She then smiled, and waved, even as Flash hid behind her.

Princess Twilight smiled back, returning the wave enthusiastically.  The two continued to look at each other for a moment, then Sunset Shimmer turned and started walking down the beach, Flash Sentry beside her.

She really had changed.  Princess Twilight felt her heart swell at the thought.  She’d have to make sure to get a message to Sunset Shimmer that she would always be welcomed back in Equestria, if she ever decided to return.

“She really has become something else hasn’t she?  I can’t remember her ever smiling like that before she met you.”  Princess Twilight jumped in surprise at the sound of Rarity’s voice.  “Sorry darling, I didn’t mean to scare you.  I was simply coming over to help smooth things over with Flash Sentry, if need be.”

“Yeah, what was up with that?”  Twilight asked, the panicked expression Flash wore still fresh in her mind.

“You’ve already heard the story of Flash and our Twilight’s little altercation, no?”  Rarity asked.  After Princess Twilight nodded, Rarity continued.  “Flash Sentry is… well, he is a boy.  Not only that, but he is a popular, good looking boy.  He is used to girls practically lining up to date him, even when he isn’t interested.  Unfortunately, this has made him a little… clumsy when it comes to girls.”

“When Twilight transferred to Canterlot High, Flash thought she was you.  So he didn’t understand when she wouldn’t give him the light of day.  So he tried the same old “We need to stop bumping into each other routine.”  Rarity shook her head at the memory.  “Of course, our Twilight wasn’t interested. Flash really doesn’t understand flirting however.  He simply thought if he kept trying the same approach, eventually Twilight would fall for it.”

This time Princess Twilight shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips.  She wondered if the same thing had happened to the Flash Sentry in her world?  He had become head of the Royal Guard after her brother, which was bound to attract some attention from the mares.  Perhaps he simply didn’t understand how to woo a mare either, like this Flash?

“Anyways, when Twilight finally threw him into the salad bar, I suppose it shook up his confidence pretty bad.  He’s been sure to give out Twilight a fairly wide berth since then.  He probably thought you were going to toss him into the ocean when he bumped into you.”  Rarity giggled a little at that, which was shared by Princess Twilight.

“Well,”  Princess Twilight said, staring at the direction that Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry had gone, “I’m just glad they’re happy.”

“And what about yourself Princess?”  Rarity asked.  Twilight blinked her eyes in surprise.  “Is there a special somebody waiting on you back in your kingdom?”

“No.  I honestly hadn’t thought about it too much before I came back here. I mean, I had a bit of a crush on Flash but…”  Princess Twilight stared across the beach, back towards her friends.  Rainbow Dash and Twilight were currently building a sand castle, which Pinkie Pie was trying to destroy with a catapult she had made out of planks of wood and seashells.  “I think that maybe I’ll try looking for my special somebody when I get back.”

Rarity smiled.  “Wonderful darling.  Now, would you be so kind as to accompany me back to the house?  It seems the rest of our friends are also thirsty and I volunteered to get everyone some drinks.”

“Sure thing, Rarity!”  Princess Twilight said, as the two began to make their way to the house.


~~VR~~


Princess Twilight stood on the balcony of Rarity’s beach house (or the beach house that her parents sort of owned.  She still didn’t understand the whole timeshare thing), looking over the sea as the moon lit the night sky.  Everyone else had already gone to bed, exhausted from a day of playing in the hot sun.

“Huh, I figured I’d be the only one still up.”  Princess Twilight turned, and saw Rainbow Dash step out of the house and slide the screen door shut.  She walked up and leaned against the rail next to Princess Twilight.  “So, did you have fun?” She asked.

Princess Twilight smiled, thinking of everything they had done.  Even Pinkie’s goofy ukulele songs had been fun in their own way.  “I did.  I’m glad I got to spend this time with all of you, even if it was crazy to start with.”

Rainbow Dash looked uncharacteristically sheepish.  “Yeah, sorry about that.  The kiss I mean.  I wouldn’t have done it if I had known you weren’t…”

Princess Twilight smiled.  “That I wasn’t your Twilight?” She asked.  Rainbow Dash nodded, still looking nervous.  “It’s alright Rainbow Dash, I understand.  And to be honest… I didn’t not like the kiss.”  She admitted, though in a round-about way.

It took a moment for Rainbow Dash to work out what Princess Twilight said, but once she did a grin spread across her face.  “Well of course you did!  I mean, how could anyone not like being kissed by Canterlot High’s star athlete?”

That was more like the Rainbow Dash she knew.  Twilight chuckled as she looked out across the black waves.  They stood there in companionable silence, the only sound being the wind and the surf.

“The Rainbow Dash in your world,”  Rainbow said, breaking the silence, “What’s she like?”

Princess Twilight smiled.  “She asked me the same thing about you when I got back.  You’re both alike in a lot of ways.  My Rainbow Dash is brash, arrogant, friendly, competitive, loyal, an amazing flyer, and a huge fan of Daring Do.”

“You guys have Daring Do over there too!”  Rainbow Dash asked.  Her eyes widened when Princess Twilight nodded.  “Man, I wonder how much they’re like our Daring Do books?”

“Well, our Daring Do can fly…”  Princess Twilight said teasingly.

“Pfft, so can ours.  She’s an ace pilot, even if she does typically crash her plane in the beginning of the books.”

Princess Twilight laughed. “Ours typically breaks her wing or something like that.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, but she didn’t laugh along with Twilight.  She looked thoughtful as she stared at the moon in the sky.  After a moment, she brought her gaze back to Princess Twilight.  “So, if our worlds aren’t that much different, maybe you and the Rainbow Dash in your world…”  Rainbow trailed off, not quite sure how to say what she wanted to say.

Princess Twilight smiled kindly at Rainbow as she fumbled for the right words. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.  I guess we’ll have to see what happens.”

Rainbow Dash stood stock still for a moment, before she relaxed and smiled again.  “Well, whatever happens, you totally need to bring her with you the next time that portal-thingy opens.”

Princess Twilight nodded.  Now there was an idea.


~~VR~~


The seven friends stood in front of the statue in the courtyard of Canterlot High.  It was just a little after noon, but Princess Twilight had insisted that it was time for her to go home.

“I had a lot fun with all of you, but I really do need to be getting back.”  

So even though the portal wouldn’t be closing for hours, they had taken Princess Twilight there so she could go home.

“I’m sure you understand how surreal it’s been to meet you.” Twilight said, as she gave her a hug.

“Y’all come back as soon as ya can!  Next time ya gotta spend some time on my farm!”  Applejack said.

“Oh, and I’ll totally throw you a party next time you come over!  And we can have a sleepover again!” Despite Pinkie Pie’s bright tone, there were tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

“We’ll have to make you some more clothes next time you visit.  We can’t have you walking around in that same outfit all the time now can we?”  Rarity said.

Finally Rainbow Dash approached.  She gave Princess Twilight a hug, and whispered into her ear.  Princess Twilight felt her face grow hot from the blush that appeared at Rainbow Dash’s words, but she nodded and gave her a smile.

“Say hi to Fluttershy for me, and tell her I’ll be sure to visit next chance I get!”  Princess Twilight said.  With that, she waved farewell to her friends, before stepping through the portal.


~~VR~~





After the disorienting spin through dimensions, Twilight found herself further disoriented when she was tackled into a pony pile before she could even get back on her hooves.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were going back there?”  Fluttershy asked, her voice tinged with worry.

“Yeah!  Why didn’t ya’ll tell us ya were needin a vacation?  We woulda gone with ya!”  Applejack said.

“Did the other me pull the bathing suit under a towel trick on you?”  Pinkei Pie asked with all the seriousness a question like that deserved.

“Tell me darling, did you meet up with that stallion you fancied whilst you were there?”  Rarity asked, her voice a bit dreamy at the prospect of romance.

“Was the other me just as cool as mpphhh!!!!”  Rainbow Dash’s voice was quickly cut off, and the others were thrown off the pile as her wings snapped open.  

The others felt their jaws drop at the sight before them.  Twilight, who still had Rainbow Dash laying ontop of her, was currently kissing the pegasus.  More importantly, Rainbow had closed her eyes, leaning into the kiss.

At least she was for a few seconds, before she fainted under the sensory assault.  Twilight pulled away from the kiss, gasping for air as she smiled at the pegasus.

“Huh, she was right.  You do like it when somepony else takes the lead.”  Twilight said with a satisfied smirk on her face.