Twilight attempts to open portals to other worlds, including the one of the Big Ponies, in order to see how much better she can do this time round.
However, a misstep and a tripping over a certain Chaos master's tail lands Twilight back in the Big Ponies' world, but will she be able to return as soon as she had last time and what will she discover in this world that is tied to her destiny?
Teen for possible violence later. slice of life is meant to include adventure because of a little exploring later down the track and romance is because of the two Big Ponies Twi knows.
“Okay, if this angle of the Ursa Major is there and the pony nebula is there, then the portal should be ready right about... NOW!”
Twilight sent a spark of magic into the machine and it began. Gears spun into action as dishes pointed up at the sky to record the data.
In a flash of what looked like magnified moonlight, the mirror lit up, just like before and, like before, Twilight shielded her eyes behind a hoof from the initial blast but jumped for joy when she saw the solid surface of the mirror ripple like water once again.
This time she had been careful in her calculations. She had made it so there was a selection of three different worlds, which she shifted between access to with a spark from her horn.
It had been a few months since her last attempt that had landed her in the Big Ponies world, where she’d only been the size of a foal and treated like one by two kind farm ponies.
She pushed that from her mind. She needed to know which three worlds she’d linked to and whether or not Celestia would give her permission to go in and explore them.
She had wanted somepony with her right now, just in case her eagerness started getting the better of her again and she wound up in a worse situation than simply being mistaken for a foal, but none of them were able to get off of work right now and Spike was helping Rarity with her dresses.
She shook her head at how easily Rarity could wrap Spike around her hoof with a single request and how he wouldn’t hesitant and returned her focus to the mirror, looking into the first of the three worlds.
The first world was the one she had followed after Sunset Shimmer into after going through the magic mirror in the Crystal Empire.
A small part of her wanted to go there and say hi to all her Canterlot High friends, see how they were doing and how Sunset was doing after she’d learned about friendship.
However, she knew this wasn’t the time. Maybe she would, once the bridges to the world had been solidified, but, til then, she had to resist going to see her friends again.
Pushing these thoughts aside, she moved the image to the next world currently available for transport to.
It was another world of ponies, like Equestria, expect...
Twilight frowned. The ponies through the mirror looked... strange. Their forms were slightly off and... why were there ponies with butterfly wings? And were those two ponies Scootaloo and Ceerilee? They looked sort of like them. But why were they the same age?
She shook her head. She’d ask Celestia about it later. She needed to finish her work here, then she could ask the sun goddess about the strange ponies.
She moved the image to the third world and felt a tiny flicker in her heart. It was the world of the Big Ponies.
She wondered how things had been there since she’d left. Had Big Mare and Big Stallion had their own foal? They certainly deserved one. The kindness they’d shown Twilight had alsoment made her wish Celestia hadn’t come for her.
She still had the hooved pajamas from her visit.
Despite the fact that they were made for a foal to wear, Twilight had taken to wearing them regularly on cold nights and even normal nights. It gave her a nostalgic feel, reminding her of her time as a filly and they were so comfy she couldn't help but smile whenever she sleep in them.
She wondered if she should go and visit the two, see how things were doing there.
Celestia had taught her a few words. Though Twilight had suspicions that the words meant things different from what Celestia told her they were.
She sighed as she shook the thoughts from her mind.
She couldn’t go back. Not without preparation, anyway. If she went now, she could end up with a more difficult scenario than she’d ended up in last time.
“Would that really be so bad?”
Twilight almost flinched, but instead merely groaned, which was followed by a loud popping sound and Discord appearing above the mirror, his body draped over it.
“What do you want, Discord?” she asked, turning away from him and writing down the co-ordinates to the strange pony world portal from before, since some of it hadn’t registered via the machine, but that she’d taken notice of.
Discord flopped onto the ground. “Can’t a friend simply pop in from time to time.”
Twilight sighed. “I suppose. But it would really be nice if you could at least once send a letter ahead so I could a prepared. I’m kinda in the middle of something right now.”
The draconequus slumped into the couch, closing his eyes. “Where’s the fun in that? I like to make an entrance, Twilight Sparkle. How can I do that when ponies are expecting me?”
Twilight wanted to retort, but Discord actually had an interesting point there, so she remained silent and finished jotting down the co-ordinates of the strange pony world.
“I wonder how things would’ve gone, had you remained in that world longer?”
Discord’s question caused Twilight to turn, only to find him standing in front of the mirror. She looked in and saw Big Mare and Big Stallion’s farmhouse.
Discord clicked his fingers and suddenly Twilight found herself wearing the hooved pajamas the Big Ponies had given her.
She glared at Discord. “What’re you doing?”
The draconequus snickered. “You just look so cute like that, Twily. If I were to make myself as big as the Big Ponies you’d be like a cute widdle foal to me, just as you were to them,” he pointed to the portal. “Do you think you would’ve like spending more time there before Celly found you?”
“Would it have really mattered?” she asked, turning around and starting to walk away from him, trying not to admit she was kinda glad he’d put the pajamas on her. Their warm was nice. “I’m already full grown, so they would’ve learned I wasn’t a real foal sooner or later.”
A chuckle was Discord’s reply. “Have you forgotten you’re an alicorn now, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight stopped and rolled her eyes, but didn’t turn around. “Yes, Discord, I’ve noticed.” She flapped her wings. “Kinda hard not to.”
“Then are you forgetting that, now you’re an alicorn, you’re going to start growing again, until you’re the same size as Luna, or even Celestia?”
“I’m what?” Twilight cried, whirling around.
However, in her haste, she had not seen Discord’s tail, which he had left lying on the floor.
Her suddenly movements caused the tail to twist around her legs, causing Discord to shout an annoyed, “Hey!” before she fell forward, her momentum sending her tumbling forward, rolling into the portal and disappearing through it.
Discord blinked. He had not planned that at all, but a devilish grin arouse on his muzzle.
“Well, I don’t see the harm in letting Twily enjoy a few more days as their foal,” he clicked his fingers, his magic sending a mind wipe of certain parts of the last couple months to Twilight and the two Big Ponies, including any memory of Celestia coming to take Twilight back.
Wait, the draconequus pouted, putting his claw to his mouth. That wouldn’t be likely if Celestia has access to the portal, and I cannot simply sabotage it. If I do that, I’ll get the blame.
He pondered for a bit. How could he ensure Twilight remained in the Big Ponies world for a few days without Celestia interfering?
A thought came and he grinned, clicking his fingers.
The magic of the portal suddenly halted, freezing in place. Now, the portal was open, but for sixteen days it would be impossible to access. Even he could not override this.
What had just happened? It felt like when she’d fallen into Big Mare and Big Stallion’s world the first time.
She opened her eyes and looked around. She was standing on a porch that was far larger than any in Eqestria, but very familiar.
She got up and looked around. It was Big Mare and Big Stallion’s farm. She was back in the Big Ponies world.
Her right eye twitched and she shouted to the heavens, “DISCORD!”
At once, her head felt light and she fell onto her rump, hold a hoof to her forehead. She felt as if something was off.
“Why...? Why was I just shouting Discord’s name?” she murmured, unable to understand why she’d done that.
She looked around, confused.
What was she doing outside on the porch? Hadn’t she just been inside showing Big Mare and Big Stallion how smart she was with mathematics? How had she gone from there to out here?
Maybe she’d fallen asleep? Yeah, maybe that was it. She’d been pretty tired when she’d arrived, so maybe a little of her fatigue had been left over and caused her to fall asleep.
Though that didn’t explain why she was outside, she assumed that maybe the two ponies had brought her out to play while they did some of their chores. Since this was a farm, they must have a lot to do.
Wait. She looked around. Where were Big Mare and Big Stallion? She couldn’t see them anyway and two giant ponies are kinda hard to miss.
If they weren’t out here with her, then her hypothesis was moot, because it couldn’t work otherwise.
Maybe she’d teleported out by accident and the resulting suddenly shift in molecules had caused her temporary amnesia? Yeah, that sounded... slightly plausible.
It was then that Twilight noticed something was missing. She shifted a little, trying to figure it out.
She was wearing the hooved pajamas Big Mare had put on her, so that wasn’t missing... she hadn’t had anything else, though, so why did she feel like something...?
The alicorn frowned. She shifted her rump. Her diaper was missing.
This was definitely puzzling. She couldn’t have removed the diaper if she’d wanted to, even with her magic back ,because it might have hurt her hosts’ feelings, so why wasn’t it on her now.
Twilight tried to remember what she’d been doing last.
“I was... doing some very advanced maths equations...” she said, thinking over the scene in her mind. “And then... um... I... drew a picture! Yes, I remember: I drew a picture of the three of us together because... because...”
She frowned, opening her eyes. “Why did I draw that picture? And when did I go from writing advanced calculus to drawing a picture like a foal in kindergarten?”
Twilight sat down again and went over the memory.
A few seconds later her eyes widened with horror. She couldn’t remember what had happened after drawing the picture! The next thing in her memory after the picture was her waking up on the porch like when she’d first arrived, only wearing her pajamas this time.
She tried to use her magic and was filled with a cold fear when her horn only gave off a few sparks. Was her magic still recovering? Had earlier only been a small stash of magic that had recuperated?
If that was the case... She looked around fearfully. If that was the case, then she was outside, with no magic, no way of defending herself, the size of a foal compared to everything in this world and she had no idea where Big Mare and Big Stallion were.
Twilight did the only logical thing anypony in her situation would do. She started to panic.
Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies walked down the path leading from Ponyville to their farm, Pitchfork pulling an empty wagon on his back.
Fresh sighed, which caught her husband’s attention. It was mournful sigh, one he had heard a lot over the last five months.
“Honey, she wasn’t ours, we both knew it couldn’ last,” he tried to comfort her as she walked alongside him.
She looked at him, tears in her eyes. “Ah know, Pitch. It’s just... after what the doctors’ told us, she was our first real chance at havin' a family.”
He sighed and nodded, then shook his head. “Ah know. Ah cannot believe so many orphanages are empty. The one here in our own town, Coltsdale, Manehatten, Baltimare. How can none of them have any orphans?” He sighed again. “Great. That makes me sound like Ah wish some foal was orphaned.”
His wife was about to respond, when she felt a weird light-headedness come over her and he soon followed.
“When did we...? How are we outside?” Pitchfork asked after he shaken the dizziness from his mind.
“Ah... Ah don’t know,” Fresh replied, frowning. “Last thing Ah remember, the li'le foal was givin' us a picture she drew of the three of us and...”
They both went ridged and glanced at the cart, seeing nothing inside it aside from the bag of bits they'd made from selling their produce.
“We left the foal at home on her own!” they both cried.
Fresh ran off, leaving her husband to follower her at a slower pace thanks to the wagon he was pulling.
Fresh couldn’t think about that though. That poor abandoned foal was all alone at the house, probably terrified.
When an image of the poor dear crying, Fresh increased her speed into a galloped and flew down the road to the farm, leaving her husband in the dust.
Twilight paced back and forth on the porch, her nerves causing her to jump at any sound she knew she hadn’t made herself.
Where were Big Mare and Big Stallion? What was she doing outside? How had she gotten outside? And where was her diaper?
True, not exactly a normal question the alicorn would have asked, but the fact that one second she remembered being inside and wearing it under her pajamas and the next she found herself outside, all alone, without it, was a cause for alarm in her books right.
These weren't the only things worrying her, though. What scared her was she was outside, with no idea how to get in. Without her magic, she was stuck.
And things in this world were was huge. There was no telling what kind of creature she could run into here. Even a dog would be dangerous and she couldn’t use her magic to defend herself should the need arise, which she was sure it would.
The sound of galloping caused Twilight to jump and she quickly hid behind a pot plant that, if she wasn’t so scared, Twilight would’ve realized even a real foal would’ve still been visible behind.
As the galloping slowed down a little, Twilight cautiously peeked out form her heading place.
Her face lit up. Big Mare!
She tried to ran to the Big Pony, never happier to see her before since she’d arrived, but her pajamas’ stagged a little on a thorn from the plant in the pot and she faltered.
Her balance compromised, she tumbled forward, like a foal taking their first steps.
Within seconds, she heard a shout from Big Mare and felt herself being lifted up into the forehooves of the large pony.
She wrapped her hooves around Big Mare’s neck, tears streaming down her face. She’d never been so scared in all her life, not even when facing all the villains she had, back in Equestria.
Big Mare stroked Twilight’s back with a hoof, not seeming to question how Twilight had gotten outside in the first place and made sound that Twilight could tell were meant to hush her and calm her down.
A few minutes later, the sound of galloping returned and Big Stalltion arrived, pulling the two of them into a group hug.
Twilight wished she could remember what happened, how she gotten outside and why they’d left her there, but her mind refused to give her the information she so desperately wanted.
However, why they’d left her did not matter right now. The fact was that they’d come back. If they hadn’t there was no telling what could have happened to her.
After a few minutes of hugging and what Twilight assumed were apologies from the two Big Ponies, she was brought inside.
At once, they all felt something was off. A few things in the room were moved from where they had been when Twilight had been doing the maths equation.
Twilight looked to the couch and saw her colours books weren’t there, which caused her to frown. How had they just vanished?
Big Stallion went off upstairs to where he’d left the bag with the foal supplies and Big Mare took Twilight to the couch and sat there, holding the alicorn in her hooves.
Twilight frowned as she tried to figure this out. Something had happened between her writing maths, to drawing that picture, to when she’d found herself outside.
She could feel it there, in the back of her mind, but couldn’t remember what it was. It was there enough so she could sense its presence, but not enough to know what it was.
A loud shout from upstairs made both mares jump.
Big Mare quickly put Twilight on her back and hurried upstairs to see what her husband had shouted for, Twilight clinging to her, wondering the same thing.
Twilight might not fully understand their language, but she’d heard the surpise in Big Stallion’s voice. Something was upstairs he hadn’t been expecting.
Big Mare hurried down a hallway with several doors, stopping in front of one that was opened out.
Twilight’s eyes widened when she saw the patterns on the door. There were birds, flowers and trees. It was designs the likes of which you’d put on a foal’s nursery door.
With that thought entering her mind, Twilight was only the tiniest big not surprised when Big Mare walked the two of them into a brightly coloured nursery.
The walls were painted with apples and other fruits, the floor was padded and blue, there was a changing table, stoked and ready and, in the farthest corner, a blue crib with a star mobile.
Big Stallion was standing in the center of the room, his mouth hanging open. The two mares were imitating him without meaning to.
All three knew this room hadn’t been here when they’d gotten up that morning.
The three ponies stood, shocked beyond words, not one of them able to understand how the nursery was there when it hadn’t been before.
After a few minutes of just staring around at the room, Twilight felt something that made her eyes widen.
She needed the toilet, badly. Her fear had kept her from noticing it, but now that she was calmed, even though she was also shocked by the sudden discovery of a surprise nursery when she hadn’t even been here for twenty-four hours, she realized she badly needed to use the rest room.
She tapped Big Mare’s head, trying to get her attention.
The mare turned to look at Twilight, seeming to come out of her stupor.
Twilight shifted from side to side, giving a strained face that she hoped said “I need to pee”, but Big Mare just looked at her with confusion.
Twilight almost facehoofed. Neither of them knew she didn’t have a diaper on and there was no time to get to the toilet and take her pajamas off herself. Though snug and comfortably warm, they took some time to get off if you weren’t using magic (Twilight only pondered how she could know this for a second due to her bladder’s pestering).
Twilight craned her neck to the butt-flat and used her teeth to unbutton it, then turned her flank to Big Mare.
A shocked sound came from her, meaning she understood why Twilight hadn’t simply gone already.
But before Twilight could even turn around again, she was swooped up, lain down on the changing table made, her pajamas taken off and Big Mare quickly went about putting a diaper on her.
Twilight wanted to protest, but her bladder made thinking of a good way of doing so impossible.
Once the diaper was secured around her, Big Mare nodded.
Twilight didn’t like where this was going, but she didn’t have a choice anymore. Her bladder couldn’t hold on any longer and she let herself go in the diaper.
After Twilight had finished, she gave Big Mare a nod to tell her so and the giant pony went about changing her diaper.
Quick as a flash, Twilight was back in a diaper, Big Mare smiling down at her.
"Thank you, ma'am," Twilight said, using a few of the words Celestia had taught her.
Wait. when had Celestia tried teaching her the language of the Big Ponies? She'd never been here before now, so how had she known about it?
Big Mare's eyes widened in shock, then her smile returned, warming this time.
She leaned in and nuzzled Twilight.
Something about the nuzzle didn't make sense to the alicorn, since it wasn't the response she'd been expected, but the warmth from it soothed her and she allowed herself to be lifted up onto Big Mare’s back and they all headed downstairs, Big Stallion still looking a little shaken up about finding a nursery he hadn’t even known about in his house.
With that all done, Twilight wondered why it had all happened in the first place.
So many things were weird, well, weirder than they had been what seemed like mere minutes ago to her.
She’d been in the living room showing the two Big Ponies her intelligence, then she’d drawn a picture that she couldn’t understand why she’d done so in the first place, she’d then found herself outside, without the use of her magic, all alone and without a diaper for whatever reason, Big Mare and Big Stallion had left her alone, some things in the house had moved since Twilight had been outside and now there was a nursery upstairs all three of them knew hadn’t been there in the morning.
Her head hurt, trying to understand the connection between all these things, but it just jumbled in her head, not making any sense.
She was missing something. Something obvious... but she couldn't figure out what it was.
Twilight shook her head as Big Mare and Big Stallion headed downstairs (keeping her eyes closed so she didn’t feel like she did when they’d gone up the other night, only in reverse).
As she shook her head, a part of her reasoned that, maybe the nursery had always been there. For all she knew, Big Mare and Big Stallion could have been planning on having a foal of their own shortly before she arrived and, due to her being so tired, hadn’t noticed the nursery door on the first night.
She blinked. Something about what she’d just thought didn’t quite add up.
She focused. Why was she feeling so... off? She’d just gotten a rough night’s sleep, she reasoned. It being her first night having to deal with being treated like a foal, she supposed that made sense...
Her musings were cut short as the Big Ponies took her to the living room and Big Mare sat down on the coach, holding Twilight in her forelegs.
The purple mare decided to put her own thoughts aside and focused on her temporary “mom and dad”. They both were talking with worried tones, if the same kind of tones was the same as in Twilight’s own world.
Big Stallion shook his head several times, frowned, whacked himself with a forehoof, then shook his head again.
Big Mare seemed anxious, her grip on Twilight tightening ever so slightly.
Twilight couldn’t help wondering why they were so worried. Had something about the nursery not been as they’d left it? Or were they worrying about her again?
She couldn’t help smirking sadly at that. If they were thinking of trying to find her mother, they’d never be able to do so. She was in another world...
Wait a minute. Since this was an alternate world, maybe there was an alternate Twilight? She’d never come across the alternate her back when she’d first traveled through dimensions, but since there’d been human versions of her friends there, there could’ve easily been a human version of herself.
That being the case, could there be an alternate her here, in this world?
She hoped not. That would make things way to confusing for everypony. Sure, her mother, Twilight Velvet might be in this world, but what if this world’s Twilight hadn’t been born yet? Or what if she had? That would just confuse everypony, especially if this world’s Twilight already had her Cutie Mark. Two ponies with the same Cutie Mark? That just spelled trouble.
Fresh sat down, taking the little foal in her forelegs. “Pitch, what jus’ happened?” she asked her husband as she looked up to him, her expression worried. “Why were we shocked to find the nursery?”
The stallion shook his head. “Ah don’ know. We built it months afore the foal arrived, yet the moment Ah set hoof in there, it felt odd. Like it hadn’t been there last night.”
Fresh sighed, glancing down at the foal. She was frowning, as if deep in thought. Fresh would’ve played that off as just silly foal antics, but after what the foal had done that morning...
“Why did we leave her home alone?” she looked back to her husband, worry in her eyes. “How could we do that?”
Pitch just shook his head again. “Ah honestly don’ know, sweetie. Ah know we’d never have willin’ly left a helpless child on her own.” He whacked himself on the forehead. “Ah wish Ah knew what happened.”
Fresh looked longingly down at the foal. “Pitch... can we keep her, please?”
Pitch sighed, then shook his head. “We first need ta know if’n her family’s in town somewhere. Maybe we can find her mama.”
“But she was left on our doorstep, Pitch,” Fresh said firmly. “You know a mother who wants their child wouldn’t just leave them on some random ponies’ doorstep, ragged and in a puddle of their own pee.”
Pitch paused at that, then sighed, scratching his neck. “Alright, honey. We’ll keep her. But I’m filing a report anyway, just in case.”
“You can’t mention that she’s an Alicorn!” Fresh said, tightened her grip slightly on the foal, causing her to look up at her husband. “If the Queen—”
“Ah know, Ah know,” the stallion cut her off. “Don’t worry. Ah’m jus’ gonna say her coat, mane and tail colours.”
Fresh relaxed, her grip not slacking, but becoming gentler with the foal.
Pitch turned and headed for the door. “Ah’ll go an’ make the report now, plus Ah’ll get some more foal supplies. Fer some reason Ah couldn’t find the bag we used yesterday. Though,” he said, glancing back and seeing his wife’s saddening face, “like ya said: she was left on our doorstep. Chances are we won’t find her family.”
Pitch had to hold back a smirk and the confusing combination of emotions on her wife’s face at those words. He could see she was happy at the idea of the keep the foal, but saddened by the idea that the foal might not have a family somewhere. It was rathe amusing. Shaking his head, Pitch left, closing the door behind him.
Twilight watched the exchange between the two Big Ponies, then as Big Stallion headed for the door and went out, briefly glancing back and she could swear she could tell he was hiding a smirk about something, before the door closed behind him.
She cocked her head. “What was that all about?”
She heard Big Mare say something and looked up to see the large mare smiling down at her.
Twilight would’ve said something then, but her stomach suddenly gave a growl, causing her to blush and Big Mare to chuckle.
I have a feeling I know where this is going.
Big Mare lowered Twilight down onto the floor, said something Twilight guessed was “Wait here a moment,” the headed off in the direction Big Stallion had the previous night.
Twilight did as instructed, but looked around, frowning. “Why are things not where they were this morning?” She waddled over to a pile of newspapers she hadn’t seen before and scanned the date, before frowning again.
The date said it was several months since the Spring Festival, which she remembered had Trender Hoof causing Rarity to not be herself in an attempt to woe him.
Twilight remembered this clearly and yet... staring at the date, she felt that, seeing it in this world was off. She couldn’t figure out why though and it urked her to no end.
A chuckle from behind made Twilight turned around. Big Mare had returned, carrying with her a bottle of milk.
Twilight sighed. She would have much rather a solid meal, but she guessed; until she could find a way to really communicate properly, she’d have to settle for milk for at least one more meal.
While not as comforting as last night’s milk had been, since she wasn’t exhausted from working tirelessly on a dimension travel spell and starving after weeks of barely anything to eat, Twilight still felt those memories she’d had tickle her mind the previous night do so again.
Once she’d finished her milk, Big Mare took Twilight upstairs, causing Twilight to do as she had the night before and whine, as going up those stairs still felt like leaping to the top of Canterlot Castle in bounds.
When they reached the top and Twilight dared to open her eyes again, she saw them heading back towards the nursery.
Twilight couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Big Mare must still think I’m a foal, I’ll grant it a strangely intelligent one, but a foal, none the less. If only there was a way to communicate with her.
Big Mare brought Twilight over to the changing table and fitted Twilight back into her snuggy pajamas.
Twilight was shocked to find that, the moment she was in the pajamas, she felt a little tired. “I’m really getting too much into this.”
Once the purple mare was in her PJs, Big Mare took Twilight over to the crib and laid her down. She gently patted Twilight’s head, then leaned down and kissed her just below her horn.
Twilight would have protested, but a thought occurred to her, so she closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep, while trying to keep herself from actually doing so, which wasn’t easy, wearing the snuggy. It really made her want to fall asleep.
She heard Big Mare murmur something, then carefully trot out the room, before the door closed behind her.
After a few moments, once Twilight was certain she wouldn’t be disturbed, she opened her eyes and stood, walked over to the bars of the crib and propped herself up, looking around at the nursery, lighting her horn to see a bit better.
In the dim light of her horn, the room almost looked a little bit creepy, but she put that aside and scanned her surroundings. If Pitch and Fresh made this nursery for a foal they planned on having, then they likely would’ve put them... there!
She grinned. Off to the right was a small bookshelf and, though Twilight couldn’t make out the titles, knew they were books for helping foals to learn.
Casting her magic out, Twilight struggled for a moment to unlatch the lock on the crib, before she got out, clumsily gliding and hoping the bigger mare didn’t hear the sound of her thumbing on the floor.
Free of her foalish confined, Twilight walked over to the wall, scanning for the light switch. Finding it, she used her magic to turn the lights on, panting a little at the strain.
She really needed to get used to this world’s magic if she had any chance of returning home before the portal closed.
After she’d gotten her breath back, Twilight moved over to the bookshelf and focused on the books, though one in particular. Even if she couldn’t read this world’s language aside from the few words she’d learned from the story about the “shrk” the Big Ponies had read to her last night and the other few words she knew (though she didn’t know how she knew those), she could tell one of the books was one for teach foals the letters of the alphabet. Why else would there be three huge brightly coloured things that looked like letters on the cover.
Twilight lit her horn, straining as she levitated the book off the shelf, trying to lower it down. Once that was done, she moved over to what was clearly a place meant for a foal to draw pictures, with paper and coloured pencils.
Had Twilight actually been a foal, she wouldn’t have been able to get them down, but, since she wasn’t, it was easy.
With everything she’d need collected, Twilight moved back to the book and opened it. Like she’d expected, it showed what were clearly the letters of this world’s alphabet and a picture of something starting with that letter underneath it. Though the letters were different from the ones in Equestria, Twilight knew, if she studied them hard enough, she could learn them.
Fresh walked into the nursery an hour later, fully intending to wake up the little foal. Her steps, however, stopped and her eyes widened at the sight before her.
The little foal was sitting at the writing desk, not laying in the crib, which was unlocked.
Now, this alone would’ve shocked Fresh, but the little foal was moving a pencil across some paper, glancing back at forth from something. As Fresh slowly drew nearer, she saw it was a book about the alphabet.
She blinked. What? How could...? Why would...?
She remembered how the foal had done something that resembled mathematics that morning. It hadn’t quite matched, but it still was similar enough to notice.
She gasped, causing the foal to look up in surprise.
For a moment they just stared, before the foal smiled and, using her magic, levitated one of the sheets of paper to hover in front of the bigger mare.
Fresh took it with a forehoof out of reflex, her eyes fixed on the lavender pony, who only pointed to the paper before saying, “Read.”
Fresh gaped. The idea that the foal could talk wasn’t what shocked her. She’d been trying during the story she and her husband had read to her the previous night. No, what shocked her was the continuity between the foal given her a sheet of paper and saying the word “read”. It implied a clear understanding of the actions and what the word’s meaning was.
Her hooves shaking a little, Fresh looked down, before her eyes widened. There was writing on the paper. Clear, understandable, no way of mistaking it writing.
She stood there for a moment, shocked, before the foal calling out, “Read!” again, a little impatiently this time, snapped her out of it and she began to read.
Greetings. My name is Twilight Sparkle, or Princess Twilight Sparkle, since I’m an Alicorn.
I realize this may be hard for you to understand, but I am not a foal. I am a full grown pony, but from another world, where it would seem ponies in my world, when full grown, are only the size of foals in yours.
Let me first say I never meant to deceive you into thinking I was a foal. My special talent is magic and, as such, I can perform incredibly large feats of magic most ponies would not be able to do. I was trying to use my talent to perfect a dimensional walking spell so that I could visit other worlds and learn from them.
However, after working tirelessly as I did, when I jumped headfirst into your world, I was too exhausted to stop you or your husband from mistaking me for and treating me like a foal.
You do have my thanks, though. While it wasn’t something I wanted to have happen to me, it wasn’t totally unpleasant either and, thanks to you, I might be able to get home again, once I find the portal I came in from.
So, could you please stop treating me like a foal and more an adult, since we are both full grown mares here and it would be a lot easier on all of us if we could be grownups?
As you can see, I have learned your world’s alphabet, so we can communicate via writing. I can’t clearly “speak” your world’s langague though; only a few words and phrases, so writing is our best choice for communication.
So, now that you know my name, what’s your name? And your husband’s name, for that matter? I would like to be able to think of and call you both something other than Big Mare and Big Stallion.
Fresh stared down at the note, her eyes so wide you could swear they’d pop out of her head.
The letter was so detailed, so clean... it couldn’t have been written by a foal. There was just no way.
She glanced at the foal the note called Twilight Sparkle, who was looking up at her eagerly.
“Well?” she asked.
Fresh looked at the note, rereading it several times, just to make sure she wasn’t simply imagining this.
Once she was certain, she gently lowered the paper down, the moved to take one of the other pages, before blinking. Many of them had the same things she’d just read, but with mistakes that were crossed out.
This really was happening.
She took one of the few bear sheets and laid it down on the table, before taking a pencil in her mouth and writing down her answer.
Hello, Princess Twilight Sparkle. My name is Fresh Veggies and my husband’s name is Pitchfork.
She gave the note to Twilight, who nodded, then wrote something else down using her magic, before handing it back for Fresh to read.
It is very nice to meet you, Fresh Veggies. Thank you for helping me last night. Shall we discuss what happens next now, or wait until your husband returns?
Pitchfork returned a short while later, soaking wet since a rainbow storm had started. It was from the Everfree and the pegasi had decided to let it move over Ponyville instead of try and stop it, since it wasn’t going to be as bad as most Everfree Storms and it would save them from having to schedule a few later on.
It would however be lasting for a few days and Pitch had been advised by a Pegaus in town that he and Fresh should remain inside until it blew over.
After he arrived home, he was confused to find his wife and the foal passing papers between each other. What was more; the foal wasn’t wearing a diaper anymore.
When Pitch questioned his wife about this, she told him something ridiculous. She said the foal had written a letter telling her the she wasn’t a foal at all, but a full grown pony from another world where, apparently, and adult there was only the size of a foal here. He dismissed the idea right away, even after his wife should him the note she claimed the foal, who called herself Twilight Sparkle, had written.
He’d laughed at the idea. The note was too well written to be done by a foal.
However, his laughter died when he noticed “Twilight” using her magic to write something else, taking a while to do so, too, which she then levitated over to him.
He grinned, taking the supposed note and read it.
Pitchfork Apple, the idea that you are so unwilling to listen to what you wife has told you is understandable, both in the sense that it sounds crazy, and that you are an Apple, so you are stubborn. I should know, one of my best friends in my world in an Apple.
However, I am very certain that, as you’re reading this, you are starting to understand that, if I really were a foal, this letter would not be written so well, or with such fluency.
I am a full grown pony, and, while my size might make that hard to believe, my skills in writing should prove it to you. You saw me writing this, with no help from your wife whatsoever.
Do you really think a foal couldn’t written all this?
Pitch just stared, his mouth agape as he glanced from the note to Twilight, to the note, then back to Twilight, then to his wife.
He looked down. “Sorry, Fresh.”
The mare smiled, then nuzzled him. “It’s okay, Pitch. Now we jus’ gotta figure out where to go from here, right, Princess?”
Twilight grinned, nodding.
However, her smile faded as Pitch told his wife about the storm and how long it would last. The portal would close before the storm ended, so how was she going to get home?
Celestia stared in horror at the mirror as she stood in Twilight's library.
She had received a letter from Spike mere moments ago saying, when he'd returned to check on Twilight at 4:30, after he'd finished helping Rarity, he'd found Twilight gone and the portal showing it had been activated.
Celestia had teleported over right away, only to find the scene currently in front of her. Spike in the hoofs of Rarity as he cried into her, while the other element bearers did their best to comfort him.
From what they'd been able to make out from his terrified sobs, he'd come back and found the smallest signs that somepony else had been with Twilight.
On the floor, just a few metres from the mirror's edge, was a small mark, indicating something had fallen. The only conclusion they could come up with was that, whoever had been with Twilight at the time, had waited for the right moment, then tripped her, sending her into the open portal.
Rarity had tried to figure out which portal since, according to the instruments Twilight had set up, there were three optional worlds she could have fallen into, but some strange kind of magic had prevented her from learning more than that and thwart every attempt to reopen the portal, which seemed sealed, yet still linked to Equestria.
Celestia tried to reopen the portal herself after hearing this, but was alarmed when it seemed impossible. The portal resisted every type of spell she cast.
This left her with only one choice. Summoning her magic, she called out to one she didn't want to ask for help, but was left with no other option.
There was a popping sound and the master of chaos himself appeared before the ponies.
He gave an over-exaggerated bow to the alicorn, saying, "Dearest Princess Celestia, to what do I owe the honour of being summoned by you?"
Celestia pointed behind him at the mirror. "We are unsure how, Discord, but somepony has tricked Twilight Sparkle into opening the mirror portal and sent her into one of three worlds. We are unable to tell which world or anything else about what has happened. Can you assist us in this matter?"
Discord bowed one again. "It would be my honour, Princess."
He turned to the mirror and waved a paw across it. The mirror shimmered, revealing the image of a farm, but in black and white and a still image. He curled his goatee, frowning.
"Hmm," he said after a few minutes. "This could be a problem."
"What?" Celestia asked, her voice tensing the tiniest bit.
Discord turned back to her, a very firm and mournful expression on his face. "There is a time-based sealing spell on is mirror."
Celestia gasped, her eyes wide.
"Uh, can you explain that clearer for those of us who haven't even heard of a time-based sealing spell?" Rainbow Dash asked, folding her forehooves as she flapped in place.
Discord turned to her, a very bored expression on her face."For those of you who do not know magic, a time-based sealing spell is powerful magic that not even I can reverse."
"So... Do you mean...?" Applejack asked, her brow furrowing.
The Lord of chaos nodded. "The portal is untouchable until the spell wears off. This one looks like it's set for sixteen days. Nopony gets to go through either side until that time has passed."
"Oh no," Celestia gasped, outing her hooves to her mouth.
"Oh, Celestia, you worry too much," Discord said, shrugging. "All we have to do is wait the sixteen days, then you can all go through, find you Princess of Magic and all live happily ever after."
Celestia shook her head. "You don't understand, Discord."
"Hm?" he asked, frowning. He didn't like being told he didn't understand something. It was simple. I send Twilight to that world for a few days, the spell wears off, Celestia goes in and gets the purple alicorn, no harm done.
The sun Alicorn sighed. "I know that world. When the portal is closed, it's time is synchronized with ours. But when the portal is open, a day here equals a year there."
Discord blinked. "What?"
Celestia had tears brimming in her eyes. "And, if you're right and the time-sealing spell will last for sixteen days, that means Twilight will be stuck in that world for sixteen years."
Twilight sighed as she sat on the couch, her head lying against her folded forelegs.
It had been a whole month since she had fallen into the world of the Big Ponies and Twilight had lost hope that she would be able to get back to Equestria for a long while, the only upside being that, since her hosts now knew she wasn’t a foal, she was currently diaperless.
So many questions were running through her mind, but she couldn’t figure out which one to try and answer first. Why did she have a bit of memory loss? Why did she feel like the timing of this world didn't match with her own? Why had she been inside one second and outside the next?
She felt a pat on her head and looked up at Fresh Veggies, who was smiling down at her in a reassuring way.
Speaking this world's language was still a challenge. She’d barely learned any words vocally aside from “Hello, thank you” and simple, everyday words.
She was very embarrassed about what she’d said after Fresh Veggies had changed her turned out not to be “thank you, ma’am”. Instead it had been “thank you, mama”.
Her face had gone bright red once she realized this and had been unable to make eye contact with the larger mare for a long while.
Luckily, even with a vocal barrier separating herself and the Big Ponies, Twilight had found an easy means of communication.
With the book she'd found in the nursery, Twilight had quickly learned each letter and memorized it. Thanks to her mastery of writing, she was able to communicate with Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies using writing and they'd been using this means of communication ever since.
Fresh gave Twilight a sheet of paper with writing and Twilight read it.
“What’s wrong, Princess? Please, you can tell me.”
Twilight sighed and, using her magic to move the pencil, wrote a reply. “I’m scared of what’s going to happen to me. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get home and how would I survive in this world? Everything’s so much bigger than me.”
Fresh finished reading and wrote something, using her mouth to hold the pencil, before giving the message to Twilight, who held it in her magic. “Even if it takes some time, we’ll help you. We know of the Celestia you’ve told us about. She’s a legend in our world. The last of the Alicorns... until you came, that is.”
A few seconds later, Twilight replied. “Exactly. From what you’ve told me, Alicorns have been extinct in this world for over five thousand years. What will everypony say when they learn I’m here? It’ll be a disaster.”
Fresh gave Twilight another reassuring smile, shook her head, wrote something else and gave it to Twilight. “Yes. Queen Emaryalis will most likely feel threatened if she learns that you are here, she will assume you came to dethrone her.”
Twilight paused in her reading and sighed.
During the last month, she’d been trying to learn as much about this world as she could.
It was, in a way, very much like her Equestria, even had the same name. However, instead of Celestia ruling, with Luna at her side, Queen Emaryalis, a very powerful unicorn, was the ruler of Equestria.
She’d decided it would be best not to try getting the attention of the queen whilst she was here, at least until she could come up with a good reason as to why the queen shouldn’t feel threatened that the queen would believe.
With the fact that not a single Alicorn had been seen in Equestria for over five thousand years, however, the sudden appearance of one would no doubt cause the queen to be on alert.
Things weren’t so bad though. Apparently, Ponyville existed in this world too and it was down the road and only had a few differences from hers, the most obvious being that her friends weren't around. Twilight had learned she was on Sweet Apple Acres' counterpart, which made her feel a bit better.
Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies were part of this world’s Apple family, so they were willing to help her as best they could when they learned she was friends with the Apple family of her own world. To use their words, “Any friend of the Apple family, no matter which one, is a friend to us.”
However, her joy at this was short-lived when she learned it wouldn’t be long before the queen did find out about her. It was only a matter of time, especially since she was going to be visiting Ponyville in a few days for a yearly check-up on how things were going and Fresh and her husband wouldn’t be able to keep her a secret from the townponies.
Twilight went back to reading what else Fresh Veggies had written.
“While we cannot protect you right now, if we were to adopt you—”
Twilight looked up, her eyes wide. Adopt her? But she wasn’t an orphan. She already had a family, back in her Equestria. She couldn’t get adopted!
Fresh made reassuring motions with her hooves, meaning to calm the alicorn down and indicated for her to finish reading before jumping to conclusions, so Twilight continued.
“—you would be safe. The Queen would not be able to legally touch you if you were a member of our family. She has to live by the bylaws she instated into the land and the government would not let her overlook those laws for simply being threatened.
On top of that, as far as anypony else would be concerned, you’re just a foal, since a full grown mare in your world seems only as big a foal in ours. If she said to the governors that she felt threatened by a mere foal, that would not bode well for her.
And, by being a member of our family, you would be able to go into town with us and nopony would ask why you are with us. I know this isn’t the most ideal situation for you, Princess, but you need protection, and since my husband and I are the only ones who know the truth about who you are, we need to be able to do our best. The only way we can do this is if we adopt you.”
Twilight sighed. She wanted to argue, tell Fresh there had to be another way, but she knew there wasn’t. This was a totally alien world to her and these two ponies were her only chance at surviving through it until Celestia came to find her.
She reluctantly nodded, indicating she understood.
Fresh smiled and nuzzled Twilight.
Later that day, the two Big Ponies and the smaller pony went into Ponyville, heading for the adoption center.
Twilight fumed at the indignity of the fact that she was in a foal carrier on Fresh. It was embarrassing to say the least, especially since she was once again wearing a diaper, but Fresh had told her that seeing what the townsponies would see as a foal alicorn flying around would’ve called to much attention (Twilight didn't bother to mention that her flying wasn't the greatest and her wings were still getting used to this world's magic, meaning that she couldn't fly right now anyway) and no diaper would've caused only a little less confusion among them.
Twilight didn’t like to admit it, but the plan was working so far. Only a hooful of ponies had glanced in their direction, most of them whispering, if what Fresh told Twilight was correct, as to why the two farm ponies had a foal with them in the first place.
"At least we won't have a problem with convincing everypony I'm just a foal," she said to herself. "Because I'm an alicorn, I'm still growing, so we can just pretend I'm a growing filly. by the time I'm all tall as Luna or Celestia, I'll be able to pretend I'm a teenager.
She didn't know how she knew she was growing again or about Celestia being seen as a teenager in this world, but she didn't think too far into it. she had many other things on her mind to deal with right now.
They reached the adoption centre and when they went in; Twilight noticed a pony that looked like Roseluck was sitting behind the front desk.
Roseluck looked up when the three came in and smiled.
“Well, good day, Pitch, Fresh. Who’s the filly?”
The farm ponies looked to each other, then back to Rose.
They explained finding Twilight a month ago and how they’d been caring for her ever since, though they left out every detail regarding Twilight’s true identity and simply passed her off as a foal, without saying so.
They were glad Twilight knew to play along, acting more like a foal, though they both could tell she did not enjoy doing so. When they’d finished their story, Roseluck had tears in her eyes.
“How could somepony just abandon a foal on your doorstep, without even a diaper?”
Both ponies nodded.
Rose smiled. “I’d be happy to help you adopt her.”
So, half an hour later, all the paperwork was finished and Twilight Sparkle was officially the daughter of Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies.
Rose watched Twilight as Fresh put her back in the pouch and frowned.
“What I don’t get is how come she’s got wings and a horn?” she asked as she filed the last of the paperwork. “If I recall, there was some legend about that kind of thing, but that was a long time ago, right?”
They both nodded.
“If'n ya could, Rose, could ya make sure this doesn’' get blown out of proportion,” Pitchfork asked, turning to the mare. “The last thing we want is for ponies to overreact and think somethin' about Twilight is bad. She’s such a sweet filly; we don’t want her getting hurt.”
The red-maned mare nodded. “I won’t let this go further than need be. I’ll file them, but leave it at that.”
They gave her their thanks and left, heading back across Ponyville.
Twilight was more than happy to get her diaper off once they were back at the house and spread her wings, flying wobbly up onto the table.
She let out a large sigh. “Now I know how Rainbow Dash felt when she wasn’t able to fly after breaking her wing. That was exasperating.”
She glanced at her “parents” and saw them giving her confused looks.
She shook her head, smiling. The whole language barrier was still a problem, but she was sure they’d break it eventually.
Writing it had been no problem for her, it was only the vocalization that caused her trouble.
The next day was one Twilight was a little anxious about.
It turned out that she’d arrived about a month before the Apple family reunion. Today was the day of it and she now had to go meet her new “family”.
When she went outside, riding on Fresh’s back, it was to find many Earth Ponies standing around. She saw so many, she couldn’t believe how widespread the family was.
As soon as they all saw her they crowded around the trio, making Twilight very self-conscious of the fact that she had wings and a horn, while all those around her had neither. The fact that she was wearing a diaper again didn’t help either.
Though Fresh and Pitch had agreed that she didn’t need to wear them normally, whenever they were out in public, or had guests over, she had to wear them, if only to keep up the ruse that she was just an alicorn foal and not a pony from another world.
She couldn’t understand what was being said, but she could tell there were congratulations, questions on how she’d ended up with them, and the most obvious, was she had a horn and wings.
Thankfully, Fresh put Twilight down with some of the younger ponies so she didn’t have to deal with the constant attention from the adults. This did not save her from the onslaught from the younger ponies.
At once Twilight found herself surrounded by several fillies and colts around the Cutie Marks Crusaders’ age and some foals. Twilight couldn’t help but feel small when she looked at the foals and saw they were at eye-level with her.
At first it was all just cooing and playing around, something she’d anticipated from them due to her size, however, when one of the fillies gasped and pointed at Twilight’s flank all the fillies and colts stared in shock at her.
At first, she didn’t understand why. She glanced at her flank and saw her Cutie Mark. So what? It was her Cutie Mark. Hadn’t they ever seen...?
Oh.
It clicked and her ears went flat against her head as she saw it from their perspective. She was a foal, no older than maybe a year old and she already had her Cutie Mark, and cursed that her diaper wasn’t covering her flanks.
She shied away a little, trying to cover her flanks with her wings, but that just caused them all to gasp again. Evidently, they had not noticed her wings until now either.
“Ah can’t believe you two have a foal now, and an Alicorn at that!” Golden Delicious, a mare with a golden coat and the picture of a golden delicious apple on her flank.
All the Apple family knew about the Legend of Alicorns. They were raised with it. Being farmers none tended to care that they enjoyed stories of something so mythical and passed it off as a hillbilly thing.
Fresh nodded, then looked to Twilight as she played with the fillies and colts, riding atop one of the fillies.
“How did ya'll come up with her name?” Golden asked, shaking her head. “Twilight Sparkle. Ah never woulda come up with that.”
Pitchfork chuckled. “Well, we found her 'round the hours of twilight and since we took her in, our lives just seem to sparkle. ,” he finished the story the three ponies had come up with should anypony ever ask about her name. It technically wasn't a lie.
Golden nodded. “Ah suppose that makes sense. And it is a wonderful name. Ah have a feelin' yer daughter’s got a very bright future ahead of her, and Ah’m not just saying that because she’s an alicorn.”
“Mama! Mama!”
The grown-ups turned to see several of the children running voer to them, a very unhappy looking Twilight on the back of one of them.
“Yes, Apple Dumplin?” Golden asked the yellow filly with a brown mane and tail and pink eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Cousin Twilight already has her Cutie Mark!” the filly responded, pointing at Twilight, who kept her wings over her flanks.
Golden frowned, and walked over to the puny purple pony and, using a hoof, lifted one of the wings, before gasping and turning to Fresh and Pitch.
“She’s right. Pitch, Fresh, yer daughter already has her Cutie Mark and she’s not even out of diapers yet!” the mare said, her eyes wide.
They glanced at each other, silently cursing. They’d forgotten about Twilight’s Cutie Mark. They should have put her in something that covered it up. Now they had to explain why a foal had her Cutie Mark so early in her life.
“It’s cool!” a young colt with a brown coat and blonde mane said, his blue eyes sparkling. “She’s already found her special talent. What does it mean though?”
“If Ah didn’t know better,” Golden said, frowning at the six-pointed purple star, “Ah’d say it looks an awful lot like the Element of Magic from the legend.”
Twilight went rigid, as did her “parents”.
Fresh Veggies had read the legend to Twilight, which had sounded a bit like the legend of the Mare in the Moon from her Equestria, only it ended a little more grimly.
Golden shook her head. “But I guess it just means she’s skilled with magic, am Ah right?”
Breathing a sigh of relief, and deciding on a way to steer attention away from her Cutie Mark’s similarity to the Element of Magic, she lit her horn and started levitating several items from the food tables, including some apple fritters.
The fillies and colts cheered, clapping their hooves as Twilight made the items swirl through the air in intricate and complicated movements that, had they not all been enjoying the show, the other ponies would’ve questioned how she could do something so complicated.
“Well, at least I’ve taken their attention away from my Cutie Mark,” Twilight said as she levitated three apple fritters in a circle, before making them take the shape of a triangle, to which the fillies and colts “ooohed” and “aaaaahed”.
Suddenly, Twilight’s horn sparked, pain shooting through it and she yelped, losing her magical grip on the objects she’d been levitating and grabbing her forehead with her hooves.
“What’s wrong?”
“Is she alright?”
“Ah heard unciorn’s get magical surges. Maybe that’s wha’ happened?”
Twilight gasped, looking up at the ponies around her, tears of pain from her throbbing horn leaking from her eyes. Had she...? Were they all speaking a language she could understand?
Fresh Veggies knelt down, looking at Twilight with conern. “Twilight, are you alright?”
Her eyes went wide. She’d understood her. That had been clear as crystal.
“I can understand you!” she said excitedly, her eyes lighting up, before her ears drooped at the confused look on Fresh’s face.
Could... could she understand them, but they still couldn’t understand her?
“Twilight?” Fresh asked, extending a hoof and rubbing the alicorn’s horn, which felt a little better as she did so. “Are you okay?”
Twilight nodded.
This elected a bunch of “Aaaawwws” from several of the adults and the fillies and colts.
“That’s so sweet,” the mare Twilight could tell was this world’s Golden Delicious said, giving Twilight a sweet smile. “She’s such a brave little filly.”
It took everything Twilight had to not roll her eyes as she saw it from her perspective. Twilight had just gotten hurt, had been about to cry and with a few comforting words from her mother had tried to act brave.
However, now she had something else to think about. Why had her horn sparked like that and caused such pain throughout her head and did it have something to do with why she could understand all the Big Ponies now?
She guessed her magic had been trying to adjust to this world’s magic and, now that it had, it had sparked, giving her the ability to speak the language of the natives.
It was the best explanation she could come up with on such short notice. She’d have to do some more research later.
“Well, hello there, everypony. What a wonderful day, is it not?”
Twilight almost toppled over.
That voice. She knew that voice. But, the accent. It didn’t sound right at all.
She turned around and her eyes went wide.
Walking up the path were four ponies who all looked very familiar.
The first was the tall red stallion with a short-cut blonde mane and tail that was clearly this world’s Big Macintosh.
Twilight gulped. He was big enough back in her own world, but here, he was just as tall, if a little more so than her own tree house.
On his back was a small filly, maybe one or two years old, with a yellow coat and red mane and tail, wearing a diaper with apple patterns on the front.
It took a second before Twilight realized it was Apple Bloom.
Sweet Celestia! She was just as big as Twilight, if a little taller. This was very daunting for the alicorn princess.
Walking on Big Mac’s left was Granny Smith, who looked just like the Granny Smith from her own world. A wrinkly, well aged mare with a green coat, grey hair, wearing a red and white checked scarf.
However, the similarities and lack thereof those three had to her world’s Big Mac and Apple Bloom were nothing compared to the head smacking her brain received at the sight of the pony standing next to Big Mac.
She was an Earth Pony mare with an orange coat, a blonde mane and tail, the former tailed in a beehive-like still with gems adorned at the front, emerald green eyes and a fancy-looking gown, that was fancy, yet looked like it was strictly for non-fancy occasions.
She just stared at the mare, how mouth agape.
It... It couldn’t be...? Was that... Applejack?
“Well, it’s nice ta see ya came,” Fresh smiled, pulling Big Mac into a hug. “An’ how’s my little Bloom?”
Apple Bloom giggled, her gaze moving from Fresh to Twilight.
Her eyes went wide and she pointed excitedly at her. “Wigs! Hown!”
Applejack turned to the direction Apple Bloom was pointing and her eyes fell upon Twilight and narrowed. “I know I haven’t been here in a long time, but do unicorns normally have wings as well.”
Fresh turned her attention to Twilight who had hidden her face behind her wings.
She smiled, bent down and lifted her up, holding her to her barrel. “Applejack, this is our new daughter, Twilight Sparkle.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Twilight Sparkle? Not a name I’d have expected you to give your first child.” Her eyes narrowed. “When did you have her? I don’t remember you ever mentioning you were pregnant in your letters?”
Fresh blushed, then shook her head. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no, Applejack. Ah... Ah can’t give birth to a foal. We adopted Twilight.”
Just as Applejack was about to ask another question, they heard a whining sound at their hooves.
They looked down to see Apple Bloom looking up at them with big, watery eyes. Her eyes were also fixed on the alicorn now nestled against Fresh’s barrel.
Fresh smiled and lowered Twilight down, saying, “Play nice with your cousin, Twilight.”
Twilight would have given anything to give Fresh a “Please tell me you’re joking” look, but knew it would look too suspicious.
Twilight started to walk away, when she noticed Apple Bloom wasn’t next to her. She glanced back and saw the farm filly struggling to walk the same was as her.
This caused her to raise an eyebrow. Shouldn’t Apple Bloom already be walking at her age?
Deciding to put it aside, she lit her horn, the aura of her magic enveloping the filly and she was lifted to meet Twilight.
Apple Bloom stared at her with wide eyes, to which Twilight replied by rolling hers. This was going to be harder than she’d thought.
Fresh watched as Twilight went off with Apple Bloom, more than once carrying the filly in her magic, which caused the farm mare to chuckle.
She turned to Applejack, who was giving her a very inquisitive look.
“I know I don’t hang around a place like Ponyville very often, but how is that foal able to use her magic so easily?”
Fresh gulped, smiling sheepishly. “Well, Ah read up on the matter an’ the book said unicorn foals tend ta have more control over their magic when they’re youngins than when they’re a bit older cos they don’t think about it too much.”
Applejack seemed to mull that over. “I suppose, since she’s got a horn, she has magic, so the same applies. What exactly is she? Her wings are bigger than any pegasi I’ve ever seen and her horn looks a little pointier than a unicorn’s horn should be, even at her age.”
Fresh groaned at this. Of course Applejack wouldn’t know about alicorns. She’d spent her whole life in Manehatten. True, there was a farm outside of the city, where Big Mac used to work with their parents before their death almost two years ago now, but AJ had always wanted to live the life of a city pony sicne she was a filly, and lived with her Aunt and Uncle Orange since she was five.
“She’s an alicorn,” Fresh said simply. “She’s not some mix between a unicorn an’ a Pegasus. She’s got the power o’ all three. Earth Pony, Pegasus and unicorn.”
Applejack blinked, dumbfounded. “Is... Is that rare?”
It took everything Fresh had not to face-hoof. “Rare? Rare? Applejack, an alicorn has not been seen in Equestria in over five thousand years.”
“Hmm,” Applejack said, thinking. “Then that would mean she is really special. Do you think she’d want to live in a city? No offence, dear, but a farm doesn’t quite sound like the place for a pony who uses magic.”
Fresh narrowed her eyes. “Are ya’ll sayin’ Twilight wouldn’a be happy here?”
Applejack seemed to realize her folly and shook her head and her hooves quickly. “No, no, no, dear. I never meant anything of the sort.”
Fresh snorted. “Then would ya’ll kindly refrain from sayin’ such things about my daughter. She may be adopted, but that don’t mean she won’t be happy here.”
Applejack nodded, looking very apologetic. “I am sorry, Fresh. That came out wrong.” She hesitated and sighed. “Besides, I... I need to ask you a favor.”
Fresh raised an eyebrow. “Favor? Wha’ kind o’ favor?”
Applejack looked to Apple Bloom, who was watching Twilight levitate several apple fritters down from one of the table for them to eat.
She sighed. “Could you look after Apple Bloom?”
Fresh blinked. “Take care of Apple Bloom? Why do you ask?”
Applejack looked away, a mournful look in her eyes. “Big Macintosh and Granny Smith have been trying to look after her. After our parents died last year, they’re really the only family she’s got. I tried caring for her myself, but she doesn’t seem to like the city life of Manehatten.”
Fresh was still confused. “So, why are you asking me? Can’t Big Mac and Granny look after her?”
The city mare shook her head. “Like I said, they’ve been trying to, but looking after their farm takes up too much time, now that mother and father are gone. They barely have any time for her. She loves living on the farm, but they can’t look after her and the farm. So, I talked with Big Mac and Granny and they agreed that, if you’ll agree to it, she should come and live here.”
Fresh was shocked. “You want Apple Bloom to live here, in Ponyville?”
Applejack nodded. “She loves being on the farm, but Big Mac and Granny can’t look after her and it. I can look after her in Manehatten, but she doesn’t like it there. So, would you take her in and let her live on your farm? I know you’ve got a lot to handle now that you’ve got your own foal, but...”
Fresh smiled, leaned forward and nuzzled her cousin. “I’ll talk with Pitch, but I’m sure he’d love to have Apple Bloom live here.”
Though Ah’m not sure how Twilight will feel about this. As long as Apple Bloom’s around, she’ll have to wear diapers until she’s big enough for others to think it makes sense she’s not wearin’ ’em. If she doesn't wear them, Apple Bloom will think she doesn't have to either, when she does.
Twilight couldn’t help but feel a mixture of happiness and sadness as she and Apple Bloom ate their fritters.
She was happy because she now knew this world had versions of the ponies she knew from her own world, but sad because one of her best friends was so different here and Apple Bloom was just as big as her.
“I wike you, cousin Twiwigh,” Apple Bloom said after finishing a mouthful of fritter.
Twilight gave a small smile. “I like you too, cousin Apple Bloom.”
Sweet Celestia, that sounded weird now that she’d said it out loud. Apple Bloom was her cousin, in this world, anyway. This was going to take some serious getting use to.
Twilight felt her hear sink a little at the confused look on Apple Bloom’s face.
Despite her irritation at how she couldn’t fully wrap her tongue around the words of this world’s language, she tried to say what she’d said again, in this world’s tongue instead of her own.
“Tank you, Abble Bwoom. I wike you too.”
If she could have buried her head in the dirt at that moment without drawing attention to herself, she would have. She sounded like a foal learning their first worlds. Hearing her adult voice talking like a foal sounded so pathetic and was so embarrassing.
Apple Bloom giggled. “Tanks, Twiwigh’.”
Twilight face-hoofed. “Jus caww me Twi.”
“Otay!”
Twilight sighed. It was a shame she couldn’t talk with Apple Bloom normally, but at least she could speak with her.
The rest of the day went by rather much like her world’s Apple Bloom had said the reunions usually went. The older fillies and colts played some games, the adults talked about things that had been happening and the foals all just hung around, doing foal things.
Twilight spent most of her time keeping the foals entertained with levitation magic. She even gave some of them ride through air, to which they all squealed with joy and laughter as they flew around like pegasi.
A Pegasus who happened to be flying by had actually seen the flying foals and nearly fallen out of the sky from shock, which made Twilight and the foals giggle.
As the day started to come to an end, members of the Apple Family started to head off, saying they enjoyed the reunion and wishing Fresh and Pitch luck with their new daughter and that if they ever needed anything to just ask.
The last group to leave were the Apples Twilight knew well, in the vague sense of this world.
Something that puzzled her was that Big Mac, Applejack and Granny Smith gave Apple Bloom big, family goodbye hugs and seemed sad about something.
She nudged Fresh’s forehoof and the mare looked down at her.
Twilight pointed to the family hug, an eye cocked.
Fresh gave a warm smile and leaned down to her level. “Big Mac and Granny Smith have been having trouble looking after Apple Bloom as well as their farm, and she doesn’t like Manehatten, so they asked if we’d take her in.”
“An’ you said “yes”?!” Twilight managed in this world’s language, her eyes wide.
Fresh nodded. “Would you have said “no”?”
Twilight looked down, not meeting her eyes.
No. She wouldn’t have been able to say “no” either. She’d have said “yes” without a second thought if she’d been asked the same thing.
Apple Bloom pulled away from her siblings and grandmother and walked wobbly over to where Twilight and her “parents” were, a sad smile on her face.
Twilight moved forward and hugged Apple Bloom.
Said filly and her siblings and grandmother looked surprised, then smiled.
“Take good care of our littlest Apple, ya here?” Granny Smith said, pulling Fresh into a hug, which the mare returned.
“We will, Granny.” She looked over the elder mare’s shoulder at the red stallion, who looked a little less than his usual stoic self, a sadness clear on his face. “You sure yer gonna be okay, Big Mac?”
The stallion, moved a hoof over his eyes, then nodded. “Eeyep.”
Applejack walked up to Twilight and Apple Bloom, leaned down and smiled warmly at them as the two broke from their hug and looked at the orange mare. “Take care, little sister.” She glanced at Twilight. “You seem mentally older than a normal foal, Twilight. I assume that must be because you’re an alicorn?”
Twilight looked away. She wasn’t sure how to answer that question without lying and, knowing Applejack, even if there were so many differences from the Applejack she knew, she’d catch a lie in an instant.
Twilight’s looking away seemed to give Applejack the answer she wanted though, because she gave a small chuckle and said, “Well then, can I trust you to watch over my sister. You are both family after all.”
It took a second for Twilight to recover from that statement. The idea that she and Apple Bloom and, in turn Applejack, were now part of the same family was something she knew she wouldn’t be used to for a long while.
The Apples said their final goodbyes, along with a final hug each for Apple Bloom, then headed off.
The four ponies watched the three of them until they were out of sight.
Twilight glanced at Apple Bloom and saw had tears sliding down her face, quietly sobbing.
Twilight, not liking to see anypony sad, pulled Apple Bloom into a hug, which the little filly accepted, crying into the lavender mare’s shoulder.
After a few minutes, Fresh bent down, picked the two of them up and carried them inside.
Twilight could’ve easily flown in, but she stayed with Apple Bloom, knowing she should comfort her. It couldn’t be easy, being a little filly and losing your parents and then having to move somewhere else.
She knew how hard change could be. It had taken a while before she’d gotten used to being a princess and having wings, not to mention she was still adjusting to living in this world.
“I have to keep weawing diapews?!” Twilight gasped, her eyes wide, her inner self moaning at her foal-sounding talk.
Fresh sighed, nodding.
It was less than two minutes since the reunion had ended and she and Twilight were sitting in the living room.
Pitchfork had just gone upstairs to changed Apple Bloom’s diaper, leaving his wife to break the news to their adopted daughter.
“Twilight,” she said, taking on a caring, parenting tone, “Apple Bloom’s in diapers and, as far as she knows, yer a foal jus’ like her. If she sees ya’ll not wearing diapers, she’ll think she don’t have ta either. S’long as she’s here, ya’ll will have to play a foal in the wearin’ diapers until we can convice her it’s alright ya’ll ain’t wearin’ while she is.”
Twilight sighed, grumbling under her breath. Fresh was right. She had forgotten that, if Apple Bloom was staying with them, she’d have to keep up the foal act a bit more, even when not out. Aka, she’d have to keep wearin’ diapers.
“Can we at weast make it seem wike I’wm potty twaining?”
Fresh smiled and nodded. “Ah don’t see why not. In fact, it might make her try too.”
After Pitch returned with a freshly changed Apple Bloom, a small dinner was had. A small salad for Twilight and her host parents and a bottle for Apple Bloom.
She made it obvious she wanted to eat what Twilight was eating' but, as soon as she tried, she spat it out again, her face scrunched up.
This elected giggles from the other three, which she thought meant something funny had happened, so she joined in.
When dinner was finished, Fresh gave Twilight and Apple Bloom a bath. Well, she gave Apple Bloom a bath, while Twilight bathed herself.
With bath complete, Twilight and Apple Bloom were put into snuggy pajamas (Twilight’s being the ones she’d been given her first day in this world, Apple Bloom’s being yellow with apple patterns), lain down in the crib and left to go to sleep, Fresh turning the light off, wishing the two of them a goodnight.
Apple Bloom yawned, curled up next to Twilight and went to sleep.
Twilight closed her eyes, but didn’t go to sleep right away, her mind too active to sleep just yet.
With Apple Bloom around, she wouldn’t be able to act completely normal anymore. She would have to play the part of a foal more than before, but she at least could act older than her size would suggest.
Letting her thoughts wander over how tomorrow she’d start her “potty training” she fell to sleep, curled up next to her new “cousin”.
Queen Emaryalis looked down as she neared the town of Ponyville, her pure white coat and blue mane shining in the sunlight.
She had been on friendly terms with this town and while it lacked the sophistication of Canterlot, it was a crucial part of the economy of her kingdom, so visiting it and seeing how things were going every so often was to help boast their confidence in their own small town.
In the town square there was a large gathering of ponies, unicorn, pegasi and Earth Pony alike.
It still amazed Emaryalis that this town had managed to find a way that so many of each race of pony could live together without as many problem as she always had to deal with in Canterlot. Any time a none unicorn made even the smallest of a name for themselves she always had to deal with the nobles claiming they must be using some kind of dark magic and that such a deed should be punished.
In truth, she enjoyed these visits to Ponyville, for the ponies here respected her enough not to whine like the foals her nobles clearly were.
She landed and was greeted with a loud roar of applause.
Mayor Mare stepped forward and bowed. “Your Highness, thank you for honouring us with this visit.”
The queen shook her head. “It is my pleasure, Mayor. To be honest, I feel a change of scenery for a day will do me some good.”
The Mayor then led the queen around, showing her the progress being made throughout the town.
While their advances magical-technology wise was still far from Canterlot’s, they had a few new pieces of technological influence.
She found it amusing that they finally had devices like CD players in stores now, something that hadn’t been there the last time she’d come for a visit.
The new bakery was doing well, as were the newlywed couple running it, whom offered her a few pastries, which she gladly accepted. In the palace, she had to hide it whenever she wanted to indulge in any time of confection and always had to show restraint at any function that served such treats.
It was a pretty relaxing time, if she was honest. A well earned respite from her usually arduous days running the kingdom. As she was leaving the bakery, she glanced to her right and noticed the town’s apple farmers, the mare of whom was wearing a foal carrier containing two small foals, and Earth Pony and a unicorn Pegasus. Her glance moved away, then shot right back.
She had assumed she’d seen things. She looked closer and her eyes widened. The unicorn foal... wasn’t a unicorn. It had wings.
But, unicorn’s don’t have wings and pegasi don’t have horns. But, that meant...
She moved towards them, trying to seem as casual as possible, though her pace was a little faster than it had been several seconds ago.
As she neared, she noticed a slight look of worry cross over the two farmers and the small winged and horned foal.
Queen Emaryalis stopped in front of them, frowning at the small foal, who cowered under her gaze.
She looked to the farmers. “Who is this foal?” She tried to keep her voice even, though could swear a tiny bit of tension could be heard in it.
The mare, Fresh Veggies was her name if the queen remembered right, looked very nervous. “Sh-she’s our daughter, Twilight Sparkle.”
The queen raised an eyebrow. “Twilight Sparkle? Why is that the name you gave her?”
The stallion, Pitchfork shook a little. “W-we found her on our doorstep in the hours of twilight and since she entered our lives they seem to sparkle.”
It was a flimsy story at best if she had to say so, but she knew the Apple Family weren’t known for being liars. However, that still left something about their story that was worrying.
“You said you found her,” she glanced at the foal, who used her wings to hide her face. “Where did you find her?”
Fresh Veggies looked away. “We found her on our doorstep, her mane dishevelled, sitting in a puddle of her own pee.”
Emaryalis gave an inward sigh, if only a small one.
While she was still worried by this foal, for, if she was right, this was a legendary alicorn, the beings that ruled the land before her family took the throne. However, if it was abandoned on the doorstep of a farm couple, maybe she didn’t need to worry.
She tried to give a convincing smile. “She is very cute. I hope you enjoy your lives with her.”
With that she headed away, leaving them to do as they may as she returned to her Sky Chariot and it took off, heading back to her palace in Canterlot.
Though the alicorn was merely a foal, she was an alicorn, none the less. She needed to be wary of this Twilight Sparkle. Though it was unlikely, there was still a chance that she had been sent to overthrow her.
It had been five days since Twilight had been lost in the other world. Five days for Celestia at least. For Twilight, it had been five years. Celestia could only hope Twilight had found the ponies she’d first arrived with before and that they were keeping her safe.
Spike had been staying with Rarity, not wanting to be in the castle without Twilight, not knowing when or even if she’d be able to come back.
Even when the time-seal ended, there was no telling what Twilight will have gone through within her last sixteen years. There was even a chance... she might not be around anymore.
“Celestia, please? Can’t you let me out now?”
The alicorn glared at the stone statue standing in the corner, in a position of trying to run away.
“Not until Twilight is back, safe and sound, Discord,” she said coldly.
“Celestia, please?” Discord begged, his powers allowing his voice to be heard, even though his mouth was incapable of moving right now.
Celestia scowled. “Maybe next time, you will think twice about trapping one of my little ponies in another world!”
“Class,” Miss Cheerilee said, getting the students attention. “We have two new students joining us today.” She indicated to the yellow and purple fillies standing by her desk. “These are Apple Bloom and Twilight Sparkle. Girls, would you like to say hello?”
Twilight nodded her head, indicating Apple Bloom to go first.
It had been five years since Twilight had come to the world of the Big Ponies.
Living with Apple Bloom had certainly been interesting, to say the least.
True, she had been forced to wear diapers for a few months because she and her host parents didn’t want the foal to get curious. Even foals weren’t stupid.
By giving the impression she was being potty-trained, they not only kept suspicions away, but Apple Bloom tried her hardest to be like her “cousin” and, while it took her a month or two more, she was able to be potty-trained.
Now, she and Apple Bloom were starting school, something Twilight had actually been looking forward to. Being a student, she was allowed to do research without anypony finding it odd.
After Apple Bloom introduced herself, Twilight did the same.
She noted how all the fillies and colts stared at her wings and horn.
She knew this would happen. It had been happening since she was, in this world’s eye, a foal.
As expected, she had been growing, since she was an alicorn. She was now the same size as a young filly or colt in this world, though, in her own, she was probably half the size of Luna.
As the two took their seats, Twilight looked around them. She took note of an orange Pegasus filly with a purple mane that was very familiar.
Scanning the other ponies, she couldn’t see this world’s Sweetie Belle. Then again, this world’s Rarity, if there was one, didn’t live in Ponyville.
Once she’d been able to walk around on her own without anypony being curious as to why, she’d gone straight to where Carousel Boutique was and, while the store itself was there, it was being run, not by Rarity, but by Coco Pommel, the mare Rarity had helped back in Manehatten.
Twilight had reeled back at that thought. She could remember Rarity helping Coco Pommel, yet, something about it felt odd to her. It didn’t make sense.
Twilight felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Apple Bloom looking at her.
“You were zonin’ out again, Twilight,” she said, looking worried. “Ya seem to be doin’ that a lot lately. Ya sure yer okay?”
Twilight nodded. “I’m fine, Apple Bloom. I’ve just... been thinking a lot.”
Apple Bloom frowned, clearly able to tell she wasn’t telling her everything, but at that moment Cheerilee called for attention from her students and class began.
Twilight really enjoyed herself. Cheerilee was stunned by how easily Twilight was answering mathematics and science problems with ease.
However, Twilight took note how some of the students kept giving her odd looks, no doubt wondering how she knew so much when she was just a farm filly.
Though she didn’t like thinking that’s what they were thinking, when she and Apple Bloom were a bit younger, Apple Bloom had been teased for being a farm filly by some colts who were with their parents that had come for a visit to the town and when Twilight defended her friend, she’d had the insults thrown at her as well.
While she still didn’t see Fresh Veggies and Pitchfork as her parents, since they technically weren’t in the most sense, she had grown fond of them, and when the insults had turned to them, the colts had suddenly found themselves on top of Town Hall.
So, to see looks saying such similar things now made her blood boil ever so slightly. Farm ponies were far smarter than most would give them credit. While unicorns and pegasi could run into trouble if their magic or their wings were hindered, even when Earth Ponies suffered a hindrance, they were able to rise above it and continue with their work.
While she was not an Earth Pony, Twilight did have Earth Pony within her, being an alicorn.
She helped her host parents tend the fields, feeling she needed to do something to earn her keep, even though they told her otherwise. In that time, the apples and other produce that had been growing on the farm were better than ever before.
When recess came, Twilight went outside with Apple Bloom. They headed for the benches.
As they did, they heard a voice Twilight recognised and it made her scowl.
“So you’re the filly with wings and a horn, huh?”
Twilight turned to see a pink Earth Pony with a tiara for her Cutie Mark and another Earth Pony, this one grey, with a spoon for her Cutie Mark.
“Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, I presume?” she deadpanned.
They blinked, then smirked. “You know our names already? Good. You must be smart pony then, despite whom you live with.”
“An’ wha’ is that suppose ta mean?” Apple Bloom scowled.
“I wasn’t talking to you, Blank Flank,” Diamond said, not even looking at Apple Bloom.
Twilight twitched. Though she wasn’t quite willing to call Apple Bloom family because this wasn’t her world, nopony insults her friends.
“What did you want?” she asked, getting her voice level.
Tiara smiled. “You look like you could be interesting. You should know there are some ponies you wouldn’t want to make friends with,” she glanced at Apple Bloom as she said this, “but there are those you will want to make friends with.” She held out a hoof to Twilight. “I can help you with that.”
Twilight snorted. “I think I can tell the right ponies from the wrong ones for myself, thanks.”
Tiara and Silver looked shocked for a second, then Tiara scowled.
“Fine. I guess I should’ve expected as much from a freak!”
“Hey!” Apple Bloom snarled. “Don’t call mah cousin a freak!”
“Well she is,” Diamond said, pointing a hoof at Twilight wings, then her horn. “She can’t be a Pegasus, she has a horn. And she can’t be a unicorn, she has wings. Not only that, she can’t be an Earth Pony. She’s too scrawny.”
Twilight glowered. True, she was slimmer than she used to be, but that wasn’t because of scrawniness. No, it was because she was an alicorn and, like Cadance, was getting slimmer as her body grew older.
Silver smirked. “I heard she was found on this towns’ Apple Family’s porch. Guess her parents were a unicorn and a Pegasus who didn’t want a freak as a daughter and ditched her the first chance they got.”
“Hey! Shut up, Tiara!”
There was an orange blur and suddenly Twilight found herself staring at the buzzing wings of... Scootaloo?
Twilight almost toppled over. Scootaloo could fly already in the world? In her’s she still couldn’t get more than a few metres of the ground.
Tiara scowled at the Pegasus. “Don’t you talk, Blank Flank. You’re mother’s a washed up racer.”
“Don’t talk smack about my mother!” Scootaloo shouted, her cheeks reddening. “The only reason she doesn’t race anymore is cos she got her saving your parents!”
“Wait, what?” Twilight literally felt like she was missing something here. Who was Scootaloo’s mother, and what had she saved Filthy Rich from that had left her unable to race?
“Don’t fight, please?”
Twilight turned and saw a filly Derpy Hooves walking towards them, her expression worried. “Somepony’s going to get hurt.”
Tiara glared at the grey Pegasus, then snorted. “Whatever. Come on, Silver Spoon. Let’s go before this Loser spreads to us too.”
The two fillies walked off, noses in the air.
Twilight turned to the two pegasi. “Thanks, but I could’ve handled that myself.”
Scootaloo waved a hoof. “Don’t worry about it. My mom’s always telling me you should stick up for other ponies, and you seem cool. You’re the new girls, Twilight Sparkle and Apple Bloom, right?”
They nodded.
She held out a hoof. “Scootaloo Dash. Nice to meet you.”
Twilight took the hoof, before her eyes widened. “Dash? Why’s that your name?”
Scootaloo smirked. “Cos my mom’s the famous Rainbow Dash, duh.”
Twilight’s mouth nearly fell open. So, not only was Applejack not a farmer in this world, but Rainbow Dash was Scootaloo’s mother and an ex-racer? What was her next surprise going to be?
She slowly turned to Derpy. “You’re Derpy Hooves, right?”
The filly looked away, a few tears in her eyes.
“Hey, hey!” Scootaloo said, hurrying over, landing and putting a wing around the grey filly. “She doesn’t know, okay. Besides, if she become your friend and she doesn’t mean anything by it, it’s cool, right?”
The other Pegasus nodded, sniffling.
“Um, did I say something wrong?” Twilight asked, worried she’d offended the grey filly.
Scootaloo sighed and looked to Twilight. “Were you trying to be mean?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? No! Isn’t that her name?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Her real name’s Dizty Doo. But, back in Flight Camp, a bunch of bullies started calling her Derpy Hooves because of her eyes and how she wasn’t as good as them and others started doing it to. It’s a nice sounding name though, so she only likes it when friends call her that, because they don’t mean anything mean by it.”
“Oh,” Twilight said, her ears drooping as she looked at Dizty. “I’m so sorry, Ditzy. I didn’t know. I swear, I wasn’t trying to be mean.”
The wall-eyed filly sniffled and smiled. “It’s okay. If you didn’t mean anything mean by it, you can call me Derpy.”
Twilight smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Derpy.”
“Same here,” Apple Bloom smiled, holding out a hoof. “Ah’m Apple Bloom, Twilight’s cousin.”
“Nice to meet you,” Derpy smiled.
“Hey. You wanna be friends?”
Twilight leaped into the air, flopping face-first in dirt.
Standing where she had been several seconds ago was a yellow Earth Pony filly with a yellow coat and a flat brown mane and tail, with a very sad look on her face.
Twilight got up and gave a small smile. “Sure. What’s your name?”
The filly looked down. “Cheese Sandwich.”
Twilight blinked. “Did...? Did you just say your name’s Cheese Sandwich?”
The filly nodded slightly.
Twilight shook her head and smiled. “I’ll happily be your friend, Cheese.”
Cheese gave a weak smile.
The five spent the rest of recess together, Twilight glad she had made some friends.
“Okay. Twilight, lifted these up,” Apple Bloom showed Twilight the marron curtains they were going to use for the club house windows.
Twilight nodded, lighting her horn and levitating the curtains and fitting them over the window
It had been three days since she’d met Derpy, Scootaloo and Cheese and they were finishing the touches to their clubhouse.
Back when Fresh Veggies had been a filly, she and her friends had played in this clubhouse for most of their days.
The thing had been an utter wreck when she’d shown it to the girls, but, with teamwork and Apple Bloom’s amazing sense of design, they’d managed to fix the place up and it was almost ready.
“Are you sure you don’t mind me not doing much?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking sadly down at the sling her right-foreleg was in.
Sweetie Belle had arrived two days after Twilight and Apple Bloom had started school and, as expected, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had been on her like diamond dogs and gemstones.
Twilight and her friends had immediately come to the unicorn filly’s aid, telling Diamond and Silver very politely to buck off. They’d said it a lot nicer, but it was what they’d meant, anyway.
However, this had not stopped the two cruel fillies playing a prank on the unicorn. A prank that ended up with her breaking her foreleg and landing them in three weeks of detention.
Sweetie Belle had moved to Ponyville with her parents. Her sister was in Manehatten.
Twilight was not surprised that Rarity had already become a fashion designer. Since this was an alternate universe, so something like that wasn’t much of a surprise.
“Done!” Apple Bloom pronounced gladly.
The clubhouse looked just like the one from her own world.
Apple Bloom smiled around at the other five fillies. “Cutie Mark Crusaders, now’s the time to find out wha’ our Cutie Marks are.”
At that moment a loud screech came from outside, followed by a pair of screams.
All six fillies hurried to the window and looked out.
Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were running through the fields beyond, their eyes wide with fear.
Above them, a griffin flew, bearing down on the two fillies, her claws outstretched.
“Gilda!” Scootaloo snarled.
Twilight glanced at her.
“The mother of a griffin fledgling I knew, back in Flight Camp,” she said, her voice cold. “Poor Poesy. She just wanted to make friends, but her mother only wanted her to be mean to ponies, strike fear into them.”
“We can’ jus’ let her get those two!” Apple Bloom shouted, running out the clubhouse, Sweetie Belle, Cheese and Derpy hurrying after her.
“Come on!” Scootaloo shouted, jumping out the window, her wings flared.
Twilight hurried after her, a few wing-beats behind her. She was surprisingly fast, considering the Scootaloo from Twilight’s world could barely fly at all.
The griffin, Gilda was about to grab the two fillies she had eagerly been chasing, when a burst of magic slammed into her head.
She turned and glared at the two fillies flying towards her as her head ached from the magical fire.
She paused. One of them, a lavender coated one had wings and horn. No pony ever had both.
But her thoughts were stopped there when the other, an orange Pegasus, flew passed her, clipping her on the side before she shot into the air, while the other flew down, headed towards the fillies, who were being joined by more fillies.
This was getting too crowded, so Gilda decided she’d focus on the filly flying up into the air. She’d be able to get her without a problem.
She flew up, aiming for the Pegasus as she went higher, surprisingly fast for a filly. She didn’t think ponies had that kind of backbone for flying.
As the Pegasus glanced back, Gilda screeched, intent on terrifying the filly.
But, instead of fear, the Pegasus just smirked and went even faster.
Gilda scowled. No one made fun of her. No one. Especially not some puny pony filly.
She flapped harder, her claws at the ready. She would highly enjoy taking down this arrogant pony. She needed to learn her place.
The filly seemed to be going even faster.
Was...? Was that a cone of air appearing around her? Just what in the—?
There was an explosion and a blinding rainbow light obscured Gilda’s vision.
Twilight landed by the girls and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Both looked like they’d seen within the gates of Tartarus itself.
“Let’s get them out of here,” Twilight said, looking at the girls. “Derpy, go to Town Hall and let the Mayor know a griffin flew in Equestria air space with the intent of harming ponies.”
Derpy nodded and left, hurrying down the path and out of sight when a huge explosion rocketed around them.
It took Twilight by such surprise that her world became white as her magic surged.
She struggled, losing her balance and flopping on her flank as she forced her magic to calm down.
Once her horn stopped glowing with her magic, she breathed a sigh of relief, her cheeks red with embarrassment. That was the second time in her life an explosion had caused her to lose control of her...
Her eyes widened as she looked into the sky and saw the fading remains of a... sonic rainboom!
Her jaw dropped. Had... had Scootaloo...?
She turned to the other girls and her eyes somehow became even wider.
Apple Bloom was trying to get Diamond Tiara to calm down. The Earth Pony was screaming like crazy, staring at Apple Bloom like she was the Grim Pony of Death.
An explosion startled them both and Diamond suddenly clung onto Apple Bloom as if her very life depended on it.
The farm filly returned the hug, patting Diamond’s back, whispering that everything would be alright. She was going to be okay.
This did not seem to convice the spoiled filly, as she continued to shake with fear.
Apple Bloom looked around for something she could do to cheer Diamond up and saw some twigs in the grass next to them. She picked them up and quickly fashioned them into a stick-figure doll, using some grass stems to tie the twigs together and some for the mane and tail.
She gave it to Diamond, who grabbed it and clutch it like a child would a teddy bear.
There was a white flash and Apple Bloom glanced at her flank. Where there had been yellow fur a second ago, there was now an apple shaped like a love heart.
Sweetie Belle was finding it hard to comfort Silver Spoon. She was looking left and right, as if expecting somepony to toss her into the air to be taken by the griffin.
And explosion in the sky didn’t help to calm her either. If anything, it made her even worse.
She screamed and clung to Sweetie Belle like a life line.
Once the booming had faded away, Sweetie Belle decided she’d sing a song that her mother had sung to her whenever she was scared. It was also the song she’d sung her to sleep with when she was a foal.
Hush now, Quiet now. It's time to lay, sleepy head. Said, Hush now, Quiet now. It is time to go to bed.
Driftin' (Driftin') off to sleep. Leave the day behind you. Driftin' (Driftin') off to sleep. Let the joy of dreamland find you.
Hush now, quiet now. Lay your sleepy head. Said hush now, quiet now. It's time to go to bed.
Silver Spoon stopped whimpering, but she still wasn’t smiling. She looked at Sweetie Belle, tears in her eyes.
"Th... thank you," she whispered, wiping the tears from her eyes. "That's the song my mom always sung to me when I was little. You... You sounded just like her."
There was a flash of white light. She glanced down at her flank and gasped. Where white fur had been there, there was now a musical note. An Ottava if she remembered correctly.
Derpy ran. She ran faster than she ever had before. She had to warn the Mayor about the griffin before anything happened to her friends.
She gave a weak smile at that. Friends. She still had trouble believing she had friends. For a long time, Scootlaoo had been her only pony friend; aside from her parents and her only other friends had been the animals her parents cared for.
Suddenly the sky boomed, startling the grey Pegasus and she tumbled to the ground, her face flooping into a puddle from the previous night’s rainfall.
She snorted into the water and a bunch of bubbles formed and floated across the puddle.
Derpy looked at the bubbles and smiled. The light reflecting in them was so pretty. Life was so pretty too, just like these bubbles, when she thought about it. All you needed to see that beauty was look closely and it would always be there.
There was a white flash and Derpy glanced around her, her eyes falling on six bubbles printed on her grey fur.
Cheese looked at her friends as they tried to comfort the two scared fillies. She felt useless.
Then again, that was the story of her life. The only reason she hadn’t run away from Ponyville was her Aunt and Uncle Cake were the only family close she knew of and she wasn't any good at rock farmer, like her parents and sisters.
She was surprised her friends were indeed that. Friends. Who’d want a friend as useless as her? She didn’t have anything special about her. Apple Bloom was a great farm filly, Sweetie Belle could sing like an angel, Scootaloo was fast, Derpy was kind and Twilight had both wings and a horn.
And Cheese... There was nothing to be said about her. Her friends probably just tolerated her because they felt bad for her.
An explosion bombarded her ears, knocking her backwards, her mane and tail becoming massively frizzy for some reason.
When she was able to get up again, she shook herself off and looked into the sky and saw a huge rainbow blazing across it.
In that moment, that single, amazing moment, Cheese realized she wasn’t useless at all. In fact, she was far from it. She was a young filly, full of potential.
She looked to her friends and, while the two fillies they’d been comforting were calmer, they looked miserable.
Something inside her felt horrified by this. She couldn’t allow it.
She smiled. She knew just what would make them happy and wondered how she hadn’t thought of this before.
She reached into her now frizzy mane and pulled out a bunch of streamers and balloons and a chocolate cake.
She shuffled over to her friends and put party hats on the two fillies, then on her other friends, all who stared at her wide-eyed.
“Let’s have some fun!” Cheese grinned, her gaze focused on the two Earth Ponies who had tortured her all her fillyhood. “I don’t wanna see anymore sad faces.” Her grin widened. “Turn those sad frowns upside down.”
She reached into her mane again and pulled out a record player, which started playing the Pony Rock Anthem.
They all stared at her for several seconds and her ears drooped. Had she failed? Were her friends and Diamond and Silver unhappy with her idea for a party?
Diamond and Silver’s lips quivered.
That confirmed it. She had failed.
Suddenly both fillies squealed with glee and starting dancing to the music.
They seemed to have forgotten who they were with or what had just happened and were dancing like they didn’t have a care in the world.
Cheese’s smile returned and she danced along with her friends, happy she’d made them happy.
There was a flash, but she didn’t even really bother to look at the one yellow and two blue balloons that had suddenly appeared on her flank. She was having too much fun making her friends happy.
Scootaloo loved this feeling. The wind in her mane and feathers, nothing ever compared.
She now saw why her mother missed this so much. She’d give anything for her mother to experience this again, but knew it wouldn’t happen. the accident had made it impossible for her ever to perform again.
An angry screeched from behind her reminded her that she wasn’t just flying for fun right now.
Then again, flying was always fun and the fact that she was easily going faster than the adult griffin was the funniest thing.
But how much faster could she go?
She heard a screech, clearly meant to scare her. She chuckled, and just looked back, grinning.
She shot forward, pushing herself further. She noticed a cone appearing around her. Her mother had told her of this. A sonic boom. If she went fast enough, she’d be able to break the sound barrier.
She grinned. A sonic boom would teach that griffin a thing or two. She’d think twice before coming back to Equestria.
Scootaloo pushed herself even further, the cone squeezing around her until—
BOOM!
She heard an explosion and felt herself pushed forward by something and she was rocketing through the sky.
She glanced behind her to see the griffin falling from the sky, a rainbow something pushing her down.
And behind her, her mane and tail had become a stream of rainbow colours. She grinned as a mark shaped like a cloud and a rainbow coloured lightning appeared on her flank in a flash of white.
She turned, heading back towards where her friends were, eager to show them all she’d gotten her Cutie Mark and that she’d knocked the griffin right out of the sky.
Twilight smiled as she danced with her friends. They’d all gotten their Cutie Marks.
Diamond and Silver had left, seeming to realize whom they’d been dancing with (though Twilight noticed Diamond took the doll Apple Bloom made for her with them), but that didn’t stop the four fillies from having a fun time.
“Hey, girls!”
The four dancing fillies turned to see Scootaloo landing, a rainbow trial just fading away as she touched the ground.
She glanced around, her eyes wide. “You three got your Cutie Marks, too?”
Twilight looked to Scoots’ flank and smiled. Scootaloo had a Cutie Mark just like her world’s Rainbow Dash.
She now understood that she hadn’t imagined it. Scootaloo had done a Sonic Rainboom, just like her world’s Rainbow did and it had been responsible for her friends getting their Cutie Marks... and her losing control of her magic again.
She used a wing to hide her blush. She’d never tell them it was her second time. As far as they’d know, this was the first and only time she’d lost control of her magic.
Wait. If Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Cheese had gotten their Cutie Marks... did that mean Derpy had too?
Twilight focused her magic and searched for Derpy’s magical essence.
She could see her leaving the Mayor's office, looking pleased with herself.
Twilight smiled. On Derpy’s flank, she could see six bubbles where there was once just grey fur.
She focused her magic further and Derpy glowed with lavender light.
A second later, Derpy appeared in front of Twilight, who smiled.
“Huh?” she said, looking around, confused. “How’d I get here?”
Twilight chuckled. “Wanna join the party?”
Derpy looked confused for a second, then smiled and followed Twilight, joining her as they danced along with their friends, all of them now bearing a Cutie Mark.
Queen Emaryalis nodded, excusing the Griffin Ambassador, who bowed to her and walked out.
The queen leaned back, letting out an exasperated sigh. That had been the worst meeting with Griffonia she had ever had to deal with.
She and the ambassador had been enjoying a wonderful conversation about how well their boarders were getting along so well these last twenty years, when a message had arrived from Ponyville.
A griffin by the name of Gilda, an ex-member of the Griffonian Army for illegal activities had been attacking several fillies. What those activities that had gotten the griffin, Gilda discharged were, the Grinonian Ambassador did not say, though Emaryalis was certain she didn’t want to know either.
A Pegasus filly by the name of Ditzy Doo had informed the Mayor, who’d had the local Royal Guard posted there to come with her and they arrested the griffin and she was now in custody.
The interesting thing was, she was found, her wings bent on the ground in the middle of the town square. When she was asked why she said it had been a sonic rainboom, a rarity of rarities, that had knocked her out of the sky.
She refused to tell who had performed it, at first, out of pride. However, with several spears pointed to her throat, she’d mumbled that it had been an orange Pegasus filly.
The Ambassador had face-palmed at that and the queen had understood why. An adult griffin, highly trained in combat, knocked out of the sky by a mere filly? The shame it brought on the Griffin Army was unexplainable.
Sighing, she got up and walked out of the throne room, down the halls and entered her personal study and sat down in front of her fire place, lighting it with her horn.
She frowned. While the tension this incident would create between the two nations was her political priority, something else about this worried her.
She didn’t find it likely that it was merely a coincidence that something like this happened, including the Sonic Rainboom, which hadn’t happened in over five thousand years, had happened in the very town she knew the alicorn, Twilight Sparkle was living in.
She’d had several guards placed in the barracks of Ponyville placed there, with explicit instructions to keep an eye on the young alicorn and determine whether or not she should worry about her.
Over the years, the reports had told her nothing much. True, the filly was rather smart for her age and she seemed to know more than most fillies would, but she seemed no immediate danger.
However, something about this incident made her worry.
Several minutes before their meeting, she’d sensed an immense surge of magical energy, unlike anything she’d ever felt. It had only lasted a short time, two or three minutes at the most, but it had happened.
Was that Twilight Sparkle? Had she used her magic against the griffin? Possibly an attempt to make other believe she was more powerful than the queen?
She shook her head. No. No, from the reports, Twilight Sparkle was not that type of filly. She seemed to value friendships a lot, a trait that the queen had to admire, despite herself.
She sighed and flopped down on her cushions in a very un-princess like manner. This was going to be a long night of paper work. She'd be lucky to get to sleep before one in the morning.
“So, you’re the special Alicorn that’s living among us,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling down at Twilight.
Twilight looked away. This was really weird. Rainbow Dash was just like her Rainbow Dash... aside from a few things and that was not even including the fact that Twilight was the size of a filly compared to her.
For one, this Rainbow Dash’s Cutie Mark was the rainbow lightning bolt of her world’s Rainbow dash, but with no cloud.
The stallion standing next to her (Rainbow Blitz) was like a male version of his wife, with a cloud for a Cutie Mark, the same cloud Twilight knew was part of her Rainbow Dash’s Cutie Mark.
Twilight glanced at Scootaloo, who was standing next to her and looked to her Cutie Mark. It was a fusion of both her parents’ Cutie Marks.
It was two days after Twilight’s friends had all gotten their Cutie Marks and they were all having a sleepover at Derpy’s house to celebrate again and to talk aobut how cool it was that the five non-alicorn of them had all gotten their Cutie Marks on the same day.
Scootaloo had been the last to arrive and her parents had come with her.
While the Cutie Mark difference was one thing, what really caught Twilight’s attention, not to mention broke her heart, was how Rainbow’s right wing didn’t look right. It seemed, damaged.
Rainbow noticed Twilight tearing up and glanced to see she was staring at her wing.
She smiled. “Hey, kiddo, it’s okay.”
“Not, it’s not!” Twilight almost shouted, glaring, yet the tears still slid down her face. “Your wing’s like that because you saved Diamond Tiara’s parents, but she doesn’t even care at all. To her, the fact that you can’t race anymore is your own fault!”
Rainbow blinked, then her smile returned and she wrapped a wing around Twilight. “Hey, I’m okay with it. And while their daughter may not care, Filthy Rich and Suri Polomare will never forget what I did for them. As long as they’re thankful, I don’t care what their daughter says.”
Twilight stopped for a second. Suri Polomare was Diamond’s mother? Well, made sense. The Suri from her world was horrible. The two matched up well.
Rainbow turned to Scootaloo and grinned. “Have fun, ’kay, Squirt?”
The two hoof-bumped. “You got it, Mom,” the filly grinned.
The two ponies left, the door closing behind them.
“Okay, girls,” Fluttershy said, coming in and smiling around at the six (or so she thought six) fillies. “Sorry, Scootaloo, but, um, you got here pretty late, so I’m afraid all the fun stuff we had planned will have to wait until tomorrow morning. Since it’s not a school night, I’ll let you all stay up til ten, okay?”
Scootaloo saluted. “Got, Mrs. Shy.”
Fluttershy sighed. “It’s Miss Fluttershy, Scootaloo. You know I haven’t had a husband since... well...” She put a hoof to her stomach and sighed again. “It’s a shame he’ll never get to meet it.”
She walked off, leaving five of the six ponies to turn to Derpy with confused looks.
“Yo, Derps,” Scootaloo said, an eyebrow raised, “what’s she talking about?”
Derpy sighed.
She led them to the living room, where they’d all be sleeping and told them about her mother's late husband, her father.
He’d been a unicorn her mother had met when she’d had to handle some of the weather duties in Canterlot because they’d needed a little extra help.
They’d gone on a few dates, then, a week later, her mother learned she was pregnant with Derpy. They'd gotten married and moved to Ponyville a few years after Flight Camp.
However, a week ago, she learned she was pregnant yet again and had gone to Canterlot to tell him, only to learn he’d died when a Manticore had managed to get close to Canterlot. He died in order for the warning to go out. Because of him, Canterlot had been able to repel the beast.
The queen had awarded him the highest honour regards, even making him a member of the Royal Guard in honour of his deed.
The mood was sombre as they all took this in.
“I’m so sorry, Derpy,” Twilight said, her voice a little hoarse.
If only she were bigger, if only she’d been in Canterlot at the time, she could’ve done something. Her magic was the most powerful in all Equestria, because she was the only alicorn.
At least, she was possibly the only alicorn on Equestria.
She looked out at the sky. The moon was out tonight and the Mare in the Moon looked down at them through it.
Twilight thought back to when she’d first seen that marking on the moon.
It had been a few days since Apple Bloom had started living on Sweet Apple Acres.
The two of them were currently lying in their crib, Apple Bloom fast asleep.
Twilight, however, wasn’t able to sleep.
She’d only know realized just how alone she was in this reality. True, she had Pitch and Fresh and even Apple Bloom now, but they were all Earth Ponies. She fluttered her wings and glanced up at her horn. She was the only alicorn in all of Equestria. In that regard, she was truly alone.
She rolled over, facing the window. As she looked out, she saw the moon looking down from the sky. It was full tonight.
From what she’d learned from Pitch and Fresh, there was a special group of unicorns in Canterlot, whose job was to raise the sun and the moon each day and had been doing so for the last five thousand years. She could understand this. With no Celestia or Luna, or even Cadance, they needed to find another way to raise the sun and moon.
She was about to roll over again, when something about the moon caught her eye. It looked like the same moon from when she was a filly. For some reason, this didn’t seem right.
She frowned, getting up, flapping her wings and flying out of the crib and over to the window to get a better look. What she saw made her stop flapping for a second, before she caught herself before she fell and woke Apple Bloom. On the moon, clear as day was a blemish Twilight hadn’t seen since her first night in Ponyville. The marking of the Mare in the Moon.
At once, Twilight used her magic to open the door as silently as possible and flew downstairs to the small pile of books Pitch and Fresh had recently gotten her. She searched them; going along the line until she found what she was looking for. Grim Pony Tales by Grims Pony.
She opened to the index and went down it until she found the title she was looking for. Legend of the Mare in the Moon. She skimmed through the book until she reached the page the tale was on and started reading, paying more attention to the tale than she had when she’d first read this world’s version before.
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters, alicorns, the last of their kind, who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land.
To do this, the eldest used her alicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn and the younger used hers and brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.
One fateful day, the younger sister refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn.
The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon.
She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.
Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony.
Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister.
However, the battle was fierce and it had taken all of the elder sister’s power to stop Nightmare Moon.
When the dust settled and ponies searched for their rulers, while Nightmare Moon was gone, the eldest sister was no more than a few strands of her hairs and her regalia.
Thus, the non-alicorn relatives of the two sisters took over rule of Euquestria, founding a group of the most powerful unicorns in all the world to take over the responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since..
Twilight finished reading and looked out the window at the blemish on the moon.
Was... was it possible that... was Luna banished to the moon, like in her own world?
Suddenly Twilight realized that, if what was in this tale was true, then this world’s Celestia died... her last act being to banish her sister.
Twilight’s heart broke and she started sobbing, not caring how loud she was as the grief of knowing that Celestia’s last thoughts would have been on how she had to force her sister to remain on the moon.
The lights came on and Twilight glanced behind her to see Fresh standing by the stairs. Her sobs turned to wails, to which Fresh responded by hurrying over and trying to comfort the Alicorn as she held her in her forehooves. Twilight cried into Fresh's shoulder. She knew she seemed to be acting like a foal now, but she didn’t care.
While this world’s Celestia wasn’t hers, the thought that this world’s Celestia’s last thought before her demise had been something so horribly heartbreaking tore at the young Alicorn’s heart.
While she still felt heartbroken at the knowledge of what happened five thousand years ago, she had a small glimmer of hope in her heart as she looked at the blemish.
If the blemish represented Nightmare Moon, then that meant Luna was still alive. The Luna of this world was alive, on the moon.
But that still left a question.
Just who was up there? Was it Luna? Had the Elements purged her of Nightmare upon her banishment or was Nightmare still in control, waiting to return to Equestria, without its Celestia and bring about night eternal?
Twilight wanted desperately to believe that it would be Luna and not Nightmare. Without the Elements, there would be no way to stop her, and she doubted the Elements’ current location was known to anypony. After all, Celestia had died and Luna was on the moon.
She’d gone to the Golden Oaks Library (she had felt almost back home there) and found the Reverence Guide to the Elements of Harmony and it had only told her that nopony knew where the Elements went after Nightmare Moon was defeated.
Twilight shivered as another thought occurred to her. If the Elements of Harmony were lost, what would happen if the Tree of Harmony lost its magic...?
Twilight shivered, not wanting to think about it, or how her brain was saying the memory made no sense to her.
“Twilight?”
Twilight snapped out of her inner revery, turning to her friends, who were all looking at her.
“Somethin’ up?” Scootaloo asked, cocking an eyebrow. “You haven’t said a thing since you told Derpy you’re sorry. Which, reminds me, why’re you sorry? I wasn’t your fault. And don’t say anything about how, since you’re an Alicorn you coulda helped,” she said as Twilight opened her mouth, intending to say just that. “Just cos you’re an alicorn it doesn’t mean everything bad that happens is your fault because you couldn’t stop it.”
“She’s right, Twi,” Apple Bloom said, coming over and nuzzling Twilight. “Ya’ll can’ solve all the world’s problems just cuz yer an alicorn. It ain’t tha’ simple.”
“What’s this really about, Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked, looking concerned. “Why were you crying as you looked at the moon?”
Twilight sighed. She had to tell them. She had to tell them everything. Everything. They were her best friends after all. They’d understand, right? Hiding this from others, including a pony she almost felt was like a sister to her now, had been so hard. It was time to come clean. If any ponies would understand her reasons for withholding the truth, it would be these five fillies.
Taking a deep breath, Twilight told them about the legend of the Mare in the Moon... and everything about herself.
“Scootaloo, would you slow down for one second?” Twilight asked in annoyance as she and her friends trudged down the path. “We shouldn’t even be here!”
“But you said this was where you found the Elements of Harmony, back in your world,” Scootaloo called back, stopping and hovering as she waited for the other five to catch up.
When they did, Twilight gave her a sour look.
Behind Scootaloo, not too far off in the distance, was the ruins of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters.
“Yes, I did. I also remember that the only reason we came back in my world was to stop Nightmare Moon, who, as you can see, isn’t really a problem right now, so there’s no point in us walking around in the Everfree Forest!” she shouted in one breath.
Scootaloo frowned, folding her forehooves across her chest. “If you ask me, this is a great time.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “And just how do you figure that, Scootaloo? If your parents and my host parents, heck if anypony finds out about this, the fact that I’m an alicorn won’t make a difference to the punishments we’ll all receive!”
“Well, think about it,” Scootaloo said, doing a flip in the air. “You and your friends all had to do this while Nightmare Moon was here in Equestria and at night.”
“Your point?” Twilight deadpanned.
“She’s not here now,” Scootaloo replied, waving a hoof around them. “We don’t have to worry about her finding them first. We can take all the time we need.”
“But the Elements vanished over five thousand years ago,” Twilight explained exasperatingly. “This isn’t like back in my world, where they were left in the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters. They vanished. As in, disappeared. There’s no telling where they are! They could be on the other side of the world, for all we know!”
“Or maybe they’re down this staircase,” Cheese chirped, bouncing up next to Twilight.
Twilight turned to Cheese, her and the others all giving her confused looks.
“Staircase? We’re not even inside yet, Cheese,” Twilight said, resisting the urge to shake her head. Cheese was just like her world’s Pinkie Pie. Random.
Cheese giggled. “I know that, silly billy. Wait, you’re name’s not Billy, it’s Twilight. Who’d call their little filly Billy. Hey! That rhymed!”
She giggled again and Twilight had to fight the urge to face-hoof. From the expressions on the others faces, they were doing the same.
Just. Like. Pinkie Pie!
Twilight blinked, before remebering about the Tree of Harmony and hurried over to where Cheese was.
There was indeed a flight of stairs built right into the ground, leading down to a small empty chasm with a cave opening carved right into the rock-face that Twilight remembered from her own world.
There was a glow coming from within the cave.
"The Tree of Harmony's down there!" Twilight pointed, then frowned. "But I don't see how that's going to help us find the Ele—"
“Well, then let’s head down and find out!” Scootaloo shouted, flying down.
“Scootaloo!” Twilight shouted angrily, teleporting in front of the Pegasus just before she went into the cave. “Are you insane? You can’t just rush into a glowing cave and— Are you even listening to me? Scootaloo?!”
Scootaloo was looking passed Twilight, into the cave, her eyes wide.
Frowning, Twilight turned around, and her own eyes widened.
Standing in before her was a large, almost crystal-like tree, with orbs of white that glowed around it.
However, what really caught her attention was the mark in the tree’s branches centre that looked like her Cutie Mark and the five outer branches that ended with a different coloured diamond each.
They were coloured like...
“The Elements,” Twilight murmured, unable to look away and not hearing as their friends arrived at the cave entrance. “The Tree of Harmony had them this whole time,” she whispered, taking a few steps forward.
At once the tree seemed to shine even brighter than it had before.
Twilight’s friends all hurried towards her, their instincts to protect both their friend and a princess making them forget about their own safety.
The centre of the tree, where Twilight’s Cutie Mark was, opened up revealing—
“The Element of Magic?!” Twilight gasped as the purple, star-shaped gem floated towards her.
At the same time, the other Elements flew out from their grooves in the tree and towards Twilight’s friends.
There was an enormous flash of light that blinded Twilight as her mind seemed to burn.
She was somewhere she had only been once before. It was where she had become an alicorn.
“The Celestial Space?" she frowned, looking around. “What am I doing here?”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Twilight.”
The alciorn’s eyes widened. That voice.
She whirled around to see Princess Celestia, who looked just as tall as when Twilight was a filly, standing there, smiling warmly down at her.
For a split-second, Twilight wanted to run and hug the sun goddess; before her mind caught up with her and reminded her this wasn’t her Celestia.
She bowed to the monarch, before something caught her attention. Celestia was dead.
She looked up, shocked and confused.
Celestia smiled sadly. “In the Celestial Space, living alicorns can visit with the dead.”
Twilight looked down, uneasy knowing that she had such an ability, yet hadn’t realized it.
Celestia cleared her throat. “However, I did not summon you here for idle chit chat, Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight looked up, knowing that tone. Her Celestia had used it whenever there was something important to discuss... and when she’d gotten into trouble as a filly.
Celestia sighed. “As I am sure you are aware, my sister shall soon return from the moon.”
Celestia sighed. “Sadly, she is still under the control of the Nightmare that possessed her so many millennia ago.”
Twilight froze. “Then, what can we do? I’m not strong enough to face Nightmare Moon alone!”
Celestia chuckled. “You will not be alone. I am giving you and your friends the Elements of Harmony to use to stop Nightmare.” She looked away, her eyes downcast. “I only hope you can also free my sister.”
Twilight nodded. “I... We won’t let you down, Princess.”
Celestia smiled. “Thank you, Twilight. Now, go. Go with your friends and when Nightmare returns, stop her with the Elements. Once you have done that, I must ask you to return them to the Tree of Harmony. Am I understood?”
Twilight nodded her confirmation. “Yes, Princess. Don’t worry. I know what is likely to happen if the Elements aren’t returned.” She blinked, frowning as he head hurt. “Wait. How do I know that, but I feel like I shouldn't?” She moaned, shaking her head. "Why does this keep happening?"
Celestia sighed, then leaned her horn in and placed it to the tip of Twilight’s.
Twilight’s eyes widened as memories flooded her eyes, becoming clear for the first time in years.
She’d come back. She hadn’t simply arrived and remained all this time. She’d come back and somehow forgotten about all those months back in her Equestria had happened after she left this world, but thought they'd happened before.
Celestia sighed. “The Discord of your world wanted to have some fun.” She shook her head. “However, he caused much trouble. My counterpart in your world did not go easy on him.”
Twilight snorted. “For what he did, he deserved it.”
Celestia shook her head. “While what he did has caused some problems, if he had not, my sister would come and none would be able to stop her.”
Twilight frowned, thinking about that.
True, if Discord hadn’t left her here without her memories, she would never have helped so much in this world.
Without her, Fresh and Pitch would have been so sad, since Fresh couldn’t have a foal and, for whatever reason, the orphanages in this Equestria had been empty for the first three years she’d been here.
And, if she hadn’t been here, Apple Bloom would’ve been alone on the farm, with no filly to talk to her own age.
And what about Gilda? If Twilight hadn’t been there, would Gilda have killed Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?
She sighed. “I’m going to have to thank him when I go back, aren’t I?”
Celestia said nothing, just looked away, as if there was something she was hiding.
“Celestia?”
She sighed. “Please, watch over my sister, Twilight. Goodbye.”
She was lying on the ground, her friends all crowded around her, worried looks on their faces.
As soon as she sat up, Apple Bloom pulled her into a tight hug.
“Don’ ever scare me like that again, ya hear?”
“Um, okay,” Twilight said, wondering why she felt so touched by Apple Bloom’s hug. Was it because the two of them had been living together for so long that Apple Bloom felt like family to her?
“What happened?” Derpy asked, then looked away. “Um, if it’s alright that I asked, that is.”
“I spoke with Celestia.”
Scootaloo frowned. “Yours? I didn’t think you could. Aren’t are world separated sorta?”
Twilight nodded. “I spoke with this world’s Celestia.”
Sweetie Belle frowned. “But... isn’t she...?”
Twilight nodded again. “Dead, yes. But I was able to speak with her in the Celestial Space.”
Scootaloo frowned. “What in the hay is that?”
She sighed. “A place only alicorns and the dead may travel. Being an alicorn, I was able to go there and speak with her. She has news.”
“What kind of news?” Cheese asked, bouncing forward. “Is there gonna be some kind of big danger to Equestria and she gave us the Elements to stop it and save the world?”
Twilight mouth hung open.
How...? How did...? URGH! She face-hoofed. Probably Cheesy Sense, like Pinkie’s Pinkie Sense.
Twilight only now noticed the golden necklaces adorned on each of her friend’s necks, each hold a gem shaped like their Cutie Mark.
Apple Bloom had the Element of Honest, Derpy had the Element of Kindness, Cheese had the Element of Laughter, Sweetie Belle the Element of Generosity and Scootaloo the Element of Loyalty.
That only left Magic.
She looked up and, on her head, sat the tiara she’d been given when she first became a princess. The same tiara she’d had to give up to save the Tree of Harmony in her world.
“Wait,” Scootaloo frowned. “Why do we have these things?”
Twilight turned and looked out at the sky. “We’ve got to stop Nightmare Moon.”
Her friends all gasped.
Scootaloo flew up to her, a nervous look on her muzzle.
“Uh, Twilight,” she said, chuckling nervously. “I’m normally not an anxious kinda filly, but are you sure we could do that? We’re not your friends from your world.”
Twilight smiled. “But you are my friends. And I know, as long as we stick together and our friendship remains strong, we will stop Nightmare Moon and, hopefully, free Luna from her control.”
They walked out of the cave, the others looking a little more convinced, though only a little, when they all stopped in their tracks.
Standing at the top of the stairs were both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo’s parents, Derpy’s mother, Mr. Cake and Pitch and Fresh.
Twilight and the others gulped, saying in unison, “We’re in so much trouble.”
“What were you two even thinking?!” Fresh Veggies demanded of the two smaller ponies as she passed back and forth in front of them.
Twilight and Apple Bloom glanced at each other, wilting a little under the glares and harsh words of the taller mare and her husband.
It was half an hour after Twilight and the others had found the Tree of Harmony and had been given the Elements in order to stop Nightmare Moon, only to then be found by their carers and taken back to their homes.
Twilight had noticed the anxious looks her friends had all worn as their parents or guardians had taken them away, leading them out of the Everfree Forest and then going their separate ways.
And, despite her being a princess, Fresh didn’t seem at all discouraged in scolding Twilight as if she were a regular foal. Though, from her point of view, what Twilight and the others did was probably very foalish in the first place.
“Goin’ inta the Everfree? Hangin’ ’round that old castle? What were you girls thinking?” she demanded, whirling to face the two of them. While anger was in her eyes, so too was a look Twilight had seen in her mother’s eyes many times when she’d done something dangerous as a filly. Worry.
Before either of them could answer, Fresh pulled the two of them into a tight hug, and felt tears running down the mare’s face and into their fur.
“If anythin’ had happened to ya,” she whispered, her voice shaking a little, “Ah... Ah don’t know what Ah’d do.”
Twilight felt guilty. She’d made Fresh worry. She’d never meant for that. Truth be told, it hadn’t even been her idea to go into the forest in the first place. But, just like her mother (and the Rainbow from Twilight’s own world), once Scootaloo got an idea in her head, there was no changing her mind and they’d all been dragged along, if only to make sure the risk-taking Pegasus didn’t get hurt or worse.
Come to think of it, this world’s Dash was probably scolding her for that right now.
Twilight shook these thoughts away. She had something more important to do.
“Fresh, you’ve noticed the tiara on my head, and the necklace around Apple Bloom’s neck, correct?” she asked, pulling herself away from the large mare.
Fresh looked from Twilight to Apple Bloom, only just now taking their new attire into account. “Where did you get those?” she asked, looking confused and slightly worried.
Twilight lifted a hoof to the tiara on her head. “This is the Element of Magic.” She then pointed to the necklace on the yellow filly. “And the gem in her necklace is the Element on Honesty. The Tree of Harmony gave them to us.”
Fresh and Pitch’s faces paled a little, glancing from the tiara to the necklace.
Pitch gulped. “Wh... why would it give ya the Elements?”
Twilight’s expression firmed. “We aren’t the only ones. You saw the necklaces around our friends’ necks as well? Those were the other Elements of Harmony. Cheese has Laughter, Sweetie Belle Generosity, Derpy Kindness and Scootaloo Loyalty. The Tree gave them to us for a reason.”
Both ponies gulped. “An’... what reason is that?” Pitch asked.
Twilight closed her eyes, then looked at the two of them with unwavering determination. “To stop Nightmare Moon when she returns.”
It was as if somepony had whacked the both of them with an iron plank. They just stared at the Alicorn, as if looking right through her, before they both responded with a very loud, “WHAT?”
“But first,” Twilight closed her eyes, her horn glowing; “I will finally restore that which you lost, yet did not realize.”
Both ponies stopped, their eyes widening as Twilight’s aura engulfed them. At once, memories of all the time since that moment they’d been so confused by flooded their mind. Princess Celestia coming and taking Twilight away, the months they spent getting over the lose of the pony they’d come to care for like their own the struggles to try and have their own foal, the setting up of the nursery for their new foal, the horrible news from the doctors that Fresh would never be able to bear a foal and the depression that had consumed her afterward, all the failed attempts to adopt an orphan, only to learn there were none left to adopt, heading into town the day their memories had vanished, two days after Fresh had gotten enough over her depression to go outside again.
Both ponies trotted back and fell on their rumps, their eyes wide as Twilight’s aura faded and her horn stopped glowing.
“How...?” Fresh looked from Twilight, to Apple Bloom, to her husband, then back to Twilight. “How did we ferget all that an' think those months after ya left were afore ya came? How did you? Did ya ferget?”
Twilight nodded, sighing. “The Discord from my world wiped all our memories, even those of all the ponies that had interacted with you during that time, making sure we’d all think nothing had really happened and go on as if I hadn’t ever left.”
“But ya did,” Pitch said, sounding crestfallen. “Ya left with Princess Celestia... but ya came back?”
Twilight shook her head. “Not intentionally. I was working on doorways to other dimensions again, taking more precautions this time round so what happened before or something less... well, something harder to handle didn’t happen. Discord came by while the portal was focused on this world. He used his magic to put me back in the snuggy you gave me, then I tripped on his tail and fell through the portal and wound up back on your doorstep and you know the rest.”
Fresh looked away, sadness in her eyes. “So, yer going back now?”
Twilight shook her head again. “I can’t.” When they all looked at her in confusion, she explained. “Discord also locked the portal. Nopony can get in or out of either our dimensions through it for an allotted time. I’m still not sure how long it will be until it reopens, but, until that time, I’m going to have to remain here.”
Fresh gave a weak smile. “Ah feel guilty fer being happy ’bout that.”
Twilight smiled. “Don’t feel guilty. You two have made my time here wonderful, like a second fillyhood, but better. I couldn’t have asked for better carers during my stay.”
Fresh let her tears fall, then pulled Twilight into a hug and nuzzled her. “Thank you, Twilight. Ya’ve no idea how happy that makes me.”
Apple Bloom smiled as she watched her aunt and cousin. Twilight might not see her aunts as her parents, but she had just as strong a bond with them.
She noticed her Uncle Pitch coming towards her and he pulled her into a hug as well, to which she returned. She also felt like they were like her parents. She’d never really gotten to know them and her aunt, uncle and cousin had been with her all these years.
True, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith and even Applejack had visited over the years, but Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies had been in her life a lot more.
Queen Emaryalis frowned curiously at the report she’d just received from one of the guards posted in Ponyville with orders to watch over Twilight Sparkle and report back about her.
Several hours ago, Twilight and her group of friends had been seen being led out of the Everfree Forest by their parents and carers.
This was odd to her, because she couldn’t really think of anything that would have given the Alicorn a reason to go into that Celestia forsaken place. Yes, there was the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, but that wouldn’t have been any use to the filly, as far as she could think.
There wasn’t anything worth looking for in that castle, she’d had several battalions of guards to search that place in and out and, aside from a large library of somehow in good condition books, there hadn’t been anything else of interest.
Then again, Twilight Sparkle was a filly and fillies tended to do stupid things and Emaryalis couldn’t think of anything more stupid than six fillies walking into the most dangerous forest in all the world.
It had most likely been an idea from the filly, Scootaloo, the Pegasus that had caused the Sonic Rainboom. Like her mother, the ex-Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, she was a risk-taker. She was the most logical reason for the six fillies venturing into a place they were lucky to get out of alive.
She found it odd that the six had been wearing jewellery, of all things to wear into the Everfree Forest.
What had caught her attention was that Twilight Sparkle had apparently been wearing a tiara of some kind. The type of tiara royalty would wear. Was she becoming aware that she had the right to rule?
Emaryalis decided she’d up the security around Ponyville, just in case the young Alicorn decided to do anything stupid. The Queen knew she was more than a match for a mere filly, however, her being an Alicorn would still make it necessary to be wary.
Twilight kicked hard at the Red Gala tree behind her, causing a large amount of apples to cascade down into the baskets set around the base.
She wiped her brow and looked up to the sky.
Two years had passed since her and her friends’ escapade into the Everfree Forest to the Tree of Harmony and received the Elements in order to defeat Nightmare Moon.
She and Apple Bloom hadn’t escaped punishment that day, despite the tender moment they’d had with Pitch and Fresh. They’d been grounded and made to buck all the apples, at least until they were so exhausted they collapsed and the bigger ponies had to take over.
Twilight was now the same size as Luna from her own world and was slightly worried about just how much bigger she would get before she returned to her world. She knew she already towered over her friends from her world. Luna would be very surprised the next time the two of them met. Then again, if she didn’t get back soon, she might even be as tall as Celestia.
She blushed, thinking about how it would feel to look Celestia eye to eye. The very idea was something she’d never considered before her second arrival in this world, but now it was something on her mind a lot more regularly.
Twilight looked up at the night sky, her eyes on the moon and the imprint upon it. How long would it be until Nightmare Moon returned? Would it be tomorrow night, next week, several years from now?
She sighed, shaking her head. Questioning that would not help. It would happen when it happened and she couldn’t change it.
Twilight’s horn glowed and she levitated the baskets into the air and headed towards the barn. She’d become use to the routine of her adopted family over the years.
They would buck as many of the the apples from the trees one day, sell them, then, after storing the ones they didn’t get to sell due to them still needing to be bucked down that day in the special storage area in the barn that kept them fresh, they’d take them to market the next day and sell them. Tomorrow, Twilight was meant to help out at the stall, since Apple Bloom had helped out last time.
Just as she finished up and was walking out the barn, she was bowled over by an orange and purple blur, much like she would be back in her own world by a rainbow one.
“Twilight! We got a big problem!” Scootalo yelled into the Alicorn’s face, her eyes wide.
Twilight frowned, her horn glowing. The glow encased the Pegasus and levitated her off so she could get up.
Much like the Dash of her own world, this world’s Scootaloo was wearing an annoyed expression at being controlled by magic, something Twilight knew Dash didn’t like. However, like Dash, Scootaloo sometimes just made it impossible not to use magic on her.
Twilight released her magical hold on Scootaloo and raised an eyebrow. “What’s the matter, Scootaloo? And please don’t tell me it’s something about my magic needed to help you get out of something you got yourself into again.”
Scootaloo blinked, then frowned, clearly annoyed at that comment, but shook her head and pointed to the sky. “THAT!”
Her eyebrow rising a little in confusion, Twilight looked up to the sky— and felt her heart drop as her eyes widened in horror. The four stars she remembered disappearing behind the moon in her own world that helped Nightmare Moon escape from the moon were moving towards it. They'd disappear behind the moon within minutes. That could only mean one thing.
Twilight turned to Scootaloo, her expression fearful, but firm. “Scootaloo, get the others. I’ll get Apple Bloom and we’ll meet you in the Town Square.”
Scootaloo nodded, her fear suddenly gone, replaced by determination and shot off towards town to get their friends.
Twilight hurried inside, shouting, “Apple Bloom, get your Element! She’s coming!”
Twilight and her friends stood in Town Square, facing the sky.
The stars had just moved behind the moon by the time they all gathered up and, as they watched, the blemish on the moon disappeared from site, leaving the moon bear.
They each looked around, waiting for Nightmare Moon to appear just as she had at the Summer Sun Celebration back in Twilight’s world all those years ago.
For several moments, nothing seemed to happen. The six of them looked at each other, an eyebrow raised. Where was Nightmare Moon? Shouldn’t she be doing something by now?
Was the reason nothing was happening because it had been Luna that returned instead and she was politely confronting the Queen.
Those thoughts lasted a second however, before Derpy screamed in terror. They all looked to where she was, towards Canterlot. From this angle, they could see a tall dark spire had suddenly appeared where Twilight knew the castle was. It was a pillar of pure energy.
Seconds later, Twilight winced, dropping on one foreleg. She had sensed an immense surge of dark magic. Had she sensed this years ago, when she was still the size of a foal in this world, it might have knocked her out cold.
However, having aged as she had, it was merely a painful discomfort.
Her five friends moved to comfort her, but Twilight almost doubled over as she sensed another massive surge of magic. This magic, however, was not dark. She had experienced it many times during her years in this world and was very familiar with it.
There was a large flash from behind the fillies, all aside from Twilight, who was still struggling to stand again, turned to see Queen Emaryalis lying on the ground, her tiara gone, surrounded by what had to be the entire occupancy of Canterlot Castle, servants, chiefs, maids, guards, nobles, the lot.
Twilight took several deep breaths, stood up and turned around, to be met by the acusing glare of the Queen.
“I was right,” she snarled, her eyes boaring at Twilight. “You are here to usurp my throne!”
Scootaloo frowned. “Hey! Why do you say that? Twilgiht’s never done anything!”
“An’ she’s certainly not tryin’ to y’surp ya,” Apple Bloom said, glaring at the Queen. Nopony, not even royalty, dissed her family.
Twilight, however, was calm and faced Emaryalis as if she were speaking to an equal. “What happened? What is that black pillar where the castle is?”
“No anymore!” Cheese chirped, bouncing.
“What are you talking about, Cheese?” Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow at the brown-frizzy-maned filly.
“The castle and the dark spire,” Cheese replied, pointing. “They’re not there anymore and now Black Snooty is heading towards us.”
Twilight felt confusion at the first part of Cheese’s sentence, only to feel her mind seize up at the second thing she’d said. Black Snooty had been one of the names Pinkie Pie had guessed to be Nightmare Moon’s name back in her world. And Cheese had just said Black Snooty was coming towards them. That meant...
She whirled around and, with her eyes squinted, could make out a cloud of blue filled with stars heading towards them from across the sky.
Her eyes narrowed and she firmed her grip on the ground. “Get ready, girls!” she said to the others as she kept her eyes on the approaching star cloud. “She’s coming.”
“Of course she is!” Emaryalis shouted, her eyes wide. “You were waiting for her, weren’t you? You’re working with that black Alicorn to overthrow me and—”
“Queen Emaryalis,” Derpy said, her voice taking on a firm tone she was not known to often use, “shut up!”
That shut the Queen up right away. She knew Ditsy Doo, or Derpy Hooves as she was called by her friends, was normally a shy filly, who wouldn’t speak up against somepony else, even if they were wrong and she was right. To be told to shut up by her was enough of a shock to silence her, just as instructed.
The star cloud reached the airspace right above them and condensed, taking the shape of an Alicorn. When it materialized, Twilight saw a pony she’d honestly thought she’d never have to see again.
Pure-black coat, onyx wings, turquoise, dragon-like eyes, pale-blue armour, a mane and tail of pure magic, shining like the night sky and, on her flank, a blue crescent moon Cutie Mark. Nightmare Moon had returned.
Nightmare Moon looked over the crowd of ponies, which had grown when those of the town who’d seen the teleportation spell came over and realized it was their Queen.
She grinned as her eyes passed over the horrified faces of ponies who had clearly thought she was only a legend, not realizing she was, in fact, real.
“Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little sun-loving faces.” When none replied, she frowned. “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?
Ponies all stared up at her, wide eyed, yet none spoke.
Nightmare Moon’s frown turned into a scowl. “Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for more than five thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?
Twilight had to hold back a chuckle. This was the very first thing Nightmare had spoken when she had appeared at the Summer Sun Celebration and decided she’d play along, for amusement.
“I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!
Twilight, along with her friends, rolled their eyes as ponies gasped. What, had they thought, if nopony said it, she wouldn’t be Nightmare Moon after all?
Nightmare Moon however, returned to her smile, even looking a little impressed. “Well, well, well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here.”
Twilight nodded. “You plan on bringing the Night Eternal, just as you did so many centuries ago.”
Nightmare Moon chuckled. “Indeed, young one.” She looked to the Queen and smirked, before looking at the assembled crowd. “Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” she burst into maniacal laughter, lighting flashing in the cloudless sky, causing many ponies to cower.
“Ah wouldn’t count yer chickens afore they’ve hatched, if Ah were you, Nightmare.”
The laughter faded and Nightmare Moon looked to Apple Bloom, her scowl returning. “You dare to speak to your true Queen like that, you mere Earth Pony?!”
Apple Bloom smirked. “Ah do. Haven' ya noticed anythin’ interestin’ ’bout mah cousin?” She motioned to Twilight.
Nightmare now frowned in confusion and looked to Twilight, glancing her over, before her eyes showed surprise. “An Alicorn, here?”
Twilight nodded. “That’s right, Nightmare Moon. I’m an Alicorn, just like the body you control and now, you will release Luna or suffer.”
Nightmare smirked, amusement clear on her face. “Oh, really, young Alicorn? You may be of the same kind as me, but what makes you think you, an Alicorn so young, stands a chance against me, who has lived for over five thousand years, not even counting the time before my banishment?”
“First,” Twilight said, motioning to her five friends, “my friends. Second, these.” She motioned to her tiara, then at her friends necklaces.
Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow in confusion, looking at each of the fillies, before her eyes widened. “No!”
Twilight smirked. “Yes. The Elements of Harmony. The very things Princess Celestia used to banish you to the moon all those centuries ago.”
“I WON”T GO BACK!” Nightmare Moon screamed, her voice filled with both rage and fear. She aimed her horn at Twilight and fired a surge of magic at her.
It collided, not with Twilight, but a purple magical barrier, which surrounded all six fillies.
Twilight looked to her friends, all who nodded, their expression firm. Twilight closed her eyes and focused on her Element and the friendship she’d made with these five fillies. The Elements all started to glow and they started to levitate into the air.
Unlike in her world, however, Nightmare Moon was, instead of staring shocked, firing a constant stream of magic at the six of them, trying to stop them from using the Elements against her.
It was for naught, however, as the energies of the six Elements combined together, focusing on Twilight, whose eyes opened, glowing pure white.
A beam of rainbow-coloured energy shot forth from the Element of Magic, pushing against Nightmare Moon’s magical surge. The two fort against each other for several seconds, before the blast from the Elements started pushing back, before it surge through, cutting through Nightmare Moon’s like a knife.
Said Alicorn’s eyes widened in horror as she watched the blast seconds from getting her, knowing she had no chance of avoiding it in time.
“NO!” she cried as the blast consumed her, covering her with its power, her scream echoing across the night.
There was a final blinding flash of white light and, for several moments, all was still.
Twilight push herself up from the ground, looking around her. Her friends were also getting up, looking none the worse for wear than she did. The other ponies, including Emaryalis, were staring at the six of them, wide-eyed.
Twilight turned her attention to where Nightmare Moon had been, only to see a pony lying on the ground several feet away from them. She had a blue coat and pale-blue mane and tail. On her flank was a white crescent moon Cutie Mark. And, finally, she had a horn and wings. She was an Alicorn.
The pony groaned and slowly lifted her head and looked at them all with blearily eyes.
However, Twilight was not the only pony who had noticed the other Alicorn.
“Arrest her!” Diamond Tiara’s voice cried out from within the crowd. “She’s evil!”
Several others immediately followed her example, shouting similar things, some even shouting at the mare herself, telling her things Twilight was horrified they’d say around fillies.
However, she was focused on something else about this.
She hurried in front of the pony, who flinched, clearly thinking Twilight was about to hurt her, but then turned around and glared at the ponies of Ponyville.
“How dare you all? This is not Nightmare Moon! Have none of you focused on just what the legend says about the Mare in the Moon. Princess Luna was consumed by Nightmare Moon, who used her to try and bring the Eternal Night all those centuries ago. Princess Luna is not the pony of those stories. She is not the bringer of Eternal Night. She is Princess Celestia's sister and,” she stomped her hooves, bracing herself for a fight, “if you want to get to her, you’ll have to get through me!”
“And us too!” Apple Bloom shouted, her and the others hurrying to Twilight’s side, facing off against the town.
“Princess Luna is a wonderful, kind pony, who would never want to hurt anypony,” Derpy said, her eyes centring as she focused on each and every pony who was shouting for Luna’s punishment.
Before anypony could respond, however, the Elements all shone and a white form appeared in front of the six fillies, causing all present to gasp.
Standing before them all was the ghostly, majestic figure of Princess Celestia. She looked at each other them, a sadness in her eyes. Have you all really fallen so far in my absence, my little ponies?
At once, every pony, save the Emaryalis, bowed to the ghostly form in front of them, at once recognizing the princess who had saved their ancestors from Nightmare Moon over five thousand years ago.
Celestia looked to Emaryalis, disappointment on her features, but still with a thankful smile. Emaryalis, I thank you for saving my little ponies from Nightmare Moon as she destroyed Canterlot Castle. You could have simply saved yourself, but you risked all your magic to unsure they all made it to safety. For that, you have my thanks. However, her thankful smile at her last words vanished, replaced with full disappointment, as Queen of Equestria, you should have asked Twilight Sparkle for help. She tried to reach out to you, so many years ago, yet you never once wanted to accept her aid, for fear that she was here to usurp you.
Emaryalis just glared at the apparition in front of her. “I am the rightful ruler of this land, Celestia. Your kinds’ right fell the day Luna surrendered to her darkness.”
Celestia’s expression turned into a scowl. You speak as if you have done nothing wrong within your own lifetime. Tell me, what were you planning to do to Twilight Sparkle when you could prove she had the right to rule this land?
Silence as the unicorn just glared.
Her silence caused several ponies within the crowd to look to her with shock, some concern and some even disgust.
Celestia nodded. Your silence is enough of an answer, Emaryalis. While you have a good heart, your desire to be in control blinds you to reason, even when it is to what appears to be a harmless foal. As the former ruler of Equestria, I hereby stripe you of the rank of Queen. You are now a princess beneath the true new rulers of this land. My sister, Princess Luna and my successor as regent of the sun, Twilight Sparkle.
“WHAT?!” Emaryalis’ looked like she couldn’t choose to show rage or fear. “No! I waited years to rule! I will not lose it to some puny—”
Celestia’s horn glowed with white light. When it faded, Twilight and Luna had changed. Luna was now as tall to Twilight as Celestia from her own world was, her mane and tail looking like it held the night sky within it, moving in an ethereal breeze and Twilight, while not any taller than before, now had a shimmering mane and tail herself, both of which were also moving in an ethereal wind.
All stared at the two, wide-eyed. Twilight's friends stared at her in awe.
Celestia looked to Emaryalis and snorted. They now control the sun and moon, as it should be. I have freed the mages Nightmare left on the moon when she arrived. They are all in Canterlot, safe and sound.
Emaryalis looked like she wanted to say something to Celestia, but couldn’t find the words.
Celestia turned and walked over to the ponies surrounding her sister. The five fillies parted to allow her passage. Twilight smiled up at her and bowed, before moving away so that Celestia could see her sister.
Luna kept her head down, too ashamed to meet her older sister’s gaze. Luna. The softness in Celestia’s voice caused the younger of the two to look up, her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m sorry, sister!” she sobbed, her tears trailing down her cheeks. “I am so, so sorry. I-I didn’t mean for this to happen. I-I didn’t mean for you to— to—”
Celestia leaned down and nuzzled her sister, who tried to wrap her forelegs around her, only to pass through. Forgive me, Luna, Celestia said, the smallest sob entering her own voice. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you. I’m sorry I had to leave you alone, for so long, and must go again.
“No, sister!” Luna cried, looking up at Celestia with pleading eyes. “Please! Please don’t leave me again.”
Celestia smiled sadly. Luna, I am not of the world of the living anymore. I have not been of the living for a long, long time. However, I will not be leaving you alone.
She motioned to her left, where Twilight stood, watching the two of them with tears in her own eyes, her mane moving on its own.
I realize she cannot replace me, but Twilight Sparkle will be able to remain with you in my place. She knows the pain you’ve been through, having felt it herself for the last seven years.
Luna, along with the majority of the ponies gathered, looked confused at that.
Twilight stepped forward and smiled sadly at Luna. “I came here from another world. I have had to remain here for those seven years, unable to return to my own world.” She leaned forward and nuzzled the other mare. “And I would be happy to stay with you, Luna. You could even think of me like your little sister, if you want.”
Luna stared at Twilight, shock apparent of her face. Then, slowly, a small smile came to her face and she wrapped her forelegs around Twilight and let herself cry.
Twilight allowed her to cry, gently patting her back, and stroking the older Alicorn’s ethereal mane.
Celestia smiled at the two of them, sadness and happiness mixing in her face. She turned to the other five Element Bearers and nodded. Be good friends to Twilight and my sister, my little ponies. Never forget your bond.
The five fillies nodded. Cheese was crying like Celestia knew Twilight’s friend Pinkie Pie had during Twilight’s Celestia and Luna’s reunion. Those two had gotten to be together, something she sadly could not be for her sister. However, she knew Twilight would look after Luna and help her through their time together.
All, save Scootaloo, were also crying, some wiping the tears from the eyes, while some just let them fall.
Her job done, Celestia faded away, returning to the afterlife, silently wishing the two Alicorns good luck with their lives.
“Ah’ll only say this one last time!" Pitchfork shouted, waving his namesake at the group of nobles, his eyes filled with anger. “The Princesses still ain’t seein’ none o’ ya.”
“Then when?” a brown Pegasus with a slicked back black mane wearing a fancy suit demanded, stomping a hoof, then wincing at the dirt that stayed on it.
Pitch’s nostrils flared. “GET OFF O’ MAH PROPERTY AFORE AH THROW YA OFF MAHSELF!”
The sight of an, as Pitch knew they thought of him as such, savage in a rage, caused the twelve stuck-up ponies, six unicorns, four pegasi and two Earth Ponies, running, their tails between their legs.
Pitch took several deep breaths, trying to calm down. It had been a week since Princess Luna had been returned to Equestria and she and Twilight had been deemed the twin rulers of the land by the spirit of Celestia herself and Twilight named the white Alicorn’s successor to Regent of the Sun.
In this time, this had not exactly been going their best. Many of the nobles or politicians who had been more inclined to keep Emaryalis on the throne (not that there was a throne left to sit on with Canterlot Castle completely destroyed), and did not like the idea of Luna and Twilight taking over.
These scumbags had been coming to the farm, pestering the Apples to speak with the new Princesses, but had been sent away every time.
However, there were those who chose to accept the new rulers, seeing them for who they were. Two, chosen by the last Alicorn, who would rule the land with kindness and lead them to greater propriety.
These ponies had been doing their best to discourage those against Luna and Twilight, to convince them otherwise. They had been those who had followed Emaryalis’ orders and plans when Twilight had first come and, upon learning what her plans for Twilight had she actually been able to prove Twilight’s right to rule.
The very idea still sent shivers down Pitch’s spine as well as enraged to to no end. Had Emaryalis been able to prove Twilight had the right to rule due to her being an Alicorn before Nightmare Moon had arrived and Twilight and her friends used the Elements of Harmony to defeat her and free Princess Luna, Twilight would have been taken away and had her wings and horn removed under Emaryalis’ orders, then sent back to Ponyville to live a life she wouldn’t have been able to bear.
Pitch ground her teeth just thinking about it. Regardless of the fact they shared no biological relation, she came from another world and had only been adopted into the family to keep her safe, he saw Twilight like his own daughter and the idea of anypony, even one who had been Queen at the time, daring to even think about taking something his daughter had been born with (Twilight had explained she’d been born a unicorn and not an Alicorm, but that wasn’t the point) taken away from her made his blood boil.
However, there were more worrying things going on right now. Despite Twilight being as powerful and skilled as she was, it seemed she still wasn’t used to being controller of the sun.
One of the reasons Pitch had to keep sending ponies wishing to speak with Twilight and Luna was because Twilight had been bedridden since her first time raising the sun, the day after the evening she and her friends had freed Luna.
While she wasn’t in any danger, Princess Luna had assured them of that, Twilight was not used to the amount of power it took her to raise and lower the sun. She had still managed to do it every day since being given the title of Regent of the Sun, but it always left her bedridden the entire day, having exhausted all her energy, only gaining enough to lower the sun, which she said was less taxing than raising it, by evening.
Both he and his wife had been very worried, thinking that maybe to great a task had been placed on the young Alicorn. Unlike Luna, who was over five thousand years old, Twilight wasn’t even fifty, leaving a huge age-gap, possibly responsible for her being bedridden so much.
When both farmers voiced their theories and concerns to Luna, she had said not to worry, for even Celestia had had similar problems when their parents had first given the two of them their titles, Celestia having received hers a decade or so before Luna did her own.
Both of them had struggled to learn how to control their respective celestial body, but, in time, they had gained enough strength, both magical and physical, to move them with easy and still be able to handle day to day and night to night tasks.
Princess Luna had taken to dealing with most of the ponies that came to see them during late hours, so as not to disturb the Apples and Twilight as they all rested, Twilight needing it the most.
It was thanks to her that Equestria hadn’t fallen into total disarray after the destruction of Canterlot Castle.
The castle itself had been ruined beyond repair. When Nightmare Moon had returned, she had unleashed such a powerful surge of dark magic, all that was left of the castle was rubble. Nothing had survived (proving Emaryalis had at least done the right thing in saving all those presently in the castle at that time by teleporting them to Ponyville), there was nothing left of the castle that had stood since before even Celestia and Luna had taken rule.
This had resulted in all those who lived in it having to find other accommodations. Those who thought themselves to important for anything less than what they’d already had in the castle (so, most of the nobles, Emaryalis included), settled in the finest hotels in Canterlot, while those who actually had any moral sense took residence with any who would be kind enough to offer it to them, some even taking up residence in Ponyville itself.
Pitch sighed, shaking his head as he turned to head back towards the south fields. It was midday, and he needed to get back to work.
“Uncle Pitch?” He turned to see Apple Bloom standing close by, concern clear on her face. “Is Twilight gonna be okay? She... she’s been in bed fer a long time now.”
Pitch hesitated, then sighed. He knew what she was thinking. During the years, whenever Big Macintosh, Granny Smith or Applejack came to visit, they’d sometimes told her about their parents. Their parents had been bedridden for a long time before their passing and no doubt was thinking the same was happening to Twilight.
He smiled warmly, and pulled his niece into a hug. “It’s alright, Apple Bloom. Twilight’s just tired. She’ll get better.”
“That’s what Granny said she told AJ and Big Mac when Ma and Pa were sick,” the filly sniffled into his fur.
He held back a wince. Damn. That failed. He had to think of another route.
He smiled. “Princess Luna wouldn’t lie, would she?”
Apple Bloom looked up at him, tears having stained her face. “No.”
“An’ she says Twi’s gonna be just fine. She just needs rest until she gets used to movin’ the sun every day, that’s all.”
Apple Bloom sniffled, wiping her eyes one her foreleg, then looked up at him again. “Ya promise?”
Pitchfork widened his smile a bit and nodded, nuzzling the filly. “Promise. Now, how ’bout ya go an’ give Twi and Princess Luna their lunch? Moving the moon and sun must sure work up an appetite.”
Apple Bloom nodded and headed towards the house.
Pitch smiled and returned to working the south field. He needed to move it if he wanted to make the quota for today and he’d already been delayed thanks to all the ponies coming to demand an audience with Twilight and Luna.
Luna sat by the bed, watching the younger Alicorn as she rested.
The Princess of the Night was glad to be back in Equestria and glad beyond words could ever express that she was free of the Nightmare. She had cried as she’d watched from within as the Nightmare attacked her sister all those millennia ago and pleaded with it to stop when it descended onto Equestria from the moon.
She had screamed for it to stop as it destroyed Canterlot Castle, fearing for the lives of all the ponies within. When she’d seen the (at the time she thought six) fillies standing in the way of the Nightmare, wearing the Elements, she’d both feared for the fillies' saftey, while at the same time hoping for salvation, even if it had meant her own destruction, for at least then she would have been reunited with her sister.
When she had realized she had been freed, she couldn’t have been more grateful, that gratitude only being eclipsed when, not only had she been able to speak with her sister one last time, but had been given a new one in Twilight Sparkle, one of the six who had freed her.
Now, she had to watch over her new younger sister as she learned to cope with the new power she had been given. She knew it would be fine. Twilight was a strong mare and, like Celestia, would eventually gain control over her new power, like she and Celestia had so long ago.
True, she had struggled a little at the return of her power over the moon, but, having done it before, regained her control without too much trouble, allowing her to focus on helping her new sister to gain control of her own.
Luna sighed as she looked at her sleeping little sister, a deep weight appearing inside. She was happy, that she wouldn’t deny. Despite their not being birth related as she and Celestia had been, Twilight was in every aspect her sister. She cared for Luna and wanted her to be happy, which she was.
However, looking at her younger sister, bedridden and unable to have done more than raise and lower the sun the last couple days, she couldn’t help but feel bad. She was now the big sister, that meant she was meant to look after Twilight, watch out for her, like Celestia had for herself. Yet, as she watched her slumbering sister, she felt she was failing as the older sister.
“Twi?”
The small voice made Luna jumped a little and she turned as the door opened, revealing the filly Apple Bloom, carrying two trays on her back. Each tray had a bowl of soup and glass of water on them.
“Oh, hi, Luna,” she said, her voice going a little quieter at the sight of the Moon Princess. “Uncle Pitch and Aunt Fresh told me ta bring something’ fer the both o’ ya fer lunch. Sorry it’s a bit late. Thing’s have kinda been busy today.”
Luna nodded, then looked away, feeling awkward. “Thank you, Apple Bloom. Our sister will be thankful to find something to regain some strength when she awakes.”
Apple Bloom placed the trays on the table by the window, then looked at Luna, an eyebrow raised. “Twi ain’t mah sister.” She then blushed, looking away. “Well, sorta. We’re like sisters, even if she ain’t really. Though, Ah guess since yer Twilight’s sister now, that makes ya a member o’ the Apple family. An’ since Twi’s kinda like mah sister, Ah guess that means yer kinda like mah sister too. Uh, don’ it?” The filly looked very confused now.
Luna blinked, then shook her head. “No, dear Apple Bloom. We were not saying that Twilight is your sister. We were merely saying that she is our own sister.”
Apple Bloom just cocked her head, her confusion growing bigger. “Did ya mean ya did say she’s mah sister, or that she’s not?”
“Luna,” a small voice groaned.
Both ponies turned their attention to the bed, where the purple Alicorn was still laying. She hadn’t moved, but as they watched she turned to face them, her eyes still closed.
“What did I say about using the Royal “we” and “our”?” she murmured, not opening her eyes, though a small smile was clear on her muzzle.
Luna blushed, her ears drooping. “To try not to.”
Twilight gave the smallest of nods, before her eyes fluttered and she slowly opened them, looking from the Alicorn to the Earth Pony.
Luna looked away, her blush intensifying. This was one thing that always threw her off. Though Twilight was the younger one of them, she was so much more in tune with the times (though she hadn’t spent the last five millennia on the moon, so that was a good reason) and it always made her feel a little like Twilight was being the older sister, even though she couldn’t even be called an Alicorn infant when comparing her age to Luna’s.
Twilight glanced at the trays on the table. “What’s on the menu?” her voice was so quiet it would have rivaled both Fluttershy and Derpy. In fact, they’d have probably sounded louder.
Apple Bloom smiled, moving a hoof to the trays, turning her head in an over-the-top upper-class look and putting on as best a hoity Canterlot accent as her own would allow. “T’day we have a nice pumpkin, potato and sour cream sauce with a hint of salt and pepper and light herbs, with a glass of fine rain water, Your Highness. We hope it is to your liking.”
Twilight gave a weak giggle and played along. “Why, thank you kindly, Miss Bloom. I am sure it will be delightful.”
There was silence for about four seconds before all three burst into laughter. Well, Apple Bloom burst into laughter, anyway. Luna gave a light chuckle and Twilight managed another giggle, slightly stronger than her last.
Due to her lack of strength after each raising and lowering of the sun, over the last couple days, Twilight had been eating nothing but soup, as she barely had the energy to chew through all her meals. Thus, soup became her regular food whilst she gained control of her new power. Pitchfork and Fresh Veggies were luckily able to keep her diet well balance, the latter knowing many recipes for multiple types of soups.
Luna smiled, lighting her horn and levitating Twilight’s bowl over to her, so that the bedridden pony could drink her soup.
Apple Bloom smiled and turned to leave. “Ah’ll come back an’ get yer bowls in a few minutes.” She was almost out of the room, before stopping and turned to look over her shoulder again. “Oh, an’ there’s a pony that wants ta speak ta both o’ ya.”
Luna’s smile suddenly turned into a small scowl. “More nobles apposing mine and Twilight’s returning the throne to Alicorn ruling, I imagine.”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Nah. It’s Miss Gentle Heart. Ya know, that mare who runs the orphanage. She’s brought a pink unicorn filly here fer some reason. Don’ know why she thinks it’s important ya both see ’er, though.”
Luna glanced at Apple Bloom, her curiosity slightly peeked. “What is this filly’s name? Does she have a Cutie Mark?”
Apple Bloom nodded, a slight frown on her face. “Yeah. A crystal heart.”
Twilight snorted into her soup and started coughing, to which Luna quickly started patting her back.
Once she’d gotten her breath back, Twilight stared at Apple Bloom, her eyes wide. “Apple Bloom, what’s this filly’s name?”
Apple Bloom had turned around completely at Twilight’s reaction and now frowned again, looking up as she tried to remember. “Uh, some music thing, Ah think. Sweetie mentioned it a few times when she talked about music. Crescendo? Nah, that’s not it. Uh...”
“Cadance?” Twilight almost screamed, her eyes so big Luna was worried they’d pop out any second.
Apple Bloom nodded, oblivious to the shock in Twilight’s voice or face. “Yeah, that’s it. Cadance. Strange name fer a pony that don’t have a talent fer music— Twilight, what are ya doin’?!” she cried as the Alicorn struggled to get out of bed and fell to her hooves, almost losing her balance, if not for Luna letting her lean on her side.
“I... I have to see her,” Twilight panted. It was taking a lot to get out of bed already. She still hadn’t fully recovered from the last raising of the sun. However, the mention of that name and the description of the pony downstairs wanting to see both her and Luna was giving her energy she didn’t think she’d had.
Luna looked to Twilight, worry clear on her face. “Sister, are you sure? You’ve barely been able to get out of bed since you first started raising the sun.”
Twilight nodded, exhaustion mixed with determination on her face. “Yes, Luna. Trust me, we need to speak with Gentle Heart about this filly.”
Luna wanted to protest, as the older sister, she could not allow her younger sister to do something that could endanger her health, however Twilight wouldn’t let her disagree. If it was indeed Cadance downstairs, she could not not see her.
Luna seemed to realize this and reluctantly nodded. “Lean against me, sister. I will help you.”
Twilight gave her a thankful nodded and they slowly began their way out the room and downstairs.
When they reached the lower floor, Fresh glanced towards them, her eyes widening at the sight of Twilight out of bed, but a shake of Twilight had told her not to worry.
Fresh told them their guests were waiting in the living room, so Luna helped Twilight there, Apple Bloom following behind, curious as to why Twilight was so determined to see this Cadance kid.
When they entered, Twilight saw them. Gentle Heart was a brown Earth Pony mare with a blonde mane and love heart with a smile Cutie Mark. Sitting next to her on the couch was a, what appeared to be pink unicorn filly with a mane and tail striped with purple, pink and creamy-yellow and a Cutie Mark of a crystal heart with multiple facets around its centre. She was wearing a rather tattered pink vest that was a slight bit darker than her fur colour.
At the sound of hoofsteps the two looked up, their eyes going wide as they saw Twilight and Luna, the former leaning against the latter and looking exhausted beyond belief.
Both quickly got up and bowed to them, Gentle Heart saying, “Your Majesties.”
Twilight gave a small sigh. “No need for that, Gentle Heart. We’ve been friends since before you knew I was a princess. You don’t have to act differently around me than you used to.”
Gentle Heart hurried to straighten herself and smiled sheepishly as she rubbed a leg. “Sorry about that, Your High— I mean, Twilight. I’m still trying to get used to the fact that the little filly who’d visit my orphanage with her friends and play with my fillies and colts was a princess this whole time.”
Luna chuckled. “Indeed. We are all trying to adjust to that idea, Miss Gentle Heart. Even I, who have been trapped on the moon all this time.”
Gentle suddenly looked away from Luna, a little embarrassed, to which the dark-blue Alicorn sighed, as did Twilight.
While Nightmare Moon’s time in Ponyville hadn’t been as impact-making in this world as it had in the other, her presence had still left an impression on the townponies, something Luna would have to deal with, just as the one from the other world had.
Twilight decided to steer the conversation to why she’d come down in the first place. “So, where is this young filly? I would very much like to meet her.”
Gentle Heart looked glad to change the subject and looked behind her, to where the pink filly had hidden the brown mare’s back, nervous to speak with the princesses.
“Come on out, Cadance,” she said in a soothing tone, trying to coax her out from hiding. “It’s okay. It’s only the princesses. They just want to say hello.”
After several seconds, Cadance slowly walked out from behind Gentle Heart, her head facing the ground, not looking up.
Twilight had to stop herself from crying. Cadance looked just like same mare who’d foalsat her when she was little, only the roles had been somewhat reversed, with Twilight being the older mare and Cadance being a small filly. She barely looked older than four or five years old.
Twilight grunted as she struggled away from Luna and slowly kneeled down to Cadance’s level. “Hello, Cadance. I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Cadance said nothing for several moments, before she replied in a small whisper. “He... hello... Princess Twilight.”
Twilight shook her head. “Just call me Twilight. You don’t need to call me “princess”, okay?”
Cadance shifted, looking more nervous.
Luna, after being sure Twilight wasn’t going to fall over, turned to Gentle Heart, an eyebrow arched. “Why have you come to us, Gentle Heart. Why is this filly with you?”
Twilight wished Luna hadn’t asked that question. As soon as she did, Cadance’s eyes welled with tears. She didn’t start crying, but she was very close to doing so.
Gentle Heart’s smile faded and she looked away, a far off look in her eyes. “She arrived several days ago from an orphanage in Canterlot. I didn’t understand why, at first, but they said they’d rather her be near the princesses, so they wouldn’t get in any trouble.”
Luna cocked her head, genuine confusion clear on her face. “Why would they think they would be in trouble. Neither Twilight nor myself would condone them keeping a filly in their care, as long as they were looking after her and the others in their care properly.”
Gentle glanced at Luna, then down at the ground. “I thought the same thing. I couldn’t understand why they sent a small filly who insisted on wearing a vest to me when they could have easily cared for her themselves.” Her voice went a little quieter. “Until she had to take off her vest, that is.”
Twilight had a good idea of where this was going, but wanted to be sure before jumping to conclusions. “Why did she have to take it off?”
Gentle wore a frown on her face for several moments. “We have a few... I suppose your parents would call them “Bad Apples”, Twilight. They saw how timid and shy Cadance was and waited until she was alone outside. Then they pushed her into the mud.” Her frown turned into a scowl. “They were punished for what they did by Firm Hoof, our disciplinary staff member whilst I took Cadance to get cleaned up.”
Luna looked away, anger in her eyes. Twilight knew that the idea that somepony, or several of them, would take advantage of a timid filly and do that to her made her blood boil. Frankly, Twilight’s own blood was boiling at the thought that somepony had done something mean to Cadance, but she kept herself calm, so as not to frighten said filly.
“So, it was then that you learned why young Cadance wears her vest?” Luna inquired once she herself had calmed down.
Gentle nodded, then looked away. “The Canterlot orphanage she was sent from had told us that she had been found in some woods near a village by two Earth Ponies, who took her in as their daughter.”
Twilight felt her heart sink at this. It was sounding a lot like what Cadance had told her shortly after she herself had become a princess and had been seeking the older Alicorn’s advice.
Cadance had been found as a baby Pegasus she was found in the woods by Earth ponies, who took her to their village and then adopted her as their own. When she grew up she’d reversed a love-stealing spell cast by a pony called Prismia.
Prismia had worn a magic-enhancing necklace that amplified her evil and jealousy, but when Cadance confronted her, the necklace amplified Cadance's love. Once Prismia had changed her horrible ways, Cadance was surrounded by magical energy and transported to a strange place that turned out to be the Celestial Space where she met Celestia, who adopted her as her royal niece.
This Cadance, however, had a slightly different story, which Gentle told them. While Cadance had still been found as a baby Pegasus by two Earth Ponies and taken to their village, where they adopted her and the thing with Prismia happened, it had only been when Cadance was two and she had met Celestia's spirit in the Celestia Space, since Celestia herself wasn't around anymore.
The very idea that a two-year-old had stood up to Prismia would’ve sounded impossible to Twilight eleven years ago, but not now.
Gentle told them that, from what the orphanage in Canterlot had been able to get out of Cadance, after she’d become an Alicorn her adoptive parents had made her wear a vest to hide her wings and gotten all those in their village to keep her being an Alicorn a secret, so any newcomers always assumed Cadance as a unicorn filly.
However, Cadance’s parents had recently gone to Canterlot to visit a few relatives. They had sadly been near the castle when Nightmare Moon had returned and destroyed it. Having not been in the castle or castle grounds at the time, they had not been teleported away like the other ponies and were caught in the blast. Cadance’s parents had saved her by tossing her aside so she wouldn’t get caught in the blast.
When several ponies had tried to search the remains of the castle, one had come across Cadance hiding underneath some rubble, crying. She’d then been sent to the orphanage, where one of the staff noticed her wings through her tattered vest and convinced the other staff that it would be wiser to send her to Ponyville so the princesses could decide what to do.
During the telling of the story, Cadance broke down into tears and ran to Twilight, her being the closest, and hugged her tightly, crying into the older Alicorn’s fur. Twilight gently cradled the sobbing filly; much like her Cadance had done for her when she was a filly in need of comfort.
Luna looked from Twilight to Gentle, the smallest bit of confusion still in her features. “But, why were her parents so determined for her to hide her being an Alicorn.”
It was Twilight who answered. “You heard what Emaryalis would’ve done to me had she been able to prove I had the right to rule Equestria due to my being an Alicorn, Luna. Cadance’s parents probably guessed something similar would happen if she’d found out about Cadance being one.”
Luna’s eyes widened in shook, before she scowled. “She would do that to a two-year-old foal?”
“Maybe not a two-year-old,” Twilight murmured, stroking Cadance’s mane. “But when she was older, maybe. After all, she didn’t come after me when everypony here thought I was a foal myself. But, it was clear when confronted that she was willing to go that far when I was old enough if she felt I threatened her rule. I’ve no doubt the same would have applied to Cadance, as well.”
Luna nodded, knowing what Twilight said was true.
Twilight opened her eyes and looked to Gentle Heart, a warm smile on her face. “If Celestia were here, she would say just as I am about to. Luna and I would be happy to adopt her as our niece.”
Luna blinked, her eyes going the slightest bit wide.
Cadance’s reaction was rather the same. She had pulled her head away from Twilight’s fur and was looking up at her with wide eyes.
Twilight gave a warm, exhausted smile. “I know we can’t replace your parents, but we’d be happy to have you in our family, Cadance. Welcome, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.”
Cadance frowned in confusion. “Huh?”
Twilight chuckled. “That’s your official title. If you like, we can just call you Cadance?”
The frown vanished and she nodded, a small smile on her face. “Yes, Princess.”
Twilight shook her head. “You can call me Auntie Twilight, Cadance. Or just Twilight, of you want.”
Tears started sliding down Cadance’s face again, but these were tears of joy, instead of sadness.
Twilight nuzzled the filly’s mane, to which she reciprocated by returning the nuzzle. “Candance?”
“Hmm?” she asked, looked up at the taller pony. “Yes, Auntie Twilight?”
Twilight’s smile warmed. “Can we see your wings?”
Cadance’s mood changed at once. She backed away, her ears drooping as she looked away. “I... I’m not meant to. I... Mommy and Daddy told me not to show them to anypony.”
Twilight chuckled slightly and shook her head. “Cadance, you’re an Alicorn. You don’t need to hide your wings anymore. They’re a part of you. So, can we please see them?” She’d spoken in a kind tone, one she’d had used on her many times by her foalsitter and also her mentor.
Cadance hesitated for a moment, before, reluctantly, she lit her horn with the light-blue aura Twilight had missed for so many years, it encased the tattered vest and levitated it off.
Once the vest was off, Cadance extended two small pink wings, fluttered them for a few seconds, then folded them against herself again and looked away, as if worried about something.
Twilight shook her head, leaned forward and nuzzled Cadance gently. “They’re lovely, Cadance. You have very pretty wings.”
Cadance’s head snapped to look at Twilight, her eyes wide, before she smiled and tackled the purple mare.
This proved a bad idea, however, for Twilight fell to the ground, due to not being strong enough to be tackled so forcefully and stay standing.
Cadance became worried when she realized she’d knocked Twilight over, but Luna quickly hushed her and let her know that it was okay and Twilight was just tired. Some rest and she would be good as new.
It was only half a lie. She would be okay in due time, just not as fast as what Luna said suggested.
That night, after Twilight had lowered the sun and returned to bed, completely exhausted, she was joined by her new niece, who snuggled up next to her and, even though she was totally drained, Twilight couldn’t help but smile as the small filly nuzzled her fur, her wings in full view.
Twilight gently nuzzled the sleeping filly, then laid her head down and let sleep take her, whilst Luna raised the moon and watched over the night and dreams of those sleeping, including her younger sister and their small niece.
As it had every morning since Luna had been freed of Nightmare Moon, Twilight’s Sun-linked internal clock woke her early. She was lying in her bed, Cadance snuggled next to her. She couldn’t help smiling at the small pink Alicorn. It had been a month since Cadance had arrived and Twilight could understand just how much her Celestia cared for her Cadance now. Being an aunt, having a younger Alicorn relying on you, it was a wonderful thing.
Sadly, she hadn’t gotten to spend as much time with Cadance as she wanted. She still was too tired each day to do more than raise and lower the sun. However, she had been able to hear Apple Bloom and Pitchfork teaching Cadance how to applebuck. After hearing Twilight did it all the time before she’d become bedridden, she wanted to do it too.
Twilight couldn’t deny that, while being woken during the day, when she was meant to be resting, wasn’t ideal, since it was the sound of Cadance’s laughter coming through the window that woke her most of the time, she couldn’t complain.
Cadance would also tell Twilight about her day when she was finished or when they were getting ready for bed. She’d tell of all the things she did, how much fun she’d had competing against Apple Bloom and Scootaloo in contests to see who could buck the most apples, or flying races.
It all warmed Twilight’s heart. After what Cadance had been through, she deserved some good memories.
Twilight put aside those thoughts for now and focused on the Sun. She could do it from here, without having to get out of bed and she was thankful for that. She didn’t want to have to wake Cadance so early, just because she was raising the sun.
Her horn glowed and she reached out her magic to the glowing orb. She felt it’s warmth through her magic and smiled. Since gaining her title as Regent, she’d been able to understand Celestia’s connection to the giant orb of heat.
Twilight focused and the sun rose, its light drifting into her room through the window. She smiled and braced herself for the drained feeling she had grown so used to after so long.
However, it didn’t come. True, she still felt tired, but it was the kind of tired that you could still deal with. This was new to her, because it meant that, maybe, she could get up today. True, she wouldn’t be doing anything too strenuous, like bucking apples, running or flying, but she could at least move around. Smiling at that thought, Twilight waited for Cadance to wake.
Four hours later, Cadance stirred. She mumbled something and rubbed her eyes. When she looked to Twilight, expecting to see her asleep, Twilight smiled at her. “Good morning, Cadance. Did you have a nice sleep?”
Cadance looked stunned, rubbed her eyes, then smiled. “Twilight, you’re awake?”
Twilight nodded. “I think I’m finally starting to get better control over my power. I don’t think I’ll be able to play with you or anything like that, but I can be up today. You won’t have to worry about waking me up accidentally again.”
Cadance blushed, her pink cheeks going red.
Twilight chuckled and nuzzled the filly. “Let’s get up. I have a feeling everypony’s gonna be very surprised.”
Luna yawned as she sat at the meal table, a small stack of pancakes in front of her, covered in maple syrup. She really wanted to go to sleep, she’d been getting very little since her return, spending her waking hours either dealing with settling things between the kingdom about her and Twilight becoming the rulers and catching up on all the millennia she’d missed.
“Once ya’ve eaten, ya should get t’ bed, Luna,” Fresh said, concern in her voice. “Even though yer an Alicorn princess, ya’ll need yer sleep just like the rest o’ us.” “Indeed,” Luna yawned again, rather loudly. “I think after breakfast I shall return to bed.”
“Good morning, everypony!” Cadance called as she walked around the corner, her smile wide.
“Good morning, Cadance,” the four ponies said at once, smiling at her.
“Hey, Cadance, how’s about t’day we—”
Apple Bloom’s voice caught at the sight of the mare who followed Cadance, looking tired, but still smiling.
“Twilight?” Fresh and Pitch gasped, staring at her in shock.
Luna was now fully awake. She had not expected Twilight to be out of bed for at least another month.
Twilight gave a small grin. “Hey, everypony. Guess who’s up?”
“Have ya’ll gotten control over the sun already?” Apple Bloom gasped, her eyes wide.
Twilight shook her head. “Not completely. But, I think I’m getting there. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything too strenuous, but I think I have enough strength left after raising the sun today to at least move around, instead of being stuck in bed all day.”
It took several moments before anypony could respond, by which time the two youngest of the three Alicorns had sat down at the table.
After breakfast, Twilight went outside and watched Apple Bloom and Cadance as they competed to see who could buck the most apples. It brought a smile to her face as she watched her cousin and her niece having so much fun, the fun only young fillies can have, even if Apple Bloom was a lot older than Cadance, it was still fun to act like a little filly sometimes.
“Is it alright if I join you, sister?”
Twilight turned her head as Luna walked out onto the porch. She smiled and nodded. “Of course, Luna. It would be nice to talk with somepony.” She frowned. “Though, shouldn’t you be resting, now that it’s day, I mean?”
Luna nodded, then shook her head as she sat down next to the smaller Alicorn. “Whilst I was ready for sleep before, seeing you able to get up today has given me reason to stay up longer.”
“Luna, please, don’t trouble yourself—”
Luna stopped her by draping a wing over Twilight’s back. “Sister, I have wanted to talk for a while, without it having to be within your dreams, but in the physical world, yet your being bedridden has prevented it. Do not deny an older sister her first chance to speak with her younger in so long.”
Twilight gave a weary smile and looked down. “You know, I am still getting used to that, being the younger sister of an Alicorn. Back in the other world, I had an older brother who is a unicorn.”
Luna blinked, slight uneasy entering her eyes. “Did... Did your Celestia tell him that... well, that we Alicorns...?”
Twilight shook her head. “I wasn’t born an Alicorn, Luna. I became one after finishing a spell.”
Luna looked very surprised for a brief second, before she raised an eyebrow. “What kind of spell?”
“Remember Star Swirl the Bearded?”
Luna looked up for a moment, before she nodded. “One of Celestia's first ever pupils. He was a very gifted unicorn. I never understood how he enjoyed having so much facial hair, though.”
Twilight nodded. “Well, after a long time of my studying the magic of friendship, Celestia from that world gave me a journal of his, containing his unfinished master piece.”
Luna cocked an eyebrow. “Unfinished master piece?”
Twilight nodded, her smile turning into a sheepish grin. “I kind of cast the spell without realizing it. When I did, it effected the Elements of Harmony and the other Bearers.”
Luna’s eyes widened slightly. “What happened?”
Twilight rubbed her leg nervously. “Well, it might be a little hard for you to understand just how bad things were, since some of the ponies you don’t know, from this world, I mean, and you only know them from the chats we’ve had in my dreams, but, Applejack was making dresses, Rarity was a weather pony, Pinkie Pie was working on the Apple farm, Fluttershy was trying to make ponies laugh and Rainbow Dash was trying to care for the animals.”
Luna blinked; thinking over the memories Twilight had shown her of her friends from the other world in her dreams, before her face blanched. “Yes. I can see why that would be a problem.”
Twilight nodded. “If I hadn’t realized it didn’t matter that they’d changed and that they were still my friends and our friendship was what kept us connected. Because I did, I was able to help them all remember who they were, restore their Cutie Marks and the Elements, and once I finished the spell, I was transported to the Celestial Space and became an Alicorn.”
Luna was staring, her mouth slightly open. “I... well... that is certainly different than how Celestia and I became Alicorns.”
Twilight chuckled. “I can imagine.”
They were stopped by the sound of hooves against the ground, coming from up the road. They both turned to see a white pony walking towards them.
As they drew nearer Twilight noticed a blonde mane and tail and blue eyes that were very familiar and not in a good way. The two overlaid four-pointed stars, i.e. a compass rose, confirmed it. This was this world’s Prince Blueblood, expect she realized this pony wasn’t a stallion, but a mare.
When she stood in front of them, she bowed. “Hello, Princesses. It is an honour to finally meet you. I am Princess Bluebelle. I am Emaryalis’ younger sister.”
Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “I am surprised that, considering Emaryalis is your sister, you are being so polite to us.”
Bluebelle stood and nodded. “True, one would think that I would hate you both for robbing me of my chance to rule when my sister stepped down, leaving me now with no chance of becoming Queen myself.” She shook her head. “However, I never wanted to be Queen. I am quite happy being a princess. To be honest, I was relieved when you both took rule. I have been helping with swaying the public to your side so there is not a rebellion.”
“Twilight!”
All three mares turned as Cadance bound towards them, leapt into the air and tackled the named pony. Luna reacted by using her magic to keep Twilight in place, to prevent her from falling backwards.
Bluebelle, however, was horrified. “How dare you just tackle the princess, like that!”
Cadance stiffened and pressed herself into Twilight, who was giving a slight frown to the unicorn.
“Bluebelle, look closely at Cadance.”
The white mare blinked, confused as to why her princess would ask that when she’d just been tackled, but did so. Her eyes widened when she noticed the horn and wings. Twilight nodded. “Cadance is an Alicorn, just like my sister and I and I would kindly appreciate it if you would not talk down to her or anypony I care about like that in the future.” Bluebelle gulped, realizing she’d just given a very bad impression of herself just now.
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is our niece and, as an Alicorn, she is higher ranked as princess than yourself, so I would ask you to refrain speaking to her in such a way again,” Luna agreed.
Bluebelle nodded again, then cleared her throat. “I... I apologise for that outburst, Princesses. It will not happen again.”
“Hey, Twilight!” Bluebelle glanced as Apple Bloom was running towards them. However, this time she glanced at Twilight and saw she was not worried.
A pony she cares for, I suppose, she thought, putting on a smile. Well, if the princess cares for them, then they are important.
After introductions were done between the Earth Pony and unicorn, they all went inside and Twilight introduced Bluebelle to Fresh and Pitch, telling her that it was they who cared for her when she was younger and kept her safe, meaning they deserved respect from her as much as Apple Bloom.
With all introductions done, Bluebelle told of why she had come. She had come to explain how things were going in Canterlot and in Ponyville, since many nobles had moved there to be near the princesses.
Things were going far better than Twilight could have hoped. Not only was the majority of Equestria willing to accept Twilight and Luna as the High Princesses, but so were the lands that Equestria was allayed with, like Griffonia.
True, the Griffin King had been hesitant to accept that Equestria was being ruled by new ponies, but after a few meetings with Bluebelle and other nobles who had witnessed Twilight and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon and freeing Luna, he had come around.
Twilight was pleased by this, because it meant she wouldn’t have to worry about Equestria going to war. She knew it had had to do so in the past, and hadn’t wanted to experience that.
Bluebelle promised that she was willing to give her full support to Luna and Twilight, which made Twilight chuckle a little. When asked why, she explained about Bluebelle’s male and stuck-up counterpart.
“Well, I guess it proves we mares are far more mature than stallions,” Bluebelle said after Twilight had finished telling everything she knew about Blueblood. “This Blueblood sounds like a child in an adult’s body.”
Twilight blinked, then smirked. “I might tell Celestia that the next time I see her.”
Bluebelle blinked. “Which one? From what you’ve told me, you have spoken to our world’s Celestia as well as your own.”
Twilight giggled. “I meant Celestia from the other world. Though, I’m not quite sure when I will see her again. The portal is still sealed and, until that seal breaks, there can be no traveling between the worlds.”
“Well,” Bluebelle sniffed, closing her eyes, “when it does open I intend to go and speak with my male counterpart. He needs to learn that being royalty does not mean you can be a jerk, but that you must set a good example.”
Twilight blinked, then smirked. “You’re definitely different from him.”
"I should hope so."
Cadance had been hesitant around Bluebelle at first, what with how she’d shouted at her, but, as the day wore on, Cadance started to speak with Bluebelle like she did the rest of them.
As they talked, the rest of the Element Bearers came by and they joined in the conversation, Bluebelle complimenting Sweetie Belle’s sister on her latest designs and giving her condolences, late as they were, to Derpy for her father’s death and told her how she would have been honoured to meet him if she’d gotten the chance before his passing. Bluebelle even tried her hoof at applebucking, if only because she wanted to make up for how she’d acted to Cadance and knowing that Twilight had been doing this since before she became High Princess.
She definitely wasn’t the very good. She flopped onto her stomach so many times Scootaloo almost peed herself laughing.
However, whereas Blueblood would’ve thrown a tantrum like a little colt, Bluebelle took it in her stride, humbling accepting that she was terrible at applebucking and saying she would leave it to the pros.
When the day came to an end Twilight was grateful to lower the sun. However, as soon as she did it was clear she couldn’t stay up any longer and needed sleep and Luna helped her younger sister to bed.
Twilight was joined an hour or two later by Cadance, who, despite having her own room, still preferred sleeping with her aunt. The two nestled down for the night, Twilight draped her wings over the younger Alicorn and they both went to sleep.
“I can't help but wonder why I’m surprised by this still,” Twilight shook her head as she read another request from one of the nobles that had supported Emaryalis in the beginning, but after realizing she and Luna were going to rule regardless, had turned their support to the two Alicorns, leaving the former queen, reluctantly, to do the same.
It had been almost over fifteen years since Twilight had arrived for the second time in the world of the Big Ponies. While things had somewhat settled down since after she and Luna had taken rule four years ago, Twilight had gotten into her role as the Princess of the Sun and now had to remind herself at times about how, while she could raise and lower the sun now as if it were nothing, it hadn’t been that way to begin.
Equestria had finally started running smoothly two years into her and Luna’s rule and problems with others saying she and Luna shouldn’t rule was in the past now. The Minotaurs, and Zebras, as well as Equestria’s other alleys had come to an understanding about the two Alicorn rulers and were at peace with them, preferring to be allies than enemies to two sisters able to control to celestial bodies.
Thing's had progressed within the world a fair bit in ways Twilight had expected in relation to her own world as well. Discord had broken free of his stone prison, but Derpy had managed to stop him before he turned Equestria into the Chaos Capital of the world and done as Twilight's Fluttershy had done and made him a friend and he truly seemed to have changed for the better, if still enjoying messing around with ponies from time to time (particularly any nobles that tried to cause problems for the princesses) and the Elements had been returned to the Tree of Harmony before Discord's Plunder Plants had been able to break loose. When they had, unlike in her own world, the Tree had grown a box like her own world's had, but this hadn't had any key holes at all. Just a marking of her hoof that had "When one's place is chosen" written above it in old Equestrian.
However, if there was one thing that disappointed Twilight about this world that was similar to the one she came from, it was how alike certain nobles were to her original world’s counterparts, Bluebelle being one of the obvious exceptions.
She was currently reading a request to build housing estates (Twilight knew that while those were the words used “manors” was what was really being asked) on the Apple Family’s farmland so as to be closer to the two Royal Sisters.
Not only did Twilight know that the only reason the nobles who’d requested this, as had several dozen others, was to be closer to the princesses to heighten their stature, but the gal of them to ask to build on her family’s farmland, which they worked so hard to keep fertile and strong, for mere manors? It took everything Twilight had to not send a reply with a few choice un-princess-like phrases.
Luna gave a wry chuckle. “No matter how much time passes, nobles will always be the same.”
Twilight sighed, knowing the older Alicorn was right and lowered the paper onto her desk.
Since Canterlot Castle was destroyed, they were handling their duties from the Ponyville Town Hall. The mayor had been more than happy to lend them space (Twilight had not let it slip her notice that theirs was the biggest room in all the hall) until they could arrange a new place to hold their duties.
Court was not a fun time. Twilight had gotten used to dealing with court during her time as a princess in her original world, but she’d come to learn that it was different in this world than the other. The nobles (who weren’t worthy of that word) were far more like whiny foals when it came to what they wanted than in Celestia and Luna’s courts.
The other day alone they’d both dealt with ponies in their respective courts asking to tear down Ponyville to rebuild it to match the splendor of Canterlot, since the princesses were residing there.
Both had shot down the petition every time, Twilight almost losing her temper several times during several instances when the town had been referred to as a backwater that needed to match her beauty instead of soil and tarnish it.
Twilight levitated a mug of coffee and took a sip, before glancing at the clock. School would be out in a few hours. Cadance had been apprehensive of it at first, but, after some encouragement from her aunt, she’d gone. Three days later and she seemed more eager to get to school each day than Twilight was sure she had been at Cadance’s age and had enjoyed every year of school since, making many friends, warming Twilight’s heart.
Twilight lowered her mug and stamped a “denied” print on the most recent petition, only to glance up as her eyes picked up the sound of running hoofsteps.
For a split-second, she wondered if it was Cadance (before remaining herself about the time), or one of her friends come to visit. Those thoughts stopped when the door burst open to reveal two flustered-looking pegasi Royal Guards.
Twilight and Luna were at attention at once. “What’s happened?” Luna asked.
The first guard was catching his breath, so the other spoke in his stead. “Griffins have attacked Trottingham.”
Both princesses’ eyes widened.
“Why?” Luna demanded, her eyes narrowing. “I was under the impression the Griffin King wanted peace between our kingdoms?”
The guard nodded. “They were rouges, a minor group that did not agree with the king agreeing to peace between their kingdom and the two new princesses. From the interrogation report, they believed that, since Emaryalis was no longer queen, their king should now rule Equestria.”
And here I thought dealing with ponies still trying to support Emaryalis was the biggest thing we’d have to deal with for a while, Twilight thought, before fear gripped her at a sudden realization.
“Was anypony harmed?” She honestly felt it was a pointless question. If griffins attacked anyone, the chances of their not being any harm was slim to none.
The look on the guard’s face was all the answer she needed.
“How many?” Luna asked, noticing Twilight’s distress and draping a wing over her.
The guard sighed. “Their hospitals couldn’t handle all the wounded. They’ve had to send some to the hospitals in Manehatten, Canterlot and even...”
His trailing off caused Twilight to look to him. “Even...?”
The first guard had caught his breath now and heaved a heavy sigh. “Even here, in Ponyville, Your Highness.”
Twilight cursed herself. Though she knew nopony would dare even think it, and deny her, she felt she was the cause of this. The only reason those griffins rebelled against their king’s orders was because they don’t trust in mine and Luna’s ruling.
“No, sister.”
Twilight glanced at Luna in surprise, seeing a very firm expression on the older Alicorn’s muzzle.
“No, what?” she asked in slight confusion.
Luna shook her head. “It is not your fault.”
Twilight flinched. How had Luna known that was what she was thinking?
Luna nodded. “While we have not been sisters as long as Celestia and I were, Twilight, I know the signs when a pony blames themself. I saw it many a times when Celestia thought she’d done something wrong.” She lowered her voice. “Especially the night I... Nightmare.”
Twilight nodded, but a few tears still slid down her cheeks.
Luna leaned her head down, resting it on Twilight’s, an embrace she still was new to giving, being the eldest sister instead of the youngest. Celestia had done so many times in the past, before they drifted and Luna allowed herself to become the Nightmare.
A cough made them look to the guards, the second of whom seemed to have more to say. He waited until they had separated before continuing.
“While most of the civilians were only harmed and will likely survive... two ponies were badly injured.”
Twilight closed her eyes, bitting back the sadness of knowing two of her subjects in pain and forced it from her voice. “Who?”
“A stallion and a mare. He died at the scene and... his wife remains in critical condition. They’ve been trasfered to Ponyville... along with their foals.”
Twilight’s heart stopped. Foals? That meant the stallion and mare were parents. She almost wept, thinking of whole tramitazted the foals must be at losing their father.
“And the mother?” Luna asked, thought Twilight her the solemness in her tone.
The guard sighed. “We don’t know. The doctors wouldn’t tell us anything. They said they’d only speak with Princess Twilight.”
Twilight blinked, her worries being pushed back by confusion. “Why would they say that?”
The first guard answered. “Do you remember how the papers asked you to speak of the world you came from, Your Highness? How they asked about your lineage?”
Twilight had to withhold a scowl. Yes. She did remember that. They way they’d asked the questions had been as if they expected her to she’d been raised in a homeless shelter or something.
The guard took her silence as answer and continued, though his mood became sombre quickly, causing the purple ponies to as well.
“The stallion’s name... was Night Light.”
Twilight’s heart caught in her throat as her eyes widened. No.
“The mare’s name... is Twilight Velvet.”
NO!
There was a flash of purple light and Twilight was gone.
Luna blinked, before returning her gaze to the guards. Her sister’s grieving would have to wait. “What is being done with the rouge griffins?”
The first guard snorted. “Their king is having them trialled. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are sentenced to execution.”
Luna nodded grimly. She knew the griffins held onto the death penalty, even after all these years, but, for once in her long life, she felt it was justified.
Twilight had shown her her memories of her parents from her own world, the loving care they’d given her, the precious times only parents and child could have. And those griffins had gone and tainted that with the murder of the stallion that was this world’s version of Twilight’s father. For that, they would pay.
Oh, the Griffin King’s sentence would be final, but she would make them suffer the most torturous of nightmares until the end of their days for hurting her sister.
The sudden appearance of the princess didn’t even startle the hospital staff when she just appeared at the front desk. With the knowledge of the mare they’d taken in, they’d known she would come sooner or later.
“Where is she?” Twilight asked, her voice betraying her worry.
The nurse, a tanned Earth Pony mare with a pink mane and tail, gave a sad smile. “Room 238, Your Highness.”
Twilight turned and ran down the hall, barely shouting a “thank you” to the nurse as she sped down the corridors.
Ponies had the wisdom to not stop and give Twilight any of the respect a princess would normally be given and moved the moment they saw her coming to let her pass.
However, as Twilight neared the corridor that held Room 238, the sound of frantic young voices and a flustered sounding adult voice caused her to slow down.
She rounded the corner to the hall with Room 238— and stopped in her tracks as her eyes fell on the ponies standing in front of the door to her destination.
Doctor Stable was wearing a strained look of somepony trying hard to not be frustrated as he talked, however, it was the two ponies he was talking to, that were talking to him in almost screams, that held her attention.
One was a young unicorn colt, with a white coat, three shades of blue in his mane and tail, bright blue eyes and a Cutie Mark of a dark-blue shield with three blue stars above it and a large purple star in the centre of the shield.
Twilight’s mind almost locked down at the sight of her older brother as a colt, but the sight of the filly hugging him tightly, with tears streaming down her face caused her mind to blank for a moment.
She was a few years younger. Her fur was yellow, her mane and tail a blend of yellow and red, almost looking like they were aflame, her eyes, for the split-second she got to see them before they shut, were green and her Cutie Mark was of a sun with a swirled half ted, with red flames around it.
It took a moment for Twilight to process who she was seeing. Sunset Shimmer.
So, in this world, Shining Armour is still a colt and Sunset’s his little sister instead of me, her sad thoughts grew sadder as she realized why they were both so distraught and Shining was arguing with the older stallion. He wasn’t letting them in without her, which only increased her guilt.
“Doctor Stable.”
The three ponies turned, the colt and filly gasping as the lavender mare walked down the hall to meet them.
“Your Highness,” the stallion nodded his head. Now was not the time to bow.
“They can come in with me.”
It took a few moments before either of the three realized what she said and it only brought pained puzzlement to the younger two.
Doctor Stable, however, nodded and allowed Twilight to pass, though she opened the door to allow the younger ponies through first. Technically speaking, they had more right than her to see Velvet.
However, when Twilight entered, she suddenly wished she’d made the two stay outside. Velvet was in horrible condition. Her horn was broken, Twilight could see the magical trails leaking out of it even if nopony else could, her right foreleg was bandages heavily and her left one was just gone, nothing but empty shoulder where it had once been.
Twilight took notice that she saw a lack of leg mass underneath the bed sheets and forced herself to look at the mare’s face.
Velvet’s eyes were closed and her breathing, while slow and at times uneven, was still happening. She was still alive.
Sunset was bawling her eyes out, her face pressed against the alabaster mare’s chest, while Shining stood by the bed, clearly trying his hardest not to cry, to be strong for his little sister.
“She’s fatal.”
Twilight’s heart tightened at Doctor Stable’s words as he walked from behind to stand next to her. “How long?” she said in barely a whisper.
The doctor sighed. “A few hours at best. Her injuries were quite severe. We were lucky to save the foal, but it cost her any chance of recovery.”
Twilight blinked, before turning to the stallion. “She... was pregnant?!”
He nodded, his eyes downcast. “Never in all my years did I think I’d not want to save a foal’s life if it meant killing the mother.” He sighed. “But she insisted. She said she wouldn’t allow herself to live in exchange for her unborn foal’s life.”
That’s certainly sounds like something you’d do, Mother, the Alicorn thought warmly, her mind replaying a time when her Velvet had jumped into the Teams during a family vacation when she’d been just a filly and had fallen in after leaning too far over to study the design of the machines more closely.
Velvet had almost drowned saving her and spend a few days in hospital, but when Twilight had tried to apologize, her mother had told her she’d have fought an Ursa Major if it was to protect her.
Coming out of the memory, Twilight blinked as a thought occurred to her. She wasn’t this world’s Twilight Sparkle. Yes, she’d become this world’s Regent of the Sun, but she hadn’t been from this world in the first place and, if Shining and Sunset were siblings and Velvet had been pregnant with a foal...
“Where is she?”
Doctor Stable looked a little surprised by the “she” bit, but nodded and walked out the door, leading Twilight to another room several corridors down and opened the door for her.
Inside, Twilight saw what looked the room was filled with what looked like orbs of light floating in midair all around. She glanced around, curious.
“This is the Pre-Development Ward,” Doctor Stable said as Twilight looked around at the many differently coloured orbs. “When a foal has to be taken out of the womb early, they’re placed in here to fully develop.”
Twilight’s mind realized what he meant and, as she looked closer, she realized she could see foals within each sphere, sometimes more than one, each at different stages of their development. It was, however, not in any well set order. She would have to help with that later. Arranged by times before full development, perhaps?
Doctor Stable pulled her from her thoughts as he walked over to a lavender sphere and stopped beside in, indicating for her to look.
She stepped closer and looked in, only for her eyes to widen. As much as she’d been expecting it, seeing it was a whole other thing.
Floating within the sphere was a maybe three month foal. It was a filly, but what caught Twilight’s attention was the horn on its head and the wings at its sides.
She looked to the doctor, who gave a slight grin. “She’s purple, like you, princess.”
Twilight returned her wide eyes to stay at the foal. This was her. This world’s Twilight Sparkle and she was an Alicorn from birth!
The doctor gave a sad sigh, however, that made her turn as he spoke, not really speaking to her. “Of course, without anypony to supply her mana, she won’t last more than a few days, a week at the most.”
Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?”
Doctor Stable sighed. “When a foal is placed in a Development Sphere, they lose their natural link to the mother. Without that, they won’t get any food or mana and won’t develop. And before you ask, no, not just any pony can give their mana to any foal,” he said as the Alicorn opened her mouth to say just that. “They need to be compatible with the foal. It’s easier for Earth Pony and Pegasi foals, they can be paired up with almost anypony.
Unicorns are slightly harder, as their magic needs to be able to link as well as for the mana to be able to flow from the surrogate into them.
The streaming must also be constant, at least once a day to ensure the foal develops properly. However, this foal isn’t any of the three races. She’s an Alicorn. The only way to find a match for her would be within her family’s bloodline, regardless of their own race, but they would have to be imensly powerful. By which I mean a level of strength no regular pony can possibly possess. Considering his Cutie Mark, Shining Armour might have been able to save his baby sister, but he would need to be an adult. Besides, even if there were a powerful enough member to their family, by the time we reached a member of Night Light or Twilight Velvet’s family it would be too late. The foal would have died a long time ago.”
He heaved another heavy sighed and lifted his glasses with his magic and pinch the front of his nose with a hoof.
“Even after all these years, seeing a foal die still isn’t any easier.”
Twilight was shocked. “You’re just going to let her die?!”
Doctor Stable shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do, Your Highness. We would need somepony who’s mana and magic could match with her. Do you have any idea of a pony who could fit that description in such a short time and find her?”
Twilight stared at him, while at the same time trying to think of somepony in the world who could match the foal in the sphere. Emaryalis wouldn’t help and even though she did have a lot of magic, there was no guaranty that her magic “and” mana would magic the foal’s.
She knew plenty of powerful Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi. Heck, even this world’s Rainbow would probably be able to help... expect she still wouldn’t be strong enough and she’d need a magic link for an Alicorn foal.
Twilight inwardly cursed. Why couldn’t she think of anypony in this alternate world who could exactly match their mana and their magic to her foalified... self?
Twilight blinked. Could I...? Yes, I think that would work!
It was a crazy idea. Impossible. No way it could possibly work. And yet...
Twilight turned to look at her foal doppelganger floating within the sphere.
When Twilight and Doctor Stable returned to Velvet’s room some time later, it was to find the mare was awake, giving both her children and weak but warm, one-legged hug.
Both foals were crying, Shining silently, Sunset a little louder. Velvet herself was crying, a few tears sliding down her face as she held her children for what would be the last time.
Velvet looked up when the two of them entered, mild amusement working its way onto her face through her sorrow. “They weren’t lying. You really are here, princess,” she said in a quiet, almost whispered voice.
Twilight stepped forward, unable to hide her own sadness from her face. “Moth—” she caught herself. “Twilight Velvet,” she stepped closer and lowered her head in shame. “I am so sorry. If it wasn’t for my being princess, those griffins wouldn’t have attacked Trottingham and you wouldn’t... wouldn’t...”
She shut her eyes so her tears wouldn’t show.
A light chuckle caused her to reopen them in surprise, to see the other mare giving her a warm smile. A smile she’d only seen on...
“I was your mother in the other world, wasn’t I?” she asked with a wry smile, which only strengthened by the wide-eyed stare the lavender mare gave back to her. Velvet nodded. “I saw my youngest before they took her away. She looked so much like you and was an Alicorn too. I wondered why she seemed familiar, until just now.”
“H-how...?” Twilight asked, unable to hide the stutter from her voice.
Doctor Stable was just as dumfounded.
Velvet only continued to smile. “You’re eyes. You looked at me the same way Sunny and Shiny were, the look of a child about to lose their mother.”
The two foals were struggling to know what to feel. Confusion over how their mother was talking to the princess so normally, utter sadness at the fact that she was dying and they’d lose her, shock at the fact their mother had just said she was the princess’s mother in the princess’s home world, or joy at the idea of having the princess as their big sister. It all led to them staring blankly between the two, their heads moving to look at one when they spoke, then to the other.
Twilight looked away from Velvet, bitting her bottom-lip. “Mo— Velvet, I—”
Twilight stopped when she saw Velvet open her foreleg out, giving some room for Twilight alongside the two foals. “Twilight, it’s okay.”
Twilight hesitated for a moment, before the dam of her emotions burst and she rushed forward wailing, “Mother!”, joining in the one-legged group hug, tears streaming down her face as she wept for the loss of the mare holding her.
Twilight’s reaction locked the emotion for the two foals to feel, and they cried along with the princess, all the while Velvet held her son and daughters, trying to comfort them in her last moments.
After a few minutes, Velvet whispered to Twilight. “Twilight, promise me you’ll look after you brother and sisters. Promise me that you’ll make sure they stay safe and live happy lives, since I cannot.”
Twilight sniffled, trying to make her voice work. “I—” sniff, sniff, “I promise... Mom.”
Velvet gave a weak smile and looked to the two foals, using her hoof to lift their chins to make them look up at her with their tear-stained faces and puffy red eyes. “Be good for your big sister, okay, you two?” she asked warmly, her eyes fluttering a little. “And be sure to look after your little sister. Love each other for me. Can you do that, my darling children?”
Both of them sniffled, nodding.
Velvet nodded, then closed her eyes as she leaned back into her back, letting her foreleg fall. “Thank you. I love you. I love... you...”
Her body relaxed and a loud, long beeping sound filled the room. Twilight Velvet was gone.
Twilight held the two wailing foals in her forelegs, unable to hold back her tears as they soaked her coat with their own.
I promise I’ll look after them, Mother, she thought, biting her lip as she struggled to hold herself together. I promise I’ll keep them safe and watch over them.
“Can you repeat that again?” Apple Bloom asked, cocking her head to the side. “It sounded like ya just said ya found a foal you.” Twilight nodded.
They were standing in the living room of the Apple Family, all of Twilight’s adopted family and her friends gathered together. Shining Armour and Sunset were hiding behind Twilight due to the other ponies in the room, though they couldn’t help looking out in awe at Luna ever so often.
“But... I don’t get it,” Scootaloo shook her head, making the downed facial part of her Wonderbolts uniform shake a little. “How can there be two of you?”
Twilight shook her head and sighed. “Scootaloo, I’m not this world’s Twilight Sparkle.” To the confused looks that received, even from the filly and colt, she elaborated. “I’m from the other Equestria, which is a different version of this one, where things played out very differently from this one, even before I first came here. This world’s Twilight Sparkle had yet to be born when I arrived. Even though I already exist in this world, I wasn’t born here, meaning the universe still needed to bring its Twilight Sparkle into existence.”
“So... the foal you is our world’s Twilight Sparkle?” Sweetie Belle asked, arching an eyebrow. “Sorry, Twilight, but that sounds a little confusing.”
Scootaloo scoffed. “A little?”
Twilight sighed. “You think it’s confusing for you? She’s my double. You’ve no idea how weird it is to see yourself from another world.” Derpy tilted her head. “But, didn’t you tell us you’ve been to another world aside from our before?”
Twilight looked to her, causing her to hide behind her mane. As she’d grown older, Derpy had let it grow out like her mother’s, just more with her own style.
“That may be true, Derpy, but I never met the human me in that world,” If there even was one. “I only met the human versions of those I knew because they were all going to Canterlot High. I never once saw any sign of another that looked like me there and, from the way no one knew who I was from sight alone, she didn’t go there.”
“Though that doesn’t explain why the Twilight of our world is an Alicorn like my sister is,” Luna said, looking to said mare.
Apple Bloom frowned, thinking. “Kinda makes sense, when ya think about it.” When all eyes turned to her, she continued. “Twi never meant to stay here so long. Ah think her bein’ in our world so long made the universe get a bit confused. Ah’d bet our world’s Twi was meant ta be born a unicorn, just like she was in her own world. But, with her as an Alicorn an; comin’ fr’m her own world and being here so long...”
“This world thought I’d been born an Alicorn and adjusted its Twilight to match,” Twilight nodded, finishing for her. Apple Bloom had always been the more thought-wise of the CMC, both in this world and her own.
“Um... can I ask something?”
The young filly hid behind her brother and Twilight’s leg again when everypony turned to her.
Twilight gave as reassuring a smile as she could, trying to make the young version of the girl she’d met so long ago feel more at ease. “Of course, Sunset. What did you want to ask?”
Sunset hesitated, before slowly peeking out again. “How... How are you keeping my sister alive?”
This caused the other ponies in the room to frown, before looking to Twilight with confusion. All expect Luna, who was looking at her with full understanding.
Sunset went on. “The doctor said only Mommy could have kept her alive. How are you doing it?”
Twilight chuckled. “Well, technically speaking, all she needed was a pony whose magic and mana could match up. And, while that wouldn’t normally be a problem, your little sister is an Alicorn. That made things more complicated.” She smirked. “Or it would have. Luckily, there is an Alicorn in this world who matches your sister to a tee.”
This only caused Sunset to blink up at her with even more confusion than before.
Twilight grinned. “While it’s true your mother was the only non-Alicorn that could’ve done so with the artificial womb, I’m not only an Alicorn, but I’m your sister from another dimension.”
Everypony aside from the two foals gasped as realization dawned on them.
“Yer using your own magic and mana ta keep yer foal self from our world alive,” Fresh said, looking at Twilight, who nodded.
“While there are obvious and other slight differences between the two of us, because I’m her from another world, my mana and magical signatures match near perfectly to her own. Thus, I can keep her alive and her development will move at a normal rate.”
They all nodded in understanding.
“Wait.” Shining Armour came out a little further and looked up to Twilight with shock and uncertain happiness. “You mean, Mom wasn’t lying when she said that. You’re... she was your mother in another world.”
Twilight chuckled. “Not exactly, Shiny,” she said, accidently slipping and using his nickname, which he clearly notice from the slight scrunch of his nose. “What she meant was, in the world I came from, the Twilight Velvet there was my mother.” Her smile saddened a little. “That’s why... why she let me join you in the hug. Even though she’d never met me til then, she felt the connection. We’re blood. Whether we’re from other dimensions or a whole other species, that isn’t any different.”
Sunset stepped out, her eyes faintly sparkling. “You mean... I’ve a big sister as well as a little sister now.”
Luna smirked. “Two big sisters if you remember that Twilight is my little sister.”
Shining’s eyes widened. “We’ve princesses for sisters?”
Twilight nodded, before she turned to Fresh. “It’s alright if they live with us, right Mother?”
Fresh gave a warm smile. “O’ course, Twi. There’s always room in the Apple Family fer more members.” Though her warm smile was mostly due to Twilight calling her “Mother”.
Sunset burst into joyful tears at the idea she still had a family. Twilight pulled the young unicorn into a one-winged huge, holding her close.
As Sunset cried into her and Shining moved towards Scootaloo, no doubt a fan wanting to talk, a thought struck Twilight. It was silly, unusual. And yet...
She looked to the small filly and smiled. It’s what Celestia would do.
Celestia stood in front of the mirror, her expression firm. Around her stood the other Bearers to the Elements, Shining Armour and Cadance, Twilight’s parents and Spike.
Today was it. The sixtieth day since Discord had cast the sealing spell. Any moment now the portal would return to its normal state and they would be able to pass through it into the world Twilight had now spent sixteen years of her life in.
Luna would have like to have joined them, but she had remained in Centerlot to keep the nobles from throwing a hissy. There was no telling how long they’d be away in the other world, so she’d be keeping them in check whilst they were away. Twilight's parents had wanted to come as well, but no matter what they'd tried, they couldn't get their bosses to let them have the time off.
What will she be like now? How tall will she have grown? What kind of pony has she become? Will she still remember me?
Such thoughts, the same ones that had plagued the Sun Alicorn for the last three hundred and eight-four hours and fifty-eight minutes, ran through her mind on a constant, endless loop.
She shook her head, trying at least one last time to drive those thoughts away. She had to have faith in her former student, that she was alright.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie began shuddering up and down.
While Celestia arched an eyebrow, the others Bearers and Spike all went stiff.
“A Doozy?” Applejack gulped.
Pinkie Pie nodded. “Doozy.”
Celestia looked around at all of them with confusion.
“What exactly is a “Doozy” and why does it have you all on edge?” Cadance asked, voicing a question Celestia had just been about to ask herself.
Rarity looked to Celestia. “Um, Princess?” A nod made her continue. “Did Twilight ever explain to you about Pinkie Pie’s Pinkie Sense?”
Celestia glanced up for a moment, going through all her letter and conversations with the former unicorn, then nodded. “Yes. I remember her saying Twitchy Tail and Ear flop, eye flutter, knee twitch were her least enjoyed ones.”
The other mares all chuckled nervously at that, remembering what had happened when Twilight had tried to examine the Pinkie Sense with science.
Applejack gulped. “Whelp, same thing. Only, the Doozy means somethin’ you’d never expect to happen is gonna happen.”
While the others joked a bit about what that could mean, though her outward expression remained calm, inwardly, Celestia’s mind was panicking.
Something you never expect to happen is going to happen? What is that? Did Twilight find a way out of that world, but ended up in another? Did she maybe get taken prisoner for something? What if she lost her memories and doesn’t remember me?!
The downward spiral of worry would have gone on, had Pinkie Pie not cheered and pointed behind the Alicorn, shouting, "Hey! It's opening!"
As Celestia turned, the image on the portal changed. Where it had been a black and white and still image a farm, it suddenly became coloured and moving.
They all saw a pony who looked very familiar standing in front of the farmhouse door, bowing, before turning to leave.
Rarity harrumphed. “Prince Blueblood? He has a counterpart in that world?”
“But... that looked like a mare,” Rainbow cocked her head. “So, in that world, Prince Blueblood’s a princess?”
Cadance chuckled. “It would seem so.”
Celestia took a deep breath, then looked to those assembled. “Now, all of you must remain by me. As I explained, the world we are going into is very different from our own. You must all remain by me at all times. Is that understood? The spell I cast earlier so you all will be able to understand and speak the language of the other world will only work as long as you are close to me.”
Everypony and dragon nodded.
Celestia shored herself, then stepped towards the portal.
Celestia wasn’t too shaken by the transfer into the other world. She had done it several times before, so it was no issue for her. Everypony and dragon else, however was another story.
All seven of them were sprawled out, dizzy from the shift in realities.
Once they’d all recovered and shaken off the grogginess inter dimensional transport does to one, they each got up, before staring around in confusion.
“Sumthin’ ’bout this world seems weird,” Applejack said, turning towards the door of the farmhouse. “It’s like everythin’s— whoa.”
Her sudden murmur made all but Celestia turn around, before all of them gasped as they looked at the door towering over them.
“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash said, staring up at it. “Your weren’t kidding, princess. Everything in this world is huge.”
“If I’m right,” and provided nothing has happened to her, “she will have been staying at this farm house for all the years in this world,” Celestia explained.
“Then let’s knock and get that egghead out here— whup!” As she had tried to fly up to the door, Rainbow flopped onto the ground, sprawled out like a filly who barely knows how to fly. “What the hay?”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Did ya’ll ferget that the princess told us this world’s magic’s different from ours? She told us how Twi explained that she couldn’t fly last time she came on account o’ the magic not feelin’ the same.”
“Thought something felt off around my wings,” Rainbow muttered, before getting up and frowning at the limbs on her back. “So, anypony from our world won’t be able to fly here?”
“I don’t think so, exactly,” Cadance said, thinking. “Most likely your wings haven’t gotten used to this world’s magic. Once it does, flight shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”
Rainbow frowned. “And how long would that take?”
Cadance shrugged. It wasn’t like this was a field of study she’d ever heard of. She was just guessing.
“Well,” Rarity looked to the large door, trying not to feel intimidated by its size, “shall we knock to see who’s inside?”
Celestia nodded. “I think so. I am rather worried. We must ask what happened to—”
“S-sister?”
They all turned before their eyes widened. Down the path from them was Luna. It took all of them but Celestia a moment to realize it wasn’t their Luna, but this world’s Luna.
Luna was looking at Celestia will teary eyes. “Sister!”
Before anypony could react, Luna bound forward, reaching Celestia in seconds and pulled her into a tight hug.
What stunned the others, however, was that this Luna dwarfed Celestia in size. Comparing the two was like comparing a regular pony to Celestia in size.
They all remained there for several moments, as the large Luna held Celestia in a warm embrace, sobbing.
“Luna? What’s wrong?”
That voice caused all present to turn, Celestia looking over the dark Alicorn holding her’s shoulder.
Moments later several figures walked up the path, before they all stopped, one of them gasping as her eyes went wide.
It was this same one all eyes were on. She had a lavender coat, a dark-purple mane and tail, each with a very light-purple stripe down the middle. On her flank was a purple, six-pointed star surrounded by five smaller white ones. It was Twilight... but there was something very different about her. She was a lot taller than before and both her mane and tail were not only moving in an ethereal wind, but were shimmering like Celestia and Luna’s.
Standing by her sides were two ponies that were not only taller than Twilight, but were far bigger than any of them. Both had brownish coats and blonde manes, the stallion with a pitch for in a haystack for a Cutie Mark, while the mare had a basket of vegetables for her own Cutie Mark.
The stallion had a wagon attached to his back, in which Applejack noticed nothing but a large bag.
Standing on Twilight’s other side, however, were three ponies that made them all gape, though none more so than Shining Armour and Cadance.
One looked like the pony named Sunset Shimmer they’d all seen back at the Crystal Empire, but the other two looked like Cadance and Shining Armour. There was only one major difference. They weren’t adults. They were fillies and a colt!
“G-girls?” Twilight stuttered, looking at her five friends, before her eyes moved to Cadance and Shining Armour. “Sh-Shining? Cadance?” “Twilight!”
The small purple dragon ran forward and leaped up, trying to wrap Twilight’s neck in a hug, only to not get anywhere near that high and only managing to reach the bottom of her barrel.
Twilight’s eyes widened and she wrapped her forelegs around the now much smaller baby dragon. “Spike! Oh, sweet Celestia! I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again!”
The fillies and colt, along with the other two ponies looked very confused.
“Um, Twilight,” the mare asked the mare clutching the dragon, “who are these ponies an’... is that a dragon?”
“Ah never heard o’ a hatchling talking so soon,” the stallion commented.
"Hey!" Spike growled. "I'm not a hatchling. I'm a baby dragon!"
Applejack noticed the twang in their accents right away and frowned. “Would ya’ll happen ta be Apple Family?”
This caused all the new arrivals save Twilight to stare at the Earth Pony in shock. Even the large Luna stopped hugging Celestia to stare wide-eyed.
“Did that foal just talk?” the filly that looked like Sunset Shimmer asked, her eyes wide.
Rainbow Dash growled. “Hey! We’re not foals— whup!” In her anger, she had tried to fly up, forgetting about how she couldn’t yet fly in this world.
“T-Twilight?”
All turned their attention away from the fuming Pegasus on her belly to see Celestia taking a few tentative steps towards the lavender mare. What shocked the smaller ponies was that both of them were the same height... well, maybe Twilight was a tiny bit taller.
Twilight let go of Spike. The two mares faced each other for a long while, before they ran to each other and embraced, holding each other close.
“I’m sorry, princess,” she whispered, nuzzling against the near identically same height mare’s face. “I didn’t mean to go against your order. I only fell into this world because—”
“I know, Twilight,” the white Alicorn hushed, stroking the lavender one’s mane gently. “I know.”
They remained that way for a long time.
It was Apple Bloom’s voice that eventually broke the moment as the door to the barn opened, causing the smaller ponies to turn around before she cried, “What in the hey? How come there’s so many foals on our front doorstep?”
“And that’s pretty much everything since I arrived sixteen years ago,” Twilight finished telling the chronicles of her life within the world of the Big Ponies as they sat in the living room of the Apple Family’s farmhouse.
All save Pinkie Pie had sat and listened. Said pink mare was actually taking advantage of her small size and was playing games with the fillies and colt, all four laughing happily as they did so.
All during the tale, Luna sat next to the alternate, much smaller version of her sister, enjoying the company of somepony she’d thought she never would again, even if she wasn’t the same pony.
“So, you and Princess Luna from this world are like sisters now?” Applejack asked, cocking her head. She was laying on her stomach atop a small tabletop, having been helped up.
Apple Bloom was sitting near her and kept staring at her with confusion. “I still can’t believe yer mah sister fr’m the other world,” she shook her head. “Yer so different.”
Twilight nodded in answer to Applejack’s question and looked to the dark Alicorn with a wistful expression. “We’ve been by each other’s side since my friends here and I freed her of Nightmare Moon.”
That was one of the things that left Rainbow stunned. The idea that the her of this universe having been a Wonderbolt was no surprise to her, but the idea that said mare had to retire after her wing got too badly injured? The idea that the her from this world was also Scootaloo's mother had been particularly hard to swallow.
“And you are teaching Sunset Shimmer like Princess Celestia taught you?” Fluttershy asked from the arm of the chair Pitchfork and Fresh sat on.
Twilight nodded, turning to look at Sunset with a warm smile. “I never expected to be a teacher so soon, but I wouldn’t trade a moment of it. Sunset really loves our lessons and she’s greatly improving her magical skills.”
She turned to Celestia, expecting her to be smiling. The white Alicorn, however, wore a mournful expression. “You control the sun of this world?”
Twilight nodded, looking down. “As I said, since this world’s Celestia died banishing Nightmare Moon, I was given the role once Luna was freed. It took time, but I got used to controlling it.”
Rarity seemed to understand what others didn’t, as she wore a similar expression to Celestia. “Twilight, if you control the sun in this world, how can you live in our world?”
Twilight flinched, before her ears went flat and she looked down. “I can’t.”
The room went silent. Even Pinkie and the fillies and colt stopped playing around, staring at the lavender Alicorn.
“Um, could you repeat that?” Rainbow said, making a show of clearing her ear with a hoof. “I must have dust in my ear or something, cos it sounded like you just said you can’t return to our world.”
There was silence again as her answer.
“What? Twilight, you can’t be serious!” Rainbow stood up, her eyes narrowed at her friend. “Our world’s your home! You were born there! You can’t just leave it!”
“And I can’t just leave here, either!” Twilight snapped, turning to the Pegasus, causing her to falter.
“Uh, what?”
Tears were sliding down Twilight’s face, unable to be held back anymore. “I control the sun, Rainbow. Sure, Luna might be able to learn to move both like Celestia did in our world when she had to banish her Luna to the moon, but it would take too long to teach her. The portal would close long before she could master it. Besides,” she looked to the tallest Alicorn present, who was looking back at her with the same expression, “I’m her sister now. I can’t just leave her.”
Rainbow was suddenly torn on how to feel. She felt like Twilight was abandoning her friends, which was against her own stances when it came to loyalty, being the Bearer of the Element, but, at the same time, she knew Twilight couldn’t abandon this world’s Luna either, for the same reasons.
“Not only that,” Twilight looked to the two fillies and colt, shortly before Sunset and Cadance hurried over and hugged her tightly, “I can’t leave them either. I’ve been Cadance’s aunt for so long now and Sunset’s my student and LSBFF. I can’t just abandon them.”
She looked to Pitch and Fresh, both of whom wore similar expressions.
“And Pitch Fork and Fresh Veggies. They’ve become as close to me as Night Light and Twilight Velvet. How can I just leave them like that?”
Celestia looked down, closing her eyes as tears slipped from them.
Luna held the white Alicorn, whilst Twilight was comforted by the young fillies as they cried into each other.
“Twilight?” Pinkie stepped towards her, looking up at the towering Alicorn due to herself being the size of a foal.
After some time, the lavender mare let go of the fillies clinging to her and took a regal posture. Twilight looked around at all her friends and family, from both worlds. She could swear she saw something of a rainbow sheen flash over them, before a flicker blinded her for a moment.
Twilight took a deep breath, waited several moments, then stood up, her expression calm, yet her sadness and heartache shining through.
“I want to return, but my duty to my subjects comes first,” she choked for a moment, before, taking a shuddering breath. “I must stay, for my subjects, for my duties... for my family.”
They all stared, none of them clearly having expected that.
Several moments passed, none knowing what to do. All present jumped when a loud pounding came from the front door.
“Twilight!” Sweetie Belle’s voice came from the other side, followed by more banging. “Twilight, you gotta see this!”
It took several moments for anypony to react, but, after some time, during which Sweetie Belle continued to bang against the door at the same frantic pace; Twilight used her magic to open the door.
As she did, her four friends fell in, forming a pony pile-up on the front mat.
They all stared for several moments at the ponies gathered around the room, each of them staring with wide-eyes at Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash respectively.
“Oh boy,” Apple Bloom sighed, shaking her head. “This is gonna be a long day.”
The next few minutes were spent explaining what was going on to the four former Crusaders, each still having their eyes wander towards the foal-sized ponies whom they recognized from their own families.
“So... you’re Twi’s Rainbow Dash, huh?” she asked, still looking a little uncertain as she studied the foal-sized version of her mother, taking particular notice of how both her wings looked perfectly fine and the Cutie Mark that matched the orange pony's.
Dash nodded, though she was looking at Pinkie and the female Cheese Sandwich with a nervous smile.
“Okay, now that that’s all out of the way,” Twilight turned to Sweetie Belle, who had been chatting with Rarity, “why were you banging on the front door, Sweetie Belle?”
Said young mare blinked for a few moments, before her eyes widened with worry. “Oh, yeah! Twilight, there’s a big light coming from the forest. I think it’s the Tree of Harmony!”
That made Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Cadance and the other Bearers all freeze, before Twilight hurried over to the window and, indeed, there was a bright light shining from the Everfree Forest and, even without a map, Twilight could tell it was coming from the same direction as the Tree of Harmony.
Twilight glanced back at everypony, her expression worried, but firm. “Come on, everypony. We need to find out what’s going on.”
“This is so humiliating,” Dash grumbled as she road on Scootaloo’s back as they made their way down the path to the Tree of Harmony.
“Ah dunno, Dash,” Applejack chuckled from atop Apple Bloom’s back. “This is kinda fun, really. How often do our little sisters give us a lift?”
Dash just grumbled some more as the others lightly chuckled, even if only to try and keep themselves from worrying about what they’d soon be facing.
Moments later they’d walked down the stairs by the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, walked into the cave and stopped. The light was coming from the Tree, somehow shining upward through the rock, into the sky.
Twilight stepped forward, her eyes falling to the box the Tree had grown back when she and the others had returned the Elements. It was the main source for the light. The place her hoof print was, with the words "When one's place is chosen" written above, was glowing brightest of all.
Twilight glanced behind her at her gathered friends and family. Celestia gave a small nod, giving Twilight the extra encouragement she needed.
Twilight stepped up to the box, lifted her right hoof, and placed it on the print. At once the shining light grew even brighter, spreading out from where Twilight’s hoof was to the Tree.
The box in front of the Tree of Harmony suddenly shone with an intense light. The light spread out, upward, the box following suite, passing through the stone, flying out across the sky towards Ponyville and passing into the ground on the edge of the town.
At the same time, the mirror within the Golden Oaks Library was yanked off the wall by an unseen forece, ripping it from the controls Twilight had set up and phased through the wood of the tree.
As well as that, Discord was freed from his stone prison and blinked, wilting. “I hope Celestia isn’t still mad after this.”
Everypony in town stopped whatever they were doing, staring at the shining light just outside their town, wondering what was going on, their confusion rising as a mirror flew through the air, becoming enveloped by the light.
Twilight and the others all stared as the box lifted up into the light, moved upward and passed through the rock.
Seconds later there was a loud rumbling as the ground began to shake.
“Everypony, out now!” Twilight cried, turning and running, everypony moving ahead of her.
When they got out of the cave, Twilight glanced back, before skidding to a halt and shouting, “What in Equestria?!”
Everypony stopped and turned to look as well, only for their eyes to widen and their mouths to hang open.
The Castle of the Two Pony Sisters was shining with the light from the Tree. As they all watched, it rumbled, before lifting out of the ground. Before their eyes, it moved across the sky, heading towards Ponyville.
They all just stood there, staring at where the castle used to sit, but was now just bare space.
After a few moments, Twilight snapped out of her stupor and turned to run. “Come on! We need to find out why the castle’s moving!”
“I’d just settle for why it’s flying!” Rainbow shouted, clinging onto Scootaloo’s neck as they all hurried back down the path.
As they ran they heard the sounds of the citizens of Ponyville screaming and panicking as the castle loomed in the air above their town.
Twilight accessed her magic, pulling everypony with her as she did a teleport into town. They reappeared in the centre, to see the castle floating overhead towards the edge of town.
“Where in the hay is it goin’?” Applejack asked, frowning at the floating castle.
“Duck!” Rainbow’s voice shouted, but it wasn’t the pony on Scootaloo’s back, who wore a very shocked expression at the sound of her own voice coming from anypony but herself.
Not that she had time to think about, as Twilight used her magic to do just as advised. A split-second after she did, a huge plank of wood the size of a door shot over their heads, flying towards the castle.
“What was that about?” Rarity and Sweetie Belle asked in unison.
Moments later, the castle stopped just on the edge of the town and lowered to the ground. There was a blinding flash of light which blinded all.
When it faded, Twilight, Luna, Celestia, pretty much everypony’s jaw dropped. The Castle of the Two Pony Sisters had not only been moved, it looked completely good as new, as if Nightmare Moon had never happened.
However, a group of grunts turned attention away from the castle to the former Crusaders.
Twilight’s eyes widened. All her friends from her original Equestria were the same size as a normal pony in this world. Even Celestia was taller. Heck, she was just as tall as Luna now.
However, if that wasn’t a big enough surprise, Apple Bloom, after getting Applejack off of her, pointed at Twilight with wide eyes. “Twilight, yer Cutie Mark!”
Twilight glanced to her left flank and just saw the same purple star that had always been there.
Applejack shook her head. “She means on yer other flank!”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow and turned, only for her eyes to widen for the umpteenth time that day. On her right flank, instead of the same six-pointed purple star with five white smaller stars had been replaced with a sun exactly the same as Celestia’s Cutie Mark.
Twilight just stared at the mark, her mouth unable to form a proper sentence. “I... uh... guh... wha?”
“It’s the same as it used to be,” Luna said as they walked through the castle.
Though everypony’s attention had originally been on the former flying castle and then Twilight sudden change in her right flank side’s Cutie Mark, it had quickly turned to the group of ponies, most specifically, the white Alicorn that towered over even Princess Luna and had two marks the same as the one on Twilight’s right flank.
Thankfully, everypony knew Twilight’s origins enough to quickly understand, not that it stopped them from asking Celestia if she was taking over for Twi, before asking if she would not because they all loved Twilight as their princess.
Once they’d dealt with that (Luna only just managing to get the paparazzi to keep quiet for the time being) they’d gone inside to investigate.
The castle had been returned to its past glory, all the damage from Nightmare Moon and the wearing down it had received from the elements having been wiped away, leaving it in pristine condition.
“This is simply marvelous,” said as they neared the throne room, glancing at all the walls. “So much inspiration. Oh, I cannot wait to get to my shop and start this year’s new line at once.”
They entered the throne room and gasped. While Twilight and the others had cleaned much of their own world’s Castle of the Two Pony Sisters’ throne room in their own world, it didn’t even come close to the shine and beauty of this throne room, repaired by the power of the Tree of Harmony itself.
For Celestia and Luna, it was like they had only been in the room just yesterday, exact in every detail... except for the door-sized mirror standing between the two thrones, sitting on the wall beneath them.
As they all frowned at it, wondering what was going on, before their jaws dropped as Luna stepped through the portal, a worried expression on her face. However, she seemed to be the same size as Twilight.
Though that look of worry soon turned to shock at the sight of the ponies gathered before her, including herself.
“Sister...” she said, glancing at Celestia uncertainly. “I came to Twilight’s library, having finished earlier than planned, only to see a mirror flying out from within the wood of the tree itself, before Discord appeared next to me, pointing to the edge of Ponyville, where the mirror had gone. And... it might be easier for you to see for yourself.”
She indicated to the mirror, which was obviously a portal to the other Equestria.
Twilight glanced at Celestia, uncertain.
Celestia gave a smile. “I think you are allowed at least to see this, Twilight. After all, I have passed into this world, have I not?”
Twilight looked to the other ponies and nodded. “Only if they can come to.”
Celestia hesitated, then sighed. “I’ll probably be dealing with claims of Giant Ponies for months for this, but, very well, Twilight.”
They all moved towards the mirror. Twilight waited for everypony else to pass through, Derpy and Fluttershy hesitating more than the others, before glancing around at the throne room, then walked through herself.
Unlike before, though she felt time and space bending around her, Twilight felt none of the other uncomfortable feelings that came with the times she’d passed from one world to another.
When her eyes adjusted, they widened. All of Ponyville and Discord were gathered. What shocked Twilight was how they didn’t seem worried about the giant ponies.
When she turned to see why, her mouth dropped open. Pitchfork, Fresh Veggies, Apple Bloom, Derpy, Sweetie Belle, Cheese, Scootaloo, the younger Cadance, Shining Armour and Sunset all looked like they were the same size as any regular pony in front of them.
Twilight looked behind them to find a large stone monument standing behind them, with herself, Luna and Cadance on one side, and Luna, Celestia and Cadance on the other. Between them was a tall mirror, tall enough for anypony to standing in front of.
“What in tarnation is goin’ on around here?” Applejack asked, looking around.
Twilight used the older Cadance’s breathing technique and calmed down, allowing her mind to think. She turned to the Luna from this world.
“Luna?” Both Alicorns looked to her. “You said you saw a mirror flying through the air, one that came from my library?”
The Luna of this world nodded.
“And where did it fly to?”
“Here,” she replied, pointing behind them. “When the light faded, it had grown and was on this strange monument.”
Twilight nodded, closing her eyes as she thought. “Okay. Then that was the mirror I used to open to the portal, and there’s a mirror that works like a portal behind us.” She blinked. “Wait, if that mirror Luna saw was the portal from this world then...” she looked to the others. “Remember that large plank of wood that almost hit us?”
“You mean the one the me from that world warned us to duck from?” Rainbow asked, frowning. “Yeah. What about it?”
“I think that was the door to the farmhouse.” When Twilight’s friends from this world looked at her with confusion, she continued. “The exit portal in that world was the door to the farmhouse. It’s why, when I first went there, I arrived on the front doorstep. But, when I arrived, I was the same size compared to everything else that you all were.”
She turned around and waved a hoof at the monument before them. “I bet the two Trees of Harmony connected our worlds with these two portals, creating the castle in the other world and this monument here.”
Applejack frowned. “That does sound reasonable, Twi... well, reasonable as this can be, anyway, but, how come when we went in that world we were the size o’ foals compared to everythin’ else, yet, when we all came through this one, the ponies from that world seem the same size as normal?”
“Maybe, with the magic from the Trees of Harmony, the now joined portals make you match the size of the world you enter?” Sunset suggested.
Dash blinked at her for a few moments before snorting. “Yep. You’ve certainly been the one teaching her, Twi.”
Twilight grinned sheepishly.
“So, what now?” Fluttershy asked, looking to Twilight. “Will you be staying in our world, or there’s, Twilight?” She blinked, then looked down, not meeting her eyes. “Um, I mean... if you don’t mind my asking?”
Twilight looked around at her friends, then at her big sister, little sister, niece and brother. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Even though the two world's are connected, I cannot be this world’s Twilight Sparkle anymore,” she turned to them, smiling. “But I do have a solution to that.”
“Where exactly are we going, Twilight?” Celestia asked as she followed the purple pony down a hallway.
The hospital staff were not surprised by Twilight’s arrival, in fact that were quite used to it by now, several nurses and even patients would wave, offering hellos as she went by.
Nor was it the white Alicorn the size of Princess Luna walking alongside her. No, what caused everypony to stop whatever they were doing and stare were the two unicorns following behind the Alicorns, one alabaster mare with three purple stars for her Cutie Mark, to be precise.
“Um, Twilight?” Twilight Velvet asked as she noticed all the gaping mouths from the ponies staring.
“Hm?” the purple mare replied, glancing over her shoulder.
“Why are all the ponies here staring at your father and I as if we have two heads or something?” Velvet asked, not liking the looks they were getting.
Twilight’s expression saddened a little as she looked away. “Because, in this world, you’re both dead.”
The two unicorns froze in place for a moment, before hurrying to catch up, uncertain looks on their faces.
“Um, honey, what do you mean?” Night Light asked.
Twilight sighed. “A few months back, some rogue Griffins attacked Trottingham as a way of showing their views of mine and Luna’s taking rule. A number of ponies were injured, and two were fatal. Both were unicorns. You two.”
Velvet and Night Light looked to each other in shock. The idea that their alternate selves had died was not something they’d anticipated when they’d arrived in Ponyville to find their daughter (now as tall as Celestia) waiting for them, only to ask them to follow her into the world she’d been living in because she needed to show them something.
Twilight said nothing and continued leading them down the halls until they stopped in front of a ward Twilight had frequented quite a lot during the last couple months. The Pre-Development Ward.
As Twilight walked in Nurse Redheart was checking on one of the orbs. She glanced at Twilight and smiled, before her eyes widened at the sight of Velvet.
Twilight merely shook her head. “The other world’s.”
Nurse Redheart’s face eased and she nodded, understanding and returned to her work.
Twilight led the Alicorn and unicorns over to a purple orb containing a small filly. The other three gasped when they saw the wings and horn.
Twilight nodded. “This filly is this world’s Twilight Sparkle. Since her mother died, because our energies are almost identical, being the same pony, I’ve been keeping her alive and through her development.”
“I... wow,” Night Light said, not able to think of anything else to say.
“As I am now this Equestria’s Regent of the Sun, I must remain to continue moving the sun on its course. That is why,” Twilight turned to the three others, “I have brought you here. I want this Twilight to be taken to your world and raised there, so she won’t be living in my shadow all her life. The last thing I want is for her to resent how she would always be compared to me. So, will you take her?”
Velvet and Night Light looked at each other for a moment, completely speechless, before they glanced to Celestia. The white Alicorn had a mournful expression on her face and a faint light in her eyes.
Velvet knew this light. Closing her eyes, she smiled, walked over to Twilight and pulled her into a hug. It required Twilight to lean down, her being the size of Celestia when she was in her own kingdom, but the intention was still felt.
“Oh, my little Twily,” Velvet sighed, holding her daughter close, before looking into her eyes. “We can’t thank you enough for the offer. But, the thing is, we already had you as our daughter. Even though it wouldn’t be trying to replacing you, we feel it would be in some way like that is what we’d be doing.”
“Thank you, honey,” Night Light said to his daughter, nodding. “We’re very touched, but I think there’s another pony here who deserves her more than us.”
He and his wife looked to Celestia, who took a step back when she realized what they were saying.
“What? But—?” Celestia tried to say, looking uncertain.
Velvet moved away from Twilight, her smile warm and knowing. “Princess, we know how you feel about our daughter, like she was your own. Now you have a chance to truly have your own daughter.”
“But, I—” Celestia stammered, though there was a hope in her eyes the counteracted her words,
“We’ve already had one daughter, princess,” Night Light chuckled, walking over to his wife and smiling up at the purple mare. “We’ve watched her grow up and we’re very proud of her. But we’ve been with her since her foalhood, not just her fillyhood. We want you to raise this foal as your own.”
Celestia stood, speechless for several moments. She looked from Twilight’s parents, to Twilight, to the foal in the sphere.
She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to think of what to say. After a while, though, a small, warm smile came to have lips as tears trickled down her cheeks. She leaned down and hugged both the unicorns, whispering, “Thank you.” She then stood and looked to the mare who had been like a daughter to her and pulled her into a hug as well. “Thank you, Twilihgt,” she whispered, her tears dampening Twilight’s coat a little. “Thank you so much.”
Twilight returned the hug, her eyes closed. “You’re welcome, Celestia.”
“Thing’s sure ain’t gonna be the same back home after this,” Applejack said as she and the others stood in front of the mirror in the throne room.
Held within her right foreleg, Celestia had a small Alicorn foal with a lavender coat and a purple mane and tail with a streak of pink down the middle of both.
Pinkie Pie and Cheese had almost burst into a “Congratulations, Princess Celestia On Becoming A Mommy” party the moment they’d seen the little foal, but Twilight had managed to keep the two of them from doing so with Scootaloo and Rainbow’s help.
Twilight nodded to Applejack’s statement, then looked to Celestia and little Starlight Glimmer. Since she was going to technically be raised differently from Twilight herself, Celestia had chosen to call her foal her new name instead of Twilight Sparkle.
“You’ll keep in touch, right egghead?” Rainbow winked at the (despite sizes becoming normal between both worlds) much taller pony.
Twilight grinned. “Try and stop me.”
“C-can I stay with you, Twi?” Spike asked. He had been anxious all day after learning Twilight was staying in the Big Ponies world and was wondering if he’d have to live away from her now.
Twilight gave him a warm smile and leaned down to nuzzle him. “Of course, Spike. Like I’d ever leave my own son on his own.”
“Son?” Twilight’s niece and little sister looked to her with confusion, glancing between the dragon (who’s cheeks had turned bright red at the word) and Alicorn.
Twilight nodded, pulling Spike in close with a wing. “I hatched Spike from his egg and I was the first thing he saw. That makes me his mother.”
“So... I’m still a filly, but I’m already an aunt?” Sunset asked, frowning.
Spike took notice and folded his arms, grinning. “Yep. But I’m still older than you. Twilight’s raised me since she was younger than you.”
Twilight couldn’t help chuckling as Sunset puffed out her cheeks as she glared at her now nephew.
Twilight’s parent came over, intending to say goodbye to their daughter. However, at the sight of them, Sunset hurried behind the Alicorn, looking unsure.
Twilight sighed, leaned back and coerced the filly out from her hiding spot.
Sunset shuffled out, then looked up at the two unicorns, unsure of what to do. She glanced back at Twilight, who smiled warmly and nodded.
Sunset ran forward and hugged Velvet’s barrel crying, “Mama!”
Velvet looked a little surprised, before glancing to Twilight.
“Would you mind looking after her?” she asked, walking over and stroking Sunset’s mane gently. “When she heard about you two, she broke down in tears. She thought she’d gotten a second chance, but that I might not let her have it and keep her here.” She looked to her parents. “Would you?”
They glanced at each other, before Velvet wrapped her forelegs around the crying filly and held her close. “Of course. We’d love to.”
Twilight nodded, then turned to Celestia, who was speaking with both Cadance’s. “Will you two excuse me for a moment? I need to speak with my former teacher about something.”
Both unicorns nodded, hugged their first daughter, then went over, Velvet carrying an at-peace Sunset on her back, to the previously mentioned Earth Ponies.
“Thank you for looking after our little Twily,” Velvet said, giving Fresh a hug.
“We don’t think she could’ve been in or be in better hooves,” Night Light agreed, shaking Pitch’s hoof.
Velvet pulled back, smiling at Fresh. “She’s your daughter now just as much as she is ours.”
Fresh wiped a few tears from her eyes. “Ah can’ tell ya what that means t’ me.”
Pitch nodded. “We honestly can’t see our lives any way without Twilight anymore. Thank ye, fer understandin’. An’ don’ worry ’bout with Sunny, here,” he ruffled the little filly’s mane, to which she squealed. “We understand. In all honesty, we couldn’t be her parents, no matter how hard we tried. Only Twi was able ta keep ’er happy.”
The two adult unicorns nodded, then turned and headed for the portal, though not before Sunset called out, “Thank you Mr. Pitchfork. Thank you, Mrs Fresh Veggies. It was nice staying with you.”
“You’re sure about all this?” Celestia asked Twilight as she and Cadance watched the younger Cadance nuzzle against Twilight’s foreleg.
Twilight nodded. “I’m sure. This is for the best. I hope you won’t mind teaching Sunset like you did me, by the way? I know you won’t form the same kind of bond, but...”
Celestia nodded. “I’d be honoured to take her as my new personal student, Twilight.” Her expression became a little sad. “I just hope I don’t make the same mistake as I did before.”
Twilight shook her head. “I know you won’t, Celestia. And I hope everything goes well with Glimmer.” She couldn’t help but smile as said foal yawned and snuggled a little deeper into Celestia’s fur. Then she grinned sheepishly. “Just... don’t try everything you did with me. She’s been willing to learn from me and enjoying the lessons, but now that she’s got her mom and dad back...”
Celestia nodded. “I know, Twilight. I understand.” She then looked to Twilight’s Luna. “I am glad I met you, Luna.”
The darker Alicorn nodded back. “And I, Celestia. It was good seeing you again. I mean... you know...”
Celestia chuckled, before turning to the room and calling out, “Come, my little ponies. It’s time we returned to our own world.”
With that, everypony followed her through the mirror, Twilight letting her friends know that they were welcome to visit anytime. The last to go through were Night Light, Velvet and Sunset.
Just before the mare went through the portal, Sunset looked over at Twilight. “Thank you, BSBFF,” she smiled, a tiny bit of sadness in her eyes. “I’ll see you again, soon?”
Twilight nodded. “You can count on it, LSBFF.”
With that, Velvet passed trhough the mirror, following her husband. Once the mirror had stopped rippling, Spike turned to Twilight.
“If Sunset’s your LSBFF, what’s Glimmer?”
Twilight grinned. “LLSBFF. Littlest Little Sister Best Friend Forever.”
Spike and Scootaloo managed a simultaneous eye roll, before Twilight looked to the windows. “I think it’s time to raise the moon, Luna.”
The taller Alicorn nodded and they both went up to the balcony. Their horns glowed and the two orbs moved up and down respective to each other, until the moon hung in the night sky, shining down on them all.
Twilight yawned and turned to Spike, Cadance and Shining Armour (the who had remained with Twilight because, though he wanted to protect his little sister, he trusted Twilight’s judgement to leave her with her parents and hadn’t gone with them because he knew it would have been awkward), each of whom followed her motion without fail.
“It’s been a long day,” the lavender mare said, turning to her Earth Pony parents. “Would you two like to sleep in the castle tonight? We have the rooms.”
Both looked to each other, then smiled.
Once everypony else was in bed, Twilight went to her person chambers (which they’d found earlier that day due to it being marked by her Cutie Marks), followed by Spike and Cadance.
Spike settled into one of the two beds in the room, snuggling into the blankets and was asleep in moments.
Twilight got into bed, followed by Cadance. Despite her age, Cadance still preferred sleeping with her aunt.
Twilight didn’t object to it for now, but, in a year or two, she would have to insist Cadance start sleeping in her own room (even though she loved snuggling up with her little niece).
Cadance snuggled against her aunt and fell asleep within minutes. Twilight followed suite, knowing that her whole life was now far greater than she could’ve expected.
She had come a long way from that day she’d become Celestia’s personal student. She was a mother, an aunt, a princess ruling alongside her BSBFF, had two little sisters, a little brother, two sets of loving parents and had so many friends.
And as she felt her sister’s gentle touch as she began her duty of watching over the dreams of their subjects, Twilight thought life couldn’t be better. And, with the two worlds now united, she was right.
