Chapter 1 - A New Adventure
The purple Alicorn pony was studying the massive volume on Interdimensional Travel that Princess Celestia had given her. The scraping of Spike's quill behind her as he took inventory was music to hear ears as she read.
A blur of pink suddenly appeared at her side with a pink muzzle squeezed near hers in the book.
"What'cha doing?" Said the highly energized voice.
"Ahhh!!!" The purple pony jumped nearly 10 feet in the air and knocking the book off her reading stand. "Pinkie Pie! Don't you know you shouldn't sneak up suddenly on other ponies?"
The pink pony chuckled. "Oh Twilight, I was going too fast to sneak. You need to go slow to be sneaky. Like this!" And then Pinkie proceeded to rise up on her hind legs and tiptoe very carefully across the room, her forehooves held carefully up before her.
Twilight watched her quizzically for a moment wondering how any pony could walk like that, let alone tiptoe. But them she just shrugged because it was Pinkie. No pony would ever really understand that silly pink pony.
She heard spike snicker a moment and glanced briefly at him before going back to her book.
Pinkie finished her tiptoe and bounced over to Twilight. "So what you reading?" The large volume was suddenly dangling open before Pinkie's face being held by her forelock.
Twilight shook her head as she used her magic to levitate the large book back onto the stand. I'm studying inter-dimensional travel. Princess Celestia gave it to me for my future trips to Canterlot High."
Just then there were clopping of hooves on stone and both ponies and Spike looked up to see Applejack enter the library.
"Hey Twilight. Thought I'd find you here. Oh, hey Pinkie."
"Hi Applejack. What brings you here today?" Twilight asked.
"Just brought a load of apples for the castle kitchen."
"Huh? But I thought they are supposed to be delivered tomorrow?"
"Uh Twi...it is tomorrow. Don't tell me you stayed up all night studying again?"
"That's what I asked her," Spike said coming up to them. "Last night she said she'd be to bed soon after me. I woke up and she hadn't moved from that book."
Twilight turned her head away sheepishly. Then she squared her shoulders and held her head up as she would right before beginning a lecture. "With the recent traveling between worlds, I thought it very important that I read up all that I can on the subject."
"You planning on going back anytime soon?" Applejack asked.
"Sometime I hope. I've made friends there. I hope to visit again. Hopefully not just to help with some kind of world endangering problem."
"Uh, aren't they us on the other side?" Applejack asked.
"Well yes and no. They might be you but they live in that other world. It's much different. And in many ways they're much different. But not in the ways that really matter."
"Well heck. When you put it that way. Kinda wish I could compare," Applejack said.
"Me too!!" Pinkie piped in. "It'd be like when there were more of me. Expect I wouldn't be doubley mared! We would be two, but we wouldn't be copies, but both originals! Unless there was one original...and one of us is a copy and we have more and more copies in other alternate universes!" Pinkie barely paused for a large breath. "But which would be the first of us? Were we born at the same time? Or seconds apart?-"
Twilight, Spike and Applejack watched Pinkie incredulously for a while before looking back at each other and shrugging.
Suddenly there was raised voices and all three ponies and dragon in the library peeked their heads around the doorway to see Rarity standing indignantly with messed up mane and tail with her latest hat design crooked on her head.
The blue Pegasi pony with rainbow mane hovering above her was finding it difficult to speak as her laughter shook her.
"Rainbowdash! This is no laughing matter! I can't believe you would pull this prank on me today of all days!"
Between chuckles and tears of laughter, Rainbow looked back at Rarity and flew to another viewing angle. "Rarity, pranks like this don't come along every day. If they get inspired they need a follow through. Your hair was too in place. And it was so good! You should have seen the look on your face!" At that the blue pony began rolling in the air with laughter.
Twilight and the others couldn't help the chuckles that threatened. Except Spike. He watch on sympathetically. Rarity's expression helped keep the ponies’ guffaws in check.
Twilight was first to trot out of the library to meet their friends. "What's going on?"
"Oh Twilight. It's simply awful. Rainbowdash thought it would make for a grand prank to throw my finely quaffed mane into a tornado. I have hair sticking up every which way!" She finished on a whine.
Twilight sympathetically began trying to help Rarity get her mane back into a semblance of order. When they finished, Rarity’s entire mane was laying the right way, though possibly not as smoothly as normal.
"You're as gorgeous as ever..." Spike said bashfully with hearts in his eyes for Rarity.
"Aw, thank you Spike. You are so sweet," Rarity gushed before rubbing his cheeks with her forehooves. "And thank you so much Twilight. That could have been a disaster."
"Happy to help," Twilight answered. "So what brought you two here today?"
Rainbowdash was flying on her back with her forehooves folded behind her head. "Well not much going on in the clouds today. I was bored. Decided to come to the castle for some entertainment." Then she snickered. "It worked."
Rarity narrowed her eyes at Rainbowdash. Then she threw her head, tossing her mane and humped at Rainbow.
"I say Twilight I forgot why I came to visit. Rainbow's foalish antics completely made it slip my mind." She paused and a distinct tinge of pink stained her cheeks. "I know you've told me about the fashion in Canterlot High but do you think you could go into more detail?" She finished with a large smile and a bat her eyes.
Twilight raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes. "I already told you. Besides, fashion isn't my thing. I'm not good with describing them. You know that."
Rarity's face fell and her mane seemed to droop.
Twilight bit her lip, not sure how to rectify the situation. She was a good friend. How could she fix this?
She was startled out of her thoughts as Rainbowdash zoomed down and almost clipped her nose.
"By the way Twi, could you tell me more about the sports at Canterlot High?"
Twilight turned an ear back at Rainbow's expectant grin.
"And what about the food?" Applejack interjected.
"Uh...," Twilight.
"What about the parties!" Pinkie said as she suddenly bounced up behind Twilight.
"Ah!" Twilight snorted before stomping and looking at her friends. "Ok, enough. All of you." She sighed before walking out from their tight circle of questions. "I'm sorry I can't tell you more," She said with a lowered head.
"Awwww.....," They all said in unison.
Twilight looked out at their sad faces and wished there was something that she could do.
Then she saw Fluttershy peaking uncertainly around the corner.
"Is this a bad time?" She asked quietly. "I can come back later....or later than later if that's a bad time too...."
"Don't be ridiculous Fluttershy. I'm just being bombarded by questions of my stay in Canterlot High," Twilight replied wryly.
"If only their Canterlot High selves could just explain it all. They could explain things much easier than you could," Fluttershy quietly finished.
"Yeah...," Twilight said with drooped ears. Then suddenly her ears pricked and her eyes brightened.
"Hey wait! Maybe they can! Follow me!" Twilight suddenly whirled and took off at a full gallop. Spike jumped, startled out of his goo-goo eyes at Rarity and quickly zoomed after the Alicorn.
After brief glances at each other, the other five ponies took off after the excited Twilight. They followed her to where the portal was and all stopped around it with her and Spike.
"What are you thinking Twi," Applejack asked.
They all saw the excited expression on her face like how she got before explaining something highly scientific that none of them would understand. "Fluttershy was right on! Your other selves could tell you far better than I ever could. I thought why not just take an afternoon and go see them and talk?"
"We could do that?" Rainbowdash asked.
"I haven't read anything that says we can't," Twilight replied.
"Oh, let's do it!" Rarity said with a flip of her mane.
"Yay! Yay! Yay-" Pinkie was exclaiming as she bounced excitedly.
"I hope our other selves are nice....and not scary...," Fluttershy said with a little shiver.
"They're great," Twilight said.
"Can't believe we're gonna do this," Applejack said.
Twilight placed Sunset Shimmer's journal in its place on the portal and it flared to life and the whirlpool of magic appeared in the mirror. "It is strange to go through the portal but you get used to it," Twilight said. "Now follow me," She said before entering the portal, Spike followed immediately behind her.
Pinkie bounded toward the portal and hopped through with a, " Yippy!"
Rainbow flew straight for the portal, leaving a rainbow trail of speed in her wake as she arched through the air and disappeared with the others.
"Ah! This will be simply marvelous!" Rarity said as she trotted into the portal.
"I don't know if I want to go..." Fluttershy said as she crouched down and took tiny steps backward.
She gave a little squeak as Applejack came up behind her and started pushing the skittish Pegasus toward the glowing, swirling portal.
"Now’s no time to back down Nervous Nelly. It was your idea."
"But can't I just have good ideas and stay home?" Fluttershy quivered.
"Oh for Pete’s sake Fluttershy. Your other self will be like you but not you. I'm sure she'll love to talk critters and nature with you." With that, she walked through the portal, pushing Fluttershy through ahead of her.