Sunset visits Equestria, but brings her human friends along with her. Expect everything to go wrong.
Sunset Shimmer was going to visit Equestria for a while during summer break. She was ready to get away from the craziness that is high school, and ready to use some real magic for a change, as opposed to her empathetic magic.
Problem is, her friends catch wind of her plan, and beg to go with her.
Now she has to hope that Princess Twilight isn't going to freak out when Sunset tells her.
This is going to be fun!
I've seen quite a few stories of Sunset Shimmer going back to Equestria, but I haven't seen one with her taking her human friends with her. It seems like a good idea, but who knows.
Not that I'm trying to downplay the other stories, just I see a comedy gold mine here. Seriously, this is going to be awesome. If I can write it.
Now, the week wasn’t terrible. She had just gotten back from Camp Everfree, and she and her friends had just gotten some new magic. As Rainbow Dash would put it, it was pretty awesome.
The problem is, she had no idea how this magic works, and each of them manifested their magic in different ways. The others were asking questions about this magic, and she didn’t have any answers. To top it all off, Principal Celestia was asking questions as well, and she couldn’t answer the vast majority of them.
Then, there was the whole “touching another person’s arm and seeing their memories” thing that tended to get in the way of social activity. Real buzzkill.
All in all, she was confused.
Right now, she was sitting at Sugarcube Corner, and chatting with her friends. She could see the necklaces that all of them wore, which were the physical manifestation of the magic. It was a constant reminder of her complete lack of knowledge.
She then felt a buzz coming from her backpack.
Her friends must have noticed it too, because they all stopped talking (except for Pinkie, but she only stops talking to inhale. Seriously, she talks in her sleep) and looked over at her bag. Sunset pulled out the offending object, a brown book with a symbol in the shape of her cutie mark on the cover. She opened it up, and saw that Twilight had written her a letter of sorts. Not the Twilight sitting just across from her, but the Twilight from Equestria.
Sunset, you won’t believe what just happened. Do you remember the story I told/wrote to you about the changelings invading my brother’s wedding? Well, they decided to come back for vengeance, and they managed to capture me and my friends. Fortunately, Starlight Glimmer (I’m pretty sure I told you about her) rescued us, but the insides of a cocoon are absolutely dreadful. I really need to take a break. Anyways, I was wondering if you would like to come visit. Just to relax.
“What’d she say, sugarcube?” asked Applejack.
Sunset then began to pass around the journal. As her friends read the letter, reactions varied from grossed out (Namely, Rarity and Fluttershy) to interested to shock. Sunset was contemplating accepting her invitation. Summer vacation would be coming in a week, and she could visit then, so she wouldn’t have to go back to school every day.
Once the journal made its round, it came back to Sunset, and she began to reply.
I would love to come back. We’ve had our fair share of excitement since you last visited, and I need a break. Summer vacation will soon be here, and I’ll be able to visit then. It about a week, I’ll come through the portal and visit. See you then.
Once Sunset closed the book, she looked up and saw all of her friends looking at her. “I’m going to visit her once summer vacation comes around.”
Pinkie Pie then says, “I think I speak for all of us, when I say can I come with you?”
Sunset looks over to the rest of her friends. “Do you all want to come?”
They nod.
“I don’t think you can come. There are exact copies of you on the other side, and I would rather not have you meet.”
Twilight (human Twilight, mind you) then points out one fatal flaw. “I’ve met my counterpart right after the Friendship Games. The universe didn’t explode. Why are you so worried?”
“Look, I know you all want to go, but I don’t think that it will be a good idea. I can just imagine things going from bad to worse very quickly. The magic is different, too. This could go wrong in so many ways.” Sunset said back.
Rainbow Dash then looked over at the former unicorn. “We will be coming with you, whether you like it or not. Believe me.”
Sunset shrugged. She had managed to get all of them to cease being friends before. Granted, she was a worse person then, but still, she liked to think she was good at standing her ground in an argument. There was no way they were going to convince her that they would come with her. No way in Equestria.
Later that day, Sunset was at Rarity’s boutique, and was getting measured for a new dress. Rarity insisted. Sunset was standing there, while Rarity was busy taking measurements. Now, Sunset liked to think of herself as a patient mare/girl, but Rarity sure seemed to be taking her time. Finally, the silence was broken by Rarity.
“So, are we going to talk about Equestria? I’m still dead set on going.”
Sunset sighed. “Why do you want to go to a completely different world where styles couldn’t transfer over?”
“Darling, just because the styles can’t go between doesn’t mean the ideas cannot. I always need inspiration, and this is a veritable gold mine, if I do say so myself.”
“How could you even come over? You can’t run a business from another world.”
“Simple, darling. I always take the first month of summer vacation off, so that is no problem at all.”
“Ugh. What about your family? Your parents? Sweetie Belle? What about them?”
“None of them live with me. I bought this when my dressmaking really took off. Sure, Sweetie comes over an awful lot, but she doesn’t live here. I’ve lived by myself for a few months now. So your argument is invalid, dear.”
“Fine, Rarity, but I don’t want to separate us. Either all of our friends convince me they can go, or none of you go.”
“Believe me, darling, there’s still a week. Don’t count us out yet.”
Sunset was hanging out before school started. She always stood near the statue/portal, if only to make sure no one made it through the portal. Both ways.
“Heya, Sunset.” Came the southern accent of a certain cowgirl who ran an apple farm.
“Hey, Applejack.” Sunset greeted back.
“Now, Rarity was tellin’ us you ain’t gonna let us go through unless we all convince you. Well, it’s mah turn.”
“Okay, AJ. First explain to me how you could take that much time off during the summer.”
“In case ya haven’t noticed, sugarcube, I don’t have a lot going on during the summer. Trees are all set until we pick them in the fall, an’ I hardly have any animals to take care of. Applebloom and Bic Mac can take care of the farm for pretty much the rest of the summer. To make a long story short, yes, I will have the time.”
“So that explains the amount of time you have. Never really paid attention to it before. But what about your family? What will you tell them?”
“I’ll tell mah family that I’m goin’ with you camping for a while. Sure, we were just camping, but that wasn’t real camping. I usually get off the farm for a while when I can. Too much time around apples tends to make you a bit wonky.”
“But why would you want to go there? Your counterpart does the exact same thing, at least that’s what Princess Twilight tells me.”
“Simple, sugarcube. I wanna know how this newfangled magic stuff works. Also, all my friends want to go, so I kinda hafta do my part.”
Brrrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnggggggg.
“Well, time for class. Seeya, Sunset.” Applejack said as she started walking towards school.
Sunset was starting to get a little bit worried. She was confident earlier that Applejack wouldn’t be able to spare the time. Now, she was slightly concerned. Still confident, but a little concerned.
That afternoon, Sunset was helping Twilight in her lab, doing…whatever it is Twilight does. Sunset honestly didn’t know what she did, or if it was even legal. She just helped clean up the messes and hold stuff.
Sunset decided to initiate this conversation, since if she didn’t, Twilight never would. “So, why do you want to go through the portal?”
Twilight meeped as if surprised, but calmed down quickly. “I want my counterpart to help me learn how to best use this magic. Also, so I can see something new and get something new to study.”
“Most solid reason I’ve heard so far. How will you make the time?”
“You act like my parents are really worried about me. They give me a lot of independence, just as long as I tell them what I’m doing. And before you ask, I’ll just tell them the truth. I haven’t really been able to hide the magic from them. They know about it, so I see no reason to hide the truth.”
“Wow. I guess most of us who live with our families can’t really keep it hidden. I bet AJ’s family knows about this, too. Maybe. Or not. She said she was going to say that we were going camping. So maybe not.”
“Or maybe her magic is just so subtle, they haven’t noticed it. Hers is just incredible strength when needed. Mine is levitation, teleportation, flight, and all sorts of different, flashy things. Naturally, it’s going to get noticed if you spend enough time around someone.” Twilight said to answer.
Sunset was hung up on one certain part. “You can teleport?” A flash, and Twilight appears on the other side of the room. “Yes, why do you ask?”
“It took me two years to learn how to teleport accurately back when I had magic! You learned it right away?!”
“It’s probably because my counterpart can teleport accurately.” Twilight explains.
“Ah.” This conversation went almost exactly how Sunset thought it would. Twilight would just plain out-logic her and win. Sunset knew that would happen, but she figured that someone wouldn’t be able to go. Also, ask Twilight if she can teleport accurately. She assumed yes, but assuming makes an ass of u and me, so make sure.
“Angel, get back here!” Sunset shouted, as she went to chase down the rabbit. Angel had somehow managed to get out of his pen, and was now running off towards what he assumed was freedom. Unfortunately, Fluttershy flew over and grabbed Angel, before depositing him into a different pen.
“Thanks, Fluttershy. Those wings must come in handy if any animals escape.”
“It’s only Angel here that I have to watch closely. Since I can talk with them, they don’t really misbehave. Angel here just isn’t very domesticated.” Fluttershy says.
“Oh. So, why do you want to go through the portal?” Sunset knew that Fluttershy wouldn’t initiate the conversation, much like Twilight wouldn’t.
“I want to see if the animals over there differ from the animals here. There must be some huge differences, and I want to see them for myself.”
“What about the animals? Who will take care of them while you’re gone?”
“I’ve asked Zephyr to take care of them. He can be a little lazy, but if the animals bother him too much, he caves in.”
Sunset now had to reevaluate the girls standing in front of her. How could someone so sweet and shy be so evil when she wants to be? “Damn, Fluttershy. That’s cold.”
“Well, he is my brother. And he’s lazy. And he always wants to know if any of you are single. So I justify my actions. As long as he feeds the animals, it won’t be terrible.”
“Wait, he WHAT?!!!!!”
It was now the day before summer vacation. Pinkie had given an answer in about three seconds. It sounded like “I’mgoingbecausetherewillbetwoofmethereandIwanttoknowwhatshedoestomakeotherpeoplehappybutIguessitwouldbeotherponiesofsomethinglikethatbutanywaysMauddoesn’treallycareshetendstokeeptoherselfandjustmakessuretokeepaneyeonmewhenIgotoapartyandtherestofmyfamilydon’tliveanywherenearthecityandtheydon’tknowaboutthemagicsotheywon’tsuspectanythingandIjustwanttogettherealreadysocanschoolpleeeeeeeeeaseend!!!!!!!!!!!!”
It had taken Sunset about fifteen minutes to comprehend what she had said. Then another thirty to reassure herself that time was indeed flowing normally. Now, she was just getting done with soccer practice with Rainbow. Rainbow was barely sweating, and didn’t have her necklace on. Sunset, meanwhile, was just glad she was a goalie. A backup goalie, but a goalie nonetheless.
Soccer was a bit odd. It was hard to play in the winter, but school was out during the summer. Fortunately, the schools have their own soccer clubs for those that are serious about it. Such as Rainbow Dash. Sunset was there just in case the goalie who started got hurt. Fortunately, it rarely happened, but she was ready if it does. It happened last year. She recorded a shutout and 3 goals allowed in three games.
Rainbow walked over towards her. “So, I heard through the grapevine that the others have convinced you. So now it’s my turn.”
“Okay, I guess. Why do you want to go over there?”
“To get used to flying. I know I’m awesome at it, but it feels weird. If I have me as a coach, I’ll learn how to do it in ten seconds flat. Or maybe longer. I’ve never learned how to fly before.”
“Hmmmm…okay. I can buy that, somewhat. But how will you explain it to your family?”
“My dad and mom are pro soccer players. The first month of vacation is always full of games. Usually about 7 for each during the month. They trust me enough to take care of myself then. They probably won’t even notice I’ll be gone. And if they do, I’ll just tell them that I was chilling with you all or something. I’ll make it up.”
“Does your family know about your super-sonic speed?”
“They know I’m faster, but they haven’t questioned it yet. As long as I don’t wear the necklace, I don’t have super-sonic speed, I’m just faster than normal.”
“Huh. I guess that you and Applejack are similar in that regard. She seems stronger than she used to even without her necklace on.”
“Seems legit. So, have I convinced you yet?”
“No. What about soccer? What about the games?”
“Our first game isn’t for a few weeks. The summer league doesn’t start right away.”
“Well, that does it. I guess I’m taking you all with me. Even if I think it’s a bad idea.”
Rainbow fistpumped, then snapped her necklace into place. “SWEET! Now to tell the rest of them the news. Be right back!” And she took off running towards the others.
Sunset just sighed in defeat. She had assumed that either Applejack or Rainbow Dash would not be able to come. That’s what she got for assuming. They all seemed dead set with coming. Twilight had even expressed her approval (Princess Twilight mind you), and now Sunset had no argument against any of them. For all of her skills as a manipulator, she didn’t have anything to work with.
Two days later, all the girls gathered around the statue in front of the school. Some would be surprised to see some students at school during summer vacation, but none of the seven there had any complaints.
Spike would be staying with Twilight’s family while she was gone. He had more than his fair share of complaints.
Sunset was just writing in the journal, telling Twilight that they were all there. In a few minutes, the portal would open, and they would jump through to a new world for six, and a return for the seventh.
“Now, before you go through, I should tell you about Equestria. I’ve told you about the whole “different species” and “general lack of clothes” stuff. Shouldn’t have to go over that again. But, I will tell you that most ponies don’t use their hooves to pick up stuff. It’s either their mouth or magic. Also, no meat. So Dash, no hamburgers, but they do have hayburgers. It will take a little while to get coordinated, since you will be a quadruped instead of a biped. And lastly, try not to freak out when you see someone who looks just like you. Now, do any of you have anything that has to do with technology, like a cell phone?” Six head shakes. “Good. Now, once Twilight opens the portal, don’t go rushing through all at the same time. It’s a little dizzying, so just give the person in front of you a chance to reorient before going through. The last thing we want is a massive pileup and someone getting hurt at the start. Oh, one more thing. Don’t say anybody or somebody. Say anypony or somepony. Or someone or anyone. Also, no horse related puns, please.”
“We get it, Sunset. Seriously, I feel like I’m going through airport security to go to an international game. We can handle it, don’t worry.” Rainbow said impatiently.
Just then, they heard a woosh, and the portal opened. They could tell because Fluttershy had been sitting against it, and almost fell through.
“Well, if any of you want to back out now, it’s your last chance.” No one made any moves to leave. “Alright, now all you have to do is walk through the portal, and you’ll be there. I’ll go first. See you on the flip side.” And Sunset stepped through the portal, to go back to the land she was born.
One by one, first Rainbow Dash, then Applejack, then Twilight, then Rarity, then Pinkie, then Fluttershy all went through the portal, into an entirely new world, with only vague ideas as to how the world worked.
Sunset stepped out of the portal with all of the grace that one can muster when you go from two legs to four.
She fell over in a heap.
After picking herself up, she looked around and saw that Twilight was waiting at the portal (Princess Twilight mind you), and upon eye contact, Twilight rushed over and hugged Sunset. “It’s been too long, Sunset.”
Sunset hugged back, after she figured out how to. “Definitely. But we should move from the portal. The others will be coming through shortly.”
Twilight quickly teleports the two of them a few feet away (Sunset just realized that Equestrian and Human measurements are the same, but ponies don’t have feet. Why is that?) and stand there, waiting for their friends.
It wasn’t long before Rainbow Dash came through the portal. The former girl now was a Pegasus, with her fur the same blue as her skin, and her mane the same rainbow that she doesn’t take care of. When she opens her eyes, the first thing she notices (at least to the best of my knowledge) is me and Twilight standing off towards the side. “It worked! Yes!” Rainbow shouts, and then hoof-pumps.
She then realizes that she has hooves.
“Okaaayyyy…so, this is normal now, I guess. Better get used to it.” She then attempts to stand. A little wobbly, but she stays upright. Then she tries walking. It doesn’t go well. Fortunately, her wings soon take over, and she begins hovering a few feet off the ground.
“At least this is instinct. Soooooo…I guess we wait here for the others?” She then flies over towards us, and sits down.
Next comes Applejack, who manages to land on her back. “Oof! Well, that was uncomfortable.” Her hat then lands on her face. “At least this came through.” She then rolls over, and sees the other three watching her.
“C’mon, AJ!” Rainbow says. “You can stand up. At least you should.”
Applejack, spurred on by Rainbow’s comments. Quickly stands up and trots over to the others. “Golly, you used to live like this? I say y’all just got some more respect from me, sugarcube.”
“Well, now you know what it was like when I first went through, AJ.” Sunset replied.
Not a second later, Twilight came through the portal (Human-turned-pony Twilight, mind you), looking every bit the dignified alicorn she was. She didn’t stumble a bit. Until she opened her eyes, and saw her counterpart standing just in front of her.
“Well, I suppose that is to be expected. Hello, um, me. I believe we have met.” Human Twilight says.
“Hello, Twilight. And yes, we have met. Nice glasses.”
Human Twilight was indeed wearing glasses. It looked odd, considering Pony Twilight didn’t wear any, but at least now there was a difference.
Anyways, Twilight teleports over to the other Twilight, and both go away from the mirror. Just in time, as Rarity was quick to come through. Unlike Twilight, she ends up absolutely making a fool of herself. She tumbled as she tripped over herself. When she finally stopped, she was laying right in front of the ponies already on this side.
“Ugh, watch that last step, it’s a doozy. Oh, hello girls. Mind helping a lady up?” Twilight (Pony Twilight mind you) lifted her up with her magic, and set her down on her hooves. “Thank you, darling. That is certainly an odd experience. It seemed to be unnatural, which I guess is to be expected, since it’s magical. Anyways, it is a pleasure to see you again, Twilight.”
Twilight didn’t even get a chance to respond, as Pinkie soon came flying out of the portal. Literally flying. She manages to bowl over the other girls, and soon all of the ponies (Two Twilights, a Rainbow, a Rarity, an AJ, and a Pinkie) were lying in a tangled heap.
“PINKIE!” The others shout.
“Sorry. I guess I came through a little too fast. Anyways, WOOHOO I MADE IT!!!” Pinkie immediately begins bouncing up and down, as if she had been a pony her whole life.
Both Twilights stare at her. “How does she do that?” They both say at the same time. They then look at each other, and giggle.
Finally, almost a minute later. Fluttershy comes out of the portal. She stumbles a little bit, but eventually gets the hang of walking.
“Good! We’re all here. Now, my friends are waiting in the throne room, so let’s go meet them.” Pony Twilight says.
Just as the group is about to leave, a pale-purple head with a horn and a purple mane with blue highlights stick through the door. “There you are, Twilight. The others are waiting for you. Are you co-“the mare then notices the ponies in the room. “ehhh…Twilight, what the buck is going on?”
Pony Twilight answers her. “Starlight, do you remember when I told you about the other world? Well, these are the counterparts of our friends from that other world. They’re visiting for a little while.”
Starlight blinks. Again. And again. “Ehhhhhhh…sure, if you say so. Well, the others are waiting, so we’d better go before Rainbow or Pinkie break something.” She then teleports away.
Rainbow looks at Twilight. “Would I do something like that?”
Sunset answers. “Yes. The school is lucky you don’t break stuff on a daily basis, thanks to all the sitting still you have to do.”
The eight ponies (human six, Pony Twilight, and Sunset) all make their way to the throne room. The six that weren’t born in Equestria are asking questions and getting used to their new bodies. Upon arrival, the ponies look in the throne room and see their exact counterparts sitting or flying (Rainbow was flying). Then, the doors open. The ponies inside look over at the ponies coming in, and immediately stop whatever they were doing.
The reactions are veried. Pony Rarity just can’t take her eyes off of the newcomers, her face not necessarily shock but more than surprised. Rainbow immediately gets a questioned look, wondering if these are rogue changelings or what. Applejack just looks at her counterpart, wondering how a pony can look exactly like her. Fluttershy tries to hide under the table. Starlight, already having seen this, is still suspicious, but doesn’t do anything yet. Pinkie does just what Pinkie would do in any situation.
Immediately, a party cannon goes off, and streamers and confetti rain down. A banner then hangs from the ceiling, saying “WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA, COUNTERPARTS!” Then a cake appears in the middle of the table.
Human Pinkie immediately smiles. “I like her!”
Pony Pinkie then runs right up to Human Pinkie. “Hello, me!”
“Hello, me!
“Want some cake?!”
“Who doesn’t?!”
“Somepony allergic to gluten. But we aren’t, so nopony!!”
“Hopefully you have enough cake, because I’m starved from all that interdimensional travel!”
“Silly, I have cake stashed all over Ponyville, in case of cake emergencies!”
The other ponies in the room just stare at the two. Words do not describe how doomed the universe is. There are two Pinkies, who get along, and seem to feed off each other’s happiness. The thought alone could kill, and then the diabetes would get everyone else afterwards.
Human Rainbow flies up to Pony Rainbow. “Dang. I look good as a pony.”
Pony Rainbow replies, “Thank you. How come we look exactly the same, even down to the cutie mark?”
“You are the same pony essentially. Both Rainbow Dash, but from different worlds.” Sunset explains as simply as possible. Pony Rainbow nods. “Ah. Wanna race?”
Human Rainbow, never one to back down from a challenge, says “Sure, just give me a chance to get used to this form.”
Pony Rainbow then holds out her hoof. Not really seeing what else to do, Human Rainbow bumps it with her own hoof.
The two Fluttershy’s manage to muster the courage and greet each other. “Um, hello.” Human Fluttershy murmurs.
“Hello.” Pony Fluttershy murmurs equally quietly.
“So, um, what sort of animals do you take care of? Oh, if you don’t mind me asking.” Human Fluttershy asks meekly.
It was as if someone had flipped a switch. Fluttershy immediately starts to go on and on about animals, and Fluttershy just soaks it all in. Back and forth the conversation goes, what they’re talking about, nopony knows.
Except it probably has to do with animals. 95% confident it was about animals.
The two Applejacks are eyeing each other up like one of them is about to start a fight. Then they both speak at the same time. “Sorry, it’s a mite worrying when you see somepony that looks just like yerself.” Then the two of them, realizing they have nothing to worry about, embrace their southern hospitality and start to talk about all sorts of things. Quite a few about the differences between worlds, but nothing too deep yet. Sheesh.
Pony Rarity and Human Rarity are both looking at each other as if they have something on their face. Eventually, Pony Rarity speaks first. “Oh, where are my manners? I am Rarity, though you probably knew that, and I am the premier designer here in Ponyville. And you are?”
“Well, I am Rarity” Human Rarity then bows “but you probably knew that, and I like to think of myself as one of the premier designers in Canterlot City. I managed to design a whole wardrobe while out camping a few weeks back, if that makes any difference.”
Pony Rarity bows back. “Why, it certainly does. That’s as impressive as me using shades in a hotel room to create a new line in a day, after getting my original ideas stolen. We really are similar, aren’t we?”
“Yes, I agree we are, but the styles are not.” Human Rarity replies. “Also, how do you run a business selling clothes when ponies don’t wear clothes that often?”
“Very very shrewdly. Fortunately, I have stores in Canterlot and Manehattan, and I’ve become one of the most well-known fashionistas in Equestria.” Rarity answers.
The conversation eventually goes towards fashion, and they proceed to tune out the rest of the world.
The Twilights, having met before, are just soaking in the different reactions. Human Twilight has one question though. “So, how come you don’t wear glasses, but I do? Is my eyesight really that bad?”
Pony Twilight has the answer. “Contacts. Don’t worry, I’ve become near-sighted with all the books I read. You probably aren’t any different.”
Now, Sunset Shimmer trotted over to Starlight Glimmer. “So, you must be Starlight Glimmer. Twilight’s written a lot about you. Messing with time and getting rid of cutie marks? Sort of reminds me of my exploits back in the day.”
Starlight Glimmer just shrugs. “Well, my best friend left when he got his cutie mark, and thus I blames cutie marks. As for messing with time, well, I just wanted revenge on Twilight. But that is nowhere near as impressive as what you have done. Defying Princess Celestia and using the Element of Magic to turn into a demon? That’s rather impressive.”
Sunset then got an idea. “Magic duel? After I get warmed up, of course.”
Starlight smiles widely. “Sure. Whenever Twilight and I fight, I can always tell she’s holding back. It’ll be nice to have somepony who is somewhere near my level. No disrespect intended towards Ponyville, but there aren’t very many high level magicians here.”
“It’s a deal.” Sunset then sticks out her hoof. Starlight returns the bump.
After about fifteen minutes, the ponies (14 of them) all gather around the cutie map. “Okay, so now that you’re all here, we need to set a few ground-rules.” The Princess in the room said. “First, where will all of you stay? I have plenty of rooms here in the castle, if you want to stay here.”
Pony Rainbow is the first to speak up. “My cloud mansion is plenty big for me and me here. Rainbow can stay with me.”
Pony Fluttershy is the next to speak up. “Um, if Fluttershy here wouldn’t mind, um, she c-could sleep on my couch if she wanted to.”
Human Fluttershy stutters, “W-well sure, that would b-be lovely.”
Pinkie Pie (they were moving around so much that nopony could tell the difference) then offered Pinkie Pie to stay with her. “It’ll be just like camping! Except for no fire!”
Human Pinkie (assuming here) bounces in place. “Sure thing, me! I’d love to camp with you!”
Human Twilight then says, “I’ll be staying at the castle, then.”
Sunset pipes in “I will too. If Glimmer here can handle me.”
Starlight replies sarcastically. “Ha ha ha, you act like you are a terrible pony to be around.”
Pony Rarity then said, “Well, Sweetie Belle is off with her friends on a field trip to congratulate completing middle school, so Rarity here can sleep in her room for a while.”
“Thank you, darling. Wait, if we are the same, then when I compliment you, I’m technically complimenting me. So is it seen as egotistical?”
Rainbow groans. “Seriously, Rarity? Why do you get bothered by stuff like that? I like to compliment myself all the time, and that was before I had another me to compliment.”
Human Twilight then points out. “Even if you think it’s egotistical, you can’t just not compliment someone. It’s in your nature. Well, both of yours.”
Human Rarity then shrugs. “Oh well. Even if I come off as full of myself, it’s nowhere near what Rainbow is. So I guess I can deal with it.”
Finally, Pony Applejack says “I don’t think AJ here can stay with me. Even if Bloom’s gone, Granny and Big Mac are still there. How the hay am I gonna explain to them there are two o’me? So, sorry, me, but you can’t stay in my house. Much as I would like it, but sorry, sugarcube.”
Human AJ then replies “Well, if your farm is big enough, I could just camp out somewhere you aren’t working right now. I haven’t really camped in a long time.”
Pony AJ nods. “Sure. The north field doesn’t have anything out there, so you could stay there if ya want.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Sunset then points out something rather important. “What happens if somepony sees the two copies of you? I don’t have that problem, but you do. What then?”
All 14 of them begin thinking of ways to prevent this. Eventually, Pony Rainbow comes up with the solution. “Blame Twilight.” Upon receiving puzzled looks, she explains. “Twilight is always trying different magical stuff. We just say that something went wrong and now there are two of us. Since this is Ponyville, ponies won’t question it. It’s simple.”
Pony Twilight nods. “Surprisingly, Rainbow’s idea makes sense. Ponies here in Ponyville are surprisingly accepting of the weird. Not much surprises us anymore.”
“And I can say I’m here from out of town, which is technically the truth.” Sunset adds.
“Alright! Now, it’s been a long day, and half of us have been through a portal. All in favor of hitting the hay raise your hoof.” Pony Twilight says. 13 other hooves shoot up. “Motion carried. See you tomorrow.”
Fortunately, Spike can cook. Otherwise, the four mares living in the castle would be screwed.
While Spike was in the kitchen making pancakes, the two Twilights, Sunset, and Starlight were all talking magic. Mostly for Human Twilight’s sake.
“Ugh, I’m so out of practice.” Sunset complained.
“Don’t worry, I’m not really good at anything complex, either.” Starlight attempted to comfort.
“Says the mare that almost beat the Alicorn Element of Magic in a straight up fight.” Sunset fired back. “Princess, how did she manage to beat you? Without any formal training?”
“Well, it wasn’t exactly straight up.” Princess Twilight replied. “Remember, I had to protect Filly Rainbow Dash from being stopped, protect myself, since if I lost, she could stop Rainbow, try to stop Starlight here, which is difficult since she has a ton of magical potential, and not make it so flashy that Rainbow would stop flying to see the fight that was going on. Starlight, however, just had to go on the offense, either stopping me, or stopping Rainbow. Hardly a fair fight.”
“So, you’re telling me you haven’t sparred since?” Sunset asks in disbelief.
“Oh, we have, but Twilight’s always holding back. Which is why I’m glad you’re here. Somepony who’s good at magic, but also just a unicorn and not an alicorn with nearly unlimited magical potential.” Starlight answers.
Human Twilight, not really knowing a thing about magic (other than too much is a bad thing), leans over to her counterpart, and says, “Could you teach me about magic? I’m completely lost here.”
“No problem, Twilight.” The Princess replies. “So, what’s been going on over there, Sunset?”
“Well, after the Friendship games, school settled down. Twilight had transferred, but nothing really changed. Until we went to Camp Everfree. There was another magical mishap while we were there. The camp director, Gloriosa Daisy, found some magical geodes, and using their power, tried to save her camp by keeping us all there. Unfortunately for her, those geodes were all connected to us. Using these newfound magical powers, we stopped her. After the fight, the geodes turned into necklaces, which we all have kept ever since.”
“That sounds fun.” Twilight says sarcastically. “About as fun as being captured by changelings.”
“Pancakes are done!” Spike called out. Immediately, four ponies teleported into the kitchen, grabbed some pancakes, and teleported away again. “Should I make more?”
The only answer he got was the sound of food being eaten really quickly. “I’ll take that as a yes. Ugh.” Spike then began to go through the process of making pancakes all over again.
Out in the dining room, all conversation had ceased. Not that anypony could hear over the sound of eating. Five minutes later, after all four of them ate their pancakes, Princess Twilight asked Sunset a question that probably should have been asked a long time ago.
“Where’s your counterpart, Sunset?”
Sunset gave a massive spit take of orange juice, then replied, “From what I can remember, she was going to some prestigious private high school out of state. At least, that’s what principal Celestia said when I asked. Turns out, she went to Canterlot middle school, but instead of going to High, she went somewhere that would challenge her. So, for the record, I haven’t met her yet.”
“Have you met somepony like me yet?” Starlight asked.
“No, not yet. But, given just how my luck is, when we get back, we’ll have to deal with someone like you harnessing magic that they shouldn’t have. It seems like a common theme.”
The four sat there for a second, before Human Twilight piped in. “C’mon, girls. Let’s not worry about what will happen when we go back. This is our time to relax.”
“I agree, me. I’ll teach me over here how to use magic, while the two of you” Twilight points a hoof at Sunset and Starlight “can go see the town, and get to know each other, since the two of you are the least introduced.”
“Deal.” Sunset and Starlight said at the same time.
Princess Twilight then snickers. “I think the two of you will get along, as Rarity would put it, famously.”
“More pancakes!” Four flashes, then four more flashes, and each mare has more pancakes.
“We’ll split up after we finish breakfast, agreed?” Three nods. “Good.”
Sunset and Starlight were walking through town at a leisurely pace, not going to any place in particular. Sunset is soaking it all in. “Dang, this seems like a good place to live. I’m kinda jealous.”
“Don’t worry, this town has had its fair share of calamities. I was almost one of them.” Starlight replies.
“Really? One, stop beating yourself up. It isn’t healthy. Two, how much has happened here?”
“Well, since Twilight moved here, there has been Nightmare Moon’s return, Discord, and Tirek that have come to Ponyville, and a Changeling invasion and the return of the Crystal Empire. Needless to say, there have been several world ending incedents, and almost every week, something odd happens here. Ponyville has been the center of weird for the last few years. The ponies here are immune to it now.”
Sunset felt her jaw go slack. “H-how? How much can one town have happen?”
“Clearly, a ton.”
Shit. Now I’m not sure I want to stick around here for long. “Okay…so, anywhere in particular you want to show me?”
“Sure. Let’s go to Sugarcube Corner. There oughta be something crazy going on. The two Pinkie’s should really be monitored at all times.” Starlight then leads Sunset to the (surprisingly edible-looking) building in the middle of a plaza.
“Why’s it called Sugarcube Corner if it is in the middle of a plaza?” Sunset asks.
Starlight shrugs. “Ask the Cakes. That’s your best hope for an answer.”
The two unicorns walked into the building to find a Pinkie running the register. “Hey, Sunset! What’cha doin’?”
“Hey, Pinkie. Starlight’s showing me around town. Just wanted to see how it was going here. Are you…my Pinkie, or Starlight’s Pinkie?”
“I have no idea!”
“Me neither!”
The second voice came from the kitchen.
Sunset looks at Starlight. Then proceeds to trot back into the kitchen. “Pinkie, are you messing with me?”
“Nope!”
“Then what happens when one of you has to go back?!”
“Don’t worry, Shimmy. You can tell us apart by which one drinks coffee. The one from the other side drinks coffee, the one from here doesn’t. Any other time, we’re interchangeable! Make sense?”
Dear sweet Celestia, please smite me now. “Sort of? Kinda? Not really? I dunno.”
Starlight then pops in. “Sunset, I don’t know how well you know Pinkie, but she won’t do anything over the top just for the sake of a prank. Don’t worry.” Sunset sighed in relief. “But, Pinkie, what happened to the Cakes? Where are they?”
“I think they’re going to the doctor’s, to see how Pound and Pumpkin are doing. Don’t worry, they’ve already learned about this. We blamed Twilight.”
Starlight nods. “Atta girl. Just make sure you don’t break the fabric of the universe of something like that. Oh! Could we get two scones? One blueberry and one…”
“…strawberry.” Sunset finished.
“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Both Pinkies reply. “Now, get outta the kitchen! A baker’s gotta have her secrets!”
Before either unicorn knew exactly what was going on, they found themselves at a table in front of the bakery. It took the two of them a full five minutes to recover from what can only be called “Pinkie doing stuff”, and by then, the scones had come out.
Those poor scones didn’t stand a chance.
The two unicorns then went towards Carousel Boutique, about an hour before it opened, to see how the Raritys were doing. Sunset knocked on the door, and hear a distant “Come in, darling!”
Upon opening the door, the two mares saw a mess. All of Pony Rarity’s clothes were shoved into a corner, and the two white mares (dammit that sounded racist) were busy looking over drawings. Some of ponies and some of humans. All with different designs of clothes. Fabric was thrown all over the place, and Opal (Rarity’s cat) was hiding under a pile of light blue fabric.
The two ponies walking in just stood there in shock. One Rarity lifted her head. “Hello, Starlight, Sunset! Would you mind helping us? We appear to have a bit of a problem.”
Not suspecting anything malicious, the two walked over towards the twins. Then, there was a whirlwind of fabric and needles. Before the two of them could form any response, there were standing in a couple of nearly exactly alike dresses.
“You see, girls, we made these dresses for the two of you, but we can’t decide whether we should have the orange go with Sunset, to highlight her coat, or on Starlight, to contrast with her coat. We tried drawing it out, but the pictures didn’t really do you justice. So we needed you two to show up. Now, what do the two of you think?”
Both Sunset and Starlight said “uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…no clue.”
The two Raritys sighed. “We figured as much. Nonetheless, we will determine it ourselves. Now, would the two of you please turn around? Give us a turn, let us see.”
While the two of them were turning, Sunset asked the two fashionistas, “Why are our dresses nearly completely alike, and with the only differences being our coat colors?”
Two white faces turn red, then both Raritys sputter. “Well darlings-“
“You see-“
“The two of you-“
“Are so similar-“
“That the inspiration-“
“Led to similar-“
“Dresses.”
Starlight just facehooves. “So, you made our dresses alike, simply because we are alike?” The two fashionistas nod. “Are the two of you trying to hook us up?”
“OK NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT WHY WOULD WE DO THAT DON’T BE SILLY STARLIGHT WE WOULD NEVER TRY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!” The two accused mares yelled really fast, in a tone that said “liar”.
A Fluttershy stuck her head in the window and said “Yes, they are. They were talking about it all last night.”
“Thank you, Fluttershy.” Starlight said in an unnervingly even tone. “Now, Rarity, what were you saying?”
Human Rarity took the stage. “Well, darlings, the two of us couldn’t help but notice just how similar the two of you are. Beyond the whole “Former villain defeated by Twilight” thing. Your mannerisms are so similar. You both use the same amount of snark, sarcasm, and deadpan. You both have very similar Cutie Marks, and your likes and dislikes are extremely similar. At least from what Rarity here told me about you, Starlight. Pretty much to a T. If it wasn’t for the fact that Sunset is a native Equestrian, I would say the two of you are counterparts much like me and me here.”
Pony Rarity, meanwhile, looked at Fluttershy and said, “How did you know what we were talking about?”
The Fluttershy managed to mumble “We followed you home” before eeping and flying away as fast as she could go.
The two mares being hooked up looked at each other. Then began to compare. “Favorite fruit?”
“Apple. Favorite sport?”
“Hoofball. Favorite bedtime story as a foal?”
“Mare in the Moon. Favorite dessert?”
“Anything made by Pinkie Pie.”
The two went back and forth. The two Raritys, sensing they shouldn’t interrupt the bonding moment (after all, they wanted this to happen) decided to continue working on the dresses. Finally, the Starlight asked the final question.
“Favorite mare?”
“You.”
“Ditto.”
The two of them realized that they were being watched. Human Rarity then said “Now kiss!”
Both Starlight and Sunset blushed. “Erm, sorry, but this seems a bit quick. I mean, we just met face to face for the first time yesterday.”
Pony Rarity then announces a deal. “We won’t let you leave unless you kiss. Now Kiss!”
“And how exactly to you plan to stop the two of us, one of us having defeated Twilight, and the other a former student of Celestia?”
“Simple. We brought the Twilights in for backup. They’re outside right now, waiting for either of you to make an escape attempt.”
“FUCK YOU, RARITY!” Both Sunset and Starlight shouted. Then Sunset pecked Starlight on the cheek.
“Erm, no offense, girls, but that was pretty terrible. Kiss on the lips, and HOLD IT THERE!”
Both Sunset and Starlight groaned. Then they faced each other, and did a full on kiss, just like the Raritys wanted.
On the outside, the two of them looked like they were enjoying it. On the inside, however, one thought was going between the two minds.
Rarity, you had better sleep with one eye open from now on. I’m not afraid of going back to my bad girl ways.
As the two mares left the building, they immediately saw the Twilights standing there, smirking at each other. The next second, the two Twilights were shielding themselves from the two angry mares assaulting them.
“WHAT THE FUCK, TWILIGHT?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?!” Both yelled at the purple alicorns.
“C’mon, you two. This seems a little over the top.” Human Twilight attempted to appease the two mares.
Starlight and Sunset then stop their assault for a second. “Really?! We were just forced to kiss! We were literally held captive until we kissed. I’ve still got her toothpaste flavor in my mouth! Don’t play innocent on me, Princess!” Starlight yelled.
Princess Twilight then said her piece. A very short piece. “Did you two not like it?”
Their response was two incredibly powerful beams of energy, one light blue, and one emerald green. When the smoke cleared, the two non-look-alike mares had teleported away.
In one of the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, two mares flashed into existence. Both then screamed in frustration.
After five straight minutes of venting anger, the two finally calmed down. They then began plotting how to deal with the others when they went back to town. After a while, it went to small talk. Soon after that, Sunset asked Starlight a question. “Was it really that bad?”
“In and of itself, no. The circumstances were terrible. Why do you ask?”
“Maybe they have a point. We are literally the only pairing that isn’t exact copies. And besides, it’s just been a day. I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you.”
Starlight ponders the options. “I guess. I mean, it’s not like we have to stay a couple if it goes downhill. But do we admit defeat?”
“Absolutely not. This will be an ‘under-cover’ thing. The last thing we need is the Twilights and Raritys gloating like Rainbow would.”
“Speaking of Rainbow, where are they?”
“If your Rainbow Dash is anything like mine, the two of them are busy competing against each other, even though my Rainbow isn’t used to being a pony.” Sunset offered as an explanation.
“And we have.”
Both unicorns jumped up in surprise, then looked upwards. The two rainbow maned pegasi were sitting on a cloud, a few hundred feet up.
“Turns out that we are almost exactly the same. Now, me here, being native, is a bit faster, but physically, we’re identical.”
Pony Rainbow then waves. “C’mon, Starlight. Get up here.”
Sunset looked at Starlight funnily. “How do you plan to get up there?”
Starlight then levitates herself. “Simple. I’ll cheat.”
As Starlight begins floating up towards them, Sunset then flares her horn up. Soon, Sunset is rising (errrrrrrrrrr…) into the air with them.
The key difference is Sunset is flying using some flaming wings.
Pretty cool, right?
The other three mares look at her. Sunset shrugs. “Fire is kinda my thing. I modeled these wings off of a phoenix. You can stop gaping. And before you ask, Dash, I can’t really fly fast.”
Starlight then asks, “Where’s AJ? Oops, AJs?”
“I think the two of them were working on the farm. Seriously, even while she’s on vacation, AJ can’t stop working.” Pony Rainbow asks.
“Hey, Starlight!” said Sunset.
“Yeah?”
“Remember how Rarity was saying we are basically identical?”
“Yeah?”
“Well, what if we got an illusion done, so we looked like each other, and see how long it would take before somepony spotted the difference.”
“Sounds fun! And sounds like great revenge on Rarity.”
The two Rainbows grin evilly. “We can keep a secret. Don’t worry. I can get you something by tomorrow.”
“Sure. As long as you get it legally.” Starlight says with a hint of concern in her voice.
“Don’t worry. Nothing illegal. Just pulling a favor. Tonight, sleep with your windows open. We’ll deliver the goods tonight. Tomorrow morning, you’ll have a top quality illusion. With an instruction manual.” Pony Rainbow says.
The ponies of Ponyville weren’t very surprised to see two Pinkie Pies running Sugar Cube Corner. They’d dealt with upwards of 50 Pinkies before. Besides, if it meant they could get their sweets twice as fast, then they were all for it.
Besides, if they had something to do, they wouldn’t break the fabric of reality. As often.
It had been a few days since Sunset and her friends came over to visit. By now, the 14 ponies involved had gotten into a rhythm. For the Pinkies, it was open up shop, have human Pinkie run the register, and pony Pinkie make the goods. The conversations they had were somewhere between ‘why is this a thing’ and ‘the universe exploded’. They once had a debate on who could eat more, a sumo wrestler or a regular wrestler. It went for four hours.
Today, it was simple. Ice cream.
“Whatdya mean, you don’t like strawberry?”
“I mean I like blueberry, duh!”
“Blueberry? Bleh!” Pinkie then made a gag-me motion with her hoof.
“HEY! Them’s fightin’ words.”
“Yeah, them’s fightin’ words.”
A glob of Strawberry ice cream went flying through the air, in the direction of the Pinkie running the register. She quickly ducked onto the other side. “This means war!” She then grabbed the same glob of ice cream, and flung it back at her opponent.
The Pinkie in the back looked at her ammo. Some pies in the refrigerator, a cake, and five gallons of ice cream, with two scoops. Perfect for subduing her opponent.
The Pinkie at the register looked at her ammo. Scones, doughnuts, and candy canes. Plus whatever Pinkie threw at her. Perfect for subduing her opponent.
They both took a minute to gather their supplies. The customers in the front were wondering what was going to happen.
Then, all hell broke loose.
The Pinkie in the back threw a pie at the Pinkie out front. It sailed over her head, and hit a stallion in the flank. The other Pinkie threw a scone. While it missed her opponent, it did hit a bag of flour. Said bag dumped its contents all over the Pinkie in the back.
Now, it was Pink Pinkie vs. White Pinkie. FIGHT!
Several more pies and scones flew through the air. Most of the customers were not concerned. They’d seen Pinkie throw stuff before. They would only be concerned if they were too close to the target.
Pink went to her candy cane stash. There were a lot of those. White, meanwhile, went towards her ice cream. Plenty.
The next few minutes were a deadly exchange between sugar in crystalized form, and sugar in cream form. There were many a casualty. The customers were caught in the crossfire. Apparently, they were too close. They ran screaming out of the building.
Meanwhile, the Pinkies were taking heavy hits to their armies. White was down to her last gallon of ice cream, while Pink was down to about 10 candy canes. They could not mourn just yet. Their opponent was still standing.
Pink threw her candy canes at White, and as soon as she ran out, began flinging doughnuts. White, however, managed her ice cream. All she had after that was a cake. Perfect for finishing a fight.
Unfortunately for White, she took a doughnut to the face. Now white and covered in frosting on her face, the Pinkie then set a trap.
Pink, ready to seize victory, leaped over the counter, flinging doughnuts all the while. She made it over towards White, and stood above her. “Admit Defeat!”
“Never!” Then White sprang her trap. She hip-checked the fridge, and the cake of top fell down on the two of them.
It was a full five minutes before the two of them could get out. What they saw was an absolute warzone. There was frosting everywhere, crumbs in all the nooks and crannies, and the register was covered in ice cream. Needless to say, it was a mess.
Of course, that was when the Cakes walked in.
…
“PINKIES!!!!!!!”
The two Pinkies were now cleaning up after their war. Neither could determine who won, so they called it a draw. A very sticky draw, but a draw nonetheless.
Starlight walked in while they were cleaning. Sunset was…somewhere.
“What happened here?”
Both Pink and White spoke at the same time. “Wellyouseeweweretryingtofigureoutwhichflavorwasthebeststrawberryorblueberryandwecouldn’tdecidesowedecidedtostartflingingpastriesandicecreamandweeventuallycalleditadrawbecausewebothgotcoveredincakeandthentheCakeswalkedinandsawallthismessandtoldustocleanupwithouthelpsosorrydon’teventhingaboutitMrs.Cakeispsychicandwillknowifyouhelpussodon’teventry.” They said all in one breath.
Starlight got a panicked look on her face. “That was a little creepy. Well, good to see you two kept yourselves entertained today. I’m going to leave, so you two can keep cleaning.” Starlight then went back out the door. A fair bit faster than when she came in.
That night, Rainbow Dash was making a delivery. As stealthily as she could, she made her way up towards Starlight’s window. She tapped it several times. It opened up, and she flew in. “Starlight, I’ve gotten the goods. Here” she sets down a bottle of liquid “is the disguise for you. This one” she then sets down another bottle “is for Sunset. Now, these two” she then puts down two bottles of a clear liquid “are for taking them off. Whenever you’re ready, you drink your respective disguises, and then when either you get done, or get caught, you drink the other one and it takes off the disguise. Simple?”
“Very. Thank you, Rainbow.”
“No problem, Starlight. Always happy to fund a prank.” Rainbow then flew away.
Sunset climbed out from under the bed. “So, that’s it?”
“Yup. So, should we drink it right away?”
Sunset debated for a minute. “No. I’m still a little lost here in Ponyville. So let’s wait a few days.”
“What’s with the glasses?” The princess asked the scientist.
The two Twilights were just starting to compare notes between worlds and seeing if there was any correlation besides the inhabitants. Naturally, the differences even between the counterparts were making themselves known. Such as the fact that one Twilight wore glasses, whereas one didn’t.
“These are for my nearsightedness. If I take them off, I can’t see more than a few feet in front of me. What about you? Why don’t you wear glasses?” The scientist asked the princess.
“I don’t need them.” Was the blunt response.
“Are you sure? You might be surprised by the results.” The scientist chose her words perfectly.
“Well, for knowledge’s sake.” The princess gingerly grabbed the glasses off the scientist’s face before setting them on the bridge of her nose. She then blinked. Twice. “Oh wow! Everything’s so clear!”
The scientist’s jaw dropped. “You mean you didn’t realize you had bad eyesight for HOW long?!”
“All my life! I just assumed it was normal. Clearly, I was wrong.” The princess replied with a wink.
The scientist groaned and rolled her eyes at the pun. “Har dee har har, sooooooo clever, princess.”
Deciding to ignore the sarcasm, the princess immediately called out. “SPIIIIKE!”
The baby dragon (but don’t tell him I called him that) immediately walked in. “You didn’t have to yell, Twilight. I was right outside.”
“I figured you were in your room reading a comic book.” The princess answered honestly.
The scientist stared at the dragon. The dragon that had the same colors as her dog.
“I had to be here in case something went wrong as a result of you two comparing notes between universes.”
“Like what?”
“The thought of you two trying to figure something out between universes which wasn’t supposed to be found, which could have blended our worlds together or just collapsed the multi-verse in on itself until all universes were destroyed.” Spike explained. Both Twilights looked at him as if he was crazy. “I read it in a comic book, sheesh.”
“Spike, really, what are the chances of that happening?”
“About as great as Chrysalis disguising as Cadence, or Tirek escaping Tartarus in the day that Cerberus was gone, or a pony being able to steal cutie marks, or the same pony being reformed after nearly shattering time, or Chrysalis capturing all of us except for Starlight, and then Starlight managing to defeat Chrysalis and convert the changelings, or the fact that you went to another world after your element was stolen and managed to win a popularity contest despite only being there for two days and then having to go back to defeat something StarSwirl the Bearded decided to chuck over there that was feeding off of the magic you and Sunset inadvertently brought there. Do you want me to continue, or have I fully convinced you that just because something is unlikely, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to happen, especially when you are involved.” Spike finally takes a breath. “How does Pinkie do that?”
The scientist stared over at the princess. “That all actually happened?”
“He missed the fact that an empire reappeared after a thousand years, and he missed the fact that we stopped Nightmare Moon, but yeah, all that really happened.” The princess replied.
“And I thought my life was hectic. Trying to balance research, school, and friendship is really tough. I barely sleep some nights.” The scientist sighs in exasperation.
“Same here. I don’t sleep several nights a week, just so I can get some actual science done around here.” The princess echoes the scientist’s sigh.
“Science? You mean that science actually is a thing in a world where magic can break the rules?” The scientist asks excitedly.
“Why wouldn’t it be? There are rules, therefore there is science. Magic even follows its own set of rules.” The princess explains.
“I REEEALY need your help, then. We’ve been trying to experiment on us when our magic happens, but we can’t make heads nor tails of it. I want to get it figured out because not knowing something is KILLING ME!” The scientist cries out.
The princess smiles brightly. “I’d be happy to help! *gasp* Spike, set me up an appointment for the nearest ophthalmologist so I can get some glasses.” Spike nods and dashes off, eager to get his work done so he actually could read comic books. “So, when should I come over?” The princess asks.
“The equipment is at the school, so whenever this impromptu vacation ends would be fine.” The scientist answers. “In the meantime, there is still some comparing and contrasting to do.”
“Verily.”
“Wait, pony R. D. is a member of the military, and human R. D. is an athlete? How do those compare together?”
“I think it’s mostly just the personalities that compare. Both are physically fit, maybe aren’t the best students, love going fast and being awesome, and tend to charge into a problem head first. They probably can’t do the same roles because our worlds are just that different. The others just happen to be in roles that both worlds have.” The princess states.
“Fashionista, veterinarian, party planner slash assistant chef slash reality breaker, and a farmer. Then that leaves us, with you being a part of royalty, whereas I am just going to be a scientist, which can also be explained as a difference between worlds, as the country we live in doesn’t have royalty, and royalty can’t be earned by sprouting wings.” The scientist muses out loud. “Have you ever figured out exactly how Pinkie Pie works?”
The princess immediately starts backing away. “NONONONONONONONONONO NOT DOING THAT AGAIN NOPE SO MUCH NOPE! DON’T RESEARCH PINKIE PIE AT ALL!!!”
The scientist briefly considers asking why, then thinks better of it. “Okaaayyyy… what else can we compare?”
Sometime that evening
“Twilight! Are you here?” Starlight calls out.
“Yeah, Twilight. Can you hear us?” Sunset yells into the castle.
Spike walks into the entryway. “They’re in the research room.”
“Which one was that again?” Starlight asks.
“Starlight, you’ve been living here for several months now, you should know where stuff is.”
“I’ve tried mapping this place, but it doesn’t seem to want to be mapped.”
“Down that hall” Spike points “and take the third left, then the second right, and you should be there. Be quiet, I think there’s some hardcore studying going on.” Spike says with a shudder.
“Thanks for the warning.” Sunset says, before following Starlight down the hall that Spike pointed at.
After almost missing their turn, the two mares knock before opening the door to the research room. Hearing no answer, the two quietly open the door. Inside, the two Twilights are sleeping at the table, with one pair of glasses in the middle and several hundred sheets of paper surrounding the sleeping mares. Sunset and Starlight quickly retreat out of the room, before attempting to find their way back to their respective bedrooms.
It took almost an hour to find their rooms, during which Starlight and Sunset swapped notes with each other about their exploits.
Both quickly fell asleep once they found their rooms. It had only been a day and they had been busy exploring the town, with Starlight guiding and Sunset following closely. After having walked around all day, they both were extremely tired.
“Do you have any idea where our counterparts are? It seems like every single pony in Ponyville has one at Canterlot High, but we don’t. I think we should be a bit more worried.” Starlight explains.
Sunset shrugs her shoulders, “I dunno, guess I’ve never really thought of it. But maybe the fact that we aren’t from Ponyville is the important part. From what I’ve learned in geography class, Earth is a lot bigger than Equestria. I think we still have counterparts, but they are not in the city we know because we aren’t from Ponyville.”
“So why is everyone in Ponyville there if the mirror was originally in Canterlot and then got moved to the Crystal Empire?”
“From what Twilight’s told me, there are Canterlot counterparts in the human world, they mostly attend Crystal Prep.” Sunset answers.
“But you are from Canterlot, so it would be assumed that your counterpart is there as well.”
“But I’m not from Canterlot, I’m from a little town out in the middle of nowhere and the only reason I ever went to Canterlot is because I nearly burned down the town as a child, at least that’s what I’ve been told.”
“Oh…well, have you ever searched for them?” Starlight asks.
“Why would I go searching for myself if I want to keep my identity?” Sunset asks back.
“Seriously, Sunset? I was only there for a few days and even I know that you can search up almost anything on those ‘computer’ things.” Starlight sighs in exasperation.
Sunset blinks, then brings her hoof up to her head. “HOW did I forget that?!”
Now Starlight shrugs her shoulders. “Forgetting the obvious is a common mistake. Twilight does it all the time. I almost think she has a talent for it.”
Three fillies, all together in a treehouse on an apple farm, suddenly got a wonderful idea.
“Anyways, I will probably do that once I go back, because right now, I’m on vacation with a mare who understands me. Us reformed villains need to stick together, don’t we?” Sunset smirks.
“You’ve got that right!” Starlight cheers.
“I agree wholeheartedly.”
The bacon maned unicorn let out a startled “EEEP!!” and jumped several inches into the air. Starlight and the newcomer quickly doubled over laughing. “It’s NOT funny!” Sunset cries out. She then takes a closer look at the newcomer and seems to get a sense of déjà vu. “You used to be a statue, weren’t you? I think that’s where I remember you.”
The creature that appeared was easily three times taller than the average pony, it had a goat head with two different horns, one representing a deer antler. His torso was a dark brown color, and his hands were a lion paw on one side and an eagle talon on the other. He had a Pegasus and a thestral wing on his back, and he had a horse hoof as one foot and a scaly foot on the other side. His tail was dragon like. Put it all together, and you get a creature that looks like it shouldn’t be physically possible. However, the draconequus never took physics.
The newcomer chuckled. “I certainly remember you, Sunset. Your head was so chaotic you almost freed me then and there. But that’s in the past, and I heard we have something in common now, goody!”
Discord snapped his claws, and the three were suddenly in the Map room. All three of them were wearing a bright red vest that had the acronym FVNRC. “I welcome both of you to the first meeting of the Former Villain, Now Reformed Club. As the clubs founder, I do believe I will get started with each of us comparing just how truly villainous we were, so we can commiserate in our past exploits. I shall go first. I tormented ponykind over a thousand years ago before being turned into a statue, then once I was released, I started to do the same before yet again being turned into a statue. I was later released on parole and looked after by Fluttershy, but when Tirek was released, I sided with him hoping I could reclaim my former glory, and that went incredibly poorly. Now I’m such a common sight around Ponyville that most ponies don’t run screaming from me anymore.”
Starlight, just going along with Discord at this point, went next. “Well, after my only fillyhood friend moved away after getting his cutie mark, I became spiteful of cutie marks, and then attempted to erase them all. I figured out a way to do it, and successfully stole all of the cutie marks there were. When Twilight and her friends visited, I successfully stole their cutie marks, but they revealed that I still had my cutie mark, which turned the village against me. I escaped, but not before the bearers regained their cutie marks. I then figured out how to go back in time, and figured that if I went back and prevented the Sonic Rainboom, then Twilight and her friends couldn’t stop me. Unfortunately, that would have ended up destroying the world. I was shown that I didn’t have to do that by Twilight, and I shortly began my friendship studies. Now, I’ve saved Equestria from the Changelings and successfully reformed all the changelings except for Queen Chrysalis, who is still somewhere out there.”
Sunset, starting to get into the spirit of this exercise, decided to spill her villainy. “After breaking and entering the royal libraries in order to find magic to be able to become an alicorn, I escaped punishment by using a mirror to a different world. I then became a bully and ruled the school for several years before I snuck back into Equestria and stole the Element of Magic. Twilight chased me down and after a couple of days, had somehow become more popular than me, so then I stole the crown and transformed into a she-demon that enslaved the whole high school, before being blasted with a friendship rainbow. Now I’ve saved the school from Sirens, an alternate Twilight that was hopped up on stolen magic, and a camp leader who was so desperate to keep the camp, she tried using magic to get what she wanted. And right now I’m on vacation.”
Discord clapped his mismatched hands together. “See? We’ve all done some bad, but we’ve also done some good as well. Now, I also heard from a certain Pegasus that you two were planning on fighting. Should I advertise it around town, or no?”
The two mares looked at each other, before shrugging. “Why not? Just put a waiver that says deflected spells may cause bodily harm, slight pain, and the occasional transformation into a random creature. That way we won’t get sued by anypony.” Starlight adds.
Discord shuddered. “I thought all ponies were kind and benevolent. Then I watched a court case. The pure savageness was so chaotic I nearly exploded.” He then burst his body into pieces. “That would have been a huge mess.”
Sunset picked up Discord’s head. “Schedule it for two days from now. I should be ready to go then.”
A bright flash later, and Discord reassembled himself and was carrying a bunch of flyers. “Consider it done, combatants! I will see you two in a couple of days.” After that, he disappeared.
The two mares looked at each other. “Wanna grab something to eat?” Starlight asks.
