After messing around with the crystal mirror, Evening Star and Discordia accidentally tear a rift between two worlds. Theirs, and the world you all know.
After messing around with the crystal mirror, Evening Star and Discordia accidentally tear a rift between their world, and the world of Twilight and her friends. In order for things to return to normal, it'll take the help of some new, yet familiar friends in order to fix it.
In the modest confines of the Golden Oak Library, Evening Star, Nightfall Shine's new pupil, was intensely inspecting the full length mirror that he'd brought up from Nightfall's basement lab. He moved a hoof over the glass, finding it to remain as firm as any other piece of glass.
"Hmm, interesting." He muttered.
"What is?"
Evening Star let out a startled yelp and fell backwards, landing firmly onto the floor. He gazed up at the floating figure now snickering at him. The figure in question was a female Draconequus with long, thick wavy locks cascading past her shoulders.
Nightfall narrowed his eyes at her. "Discordia."
"My my, Evening, the way you frown makes you look just like Nightfall when he gets angry. It seems that the apprentice is quickly becoming more and more like his mentor." She said, conjuring a handkerchief and wiping a mock tear from her eye.
"What are you doing here, Discordia?" Asked Evening, getting back up onto his hooves.
"Do I need a reason to want to see my dear new friend?" Discordia asked, batting her lashes at him.
Evening arched an eyebrow at her. "Let me guess, you got bored and Flutterbye was too busy to hang out with you." He said.
Discordia pouted, "Aw! Way to ruin the mystery."
"What mystery?"
But Discordia ignored him and continued talking. "But yes, you are right. I did get bored and was planning to spend a perfectly wondrous afternoon with my dear Flutterbye. Unfortunately, he's away on a little trip with the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures. So then I decided to try the next best thing and mess around with that stuffy teacher of yours." A smile crept onto her face. "It's just so much fun seeing him over react. But imagine my surprise finding you here instead, doing...what exactly are you doing?"
Evening gave a little sigh, figuring he might as well tell her, knowing that otherwise she'd never leave him alone until he relented. "I'm taking a closer look at the crystal mirror." He answered.
Discordia's eyes widened with curiosity. "Ooh, so this is the infamous mirror that both Nightfall and Solaris' former pupil used to travel to that other world?"
"Yes." Said Evening. "Nightfall created a mechanism that would allow him to transport between the two worlds whenever he wanted. I removed the mirror from it so that I could get a better look at it, figure out how it works."
Discordia let out a loud, overly dramatic gasp. "Why Evie, I had no idea that you had an interest in dimensional travel! If you really wanted to know more about it you should've come to me, I am the foremost expert on the subject."
Evening rolled his eyes but couldn't help but crack a smile at Discordia's theatrics, they reminded him a lot of Trixter's and Elusive's own flair for drama. "Well, as nice as having your help sounds, I kinda want to figure this out on my own."
"Yes, yes, of course." Said Discordia, though it didn't seem like she was listening, as she approached the mirror and ran a talon over the frame. "Tell me, how far have you gotten in your little research project?"
Evening averted his gaze from her as he rubbed the back of his head. "Actually, I haven't gotten that far. But I've only just started inspecting it."
"It certainly is an interesting relic, isn't it?" Discordia said. With a tip of a talon, she reached out and poked at the glass, causing it to ripple and quiver as though it were made of water.
"What are you doing?!" Cried Evening.
Discordia simply answered, "Why, I'm helping you, my dear stallion. What good is it to simply look at a dimensional mirror without it being activated?"
"Um, because it's dangerous, and it would be bad if anything should go into or out of the mirror." Evening Star gave him a stern look, but once again, Discordia didn't seem to be the least bit worried as she batted a talon at him.
"Oh don't be so worrisome, Evening. Otherwise you really will become like your mentor and your hairs will start to gray before your time."
"Nightfall doesn't have any--"
"And besides, as far as you or Nightfall or anypony else knows, this mirror only leads to that stereotypical high school human world." It was then that a gleam came into Discordia's eyes and a smirk curved over on her lips. "Although, going to only one world is rather dull. Now multiple worlds however...."
"Don't!" Evening cried, but it was too late.
Discordia had placed an entire paw into the mirror, and caused its surface to shift and distorted. Without knowing what else to do, Evening ignited his horn and attempted to remove Discordia's paw from the mirror.
"You shouldn't be messing with it like that!" He said. "Who knows what kind of trouble it could end up causing, you need to let go."
"Oh please, this is foal's play for me." She said, resisting the magical tug on her arm.
"I said, LET GO!" Evening Star's horn grew brighter as he summoned even more magical energy, using as much as he could, trying to pull Discordia away.
His magical energy ended up touching the glass and fusing with whatever spell Discordia was using. Suddenly, a large shock wave erupted from the mirror, flinging Evening Star and Discordia into the library walls, and spreading out through the rest of Ponyville.
"See? What did I tell ya?" Evening groaned, stumbling back onto his hooves. Discordia said nothing, instead she seemed to be staring off into space. "Discordia, are you okay?"
Without warning, Discordia's body began to spasm wildly before stopping abruptly. Her eyes widened in worry. "Uh oh."
"Uh oh?" Evening echoed.
Discordia flew back toward the mirror, eyeing it with a scrutinizing look. She then licked the tip of talon and held it up in the air. After a minute or so, her expression became worried once more. "Oh, that's not good."
"Discordia...what is it?" Evening asked, feeling uneasy by her worry.
She faced him, biting her bottom lip and said, "Well...it seems that the combination of our powers on the mirror has caused a little mishap to occur."
Evening arched an eyebrow at her. "How little?"
Discordia twiddled her thumbs before replying, "Oh nothing much, just that, we may have accidentally torn a dimensional rift between our world and another."
For what seemed like a long time, Evening just stared at Discordia, before saying the one thing he could think of in response to this situation. "WHAT?!"
With a sheepish smile, Discordia replied, "Whoopsie."
It was a perfectly pleasant day in Ponyville, the birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, everything was as it should be, and in the confines of her castle, Twilight Sparkle was taking advantage of this lovely day by doing a little spring cleaning. She was busily at work in her library, organizing which things she planned on keeping, giving away, or sending to the trash. As she was deciding what to do with her old battered copy of Frankenstag, Spike came in, covered in dust and cobwebs and looking a little perturbed.
"Spike, are you okay?" Twilight asked in concern.
"No, I'm not." Said Spike, flinging his feather duster onto the floor. "Was trying to clean up the farside of the castle, you know, the part that we hardly ever visit?"
"Yes." She said. "What happened?"
"Well, I thought I was prepared to get it all cleaned, but you would not believe how filthy it is there! Every surface was caked with dust, not to mention that there were cobwebs in every nook and crevece."
Twilight winced, embarrassed by how neglectful she'd been to that part of her home.
"And that's not the worst of it." Spike continued. "There were also lots of bugs, spider, and snakes. Snakes, Twilight, snakes!"
"Oh, I see." She said, glancing at the floor and rubbing the back of her head.
"I'm telling ya Twi, I think we should get an exterminator in here, and fast." He said.
"I don't know." Said Twilight unsure. "Maybe I can talk to Fluttershy, see if she can help bring the snakes and other pests out without any hassle."
Spike shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that works too. Just so long as we get rids of those things as soon as possible."
Just then, the door to the library flung open and in came Pinkie Pie. "Twilight, Twilight, you'll never believe what just happened!" She said, getting close up into her friend's face.
"Whoa, settle down, Pinkie." Twilight said, placing a hoof on the pink mare's shoulder and making her sit down. "Now then. tell me what's happened."
"Well, I was minding my own business, prancing through the market, when suddenly, wham! Right out of nowhere!" She whammed her hooves together for emphasis.
Twilight and Spike exchanged a look with one another. "Uh, what do you mean, Pinkie?" Asked Spike.
"What else, my Pinkie Sense of course." She said, sounding as though it were obvious. "It was another doosy, a lot like the one I had for Twilight, only this one was bigger and wackier."
Twilight frowned, her brow creased with worry. "Do have any idea what this doosy could be?"
Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, sorry."
Twilight sighed, "If that's the case, we'll have to keep a look out for any trouble."
"Okie dokie lokie!" Said Pinkie, giving Twilight a little salute. "I'll be sure to let everypony know." And with that she bounced off on her merry way.
Spike looked over at Twilight with an equal amount of concern as her. "Do you think it's some kind of enemy?"
Twilight shook her head and answered helplessly, "I don't know, Spike. I don't know."
While Pinkie was telling Twilight and Spike about her Pinkie Sense, Fluttershy was at the market, having just finished visiting her favorite tea shop and buying some more tea for her next Tuesday Tea. As she was strolling past the other stalls, she felt her legs wobble, almost buckling over on her.
"Oh my." She said, steadying herself. "What was that?" She checked herself to be certain that she was alright before continuing down the road.
Then, a voice called out to her, "Oh, Fluttershy!"
Fluttershy turned in the direction of the voice to see Rarity waving as she hurried over to her. "Good morning, Rarity." She said politely.
"Good morning to you too, darling." Rarity said cordially. "I didn't expect to see you today at the market, what brings you out here?"
The two mares then walked together as Fluttershy explained how she'd gone out to get more supplies for next week's tea party.
"Why, that's very sweet of you Fluttershy." Rarity said. "But I don't see why you can't just ask Discord to conjure up the supplies for you. It certainly would help."
Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh no, it really isn't any trouble. Besides, I like working on our tea parties. After putting them together, its nice to enjoy all the effort that goes into it."
"If you say so." Said Rarity. "By the way, I heard that you've actually been to Discord's house."
Fluttershy nodded happily. "Oh yes, it was very nice. And afterwards, we agreed to switch off between my house and his for our tea parties." She said.
"Well tell me, what was it like there? Details, please."
Fluttershy giggled and replied, "Alright. On the outside, it actually looks like a cute little house on a hilltop. And the hill itself is floating in this vast space of chaos--"
Rarity had been nodding along, listening, when something strange started to happen. Fluttershy's voice was starting to sound fainter and fainter.
"Please speak up darling, I can't hear you." But the voice continued to get fainter. "Fluttershy are--" Rarity froze and let out a loud gasp. It wasn't just her voice that was becoming faint, Fluttershy herself was starting to fade away, her image rippling into none existence.
"Fluttershy!" Rarity reached her hoof out, hoping it would somehow help her friend. However, all it managed to do was cause her hoof to pass straight through her. Rarity quickly drew back her hoof, watching as her friend disappeared completely. Rarity's eyes then rolled up into her head as she fainted (gracefully) to the ground.
In the other Ponyville...
The Friendship Express pulled into the Ponyville train station, hopping off of it was a pale yellow Pegasus stallion with a pale pink mane and teal eyes. This was Flutterbye. Flutterbye looked rather sad, letting out a depressed sigh and hanging his head as he walked off the train platform and headed for town. On his way down the road, a rainbow blur rushed passed him.
"Hey, Flutterbye!" Cried the cyan Pegasus, Rainbow Blitz. He flashed Flutterbye a toothy grin as he landed beside him. "I thought you weren't gonna be back until tomorrow."
Flutterbye heaved a sigh. "I was, but the trip got cancelled."
"Man, sorry to hear about that." Rainbow said, giving Flutterbye a supportive pat on the back.
"And I was really looking forward to it too." He said. "We were going to be visiting the homes of the ophiotaurus."
"Well, there's always next time, isn't there?" Said Rainbow, trying his best to brighten the Pegasus' mood.
Flutterbye lifted his head. "I guess so."
"Oh, speaking of visiting homes, I saw Discordia hanging around your house earlier looking for you. I bet if you asked her she'd take you to that ophie-tortoise thing you wanted to see."
"Ophiotaurus," corrected Flutterbye. "And do you think so?"
"Of course! I mean, she can basically do anything in snap, right?"
Flutterbye glanced back down at the ground, rubbing his arm anxiously. "I don't know, I mean, I wouldn't want to impose on her." He said.
"Ha!" Rainbow couldn't help but cry loudly. "Impose? Please, if anything I think Discordia would be overjoyed if you asked her if it meant spending time with you."
"Really?" Flutterbye asked, his overall expression seeming to brighten. Rainbow nodded. Flutterbye tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, it has been a while since Discordia and I have done anything together, outside of our tea parties of course. Alright then, I'll go ask her."
Flutterbye then picked up his pace, trotting ahead of Rainbow. Rainbow himself couldn't help but shake his head. He liked Flutterbye dearly, but sometimes his shyness was just unbelievable. He was then about to take off back into the sky, when he heard Flutterbye let out a fatigued groan and saw him buckle to the ground.
"Flutterbye!" Rainbow cried, rushing to Flutterbye's side. "Are you okay?"
"I...I'm not sure. I feel, strange." Flutterbye said dizzily, putting a hoof to his head.
What happened next made Rainbow Blitz recoil in shock, as Flutterbye faded into transparency.
Flutterbye stared at his fading body in wide eyed fear, then looked up to Rainbow reaching a hoof out toward him. "Rainbow..." In a ripple of light, faded completely, but not before Flutterbye managed to utter one last word. "...help!"
Back in the Golden Oak Library...
Evening Star paced the floor of the library, becoming more and more panicked with each pace. "Oh man, oh sweet Solaris." He muttered under his breath. "This is bad, Nightfall is going to kill me when he finds out."
"Now now, let's not be hysterical, Evie." Discordia said, lounging in midair and attempting to calm the anxious stallion. "Sure Nightfall will give you a little scolding, but it's nothing that we can't fix."
Evening stopped mid-pace and gave the Draconequus a narrowed glare. "How can you be so calm? You said it yourself that this wasn't good!"
"That I did." She said, shifting into an upright position. "However, that doesn't mean that we should lose our heads over it." Discordia then flicked a talon, decapitating her head, catching it in her open paw.
Evening took a deep breath. "I guess you're right, if we're gonna fix this mess, we'll need to keep calm." He glanced up at Discordia's head. "So, any ideas?"
"The answer is quite simple." Discordia's head said with a smile. She then tossed her head back onto her neck. "All we need to do is seal up the rifts. A simple task for one as amazing as I."
"Wait, did you just say rifts?" Questioned Evening.
"Oh yes." Said Discordia with a nod. "You see, that shock wave caused multiple rifts to open up all over Ponyville, instead of merely just one."
"How many more?" Evening asked.
"I'd say about a dozen or so." Discordia answered. "It may take a bit of time to get them all sealed up, but like I said, it's nothing I can't fix."
Evening Star took a glance at the crystal mirror before replying, "Alright then, you go take care of those rifts, while I put the mirror back. Hopefully we can fix this before Nightfall finds out or before any trouble happens."
Discordia gave him a dramatic bow. "Consider it done." And like that, she was gone in a flash.
When Fluttershy came to her senses, she felt lightheaded, not only that, but she seemed to be surrounded by a crowd of concerned-looking ponies.
"Do you think she's alright?" Asked one pony.
"She just collapsed in the street."
"Could somepony call for a doctor?"
"I'm fine, really." Said Fluttershy, trying to stand up.
"I've got The Doctor." Cried a gray Pegasus Stallion, holding up the hoof of a brown mare with a collar and tie around her neck, and a hourglass cutie mark."
"Dippity, as I've told you many times, I'm not that kind of doctor." The mare said, pulling her hoof out of the Pegasus' grasp.
"Come on Doc, you can still take a look at her. She appeared out of nowhere and then collapsed in the street." Dippity insisted.
The mare heaved a sigh. "Oh alright, I'll take a look. But I don't see how I'll be of any help." The mare then cut through the gather crowd to where Fluttershy was. She stopped and stared at her for a minute, a look of intrigue on her face.
"How interesting." She murmured. She then grabbed Fluttershy's hoof and pulled her away from the other ponies. "Come, let us go to my house, where we can take a better look at you."
"You really don't have to do that, I'll be okay, you don't have to go to all the trouble." Fluttershy said, trying to slip from the mare's tight grip.
But it was no use. The mare just continued to pull Fluttershy along toward her house, while Dippity followed close behind, waving goodbye to the crowd they were leaving behind.
The mare's house reminded Fluttershy a lot of Twilight's old lab from her old library. Full of wires, beakers, strange machines, and curious contraptions strewn about. The mare sat Fluttershy down on a stool and offered her a cup of tea.
"Would you like one lump or two?" She asked.
"Oh, um, two please." Fluttershy said.
The mare plopped a couple of sugar cubes into the tea, giving it a little stir before handing it to Fluttershy. She then sat down across from Fluttershy and said, "I should probably introduce myself. I am Doctor Whooves, or Doctor for short. There are also many who call me Time Twist, so, whichever name you prefer you can call me that."
"Um, alright...Doctor." Fluttershy said nervously, taking a sip from her tea.
The Doctor the looked upward and pointed a hoof at Dippity, who was playing with one of her contraptions hanging from the ceiling. "And that dear fellow is my friend, Dippity Doo."
Fluttershy waved politely at him, to which he waved back with a large smile. "It's nice to meet you both, but I should probably head back home, I have some groceries that I need to put away."
"Please don't go yet." Said the Doctor. "It's not every day that we get a trans-dimensional visitor to our world."
Fluttershy froze, nearly dropping her tea cup. "A...a what?" She asked, not sure if she heard correctly.
"A trans-dimensional visitor." Repeated the Doctor. "You know, someone visiting from another world."
Fluutershy stared at her for a moment before saying, "Not to be rude or anything, but you must be mistaken or something. I mean, what makes you say I'm from another world?"
"Ah, I was hoping you would ask." The Doctor said, hurrying over to one of her machines and pulling from it a long sheet of paper. On it were calculations that Fluttershy couldn't understand or make out.
"Just this morning or so, something strange occurred. A large dimensional shock wave ran through Ponyville without any warning or noticeable cause. Upon closer analysis I have found that the shock wave has caused multiple rifts to open, leading from our world into what I can gather is your world. Not to mention, when I saw you, you reminded me of this one Stallion I see from time to time. A Pegasus by the name of Flutterbye."
Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise. "my name is...Fluttershy." She murmured.
"Aha! I knew it!" The Doctor cried triumphantly.
"But, I'm not from another world." Said Fluttershy. "I'm from here, in Ponyville, in Equestria."
The Doctor rubbed her chin. "Alright then, if that is true, then answer me this. Who is the current ruler of all Equestria?"
"Princess Celestia." She answered.
The Doctor shook her head. "I'm afraid the ruler here is Prince Solaris."
"What?" Fluttershy looked from the Doctor to Dippity Doo, hoping that one of them would tell her that it was just a joke and that they were messing with her. But as she got a better look at them, she realized just then how eerily similar they looked to other ponies she knew. A stallion who was also called the Doctor, and a mare named Ditzy Doo.
"So it's true." She said, staring out in shock. "I...I think I need a moment."
The Doctor reached over and refilled Fluttershy's cup. "Take all the time you need."
Meanwhile, Flutterbye came too as well, finding himself in the middle of the pathway home. He looked around, checking to see if anything was out of place but couldn't find anything wrong.
"What was that?" He wondered aloud. "Was it all a dream?" Shaking his head, Flutterbye decided that it would be best to hurry back to his cottage to check on his animals, and perhaps, if he was lucky, Discordia might drop by again and could help him figure out what that little dizzy spell was.
Quickly as he could, Flutterbye sped toward his cottage, making it there in almost no time flat. He opened the door and called out, "I'm home!"
The animals came out of their hiding places, curious to see who this visitor was, only to be completely surprised by who they saw walk through the door. Angel hopped forward to Flutterbye, regarding him with a careful eye.
"Oh, hello Angela." Flutterbye said with a sweet smile, reaching down and patting Angel gently on the head. "Did you miss me?"
Angel hopped away from Flutterbye, rubbing the spot where he had been petted.
Flutterbye blinked in confusion as he took in how skittish his animals appeared to be. "Angela? What's wrong?" He tried reaching out to the little bunny, but Angel backed away further.
Like the other animals, Angel was baffled by this strange pony. He looked like Fluttershy, and even seemed to act and smell like her, and yet they knew that this wasn't their dear Pegasus. As Flutterbye looked out at his friends, wondering why they were acting like this, he too began to sense that something was off. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the animals were different from his woodland friends. For one thing, many of them were male instead of female, like Angela and Harriet the bear.
Flutterbye stumbled backward into a drawer, knocking over a picture frame. As he lifted the picture back up, that's when he froze, gazing at the image before him. The frame that once had a group shot of him and his friends, now showed an image of six mares and a young boy dragon. What's even more shocking was how eerily similar the mares resembled him and his friends.
He gazed up from the photo at the equally baffled animals and said softly, "What in Solaris' name is going on here?"
Fluttershy and Flutterbye weren't the only ponies having an other worldly experience. Back in Fluttershy's world for instance, Lyra and Bonbon were hanging out in the park, having a picnic. Lyra was resting her head against Bonbon's shoulder, when suddenly Bonbon disappeared, and in her place there appeared a stallion who bore an uncanny resemblance to her.
Both ponies let out a cry of shock, jumping up to their hooves.
"You're not Bonbon!" Lyra exclaimed.
"And you're not Lyre!" The stallion cried.
It was like this all over Ponyville, as ponies suddenly found themselves swapped with their dimensional counterparts. Needless to say, it didn't take long before the ponies flew into a panic over what was going on. The mayor was holed up in the town hall, trying to address the throng of ponies looking for answers. Some of them even began banging on the castle doors, hoping that Princess Twilight could help them.
The doors opened up and out stepped Spike, hoping to quell the uproar of the crowd. "Alright everypony, listen! Twilight is doing everything that she can to help with the situation, but in order to do that, she can't be distracted. So please try to remain calm and we'll let you know if we find anything."
Unfortunately Spike's attempt did little to calm the nerves of the masses, if anything it riled them up even more. Spike shut the door behind the crowd, letting out a sigh as he slumped to the floor. He glanced up at Twilight as she approached him
"Found anything yet?" He asked.
"I think so." Twilight said. "I've been taking some readings, and it seems that somehow a rift has opened up between our world and another."
"Well, guess we found out what the doosy Pinkie Pie was talking about was." Spike said. "So, got any ideas of what this rift is doing?"
Before Twilight could answer, the door was forced open as Starlight Glimmer managed to squeeze herself inside. "What's going on here?" She asked.
Spike and Twilight exchanged a look. "Do you want to tell her or should I?" He asked.
Perhaps I should do it, in the meantime I'd like you to send a letter to Princess Celestia. Perhaps she might know something we can do." Twilight replied.
"On it." Spike said, rushing off to write the letter.
Twilight then led Starlight through the castle to the throne room, explaining the entire situation to her.
"Wow, seems like you guys have got a lot on your hooves." Starlight remarked.
"Tell me about it." Said Twilight.
As they entered the throne room, Starlight asked, "Do you have any idea what could've caused this?"
"No clue." She answered helplessly. "I'm not even sure what the full extent of the rift's damage is."
"I can help answer that."
Starlight and Twilight gazed up, only now just noticing Discord hovering just above their heads.
"Discord, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked.
Discord scoffed. "Really, Twilight, do you think I wouldn't notice a disturbance in space time?" He crossed his arms over his chest in a huffy fashion. "Honestly, I'm a little insulted you didn't think to call on me when you started to notice the imbalance."
"Oh sure, because you've always been so willing to help us out in the past." Twilight said sarcastically.
"I'll have you know I've been plenty helpful...when I'm in the mood to be."
"Enough you two." Starlight said, getting between them. "Now Discord, do you know anything about this dimensional rift?"
"Of course I do!" Said Discord. "For one thing, it's not one rift, it's a dozen small ones scattered all over Ponyville."
"A dozen?" Said Twilight, looking at him in disbelief.
"So, how are all these rifts transporting ponies from one dimension to the other?" Asked Starlight.
"The answer to that is quite simple." Discord said, donning a lab coat and glasses, and conjuring an animated chalk board. "You see, the rifts don't just act as an opening in space time, but also allow for the energies of the two dimensions to leak out, causing some of the nasty side effects to occur."
The chalkboard showed an animated illustration of energy passing between two portals. "So, in a matter of time, if left to its own devices, the rifts will continue to pull our world into the other dimension and vice versa." With a snap, Discord poofed the chalkboard and his costume away. "And that concludes our lesson, any questions?"
"Uh, yeah." Said Twilight. "If you were able to sense this going on, then why didn't you, oh I don't know, do something to stop it?"
"I was planning on intervening, " Discord said. "However, as I was about to , I noticed that some of the holes were already starting to close."
"They...they were?"
Discord gave Twilight a nod. "Yes, either they're closing up on their own, or someone on the other side is doing the job for us. Either way, I don't think the rifts will be a problem for long."
"Uh, what about all the ponies that crossed over into our world?" Said Starlight pointedly.
"Oh yes, how could I forget." He said. "Hmm, that might be a bit tricky, as we'll have to find a way to gather up all of the ponies that crossed over and then figure out how to get them back to their world while also bringing the other ponies back here."
"Couldn't you just open up a portal like the one you made during the Grand Galloping Gala?" Suggested Twilight.
Discord's body seemed to bristle at the recollection of that little incident and answered, "No, I don't think it be very effective, and I know how much you love effectiveness." He said. "Besides, I don't think you'd want to risk some of the ponies meeting their dimensional counterparts."
"Why's that?" Asked Starlight.
Heaving a sigh, Discord rolled his eyes. "Because, if ponies begin to meet with their counterparts, it could lead to dire consequences. One example being that the one or both of our worlds could implode."
Starlight and Twilight stared at Discord in shocked silence, before Twilight found her voice and said, "But...but I've met my counterpart in the human world, and aside from things getting awkward, nothing bad happened."
Discord chuckled and wagged a talon at Twilight. "That's only because you were lucky, Twilight Sparkle. True there are worlds where you can enter without any hassle, but then there are those that can have catastrophic repercussions just by one's mere existence." He then puffed out his chest and placed a talon on it proclaiming, "I however, being a creature of chaos, am a rare exception to this rule."
Twilight rolled her eyes at Discord's bragging. "Well then, if you're such an expert on dimensions, what do you suggest we do to get everypony back to their own worlds?"
"Oh I have no idea." Said Discord. "But I'm sure you'll figure something out, you usually do."
"So you aren't going to help us after all." Twilight said.
"Hey, I've been plenty helpful already." Discord said defensively. "I've told you all you need to know about the rifts and what you'll need to do to take care of them. Besides, you can always just give me a call if you need any further assistance."
"But--"
Twilight was interrupted by Rarity who rushed into the throne room looking quite distressed.
"Oh Twilight, something terrible has happened." Rarity cried.
"Uh, not to be rude Rarity, but we're kinda in the middle of something here." Said Starlight.
"But it's Fluttershy, she's gone missing!"
"What?!" Cried Discord, rushing up to Rarity and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Where and when did this happen?"
"A little while ago." Rarity answered. "I was walking with her in the market when she just vanished into thin air!"
Discord removed his grip on Rarity and turned towards Twilight, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face.
"Uh Discord, are you okay?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"Whatever help you need, Twilight, you can have it." He said, a slight edge in his tone. "Fluttershy's in the other world, and if we don't get her back soon..." He didn't finish his sentence, his body instead tensing up over whatever he was thinking. "Needless to say, you wanted my help, and now you've got it."
After getting over his confusion, Flutterbye left the cottage and headed for Sweet Apple Acres, hoping that perhaps his friend Applejack could provide him with some answers. As he approached the outskirts of the farm, everything seemed normal enough. That is until he got into view of the farm house and saw three ponies that made him freeze.
The first looked like Applejack, hat and all, except she was a mare. Then there was a big stallion who looked a bit like Big Macareina. Finally, there was cute little filly that reminded him a lot of Apple Bud. A million questions swam through Flutterbye's head, trying to figure out what in Equestria was going on. Was this all just some bad dream? Was it some kind of spell? Flutterbye was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard somepony hollering and crying out.
"Let go of me ya varmints, I'm not leaving my house and that's it!"
Taking a closer look, Flutterbye could see that the three ponies were trying to get Grampy Smith to come out of the Farm House. He felt slightly relieved to see at least one pony he knew.
"Please sir, ya gotta come with us to the town hall." Said the mare pleadingly.
"Eeyup." The stallion said in agreement.
"I'm not going anywhere with a bunch o' strangers like you." Grampy declared, stamping a hoof as her stood on the other side of the door.
"We're just trying to help ya, mister." The filly said.
"I don't need no help." Grampy said stubbornly. "Now git going, before I decide to come out there and send y'all packing myself!"
The mare sighed. "Well, I didn't want us having to do this." She turned toward the stallion and said, "Big Mac?"
"Eeyup!" The stallion replied, stepping toward the door and pulling it open.
"Hey! Stand back! I got a frying pan and I'm not afraid to use it!" The elderly pony cried.
The stallion, Big Mac as he seemed to be called, paid Grampy's cries no mind, and instead hoisted him up onto his back, where he then proceeded to flail and beat his hooves against Big Mac's side.
Unable to watch this any longer, Flutterbye ran up toward the ponies. "Stop, what do you think you're doing?!"
The ponies turned to him, only looking momentarily surprised before the filly said, "Looks like we got another one."
The mare stepped forward and asked him, "Excuse me, but, you wouldn't happen to be one of the ponies from the other world, would ya?"
Flutterbye blinked. The only response that came out of him was, "Uh..."
However the filly interjected saying, "Of course he is, sis. Just look at him." She pointed a hoof at Flutterbye. "He looks almost exactly like Fluttershy, so he must be from the other world."
"Apple Bloom." The mare scolded.
"What?" Asked the filly innocently. "It's true."
'Fluttershy?' Flutterbye wondered to himself. He then remembered the picture in the cottage, the mare that looked like him and Applejack, one of whom was now standing right in front of him. Had he really entered another world?
Grampy, who was resting from all that flailing, looked up and spotted Flutterbye. "Hey! Aren't you that fella who's friends with my grandson?" He asked.
"Er, yes sir." Said Flutterbye. "I am."
"Ah yes, I remember you, Butterscotch is it?"
"It's Flutterbye actually." He said.
"That's what I said." Said Grampy. "Now, can you tell these disrespectful youngins to let me go and get off my farm?!"
"What are doing with him?" Flutterbye asked.
"Ya see, in case you didn't know til now, there've been ponies coming in from another world, your world, into ours. Some of the townsponies have been trying to get these lost ponies to town hall, so that we can have everypony together for when we send them back home."
Flutterbye nodded in understanding. "So, there's a way for me and the ponies from my world to go home?"
"Ah well, not yet." The mare admitted. "But we're working on something. Twilight's got Discord helpin' her so--"
"Discordia? She's here?" Flutterbye asked, seeming to brighten up.
"No, I said Discord, not Discordia." She clarified.
"Oh," Flutterbye's ears drooped in disappointment. That is, until a thought occurred to him. "Would it be okay if I met with this Discord and Twilight?"
"Uh, I don't see why not." The mare said.
"Where can I find them?" He asked.
"On the other side of Ponyville." She said, directing him with her hoof. "It's the giant castle made of crystal, so you can't miss it."
Flutterbye smiled gratefully. "Thank you." And with that, he was off galloping toward the direction of the castle.
"Hey! Where are you going? Get back here and help me!" Grampy cried. But it was too late, as Flutterbye was already far out of sight. Grampy then grumbled, "Youngin's these days, got no respect for their elders."
Once she got over her initial shock, Fluttershy asked the Doctor if she knew of any way of helping her get home.
"Sorry." The Doctor said, "I'm afraid that I won't be able to help you."
"Oh." Said Fluttershy glumly. "Thank you anyway."
"Though," The Doctor added. "I do know somepony who might be able to help you out."
"Who?" Fluttershy asked.
"There's a Unicorn named Nightfall Shine who lives above the Golden Oak Library in town. I've heard that he's traveled to other worlds before, so maybe he can provide a solution to your problem."
"Wait, the Golden Oak Library is still here?" Fluttershy asked in amazement.
The Doctor chuckled. "Pardon me for saying so miss, but you must try to remember that this is an alternate universe, meaning that it's different in some ways from your own. Yet similar in some ways too."
"Oh, right." Fluttershy said sheepishly.
The Doctor waved a hoof and said, "Oh don't worry, you're new to dimensional travel, so things like this aren't common knowledge."
Fluttershy stood up from her seat and said, "Thank you so much for your help." And then hurried out of the house. "Goodbye!"
"Auravoir!" Cried the Doctor, waving farewell.
Dippity Doo then crashed down onto the floor, looking in the direction of the doorway. "She seemed nice. Think we'll see her again."
The Doctor merely chuckled again, passing by the Pegasus to analyze her data.
"Is that a maybe?"
Evening Star had just finished getting the mirror back down to the lab and putting it back where it belonged. As he climbed up the stair to the library, he wondered if Discordia was almost done sealing up the holes. Once he made it back on the main floor, the door slammed open, and in rushed two figures that Evening had hoped he wouldn't have to face until much later.
The first was a lavender Unicorn, the Ambassador of Friendship himself, Nightfall Shine, and following close by him was a small, female dragon, his number one assistant Barb.
Evening froze and put on a nervous smile. "Nightfall! Barb! I didn't expect you two to get back so soon."
Unfortunately for him, Nightfall saw right through him. "Evening, what's going on out there?"
"Er, what do you mean?" He asked.
"The town's gone crazy!" Said Barb, pointing a claw toward the door. "Everypony is in a panic."
"And with good reason." Said Nightfall. "I got a report from the mayor that ponies have been disappearing all over town, and that strange doubles have reappeared in their place."
"What?!" Evening cried. "Are you serious?"
"Does it look like we're joking?" Barb said seriously.
Evening's brow furrowed as he ran a hoof through his mane. "Oh man, I knew there'd end up being trouble, but I didn't imagine anything like this!"
"Evening, I think it's time that you told us what you know." Nightfall said, waiting to hear his student's explanation.
Realizing he couldn't prolong the truth for any longer, Evening Star recounted what had happened, how he'd tried to study the mirror and how Discordia interfered despite him telling her not to. Both Nightfall and Barb listened intently until Evening was finished.
Nightfall reached out and placed a hoof on Evening's shoulder in a show of support. "We'll talk more about this incident later." He said. "For now, we have more pressing issues to deal with."
"Then...you're not mad?" Evening asked hopefully.
"I didn't say that," Nightfall said. "But mostly, it's Discordia that I'm mad at, seeing as how she's the cause of all this."
"She's been trying to close up the rifts since she left." Evening said. "I haven't heard from her so I'm not sure how well things are going."
Just then, a soft knock sounded on the library door.
"I got it." Said Barb, as she reached out and opened it.
Standing on the welcome mat was a Pegasus mare that everypony in the library could tell was one of ones from the other world.
"Um, hello there." She said, cracking a nervous smile. "My name's Fluttershy, and I was told that somepony called Nightfall could help me?"
Nightfall was the first to find his voice, as he introduced himself to Fluttershy.
"Welcome, to the Golden Oak Library. I am Nightfall Shine, the Ambassador of Friendship. And these two are my helpful assistant Barb and my student Evening Star."
Barb gave Fluttershy a friendly wave and said, "Hey there."
While Evening Star just gave a small, awkward wave. Fluttershy gave them a small smile. Even though this wasn't her world, she could still see her friends Twilight, Spike, and Starlight in their faces, and that made her feel a little bit better.
"It's nice to meet you all, though, I can imagine how strange it is meeting somepony like me." She said.
"Yes, and we're sorry for bringing you and your fellow ponies into these unusual circumstances." Nightfall said. Evening guiltily looked down at the ground. "But I assure you Miss Fluttershy, that we'll do whatever we can to help you and resolve this mess."
"Oh, thank you very much." Fluttershy said. "And please, just call me Fluttershy."
"So, Fluttershy." Barb said, siding up to her. "What's it like there in your world? You know, aside from the obvious gender swapped doubles."
"Well, there isn't a lot of differences, though for one thing, back in my world, the Golden Oak Library is..." Fluttershy then covered her mouth with her hoof.
"Is what?" Asked Barb.
"I...I probably shouldn't say anything." She said. "Discord has told me about alternate timelines in alternate worlds, I wouldn't want to do anything that could mess up the timeline of this world."
"That is probably for the best." Nightfall agreed. "There's no telling what we could happen if the timeline were altered."
"Aw man!" Said Barb, slumping in disappointed. "But I wanted to know if the other version of me is really cool or not!"
Fluttershy bit back a giggle, as she told the young dragon, "Don't worry Barb, I think you and Spike would get along very well."
"Spike, huh?" Barb mused, starting to perk up. "Well, his name sounds pretty cool."
Nightfall cleared his throat, calling everypony's attention. "I think we might want to get back to the situation at hoof?"
"Oh, right!" Fluttershy said. "So, do you have any idea what's causing all of this to happen?"
"Yeah, we've got a pretty idea of what caused it." Evening answered nervously, swallowing an anxious gulp. "Namely it was me and Discordia messing with the crystal mirror."
"But mostly Discordia." Said Nightfall.
"Really?" Said Fluttershy, a look of intrigue appearing on her face. "Where is Discordia now?"
"If I had to guess, she's still out trying to close up the rifts we tore open." Said Evening Star. "Why do you ask?"
Fluttershy smiled. "I think I'd like to talk to her."
"You want to what?" Nightfall stared at her, not sure if she was serious.
"I want to talk to her." She repeated. "Perhaps she can help find a way to get me and everypony else home."
Barb face palmed herself. "Doh, why didn't we think of that?"
"Are you sure, Fluttershy?" Nightfall asked. "Discordia isn't exactly the easiest creature to talk to...or get along with...or even get to help willingly."
"I think I'll be fine." Fluttershy reassured. "I know how to handle creatures like Discordia, and I'm sure she'll be able to help us."
Nightfall still didn't seem fully convinced. But he sighed and said, "If you think it'll help, then you're free to try."
"But wait, how will we find Discordia? Further more, how will get her here?" Asked Barb.
"Simple." Fluttershy said. "If she's anything like Discord, all you have to do is call for her." Clearing her throat, Fluttershy called out into the empty air, "Discordia, could you help us please?!"
A moment passed and nothing happened. "See? I told you it wouldn't--"
But Nightfall was cut off when in a blinding flash, Discordia appeared before them, decked out in a hard hat and a dirt covered overalls.
"Someone called?" She asked.
Nightfall gaped at her. "H-how...?"
Discordia smirked, leaning down toward Nightfall. "What is this? Is dear Nightfall at a loss for words? Well, I can't blame you, I do have that effect on ponies." Her outfit disappeared from her body as she tossed her luscious raven locks over her shoulder.
Fluttershy stepped forward and spoke up, "Um, Discordia? I was wondering if I could speak with you?"
Discordia whirled around to see who was addressing her. When her eyes fell on Fluttershy she froze, taking in the sight of the Pegasus.
'Oh dear, she must be in shock.' Fluttershy thought. "My name is Fluttershy, and--"
Like Nightfall however, Fluttershy was also cut off, this time by Discordia's squeeing, as she swooped down and scooped Fluttershy off the ground, twirling her in the air.
"Aren't you just the most precious thing!" Discordia remarked. "Though you're not quite as adorable as my Flutterbye, you do come at a close second."
"Um, thank you?" Fluttershy replied, unsure if it was meant as a compliment.
Discordia smiled sweetly as she hugged Fluttershy and nuzzled her cheek. "Oh you're just so cute! Fluttershy was it? How would you like to join me at my house for tea sometime? I'd just love to have another girl I can talk to."
Before Fluttershy could answer, Nightfall interjected into the conversation, "If you're done fawning Discordia, we need your help."
Discordia carefully set Fluttershy back down onto the floor, turning back to Nightfall and replied nonchalantly, "Ah yes, I assume you're referring to how ponies are crossing into our dimension and vice versa?"
"Wait, you knew?" Asked Evening.
Discordia rolled her eyes. "Of course I knew, what kind of Mistress of Chaos would I be if I didn't?"
"If you knew then why didn't you try and stop it?" Nightfall questioned.
"Well, for one thing I was a little preoccupied with closing up all those holes in space time." She said, flicking the tuft of her tail in Nightfall's face. "I'm nearly done by the way, only a few more left to go."
Fluttershy, noticing Nightfall's growing annoyance, stepped between him and Discordia. "Then you know why we need your help." She said. "I was thinking, since you're powers are probably like Discord's, then perhaps you could help send everypony back to their own worlds."
Discordia seemed to soften a little as she explained, "As much as I'd like to help you, dearie, I'm afraid what you're asking for is just a teeny bit out of my league."
"I thought you said that dimension hopping was your specialty." Evening Star said pointedly.
"Oh it is, I admit I do make it look easy." She said. "However, what you're asking me to do is to locate every last pony from both dimensions that have been misplaced and then switch them back to where they belong. I may be amazing but even I have limits."
"But, do you think you can try?" Asked Barb.
"I could." Discordia said. "But if I did there's no guarantee that everything will go right. I could end up leaving somepony behind or snatch up the wrong one. And I imagine that our dear ambassador would rather that things go well."
Nightfall didn't respond, knowing that Discordia had a fair point. At this moment, they had no idea just how many ponies had crossed over, and to find and search switch back all those ponies seemed almost a herculean task.
Fluttershy glanced at Discordia's face, she could see in her eyes that she was disappointed as well. Disappointed that somepony called for her help and that there was little she could do without something going wrong.
She trotted to Discordia's side and touched her paw in a show of comfort. This at first surprised Discordia, until she glanced down to see Fluttershy.
Discordia softened at her, giving an almost serene smile. "You know, you certainly are like my Flutterbye." She said, a touch of sadness in her voice.
"You wish he hadn't crossed over too?" Fluttershy asked.
"More than that." Discordia admitted. "I wish that I could've prevented him from ending up in this mess. If I wanted, I could've just switched the two of you back where you belong with no problem, Then you'd both be safe and sound."
"But you didn't."
Discordia turned her head and replied, "No. Flutterbye would've said it wouldn't be fair to save only him and nopony else. I suppose he'd be right."
Fluttershy giggled. "You know, I think my friend Discord would've done the same thing for me." At the thought of the Draconequus, n idea came to her mind. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Asked Nightfall, only now pulling himself out of his thoughts.
"Discordia said that switching everypony back would be difficult for her, but what if she had some help?" Fluttershy said.
The gears in DIscordia's head were turning fast and loud for everypony to hear, as she quickly caught on. "Yes, it's not a bad idea. You're pretty smart, dearie."
"Uh, could you explain what you two are talking about?" Asked Barb.
"Yes, yes, of course." Said Discordia, straightening up as she faced the others. "Fluttershy, would you care to do the honors?"
"Oh! Um, sure." She replied, a little nervous at being put on the spot like that. "You see, if we managed to get some help from Discord, back in my world, then perhaps we'd have enough power and help to switch everypony back."
Nightfall nodded along with what she was saying. "Hmm, it could work, it's certainly worth a try." He said. "But how do you intend to get in contact with him?"
Fluttershy frowned, as she hadn't thought of that part. Luckily, Discordia stepped in and said, "I can help with that."
"Really, what do you plan to do?" Asked Evening Star.
"I'll just teleport over to their world." She answered simply. "As Mistress of Chaos, I am able to traverse worlds with little consequence...well , unintentional consequence. But, all I have to do is pop over to that world and arrange a plan with our counterparts."
"Wow." Said Nightfall, sounding fairly impressed. "In that case, let's give it a try."
Discordia then held up a talon and added, "Though, you may need to wait a little while, I still have to finish my work on those holes after all. Wouldn't want any leaks to interfere with our work now would we?"
"Thank you." Fluttershy said gratefully.
Discordia smiled. "I won't be but a tick." And like that, she was gone.
Once she was gone, Nightfall wondered aloud, "Were we right to trust her with this?"
"I have faith in her." Fluttershy said confidently. "And you really shouldn't be so hard on her."
Nightfall said nothing more, instead looking out over Ponyville, lost in his thoughts.
Back in the other Ponyville, Twilight was running through possible solutions with Discord, trying to figure out what they could do to restore things to how they should be. As they were doing this, Spike entered the throne room and said, "Uh, Twilight, Discord? I hate to interrupt, but, there's somepony here who wants to talk to you."
Discord waved a dismissive paw. "Send them away." He said. "We're bit busy to be dealing with visitors."
"The thing is, they're from the other world." Spike added.
This caught their attention. "Who is it, Spike?" Twilight asked.
"See for yourself." He said, opening the door wider.
Stepping into the room was none other than Flutterbye himself. He cracked a smile and waved shyly at them. "Hello there."
Twilight and Discord simply stared at this new arrival, before regaining their composure.
"My name is Flutterbye." The Pegasus introduced himself. He glanced over at Discord and smiled. "I can tell you must be Discord. The resemblance is uncanny!"
Discord said nothing, instead tilting his head to the side and studying Flutterbye, wondering what to make of him.
Twilight trotted toward Flutterbye, offering her hoof out too him. "It's nice to meet you, Flutterbye. My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle, and I--"
"Princess?!" Flutterbye exclaimed. He looked Twilight up and down, only now noticing the wings on her back, which had been obscured by the large table she'd been sitting at. Flutterbye fell to his knees in a low bow. "Forgive me, your highness. I had no idea!"
"Uh, you really don't have to do that." Twilight said, trying to lift the stallion back up.
"But you're a princess!" Flutterbye insisted. "That means you're on the same level as Prince Solaris and Prince Artemis, right? And they get treated with great reverence and respect."
"Well, that is true, other ponies do act that way toward me...well, sometimes at least." She couldn't help but flick her eyes toward Discord as she said that last bit. "But when it comes to my friends, it just feels weird. So please, just call me Twilight."
"O-okay, Twilight." Flutterbye said, still gazing at her in amazement. He wondered if his friend Nightfall would become an Alicorn as well, and gain the title of prince.
"So, Flutterbye, what brings you here?" Twilight asked him.
Remembering the reason he came here, he said, "Oh yes! I wanted to speak with Discord, if at all possible."
"Really?" Inquired Discord, now hovering above Flutterbye's head. "And what is it that you'd like to speak about?"
Flutterbye the explained, "You have powers that bend time and space, right? Just like Discordia. So, I was wondering if you could help me get home."
"I see." Discord said. "I'm afraid we can't help you at the moment."
"Huh? Why not?" Flutterbye asked.
"You're not the only one who's crossed into our world." Twilight said.
Realization dawned on Flutterbye, as he recalled Grampy Smith, and that mare who was trying to take him to be with the rest of the lost ponies. "Oh." He said Softly. "Sorry...I'd forgotten that for a moment."
"We're trying to do what we can." Twilight said. "But it'll take a little while before we can figure something out."
"No, it's alright, I understand." Flutterbye said. "Besides, it'd probably be unfair if only I went home and everypony else is stranded."
To his surprise, he felt himself being patted on the head. Flutterbye looked up to see that it was Discord who was patting him.
"I wouldn't worry too much about." He said. "With my magic, you and the rest of those ponies will be returned in no time."
Flutterbye smiled kindly. "Thank you."
Discord withdrew his paw and turned away, not wanting to appear too soft in front of everypony. But Flutterbye could see right through him. 'They really are alike.'
"I'm sorry we couldn't be of any more help to you." Said Twilight apologetically. "But if you want, you can wait over at the town hall where--"
Before Twilight could even finish her sentence, a door unfolded itself in the throne room, and from it, came a female Draconequus. "So, this is what the other side is like." She remarked, closing the door behind her and making it vanish with a flick of her tail. "I must say, I didn't expect it to be so...crystaly."
Discordia's head immediately snapped toward Flutterbye at the sound of his voice. Quick as a flash upon seeing him, she wrapped her arms around the stallion.
"Flutterbye! What a delightful surprise to see you!" She said. She then floated by his side, resting an elbow on his shoulder. "I mean, I had expected to see you after this whole mess was taken careful, but I didn't think you'd be here. Though, I suppose it makes sense, since your other self did the same thing."
"Do you mean Fluttershy?" Asked Discord.
Discordia turned toward Discord, looking him up and down. "What have we here?" She mused, circling him. "Not bad, not bad. I mean, not as beauteous as me, but, still."
Discord smirked. "Well, you're not so bad looking yourself." He said smoothly.
Discordia tittered and batted a talon at him. "Oh you charmer."
"So, you're Discordia I take it?" Questioned Twilight.
A devilish smile curved upon Discordia lips as she looked down at her. "Yes, and you must be the other Nightfall." She then tapped her chin as she regarded Twilight. "Hmm, given from what I've seen of Fluttershy, I'd hoped you'd be at least a little less dull as your counterpart. Sigh! Pity."
Twilight could feel her cheeks grow warm. "Hey!" She cried in offense.
"Now, Discordia. You don't need to be rude." Flutterbye said calmly, trying to soothe the situation. "Twilight's just as nice as Nightfall, maybe even more so, since she's an Alicorn."
Discordia chuckled. "Oh you can be so sweet Flutterbye, but if anything, being an Alicorn makes her equally both dull and interesting. I'll bet she's just as dreary as those princes in Canterlot."
Discord did his best to bite back a laugh, while Twilight did her best not to lose her temper at Discordia. Taking a deep breath, she asked her, "So, Discordia, why are you here?"
"That's right, I'd nearly forgotten." She said. "I'm here to lend a hand, dear princess."
"You're here to help?" Twilight questioned further.
"But of course! I've already taken care of those rifts for you, now all that needs to be done is to send everypony home."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Said Flutterbye.
Discordia smiled at him, but Twilight didn't seem completely convinced. "And how exactly do you intend to do that?"
Discordia sighed and shook her head at Twilight. "Oh dear, and here I thought you'd be smarter than Nightfall too." She ignored Twilight's growing annoyance towards her and continued. "You see, your friend Fluttershy called on me, asking if there was a way to help out, and suggested that I come to you all so that I could help and coordinate with the others back home."
Leaning all the way towards Discord's ear, Discordia whispered, "Fluttershy says hello by the way, and looks forward to getting back home."
That helped to brighten Discord's mood, knowing that Fluttershy was alright and waiting to come back.
"Now that we have my other self with us in the mix." Discord said. "This might work out after all."
"How so?" Asked Twilight.
Before Discord could answer, Flutterbye guessed, "With two spirits of chaos, then it'd be easier to teleport the groups of ponies to their respective worlds than it would be for just one."
Discord conjured a hat and tipped it towards Flutterbye. "Nicely said, my dear fellow."
"Indeed." Agreed Discordia. "Are you properly satisfied now, princess?"
After a moment thinking it over, Twilight nodded. "It does sound like a good idea."
"In fact, it's the only good idea we've had." Said Discord.
"Excellent! I'll let the others know that we're all in agreement." Discordia said. "Be back in a bit."
"Hey, wait a minute!" Twilight called out. But Discordia was already gone.
"Well Flutterbye, it looks like you'll be going home sooner than we thought." Said Discord.
Twilight heaved a tired sigh. "We should probably let everypony at town hall know to be ready to be sent home." She said, trotting out of the throne room.
"Is she alright?" Flutterbye asked in concern.
"Oh she's fine." Discord assured. "She's just had a tiring day."
With the direction of Twilight, Nightfall, Discord and Discordia, the two groups of ponies had all assembled at town hall, ready to be sent back home. A magical aura surrounded both crowds, and quick as a flash, the ponies shifted between dimensions, reappearing in their respective worlds. With everypony back where they belonged, there was much rejoicing between the ponies and their loved ones.
"Lyra!"
"Bonbon!"
The two mares ran toward each other into a tight embrace. "It wasn't the same without you!" Lyra said.
"Same!"
"There you are ya whippersnappers!" Said Granny Smith as she saw her grandchildren heading toward her. "Where have you three been?"
"We'll tell you later, Granny." Applejack, deciding it'd be better to explain the situation later, when things had quieted down a bit.
Fluttershy's friends swarmed around her, tackling her in a group hug.
"Oh darling, we were so worried about you!" Said Rarity.
"It's good to have ya back, Flutters." Said Rainbow.
Fluttershy beamed widely. "I missed you all too." She said.
In a flash of light, Discord appeared and cut into the the group hug, pulling Fluttershy close to his chest. "Fluttershy, how good it is to see you're alright."
"Thanks Discord." Fluttershy giggled.
"I'm just glad that this whole mess is over." Twilight said in relief.
Just then, Discordia appeared stealthily behind Twilight and said, "Boo!"
"Gah!" Twilight reared up and stumbled in surprise.
Discordia chuckled. "Works every time."
"Discordia, is something wrong?" Asked Fluttershy.
"Wrong?" Discordia batted her eye lashes innocently at them. "Does something have be wrong if I want to pay a visit to our friendly dimensional neighbors? In any case, I simply came to say goodbye."
"It was nice to meet you, Discordia." Fluttershy said sweetly. "And thank you very much for your help."
Discordia smiled at her words. "Anytime dearie. I hope we can meet again sometime." She then slither up to Discord's side and added, "Or...perhaps I could borrow her for a tea party or two?" She batted her lashes at him.
Discord smirked and arched an eyebrow at her. "That's something you'll have to talk to Fluttershy about."
"Oh very well." Discordia then looked down at Twilight, giving her a playful pat on the head. "And of course, I'll miss you too, Twilight."
"Have a safe trip home." Twilight said apathetically.
Discordia rose up, and said, "Tata, everypony!" With a flourish of her arm, she disappeared.
A little over a month had passed since the rift incident, and life in Ponyville had returned to normal. Well, as normal as it gets for Ponyville. Fluttershy's thoughts would occasionally turn to the ponies she met in the other world, wondering how they're doing. It wasn't until she and the girls were eating out at an outdoor restaurant that they found out, as Discord appeared before them with a letter from Discordia.
"A letter from Discordia?" Asked Applejack.
"Ooh! Let me see, let me see!" Cried Pinkie, reaching out to try and grab the letter.
Discord held the letter high out of everypony's reach. "Now, now, since I received the letter, I should be the one to read it." He unfolded the paper, cleared his throat, and spoke in a voice that sounded exactly like Discordia's.
Dear all,
everything has been going nicely here in our little dimension. Prince Solaris recently gave Nightfall a little test and has been promoted from ambassador to prince. He's even got his own pair of wings and his own parade. Needless to say, Nightfall is rather pleased with himself. Though personally, I think the attention has gone to his head. Perhaps I should give him a few tests of my own, to help keep his ego from getting too big. On another note, Flutterbye has been wondering about you all as well. I've assured him that you're all right as rain, but if you'd like, you could right to him and tell him yourselves. Thank you for our interesting encounter, and take care.
Yours in chaos, Discordia.
P.S. I've enclosed a little something that I thought you'd like to have as a keepsake.
As soon as those words left Discord's mouth, another slip of paper popped out from the envelop. Everypony gathered around it to see a group photo of all their counterparts (taken recently as it showed Nightfall in his new Alicorn form), including Barb, Evening Star, and Discordia, with Discordia leaning behind Flutterbye and making a pair of bunny ears with her talons. Everypony smiled, wondering how soon until they meet with their others selves in the future.
The End
Hey, wait a minute!
Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared in the inky blackness of the credits.
You can't end the story like this!
But...the story's over. There's nothing more to tell.
It can't be over, I only got a few lines.
Heh, that better than the treatment I got.
Also appearing in the blackness was Pinkie's male counterpart, Bubble Berry.
I didn't appear at all, not even a mention or a cameo!
You were included in the group photo at the end, so that counts.
Nopony's gonna know that! And what about Elusive, huh? You didn't give him any focus either!
Sigh! Look, I wasn't able to fit everypony in the story, okay? Can't you guys give it a rest and let the story just end?
Never!Never!
Not until you give us some more scenes!
I didn't want to have to do this, Discordia!
Discordia appeared in a flash, lifting the two ponies into the air. Okay, my little ponies, time to say goodbye and goodnight to the audience.
But--!But--!
Snap!
Discordia turned toward the audience and winked. That's all folks!
