A bit different than it was last time
Twilight checked her phone for the third time, her right foot limply kicking at the heel against the Wondercolts statue. It was nearly half past 5 pm, and she looked around the school grounds once more. Just as she was about to open it up and call, she could see Sunset making her way across the street. Seeing the yellow-and-red-headed girl waving at her, Twilight smiled and waved back.
"Hey! How are you?" she said.
"I'm good, sorry I'm a bit late," Sunset said. "My bike's brakes got too cold overnight and I had to take the bus after work. I started talking to Rarity over the phone and missed the stop so I walked here."
"Oh, well I hope your bike's alright."
"Yeah, just gotta wait out the cold before I can use it. So, did I keep you waiting long?"
"Actually I ended up getting here late too," Twilight said, chuckling. "Shining and I were playing the Space Crusade set he got for Christmas. Anyways, are you ready?"
"Yeah, just gotta check in with... well, you know who."
Twilight nodded, a little chill running up her spine at the prospect of talking to her otherworldly counterpart once more. She'd met only once after the Friendship games, but the experience was unearthly in how it shook her to her very core. Taking a glance at Sunset, it'd be impossible to think that she was anything other than a normal human girl, from her mannerisms, to her speech, and even how well she conducts herself in her day-to-day life, sometimes in ways better than Twilight could.
But she couldn't deny the fact that she had bore witness to interdimensional travel, magical artifacts, and time manipulation ever since she'd met the unicorn in disguise. The records she'd taken of the magical anomalies had cemented her future in studying and application of these undiscovered energies that permeated reality itself, but being able to see and interact with these events first-handed was a rush that had no close second in her eyes. Thoughts of Nobel Prizes and billions in research and development fell to the wayside once she'd gotten more acquainted with the six girls in Canterlot High, especially Sunset.
"Alright, she says it's opening now," Sunset said, breaking Twilight out of her thoughts.
"Oh, alright!" Twilight said, getting out her camera. "Oh gosh, I can't believe I'm going to go to an actual alien dimension! By choice this time! And with equipment to document my experiences properly!"
"Can you say, 'best Christmas ever', or-"
"BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!" she shouted.
The sound of a deep rumble and crack of lightning spewed from the statue's base, and the stone surface gave way to a mirror sheen. Sunset smiled and offered a hand to Twilight.
"It's a bit of a bumpy ride between here and there," she said.
Twilight smiled and took her hand, and together, they stepped through.
\\\\\\//////
The cosmic forces of magic displacing every atom in one's subatomic makeup and rearranging them into a different lifeform was not an entirely unpleasant experience as one might think it to be, Twilight had noted. In fact, it was the aftermath of realizing that everything felt somewhat normal despite the completely alien biology one found themselves in that threw her, and likely every other traveler, through the proverbial loop.
She noticed that her winter clothes were gone, replaced with only a scarf, tall blue boots and a saddlebag that still held her belongings. Sunset at her side seemed to be alright as well, though she tried to stand upright for a moment before her quadrupedal instincts kicked in and she righted her posture. Looking around, Twilight found that they were in an immaculate marble and gold castle, a far cry from the crystal one they'd crossed through last time.
"Whoa, you sure did pack a lot of stuff."
Looking up to the familiar voice, Twilight was met with a familiar form. At least somewhat, though, since now the Princess seemed to be twice as tall as her. Clad in regal gold jewelry, and with a mane far longer and trimmed than her own, Twilight realized that her counterpart had changed immensely.
"Jesus, Twilight!?" Sunset gawked. "What happened to you?"
"Sunset! I'm so glad to see you too!" she said, her wing-hug eclipsing the yellow unicorn. "But, to answer your question, I sort of ended up becoming the sole ruler of Equestria while you were gone."
"Seriously? What are they feeding you? Does Celestia spike her cakes with growth hormones or is it all magic?"
"Honestly, it's probably a little bit of both," Princess Twilight whispered. "So, how are you two doing? I heard that the human holiday already passed, right?"
"Yeah, Merry Christmas, by the way," Sunset said as she hovered a wrapped present over.
"Oh, thank you so much!" she said.
The Princess unwrapped it and blinked, pondering the book in her grasp.
"Um, what is-"
"Oh my God, Sunset, really!?" human Twilight gasped.
Sunset couldn't hold back her laughter as she rolled onto the ground, clutching her stomach while her hind legs kicked into the air. As she did, Twilight examined the book labelled with her name on it, and the pale humans on the cover.
"I don't get it," she said.
"It's an awful book from an awful writer and the joke is that it's named Twilight," the unicorn said.
"Oh, let me guess, she gave you one once, right?"
"More like every year," she scowled.
Sunset howled with laughter.
\\\\\\//////
After Sunset had calmed down, the three made their way through the castle to the main entrance.
"Pretty sparse in here," Sunset commented. "Not a lot of Guards anymore?"
"Actually we've got plenty," the Princess said, "just no reason to keep them holed up in here during the holidays. Although some Guards prefer to stay on the clock even during holidays."
"Princess!" a blue Griffon snapped on his approach. "Ma'am, I've come to report on today's findings."
"Captain Gallus, at ease," she said. "Have I introduced you to Sunset and the other world's version of me?"
The Griffon looked at Twilight, the Princess, then turned about.
"I'll give my report in an hour," he said. "I'm not dealing with dimension shenanigans again."
"Wait, 'again'?" Twilight asked.
"Well, I suppose he's earned a break."
"Seriously, what did he mean by 'again'?" Sunset asked.
"Nothing important. So, how about you two look around the city! A lot's changed since the last time we've seen each other."
"Well, if you insist," Sunset said. "What do you think, Twilight? Wanna hit the town and check it out before you start going gaga over your science stuff?"
"I mean... we've got plenty of time, so why not?"
"Great! I'll tell the Guards to let you in whenever you come back."
As they walked out the gates, Twilight stood in awe at the sight of the shining city. The immaculate structures of white marble with gold and purple trimmings lining the edge of the city making an exquisite scene that she desperately needed to record later.
"Yeah, just stay close, alright?" Sunset said. "I know it's pretty big, but I know my way around like-"
A dragon's roar brought their attention to the center of the city, where a grand festival was underway as Griffons and Dragons twirled flaming spears around before dozens of Seaponies surged a tidal wave through a series of waterways, freezing it in place to make the lights dance across the streets.
"... well that's new," Sunset commented.
Twilight eagerly pulled Sunset along as the two rushed into the city, a camera at the ready as the two laughed joyously into the night.