With a great heavy breath, Applejack lifted up a bag and made her way from the right side of the barn wall, sunlight entering through the open glassless windows. The rustic smell of familiar settings was a relief. With a steady step, she made her way forward, passing through the barn’s open entrance.

Each step she took, however, was slow. A quick glance from her injured right shoulder and her left leg only brought memories. One week had passed since the “adventure” she’d had with her friends at Neighland-Yupony. The events were still fresh in her mind. ‘First it was mah shoulder. Now my leg.’ Two wounds that only prompted the return of bad experiences.

Injuries that she had received from the Xenomorphs. The thought brought a displeased frown, Applejack facing the ground while she walked. “It’s so hard ta just ferget about it.” And how could it not be? Both events were traumatizing, happening only a month apart. It was a timeframe that was too short; a period hardly allowing any of them to destress and recover from either experience.

Pinkie Pie had been the only one who hadn't received an injury. Lucky her. Fluttershy had hurt herself pretty bad. And still, while Applejack had forgiven her about the stunt she pulled with Babs, it was an action that scared her to pieces. Rarity's hoof had slightly mended, however, she'd probably be walking with some support for the rest of her life. And Rainbow Dash, much like Pinkie had barely gotten a scrape, although the cut on the right side of her barrel said otherwise. Twilight herself was only just getting better after an Xenomorph thrusted its tail into her stomach. Only the least to say about what happened to Daring, Crystal, Aqua, Patchy, and Spark.

If only they were that lucky. Applejack closed in on a fenceline and dropped the bag to her side. Picking it up with her left foreleg, she raised it upward and over the fence, pellets clinking along the metal interior of the tray. There was a racket of grunts until a group of pigs came trotting along on their stubby legs. Their easily recognizable oinking replaced the frown she had with a faint grin.

She pulled the bag back in front of the fence line. As the pigs greedily fed upon their meal, Applejack looked back at the bag. A faint ache in her shoulder and back left leg said otherwise. She growled to herself. “Stupid Xenomorphs…” After being injured as she was, now twice, she thought she wouldn’t have been useful to her family. At times there were tasks she could no longer normally do. Even a simple task now required more effort than when she wasn’t injured.

If only her chores weren’t as difficult. With a sigh, she reached for the bag. She went to lift it up with her right hoof but felt the weight decrease. Glancing to her side, a faint smile formed. She watched as Apple Bloom lifted part of the bag on top of her back. “Thanks, Apple Bloom.”

Her little sister only nodded. “Ah got all mah chores done. Thought Ah’d go ahead and help yah.” Applejack could only smile.

Applejack couldn’t ask for a better sibling. Once she let her pride get in the way, not accepting help from others, even her own family. And after she had seen through her own chagrin, accepting help from others felt more and more like second nature. “Thanks, squirt.” She couldn’t help the chuckle that came out, as Apple Bloom shook her head at the nickname.

They lifted up the bag of pig feed, making their way back to the barn at a pace much faster than before. Putting it down Applejack wiped a hoof across her brow. “How’d yer chores go?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Not too hard. They’re gettin’ easier with each day.” A good thing to hear. At this rate, Apple Bloom would be able to do almost everything. Yet an unfortunate reality for Applejack presented itself. With these injuries slowing her down, it was almost too difficult to perform even the simplest of chores, and impossible to complete a third of the most important tasks.

But Applejack knew better. These problems would not get to her. “She’s had some pretty good teachers, if Ah do say so mahself.” The sisters turned towards the entrance, watching as Granny Smith slowly walked into the barn.

If there was another thing that Applejack was glad to see was that Granny Smith finally got out of the house every now and then. “If Apple Bloom keeps this up, she may outdo you sooner or later.” Granny Smith cackled a little.

Applejack playfully rolled her eyes. “Do you think our brother would’ve said the same thing?” Apple Bloom’s question was sudden, eyes wide, catching Applejack off guard.

She glanced down at Apple Bloom, resting her left hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “Big McIntosh would be proud of you, Apple Bloom. You know that.” The frown on Apple Bloom’s muzzle said otherwise. “He’s… gone. But Ah know he’d appreciate you fer doin’ all you could to improve yerself.” The reassurance appeared to have some affect, Apple Bloom’s frown disappearing.

But the thought did bother Applejack. She glanced towards a distant hill, the place that they had laid him to rest alongside their parents. So much had happened, and so much was lost. But Applejack figured that they couldn’t let this overshadow their lives. She stood up and rested a hoof over Apple Bloom’s head. With a giggle, she ruffled her mane. “Come on now, let’s get back to it.”

With a nod, Apple Bloom followed Applejack and Granny Smith out of the barn. To lose family was an awful experience, but Applejack knew that they’d find a way to recover. Time healed all wounds, right? Then they’d have to wait but still keep Big McIntosh in their hearts.

A bump shook Crystal’s seat. She glanced at the opposite end of the room. The world passed her by in a blur of green and blue. Beams of light broke through the cloudy sky, entering into the cabin Crystal sat in. She sighed to herself, glancing down at her back legs. The week that had come and gone was, for a better word, a little too slow. Not fast enough to rid her of the nightmares that plagued not only herself, but everypony she knew, too.

‘That reminder will always be there. Even with these Xenomorphs gone. They’re still scaring us… even killing us in our dreams.’ Crystal could not understand how this could be. Maybe these monsters, horrifying as they were, left an impression even after death. So while the living would have seen the last of them, their dreams would be invaded by the vile nightmares. All hope of being safe, while true, is gone when the creatures could come into their dreams whenever they desired.

It was an unfortunate circumstance, but those dreams would go away eventually. However, Crystal had something else taking up her conscious. An objective, if she were to put it in that type of light. She had met with Celestia earlier in the week. Crystal had not understood what the reason was until the princess let her know that a former friend was still alive. She pushed her hooves into the seat, the uncomfortable memory of their last talk. ‘Celestia believes that I can mend what happened with Sunset… maybe that’s true. But how well will that talk even go?’

It was one of the many problems that plagued her mind. She still had to find a house in Canterlot, one that she and Aquafrost would share--that was a more positive thought that swam through the negative. Yet there was only so much that Crystal could hold on to. With her venture ahead, while a short one, Crystal had thought of where she was going. There was only one entrance, and that was in Ponyville.

‘It’s only been a week, too. Wonder how Twilight’s holding up.’ It was funny, Crystal thought. Here she was venturing towards Ponyville, a small town that held the one pony that she once had a great aversion towards. Now she sought help from said pony to have the chance of even seeing Sunset Shimmer again. Although she had helped Twilight during those terrifying hours at Neighland-Yupony, there were still some feelings she held that, if she were to be honest, weren’t exactly surrounded with daisies and sunshine.

It wasn’t difficult to see that Twilight wasn’t responsible for replacing her. Her involvement in that process was but a minor role. It was Celestia who had replaced Crystal Rune. However, even so, as the saying went, wounds weren’t exactly easy to close. Crystal glanced at the floor in front of her. ‘That’ll take time. That’s a given.’ It was just a matter of spending time with the mare she thought had wronged her for so long, the one that she thought had gotten it right, whereas Sunset and even she herself had failed.

Maybe it was easier than she was making it out to be. Her ears straightened, the train brakes screeching outside the window. She lurched for a brief moment before the train came to a stop. A shadow came over the window, glancing back to see steam shooting up from the train’s engine. When a couple of the ponies on board got up from their seats, so did she, following a short line out through the designated door.

Once she exited the train, Crystal scanned the train station. It was quiet, with not too many ponies boarding or leaving the train--an odd scene, as she was used to Canterlot’s busy train station. Making her way down the short few steps off the platform, she walked onto the middle of one of the few roads in Ponyville. “Celestia told me that her castle is on the outskirts of Ponyville. If that’s the case...” Crystal surveyed the tops of the buildings around her until she saw one standing above the others.

But the gleam off its exterior as the sun’s light bounced off its crystalline structure blinded her for a brief moment. Crystal blinked a couple times before staring at the castle. While she could only see the top half of it, she could only marvel at its magnificent splendor. With the building in sight, she picked up her pace to a slow trot.

As she studied the town around her, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort, a welcoming feeling unlike that of Canterlot. Even the ponies, as she glanced around, gave kind smiles to her, a few even waving to her to which she waved back. ‘Wow. This place friendlier than I expected.’ She trotted past a couple more buildings until she came into a bigger clearing, a dirt road leading up to the castle.

Walking up to it, she soon felt smaller and smaller. It certainly seemed as big when she first saw it, but as she approached it, she discovered in actuality that it was bigger than she thought. Crystal found herself at the door only after a few seconds. With a slow breath, she reached a hoof forward and knocked on the large door in front of her. She stood there for a couple seconds. No response. Crystal Rune tilted her head and knocked on the entrance again.

Another few seconds went by. She waited and waited. A minute went by until the door lit up in her ice blue aura. The door opened with ease, Crystal walking in without a pony in sight. “Hello?” Crystal called out, her voice echoing through the large hallways. She gazed down both halls and took the left one. Her gaze swept across the walls of the hall, the light of the sun piercing through the row of windows. “Is anypony there?” Crystal hoped for a response this time.

“Who’s there?” It wasn’t Twilight’s voice, but sounded much younger. Crystal turned to her left and saw a small filly staring back at her.

“Who are…?” Crystal went to ask but then recognized the filly. “You’re Nyx, correct? The filly Twilight adopted. The same one who nearly put all of Equestria under eternal darkness.”

Nyx flinched at the last few words but seemed to shake it off. “Yeah… the same one.” Crystal knew what she had said was detrimental. To a filly no less, it only made it worse. But Nyx only gave a faint smile. “So what do you want?”

“I’m looking for Twilight. Where is she?”

The filly exhaled. “My mom’s in her room. Here, I’ll take you to her.” Nyx waved Crystal to follow, which she did. The filly guided her down the hall and took a left. They then ascended up a staircase to the right, Crystal observing each part of the castle with an intrigued smile. “What are you wanting to talk to her about?” Nyx said before following up with a couple more words. “If I may ask.”

Crystal returned her attention to the filly. “I was hoping that she’d activate the mirror she has here. As for why… Princess Celestia said my friend is on the other side of this ‘portal’.” Whatever world Celestia had mentioned was left with vague descriptions.

“Oh, you mean that mirror. Yeah, my mother went through it a couple times. She said it was a very odd world.” Nyx’s mood seemed to brighten, but it was gone as soon as it came, replaced by a frown. “Spike went with her too… both times. Those two really were inseparable.” It was an odd choice of words that Nyx used, but Crystal thought it was best to stay out of that family situation.

Once they made it up the stairs, Nyx pointed to a door down the middle of the next hall. “There’s my mother’s room.” Crystal took a step forward before Nyx spoke again. “She might be asleep or… well, crying. So please don’t mention… him.” Nyx’s voice shook for a moment. Crystal couldn’t blame her. Both Twilight and Nyx were going through a tough time. Maybe what Nyx mentioned earlier alluded to more. But Crystal made the choice to stay out of it. It wasn’t what she came here for.

“Thank you, Nyx.” The filly only blinked before descending down the stairs quickly. Crystal sighed and made her way down the lonely hallway. Upon arriving at the door, she knocked a couple of times to only to receive silence as an answer. “Hello? Twilight, it’s me, Crystal Rune.”

There was a shifting of what she thought to be a bed followed by a couple of slow hoofsteps towards the door. The knob clicked, and the door opened up quietly. But Twilight wasn’t standing at the entrance. The first observation that Crystal made was that the room was dark. With only one curtain open to let any type of light inside, at least what little the window could, she saw Twilight sitting there looking out at the expanse beyond Ponyville.

Crystal took a couple steps forward. “Twilight, I was hoping to ask you about something.” No response. Crystal stood still for a moment. Only one question that came to mind: How long? How long had Twilight been like this? It was already obvious: probably since Spike’s funeral. Crystal had no plan to work on, no easy way to approach Twilight. “Umm… I was hoping to see a friend of mine. She lives in some kind of mirror.”

Twilight’s ears perked up, the first reaction Crystal finally received. “The mirror…?” When Twilight spoke, her voice was noticeably weak. “Who’s your friend?”

Crystal breathed in before she continued. “You’ve probably met her by now, from what Celestia told me. Her name is Sunset Shimmer.” Twilight glanced back, a gleam of interest in her eyes.

“You’re friends with Sunset Shimmer?”

“Well… I was.” Crystal rubbed the back of her head with her right hoof. “You see… before you, as this information is possibly old news to you by you now, Sunset was Celestia’s former student. I was in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns as well, but much younger than Sunset. She was probably like the pony you met before. Arrogant, self-centered… a real pain in the rear.” The emotions of the past came back, Crystal frowning at said memories.

Looking back up to Twilight, Crystal left the thought behind. “Anyway… I was hoping that you could let me through the mirror. I want to try and make amends for the mistake that she and I made back then… and see if we can become friends again.”

Twilight only stared back, blinking every now and then. Crystal pretended to be ignorant of the fact that this whole conversation was surrounded in an aura of awkwardness. “So.” Crystal hoped to break the ice. “Could you let me through the mirror please?”

Twilight continued her uncomfortable silence before she spoke. “You said you were there during the time Sunset Shimmer was Princess Celestia’s student. What happened between you to end your friendship?”

It was the one question Crystal hoped that Twilight wouldn’t have asked. Crystal bit her lip for a brief moment but thought it was better to be truthful. “You see… Sunset Shimmer and I weren’t well acquainted with one another at first. Like I said before, she was… well, her normal arrogant self. Celestia introduced her to me because, as Sunset described it, her teacher was hoping to get her to make friends. But we did end up bonding, becoming the best of friends.

“But… she didn’t fare well. I don’t know what happened to her, but she… lashed out at me because of something she did. It was because of this that I lashed back because I didn’t know what else to do. I tried reasoning with her, but she wasn’t having any of it.” The frown Crystal had worn earlier came back. “I… was glad she left. But I also felt like she had clenched my heart and squeezed it until nothing was left. The worst part of it was… that Celestia then picked me to be her new student.”

Even if she was ecstatic about such a chance at first, it only brought memories of her former friend. And felt like Celestia had just been replacing Sunset with another unicorn. “So… you want to fix the relationship that you and Sunset broke?” Crystal simply nodded. Twilight finally gave a smile, but Crystal knew how much of a mirage this change was. “Sure. I’d be glad to activate the mirror for you. And… maybe it’d be nice to come with you as well. A nice change of pace might get me going again.”

Crystal could only hope that this was what Twilight was looking for to help her back onto her hooves. Yet it would only help her so much. “Sure.” Crystal murmured. Twilight quickly took the lead, Crystal following her out of the room.

They descended down the stairs in a rapid fashion. As they reached the bottom floor, Twilight said, “The mirror is down the hall to your left, take the third door on your right and you’ll be in the library.”

“Okay, but where are you going?”

“Oh, I’m going to let Nyx know where we’re going. I’ll be back in a moment.” Twilight trotted off in a rush, Crystal raising an eyebrow at her hurried motions.

She couldn’t judge Twilight. The pain of loss would subside, Crystal knew that well. It would dull, but it would still be there. She had already lost three others. Crystal could only hope that Twilight would make it through this pain as well. Taking Twilight’s advice, she went down the hall and stopped at the third door. She opened the door and was met with a rather large library. “Wow… she certainly is a bookworm.”

Crystal felt like she could relate this type of habit to Twilight, but she herself wasn’t much of a reader, at least not to the extent of information that Twilight appeared to have. Crystal considered herself smart and intelligent, but did not dare pursue knowledge to such an insane level. Scanning the room, it did not take too long before she spotted said mirror. Attached to it was this odd machine, Crystal looking it over as she moved closer to the mirror.

She heard hoofsteps behind her and glanced over her shoulder, watching Twilight enter through the open doorway. “You like it? I made it so I could use the same type of magic that is used to open it when the moon in its right position. But that would take about three years for it to actually happen, so I used a calibration spell to quicken the opening process. Now the portal in the mirror opens whenever I turn the device on.” With that description of the magical process over, said machine lit up in Twilight’s magenta aura. It came to life with a couple of clicks until a purple portal opened in front of the mirror.

Although the explanation itself was easy to comprehend, Crystal was still surprised at how much effort Twilight put into the machine herself. “Wow… that’s really something,” Crystal said. Turning to Twilight, she saw the Princess of Friendship trying to regain her smile. Even if the smile itself was fake, Crystal had to commend Twilight for trying. “You sure you don’t want to stay here?”

Twilight glanced at the floor for a quick moment before nodding her head. “I’ll be fine. I appreciate the offer to go back into this world again.” Crystal nodded. With that said and done, she gestured for Twilight to go first. It was only a moment before Twilight walked up to the mirror, disappearing into it. Crystal stood there and shook for a moment. With a steel resolve in her gaze, she took a step forward and entered the mirror, disappearing into it and from Equestria itself.

For a moment, Crystal felt her whole body spinning out of shape. Odd sensations; parts of her body felt like they were shifting and moving. There was color for a brief moment until everything went dark once more. Still as stone, she tried to move her foreleg, but it felt as if a pile of stones was over top of it. Crystal felt a wave of panic sweep over her.

‘It’s okay. Maybe it’s only a few moments until I wake up in this other world.’ And at that moment, the heaviness upon her lifted.

“Crystal?” She heard Twilight’s voice. Opening her eyes, the first thing she saw was some oddly-shaped face, round and with a pale mulberry color. “Oh, good. Now… don’t freak out or anything.” Seeing that the voice belonged to Twilight, it was still odd to see this new creature in front of her.

“Twilight?” Crystal oddly gawked at this… whatever it was. “What in Celestia’s name happened to your body?”

“Well… it’s how this world works,” Twilight said. She clasped together what should have been her hooves in front of her chest and chuckled nervously. “Now… don’t freak out, but…”

“But what? I feel fine. Everything’s in pla--” Crystal glanced down at what should’ve been her forelegs, only to find the same thin arms that Twilight had. “What in… what is this?” Her tone rose in pitch as Crystal began to panic. “What are these… digits? Did I turn into a Minotaur?” Seeing the hands, her assumption was somewhat correct.

“Actually… you’re not a Minotaur.” When Twilight said those words, Crystal glanced down at her legs, only to find that there wasn’t even a trace of fur.

“Why are my legs so… so… naked?” Returning her attention to her arms she noticed the same lack of fur, her skin a pale green color. Tracing up her arm, she noticed part of a dark green sleeve covering her elbow. But her newly acquired hands gained her attention once more. “Wh-what am I again?”

“You’re a human.” Twilight shrugged sheepishly.

Crystal felt her fear disappear slowly, replaced by a newfound curiosity. Glancing down at her legs she noticed a skirt that went down to her knees. She lowered her right hand onto the cloth and then the exposed skin. The sensation was very odd, a little ticklish. “Is this what smooth skin feels like? It’s so… odd. And why are these hands so sensitive to everything?”

She traced her hands up the skirt and above her hips. “I mean… it’s weird.”

“Yeah…” Twilight nodded. “Being a human is really… unique.” Finding words to describe such a change was difficult. Even Twilight, as wordy as she was, could barely explain her first time becoming a human.

“Wait.” Tracing her hands upward, did she notice two small and odd round things on her chest. “Are these my… how in Celestia’s name did they get all the way up here? And why are they so… big?” She couldn’t see them, covered by a light dark green jacket with white markings wrapping around the clothing, same for her skirt. “Does this mean that I’m…”

“No, no, no.” Twilight quickly shook her head, chuckling a little. “I kind of thought the same thing. But no. You’re not pregnant.” Crystal brought her fingers together, bending her index finger up and down. She fell back onto her rear and glanced down at the bottom of her legs. There were no hooves either, just a pair of weird flat appendages. “Those are called feet.” Crystal flexed them as Twilight spoke, feeling tiny little digits on the ends. While she had known them as horseshoes, these odd shoes felt light yet were odd themselves. A pair of high heels with the heel only having a small stilt on it.

“Is there any use for these things? I feel like I can hardly control them.” Crystal tilted her head, examining the small heeled shoes that she wore.

“Yeah… they’re about as useful as our hooves. But they can feel the ground as well,” Twilight added.

Crystal’s gaze didn’t move from her body, barely noticing Twilight reaching forward with her right hand. “Crystal?” She glanced up and saw the gesture. She reached with her left hand and felt Twilight pull her upwards. Standing on two legs was definitely another oddity.

“I… feel so tall.” This gained a chuckle from Twilight, a noise that Crystal rather appreciated then seeing the princess so gloomy. Crystal took a step forward and felt her newly acquired legs wobble. As she did, a soft bit of cloth rubbed against the back of her legs. Taking another glance at her skirt did she notice that the back portion was a little longer than the front. “This new body’s clothing makes me feel like I’m supposed to be some fancy mare.”

Another giggle from Twilight. “You definitely have that Canterlot flair.” Crystal took another unsteady step, feeling like she was doing some balancing act for a performance. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

That was a big “if,” Crystal thought. Would she ever need to come back here? Probably not. Unless she and Sunset were able to work things out.

“Here.” She felt Twilight’s hand grasp her right, and with this extra support, she felt herself stand up a little more upright.

Taking a look at Twilight, she saw a more relaxed and even happy princess. Crystal thought it was a nice change of pace to see Twilight with a more cheery attitude. “Thanks, Twilight.” She led Crystal towards a building adjacent to the mirror’s entrance. “What is this place?”

“It’s just a high school,” Twilight answered.

“Really? Huh… that’s interesting.” Crystal took a couple more steps until Twilight helped her down onto the top of the staircase, Crystal gladly taking the moment to sit.

“Hold on. Let me go ahead and let Sunset know that we’re here.” Twilight held something in her right hand, an item that Crystal hadn’t noticed before. It was some oddly-shaped rectangular device with smooth edges.

“What the heck is that?”

Twilight looked up and pointed with a finger. “This thing? It’s called a phone. These humans use it as a communication device.”

“Huh… how advanced are they compared to us?”

Twilight glanced up at the school behind her. “Well, they’re pretty advanced compared to us.” Twilight’s smile declined a little as Crystal slowly thought why.

‘Right… that ship Neighland-Yupony acquired was human-made. Not by these humans, apparently.’ And with said thought, it probably brought memories of Spike once more. The phone that Twilight held gave off some quiet typing noise, but without there being some kind of typewriter, she couldn’t understand why it was making that clicking noise. A light also came from the top of the screen. How it worked, Crystal could only assume some sort of magic.

With the topic of magic, she raised a hand to her muzzle, or lack thereof. She then looked back at Twilight and put two and two together. “So, I don’t have my magic, right?”

Twilight spoke but didn’t glance up from her phone. “Yeah. We don’t have our horns, so magic is not easy to use here in this world.”

It was quite a worrying thought, but Crystal knew that they’d only be here for a short amount of time. “Okay.” The light resonating from Twilight’s phone disappeared. “Sunset said she’ll meet us over at Sugarcube Corner.”

“So where’s that?” Crystal asked, unsteadily rising to her feet.

“It’s not too far from the school. A little bit of a walking distance.” Twilight turned to Crystal. “Besides, it might help you learn how to walk.”

Crystal took her time going down the few steps from the high school behind her. She grumbled a little under her breath. Walking in this human body made her feel like she was a foal learning how to walk for the first time. She then turned to take a closer glance at the world around her. Surrounded in the afternoon light, the few trees that she saw were a mix of red, orange, and yellow. ‘Even the seasons seem to affect this world as well.’

Moving her gaze elsewhere, she stared at Twilight ahead of her, walking in that alien body like it was no problem. Lucky her, Crystal thought, grumbling at the awkward posture she imagined herself in. Taking another glance at Twilight, an idea came to mind. Resting her newly-found arms to her sides, she found that they slightly swayed even without her moving them. Then came the legwork.

Copying the movement of Twilight’s legs, she quickly found that Twilight was getting closer. Only was it then that did her hair slightly get in front of her eyes. Brushing it out of the way, she still had not seen what she actually looked like. Maybe there was a mirror somewhere she could look into and see her reflection. “Hey, is there a mirror somewhere I can use?”

“Oh.” Twilight turned back to Crystal and with a quick glance around, gripped her hand before pulling her close to one of the buildings. “Here.” She pointed to the glass window next to their left.

Crystal slowly stood in front of it, eyes widening at the sight before her. Her hair had seemingly grown longer, resting against the top of her back. However, it only seemed to be growing from her head. Yet this body was kind of thin, not like mare bodies were really that wide in her world. When she saw her muzzle, or this new face, she rested a hand on her left cheek. “This is so weird.” Crystal chuckled, twirling her new body this way and that. “I’m guessing your first experience in a new body was odd as well?”

“Well… you’re certainly handling it better than I did.” Twilight chuckled, crossing her arms as she watched Crystal act like a little filly. “You should see the pictures of human babies. I still think they’re kind of weird. But when they’re little fillies and colts… err, boys and girls, human children are kind of cute.”

“You don’t say?” Crystal murmured, was still enthralled by her appearance. “I think I could kind of get used to this. If it wasn’t for the odd way these humans walk. Not to mention that fur isn’t covering our bodies. How do these things stay warm during winter?”

“They rely on clothing,” Twilight pointed out. “That is why you’re wearing clothes. Same with me and everyone else in this world.”

“Huh…” Crystal then glanced back at Twilight. She couldn’t contain a small chuckle. “Sorry, I got carried away, didn’t I?”

“A little bit.” Twilight slightly nodded. The two couldn’t help but giggle a little. “Sugarcube Corner isn’t much further. In fact.” They turned around and Crystal saw the building that Twilight pointed to.

“That building reminds me of that fairytale with the creepy old mare.” Crystal said, getting another laugh from Twilight.

“Don’t worry. If anything, the Sugarcube Corner has great treats.” Twilight guided Crystal across the street. Before they entered, Twilight stood in front of Crystal and said, “Now before you go in. You might want to refrain from saying words like filly, colt, everypony… they'd think you were weird. I'll also mention that other people here from the school might recognize me after I... well, saved it a couple of times.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow. “You saved humans? Without the use of magic?”

“Right? It’s so weird not having the use of magic. But I guess me visiting also… maybe transferred some Equestrian magic into this world.” Twilight gave an innocent gesture.

“You brought Equestrian magic into this world?”

“Yes, but it’s only activated with my friends. Other than that, trying to use magic is practically impossible.” Twilight clasped her hands together. “Now, let’s head on inside and wait for Sunset.”

Crystal felt a pit form in her stomach. What was she going to say to Sunset after such a long time apart? Did Sunset even remember her, or would she recognize her right away? She took a deep breath and followed Twilight inside. The light of the outside world pierced through the windows, and the somewhat loud noise of other humans having conversations didn’t help Crystal all that much. “How busy is this place?”

“It’s usually a little busy. But these other people will be too busy to take notice,” Twilight assured her, pulling Crystal along once more.

But even with Twilight’s reassurance, Crystal felt the stares of the other humans in here, watching them turn their attention to the two new girls entering the shop. While Crystal was used to being stared at, she wasn’t particularly fond of it. Her previous life of being an “archaeologist” didn’t exactly pan well for her, what with the whole threat of other potential rivals potentially within mere feet of her.

The two sat down at a table on the far left of the building, close to the middle of the room. Crystal wrapped her arms together, feeling a little surrounded by all the noise. “You going to be okay?”

She turned to Twilight and sighed. “Maybe… it’s just been so long since I’ve seen her. I don’t know how I’ll react.” Crystal then stared at the table below her. “What if I’m negative? Our last talk didn’t exactly end on a happy note. What if she does the same thing? There’s so many possibilities that I’m unsure if we can really reconnect.”

“Well… if it’s any consolation, Sunset has certainly changed,” Twilight said. “The first time she tried to steal my Element of Harmony, it turned her into a super crazy she-demon.” Crystal’s eyes widened at what Twilight said, who giggled shyly. “But she changed after my few months of being away. She really did turn over a new leaf and helped save this world from three nasty sirens from Equestria.”

“Wow… this world certainly sounds like it’s had some trouble.” But what brightened Crystal’s mood was hearing that Sunset had gotten better. Maybe there was hope yet.

But that hope, Crystal thought, would be tested soon. She heard the door open. Turning to the new human, she took but only a second to recognize the red and orange hair of her former friend. Sunset Shimmer scanned the shop in a quick survey until she waved at Twilight.

Twilight stood up and walked towards Sunset. The two hugged one another, exchanging a couple words before Twilight guided her toward the table. “Sorry to contact you after coming into your world. I thought it would’ve been a nice surprise.”

“That’s okay. It’s nice to see you again.” Sunset’s gaze then turned to Crystal’s, who shied away from the girl’s eyes. “Who's this? Did you meet somebody else in this world before calling me?”

“Actually… she came from my world,” Twilight answered, twirling a finger around a few strands of her hair.

“Really?” Sunset’s eyes widened in surprise. She glanced around and leaned closer. “So…” It was than that she made an odd face, observing Crystal’s features before speaking. “You seem… so familiar. Do I know you?”

Crystal sighed and turned to face Sunset. A frown formed on Crystal’s lips, but her eyes didn’t share the same hurt. “It’s me… remember? Crystal Rune?”

The shock on Sunset’s face took only but a second to appear, but the gaze Crystal got was one more of surprise and fear. “O-oh… I um… I… s-so hey!” Sunset’s voice raised, but she lowered it moments later. “H-how are you?”

The masked panic across Sunset’s face was too obvious. Crystal’s frown only grew fainter. “Hey…” It was quiet between the two. Both barely made eye contact with one another. Twilight could only nervously glance from one to the other. “How’ve you been since…”

“I-I’ve been doing okay. Yeah… it’s been… really interesting here in this human world,” Sunset murmured, still holding the facade that withheld her anxiety.

How to break the ice, Crystal thought. How could one perform such a task after what had happened between her and Sunset? Glancing back up to Sunset, she could see that the composure her friend held was slowly breaking apart, the fake smile cracking under the pressure. Crystal met Sunset’s gaze. “Listen… I--”

“I’m sorry.” It was abrupt, but Sunset’s demeanor quickly broke down, hand in front of her eyes for a brief moment until she rested it on her other hand. But to see the sadness in Sunset’s eyes, the long burdened of regret, Crystal could feel the same creeping emotion. “I know… I know how bad I was back then…” Tears slowly dripped down Sunset’s cheeks. “I know I can’t fully apologize for what happened.” A sniffle came, Sunset giving a quiet hiccup. “I… I was such a jerk to you.”

“Saying sorry isn’t going to make me forget what happened.” Crystal shook, struggling to retain that long repressed anger. “What you said to me back then… blaming me for all the problems you were dealing with. Ripping my heart out…” Crystal closed her eyes. “Do you know what I was left with? I could no longer retain any type of friendship because I felt that it would only lead to more pain. That other friends didn’t actually care about you. Only that they feel like you get in the way of their own goals.”

Sunset was doing her best to hold back her cries. Twilight herself had never seen Sunset break down like this, not since she and her friends in this world had used the Elements of Harmony to purge her of corruption. “And that pain only worsened when Celestia made me her student. It sucked, you know? Feeling the burden of being the princess's protege. It felt like I was replacing somepony that hurt me… that made me feel like I was nothing.”

“I don’t know what else to say… I… can’t take back what I said.” Crystal slowly let her guard down. With that, the emotions did come. She felt her own tears trickle down the face of this alien body. “I don’t blame you if you want to say something… anything to me. After what I did… I know I deserve it…”

Those words finally pierced through Crystal’s anger. And the tone that Sunset had now, the sorrow she felt coming from her, it was that sincere figure; the memory of Sunset that finally took form. “You know… I want to say all these things but I can hardly bring myself to,” Crystal murmured, feeling that same pain well up in her chest again. “Because seeing you as you are now. The same friend I had before… I can’t bring myself to hurt that same pony I knew so all those years in Celestia’s Gifted School for Unicorns.”

It was quiet besides the racket around them. It hardly seemed like anybody else took notice of this scene, as if these girls were somehow invisible to them. Crystal opened her eyes and said, “While it’s still… hard to forget what you said. I see that you’ve changed.” These words did bring a faint smile to Twilight, whom stood on the sidelines, hoping that these two would make it up with one another.

“T-thank you… Crystal Rune,” Sunset shakily said. She wiped her eyes with a hand before standing up. She circled the table and sat next to the girl she once called friend in Equestria. Both, hesitantly but surely, wrapped their arms around each other.

Twilight’s smile brightened. She glanced around but quickly lost that smile. When Crystal and Sunset broke apart from their hug, Sunset’s fragile smile changed to a concerned frown. “Twilight? Are you alright?”

Crystal followed Sunset’s gaze and saw the slight distress that Twilight was in. “Twilight? You going to be okay?”

“I-it’s just that… I remembered now that he’s not here…” Twilight wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Wait. Who’s not her--” Crystal quickly shook her head at Sunset’s question.

“It’s okay… it’s o-okay…” Twilight slowly stood up. “Please e-excuse me for a moment.” Without another word, Twilight quickly went for the entrance and exited through the open doorway.

Crystal had hoped that he wouldn’t be brought back into the equation. But it seemed that Twilight had only brought the thought upon herself. “Twilight… we’ve gone through a lot recently. And… she lost Spike…”

Sunset’s frown only deepened at the news. “Oh… I-I’m sorry… how did it happen?”

“It’s… a long story,” Crystal murmured. She glanced back at the door and said, “Let me go check up on her.”

Crystal stood up from the seat and walked up towards the door. Opening it up, she went through the entrance and glanced down the right sidewalk. Twilight sat below the window, eyes buried into her arms. “Twilight…?”

“I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for thi--”

“It’s okay… really. You don’t have to say sorry about this.” Crystal moved closer but didn’t yet touch her. “You saying sorry about… that is not a problem. Losing somepony’s tough… I lost three friends in the span of two days,” Crystal murmured. “All killed by one of those Predators.”

Twilight lifted her face up, only to greet Crystal with a wave of tears trickling down her face. “I just… it’s s-so hard… it’s s-so h-hard…” Crystal sighed and watched as Twilight quietly broke down. To see the princess in such a sorrowful state, knowing that the drake she lost was like a son to her, was far beyond what Crystal could help with.

She glanced down to the ground. “Do you… want to go back inside? Or… maybe we could go somewhere else.” Twilight didn’t seem to respond, her face buried in her arms once more. Crystal looked into the window and waved Sunset outside. It was but a second until Sunset stepped outside.

“How is she doi--” Sunset saw quickly the state Twilight was in and didn’t say another word. Turning to Crystal, she said, “I have an apartment not too far from the school here. We could bring her there until she gets better.”

“Sure…” Crystal slowly nodded, walking up to Twilight and helping the princess up. Sunset came over and wrapped one of Twilight’s shoulders around the back of her neck. Twilight didn’t seem to protest, but could Crystal really blame her? They took a couple steps forward until moving down the sidewalk at such a slow pace.

Maybe the hope that Crystal had for Twilight wasn’t as great as before. To add Spike’s death on top of her brother, Shining Armor, what thoughts must’ve been swirling through Twilight’s mind? She had to have faith that Twilight would be strong. She was a princess after all. But maybe even princesses gave up at certain points. It was a thought that terrified Crystal. What would happen if Twilight gave up? A topic she dared not dwell upon further out of fear that it would come true; an alarming situation that could become reality. ‘Twilight… how bad you must be hurting. Please don’t give up… not on yourself.’